Endurance

“The key is to last”. That was what the legendary life insurance salesman claimed as his key to success when he finally retired at a very ripe old age.

Think about any successful figure you know or in popular culture and you will find them being quoted as saying that much of their success was “simply showing up”. Sure, natural ability and skill play a big role but – you gotta be there to succeed there. If you Google® the “simply showing up” quote you’ll find versions that account no less than 80% and even 85, 90 and 99% of success due to “simply showing up”.

Unless one lives in total isolation, success has a lot to do with others and relationships. We are successful for and through others. We operate and interact amongst others. We rely on others. Others rely upon us. We serve others. How we are perceived is a function of others. Our practical lives are very much defined and summed-up by our relationships with others and our success is somewhat dependent upon others. Our impact on others is marked by the things to which we are perceived to being committed. Commitment and competence are related. Our degree of notoriety for things is amplified by how our passion and persistence “turn up the volume” on them.

Like it or not – the world we live in is filled with cynicism and mistrust. People have been let down by others. People have committed to relationships with others who were only in that relationship as long as it didn’t cost them anything. They have been wounded and so they want to know; “Are you for real?”, “Do you really mean it?”, “Can I count on you?”, “Will you be as committed as I am?” Some may believe in you at once - but for most things the world waits and watches. Time is the authenticator.     

What are you known for? To what do people know you to be committed, passionate and excellent? Is it your business, your profession, your passion for children, your marriage, how you follow a professional athletic team, a hobby … your faith? In what do you desire in your heart to be successful? Is there a match between your hearts desire and what you are known for? What are you patient for?

Remember that life insurance salesman? Over time, showing up and “lasting” he developed a sphere of influence founded on what he was known for and he was the “go to” person for life insurance in that sphere. For what are you the “go to” person?   

In the life of a believer, all of this cascades from our primary relationship with our Creator through our Redeemer and by the power of His Spirit working through us. He is our audience of One. Our first relationship is in Him and all of the rest is an outpouring from our commitment and persistence in that relationship. His provision nourishes all meaningful things and worthy endeavors we might be “known” for. I am thankful that the Bible is full of real life stories of people who “lasted”. Their example encourages me and the Bible tells me of their outcomes! The Bible also has the stories of those who didn’t stand the test of their commitment. For most, success was just around the corner of a trial. Some got a second shot at it – some didn’t. Are you in a trial that is obscuring the clarity of your vision and attempting to steal your commitment from you? Endure and your character will develop. In the end your position will be determined by the character developed through such trials.

Everyone I know who has stuck to something has succeeded in it over time. They may have struggled and even lost a lot, but in the end their endurance rewarded them with a form of success with which they are satisfied … a peace and joy that few experience in life.

We all know someone who set off on a dream, endured the hardships, didn’t quit and - over the decades - carved out an existence in real estate, or in that small business or in that odd obscure career that they believed in. They invested in the process, submitted to the requirements and the rigors and kept their eye on the prize. They lived day by day with a fullness for it and stuck with it. They endured the traps and snares and kicked free the trip---wires set to confound their efforts. They kept their head up. Despite the well intended advice of others to give it up during a dry spell, they kept at it with their eyes even more firmly set on the rewards to come. Maybe that’s you too.

Few have not heard of the great true tale of the 1915 Antarctic expedition led by Sir Ernest Shakleton onboard a ship named, of all things, "Endurance". Trapped, the mission doomed and the ship crushed by encroaching ice, the crew of 28 set out on the drifting sea ice to survive. By one of the most extraordinary examples of commitment and will to survive the men save themselves without the loss of one. What is noteworthy in the context of our theme here is a quote that emphasizes the overarching value of commitment over intent from a book documenting the voyage by Alfred Lansing titled, Endurance: Shackleton's Incredible Voyage; "In that instant (when they knew they were rescued) they felt an overwhelming sense of pride and accomplishment. Though they had failed dismally even to come close to the expedition's original objective, they knew now that somehow they had done much, much more than ever they set out to do.”

 

I can see it clearly as my years advance and I consider my experience and the experience of others that I have waited for and watched – and I am more encouraged than ever about my present pursuits.   

