Saturday, August 22, 2009
Tuesday, August 11, 2009
To Glorify God
I heard this lesson from a friend of mine, Pastor Brian, a few weeks ago and felt it was worth repeating. Glorifying God is not duty driven. God is glorified by our obedience. The more we obey the more He is glorified. Obedience cannot be the reason we love God.
What is our main motive – is it out of duty or is it to delight in the Lord? How you answer this question will determine how you live your life.
Let me give you an example – kissing my wife goodnight – after 24 years of marriage there has been a lot of good night kissing going on.
I could kiss my wife because I don’t want her to be mad. I could kiss my wife to let her know I’m not mad with her. I could kiss my wife to gain her affection, if you know what I mean. I could kiss my wife to let her know everything is ok even though my heart is far from her. I could kiss my wife because its what I always do. Or I could kiss my wife because she is my delight. She’s the one I love. I want her to be the last one I kiss at night and the first one I kiss in the morning. If I’m kissing my wife out of duty, that could be a bad thing. I should be kissing my wife out of delight. Delight has to be my main motive.
When it comes to my relationship with the God I could obey Him because I don’t want Him to be mad at me. I could obey God to let Him know I’m not mad at him. I could obey God to gain his affection. I could obey God to let Him know everything is ok even though my heart is far from Him. I could obey God because it’s what I always do. Or I could obey God because He is my delight; He’s the one I love. If I’m coming to God at night because I delight in Him it’s a whole nother thing.
I should obey god because I delight in him. Delight has to be our main motive. God is jealous for his own glory. This is a good thing.
What is our main motive – is it out of duty or is it to delight in the Lord? How you answer this question will determine how you live your life.
Let me give you an example – kissing my wife goodnight – after 24 years of marriage there has been a lot of good night kissing going on.
I could kiss my wife because I don’t want her to be mad. I could kiss my wife to let her know I’m not mad with her. I could kiss my wife to gain her affection, if you know what I mean. I could kiss my wife to let her know everything is ok even though my heart is far from her. I could kiss my wife because its what I always do. Or I could kiss my wife because she is my delight. She’s the one I love. I want her to be the last one I kiss at night and the first one I kiss in the morning. If I’m kissing my wife out of duty, that could be a bad thing. I should be kissing my wife out of delight. Delight has to be my main motive.
When it comes to my relationship with the God I could obey Him because I don’t want Him to be mad at me. I could obey God to let Him know I’m not mad at him. I could obey God to gain his affection. I could obey God to let Him know everything is ok even though my heart is far from Him. I could obey God because it’s what I always do. Or I could obey God because He is my delight; He’s the one I love. If I’m coming to God at night because I delight in Him it’s a whole nother thing.
I should obey god because I delight in him. Delight has to be our main motive. God is jealous for his own glory. This is a good thing.
Friday, June 26, 2009
Leaders / Designers
As our team here at PotentialStudios.tv is just about to start working on the next series, I started thinking, what if we approached leadership decision making like we do a new series design project.
A clean sheet. Every design starts with a clean blank sheet of paper, even if we are given a direction to go in or an idea from the creative planning team, we still begin with a clean sheet of paper. Every good leader should begin the process in this manner. Leave your ideas and assumptions at the door and lead from your values.
Hear what is being asked. The really good graphic designer will listen to what the needs are first, than design second. We need to grab a hold of the idea and bring the idea to fruition. A great leader will always listen first and ask question second.
Visualize. Designers, by nature, “see” our designs in our head first, by using our imagination. Leaders “see” the result before it becomes reality. They use their “vision”, so to speak
Inspiration. Designers need creative inspiration. We do research by viewing magazines, web sites, other designers’ work, to spark our creative juices. Leaders find inspiration from other leaders, read magazines, books, web sites and talk with other leaders to help them with the decision or project in front of them.
Rough Sketch. Design is about color, placement, typestyles, energy, and creativity. The end result is NEVER what we started with. We always hit the delete key far more than we do the save command keys! Leaders should always “rough draft” their decisions or projects. Brainstorm, brianmap, use whatever is available at the time, just always be willing to hit the delete key far more than the save command keys.
The Details. Designers spend a lot of time on the details. Color, white space, symmetry, etc. It’s never the main elements that makes or breaks the design, it’s the details. Many leaders fail to spend time working through the details of their decisions or projects. Take time for the details, it will make a difference.
Add your own feel. There’s a difference between technique and style. Every designer uses the same basic techniques, but no one has the same style. There are times you can look at a new design and instantly know who designed the piece. Leaders are much the same way. Leaders far to often, lead too much from technique and not enough from their own heart. Embrace the style God gave you and go with it.
