We have different gifts, according to the grace given us. If a man’s gift is prophesying, let him use it in proportion to his faith. ⁷ If it is serving, let him serve; if it is teaching, let him teach; ⁸ if it is encouraging, let him encourage; if it is contributing to the needs of others, let him give generously; if it is leadership, let him govern diligently; if it is showing mercy, let him do it cheerfully.

Romans 12:6-8

I love that the Bible speaks so much about the gift of leadership.

In this passage, the simple directive is to “govern diligently.”

I heard Andy Stanley speak about this once and his interpretation of what it means to govern diligently is to “lean all of your weight into it.”

To be diligent is to be:

• consistent
• attentive
• persistent
• conscientious
• painstaking
• unrelenting
• steadfast

Leadership is all or nothing.

It’s being faithful.

It’s being consistent on the hard days as well as the not-so-difficult ones.

To govern diligently requires a depth of character that comes from a life solidly rooted in your relationship with God overflowing in the confidence to lead.

What does governing diligently mean to you?

My world is buzzing with busyness.

I’m consumed by “to do” lists that never end… personal and professional.

I welcome it.  I actually tend to thrive in a world of busy.

However, I get the nagging feeling that I need to be quiet.  I need to be still.

But I’m dodging it.

I can feel it when I have a few moments of unplanned time and I get anxious about the things that I’m not doing.

I can feel it when I’m focused on one project but toiling over needing to be doing another.

Today I read a few wise words from Patsy Clairmont:

“It’s wise to stop every once in a while and ask ourselves, ‘Where am I?’ and ‘Where am I going?’”

I think that’s why I’m resisting the quiet.

I think I’m afraid that if I slow down I might:

1) Simply crash and not be able to get back to business

2) Hear God tell me that I’m not listening

3) Realize I’m not going the right way

Most leaders are busy.  That’s just a part of it.  But being busy for busyness sake is dangerous.

When we’re too busy to listen… when we’re too busy to embrace needed moments of quiet, we leave ourselves open to going the wrong way.

Your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, “This is the way, walk in it.”  Isaiah 30:21

Summing it all up, friends, I’d say you’ll do best by filling your minds and meditating on things

true, noble, reputable, authentic, compelling, gracious—

the best, not the worst;

the beautiful, not the ugly;

things to praise, not things to curse.

Philippians 4:8 The Message

I am a victim of my own mind sometimes.  I can easily lose site of the possibilities and the good around me because I anticipate every angle, every potential pitfall… every thing I can’t control.

I become paralyzed by the bad rather than motivated by the good.

Quit processing.

Quit over-thinking.

Quit allowing resistance to paralyze you.

Scripture commands us to think on the good.

So why is that so hard?

We also started our new series “This Is Our God”

“God Is Good” by Pete Wilson

Who is God?

What are the attributes of God?

Our relationships are formed by our perceptions of one another.

The perceptions you have of God have a huge impact on your life.

Two of the most important questions you will ever ask yourself:

1. What do you think about God?
2. What do you think He thinks about you?

For every misconception you have about God, there is a corresponding consequence.

Exodus 33:18-20

Exodus 34:5-7

God is good because of something in Him, not something in us.

Romans 5:8

Our response to His goodness:

1. Be grateful
2. Trust Him

Psalm 84:11

What are some of your perceptions of God?

And of course we finished the series with another idol that I wrestle with…

The Perils of Power by Pete Wilson

Seeking power often leads to:

1) Avoiding failure

Grade yourself from 1 (rarely true) to 10 (always true) on these two statements:

• I feel the need to win every argument.
• I lose my temper when tools, situations, conversations don’t go my way.

You lose your temper because when things don’t go your way it’s a reminder that you don’t have power.

2 Corinthians 12:9

When power is an idol you go to great lengths to cover up your mistakes.

When power is an idol for you, you orchestrate your life so that you never have to deal with failure.

2) Refusing instruction.

Grade yourself from 1 (rarely true) to 10 (always true) on these two statements:

• I get very upset when people don’t specifically do things the way I want them to be done.
• I have a hard time following the rules other people establish.  I always know a better way.
• When things go wrong I tend to shift blame.

Proverbs 15:12

We all have a huge fear of powerlessness.

Power is humanity’s way to justify our existence apart from God.

You can’t expel an idol.  You have to replace an idol.

Genesis 32:24-30

Every human being needs assurance of their unique value from an outside source.

What’s your name?

Who are you?

What are the things that you’ve looked for others to give you that only God can give you?

Whatever you are so desperately striving for can only come from God.

How big of an idol is power for you?

The Illusion of Money by Pete Wilson

No one thinks money is an idol in their lives.

