Learning from the Past with C.J. Ortega

                When embarking on a new life adventure, such as leading a church, it’s not uncommon to expect success straight out of the gate.  Success being defined as progressively moving forward in the task God entrusted to you.  From what I’ve learned recently, both from experience and other Pastor’s testimonies, succeeding in your mission on the 1^st attempt isn’t a guarantee.

              

                 I believe God calls individual people for specific responsibilities.  What I find interesting is the Greek meaning for the word “calling” in Ephesians 4.  The word used is klesis, which is defined as an invitation to the responsibilities God has assigned for you.  Just because someone is invited to accept these responsibilities doesn’t guarantee success from the start. 

              

                 There is something very beneficial from making mistakes in life.  Pastor C.J Ortega shared his thoughts “One lesson I’ve learned in church planting is that I don’t want to dismiss my past experiences when it went bad, because there is so much value in what you learn from those experiences.”  This notion of learning from your mistakes is very true, especially in ministry.  What I have found is that if things aren’t going the way we had hoped or planned, then it requires me to draw closer to God. 

                If God has entrusted us with specific responsibilities, then He also needs to be the source in which we gain direction.  I think God allows us to make mistakes, because in those mistakes it forces us to depend on Him and to trust Him so much more.  What I have learned is when I’m in that humble and vulnerable state, that is when he reveals Himself and teaches me how to overcome the adversity.   

Wise Words from a Young Couple

            Elijah and Ashlee Hollis of the PowerPlace Church spent their Tuesday night in a classroom to share their personal experiences as youth pastors and the values they have learned through these experiences.

            One item that stood out for me was the vision they have for their ministry as youth pastors.  They said “take youth and raise the standard of living with them.”  This statement opened my eyes. 

            Understanding the culture of today’s youth, there is a tremendous epidemic of an identity crisis that says “if you don’t look or act like the world tells you to, then you don’t fit in anywhere.”  You can imagine the level of self worth within today’s youth when they decide not to live up to the world’s standards. 

            Elijah and Ashlee make it their mission to build these kids up with a strong self-esteem that is identified with Christ.  Through their experience they have discovered just how broken kids are these days. The pressure to fit in and live up to the worlds standards has brought suicide to a new level.  Bullying and self mutilation are also among the big issues this couple has also dealt with.  Therefore, building self-confidence within these kids is their main objective.

            How do they do this?  Intentionally “doing life together”, walking along side them in their struggles and fears, but most importantly they lead these kids by living a “real-life” example for them to follow.  As they extend themselves and invest into the lives of these young people, they gain influence in their life opening the door to share the life changing message of Jesus Christ.  

A Vision To Die For

                I’ve heard it said, “without vision how can you know where you are headed?”   In leadership, vision is a must.  Before someone will follow your lead, they need to know that you are confident in the direction you are going.  That’s fair enough , isn’t it?

                         Pastor Bill Hybels spoke at a leadership conference a few years ago and talked about how important it is for a leader to “own” a vision.  His message was simple.  He asked, “Would you be willing to sacrifice deeply or even die for the vision God has placed in your heart?”  It’s almost impossible for any leader to hear that question and not be drawn to reflection.  

                        To put this idea into perspective, think about some of the greatest humanitarians in history; Abraham Lincoln, Mohandas Gandhi and most recently Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.  Each one of these men paid the ultimate price to see their vision come to completion.  They understood deeply the severity and importance to see the end result of the vision that drove them through life.  

                        Hybels agrees and encourages leaders within the church to take ownership of the vision that has been placed on their heart.  Understand that it has been given to you for a reason; and that is to see it through to the end.

Compassion by Design

As a pastor, I believe the role of the church is to make a positive and lasting impact on the community in which it resides.  I believe the church should also operate with a missional approach in the way it functions.  Recently, I was asked a question that has inspired me in deep way.  The question was “If my church disappeared would anybody notice?”  In other words, what type of impact is my church having on the people in the community?  Are we producing something that is of genuine value to the people around us?  

My final assignment of the semester was to gain a true perspective of the community in which I live.  Strategically I surveyed key members of the community, people who are directly involved with the way it functions (i.e. Teachers, doctors, community service employees, local government employees etc.) The purpose was to compile their responses and identify the specific needs of the community.  The results were very interesting.

The graph below illustrates the areas in my community that present the greatest challenge.  The evidence is clear.  According to my research, the biggest challenges that exist are directly related to family life.  The sampling of this survey was limited, yes; however, 80% of those who were surveyed alluded to the fact that the future of family life is a concern. 

             It is interesting to note that the next three high-percentage variables in this graph; stress, financial pressures, and resources for teens may all be contributing factors to the success or non-success of a healthy family life. 

              

            Through the eyes of the world, it is difficult to see any immediate relief in the areas of stress and financial pressures.  Although, there is a solution.  Jesus teaches us in Matthew 11:28 to find rest in Him. He says, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.”  This passage is the formula for living a stress-free life.  This truth also provides a peace that eliminates financial pressures because we are told to trust Christ with everything in our lives and depend solely on Him.

This message is what the church believes.  The question is, “what are we (the church) doing to inform others of this truth?”  There is an old African proverb that states “In the desert there is a sin greater than murder.  It is knowing where the water is and not telling anyone.”  As a pastor this resonates strongly within me.  I believe that as a follower of Christ I have an obligation to ensure that the message of peace and hope in Christ is not only shared verbally but displayed through my life as well.          

