THE UPSIDE OF TENSION
The right amount of pressure & tension can be used to pick up a contact lens and/or throw a baseball. The key is to leverage that tension appropriately.
1. Every organization has problems that shouldn’t be SOLVED and tensions that should be RESOLVED.
A. For example: Whats more important?
*Working and/or Family
*Preaching inspired by the Holy Spirit and/or getting kids back from volunteers on time.
*Excellence vs Sound Financial decisions
*Theology and/or Application
B. If you “resolve” any of those tensions, you will CREATE new tensions.
*We have to learn to manage these problems and tensions … not solve/resolve them.
C. If you resolve any of those tensions, you create a barrier to progress.
D. Progress depends not on the resolution of those tensions but on the successful MANAGEMENT of those tensions.
*When there are two opposing forces, you must create a third option/category, otherwise you end up with a win/lose. Or a lose/lose situation
2. To distinguish between problems to solve and tensions to manage, ask the following:
*Does this problem or tension keep resurfacing?
*Are there mature advocates for both sides?
ex. Keep church safe for seekers vs need to mature Christians
*Are the two sides really independent?
3. The role of leadership is to LEVERAGE the tension to the benefit of the organization.
A. Identify the tensions to be managed in your organization.
B. Create TERMINOLOGY EVERYONE KNOWS.
C. Inform your CORE.
*Key players must understand the principle or catch the vision.
D. Continually give VALUE to both sides.
E. Don’t weigh in too heavily on your personal biases.
*Understand the UP SIDE of the opposite side.
F. Don’t allow strong personalities to WIN the day.
*You need passionate people to champion a side, but also a mature person that realizes it’s a tension that won’t ever be resolved.
G. Don;t think in terms of balance. Think RHYTHM
*Don’t try to be fair. – not we did x last year so to be fair lets do y this year.
*Understand timing, time to learn, time to serve, time to preach/time to sing.
*Identify tensions (not solvable) … and identify problems that do NEED to be solved.
CONCLUSION: As a leader, one of the most valuable things you can do for your organization is differentiate between tensions your organization will always need to manage vs problems that need to be solv
*No-one is immune from a failure
*Every Situation is Unique
How do you approach this as Leaders and a Church?
1. Ignore it
2. Blast it, by Blasting them
3. Just Fire them and Move on with out a lot of discussion
4. Acknowledge it and talk about how we should deal with it
*Help Unpack feelings that
*It allows you to show the people who you really are
How do you attempt to safeguard this from happening in your church
Develop Policies
*staff covenant that the staff signs every year
*Policies of where you can go with people of the opposite staff
*If it looks like a date, smells like a date, it probably is a date
*Meet with staff about these policies
*Remind the staff that we are all Human beings
*We are wired for reproduction
*We are wired for a intimacy and companionship
*We are all sinners and these things lead us to do things we didn’t plan on doing
*Paint a picture of Sin
*The moment of the maybe – “What would it be like if …?”
*We don’t ask the question “How does this end happy?”
*What is it going to look like when you have to tell your spouse?
*Even if you have feelings, never share them with the other person
*Remind them that God id a God of Second Chances but it’s extremely hard to go for plan B
5 R’s for RESISTING TEMPTATION
*REMEMBER who you are!
*RECOGNIZE the consequences of your actions!
*Try to fan
*REDEDICATE yourself to God
Stop, Drop, and Pray
*REVEAL your struggle to a trusted friend
*REMOVE yourself from the situation
*Sometimes there are radical things you have to do to avoid temptation
*REMEMBER the Gospel is for Sinners
BIG iDEAS
*The aim of the Christian Life is Sanctification! AS LEADERS WE ARE CALLED TO HIGHER STANDARDS!!!
1 thes 4:3-5&7
*All of us are tempted as Human Beings
Good is the enemy of great
*How do you make the leap to GREAT performance?
*Greatness is largely a matter of choice and discipline!
