It’s been said, you make your habits and then your habits make you. In other words, your habits will determine your future. A habit is defined as “an acquired behavior pattern regularly followed until it has become almost involuntary.” Consistent choices determine the habits that are developed in each area of our lives. So since we have a choice in the matter, why do we settle for bad habits that limit what we really desire out of life?
One of the reasons is because bad habits usually don’t show up until much later in life. They usually don’t cause us too much pain initially, but eventually there will always be consequences. One of the most underestimated and powerful habits you can develop in your life as a believer is the habit of going to church on a weekly basis!
You may be thinking, “I know pastor, I need to get to church, it’s important, my kids need it, blah, blah, blah.” So to help you realize the power of this habit, let’s look to our Ultimate role model & Redeemer. How did Jesus view church attendance?
In Luke, chapter two, we see that when Jesus was twelve years old he accompanied his parents to Jerusalem for the annual Passover Festival, which they attended each year. After the celebration was over they started back home to Nazareth, but Jesus stayed behind. His parents assumed He was with friends among the other travelers, but when He didn’t show up, they started to look for him.
“After three days they found Him in the temple, sitting in the midst of the teachers, both listening to them and asking them questions. And He said to them, “Why did you seek me? Did you not know that I must be about My Father’s business?” (Luke 2:41-49)
Our ultimate goal in life is to be conformed into the image of Christ, (Rom. 8:29) and to be about our Father’s business as well. Notice that Jesus equated being in the temple, going to church, being in God’s house, learning, asking questions and growing as “being about His Father’s business.”
In light of that, are you about your Father’s business? Can we find you in the temple each week?
I realize how easy it is to get out of the habit of attending church each week. Life gets busy; you have to work overtime some weekends, the kids’ catch a cold, life happens. And before you know it, it’s been weeks, months, maybe even close to a year or so since you’ve been to church. Then there is the dilemma of not wanting to answer the infamous question “So, where have YOU been?”, when you finally do decide to attend again.
But you HAVE to break that habit. Hebrews 10:25 says, “Let us not neglect our church meetings, as is the habit of some people, but encourage and warn each other, especially now that the day of His coming back is drawing near.”
Jesus had the habit of going to church (the Temple). Luke 4:16 says that “When he came to the village of Nazareth, his boyhood home, he went as usual to the synagogue on the Sabbath and stood up to read the Scriptures.” He went as usual. In other words, this wasn’t a hit and miss occasion for him; it was a habit. Up to 90% of our normal behavior is based on habits. Once a new habit is well-developed, it becomes your new normal behavior. Make going to church your “normal” behavior and start being about your Father’s business starting this week!
Tuesday, September 1, 2009
Tuesday, July 28, 2009
The Power and Potential of Correction
Following is an email I sent to my staff. I have the greatest staff in the world! I thought you would enjoy an "inside look" at some of the things we discuss and deal with as we grow in our personal and positional leadership. Here it is:
Dear Team,
Some of you may have noticed or felt more input, comment, or correction from me lately. Being an exhorter, it can be extremely difficult for me to say what displeases me. Us exhorters like to encourage people, not correct them. And on top of that, we like to be liked, and who likes being corrected or confronted.
However, as I’ve grown personally and in my leadership, I’ve realized that failing to correct people is doing them a major disservice. And it’s actually selfish of me to not to correct or confront you. How is it selfish? By not doing it, I am placing a higher value on what is better for me (not being uncomfortable dealing with an issue, fear of rejection or not being liked, and especially having my motives for correcting you being misunderstood or taken personally) rather than what is beneficial for you.
That is wrong, and it’s weak leadership. So please bear with me. I believe it’s important to cultivate a “culture of correction.” That is how we all learn and grow personally as well as in our positions.
The ONLY way we grow is though CHANGE; the only way we change is when we are CORRECTED. We could put it this way: CORECTION produces CHANGE produces CHARACTER.
So let me encourage you with this regarding any correction or confrontation you get from me:
1. NEVER take correction personally! It is NOT a personal attack. I strive to confront behavior, an attitude, or some action or decision you made, NOT you as a person. So PLEASE make my job easier and don’t get offended, think I don’t like you anymore, or allow any other ungodly thoughts to consume your thinking process. If I correct you, it’s because I DO love you, care about you, and want you to excel and fulfill your full potential.
2. ALWAYS be open to correction. Don’t allow yourself to become defensive or to make excuses for your behavior or attitude. And realize that we ALL have “blind spots” in our lives that we may not see or negative attitudes we may not be aware of. (Case in point: a few weeks ago, I was edgy with Jose. I got impatient when he didn’t immediately get a chord progression we practiced the previous Tuesday. However, I didn’t even realize that I offended him until it was brought to my attention. So I apologize to him and made sure our relationship was ok.) I think we need way more of that in our church, but I believe it begins with US as STAFF and leaders. We need to thicken up, toughen up and be able to take it as well as dish it out. Can you imagine where we could be if we ALL could be brutally honest with each other w/o fear that “so and so” is going to get offended, or get their feelings hurt. And then there is the game of saying you’re not offended, but God and everybody knows that you are because you get all quiet and subdued. Come on team, we are better than that! Let’s grow up….together.
3. REMEMBER the motive of authentic spiritual leaders is to HELP people bring to reality all their potential in Christ! Leaders don’t corrector confront because they don’t have anything better to do with their time. If they bring up an issue, attitude, decision you made, etc. that they didn’t like, it’s because they love you, care about you, and believe in you. So allow them to speak into your life and benefit from the covering that God has so graciously provided you.