Luke 12:13-15

Greed comes in so many different forms, in so many different ways, appealing to so many different desires that we don’t even know it’s there.

Rate yourself from 1 to 10 on the following.  1 = not true of me, 10 = very true of me:

• The statement “There is no money in the bank” creates more anxiety in me than the statement “There is no God.”
• Does your fear of not having enough often impede your desire to be generous?
• You have money in the bank but no peace in your heart.
• I often struggle with doing the right thing because I know it’s going to cost me financially.
• I find myself saying, “If I had this much then I would be satisfied.”
• I spend more time thinking about what I do not have than I spend thanking God for what I do have.

Greed is not only the love of money but the excessive anxiety over it.

Illusion 1: More money will give me more security.

I Timothy 6:17

Proverbs 18:11

Illusion 2: More money will give me more peace.

Ecclesiastes 5:10

There are few things in life that we worry about more than money.

Luke 12:16-21

Illusion 3: More money will make me more generous.

Statistics prove that lower income people give a higher percentage of their income away.

Matthew 6:24

To break the cycle of “get, get, get” you have to “give, give, give”.

How are you going to fight back against this idol this week?

]]> http://www.jennicatron.tv/sunday-highlights-89/feed/ 0 http://www.jennicatron.tv/sunday-highlights-88/ http://www.jennicatron.tv/sunday-highlights-88/#comments Sun, 26 Sep 2010 23:35:14 +0000 Jenni Catron http://www.jennicatron.tv/?p=5507 I was really hoping I was gonna catch a break this week on the “Empty Promises” series… you know, take a little breather since last week’s message about the idol of success was such a kick-in-the-pants for me, but N O P E.  No.

“Addicted to Approval” hit me right between the eyes, and so… yes I’m feeling pretty beat up from both directions right now.

But seriously, this series couldn’t be more critical for all of us.  There are so many things that we allow to take the place of God in our lives.  How beautiful would it be if we could replace our idols with a relentless passion for Him?

Addicted to Approval by Pete Wilson

Genesis 29:16-25

There is no human being out there capable of meeting all your emotional needs for love and acceptance.

We struggle with the addiction of needing approval or acceptance from the people around us.

You get absolutely paralyzed by rejection.

On a scale of 1 to 10, gauge yourself on your need for approval:

• I constantly worry about what others might be thinking of me.
• I do not do certain things because other people may not approve.
• I continually play back criticisms in my head.
• I get anxious when I think someone might be upset with me.
• I stop myself from  speaking up when I think someone won’t agree with me.
• I find myself consistently disappointed in other people because they don’t meet my expectations.
• When I’m hurt or upset it’s always someone else’s fault.
• I can’t say no to people even if it costs the people who deeply care about me.

Approval addicts are:

1) Destined for mediocrity

Romans 12:1-2

You always have to follow the herd to maintain approval.

2) Destined for exhaustion

Colossians 3:1-4

Do you want to be loved or do you want to be loving?  Loving doesn’t mean that you seek to meet the approval of all the people around you.

Someone else’s approval does not define your worth or your value.

3) Destined for guilt and rejection

Instead of finding worth and value in your Creator, you’ve lent your heart out to others.  You look for others to adopt your heart.

You live with so much guilt and shame, you constantly try to hide from God.

Psalm 139:23-24

Psalm 139: 1-4

You need to know that God loves you.  You can not lose your value in God’s eyes.

Romans 5:8

]]> http://www.jennicatron.tv/sunday-highlights-88/feed/ 2 http://www.jennicatron.tv/sunday-highlights-87/ http://www.jennicatron.tv/sunday-highlights-87/#comments Mon, 20 Sep 2010 13:17:25 +0000 Jenni Catron http://www.jennicatron.tv/?p=5477 I really don’t have a lot of additional commentary to give today because I’m still reeling from the kick in the pants Pete’s message gave me.  Read at your own risk… at least we got my big idol out of the way early in the series.

The Seduction of Achievement by Pete Wilson

Ecclesiastes 2:4-11

Idol: Anything you seek to give you what only God can give you.

There is an inner emptiness that all of us feel.

The question isn’t “Do I have idols?”. We all have idols.

The real question is “Which idol is God’s biggest rival in my life?”

There is something inside all of us that makes us want to achieve.  That is a God-given part of being a human, but mixed with the sin in our lives it can become toxic.

The dark side of achievement is that I want you to know that I’ve achieved and I begin to build my identity around this need for recognition and achievement.

Success-based identity – you think you control the opinion and  approval of others through your performance.  You gather all your self-worth externally.