How do the mighty fall
*If it can happen to them, it can happen to anyone! Anyone can fall and many do.
*You can be sick on the inside and still look strong on the outside!
5 STAGES OF DECLINE
1. HUBRIS BORN OF SUCCESS
*outrageous arrogance to neglect our life calling and failure to renew that everyday with the same passion as if when we first began
*Bad decision made with good intentions are still bad decisions!
*Three leaders described everyone of them understood that it’s not about them!!!!
*Good to Great leaders are different they are level 5 leaders not level 4 leaders
*What separated the #4 leaders from the #5 leaders was their Humility.
*The greatest leaders signature was their humility!
*It’s their drive to do whatever it takes for the advance of the organization and vision
2. UNDISCIPLINED PURSUIT OF MORE
*The mighty fall by going to far, by over-reaching
*They break packards fall
*Do we have all seats filled with fantastic leaders, if not, we are on the brink of falling
3. DENIAL OF SICK AND PERIL
*you look good on the outside
* Look at handbook:
*Teams on the Way up vs Team on the way down
*Stockdale paradox
*you must never ever confuse faith and facts
*never give up but face the facts
4. GRASPING FOR SALVATION
*Looking for something to save the day
*they look to the outside instead of from within
*greatness is an accumulative process, not a single bullet, single event, single person.
*every day, every week, every person matters.
*You have to make the choice to continue to get better, and better, and better
5. CAPITULATION OF IRRELEVANCE OR DEATH
*It’s over, you are ready to give up, you’ve lost your influence
What causes companies to stand strong and long
*They had a reason for existence
*They answer the question what would be lost if we disappeared
*They are driven by purpose beyond money and success
*They will not compromise product quality
*They understand that they have to have the ability to change
*They understand the power of AND when asked a this OR that question
*There is a core that has to be held tight!
*Preserve the core and stimulate progress
*Hold the value constant
TO DO
1. Do your diagnostics (jimcollins.com) Good to Great diagnostic tools use it with your team
2. Count your Blessings – don’t stop till you get 100
you see all the good things that happen that we didn’t create
3. What is your questions to statements ratio … can you double it in the next year
*Ask the right questions
*Invest more in being interested instead of interesting
4. Answer question how many seats are on your bus
5. Do the inventory
6. Create an inventory of the brutal facts
7. Create a Stop Doing List
8. Define Results and Focus there
9. Double your reach to young people by changing your practices without changing your core values
10. Create, and/or Chase your Big Harry Audacious Goal
The Leadership Slump …
every leaders experiences it at some point. It causes us to doubt ourselves and our calling.
LEADERSHIP FUNDAMENTALS
1. LEADERS MOVE PEOPLE FROM HERE TO THERE!
*We are here – current reality … but if we work hard we will move here.
*You have to paint the picture for people to see so they can take steps to get there
*Expect others to say, we like it here, we are staying here. Why mess with something thats not broken?
*The first play is not to make THERE sound wonderful, the first play is to make HERE sound horrible.
*Build the case of why we cant stay HERE.
*People are ready for the THERE Speech because they have heard all the speeches saying why they cant stay here! Staying here Breaks the HEART OF GOD!
*If you are a leader your job is to figure out where God is moving and get others to move there also!
2. IT GONNA TAKE FANTASTIC PEOPLE
*One of the greatest jobs and roles of leadership is establishing teams that move in the direction that God is calling us.
*The 3 C’s of recruiting staff now the 4 C’s
Character
Competence
Chemistry – do they get along with everyone
Culture – What kind of person connects with the culture of our team. Will they fit into our culture
Sacrifice
*A fundamental of leadership is to attract people who will flourish in your leadership culture.
Reactions to team members resigning
* Relief
* Oh No
* Read it, read it again, and then realize that you might be losing someone that is irreplaceable.
*Do you view this as a privilege or a hindrance to your movement of the organization?
