A few weeks ago I attended the International Mops Convention in Dallas, Texas. When we checked in we were given a small round white pin to wear. On the pin were bold black letters, SDWSC. These letters made no sense to us and soon became the talk of the convention as women, like myself, tried to guess what these letters stood for.
Eilsa Morgan, the CEO of Mops ended the convention with a compelling message out of
Mark 14:1-9. She beautifully unfolded for us what those letters were.
The passage in Mark is a story about Mary of Bethany, whom we know as the girl who sat at the feet of Jesus, and the sister to "busy bee" Mary, and "up from the grave" Lazarus. In this passage we are told that Mary poured an expensive jar of perfume on the head of Jesus while he was at Simon's home before the Feast of Unleavened Bread. Those who watched her criticized this action towards Jesus accusing her of being wasteful-- they thought the perfume could have been sold to provide money for the poor.
But, Jesus said,
"Leave her alone. " "Why are you bothering her? She has done a beautiful thing...She did what she could." Mark 14:6,8
There were those 5 letters, SDWSC...She Did What She Could!
Mary had taken what she had, the alabaster jar, and she used what she had, to do what she could. In this case, she anointed the head of Jesus, with what she had...and Jesus said, "She has done a beautiful thing" v. 6
Mary is an example of a WILD woman. What she did was frowned upon...from sitting at the feet of Jesus, to breaking the seal on the alabaster jar. Her love for Jesus was not politically or socially correct or understood. Yet, Jesus said that sitting at his feet would not be taken from her, and that the lavish perfume given for him was a beautiful thing. It's WILD to please God rather than people. It's WILDER still to do just WHAT we have been called and created to do--no more, no less.
As leaders we are not required to do EVERYTHING, or ALL that we can. We can learn from this and do just WHAT we can, in each moment, in each day, unto Jesus.
Are you doing what you could today?
Daily Prayer
Father, today I am in pain and not able to do much of anything. What is it that I can do? Help me to see what I can do today, and to do it. Maybe it's prayer, or perhaps it's catching up on correspondence or reading...in any case, Lord may I do what I can today, the thing that you have required of me today, October 31st 2008. Amen
Friday, October 31, 2008
Thursday, October 30, 2008
Changed Thinking 101
Psalm 139: 17-18 God's Word Translation"How precious are your thoughts concerning me, O God!
How vast in number they are! If I try to count them there would be more of them than there are grains of sand. When I wake up. I am still with you."
Throughout Scripture we are urged to have a different "mind" about things than the unbeliever. Yet often our minds are not much different. Why? Because we have been affected by life and our perspective is often tainted with our hurts, our views, or the views that we have been taught...or NOT taught.
We must re-educate and become very aware of what God's word says in the practical areas. I can't think of anything more practical than getting a Biblical Life View of what God thinks about me. When that is in focus my life is very different. Why? Because once I understand that God is "for me" and "loves me" and that love "will take care of me", I can begin to get over "ME"!
Read the opening verses again. What does it say to you?
Can you imagine counting the sand in the picture to the right?
It's pretty impossible. In the same way we can not imagine for a moment how often and how much God is mindful of us. Why? Because God values what He has made. You were not a haphazard after-thought in the book of life. You were and still are God's own plan. You, dear leader, were created for His purposes.
Oswald Chambers
"He urges us to keep our minds filled with the concept that God is in control of everything...Fill your mind with the thought that God is there. And once you fill your mind with that thought, when difficulties come, it will be as easy as breathing for you to remember, My heavenly father knows about this!" from My Utmost for His Highest ( July 16)
Daily Prayer
Father, I thank you today that You Know! Yes...You Know, You Know, You Know! And because you know and because of your love for me, I can begin to learn to walk in surrender and obedience. Because you know, I can begin to walk in faith. Because you know, I can learn to rest.
Jesus...Retrain my Brain! Amen.
Wednesday, October 29, 2008
Help Lord! This leader is discouraged!
We all get discouraged. Discouragement is when we lose the courage to believe, even if it's just for the moment. Sometimes discouragement is short-lived and sometimes it lingers a long time. All of us can relate to the downer of being discouraged.
It is at the point of discouragement that we are called to surrender to God whatever it is that is causing distress. The Bible says this is a casting of our cares to God because He cares for us.
1 Peter 5:7-9 God's Word Translation
Turn all your anxiety over to God because he cares for you. Keep your mind clear and be alert. Your opponent the devil is prowling around like a roaring lion as he looks for someone to devour. Be firm in the faith and resist him, knowing that other believers throughout the world are going through the same kind of suffering.
Turning our anxiety into surrender
True surrender is not just the surrender of our external life and circumstances. True surrender involves the surrender of our will. This is the most difficult surrender of all. We can love God, show up to serve God, and speak of the truths about God's will. But, when He asks us to hand over "our will" to Him, that is another story all together.
To experience all that God has for us, we must surrender our will to God.