Success Might Be an Idol If You:

• Have to achieve regardless of what it does to the people around you.
• You confuse who you are with what you accomplish.

An achievement addict is no different than any other addict.

You are not your giftedness.  Your worth and your value are not based on your achievements.

• You struggle when others succeed.
• You are jealous of other people.
• You have to look for other people to blame your perceived failure on.

Criticism is the most cowardly form of self-praise.

Matthew 16:26

Position-based identity – you understand that your sense of self worth comes from who you are in Christ.  You’re identity is not defined by what you do.  It comes from who you are in Christ.

Idols are not expelled, they’re replaced.

The only way to replace success-based identity with position-based identity is to get into God’s word.

John 1:12

My identity is rooted in what has been accomplished for me in the person of Jesus Christ.

************************

Is this an idol that you struggle with?

If so, what are some of the things you do to help keep this in check in your life? (I need all the help I can get!)

The problem? Yep, you guessed it.  Everything that needs to be done never really gets done.

Week after week I find myself in this vicious cycle.  I think when I get x, y & z done today I’ll read this book I’ve been dieing to read.  Or when I accomplish 1, 2, 3 then I’ll be relaxed and I can hang out and have a great night with friends and family.

Nope.  It’s never all done and as a result I rarely rejuvenate and even more rarely do I rejuvenate without a nagging feeling of guilt for not doing the things “I should be doing.”

I don’t know how this monster arrived on the scene.  He’s been around for as long as I can remember.

And the challenge that continues to grow for me day after day is that I have nothing to give when I’m empty.

When I’m on empty…

I can’t lead the way I want to lead.

I can’t write the things I want to write.

I can’t dream the dreams that God has for me to dream.

I can’t spend intentional time encouraging someone.

I can’t prepare the talk or plan for the meeting.

Empty is not ok.  In fact, empty is not even God’s design.

I know in my head the importance of sabbath.  I believe that God designed it and commanded it, but I can’t seem to honor it.

Because we do not rest we lose our way… Poisoned by the hypnotic belief that good things come only through unceasing determination and tireless effort, we can never truly rest.  And for want of rest our lives are in danger.   Wayne Muller

Let that sink in for a moment.

Are you running on empty?

Do you need rest?

Let me remind you of a scripture that I know so well that sometimes I don’t even really hear it anymore:

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.  Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.  For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” Matthew 11:28-30

Did you catch that the first part requires action from us?  In order to receive the rest of God, we have to take the step to come to Him.

Can you put down all your busyness… let go of the “to do” list… and simply come to Him and rest?

Today I was at the Nashville campus serving as Worship Assistant for Blake who flew out this afternoon to Africa.  His journey to climb Mt. Kilimanjaro has officially begun.  Be praying for him for the next two weeks!  Can’t wait for him to return to hear his stories.

Today we also launched our new series “Empty Promises”.  I’m pretty sure Pete’s been reading my journal because he’s already challenging me in a big way!

[vimeo]http://vimeo.com/14900698[/vimeo]

Empty Promises by Pete Wilson

Idolatry – anything you seek to give you what only God can give you.

Exodus 32:1-4

A need for hurry + a desire for control will often lead to idolatry.

The capacity for the human soul to ache is a gift because ultimately it leads us to Jesus – nothing else with satisfy.

My fear for you isn’t external idolatry, but internal idolatry.

Ezekiel 14:3  God says, “… these men have set up idols in their hearts…”

“The human heart is an idolatry factory.”  John Calvin

Psalm 63:1

Possible idols in our lives:

• Money
• Success/work
• Attractiveness
• Relationships
• Pleasure
• Church

Of these idols:

1. Which of these do I find myself thinking about the most?
2. Which one of these do you most fear losing or feel like life might not be worth living if I did not have this, if I lost that?
3. Which one of these most gives me a sense of identity?
4. Which of these do I most look to, to make me feel secure?
5. Which of these do I most want to be known for?
6. Which one of these do my efforts most tend to revolve around?

Which idol is God’s biggest rival in your life?

These things in and of themselves are not wrong.  The problem is when we let these good things be ultimate in our life.

Luke 14:26-27

My greatest temptation is not to chase after what is ridiculously evil.

My greatest temptation is that I’ll chase after what is deceptively good.

Idolatry will absolutely exhaust you.  Your idols don’t have the capacity to breathe life back into you.

You idols leave you bankrupt emotionally.

Idolatry is giving something else the power to do only things that God can do.

Most of the idols that are going to rob you have to do with performance.  In pursuit of your idol, you try to play God.

It’s going to leave you bitter and exhausted and you’ll want to give up.

Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.  Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.  For my yoke is easy and my burden is light. Matthew 11:28-30