All too often I have seen a lack of leadership leave people and organizations frozen, unable to act, and eventually failing. I’ve seen it, you’ve seen it, and we will continue to see it. Unfortunately, that is an issue that we are facing head-on today.

I usually don’t talk politics in my blog. When I do, it’s usually just a summary of a recent event. However, today, I have to raise issue with just that; the lack of leadership. I’m not even going to discuss political parties in particular. I don’t want to get into the whole debate. I want to look at it holistically and non-biased. Today will be just about leadership.

This Friday, we face a mini-crisis called sequestration. This is simply a series of budget cuts that are automatically triggered due to the lack of action on the part of the government. If you want to read more about sequestration, you can read the Budget Control Act of 2011. In this Act, the government is required to cut approximately $85 billion from the budget immediately. That sounds huge. It sounds like progress. It isn’t. That’s $85 billion from $16 trillion. Translation? A drop in the ocean.

Every political side is currently blaming the other. That’s not news. That’s not news-worthy. What is at risk in this high-stake gamble is of no consequence to either party, but rather to those who put them there. If you are like me, you’re tired of it all. You’re sick of the rhetoric. Here’s what we need:

We need someone to step into the gap to make something happen. This person has to be a leader that can get something from both sides. We need a leader. I have seen nothing at this point that would lead me to label anyone in our current political stable as a leader. When was the last time we were this divided as a country? When was the last time that we so polar opposite on so many things? Where is the leader we are looking for to get something done? That’s the question. We can skirt around it and blame each group for lack of cooperation. That’s fine, but it does nothing.

What does all this mean to the common man? It’s like not having a household budget, and having one spouse always spending the money, and the other spouse wanting to keep the money. It’s one spouse blaming the other, and finger-pointing is common place. The home begins to crumble from within, and all because there’s no leadership, no plan, no one to stand in the gap and be willing to make the changes or take action. Each spouse has their family on their side explaining why it’s not his or her fault. The result is havoc, hurt, and usually divorce. In the bigger picture, we can’t just divorce our country.

We can, however, change them. It’s time to demand that our leaders actually lead.  It’s not time to plan for re-election; it’s not time to posture for gain. It’s time to represent the people. It’s time to take action. It’s time to lead.

We don’t have that currently. Sure, you might be able to name one or two people who you think are representing a particular group. Has that changed anything?  Have they stepped up and brought a solution to all people? Have they managed to bring a bipartisan answer?

Let me answer my own question; no. No they haven’t.

It’s time to pray.

What do we do? In a moment like this, we have to ask the right questions. What do you plan to do? What’s the answer? I’m not looking for what party should do what. I’m looking for a leadership answer. Do you have one?

Category: Failure, Integrity, Stand Up, Work
No Comments »

When I was growing up, there was one thing that I knew at an early age, and that was you were expected to work hard. No one took it easy, at least very often. I was surrounded by hard workers, and I was expected to do the same. There’s something to be said about a job well done, and it feels great to finish. I wonder about those who don’t work hard. Solomon has a word for those; “foolish.”

In Ecclesiastes 10, Solomon gives us a few words of wisdom (of course) for parents, as well as those in leadership positions. He says that the foolish are easy to spot, and that they can ruin a lot of things that the wise have worked hard to accomplish.

In verses 1-3, he says,
1 As dead flies cause even a bottle of perfume to stink,
so a little foolishness spoils great wisdom and honor.

3 You can identify fools
just by the way they walk down the street!

At first thought, I wondered if it was rue that the foolish wwere so easy spot. I think, at times, it is. Of course, if you watch the news you see it nightly. But then there are those times that your spirit tells you, warns you, that you are around or dealing with someone who is foolish. I pray that I don’t have to deal with that when my daughter one day introduces me to her boyfriend!

On the leadership side, certainly there are times that we have to deal with those who are less motivated than we want them to be. In verse 15, Solomon puts it this way,
“Fools are so exhausted by a little work
that they can’t even find their way home.”

Again, I go back to my childhood. I was raised knowing what hard work was, and I honestly believe that is a rarity in today’s society. There aren’t many I have found that come into the “real world” with an understanding of how to work. That falls on us parents.

There’s something to be said about experience and qualifications. Too many people believe God is just going to give them the six-figure income and corner office, for no other reason than being themselves! As leaders, we need to make sure that we are choosing and making wise decisions on those we put into leadership positions. As parents, we need to choose wisely when it comes to rewarding our children.

Solomon actually admonishes those things he had witnessed up to that point. In verse 5-6, he says
“

There is another evil I have seen under the sun. Kings and rulers make a grave mistake 6 when they give great authority to foolish people and low positions to people of proven worth.”

