LifeVesting » Executing Your Plan

Who’s On Your SWOT Team?

Andy Wood — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 06:50:23 +0000

They called their hangout at Chip’s place the Land of O.Z. Not because there were witches, wizards, or munchkins there, but because whenever Chip, Blake and Tony got together, the ideas would start flying. And they were living in the Opportunity Zone.

The three friends met in the dorm at their university, and were all business majors. And they were dreamers. Entrepreneurial types, always looking for the next big idea or opportunity.

In the Land of O.Z., no idea was considered taboo. These friends would dream and scheme, design and research, test and toss away ideas before breakfast was done. They even tried one or two, mostly for fun. Not much happened.

Their big opportunity came when they anticipated the emergence of smart phones and the apps that drove them. This would be their surefire thing – what the Internet boom (and bust) had meant to the 1990s. They would establish a software design company that specialized in apps for iPhones.

A year later, Wizard of Apps was more or less history, and the friends-for-life had moved on.

Why?

Because they never could take their eyes off the Land of O.Z. long enough to focus on one idea. They never wanted to listen to anybody who asked the discouraging questions (“dream stealers” they called them). They never had the patience to actually learn app design or the money to hire somebody who could do it for them. And they never had the humility to take a sober look at what was missing in their ideas, habits, or skill sets.

Nothing wrong with the dream. Everything wrong with the team.

A Mirror and a Telescope

One of the most commonly-used techniques for planning or assessing an organization (or the idea for an organization) is the famous SWOT analysis. In case you never had to do one at school, work, or your church/nonprofit, here’s how it works:

“SWOT” stands for “strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats.” Strengths and weaknesses are those factors within the organization or the idea. Opportunities and Threats are factors outside the organization – things like competitors, market factors, technology, government regulations, the economy, etc. All four are important for leaders and organizations to understand.

A well-done SWOT analysis serves as a good mirror for a team or organization. It helps us understand what we do well – what our genius is – and what we do poorly. That helps us decide how to approach those factors in future planning.

An accurate SWOT is also a good telescope, helping leaders and team members peer into the future by anticipating changes in the world around them. Again, that helps us position ourselves.

Oh, and even if you never experience this in organizational life, SWOTs are good things to explore about yourself, your work, or your ideas.

What’s Your SWOT Personality?

Did you know you have a SWOT personality? I believe you do.

Here’s what I mean by that. At any given time, any of us could focus on strengths, weaknesses, opportunities or threats. But being the creatures of habit that we are, we tend to focus on the one or more things that energize us the most. This is usually based on our “real” personality, skill set, or sometimes even spiritual gifts.

Let me show you what I mean. The Land of O.Z. dudes mentioned above were obviously wired to search out Opportunities. People like this (and I consider myself to be one of them) can go through ideas like Sherman through Georgia. They get energized by ideas. Their ideas. Your ideas. Doesn’t matter. Want some ideas? Talk to one of these people and they can give you half a dozen before the conversation is done. These are the entrepreneurs, the consultants, the church planters, the inventors. They are the creative types who take pleasure in the beauty of their dreams, even if the dreams never materialize.

Other people are energized by excellence. These are the Strengths finders. They focus on performance – calling out genius in others and perfection in themselves. They are the trainers, the drill sergeants, the coaches, the motivators, who recognize and develop excellence in themselves and others. Then they take that excellence to the next level. They have no patience for working on weaknesses – their leadership mantra is, “Work in your strengths and staff to your weaknesses.” They have a bias for action and get-it-done focus when they’re operating in the zone of their genius and gifts.

Threats-oriented people are energized by security. They are vigilant for signs of danger – to themselves, to their organizations, even to their country. They live in a world of what-could-be, and with the right perspective can offer enormous protection. These are the people who stay awake all night making sure you sleep in safety. They are the actuaries, the analysts, the risk management people, the police officers, the professional worriers. On teams or in organizations, sometimes they come across like bad news bears because they always seem to be focused on what could go wrong. But the worst thing you could ever hear one of these people say is, “I told you so!”

And then some people – the Weakness-oriented people – are energized by improvement. They are uniquely gifted at pointing out what’s wrong or what’s missing from a situation. They tell you when the pastor should have said “Jeremiah” instead of “Elijah” three times in the sermon or why there’s a ping in your engine. They love to improve everything – marriages, people, organizations, contraptions. These are the fixers, the mechanics, the managers, and the marriage counselors. Sometimes misunderstood as being too critical, Improvers are simply using their expertise to make things or people or teams better. And doesn’t everybody want to hear how they can do something better?

Building a SWOT Team

Want to lead for the long haul? Better make sure the planners and doers on your team are wired differently than you.

The temptation in leadership is to surround ourselves with people who think, act, and choose just like us. That is a recipe for disaster. Each of the four SWOT perspectives – I call them the Performer, the Improver, the Dreamer, and the Protector – can offer tremendous value to your team or organization. But only when they are partnered and balanced by the other perspectives.

Put a bunch of dreamers-only together, and you’ll get our Wizards of Apps. Long on possibilities, short on execution and follow-through.

A team of nothing but performers becomes a team of specialists and lightning rods, with gaping holes in needed talent and an often reckless disregard for wisdom and safety.

A team composed of Improvers-only becomes a nitpick brigade, micromanaging everything, training themselves into obsolescence, and never actually doing anything.

A team composed only of Protectors lives in a mental bunker of their own making, where every decision is based on the least predictable calamity or disaster.

But something magical happens when opposites attract and choose to come together as a team. Ideas are generated, protected, executed, and improved upon. Valid concerns are anticipated with fresh ideas, relentless improvement, and excellent execution. Extraordinary talent becomes future focused, nimble to changes, and open to improvement. And cautious analysts are exposed to a world alive with possibility and fraught with danger – yet they are called to take action because they come to understand – it’s always easier to steer a car that’s moving than one that’s sitting still.

Learn your SWOT style. And surround yourself with people who are annoyingly different. When all is said and done, you may be the team that does exploits.

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The Courage-Giving Leader

Andy Wood — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 13:15:40 +0000

Quick Question: What do the people you lead (and you do lead somebody) do when trouble shows up?

Quick Answer: They do what you lead them to do.

More Thoughtful Question: Do the people you lead (and you do lead somebody) run for the hills or cower in fear at the first sign of trouble, or do they courageously rise up to the challenge?

More Thoughtful Answer: They do what you lead them to do. Not necessarily what tell them to do or manipulate them to do. What you lead them to do.

That reminds me of a story. True story. About a guy named Eli. Now Eli was a soldier, and being a soldier, he had a Commander-in-Chief. And the reason Eli’s Commander-in-Chief was the Commander-in-Chief was because he was the biggest dude in all the land.