In the book of Hebrews in Chapter 12 the “Race of Faith” verses really sum this up for me. As you read it consider the influence promised for those who follow the example represented by the Author of true commitment who showed up, stepped up, lasted, endured and achieved the ultimate victory – victory over death for all of us.

Hebrews 12:1-2 (NKJV) “Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.”

All the best,

Bill

5 Groups of 3

It’s been a while since I’ve posted a piece strictly focused on a practical business theme. With the kickoff of the 2014 business year I’ve had many conversations with business owners and senior level executives that have led me to a review of some “themes” that seem to perpetually re-occur around organizational effectiveness.

From my experience in corporate settings and as a consultant and a facilitator of CEO roundtables I’ve boiled a broad array of management disciples and best practices down into what I call “5 Groups of 3”. It is a collection of concepts that I believe are fundamental to executing well and sustaining organizational alignment. These 15 items are indeed disciplines, so it falls on leadership to ensure that they are practiced, instilled and embedded in the culture of their organizations. The “5 Groups of 3” are not self-sustaining and so they will succumb to the all pervasive natural force of entropy that assails every organization – if left unattended.

As I review these Groups you will recognize most of them or versions of them. Some may seem close to themes of professional books you may have read or conference key note speaker speeches you may have heard. Most, you will probably say, are patently intuitive and common sense. You would be right. There is nothing new under the sun. Yet nonetheless, these “5 Groups of 3” represent fundamental best practices most neglected by organizations as they go about their business.

Toward the end of this blog I’ll elaborate a little on some concepts of a gifted and brilliant organizational leadership consultant and best selling author by the name of Patrick Lencioni. My review of the “5 Groups of 3” will channel our attention toward a thesis of Mr. Lencioni’s that is presented in his book titled The Advantage, (Copyright © 2012 Published by Jossey-Bass). Lencioni presents four steps toward combating those “entropic” forces that battle with sustainable organizational alignment and my “5 Groups of 3”.

They say (it’s actually a quote from Jesus found in Matthew 13:57 and in Mark 6:4) that a prophet is not without honor except in his own country. Consultants are the “honorable prophet” because they are the unknown prophet. For some reason we listen more attentively to the words that pass through the lips of strangers who come to us with an unbiased, unemotional, benign, objective perspective more than we do to the committed passionate leaders we know. Another “natural force” I guess.    

So let’s get on with the “prophetic” word – “5 Groups of 3”.

Group #1: The three through which all things get done. Consciousness of these three in building and resourcing and establishing interactive integrated systems of an organization is paramount.

1.     People – Capability, capacity, attitude.

2.     Processes – The optimum ways and methods we use to achieve objectives.

3.     Systems – Measurements & information flow.

Group #2: The three that promote effective organizations, teamwork and team success. Does everyone in the organization have an appropriate and practical view of their role such that they are encouraged to positively:

1.     Visualize ?

2.     Anticipate ?

3.     Communicate ?

Group #3: The Three that ensure strategy execution and goal achievement at the tactical level. Everyone in the organization knows the expectations of:

1.     What

2.     How and

3.     When of their tasks, projects and assignments at any moment.

Group #4: The Three “un-attended” things that dominate the thoughts of every business leader. These three are the substance of all things procrastinated. They need to be consciously acknowledged, illuminated, prioritized, addressed thru high leverage initiatives or dismissed once and for all.

1.     Issues

2.     Problems

3.     Opportunities

Group #5: The Three realities in every enterprise that call upon a leader to lead.

1.     What the organization does well – leaning into these.

2.     What the organization does not do well – mastering or minimizing these.

3.     What the organization does that it needn’t be doing at all anymore – loss leaders, obsolete markets, being too may things to too many people, time killing activities and projects, emotional profit killers ….

So that’s the “5 Groups of 3”.  Easy to list, harder to instill and sustain.

According to Patrick Lencioni, a thing called “organizational health” trumps everything else in business. At the core of his thesis is the importance of values. Lencioni presents four disciplines that he believes will constitute and ensure organizational health which are;

1.     Building a cohesive leadership team,

2.     Creating clarity,

3.     Over-communicating clarity and

4.     Reinforcing clarity.

On the surface, the repeat mention of “clarity” seems a bit redundant – right? Well, not really, when you study items 2, 3 and 4 through Lencioni’s lens. Discipline #2, Creating Clarity, contributes to the achievement of my “5 Groups of 3”. The objective of Creating Clarity is fundamentally the result of a leadership team collectively achieving true alignment around the answers to the following six critical organizational questions:

1.     Why do we exist?

2.     How do we behave?

3.     What do we do?

4.     How will we succeed?

5.     What is most important right now?

6.     Who must do what?

This piece should provide a scaffolding upon which to build your own model for executing well and sustaining organizational alignment for achievement with a measure of immunity to the entropy that saps the energy from so many enterprises. 