What comes after surrender?
It is then our entire life begins to become characterized by a desire to live in unbroken fellowship and oneness with God.
Lord, help me to hand over to you, all of me. Amen
It is at the point of discouragement that we are called to surrender to God whatever it is that is causing distress. The Bible says this is a casting of our cares to God because He cares for us.
1 Peter 5:7-9 God's Word Translation
Turn all your anxiety over to God because he cares for you. Keep your mind clear and be alert. Your opponent the devil is prowling around like a roaring lion as he looks for someone to devour. Be firm in the faith and resist him, knowing that other believers throughout the world are going through the same kind of suffering.
Turning our anxiety into surrender
True surrender is not just the surrender of our external life and circumstances. True surrender involves the surrender of our will. This is the most difficult surrender of all. We can love God, show up to serve God, and speak of the truths about God's will. But, when He asks us to hand over "our will" to Him, that is another story all together.
To experience all that God has for us, we must surrender our will to God.
- Whatever is causing me anxiety or uncertainty is actually a call to my will--"Come to Me." Matthew 11:28
- Whatever is causing me to hold on to the "rights" of myself is actually a call to let go of my rights--"If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself..." Matthew 16:24
What comes after surrender?
It is then our entire life begins to become characterized by a desire to live in unbroken fellowship and oneness with God.
Lord, help me to hand over to you, all of me. Amen
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
Leadership? That word scares me!
Women are afraid, very afraid, of the word, Leader. Maybe it's because we already have enough hats to wear, enough balls to juggle in the air, and don't want one more thing to live up to. But every woman is a leader. You and I were created to lead, and have been equipped for God's plan since the time we were in our mother's womb.
God has a plan!
John 15:16a-17a
"I have appointed you to go, to produce fruit that will last. Love each other, this is what I am commanding you to do."
His Plan= Appointed to be fruitful. Commanded to Love Others.
There is a process to the plan!
John 15:5,9
"I am the vine. You are the branches. Those who live in me while I live in them will produce a lot of fruit. But you can not produce anything without me. I have loved you the same way the Father has loved me. So live in that love."
His Process=Live in Him and produce fruit. Live in love as the Father has loved us.
Leaders live connected to Jesus ( the vine).
What makes us leaders?
The definition of a leader is:
As you can see by the definitions, we all lead in some capacity. You don't have to be in front of people, on stage, in a pulpit or doing anything that other people view as "special" to lead. You can be a mommy driving carpool, a woman working in the mail room, or a greeter at church. All of us lead. Let me repeat that...ALL OF US LEAD. Our influence can be negative or positive, but all of us influence others.
Leadership is influence of any kind.
Influence is serious business! Influence is purposeful and productive. Even in friendships, influence is prominent between two people. Our lives sway others. Our words mean something. Our choices impact other people. It's important, as Christians, that we are very clear on one thing...the importance of daily connection to Christ. According to Jesus himself, we can not bear the appointed fruit without connection. Connection is more than showing up at church. Connection is not "talking" about it, but living it.
How do we walk it out....
Here comes the repetition:
Come to Him Daily...This is Vital to your Spiritual Health and Leadership
Remain in Him, Renew in Him, Rest in Him.
Live as a Woman Loved By God, then Live as a Woman who is Living to Love Others.
Coming to Him looks like:
To come to him is to approach him...This looks like, talking to Him( prayer)
Learning what he wants, thinks, etc...( reading his word)
Pondering how you can please him ( relationship).
This is the basics of relationship that honestly, we often ACT like we are connected without the real power of authentic connection. ( Sorry, but I have spoken to too many women over the years to know this is true. It seems that for most of us, everything else takes priority over spending time with an unseen God!)
Rather than come to Jesus, many of us rely on our own coping mechanisms to handle life and even leadership. This would be acting out according to dependence on our flesh. It is WILD to think that we would ask God his heart, will, and intervention on the small things that we usually handle in our own strength.
Acting Out Often Keeps Us From Coming To Jesus Daily.
As a Christian woman, acting out often is not conspicuous. Acting out can be not living in love, not connecting to the Lord, or dependence on self.Most of us know how to act out because we have been doing it since we were two! What happens when our acting out gets in the way of walking in faith? Like most children who act out, we are often not likely to go to the Father when we are in the middle of it. My children didn't come to me and say, " hey mom, catch me, I am acting out and disobeying." No, instead they tried to conceal whatever it is that they were doing to disobey me. In many ways that is the template for how we live before God and others as grown ups. This is even more true with anyone in a leadership position, because we feel we have to "live up" to what people expect of us.
The important thing to keep in mind is, the only one we are to "live up" to is Jesus and what He is calling us to do. He is calling us to relationship...period! Are you in a vital, connected, relationship with Jesus? You can be leading and still come up with "no" as an answer. You can be "doing" and not "being" in relationship with Him. Leadership does not replace relationship with God. Leadership is influence. Remember all of us have it, but we should not be walking in leadership without the humility of relationship with Christ.