You know what the problem is with making the biggest dude in all the land the Commander-in-Chief? Sooner or later he’s gonna run into a bigger dude. And that’s what happened. Eli’s boss went quaking in his boots to the rear of the line because he was staring down the barrel of an overwhelming challenge.

So you know what Eli did? He quaked in his boots too. I’m talking, Give up now. Better fled than dead.

One day later – one day! – that’s Eli with his shield up, his sword drawn, charging headlong into the enemy’s camp and taking no prisoners. What made the difference?

Eli found somebody else to follow. A leader who gave him the courage to rise to his place of service and calling. And it happened to be his baby brother, David.

Eli is the nickname I gave to Eliab, the oldest son of Jesse. He fought in Saul’s army, and in the face of Goliath’s giant challenge, he had no more courage than his trembling, manipulating king.

What fascinates me about the back story to David’s victory over the giant is the effect it had over the armies of Israel. Because David was a man of courage himself, he gave courage to those he influenced – and he wasn’t even the appointed leader (just the anointed one).

My favorite definition of courage says that courage isn’t the absence of fear, but action in the presence of fear or overwhelming challenges. Some leaders, like Saul, have a way of robbing their followers of the ability to take action. We refer to those people whose courage has been stolen as dis-couraged. And I’ll guarantee you that you know somebody who has become discouraged by the disrepute, disrespect, disappointment, or disregard of a leader. That may even be you.

That doesn’t have to define you or your influence. You can be a courage-giving leader. Building on the elements of C.O.U.R.A.G.E. from the last post, you can offer the people in your realm of influence the will to take massive action in the face of their opportunities and threats.

What is courage-giving leadership made of?

1. Company: Offer them the “ministry of presence.”

David showed up and bowed up, and he wasn’t taking “get out of here” for an answer – even from his big brother Eli. It’s interesting that before David faced the giant, he made the rounds among the soldiers in God’s army. All the while, Saul was holed up somewhere, trying to figure his way out of this mess.

Something transforming happens when leaders arrive on the scene in the face of their constituents’ tough times. And that’s far more important than having all the answers. Just be there.

2. Observation: Offer them a difference in perspective.

Courage-giving leaders help followers observe their “giants” or “mountains” from God’s perspective. While Eli and his pals were squawking, “Did you see how big he is?” David was saying, “Do you see how stupid he is to defy the armies of the living God?

Look. David didn’t deny that the Philistine was huge and scary or that the threat was real. Courage-giving leaders don’t spend their time trying to convince their “army” to live in denial or Fantasyland. But they have a way of helping them look down on their giants, not just up at them.

3. Understanding: Raise their sights and call out their higher purposes.

Fear and discouragement are often the result of narrow, limited vision. Sometimes people are so close to the action that they lose sight of the big picture. The courage-giving leader responds by calling them out to big-picture thinking and purposeful activity. It’s the courage-giving leader who reminds constituents, like David did, that they are working for something much larger than their narrow self-interests. I love those King James words here, “Is there not a cause?”

4. Reflection: Remind them of past successes.

David kept a mental encouragement file of past victories, and they weren’t too shabby – manhandling a lion and a bear and keeping lambs alive in the process. That’s a nice resume builder. But even greater, he reminded Eli and his friends that they were soldiers in God’s army and the Lord was still undefeated. Courage-giving leaders do that, and you can be one. Keep reminding your comrades of their previous successes.

5. Assurance: Give them confidence to withstand criticism.

We learn to let words discourage us at a very early age. The callous, brutal honesty on the playground and the routine clique management of adolescence can wither away anybody’s joy or confidence. And that’s when we begin to discover that the encouragement of our parents is a bit suspect. After all, they’re our parents! They’re supposed to say encouraging things. Unless, of course, the parent is the critic.

Anyway, that’s where the courage-giving leader comes in, speaking words of assurance. Not cheesy slogans. Not platitudes, head pats or back slaps. Instead, they offer calm, confident assurance to team members and peers that they are moving in the right direction.

6. Goals: Keep the target clear and visible.

Courage always has a goal – tangible or intangible – in mind. Courage-giving leaders help their teams establish or re-establish goals, however simple. And then they move toward it. As David was warming up his slingshot, he was quite clear what his goals were – to feed the birds with the dead body of that Philistine and to convince the cowering crowd behind him that the battle was the Lord’s.

That’s what courage-giving leaders do. They clearly, specifically state their intentions, then go about finishing the job. In the process, they persuade an army that their direction is worth following.

7. Expectation: Help them see a desired outcome as normal.

Courage involves certain confident expectations. It responds to challenges with unhesitating faith and uncompromising commitment. Courage-giving leaders have a bias for action, not negotiating settlements and guarantees. And they do so because they expect a positive outcome.

People who study David’s victory over Goliath love to speculate over why he picked up five stones when all he needed was one. Maybe he was just being prepared. Or maybe it was a good day for killing giants (Goliath did have four brothers). Whatever the reason, I think David fully expected to use them successfully. What are you doing to help your team believe?

One last thought. Courage-giving leaders may or may not give great pep talks. David’s was pretty awesome. But they are always willing to go first in facing the unstoppable giants. The simplest way to be a courage-giving leader is to have some courage of your own to share.

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The Last Baptism

Andy Wood — Fri, 30 Sep 2011 13:56:42 +0000

“I have something I’d like to discuss with you.”

Given my history with that kind of meeting request, I’m embarrassed to admit that my first instinct was to brace for bad news. And given the fact that it came from my father-in-law, of all people, made me think I must really be in trouble.

What in the world could he possibly want? What was so serious? I started collecting a mental inventory of possibilities. And in my head, started apologizing before I ever knew what the “something” was.

Turns out, apologies weren’t on the agenda.

Harlan Willis is one of the most tenderhearted, godliest men I know. He has followed Christ since the age of 10, and committed himself to the Lord to become a medical missionary at the age of 15. Both were profound experiences, and as a result, he invested a huge portion of his life to serving Christ and advancing the gospel in Thailand – and now for years in West Texas, where, at age 82 he is still practicing medicine and sharing Jesus.

But for years something has nagged him. Bothered him since his teenage years. That something has been the impression that he should be baptized. Again.

And that’s what he wanted to talk to me about. And he wanted me to do it.

Didn’t make sense.

For years he wondered if it was just the devil.

That didn’t make sense, either

But he couldn’t do it in Thailand! What would the people there think? What would the other missionaries think?

He couldn’t do it back in Texas. What would the people in the church think?

This wasn’t a case of getting his baptism out of order, as often happens when people are baptized who really don’t understand what it is they are responding to in the gospel.

