Go Write Your Message on the Pavement part 1

Yesterday was one of those "Murphy's Law" days. Whatever could have gone wrong did go wrong. My wife asked me politely to drive our son to the babysitter's house before I went to school, which I had no problem with. So, I try to get out early, because I had never been to the babysitter's house before and I wanted to have plenty of time to make it to school on time. The mapquest directions said she lived nine minutes away. I follow the directions to the 'T' and their address was nowhere to be found on the road it should have been on. It was a 3500 address, but this was a 3600, 3700, and 3800 block. So I drove around the neighborhood asking people if they knew this family. Eventually, I was going to be late for class, so I hauled it back to the school in order to ask her husband where they lived. He gave me different directions, because there are two roads with the same name (I hate Denver). So, I get Malachi out there, and I get back to the school. It's 8:45 now and I've missed a lot of Biblical Exegesis class.

To be continued... it's a long story with a bright ending

Head of One

If there were one frivolous item dear to myself that I could take on a desert island it would be my BC Rich bass guitar. I love playing bass. I love the sound. I love the feel of flat wound strings. One day I had a problem with the sound of my bass and I thought the problem was the electronics in the body of my bass. The body is the wide and short part of the bass. I took my bass in to be checked out and it turns out that the head of my bass was bent, thus the sound was off. The head of the bass is where the tuning knobs are and where the strings descend from. I was taught a valuable lesson about keeping my bass head in perfect shape. I also learned a lesson about the church. If Christ were not perfect, being the head of the church, the church would not function properly. "For the husband is the head of the wife, as Christ also is the head of the church, He Himself being the Savior of the body. that He might present to Himself the church in all her glory, having no spot or wrinkle or any such thing; but that she would be holy and blameless" (Ephesians 5:23, 27). It also finally struck me that Christ is head of His one church, not many as the world and denominations claim. My bass head could not be the bass head of many basses, but only one. For, if it were not so He would have told us.

Compromise = Demise

The Truth Behind Compromise
Leaders throughout the decades have all had one thing in common. They have seen the detriment in conceding to anything less than what they have set out to do in order to accomplish their specific goal. Leaders have seen the importance of sticking to what they believe works and what they believe will push them towards their goal. Of course what is being spoken of is the idea of compromise. This is not the positive aspect of compromise which allows both sides to find a common resolution with a win-win outcome. The aspect of compromise I want to look at has to do with capitulation or surrender. This aspect of compromise is actually very divisive and creates hostility at times. Never has one idea torn down two sides of the spectrum so far apart as much as compromise has the potential to partition. Arthur Bloch, the American writer who wrote Murphy’s Law has this to say about compromise, “The compromise will always be more expensive than either of the suggestions it is compromising.” 2 Kings 17:33 says, “They feared the Lord and served their own gods according to the custom of the nations from among whom they had been carried away into exile.” The price they paid was salvation.

Powerlines

I was listening to one of my favorite songs the other day by The Decemberists, Engine Driver. This time when I was listening a phrase really stood out to me, "We have power lines in our bloodlines." I'm sure they did not mean to have any religious or spiritual connotations, but I could not help but to think, "Hey, as Christians we truly have powerlines in our bloodline." 1 Cor 10:16 says, "Is not the cup of blessing which we bless a sharing in the blood of Christ? Is not the bread which we break a sharing in the body of Christ?" We share in the blood of Christ! How amazing is this? We share a common bond with the Son of God when we partake of the fruit of the vine. The same blood keeping us bonded together is the blood taking away our sins. 1 John 1:7 says "but if we walk in the Light as He Himself is in the Light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin." Even deeper, it is by Jesus' blood we can have confidence in the life to come. Heb 10:19 says, "Therefore, brethren, since we have confidence to enter the holy place by the blood of Jesus."
We truly have power lines in our bloodline. We are all one in Christ; so we, who are many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another.

Love Needed as Leaders

Love is the identifying mark of the leaders God left to shine brightly in a dark world. "A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, even as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another" (John 13:34-35). Without love for one another, as Christians, we disobey Jesus. In the context, as leaders, without love for one another we are not recognizable as Jesus' disciples. By inference, without love, we are not qualified to lead God's people. Jesus says our love for one another will make us recognizable to all men. Jesus is not just saying Christians will recognize someone because of the love they have for one another, but he is also saying unbelievers will know them because of the love they have for one another. As leaders we must be recognized by the love we have for those whom we want to take in a particular direction. If we are not recognizable to those whom are outside of our immediate circles as well, then we have not the love Jesus has called for us to have. Jesus shows His dynamic leadership skills in the next verse when Peter asks, "Lord, where are You going?" Jesus answers Him by saying that Peter cannot go where He is going, but he will follow later. Jesus shows that He will be leading even when He is not seen, but He knows that Peter will live in such a way as to attain to the same end result. Peter did not understand at this point in time the vitality of the love needed as a leader of the people whom were to see the apostles' love for one another.

Get the Lead Out - Part 3

To wrap up this three part series on areas a leader must fulfill, I will be discussing the leader's need to have the drive and the vision to lead others. The most influential leaders are known as 'seers'. This involves having the foresight to see what possible hiccups could occur and plan in order to avoid or overcome those problems. (Read the difference between Robert Scott's journey and Roald Amundsen's journey to the South Pole) This also involves having insight, which is knowing what the imminent problems that will be faced are. We need to focus ourselves to not only see the horizon, but also be able to see the sand under our feet. This may seem difficult, but if you're setting out on a scubba diving expedition what would you check? You'd probably check your breathing apparatus, your diving suit, the conditions of where you're diving and the people you're going diving with's credentials. It's not rocket science, but common sense has escaped many. Jesus knew what would happen when He told the apostles that He would send the Holy Spirit to guide them in all truth and remind them of what He had told them. He knew that the apostles would forget a lot of things, so to prevent faulty or shoddy teaching Jesus set up a firewall. In having drive, we must be driven by something greater than ourselves. Paul says, I believe therefore I speak. His belief drove him. Jesus says, in Matthew 5:16 that we are to do good works and glorify our Father in Heaven. So our drive ultimately is in wanting to glorify our Father in Heaven. Once we have our spiritual drive, we can then have a basis for our drive in our works.
Rom 15:20
and thus I make it my ambition to preach the gospel, not where Christ has already been named, lest I build on someone else’s foundation,
James 3:16
For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there will be disorder and every vile practice.

So, let's plan with some common sense and build our drive on something greater than ourselves, because if we do not we have set ourselves up for failure.