Heart Condition

Posted on January 27, 2011 by Shane

On January 20, 2011 NewSpring Church ordained six men. I was asked by our Pastor to share a few thoughts during our service to encourage and challenge these men and the following is what I shared:

When I joined the NewSpring staff and stepped into vocational ministry in 2005, I knew I had a heart condition. At the time, for some reason, I thought that this “step of faith” would be the cure for that condition. It wasn’t. In the spring of 2006 I was sitting in the same position that you gentlemen are right now and had this thought, “being ordained must be the ultimate cure for this heart condition”… It wasn’t.

My heart condition is something I have had all of my life and so have each of you. It’s the condition the prophet Jeremiah speaks of when he writes this “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it?” (Jeremiah 17:9). You see, I knew this was true of me before I accepted Christ as my savior… that’s why I cried out to him for help. But, I had this notion that salvation or vocational ministry or certainly ordination would be the cure for this condition… but as I have found out over the years, none of those things are a cure but more of an amplifier.

I will not try to explain the paradox that is the life of a follower of Jesus. The life that is at the same time completely forgiven and restored in our relationship with the Father but also not free from our battle with sin. I will simply state that I know this to be true from Scripture and my own personal experience.

So, what do we do?

King David knew also of this permanent heart condition. We see this in Psalm 51 where he prays for the Lord to forgive him after he, like all of us have at some point, had been found out for what he was… a sinner in desperate need of help. I love what David writes in verses 15 and 16, “For you will not delight in sacrifice, or I would give it; you will not be pleased with a burnt offering. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.” David knows he has done wrong and would love to make amends with God by bringing God something He would accept as payment or proof that David was sorry and wanted to change. But David knew that he could not offer God anything except a “broken and contrite heart”.

You see, the biggest danger in ministry is that we will get to do or be a part of some awesome things that at some point will tempt us. It will tempt us – when confronted with the remaining sin in our life – to offer it up to God as a sacrifice to try to say to him “look what I have done that is so good… will you take this as proof that I love you and that I am sorry”. What David knew and shares with us is that there is NOTHING we can offer to God that He will accept… Nothing except a “broken and contrite heart”.

With that said, I have learned that if I don’t actively pray for five things everyday (really just one thing with four ‘sub things’), I will lose the fight with the condition of my heart.

I have to Pray for… actually, I have to beg God to…

1. Break My Heart
Scripture shows us that in our heart lies our ultimate intent or motivation for anything we do. If I want to overcome this permanent heart condition I must beg God to break my heart so that I see things, people and situations the way Jesus does. If my heart is not broken then I will drift to the primary intent of my heart and that is to serve my own needs and to simply live to please myself.

2. Make Me Diligent
Because of my heart condition, I will drift toward ease. If I’m not careful, I will start to strive for ways to relax and just get by as opposed to actually work and work hard to honor this call on my life. Vince Lombardi once said that “the difference between successful people and others is not a lack of strength or knowledge but rather a lack of will”. Coach Lombardi is no theologian, but his principle is supported by Scripture. There are times when we simply can’t get by on what we know or our talent and have to persevere as a matter of will.

3. Make Me Thankful
My efforts will cause me to drift toward a sense of entitlement… its that nasty heart condition I have. I have to remind myself each day that nothing good or fruitful in my life has ever been earned by me… everything is a gift from God… no exceptions. Pride is the scariest of all demons and an antidote that keeps it at bey is a truly thankful heart.

4. Make Me a Good Steward
As my heart leads me, I will quickly begin to think like an owner and forget that I am, at best, middle management when it comes to everything I have. The three main areas I must steward well is my time and talent and my treasure.

I need to be reminded that when it comes to my time I must fight to steward well every opportunity to focus on my wife (& subsequently my family). I don’t believe the Lord will ever (ultimately) put my marriage at odds with my ministry. He chooses to use the metaphor of marriage to explain my relationship to Jesus. So, at what point does my relationship with Jesus put me at odds with the Father? It doesn’t. I believe I can know the condition of your relationship with God by looking at the relationship you have with your wife. For us all, our relationship with God and wife will always be in concert, never in conflict.

When it comes to my talent and treasure its this simple. In ministry I do not work a job, I steward a call. Therefore, my talent is nothing more than a gift. One that God wants to use to build his church… not my notoriety. And when it comes to “my” treasure, I need to be generous. I need to tithe and then ask the Lord “what else should I give?” And, if I’m ever in doubt (about whether or not to give)… give it away, no matter what it is. I have learned that the Lord does not bless hoarders and He has always made good on every promise in Scripture to provide for me… why should I fear giving?

5. Make Me Loving
Expressing love is tough for men. But, Jesus proved that a REAL man has a broken heart that LOVES. He even said in John 13:35 that “by this (love) they will know that you are my disciples”. So, if Jesus chose LOVE at the characteristic that distinguishes his disciples… how much MORE should it distinguish those of us who are called (by God) into and affirmed (via the church) by this thing we call ordination.

