I heard today that Wal Mart is getting rid of paper paychecks. Instead employees will receive a debit card as payment, if they refuse direct deposit. You can read more about it HERE.
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A few weeks ago, in preparing a message for Grace Community Church in which I celebrated the victories we have seen in the last year at Grace, God convicted me for my line of thinking. I was preparing to remind people of the strategy of the church, as we do at the beginning of each new fall season, to encourage them to continue giving their time and resources to further the vision. I believe God gently reminded me that apart from Him, we would have no vision and we would certainly have no success.
If you want to get on my good side, one sure way is to brag on my boys. If you want to become my hero, invest in them. Using that philosophy I have two new heroes.
As our staff and church has grown, my role is changing. I spend much more of my day interacting with staff members about their particular area of focus. Lately it seems I am saying a lot of, “Let me connect you with _________”, as I refer people to another person on our team.
In his day Nebuchadnezzar was a king. He was a well-known King that brought havoc to the Israelites. He was a greatly feared and powerful leader. At his word nations and people’s could be destroyed (except where God intervened of course). As greatly as he struck people in fear and awe in his day, I am not too afraid of Nebuchadnezzar today. The fact is he is dead. No more. Gone. Out of sight. As big and bad as he was then, he is no longer a threat today.
On July 5th I sprained my ankle. Since then I have had a hard time running, but perhaps worse it seems it is even more common for me now to twist the ankle again. A doctor told me it was because I had damaged my proprioceptor, which means I have a harder time maintaining balance and posture, so I almost have to retrain myself to run. In the meantime I miss the exercise I received from running, which is affecting my mood, my energy level and my general attitude.
One trend in organizations today that I am not sure existed even ten years ago is the freedom employees have to promote their personal identity on company time. Companies today seem to allow and actually encourage employees to brand themselves separate from the organization. Whether it is with a personal blog or through authoring a book, employees can have a larger personal following and name recognition than the top leadership of the organization and at times even greater than the organization. This is true in the corporate world and the church world.
The greatest role I have as a pastor, in my opinion, is to introduce people to the life-changing message of Jesus Christ, help them learn the truths of His Word, help them become growing followers of Christ (disciples), but then allow God’s Spirit to change their heart, which will ultimately change their life.
What is your legacy? There is an old song Christian artist Steve Green sang called “Find us Faithful”. A line in the song says, “When your children sift through all you’ve left behind, will the memories they uncover…?” I recall hearing that song when my boys were young and I was always convicted! I was concerned about the memories I would leave behind for my boys.
Nate (formerly known as Nathaniel), you have been a soul mate since you were very little. We are so much alike that it scares me for you sometimes. Yesterday was the longest ride of my life after dropping you off at college. This past week has been an emotional roller coaster. I am so excited that your dream of being at Moody has come true, but the thought of not seeing you everyday is overwhelming to me. You kept telling me “thanks for everything” the last few days. Son, if only you knew how much value you add to my life in so many ways. No thanks are necessary.