Getting nowhere, but doing it fast?

It’s like I’m on an endless treadmill, battling the bottomless clothes-basket and scrubbing the forever dirty-dish. After that comes the endless next thing—errand, meeting, project, appointment, and, as always, the bills. So much stuff needs attention, must be done. I’m over scheduled, under focused and beside myself. It’s like I’m a hamster running on a mini Ferris wheel, with no way to get off, and no end to this race.

All the striving and running left me empty. Even with some measure of success, like cleaning all the dishes or completing a presentation with applause, I got bombarded by the next task and the sense of a fruitless chase.

Chasing Vapors.

Much of our life is spent “chasing the wind” (Eccl 4:4-6). King David’s son (Eccl 1:1), said, “Nothing under the sun is truly new” (Eccl 1:9, NLT), but we break our necks to make things new. We work hard to make a mark, leave a legacy, or influence others. We act like everything is up to us. We think if we don’t do it, it won’t get done and then, well . . . we’re convinced the sky will fall, our kids won’t turn out right, and we will be the ultimate, epic failure. So we stay busy attempting to catch what can’t be caught.

One Way.

The empty exercise caused me to seek God for his view, his take on what I should do. The scripture writer experienced the same pointless pursuits, and his search for answers ended in a summation of life, the reason for existence, the ONE THING that fulfills our longing. “Fear God and obey his commands, for this is everyone’s duty” (Eccl 12:13, NLT) was found to be the underlying meaning of life. And it echoes in other scriptures like “be still and know…God” (Ps 46:10), and the greatest commandment to love God and love people (Matt 22:37-40).

Do you, like me, struggle with this one life-simplifying thing? Does life’s summation to love and obey God seem too spiritual to be relevant? Are you running life’s treadmill, chasing vapors hoping for an end? Have you ever wondered why we work so hard but have no progress?

When we focus on loving God and loving others, we purify our running around. God helps us sift through what we do. He forgives our mistakes and failures while giving us daily direction. Our track becomes focused and the distractions pale in comparison to this satisfying life-purpose.

We beat the busyness.

My renewed focus gives me a clarity, ability and the enlightened truth—it isn’t all up to me. Although I still run, I feel light in my shoes, unburdened, and sort of like a super hero.

I’m going somewhere.

God: Lean on Me. Don’t trust your own insights, but walk in wisdom.

Those who trust their own insight are foolish,
but anyone who walks in wisdom is safe (Proverbs 28:26, NLT).
Trust in the LORD with all your heart;
do not depend on your own understanding.
Seek his will in all you do,
and he will show you which path to take (Proverbs 3:5-6, NLT).

Leaders do this and prosper.

They lean on God. They do not trust their own instincts, but walk in wisdom, obedience to God.

Simply put, good leaders hear from God and do what He says.

“Leave… and go to the land that I will show you” (Genesis 12:1).

Step-by-step, listen and obey.

Simple. Yet difficult.

Are we up for the task? How do you lean on God and not your own skill? How can we know when we’re doing it right?

Subscribe to the blog feed .

Ken, a forever student, squeezed a four-year degree into about seven years. I met him in college and I was never convinced that he was ready to graduate or quit learning. We made jokes with him about his professional-student status. Yet, he may have been smarter than the rest of us, not in IQ, or studies, or grades, but in the idea of being a forever learner.

God prefers forever students. Intelligent people are always ready to learn. Their ears are open for knowledge (Proverbs 18:15, NLT). Even Jesus grew in wisdom (Luke 2:42). God values growth in knowledge, experiments in new things and continual education. It is senseless to pay tuition to educate a fool, since he has no heart for learning (Proverbs 17:16, NLT).

Having a desire for knowledge and education is important for all of us, not only for children. Otherwise we become dusty, archaic, and in need of a child to program the VCR. Which was the last thing I studied when it comes to our video equipment. I have much more to discover, and fast before I become a dinosaur like the VCR.

We need to study, grow and change. The qualities of children, dreaming, creating, and learning includes a childlike faith, a trait God highly esteems. We could take a class in something of interest. An art class, an online course, a business, technology or marketing seminar, or a Julie and Julia cooking class. Let’s foster our own curiosity, ask questions and learn the answers.

One of the most successful dreamers and creators of our day was Walt Disney. Mr. Disney said, “Around here, however, we don’t look backwards for very long. We keep moving forward, opening up new doors and doing new things, because we’re curious…and curiosity keeps leading us down new paths.” (Restated in the Disney movie Meet the Robinson’s)

Like Mr. Disney and Ken, let’s escape the dusty, old rut and commit to being a forever student.

Subscribe to the blog feed .