I also urge you to read Patrick Lencioni’s book – it is well written, humorous and full of practical examples from real-life organizations.

All the best!

Bill

Prosperity!

I thought that a little perspective and musing on the topic of “prosperity” might be a good thing as a new year begins.

Jeremiah 29:11 (NIV), “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”

Question: What sort of prosperity do you think disciples of Jesus experience? G.K. Chesterton is credited with saying, ”Jesus promised his disciples three things—that they would be completely fearless, absurdly happy, and in constant trouble.”

  

Chesterton’s statement starts out great but has a troubling finish (no pun intended). What is that trouble he refers to? Deep down I know what it is and it challenges me. I ask myself if I’m one of those who pray for God’s will in my life but I have another track of my will and goals that try to steer clear of the “trouble”. How often do I pray that I would have God-honoring devotion in my life, to my ministry work, toward my career, toward my business ... especially in troubles? I wonder how many truly pray for God’s plan, God’s outcome – whatever troubles may come and rest in the day to day battles that present themselves as part of the prosperity that He promises? How many people live lives of challenges and setbacks, victories and disappointments that they lay equally at the foot of the Cross no matter what? How many struggle with unbelief and disobedience but cling to God, repent and appeal to His grace and mercy - and grow?

“ We can stand affliction better than we can withstand prosperity, for in prosperity we forget God.”  ~ D.L. Moody

Os Hillman pointed out in a recent TGIF devotional titled “Elevated From The Pasture” that, “Joseph’s greatest test was not his temptation to be bitter against his brothers. It wasn’t the sexual temptation that came inside Potiphar’s house. It wasn’t even the discouragement of years of imprisonment for being wrongfully accused. It was the temptation of prosperity and ownership. Once he was elevated, he was given choices that he never had before. It was totally up to him as to which choice he would make. Stewardship reveals what we believe about God and ourselves.”

I should make this clear; God is not predisposed to disfavor the affluent. God led Joseph to affluence. In fact, God favors the affluent - who are good stewards of their affluence. Consider Zacchaeus and a host of others in the Bible who were available to God with themselves and the fruits of their prosperity. 

The author of the best selling book, Experiencing God, Henry Blackaby, points out that our character determines our assignment. The Bible is full of the stories of great men and woman who submitted to God’s will and plan. a few willingly, many not so much, some even unwittingly. Many suffered, most waited, many endured setback after setback. In the end God came through. There was a resulting prosperity. In the process, character was developed. In whose hands was their character development? In whose hands do we relinquish our trust and belief? Hebrews 11:1 says that faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things unseen. Does our faith have this sort of substance? Does our faith show evidence of things unseen?

Prosperity, when we define it our way, is an illusive thing - and fleeting. There should be no doubt that the prosperity that God has in mind for us is not at all the sort of prosperity that this world defines for us. His prosperity is other worldly prosperity. Pray for prosperity but know what sort of thing God has in mind when you do.        

Many of us struggle with unbelief. As we endeavor to point ourselves toward that standard of total reliance on God we go from wishful thinking to trusting belief when it comes to some of the goals we set and our expectations of the characteristics of a good life. In Mark 9:23-24 we find a story of a father of a possessed child who approaches Jesus for a cure and encounters the grace of God. The scripture goes like this; “Jesus said to him, ‘If you can believe, all things are possible to him who believes’. Immediately the father of the child cried out and said with tears, ‘Lord, I believe; help my unbelief!” I am so taken by the account of this man’s honesty before Jesus about his unbelief. He is so transparent. And Jesus tolerates him and blesses him. I too believe but am often reminded of my unbelief. That is double-mindedness. And so blessings are often withheld as my character is developed. I don’t know about you but if all things are possible to him who believes then that “belief” Jesus is referring to is not always what I think it is. Jesus’ sort of belief requires His mind and heart.

