21

Jump Start # 1358

Posted on May 21, 2015 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Tagged | Leave a comment

Jump Start # 1358

Psalms 5:3 “In the morning, O Lord, You will hear my voice; in the morning I will order my prayer to You and eagerly watch.”

  What a wonderful passage this is! It is a beautiful way to begin the day. In the morning, you will hear my voice—is such an encouraging thought. We’d all do well if we could begin the day this way. Often, we’ve over slept, the day begins with the cat throwing up, the kids can’t find something they need for school and we are running behind schedule and the day just falls apart. Prayers are put on the back burner because we are running the moment we get up. Frustrated, tired, and earth bound, our souls hunger for God.

Two simple thoughts from our verse today:

First, the Psalmist, David, was declaring, promising and remembering to pray to God in the morning. This was as much for him as it was for God. We tend to keep our promises. Telling God that He will hear your voice in the morning is something that will be stirring around in your brain as you sleep. You awaken with that thought and ready to come to the throne of grace. There are so many things to pray about each morning. Just look at your day. There’s the need to pray for safe travels and good health. There are prayers of thanksgiving for health, home and family. There are prayers for open doors to shine the light of Jesus as you go about the day. There are blessings for our food. Then there are all the others. Church members in the hospital, up coming weddings and surgeries, folks that are struggling—there is a whole list here to pray about. Then there are those who do not know Jesus. That’s a bunch. Much to talk to God about. Then there are the deeper things, such as your heart, character and growth. You will hear my voice in the morning. Maybe David said that because he was going to use the evening to get his thoughts together. Instead of rambling and hodge podge arrows shot into the Heavens, he was going to give it some serious thought. We’d do that in other areas. If you were going to ask your boss for a raise, you wouldn’t just schedule a meeting and wing it. You’d put some thought into it. If you got to meet someone famous or have a meeting with your senator, you’d put some thought into it. I can tell that most folks when they want to talk to me, have given their concerns and questions some thought. The prodigal practiced what he was going to say to his father as he walked home. He put some thought into it. I’ll talk to you in the morning, God. Love that idea. A thought out, planned prayer.

 

Second, David uses the expression, “I will.” In fact, more than 100 times in Psalms, the phrase, “I will” is used. This is more than just an affirmation. We hear the bride and groom saying, “I do” or “I will” at weddings. This is a promise that they are making. This is something that they plan on doing. They will be faithful. They will honor one another. Here and throughout this book, David is affirming and promising to God. This is something that I will do.

 

David’s ‘I will,’ speaks of a commitment toward God. He’s telling God that He can count upon David. I will. We’ve lost that idea it seems. More are interested in what God will do rather than what they will do toward God. They want to know what they will get. They want to know what God will do for them. They are interested in the receiving end of things. The ‘I will’ statements are about the giving side of things. These are things I will do. These are things that you can count on me.

 

If you were going to make a list of ‘I wills’ for God, what would you say? Here’s my simple list:

 

  • I will talk to You today
  • I will honor You by obeying You today
  • I will treat my family as You want me to
  • I will sing a song of praise to You
  • I will be Your hands today as I help another
  • I will use the talents You have given me to Your glory

 

I will. How about your list? Start with ‘I will _________________’ and then fill in the bland for God. This will help you. You are promising to God. As the bride says, “I do,” to her husband, we are saying, “I do,’” to our God.

 

I will _________________________

I will _________________________

I will _________________________

I will _________________________

 

Four simple ‘I wills’ from you to God for today. Try it. It might change the outcome of your day.

 

Roger

 

20

Jump Start # 1357

Posted on May 20, 2015 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Tagged | Leave a comment

Jump Start # 1357

1 Peter 5:3 “nor yet as lording it over those allotted to your charge, but proving to be examples to the flock.”

  Yesterday in our Jump Start we discussed the importance of unity and how a congregation can become what I call a “huggin church.” That thought has stayed with me. I have been to places that seemed very cold and visitors felt very unwelcome. In such a place, growth usually stalls and indifference takes over. We must learn that some of the greatest and most important lessons are not those that come from the pulpit but rather what happens before and after services. The truth can be taught but if compassion, love and acceptance is not expressed between the folks in the pews, the lesson simply dies. Folks who have done wrong are afraid to return when the treatment is very similar to what the older brother was doing to the prodigal.

