LifeVesting

Moving at the Speed of Life

Andy Wood — Wed, 16 May 2012 15:28:36 +0000

This image disturbs me on many levels.

Yeah, it really does get faster and faster. There are more birthdays to remember (or forget).

(Let’s see… when was my son-in-law’s? Today? Tomorrow?)

I’m definitely Moving at the Speed of Life.

There are more demands – many of them self-imposed. I’m at that point in life where I know I can get more done – just sleep an hour less or (my favorite) multi-task. After all, time’s wasting! I’m smarter now than I’ve ever been, I have lots of unfinished business, and I can sleep when I’m dead.

Right?

Just keep Moving at the Speed of Life.

There are more opportunities or distractions, depending on how you interpret them. I’m at a point in my life where I am incredibly grateful for all the opportunities I have and, truth be told, a little scared to say no when another one presents itself. I’m old and scarred enough to recognize there are no guarantees, and still young enough to say yes when the right ones come along.

I only get one of these, and I’m still Moving at the Speed of Life.

Stop.

Think.

(Okay, who said “Tylenol?”)

Yank the cord, slam on the brakes, and wait a minute.

Is movement the only way you gauge the value of your life? Is activity or income or to-lists or productions or fulfilling somebody else’s expectations the only way to keep score?

I’m pretty sure you know the answer to that.

Not All Worthwhile Movement is Fast.

This is more like it.

Sometimes Moving at the Speed of Life is a slow dance. Or a trip to the back porch or the balcony or the pond. Sometimes it really does mean saying no to the temptation to hurry so you can listen to the doves and try to figure out what the blackbirds did to get the blue jays so upset. (Hmmm… maybe what has them upset is the tempting, swirling yellow tail of Thomas G. Glavine, the deadly cat.)

Sorry. Where was I?

Trees have rings because life has seasons of movement – some fast, some slow. And those trees that live for a long time learn to flow and grow whatever the season. So should you.

Not All Motion is Movement.

Sometimes the greatest progress can be found in the stillness and the quiet of time spent in prayer, or listening for the gentle whispers of your Heavenly Father, Friend, and Comforter. After all, whatever the speed at which life carries you, the destination is clear – you and I are headed for eternity.

Some people say this is the dress rehearsal. I disagree. You may have a lot of learning and do-overs, but there is too much at stake to pretend that this life is just a practice session of some sort. The clock is ticking, eternity is calling. This is real life. But the whole point of eternal life is not to live a long time. It’s to share that life with your Creator and Redeemer.

This isn’t a dress rehearsal. It’s a down payment. And you can’t move well at the speed of life until you recognize where the speed of life is pointing.

You and Me, Them and Us

Sorry to interrupt your fantasies of solo flight, but what gives moving at the speed of life its character and texture is the fact that you aren’t moving alone. There’s a you-and-me, them-and-us rhythm to life that adds significance and the potential for great, great joy.

Pity the fool who flies through life in pursuit of something called success, and has no one to share it with, or no one to enjoy the ride with.

Pity even more the fool whose pursuit of pleasure leaves him wasted and loveless – a consumer and user, but so, so lonely.

Moving at the speed of life means learning to move together. Sometimes fast. Sometimes slow. Always together. Always thoughtful. Aware, even when apart. Listening and talking. Waiting and hurrying. But always engaged on some level.

Guides for the Journey

The good news about moving at the speed of life is that you aren’t left to your own devices and wisdom. You have guides along the way. Some are your “Friends in High Places” – those saints who have gone before you who leave a lasting legacy of faith and wisdom. Some are those personal guides who can teach you lessons, warn you of danger, encourage you to keep going, or challenge you to take that leap of faith.

Be prepared. Your guides may show up in places where you least expect them. Teachers often get wisdom from students. Complete strangers may sometimes speak as with the voice of God. And children? Well, let’s just say they have a way of completely redefining what we know as truth for those who have ears to hear.

Then there are those mentors-for-life. The men or women we look to over the long haul who can always help us find direction or wisdom, protection or peace. More importantly, they are available and willing to help us by giving us a part of their time – their lives – to make sense of ours.

Yeah, it really does get faster and faster. But Moving at the Speed of Life can also get richer and richer if you let it. When you recognize the season you’re in and adjust accordingly, remember your direction, relate faithfully and consistently and respect the wisdom of your fellow travelers, you’re in for quite a ride.

There really is joy in the journey.

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Non-Servant Non-Leadership

Andy Wood — Mon, 14 May 2012 05:47:49 +0000

Friday I was on my way to Virginia to make a presentation at a Servant Leadership conference. So I guess it was safe to say I had leading-by-serving on the brain…

I walk up to the ticket counter of the Dallas-based airline that will remain nameless (though I will point out that they don’t advertise that bags fly free).

Next to me is a fellow traveler who was trying to check her two bags. Here is the gist of the conversation…

Agent: That’ll be $60.00

Customer: Oh… Is there an ATM machine close by?

Agent: Hmmm. There used to be one, but I think they moved it to the other side of security.

Customer: Well I guess I’ll need to go through security and get some cash.

Agent: You have to have a boarding pass.

Customer: I have a boarding pass.

Agent: Yes, but you can’t take your bags through security.

Customer: But how can I get the cash if I can’t get through security?

Agent: You’ll need some other method of payment.

Customer: All I can do is pay cash.

Agent: Oh, we take cash.

Customer: But how can I get to the ATM machine?

Agent: You have to have a boarding pass.

Customer: I HAVE a boarding pass.

Agent: But you can’t go through security with your bags.

Customer: So can I leave them here for a minute?

