Make A U-Turn

Have you ever been lost? I have, or I should say we have, my family and I. Many vacation trips ago, before GPS and smartphones with guidance apps, we would drive to a vacation destination without an electronic voice telling us to “Stay in the two left lanes” or telling us “In one-mile exit to the right” or in my case, “Make a U-turn, then proceed to the route.” Instead, we had a large road atlas with all 50 states with interstates, highways, and county roads shown in detail on colorful maps. We would plot out our course with a high-lite marker and set off on our adventure. “Adventure” is the word my wife uses when we or I lose our way. It puts a positive spin on “not really knowing” where we are and takes some of the pressure off the pilot. I do not recall a time we traveled on vacation without at least one “adventure” sometimes, we were lucky enough to have several “adventures.” Just saying…

I have a decent, if not a good, sense of direction. Growing up enjoying the outdoors, hunting, fishing, exploring helped me find my way around in unfamiliar territory by seeking landmarks I could follow back to my starting point. A large tree, a pile of boulders, a game trail, the position of the sun, and so on and so forth; however, lately, the “lost” I am feeling has nothing to do with travel or exploring unfamiliar territory; it comes from deep within. The effect is an unusual experience for someone like me, an extroverted personality who enjoys learning new things, exploring new territories, conversing with others, and sharing my faith. 

If I had to describe the feeling of uncertainty within, I would use the Six Sigma term “Cause and Effect.” The “Cause” is in part due to the changes we have experienced in the world around us. We have experienced dramatic, unprecedented changes over the past several months, and it has been difficult to keep up and maintain a positive mental attitude due in part to the pandemic dilemma but, more importantly, having to remain distant and away from others, friends, family, new acquaintances. The “Effect” is an alone, lost feeling within that waxes and wanes. Some days the emptiness is barely noticeable; other days, it is much stronger.

The Good News is knowing this is just a season in my life, and God has His healing hand on us as He directs our lives. He is the ultimate navigator, the true north on our moral compass. As leaders in our homes, communities, and organizations, we must understand GPS is not short for Global Positioning System; it is short for “God’s Providence = Success.” We must never forget that the greatest model for our leadership direction always comes from the life of God himself. 

As leaders, when we find ourselves lost in the world, we should understand He provides comfort and cleansing to His people through comfort and security. He makes the path straight for us, then has us speak His words through empowerment and delegation. He provides good news and guides His people like a Shepherd through His Shepherding and direction.

We must understand no one can challenge God’s strength. He is a leader with unequaled power. He has the ultimate power and authority and lights the path for us to follow. He is the transcendent leader who builds and develops us. He is the creator and developer. He is the source for every need we have as wise counselor and provider.

It is in these few words I find comfort, strength, security, and a new sense of direction by knowing He is the Light and the Way to getting back on a familiar path with the understanding leaders must not only endure change, but they must also create it. “Spoiler Alert” leaders are normal people, human beings who are susceptible to the same feelings as everyone else. We sometimes suffer from the hardening of attitudes. We sometimes lose perspective on what real problems look like and what God can do. However, what makes the difference in a leader is their ability to focus on His promise and gifts of hope, faith, joy, and unconditional love and not focus on our problems.

I want to encourage each of us, when we find ourselves lost in the world; remember, God has a plan for our life, and wants us to rely on Him as we set the example and remain useful. Together, we as leaders are gifted abilities and talents to help us know to remain useful. We must be stretched and challenged; we must draw our identity from God, and we must possess stable values. I am encouraged that we, as leaders, understand when we are stretched and challenged, remain secure in Him, and remain solid in our convictions; we will be directed from the darkness into the light where we will find strength in Him to make a difference and add value to those around us. Jeremiah 13-1:11

Have a wonderful day,

James

Living as Christians in a broken world is hard and it begins with living for others.

The past couple of months have been tough; a pandemic has ravaged across the globe and our normal routines have been disrupted and inconvenienced. Concurrently, a senseless killing has incited protests and riots throughout our country. Our behaviors, in both situations, concern me. Are we becoming a society short on self-discipline, disrespectful of rules of law, and lacking wisdom? We resist protocols intended to protect others and blatantly violate the limits of civil disobedience with concern for my perspective and mine only and seldom consider the effects on others.  

Wisdom is a big thing in the Bible and Jesus lived a life that exemplified wisdom in its purest form. Jesus was all about us living in ways that are synergistic with The Holy by loving God and loving others. James put it this way, “Where there is envy and selfish ambition, there will be disorder and wickedness of every kind. But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without a trace of partiality or hypocrisy. And a harvest of righteousness is sown in peace for those who make peace.” (James 3:16-18)

Living as Christians in a broken world is hard and it begins with living for others. Let me share some examples from the past:

Jesus: “Love one another as I have loved you.”