Oswald Chambers says a few things about this:
"Isn't it humiliating to be told that we must come to Jesus! Think of the things about which we will not come to Jesus Christ. If you want to know how real you are, test yourself by these words..."Come to Me...." When you hear those words you know that something must happen in you before you can come. The Holy Spirit will show you what you have to do, and it will involve anything that will uproot whatever is preventing you from getting through to Jesus. You will never get any further until you are willing to do that very thing."
Matthew 11:27a-28
"My Father has turned everything over to me. Only the Father knows the Son. And know one knows the Father except the Son and those to whom the Son is willing to reveal him. Come to me, all who are tired from carrying heavy loads, and I will give you rest. "
What is your heavy load today?
Have you come to Jesus with that very thing?
Could it be that part of dying to self, is coming to Jesus?
Could it be that we can only have the revelation we are longing for, by getting it from coming to Him?
Think about these things....
God stands with his arms outstretched not only to take you but for you to take Him.
God has a plan!
John 15:16a-17a
"I have appointed you to go, to produce fruit that will last. Love each other, this is what I am commanding you to do."
His Plan= Appointed to be fruitful. Commanded to Love Others.
There is a process to the plan!
John 15:5,9
"I am the vine. You are the branches. Those who live in me while I live in them will produce a lot of fruit. But you can not produce anything without me. I have loved you the same way the Father has loved me. So live in that love."
His Process=Live in Him and produce fruit. Live in love as the Father has loved us.
Leaders live connected to Jesus ( the vine).
What makes us leaders?
The definition of a leader is:
- To go before in order to show the way ( sounds like a mother)
- To conduct or escort a group ( sounds like a teacher)
- To conduct by guiding ( sounds like a friend or counselor)
- To influence (sounds like someone who you are in relationship with)
- To guide in a direction, action or opinion ( sounds like a mentor)
As you can see by the definitions, we all lead in some capacity. You don't have to be in front of people, on stage, in a pulpit or doing anything that other people view as "special" to lead. You can be a mommy driving carpool, a woman working in the mail room, or a greeter at church. All of us lead. Let me repeat that...ALL OF US LEAD. Our influence can be negative or positive, but all of us influence others.
Leadership is influence of any kind.
Influence is serious business! Influence is purposeful and productive. Even in friendships, influence is prominent between two people. Our lives sway others. Our words mean something. Our choices impact other people. It's important, as Christians, that we are very clear on one thing...the importance of daily connection to Christ. According to Jesus himself, we can not bear the appointed fruit without connection. Connection is more than showing up at church. Connection is not "talking" about it, but living it.
How do we walk it out....
Here comes the repetition:
Come to Him Daily...This is Vital to your Spiritual Health and Leadership
Remain in Him, Renew in Him, Rest in Him.
Live as a Woman Loved By God, then Live as a Woman who is Living to Love Others.
Coming to Him looks like:
To come to him is to approach him...This looks like, talking to Him( prayer)
Learning what he wants, thinks, etc...( reading his word)
Pondering how you can please him ( relationship).
This is the basics of relationship that honestly, we often ACT like we are connected without the real power of authentic connection. ( Sorry, but I have spoken to too many women over the years to know this is true. It seems that for most of us, everything else takes priority over spending time with an unseen God!)
Rather than come to Jesus, many of us rely on our own coping mechanisms to handle life and even leadership. This would be acting out according to dependence on our flesh. It is WILD to think that we would ask God his heart, will, and intervention on the small things that we usually handle in our own strength.
Acting Out Often Keeps Us From Coming To Jesus Daily.
As a Christian woman, acting out often is not conspicuous. Acting out can be not living in love, not connecting to the Lord, or dependence on self.Most of us know how to act out because we have been doing it since we were two! What happens when our acting out gets in the way of walking in faith? Like most children who act out, we are often not likely to go to the Father when we are in the middle of it. My children didn't come to me and say, " hey mom, catch me, I am acting out and disobeying." No, instead they tried to conceal whatever it is that they were doing to disobey me. In many ways that is the template for how we live before God and others as grown ups. This is even more true with anyone in a leadership position, because we feel we have to "live up" to what people expect of us.
The important thing to keep in mind is, the only one we are to "live up" to is Jesus and what He is calling us to do. He is calling us to relationship...period! Are you in a vital, connected, relationship with Jesus? You can be leading and still come up with "no" as an answer. You can be "doing" and not "being" in relationship with Him. Leadership does not replace relationship with God. Leadership is influence. Remember all of us have it, but we should not be walking in leadership without the humility of relationship with Christ.
Oswald Chambers says a few things about this:
"Isn't it humiliating to be told that we must come to Jesus! Think of the things about which we will not come to Jesus Christ. If you want to know how real you are, test yourself by these words..."Come to Me...." When you hear those words you know that something must happen in you before you can come. The Holy Spirit will show you what you have to do, and it will involve anything that will uproot whatever is preventing you from getting through to Jesus. You will never get any further until you are willing to do that very thing."
