No Nuggets Today

Since we finished the book yesterday, I thought I would catch you up on other stuff.

Last Friday I graduated from Physical Therapy! I truly felt all my adhesions in my shoulder were broken. I had 100% range of motion on two out of three movements and I'm almost there on the last and most complicated movement. About a week ago I had the absolute joy of once again hooking and unhooking my bra behind my back. You might be thinking 'how can that be a joy?' Well, when you haven't been able to do it for about 9 months, it is a very practical joy. That is actually one of the tests they do on you to see if you have frozen shoulder syndrome. I still have to do exercises 3 times a day and if I skip, it's tight and sore. Greg learned how to stretch me the way the PT does, and it really helps a lot. So, I'm almost at the end of this dark, one year tunnel. Yeah!!!!

I was sick for two weeks with a cough and am just about over it. Greg and Kristen have had a sore throat for a couple of days and I hope it doesn't turn into the cough.

I had a cool thing happen yesterday. I blogged about not copying other churches, then I went and read Perry Noble's blog (which I rarely read but enjoy when I do) and lo and behold, he said the same thing! Check it out here.

So, while I was blogging on Erwin's book, I read Blue Like Jazz by Donald Miller. It's a colorful book about his spiritual journey. I think it is written more for a guy's eyes than a girl's, but it was entertaining. Some good stuff.

I've also started a cool book by WorldVision called Fed Up - Showing the World You Can Make a Difference. It's a devotional that is stirring up my heart for the poverty stricken. It's written for those youth who are doing the 30 Hour Famine. It's really good.

Still reading Perspectives and my Bilingual Bible. I really enjoy translating Spanish. I do need to work on my vocabulary though. 9th grade was a long ways back!

Until tomorrow, blessings . . .

Nuggets #36

Today is our last day for the Unstoppable Force by Erwin McManus. Here's the wrap-up:
(talking about becoming a Christian)
A New Humanity
If we wait too long, the spiritual craving begins to fade. Discipleship moves from instinct to obligation. But when we capture the fuel placed within a heart that is newly God's, the fire spreads. Those with faded reflexes are renewed. When we catch the wind of a fresh follower of Christ, our sails go up and our speed increases. When we allow the Holy Spirit to soften our hearts and impassion us anew, it rekindles our first love. And when we cling to our first love, it results in a radical minimum standard.

This is how your church can become an unstoppable force.

I have to say again that this is my favorite book of all time. It speaks everything that is in my heart and soul for a way a church should be, leaders should be, Pastors should be. Erwin has said that Mosaic (his church) is not perfect. No church is, since it is made up of imperfect people, but we should never be satisfied with the status quo, doing what seems acceptable by the churches around us, or even copying other churches in other parts of the country. I believe, if we are to do what God has called us to do as individuals and as a body, we are to seek Him first and discover his perfect will for us and do that. That approach is much more exciting than getting our ideas from others. Let's get on our knees and truly seek God and not do anything new until God tells us what to do. After all, He is the head of the church.

Nuggets #35

An Unstoppable Force by Erwin McManus
Relating the Message
People have different levels of gifting; some have a unique anointing through which multitudes come to faith with what seems to be minimal effort.
Others establish one friendship at a time. Their strength is not the crowd or the masses. They are in no way social butterflies or honeybees that can move from one flower to another without any effort. Nevertheless, their relationships are committed to Christ, and - one person at a time - they build relationships deep into the lives of those who don't know Christ. Sometimes it takes years to see the fruit of their labor, but there is fruit in their labor. They are as faithful to an unbelieving world as those whose gifts are more obvious. Our commitment is not to become like someone else whose giftings flourish and inspire us all, but to be faithful in loving a lost and broken humanity and in opening up our lives to those who are willing to establish a meaningful relationship with a follower of God.

This final commitment is an investment of relationship. It is the fulfillment of the great commandment to love God with all of our heart, soul, mind, and strength, and to love our neighbor as ourselves. It is a belief that God looks on how we treat others, care for others, and serve others as the genuine measure of what is in our hearts toward him.

Nuggets #34

An Unstoppable Force by Erwin McManus
More Than Money
Calling believers to a minimum standard of tithing and into exploring the joy of generosity is not a call to legalism but an invitation to freedom.

The sacrifice of time and energy, of unique skills and talents, is the overflow of a spirit of generosity. If people are selfish with money, you'll never get their real contributions.

Because generosity is a genuine expression of the heart of God; it is part of God's radical minimum standard.

When we are afraid that the minimum is an unreasonable maximum, we limit the Spirit of Christ from working in the hearts of those who genuinely desire to be used by him. I am convinced that in every believer, there's a generous heart waiting to be born, and generosity can never be expressed without sacrifice.

Short but sweet today. It grieves my heart to hear Pastors say that they have been asking their congregation to give too often, and pull back from giving them opportunities to give. There are two ways to look at this situation. One is that the Pastor feels his influence is forcing the congregation to give against their will. This sounds more like the lies of the enemy. The other way to look at is that the Pastor has a responsibility to provide opportunities for the Holy Spirit to tug on people's hearts and give them the a wide variety of giving opportunities. Some will feel drawn to give to help the poor, some to missions, others to give generously to the general budget. Where would the church be without generous, obedient givers? It is true that about 20% of the congregation gives about 80% of the funds needed to run the church. This is a sad statistic. You might think mega churches survive so well and do so many great things because they have generous givers. I believe it is because those Pastors are making it normal for the congregation to understand this has to do more with obedience and worship than it does with choice. It's a matter of teaching.

Nuggets #33

An Unstoppable Force by Erwin McManus
A Generous Revolution
I think many times what happens is that we teach stinginess by default. We are so afraid to talk about money and touch on issues of giving that we've taught people they can be deeply spiritual and not be generous.l In many ways we have communicated that how we deal with money is irrelevant to our spiritual lives

Each week when we stand before our guests at Mosaic, we give the classic disclaimer, "If you're a guest, please feel no obligation to give today." But every six weeks, when we introduce new members, we explain that that disclaimer no longer applies to them. The reason we can invite our guests not to give is because we as a people openly and unashamedly make the insane and unreasonable decision to give of our own hard-earned money for the cause of Christ through the local church. We believe that the use of money is a deeply spiritual issue and that how you give as an honest reflection of our heart toward God.

Paul described the Corinthian church as generous in their poverty, no generous once they were wealthy. Jesus spoke without reservation about the importance of our relationship to our material possessions. It can't get any clearer than when Jesus tells us we cannot love God and money both, but that we have to decide where to put our treasure.

I've seen a wide variety of people handle giving in a wide variety of ways. Some don't give at all, some give the same little amount every week or two, never increasing it, though their income goes up every year. Some give exactly their 10% of their gross income to the penny, and some their 10% rounded up and give to other causes, such as missions, youth, benevolence, etc. There seems to be a correlation between those who give stingily and the number of financial and other issues present in their lives. This isn't the case 100% of the time, but frequently.

I know this was true in my life as I grew into tithes and offerings. Once I trusted God to provide for me, I learned that I can't out give God. I have no idea how my income increased so much, when I was never promoted. But I did make a mistake. Wanting a promotion, I gave an extra $100, sort of seed faith, hoping God would honor that and give me the promotion. Didn't work. What I was actually doing was trying to manipulate God. "I'll give you this if you give me that." I wasn't giving with he right heart. Giving should be out of gratitude, an act of worship to the one who has given us everything we have, not because we want something in return. I won't make that mistake again.

Nuggets #32

An Unstoppable Force by Erwin McManus
The Benefits of Membership
Becoming a member of Mosaic is a declaration that you are moving from being a consumer to being an investor; that you are joining not simply the community of Christ, but the cause of Christ. The motivation behind becoming a member is not what can be received but what can be given. And yet on a deeper level, membership is an invitation to genuine intimacy. When people become members, they are saying that they submit their lives to the spiritual authority of this community and welcome genuine accountability in their spiritual journeys. What once was our standard for leadership is now our standard for simple membership.

