Don’t be afraid of growth you cannot understand. It’s messier, harder to contain, even uncomfortable at times, but it also keeps leaders energized, maintains momentum, and helps spur exponential growth.
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This verse reminds me of countless others in the Bible where men obeyed the command of God, simply because He is God. “Noah did just as the Lord commanded†(Genesis 6:22) for example. We can read similar verses about Moses, Abraham, Joseph and Mary, Paul and others. God is still looking for people like Jeremiah who will obey God and do what He commands. I have always suspected that God knew the hearts of the people He spoke to enough to know what their response to His command would be prior to asking them to obey.
God wanted to speak to Jeremiah and He was going to use pottery as a part of His discussion. Sometimes God will use situations in our life to gain our attention and illustrate for us His agenda. You and I, if we want to hear from God, must continually rid our lives of distractions, strive to walk in obedience with Him daily, free our life of unneeded clutter, slow down long enough to listen for the voice of God, and watch and listen for God’s voice in the midst of the normal routine and places of life.
Bob Fryling is author of “The Leadership Ellipse: Shaping How You Lead by Who You Are” and serves as publisher of InterVarsity Press and Vice President of InterVarsity Christian Fellowship. He writes, speaks and teaches in the areas of spiritual formation, leadership, Christian faith and culture. He lives in Illinois with his wife, Alice, an author and spiritual director. Together they have co-authored three books.
Chad Rowland is my co-pastor. Some day I may write more about that, but, basically as the title indicates, it means we share leadership responsibilities at Grace Community Church. Chad is younger, more into creative arts, and more relational than me, so he balances well with my strategic wiring. I was delighted when Chad chose to answer my ten leadership questions. (Honestly, it helped me know he actually reads my blog!)
Lantz Howard just became a new dad. Check out some great baby pictures on his blog. Lantz is also a frequent Twitter friend (You can follow him HERE) and today I’m featuring his 10 question leadership interview. Lantz is a youth and family minister. I’m impressed with what I see in Lantz and you’ll be impressed with his answers.
In my Christian life there have only been a few times where I could clearly say “I heard a word from God.†Don’t get me wrong, I feel God’s leading on a consistent basis through His Word, he guidance of the Holy Spirit, and through other followers of Christ, but for God to directly speak to me about something in specific terms is a rare occurrence. It’s a very humbling and welcome experience, but it certainly doesn’t happen everyday.
I once wrote that growth covers over a multitude of problems. (Read that post HERE.) I know many organizations and people that mistakenly believe for a time (before it catches up with them) that busyness means things are moving in the right direction. That may or may not be true, but success always depends more on the type of activity than on the quantity of activity.
There is something special about knowing people are praying for you. Cheryl received a text from someone recently wanting to know if we were okay. This sweet prayer warrior had been woken at 4:30 AM that morning with an overwhelming sense that we needed prayer. It was the same morning we received the news that my father had passed away unexpectedly. What an awesome encouragement!
I’m working on some blog posts, messages, and perhaps even a book on fathering. I’m especially interested in addressing the absence of a strong father figure in a person’s life, since I see it as a huge scar in many people’s life.
You can help me with this part of my ministry. Please consider completing my survey on fathering. It’s quick and easy and all responses are anonymous.
Sometimes you have to laugh. I don’t normally laugh at comic strips…or share them…but something about these seemed funny at time so I decided to share them. The picture was in the same email…and what’s not to love about it. Hope they produce an afternoon smile!
I love to challenge ideas; even my own. I have to be careful how I challenge them, but I think the best ideas have undergone serious critical thinking prior to introduction.
While I do not know Dave Baldwin personally, I have grown to have tremendous respect for him as a leader. Whenever Dave comments on one of my posts, his response is thoughtful and helpful. He is apparently the type leader I would want on my team or one whose team I would want to serve. You can follow Dave on Twitter HERE.
Patricia Zell is a frequent commenter on my blog. I especially appreciate those who take the time not only to read the posts I write, but participate in the discussion of them. Patricia and I have commented back and forth before about her role as a teacher. She made comments, such as, “I’m not necessarily a leader, but as a teacher…â€, to which I always reply something such as, “That sounds like a leader to me.†If we believe that leadership is about influence, then teachers are some of the most influential leaders we have. They certainly impact our society in a powerful way. In my life, some of my biggest influencers have been teachers. You can follow Patricia on Twitter HERE.
In response to David being a man after God’s own heart, I’ve heard people say, “Yea, that that was said before the Bathsheba incident.†I’ve heard people write off his witness after that period of failure in David’s life. It is true that David failed…he failed big time, but I don’t believe that David’s heart really ever changed. I think he died with the same passion with which he lived. I think he had a heart that desired to please and honor God even after the Bathsheba incident.