Agent: No you can’t leave them. I have no idea what you have in there. (Side note: the TSA x-ray people were 10 feet away.)

Customer: So what you’re saying is that I can’t make my fight?

Agent: It’s not my job to provide you an ATM machine.

That’s the point where my business was done and I walked off, leaving a bewildered traveler and an oh-so-correct ticket agent who I feel quite sure never once felt the angst created by a system that deceived people as to the real cost of that ticket – all for the sake of making money (airlines made a combined $1.6 billion in added fees last year). Not once did he acknowledge his company’s role in creating the problem or himself or his company as part of the solution.

He was no leader. Heck, he wasn’t even much of a servant. But he could go home knowing he was correct.

I’ve had a couple of days to replay that scenario in my head. I know the agent had a job to do, though I’m quite sure insulting a customer about her bag contents and watching her twist in the wind of an impossible-looking solution wasn’t in his description. I just wonder if…

Maybe There Was a Servant Solution

Maybe he could have gently pressed in to explain to the obviously-inexperienced flyer that they could, indeed, take her ATM card for payment. She didn’t make it clear why getting cash was so important.

Maybe he could have paid it himself out of his own pocket – risking that she would do right by him and go get the cash and bring it back. Certainly above and way beyond the call of his duty, but why not?

Short of being allowed to make such a grand gesture, maybe he could have at least acted apologetic or sorry for the dilemma she faced.

What would you do that I haven’t thought of?

Maybe There Was a Leadership Solution

Maybe his still-in-bankruptcy-and-I-think-I-know-why airline could have empowered him to waive the fees in certain circumstances.

Maybe they would have negotiated a plan with the TSA for cases like this – to x-ray and watch the bags for a limited time.

Maybe they could have negotiated with the same or a different bank for an ATM machine, or set up their own system for such things at the counter.

Maybe they could have established a system in the first place that doesn’t ask travelers to pay three times for a round trip ticket when they’re checking bags. Here’s a radical idea – why not build the cost of two bags into the price of the ticket and offer refunds or vouchers at the gate for every bag they DON’T check? Then not only can travelers compare apples to apples for shopping for flights, but they can skip down the jet bridge with $30-60 in their pocket and good feelings about flying the unfriendly skies.

Would else could the airline or local leadership have done? What would you do that I haven’t thought of?

Maybe There Was a Servant Leadership Solution

As I passed through security, still indignant about what I had just witnessed, I suddenly was convicted.

I. Just. Blew. It.

I was on my self-righteous mental high-horse about how a ticket agent and his did-I-mention-they-are-bankrupt employer were insensitive and unprepared to deal with such a scenario. And I was so distracted with my own huffing and puffing, I was blind to the fact that I could have been her solution. I had three different ways I could have helped her while I stood there and did nothing. I didn’t have a right to criticize somebody for not thinking about doing was I also didn’t think to do.

Just because it wasn’t my job didn’t mean it wasn’t my opportunity.

Just because it’s an abusive and deceptive practice (is my attitude leaking?) doesn’t mean I am powerless to be a small light in the darkness.

Just because I wasn’t a corporate manager didn’t mean I couldn’t be a servant leader.

And I failed.

Sigh… what to now? Do I really want to circle back around and have to go through security again? Just as I decided that I’d do it, I saw my fellow traveler coming through security herself. Somehow she made it.

In spite of them.

In spite of their money-leeching policies.

In spite of my self-righteous neglect.

Memo to my foggy brain: The next time you hear someone use the words “it’s not my job” maybe you should assume it’s yours.

It was just before the Passover Feast. Jesus knew that the time had come for him to leave this world. It was time for him to go to the Father. Jesus loved his disciples who were in the world. So he now showed them how much he really loved them…So he got up from the meal and took off his outer clothes. He wrapped a towel around his waist. After that, he poured water into a large bowl. Then he began to wash his disciples’ feet. He dried them with the towel that was wrapped around him (John 13:1-5 NIRV).

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Is There Not a Cause?

Andy Wood — Fri, 11 May 2012 06:00:48 +0000

Watch the video, then let’s talk (yeah, that’s me doing the voiceover).

Here’s a bit of thoughtful Bible trivia for you: what was it that enabled David to kill the giant, Goliath?

There are a number of possible answers, of course. A rock in the middle of the forehead was certainly helpful. David’s faith in God was essential. His skill and courage were an asset.

But I believe there was one catalyst that made David stand out among the armies of Israel. In a badly-translated King James verse, David asked his brother, “Is there not a cause?” (1 Samuel 17:29).

Okay, so that verse doesn’t actually point to it (actual translation: “Can’t I just talk?”), but David’s life and actions certainly did. This Philistine had defied the armies of the God of Israel, and their only reaction was to tremble in fear. These men saw no cause worth dying for, no purpose worth risking everything for. And when David came along, they accused him of being a mischievous busybody.

You may not be facing a nine-foot Philistine, but you face the danger of being just as afraid or just as paralyzed as the armies of Israel. We live in a generation that seems at a loss for a cause – for a reason to risk, and even to die if necessary. And the question of David still speaks to us today:

Is there not a cause? Is there not a reason to sacrifice our energy, time and money? Is there not a purpose that is worth being misunderstood for? Is there not an ideal that can motivate us to draw a line in the sand and say, “Here we stand!”?

One of the marvels of the business world has spent a lot of time talking about the importance of being a crusader for a cause. He defines a crusade as something that is bigger than we are – a cause with an impact that reaches beyond your personal needs and wants. “Much of the progress in our country,” he says, “has come from men and women who had more than a business – they had a crusade to make a better product, a cheaper product, a product that made life easier or more pleasant.”