So let me lay out these verses … James 4:13-16 (NKJV), “Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to such and such a city, spend a year there, buy and sell, and make a profit”; whereas you do not know what will happen tomorrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away. Instead you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we shall live and do this or that.” But now you boast in your arrogance. All such boasting is evil.”   The presumptuousness of it - eh?         

With those verses from the Book of James in mind I must say that many people pray to God for prosperity and success and their pleas often come with an expected outcome in mind. It’s hard not to get the impression that these people view God as some sort of genie in a bottle who is rubbed from time to time to dispense favors. You can count me in that group. I’m guilty of limiting God to my definition of success, prosperity and outcome – not His. And I’ve prayed “let’s make a deal” too – like anything that I have to offer is something God really needs. The Apostle Paul himself laments of this in Romans 8:26, "... for we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered."

It often goes like this: I’m going to set my goals and do it my way and when that doesn’t work I’ll cry out to God, maybe even try to bargain with Him and if the outcome I have in mind still doesn’t manifest - I’ll question God. This kind of praying just shows me how shallow my faith has been and how little I think of God.

When I was a young and aspiring professional, a man of “great expectations” you might say, I spent a few years in commercial real estate development in the late 1980s. To be specific, I started in 1987. Those of you who may recall that time will know that it was the period of another great recession led by what is now called “Black Monday” in October 1987. Along with a stock market decline of nearly 25%, the bottom fell out of the real estate market. You could do everything right and the outcome was wrong. Prosperity eluded me. It was discouraging. I didn’t know God as I do now and I remember being angry and frustrated. Outcomes were out of my control. So I worked harder and grasped at superficial victories and sought an alternative route to prosperity in a more secure corporate setting. That “solution” eventually ran its course of disappointment as well.

I remember a elderly gentleman I came to know during that recession who owned a lot of income properties in an affluent section of Rhode Island. He was considered "prosperous". He took a liking to me (I think he took me under his wing) and he’d treat me to lunch at his favorite delicatessen every now and then. He's ask how I was doing and in a "professor-ly" manner help me understand the ins and outs of the local real estate market. He drove an old diesel Mercedes Benz with cracked leather seats that oozed yellow foam and a falling headliner. The radio was broken and the car made a chugging sound as it ambled down the street belching sooty diesel exhaust. The car was reliable though - it always started.

I wouldn’t have called this man “rich”, more like “wealthy”. He could have driven any car he wished and bought and sold most people in that city many times over. One thing that drew me to him was that he radiated confidence and contentment. He loved what he did and nothing rocked this man. He always ate a liverwurst sandwich with a thick slice of onion, brown spicy mustard and a kosher dill spear on the side washed down with a bottle of some locally made root beer. I forget what I had. But I remember one time sitting at a little table behind the potato chip rack in the corner of that little deli with our sandwiches sitting atop the white wrapping paper that overwhelmed the table and this fellow asked me how I liked my sandwich. It was a good sandwich. Then he said this, “You know you can only eat one sandwich at a time. Can that satisfy you?” What that man said and how he lived held a key to contentment.           

We pluck verses from scripture that promise prosperity (like Jeremiah 29:11 quoted above …) or “the desires of our heart” (as in Psalm 37:4, “Delight yourself also in the Lord, and He shall give you the desires of your heart.” ) or for God to give us influence and authority (like the prayer of Jabez in 1 Chronicles 4:10, “ And Jabez called on the God of Israel saying, “Oh, that You would bless me indeed, and enlarge my territory, that Your hand would be with me, and that You would keep me from evil, that I may not cause pain!”) But we take these verses out of God’s context and pray them in our context.

God has a plan - His plan. The “desire of our heart” is something He plants deep inside us that resonates with His plan. We have to stir it up and He will help us do just that if we invite Him to do so. Our own desires and plans may or may not be realized - God is gracious much more than we know.

We often confuse what we think our desires are for what He has placed in our heart. We confuse what the world and others think our heart’s desires should be and we neglect to go to God first with this plea, “God what is the desire of my heart that You have placed in me where I will find the joyful, peaceful, successful and prosperous outcomes that You have intended for me?”

