Ok, I have to share… I have a small pet peeve.

I cringe when I see things that are labeled “Christian”.

I’ll give you an example:

Over the Christmas holiday, my husband and I made the long drive back to Wisconsin to visit some of my family.  I usually busy myself with reading or writing while we’re driving but on this particular stretch of the trip I was just kicking back taking in the sites.  As I was reading billboards and studying vast stretches of farmland, I kept seeing signs for the “Christian Outlet Mall”.

Christian Outlet Mall?  What in the world is that?  I’m familiar with Christian bookstores full of Christian music, books and Precious Moments trinkets but how in the world is there enough product to fill an entire outlet mall?

I was so curious I actually wanted to stop and check this place out, but it was Christmas Day… no one is open on Christmas Day (I know because I ate popcorn and a V8 for lunch from the one gas station we could find open) and certainly not an entire mall that calls itself Christian.

For as much as I could deduce from the signs, I don’t think this Christian Outlet was full of Christian products.  I think it was just an outlet mall that was owned by Christians.

But here’s why that’s a pet peeve for me…

Why do we feel the need to proclaim we’re Christian through inanimate objects?

“Let your light so shine before men that they will see your good works and glorify your father which is in heaven.”  Matthew 5:16

I don’t want to have to say that I’m a Christian, I want it to be obvious.  The fruits of the spirit are compelling… they’re distinct… they get attention.  Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control are counter-cultural (Galatians 5:22-23).  If you are displaying those things people will want to be a part of what you are doing.  The evidence of fruit in your life will go much farther than putting a Christian bumper sticker on your car, the icthus on your advertising or the word Christian in your name.

Be the light and it will shine!

Ok, I’m off my soapbox now

“So give your servant a discerning heart to govern your people and to distinguish between right and wrong. For who is able to govern this great people of yours?” I Kings 3:9 (NIV)

Solomon’s prayer for wisdom.

He prayed for:

1) A discerning heart

2) Ability to distinguish between right and wrong

Leaders, lets make that our prayer today!

Last week one day I had the pleasure of sitting down with another young female leader.  I love these conversations because I usually discover another kindred spirit.  With a fellow female leader I’m rarely short on words… just short on time.

About mid-way through our conversation she asked me a very troubling question:

“As a leader with all you have to do to lead others, how do you make time for your own personal spiritual growth?”

Her question brought to mind this quote I had recently read in Beth Moore‘s Paul: 90 Days on His Journey of Faith

“If we’re leading but we’re not closely following Christ, we are misleading.”

Misleading.

Do you know how the dictionary defines misleading?

Deceptive!

Leaders, that’s a huge responsibility!

It’s easy for our spiritual walk to become a part of our “work”.  How often do you sit down to read or study God’s word for simply the purpose of hearing from him?  Not for a sermon.  Not for a blog post.  Not for a book concept.  Not for a twitter quote.

I only ask because I’m incredibly guilty of that myself.

Our spiritual health is essential for us to lead as God has called us to.

Will you join me this week in reading and studying God’s Word just to hear from Him, with no other agenda?

C O N T E N T M E N T

Here I go again… choosing a word (my One Word) that I don’t even remotely resemble on a day-to-day basis.

I’m a little bit of an anxious soul.  It’s probably the single biggest conversation my husband and I repeatedly have. I hear the words “Jen relax” pretty frequently and with good reason.

“For I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances.”  Philippians 4:11

That scripture makes me laugh out loud!  Really Paul? 

Paul’s life was far more difficult than mine and yet contentment eludes me most days.

I choose “contentment” because it’s the opposite of the emotion I tend to most feel – anxiety.

In the midst of yet the busiest season of my life I don’t want to miss the blessings and unique opportunities God is giving me.  I don’t want to turn good things into just another task on the ever-growing “to do” list.  I want to find contentment in the madness and enjoy every part of this crazy journey because I have no idea how long it will last.

“Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts.”  Psalm 139:23

“What do people get for all the toil and anxious striving with which they labor under the sun?”  Ecclesiastes 2:22

“Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.”  Philippians 4:6

Ok, 2012.  Here we go!

“Make a careful exploration of who you are and the work you have been given and then sink yourself into that.  Don’t be impressed with yourself.

Don’t compare yourself to others. 

