3 tips when immersed in a culture of controversy

If you follow the NFL at all you know that all off season the New Orleans Saints have been immersed in a controversy called "bounty gate" that led to the suspension of coaches and players. The result of all that controversy has led to three straight losses by a very talented team. Controversy can wreck any team in any organization.

For several years I served a church that had an extreme culture of controversy. Seriously, there always seemed to be a new controversy and someone was always being blamed for the situation. At every level of the church controversy seemed to always be right around the corner...another situation...a new problem...another big deal...another fight. Many of you leading in churches know exactly what I am talking about. Here are three rips when trying to lead in a culture of controversy.

1. FOCUS // never allow other people to draw you away from your mission and into their controversy. Churches addicted to constant controversy have long abandoned their mission to make disciples and instead turned inward. If you are going to lead this kind of culture you will have to constantly help everyone focus on what matters most.
2. CHANGE THE TARGET // if a culture is going to move away from the addiction of constant controversy then you will have to change the target. You have to define what the real win for the organization is. Trust me you can do this even if you only run your department in a church. Help your ministry move toward a healthy target. Changing the target is the heart of true leadership in any organization.
3. LEAD COURAGEOUSLY // it will take courage to avoid the trap of fueling controversy and not move along with the crowd. You may have to stand alone and a healthy influence in a culture of dysfunction. Trust me, it's worth it and your organization needs you to be a solution instead of ignoring the problem.

When life is too busy for writing...

It's really hit and miss with my writing schedule in the summer. I blog because I love to share ministry ideas and think out loud as I write. Camp and mission trip weeks consume everything. The week before and the event week are just slammed because I am working with our team to pull off the event and carve out time for my family. Busyness can really get in the way of the habit of writing. When you write regularly you feel bad for these seasons but it just has to be OK. I enjoy writing and it's a regular part of my life but there are just times you have to step away. When these seasons hit there are a few things I try to do...

• Give myself permission to take a break. // Because writing is a regular part of my life now taking a break feels like cheating. Truth is taking a break so you can focus on other things is not cheating.
• Read what others are writing. // I may be too busy to write but I try to still keep up with what others are writing.
• Take notes. // When I am on a break I still write down topic ideas in Evernote for writing later. Some great ideas some in seasons of intense ministry.
• Start some posts but leave them as drafts. //  Write it quickly and then leave it. There will be time later to finish the post.

Courage

Joshua 1:6-9 (NLT)
6 “Be strong and courageous, for you are the one who will lead these people to possess all the land I swore to their ancestors I would give them.
7 Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the instructions Moses gave you. Do not deviate from them, turning either to the right or to the left. Then you will be successful in everything you do.
8 Study this Book of Instruction continually. Meditate on it day and night so you will be sure to obey everything written in it. Only then will you prosper and succeed in all you do.
9 This is my command—be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the LORD your God is with you wherever you go.” 

Needed to read this today, maybe you need it too. This week I have been processing courage, what it means, why we need it, where it comes from. I have been reminded that courage is not the absence of fear but rather being willing to do what is right in the middle of fear. In the Bible Joshua knew what he had to do and still God reminded him to be strong, to be courageous, to trust Him, and stay focused. Joshua would face many challenges and at the same time God promised to be with him.

When you know what God has called you to do have courage and do what you need to do even when faced with fear. That is the place God will show up.

Being Intentional about Mentoring

When we mentor someone else we advance the Kingdom of God by empowering others to do ministry. Mentoring is multiplication of ministry impact. One thing I know about mentoring is that you have to be intentional in order to be effective. Being intentional helps you to not miss opportunities, allows you to focus, and keeps you from making excuses. How do we start? Where do we begin with mentoring? Here are a few key elements to become intentional with mentoring.

• Filter and Focus > You have to know who you are intentionally investing in and then focus. You will always want to mentor more people but because our time is limited we have to filter and focus in order to be most effective. How do you know who to mentor? You must stop, pray, and process before jumping into a mentoring relationship.
• Be Patient > Mentoring is a marathon and not a race. In order to invest in someones life you can't give up on them when they don't move as fast as you would like. We are not making clones but rather we give our lives away.
• Create Opportunities > You have to find time for the people you mentor. Play golf, set up lunch meeting, serve together on a project, or read a book together. Make sure you make an intentional effort to block off time for people you mentor.
• Challenge and Encourage > Sometimes you have to say hard things and other times you simply need to be a cheerleader for the people you mentor. They need both.
• Push People Forward > The people you mentor need a chance to step to the front and lead. You have to take risks and allow others to be up front, lead, and make mistakes.

what do I value?

I know some of you get tired of me saying this but here goes once again...I love serving here at Grace Community. For anyone out there who goes to GCC you know Sunday was an amazing day and an amazing gathering to start 2009. Ron said a short statement in the middle of the message that really stuck in my mind yesterday. You can hear the entire message on our podcast at www.gcomchurch.com. The statement was simple and short but it is still bumping around in my head today. Ron said the our values shape our behavior. We "do" or "engage" or "support" things we value.

How we value health determines our work out plan for 2009.
The value we place on money determines how generous we will be in 2009.
How we value our wife determines how we communicate with her!
How I value the Titans determines if they will be Baltimore Saturday....oops that slipped out!

The incredible thing about this line of thinking is that we get to influence what we value. We can choose to place value on what we want and God allows us to choose. I can choose to value my time with God. I can choose to value other people. I can choose to value things that do not come naturally to me that God is calling me to value. Maybe instead of working on our 2009 goals we should first examine what we hope to give value to in our life first then make the goals. Just something to think about...