People who come to faith through Mosaic never have a problem with this standard of living. The greatest tension and difficulty comes from those who are accustomed to being members of churches without any expectations on their lives.

We have broken the membership standard into four basic areas of commitment for every person considering membership. The first is that they live a holy life, acknowledging that every person is imperfect and that there is a high likelihood we will all blow it at some time or another. This commitment entails that we be honest about where we are and that when we sin we come clean and trust the body of Christ to restore us to fellowship.

The second commitment is to be an active participant in ministry. This is a commitment to move beyond a spectator mentality to a participatory one. Involvement is understood-on a minimum level-to be a faithful worshipper in corporate celebration, to be actively involved in a small group committed to life transformation, and to find a particular place of service in which to use gifts and talents.

The third commitment area is in tithing. We ask every person who feels called to be a part of Mosaic to be a generous giver, and by generosity we mean to give 10 percent of our income and beyond.

An finally, the fourth commitment of all members is to live an evangelistic lifestyle. People commit to using their many gifts and unique personalities in building meaningful relationships with those who do not know Christ and, through a genuine expression of love, help others come to faith.

So up front, we ask all members to invest their passions, their service, their resources, and their relationships for the sake of the kingdom.

It's amazing how much people can accomplish if you'll simply have confidence in them and call them out to give God the very best of their lives.

How does your church handle membership? If you're a member, do you remember what you committed to? Are you often reminded from the pulpit, or do you just have a vague idea? If someone asked you what it took to become a member of your church, could you give them a full answer? Are you living out your commitment to your church as stated in your membership agreement? Does your church offer constant opportunities to become members, or every once in a while? Are those times consistent and predictable? I'd love to hear from you on the questions I pose each day. If you'd prefer to remain anonymous, you can email me at gshazenberg@sbcglobal.net.

Nuggets #31

An Unstoppable Force by Erwin McManus
On the Job Training (cont.)
For a lot of people, church membership is not that different from a membership at Bally. (a health club) They're a part of something that they do not take part in. Another problem with the word membership is that many times it is associated with being exclusive. Many people struggle with churches having membership rolls because it feels exclusive and alienating to those outside.
I certainly understand the biblical imagery of membership. Paul describes the church as the body of Christ and all of us are members of that body, members in the same sense that arms and legs are members of the human body. To be dismembered is to be cut away from the body that brings life. I can imagine how inconceivable it would be for Paul to think of a Christian as someone who was not a member of the body. But time corrupts language and the word member in our present context is quite different from the time in which Paul used it.
We decided that everything that we could do for a person we would do regardless of membership. If you want to learn the Scriptures at Mosaic, you don't need to be a member. If you want to receive counseling, you don't need to be a member. If your desire is to be loved, accepted, cared for, or encouraged, you certainly do not need to be a member. Everything we can do, it is our intention to do for everyone, regardless of membership. There is really only one reason to become a member at Mosaic.

Don't mean to be mean, but tomorrow we'll look at what that reason is. How is membership handled at your church?

Nuggets #30

An Unstoppable Force by Erwin McManus
Decoding DNA
Just because a person can not read doesn't mean she lacks the capacity to learn. One's present condition is not an indication of potential, but of development. The radical minimal standard that our "heroes" from Acts aspire toward is not intended to be a yoke of burden on our backs, but to inspire us to see who we could be if we allowed God to unleash his potential in us.

Resilient Transformation
The marvel of leading a New Testament community is that the genuine measure of leadership is not simply in the calling out of the extraordinarily gifted and talented. Instead, it is in the creation of an environment where each individual discovers and develops her unique gifts and talents.

On the Job Training
If the three years of Jesus' public ministry were meant to prepare his disciples, then his method of preparation was to send them into the world. The disciples never enjoyed insulation from realities of ministry and the pressures of the world around them. They were training in the context of real life and were expected - from the very first moment - to begin the process of becoming fishers of men.

Already knowing how he would meet the needs of the people, Jesus was determined to push his disciples to a different level of faith, which would result in a different level of living.

Jesus began by establishing a radical minimum standard that would permeate his church long after his ascension to heaven. We must evaluate our own preconceptions and assumptions about what it means to be a Christian.

So, my question to you is, are you being prepared to go out into the world to become fishers of men?

Nuggets #29

An Unstoppable Force by Erwin McManus
Life is Not a Stage
I didn't experience the stage theory of discipleship, a view that the spiritual journey is a series of building blocks or spiritual Legos. You build into a person one aspect of the Christian faith at a time, and if a person follows Christ long enough, then all the elements of spiritual maturity will be finally engaged.

The stage theory approach to discipleship is often doctrinally heavy and spiritually light.

Only after a proper theological foundation has been established do we begin to expect the fruit of ministry to emerge. For most people the extent of this expression relates to faithful attendance at church. If a Christian has a sound theological perspective and is a regular attendee in church life, he or she is perceived as qualified for the highest levels of leadership in most churches. Around these two foundational commitments of sound doctrine and regular attendance, we build another level of commitment: church participation and service.

Tragically, the basics of spiritual formation are seen as expressions of extraordinary Christian maturity. Some people move to an extraordinary level of faith and actually become evangelistic. Some begin to express an unusual connection through prayer. Others seem compelled to extraordinary sacrifice and begin to tithe, and still others receive a unique missionary distinction characterized by their willingness to uproot and go anywhere for the sake of the Gospel. The stage paradigm for Christian discipleship works on an assumption that the core is proper beliefs and the journey is adding on the different components of spiritual life.

The best biblical metaphor for the discipleship process is that new Christians are new babies, not new buildings. To make disciples is not to add a second floor and a third floor and a fourth floor, but to nurture what is already there and allow it to grow naturally.

Newborn babies are disproportionate to their adult shape, with large heads, very small bodies, and tiny fingers and toes. But they have every part they're ever going to have.

It's important to note that discipleship should be a natural process, not a legalistic one. It should be strategic and unique for the disciple maker, taking an inventory of the gifts and makeup of the disciple, and then developing what God has already given that person. They still need every aspect of spiritual maturity, but they were given their spiritual gifts for a purpose and those should be developed. Liken it to someone with a passion for a certain career. They still need to take their general ed courses, but they concentrate on their major.

Nuggets #28

An Unstoppable Force by Erwin McManus
Chapter Ten: A Radical Minimum Standard
Rising Above the Fall
Isn't it interesting how we think of grace as something less than the law?

(book of Acts) We have rescripted the text to be a picture of heroes of the faith rather than the simple lives of the faithful.

It is essential that we return to the origins of the church and reestablish the elemental faith of the first disciples.

The disciples of Jesus were not extraordinary individuals. In fact, their actions confounded everything that was known about them. They were best described as ignorant and unlearned men. Their spiritual pedigree was far from pure. This was a band of fisherman, tax collectors, and social outcasts. Yet it was with men like these that God began his revolution of faith, love, and hope.

Qualified to Serve
Could it be that the minimum standard of faithful fellowship of Jesus Christ can be described as being full of the Spirit and wisdom?

I'm going to keep it short today, as tomorrow's section is bigger. It's on discipleship methods. If you haven't read the comments on my spiritual warfare dreams, I'd recommend it. My friend Michele (Michele's blog) gave me a very insightful interpretation of my dreams. Thanks Michele!

Nuggets #27

An Unstoppable Force by Erwin McManus
Epilogue Chapter Ten A Radical Minimum Standard

"There was once a small city with only a few people in it. And a powerful king came against it, surrounded it and built huge siegeworks against it. Now there lived in that city a man poor but wise, and he saved the city by his wisdom. But nobody remembered that poor man. So I said, 'Wisdom is better than strength.' But the poor man's wisdom is despised, and his words are no longer heeded" (Ecclesiastes 9:14-16)

Perhaps we have underestimated our capacity. Maybe being created in the image and likeness of the Creator God still means something. Could one poor man with the wisdom of God really rise up to set an entire city free? And what would motivate those he delivered to despise him? Is there a conspiracy of mediocrity? Are we unwitting enemies of nobility and heroism? In Australia it's called "cutting the tall poppy." We choose to live where apathy is normal and average is the goal. Occasionally, some refuse to cooperate. They rise out of the rubble of decadence and conformity, and by the power of God, they show us a new way. They shock us into reality. They force us to accept responsibility. They inspire and require us to consider a new way to be human.