What is true in the business world is also true in Christendom. Those individuals and churches who rise above the level of mediocrity all seem to have this one essential quality. They have a well-defined purpose that motivates them, that unifies them, that directs them, and that at times may cause others on the outside to misunderstand them. But they stay true to their purpose – to their cause – in spite of the opinions or criticism of others.

On the other hand, the arena in which our generation moves is littered and lined with people and organizations who have lost their purpose. The epitaphs of many a church or business has been written by complacent fat cats and kittens who are still doing the same old things; they just can’t remember why. Their only cause is situational; their only commitment is their own narrowly-defined interests and traditions.

I have stood open-mouthed as highly-respected people in more than one church made statements such as these:

“I know what the Bible says, but this is how we do it here.”

“As long as this building stands until I’m up the hill (in the cemetery), I like it just the way it is.”

“I’m tired of all these outsiders (new members) coming in here trying to take over our church!”

“You know, you’d probably get more support if you weren’t always insisting on preaching that `Jesus is Lord’ stuff.”

These weren’t pagans or church wallflowers. They were heavyweights – highly visible people in positions of leadership and influence! All of whom have wondered over the years why their children and grandchildren just don’t seem to be as committed to Christ and the church as they think they are.

Is there not a cause? Unfortunately, for the comfortable, the answer is often, “No. There is just convenience.”

So if you’re interested in slaying the giants and insisting that the Lord still has His ideals, you’d better get ready. Your noisiest opposition won’t be from the Philistines. It will be from the trembling armies of sleeping saints would rather live in the bondage of mediocrity or tradition than die free.

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When Napoleon Met Dynamite

Andy Wood — Thu, 10 May 2012 15:32:50 +0000

When the armies of Napoleon swept over Europe, one of his generals intended to make an attack on the little town of Feldrich on the Austrian border. It was Easter, and as Napoleon’s great army maneuvered nearby, the citizens hurried together to decide whether to surrender or to attempt a defense, futile as it seemed the effort would be.

The pastor of the church remarked, “We have been counting on our own strength, and that will fail. This is the day of our Lord’s resurrection. Let us ring the bells and have service as usual, and leave the matter in God’s hands.” The council accepted his plan, and in a few minutes the bells were chiming out joy over their Lord’s resurrection.

Napoleon’s army misunderstood the meaning of the ringing bells, decided they were announcing the arrival of Austrian reinforcements, broke camp and retreated from the area as fast as possible! God honored those who worshipped the risen Christ even in the presence of possible death, and used their worship to drive away the enemy!

An old book title says it well: There’s Dynamite in Praise!

If there is any greater untapped resource than prayer among God’s people today, it is praise. It was through praise that the armies of Jehoshaphat conquered the invading armies (2 Chronicles 20). It is through praise that we are instructed to enter into the presence of God (Psalm 100). Through the midnight praise of Paul and Silas, (Acts 16:25-26), the prison doors were opened, chains were released, and an entire family was saved.

“Praise is the greatest work God’s children can ever do,” says Watchman Nee. “It is the loftiest expression the saints can ever show. The highest manifestation of spiritual life is seen in men praising God. Though the throne of God is the heart of the universe, it is nonetheless established on the praise of the children of God. God’s name is exalted through praise. There is nothing a Christian can offer which surpasses praise.”

An old cliche says that we become like that which we constantly admire. Nowhere is that more true than in your spiritual life. If you and I are going to fall in love with the things of God, we must spend quality time in real worship.

I didn’t say church, though that is important. I said worship.

The words to an old hymn, written by J.S.B. Monsell in the last century, expresses the spirit of true worship.

Worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness;
Bow down before Him, His glory proclaim;
Gold of obedience and incense of lowliness
Bring, and adore Him; the Lord is His name!

Low at His feet lay thy burden of carefulness
High on His heart He will bear it for thee,
Comfort thy sorrows, and answer they prayerfulness,
Guiding thy steps as may best for thee be.

Fear not to enter His courts, in the slenderness
Of the poor wealth thou canst reckon as thine;
Truth in its beauty and love in its tenderness,
These are the offerings to lay on His shrine.

These though we bring them in trembling and fearfulness,
He will accept for the Name that is dear,
Mornings of joy give for evenings of tearfulness,
Trust for our trembling, and hope for our fear.

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Leadership and Opportunity

Andy Wood — Wed, 09 May 2012 16:56:59 +0000

Pssst.

Over here.

I have something you need to see.

I’m not showing it to anybody else yet because I wanted you to be the first to take advantage of it. But next week it goes public. And this won’t be a secret for very long. This is a once-in-a lifetime…

(wait for it…)

…yeah, that.

Opportunity. It’s an often-used, sometimes over-used concept. Americans throw it around as if we own the copyright to the term. You can see and hear it everywhere…

Opportunity meeting.

Opportunities wasted.

Opportunity of a lifetime (followed by another one next month).

Land of opportunity.

Despite our temptation to take a cynical cliché bath, however, there is a reason the word forms such an important part of our lives. It’s in the face of opportunity that industries are created, life-changing decisions are made, and culture-shaping movements are started.

It’s in the face of opportunity that leaders often arise.

Jesus, the greatest leader of all time demonstrated this. But you don’t find the word “opportunity” in the gospels. The gospel of John uses another term – “the hour.”

Before Jesus turned water into wine, his mother approached him with an itsy bitsy problem – a week-long wedding feast had just run out of wine. Bad form in that culture – really embarrassing to the host. Jesus’ reply at that point:

“My hour has not yet come.”

Although He did turn the water into wine, keeping the bridesmaids buzzed or the guests entertained wasn’t the opportunity that defined Him.

