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Do You Know Who You Are?
Who are you? There are numerous benefits to knowing who you are. Knowing yourself will enable you to know others. It is only when you understand your strenghts and weaknesses and how God has made you that you will be able to live a life of greatest impact. Not to mention personal fulfillment. Do you know what your sweet spot is? Using your gifts will energize you. Studies show that up to 80% of people are in jobs they dislike. Ouch. You can be part of the 20%.
I’ve helped teens and seniors figure out what their gift mix is. It is never too late to learn. If you think you are too old then you might as well die. If you are alive God still wants to use you. Even if you are 75 I believe knowing who you are can enable you to leave a better legacy and impact for eternity. You are only a decision away from making the rest of your life the best.
I have a high tolerance for people different from me. That in part is attributed to studying and learning personality, strengths and spiritual gifts of others different than myself in my early 20’s. I don’t believe there is just one way to do something nor is there always a wrong way and a right way. There can be a variety of ways. When I see opinionated, negative and critical people I see people who not only don’t know themselves very well but they don’t understand others. Having a “we” and “them” attitude is sometimes due to an attitude of feeling different is wrong. Different is just different. It’s okay to be different. The apostle Paul learned to be all things to all men in order to reach some.
When I take on someone new to coach or mentor I do a personal evaluation which includes spiritual gift assessment, DISC, Myers-Briggs, Strength-Finder and Ministry Profile Discovery. It is after this Discovery Phase that I can coach and mentor in personal and ministry life. I have seen people resign from ministry because when they were in the wrong position. Have you considered quitting lately? Knowing yourself will enable you to find the right seat on the bus. Using your strengths will bring great joy.
For over a year I took a break from WIN and LEAD (2 ministries I serve) to help my husband with his church. I love and adore my husband but the church had such great need that I spent 60 hour weeks on admin just helping with the jump start. For over 20 years I was used to having my own admin support and I was the lone administrative person for the whole church. I’m good at admin but it is not my sweet spot or what God called me to do. One morning during my devotional time I had a wake up call during prayer. I was off the my faith path and needed to make some decisions. With my husbands full support I pulled back and today he chooses how I serve him very carefully. My job is to lift his load and do for him what others will not and cannot do. I am an innovative and strategic leader with the gift of leadership, teaching, faith and evangelism. Prayer is a strong conviction and therefore a prioritiy. In DISC and Strength Finder my profile is Achiever and Developer. in Myers-Briggs I am ENTJ. Beginning or Leading new ministries and Spiritual Transformation roles are a natural fit. i.e. Coaching, Mentoring & Leadership Development. I enjoy helping someone develop a working strategy to live out their vision. Looking back at 25 years of ministry I understand how mentoring others and coaching has been a source of fruit and joy. This is my design.
What about you? Have you discovered your sweet spot? Are you in the right seat on the bus? Where can God use your gifts for the greatest return for the kingdom? Sometimes timing is an issue but it is never too late to late to get on the faith path you were designed for.
10 Questions to ask a Pastor You Shepherd or Coach
As an intuitive leader I don’t believe in a cookie cutter approach to pastoral consulting, coaching or mentoring because every person, church and situation is unique. However there are 10 basic questions that any good pastor shepherd or coach should start with. Where you go from there is based on intuition. I have seen some great mentors in my day, and I have seen some not so good. The not so good are those who don’t have a clue about pastoral coaching but somehow are in that position. This person really just wants to see if there are results and therefore will usually just talk about the destination. They are oblivious to strategy or how to develop people in leadership which will raise leadership potential. This type of “coach” is also clueless to the importance of relationship and how to develop it with a variety of personality types. Spiritual formation may not be the best fit for this person but nonetheless he has this role. With a desire to grow this pastor coach can become more effective.
Here are the questions I ask:
1. How are you doing personally? Spiritually? Family? Physically? Mentally? (I will go deeper according to response.)
2. Talk about your devotional life? How is God speaking to you through the Word? (Find out if this is separate from teaching prep.)