See exactly how Solomon describes this? He says it’s “evil.” He says it’s a “grave mistake” when the wrong people are in the wrong places. It’s a mistake to just put people or reward people with position, status, or any other form of award without merit. This is much different from blessing someone who has a need in their life. What Solomon is referring to here is that “good old boy” network, or illegal kickbacks and preferences.

We have a lot to consider! Solomon has definitely challenged us as parents, leaders, managers, or wherever we are in life. If it’s dealing with coworkers, employees, or our kids, he has given us some words to teach.

Category: Stand Up
No Comments »

Solomon was the wisest of us all, of all who have ever ruled or lived. As I go through Ecclesiastes, I have learned more and more. In chapter 7, he writes things that aim straight for our hearts—even today.

In the course of my life, I have heard both the praise and the complaints about me and things directed toward me. I have had it delivered to my ears in many different ways, and with many different intentions. What I have learned, though, is that no matter how it is brought, what is said, or anything else, I need to consider the source. When I consider the source, I must take into consideration whether or not that person is wise or otherwise.

Ecclesiastes 7:5-6, Solomon writes,

“5 Better to be criticized by a wise person
than to be praised by a fool.
6 A fool’s laughter is quickly gone,
like thorns crackling in a fire.
This also is meaningless.”

In verse 8, Solomon speaks directly to us about issues that are so prevalent amongst those of us called to be leaders (dad, mom, leader, director, manager, teacher). Solomon writes this,

“8 Finishing is better than starting.
Patience is better than pride.

Some may argue that the toughest part of trying to accomplish something is to actually start, not to finish. I would argue that isn’t true. As leaders, our strength should already be in starting something. The toughest part is finishing it. It’s not about being able to start it, it’s about being able to keep going when everyone starts to push back, when the resistance is strong, when the going gets tough. That’s where we need the resolve. Finishing is better.

To get there we need wisdom. That’s something you need to pray for and about. Even Solomon, the wisest of the wise, said that in verse 24, “24 Wisdom is always distant and difficult to find.” We can look for wisdom, but it is almost impossible to find. In verse 25, Solomon expressed it this way,

“25 I searched everywhere, determined to find wisdom and to understand the reason for things. I was determined to prove to myself that wickedness is stupid and that foolishness is madness.”

That’s why I say we have to pray for it and ask for it. It’s not something we just “find” somewhere, or get in a self-help book. It’s too hard to find. That’s not to say that we shouldn’t seek wise counsel. Don’t misunderstand that. We all need someone who can speak wisdom into our lives, and we should seek that out. We just can’t seek it in that way alone. That’s wisdom for our lives.

Prayer: “My Lord, my God, I realize that I need You and Your wisdom. If even Solomon needed it, certainly I do, too. I need You to speak wisdom into my life, my mind, and my heart. Bring someone wise into my life that I can count on to do the same. Make me receptive to the words of the wise and indifferent to the words of the foolish. Your wisdom is what I need, to lead my family, to lead those who look to me for leadership. Help me to follow your lead. I love You, Jesus, and I ask all these things in only Your Holy, powerful name, Jesus, Amen.”

Category: Stand Up
No Comments »

There are a lot of people who have bought into this idea that the world is ending tomorrow, Saturday, May 21, 2011. They have heard the teaching of Harold Camping of Family Radio. I have to admit, I am surprised at the news. Mostly because I know that Jesus would be surprised as well. I can’t imagine that God would reveal to this man what He would not reveal even to His Son.

In Matthew 24, Jesus was speaking to His disciples when He told them that when He returns, when the day of judgement happens, it would be the day that God looks at Him and says, “Go.”

In verses 36-39, Jesus says this;

 36 “However, no one knows the day or hour when these things will happen, not even the angels in heaven or the Son himself. Only the Father knows.
 37 “When the Son of Man returns, it will be like it was in Noah’s day. 38 In those days before the flood, the people were enjoying banquets and parties and weddings right up to the time Noah entered his boat. 39 People didn’t realize what was going to happen until the flood came and swept them all away. That is the way it will be when the Son of Man comes.

It would be amazing at this point to hear that revelation from Christ only to have a mere “mortal man” suddenly claim to know that which Jesus Himself said He did not know! Can you believe God’s word? Do you believe Him? Could God have just changed His mind? Here’s the answer: NO.

In Numbers 23:19, God’s word says

 19 God is not a man, so he does not lie.
      He is not human, so he does not change his mind.
   Has he ever spoken and failed to act?
      Has he ever promised and not carried it through?