Matthew 11:27a-28
"My Father has turned everything over to me. Only the Father knows the Son. And know one knows the Father except the Son and those to whom the Son is willing to reveal him. Come to me, all who are tired from carrying heavy loads, and I will give you rest. "
What is your heavy load today?
Have you come to Jesus with that very thing?
Could it be that part of dying to self, is coming to Jesus?
Could it be that we can only have the revelation we are longing for, by getting it from coming to Him?
Think about these things....
God stands with his arms outstretched not only to take you but for you to take Him.
Monday, October 27, 2008
Death to Self?
My friend BethAnn has been going through a series of circumstances that have pushed her to the point of complete dependence on God. She affectionately calls each new "hit" to her flesh, Death to Beth. She is acutely aware that God is allowing life circumstances to challenge her, in order to change her. These bumps in life are causing her to "lose" her self-made way of thinking and living. Sounds fun, huh? No! It hasn't been fun for Beth, and it won't be fun for any of us. But in order for us to follow after God we must be aware that following is dying daily to self. Ugh!
Take a Look:
Luke 9:23-24 God's Word Translation
He said to all of them, "Those who want to come with me must say no to the things they want, pick up their crosses every day, and follow me. Those who want to save their lives will lose them. But those who lose their lives for me will save them."
Luke 9:23-24 NIV
Then he said to them all, " If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will save it."
Luke 9:23-24 The Message
Then he told them what they could expect for themselves: "Anyone who intends to come with me has to let me lead. You're not in the driver's seat--I am. Don't run from suffering, embrace it. Follow me and I'll show you how. Self help is no help at all. Self sacrifice is the way, my way, to finding yourself."
Whoa! According to God's Word, following Jesus IS meant to be a dying to myself, or in my case a Death to Deb ( fill in your name...c'mon, we are in this together!).
Here's what death to self looks like:
It's time to get back to basics.
Death to Self is a basic principle of following Jesus in this life.
Richard Foster says,
"Little by little we are changed by this daily crucifixion of the will. Changed, not like a tornado changes things, but like a grain of sand in an oyster changes things...Please remember, we are dealing with the crucifixion of the will, not the obliteration of the will. Crucifixion always has resurrection tied to it. God is not destroying the will but transforming it so that over a process of time and experience we can freely will what God wills." from Finding the Hearts True Home, Harper San Francisco, 1992, page 54
Today ponder what Luke 9:23-34 is saying. What is it saying to you personally?
Remember to be a good leader we must first learn to be a good follower.
Together let's press into God's Word and re-learn what it means to follow Him!
Recap of where we have been and now where we are going:
Take a Look:
Luke 9:23-24 God's Word Translation
He said to all of them, "Those who want to come with me must say no to the things they want, pick up their crosses every day, and follow me. Those who want to save their lives will lose them. But those who lose their lives for me will save them."
Luke 9:23-24 NIV
Then he said to them all, " If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will save it."
Luke 9:23-24 The Message
Then he told them what they could expect for themselves: "Anyone who intends to come with me has to let me lead. You're not in the driver's seat--I am. Don't run from suffering, embrace it. Follow me and I'll show you how. Self help is no help at all. Self sacrifice is the way, my way, to finding yourself."
Whoa! According to God's Word, following Jesus IS meant to be a dying to myself, or in my case a Death to Deb ( fill in your name...c'mon, we are in this together!).
Here's what death to self looks like:
- I must say no to the things that I want. (Please....say I didn't hear this right!)
- I must deny myself. (Definition of deny: to refuse to acknowledge or recognize.)
- I must let Him lead. (But...I have to drive to feel comfortable. I hate being in the backseat!)
It's time to get back to basics.
Death to Self is a basic principle of following Jesus in this life.
Richard Foster says,
"Little by little we are changed by this daily crucifixion of the will. Changed, not like a tornado changes things, but like a grain of sand in an oyster changes things...Please remember, we are dealing with the crucifixion of the will, not the obliteration of the will. Crucifixion always has resurrection tied to it. God is not destroying the will but transforming it so that over a process of time and experience we can freely will what God wills." from Finding the Hearts True Home, Harper San Francisco, 1992, page 54
Today ponder what Luke 9:23-34 is saying. What is it saying to you personally?
Remember to be a good leader we must first learn to be a good follower.
Together let's press into God's Word and re-learn what it means to follow Him!
Recap of where we have been and now where we are going:
- He says Come to Me
- He then says Follow Me
- He now begins to show us how:to Follow means to Deny Yourself Daily.
Saturday, October 25, 2008
If God Made Me ...Why Am I So....???