3. MILE MARKERS and CELEBRATIONS
*When you are on the journey make sure to refill the vision bucket so you continue to move forward
*Celebrate every mile marker on the way. Make sure you put them in to rejuvenate the team!
*What keeps people on the journey is the sense of hope that they will get there someday!
*Point out that you are no longer HERE you are halfway THERE!
*The power of inspiration – 40% differential in the productivity of an inspired volunteer and an un inspirited volunteer!
*When was the last time you through a party to celebrate the progress you have made thus far. Doing this keeps people on the journey.
4. WHISPERS FROM GOD
*JOHN 10:27 – My sheep hear my voice and they listen
*You want to hear God, you have to read the Bible!!!!! Read it!
*Do you listen to Gods promoting? It’s the feeling that allows you to see the unseen!
*Do you believe that God still speaks today?
*What is God whispering to me? Am I listening? What will I do? What will we do?
*REALITY: Sometimes God speaks and we don’t hear Him because the other noise is so loud in our lives.
*Will you do everything in your power to hear from the Lord?
*If leaders world wide, would listen to the Whispers of God, it would radically change the coarse of history.
LEADERSHIP WHISPERS FROM GOD
*DONT QUIT!
*STEP UP
*TAKE THE RISK
*APOLOGIZE NOW
*MAKE THE TOUGH DECISION
*GET HELP
*STOP RUNNING FROM GOD
*SLOW DOWN
*SHOW YOUR HEART
*LET OTHERS LEAD
*FEED YOUR SOUL
*BLESS THE TEAM
*MAKE THE ASK
*DO SOMETHING MORE IMPACTFUL
*COME CLEAN
*EMBODY THE VISION
*CELEBRATE VICTORIES
*COUNT YOUR BLESSINGS
*END THE SECRET
*CHECK YOUR MOTIVES
*SET PACE
*GIVE GOD YOUR BEST
*GET PHYSICALLY FIT
*SERVE YOUR SPOUSE AND KIDS
*PRAY
*HUMBLE YOURSELVES
*SPEAK LORD YOUR SERVANT IS LISTENING
It’s been awhile since my last post! It’s seems I go through times of inspiration and desperation when it comes to writing something new that reflects my heart, challenges my walk with Christ, and may inspire others to take a step of faith. With technology spreading as it has, I have faithfully jumped on board the social media bandwagon.
If you were a faithful reader of this blog, I’d first like to say thank you, and I’d like to encourage you to follow me on twitter @dgould77. I’ll be honest, I couldn’t stand twitter when it first came out. I didn’t understand it’s potential and I didn’t think anyone would actually care to follow my post. I was wrong!
Over the last year I’ve committed to tweeting daily 3-5 times a day. I am trying to be cautious and not over tweet, however, if I’m at a conference, camp, or special family outing an occasional over tweet may happen. But here is how I leverage my tweets and what you can expect from me when you follow.
1. Scripture – I work hard to stay in the Word (read the Bible) on a daily basis. Yes, it takes work and commitment, even for me! Everyday I tweet a verse from my daily reading. I typically tweet this before 8:00AM. The verses I share inspire/challenge/convict/encourage me and i hope they will do the same for you.
2. Inspiration – I try to be a reader. Because we all know that “readers are leaders”! But i have a confession, I hate reading! My son said it best last year when he said, “Dad, Did you know before they had fun, they just had reading?” In-spite of this, I try to post either a quote from something I am reading, singing, listening to, or watching, a link to something I’ve heard or seen, or a thought that God is stirring within me. I am trying to do this in the afternoons on a daily basis.
3. Family Life – Well, you never know what’s going to happen next, that’s for sure! This has been a great resource when it comes to keeping people updated with Jackson and being able to have people pray in the blink of a tweet. But I also try to tweet the everyday, funny, normal and not so normal things that happen within our family. There is nothing special about us, but it allows you to see me in real life, not just as a Student Pastor.