 

Part of leading God’s people is setting the right temperature among the people. Too often this is not thought about, taught nor practiced. Laodicea was a lukewarm place because it fell to that place. I really doubt that it started that way. Lukewarm doesn’t start anything. It won’t start a marriage. It won’t start a business and it especially won’t start following Jesus. No, they most likely started off like the rest of us, being disciples of Jesus. They were saved from their sins and set their eyes upon the horizon of Heaven. But along the way something happened. The passion died. Life took over. Prayers stopped. Worshipping became a habit and then a chore rather than a blessing. But while all of this was taking place and spreading, it also tells me that the leadership didn’t do anything.

 

For too long we’ve assigned the work of leading to simply making sure that what is taught is true and that the worship follows the pattern in the N.T. We’ve let the attitude, atmosphere and temperature of the place to be whatever it happens to be. Leaders must lead also in spirit and in setting forth the right atmosphere. This is not just true in church, but it is true in business and it is especially true at home. I have a friend who owns a Chick-fil-a. He is an incredible Christian and his upbeat spirit is all over his store. When things are not right, they will make it right. No one leaves upset. I was there once and had to wait a while. I was given a zillion coupons because I had to wait. I tried to turn some back in, but they wouldn’t hear of it. He has worked hard to get his staff to think outside of themselves. They are customer based. The place is always packed because they serve a good product and they serve it well. This just didn’t happen. My friend has hired several high school students. He has molded them, trained them and got them thinking the right way. I doubt if any of these kids will stay with this job the rest of their lives, however, what my friend has taught them, will. They see the difference it makes. This happened not by accident but by leadership. I have been to other places where I told myself that I would never go back because of the rudeness of the staff. Poor leadership. It showed.

 

This thought is before us as dads. When God made us the head of the home, it doesn’t mean that we get the choice seat in the living room and we control the remote. That’s not it at all. It means to lead. Not only are we leading the family to Heaven, but it’s up to us dads to set the atmosphere for the home. Gossiping, trash talking others, negative, complaining is only allowed if dad allows it. If dad is this way, so will everyone else. Dad leads. He sets the tone. He can change the temperature of the home by his words. His kindness and his tone can cool down a hot situation. His encouragement can get the lazy bones going. His ‘come do this with me,’ leadership gets others involved. He has learned how to smooth out the bumps and calm down the complaints. Leading for dad is tough business. Some homes are dysfunctional. In some homes everyone is the enemy. Some homes have long given up on love, getting along and forgiving each other. Shouts, screams and anger are as normal as watching TV. What’s happened is that the leadership, in this case, dad, has fallen off the job. He’s allowed it to get this way.

 

Our attention is about the church. Shepherds of the congregation must not only watch sheep, see that the teaching is true, but they are the ones who set the atmosphere of the place. Some churches are cold and unfriendly, because the leadership has allowed that. Others are that ‘huggin’ kind of church because the leadership has made that a priority. In Philip Keller’s masterpiece book about Psalms 23, he reveals three things that bother sheep. First, hunger. Second, bugs in the sheep’s ears. Third, tension in the flock. The shepherd must lead to the green pastures. That takes care of number 1. The shepherd must put his finger in the sheep’s ears and pull the bugs out. UGH. Shepherding isn’t easy. That takes care of # 2. Then there is the quiet waters. The shepherd must calm down the tension. Jesus did that with the disciples. He calmed their nerves when they were afraid. He brought them back to reality when they were thinking too highly of each other. Among those apostles were those from Galilee and one from Judea. Among them were a tax collector and a zealot. Different in thinking, feeling and interests. Jesus, the master leader, molded them into a unit. In three years, He had them as one. Often the gospels use the expression, “The twelve,” to refer to the apostles. They were twelve in number, but one in heart because of Jesus.

 

Shepherds today can spend decades with people and completely ignore the complaining, the back biting and the gossiping. Those things can ruin a church. They destroy the temperature. Those things feed tension among the flock. The church never does well that way.