Look for those in your sphere of influence who are the 'tall poppy'. Those who call attention to things that aren't quite right, the things that need to be tightened up, the things that aren't Biblical, the things that are sinful, and the things that are masked as 'cutting corners'. Look at your life and ask if you're telling yourself, "in the grand scheme of things it really doesn't matter". In reality, it probably does matter, not just for your own sake, but for the sake of those who are watching you. You are modeling Christ, whether you realize it or not. Moldable baby Christians are learning what's right and what's wrong and they're learning it by watching those around them. And since more is caught than taught, it's important that we all re-evaluate ourselves continuously. It's a huge responsibility, being in the family of God. Don't take it lightly.

Nuggets #26

An Unstoppable Force by Erwin McManus

Engage

The church must be understood as a catalyst for change and every process related to the church must be interpreted through this filter.

Spiritual leadership in the change process is not so much about being the primary advocate of change but being the primary example of change. When the people of God see in their spiritual leaders a willingness to sacrifice for the sake of others and to be the first to change for the sake of the Gospel, they're more likely to make the changes that they need to make. The ultimate outcome of the change process is not the implementation of any one single change, no matter how significant. It is to move the people of God through a jouney that leads them from transition to transformation.

That's the end of the things that struck me in Chapter 9. Next will be Eiplogue, Chapter 10: a Radical Minimum Standard and that will conclude this book.

I've started reading Blue Like Jazz by Donald Miller. I won't go through that book like I have this one, as it is more of a descriptive journey of Donald's spiritual walk, including doubt and disbelief. I would call the book colorful, from the first chapter. It think it is probably written more for men, as he explains what he thinks and feels about women, dating, etc. It's an interesting book, it catapults me forward as I read. It's a good break from the Church leadership books I've enjoyed reading lately.

After I finish Blue Like Jazz, or even simultaneously, I'll probably start on Greg's Perspectives book. Perspectives is a 4-6 month class, 3 hours a week, 1 night a week, and it is awesome for giving someone a perspective on God's missional heart for his church. You really get to see the big picture of Christianity from God's perspective, how it all fits together for the world, rather than just my little church in my little town with my Christian friends that I know. You can check out Perspectives here. I hope you continue to join me on my quest for becoming a better Christian today than I was yesterday.

Nuggets #25

An Unstoppable Force by Erwin McManus
Empowering Spiritual Entrepreneurs
If you can affirm everything that isn't changing, while highlighting something that strategically is changing, you'll more easily gain adherence and support.

Through pilot projects, an apostolic environment can be introduced and affirmed one layer at a time.

When a particular project fails and you acknowledge its failure but don't lose hope, it does two things. It teaches your people that you are more committed to the purpose than you are to the particular project. And secondly, it demonstrates to them that you have integrity when faced with failure and successes. When you acknowledge failure for what it is, you gain the confidence of others as you speak on God's behalf.

In many situations, failure is the very thing that restrains God's people from doing great things for God. They've been taught that failure is equivalent to sin, and so they'd rather not try at all than risk failing. When you face failure with humility and hope, you teach others how to risk. When you affirm those who risk great things for God and count them as successful even if their particular endeavor has failed, you have affirmed something far deeper than any particular project or strategy could every encompass. It is not so much the experiment that is of greatest value, but the affirmation of spiritual entrepreneurialism among God's people.

This is such an important truth and I think part of it has to do with trust. When you trust an individual to do what God has called them to do and let them do it, it gives them the freedom to soar and do great things for God. They're not working under their own power anyway, they have God on their side. Any failure is just an opportunity to learn. Any success gives glory to God. It's a win-win situation.

Nuggets #24

An Unstoppable Force by Erwin McManus
Do Not Pass Go!
The fourth step in the process of effective transition is energizing the possibilities.

Many leaders make the mistake of beginning with what rather than why, so the what is quickly rejected. Sometimes the reason we as leaders do this is because we've thought about the why so much that we think it's obvious to everyone.

It is when we move from the strategic to the tactical that the people of God can be most powerfully unleashed.

The Creative Enterprise
As tightly as a leader must grasp the purpose of the church, he must equally relinquish his grip on the creative process of how the church accomplishes the mission of Christ. Too many times, we confuse a call to leadership as a monopoly on the creative process. Just as some churches are unwilling to follow genuine spiritual leadership, some pastors find it difficult to entrust and empower God's people.

...perhaps our most important role is to be able to identify a great idea when we hear it.

For creativity to flourish, it has to be nurtured and affirmed so that people get a clear sense of whether their ideas are genuinely valued. You can energize an environment in which the best ideas emerge by allowing questions, affirming ideas that are not your own, and asking questions rather than giving answers. Perhaps most important of all is inviting people into the process before you get too close.

This is so true. I like the line about pastors finding it difficult to entrust and empower God's people. This is also true with staff and ministry leaders who haven't been trained in how to do this. Sometimes it is a mindset, but sometimes it is a lack of knowledge.

When it's a mindset, I think fear and pride can play a role in it. It may be that these leaders are afraid of losing their position in the church, so they don't encourage others to succeed and rise above them. The best thing to do is try and out-position yourself. In the corporate world we call this succession management. You will be more valuable to the organization the more things you can do, the more flexible and willing you are to learn new things. If you are the only person who can do what you do, and you leave, the organization suffers, and that is selfish.

In my corporate experience, the company would identify individuals (usually MBAs who played golf, who were young, good-looking, and never challenged the way things were done) who were willing and flexible and would take them through a variety of different jobs, rotating them around the organization. This gave them a great exposure, not only to business processes but also to individuals, from vice-presidents to secretaries. After several years of this, they got to decide what area they wanted to work in most, and that's where they landed. But they could also be picked up and moved anywhere else at anytime that was needed. This reduced the cost to the company of hiring and training another high paid MBA. Everyone just rotated around. The lessons learned from this experience and exposure were wide and quick.

So, the moral of the story is to develop the leaders around you and put yourself out of your current position. But you need leaders who are not territorial, or fearful, or prideful. You need mature individuals and a plan to carry this out. The organization will be much stronger and more protected from people leaving abruptly.

Nuggets #23

An Unstoppable Force by Erwin McManus
Prophetic Whispers
After we have expounded the purpose of the people of
God in human history and exposed the problems that must be addressed, we must turn to a third step that is critical to effectively change leadership. This step is the identification and equipping of point men and women. In this step, we must remember that the critical issue in momentum is not the establishment of structures or the implementation of methodologies but the transformation of a corporate culture. The selection of a transition team can determine one's success or failure in implementing change. The individuals you are looking for are men and women who personify spiritual pliability and responsiveness, reflecting an apostolic ethos.

Required for this role are the abilities to understand the issues, embrace the direction, and transition others emotionally. One of the most significant evidences of the work of the Holy Spirit in the change process is the emergence of these spiritual leaders. Too many times, pastors begin a radical transition process without solidifying the key spiritual leaders necessary for healthy transition. The whole of God's people will be led into a wilderness experience-through the work of these indigenous leaders.

In our present context, most pastors are, at best, welcome guests. They are what sociologists might call "the acceptable outsider." As much as a pastor may love his congregation and have a deep sense of calling and commitment to its people, the nature of his position makes him a voice coming from the wilderness. It is essential, in leading a congregation with an already established ethos into a new future, to call out from within that community those who would hear the prophetic voice and respond by embracing the calling of God.

The voice of the spiritual leader, when echoing the heart of God, resonates in the hearts of those who are already seeking after God.