Each of you must take responsibility for doing the creative best you can with your own life.” Galatians 6:4-5

I love this passage of scripture.  You’ve probably heard me talk about it before.

But I can’t get the middle part of this scripture out of my head… “Don’t compare yourself to others.”

Comparison is so quick to derail us from being grateful for what God has given us.

As I’ve watched the Honduran people this week, I’ve realized that most of them don’t envy our American lifestyle.  In fact, when their basic needs of food, clean water and health are met, they are quite content with the pace of their life.

You can’t envy what you don’t know you’re missing.  When you don’t know what you’re missing, you live more contented.

You can’t envy what you don’t know you don’t have.

I long to not know.

I wonder sometimes if some of our conveniences just create more opportunities to compare ourselves?  I see the happy things that you blog or tweet and I feel like my life doesn’t measure up.  I see your new car, new house or great pair of boots and I wish I had them too.  I see an ad on the TV and I feel compelled to go buy something that I really don’t need.

It’s a vicious cycle of discontentment that springs from my tendency to compare and compete with everyone else. 

“Not that I speak in respect of want: for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therein to be content.”  Philippians 4:11

May we be content.

Great perspective from another new friend…

Being Last

I moved my toes back and forth in my
too-scuffed-to-be-professional-black-flats as her words came out, “Why
do i feel like I’m the only one who deals with this/is a wreck/can’t
get it right/wishes that things were different?”

The room instantly erupted; none of us could hold it in. “ARE YOU
KIDDING?!” The question, rather, statement, offered in unison, was then
followed by disclosure of recent failings.

No matter how often it’s said, it’s just really hard sometimes to
believe that being a mess is ok and I think that’s especially true for
those of us who are leaders.

And sometimes that can make it that much worse. Sometimes, because we
aren’t ok with our messiness, we keep on keeping on, but not in the way
He intended–we show a good face or are quick to talk about our
successes, wanting others to take note at the way we accomplished this
or got a gold star in that.

Mike foster, leader of one of my all-time-favorite-groups, People of
the Second Chance, said this recently: I’m perfectly content with
coming in last in the rat race, and it made me wonder what a person
might have to believe, as in really, really believe, to be able to live
from such a place.

I know for me, this is something I’d love to proclaim and moreso, shine
forth through my actions, but if I’m really honest, I’m not ok being
last. Sure, I am getting more comfortable with not having to be at the
head of the class (well, mostly, because I never was there to begin
with), but last? I don’t know about that…

Last sounds, well, last.
Loser-ish. Not chosen.
Dumpy and slow.
Incompetent and devalued.
Frowned upon, so-so.

And yet, Jesus has SO MUCH to say about being last.

And it was precisely this posture that I was so drawn to as my friends
and I sat and then stood together for a few moments, talking about
weakness. Our weakness. About being last.

In that moment what we were saying was that it’s ok that we weren’t and
aren’t perfect, that it’s ok that we sometimes seriously miss it.

It was paramount for us right then and right there to remind each other
AND ourselves that no one is better here, wiser, more put-together, or
accomplished; We’re just some knuckle-heads (some with pedicured
toenails that still somehow manage to smudge) trying to love people.

I think I’d like to practice being last.

Our guest post today comes from a new friend, Lisa O’Brien.  Lisa is the Recovery Pastor at Gateway Church in Austin, TX.  I think you’ll appreciate her perspective on grace, truth and love, especially as it relates to how we lead.  You can read more from Lisa at her blog and follow her on twitter too!

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Love In the Middle

I have been reading a few authors recently that combine the principles and ideas from Psychology and Counseling with Biblical understanding about spiritual growth. It has sparked passion in me to learn more and I am devouring the concepts. Many of them seem to be already in my thinking, although this is the first time I have read them. They are resonating with my spirit in a way that feels like they have always been there.

With my recovery background, I see spiritual growth as a process that takes time and is often referred to as a spiritual awakening. The idea of a spiritual awakening rings true for me, based on my experience. I can look back over my journey and see pivotal moments, monumental decisions, incredible experiences that led me into a new understanding of God and made me hungry and thirsty to learn more. In the pursuit of that hunger and thirst, I learned new things about God and His word, I encountered Him in unique ways, and I grew to trust Him more. The sum of those things has led to deeper intimacy with God and a vibrant relationship with my divine Creator.