Finally, I want each of you to embrace the reality of something I have learned and come to trust. A heart that is truly broken and diligent and thankful and a good steward and loving is a powerful thing in the hands of an almighty God.

Posted in Life, Ministry | 4 Comments

Paul on Leadership

Posted on September 1, 2010 by Shane

Over the past several months I have been chewing on four critical leadership principles that I believe God showed me as I read through the book of Philemon. As you may know, the book of Philemon was written by Paul and in this book (which is just one chapter) Paul is appealing to Philemon on behalf of a dude named Onesimus (we’re just not very creative with names anymore, are we?). It’s out of Paul’s appeal to Philemon on how to care for Onesimus that the four leadership principles emerge.

(These principles are offered from the vantage point of leading in ministry, however, my experience leading outside the ministry supports the truth of these principles regardless of the type of organization. The second principle is specific to ministry, but if as leaders we execute the other three well, we may just lead someone in the most import direction… to Jesus.)

As I lead, I should…

1 – Share my Faith

Philemon v6
I pray that you may be active in sharing your faith, so that you will have a full understanding of every good thing we have in Christ.

Anyone in leadership that is trying to lead well wants more knowledge. Leaders want to make good decisions that lead to team victories and increase team morale. Most of the time these victories come from the leaders effectiveness in creating the right environment or process that allows the individuals on the team to succeed. In this verse Paul say that if I am active in sharing my faith that I will “have full knowledge of every good thing…”.

How do I share my faith as I lead? I don’t think this means walking each team member down the “Romans Road” everyday, but do I think its as simple as leading by living out what I say I believe in as a follower of Christ. As a leader, I’m not one person at church and another at home and another at work. I walk the talk and as I instruct/challenge/discipline my team, I do it through the filter of my faith in Christ.

2 – Trust God

Philemon v8-9
Therefore, although in Christ I could be bold and order you to do what you ought to do, yet I appeal to you on the basis of love.

If you are in the position of a leader (there is a difference between being a leader and being in the position of a leader – other posts address this issue) then you can demand actions from your team. What Paul is demonstrating to me in this verse is that although he could demand action (because of his position), he is choosing to appeal to the Spirit that lives inside of Philemon.

To me, the biggest win I can achieve as a leader is to cultivate an environment where each person on my team carries out his/her role not out of duty but out of faith (Colossians 3:23). The primary benefit of leading in ministry is that each person on your team is a follower of Jesus (at least in theory). If I am following God’s direction to lead “by sharing my faith” then I need to trust God’s work in the person I am leading. Over time if I find that the person I’m leading is not responding from their own faith, but begrudgingly out of duty or not at all, then I have someone who rightfully needs to be led off my team or out of my organization.

3 – Invest in the Person

Philemon v14
But I did not want to do anything without your consent, so that any favor you do will be spontaneous and not forced.

Simply, in this verse Paul is seeking Philemon’s buy in before any decisions or actions take place. My own experience has shown me that if I invest time into my team by seeking their input on a particular decision or course of action, then I am more likely to get their best effort in the execution of that decision. If I choose to not invest this time into my team, then there will be unanswered questions or confusion or a process that isn’t as good as it could have been with their input. That’s just bad and egotistical leadership.

4 – Serve the Person

Philemon v18-19
If he has done you any wrong or owes you anything, charge it to me. I, Paul… will pay it back.

My team needs to know that I will stand up for them no matter the personal cost to me. It is clear from this verse Paul is willing to go out on a personal limb for Onesimus. For me, if I don’t think my leader will take a bullet for me or seek to put himself out for me then I am slow to do the same for him. If I want to be led with that type of commitment, why would I not think I should lead with that type of commitment?

Leaders must first be servants of those they lead. Securing leadership equity (the need to call in and have something done with no questions asked by the team) will only happen if the leader earns it. I have found that the only way to earn that equity is through serving each individual on the team in a way that lets them know they are not on an island and that they are safe under my leadership. Leaders go first, take bullets, deflect criticism, and make sure the people on the team feel served… a guy named Jesus thought this was a good leadership principle too (John 13:1-17).

Leadership is as easy (and as challenging) as sharing our faith, trusting God, investing in our team and serving our team. And, its as easy (and challenging) as simply loving those you lead.

Posted in Leadership, Ministry | 8 Comments

What to do?

Posted on August 28, 2010 by Shane

One of the worst things we can do with our efforts and emotions is to place them toward something that just isn’t going to happen. Also, one of the worst things we can do is to refrain from placing our efforts and emotions toward something that seems impossible. The reality of life is that at some point – if we are trying to live a full life – we will spend our efforts and emotions in both of these ways and at the end of those attempts we will be spent. To not do so, at some point and in some way, is to live in fear or to live with regret. For us not to try the impossible is to guarantee we will miss the incredible.