The key to cultural transition is not to bring something alien into a new culture, but to call out from within that culture those things that are most true and right. Deep within the heart of the local church is the heart of God. The local church cannot live without the heart of God pounding vibrantly within her. When the leader endeavors to awaken an apostolic ethos, he should not be surprised when men and women rise up to this higher calling of God.

Wow, that was good stuff. I think it is so important, whether starting to change the culture or start a new initiative within the church, to have the staff/volunteer structure in place prior to the change. Movements need to be planned, so that everything is done in a fitting and orderly way. Cross-functional teams should work together, covering all aspects of the initiative, to make it as clear and seamless as possible. I believe congregations begin to lose trust when they see disorganization, lack of planning, and sloppiness. When these things are present in a business environment, do people go back for that kind of experience again? Probably not. Why would we expect them to behave any differently in a church environment? Whether inside or outside a church, everyone is a consumer of something. I'll stop here or I'll start tapping into my Marketing background and that's a whole other blog.

Nuggets #22

An Unstoppable Force by Erwin McManus
Chapter Nine Re-Formation

Becoming a Problem
The third area of problems to be exposed-though seemingly paradoxical-is the ability to create problems. Great leaders creat great problems. If you're not willing to create problems, you're not willing to lead. Leaders create problems by changing expectations. Many churches that have been stagnant for years do not consider themselves to have any real problems. Only when a leader begins to call them out to the status quo does it begin to be perceived a problem.

If vision is anything at all, it is an invitation to excel beyond the present condition. In a sense, when a leader begins to cast vision, he begins to create problems. No matter how healthy or vibrant a church is, once a people begin to aspire to greater heights than presently experienced, problems are created. Before a leader casts a vision, there may not have been a problem in that arena at all. Only when the standards have been raised does a crisis ensue.

The Problem with Vision
When a church has too few problems, that may be because it has too little vision.

I'll have to stop there for today, the next section is long. If what Erwin says is true, and I believe it is, it is bad news for those who are conflict phobic. But when you look at the cost vs. benefit, who wouldn't choose to have a vision that is clearly and often communicated? One that stirs the hearts of the church?

Nuggets #21

An Unstoppable Force by Erwin McManus
More of Chapter Nine

Jungle Warfare
The second kind of problems is camouflaged problems, problems that are not so clear but need to be uncovered. If stating the obvious can seem like a courageous act of leadership, then unwrapping problems that have remained unseen is even more dangerous. Clear problems are often related to the present condition of the church in its relationship to the mission of Christ. Camouflaged problems, on the other hand, are often hidden within the human heart. Camouflaged problems usually involve core values and human motivation.

Camouflaged problems may appear when blame is being assigned. It's amazing how the local church will blame the outside world for the struggles within. While acknowledging that greater is he that is in us than he that is in the world, we attribute the decline of the church to the darkness outside or the apathy of those without Christ. We are too quick to blame the decline of the church on the disinterest of the unchurched.

If the root issues or core problems are not identified, a church can spend too much time and energy addressing the wrong issues.

Though all of this part of the book struck me, I really like how he uncovered the issue of camouflaged problems being hidden within the human heart and usually appear when blame is being assigned. I thought about two different scenarios where this is true. As one person blames another, the issue could be within the person being blamed. There could be a heart issue that needs to be addressed. Then again, if the person is being blamed wrongly, the issue could be within the blamer's heart. Only through open and full communication can the root issue be uncovered and dealt with.

Nuggets #20

An Unstoppable Force by Erwin McManus
Still in Chapter Nine

Seeing the Obvious
Three kinds of congregational problems must be addressed. The first is problems that are obvious to everyone. Strangely enough just because a problem is obvious to everyone doesn't mean it has been addressed. In an unhealthy community, such problems are what we've come to know as "family secrets." Everyone knows what's going on, knows there's a problem, and knows what the problem is, but no one has the courage to talk about it out loud. In many cases no one will even acknowledge that it exists. If someone alludes to the problem, such an immediate denial will likely follow that the conversation will be shut down.

I've found that simply having the courage to say the problem out loud and in public is perceived as a tremendous act of leadership. But sometimes speaking the truth in love is so difficult and painful that the help that could result from it is never engaged or experienced.

The role of leadership in declaring problems that are obvious to everyone is clearly not to bring new insight, but to establish the credibility to lead. We sometimes avoid speaking about congregational issues to avoid conflict or maintain harmony, yet what is lost is the credibility gained from a demonstration of our perceptively. If a part of leadership is painting a compelling picture of the future and inspiring people to a new vision for life and community, how will anyone have confidence in your ability to lead or create that new world if you can't even engage the present reality effectively?

When you ignore problems, you relinquish a place of truth. When you ignore problems, you communicate a lack of confidence that God can overcome obstacles that have debilitated or even paralyzed God's people. Identifying the clear problems is not expressing pessimism or negativity. It is not judgmentalism or condemnation. It is standing to face whatever Goliaths stand before God's people and speaking with confidence about a future gained after Goliath's defeat. Identifying the clear problems is the beginning point of spiritual warfare in leadership. It gives the spiritual leader an opportunity to call God's people to prayer and usher in the promises of God, promises of a future and a hope.

That's a lot to chew on for today. I totally agree with him. I know it's hard, I'm not overjoyed when I have to address a problem myself, but I've seen God's faithfulness when I've taken a big swallow and just done it. It takes several times, but the fear going into it decreases each time. I'm not talking of addressing a congregation, as I've never been in that position, but of one on one confrontation with ministry leaders. I've also walked others through it. I don't think anyone looks forward to moments like that unless they have experience doing it. It's kind of like public speaking. Scary at first, but gets easier with the more practice you get.

Our Second Prayer Walk

Today Greg and I went for our second prayer walk. I picked the more affluent northeast side of town to see what God would reveal. I spent about 3/4 of the time silently praying, Greg about 1/2 and the rest of the time we listened for anything God wanted to tell us.

When we started out, Greg told me to lead where we would walk. As I turned down a court, he told me that we were starting exactly where is platoon (group of young men he discipled last year) had left off on their prayer walk. That was cool!

When we got back to the car, we 'debriefed'. We talked about what we felt God had communicated to each of us and it was amazingly similar. Basically, that both this part of town and the West Side had many similarities. Though the West Side was concerned with what they didn't have and the northeast side with what they did have, both had domestic problems. There were addictions to alcohol and drugs, physical abuse, fathers who were too hard on their kids, and those who were almost absent. Both neighborhoods had homes where they weren't taking care of the yard. Too busy? Unexpected life situations? Other priorities? I saw one huge house with a Mercedes, a BMW, and a Cadillac in the driveway, but their roof was bare in places where they needed shingles, if not a new roof.

As we talked about the domestic issues, we explored the differences in how the husbands in both neighborhoods reacted to divorce. My impression was that because the Hispanic culture is very family oriented and dedicated, a divorce would be devastating both emotionally as well as socially. Their whole family would be disappointed. In the predominately white affluent neighborhood, the social aspect may not be as present or severe. That might contribute to the higher divorce rate among whites. Just a thought.

I was very excited to see that God told both of us that the neighborhoods were very similar, even though the income levels were so different. I would encourage anyone to go on a prayer walk in any part of town. Spend part of the time praying and then just listen for God. Start with your spouse. Take your small group. Take a friend. Go by yourself. I'm so looking forward to the next one!

Nuggets #19

An Unstoppable Force by Erwin McManus
Chapter Nine: Re-Formation

Redefining Church
Many who hear the prophetic call to return and restore the purpose of God for the church are inspired to new levels of obedience and faith. For them, the process of examining every program and expression of the church against the biblical mandate to make disciples of all nations becomes necessary for church health and renewal. Yet for others, this is not true. (For me this is VERY true. It's my passion!)
Known by the Scars
People need to know that the purpose of God burns in your heart, that people not only matter to God but also genuinely matter to you. The people you hope to lead need to see that your life has been reoriented around the very purposes that you advocate.