Dear Team,
Some of you may have noticed or felt more input, comment, or correction from me lately. Being an exhorter, it can be extremely difficult for me to say what displeases me. Us exhorters like to encourage people, not correct them. And on top of that, we like to be liked, and who likes being corrected or confronted.
However, as I’ve grown personally and in my leadership, I’ve realized that failing to correct people is doing them a major disservice. And it’s actually selfish of me to not to correct or confront you. How is it selfish? By not doing it, I am placing a higher value on what is better for me (not being uncomfortable dealing with an issue, fear of rejection or not being liked, and especially having my motives for correcting you being misunderstood or taken personally) rather than what is beneficial for you.
That is wrong, and it’s weak leadership. So please bear with me. I believe it’s important to cultivate a “culture of correction.” That is how we all learn and grow personally as well as in our positions.
The ONLY way we grow is though CHANGE; the only way we change is when we are CORRECTED. We could put it this way: CORECTION produces CHANGE produces CHARACTER.
So let me encourage you with this regarding any correction or confrontation you get from me:
1. NEVER take correction personally! It is NOT a personal attack. I strive to confront behavior, an attitude, or some action or decision you made, NOT you as a person. So PLEASE make my job easier and don’t get offended, think I don’t like you anymore, or allow any other ungodly thoughts to consume your thinking process. If I correct you, it’s because I DO love you, care about you, and want you to excel and fulfill your full potential.
2. ALWAYS be open to correction. Don’t allow yourself to become defensive or to make excuses for your behavior or attitude. And realize that we ALL have “blind spots” in our lives that we may not see or negative attitudes we may not be aware of. (Case in point: a few weeks ago, I was edgy with Jose. I got impatient when he didn’t immediately get a chord progression we practiced the previous Tuesday. However, I didn’t even realize that I offended him until it was brought to my attention. So I apologize to him and made sure our relationship was ok.) I think we need way more of that in our church, but I believe it begins with US as STAFF and leaders. We need to thicken up, toughen up and be able to take it as well as dish it out. Can you imagine where we could be if we ALL could be brutally honest with each other w/o fear that “so and so” is going to get offended, or get their feelings hurt. And then there is the game of saying you’re not offended, but God and everybody knows that you are because you get all quiet and subdued. Come on team, we are better than that! Let’s grow up….together.
3. REMEMBER the motive of authentic spiritual leaders is to HELP people bring to reality all their potential in Christ! Leaders don’t corrector confront because they don’t have anything better to do with their time. If they bring up an issue, attitude, decision you made, etc. that they didn’t like, it’s because they love you, care about you, and believe in you. So allow them to speak into your life and benefit from the covering that God has so graciously provided you.
Saturday, July 25, 2009
Run Forest, Run
Hope you are staying cool in the midst of our continuous three digit West Texas summer temperatures. As many of you know, I enjoy running. (It allows me the luxury of eating almost anything I want and more importantly, however much I want.) With the temperature being in the 90's even in the morning, it takes its toll on your body and really messes with your goals of trying to improve your time.
I knew that the heat obviously played a roll in my running performance, but I didn't realize how much until I read an interesting article in the current issue of Runner's World. I discovered that every five-degree rise in temperature above 60 degrees can slow your pace up to 20 to 30 seconds per mile! That means if you normally run a 9-minute mile, but it's 100 degrees outside, it can slow you down to an 11 minute mile. You run two minutes a mile slower just because of the heat.
Well I discovered that there is a spiritual correlation in our walk with the Lord. When we allow the pressures of life (heat) to captivate our focus, it slows us down spiritually as well. We aren't as peaceful, powerful or productive in the tasks God assigned each of us to do. And obviously we can't escape all the pressures of this world...not yet anyway. So, how do we maintain our pace in the midst of the "heat" of life?
Acts 3:19 and Isaiah 40:31 give us some tremendous insight:
So repent (change your mind and purpose); turn around and return [to God], that your sins may be erased (blotted out, wiped clean), that times of refreshing (of recovering from the effects of heat, of reviving with fresh air) may come from the presence of the Lord.
As we keep our minds stayed on Him, we are refreshed by His Presence. So if you've been feeling "faint" lately, or you've seemed to have lost your drive and motivation. Then remember that "those who trust in the Lord will find new strength. They will soar high on wings like eagles. They will run and not grow weary. They will walk and not faint."
I knew that the heat obviously played a roll in my running performance, but I didn't realize how much until I read an interesting article in the current issue of Runner's World. I discovered that every five-degree rise in temperature above 60 degrees can slow your pace up to 20 to 30 seconds per mile! That means if you normally run a 9-minute mile, but it's 100 degrees outside, it can slow you down to an 11 minute mile. You run two minutes a mile slower just because of the heat.
Well I discovered that there is a spiritual correlation in our walk with the Lord. When we allow the pressures of life (heat) to captivate our focus, it slows us down spiritually as well. We aren't as peaceful, powerful or productive in the tasks God assigned each of us to do. And obviously we can't escape all the pressures of this world...not yet anyway. So, how do we maintain our pace in the midst of the "heat" of life?
Acts 3:19 and Isaiah 40:31 give us some tremendous insight:
So repent (change your mind and purpose); turn around and return [to God], that your sins may be erased (blotted out, wiped clean), that times of refreshing (of recovering from the effects of heat, of reviving with fresh air) may come from the presence of the Lord.
As we keep our minds stayed on Him, we are refreshed by His Presence. So if you've been feeling "faint" lately, or you've seemed to have lost your drive and motivation. Then remember that "those who trust in the Lord will find new strength. They will soar high on wings like eagles. They will run and not grow weary. They will walk and not faint."
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