It does not take a very bright person to figure out they would be better off with Jesus’ way than their own. I have often said that if you get better at something than Jesus is I’ll follow you. Even an unbeliever should know that Jesus’ way is best.
I am especially bummed by some of the comments and views I am reading on other posts about this issue. Some people have decided that Pastor Lamb’s situation provides an opportunity to bash him. (For an example, read the comments on Monday Morning Insight’s post about this issue.) While this is well meaning for the most part, I frankly feel that when a situation like this occurs and gets such public attention that it provides opportunities we did not previously have to do something positive for the Kingdom.
Several wrote that a young leader should “leave his ego at home” or something similar. I agree with that too, but I think the issue here is more of the motivation of a person’s heart, not in their objective. There is nothing is wrong with a person wanting to grow in their leadership and influence, provided their motivation is for good and God’s glory, not their own. I do not think there is anything wrong with a young leader desiring to improve his or her skills as a leader or in their desire to become the best leader he or she can be. In fact, I would encourage it. We approve of this ideology in other fields, such as the area of sports, so why not in the area of leadership?
Over the next several days of posts I want to walk through a Scripture that has shaped my life over the years. I preached on this passage recently. You can listen or watch that message HERE. I intend to walk through this familiar passage verse by verse and share my thoughts along the way. Feel free to add your own as we learn together.
I am so bummed tonight to have heard the news about Pastor Gary Lamb of Revolution Church in Georgia. I do not know Gary personally, only through Facebook, Twitter and his blog. I would never be one to put more burdens on a man already so broken, but I cannot get some thoughts off my mind tonight and my blog is one way I express myself. Since he addressed this in a very public way through his own blog (Read the account HERE), I thought I would share some of the things racing through my head. They may be good for all of us to consider.
Feel free to answer this question now: What are you trusting and asking God to do in your life right now?
I love progress. I think a country thrives best under capitalism. I frequent the businesses represented in my church because I want the businesses represented in our church to do well. They will do best when they earn more money. (Profit!) I love for people who make money to invest money in the Kingdom of God. It takes a lot of resources (money) to do the work of the church.
This morning, thanks to my Google Reader, I landed on an editorial story by Ed Wallace of Business Week Online. You can read the story HERE. Ed writes from an insider’s perspective about the reasons for the fall of General Motors. His insight is of a company who faced problems of arrogance and indifference, failing to meet the changing needs of its consumers. He saw a company that allowed the quality of their product to suffer while refusing to listen to concerns of insiders who were suggesting improvements.
