I think truly developing the thought that you can actually accomplish anything is somewhat of an oxy-moron. You can’t accomplish a thing in yourself, yet at the same time, you can. What an interesting parallel we find ourselves in. What do we do to stand in the middle of this predicament? If you lean too heavily to one side, you’ll sink in the self-glorifying abyss and miss it, but lean too heavily to other, and you’ll fall into the powerless depths of never being good enough. There has to be balance. There has to be a place in the middle-working and putting forth personal effort, while understanding that if the steps of the righteous are ordered by God then He will make sure we are exactly where he wants us to be. Where does success enter? Are we all of a sudden successful when we achieve the fruits of our labors? When people give us acclaim? When we have applause? When we take the next step into greater leadership? Or is it when we are faithfully walking, and trying our best to bear fruit where we are-and waiting on God to do the rest? I’ve been reading a lot about leadership, and I'm somewhat unimpressed with the lofty ideas of personal development. I’m tired of reading about the 12 steps to becoming a better leader, or the best ways to maximize your potential. It’s almost like they are giving future leaders manuals on how to manipulate people into doing what they want, rather than focusing on generating a personal God-given vision for a certain situation, or ministry position, first. Do we just assume that people are spending the time truly seeking, and listening to, God for what He wants to do in a given situation? I think it’s dangerous to assume, because if I know people-or myself-then the easiest thing we do is take a good idea for a situation and fast-track it as a God idea. We then run the risk of manipulating people to conform to our agenda, rather than motivate them with a God inspired vision. I’m all for gaining leadership principles-but not at the expense of shortcutting a true vision. I think personal development, or leadership development, apart from a consistent humility before God that truly says, “God, unless you do this thing it won’t happen,” is fundamentally flawed. You cannot seek to be a Christian leader and put the development of carrying out a vision before the actual vision-getting process. I’m not saying that we should bury our heads in a false humility, denying the things we’re good at, or giving up completely by dismissing those things we need to work on to improve ourselves, but what I am saying is that if there is more effort spent on working to improve yourself with natural means than by developing true dependence on God’s power and provision, then you will never be the leader God has designed you to be because you are not following closely enough the lead of the One who is giving the vision. Praise God for men who have found positive and efficient ways to carry out a God-given vision! Thankfully, they can pass their wisdom on to us! Unfortunately, they can't pass their vision on to us. It is our job to search deeply into the heart of God for our people, our churches, our families, and our lives! Simple Application: Before you ever expect to motivate others to accomplish something, make sure that you pass the test of Divine origins. A God-birthed dream will captivate you and truly motivate you, long before it will captivate and motivate anyone else.

I remember having to write about this statement in college, and either agree or disagree with it: Every man is an island. I'm sure back then I was probably young and stupid enough to think that I could take on the world alone and survive, but over the last few years I've realized just how important it is to surround yourself with people who can encourage, strengthen, and motivate you. I am so thankful for my wife. Eventhough I have dragged her into a life of ministry (with all the joys and pains that brings) she's adapted well and is continuing to grow into that "new" role as pastor's wife. I was thinking the other day about my first ministry position out of college: I was young, single, and clueless. I wonder how much different things would have been if she was there with me. I believe that she is just now starting to realize the incredible opportunities that are waiting for her. I'm thankful for friends who periodically call or send an email; it's good to be reminded by friends, some of whom have been separated by a long distance for some time, that the impact I had on their lives still holds value-and vice versa. I'm thankful for new friends who can challenge and sharpen my life. I'm thankful for podcasts and blogs of leaders I respect-what a great tool for ensuring that someone is always pouring in and mentoring-even from hundreds of miles away. I'm thankful for the incredible resource of books by amazing theologians, philosophers, church leaders, and pastors. I'm thankful for family who can provide a sounding board and good advice. Here is a good piece of advice: If you aren't intentionally surrounding yourself with people who can help bring out the best in you, then you will, by default, be surrounded by people who will probably not take time to actively pour into your life. Simple Application: Find a mentor or find a detractor, the choice is yours.

