We often wonder how to get along with a group of people who have very different personalities and backgrounds. Should we surround ourselves with people just like us so we can feel safe and unchallenged? Many leaders choose only those who agree with them. My friend Clint Hurdle shared why you must have different voices in the room or every meeting is a narcissistic waste of time. Here is Clint’s comment. “I would tell my staff that I could simply surround my desk with bobbleheads and tap their heads if I wanted blind agreement in the room. I would offer my plan and the bobbleheads would nod yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes. I’ve been that guy nodding while my heart shouted no! I’ve also had colleagues agree with me hoping to gain my favor instead of helping me make the best decision. I can’t be surrounded by bobbleheads. I need people who are going to tell me the truth.
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One of the 7 Core Values of my church is Community. I was blessed to speak on that value this week at Waterbrook Bible Fellowship. Here is the statement about Community from our church website. Genuine biblical community means living in caring relationships that are guided by biblical truth and grounded in spiritual accountability. We value real community, and yes, we know how messy and hard it is. But, we also know that real and lasting life-change—spiritual transformation—primarily occurs in the unity and diversity of authentic relationships. Paul wrote to the church at Ephesus about living in community in the power of the Spirit. Note that he wrote these caring words while in jail for the “crime” of serving the Lord. His heart for his people overshadowed his difficult circumstance. Therefore I, a prisoner for serving the Lord, beg you to lead a life worthy of your calling, for you have been called by God. 2 Always be humble and
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It was so sad to hear of the passing of the incredibly talented singer Mandisa. I remembered a duet from Mandisa and TobyMac that touched me deeply. They addressed the heartbreaking issue of racism and political division that affects our culture and often impacts the church. These lyrics immediately grabbed my heart. Are you left?Are you right?Pointing fingers, taking sidesWhen are we gonna realize? We all bleed the sameWe’re more beautiful when we come togetherWe all bleed the sameSo tell me why, tell me whyWe’re divided. Why indeed? I am praying for another leader like Martin Luther King Jr who will remind us that hateful rhetoric never, ever, ever changes a heart. Followers of Christ have a message of hope and light that is desperately needed. But we can get caught up in the politics of our world and snuff out that light. I have been guilty of that in my journey at times. I fear our culture will get darker in
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Putting together a roster in major league baseball that makes the playoffs is incredibly difficult. The 162 game season is a brutal grind. There can be lots of friction during that long regular season. Even the best teams can have embarrassing performances. Players and teams have hot and cold streaks. Obviously the most important ingredient is talent but there are a couple of other factors that help make a winning franchise. One of the most important things that winning teams understand is that every teammate brings strengths and weaknesses to the team. A great team celebrates the strengths of each player and works together to offset the weaknesses. I pondered this as I was reading about the career of New York Yankee player Joe Gordon. In 1942 Gordon led the American League in strikeouts. He made more errors that year than any other second baseman. He hit into more double plays than anyone in the league. By dwelling on those stats we could
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When I got serious about following Jesus there was a song we sang regularly at gatherings. We are one in the Spirit, we are one in the LordWe are one in the Spirit, we are one in the LordAnd we pray that our unity will one day be restoredAnd they’ll know we are Christians by our love, by our loveYeah they’ll know we are Christians by our love What a difference the body of Christ would make in today’s contentious world if we believed and lived these very simple words. We are one in the spirit. There should be no separation by wealth, color, talent, or power. We are one in Jesus. We pray that our unity will one day be restored. We are still praying that today. It is not a difficult concept to understand how important unity is to achieve any goal. Can a team of self-centered football players win a championship? A team needs to have one
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This life is just the warmup act for followers of Jesus. A classic tune from the Righteous Brothers reflects my hope. If you believe in forever,Then life is just a one-night stand. Those lyrics reminded me that even if you hit triple digits on the age odometer this journey is still an eternal blink of the eye. Your significance is not how long but how well you live your life. Not how much fame or money you gain but what you do with time you are given. This weekend a song popped up on satellite radio called “We’re Only Here for a Little While”. Billy Dean is singing about leaving a funeral and recognizing his need to slow down and enjoy the everyday blessings of life. He decides to become intentional about doing the things that matter instead of worrying and tweeting about things that don’t amount to a hill of beans in eternity. Gonna hold who needs holdin’Mend what needs mendin’Walk what needs
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Please forgive me because this week’s musing is directed at a very specific target audience. Me. Feel free to eavesdrop. Last week I watched Monday Night Football with great interest because my Fantasy Football championship was at stake. A few minutes into the game that became the most meaningless thing in the world. I witnessed along with millions the terrifying collapse of Buffalo Bill defensive back Damar Hamlin. It was obvious from the players reactions on the field that this was not a typical injury situation. We learned that CPR was being administered to restore Hamlin’s heartbeat. Millions united in prayer as he was rushed to the hospital in critical condition. I was encouraged by the unity shown by people around the world as they joined in prayer and support for Damar and his family. As I write this the prognosis for Damar Hamlin is very encouraging. I was once again reminded of the uncertainty of my days on earth.
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