Blood, Sweat & Tears

I’ve recently gone through a lot of changes in my life. I had been at a ministry for 26 years. My wife Lisa was a part of that as well. She was administrator of our Christian School for 25 years. We poured a lot of BLOOD, SWEAT & TEARS into that place. You can only imagine how life has changed. But that’s not the change I’m referring. My perspective has changed.

I so desire to see transformation happen in the lives of people. Transformation in someone’s life can be the most rewarding experience. It has only been in the past year where I realized where that change occurs.

“Life change happens best in the context of relationships.”

In September of this year I attended a conference. I went to a session on small groups. I really didn’t want to be there, but I knew I needed to be open for change. He talked about how his church was growing. It took a 1-2 years for it to really take off. The leader asked a question that changed my perspective. Where in your life did YOU (me, Russ) see the most transformation in yourself personally? He really didn’t give us time to answer. He said his guess would be through a relationship. He was right. He then went onto say that is why small groups are so important in a church. Oh my! I’ve never liked small groups.

I’ve been in ministry over 30 years and I’ve never seen them work. There were some pastors I served under who emphasized small groups. They would flourish for a season, but then they would fizzle out.

Here are some quotes from one of Perry Noble’s session at the Double Conference.

• Growing Churches Change. Growing Leaders Change

• In most churches, the change going on in the church is in direct proportion with the change going on in the leader.

• What are you learning as a leader? Who are you learning from? We learn from people who actually haven’t done anything. If they haven’t done it, I don’t care.

• Groups are essential for churches that are growing.

We started what we call Freedom Groups. We began our first 10 week session this fall. We had over 15 groups: Waffle House Group, Men’s Golf Group, Marriage Group, Young Adult Group, Women’s Groups, Crash the Chatter Box Group, Pinterest Group (just to name a few)

We’ve had 75% of our church family participate in these groups. I’ve heard so many stories of the transformation that is beginning to occur in the lives of our Freedom Family and others who have been invited to participate.  It’s exciting and fun to hear the stories that it makes me “So VERY happy!”

BLOOD, SWEAT & TEARS had a song called “You Make Me So Very Happy.”  The words to that song can be sung to whoever, but in my case I’m singing it to my Jesus!  Signing off…and having fun!

I chose You for the one
Now we’re having so much fun
You treated me so kind
I’m about to lose my mind
You made me so very happy
I’m so glad You came into my life

Leadership, Clemson Football and the Bible Part 2

One of our goals as leaders should be to create a consistent philosophy and personality through our organization.  One of the keys to that is continuity in your staff.

Offensive Coordinator Chad Morris said about the Clemson football staff

Continuity in a staff is critical to maintaining consistency on the field.

Continuity on the staff should produce consistency on the field.

When your players are on the field of play you want your  players calling audibles, but having the same philosophy.  

My wife was an Administrator of a Christian  School.  We were talking one day about creating culture in the school. She was listening to a conversation one of her teachers had with a parent.  The advice she would have given the parent was in line with the philosophy of the school. The teacher had called an incredible audible.

Coach Morris put it best,

Standards and schemes can be passed down internally without any major shifts to philosophy and personality. 

Any time we have a player or coach with a different philosophy you will have an undercurrent.  Believe me, none of us  are immune to having a different philosophy. 

How do we know we are getting through to our team? Listen to the audibles called on the field of play or listen to the philosophy you communicate.  Are you communicating that philosophy consistently?

A team from our church recently went to Church of the Highlands for Grow Intensive. It was amazing how the philosophy of the leader was intertwined through each person speaking.  You would hear “catch phrases”  and “talking points” (I don’t like to use that catch phrase – talking points). Here are some of them.

• Life giving ministry starts from the ground up not the top down.
• We don’t want something from you we want something for you.
• You are called to make and eternal difference with a group of people making a difference.
• You were made for this.

So, if your players aren’t calling the right audibles it could be that they have their own philosophy which creates an undercurrent or it could be that we aren’t communicating ours properly.  These are keys to experiencing life giving ministry.

Carpe Diem- Robin Williams

Carpe Diem!  Seize the day, boys!  Make your life extraordinary!  That’s just what happened with the four lepers.

The Syrians came in and occupied Samaria which was going through a famine. The famine was so bad the Israelites had resorted to cannibalism.  Elisha the prophet proclaimed that the famine would end the next day.

The four lepers  lived outside the gates. They were not allowed in the city so they were dependent upon the generosity of others for their sustenance. They spent their life waiting for others to supply their needs until one day one of them said “Why do we stay here until we die.”  They could stay outside the gates and die from starvation or take the risk of going into Samaria and being killed. Either way they die.

The Lord caused the Syrians to hear the sound of chariots and horses so they fled the city.  Seeing the camp had been abandoned the lepers began to go from tent to tent eating and drinking.  They carried off clothing, gold and silver and hid it. Can you imagine the fun?  They were indulging themselves.

I don’t know what kind of famine you’re experiencing: your job, your finances, your marriage?

Are we sitting at the city gates waiting on God to move?  Are we waiting on our spouse to meet our needs?

We can have self pity in feast or famine.  Self Pity is compassion turned inward.  The lepers operated in both: while they sat at the city gates waiting and while they indulged themselves after entering the city.

What they did next changed the entire economy.  What they did next allowed the miraculous to occur. What they did next made life extraordinary.

“This is not right! This is the day of good news and we aren’t sharing it.”

We have good news to share too!  As we begin to seize each day we will begin to experience the extraordinary life as well!

Carpe Diem!