 

Leading through spirit is something that God’s shepherds must do today. They must set the tone for love, acceptance and grace. A young single mom ought to feel welcomed without having to run through the gauntlet of stares, questions and judgmental attitudes. A new person ought to be as loved and welcomed as one who belonged to some of the first families. The teenager, the college student, the widow, the widower, the person of a different color, a different nationality ought to be loved, accepted and find the doors opened widely for them. This comes from the leadership. Complaints need to be dealt with. Leaders must do that. Tension must be dealt with. Leaders must do that. But smiles, hugs, bright eyes and open arms ought also be something that comes from the leadership. Elders must set the tone. Being standoffish isn’t the way that this is done. Being so high and mighty that folks can’t approach them isn’t the way either. Being so stiff that they don’t seem real doesn’t work. Coming across like they are perfect and forgetting that they too have a past and that they too were and are sinners doesn’t help. Some are afraid to talk to the elders. Why? Some would have a nervous breakdown if the elders came by to visit them at home. Why? Have some leaders become unapproachable? Have some become too good for the rest of us? Have some forgotten the valuable lesson of leading by example, as our passage indicates? Have some failed to see that they are setting the tone and temperature for the place? It’s a cold congregation because the leadership seems cold. Don’t we see this and get this?

 

It doesn’t help when the preacher also acts too big for his britches, as my grandma used to say. Some live as if they are dancing from cloud to cloud with the angels. A tattooed guy who is struggling just cannot connect with someone who seems too good for everyone else. We can look like artificial flowers that adorn the inside of church buildings. Most of those fake flowers are dusty and stiff. Give me real flowers. One of the greatest compliments one can receive is for someone to say, “You seem real, I can talk to you.” What’s the alternative? You seem fake? You seem dead? You seem different than the rest of us? Shame on us if that’s the impression we leave with others.

 

The answer to all of this is simply be yourself. Laugh at yourself. You’re not perfect and neither is anyone else, so quit acting that way. The church has wrinkles, bumps and warts, as we all do. Only Jesus is perfect. Only Jesus makes sense.

 

It’s important to make everyone feel comfortable, loved and welcome. It’s important for anyone, from children to the oldest among us, to feel that they could ask any question on their heart. They ought to feel that they are never bothering any of us. They should never be ashamed nor afraid to ask for material, prayers or help. We are a family and we must act that way.

 

This is what leaders must do. Set that spirit and that temperature. Laughter as well as serious conversations ought to be normal among all of us. Some folks have tears in their eyes. They need a special kind of attention. Others have a story to tell. They need a listening ear.

 

I think for a long time folks have been preached into Hell. It’s about time we started getting into the Heaven business. Heaven is good, right and where God is. The right spirit in worship, the right spirit after worship, the right spirit among each other, goes a long, long way to telling others, we want you here. We are all the same. We all need Jesus.

 

Leaders—in charge of the thermostat, not of the air conditioner, but of the tone of the congregation. This is where leading excels. This is where a difference is noted. This is where a cold church warms up. This is where ‘huggin’ begins.

 

Roger

 

19

Jump Start # 1356

Posted on May 19, 2015 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Tagged | Leave a comment

Jump Start # 1356

Philippians 2:2 “Make my joy complete by being of the same mind, maintaining the same love, united in spirit, intent on one purpose.”

  It seems that congregations have good days and bad days, just like people do. I know of several congregations right now that are really doing well. They are growing, their spirit is soaring and things are on the upswing. Some of these places are have issues with where to put everyone so plans are underway to add on to the building. Exciting times. I also know of several congregations right now that are struggling. They are going through some problems and with some, people are leaving. There is a sour spirit and a negative feeling at the moment and things do not seem to be getting better. It’s hard to get excited about worship when things are tense and there is a feeling that some are kept in the dark and things are not right.

 

Now all of this connects us to our verse today. This one passage sure emphasizes togetherness and unity. Notice the words found here: Same mind and same love; united; intent; one purpose. Paul wanted the Philippians to all be going in the same direction. He wanted them to be the same on the inside as well as the outside. He wanted equality of love and thinking. Those thoughts are noble, Biblical and hard to do sometimes.

 

Here are a few thoughts:

 

1. Congregations are separate from one another. This is the way God designed them. Each congregation is independent. There is no hierarchy that ties everyone together other than Jesus. There is no central headquarters that sends out memos on what is to be preached each week. Money does not flow back and forth between congregations. No one beyond the congregation determines when and where the preacher comes from or when it is time to go. Very, very few faiths operate this way. Most run like a franchise or a business model. God’s way is best. If one congregation is diseased it will not affect the rest. So, I can not base what is going on in my home congregation as the standard for what is going on in the rest of the congregations. I’ve read articles such as: “The church is losing it’s young people,” or, “The church isn’t growing today,” which are broad generalities based upon the observation of a few congregations. Can’t do that. What is happening at one may not be what is happening at another. So one congregation may be doing well and another one may be stinkin’ – at the same time.