As the church we have been shown the mysteries of how to livea life with purpose and meaning.  Developing strategies with a foundation of love is absolutely necessary for breaking through the obstacles that threaten a healthy family life. 

With the diagnosis of the survey it is clear that something needs to be done to help resolve the problem.   There is no time to sit back and wait for others to come up with a solution.  I think maybe our mindset should be “if we don’t do something about it, who will?” The second part of this assignment was to identify three possible community outreaches that will serve the community and make lasting impact.  

            

              First, we know that the future of a quality family life is a major concern in the community.  Interestingly enough my church is in the developmental stages of launching a family bible club called “Re-Fuel”.  The objective of this outreach will be to provide an environment that will help parents and children to re-focus, re-charge and re-connect.   Additionally, the motive is to bring families together not only to enjoy their time together with games, snacks and crafts but also to help them grow together spiritually.  We believe that God developed the family model and He desires to see it operate in mutual love and respect for one another.  Unfortunately, many people were never taught these fundamental life principles.  “Re-fuel” will aim to do just that.

                Secondly, the research indicated the need for teenage resources.  This is a difficult task, but one that is very much needed.  It is no secret that teenagers are living in a critical time in history when moral standards are becoming obsolete.  Sadly we are seeing more and more that the main source of entertainment for teenagers becomes experimental drug use and sexual promiscuity.  I don’t have the answer to seeing a dramatic shift in this dilemma, but what I can do is provide a place for young people to come and hang out.  This outreach would essentially be a place where teenagers can enjoy everyday activities like playing basketball or hosting a video game tournaments etc.   The purpose of this outreach will be to intentionally build relationships with these kids and to provide a positive influence in their lives.  My heart’s desire is to see a new culture established in this community; a culture of young people who are set out to be positive leaders for Christ among their peers.

                Finally, I discovered that a major concern for people in the future is the state of their financial situation.  There are many people who have not been taught the fundamentals of managing their money.  Over time the result of this lack of education is the uncertainty of how they will make it through another year financially.  I believe that we can serve the community in love by providing a free class that would teach individuals the basics of money management.  I know that if I was unaware of something that could truly benefit my family and someone found it in their heart to show me; I wouldn’t reject that.  It’s a biblical principle applied in a practical way.  Treat other as you would have them treat you.

This assignment was an eye opener.  So much so that I plan to execute this type of survey once more on a much larger scale of this community.  I believe that it is the role of a church to love and serve the community in which it has been placed.  It’s a simple yet vital part of being a follower of Jesus Christ.  If our desire is to be more like Him, then action is needed.  This reminds me of line from the band Coldplay which asks “am I a part of the cure, or am I part of the disease?”   Chew on that for a while.

Building Upon Your Strengths

What would it look like if we moved from a remedial world to becoming a strength-based world?  In other words, what if everybody discovered their strengths in life isolated them and found a way to build upon them?  I believe it is a recipe for success.   If we understand that a person’s strengths are their greatest assets then it seems almost obvious that improving on those strengths is vital for producing a better “you”.

Recently I took a strength finders test to identify the areas that I’m strongest.  Here are my top 5 strengths in which I should work to build upon.

Connectedness (80%):
People strong in the Connectedness theme have faith in the links between all things. They believe there are few coincidences and that almost every event has a reason.

Developer (80%):
People strong in the Developer theme recognize and cultivate the potential in others. They spot the signs of each small improvement and derive satisfaction from these improvements.

Adaptability (80%):
People strong in the Adaptability theme prefer to 'go with the flow.' They tend to be 'now' people who take things as they come and discover the future one day at a time.

Maximizer (80%):
People strong in the Maximizer theme focus on strengths as a way to stimulate personal and group excellence. They seek to transform something strong into something superb.

Self-Assurance (75%):
People strong in the Self-assurance theme feel confident in their ability to manage their own lives. They possess an inner compass that gives them confidence that their decisions are right.

I believe my responsibility now is to ensure that I excel in these areas.  Becoming a stronger and more effective product of what I already have within me.

I encourage everyone to take this so that you can begin to enhance the qualities within you.  Take it for free at http://richardstep.com/richardstep-strengths-finder-rssf/.

Are you catching what I'm throwing?

Here’s the thing about casting vision.  It’s never a guarantee that what you cast will be caught.  The tricky thing is getting the vision to stick when it is prone to leak. 

 

As a leader, you are the keeper of the vision.   It is your responsibility to ensure that the vision that has been embedded into your heart makes its way into the hearts of your followers.  Therefore, if the followers aren’t getting the message, then the leader isn’t giving the message effectively.

In order to help people embrace and remember the vision here are 3 techniques necessary to ensure that what you cast will stick.

1.  Cast it Strategically

A.      Define the problem.  What problem needs to be addressed?  How can we be a vital part in the solution to that problem?

B.      Offer a solution.  Your vision is the solution.

C.       Present them with a reason.  Why must we do this and why we have to do it now

2.        Celebrate it Systemically

A.      Make celebration part of your culture.  Build into the schedule times that are set aside to celebrate the success of your vision.  Celebration puts skin on the vision.  It demonstrates “that’s what we’re talking about”.

3. Live it Continuously

A.      This provides credibility. Essentially, leading through influence.  It is a demonstration of your willingness to impact.  You can't ask people to do something you are not doing! 

B.      If you lose your passion you'll lose sight of your vision. 

It is proven that the  implementation of these components are the formula to make sure that the vision     you cast will be caught and treasured by those who are catching.