Teams

Almost nothing is as important as a team. The team here at
GraceRiver Church is full of life, laughter and passion. I love it.
I love being with them. I love the respect I see, the joy, the
determination, the appreciation for what each one brings to the
table. I've had great teams in the past, too! I've been blessed in
that. Teams make you better than you are. Teams cover your
weaknesses with laughter and protect you. Teams feed the members by
bringing hope and joy. Teams accomplish way more than any one person
could. Teams bring synergy that is undeniable. Teams have variety!

If I could give others a gift I would give them the privilege I've
had of working with some of the finest people in the world. Teams
make life exciting and ministry worth doing. To the team at GR and
the teams of the past, thanks. Your heart and passion, your
encouragement and joy have brought strength to my heart and fire to
my soul. You made me better than I am. Thanks.

Getting Older

In my prayer today I was expressing gratefulness to the Lord for
opening His ways to me. I understand things now I had no clue of in
years (and decades past). Makes me wonder what I am missing now,
too! The scripture says His ways are higher than mine. I can get
that and at times I can really get it with my heart but usually by
looking back. In the moment it is faith, trusting God's heart when
it certainly feels like I should not and then ordering my life as
such, obedience.

Life is a leaning journey, often done not first by lecture then by
trial but first by trial and then by looking back and seeing what was
unseen but still very real. Life opens up God's heart in the
scripture. I understand things now I did not in the past.
Scriptures that made no sense or that I had limited to a thin
application now have so much depth in them and that depth grabs me at
a different level. Getting older does give the opportunity to get
wiser, especially as I follow the Lord. I am hoping to help others
along the journey by listening, speaking and leading them to
experience God's heart as well. His ways are higher, no question.
And yet He invites me into them. That is cool.

Where Leaders Get Vision

I've posted similar before but the reality keeps stirring my heart.
Leaders get vision from God, from seeing needs, from feeling the
possibilities or the pain of others. They also get it from their
team as they see their team experiencing the dream and voicing the
dream. Tonight we had our second FUEL, our High Octane Leadership
Community and it was powerful to me. I look around and see the
leaders in the room, passionate people who are the evidence that GR
is a people of destiny and my vision and passion spike. Leaders get
fueled with vision when they are with other leaders who are
passionate, visionary, dedicated and willing to lay it on the line.

From me to all of you at FUEL tonight, thanks. You stirred my heart.
Ken

In Your Face

Yesterday a teammate and I were doing some recruiting, vision casting
to another person we really want to become a part of our dream and he
said this, "At GraceRiver we are IN YOUR FACE with what you do well.
We are in your face about that!" How cool! What a neat team to be a
part of, a group of people who celebrate what you are good at, are in
your face about it so that you can't miss it! That's the way to be
in your face! I wonder how the world would change if we had people
in our face with good things? I wonder how we might salt the earth
and light the world so that our own joy would "leak" all over
others? That's what I love about GraceRiver. It's in your face, in
a healthy way!

The Burden of Being So Gifted

I've met a number of people who have multiple gifts. The problem is
not what can they do but what should they do. What they typically
want to do is EVERYTHING! They don't want to miss anything and have
the desire to be a part of everything. At first that is not really
an obstacle. But... over time they become tired and stretched and
weary and frustrated and wishing they had a life and ... Multi-
gifted people have to steward themselves and their gifts so that they
can make the greatest impact in the Kingdom. And they often will
grieve and think they are missing out. Without stewardship what they
will eventually miss out on is joy, laughter, hope and life. Multi-
gifted people are blessed and challenged. They typically don't want
to say no but eventually find they must. The joy of leadership is to
walk with people as they experience the joy of being multi-gifted and
the anguish of having to choose. It's hard. But that choice has
eternal implications!

An Odd Way to Destiny

Nothing is ever wasted in the heart of God. How one prepares for
leadership and for impact is far broader than narrow. I Samuel 16 is
the beginning of the story of David. Somewhere along the way he had
harp lessons or maybe just played by ear. However it came, the
scripture says he became skillful at it. But how would being a
harpist open the doors to a future that appeared to have nothing to
do with music? To be a king, music would be a side venture, an
avocation. But in the heart of God nothing is wasted. The hours
spent with the harp did deep work in the heart of this some day
king. And the skill set was the first opened door.

How cool it is that when we follow the desires of our heart we are
following a map to our destiny placed in us by the Lord. Those side
adventures that seem to have nothing to do with nothing, in the hands
of God become paths to the future. Okay so you didn't finish the
education. What if the Lord took you on a journey to stir in you the
capacity for the dream he placed within you? What if the times spent
reading or creating, messing with problems, photography or sports
were venues for the Lord to get deeper into your being and prepare
you for the dream?

Not many harpist become kings I should think. Not many resumes for
leadership would highlight "Harpist for fun!" But then again, God
has an odd way to lead us into our destiny, non-traditional ways that
shape the heart of the moment and open doors in the future. David
begins as a court musician for the king. Later, he moves to being an
armor barer. Sure the armor bearer is more prestigious but without
the time with the harp he likely doesn't enter the king's courts.

Follow your heart and leave the destiny to the Lord. He has odd ways
to move us toward that destiny.

The Mind of a Leader

Tony Bell in his book "Great Leadership" has this cutting word, "The
most significant thing about an organization is what goes on in the
minds of its leaders." Wow! The mind of the leader creates reality
for those around him. When a leader takes cues from the
circumstances, that leader's mind is likely to be filled with fear
and doubt. I Samuel 13 is the playing out of that word. Saul, the
positional leader, is watching morale crash, people leave and the
enemy charging. That is the moment for leaders! When everyone only
sees what is and not what can be, when their hearts are full of
questions and their feet are moving fast in retreat, leaders can
shine. BUT, what is going on in the mind of the leader is most
significant. Reactionary fear, hasty decisions, avoidance or denial
will not carry the day. Leaders may feel fear but no one can lead in
fear. Sooner or later something must happen in the mind of the
leader and that something is faith, a deep conviction that things can
be different, should be different, will be different.

It isn't the circumstances that dictate our success or lack thereof.
It is what is going on in the minds of the leaders.

There's Always Hope...

"There is always hope if you know where to find it." That was the
word of the Lord to me recently as I watched people respond to the
word of the Lord. There is always hope if you know where to find it,
always signals of God's presence, always a flow of passion and joy.
Hope is found in one person's obedience. Hope is found in a crack in
the door that appeared closed (as did the door to us for Odyssey
Middle School). Hope is found in a thank you or a word of
encouragement. Hope is found in a possibility EVEN IF that
possibility evaporates. Hope is not determined by circumstances. It
is the energy of the Lord poured into the hearts of people who know
where to find it, who look for it, who choose to feast upon it.
There is always hope if you know where to find it. Cool words from
the Lord!