3. How are you growing? What is your growth plan?
4. What are you currently reading?
5. Tell me about your prayer life?
6. What are your greatest strengths? Weaknesses?
7. Are you spending the majority of your time using your strengths?
8. Who is your network? Who is your inner circle?
9. Update me on your vision for the church? Strategy?
10. Who are you personally investing in? Are they reproducing?
Another benefit to good questions is to help you connect. Without connection you will not have influence. This is a skill that anyone can learn. Learn to ask good questions can help you take a quantum leap in your leadership. Apply these principles and those your shepherd will be more motivated and inspired.
Sunday Night Bouquet
Many of my pastor friends do a “Sunday Night Dump” which is a blog of random thoughts on their mind from the week. Tried to do that a couple of times here. I love the concept but the phrase Sunday Night Dump is just not me. Today I remember 25 years ago when I went on staff at my first church. A pastor friend said to me: Start a bouquet file asap. I had never heard of that but it is a file where you keep encouraging cards, notes, letters, photos, or anything that can fit, to revisit at times of fatigue, discouragement or wondering why you do what you do. I took that advice and still incorporate this into my life. I have a paper “bouquet file” and also an online one. Because writing is a hobby that energizes me, I thought I would share a bouquet with you from the last week. It is amazing all that can happen in just a 7 day period!
Thank you Jesus for….
1. Person who prayed to receive Jesus into their heart.
2. Youth ministry meeting Wednesday morning.
3. Boys getting to spend time with Jim and Kay.
4. Call from Baptist Church.
5. Robert.
6. Hugs from my children.
7. Rachel.
8. Call from UMC.
9. The Wharf.
10. Evelyn.
11. Rick, Kelly, Anita.
12. Robert & Judy.
13. Julia’s authentic heart for Jesus, His church and children.
14. A bike ride with my son.
Top Ten Ways To Select Your Inner Circle
The leader will take feedback and questions from her people but will act on what she believes is right.
Top Ten Qualities I Look For In My Inner Circle
1. Relationship with God – Her love relationship with God is more important than any other single factor in her life. A woman can be the most gifted, intelligent and best communicator in the world, but if she does not possess a growing and dynamic walk with Jesus how can she lead others in this? Everything in her Christian life should be an overflow of her walk with the Lord. Is she passionate about this?
2. Character – Most leadership failures come from lack of character rather than lack of intelligence. You can do much to mentor a person in ministry and leadership skills but you are completely vulnerable to the person with a weak character. The weakness will show up at the time of highest stress, at the very time you need the person to step up to the plate. Character is sectional, like a grapefruit. Everyone has strong sections and weak. One person may be strongly loyal to the CEO, but irresponsible and lack discipline in the day to day. Another person person may be loyal and responsible until she gets a chance to enhance her ego. She may begin to envy the recognition of another and question why she is not getting the same. Ego will weaken character as much as anything I know. As a leader you must evaluate all the sections, build on the good ones and avoid the weak ones. The bottom line is that you need people of strong character that you can count on.
3. Flexible – Third I want a person who is flexible and does not confuse flexibility with lack of integrity. Some people accuse others of lacking integrity, when the issue has nothing to do with that. The only thing at stake is flexibility. One of the things that indicates a healthy flexibility is optimism. Positive people look at change as expected and part of growing a church or organization. Negative people are opinionated and think their was is the only way of doing something and feel threatened if challenged.
4. Excited About Learning – I like to have people around me who are hungry to grow. Nothing helps a church or organization more than a leader who wants to grow.
5. Team Players – A true team player does not poach on other people’s responsibility but is available to help at their request. When she sits in a meeting she is open in her remarks and does not go around making comments privately.
6. Confronts in a Healthy Manner – The purpose of confronting conflict is to redeem not to destroy. Deal with any anger prior to the confrontation so that your motive is pure and the relationship is not destroyed.
7. Comfortable Being Reviewed – In business this is done on a regular basis. But in the Christian setting many people seem to resist review. They feel that they have been called and gifted by God and therefore the Pastor, President, CEO or Department Head is not really their supervisor—God is. They have the attitude that “we are all equal on this team.” If their concept of what God wants them to do (which is usually what they enjoy doing) conflicts with what the organization expects of them, it’s too bad. Such an attitude brings havoc into the work of the kingdom.
