Paul and Barnabas

Even Christian leaders differ. Paul and Barnabas had a major difference in Acts and went different directions. I wonder if one of them thought the other was less spiritual? That is often the tag we place on differences, that one side is more spiritual than the other.

Differences are often a result of more style than obedience! Some football and basketball coaches are in the face of their athletes. Others are not. Who is better? Which one is coaching? Who would you prefer to play for? Caution here, both styles are winners!

Deeper still is the difference between Greek and Hebrew thought. Greeks were logical in their thinking, thus the logical letters of Paul as is Romans. But Jesus taught in stories, the Prodigal son, the wheat and the tares, the Good Samaritan. Who was more spiritually mature, Jesus or Paul? Jesus was straight and in the face of some… the Pharisees who claimed spirituality but weren't. To the woman caught in adultery he was forgiving and instructed her to go and sin no more. Truth with forgiveness!

We skew differences when we use tags like "spiritual" or "mature" when they may very well be stylistic differences. The beauty of the Lord of history is that He has intentionally included all types of writing styles in the scripture. And all of the Bible is scripture, the prose and the line by line.

You will have differences with others who follow Jesus. But the caution is to not place a tag of spirituality when the difference may be a preference!

Leave Tension On The Table

Human nature is to remove tension in relationships. And leaders are human… But tension is a friend! Tension can surface deeper differences, unsaid and even unknown perspectives. Tension keeps issues on the table. To remove the tension does not remove the issues but mostly shoots them underground to surface at a more damaging time and often incognito.

Tension removed is not tension resolved. Leaders have to learn to live with the dissonance and to use it as a conveyer to the future. Leaders have to learn how to stay in the moment, not lose their cool, stay passionate and focused and resist the human nature to remove the tension but to keep it on the table until it is resolved. That is a challenging skill to learn but essential for leaders, especially spiritual leaders!

God of Heaven?

In the Old Testament the people (Israelites and the world) often understood the gods to have jurisdiction, god of the mountains or god of the valleys. From that the reasoning would be to try to fight a battle in the locale where their gods reigned. And if you left that place… you would be beyond the scope of your god.

Wonder if I live that, we live that now millennia later? Is God the God of heaven? The God of eternal life but not the God of heaven and earth? If God is the God of heaven and earth wouldn't that mean I could trust him with the earthy stuff like money, relationships, jobs, disease, et? When I am unwilling to go out on a limb and give I am living the limitation "God of heaven". When I face my stress and go through it alone, mostly without really getting with the Father, listening and obeying I am living "God of heaven". When my mountain seems so far out of my ability I am living "God of heaven". But the Word declares it differently, God of heaven and earth, God of life and death, God of resources (my provider), God of health (my healer)!

Today I want to live in my stress a bit differently, God of heaven and earth! God of my earthy portion, my world and the whole world. Today I live the joy of the omnipotent, omnipresence of the real God, God of heaven and earth!!!

Highlights

I have many highlights of my work week. One is the group of guys who meet on Saturday to learn leadership. Our study of the leadership of Jesus moves us all to be men of faith and obedience. We are afraid to miss, afraid of what we will miss. It is amazing an amazing word with amazing guys.

Another is our small group that meets on Tuesdays. We laugh and love and learn from the Master. We are a community of faith reminding each other of the love and ways of the Father and of the covering of Jesus blood. They stir my faith and cause me to worship. I suppose we have at times those who cause us to curse (smile here) with their harsh treatment, critical spirit, rudeness. These people lead me to worship. I lead the group but the group moves me back to my God.

These two groups are essential to my life, my faith, my joy and my awareness of God. I am thankful for them and the others in my life who do the same. Yes, thankful to be sure!!