Later, John records that “the hour” – the opportunity – did arrive, and you know what Jesus did? He cleaned the street from His disciples’ feet. Then proceeded to give His life to conquer sin and the grave.

What Opportunity is Made Of

In the crucible of opportunity, every leader’s decision is magnified in importance. These opportunities are formed when three factors converge:

1. Urgency – a situation requiring something to be done soon.

2. Crisis – a time of intense difficulty, trouble or risk.

3. Potential – increased receptivity to, and possibility of, dramatic favorable change.

This was the situation Jesus knew himself to be when he washed the disciples’ feet. It’s also the situation many great leaders have confronted, out of which their leadership emerged.

All three factors are important, and that’s why the term gets watered down. Somebody wants to talk to you about an “awesome opportunity.” And sure, maybe the potential is there. But there is no sense of urgency or crisis, therefore the “opportunity” isn’t calling for decisive action or courage. Translation: It may be a nice idea, but hardly an “opportunity of a lifetime.”

What Leaders are Made Of in Times of Opportunity

So when these forces – urgency, crisis, and potential – converge, what do leaders do? What distinguishes them from followers?

1. Vision.

Leaders are alert to what’s happening. They see what others can’t or won’t. They see what is happening, what could happen, and what will happen if they don’t take action.

2. Decisiveness.

Leaders aren’t afraid to make a decision – even when it’s unorthodox, unprecedented, or in the moment unsupported. They act on their vision, even when the intelligentsia or the conventional thinkers call them crazy.

3. Servanthood.

You read that right. Leaders, in the face of opportunity, forge new ways to serve. They serve the public. They serve the planet. They serve their employees or family or friends. In fact, they serve everyone else first, and save themselves for last. Show me somebody with a title or position who uses it to serve himself first, I’ll show you somebody who’s an opportunist – but no leader.

4. Mobilization.

This is what distinguishes leaders from pioneers or tinkerers. Leaders not only serve the needs in front of them, they mobilize their followers to do the same. That foot-washing episode I mentioned earlier? Yes, it was an act of servanthood, but that’s only half the story. It was also a phenomenal act of leadership. It only happened once, but that’s all it took. Through washing their feet, Jesus began the process of unleashing army of spiritual leaders who changed the world.

Crisis, urgency, and remarkable potential always present moments of truth that can change people, leaders included. Are you willing to look beyond what others see? Are you willing to take action while everyone else sleeps? Are you willing to serve when others wish to be served? Are you willing to gather a tribe, an army, a team to multiply your efforts?

That’s what leaders do when opportunities show up.

And your opportunity may be just around the corner.

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A Song You Can Sing Forever

Andy Wood — Fri, 04 May 2012 18:34:14 +0000

You don’t have to read through this site very long to figure out that music flavors a lot of my thinking. I often tell people that I almost always have a song on my mind, and it’s often very random. (I’d rather not tell you what song is there right now, but it does have the phrase “freakin weekend” in it).

Hey, I never said they were all spiritual.

Anyway…

Like a lot of people, I love the idea of new ways of expressing things – of what the Bible calls “singing a new song to the Lord.” And I get tired pretty quickly of rehashing the same-old same-old.

That said, there are some songs that defy time and never seem to lose their place in the hearts of people. They may not be on this week’s Billboard Top 100, but they never lose their ability to capture the imagination and connect to the soul. They’re the songs we can sing forever.

For example, my grandmother absolutely loved music. She loved to sing it, play it, and hear it. But something completely changed in her countenance when somebody started in on “Amazing Grace.” It was a song she could sing forever.

I don’t know why, but my mother would morph into a silly schoolgirl again whenever somebody played Eddy Arnold’s “Anytime” on the stereo. She wasn’t much of a singer, but this was a song she could at least hear forever.

Many classical music fans would say the same thing about the “Hallelujah Chorus” or Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony. Popular music of every generation has some lesser representations of that, and I’m sure you have your own.

The Bible also hints at such things. The verses describing worship in heaven in Revelation hint at themes around the throne of God that people never seem to tire of singing. And no matter how much we may want to crow about something new and different, we seem to return again and again to Psalm 23 – even though most of us have never even touched a sheep, much less shepherded one. Yet “The Lord is my shepherd” is something our hearts seem to resonate with more and more as we age, for some reason. For those who walk with Christ, it’s a song we can sing forever.

What is it about those high-impact expressions of love, worship, passion or desire that connect on such a profound level? Why should it matter, and why should you care?

Last question first: It matters and you should care because you were born with a heart to worship. I mean that in the religious sense of the word, but also in the sense of “declaring the worth” of something or someone. Yes, Jesus is the object of our highest praise. But hearts created to love and value great truth, themes and people can find in their Forever Songs important declarations of belief, yearnings of the heart, and expressions of highest values. There’s a reason these are the songs we can sing forever.

So what are these Forever Songs like? What do they seem to have in common?

Start with creativity. Songs you can sing forever have a unique way of capturing the essence of a thought, feeling, or desire. They aren’t weird – just fresh expressions of phrases and rhythm and melody. Often the idea is profoundly simple, yet layered with rich emotion. Have you listened to “You are So Beautiful” or “I Will Always Love You” lately? Whatever you think of the singers, the songs are uniquely, creatively simple.

A Forever Song is nearly always a declaration of worth – God’s or somebody’s. Nobody sings songs about misery and pain forever… only for a season. Forever Songs express heartfelt value, appreciation, adoration, or respect. Passion is there too, but it’s more of a passion for a lifetime, not passion for the moment.