Here’s the deal, we all have dreams that are bigger than our abilities and we all have abilities that are bigger than our dreams. What I am starting to see is that the sooner I get my dreams synced up with my abilities, the sooner I will have a life that is full of purpose and accomplishment and hope and amazement and usefulness and contentment.

In the life of a follower of Jesus, this idea is even more true. The bible teaches that each of us have been given a gift (an ability) to do something that is essential and necessary for the whole Church. (Romans 12 and 1 Corinthians 12). If we do not use our gifts the Church will move forward because Jesus said that not even the gates of Hell could stop it, but I believe when a believer doesn’t use their gift for the Church, the Church moves forward with a limp. My own experience has shown me that its usually the gap between our gifts and our dreams that immobilize us.

Recently as I was having this battle in my own life – my dreams and abilities in conflict – I “just so happened” to be reading through 1 Corinthians… specifically chapters 12 to 14 when the following verses jumped out to me with very specific meaning:

I Corinthians 13:8
Love never fails…

I Corinthians 14:33
For God is not a God of confusion but of peace…

I Corinthians 12:22
The parts of the body that seem weaker are indispensable…

As these parts of these verses came together in my mind, in regards to this struggle between my dreams and my abilities, I began to see more clearly that the longer I keep these two things in conflict the longer I will stay frustrated and the slower the Church moves toward its purpose. Conversely, I began to see that the sooner I embrace God’s love for me (that never ends) in what He has given me the ability to do (something that is indispensable), I will live at peace and on purpose.

You see, my experience in life and in ministry has shown me that when I use my God given gifts I experience the most fun and I am the most effective. But, when I found myself trying to do things that I am not truly gifted at the outcome would be, at best, serviceable. The former producing energy and excitement and results where the latter just produced frustration and questions.

Since the first time I saw the movie “The Rookie” (in 2002, staring Dennis Quaid – a true story about a baseball player named Jim Morris) a line from that movie has really bounced in around my head. It was in an exchange between Jim’s dad and Jim as Jim contemplated trying to something great but seemingly impossible… here’s the line… “Its ok to do what you want to do until its time to do what you were meant to do.”

Now, I know that line is not in the bible and is in no way absolute truth… but… I think it does carry the spirit of what I’m talking about here. We all want a life that is full and vibrant and meaningful. We all have dreams and how if we could just do “this or that” our life would be all those things. We all should pursue our dreams with great vigor… but… as we grow and as our experiences begin to show us that our dreams are in conflict with our gifts, we need to take pause to seek the Lord and begin to do what He’s gifted us to do.

Whatever you and I are “meant to do” will produce more joy and more excitement and be more challenging than anything we simply “want to do”. Why? Well, because our biggest dream for ourselves is so much lower than what God wants us to experience.

Isaiah 55: 8-9
For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the LORD. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.

Dreaming big is trusting God with the gifts He has given us and really living life is doing exactly what He created us to do. Its in this place that “want to do” and “meant to do” become the same thing and nothing will ever be better than that… and its only in this intersection that we will truly be able to try the impossible and guarantee we will not miss the incredible.

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In Control?

Posted on August 20, 2010 by Shane

Gen. 45: 7-8
“But God sent me ahead of you to preserve for you a remnant on earth and to save your lives by a great deliverance. So then, it was not you who sent me here, but God.” – Joseph to his brothers

The reality for you and I is that we all want to be in control… all the time and in every situation. I don’t know about you, but each time my plans get shifted – even in the slightest – my frustration meter begins to heat up and frustration isn’t far behind. Why? Well, I believe the primary reason is that I am my primary reason… for anything I do.

We all ask the same basic questions… no matter our background…
* Where did I come from?
* Why am I here?
* Where am I going?

The questions themselves indicate that we want control because by securing those answers, we think, we will be able to set our own course and find our own purpose. The problem that I have found in locating the answers to those questions is that though they (the questions) are focused on me, the answers point to Someone else being in control.

We think freedom is birthed from control. As we have reign over each moment, our ability to walk in freedom will increase. I don’t know about you, but life has taught me something very different. Freedom, I have found is only birthed inside the security of a guarded path. Only the person who runs inside the boundaries set by someone who can actually guard those boundaries is truly free.

As Joseph went through dilemma after dilemma I have to believe that he would think, at times, if I could just “get out” and be free I could set a course that would make my life meaningful. But, as time passed, Joseph started to see that the physical limitations he was placed in over and over again were just a course set by the One who was actually in control. When he speaks to his brothers (quoted above), Joseph is at a place where he sees clearly that at no time were his brothers, Potiphar, the prison warden or Pharaoh ever really in control. And, obviously, neither was he.

God is always in control… there is never a second or a situation or a person that is beyond his providence and specific plan. We can never see this very well while in the midst of a struggle or confusing situation, but as we look back the picture becomes clearer… as long as we keep God as the point of it all and not ourselves.

We want to write our own story, control each chapter and make sure we have what we think is a happy ending. What I am learning is that my life is not an autobiography and I’m not the star… I love that truth AND it makes for a much better story.

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