FYI
Tony Reinke on "Enjoy Your Possessions Before They Possess You"
I am convinced that one of the most important stewardship principles we can master is to enjoy God's good gifts to us as God's good gifts to us. The problem is when the gifts are the ends. But serving God's kingdom with what we have includes enjoying what we have. Here's an excerpt from Reinke's post at Desiring God:
I cannot own many of the greatest gifts God has given me. I do not own my wife; I do not own my kids; I don’t own my time, or the oceans, or the rain, or the sunshine, or the majestic mountain ranges — certainly not in any sense in which I own my minivan (my name is on the title).
The man who loves the ocean so much that he sells all that he has and buys a beachfront property with his own private sand and closes it off from others so that he can exclusively use it is the man whose joy will die by exclusivity. He cannot enjoy possessions because the possessions possess him.
On the other hand, the man who buys beachfront property in order to freely share that property with his friends and family will find his joy doubled. By his seaside generosity, this man will bless many others in great ways.
But perhaps the most blessed of all is the man who doesn’t need to own beachfront property at all. He has learned to enjoy every beach in the world for its sheer beauty. He is freed from the desire to enjoy only what he possesses. This seems to be the way Romans 1 pushes us to contemplate. To be truly human is to express a Godward gratitude in the delights of creation.
Michael Lukaszewski on "The Two People Every Organization Needs"
Brian Burquest (Executive Pastor) and I took a day offsite to evaluate our our "marriage" is going and how we can make it better. Okay, sounds weird, but we've been at this for a little over a year, working together as Senior and Executive Pastor, and we wanted to maximize our roles. At the end of the day we had a draft of the top three to five things each one of us needs to focus on so that our staff and our church can thrive. Things that not only go with our roles, but our strengths and gifts. We shared it with our executive team this week and I said something like, "Brian, if I had to do your list, I'd hate my life." He said, "I feel the same about yours!" So this post from Lukaszewski caught my attention. Here's an excerpt:
The visionary generates ideas, sees the big picture and provides the passion. He has a mental picture of the future in vivid color. But it can be tough to stay focused, execute on anything that looks like details, and falls victim to too many ideas.
The integrator beats the drum and makes sure the trains run on time. They are steady, more detailed, and are often the voice of reason. Integrators are managers who know how to get things done.
...Every organization needs both. It’s Yin and Yang – two forces seemingly opposed to each other but actually help each other as they interact. One without the other is doomed.
Walt Disney (visionary) had his brother Roy (integrator). John D. Rockefeller (visionary) had Henry M. Flagler (integrator). Henry Ford (visionary) had James Couzens (integrator). In each of those cases, it was the powerful combination, not just a great idea or not just daily execution, that led to success.
Bill Hybels on "Reduce Speed or Prepare for Impact"
The Willow Creek Association releases a weekly video excerpt of Bill Hybels teaching at pastor and leader gatherings. They call it 363GLS. Most are about 5 minutes long. Here's the latest on the danger of living life fast. If you want to link to it from your email, go here.