Forever Songs often capture a metaphor that resonates with the heart. “I once was lost but now I’m found, Was blind but now I see” does that. So do phrases that have the mountains spell your name or your Shepherd leading you beside quiet waters. They poetically capture the depths of relationships or the desires and the imagination of the singer in one or two short phrases.

Forever Songs have a way of expressing human shortcomings or need, even as they boldly express feelings. “Amazing Grace” ends with 10,000 years being just a good start on praising God. “Bridge Over Troubled Water” faithfully connects with friends who are down and out – can you relate?

Forever Songs capture elements we all want to hold onto forever. Love, beauty, happiness/joy, truth, understanding are themes you find again and again in those songs. Why? Because Forever Songs celebrate something or Someone, and you were born to celebrate.

Forever Songs also have an overcoming theme in them, too. The amazing grace of God overcomes the wretched sinner I once was. “Anytime” promises to come back – overcoming the ugliness and forgiving the separation between two people. And what else could be said about the “Hallelujah Chorus?”

For the Lord God Omnipotent reigneth…

And He shall reign forever and ever.

When it’s time to retrace the points again on your life compass, or to reconnect again with who or what matters most, go back to your Forever Songs. It’s a pretty safe bet you won’t be singing about a freakin’ weekend. But you will be celebrating who you adore, what you believe, and why you were put on this planet in the first place.

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Why Would Someone Violate Their Own Standards?

Andy Wood — Wed, 02 May 2012 14:51:04 +0000

I have an urgent news flash for you: Just because you know something is wrong, that doesn’t mean you’ll avoid it.

Shocking, I know. And the corollary is also true: Just because you know you’re supposed to do something, that doesn’t mean you’ll do it.

Suppose you could interview Jonah – the Old Testament’s version of Gilligan – and ask him what the most important requirement was for prophets. What do you think he’d say? My guess is that he would tell you that a prophet’s number one job is to speak what he hears the Lord saying to speak.

Why, then, did Jonah have to travel from the boat to the belly to the burp to the beach before he decided to do what his own standard said to do?

Resurrect a first-century Pharisee and ask him what it took to please God, and you’d probably hear something about keeping the law and prophets, serving God and walking in humility and discipline.

Why, then, did Jesus refer to the scribes and Pharisees as unwilling to lift a finger to meet a need, doing all their deeds to be noticed by men, loving the place of honor at banquets and the chief seats in the synagogues, and insisting on being called by respectful titles in public? If serving God faithfully was so important to them, why did the Son of God warn people not to be like them?

Whenever the bad news breaks out about somebody who has shocked us with their oh-no, no-no behavior, we often ask silly questions like, “Well didn’t they know that was wrong?” Of course they did. Why, then, would someone violate their own standards of right and wrong? I’ll give you eight reasons to think about in a minute. But first, let me deal with the so-what question.

We live in a culture that often proposes knowledge as the solution to all our problems. For example, in the wake of all the accounting scandals in 2001-02, red-faced business schools admitted they no longer taught ethics and rushed in to fix the problem. With the rise of sexually-transmitted diseases in various areas has come a new push to educate the population. But knowledge alone, while preferable to ignorance, has never solved anything. In fact, knowledge creates as many problems as it solves because it doesn’t address the issues of the soul.

Well if knowledge alone doesn’t work, then surely legislation will. Right? Tell you what. Let’s make it against the law to kill somebody and see if that eliminates murders. Let’s threaten to put people in prison who steal stuff and see if theft goes down. Seriously? We’ve been trying that since the serpent arrived on the scene in Eden.

Maybe if we can understand what would drive somebody to defy their own standards, we can help empower some wise choices. Here are eight reasons to consider:

1. Pleasure

Start with the obvious. It feels good. Not in the long run, of course, when the guilt and shame and humiliation show up. But when you’ve forgotten what it feels like to have adrenaline rush through your veins, or haven’t felt love (or the illusion of it) for so long, it’s easy to check your principles at the door.

2. Money and Stuff

Of course, this isn’t those pieces of linen and paper with pictures of dead people on them. It’s the illusion of what money can do for you – of what it can buy. I used to have a friend who would say to me, “If money is the solution to your problems, you don’t have a problem.” But tell that to the person who is desperate, or who feels like he can’t compete with those who do have it. Tell that to the person who’s just gotten drunk in the rush that comes from an influx of cash. Again, it’s a case of short-term thinking. But that doesn’t stop people from violating their conscience or sometimes selling their souls for a little more stuff.

3. Pride – to look good

This one, like the previous two, goes all the way back to Eve. She saw that the forbidden fruit was to be desired to make her wise. Bottom line, she wanted to look good, at least to herself. Today it’s more about looking good to others or feeling good about yourself. Neither of those are bad in themselves. But when it leads to attitudes of superiority, arrogance, or defiance against God, the old proverb is still true – pride goes before the fall. But prior to that fall, it’s pretty alluring and deceiving.

4. Fear of rejection

Sometimes people violate their conscience out of fear. The most obvious of these has to do with peer pressure (and don’t think for a minute that peer pressure is reserved for adolescents). I don’t care who you are or how old, rejection – especially by the “in group” – still hurts. And I’ve seen countless people “go along to get along” all the way to stupid. Or unemployment. Or prison. Or the graveyard.

5. Fear of loss

“But what if I lose everything?” “But what if he leaves me?” “I’ve got to keep this job – do you know what the economy is like out there?” The fear of loss leads people to make bad choices in the short run and hope that they can fix everything later. But “later” often brings new fears of its own. The issue here is the fear, not the loss. When you live your life driven by inner fear, you will eventually compromise your convictions, no matter what your intentions are.