Prosperity, as a word, conjures thoughts of success, power, influence and affluence. Here are some words that describe the biblical Hebrew and Greek meanings of the English word “Prosper” (e.g. to prosper) found in God’s promises of it in the Bible;

To:

·        be tranquil

·        be secure

·        be happy

·        be content

·        be safe

·        be prudent and skillful

·        understand

·        have wisdom

·        be wise

·        guide wittingly

·        push forward

·        break out from

·        come mightily

·        “go over”

·        “cause to”

·        be profitable

·        reach a destination

·        finish a journey

·        receive help along the road

To me the concept captured by the descriptions above regarding biblical prosperity is not all about destination but more of a state of character qualities, a state of being and prowess, a state of protection, a source of confidence and a demeanor of energy and power to carry in oneself as a journey or adventure unfolds.

As I look out into 2014 I am being careful to try to articulate visions of a future and to ask God to help me with the condition of my heart in the various areas of my life that contribute to my character and His definition of prosperity. Will my prosperity be for myself only? Is one sandwich enough? Are the things I aim to accomplish of any eternal relevance? Who am I lifting up? Who am I investing in? What am I responsible for? What mission am I on?

The question that remains for me is this; Am I and can I be satisfied with God’s form of prosperity.

So – in this context I truly wish you a prosperous New Year!

Blessings,

 Bill 

Plowing Rocks

In New England we boast many historical features. One such feature, albeit more obscure than most are our “rock walls”. These walls are not unique to New England but we do have a lot of them. At one point in history much of New England had been stripped of trees and was farmed. To this day as you ride down an interstate highway or country road beside what looks like a well wooded forest you will see random stone walls race in and out of view along odd lines and angles that may not make any sense relative to property and fence lines that exist today.

Like spectral ghosts of the past these walls conjure images of the people, now long gone, who built them one stone at a time – so long ago. The fact is that those wooded forests of today are mostly secondary growth on ancient farm fields retaken by nature. The walls were created over time by farmers as they cleared forests and meadows of tress, pulled or burned out the stumps, cleared brush and then plowed the virgin fields. The rocks were plentiful (as anyone will attest who has dug a fence post hole in these parts) and the farmers would deposit the stones at the edges of their fields – one by one. Backbreaking work. Larger rocks may have been initially “steered around” until another helper could assist in hauling it to the side of the field. Perhaps a wagon followed the plow and the rocks were deposited there.

The rocks or stones were so plentiful that the resulting “piles” became a nuisance and so the farmers painstakingly stacked them like puzzles into narrow walls. In time these walls became convenient property line markers and also served as defensive barriers during conflicts and hiding places for valuables. Treasure hunters to this day will recover artifacts and valuables from remote walls, items hidden there secretly in the stones away from their homestead.

Some of the rocks encountered would have been huge and require teams of horses and men to move. Once “harvested” these individuals would be used for construction in foundations or hewn into shape for window and door frames, entrance thresholds, mantels or gateways. If a rock was too stubborn, anchored and established in its location it might be left where it lay and plowed around - a barren monument in the midst of an otherwise fertile and fruit bearing field.

Believers who share their faith in New England often refer to the kingdom building efforts in their mission “field” as that of “plowing rocks”.

Once a sphere of influence (a field) has been established the spiritual farmer sets about determining the boundaries and clearing the ground for planting. Every square foot is precious with potential. And so the plowing begins and every "rock" encountered is dealt with; big or small. As these rocks are converted they become, like living stones, a living structure, a church, a body that defends the field and provides a haven in which to take refuge and produce fruit. 

“You also, as living stones, are being built up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.” ~ 1 Peter 2:5

A farmer’s commitment entails season after season in the field - long after the initial clearing. It will take many seasons before all the rocks are identified and united with the wall. The farmer becomes a stone handler, wall builder and a wall repairer in the process. All of it built on THE Rock. With every successive season the field yields greater crops and the harvester may enter adjacent wild fields for clearing, plowing, rock harvesting and planting. Once a farmer, once a harvester, once a stone handler, once a church builder always a farmer, always a harvester always a handler and builder. There is no turning back on this work, there is no where else to go.

"For we are God's fellow workers; you are God's field, you are God's building."