Yet I was reminded from the encouragement of spiritual men that what's important is not that everything goes right, but that what you're doing is right. If you are to lead God's people in the way of God, then you must prepare yourself for spiritual warfare ahead. If your motivation is the approval of men or being measured as successful in this world, then this journey may not be for you. But if you can live and die on the knowledge that you have given your life for the purpose of God, then you can move to the next step in the process of spiritual re-formation.

I'm going to make my comments in italics from now on, a suggestion from my husband so people know when Erwin stops and I start. Not that anyone would mistake my babble for a genius like Erwin, but I'll do it to make things simple.

So, there's the break between those who do right and those who focus on the outcome. I think this goes back to fear. The other day I wrote about those who wouldn't be caught dead doing something wrong. This is out of fear. But there is so much freedom and peace of mind when you're doing what you know God has mandated in his Word and you leave the desire for the approval of men in the dust. Being a soldier for God is referred to many times in the Bible. I believe that our spiritual walk is often a battle, and our faith, freedom in Christ, and the salvation of others is something to fight for.

Isaiah 41:9-14 (NIV)
"I took you from the ends of the earth, from its farthest corners I called you.
I said, 'You are my servant'; I have chosen you and have not rejected you. So do not fear, for I am with you;
do not be dismayed, for I am your God.
I will strengthen you and help you;
I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.
All who rage against you
will surely be ashamed and disgraced;
those who oppose you
will be as nothing and perish.
Though you search for your enemies,
you will not find them.
Those who wage war against you
will be as nothing at all.
For I am the Lord, you God,
who takes hold of your right hand
and says to you, Do not fear;
I will help you.
Do not be afraid, O worm Jacob,
O little Israel,
for I myself will help you," declares the Lord,
your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel."

Nuggets #18

I've been doing better the last couple of days. Thank you for your prayers.

An Unstoppable Force by Erwin McManus
Continuing on . . .

A Sticky Situation
When being a church attendee is not a culturally expected responsibility, a person who attends but does not begin to serve will drop out within a year. If people begin to serve, they stick. If a person is simply being served, it is highly unlikely that person will make it in the long-term.

Consumed-Communion
We must become relevant and reverent. Worship must become the meeting place between the eternal and the contemporary. We tend to love the altar so much that we refuse to set it on fire. Yet God comes in the flames. Our God is a consuming fire.

Our hearts must find passion for those things that enflame the heart of God.

Imagine This
The future leaders of this world will come from somewhere. Shouldn't it be the church?

This reminds me of Huckabee. Wouldn't it be great if we had another full-of-faith man as President, and he came from a church! Here's a clip showing how he responded to a question on evolution/creation during a Republican Debate. This is great!

Nuggets #17

An Unstoppable Force by Erwin McManus
Continuing on with Chapter Eight

Spirit Matters
The modern church has often established programs, structures, and even roles and positions before it is even known who the people are. You have a position, and you've got to find someone to fill it. Recruiting volunteers can become as simple as filling slots.

The connection environment is radically different. It understands that the Spirit of God does not dwell in programs but in people. Strategies are not nearly as important as gifts, and the organizational principle that drives ministry must be the unique gifting of the people that God brings to the body of Christ.

Whenever we receive new members at Mosaic, we remind them that receiving them into our community is our commitment to inviting them to change who we are, that we may become who God desires us to be. Our commitment is not to clone them to who we already are, but that each person who joins our community is a promise from God that he is not finished with us yet. If we respect the gifts, talents, and uniqueness of each individual, then we must be willing to change. If a person's contribution is honored and respected, then he will make a difference.

Many times we have demeaned the value of the spiritual power that God has placed in individuals by forcing them to conform into what we perceive the church needs.

A community with the servant heart of God knows no limit to sacrifice, and when its people are doing what God created them to do, there is no limit to impact.

Do I hear a hallelujah? Thank you Erwin for putting my heart into words!!!!!!!! I believe that spiritual gifting is foundational for the power and fire of a body of believers. The church must not limit the individuals by making them conform to a box of behavior or serving, any more than an eagle should be caged. We should all be free to soar in the way that God created us. If not, God is the great redeemer and he will find a way to set us free to use those gifts to bring Him glory.

Spiritual Warfare

There's a reason God has been having me read Ephesians lately. Several times I've turned to that book without trying and read it all the way through in one setting. The whole, Eph. 6:12 and the passage on the Armor of God seem to be recurring themes for me. I think this is why.

Aside from yesterday, I had 2 dreams last week and Greg had one night before last, that were just creepy!

Both my dreams had to do with snakes, Greg's with zombies. In my first dream, my family was all busy in their rooms doing something. I was in the kitchen, walked into the livingroom, and saw an aquarium slightly tipped over and without a lid. A light somehow shone on the garter snake inside. (We really don't have a snake or aquarium). In the dream I decided to check on it and as I slowly walked towards it, I startled it and it started to move. I began to walk backwards. As I did, it got more agitated, jumped out of the aquarium and speedily slithered after me. About 6 feet away it caught up with me, wrapped itself around my left calf and started trying to bite me through my jeans. Then I woke up.

In my second dream, I was at some kind of retreat and was walking down a residential street. On the left side of the street there was a missing house or two and instead was a shoreline with a lake behind it. I saw what appeared to be a large black tire tread, all twisted up and about five feet tall. I walked towards it to get a better look. As I did, it started to pulsate like it was breathing, then it started to slither like a snake and untangle itself. I started heading the opposite direction across the street to a house and as I did, it turned into a snow leopard. It was beautiful, soft and spotted, but very very hungry and it wanted to eat me and Greg. We ran to the house, which was my grandparent's house when I was growing up, and then I woke up.

In Greg's dream we were traveling and found out the zombie's didn't travel during the daytime. We met someone who told us we would be safe at the ocean so we went there. I was cold so Greg saw a blanket and went to pick it up and underneath was some kind of creature. I didn't want the blanket after that. There were other creatures walking around, they were Christians, but they were like half zombie half creature. At one point in the dream, the zombies were guarding us, Greg knew the only way to get free was for him to leave me, get help, and come back. He did. He found himself needing to hide from the zombies and I tapped him on the shoulder and he was happily surprised to find I had freed myself. At another part of the dream I had a bat and totally knocked a zombie's head off to save us.

If you can decipher dreams, I'm listening. I think the enemy is messing with us but if there are other meanings, let me know. Prayers are appreciated.

Nuggets #16

An Unstoppable Force by Erwin McManus
We'll continue on with Chapter Eight: Soul Environments

Drenched-Community
But we have confused a personal faith with individual faith, sometimes at the expense of community. We see the community of Christ as optional, at best, and more often as an intrusion into our spiritual journey. Yet we are baptized into Christ and joined with his body. Every believer passes through the waters and becomes a part of the river of life. Alone, you are only standing in a puddle. Together, we become an oasis where those searching for genuine love and acceptance can come and drink deeply. Water is a great metaphor for community.

Liquid Grace
That's why biblical community is such an extraordinary gift. It's not about being perfect or loving people who are always easy to love; it's about loving people through the love of God. It's about being loved even when you blow it, being loved even when you do not deserve it, and being loved by others who know you all too well - even when you find it difficult to love yourself.
When you begin to love people through their imperfections, through the disappointments, you begin to know that it's more than infatuation.

Short and sweet today. Tomorrow's has a big section in it so I'll stop here for today. My favorite line is "Alone, you are only standing in a puddle." I don't know why, but it just strikes me. Kind of like if you're not growing, you're moving backward, because the world around you keeps moving forward.

I've had the absolute joy of not being loved when I've blown it, or been perceived as blowing it. (Yes, I'm being sarcastic, it was a hard day.) But God has reminded me today, as He does when I have days like this, that my battle is not against flesh and blood. Eph. 6:12. The enemy is working hard to discredit me, using all kinds of people. I also have to remember that God is allowing it for a purpose. Probably to strengthen me and keep my eyes focused on Him and His purpose for me. I know everything will turn out well, it's just this blasted interim time I have to be patient with. Uuuugggghhhhhh! Why is growing always painful? Enough whining. How was your day? :-)

Nuggets #15

This was written Sunday but I went to post it today, and it appeared two posts below. So, please scroll down to read it. Thanks!