St. Francis of Assisi

“Lord, make me an instrument of thy peace. Where there is hatred, let me sow love, where there is injury, pardon; where there is doubt, faith; where there is despair hope; where there is darkness, light; and where there is sadness, joy. O, Divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled as to console, to be understood as to understand, to be loved as to love.  For it is in giving that we receive, it is in pardoning that we are pardoned, and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.

Charles D. Meigs: 

“Lord, help me live from day to day in such a self-forgetful way that even when I kneel to pray, my prayer shall be for __ OTHERS. Help me in all the work I do to ever be sincere and true and know that all I’d do for you, must needs be done for __ OTHERS. Let “Self” be crucified and slain, and buried deep; and all in vain may efforts be to rise again unless to live for __ OTHERS.

And when my work on earth is done, and my new work in Heaven’s begun, May I forget the crown I’ve won, while thinking still of __ OTHERS. __ Others, Lord, yes, others. Let this my motto be, help me to live for others, that I may live like Thee.”

Christian living is wisdom living. Lord, teach me how…….. Blessings, Mike.  

"The Easter Bunny Came but the Ice Cream Truck Didn't"

To say, “Things have been different around our house, this week” is an understatement. The storms that rolled through our area on Sunday morning devastated our neighborhood and surrounding community. Our home suffered minor damage as compared to many others in our neighborhood, and over the last few days, the definition of community, “Come Unite” has been evident all over. People have come together to help each other remove trees from homes, start repairs, cover damaged roofs, and just clear and clean up debris.

We have been without power since Sunday morning. Cold showers are refreshing in the early morning, but it is not my favorite way to start each day. The humming of generators, the sounds of revving chain saw motors, leaf blowers, and other gas-powered equipment has become the usual sounds of the day and evenings. The nights seem darker almost completely black without the streetlights filtering through the blinds as usual. The occasional swath of light from headlights on utility trucks and other vehicles patrolling the neighborhood was hardly noticed just a few days ago, but now when we see a little light, we are caught peering out of the windows like baby birds looking through the opening on a birdhouse, just the see the darkness fade away, if only for a brief second.

Just last evening, my wife and I were sitting together, talking about anything and everything, staring into the light of a table lamp I had plugged into an extension cord from the generator. She said, “You know, the light from the lamp, after experiencing so much darkness, makes things feel a little more normal and gives me hope.” I was quiet and thoughtful for a moment after she made this statement, listening to the humming sound from the generator supplying the power for the “Light,” and pondering seeing how the community had come together as one when I recalled something I had read, “We need to be ready in and out of season to do His will.” 

As leaders, in our homes, communities, and organizations, we must understand we are here to submit to His will so that He may work through us what He wants. He will make us broken bread and poured-out wine with which to feed and nourish others. It is a good thing to see all the people come together for the good of others, but it shouldn’t take a storm or disaster or a pandemic to make us move in the direction of making a difference and adding value to others. This is something we should always be doing. I am very guilty of inaction, at times. I fall prey to shutting out the world by living in a bubble. I am guilty of falling into the routine of my daily life that serves only my needs and wants, failing to be of service to the needs and wants of others. I think we all do this on occasion.

I do not like to acknowledge that sometimes, just maybe, it takes a storm, disaster, or pandemic to jolt us back to reality to make us realize we are not living alone on an island. We are a community, a team of people, living together, depending on each other, disciples serving one another, serving Him. 2 Timothy 4:2 says, “Preach the Word! Be ready in season and out of season.” We should always “be ready,” whether we like it or not. Because, if we do what only what we feel inclined to do, some of us would never do anything. I am saddened to admit that, on occasions, I have resembled the last statement.

On a lighter note, my wife gave our grandchildren some money in an Easter card to purchase a popsicle from the ice cream truck that frequents their neighborhood in the afternoons. The Monday after Easter their mother was standing with them awaiting the arrival of the truck to their neighborhood, which on that day was a no show. Disappointed, they started back to the house when one of the grands sighed, “Well, the Easter bunny came, but the ice cream truck didn’t.” And a child shall lead them… This simple statement helps me to understand that if we seek and follow the things of this world we are bound to experience some temporary disappointments in our lives, but if we seek and follow Him, His gift of grace will provide us with salvation, faith, hope, joy and unconditional love, forever. 

I encourage each of us to “Come Unite” in community, putting our focus on Him. In Matthew 6:33, Jesus said, “Seek ye first the kingdom of God…” He was telling us is that the greatest concern of life is to place our relationship with God first and everything else second. It will make a difference and add value to all of us. 2 Timothy 4:2

Have a wonderful day,

James Dodwell