He knew. Age 10. And baptism came later.

But yet… here was this feeling. This call.

When we talked I told him that in the first century people did things like that all the time, and it wasn’t that big a deal. It was an expression of devotion, faith, and obedience. And if he was feeling led to be baptized again, I would be more than honored to do it.

“Just let me know when and where, and I’ll be there,” I said.

Pride and Obedience

As this giant of a man sought to honor the Lord and – dare I say it? – find relief and peace, he came to two conclusions about this decades-long leading and reluctance. The first is that his resistance was mostly a matter of pride.

Pride wonders if others think we’re crazy for obeying God.

Pride fears what others say about us –it guards our reputation among the vanities of this world.

Pride resists looking foolish of unconfident or weak.

Pride avoids being questioned – especially with questions we don’t know completely how to answer.

And pride, Harlan said, kept him quiet for a long time.

The second conclusion he arrived at was that this was first and foremost a step and test of obedience. Even here, even now, our first step of obedience to the gospel is to identify with the death, burial and resurrection of Christ through baptism.

But obey again? After he’s already checked that one off the list?

What would you do? What would you say? Would you call it the devil and forget about it? Would you listen to the counsel of your pride and say with Brylcreem “a little dab’ll do ya?”

This was an act that was 82 years in the making. Baby Christians need not apply. And a few weeks ago, this man decided he’d waited long enough. He set aside his pride. He accepted the fact that his family would wonder if he’d lost his mind. But he decided that whatever the cost, he was done with putting off what for him was a significant step of obedience.

My Legacy

This past Tuesday night, all four of his children were in town. We gathered in our backyard after dinner, and turned my cold, green swimming pool (we’d been out of town) into a West Texas version of the Jordan River. And my one request was that before I baptized him, I wanted him to tell his story to the family members who were gathered there.

Tell, he did. And one of the things he spoke of was a conversation he’d had with a years-long colleague. One day Dr. Smith asked him what he wanted his legacy to be.

He had never thought about that.

But the one thing he wanted, then and now, more than any other thing, was to hear his Lord say, “Well done, good and faithful servant.”

Tuesday night, after serving Christ for 72 years, Harlan Willis, M.D., missionary, and lifetime kingdom builder took one more step in that direction. Here is what it looked like.

I have been privileged to baptize hundreds of people in my lifetime. And through changes in life circumstances and responsibilities, I may never baptize anyone ever again.

But if that’s true, I’ll die in peace, knowing that the last baptism was a multi-faceted point of grace that will fill my heart for a lifetime.

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Hold Fast, Draw Near

Andy Wood — Wed, 31 Aug 2011 06:12:02 +0000

Imagine a giant stadium, and you’re in it.

As in, on the field.

You’re engaged in a contest that will test every fiber of your strength, will, endurance, and confidence. Sometimes you’re on defense, and the task is to stand your ground against an opponent that has considerable resources. Sometimes you’re on offense, and the task is to recapture lost ground or gain new ground as you outwit, outmaneuver, or overpower your enemy.

Let’s just go ahead and dispense with the obvious. I like you and everything. But left to your own game plan or abilities, you’re cosmic road kill. Dead meat with all the trimmings.

You. Can’t. Win. This.

Heck, you won’t even make the uniforms look pretty.

Oh, and did I mention… this is no game. This is your life. The visible and the invisible. The temporal and the eternal. The private and the very public. The “spiritual” and the “secular” (as if there is any distinction).

Fortunately, you do have some weapons at your disposal that are mighty through God. And there is a pathway – a strategy that leads to prevailing strength and power. For starters you have what the author of Hebrews refers to as a “great cloud of witnesses.” These are people who’ve been where you are, been tested or attacked as you have been, and have a legacy of faith and faithfulness to cheer you on. And they’re saying things like this:

Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin. Therefore let us draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need (Hebrews 4:14-16).

The Witnesses

Imagine you on the field – sweating, striving, mixing it up with a team of cheating bullies. But someone is giving you the will to carry on. On one side of the grandstands, the witnesses are shouting encouragement: Hold fast! And the other side echoes back: Draw near!

Back and forth it goes.

Hold fast!

Draw near!

Hold fast!

Draw near!

They are reminding you that on this field, your victory has already been secured. Your team has clenched the championship because your champion, your Faithful and True, has won it. But in your life, it is your task to enforce the victory.

The Warrior

Your second asset is the Champion – your Great High Priest. He has passed through this life in a role of servanthood and sympathy. He gets what it’s like to be you. He has forever identified with your battles and your scars, your dreams and your desires.

He has passed through His battles in a role of victor and overcomer. He resisted every scheme of the enemy, every onslaught of the world’s fury, and every appeal to the weakness of his flesh-and-bones. Tested, yes. Yet without sin.

He has passed through the heavens in a role of authority and intercessor. And in that role, He now gives you executive power to use His name to enforce His conquest.

The Throne

In this arena, there are no limits to the time-outs you can call. And get this: You get to come boldly to some kind of Bench. It is a mercy seat – a place where the King of Kings and Lord of Lords invites you to approach with confidence.

Access is by grace. Surprisingly enough, this isn’t a position you try out for. In fact, you were picked for this team precisely because you weren’t qualified.

There at the Bench – the throne – you receive renewed strength, instructions for “calling the next play,” and secret insight for understanding your opponent’s game plan. And you can come back again and again.

I can’t think of a simpler game plan for entering into the victory already won for you. And in case you forget, just listen for the sound of those witnesses:

Hold fast!

Draw near!

Hold Fast

Specifically, the writer of Hebrews reminds us that since we have this sympathetic, victorious, authoritative High Priest, we should “hold fast our confession.” Since the key to overcoming is holding fast, I guess it’s a pretty good idea to have a pretty good idea of what it is we’re holding fast to

Our confession is a faith statement – combination of what we believe about Jesus and what we intend to do about it.

We declare that Jesus is Lord. Then we live that out in our lives.

We declare that there is salvation in (only) His name. Then we live as though we have trusted in His name to save us.

We declare that Jesus died as the substitute sin bearer for us. Then we live that out by bringing the dregs of our lives to Him for forgiveness.

We declare that Jesus rose from the dead and lives today. Then we live that out by ordering our lives as if He lives with us and in us.

Don’t give up your confession. As you confess the truth of who Jesus is, both as a belief and as a practice, you freeze the enemy in his tracks

Draw Near

He invites you to come boldly – with confidence – to the throne of grace, so that you may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need. For years I read that and assumed that the strategy here was, when you have a need, you come to the throne of grace to get help.