God is consent. He does not change or lie, so certainly He has not changed His mind about this.

Let me be clear on this; the world will not end tomorrow. It will not end even according to the Mayan Calendar. It will happen when we least expect it. It will happen according to God’s Word.

Enjoy your Saturday tomorrow.

Category: Stand Up
1 Comment »

It took me a while to realize that I had a problem. It wasn’t that it was hidden, or that it wasn’t obvious, but to me, it was tough to see. See, I love food. I don’t mean I like it a little, or that I like to nibble here and there. I mean that when I see food, I want it. When I am done, I am usually miserable. I eat too much. Even though I have been vegetarian (well, officially a pescatarian; a vegetarian who eats fish) for over two and a half years now, I still struggle with my weight. See, it wasn’t just what I was eating, it was how much I was eating. It doesn’t really matter if I am eating a pound of broccoli. It is still A POUND.

But lately I have been trying something new. Portion control. At first this was as radical as it comes. My wife makes great food, and I like to eat it. A lot of it! But now, I have started really watching how much I eat. And not just at dinner, but also at lunch. I have scaled back so much that now if I were to try to eat too much, my body tells me way ahead of time. It’s a warning that I am trying to go back to my ways.

I was reminded of this when reading 1 John 5 this week. See, there are a lot of things in life that we can make it a habit of doing, and even though it may seem as natural as eating just one more plate of something, it can still be wrong. We make practices of things that can harm us, harm others, or become stumbling blocks to ourselves and others.
John puts it this way in 1 John 5: 18-21:

18 We know that God’s children do not make a practice of sinning, for God’s Son holds them securely, and the evil one cannot touch them. 19 We know that we are children of God and that the world around us is under the control of the evil one.
20 And we know that the Son of God has come, and he has given us understanding so that we can know the true God. And now we live in fellowship with the true God because we live in fellowship with his Son, Jesus Christ. He is the only true God, and he is eternal life.
21 Dear children, keep away from anything that might take God’s place in your hearts.

It’s about what we practice. It’s what our habits are that can be a danger to us. How can I call myself a Christian if I continue to ________? See in verse 18, John says we know we are God’s children because we don’t continue to sin. We don’t fall into the same trap over and over each day because that’s not who we are. We aren’t called to that kind of life style. So what do we do? We have to change our habits, for one, and we have to realize that we are not the same people. We have the power to change and not to be subject to the evil that is in the world and guiding it currently. We answer to THE GOD. He has the power above all powers. He has the answer to all the questions. He gives us the ability to conquer all addictions, all habits, all sins.

Look at the last part of verse 18 and then at verse 19.
“…for God’s Son holds them securely, and the evil one cannot touch them. 19 We know that we are children of God and that the world around us is under the control of the evil one.”

See what it says there? We are God’s. HE holds us securely. There is zero that satan can do about it. Once we are God’s, we are His. The evil one cannot touch us! And look at verse 19! It says the “…world around us is under the control of the evil one.” It does not say that we are under that control, just the world around us.
We are different. We have the ability to overcome everything that is around us.

If you are checking out this whole Christian thing, let me say this: You will have the ability and the power to overcome all the things that are holding you back. It won’t be easy. There will be a million doubters that will watch your every move. But, they are looking for the mistake. They are looking for the exception. Why? Because you will have been changed! You won’t be the same person anymore because you will now have the power to be who God has called you to be.

Paul backs this up in 2 Corinthians 5:17. It is there that he writes, “This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!” You are a new person! Your old life is gone! You have a new life, a new chance, a clean slate. You have the opportunity that so few people ever realize is available to them; a chance to start over.

Here’s my advice. Take the chance. Even if you are already a Christian. Look at what your life looks like. What is it that you know that you know that you need to change? What is it that keeps you from getting closer to God, or closer to being more like Him? If you haven’t stopped to think about it, let me challenge you today to pray about it. Ask God to show you what in your life you need to change. What is it that you need to address? You may be surprised. He may ask you to do something different, or to quit doing something altogether. He may ask you to take one area of your life and get out of practice.

Prayer: “Heavenly Father, Lord Jesus, I come to You this morning realizing that there may be things in my life that I need to change. I may need to stop doing something. I may need to start doing something, and I am willing. I will need Your help. I know I can’t make these kind of changes on my own. Show me today what You want from me. How can I become more like You? What is it that the world has said is okay that I have bought into? Evil controls the world, YOU control me. I am YOURS. I love you, Jesus, and I want to be more like You, and closer TO You. I ask these things in the power of Your name, JESUS, Amen.”

Category: Stand Up
No Comments »