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Developing Leaders pt. Dos

I'm writing this about an hour after service, so it may have some influence on tonight's post...

Investing in leaders is not easy.  People will let you down (and you'll let them down so don't stick your nose in the air!).  People will fail you.  And it WILL hurt.  It hurts even more when its Judas who sells you out.  

But for all the Judas' you'll still have 11 (or so) who will excel.  They may have their moments of weakness, but in the long haul--once the get "it"--they will carry on your legacy--and hopefully outshine you.

Couldn't be prouder of the band and Lee.  They did a great job tonight.  Great job team captains--especially Amanda.  I feel your pain.

More to come later this week.

Developing Leaders

One of my personal passions is developing the potential of those around me.  That's not just a ministry "goal" for me, it's a life calling.  God has blessed me with the ability (not sure if that's the right word) to see the potential/talent/calling/hidden abilities in others.  Because of that, I have this burning desire to see them achieve their God-callings.

If you are in ministry, I don't believe developing leaders/people is optional.  Jeremiah tells us that God has a plan for each of our lives.  As the spiritual shepherds of our congregations, it is our responsibility to help people discover that plan and then execute it.  I believe that this is the life that Jesus calls us to when he says he gives "life more abundantly."  I believe that worshipping God involves living out the plan He has for us.

Before you can develop leaders, you have to have a passion for people.  Jesus was passionate about people--no matter their background, social status, or messed-up-ness.  He could see the potential in corrupt people like Matthew and crazed nationalistic terrorists like Simon the Zealot.  If you have difficulty seeing the value and potential in others, I believe you should ask God to open your eyes.  Ask God for the passion it takes to deal with people and their messed-up-ness (it can be hard to deal with at times).  When you see the value that the people around you have, you can then begin to take steps toward developing leaders.

Weekend Update

It's been a busy weekend...it was the first weekend in the house as a married couple.  It was great.  I love Amanda!  We had Homecoming at church, which basically is an excuse to eat a lot of (really good) food.  Had a blast.  Then I went home and took a nap (very uncommon for me to do on Sundays>>Sundays = Mondays for me).  After that I began to work on Elvis's (the dog) kennel.  I must admit I have very little mechanical aptitude.  I finished putting up the frame and I have to go purchase some wire cutters to finish petting the mesh fencing up.

Looks like it will be another busy week.

But at least Amanda will be there with me.

Married Life

Well, the honeymoon is over now.  We had a blast in the mountains.  We wound up staying an extra day.  Turns out my parents (special thanks to them for paying) had made our reservations through Thursday instead of Wednesday--it was a nice treat.

Amanda and I came back home to find a completely destroyed house that had been labeled.  There were literally thousands of labels everywhere.  It was a good joke...kudos to the groomsmen.  I'm already working on the plot for revenge.

The past couple of weeks have been kind of a blur.  I almost don't remember anything about the wedding.  The Hyatt Place was EXTREMELY NICE.  We probably spent more money on food this week than should be legal.

I'm glad to be back to the real (married) world.  It's nice to have all the pomp and circumstance and then to have the secret getaway, but it's also cool to sleep in your own bed, with your wife.  It's nice to be able to focus on ministry instead of a thousand details of things that have to be done before Wedding Day.  It's nice to be me.

Craziness

It's been nothing but craziness this past week.  Got to take the little kids to Kids' Camp and I came home sick.  Fought through the weekend and finally went to the doctor yesterday.  I feel a lot better today.  I finished up my vows last night (thank goodness!) and now all I have to do is finish our slide-show and make the programs...not to mention write a sermon, set up for Wed night service, set up for next Wed night service, get Sunday pre-service ready, figure out how much money to take on the honeymoon, visit some of the adults in the church, write some letters, research computers and media software...and probably a whole lot of stuff that I'm forgetting write now.  Oh yeah, and then I'm getting married Saturday (come quickly!).

So it's one of those weeks.