Do I Know You?

There is an old story about two men arriving at the Pearly gates about the same time. One of the men was excited beyond measure and the other sullen and looking a little afraid. The excited man said, “Hey, friend what is the matter, you should be happy.” The sullen man said, “I don’t know where I am and what to be happy about.” “Well,” said the excited man, “You are at the Pearly gates of heaven and we as Christians are about to be invited in.” The sullen man was thoughtful for a moment, then said, “I don’t know anything about this heaven, or what being a Christian means nor what to expect.”

The excited man said, “I have spent my life sharing the gospel and living an exemplary life helping others and doing what is right, my life’s walk and work spoke volumes about being a Christian”, “Say, you look familiar do I know you?” The sullen man replied, “Well, I should look familiar, I was your next-door neighbor for 20 years.”

There have been many times over the course of my life when I had the perfect opportunity to share my faith with someone and was as quiet as a church mouse. I am unsure why I did not say anything, other than the fact I felt unsure of what I could say and if it would be received as a positive message of hope and unconditional love or be taken as me being a pushy, self-righteous Bible thumper. Either way, I failed to share the Good News with a neighbor. The odd thing is I can remember almost every time I had the opportunity to share and did nothing. I believe these memories are God’s gift to me as “teachable moments” meant to challenge me going forward and to build a vision off their values.

As I pondered over this challenge, I was led to Mark 8:34-36, it begins “…He said to them, “Whoever desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross and follow me…””. He was communicating how to lead and set an example for others to follow.  Leadership is servanthood. There is no other definition that better defines a leader. We as leaders, must let our purpose prioritize our life. As in the story at the beginning the exited man had the heart and knowledge of what he should have been doing but he was not focused with a purpose of reaching others. We must live the life before we can lead others. We cannot share what we do not know for ourselves and we cannot give away what we do not possess. 

Our impact, as leaders, comes from relationships, not positions. Anyone can have a position but building a relationship takes special people with a heart for others. Leaders must replenish themselves. Our pastor said it best one afternoon while he was visiting my office. He said, “I just came from a meeting with my pastor to get my tank refilled.” Yes, even good pastor’s need a mentor to help them stay focused and recharged. Therefore, we should surround ourselves with people who can and will offer support as a Christian mentor and are willing to be honest with us. As leaders, we must call for commitment. We as, “Shepherds” must be committed to protecting our “flock”, sharing our faith, offering hope, expressing joy, and providing unconditional love for others to set the example.

As leaders, we must show security when handling tough issues because credibility comes by meeting needs and solving problems. We must choose and develop key people. People with a heart for serving others, a gift of being able to communicate clearly and concisely, and a willingness to do what is right in difficult situations. Also, as leaders, we must understand there is no success without a successor. Which brings me to my point, if we, as leaders, do not take the time to share the Good News with others and go the extra mile to develop those around us, what will our leadership look like in the future? Just saying…

I encourage each of us as leaders, to understand, “Leadership IS servanthood” at its finest. Good leaders are the difference makers in our society. We must take the opportunity to make a difference and add value to all those around us, daily. Whether it is through our talk or our walk it is our responsibility to share the Good News about faith, hope, joy, and unconditional love. Mark 8:34-36

Have a wonderful day,

James Dodwell

Woe Is Me

“Woe is me! I am lost, for I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips; yet my eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts!” These words are spoken by Isaiah as he experiences the pure holiness of God and is called as God’s prophet. It is an awesome and humbling encounter convicting Isaiah with a sense of guilt and unworthiness and causing him to feel reluctant and hesitant. This captures, in a true sense, what many have felt as they answered God’s call to be witnesses and teachers. I believe some observable attributes have always characterized the lives of the saints in our history. Following are some thoughts:

1. The authentic call of God is evidenced by unconditional love and compassion for all people in all places and all times. “For God so loved the world… God did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him (John 3:16-17).”

2. Saints have a hesitancy to judge others usually brought on through a deep and contrite awareness of their own sin. “How can you say to your neighbor, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ while the log is in your own eye (Matthew 7:4)?

3. Saints are truth-telling, neighbor-loving, humble-walking witnesses who engage others in prayerful, inclusive, loving dialogue and understand, clearly, that our passion to defend our own personal beliefs often blinds us to God’s call to love.

As I pray this morning and reflect on the above, I feel my heart moved and I understand, “Woe is me! I am lost, for I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips; yet my eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts!” And, for me,…. It’s back on the Potter’s wheel over and over again…….. “How is it with your soul?”

Brother Mike

Humility: A Truly Spiritual Challenge

I remember over thirty-five years ago meeting with Claude Whitehead as a spiritual mentor, listening to his teaching, praying, and seeking a deeper relationship with Jesus. We each had goals and we would share how well, or not, we were progressing toward our goals. As we met one Monday afternoon, Claude began to share how devastated he was with the result of his effort to “become humble.” Trying to be pastoral, I implored into the disappointment of his failure. Claude was quick to respond, “It’s worse than that. This morning, I found myself feeling proud of my humility and, I had a vision. I was climbing a ladder toward humility and I could see the top. As I reached, I said, ‘Got it.’ Then, I fell back down the ladder hitting my chin on every step of the ladder. When I looked up, at the bottom, I saw the name of the first step was “humility.”

True humility has forever been a spiritual challenge for us humans and true humility can only come through authentic surrender to the Lordship of Jesus. It is a challenge for each of us and especially to us as Americans. We are a blessed people, free and independent, with rights, privileges, and blessings second to no other people on the face of the earth. However, with that, comes tremendous liability and responsibility.

How do we become humble enough to yield our freedom to the Sovereign control of God? How do we become humble enough to serve Jesus as Lord? How do we become humble enough to surrender our lives to the Authority of all authorities? It’s a truly spiritual challenge.

Beware this challenge! It must be an authentic search and it’s a goal that can never be claimed. Oswald Chambers called conscious humility, “The most satanic type of human pride.” Think and pray before you begin this journey, you just might get your chin bruised.

Blessings,

Mike