It’s Monday again, but not like all the others. This one is full of hope for life change, a wanting something different, and resolutions. Decisions that resemble those we make on New Years.

After bloating on Christmas goodies that so quickly followed Thanksgiving feasts, I decided to reset my heart, mind and body.

Heart: I will enjoy the presence of my God, walk with him, laugh with him and learn to work under his direction. Not that I haven’t been doing such, but I will intentionally spend more time focusing on him and remaining in his presence. Please join me in this adventure or pray for me as I go.

Mind: Along with reading the Bible, I will read more ministry related books and add some good fiction to spur creativity and enjoy the fact that I can read. Are their any books you suggest? Any recommendations of good fiction?

Body: The most common decision and the one where I struggle the most. Resetting my body will mean my heart and mind must be engaged. Eating healthy and exercising takes determination. I’ll need all the help I can get.

I found help in a cool online tool, thanks to a Twitter post by @mdemuth (Mary DeMuth). The Daily Plate is a free tracker of food intake. No writing down what I eat, or counting calories, or figuring out how many calories I burned washing dishes. The Daily Plate does it all. (iPhone App too.)

How I started:

• I went to www.livestrong.com, The Daily Plate is compliments of Lance Armstrong. Go, Lance. Go!
• I typed in how many pounds I wanted to lose per week, my height, weight and age. The Daily Plate showed me how many calories I should eat daily to reach my goal. (Note: I skipped paying for the upgraded version and clicked on the bottom for the free version.)
• I signed up for a profile and got My Plate.
• Once the profile was done, I typed in an orange and coffee for breakfast. The Daily Plate tracker calculated the calories and showed how many more I needed for the day. I typed in lunch, snacks, and dinner and My Plate kept a cool personal record (menu) of what I had eaten. The challenge was to keep the calorie counter from topping its limit.
• I explored the exercise calorie counter. I typed in “folding clothes” and the amount of time it took then it counted the calories I used. I can’t wait to type in my gym workout.
• It tracks glasses of water I drink as well.

The Daily Plate is way cool and gives a visual of my efforts to obtain body health. Every day the tracker brings up a new page to fill in and provides an export of my data. And it’s free. Thank you, Lance.

Go, Robin. Go!

Go, reader. Go!

See you at the gym.

Subscribe to the blog feed .
Technorati confirmation code TAMD8F7RHS7W

Peace.      Still.      Rest.

Peace in a World of Disturbance

The Burden.
Ever push to make things happen? When I do, I become anxious, worried, and stressed. All actions feel like my responsibility. Like it’s my fault when it doesn’t go well. Or when it does, the credit is mine. During these times, everything seems to key off of me, what I do, or don’t do, if I’m good enough, or not. I don’t like the stress of that kind of responsibility.

The Freedom.
When I place myself in the presence of sovereignty, I have peace. Overriding the swirl of troubles, struggles, and circumstances, a peace prevails. My actions become obedience to the sovereign God instead of an ambition to control. I realize the results don’t hinge upon my behavior or ability. God’s responsible for the results. I’m responsible for obeying. By sitting down in submission to him, I find a peaceful freedom.

The Counsel.
“Be still in the presence of the Lord, and wait patiently for him to act” (Ps 37:7). I should work physically while sitting still in God spiritually. But I forget that God’s in charge, and get busy, working, feeling responsible for the outcome. When things don’t go right, the responsibility turns into temptations to take control, get frustrated, and become angry. Psalms 37:8 states, “Stop being angry! Turn from your rage! Do not lose your temper—it only leads to harm.” “Be still,” or “Stop being angry!”

The Choice.
I must choose. “Be still,” or push-through-with-all-I’ve-got. The choice leading to peace is simple, but the “Be still” follow through isn’t easy. The option keeps coming back and needs a fresh resolve. Sometimes I make the right choice, and others…

Anyhow. Do any of you, like me, search for peace in a world of disturbance?

*picture by MJ Photography

A visionary leader casts the vision, obtains the buy-in of key people, and garners the support of a following, but it’s not until afterwards that the hard work of making creative adjustments begins. To bring the vision into reality and keep the momentum going, constant evaluations and adjustments are necessary. The vision, buy-in, and support are important, but without creativity and change the whole effort might tank or at least become fruitless, like beating a dead horse. Creative leadership is a must for continued progress.

An ordinary man named Nehemiah showed awesome leadership skills. His leadership began with a passion and brokenness over the state of disrepair and neglect of his native land, Jerusalem. A vision of Jerusalem’s repair began forming. When the king asked about his downcast demeanor, Nehemiah took advantage of the opportunity to persuade the king, an obvious key person, with his vision and plan. After gaining the king’s support and upon entering Jerusalem, he obtained the buy-in of its key leaders followed by the support and following of the whole community. For an ordinary person Nehemiah began his leadership well.