If you wait that long, you’re in trouble. Imagine a quarterback who never met with the coach or practiced with the team unless it was a live game situation. Not even Peyton Manning could pull that off.

No, the idea is that you come to the throne of grace now so that you can get help later when the need arises.

And may I remind you that it is a throne of grace? We seem to forget that from time to time. There’s a huge difference between approaching a throne of grace and a throne of law, or self-righteousness.

At the throne of self-righteousness you pray, “Lord, I come to earn your trust.” At the throne of grace, you pray, “Lord I can’t trust myself; I choose to trust you.”

At the throne of self-righteousness you pray, “Lord, you can count on me.” At the throne of grace, you pray, “Lord I receive your faithfulness.”

At the throne of self-righteousness you pray, “Lord, I’m here to help.” At the throne of grace, you pray, “Lord, I am helpless.”

Read this, then read it again out loud: All of heaven stands to attend to the one who can courageously bring his nothingness to God.

That’s what makes it a throne of grace.

Every Day is Game Day

Showtime. This is no exhibition game or practice. You’re on the field. The Champion has given you His name. The Judge has given you free access to His grace throne. The witnesses are in the stands. And your enemy is breathing out his own version of trash talk.

And so your family life growing up was a broken mess. Can you hear the call? Hold fast. Draw near.

And so you faced abuse or abandonment as a child. Hold fast. Draw near.

Okay, so you made some foolish choices and live with shameful consequences. Hold fast. Draw near.

And you’re eyeballs-deep in debt and just lost your job. Hold fast. Draw near.

So your closest friend or only spouse has walked out on you. Hold fast. Draw near.

Or you’re seized with panic at the most inopportune moments. Hold fast. Draw near.

So the doctor just came in mentioning the “c” word. Hold fast. Draw near.

Or your teenage daughter just came in mentioning the “p” word. Hold fast. Draw near.

So your future has lost all its clarity and certainty. Hold fast. Draw near.

Or your past keeps trying to throw penalty flags on you. Hold fast. Draw near.

So you’re broadsided every day by a culture that hates the gospel. Hold fast. Draw near.

Or you’ve face-planted just after one of your greatest moments of triumph. Hold fast. Draw near.

Jesus knows what it’s like. Hold fast.

Jesus hears what you ask. Draw near.

Someday soon your clock will tick down to zero. You’ll stand before His throne and confess that Jesus is Lord. Don’t you think it’s a good idea to get some practice in before that moment happens? Why do you think He put you in this arena in the first place?

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Tastes of Heaven

Andy Wood — Fri, 11 Feb 2011 06:28:22 +0000

“Glamour isn’t greatness, applause isn’t fame, prominence isn’t eminence. The man of the hour isn’t apt to be the man of the ages. A stone may sparkle but that doesn’t make it a diamond. People may have money but that doesn’t make them a success. It’s the seemingly unimportant people who determine the course of history. The greatest forces in the universe are never spectacular. Summer showers do more good than hurricanes but they don’t get a lot of publicity. The world would soon die but for the fidelity, loyalty, creativity and commitment of those whose names are un-honored and unsung.” -James Sizoo

+++++++

The Race

It was a day of surprises. If you had told me the Friday before what I would experience on Saturday, I don’t know whether I would have stayed in bed all day or sat up sleepless the night before. That Saturday, those years ago, I had a taste of heaven.

Pinewood Derby races are a big event. Boys ‘n’ dads work together to transform a block of wood into a race car, complete with paint, wheels, decals, and other race car stuff. Now anyone who knows me knows that I’m no engineer or craftsman. Put my son together with me on such a project, it’s like the blind leading the blind. So it was par-for-the-course that Joel sacked out at 9:00 or so Friday night, and that when I went to bed, the car was still wet with paint, and still had no wheels on it.

How do you prepare your son to lose when he’s dreaming of glory? How do you brace him for the fact that there are more than thirty other boys with cars, and many of them have been doing this for several years? How do you explain to him that the fun was in the working together, even if we didn’t win a single race? I did the best I could. I had him talked into being satisfied if he won a race or two. So that Saturday morning we took our still-sticky car to test it out, and see how we’d done.

He won the whole thing. Beat ‘em all. Mama giggled all the way home. I was in shock. The boy was beaming. He won the race. Took the trophy. Hey, Peter on the water, the Mets in ‘69, Namath in the Super Bowl – those were upsets. We’re talkin’ miracle here!

Who’da thought it? Certainly not me. I had spent so much time bracing him to lose, the thought had never occurred to us that he might actually win. But win he did. And teach the Lord did. But the lessons weren’t over.

The Concert

That night we went to a concert. Great concert, good fellowship, outstanding worship. It was a reunion of sorts, too. I ran into some people there I hadn’t seen in years. But once in their lives, when they were children, I had been their pastor. Many of them had to remind me of their names. Many of them reminded me of precious other things: “You baptized me.” “You led me to Christ.” “I’ve missed you!”

If there’s anything stranger than winning when you expected to lose, it’s finding out you’re somebody when you thought you were just another nobody. Amidst of the joy of reunion, it was hard to know just how to feel. I was reminded again how easy it is to dismiss our own lives and influence on others. Fact is, for many people our influence is life-changing. But some of the ways we’ve touched others’ lives will remain hidden until we see Jesus – and see them.

The Kingdom

Never underestimate the power of your influence. And don’t let it surprise you that God can use little ol’ you. Jesus gave a couple of illustrations of the Kingdom of God that make the point. In both, something small and seemingly insignificant becomes something huge, with influence that permeates everything.

“What is the Kingdom of God like? What shall I compare it with? It is like this. A man takes a mustard seed and plants it in his field. The plant grows and becomes a tree, and the birds make their nests in its branches. Again Jesus asked, “What shall I compare the Kingdom of God with? It is like this. A woman takes some yeast and mixes it with a bushel of flour until the whole batch of dough rises” (Luke 13:18-21, GN).

Apart to itself, the Kingdom has no influence. Only as the seed falls into the ground or the yeast penetrates the flour is its influence felt. So also, the Kingdom of God flourishes when it penetrates the kingdom of this world. Can God use you? Yes, but you have to be willing to be “planted” in someone else’s life to make it happen.

The Kingdom does its best work in the secret places. Buried in the soil, the mustard seed grows. Immersed in the dough, the leaven permeates the bread. Quietly working in the lives of people that Jesus loves, God’s Kingdom grows. Can God use you? Sure, so long as you don’t have to be famous to be useful.

The growth of the Kingdom is a normal, expected event. It’s natural for a seed to grow, and for leavened bread to rise. It is just as natural for the Kingdom of God to grow. We don’t have to manufacture it. We just have to be faithful participants in God’s working. Can God use you? Yes, so long as you don’t confuse your job with his.

