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How Much Can You Stand?

A few weeks ago I came across a concept of leadership that has been very helpful in my personal progress to become a better leader.  Many of us think that leaders are born.  The truth is, leaders are made.  Yes, there are those who have a special "gifting" from God but they are the exception to the rule.  The vast majority of leaders around the world were made. By this I mean that someone put them in an environment that challenged them, equipped them and instilled in them principles they have applied and thus become great leaders.

I am sure that all of us know of people we think are great leaders.  Have you ever thought about what it took for those people to get to the position they hold on your respect ladder?  They were born just like you.  Crawled in diapers just like you.  Made a mess at the table, in their paints and on the walls of their childhood home - just like you.  So what was it that caused them to go farther faster in comparison to you?  Honestly there are, of course, a lot of factors but there is one that is often overlooked.  These great leaders in your life have developed a key ability that has allowed their leadership to flourish and their organizations to grow.  It's called, Pain Tolerance.

Nothing stays the same. Change is a constant.  We work hard to get our organizations to a place of stability.  Only to find that when we reach that level there is another level that is now in our sights and now our leadership is challenged.  How do we get from HERE to THERE?

We must begin to realize that what it took to get us HERE is not enough to get us THERE.  Something has to change.  Change always precedes growth.  Without change, you would still be in diapers.  But your body changed and along with it, you had to adapt to a new reality - the bathroom. 

When you started you were crawling and trying to survive.  But eventually the time came that crawling was no longer good enough for you and you were ready to go to the next level - walking.  Well guess what?  You may not remember it now but the ability to walk and run that you possess now came at the expense of a lot of falling and scraping of knees. In other words...pain.

Pain accompanies change.  So if you want to lead an organization, you must see that there will be constant growth changes that take place.  Your ability to lead your organization through phases of growth will be directly proportional to your ability to manage personal pain.  Thus, one of the key qualities of all who desire to lead people is a high pain tolerance. 

When it comes down to it, it's not about how many people come to your business or church.  The question is how much pain can you stand?  The greater the pain tolerance, the bigger and better changes you can lead your organization through.

Why do I do it?

After reading the post from yesterday you may be wondering why in the world would I choose to give my life to reaching people when the majority of them could hurt me, misunderstand me, judge me, etc.  It does seem somewhat crazy doesn't it.  Well, I thought I would take a moment and address this thought.

First, I do it because God risked the pain of personal loss so that I could enjoy the personal gain of relationship with him.  Sometime we over look the pain of God in the story of redemption.  The Bible teaches us that God turned his back on his son right at the point of his death.  Have you ever thought how hard that had to be?  I believe in a concept called the Trinity.  The word is not found in the Bible.  It's a man made word to express a thought that is found in the Bible.  The thought that God, Christ and the Holy Spirit are three separate expressions of but yet all together make up a singular God presence.  Think about this for a moment. 

Let's assume that the Trinity is incorrect - that God the father is one being and Christ the son is another - as a parent how hard would it be for you to turn your back on your children?  Incredibly.  But let's now assume that the Trinity concept is right - that God the father and Jesus are different expression of the same presence - how hard is it to turn on yourself? 

This kind of person is often the one who is cutting themselves in the bathroom in an attempt to rid themselves of the demons of their mind and escape the pressure of living.  This kind of pain is extreme.

God risked this kind of pain - not when he sacrificed himself on the cross in the form of Christ - but when all the weight of sin was laid upon Christ.  The pain that humanity inflicted is nothing compared to the pain and aloneness experienced by the Christ on the cross. 

God's love for all of us was that strong.  His pain tolerance was that high.  If he could endure that pain and loss in exchange for the lost being reconnected to himself through relationship...I must believe that He who has called me will give me the strength needed to endure such pain, rejection and turmoil.

Secondly, I truly have a heart for the hurting and having dedicated my life to being Jesus-on-legs to people.