A reader sent me an email asking me an important question. She wondered, IF God made her, and everything about her, the good, bad and ugly...what about the things she does that keep offending other people? She was concerned about a personality trait that seems abrasive to others. She is not wanting to be abrasive, and is getting weary of coming back to the same apologies over and over.
What's a Girl to do?
Yes. God made us. He knows that we are flesh. But, He doesn't leave us to live in the flesh, we are instructed to learn to walk in the Spirit.
Remember the fishermen? If they followed, Jesus said the outcome of their lives would be different. They always put their nets out for "just fish" but now they would use their abilities to fish, and be fishers of men, which was much more significant.
Could you imagine them saying to Jesus, " We will follow you for a walk along the shore, but don't mess with us, because we don't want to fish for men, we like fishing for fish, that is what is normal to us. We are comfortable Jesus, so don't mess with our ways. Oh, Follow you? OK, as long as you don't change our comfort zone, or as long as you don't change the "me" that I know and love..." If God called them out of their comfort zone...it would be uncomfortable!
We like to be comfortable too!
God made you. He even fashioned your personality and gifting...all for his purposes during your life time. Each of us have been created by God with individual personalities...this is how we are wired. Each personality has strengths as well as weaknesses. For instance, for one of the personality types a major weakness is being "bossy". Does that mean that the person with this personality type should just say, " Oh God made me this way!" and continue on in being bossy?
No! Instead the weaknesses of any personality should be committed to God for his shaping.
Over the years we have learned patterns of the flesh. You and I have habits that might have worked for us in the past but will no longer work for us if we are to FOLLOW after Christ, and join Him where He is taking us.
My personality is primarily sanguine. I like to have fun, and I like to talk...too much! Being I am called to be a communicator and teacher, talking is part of how I am wired...and a Good Thing...a strength. But, on a personal note, one of my weaknesses is talking too much or talking over people.
Scripture says be slow to speak... so God desires to change that in me. Often I interrupt without being aware that I am doing it. I hate it when it's brought to my attention. I get embarrassed that I have been rude. I am giving this area to God and have been working on living in the God-given strength of my personality rather than settling for the weakness. Talking over people comes naturally, but it is not what is best for me if I am to line up to God's word, and follow God's path. Putting others first, being slow to speak and quick to listen is what I am learning.
This is much like living in the Spirit, rather than settling for living in old flesh patterns.
We are encouraged in Scripture NOT to settle for the weaknesses that are present in us....but challenge them!
Do not settle for the flesh, when you can LIVE UP and have a different outcome in the Spirit.
"For I say, live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature. For the sinful nature desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the sinful nature. They are in conflict with each other..." Galatians 5:16-17
Being a Good Leader starts with being a Good Follower!
Jesus says, Come and Follow.
How is He asking you to follow Him today?
What's a Girl to do?
Yes. God made us. He knows that we are flesh. But, He doesn't leave us to live in the flesh, we are instructed to learn to walk in the Spirit.
Remember the fishermen? If they followed, Jesus said the outcome of their lives would be different. They always put their nets out for "just fish" but now they would use their abilities to fish, and be fishers of men, which was much more significant.
Could you imagine them saying to Jesus, " We will follow you for a walk along the shore, but don't mess with us, because we don't want to fish for men, we like fishing for fish, that is what is normal to us. We are comfortable Jesus, so don't mess with our ways. Oh, Follow you? OK, as long as you don't change our comfort zone, or as long as you don't change the "me" that I know and love..." If God called them out of their comfort zone...it would be uncomfortable!
We like to be comfortable too!
God made you. He even fashioned your personality and gifting...all for his purposes during your life time. Each of us have been created by God with individual personalities...this is how we are wired. Each personality has strengths as well as weaknesses. For instance, for one of the personality types a major weakness is being "bossy". Does that mean that the person with this personality type should just say, " Oh God made me this way!" and continue on in being bossy?
No! Instead the weaknesses of any personality should be committed to God for his shaping.
Over the years we have learned patterns of the flesh. You and I have habits that might have worked for us in the past but will no longer work for us if we are to FOLLOW after Christ, and join Him where He is taking us.
My personality is primarily sanguine. I like to have fun, and I like to talk...too much! Being I am called to be a communicator and teacher, talking is part of how I am wired...and a Good Thing...a strength. But, on a personal note, one of my weaknesses is talking too much or talking over people.
Scripture says be slow to speak... so God desires to change that in me. Often I interrupt without being aware that I am doing it. I hate it when it's brought to my attention. I get embarrassed that I have been rude. I am giving this area to God and have been working on living in the God-given strength of my personality rather than settling for the weakness. Talking over people comes naturally, but it is not what is best for me if I am to line up to God's word, and follow God's path. Putting others first, being slow to speak and quick to listen is what I am learning.
This is much like living in the Spirit, rather than settling for living in old flesh patterns.
We are encouraged in Scripture NOT to settle for the weaknesses that are present in us....but challenge them!