4. Student Ministry Stuff – Because this is what God has called me to, it’s natural for me to talk about Student Ministry things. This has become a great platform for me to get the word out about events, topics, resources, and other information that our students, parents, volunteers, and even other Student Pastors can find helpful.
I hope you will begin to follow me on twitter @dgould77 and join me in this journey called life and living From the Inside Out!
1 Then the entire council took Jesus to Pilate, the Roman governor. 2 They began to state their case: “This man has been leading our people astray by telling them not to pay their taxes to the Roman government and by claiming he is the Messiah, a king.”
3 So Pilate asked him, “Are you the king of the Jews?”
Jesus replied, “You have said it.”
4 Pilate turned to the leading priests and to the crowd and said, “I find nothing wrong with this man!”
5 Then they became insistent. “But he is causing riots by his teaching wherever he goes—all over Judea, from Galilee to Jerusalem!”
6 “Oh, is he a Galilean?” Pilate asked. 7 When they said that he was, Pilate sent him to Herod Antipas, because Galilee was under Herod’s jurisdiction, and Herod happened to be in Jerusalem at the time.
8 Herod was delighted at the opportunity to see Jesus, because he had heard about him and had been hoping for a long time to see him perform a miracle. 9 He asked Jesus question after question, but Jesus refused to answer. 10 Meanwhile, the leading priests and the teachers of religious law stood there shouting their accusations. 11 Then Herod and his soldiers began mocking and ridiculing Jesus. Finally, they put a royal robe on him and sent him back to Pilate. 12 (Herod and Pilate, who had been enemies before, became friends that day.)
13 Then Pilate called together the leading priests and other religious leaders, along with the people, 14 and he announced his verdict. “You brought this man to me, accusing him of leading a revolt. I have examined him thoroughly on this point in your presence and find him innocent. 15 Herod came to the same conclusion and sent him back to us. Nothing this man has done calls for the death penalty. 16 So I will have him flogged, and then I will release him.”[a]
18 Then a mighty roar rose from the crowd, and with one voice they shouted, “Kill him, and release Barabbas to us!” 19 (Barabbas was in prison for taking part in an insurrection in Jerusalem against the government, and for murder.) 20 Pilate argued with them, because he wanted to release Jesus. 21 But they kept shouting, “Crucify him! Crucify him!”
22 For the third time he demanded, “Why? What crime has he committed? I have found no reason to sentence him to death. So I will have him flogged, and then I will release him.”
23 But the mob shouted louder and louder, demanding that Jesus be crucified, and their voices prevailed. 24 So Pilate sentenced Jesus to die as they demanded. 25 As they had requested, he released Barabbas, the man in prison for insurrection and murder. But he turned Jesus over to them to do as they wished.
The Crucifixion
26 As they led Jesus away, a man named Simon, who was from Cyrene,[b] happened to be coming in from the countryside. The soldiers seized him and put the cross on him and made him carry it behind Jesus. 27 A large crowd trailed behind, including many grief-stricken women. 28 But Jesus turned and said to them, “Daughters of Jerusalem, don’t weep for me, but weep for yourselves and for your children. 29 For the days are coming when they will say, ‘Fortunate indeed are the women who are childless, the wombs that have not borne a child and the breasts that have never nursed.’ 30 People will beg the mountains, ‘Fall on us,’ and plead with the hills, ‘Bury us.’[c]31 For if these things are done when the tree is green, what will happen when it is dry?[d]”
32 Two others, both criminals, were led out to be executed with him. 33 When they came to a place called The Skull,[e] they nailed him to the cross. And the criminals were also crucified—one on his right and one on his left.
34 Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they don’t know what they are doing.”[f] And the soldiers gambled for his clothes by throwing dice.[g]
35 The crowd watched and the leaders scoffed. “He saved others,” they said, “let him save himself if he is really God’s Messiah, the Chosen One.” 36 The soldiers mocked him, too, by offering him a drink of sour wine. 37 They called out to him, “If you are the King of the Jews, save yourself!” 38 A sign was fastened to the cross above him with these words: “This is the King of the Jews.”
