Raw Deal vs. Real Deal

I use that word "deal" loosely here! No one likes getting a raw deal. I saw this sign today at Subway for $5 tickets for summer concert series. There's a lot of amazing bands I'd love to see this summer - you know, great ones like Def Leppard, Cheap Trick, Poison, Creed, etc. (You know you love 'em, just admit it already). So I thought, wow, lets check this out! So I go to the web-site and find out these are tickets for Lawn Seats. "Ok" I think to myself, "After all, there only $5 bucks right? I can get 2 tickets for a great date for Kathy and I." WRONG. I take the time to go through the process and by the time everything is processed, my total for $5 tickets comes out to a whopping $34.20 Click on this pic to check it out (and all the hidden fees)!

To me this is just so typical of the world and how Satan operates. He entices us with what seems like a great offer, so we go for it, and before we know what happens, it ends up costing us way more than we anticipated and we get stuck with a raw deal.

I'm so THANKFUL Jesus doesn't operate this way. When He says grace is free, it is, no hidden fees, simply accept it. When He offers forgiveness, He gives it, completely and abundantly, no strings attached. When He promises to be faithful, He is. I've never had one time in my life where I could not reach out and talk to Him.

That's the difference between a Raw Deal and the Real Deal.

Satan Deserves A Second Chance

That's a bit shocking to write, I've got to tell you. I never actually thought I'd write out that Satan deserves a second chance. The Bible teaches that Satan sinned and was kicked out of heaven. His sin was that he was determined to be in control. He looked at God's throne and said "I will exalt my throne above the starts." We call it pride - described as trying to be equal with God. (Read Isaiah 14)

I think we either have to agree with that statement about a second chance, or immediately and drastically change the way we live. Whenever we refuse to trust Christ with our life because He might "mess it up", whenever Jesus is subjugated to second place, whenever Christianity is what we do when it's convenient, or whenever we think we have to be careful about not emptying ourself and giving Him complete access, we are essentially refusing to surrender to Jesus Christ, as as such, we are warring against His lordship, making us really no different than Satan.

One of the MOST beautiful and mysterious things to me, is that right now, in this very moment as you read this, you and I as long as we have breath in our lungs have been given the opportunity at another chance to fully surrender, simply because of Jesus Christ being willing to die for you. That my friends is mercy. -What will you do with your second chance?

What Do You Live For?

For a lot of people, being the church revolves around their life, rather than their life revolving around being the church.

I like how our worship pastor put it today at lunch:

"The only thing at stake everyday is God's glory." - Brad O'Hara

Proud Dad!

I love my kids equally - my son is getting ready to celebrate his 3rd birthday tomorrow. I won't be able to be with him because I'm flying back to Williamsburg today while he remains in Miami with his mother, sister, and grandparents for a few weeks vacation. So we celebrated his birthday last night.

He's been asking since he could talk for a skateboard! I've been telling him for his birthday we'd get him one. He was so excited all day yesterday, wanting each gift he opened to be a board. We got him a cheap plastic one to see how he does before we invest in a wooden one. He blew my mind last night, he's already better than his dad at balancing. After only 15 minutes he was going down the driveway on his own...check my man out...

Leadership 9 of 9

So this is the last post on leadership for right now, but there will be plenty more in the future in different formats and context. We should never stop learning as leaders. If you don't learn something new on a regular basis as a leader, you're not developing into a better leader. And you'll never be good enough as a leader to where you no longer need to develop. Some of the greatest leaders I LOVE to read are constantly sharing the lessons they are learning RIGHT now!

I just read this quote this week from a leader and I love it:

“Jesus leadership example = saw a great need which produced a broken heart which ignited passion which worked itself out through sacrifice.” Shane Duffey

Another leader I love to read, Perry Noble, shared these questions this week and if you haven't read them, I hope they challenge you as much as they do me. The point is - LEARN and IMPROVE as a leader, especially if that is what Jesus has called you to be.

#1 – Has everyone in the room kept short accounts…or is there any unresolved personal tension that needs to be dealt with?

#2 – Is there anything that we are doing as a church that we would not be excited about if we were not on staff?

#3 – Would we even attend this church if we were not on staff?

#4 – Is our goal to really focus on what needs to be done…or to get the meeting over with as soon as possible so we can get on with our individual agenda?

#5 – Are we resisting anything that God is leading us towards because it puts us in a very uncomfortable place?

#6 – Are we moving towards complexity or simplicity?

#7 – Is there anything that is obvious to everyone else but we are choosing to deny it because dealing with it would force us to change things up?

Leadership 8 of 9

Prayer - without a consistent, passionate prayer life as a leader, you will fail, GUARANTEED! I've heard it described that prayer is Jesus' way of having intimate conversation with us, its the chance for two lovers to pour out their hearts to each other (I love this because it captures not only what I crave with Jesus, but also implies a two-way conversation).

Is that how you would describe your prayer life or is prayer for you more like the thing your obligated to do before you eat each meal or take on a major challenge? For most Christians today, it's the latter. Prayer can become so routine so quickly - there are many times I will intentionally skip prayer before a meal or when I'm out in public because of that routine mindset. We are taught from being a baby on up that you have to pray before you eat, and so we do, and in so doing over time, most of us are lucky if our prayers get past the chandelier.

For a leader, genuine, intimate conversation with Jesus, is the most practical and effective thing we can do. We must be people of habitual prayer. I love hearing certain people pray. I'll put our Creative Pastor on the spot - and Brad, please don't hate me for doing this - but I could listen to him pray all day I think. His prayers always seem so profound to me, and I honestly believe they do because they are offered in simplicity, humility, and expectation.

Prayers do not need to be eloquent or epic in length, some of the most intimate conversations I have with my wife are simple phrases like "I love you", "I need you", "I'm so grateful for you", "I don't know what I'd do without you", etc.

Leaders pray, or give up and quit.

Leadership 7 of 9

Patience. Waiting. Lingering.

How tough are those concepts to master? My dad and I were talking last night about when we'd go fishing together when I was growing up. Those were some of my best memories with my father. We recalled with each other how we'd spent many a night of fishing past midnight in the Alaska extended daylight and how we would be literally tied off hanging over a 30 foot cliff waiting to feel the "bump" on the end of the pole signaling us there was a fish on. Sometimes we would stand there for hours - 3, 4, 5 at a time - before feeling it. The anticipation was thrilling, but mind numbing at the same time, it would drive me crazy just waiting there.

I personally think having patience is very difficult for a leader. Not impossible, but difficult. Why? Because leaders usually hate to have to wait. We are eager to get to where we are going. Nothing used to drive me more nuts in former deacon and elder meetings than having a bunch of non-leaders sit around and and hearing them talk about talking about talking about talking about something - which would result in the same agenda at meetings month in and month out.

That being said, a good leader will wait upon the Lord. Waiting on God though does not mean in-activity, it takes intentional effort to tune out every voice around you but God's, and as He speaks, to move. It's good for me to remember that God doesn't exist to serve Travis; He doesn't shadow me requesting an audience at my earliest convenience, it is I who must make myself constantly available to Him. He is the one Who waits patiently for me to come to Him.