 

2. Each congregation sets the tone for the atmosphere and temperature among the brethren there. When I say temperature, I do not mean the air temperature, but rather the mood, the attitude and the spirit. Our verse reminds us to be united in spirit. Every home and every congregation carries a certain temperature. It just takes a few moments among the people and you feel it. Some are very cool and it shows. They look down upon new faces. Others are very warm. They are what I call a “huggin’ church.” Lots of hugs. Lots of smiles. Lots of folks hanging around because they like to be around one another. How does a church get that way? It’s from the people but especially from the leadership. Huggin’ preachers and huggin’ elders set the tone for huggin’ members. Warm churches understand that we are all on a journey together and we are not all at the same place. Patience and love are the order of the day. Cold churches are like sitting down at the dinner table with mama. She always has something to say about us and it’s usually not good. Get your elbows off the table…chew with your mouth closed…say ‘please’…finish your peas. Mamas are like that. Some churches just like that. As soon as you walk in, folks have their radar guns pointed at you. They look at the clock when you walk in, seeing how close it is to starting time. They look at how you are dressed. They look at which Bible you brought today. They look at where you are sitting. All that pressure creates tension and uneasiness. A person feels like that they not only have to please the Lord, but they also must pass the test of all these brethren who are watching them. The temperature of a congregation can be changed. It takes some doing and a lot of leadership and some teaching and especially some patience and time, but it can be done. Cold churches can warm up. Stiff churches can start huggin. Judgmental churches can put down their radar guns. It can be done, I’ve seen it. These things do not happen naturally, nor over night. But with the right folks at the helm leading the way, you would be amazed at what can be done. One of the first things people notice and say, “This is not the same church.” Nope. We are trying to be like Jesus.

 

3. This unity stuff is hard because we are different and we begin with the notion that our way is a pretty good way and everyone just ought to follow me. The problem is everyone else is thinking just the same. Two being one was first introduced in the marriage concept that God gave us. Two separate people, with different backgrounds, families and experiences, come together and become a husband and wife. Two becoming one—it involves more than just the physical side of marriage. It includes the thinking, the goals, the intent, the purpose, the journey. I read one writer who said the problem with the two becoming one, is which one. That’s where trouble begins. We dig our heels in and expect the other one to change for us. This stains a marriage and it strains a church. We are different but we can be one because of Jesus. He is the model. He is the standard. Women can look to Jesus and learn. Married men can look to Jesus and learn. Gentiles can look to Jesus and learn. Even though Jesus was not a Gentile, married, nor a woman, we still can learn and change because of Him. His heart, His compassion, His love, His devotion, His holiness are all things that all of us can learn and become. The one mind, one spirit and one voice that the N.T. teaches is not my mind, spirit and voice, or is it your mind, spirit and voice. Rather, it’s Christ. When I have the mind of Christ and you have the mind of Christ, we will be the same. When we both speak the voice of Christ, we will be the same. When we both have the spirit of Christ we will be the same. Problems arise when one of us or both of us no longer have that Christ-like quality in us. Our oneness suffers. We can’t be united upon my thinking nor your thinking, because our thinking tends to be slanted toward us. It must and only be united around Christ. This is how differing people become one. Everyone puts on Christ. Everyone acts like Christ. It can and does work. I’ve seen it. Forgiveness and grace and love and compassion fill the air. Gossip and judgmental spirits die out. They become no longer welcomed among a group that is acting like Jesus.

 

Folks can get along. Folks can gel together in Christ. Paul said so. The N.T. shows us that. It is happening today all over the world. Maybe it’s time for some of us to put down the tomahawk and pick up the peace pipe. Maybe it’s time to walk in the other person’s shoes, to see what he is going through. Maybe it’s time to stop pointing fingers and open up your hand in an apology. Maybe it’s time to forgive. Maybe a good ole’ hug is in order. Maybe it’s time we thought less of self and more of Christ.

 

Oneness. Unity. Getting along. This is necessary if a congregation is going to grow. This is necessary if a congregation is going to please the Lord. This is necessary if a congregation is going to make an impact in the community. No one likes a fussing and fighting church, except Satan. He’s the only one that smiles at disasters!