The Kingdom transforms natural enemies into friends. Interesting, the mustard seed, which would be eaten by the birds in seed form, becomes a haven for the birds as it grows and flourishes. Among other things, this is a picture of love and forgiveness. As the Kingdom grows, it reaches out in love to those who persecute it, hate, and seek to destroy it. Can God use you? Yes, to the degree that you are willing to express his love to anybody.

The Surprises

We Christians love to talk about heaven. We love to sing about it. We love to describe it in terms so familiar, you’d think we had already been there for years. But the truth is, the Lord still has breathtaking surprises waiting for us there.

I believe in heaven we’re actually going to be surprised that we are standing in a place of victory. We have grown so accustomed to being whipped, feeling whipped, and acting whipped, this victory stuff will take some getting used to.

Surprise number two: we will spend eternity hearing the testimonies of people whose lives we touched, and never knew it down here. The investments you make in people and in eternity will revisit you, my LifeVesting friend. You may have forgotten or dismissed it. But your Father has other ideas.

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Conversation: The Leader’s Secret Weapon of Influence

Andy Wood — Wed, 01 Dec 2010 16:22:58 +0000

Make a list of the most important qualities needed for effective leadership, and let me hazard a guess as to what won’t be on it: Conversation.

Oh, I’m sure you’ll mention communication, but in most people’s imagination, this refers to the ability to move a crowd with speeches, lead a meeting with clarity, and/or write powerfully. And let me hasten to say, I’m for all three of those.

In each of these, a position holder is talking to people in other positions. And that has its place. But the best leaders have a secret weapon that “primes the pump” of their influence: they know how to engage their constituents in ongoing, life-shaping, direction-setting conversations.

They disarm by listening differently.

They empower by asking questions out of sincere curiosity.

They enflame the imagination by telling stories – theirs or somebody else’s.

They forge “joint ventures of the heart” by demonstrating understanding and an ability to be influenced themselves.

And they mobilize by sharing their vision interpersonally, with passion.

And all of this can be done in a few minutes at a time, standing at the water cooler, waiting for the “real” meeting to start, or riding on a bus to the company picnic.

A Tale of Jekyll-and-Hyde Proportions

Many years ago I got a job that literally started with a conversation. I dropped by to make a brief sales contact, and wound up staying for 45 minutes. The conversation with the organization’s chief operating officer was engaging. Fascinating. Mutually stimulating.

And somewhere along the way it turned into an interview without my even knowing it.

The conversation ended that day with, “We’ll talk later.” I couldn’t wait!

A week later, we got together and talked some more, and I was offered an opportunity to work for this respected organization, creating a new middle management department.

And the conversation with the COO just kept going. We met regularly, both formally and informally. He told me his story. The organization’s story. Funny folklore reserved for people who were cultural insiders. And all this developed quickly.

Meanwhile, in the organization’s real world, I collided every day with a culture that “led” through fear, manipulation, and “need to know” communication. “Conversations” with leaders took the form of announcements, confrontations, and one-sided reports of “this is how it’s going to be.” This led to grapevine gossip and something of a prisoner of war mentality among the employees at large. It was a bizarre, dysfunctional system. But I suspect that’s more the rule than the exception.

Listening Differently

All the best sources on communication and leadership will affirm the need to be a good listener. To pay attention to what the other person is saying without jumping ahead to plan your response. To listen with sympathy and support.

Ginger Cockerham takes that one step further. She distinguishes between “listening to” and “listening for.”

A leader who is a master communicator learns to listen “for” specific things rather than passively listening “to” a person. Listening “for” involves not only hearing what is said, but also listening for what is not being said, listening for what is missing, listening for the truth. This allows a leader to inquire with insightful questions and elicit honest and informative responses.

The best leaders I know are adept at hearing what someone is saying, but listening even closer for the truth between the words. It is there that they find shifts in the organization’s culture, opportunities for new influential action, or problems with the implementation of their plans to reach goals.

This level of communication can only take place in an environment of trust as leaders are regularly…

Empowering Others by Asking Questions

One of my favorite things to do with someone I’m getting to know is to simply ask across the table at lunch or coffee, “Tell me your story.” The response usually takes the form of a question.

“What do you want to know?”

“Whatever you want to tell me.”

No agenda. Just sincere curiosity, and respect for whatever the answer is. Then more curiosity.

Leaders who use the Secret Weapon have a fundamental belief that people are fascinating – even if they have known them for years.

You can learn things from fascinating people. And if everybody is fascinating (and they are), the wealth of understanding available to you is only limited by your refusal to ask for it.

But when you do ask, then respond respectfully, with ongoing curiosity and fascination, an amazing transformation takes place among your constituents – they want to hear your story, wherever it takes them.

Enflaming Imagination by Telling Stories

A little after 5:00 last night, my wife called and said her 5:30 appointment had cancelled. She had two other appointments that evening, so she said she would come home and rest for a little while before going back to her office.

She never made it home.

Now… watch the thoughts firing off in your head. Each of the possibilities of why she didn’t make it are elements of a story. And that’s how God created our minds to work.

It’s also why Jesus taught in stories, commonly known as parables. But Jesus used stories in general conversations, too. After he had sent out the seventy and they returned, rejoicing that the demons were subject to his name, He told them a story about seeing Satan fall like lightning from heaven. He repeatedly told them the predictive story of how He would be crucified and rise from the dead. Many of these were on-the-fly, unplanned opportunities to use metaphors or stories to communicate his vision of the Kingdom of God. Even His first recorded words had the elements of a story about it as He mentioned being about His Father’s business.

Still wondering about my wife? So was I. So I called. She had rearranged another appointment. Not as adventuresome or scary an ending, but now you know… the rrrrest of the story.

Leaders tell the stories of what could be, or of others who are doing things well. Sometimes they tell stories on themselves, of lessons learned the hard way or of graces discovered in wonderful ways. And as Stephen Denning reminds us, the best leaders will tell you stories that leave room for you to be the main character in a story of your own making.

Joint Ventures of the Heart

Leaders who talk “at” others, even when using conversation or storytelling, already have all the details worked out – sort of like a play where the lines and roles are already scripted. Your job is simply to learn your lines and enter and exit on cue.

Whatever else that is, it isn’t a conversation, and it isn’t influence.

Have you ever had a leader who knew where he/she wanted to go, but allowed you to help make the map to get there? And who actually gave you the credit for shaping that part of the idea? Ara Norwood says that the best conversational leaders don’t pretend to have all the answers, and value the perspectives of constituents. They demonstrate a true spirit of inquiry and interest in their conversations, encouraging constituents to continue whenever their thoughts seem to taper off. And they summarize and give credit for any contributions to the conversation offered by others.