Our Second Prayer Walk

Just a note that we are planning our second prayer walk this Saturday. I want to walk in a very different part of town to see how it will be different. I have a few prayer requests regarding this walk:

1. To feel God's heart for this part of the city, the way we did on the West Side.
2. Many of the homes we will be walking by will be filled with people who don't know Jesus. Please pray for their hearts to be open.
3. Please pray for protection and provision for these families.
4. For those who do know God, to be Godly, for revival in their neighborhood, and for a passion to minister to each other.

Prayer Walk Pictures

On December 21st and 22nd I talked about a prayer walk my husband and I took. I realized last night I should post pictures on the 21st and 22nd that go along with what God spoke to my heart. These will go up in my office this week and I hope you enjoy them.

Nuggets #15

An Unstoppable Force by Erwin McManus
A Future of Optimism
People are looking for something worth believing in, somewhere to belong, and something to become.

Effective ministry is not the elimination of failure but the ability to thrive in the midst of failure. They mystery is that there are some churches that just can't be stopped. It doesn't matter how many times they fail. There's no problem too great for them to overcome.

Hope Never Gives Up
. . . there are three crucial dimensions to our ability to engage failure in a positive way. They are all related to how we understand failure and explain it to ourselves.

One style views failure as pervasive, another sees failure as personal, and the third understands failure as permanent.

Faith, hope, and love are the fuel that ignited the first-century church. They are the very essence of the apostolic ethos. They are the promise that the church of Jesus Christ is unstoppable and that even the gates of hell will not prevail against her.

I know this blog has statements that skip around a little. Let's talk about purpose, ministry, and failure.

It's no coincidence that as I was starting to type this blog, that my husband came up to me and read what he was reading in the book, In a Pit With a Lion on a Snowy Day by Mark Batterson. In it, Mark cites Gordon Mackenzie's book "Orbiting the Giant Hairball: A Corporate Fool's Guide to Surviving with Grace". It struck his heart and supports the first statement above that people are looking for something worth believing in, somewhere to belong, and something to become. It says,
"My guess is that there was a time - perhaps when you were very young - when you had at least a fleeting notion of your own genius and were just waiting for some authority figure to come along and validate it for you. But none ever came."
How extremely sad is that? Everyone wants to have a purpose to thier life, to leave a legacy, to make a difference in at least one person's life, if not on society as a whole. I pray every church has a clearly communicated method of training up these future leaders.

Let's talk about failure for a minute. I think everyone has a different view of failure. I know those who wouldn't want to be caught dead doing anything wrong, less the sky would fall on them. I know those who have a slightly less dramatic view, but still avoid it at all costs, and in addition make sure others around them avoid it by manuevering situations within their control, less others' failures reflect on them. I think both these views are unhealthy. Having worked for a large corporation for 17 years (picture Dilbert), I discovered that failure was not something to be feared. The first few years I spent a lot of energy, calories, and sweat fearing failure. Then I came to a point when I realized that failure was bound to happen. I would always try and do my best, but noticed that worrying about it had absolutely no bearing on whether it happened or not. The odds were that sometimes it would happen. Sometimes it was my fault, sometimes it was a co-worker's fault, sometimes a boss's fault, or a subordinate's fault. And you know what? It was always okay. The healthy thing about that corporate environment was that everyone else knew things would crash from time to time, and when they did, no one pointed fingers (except one person, but that's another blog) but instead just pitched in to fix the problem. No big deal! It happens, move on! It's not the end of the world. Trust others will have the grace to not make you feel horrible about yourself, and if they don't, that's between them and God. We're all human, we blow it sometimes! Every experience is worth it, as long as you learn from it.

Once again I have to repeat one of my favorite mottos:
Don't use people to do ministry. Use ministry to do people.

Nuggets #14

Just a side note about my frozen shoulder. I have two more physical therapy appointments for stretching, then I think I'll be on my own. She thought all the adhesions were broken now, and I just have to stretch the muscles. I'm making more progress and hope in a month or two everything will be back to normal.

An Unstoppable Force by Erwin McManus
Chapter Seven: Spirit Design Theory

Only in recent years has the church reawakened to the importance of spiritual gifts. One of the great renewals in the last forty years has been the moving away from programs and methods to an emphasis on spiritual gifts. And every one of us who has sought to discover and use our spiritual gifts has begun to experience a more vibrant and fulfilling life. Certainly a program-based church and gift-based church are dramatically different, yet Paul says some things are far more important than spiritual gifts, and those are faith, hope, and love.

The Fuel of a Movement
The Thessalonian church had become a model to all the believers in the region. In many ways it was the first church-growth model to be commended. The Thessalonians' faith in God had become known everywhere, and their growth and impact on the city was not built on letters of transfer but on radical conversions.

They were a church that was ignited and fueled by faith, love, and hope. They would be best described as having a work produced by faith, a labor prompted by love, and a perseverance inspired by hope in Jesus Christ.

Could it be that while we've been searching for innovations and new strategies to effectively engage this radically changing world, the secret to seeing first-century results lies in the first-century church?

Obey Away!
What does it really mean to live by faith? The response of faith is nothing more than obedience. Faith begins with God speaking and materializes when we respond. Somehow we've come to believe that faith removes ambiguity rather than calls us to live in it. The Church tends to live by "the faith" more than it lives by faith. The goal has become to make sure beliefs are doctrinally sound and people have a growing knowledge of the Bible, rather than to live in a dynamic, fluid relationship with God through which we learn to hear the voice of God and move in response to him.

The starting point of living by faith is recognizing that God has revealed so much of his will that we have plenty to live by without ever hearing another word. Some things you simply do not need to pray about. When God has spoken and commanded his people, praying sometimes becomes a way of resiting God's will rather than a way of responding to it.

A Church begins to live by faith when its people move the things God has clearly said into the non optional category.

Faith on the Increase
What took faith yesterday is sight today. When we live by faith, we allow God to take us into new experiences of who he is and how he works. The church cannot live on the faith of the past. The church is called to be the living expression of faith. When a church lives by faith, its people prove that God can be trusted. Faith is the triangle for the cultural architect. It's angles are committed to sharp turns, jagged edges, and extreme redirection.

If you're a faithful reader of this blog, and you enjoy these nuggets that have struck me, I encourage you to go out and get this book. It has become my favorite book of all time. If your heart is also for church leadership or ministry or discipleship, this is an excellent resource for you and your team. I highly recommend it!!!!!

Nuggets #13

An Unstoppable Force by Erwin McManus
(As mentioned yesterday, today we'll look at the six different areas in which you as a leader have a direct impact in the ethos of your congregation.)

Character
The people you serve will be able to summarize who you are in one core idea or one central characteristic. You need to listen carefully to how they describe you. They may describe you as a kind and caring, visionary and courageous, empowering, or something else. Hopefully you will appreciate the description you hear.

When we consider character, we usually think of attributes such as integrity, humility, and trustworthiness. All of these are obviously critical to spiritual leadership. But the kind of character I'm speaking of is more than that. Every leader makes a distinguishing mark, which is the best way to define what we call a character. A character is a distinguishing and defining mark or imprint that communicates something to those who see.

Stories
If your stories are never personal, it will be very difficult for people to embrace a personal faith. People want to know what you're committed to. They want to know how you experience God. They want to know what you know about God, not simply what you've learned. Whatever topic you preach on, the story you choose to tell will reel your heart.

One thing I've noticed over the years is that even when I teach about tithing, I tell a story about evangelism. I love telling stories about people I meet and the conversations we have about God. It doesn't matter to me what the topic is. These stories are always relevant and fit in with the subject. Your stories of faith, your stories of risk, your stories of failure - all these stories shape the ethos of the congregation. Borrowed stories just don't work as well. Stories communicate what really is important and what kind of experiences others in the community should aspire to have.