Be Proud. Designers love to leave the own personal touch on everything they design. Leaders should ask themselves, “Am I proud enough to put my name on this project or decision?” If leaders truthfully asked them selves this question, it would certainly change the way leaders start new projects in the future.
Just thinking out loud.
A clean sheet. Every design starts with a clean blank sheet of paper, even if we are given a direction to go in or an idea from the creative planning team, we still begin with a clean sheet of paper. Every good leader should begin the process in this manner. Leave your ideas and assumptions at the door and lead from your values.
Hear what is being asked. The really good graphic designer will listen to what the needs are first, than design second. We need to grab a hold of the idea and bring the idea to fruition. A great leader will always listen first and ask question second.
Visualize. Designers, by nature, “see” our designs in our head first, by using our imagination. Leaders “see” the result before it becomes reality. They use their “vision”, so to speak
Inspiration. Designers need creative inspiration. We do research by viewing magazines, web sites, other designers’ work, to spark our creative juices. Leaders find inspiration from other leaders, read magazines, books, web sites and talk with other leaders to help them with the decision or project in front of them.
Rough Sketch. Design is about color, placement, typestyles, energy, and creativity. The end result is NEVER what we started with. We always hit the delete key far more than we do the save command keys! Leaders should always “rough draft” their decisions or projects. Brainstorm, brianmap, use whatever is available at the time, just always be willing to hit the delete key far more than the save command keys.
The Details. Designers spend a lot of time on the details. Color, white space, symmetry, etc. It’s never the main elements that makes or breaks the design, it’s the details. Many leaders fail to spend time working through the details of their decisions or projects. Take time for the details, it will make a difference.
Add your own feel. There’s a difference between technique and style. Every designer uses the same basic techniques, but no one has the same style. There are times you can look at a new design and instantly know who designed the piece. Leaders are much the same way. Leaders far to often, lead too much from technique and not enough from their own heart. Embrace the style God gave you and go with it.
Be Proud. Designers love to leave the own personal touch on everything they design. Leaders should ask themselves, “Am I proud enough to put my name on this project or decision?” If leaders truthfully asked them selves this question, it would certainly change the way leaders start new projects in the future.
Just thinking out loud.
Think Forward
As leaders, we were once praised for our ability to react to difficult situations; as a leader today we must “think forward,” analyzing what's ahead of us and minimizing obstacles that sit in our paths. We must anticipate challenges, cultivate consensus on desired outcomes, and develop and implement processes for reaching goals. We must take time every week to scan the environment we work in and develop solutions and/or mechanisms that ensure that we just don’t survive but continue to thrive even during these challenging times. As today’s leaders, we can’t take a wait and see attitude to see what happens; we must be out there making things happen.
Saturday, June 20, 2009
Quote for Life
“I am more afraid of an army of 100 sheep led by a lion than an army of 100 lions led by a sheep.”
Talleyrand
Talleyrand
Silence Is Golden
I took a much needed break yesterday. I spent the day floating in the pool on a raft smoking cigars. I needed solitude.
One of the most underrated spiritual practices in our culture, I believe, is solitude. I get so into doing that the thought of solitude makes me cringe. But lately I’ve seen that if I fail to seek solitude I many times fail to really seek God. I never stopped praying, but I found that what I was praying was growing evermore shallow. It wasn't that I didn't seek God, it’s just that I was spending more time seeking answers from Him than I was seeking Him as the answer.
So I took a day - a personal day during my vacation - and I went and just talked with God. I prayed. I worshiped. I journeyed. And there in the quiet of the pool floating alone - I realized how desperately I needed that time.
Yesterday, I commitment to seek solitude like this, once a quarter. That time brought so much clarity to my relationship with God, to my focus in life and ministry, that I cannot afford not to seek it out solitude on a regular basis.
The old saying is true in my life, "silence is golden."
One of the most underrated spiritual practices in our culture, I believe, is solitude. I get so into doing that the thought of solitude makes me cringe. But lately I’ve seen that if I fail to seek solitude I many times fail to really seek God. I never stopped praying, but I found that what I was praying was growing evermore shallow. It wasn't that I didn't seek God, it’s just that I was spending more time seeking answers from Him than I was seeking Him as the answer.
So I took a day - a personal day during my vacation - and I went and just talked with God. I prayed. I worshiped. I journeyed. And there in the quiet of the pool floating alone - I realized how desperately I needed that time.
Yesterday, I commitment to seek solitude like this, once a quarter. That time brought so much clarity to my relationship with God, to my focus in life and ministry, that I cannot afford not to seek it out solitude on a regular basis.
The old saying is true in my life, "silence is golden."
Thursday, June 18, 2009
Inspiring People
If you're leading people where they want to go, is it really leadership?