When I struggled with past sins and addictions, it wasn't until someone stepped up in my life and gave me grace when they could have condemned that I met Jesus.  I had studied Him.  I knew the story.  I had prayed (I mean common, I am a PK!)  But I had never MET Him.  This is the trouble we have in the church in America I believe.  We study Him.  We teach Him.  We pray to Him.  But we never truly BECOME Him.

The Bible calls the church the "body of Christ."  For my part, I have chosen to reach out to and love and be merciful to those who others don't.  This puts me in the high risk category for hurt and pain.  It also puts me closer in line with the place where God is and that is never a bad place to be.

Lastly, In the 8 months since starting Fellowship, I have met a lot of people who are hurt, broken, abused and forgotten.  They didn't believe that God really could help them and that their was truly hope for them.  God has used Fellowship, with all it's imperfections and imperfect people to show them a love and a path that they didn't know existed.  When I get discouraged, I read letters sent to me to remind me that the pain is worth it.  The misunderstandings are worth it.  I may not have the largest church on the block but one by one....yard by yard...running the fullback up the middle...we are seeing lives impacted for the God who endured personal pain to bring personal freedom to the world.

The 3 Faces of Elah

It has been a long while since my last post.  A lot has transpired in my life and at Fellowship Church.  This summer has been tough.  4 key marriages came under attack.  All 4 involved in my leadership core.  Been a long time since I have lost my breath and struggled to breathe.  For the entire summer, my spirit was out of breath and thought I was going to faint from the pressure and the dream inside was going to be aborted.

Then, as God would have it, an encounter with the Word changed it all for me.  The encounter came through the story of David and Goliath and is found in 1 Samuel 17.  In this story are three main figures - faces if you will.  3 Faces emerge from the pages of this story that have changed me and I want to share them with you.

It's important for those who are leaders because we are all of these faces - we have tendencies of each of these 3 faces in us.  I will focus on leaders first then wrap it up next week by bringing home to all of us.  But for now, let's look at leadership.

FACE 1 - SAUL

The Bible says that Goliath came and challenged the armies of Saul.  At the outset it's important to understand that Goliath was Saul's giant.  He was Saul's challenge.  He was Saul's problem.  When David came to Saul - a man who was willing to address the problem, Saul puts him in HIS ARMOR.  If Saul was concerned with protecting David, he would have found armor that would have fit David.  But what is often missed in this story is the importance of SAUL's IMAGE ON THE BATTLEFIELD. 

Lesson from Saul - There are some battles you CANNOT abdicate to someone else.  You have to take them on.  Your image is not enough.  Giving authority to someone to stand in your stead is not enough.  It's your baby - TAKE IT DOWN!!!!

FACE 2 - GOLIATH

The Bible says Goliath mocked and discounted David because of his size and his age.  Goliath was better staffed with weapons.  He had an armor bearer - someone who would go out and take the brunt of the attack if needed!  He was the big daddy who didn't feel that the issue (David) was important enough for him to deal with.

Lesson from Goliath - It's the little things you discount that you don't think are important are the ones that will bring you down.  DON'T MISS THIS.  Your attitude and your words are enough to bring down your marriage.  Your communication to others on a heart level is enough to lead to adultery.  Do not miss this.  The little things that you discount that you don't think are important are the ones that will bring you down.

FACE 3 - DAVID

The Bible says that when David approached Saul, willing to face Saul's giant, Saul discounted David in comparison to Goliath.  Goliath was a warrior.  David a shepherd.  David a young man. Goliath a real man.  David gave his resume - he defeated a lion and bear.

Lesson from David - You can't decapitate another person's giant until you defeat your lions and bears.  Bears are seasonal animals and represent seasonal attacks.  We have to recognize the season we are week so that we can defend ourselves against their attacks.  Lions are constant predators and represent constant attacks that nip at our heels.  As a minister, I cannot truly expect a move from God in my church to the level I want until I defeat the issues of my own life - the lions and bears!

Tomorrow, I will share how these faces apply to all people.  Leaders - I hope you have some things to challenge your thoughts today.  I know I do.