Experiences
People want to know about your experiences - even the bad ones. They want to know when you've failed; they want to know when you've been disappointed; they want to know what you've struggled through; they want to learn from your life. Genuine ethos cannot be developed without genuine communication.

Reward
Another way leaders shape ethos is by what they reward.
Once when I was a young pastor, I found myself creating an environment in which only those who did the wrong things were receiving my affirmation. They were the people I always spent time with. The more you sinned, the more you disobeyed God, the more of my time I would give you. If you did what you were supposed to do you received very little of my time. I was essentially rewarding disobedience and dysfunction rather than affirming obedience and servanthood. I realized that who I gave my time to demonstrated what was important.

I also began to realize that whenever I affirmed someone through a story, it helped shape the culture. If I told stories of the secret servanthood of members in the body, it inspired everyone else to serve. When I celebrated sacrificial giving by individuals, it inspired others to give sacrificially.

Battles
Everything worthwhile has a cost, and the ethos of a community is worth fighting for. Establishing a value system that honors God and reflects his heart is the most important battle in spiritual leadership. All spiritual leaders must be warrior-poets who lead both through courage and suffering.

Advancement
I believe that the resume-style selection of leadership has detrimentally affected the development of an apostolic ethos in the church. The church overwhelmingly hires from the outside.

It seems abysmal that in a church of ten thousand, you wouldn't be overwhelmed with emerging leadership, and yet these churches tend to hire proven leaders from other congregations. We seem to be better at growing congregations than at developing leaders.

The development of indigenous leadership is critical to creating and shaping ethos. It is also essential in generating first-century church momentum. One reason for this is that when you identify leaders from within, everyone realizes that he or she could be the next leader identified. It gives everyone a sense of inspiration and hope that he or she might be selected and invested in. If you're always hiring from the outside, it becomes a mystery how one every grows to that level of leadership. The obvious conclusion for someone interested in leadership would be that he or she has to leave the church to find a place where that level of leadership could be obtained.

In an organization, leaders must be brought from the outside. In a movement, leaders emerge from within. A genuine movement is a leadership culture. It values the identification, development, and empowering of new leaders. A central component of a movement's success is not the selection of accredited leaders but of proven leadership. Leadership is not about how much education a person has attained but how much they have actually accomplished in a ministry context. In many congregations the only role that members can aspire to is to be a good follower. In the first-century church, there were no other churches to take leaders from. Everybody had to be homegrown.

At the end of each chapter of this book, Erwin gives several questions. I'm going to include a few below for you to ponder.

1. Is your leadership more spiritual or secular? Are you leading from biblical or business principles?

2. Who are the emerging leaders in our community (congregation), and what do we need to do to prepare them for spiritual leadership?

Let's look at number 2 for a minute. How do you determine who the emerging leaders are? What is the criteria? In a future blog, Erwin talks about discipleship. He says there are two types of discipleship: the stage theory or new building metaphor, and the new baby metaphor. In the stage theory, people are taught a proper theological foundation, next a layer of faithful church attendance is added, then they are trusted with serving. Layer upon layer, systematically, to grow an individual to spiritual maturity. The other way is to nurture what is already there in an individual. Just as a new baby has everything they need already, a new believer has everything they will need for their spiritual journey. It just needs developing. Some have an unusual connection through prayer, some are overtly generous, some are willing to pick up and move to another country for the Gospel. Everyone has gifts, we just have to discover and nurture them.

So, how do you identify a future leader and how do you prepare them for spiritual leadership? You spend time with them. You love them where they are and see their potential. You get to know their level of faithfulness. You discover their gifts and passions with them. Woven through this relationship are times when you serve with them, correct them, encourage them, stretch them, teach them, and most of all you show them you trust them.

There is a very wise man in our church. I think of him as the father of our church, having built it with his own hands with a handful of faithful individuals who had a call and a dream. This man knows how to show people he sees their potential in a very surreptitious way. When he began recruiting people for a missions trip to Brazil that he was leading, he walked up to someone he wanted to go on the trip with him and say, "I hear you're joining us on the Brazil trip." In at least one instance the person had never considered going. They hadn't gone on a missions trip before. But just by planting that little seed in their heart, they started to see the possibility of them going, serving, and seeing already the approval in this man's eyes that they were worthy of the challenge. They began to pray, and save, and commit, and train, and they they went. It was like butter to see how smoothly he discipled this team to go all the way to the Amazon for two weeks, build two churches and have several adventures. True, this leader has the gift of discipleship, but anyone can do it. It's amazing how much impact you can have on someone's life when you are willing to pour a little of yourself into them.

Nuggets #12

An Unstoppable Force by Erwin McManus
Secular Leadership Is Spiritual
Everything that makes leaders unique is spiritual. Many things that make them effective are learned and concrete, but the essence of their true leadership remains intangible. There are others who do the same things they do, yet these unique leaders still rise above the rest.

A movement of Visionaries and Dreamers
A wonderful thing about being around new believers is that they haven't discovered the limitations the church has embraced.

The first-century church was founded on the adventurous journeys of men like Paul and Barnabus. It was never intended to be a place of safety from the rapidly changing world. The church should be the greatest revolution ever initiated on this planet. She moves from generation to generation through the dreamers and visionaries who believe that nothing is impossible with God. And like prophets, they call God's people to live their lives as if God is truly God.

Ethologically Sound Leadership
It's painful but important to realize the our communities reflect our leadership. I'm troubled when pastors tell me what they don't like about their congregations. I could understand this if they had only been there for two weeks or maybe even two years. But I hear this from pastors who have been at their churches more than five years. They're frustrated because people don't "do evangelism" or people are too afraid of risk or a variety of other issues. One of the most difficult things for a leader to do is help a pastor look in the mirror.

If you've been leading your congregation for more than five years, your congregation likely reflects who you are. If you hold the position of leader, and the ethos does not reflect your core values, then you're not the leader - someone else is. If you are genuinely the leader, and you do not like the values of your congregation, the first place you need to bring change into is your own life.

Ethos emerges from the lives of individuals, and whether you realize it or not, you've been shaping the ethos of your congregation from the first moment you gave a message or made a decision. We're going to look at six different areas in which you as a leader have a direct impact on the ethos of your congregation.

We'll look at those six things tomorrow. Pretty direct stuff, huh? Don't 'cha just love it? It's so true. Congregations reflect leadership. John Maxwell says it a different way, "Everything rises and falls on leadership."

Nuggets #11

An Unstoppable Force by Erwin McManus
Chapter Six - The Cultural Architect
(Talking about a meeting with his elders. They wanted to discuss his leadership.)
You would think a discussion about my leadership would be a good memory.
Instead, I remember Rick, Enrique, and Robert revealing their disappointment with my leadership. Rick expected more from someone he perceived as having a gift of faith. Enrique had hoped my leadership would be stronger. Robert felt that something was restraining me from fully engaging in my role as a lead pastor. I was confronted for being a non-leader! I left devastated. How could this be happening to someone who had taught a doctoral class on leadership?
Seeking comfort, I later told Kim what had happened. We were driving down Beverly Boulevard on a Saturday morning, and all I wanted was for her to lie to me. But she didn't. She did, however, take the opportunity to show her disappointment in me. Apparently, I wasn't the leader that she thought she married. I was so angry that I stopped the car in the middle of the road. I sat there defending myself, all the while knowing the painful truth: I was afraid. I was hesitant. I was apprehensive and uncertain. It wasn't that I didn't know what to do; it was that I understood the consequences. Leadership comes with a price. I thought that I could hide behind a measure of success and never be found out. I was not leading; I was tinkering.

Churches become like their pastors. If you don't like what you see in your congregation, then you must be the first to change!

Often, what is described as church leadership is organizational leadership. Value is found in someone who can structure and manage a complex environment, rather than in someone who can create one that needs to be harnessed. The real contribution of the organizational leader is bringing stability and continuity. Mid-size congregations often evaluate spiritual leadership through this template. Success is measured by predictability and order. The danger is going beyond an order of worship to a worship of order!