8. Slow to Anger – If a person has a problem with anger it will be a show up in every area of life. They can hide it for a while but eventually it will surface. People are like a tube of toothpaste. When squeezed from life pressure and stress, what is on the inside will always come out. Angry people people are usually negative and also pout. This will suck the life out of you. “Keep away from angry, short-tempered men, lest you learn to be like them and endanger your soul.” Proverbs 22:24
9. Positive Attitude – Negative people will suck the life out of you. Run from them. Enough said.
10. Sense of Humor – Life is short so my inner circle must have a great sense of humor. My sense of humor developed while serving on staff at Skyline Church in San Diego. We laughed so much (all the time) that it’s a wonder we ever got any work done. Laughter is great medicine.
How can we find and recruit such people? My three steps are pray, invest, and select which I will talk about on another post. Next week I will talk about What To Do When You Realize You Made a Mistake in Choosing Someone For Your Inner Circle?
Is it worth it?
This morning the Lord woke me up at 3:00 am but I lay there for a while deciding whether to get up and spend time with him or pretend I didn’t hear his voice. You ever done that? I clearly heard I want to spend time with you. It’s important. OK. I’m up. In my gut I knew this was not going to be a quickie so I put on a pot of coffee. When Todd’s alarm clock went off at 6 am I was shocked. My time with the Lord had flown by. It was such a sweet time of fellowship. I wrote down 4 pages of how he spoke to me through His Word. Renewal really does come from spending time in His presence. Once again He has taught me that it is so worth it to get extended time to hear His voice. Ever tried to do lunch with a friend in a half hour? Hard to do huh? Same with Jesus. Often we need more time to connect. Wow. It is so worth it.
Thanks Lord for renewing my life this morning. For speaking to me through your word. For giving me 3 different messages for my life, for my children and maybe for a future retreat or conference. It is worth it!
Just Hang Up the Phone
Have you ever been on the phone with a person and had the desire to hang up as quickly as possible because you just couldn’t connect with them? Maybe you were both talking but unable to connect. It’s frustrating and feels like a time waster. John Maxwell says that “connecting is the ability to identify with people and relate with them in a way that increases your influence with them.” Do you connect with people? Here are qualities of people that make me want to hang up the phone…
1. You don’t ask questions. My time with you is not a dialogue it is a monologue. You assume you are already know everything including what information I have, feel and want. You are quick to give answers but asking good questions is just not your DNA.
2. You always have an agenda. My time with you is always about you and your tasks at hand. You can be task orientated (I am too) but relating and connecting with people is leadership 101.
3. You come across arrogant. Arrogant people seldom meet others on common ground. Why? Because they don’t make the effort—they believe they shouldn’t have to. They live on higher ground than others and think they know it all and your thoughts are too insignificant to share as well as a waste of their time.
4. You refuse to listen. One reason for this is you are not open to any opinion or solution other than your own. This is pride and selfishness and due to focus on yourself and your agenda. If you are too busy to take a call DON’T. I have many projects going on and I set a specific time each day to return calls so that I can totally focus on the person without distraction. On Wednesday I usually don’t take calls at all because it is my busiest day of the week. Most people who know my life understand this and know that the best time to talk to me is on one of the other 6 days. Unless of course you are in my family in which case you can call me 24/7.
The greatest danger to being this type of person is missing out on leading in the power of the Holy Spirit. If you are open to the Spirit then He will often change a sermon or Bible Study at the last minute, an altar or call anything else that comes to mind. The most powerful times of ministry in my life are those moments when he takes everything I have planned to say or do and replaces it with a new direction. One can miss hearing the voice of God because you have not learned how to listen. The greatest blessing we can have is living, loving, leading and ministering in the power of the Holy Spirit. Ask questions. Listen. Humble yourself. Give up your agenda. And watch God work.
Looking for Women in Ministry
If you are a seasoned woman in ministry (10+ years) and could use some spiritual and physical refreshment this invite is for you. You are invited to a 2-3 day beach getaway. This is NOT a conference or ministry retreat. It is a 2-3 day beach getaway for women in ministry to connect, play, shop, relax, laugh, cry and pray together. FREE except for food/lodging. Location: Gulf Shores, AL area.
