Life Here and There

There are two things that will test a person’s character more than anything else: criticism and praise. Here’s the thing you probably don’t know about me. I’m pretty good at being pretty good when things are pretty good. But when the pressure is up, I sometimes fall apart. Ever happen to you?

(more…)

Quickly think of five common traits of high-impact leaders… good time management, assertiveness, drive, energy, charisma, etc. Humility rarely lands in the list when it comes to our modern, top-down management systems. But Jesus (the greatest leader ever) and Moses (perhaps the second) had this one thought in mind – great leaders don’t have power over people, but power under people by way of humility.

(more…)

When I was a kid, I can remember having occasional “family meetings” in which Mom and Dad (who usually, at this point, had “had it”) would sit us down and lay down some “new rules.” Generally this mean no more eating in the living room or leaving half-drunk soda cans lying around. We made it as much of a challenge as possible for these rules to stick, and eventually life would return to normal. I know… we reap what we sow…

Here’s a major lesson that this illustrates. Rules are an ineffective means for managing relationships. In other words, you can’t force someone to obey, love, or respond sensitively by use of a rule. You can, however, convey principles that become a part of our core, that drive our moment-by-moment decisions. For example, setting a rule of “no smarting off to your brother” probably won’t last, but establishing the principle that “we respect our siblings” is a principle that can be learned and applied to a variety of situations over the long haul.

(more…)

When Moses didn’t know what to tell people who asked him why he thought he had so much authority, God responded, “You tell them ‘I Am Who I Am’ has sent you.’ The implication? If the self-sufficient Creator has commissioned you, you don’t need any other authority. God is whom God is. He never changes or compromises. He is Himself at all times and is completely sufficient within Himself.

I am whom I am also, but in a different way. My sufficiency can never be found in myself because I’m flawed. Depravity and finiteness prevents our speaking in the same tone and meaning as God on this subject. I can, however, define myself as I relate to my all-sufficient Creator. And as I am in Christ, I really am. I am nobody else. I owe apologies to no one for who I am, only to God for my sinfulness – and that has been washed in Christ’s blood the moment I came into a right relationship with God.

(more…)