Do not settle for the flesh, when you can LIVE UP and have a different outcome in the Spirit.
"For I say, live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature. For the sinful nature desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the sinful nature. They are in conflict with each other..." Galatians 5:16-17
Being a Good Leader starts with being a Good Follower!
Jesus says, Come and Follow.
How is He asking you to follow Him today?
Friday, October 24, 2008
To Lead We Must First Learn To Follow
The Disciples began their ministry by following Jesus. The gospel of Mark records this in chapter 4.
"As Jesus was walking beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon called Peter and his brother Andrew. They were casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. " Come, follow me," Jesus said, "and I will make you fishers of men." At once they left their nets and followed him."
They had to do two things to fulfill God's call for them:
1. Come--to approach, to advance towards, to exist in a particular place or point
2. Follow--To pursue, to go after, to accompany, to comply with and obey, to pay attention to.
We too must do those two things!
Note:
They didn't look different
They were still human flesh people
But their outcome was different
Their lives were different because of Jesus
They were not just about the temporal anymore--catching fish for food.
They were about the Father's business, eternal focus--catching souls for eternity.
What about us?
Many times we get great ideas and dreams and run with them. We run and run, plan and plan, until we run out of steam. We burn out. But there is a better way. What if we made it a daily practice to Come and Follow? What would that look like? How could that change our life?
To Come and Follow is...
A daily call of surrender to the God who made us
It is approaching him each new day and moving towards him in fresh relationship
Coming it making the choice to exist with Jesus that particular day
Following takes the choice of coming a step further...
When we follow we actually chase after God and His dreams for us!
We comply with His voice, obeying His lead, and most importantly--We Pay Attention to Him!
How do we pay attention to God?
We make time to listen....
We read His Word and Pay Attention to what it is saying to us personally
We pray/ask for the grace to make the choice to obey His word
We begin moving in the direction of God's leading...step by step
What changes?
He makes us different. That is the wonder of the miracle of Christ in our midst.
He is a life-changer, a people mover, a restorer of all things.
This is the work of regeneration and restoration.
Jesus changes lives. Period.
But...the catch...we have to Come and Follow.
He is the miracle worker, but we must daily COME.
Where are you today?
Have you learned to be a good follower, or are you trying to take the lead in your life?
To be a good leader, you must first learn to be a follower of Jesus...FOR REAL!
This may sound simplistic, but if you are repeating the same cycle over and over--stop the insanity and ask yourself this question...Are you really coming to Jesus daily and learning to comply with His work in your life? Are you listening and taking God's word seriously? Are you in His word more than Sunday morning? Are you leading and expecting a blessing to follow you? Or are you laying down your own dreams, as well as negative habits, and asking God to change you as you follow Him? Only you can make the choice that will lead to life change, and only Christ can make the lasting difference.
"As Jesus was walking beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon called Peter and his brother Andrew. They were casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. " Come, follow me," Jesus said, "and I will make you fishers of men." At once they left their nets and followed him."
They had to do two things to fulfill God's call for them:
1. Come--to approach, to advance towards, to exist in a particular place or point
2. Follow--To pursue, to go after, to accompany, to comply with and obey, to pay attention to.
We too must do those two things!
Note:
- He called them to Come
- He required that they Follow
- He promised an outcome--He would make them something different!
They didn't look different
They were still human flesh people
But their outcome was different
Their lives were different because of Jesus
They were not just about the temporal anymore--catching fish for food.
They were about the Father's business, eternal focus--catching souls for eternity.
What about us?
Many times we get great ideas and dreams and run with them. We run and run, plan and plan, until we run out of steam. We burn out. But there is a better way. What if we made it a daily practice to Come and Follow? What would that look like? How could that change our life?
To Come and Follow is...
A daily call of surrender to the God who made us
It is approaching him each new day and moving towards him in fresh relationship
Coming it making the choice to exist with Jesus that particular day
Following takes the choice of coming a step further...
When we follow we actually chase after God and His dreams for us!
We comply with His voice, obeying His lead, and most importantly--We Pay Attention to Him!
How do we pay attention to God?
We make time to listen....
We read His Word and Pay Attention to what it is saying to us personally
We pray/ask for the grace to make the choice to obey His word
We begin moving in the direction of God's leading...step by step
What changes?
He makes us different. That is the wonder of the miracle of Christ in our midst.
He is a life-changer, a people mover, a restorer of all things.
This is the work of regeneration and restoration.
Jesus changes lives. Period.
But...the catch...we have to Come and Follow.
He is the miracle worker, but we must daily COME.
Where are you today?
Have you learned to be a good follower, or are you trying to take the lead in your life?
To be a good leader, you must first learn to be a follower of Jesus...FOR REAL!