In allowing for joint ventures of the heart, leaders encourage buy-in because constituents can see their own ideas at work when the leader mobilizes them by…

Sharing Vision with Passion

If the only time you communicate your vision is in a company-wide speech, mission statement, or an annual report, your vision will lack credibility. But when in unrehearsed casual conversations and every-day connections you are passionate about the compelling future you imagine, people will voluntarily make your vision their own. That’s especially true when they feel that you have heard them, shared stories with them, and let them help shape your future story.

Conversations are something my two-year-old granddaughter can already do very well. Yet she (and I and you) will spend a lifetime perfecting the art. Don’t allow the formal role of leader, if you have one, to force a barrier between you and the conversations that need to continue if you are to succeed. Your constituents will be more greatly influenced – one way or another – by your chats in the hallway than your speeches on the platform.

That reminds me of a story…

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Sissies and Wimps Need Not Apply

Andy Wood — Mon, 12 Apr 2010 19:48:31 +0000

“It’s going to be fun to watch and see how long the meek can keep the earth once they inherit it” -Kin Hubbard.

“The meek shall inherit the earth – if that’s okay with everybody” (Motto of the Dependent Organization of Really Meek and Timid Souls, or D.O.O.R.M.A.T). -J. Upton Dickson

“He leads the humble in what is right, teaching them his way. The LORD leads with unfailing love and faithfulness all those who keep his covenant and obey his decrees.” -Psalm 25:9-10, NLT

It’s quiet on this Monday morning, except for the sound of a rooster and a fiddle, an infant’s grunts from his swing, and a toddler’s delighted dancing as she watches – again – the Baby Einstein “Life on the Farm” video. Watching the two of them – especially with scenes from an abundant earth passing by – reminds me from the last post how we were wired from creation and birth.

We were created to inherit the earth. It’s in our DNA. But in the wisdom of God, He knew we would need help. His help. Without it, we have the capacity to do – well, what we’ve pretty much done with the planet.

That’s why Jesus – quoting Psalm 37 – said that the delighted happiness that comes from inheriting the earth is reserved for a specific kind of person. Yep – the meek.

So He Reserves It for Sissies?

Not exactly.

An old saying goes, “Meekness is not weakness. It’s strength under control.”

The word Jesus used for “meek” or “gentle” referred to a colt that had been broken. A gentle horse is not a weak horse, but one that has submitted his strength to the will of his rider. Meekness is the result of a training process that God takes us through in stages and repeated cycles.

Laura Kate is already showing evidence that, under the care of her parents (and despite the spoiling of her grandparents), she is learning to possess the earth.

I am 49 years older, and I’m still in training, too.

This training to harness our God-given strength is the result of a fourfold process. It’s a lifetime journey, and it is not without pain. Regardless of whether we’re in the “terrible twos” or the “I’m smarter than God fifties,” we’re all a work in progress.

Stage 1: Submission to the Master’s Will

I know we live in an era in which we recoil at words like “master.” Get over it. Your growth, development, and yes, happiness will never exceed your willingness to submit your will to God’s. Somebody must be in charge, and it isn’t you.

When I’m tempted to usurp God’s job, it helps to remember what my friends in Recovery say: “My best thinking got me here.”

Exactly.

You can’t inherit the earth until you realize that it all belongs to God. And that He has a plan for your life and for His kingdom.

I have learned that submission comes onion-like – layer by layer. As parents, we have plans and standards for our children. But we don’t heave it all on them when they’re two years old.

Neither does God. About the time you think you’ve got this “submission” thing down, He peels another layer.

I have also learned that submission is a statement of – and an outgrowth of – trust. To lay down my own will and submit to God’s is to declare that I trust Him to want what is the absolute best for me.

That’s hard for a toddler to grasp sometime. “Laura Kate, come here!” can’t always reveal to her that on the other side of obedience is a date with a Happy Meal, complete with “fry fries.” But I’m no different when it comes to my Heavenly Father’s instructions. Sometimes, all I can see is what an imposition they are, and won’t know until after the fact how they were designed to bless me.

Stage 2: Receiving the Master’s Training.

How teachable are you?

I have learned (I hope) that it doesn’t matter how much you know nearly as much as it does how much you’re willing to learn. And one of the things I appreciate about the Lord is that He is a willing teacher.

Meekness means having a teachable spirit. Training, however, goes deeper than just teaching. Teaching imparts knowledge. Training imparts skills. And in training, that means practice, practice, practice.

So repeatedly, daily, we teach our toddlers to count, and point to elbows and ears, and what the cow says, and how to hold a spoon or sippy cup. And we ask, and ask, and ask repeatedly.

So also, repeatedly, daily, God teaches us to be patient, to forgive, and to rely on His strength and truth. (And He uses toddlers and others to train us big people. Makes you wonder whose training whom.) He then sends us out to put into practice what He is teaching us about love and servanthood and spiritual power.

The closer I get to Jesus, and the closer I get to heaven, the more aware I am of what I have yet to learn. I still need training. And retraining.

I learned in college that muscles don’t actually grow. When anyone does strength conditioning, what actually happens is that the muscles break down, then are “rebuilt” – stronger, tougher.

Can you relate? For most of us, spiritual growth happens the same way. How is God breaking you down so He can build you back, stronger?

Stage 3: Obeying the Master’s Voice.

Meekness means learning to harness the strength God has given you to respond quickly and powerfully when He speaks. And speak He does!

Moses, for example, was referred to as the meekest man on the face of the earth. On command, he defied the mightiest king in the world, but also on command endured fierce criticism without retaliation. Here was a guy who could beat water out of a rock and turn a rod into a snake and back again – quietly enduring. Falling on his face before the Lord when he was criticized. That’s meekness. Weak? Hardly.

David stood before Goliath with fire in his eyes, and put a rock in the giant’s forehead. Yet when he had an opportunity to kill Saul, he refused to stretch out his hand against God’s anointed. Why? He knew how to respond to the voice of God.

Jesus Himself repeatedly stilled storms, sent demons reeling, healed diseases, and dressed down the Pharisees with language that would make even their mamas bitter. But, “when He was reviled, [He] reviled not again” (1 Peter 2:23, KJV). That is meekness.

Learning to recognize the voice of authority and safety is not a luxury; as any mother of a preschooler can tell you, it’s an absolute necessity. The same is true for us. That’s why Jesus said, “My sheep hear My voice, and I know them and they follow Me” (John 10:27).

The question in your life is not whether the Holy Spirit is speaking to you, but whether you are hearing what He is saying.

Stage 4: Enduring the Master’s Testing.