6. Ambition/power

The allure of power – of being in a position where you can tell people what to do, purchase loyalty or compliance, or punish and reward people – can be an intoxicating thing. Before you claim that doesn’t interest you, think about how many TV shows or movies you watch about weak or powerless people. Ambition often leads to “just this once” kinds of thinking. I’ll do it just this once, because the greater goal is worth it. But “just this once” is rarely ever just once.

7. The appearance of a no-win situation

This one is tricky. Now we’re in the land of the moral dilemma, where there is no clear-cut “right” answer. And frankly, sometimes there isn’t. But sometimes appearances are deceiving. It appears to be no-win because doing the right thing in the short run leads to short-term pain. Most no-win situations have long-term-win options. We just don’t want to make that choice if it involves suffering in the meantime.

8. Urgency

Sometimes people cross their own boundaries because they believe they’re in a desperate situation or a desperate hurry. They feel as though their back is to the wall and they have to do something fast, even if it’s wrong. People use this in sales all the time – ever hear the words “today only?” This also shows up in politics, wartime, business, and church world. The illusion is that we can correct a bad decision today with an improved decision tomorrow.

There are others, I’m sure. But you’ll notice that in these are four recurring themes: illusion, fear, short-term and desire. And there are many approaches to protecting yourself from stupid choices. But I would suggest starting with what LifeVesting is all about:

Abundance – I live in an abundant universe, created by an abundant God, who wants me to have an abundant life.

Legacy – I have the power to influence and bless others long after my life on earth is over.

Increase: – I will receive an increase on my life choices in proportion to my willingness to invest and wait.

Freedom: - I will be served by the people and things I invest in and serve.

Eternity: – I have the opportunity to affect the quality of eternity by the choices I make.

With these five principles as your guide, and the courage to see past the immediate and stay anchored to the truth, you can challenge the short-term thinking and illusions that threaten to paralyze you.

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This Isn’t “Weekend at Bernie’s”

Andy Wood — Mon, 30 Apr 2012 06:27:52 +0000

Dear Born-again, Redeemed, Blood-washed and Forgiven, Grace-covered and Justified, Set Apart, New Creation, Heir of God and Joint Heir with Christ, Temple of the Holy Spirit, Child of God,

Please stop referring to yourself as a “sinner.”

You are not.

You don’t carry that identity anymore.

Yes, you sometimes commit sins, but nowhere does the New Testament refer to saved persons as sinners.

Yes, you’re a work in progress, but your old nature is dead. That’s why it’s a little awkward to keep dragging it around and pretending it’s still alive.

This isn’t Weekend at Bernie’s.

Okay?

Okay.

Love,

Andy

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Leading and Living With Integrity

Andy Wood — Fri, 27 Apr 2012 13:51:38 +0000

(Subtitle 1: Nine signs of an integrated life)

(Subtitle 2: Nine things to look for in a prospective leader)

(Subtitle 3: Why you love your representative but hate Congress)

Year in and year out, it’s the number one answer to what people want in their leaders, regardless of the arena. It’s more important than technical competence, talent, or even being nice. “It” is integrity.

In election years integrity is rolled out as the reason you should hire Candidate A over Candidate B. And yet who hasn’t shuddered at the extremes to which people in the high-profile political, business or ministry realm are examined for any cracks in their moral foundation or skeletons in their closets?

Hardly a season passes where we aren’t wagging our heads at another icon of power being exposed; Arkansas football coach Bobby Petrino is the latest, but hardly the last. Soon we’ll be hearing some new cautionary tale about how someone laden with talent and brains lost their moral compass in the magnetic field of leadership power.

Hey, I get it. Both sides of it. I understand why integrity is so vital from a follower’s perspective, and so elusive from a leader’s perspective. I’ve also learned the hard way how difficult it can be to restore once you’ve lost it.

But it’s important to go beyond buzzwords and stop crowing about hypocrisy. When we’re talking about integrity, what, exactly, are we looking for? When you are about to select a leader in the making, what evidence are you looking for that he or she is a person of integrity? Or when your integrity has, um, “hit the ditch” (sorry, Coach), where do you start rebuilding it?

Here’s a place to start. Here are nine signs of an integrated life. No one lives this perfectly. But people who value integrity in their lives and leadership will be pointed in this direction:

1. Consistency between public and private values.

Ever see the leader at the press conference going on about diversity, then mouth off in private about a person who is different? Ever watch a leader completely morph before your eyes when the cameras started rolling, the worship band started playing, or they knew people were watching?

Integrity means that the person you are in public is consistent with who you are when nobody’s looking, or where only your closest confidants are around. The real key to this is being willing to let others in to see what your private values are in the first place – and addressing the ones that need some maturity or correction.

2. Personal adherence to your own standards.

“Practice what you preach” is a cliché, but it’s still true. Different people have different codes of conduct for different reasons. And yes, those codes evolve over time. But integrity means whatever code you’re judging others by or proclaiming is the one you also live by?

In leadership what this means is that you don’t let your position make you the exception to the rule. CEOs aren’t too good to serve if you value service in others. If you expect your employees to keep a certain schedule, you go first. In fact, get there first. If you expect them to meet their deadlines, make sure to meet yours.

3. Positive regard for self and others.

You don’t have to approve to accept. You don’t have to agree to show respect. But you do have to have consistency between the way you regard yourself and the way you respect others. People with integrity don’t feel obligated to choose between liking themselves and liking their customers, coworkers or employees. They can do both.

In leadership this extends to having respect for adversaries, competitors, or even critics. But not at the expense of your own self-respect. Bottom line: stop beating yourself up and distancing yourself from others.