Space limited.
If you are interested private message me at dseeley@winfluence.org
Don’t Wrestle With A Pig
Photo courtesy of ©iStockphoto.com/narvikk
Any passionate follower of Jesus will get criticism. If you are in ministry, speak, write books or blog you will get criticism. It is inevitable. I’ve had people criticize me, my family and my mother (whom they have never met) and the church. Even those within the church will criticize you for doing what is right. People do not want to be confronted with Biblical truth. Darkness does not want to be exposed to light. Jesus was persecuted. Why should we expect less?
Recently, I was tempted to respond to an obnoxious critic. As I was considering what to say, I thought of something a former pastor and boss said about critics.
He said,
“Don’t wrestle with pigs. You both get dirty and the pigs like it.’”
That was all I needed to remember. I relinquished the words I desired to share and moved on.
Question: Have you had a recent pig wrestling experience?
Top 3 Ways We Can Solve a Problem
Someone said that solving a problem doesn’t end our problems—it only brings up the next one. How true. Problems will never be eliminated from our lives and I find it very interesting how people respond to them. Most people don’t like problems and will do almost anything to get away from them. There are task problems and people problems. Today I will share a few thoughts on the most common type of problems—people problems, and how we choose to respond.
1. The Pretender: For a variety of reasons this person does not want to deal with the problem and therefore will pretend it does not exist. If the problem is with a group of people or an individual they will “peace fake” instead of working through honest conflict resolution. In a marriage a person may all of a sudden want a divorce but in reality the issue was there festering like a cancer. The end result of denial is often depression or bitterness toward a person, group or church.
2. The Avoider: This person will often use the excuse of being too busy to respond but in reality they are just avoiding the problem. This may be due to not knowing HOW to solve it or not knowing WHY to solve it. A result of avoiding is stress and fatigue. An unresolved problem will be a weight on your shoulder and will hold you back.
To deny or avoid is a result of emotional or spiritual immaturity. Both the pretender and avoider will suffer from negative emotions that will keep them from being the person that God wants them to be.
3. The Solver – This person has a James 1 attitude and views problems as an opportunity for growth and development. They rebound quickly and will not let problems hold them back from being all God wants them to be.
In my life I have denied problems, avoided them and solved them. At the next post I will share some principles for solving task and people problems.
Can a Church Forget Their Purpose?
We have two local hospitals close to where I live. Not to mention the scattered medical offices throughout the city. Raising two boys who have spent many hours at the ER motivates me to be aware of the shortest routes to receive medical help. Can you imagine going to the hospital and finding out that their primary purpose is to host social events for folks vs. treat the sick? It would be crazy for a hospital to forget their purpose.
A few years ago Todd and I did consulting for a church in the northeast. The church had a beautiful facility in a highly populated area with multiple staff but had been declining for over 12 years. After an evaluation it was clear the church desired to grow but had lost sight of their purpose. Reaching the lost was not the highest priority. It was clear they had forgotten their purpose.
As a church consultant I have seen churches all around the country who have forgotten their purpose. I like to ask 30 evaluation questions to determine the health of a church. One of the most revealing questions is how many people have come to Christ in the past 10 years? Past 5 years? How many of the new Christ followers are being assimilated into the church? How much of your budget goes to Outreach/Evangelism? What are you doing in the next 12 months to reach the unchurched? How many of your folks have an active heart for the lost? Are people other than the pastor bringing people into the kingdom? Luke 19:10 says For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost. This is our purpose.
I love the local church and I love what I do. I am so excited to help declining churches. Any church that is willing to make some changes can reach the lost and they will grow. The key factor is being willing to change and give up control.
“We pray that you will live well for the Master, making Him proud of you as you work hard in his orchard. As you learn more how God works you will learn how to do your work.” Col. 1:10-11 (Msg)
Shout Out to Anyone in Children’s Ministry
In the past 25 years of ministry I have done everything but children. Yet here I am working with a small team to build this ministry. Understanding that having a good children’s ministry is important for attracting and ministering to families, I am passionate about doing all I can to make it happen. Will you help me?