~ 1 Corinthians 3:9

And every once in a while, even in the most established of fields, an amazing thing occurs. A stone is uncovered that somehow was missed by the plow after so many seasons. The discovery is a reason for rejoicing and that rock is cradled and brought to rest with the others. And there is always a place for that rock with its unique shape and form and it fits just so in the body of the wall.        

 Jesus said to him, “No one, having put his hand to the plow, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.” ~ Luke 9:62

Blessings,

Bill

Taken as I am

A whisper suggested that I do it. A whisper that called me to take a retreat day with the theme “Forgive everyone who has ever let me down”. A curious assignment. It turned out to be a long and deep day.

My thoughts brought me back to my childhood, schools, college and jobs. My mind recalled faces of my own family growing up, close and distant  relatives, friends, bosses and co-workers. Pastors and fellow believers flashed before my mind’s eye as I purged whatever perceptions I had ever held of being “let down” by anyone. And it didn’t stop there. There were also all the institutions and organizations that had, in my view, let me down when I had counted on them for something or some vague idea of an expectation or outcome.

Deflection of responsibility? Entitlement mentality? Call it what you wish but all of us reflect on these disappointments. And they hold us back. They snare us in the past. They take our spirit hostage. They are food for self pity and self deification.

I’m on the list of those who have let others down. Maybe even you who are reading this. Despite my best intentions, I have let many down. We are all human, lazy, distracted and often self absorbed. We tend to care for ourselves first. 

Try it some time – to forgive everyone or thing that has ever let you down. Start from the beginning and be honest. When you go through the list and run out of faces there will be one left who, if it has been revealed to you as a Christian, stands alone without blame. That is Jesus. If you chose to blame Jesus, however, well then you may be entering the “self-pity” zone.

I needed that retreat day to truly reveal to me the ABSOLUTE DEPENDABILITY of Jesus. He has truly never let me down. And here’s the real kicker – I’ve been very wrong to depend on others and so very remiss by not depending on Him, the One who is truly dependable and worthy of the most intimate of relationships.

Why have I been this way?

In the days that followed that retreat I struggled with the realization of my relative in-dependence of Jesus and over-dependence on other things. Lo and behold, out of the blue, a “movie” was re-introduced to me.

“Good Will Hunting” won 2 Academy Awards in 1998. Aside from its unfortunately gratuitous coarse language, the movie has a message of redemption. There is an exchange between Will Hunting (played by Matt Damon) and his Therapist (played by Robin Williams) in which Will is asked how his relationship with a girl is going and Will says words to this effect, “It’s perfect right now and I don’t want to ruin it.” What is implied is that Will doesn’t want to get more intimate for fear that the reality of who she is (imperfect) and who he is (imperfect) will be a tragic disappointment and the end of their budding courtship. By taking no risk he avoids what he fears and we all know that he will miss out on the adventure of life. To quit is to take charge of the outcome by guaranteeing that there is no outcome at all – good or bad. What he misses is the possibility of the good through risk and stepping up and out into the unknown, the uncertain, on faith and belief.

"Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things unseen.” ~ Hebrews 11:1 

But we are all imperfect and we know it. We say it in generic ways and we proclaim our imperfections with a chorus from our lips at church. But this is intimate stuff at its core and we don’t always practice what we profess with our lips. In private we shrink from His presence as if the words of Psalm 139 didn’t apply to us;

“O Lord, You have searched me and known me. You know my sitting down and my rising up; You understand my thought afar off. You comprehend my path and my lying down, and are acquainted with all my ways. For there is not a word on my tongue, but behold, O Lord, You know it altogether. You have hedged me behind and before, and laid Your hand upon me. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is high, I cannot attain it. Where can I go from Your Spirit? Or where can I flee from Your presence? If I ascend into heaven, You are there; if I make my bed in hell, behold, You are there. If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, even there Your hand shall lead me, and Your right hand shall hold me.” (NKJV verses 1-10)

And our imperfection shames us and our pride prevents us from approaching the Throne of Life that calls us to come as imperfect as we are. And still we shy away.

Bang! There it is; the fundamental essence of it. Jesus never fails and TAKES ME AS I AM. I cannot clean myself up enough. There is no way I can let Him down. With all my shame and all my weakness and all my faults – I am taken as I am. He is THE power, He is my power and He gives me authority over what ever tries to stand between me and Him.