All meekness is tested. Sorry, but it’s so.

Do not fret because of evildoers,

Be not envious toward wrongdoers….

Cease from anger and forsake wrath;

Do not fret; it leads only to evildoing.

(Psalm 37:1, 8 )

Here you can find four tests of meekness:

The test of anxiousness asks, what are you going to do when the Lord has told you to do something, and he doesn’t seem to be coming through?
The test of envy asks, what will you do when you are doing what you think is right, and yet those who are living sinful lives are getting more blessing?
The test of anger asks, what will you do when someone violates your “rights”?
The test of retaliation asks, what will you do when someone offends you, or hurts you, or does something wrong to you?

In any test, there’s only one meek answer…. What is your Shepherd telling you to do?

I once heard a pretty dramatic example of this from somebody who trains guard dogs. Once the dog has been trained to obey the master’s voice, the nature of the business says that for safety’s sake, the dog must be tested. So trainers withhold food for a day. Then they bring the animal in, give him the “sit” command, and tell him to “stay.” Then they bring in a hot, fragrant, sizzling steak and sit it at his feet. The dog they can trust to put into the field is the one who can wait, drooling, famished, until given the command to eat.

That’s meekness. The power to devour. The discipline to wait.

Inheriting the earth – having your needs met, your desires fulfilled, and abundant peace – is not the stuff of sissies and wimps. Just the character of the believer who has learned to fulfill his deepest longings through surrender.

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The Law of the Nail

Andy Wood — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 08:20:13 +0000

Ever hear of the Law of the Hammer? Also called The Law of the Instrument, it has been attributed to both Abraham Maslow and Abraham Kaplan (neither of whom were carpenters, I don’t think).

The Law of the Hammer is based on the idea that people tend to look for cure-alls or over-use familiar tools, especially in dealing with people. It says, “If all you have is a hammer, everything looks like a nail”

Wise. In other words, diversify your toolbox.

I’m not a carpenter either, and six months of bending nails in 1979-80 can attest to that. But I’ve spent a lot of my life building, working with, leading, and being an instrument of healing to people. And I have observed a corollary to the Law of the Hammer that is important to remember in dealing with people. I call it The Law of the Nail:

If you are a nail, and especially if you’ve been pounded a time or two, everything (and everybody) looks like a hammer.

I’ve been on all sides of that. I’ve been the nail. Banged the nail. Straightened out bent nails. Sat in on more than my share of Nails Anonymous meetings (including pastors’ prayer meetings). I’ve hired nails to go to work for me without realizing how pounded they had been. And I have learned, sometimes the hard way, that living in a broken world means working with and leading broken or bruised people. So at the risk of pounding the metaphor too much (sorry), here are some ideas for finding healing if you are the nail, or in the next post, working with and leading the nails in your organization or workplace.

When You Are the Nail

1. Recognize that you were designed for a purpose.

When you’re hurting and feeling beat up, it’s easy to forget that you were created, gifted, called, and sent forth with a unique purpose. In the natural, nails were designed to hold materials together – things like wood, shingles, tar paper, and masonite. The same is true for you. And just like there are a myriad of different sizes and types of nails, you too are unique and carry great value because of God’s purposes in you.

2. Discern between “pounding” and “driving” leaders.

When I was a kid, I would play around with scrap wood and a hammer and nails. One of the characteristics of an inexperienced pounder vs. a purposeful driver is that I would keep pounding on the wood, long after the nail was secured in place. Or, if I bent the nail, I’d just keep hammering away until the bent nail was lying buried in the wood.

I understand that some people are like that – some leaders in particular. They just don’t know when to stop. But not every experience is like that. There are those leaders who drive you through some pretty uncomfortable stuff in order to bring out the best in you. That’s why it’s the drill sergeant who gets thanked for teaching you how not to get yourself killed. Or the tough coach or teacher you go back to revisit – the one who drove you to achieve what you were capable of.

3. Honor the process of discipline, even when it doesn’t seem joyful.

Yeah, that’s in the Bible. Here’s the deal, put in nail language. Discipline is the process of getting the nail driven into the wood so it can fulfill its purpose. Put in people language, discipline is the process of God, often through people, doing whatever it takes to fulfill His purpose in you. Yes, sometimes that is unpleasant – but in the long term, it brings about some amazing things in you and through you.

4. Come up for air – not everybody is your enemy.

I completely understand that sometimes it’s hard to tell friends from enemies when you’re sitting in the dark. But sooner or later you’re going to have to risk trusting somebody.

5. Don’t assume that because you’ve been bent you are useless.

I come from a long line (well, two) of builders. And I’ve seen my share of master carpenters. And it amazes me what they can do with a nail that looks hopelessly bent to me.

So if you’re feeling bent and useless because of your own failures or somebody else’s, listen carefully ( I’m not holding a hammer)…

You are no different. God’s plan hasn’t changed because you’ve somehow gotten all bent and twisted up. Your purpose hasn’t changed. And we serve a God who is profoundly interested in restoring you to a place of usefulness, strength, and fulfilled purpose.

Is it any accident that when He became a man, He spent his first 30 years driving nails in a carpenter’s shop? Or why, when an offering was to be made for your screwups and “bentess,” He “took the nails” for you?

How could you not trust Someone who would love you that much?

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So Change It! Eight Steps to Making a Difference, Beginning Where You Are

Andy Wood — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 07:01:02 +0000

I want to take you to a place where, frankly, we aren’t invited. For just a minute, let’s be one of “those” people we often gripe about – those rubberneckers on the highway, who seem fascinated with somebody else’s messes.

In this case, we’re creeping up to a closed bedroom door, where on the other side, we can hear muffled sobs.

A man’s sobs.

A few days ago, somebody from home had rocked his world. The news was bad, and every ounce of optimism he once had was crushed.

You should have been here yesterday. He was really blubbering then. And he will be again tomorrow. Fasting, too. And praying. Lots of praying.

But as he cries and prays and cries and fasts and cries some more, something happens. Most people in grief situations come to a place of acceptance. This man – Nehemiah – went to a place of opportunity instead. While others were living with embarrassment and humiliation, he was living with a vision and an emerging plan.

Nehemiah became a change agent. And so can you.

The Bible’s Language for Change Agents

Life is a dance with change, where the music gets faster and faster as we go. And to be honest, most of the time we’re running to keep up with it – and we’re usually responding to somebody else’s initiative.

Wouldn’t it be wonderful if the next time somebody was trumpeting ch-ch-ch-changes, that somebody was you? And it was actually a change you not only could appreciate, but one you helped make happen?