Have you ever known anyone who was so radical about Jesus, and sharing His message, that it seemed like they took the "machine gun" approach to evangelism? It's almost like any person that happens to be standing around will be assaulted with the truth claims of Jesus, ready or not! Maybe you've driven downtown and seen the people holding signs outside of certain establishments condemning everyone to hell. I think it is vital to share the message of hope and forgiveness we have through Jesus, but I think there's so much more to it than a simple mass assault. Leading a person into saving knowledge of Jesus Christ is not a game. It's not something that we can justify away by saying, "at least I shared Christ." If all you are doing is dropping "Gospel bombs" on people and waiting until the dust clears to see who has been impacted, then I can assure you that you are not being as effective as you could be. Could it be that God is more interested in you listening to His leading to influence specific people at specific times, rather than simply being an evangelism superstar for a few hours on a Saturday night? I believe that God is in the business of supernaturally drawing people to himself and he employs us to accomplish a great deal of the work. Are we listening? When God says go, do we know to where He's sending us? When God says hold off and wait, are we listening, so that we won't do damage? Is God burdening us with specific people to share His love with? I believe that if you can't share the Gospel with those people who you are constantly around, then you have no business doing the work of evangelism, because it starts with those closest to us, those that we have the most influence over. Acts 16:6vv, "Paul and his companions traveled throughout the region of Phrygia and Galatia, having been kept by the Holy Spirit from preaching the word in the province of Asia. When they came to the border of Mysia, they tried to enter Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus would not allow them to...During the night Paul had a vision of a man of Macedonia standing and begging him, "Come over to Macedonia and help us." Simple Application: Let the Holy Spirit lead you to those that He wants you to be a witness. I promise you'll be more effective!

I believe in fighting double standards. I believe in not being labeled something that I'm not. I believe that some things are right and some things are wrong, and I can't compromise. I believe that there are standards that qualify people for certain things. I think decision are best made by rational people. Frustrations don't always have to be the result of emotional issues. I believe that selfish people are blind. I think they are impossible. I think I'm tired of losing. I think there are forces that want to destroy life, some don't see the truth. Some people blame, others work towards resolutions. I believe quarrels will harden hearts over time. I believe there is no purpose in continuing in futility. I believe this day would be a great time for freedom.

Acts 13:9, "Then Saul, who was also called Paul, filled with the Holy Spirit, looked straight at Elymas (the sorcerer) and said, "You are a child of the devil and an enemy of everything that is right! You are full of all kinds of deceit and trickery. Will you never stop perverting the right ways of the Lord? Now the hand of the Lord is against you. You are going to be blind, and for a time you will be unable to see the light of the sun." Immediately mist and darkness came over him, and he groped about , seeking someone to lead him by the hand. When the proconsul saw what had happened, he believed, for he was amazed at the teaching about the Lord." Acts 9:3, "Suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him (Saul). He feel to the ground and heard a voice say to him, "Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?" Who are you, Lord? Saul asked. "I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting," he replied. "Now get up and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do..." Saul got up from the ground, but when he opened his eyes he could see nothing...and later...Saul, the Lord-Jesus, who appeared to you on the road as you were coming here-has sent me so that you may see again and be filled with the Holy Spirit." Immediately, something like scales fell from Saul's eyes, and he could see again. He got up and was baptized." There are a lot of interesting parallels in these two stories. Do you see how Paul uses the method of his own conversion to proclaim the gospel to the proconsul? Paul was a vicious enemy of the gospel; Elymas was also a man working against the ways of the Lord-both were effective in hindering the spread of the gospel: Paul as a persecutor, Elymas as a false prophet. Paul was struck with blindess and heard the voice of the Lord, leading to his conversion and call into Christian service. Paul struck Elymas with blindness as a sign of the gospel he was preaching to the proconsul, leading to his conversion and belief in the gospel. What can we learn here? I think that, at some level, whatever means God used to bring you to repentance can be useful in leading others to Christ. I think we need to embrace the work of grace in our lives and seek out opportunities to minister to others in a similar context. Will God always have us minister from the familiar? No. But I think there is definite power when we proclaim the power of God to minister to a person, or situation, that we have personally seen manifested in our own lives. Simple Application: Is your grace encounter leading you to extend the love of God to others, or is it just an exhibit in your personal museum of spirituality?

Why is consistency so often replaced with complacency? It's almost like it takes over. You desire to consistently do a thing, and instead it seems like the only thing that is consistent is the complacent. I wonder what happens in the transition? What motivates a thing to become stagnate and eventually forgotten, needing a jump-start intervention later on? Do we train ourselves to rely on our own personal focus intervention to set things right again, jumping from peak to peak, rather than being steadily taken on a journey from one stop to the next? I think things get damaged in the process of setting ourselves up on a mountain top and having to jump all the way back up again when we fall off. We need to stop relying on the "jump" to redeem us, to put us back on track, or to make us consistent-AGAIN! We've got to find the balance of being consistent-which means finding the triggers for whatever causes the complacent to swell and suck the breath out of a life of consistency, whether it's because of routine, boredom, a lack of vision, pride, spiritual emptiness, or whatever it might be... Simple Application: Are you being consistent? A person of prayer? A person in the Word? A good spouse? Dedicated to God's plan for your life? Join me in fighting complacency!