 

Be like Christ.

 

Roger

 

18

Jump Start # 1355

Posted on May 18, 2015 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Tagged | Leave a comment

Jump Start # 1355

Proverbs 3:5 “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and do not lean on our own understanding.”

  Trust and faith are linked together. Without one there cannot be the other. Our faith in God leads us to trusting Him. We believe what He says is right and true. We trust what He says is for our good. He believe His promises will be fulfilled.

 

The writer of Proverbs adds a negative to our passage today. Do not just trust in the Lord, but also, do not lean on your own understanding. Leaning—we lean against a wall, we lean on each other, we lean on things for support, encouragement and help. We are told here not to lean on our own understanding, which would be our own thinking. Don’t do that. Our own thinking can get us into trouble. Our own thinking can take us away from God.

 

The way we think is often not the way God thinks. This is demonstrated throughout the Bible. It is shown by principle when the prophet recorded God saying, “My thoughts are higher than your thoughts.” It is illustrated by the synagogue official complaining that Jesus healed the bent over woman on the Sabbath day. It is demonstrated by the one who interrupted Jesus and wanted the Lord to tell his brother to divide the family inheritance with him. Much too often the man thought was not the way the Lord thought.

 

We look at the modern church that has left the Bible behind. It follows a business model for organization and raising money and a social model for what is acceptable and a democratic model for determining policy and by-laws. Plain old fashioned preaching is out. The modern church is leaning upon it’s own understanding.

 

The problem with our own understanding is just that we often do not understand. We think we do, but we don’t. Our view is limited to what we see. God sees the past, present and future. God sees the big picture. Our understanding is governed by our experiences. Our understanding is limited by our insights and knowledge. Our understanding is tainted by our likes and dislikes.

 

Doing what we like, doing what we feel is right, can be the wrong path in life. Following your heart can get you into all sorts of trouble and a real mess. Trust God is the answer. Trusting God may go against what I would think is best. Trusting God is often not the easy way of doing things. God compels us to do things that we do not like. Remember Elijah hiding in the cave, afraid of Jezebel? God told the prophet to leave the cave and go do the work He had planned. This wasn’t in Elijah’s thinking. His understanding led him to the cave. He would have stayed there unless God spoke to Him. Remember Jonah? He ran away from God. That was his thinking. God sent him back. Then there is Adam and Eve, they hid from God. Then there is Peter, who at the transfiguration, wanted to build three tabernacles, one for Moses, one for Elijah and one for Jesus. Remember Cornelius, when he met Peter, he wanted to bow down to him. Remember John, in Revelation, when he saw an angel, he wanted to bow down to him. All of these were leaning upon their own understanding. All of them were wrong. Trust God.

 

Often we tell a person going through a dark period of their life, ‘you’ll get though it,’ but that may be nothing more than a green light to do whatever you feel like. A heart that doesn’t trust God may do some very foreign, unhealthy and even ungodly things.

 

Trust in the Lord. That doesn’t just happen over night. Trust takes time to build. It comes from a relationship. We trust the Lord when we learn about Him from the Scriptures. We see how the Lord was with Abraham, David, and the apostles. We see the goodness of the Lord. We learn what God expects and what He desires. We see that He keeps His word. We see the Lord staying true to His word. Trust begins. We look in our lives and see that the Lord has been there. We see answered prayers. We see strength and help from the Lord. Trust swells. We study suffering and that helps us. We learn about prayers that are answered “No.” That helps us. We understand God’s will, that helps.

 

As we keep walking and walking with the Lord, our trust grows and grows. We come to understand that the Lord doesn’t give up on us. He doesn’t leave us in difficult times. He’s there when we are going through those dark valleys. He is there when we fall and fail. We understand His way and His word works. They are the best. We come to see that modern books about marriage, relationships, getting along with others are really Bible based, even if they don’t realize it. Trust soars.

 

Then as we age and death becomes more of a reality, our trust in the Lord drives fear away. Our trust in the Lord brings confidence, hope and a desire to see God face to face.

 

Trust in the Lord. Trust Him when He tells us to go to the one who sins against us. Trust Him when He tells us to turn our cheek. Trust Him when He tells us to forgive. Trust Him when He tells us to be kind. Trust Him when He tells us to be generous. Trust Him when He tells us to worship Him with all of our heart.