In many ways the role of a pastor has become that of a spiritual manager. There is a critical distinction between managers who maintain organizations and leaders who create community by catalyzing movement. The former leader creates a corporation of people; the latter, a people with a cause.

Genuine leaders personify the values and vision of the people they lead. They do not simply espouse the vision of the movement; they embody it. What they focus on, whom they empower, and what is rewarded are central to the development of a cultural movement. Sometimes we look to great secular corporations that are led by extraordinary leaders for help. But all too often we ignore the components that make them worthy of emulation. We dissect their skills, disciplines, competencies, and habits in the hope that we can pick up that critical piece in the leadership puzzle. Yet for many of us, especially in vocational ministry, the real essence of leadership is so obvious that it is easily missed. True leadership is spiritual!

There's a lot of great stuff in this chapter. More tomorrow!!!!!

Nuggets #10

An Unstoppable Force by Erwin McManus
hapter 5 Cultural Architecture
If you can discover and unwrap a culture's metaphors, you can begin to understand the essence of that culture.

Unwrapping God's Power
Stories contain within them the essence of ethos. You can either talk to people about God's power or tell them the stories that unwrap the power of God. You can talk to them about the power of a small group community in the work of evangelism, or you can tell them a story that fleshes it out. You can tell people that creativity is not only the natural result of spirituality, but also an extraordinary tool for evangelism in the post-Western environment; or you can let them be the product of that reality. You can talk all day long about the importance of servanthood and service; or you can work from the pattern of Jesus and exalt those who humble themselves, giving positions of greatness to those who are willing to be the least in the kingdom.

The stories you choose to tell inform the emerging culture. Stories that are rooted in the life of the congregation breathe life into the congregation. Great leaders are great storytellers. Great churches have great stories. Great stories crate a great future.

Okay, so I didn't get a whole lot out of Chapter 5, but I did like the concept of storytelling. I'm not much of an evangelist, maybe because I don't have any friendships with non-Christians, though I have those 2 minute shallow conversations with checkers and salespeople occasionally. The concept of storytelling, for me, takes a whole lot of pressure off, when it comes to sharing my faith. I'm full of stories of the great things God has done in my life and I love to tell those stories. According to the author, that goes a lot further than the 5 Spiritual Laws approach. Does that take the pressure of you too? Just being yourself and telling your God stories? So do-able! Let's do it together.

Nuggets #9

An Unstoppable Force by Erwin McManus
Envisioning the Future
Fear of the future causes present blindness. The scripture warns us that without vision, the people will perish.

Chapter 4
E-motion
God's purpose has always been about redeeming a people.

Environmental Sponges
Negative environments raise negative and broken children. Healthy environments give children their best opportunity to become everything they were created to be.

Healthy environments move individuals toward health. Unhealthy environments accentuate brokenness and dysfunction.

Nurturing a Healthy Environment
The problem in many of our congregations is not that we've chosen a wrong strategy or have an irrelevant style but that we have an unhealthy culture. It should not be a surprise that if we were to enter many congregations, we could see how the uniqueness of the human spirit and the potential God has placed in each individual is being wasted.

In many churches compliance and conformity are the greatest values. There is rarely a rumor, much less a reality, of a church being the center point of imagination, invention, and innovation. If we are teaching sound theology but neglecting to create an environment in which people fulfill their God-given purpose, are we not, by definition, an unhealthy culture?

I am convinced that, beyond the eruption of human potential empowered by the Holy Spirit, a healthy culture also produces healthy people.

A person who is growing in spiritual maturity is developing emotional health. A person who is growing in spiritual maturity is healing broken relationships and building healthy ones. A person who is growing in spiritual maturity begins to take every thought captive to the obedience of Christ and no longer allows the imaginations of the heart to run riot. A person who is growing in spiritual health begins to treat his or her body as the temple of the Lord and establish personal disciplines that result in overcoming such vices as gluttony. A person who is growing in spiritual health dreams great dreams with God.

A Culture of Greatness
It came as both a great joy and surprise when I discovered that a thinking Christian was not an oxymoron.

That's it for Chapter Four. That line about gluttony hit me between the eyes. Years ago God told me that chocolate had become an idol in my life. He pointed out that I was constantly thinking about it, when I would get my next taste of it. It had replaced God in my heart. Things changed, but lately, expecially from being given 5 1/2 pounds of Sees and Harry and David chocolates and truffles for Christmas, it seems I'm slipping into that rut again. I'm pretty good when it's not around. But when it is, it's like I have to eat it or I'll miss out. I used to be much more disciplined in this area. Please pray for me that I can be strong and make healthy choices in my diet and exercise again. I need to be stronger!!!!

Did any of that hit you between the eyes? I love a direct, confrontational writer. I think when we're too soft, transformation doesn't happen as well, if at all. I think when someone is broken and repentive, it's a time to be soft and gentle, less you crush their spirit. But if someone has no clue that they're sinning, I think we need to speak the truth in love, but that doesn't mean skirting the issue so they come away with, "Was I doing something wrong?" They come away convicted of the Holy Spirit that things need to change.

Nuggets #8

An Unstoppable Force by Erwin McManus
Chapter Three: Change Theology
(Just the title gets me excited to read!)
Generational Shifts
But many times the most difficult things to give up are those things that we have identified with God's blessing and presence in our lives.

From the beginning, God has raised up men and women who have had the power of seeing. They understood the times in which they lived. They understood the context to which they were called. They had the ability to understand change and create change. They could both perceive and foresee.

The Revolutionary Mover
...Jesus. His orthodoxy was measured by his willingness to conform to the established religion. Any expression or application of the Scriptures that did not conform to the already established policies and procedures was considered heresy.

Simply stated, if the Bible doesn't bring change, it is not being engaged. Jesus was merciless in exposing this reality. He condemned the people of God for forsaking the Word of God for the traditions of men. Through his life, he systematically negated their most sacred interpretations. He was accused of defying the Sabbath by healing on it. He became a glutton by celebrating life. He was accused of being a friend of sinners simply because he actually was their friend. He treated tax collectors as if they could access the mercy and God. And he chastised the temple-goers as an abomination to God.

What Are You Doing Here?
It appears that, if we are unwilling to move with the wind of God, we will be moved by the whirlwind of God.
Remember how fear of the world around him paralyzed the great prophet Elijah? He'd seen so many victories. He above all others, knew the power and authority of God. He had seen fire come down from heaven, the altars consumed by the holy presence of God. And yet, because of the rumors of Jezebel's intent to kill him, he lost faith, ran to the desert, and wished to die. God caught his attention by sending a great and powerful wind that tore the mountain apart and shattered the rocks. God then sent an earthquake to shake the earth underneath Elijah's feet. God then sent a fire as a demonstration of his power. But as Elijah stood on the mountain in the presence of the Lord, he was reminded of God's gentleness, not his power. For in that moment, God spoke in a gentle whisper and asked the question that he always asks his people when they are hiding from the world around them: What are you doing here?
The church was never meant to hide. She was never supposed to pull the cloak over her face and hide within the darkness of a cave. We must hear the Lord say to us what he said to Elijah: "Go back the way you came" (1 Kings 19:15b). We must return to the world from which we ran. We must face the dangers and challenges that filled our hearts with fear and realize that God has called us to stand in the midst and call sinners to God.
The reality of change is the promise of miracle. The same God that changes our hearts and changes the world around us calls the church to change. When the church refuses to change, she refuses to obey. It is essential that we do not water down what is really going on. The church is God's agent of change through which his power is revealed.

We are not only called to be changed and to embrace change but to be the catalysts of change.

We'll stop there for today. What do you think about change? Are you changing? Is your church changing? I think when we refuse to change, not only are we refusing to obey but as a result we're choosing indirectly to not grow. I know some of you are changing and growing, I've read your blogs. That puts a huge smile on my face. Keep it up and keep sharing it. You're an inspiration to others, especially me!
Until tomorrow, let the winds of change move you!