4. The ability to reconcile conflicts.

Conflicts are the ultimate test of the integrity of a relationship. At issue is whether you value the relationship over the issue, or whether you seek to maintain a relationship even when issues threaten to divide. You don’t have to agree on everything; it’s ridiculous to try. But you also don’t have to allow relationships to disrupt or disorient relationships. When all else fails, learn the magic of these two words: “I’m sorry.”

Being a leader doesn’t exempt you from this, especially when you’re the cause of the conflict. Be the first to apologize when needed. Be the first to reach out across the awkward silence of hurt feelings or offenses. Show your constituents that you prioritize relationship as much as you do getting the job done. People are your job in most cases.

5. Adherence to appropriate sexual boundaries.

Here’s the way the logic of the world works: What you do behind closed doors is your business, and I’m not here to judge. But if I find out what went on behind those closed doors, not only will I judge you, I’ll crucify you. Fair? Hardly. Honest? Nope. But it is what it is.

Integrity means honoring the boundaries between respecting and caring for someone and crossing the line and using them as a source for pleasure. And before you whip out that “two consenting adults” crap, may I point out that what you consent to today may control you tomorrow? And by the next day it may consume you and your ability to lead.

6. Faithfulness to your personal commitments.

Before you ever make promises to others, you will make commitments to yourself. Sometimes these come in the form of goals or lifestyle changes. Sometimes they come as matters of personal or spiritual discipline. Sometimes they show up as private commitments to closest friends or family members, but the force of the commitment is a promise you are making first to yourself or God. Integrity simply asks, If I can’t keep the commitments I make to myself or God, why should I expect others to trust me when I make commitments to them?

The leadership program I work with drills this principle into every student: Before I can lead others, I must first lead myself. Your constituents need to see you keeping your personal commitments. It’s where they learn to trust you, and where they come to believe that they can keep the personal commitments they have made.

7. Fulfillment of your verbal and contractual commitments.

Know how the Bible describes people who make commitments they don’t keep? “The sacrifice of fools” (Ecclesiastes 5:1). One of the simplest definitions of integrity I know: When you tell someone you’re going to do something, do you do it? When you commit to a project, do you deliver when you said you would?

The computer world calls undelivered software promises “vaporware.” That’s a pretty good description of anybody who is “all boots and no cattle.” In leadership, nothing will brand you as non-credible faster than empty promises or failed commitments.

8. Going beyond the minimum of what others require of you.

Under-promise and over-deliver. Do more than just get by. This shows the people around you that you are committed to excellence in more than just word, but also in practice. It also reflects what you truly believe in. Classic example: A farmer who works just for the paycheck goes home when it’s dark. A farmer who believes in farming puts lights on his tractor and keeps working into the night.

What does this have to do with integrity? Everything. It means you are willing to lead by example, even when you don’t have a leadership position or receive immediate rewards. People with integrity recognize excellence as its own reward.

9. The ability to give and receive genuine love.

People with integrity recognize that the most fundamental need of every human is to give and receive love. They give and receive it because they themselves need to be loved, and they won’t ask for what they are unwilling to give.

In leadership, somebody has to go first in praising the qualities and performance of others. Somebody had to lead out in creating a culture of kindness and thoughtfulness. Somebody has to take the initiative empathize with, pray for, listen to, and support people with problems. All your crowing about leaving personal problems at home ring hollow to the employee who just found out she has cancer, or who just found the note from his estranged wife saying she won’t be coming home. Integrity stops to care because that’s how you want others to treat you.

These nine qualities didn’t just randomly show up on a list. You can find them woven throughout here. I just applied them to different expressions of leadership.

We’re all a work in progress. My concern for you and me is not where we may be today, but where we’re headed. Let’s show the people in our realm of influence that integrity is more than a cynical, boring election-year buzzword.

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Whatever Happened to Those Grapes?

Andy Wood — Wed, 25 Apr 2012 13:52:47 +0000

Bahar: You guys from around here?

Igal: Not exactly.

Palti: It’s complicated. Who wants to know?

Bahar: Name’s Bahar. My family and I are on our way to Jericho and I think we made a wrong turn back there at the watering hole. I thought maybe you could give us some directions.

Igal: Well if you don’t mind me sayin’, it looks as though you brought the whole caravan with you.

Palti: This isn’t a trip to see the in-laws, is it?

Bahar: No, we’re looking for a new home. There are rumors of a foreign invasion and I hear that Jericho is the safest place in Canaan.

Igal: Oh it’s safe, all right.

Palti: Biggest walls I’ve ever seen.

Bahar: So you’ve been there?

Igal: Not exactly.

Palti: It’s complicated. We sorta saw it from a distance.

Bahar: So how do you get there from here?

Igal: I’d try a camel.

Palti: My friend thinks he’s a comedian. Jericho is west of here, on the other side of the Jordan. You’re going south and there’s nothing safe about the Dead Sea.

Bahar: Uh, boy. My wife told me to ask for directions. I’ll never hear the end of it.

Igal: Blame it on the camel.

Palti: He loves camels. He says he’d walk a mile for one.

Bahar: What’s a mile?

Igal: Never mind

Palti: It’s complicated.

Bahar: You fellas have been kind, in a strange sort of way. Do you know where we can get some food? We’re pretty famished.

Igal: Nothing here!

Palti: We’re not hiding anything.

Bahar: What’s that behind you on that pole? Great gods! Is that a cluster of grapes?

Igal: I don’t see any grapes.

Palti: Forget it, Igal. We’re busted.

Bahar: That has to be the biggest bunch of grapes I’ve ever seen. Did you grow those yourself?