Good leaders make the most of starting out great while remaining open and creative to make necessary changes. Well thought out modifications keep the momentum headed towards success. When things don’t go smoothly, which happens, a good leader has to make adjustments. He must be willing to change methods, be creative and proactive in the face of challenges, and continually inspiring to his followers.

Nehemiah fulfilled this need for creative leadership.

I want to be a creative leader too. So I asked God, “What are the creative adjustments I need to make?”

Still struggling with the “answer” to that question, I wonder if you’re seeking to be a creative leader as well. Do you feel like you’ve hit a wall, making no progress, or needing a creative improvement? What changes are you willing to make? How has God led you to adjust your approach?

What is your experience with the creative need in leadership?

Perspective – You meant evil against me, but God meant it for good. ~Joseph

It will happen. Bad things happen to good people all the time. What is our perspective on the bad things happening to us? If we have enemies, backstabbers, and nay-sayers, we can say to them, "Beware. Good will come." It’s a matter of perspective.

“You intended to harm me, but God intended it all for good. He brought me to this position so I could save the lives of many people.” (Gen. 50:20, NLT).

Amazing leadership gets complete buy-in and financial backing from their enemies. I’d love to know how to change my circumstances, my enemies, and my world. Ezra, a student of the Law of Moses, demonstrates such awesome leadership that powerful leaders, kings, and even his historical enemies became his servants. His example gives leaders an application.

He [Ezra] came up to Jerusalem from Babylon, and the king gave him everything he asked for, because the gracious hand of the LORD his God was on him.  …[He prospered in his work quickly], for the gracious hand of his God was on him. This was because Ezra had determined to study and obey the Law of the LORD and to teach those decrees and regulations…(Ezra 7:6-10, NLT)

Ezra was determined. He had a focus, a passion, a mission. He resolved how he would live and what he would pursue. Good leaders know where they are going and what they want to do. They are not easily deterred from their path. It’s obvious a good leader can go in a bad direction, but Ezra focused on a wise pursuit, which made his efforts successful.

S.O.S. Flag

Ezra’s determined path proved both wise and successful because it included God. He decided to consistently study and obey God’s word, and boldly show others what he learned. But shouldn’t he focus on planning, organizing, vision casting, recruiting, budgeting, and the like? Isn’t Ezra’s direction too simplified and off target? The discipline to study, obey, and share God’s word gives bearing and muscle to the tasks of good management. Ezra’s S.O.S. delivers the wisdom and guidance that best practices give good leadership.

The S.O.S. of Wise Leadership:

• Study: Seek God and study his word to know how to live.
• Obey: Obey his word and the Spirit’s promptings to know where to go and what to do.
• Share: Share what we’ve learned and how to implement it, or the temptation takes over to become legalistic and snobbish about what we know and do. It helps to remember what we were like without knowledge or obedience.

Whether in a position of ministry or business leadership, the results of following Ezra’s practices are the same. Our worst enemies may become our best supporters when we determine to study, obey, and share. Like Ezra, God’s gracious hand will rest on us.

Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines, though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will be joyful in God my Savior. (Habakkuk 3:17-18)

Things aren’t always rosy and cheery, BUT things can always be good in God. It’s a perspective. A matter of where you place your hope, of what to surrender and to whom. If everything fails, God will not.

Unpacking the Pastor’s Workload: 7 Tips for Women to Help Out

All hands on deck! The job is big and the pastor can’t do it alone. Women can help unpack the pastor’s workload and make a powerful impact in the lives of those in the community and the church. As I mentioned in the previous post, Partnership with Pastors, I have a desire to help the ministries of the church be effective in their mission. The following is part two of that post and lists seven tips for women ministering to women. Ladies, you can do this.

*

1. Realize you have something to offer. A listening ear. Wise counsel. Party planning. Training expertise. Organizational skills. Bake and Take friendship talent. You can always offer relationship to women who need relationships.
2. Pray for a discovery of where you can help both in the community and in the church.
3. Look for opportunities to serve women by determining their needs
4. Communicate your availability and interest in helping your pastor reach the women of the church and community. Be sure to express your intentions of strengthening the church and families.
5. Ask the leadership, pastor, or women’s ministry leader, what needs they see and how your skills and talents can help meet those needs.
6. Learn the skills necessary to become more useable. Be teachable and always adapting to changes.
7. Believe that God can use you to make a difference in the lives of others. No task is too small to make an impact, nor too big for you to do your part.

You can make a difference. With so many needs in our communities and churches, you have a great opportunity to assist life change by joining others and partnering with pastors.

* photo from www.jrscience.wcp.muohio.edu.