But we don’t let Him in, and we don’t rely on Him. We try and then we fall back to relying, instead, on an imperfect world and on imperfect people with all their good intentions who cannot help but let us down.

That which we truly depend on is what we give power to over the outcome.

What do you depend on? Is it yourself? Someone else? A job? A boss? A university? A business? A career? A formula? A diet? An organization? A title? Do any of these truly accept you as you are? What do they want from you? Do they have all power to perform? Can they guarantee an outcome? Jesus does.

I’m tired of hiding behind, transferring ownership to and placing my expectations on what is imperfect. I need to remember this daily and to truly let everyone off the hook and simply love them while I embrace the only One I need to and should rely upon - JESUS.

Jesus knows the end from the beginning and He does all things well.

Blessings,

Bill

THE Way To Wisdom

There are two systems at work around us and through us; a world system and a heavenly system. One is anchored in what is below and temporal and the other in what is above and eternal. In the middle we are suspended in a sort of tug-of-war.

In human "condition" parlance there is a notion that, as human beings experiencing life we exist and are exposed to environmental stimuli, data, information and circumstances that we process with our mind and convert into knowledge. We then take this knowledge and through circumstance and experience develop an understanding and from that we develop a sort of wisdom - over time. I would call this a worldly wisdom and it is a self-relative wisdom. It is wisdom anchored in our unique personal experience interpreted in terms of whatever values we develop over time. As such it is self-centered wisdom.

In the worldly wisdom model our experience is: Stimulus >to> Information >to> Knowledge >to> Understanding … leading to a worldly wisdom - our wisdom. In the end, with this approach, it is our understanding that leads to our wisdom. Wisdom from others (parents or mentors) may be imparted and become ours if we submit to it. But who has not had to learn from experience despite the warnings of those who have gone before them? There is a significant element of pride in wisdom derived from our experience. Worldly wisdom can take a lifetime to develop.

 There is another wisdom - wisdom from above - Godly wisdom. This sort of wisdom need not take a lifetime to develop - it is a gift. The Bible says a lot about that wisdom and here are a few of many such mentions; 

James 1:5 If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him.

James 3:17  But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality and without hypocrisy.

Proverbs 2:2 So that you incline your ear to wisdom, and apply your heart to understanding;

Proverbs 3:13 Happy is the man who finds wisdom, and the man who gains understanding;

Proverbs 4:5-7 Get wisdom! Get understanding! Do not forget, nor turn away from the words of My mouth.  Do not forsake her, and she will preserve you; Love her, and she will keep you. Wisdom is the principal thing; Therefore get wisdom. And in all your getting, get understanding.

Proverbs 24:3 Through wisdom a house is built, and by understanding it is established;

In the Godly Wisdom system the order is first wisdom, then understanding and knowledge. Wisdom is God’s Word that, through love expressed by faith, trust and obedience, becomes understanding. When we submit to His Word we receive wisdom directly from the top and it trickles down into understanding and knowledge of the truth.

And so with God’s Wisdom first, we convert it into understanding the world around us by trusting in it and so we are established. Seek first His Word and what occurs around and to you will be sorted out in truth. God is the Word, God is Wisdom. Wisdom is the first of the gifts of the Holy Spirit. Wisdom is the watershed of the Christian life. God’s order of Wisdom to understanding to knowledge is the opposite of the order of worldly wisdom. This paradox, in my view, validates its eternal authenticity.

Wisdom has been defined as ‘the ability to discern or judge what is true, right, or lasting.’ Godly wisdom is that and so much more because it is everlasting and bringing peace that surpasses understanding.

Paul exhorts the Philippians in Chapter Four (verses 6 thru 8) of his letter to them to, “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things.” God’s Word, His Wisdom, His Peace is a collection of such things.

Beware that there is a very real tug-of-war in the pursuit of this thing called wisdom. It is a war between worldly and Godly wisdom and the Bible has this to say about that in 1 Corinthians 1:19, For it is written: “I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent.”

Blessings,

Bill

What Cannot Be Done?

As we submit ourselves to God’s will we will be challenged to enter into and join God’s plan, God’s work – God’s God-sized ambitions that He means to accomplished through His people by the power of the Holy Spirit. Our character will determine our assignment.