39 One of the criminals hanging beside him scoffed, “So you’re the Messiah, are you? Prove it by saving yourself—and us, too, while you’re at it!”
40 But the other criminal protested, “Don’t you fear God even when you have been sentenced to die? 41 We deserve to die for our crimes, but this man hasn’t done anything wrong.” 42 Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your Kingdom.”
43 And Jesus replied, “I assure you, today you will be with me in paradise.”
The Death of Jesus
44 By this time it was noon, and darkness fell across the whole land until three o’clock. 45 The light from the sun was gone. And suddenly, the curtain in the sanctuary of the Temple was torn down the middle. 46 Then Jesus shouted, “Father, I entrust my spirit into your hands!”[h] And with those words he breathed his last.
47 When the Roman officer[i] overseeing the execution saw what had happened, he worshiped God and said, “Surely this man was innocent.[j]” 48 And when all the crowd that came to see the crucifixion saw what had happened, they went home in deep sorrow.[k]49 But Jesus’ friends, including the women who had followed him from Galilee, stood at a distance watching.
The Burial of Jesus
50 Now there was a good and righteous man named Joseph. He was a member of the Jewish high council, 51 but he had not agreed with the decision and actions of the other religious leaders. He was from the town of Arimathea in Judea, and he was waiting for the Kingdom of God to come. 52 He went to Pilate and asked for Jesus’ body. 53 Then he took the body down from the cross and wrapped it in a long sheet of linen cloth and laid it in a new tomb that had been carved out of rock. 54 This was done late on Friday afternoon, the day of preparation,[l] as the Sabbath was about to begin.
55 As his body was taken away, the women from Galilee followed and saw the tomb where his body was placed. 56 Then they went home and prepared spices and ointments to anoint his body. But by the time they were finished the Sabbath had begun, so they rested as required by the law.
“And he called his twelve disciples together and began sending them out two by two, giving them authority to cast out evil[a] spirits.” v. 7 (NLT)
The Disciples were sent out in pairs. Individually they could have reached more areas of the country, but this was not Christ’s plan. The advantages in going out by twos include:
They could strengthen each other.
They could provide comfort in rejection.
They could give each other discernment, and fewer mistakes would be made.
They could stir each other to action as a counter to idleness or indifference.
Our strength comes from God, but He meets many of our needs through teamwork with others. As you serve Christ, don;t try it alone. – NLT Life Application Study Bible
Today: Who are you teaming with to share Christ with others? Do you have someone that you can stack hands with so these 4 things can happen in your life?
Prayer: Father, you have called us to be light in dark places, to share the hope of the Gospel with love and compassion. But for some reason fear gets the best of us. We fear what they might say, or what they might ask that we can’t answer. Help us not to fear, but to trust that you will guide us and give us the power we need at the appropriate time, whether it’s sharing with someone who is open to you and we are received with love, or sharing with someone who is closed to you and rejects you and persecutes us with words or action. Regardless of the outcome, let us go with Boldness and Power that comes from you through the presence of the Holy Spirit.
Then Jesus told them, “A prophet is honored everywhere except in his own hometown and among his relatives and his own family.” v.4 (NLT)
Jesus understands rejection, ridicule, and disappointment. Sometimes the hardest people to share the Truth of the Gospel with are the people that are closest to us. I find it interesting that the people were amazed by His teaching and the power He had to perform miracles, but when they started talking about who He was and where He came from they started to scoff, discredit, and reject the things He was saying.