The concepts of Grace and Truth have been rumbling around in my brain. The idea that broken people (and we ALL are) need to experience Grace in the context of relationships in order to grow, is one that resonates deeply with me. Grace is the expression of undeserved favor that moves us closer to seeing ourselves how God sees us. It allows us to step into the truth that we are uniquely designed by a loving Creator that loves us and longs to be in relationship with us. This kind of grace is often what people experience in therapy and/or counseling. A safe environment is created so they can explore parts of themselves they have been previously fearful to examine and opn themselves up to new thinking.

Truth is the other side of the coin on the path to growth. We all need it and yet often times work desperately to avoid it. Truth is hard to deliver and hard to receive. As humans, we have mechanisms built-in that allow us to deny, avoid, minimize, generalize, and even spiritualize the truth that surrounds us. All of these mechanisms are in place to separate us from the hard reality of the truth. I was recently reminded of a concept that allows truth to transform us…Reality is your friend. Sadly, most of us live as if it is our enemy and a dangerous enemy that is hunting us down to kill and destroy us. Truth is also something we encounter in therapy, and it seems to suck all the more when we have paid for it!

So, it’s got me thinking not only about my own spiritual growth, but about those that I lead and influence. As we step into the lives of others and try to positively engage them in discussions about spiritual growth, these two elements are necessary. Truth and Grace are ingredients to catalyze next steps towards God. The two concepts seem so opposite of each other. Their opposition to each other reminds me of a teeter-totter. One side is Grace and the other is Truth and we have one foot on both sides. As we communicate with people, how do we keep both feet on each concept and balance them in a way that is helpful to the people we are leading and remain in balance?

The answer, in my thinking, is Love. Love is in the middle of Grace and Truth and allows the two to positively exist together to lead towards spiritual growth. Love is the balancing agent as we engage people in relationships and conversations. I’m considering the reality that loving relationships which include grace and truth have the power to revolutionize lives.

What are you currently thinking about spiritual growth? How are you experiencing Grace and Truth? Is Love the balancing agent?

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?

“Success is obedience to God, not results we can measure.”

“When we obey God, we find great comfort in leaving the consequences up to Him.”

I’ve been studying Beth Moore’s Paul: 90 Days on His Journey of Faith.  I am so fascinated by the life of Paul.  There is just so much of his ministry lifestyle that parallels my role at Cross Point – he travels from city to city, church to church, encouraging and admonishing believers.  On a much smaller scale that is what I do in helping to lead our Cross Point campuses.

But then there is so much about my story that doesn’t even come close to Paul’s. 

False accusations.

Misunderstandings.

Beatings.

Imprisonment.

Loneliness.

Paul faced it all.

I might think I have it tough some days, but ministry for me – for most of us- is a breeze compared to what Paul endured.  And yet the confident assurance he displayed messes with me.

Why?

Why did he keep doing it?  Why didn’t he give in to tiredness and despair?  Why didn’t he walk away and go back to an easier lifestyle?

The best answer that I can find is OBEDIENCE.

I go back to those quotes from Beth’s book…

“Success is obedience to God, not results we can measure.”

“When we obey God, we find great comfort in leaving the consequences up to Him.”

Paul’s purpose and calling wasn’t for his own good.  He did what he did out of obedience.  What other reason did he have, really?

What’s my reason for doing what I do?

What’s yours?

I long for the day that it’s simply all about obedience!

G R A T E F U L

I long for my life to be marked by this word.

Today we kicked off our new series “Better Days” and Pete challenged us to evaluate how much cynicism effects our level of hope and faith.  It’s so easy to get trapped by the negativity and fear-based sensationalism that surrounds us.

Better Days // Starting OCT 23rd from Cross Point Church on Vimeo.

Gratefulness changes your perspective.

A grateful attitude breeds a hopeful heart.

What are you grateful for?

Join us for the #BetterDaysChallenge and take time each day this week to journal or twitter 3 things that you’re grateful for.

I’ll go first.  I’m thankful for…

1. The beautiful fall weather.
2. An evening at home with my husband.
3. The group of talented, brilliant young women who lead at Cross Point.

Okay, now your turn!