Igal: Not exactly.

Palti: It’s complicated.

Bahar: Well did you buy them somewhere? I’d love to surprise my little girl. She loves grapes – especially red ones like these.

Igal: Well, not exactly.

Palti: It’s complicated. But you can find these in a little valley near Hebron that we named the Valley of Eschol.

Bahar: Well I can see why. “Eschol” means “cluster,” that that’s some cluster. Mind if I try one?

Igal: Be our guest.

Palti: Try some of the pomegranates and figs, too.

Bahar: So how did you find this place? Do you have family in the area?

Igal: Not exactly.

Palti: It’s complicated. Let’s just say we were checking the place out.

Bahar: The vineyard?

Igal: Oh no…

Palti: The country.

Bahar: So you guys are thinking about moving to Canaan too?

Igal: Well… not exactly.

Palti: It’s really complicated.

Bahar: So where exactly are you from?

Igal: Well our last permanent address was in Egypt.

Palti: But let’s just say they aren’t forwarding our mail. It’s…

Bahar: I know, I know… it’s complicated. Okay, so let me get this straight. You used to live in Egypt?

Igal: That’s right.

Palti: Until a few months ago.

Bahar: And then you left the country?

Igal: Right again.

Palti: Boy you catch on fast.

Bahar: Just you two and your families?

Igal: And a few of our closest friends other family members.

Palti: Somewhere around three million in all.

Bahar: Egads! I can’t imagine Mr. Pharoah being too happy about that.

Igal: Well, you might say that he came out to the coastline to get to the bottom of it.

Bahar: The bottom of why you were leaving?

Palti: No, the bottom of the sea.

Bahar: Oh Great gods! It’s you! You are the reason I am relocating my family. The rumors of your people have spread throughout the region, how your God is greater than all gods and goes before you. I am so sorry to have troubled you. I must be on my way with my family.

Igal: Oh relax, Bahar. We’re no threat to your family.

Palti: Yeah, have another grape.

Bahar: Well, I am hungry. Tell me again how you found these grapes?

Igal: Well, a few of us were sent on a reconnaissance mission to check out the “land of milk and honey” that was promised to our ancestors by our God.

Palti: We called it the Promised Land. Until we saw it. Now we call it the Land of the Giants.

Bahar: Oh you must have discovered the Anakites. I hear they’re really big.

Igal: Yeah, well, everything’s big in Canaan.

Palti: The people, the city walls, the grapes. Care for another grape?

Bahar: Thank you. But, my strange new friends, don’t you think the Canaanites would be just as frightened of you?

Igal: They didn’t seem too frightened when the twelve of us came through last week.

Palti: Yeah, they just kept going about their business.

Bahar: Maybe they just didn’t know who you are.

Igal: Maybe not, but we weren’t taking any chances.

Palti: Yeah, we decided to look for a new leader to take us back to Egypt.

Bahar: Back to the place you tried so hard to escape?

Igal: Exactly.

Palti: It’s complicated.

Bahar: But didn’t your God say that He had given you the land?

Igal: He did.

Palti: That He did.

Bahar: And didn’t He already deliver you through the Red Sea from Pharoah’s army?

Igal: Right again.

Palti: You’re on a roll.

Bahar: So what you’re saying is that you’d rather eat stolen grapes and live as a slave than to own the vineyards that your God has already provided for you?

Igal: Well, when you put it that way…

Palti: Complicated.

Bahar: Then, if you don’t mind me asking, why are you sitting here instead of going back to Egypt?

Igal: Well we might have had an appearance by our God. And the news might not have been so good.

Palti: He told us we’d wander here in the wilderness until our generation died – 40 years – and He’d give the land to our children. To people who didn’t think and act like slaves.

Bahar: I’ll bet that was painful to hear.

Igal: Not as painful as what happened next.

Palti: Yeah, some of us got the idea it wasn’t too late and we tried to invade the place on our own. It was a terrible mistake. Many men died.

Bahar: I am sorry to hear that my friends. What is to become of you?

Igal: Our God is a merciful God…

Palti: …but our task now is to teach our children and children’s children to know Him.

Bahar: And where will you go?

Igal: Our task is to follow a cloud pillar by day and a pillar of fire by night.

Palti: As long as we do that, we’ll be fine.

Bahar: And what will you do for food? There aren’t many grapes out here in this wilderness.

Igal: Our God provides us food every day, just for the gathering.

Palti: We call it manna.

Bahar: Amazing. The same God who delivered you from the Egyptians? And offered you a land of promise that you didn’t trust Him to enough take? And decreed that your generation would die in the wilderness?

Igal: Well, when you put it that way…

Palti: It’s a little complicated.

Bahar: What kind of God is this, who will continue to provide for people who don’t trust Him?

Igal: He’s a God who keeps covenants.

Palti: Even when we don’t.

Bahar: I must learn more of this God, my friends. And time is short. I fear I may not have long to live. This is the true reason I am moving my family to Jericho. And alas, I must be on my way.

Igal: Bahar, we’ve sort of lost our appetite for grapes. Please take what’s left of these as our gift to you and your family.

Palti: Yes, friend. I will tie them to your shoulder with this scarlet cord. Your daughter will love them.

Bahar: Thank you my friends for your kindness. I shall think of you often and hope to learn more of your God. Peace to you and your families.

Igal: And to you and yours.

Palti: By the way, Bahar. What is your daughter’s name?

Bahar: Funny story! We hoped for a boy we would name after me. So when our daughter was born, I reversed the letters. Her name is Rahab.

Igal: Rahab… what a lovely name.

Palti: We’ll have to remember that.