This may sound simplistic, but if you are repeating the same cycle over and over--stop the insanity and ask yourself this question...Are you really coming to Jesus daily and learning to comply with His work in your life? Are you listening and taking God's word seriously? Are you in His word more than Sunday morning? Are you leading and expecting a blessing to follow you? Or are you laying down your own dreams, as well as negative habits, and asking God to change you as you follow Him? Only you can make the choice that will lead to life change, and only Christ can make the lasting difference.
Thursday, October 23, 2008
Finding Our True Self
Much of leadership is about discovery. Once we begin discovering who we are and understand that God has a purpose for us, we begin to move to a different rhythm in life. Problem is, it is not a one time discovery,but a daily remembering and responding that is the key to life-change and leadership change.
Take a look at the following verses:
Psalm 139: 13-16 from The Message
"You formed me in my mother's womb. Body and soul I am marvelously made!...You know me inside and out, you know every bone in my body; You know exactly how I was made, bit by bit, how I was sculpted from nothing into something. Like an open book, you watched me grow from conception to birth; all the stages of my life were spread out before you, The days of my life all prepared before I'd even lived one day."
Ephesians 2:7-10 from The Message
"God has us where he wants us, with all the time in this world and the next to shower grace and kindness upon us in Christ Jesus. Saving is all his idea, and all his work. All we do is trust him enough to let him do it. It's God's gift from start to finish! We don't play the major role. If we did, we'd probably go around bragging that we'd one the whole thing! No, we neither make nor save ourselves. God does both the making and saving. He creates each of us by Christ Jesus to join him in the work he does, the good work he has gotten ready for us to do, work we had better be doing."
Today I enjoyed reading these verses in The Message for a little different flair. Like a good friend encouraging me in Truth, The Message tells me...like it is! There are important basic Biblical Truths here that I need to:
The world we live in says we are to find ourself and make ourself. It is accepted to become self-made women who follow our own dreams. When we as believers in Christ, and the Gospel, follow this path, we are following the ways of the world and not the way of God's Word. Ouch!
If we believe God's Word is Truth then we must realize that God has already equipped us, and he already has plans for us to be fruitful and purposeful. Will we say YES to following Him?
How have you been equipped?
Sometimes we have lived pleasing people for so long that we no longer know who we are. There are some resources that are not only fun, but they help us SEE the way God wired us and put us together as individuals. My favorite is the Strength Finders Test ( www.strengthfinders.com)
I also enjoy the personality profile testing of Wired That Way, by Marita and Florence Littauer
( www.classservices.com) And, most churches has access to spiritual gift testing.
These tests do not replace joining God where he is at work. They just help us understand more of who He has made us to be from the beginning. I especially found out many enlightening things about myself and my service to God through Strength Finders. I found that I have strengths that I can now understand and committ to God for His use.
But remember...we don't make ourselves, He makes us. With this truth in our hearts, there is no need for competition, for all have been created for God's reasons. We can rest, accepting ourselves and others, and move into the business of serving Christ and joining Him in Kingdom Stuff...That is WILD!
Take a look at the following verses:
Psalm 139: 13-16 from The Message
"You formed me in my mother's womb. Body and soul I am marvelously made!...You know me inside and out, you know every bone in my body; You know exactly how I was made, bit by bit, how I was sculpted from nothing into something. Like an open book, you watched me grow from conception to birth; all the stages of my life were spread out before you, The days of my life all prepared before I'd even lived one day."
Ephesians 2:7-10 from The Message
"God has us where he wants us, with all the time in this world and the next to shower grace and kindness upon us in Christ Jesus. Saving is all his idea, and all his work. All we do is trust him enough to let him do it. It's God's gift from start to finish! We don't play the major role. If we did, we'd probably go around bragging that we'd one the whole thing! No, we neither make nor save ourselves. God does both the making and saving. He creates each of us by Christ Jesus to join him in the work he does, the good work he has gotten ready for us to do, work we had better be doing."
Today I enjoyed reading these verses in The Message for a little different flair. Like a good friend encouraging me in Truth, The Message tells me...like it is! There are important basic Biblical Truths here that I need to:
- Recognize as Truth
- Remember Daily
- Respond To
- Rely On
- He knows exactly How I was made
- He knows each stage of my life
- Because I was made by Him, and for His prepared purpose--God has equipped me with what I will need to fulfill His plan for me as an individual. Things like, gifting, strength, personality, life experience, and life failures that can be turned into encouragement for others.
- He has gone before and prepared my days
- God has me where he wants me
- I am not the major role, or the major player here--He is
- I don't make myself
- God does the making
- He has created me to join Him in His work
- He has planned good works for me to walk in
The world we live in says we are to find ourself and make ourself. It is accepted to become self-made women who follow our own dreams. When we as believers in Christ, and the Gospel, follow this path, we are following the ways of the world and not the way of God's Word. Ouch!
If we believe God's Word is Truth then we must realize that God has already equipped us, and he already has plans for us to be fruitful and purposeful. Will we say YES to following Him?
How have you been equipped?