Inspiring people into the unknown and challenging them when they wander, is leadership. When others don’t or can’t see the vision it’s our responsibility to lead them there. Leadership, in its truest form, is leading people where they don’t want to go – or where they need to go but lack the vision to get there.
If your leading people where they want to go, it’s likely that you are not really leading; you are just supervising a trip.
Inspiring people into the unknown and challenging them when they wander, is leadership. When others don’t or can’t see the vision it’s our responsibility to lead them there. Leadership, in its truest form, is leading people where they don’t want to go – or where they need to go but lack the vision to get there.
If your leading people where they want to go, it’s likely that you are not really leading; you are just supervising a trip.
Don't Just Go Through The Steps
We must be doing leadership right for ourselves before we can package it and present it to others to follow. In order to lead others we must first lead ourselves well. This is only amplified if your attempting to lead others to a deeper walk with Christ.
Spurgeon once said:
I cannot know Jesus through another person's acquaintance with him. No, I must know him myself; I must know him on my own account.
How will you grow today? Not just as a leader but as a follower of Christ? Don’t just go through the steps of just showing up. Don’t ride the shirttails of your leader or the passion of others. The truth is, there’s no substitute for the real thing. Learning and leading on your own.
Spurgeon once said:
I cannot know Jesus through another person's acquaintance with him. No, I must know him myself; I must know him on my own account.
How will you grow today? Not just as a leader but as a follower of Christ? Don’t just go through the steps of just showing up. Don’t ride the shirttails of your leader or the passion of others. The truth is, there’s no substitute for the real thing. Learning and leading on your own.
Preparation
Preparation is key. Lincoln once said,
“If I had eight hours to chop down a tree, I'd spend six hours sharpening my ax."
What would happen if we all lived our lives with this same perspective. Imagine how productive we could be if we spent 6 hours of every 8 hour day sharpening ourselves. I believe that you can’t walk others down a path that we have never walked down ourselves. Before we attempt to lead anyone else we must lead ourselves – especially spiritually.
Can you imagine how much more effective we would be if we prayed 3 times as long as we prepared. How much more effective we would be at anything if we devoted ourselves 3 times as much at planning as we did actually doing?
“Work Smarter, Not Harder” – philosophy worth living by.
“If I had eight hours to chop down a tree, I'd spend six hours sharpening my ax."
What would happen if we all lived our lives with this same perspective. Imagine how productive we could be if we spent 6 hours of every 8 hour day sharpening ourselves. I believe that you can’t walk others down a path that we have never walked down ourselves. Before we attempt to lead anyone else we must lead ourselves – especially spiritually.
Can you imagine how much more effective we would be if we prayed 3 times as long as we prepared. How much more effective we would be at anything if we devoted ourselves 3 times as much at planning as we did actually doing?
“Work Smarter, Not Harder” – philosophy worth living by.
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
Monday, January 12, 2009
Mediocrity or Perfectionism
What is excellence about? Webster’s dictionary describes excellence as “being superior. “ I read somewhere a better definition, something we can all relate to in ministry. Excellence is doing your best with what you have. Now don’t take this as a pass and just use the excuse, “that’s all the time I had for the project”, or “that’s all the money in our budget to get this series off the ground.” This definition should move you from being a perfectionist to giving your all, from competing for all the glory to an honest assessment of the resources you have to work with. What someone or some church my see as excellence might only be mediocre in another’s eyes. The Lord has challenged us to do our best with what He has given us. Colossians 3:23 (CEV) “Do your work willingly, as though you were serving the Lord himself, and not just your earthly master.” We serve a God who has always given us his best. All He asks for in return is the same.
So, are you more inclined to being lazy and accepting mediocrity as a way of “getting by” or an obsessive type “A” person in pursuit of perfectionism? As Christian artist doing our best to live a Godly life, we should find ourselves somewhere in the middle and never on either end. So where do you find your self living week in and week out?
As a Christ follower, we should be living the type of life that we would never have to apologize for, when it comes to giving our best to God and our church. Giving excellence in everything you do will cost you. It’s not cheap, nor does it come easily. There is a price to pay when we choose to follow the vision God’s given our churches. Time, money, our gifts, etc., there is always a cost. But with that cost comes a blessing no man can describe.
So, are you more inclined to being lazy and accepting mediocrity as a way of “getting by” or an obsessive type “A” person in pursuit of perfectionism? As Christian artist doing our best to live a Godly life, we should find ourselves somewhere in the middle and never on either end. So where do you find your self living week in and week out?
As a Christ follower, we should be living the type of life that we would never have to apologize for, when it comes to giving our best to God and our church. Giving excellence in everything you do will cost you. It’s not cheap, nor does it come easily. There is a price to pay when we choose to follow the vision God’s given our churches. Time, money, our gifts, etc., there is always a cost. But with that cost comes a blessing no man can describe.
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