upward & inward

What Scriptural principles can be applied to teams? Here are some thoughts... The leader must get to know the followers. This undeniably important process takes time, energy, and focus. In the corporate space, this was called MBWA (Management By Wandering Around). Here in the church we call it Ministry of Presence. Just being there in the team working, listening, laughing, and sharing. The team members must get to know the leader. While this is not universally held as a leadership principle, in my experience (and by the Scriptures) it is a critical step in the building of the team that team members easily dismiss due to a variety of reasons. The disciples wanted to know Jesus and therefore sought Him in order to do so. We should do the same, obviously, as Christ's disciples, in getting to know the Savior, but we should also do the same to get to know those whom He has placed over us in authority. The better we know each other the more open we can be about what needs to be accompl

In the psalm of the shepherd, Psalm 23, David writes that the LORD leads him down paths of righteousness for the sake of the LORD's Name, "He guides me in paths of righteousness for his name ’s sake ." This is not a request as much as it is a statement. God leads David (and all His children) in paths of righteousness for the sake of His Name. This was one of those "Ah-Ha!" moments where I was again reminded that it isn't all about us. In fact, it is rarely all about me or you. This statement demonstrates that it is, and always has been, about God. He leads us on paths of righteousness so that His Name will be honored, glorified, and given praise. The secondary result is that we are guided to live lives that are honorable, praiseworthy, and the best paths we can take for our eternity. Jesus alludes to it in Matthew 5:20 when, in His Sermon on the Mount, he says, "In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds

Let's pretend for a moment that you and I are on our way to see someone we both admire greatly. This person could be anyone, absolutely anyone in history - Abraham Lincoln, George Washington, Mahatma Ghandi, Martin Luther, Martin Luther King, Jr., and so on. We've received our invitations, the time and date has been set, and we're really on our way. How would we approach that event? Would it be with excitement? Or, even muted anticipation? Would it be, instead, with a casual disregard? Once we arrived, would we seek a seat in the back? Or, would we get there early for a seat as close to the front as possible? If we are followers of Christ, worshipers of the Most High God, then whenever we gather together in corporate worship, we have this opportunity.  We are not coming just for the music or the speaking - no matter how great (or not so great) they may be. Instead, we are coming to see and celebrate not a man like those in the example above, but the King of Kings and

I was stopped by a seasoned saint in our church yesterday with two questions regarding some changes we had made to the building. First, he asked about why removed doors from a set of nearby bathrooms. About a year ago, we removed these doors to our bathrooms behind the Activity Center. I initially thought these should be removed because they were redundant. The doors opened to a long hallway that provided all the privacy that was required - they seemed redundant, especially for those among us who are OCD about clean hands grabbing unclean handles.  However, the big deal was that we had several cases where folks (particularly men) would get in the room and get confused by another locked door that went to an adjacent locker room.  In one instance, a guest was so flustered by this that he was pounding on the door and yelling obscenities. Through the addition of signage, we solved a part of the problem, but without opening a door to get in, it is unlikely that we are going to search fo

On my run this morning, I was reminded (again) that I haven't written on this blog for a while. Actually, this kind brother in Christ, with whom I had stopped to chat, simply said that he had read my blog this morning. I took it as another one of God's reminders that I need to write. It's good for me and I hope my readers enjoy it, as well. Let's talk filters. Did you know that we perceive through a set of filters driven by our expectations? And, that these expectations are situational? A hearing-impaired woman told me a story yesterday of such an experience. She was with other hearing-impaired and deaf people and saw a man who was both blind and deaf. He had been born able to see and hear, but two brain tumors robbed him of both sight and hearing. At first, because of how the tumors left him, his appearance seemed disconcerting at best. However, this woman felt strongly that she should to meet him. And, plucking up her courage, she introduced herself (this is, in