Sometimes we have lived pleasing people for so long that we no longer know who we are. There are some resources that are not only fun, but they help us SEE the way God wired us and put us together as individuals. My favorite is the Strength Finders Test ( www.strengthfinders.com)
I also enjoy the personality profile testing of Wired That Way, by Marita and Florence Littauer
( www.classservices.com) And, most churches has access to spiritual gift testing.
These tests do not replace joining God where he is at work. They just help us understand more of who He has made us to be from the beginning. I especially found out many enlightening things about myself and my service to God through Strength Finders. I found that I have strengths that I can now understand and committ to God for His use.
But remember...we don't make ourselves, He makes us. With this truth in our hearts, there is no need for competition, for all have been created for God's reasons. We can rest, accepting ourselves and others, and move into the business of serving Christ and joining Him in Kingdom Stuff...That is WILD!
Wednesday, October 22, 2008
What is WILD?
Welcome to WILD!
Women In Leadership Development
Every woman is a leader. We lead in homes, schools, groups, the workplace, the community, and churches. We lead in friendships and neighborhoods. As the heartbeat of society, we lead everywhere we are, everywhere we go and with every breath we take. Once we realize this, we will rise to the call of the WILD, and begin to get excited about the life God has planned for us.
From the time we were born until the day we take our last breath, God has a purpose for each one of us. Some days life doesn't feel loaded with purpose, but each and every day is. To be called to the Wild is to be called to embrace a life of being:
A Woman In Life-Long Development
To be in development, is to be growing gradually, expanded to something better and more useful. But being developed doesn't happen over night, it's gradual--or baby step by baby step.
This kind of life is different than the quick fix life of our culture.
Slow isn't popular.
Speed is sexy and exciting. It's easy to see how we get sucked into perfection. The need to be perfect and get our act together TODAY, is not God's way...it's a cultural mandate to perform and perfect, as we polish our exterior selves as women who "look" the right part.
God is not concerned with us looking the right part. He is concerned with the condition of our hearts. So it's not enough to lead with our heads, we must learn to surrender our hearts.
It's WILD to think that God's plan is Process not Perfection. Think about it.
What in your life is far from perfect?
What process does God have you in, even now?
Can you see God's hand in shaping you, little by little?
Oswald Chambers said:
"Most of us develop our Christianity along the lines of our own nature. Impulsiveness is a trait of the natural life. It is ingrained in us that we have to do exceptional things for God--but we do not. We have to be exceptional int he ordinary things of life, and holy on the ordinary streets, among ordinary people--and this is not learned in five minutes."
Jesus said:
"You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit--fruit that will last." John 15:16
We are women who have been appointed to live fruitful lives! The word appointed means: equipped, set in place by authority or decided. He set us in our places by His authority, and He equipped us, and decided that He would work through us.
Does that excite anyone besides me? Because that makes me filled with anticipation.
Here's the challenge--can we live in the call?
Women In Leadership Development
Every woman is a leader. We lead in homes, schools, groups, the workplace, the community, and churches. We lead in friendships and neighborhoods. As the heartbeat of society, we lead everywhere we are, everywhere we go and with every breath we take. Once we realize this, we will rise to the call of the WILD, and begin to get excited about the life God has planned for us.
From the time we were born until the day we take our last breath, God has a purpose for each one of us. Some days life doesn't feel loaded with purpose, but each and every day is. To be called to the Wild is to be called to embrace a life of being:
A Woman In Life-Long Development
To be in development, is to be growing gradually, expanded to something better and more useful. But being developed doesn't happen over night, it's gradual--or baby step by baby step.
This kind of life is different than the quick fix life of our culture.
Slow isn't popular.
Speed is sexy and exciting. It's easy to see how we get sucked into perfection. The need to be perfect and get our act together TODAY, is not God's way...it's a cultural mandate to perform and perfect, as we polish our exterior selves as women who "look" the right part.
God is not concerned with us looking the right part. He is concerned with the condition of our hearts. So it's not enough to lead with our heads, we must learn to surrender our hearts.
It's WILD to think that God's plan is Process not Perfection. Think about it.
What in your life is far from perfect?
What process does God have you in, even now?
Can you see God's hand in shaping you, little by little?
Oswald Chambers said:
"Most of us develop our Christianity along the lines of our own nature. Impulsiveness is a trait of the natural life. It is ingrained in us that we have to do exceptional things for God--but we do not. We have to be exceptional int he ordinary things of life, and holy on the ordinary streets, among ordinary people--and this is not learned in five minutes."
Jesus said:
"You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit--fruit that will last." John 15:16
We are women who have been appointed to live fruitful lives! The word appointed means: equipped, set in place by authority or decided. He set us in our places by His authority, and He equipped us, and decided that He would work through us.
Does that excite anyone besides me? Because that makes me filled with anticipation.
Here's the challenge--can we live in the call?
- Women living loved and chosen
- Women walking as those appointed
- Women making a difference in our world
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