 

Trust in the Lord. Take your hands off of the wheel of life and let the Lord take over. Trust Him. There is a hymn, “Leaning on His everlasting arm,” which the chorus reminds us to “Lean on Jesus.” That’s nothing more than Trust in the Lord.

 

Roger

 

15

Jump Start # 1354

Posted on May 15, 2015 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Tagged | Leave a comment

Jump Start # 1354

Ezekiel 34:4 “Those who are sickly you have not strengthened, the diseased you have not healed, the broken you have not bound up, the scattered you have not brought back, nor have you sought for the lost; but with force and with severity you have dominated them.”

  In our verse today, God through Ezekiel is rebuking the leaders, called shepherds in this context, of Israel. They haven’t been doing their job. The people were a mess and the finger pointing was directed toward the leaders. They took care of themselves but ignored the flock of God. Using the analogy of sheep, God describes their condition: sickly, diseased, broken, scattered, and lost. Sheep in this condition would not bring any money on the market. This is about as bad as a flock can get. Scattered, lost, sick, diseased are the worst words to hear concerning sheep. God is not talking about real sheep. He’s talking about his people. The leaders of Israel had not led. They have left the people to themselves and they have fallen apart spiritually.

There are three lessons here:

 

First, many of the problems here could have been prevented had the shepherds been watching and involved with the sheep. Often we wait until there is a problem and we spend a lot of effort cleaning up messes that could have been prevented. This is true in parenting and this is true in congregations. Preventative care– we do that with our teeth by going to the dentist, and we do that with our cars by getting the oil changed. If we wait until there are problems, then there are real problems. Often it’s painful, expensive and very involved in turning things around. Spending time with the sheep the shepherds would have noticed things. They would have counted the sheep and noticed a few missing. They would have noticed that some were off their food. They would have seen that some were developing sores, which indicated a greater problem. The proper steps could have been put in place to keep the sheep well.

 

Today, some of God’s leaders sit back and watch a marriage start to unravel. They see that things are not good. Yet, nothing is done. Then the word reaches them that a divorce is the works. They get excited and want to get involved and at that point it’s nearly too late. Why wasn’t something done months earlier? Many problems can be fixed before they actually become problems if the leaders were engaged and involved.

 

Second, the language tells us that these sheep could still be saved. The problems were not fatal. Things could be turned around. The sick could be strengthened. The diseased could be healed. The broken could be bound up. The scattered could be brought back. The lost could be found. It wasn’t too late. Things could be done. It would take work, effort and attention by these shepherds, but it could be done. Some would just want to hand the keys over and walk away. Too much work for some. Others are not as optimistic as God is. They already give up. They see it as a lost cause. Sometimes it gets to that point but not without some saving effort. I wonder if we give up too easily. I wonder if we don’t like doing what is necessary to turn these people around.

 

Third, we must look to ourselves and see what we are doing. How about our families? How about the congregation? Having that talk with your son may not be something you really look forward to. You anticipate a verbal battle. He’s not really doing anything wrong, but the kids he’s hanging out with, and some of his attitudes, you know where this will lead. You can head it off and prevent greater problems, or you can just close your eyes, believe that your son would never do anything wrong and then wait. Wait until the school calls. Wait until the police show up. Wait until there is a serious problem and then you have more things to deal with. The same with the leaders in God’s kingdom today. We can see the church drifting. We can see things getting stale. We can see attendance dropping off. We can do nothing until there is a really serious problem, like a third leaving and starting their own congregation, or we can take steps to heal things.

 

Some never see the signs that are right before them. They may be too busy with their own lives to notice those that they ought to be leading. This was the problem with the shepherds in the Ezekiel passage. The leaders were fed, clothed and doing well. They had taken care of themselves. It’s the flock that was being ignored.

 

Those in the position of leading, whether it is the home or the congregation, must do their jobs well. Others are counting on them. Others need them. Others can’t do it without them.  Leading is important work. It is not found in shouting and screaming at people like a drill sergeant. It is teaching, showing and doing things with them. It’s being in front, not behind. It’s illustrating by doing. It’s taking time with others. It’s being kind and patient with others. Parenting works the best this way. Shepherding works the best this way.

 

Troubled homes and dysfunctional congregations seem to be the norm today. It shouldn’t. Maybe it’s time for leaders to get back to leading again. Maybe this time, it’s time to lead God’s way.

 

Roger