1. What do you think about this outdoor play set for a small church children’s ministry?
2. What is your experience in raising funds for children’s ministry at a small church? The play set cost is $3,000 wholesale. The church does not have a budget for children. Have any of you had any experience with Silent Auctions?
We recently helped start a 2nd service (Modern) on Easter and it is attracting some younger families with children. Appreciate any thoughts. You can comment here or email me at DuAnne@MSWChurch.com.
Thanks!
THE LAND OF UNFAMILIARITY
Today I am sharing a blog that Mark Batterson just posted. This topic is something I think about often as I work with declining churches. Yesterday during a phone conversation someone asked me: “why do we so strongly resist change?” See previous posts on this topic here. My favorite is “Insanity in the Church” and “Why Do People Resist Change.” For those of you laboring in the harvest I want to encourage you not to give up. Growth = Change. John Maxwell put is wisely when he said “All change may not represent progress, but without change there can be no progress at all.” Would love to hear your comments in regard to implementing change.
THE LAND OF UNFAMILIARITY by Mark Batterson
We naturally gravitate toward what is familiar. Once we find a place to sit, we’ll sit there every time. Once we find a favorite dish, we’ll stop trying new things on the menu. Once we get into a routine, it’s next to impossible to get out of it. As the old adage put it: you can’t teach an old dog new tricks. Or can you?
Most of us live most of our lives in the land of the familiar. We never cross the border intothe land of unfamiliarity. Why? Because unfamiliarity is full of uncertainty. We know that is where life’s greatest discoveries are to be made, but we don’t dare cross the bridge of risk.
Here’s out it plays out spiritually. God moves in a profound way and we don’t know what to do so we do what we’ve always done. We return to the land of familiarity. We quickly sing a song or pray a prayer. Is there anything wrong with that? No. But that is the land of the familiar. Maybe God wants to give you a new song, a new vision, a new gift.
Remember what it says about Abraham? “He went even though he didn’t know where he was going.” He ventured into unfamiliar territory. No map. Just a compass. Most Christians want a map, but God gives us a compass. His name is the Holy Spirit. He points us and prompts us and stirs us. He is the voice behind us saying “this is the way, walk in it.” And he always leads toward the land of unfamiliarity. But we don’t want to have to rely on hearing His voice so we settle for the land of the familiar. And that is where most of us die. We die of familiarity. We’re buried in the land of familiarity.
If you want to experience God in a new way, you can’t keep doing the same old thing.
“Behold, the former things have come to pass. New things I now declare.”
Isaiah 42:9
I’m Back
I’m very excited to be back. After taking some time off to focus on one church I’m now available to begin church consulting with other churches. LEAD is a different type of church consulting ministry. We offer a money back guarantee. We are NOT for you if you are looking for a “cookie cutter” type of growth plan. I do not offer a “one size fits all” strategy. Based on 25 years of experience in growing churches I can multiply your ministry efforts by helping you…
- Complete a comprehensive health evaluation of your church and identify a unique strategy for growth.
- Help you design a leadership development plan for your team.
- Reach the unchurched in your community.
- Assimilate new people into your church.
- Get your people excited about personal growth and outreach.
Are you ready to grow to the next level?
1. Call for a FREE consultation. (256) 658-1411
2. Schedule “9 Decisions Every Growing Church Must Make” seminar in your church.
3. Request a personal coaching appointment.
Churches/Staff we have worked with:
- Assembly of God
- Baptist
- Bible
- Evangelical Free
- PCA
- UMC
- Wesleyan
The Stone Was Rolled Away
Very early on Sunday morning, as the sun rose, they went to the tomb. They worried out loud to each other, “Who will roll back the stone from the tomb for us?” Then they looked up and saw that the stone had been rolled away, although it was extremely large. ~ Mark 16:2-4
Is there a huge stone in your life right now that you are worried cannot be moved? Maybe…
· A troubled marriage?
· Recovering from a divorce?
· A rebellious child?
· Death of a loved one?
· Cancer?
· Addiction?
· Death of a dream?
· Fill in the blank
Because of the resurrection your stone can be moved too. Lord, I pray for everyone who reads this post that whatever their stone may be, you give them the faith to believe you are bigger.