By world standards and by the fleshy lens through which we look His plan is dim, fuzzy and distorted. We struggle to grasp it. We think we have to do it by our own power. We think we have to invent it or embellish it. So He reveals the true plan a bit at a time according to our capacity to understand clearly and handle it. Only upon reaching the destination can we appreciate the grandeur and the profundity of His vision. One saved soul and a great global mission work are all the same to God if they glorify Him and the name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. But that one saved soul and that great mission are equally resisted by the world.

Where God guides he also provides. Philippians 2:13 “… for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure.”  We have to take that scripture to heart and rely on His provision to DO IT. What we are to do is what He convicts us to fearlessly and cheerfully do moment my precious moment. This is hard in a world full of its expectations and models for success that push and pull us away from a calm, patient, God-centered focus and demeanor.

In Shakespeare’s “Julius Caesar” Act 4, Brutus proclaims, “There is a tide in the affairs of men, which, taken at the flood, leads on to fortune; Omitted, all the voyage of their life is bound in shallows and in miseries. On such a full sea are we now afloat, and we must take the current when it serves, or lose our ventures.”  I like that quotation because it resonates with my belief that God provides those opportunities and those tides that we are to take advantage of in performing His inspired and Spirit initiated works. The “shallows” and “miseries” are the frustration and regret we experience for having taken control through our disobedience and fear. When God says “go” and we respond “later” – the tide does not wait.

 All of us have a ministry and all who are His are called to obedience and trust – because that is how we express our love for God.

Our responsiveness to His initiatives will effect to a greater or lesser extent our joyful experience of God throughout the adventure He has for us. We will be convicted to lay down sin and take up righteousness. Decisions will be made and God will be obeyed or ignored. We will listen to Him or we will listen to others. We will tire of trying, on our own power, to measure up to the expectations of people (perhaps well-meaning and even loved ones) – or we will embrace God’s love and rest in His guidance and draw from His reservoirs of refreshing strength. Psalm 1:3, John 7:38, Jeremiah 2:13 …

Every day is different but some mornings my devotion time is mired by my worries, my plans, the distractions of others and the world. I broadcast pleas and send up supplications and “jam the frequency” with my transmissions without allowing the Creator of the Universe to respond. I find no peace or fellowship and I enter those days without a peace that surpasses understanding. The truth be told - that is probably the majority of the time. But there are days when I manage to untangle myself from myself and submit in silence to Him. What follows is resource, understanding, order, calm and security.

Today He led me by way of circumstances and one connection after another which I cannot possibly recount here - to a poem mentioned in an obituary of a man who died over five years ago. Oddly it was a man who lived a few streets away from me. A quiet man, somewhat misunderstood in our neighborhood. A man of the sea who took walks along the shore of our community beach in his knee high seamen's boots and an old foul weather jacket. He seemed to favor foul weather days to be on that shore. A retired Navy career man of WWII and Korea who I never got to know despite, as I found out in the obituary, all that we had in common. I might have shared a few yarns and the Gospel with him … cause for pause and a twinge of regret.

This man’s favorite poem was mentioned in his obituary, the obvious recollection of a loved one who was impacted by it. The poem is titled, “It Couldn’t Be Done” by Edgar Guest and it perfectly ministers to me and the challenges I presently face;

It Couldn’t Be Done ~ Edgar Guest

Somebody said that it couldn’t be done,
But, he with a chuckle replied
That "maybe it couldn’t,"
but he would be one who wouldn’t
say so until he had tried.

So he buckled right in with the trace of a grin
on his face. If he worried he hid it.
He started to sing as he tackled the thing
That couldn’t be done, and he did it.

Somebody scoffed: "Oh, you’ll never do that;
At least no one has done it";
But he took off his coat and he took off his hat,
And the first thing we knew he’d begun it.

With a lift of his chin and a bit of a grin,
Without any doubting or quiddit,
He started to sing as he tackled the thing
That couldn’t be done, and he did it.

There are thousands to tell you it cannot be done,
There are thousands to prophesy failure;
There are thousands to point out to you one by one,
The dangers that wait to assail you.

But just buckle it in with a bit of a grin,
Just take off your coat and go to it;
Just start to sing as you tackle the thing
That "couldn’t be done," and you’ll do it.

God willing ....

All the best!

Bill