The people we admire most, whether in history or in scripture, had one thing in common: they changed something, or influenced change somehow. Here’s how one Bible writer described it:

Through faith they conquered kingdoms, administered justice, gained what was promised, shut the mouths of lions, quenched raging fire, escaped the edge of the sword, gained strength in weakness, became mighty in battle, put foreign armies to flight, and women received back their dead raised to life (Hebrews 11:33-35, NET).

In studying some of the most effective change agents I know or have learned about, let me share eight lessons I have learned from them. Regardless of your experience, gifts, or personality, anyone can apply these ideas to make a difference in your world:

1. Look for the gaps.

Constantly survey the difference – the gap – between “what is” and “what should be.” What’s missing? Where is the need? Countless organizations have been formed, laws have been passed, lives have been impacted, or relationships strengthened because somebody noticed something missing.

2. See the gaps as opportunities.

There is no shortage of people in the world who can identify the problems – just go to your local McDonalds or small-town coffee shop at about 9:30 in the morning. You can get – or give – an earful. But nobody ever solved a problem by just talking about it. Change agents see gaps as opportunities for something better.

3. See yourself as the bridge builder between what is and what could be.

You’re headed for a big disappointment if you assume the change that needs to happen is somebody else’s problem to solve. Or worse, that you are incapable of doing anything about it. The very fact that you see the need is a big fat hint that you are at least one of the bridge builders.

4. Establish a clear vision for meaningful change.

It’s here – with vision – that your mind crosses the gap and imagines an ideal future. What is your ideal view of the problem solved? How detailed can you make that view? Write it down. Nehemiah had that wall around Jerusalem so clearly pictured, he knew exactly what kind of building materials to ask for when he made the trip. THAT is vision.

5. Enlist the help of others by sharing your vision with them.

Our most meaningful dreams are much too large for us to accomplish alone. This is no time to be a Lone Ranger! Begin identifying a personal “dream team” – a collection of solution people who have similar vision, but different skills. Communicate your vision early and often. Specifically, clearly, ask for their help.

6. Go first! Be an example of the change you want to influence.

Everybody is somebody’s leader. And every change agent starts as an example of the change they want to influence – or the change never happens. You must model the role, Mister President, Senator Whoever, Mister CEO, Miss Sunday School Leader. You must be the example, the first to volunteer, or influence others out of the overflow your own drive or passion. Otherwise, you’re just a preacher(!) or a whiner.

7. Take action. Do something – anything – to get started.

I believe in planning. But I have seen countless plans that were never executed (which makes the time and effort planning a huge waste). Here’s a thought: start moving – just a little – in the direction of your vision. Make the call. Host the meeting. Start the conversation. Make the reservation. Schedule the event. Something! You can always adjust and plan in more detail as you go.

8. Strive for excellence. Don’t settle for mediocre, but don’t demand perfect, either.

In whatever solutions you apply, have a standard of excellence somewhere this side of “perfect.” Don’t be paralyzed by the pursuit of perfection. But don’t “mail in” your efforts, either. Look for ways to improve (new gaps). Welcome constructive feedback. Be teachable. But celebrate also the success you enjoy.

I have seen this process establish churches, launch annual meetings or conferences, even change the public smoking regulations in our city (launched by a teenage girl). I have seen mentors and coaches use them to transform or influence individuals or organizations. They can work for you as well.

Change is going to happen. Why not be the reason it does?

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So Send I WHO?

Andy Wood — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 22:46:01 +0000

(Tense Truth: The perfect truth of the gospel was placed into the hands of a group of people whose lives were a complete mess. Jesus knew this, but commissioned them anyway.)

Picture the scene in that upper room on the day of the Resurrection. Rumors and testimonies are flying! A strange mixture of fear, joy, and disbelief. Suddenly, according to John’s account, the Lord Jesus appears and says, “Peace to you; as the Father has sent me, so I’m sending you” (John 20:21).

Hello and head out! Victory and a vision. A Conqueror with a commission. And now these disciples would duplicate on earth what was first transacted in heaven. “The Father sent me. In the same way, I am sending you.”

But wait a minute. Before we glory in our visions of Pentecost, it would do us good to remember who it was the Lord was talking to. So send I . . . WHO?

So send I you, the failure.

May I remind you that the greatest display of God’s power at Pentecost was manifested through the preaching of the greatest failure at Calvary? Somehow in a way that only grace can account for, God turned a vascilating failure named Simon into a rock of strength named Peter. Your failures are no different.

Thank God there was somebody in the Bible who didn’t use up all his mistakes before he was saved. Maybe there’s hope for the rest of us. To hear some people talk, there is a future for failures only when your transgressions happened during the pagan years. And yet here is the Son of God making it clear that the Father had changed neither His plan nor his personnel.

Were there lessons to be learned? Of course.

Were there tests to pass? Absolutely.

Was there a season of healing, retooling, and rediscovery of God’s power? You bet.

But when the fire fell and the curtain rose on the Church Age, there in front was the man who wept bitterly because of his failure.

So send I you, the frightened.

All the disciples had forsaken Jesus and fled.

Scared out of their wits.

Out of their wisdom, too.

This bunch was so blinded by their fear, they were totally oblivious to the fact that on at least four occasions, Christ Himself had said He would rise from the dead. Now think about it: who would you be more afraid of? A couple of Roman thugs with swords or a Savior able to conquer death? And now this risen Lord had the amazing foresight to commission a pack of cowards. And when it came to sending them forth, Jesus didn’t water down the message or excuse the messenger(s) just because they were trembling in their boots. Hey, even Paul said later, “I was with you in weakness and fear and in much trembling” (1 Corinthians 2:3). All He promised was that in the most fearful of times, He would be there.

I find it fascinating that Jesus didn’t wait around for everybody’s fears to vanish before opening the world to them. He won’t wait for yours to disappear, either.

So send I you, the forsaken.

That night, the Son of God spoke to a room full of broken dreams. Their hopes dashed, their minds confused, their plans dismantled, their grief very real, He said to them: “It’s your turn.”

Was training available? Yes!

What about healing? In there.

So was direction and purpose and deliverance and forgiveness and vision and power. But He didn’t wait around for them to be great in order to send them out. Broken lives have a ministry, too.

Somehow we’ve gotten the idea that ministry is reserved for a special class of Christians with no problems, no fears, or no closet skeletons. But when Jesus said, “So send I you” the first time, those disciples were a far cry from that. They were people. Just people. Ready, available, teachable, useful, yes. But people nonetheless.

So send I you. Yes, you!

Led by the Spirit, anointed for ministry, but you nevertheless. No matter how broken down or frightened you are, the mission still waits. The Master still calls. And it’s you He truly wants.

Broken pieces and all.