Here is the lesson for us. The Gospel is powerful, it can change the hardest heart, but sometimes people will reject it and the messenger that brings it. If Jesus experienced this, why should we think that it can’t happen to us. Here are four reasons I think this happens
People are afraid of the things they cant explain! (fear)
People are comfortable in the here and now! (complacency)
People think they are ok! (pride)
People don’t want to deal with their stuff (guilt)
I am sure there are way more reasons that people have to not accepting the the Gospel, but these are ones that I hear more than others. Remember, our job is not to change them, our job is to share Christ with them. The way that they respond, is up to them.
Today: Are you sharing the Gospel with the people that are closest to you? Have you experienced some rejection? If so, it’s ok, even Jesus was rejected by those that knew Him the most!
Prayer: Father help rest in the Good News, knowing that it has the power to transform the softest and hardest heart. Help us to share your truth with the people that are closest to us. Help us to love them unconditionally regardless of how they respond to the Gospel. Let us not seek their approval or their applause but, let us seek to please you, for you have done great things for us. Let us experience your power and your peace as we boldly proclaim your truth and your love for us! Advance your Kingdom through us!
In this passage we see fear expressed in two similar but different ways. Both however reveal that Jesus has the power over life and death.
The woman was fearful that her condition disqualified her from meeting Jesus. She desperately wanted Jesus to heal her, but she knew that her bleeding would cause Him to be unclean under Jewish law if she touched him. Therefore she tried the sneak attack! She believed if she could just touch Him, she would be healed … and she was. Sometimes we feel that our problems will keep us from God. Our shame, our situation, or what others might think, say, or do, keeps us trapped from experiencing the Life Changing Power of Jesus. The good news is that He is always ready to help, no matter how impossible the problem seems to us. We should never allow our fear to keep us from approaching Him!
Jairus was fearful that it was too late. He had sought Jesus, but now he’s just gotten word that his daughter is dead. In the midst of confusion, anger, mourning and serious crisis, Jesus says these powerful words, “Don’t be afraid. Just have faith!“ These words speak to us today. These words bring both hope and promise. The next time we feel hopeless and afraid, we need to remember these words and let them go deep into our heart. The situation we are facing may be intense, but Jesus can calm our fears and help us through any situation.
Today, where do you need to experience Jesus? Is there something that you are holding back in fear? Maybe its fear or maybe its shame, whatever it is, Jesus can bring healing to that situation if you will seek Him.
Prayer: Father, we need you in every situation. Help us not to hide in the crowd! When things get intense, help us to not be afraid but to trust you completely. Increase our faith, so we can experience the miracle! In our darkest hour let us remember that you never let go!
“When Jesus was still some distance away, the man saw him, ran to meet him, and bowed low before him. 7 With a shriek, he screamed, ‘Why are you interfering with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? In the name of God, I beg you, don’t torture me!’ 8 For Jesus had already said to the spirit, ‘Come out of the man, you evil spirit.‘” v. 6-8 (NLT)
There is a powerful and interesting thing that happens when people meet Jesus. This particular encounter is one of my favorites because it shows the Radical Life Changing power of Jesus. This man, a social outcast, who cannot be restrained by chains any longer, walks around the burial caves and hills howling and cutting himself. This guy was scary, I don’t see him being invited to many social gatherings.
However, this man has an encounter with Jesus! Jesus looks beyond the physical and see the spiritual and transforms this man from the inside out. The people didn’t know how to respond to this. In, fact:
“the crowd began pleading with Jesus to go away and leave them alone.” v. 17 (NLT)
It’s interesting to me that people respond to Jesus in such different ways. Many times people, hear about Jesus, see how He changes others from the inside out, but still want nothing to do with Him. While others respond to what they have heard and seen and are willing to allow Him to change them from the inside out.
Today, how do you respond to Jesus? Are you letting Him transform you from the inside out?
Prayer: Father, help us see the spiritual not only the physical. Help us to see our need for you first, so we can see how much others need you also. Let us respond in faith, instead of fear so we can experience the radical life changing power of Jesus. Let our story and life be a testimony so others can see the power of Jesus and be open to what He could do in theirs also!
Dan Gould 