Has Your Church Forgotten Their Purpose?
We have two local hospitals close to where I live. Not to mention the scattered medical offices throughout the city. Raising two boys who have spent many hours at the ER motivates me to be aware of the shortest routes to receive medical help. Can you imagine going to the hospital and finding out that their primary purpose is to host social events for folks vs. treat the sick? It would be crazy for a hospital to forget their purpose.
A few years ago Todd and I did consulting for a church in the northeast. The church had a beautiful facility in a highly populated area with multiple staff but had been declining for over 12 years. After an evaluation it was clear the church desired to grow but had lost sight of their purpose. Reaching the lost was not the highest priority. It was clear they had forgotten their purpose.
As a church consultant I have seen churches all around the country who have forgotten their purpose. I like to ask 30 evaluation questions to determine the health of a church. One of the most revealing questions is how many people have come to Christ in the past 10 years? Past 5 years? Are people other than the pastor bringing people into the kingdom? Luke 19:10 says For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost. This is our purpose.
I love the local church and I love what I do. I am so excited to help declining churches. Any church that is willing to make some changes can reach the lost and they will grow. The key factor is being willing to change and give up control.
“We pray that you will live well for the Master, making Him proud of you as you work hard in his orchard. As you learn more how God works you will learn how to do your work.” Col. 1:10-11 (Msg)
Aaron is 13!
It’s official. Aaron is 13. We love to celebrate and for his 13th we took the fam to Disney World. We were at Animal Kingdom on his big day and lunched at Rain Forest Cafe. Very Cool. Keeping with our tradition I want to share 13 things I like about my son. Forgive the gush. Hey, it’s who I am.
1. I like that Aaron is sensitive. Praying that God will use his sensitivity for his glory one day.
2. I like that he has a good work ethic. He is a hard worker and after a quick calculation it looks like he averages over 15 hours a week working at the church. Not bad for a 13 year old. Most important is that he really does seem to do it for Jesus, with a great attitude and without being asked.
3. I like his passion. Aaron has a passion for the right things. Jesus, Scripture, Music, Excellence, Family, Learning.
4. I like that Aaron is a perfectionist. Praying that this does not drive him crazy one day but serve as a catalyst for good.
5. I like that Aaron is a reader. He reads books not for entertainment but for personal growth. Not bad for a 13 year old.
6. I like that he is not a crowd follower. A benefit to this is that he is willing to stand up for what is right.
7. I like that he chooses his heroes and mentors carefully. In January he attended The Gathering with his father and was thrilled to meet some of my old heroes like Dan Reiland, John & Margaret Maxwell, Steve Babby, Harry Wood, etc. Getting his pic made with some of these giants was on his bucket list.
8. I like that Aaron desires to make good grades. Appreciate that he is already looking at colleges.
9. I like that he is independent. Since 2 he has said “I can do it.”
10. I like that he has a soft heart for animals.
11. I like that Aaron is organized.
12. I like that he keeps his room clean without being asked.
13. I like that he still enjoys spending time with his parents.
My boys are not perfect because we are all sinners. But without a doubt I can say of all the 13 year olds in the world he is the one I would choose to be my son.
Aaron, I will love you forever and like you for always.
Love, Mom
Top 2 Blog Post
Top 2 topics after 26K hits on this blog: Kingdom Mindset 1-3 (Do You Have a Kingdom Mindset 1 & 2, Selecting a Church With a Kingdom Mindset) and Top 10 Lessons We Can Learn From A Fallen Pastor.
I Choose Passion!
A man once commented that he and his wife never had to ask forgiveness from each other because they got along so well and had a good marriage. My first thought was that of many pastors and counselor’s I have heard speak on this…the man is either a liar or clueless! Recently I had a different thought. Maybe this man is without passion.
Unfortunately people can live their whole lives without passion. Instead they are controlled by fear. Fear of being real. Fear of being disappointed. Fear of being accepted. Fear of not being loved. Fear of not feeling significant. Fear of what another thinks of them or their family. Fear of everything. Without passion a person will fear sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ or sharing the Word. A person without passion will go along in life trying to please people, accepting life as it is. They might resent another with passion because it rocks the boat and reminds them of what they lack. They might be negative and critical of people or churches with passion. Usually this is due to shining a flashlight on what they don’t have – passion. This will continue unless one day something deep down inside changes.
The pastor who married Todd and I commented that our passion attracted us to each other. Passion for Christ. Passion for the Word of God. Passion for reaching the lost. Passion for the church. etc. He was right. Before Todd I had other men pursue me. Fortunately a pastor and close friend at the time encouraged me to hold out for passion. Too many settle for fear no one else will come along. I chose passion.
Passion is defined as “any kind of feeling by which the mind is powerfully affected or moved.” It can mean a variety of emotions. When I think of passion I think of the words extreme, strong, enthusiasm, strong love and intense.
We have passion in our marriage. Not just the physical though that is appreciated. We are passionate about life, our family, our church, our friends, Scripture, EVERYTHING. Actually not everything…I am not passionate about sports unless my boys are playing. I am not passionate about sewing because I don’t. But you get my point! We are passionate about our opinions but keep short accounts with one another when an apology is needed. Passionate people are usually quicker to forgive. Passionless people find it easier to hold grudges.
Like attracts like. Passionate people are attracted to one another. People without passion usually are annoyed, critical and negative about those with passion. They might feel intimidated by others. They might even feel intolerant of those with passion. They also attract others without passion and welcome their negative thoughts and comments.
A couple of men in our church both Todd and I enjoy are Mr. Robert who is 82 and Jimmy who is 50. Both have passion. Both are full of life. Both are passionate about Jesus. Both are passionate about people. Both are stimulating to interact with. Both are movers and shakers. Both are passionate about the Word. We connect with them easily. We deeply love and respect each. Being with passionate people will energize you and inspire you unless you are too insecure or intimidated around them. Being with people who lack passion can drain you. Who do you choose to be with?
I love working with youth because youth have passion. If you can get that passion directed toward Jesus you can have a youth that will make a difference in his world.
With every great strength are also weaknesses. People with passion risk being misunderstood or taken the wrong way. In their desire to be real they can sometimes be taken the wrong way and offend. Give them a chance. The disciples were full of passion and turned the world upside down. Shouldn’t we be the same?
Another post will talk about how to develop passion in your life. In the meantime, what has helped you grow your passion? Appreciate your thoughts on this topic.
Born Again?
At Winter Jam in Mobile we saw one of my favorite bands (The Newsboys) perform “Born Again.” I love this song and today I googled it and read some interesting stuff by Oswald Chambers. I’ve been thinking about the article on and off all day and would appreciate your thoughts. The article is called “The Born Again Experience vs. The Billy Sunday Convert.”
Here is what I read…”When a man fails in personal Christian experience, it is clearly always that he has never really received anything. When a man is born again, he knows it is because he has received something…as a gift from Almighty God and not because of his own decision. People register their vows and sign their pledges, and determine to go through, but none of this is salvation.”
Then I read that Billy Graham was quoted as saying maybe only 25% of folks who prayed a prayer and went forward at an alter call actually became born again. Dr. Graham went on to say that this was more likely to happen to the 25% after the sermon/Gospel presentation, personal alter counseling and good follow up.
As long as I remember I have felt the goal of evangelism is not converts but discipleship. Lately I have been thinking about this. Why are there some who pray a prayer but nothing really changes? Ever. I’ve wondered about people who prayed a prayer yet year after year nothing has ever changed. Yes we are all sinners but Scripture clearly teaches we WILL BE DIFFERENT in 2 Corinthians 5:17, Galatians 2:20 and that “by their fruits we will know them.”
The power of the Gospel is life change.
Can a person experience salvation and yet those who know that person the most (spouse or children) never see a difference? The NT Gospel I see is surrender. What if someone prays out of desire to go to heaven but refuses to surrender? When I share Christ I explain surrender and Lordship. Surrender might involve giving up living with your boyfriend or girlfriend, giving up porn, bitterness or some habitual sin in your life. Is it surrender if you refuse to lay these things on the alter? Can one really be born again without total surrender? Praying a prayer is truly not just an “I don’t want to go to hell” ticket to heaven.
Thoughts?