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Purpose and Meaning…

I had a fun interview with my friend Tony Russell on his Transformation21 feed today. Our conversation was on finding purpose and meaning in life, but more to the point, how have we wrongly looked at discovering meaning and purpose…Discovering your purpose is big business today, it hits a nerve in us all…we long to know that there is more to life than mere existence… The truth is that God has created you, wired you, and positioned you to make an incredible impact with your life…however, there is a big “but” that needs to be addressed in order to fully understand what God is up to!

Follow the link to listen to part one of my interview with tony!

http://talktotony.squarespace.com/storage/montypod1.mp3

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How Shall I Pray…

Real prayer happens when we finally get to the end of ourselves, when we stop posing and posturing; when we stop trying to impress God with our vocabulary and understanding. The moment we wonder if we can really “pray like this” is more than likely the moment when your prayer has transcended religious rhetoric becoming as beautiful as the song sung to her daddy by a three-year-old…unskilled, unrefined but infused with hope and love.

For those wondering how they should pray tonight because the burden they bear is too heavy and the nights too long…for those wondering how they should pray when words seem so impotent and deep sighs seem verbose…for those wondering how they should pray tonight, take a moment and absorb the following prayer written by Ted Loder, it’s pure gold.

Monty

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How shall I pray?
     Are tears prayers, Lord?
     Are screams prayers, 
          or groans
             or sighs
                or curses?
Can trembling hands be lifted to you,
     or clenched fists
          or the cold sweat that trickles down my back
               or the cramps that knot my stomach?
Will you accept my prayers, Lord, 
      my real prayers,
           rooted in the muck and the mud and the rock of my life,
and not just my pretty, cut-flower, gracefully arranged
     bouquet of words?
Will you accept me, Lord,
     as I really am, 
          messed up mixture of glory and grime?
Lord, help me!
Help me to trust that you do accept me as I am, 
that I may be done with self-condemnation
     and self-pity
          and accept myself.
Help me to accept you as you are, Lord:
     mysterious,
          hidden, 
               strange, 
                    unknowable; 
and yet to trust
     that your madness is wiser
          than my timid, self-seeking sanities,
and that nothing you’ve ever done
     has really been possible,
so I may dare to be a little mad, too.

~Ted Loder

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A New Phronesis

There were many requests for the above quote from todays talk on overcoming anxiety. As we have been unpacking some powerful truths in the book of Philippians, perhaps the center piece of the book is understanding how to live out of the new “phronesis” or mindset that we have in Christ. Paul reiterates that this new mindset is experienced as a new way to think, feel and act. Our old mindset, or way of thinking, feeling and acting, is so easily overcome with fears, phobias and anxiety, that the joy that Paul talks about experiencing seems impossible. Yet he continues to inspire us towards living in such a way that we can know and taste joy even in the midst of the hardest of circumstances.

Paul rightly understood that we move towards the things that we dwell on…the things that captivate our mind. If we are stuck in an anxiety rut, we move towards more anxiety. But, since we have received a new mindset from Christ, we can begin thinking, feeling and acting differently…and the difference results in an intrinsic joy that flow from the source of Christ Himself, who dwells within you by faith.

God supplies the peace and joy but our job is to redirect our thoughts through prayer, meditation, and choices. In 2 Corinthians 10:4-5 Paul states: “4 The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. 5 We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.”

When the defeating thoughts that flow from our old mindset (phronesis) come, Paul calls us to stop, take hold of those thoughts, release them, and then, most importantly, replace them with thoughts from the new mindset (phronesis). In fact he lists some things to replace your negative thoughts with in Philippians 4:8-9:

8 Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. 9Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.

To think about these things is the Christian act of meditation…to ponder…to dwell…to ruminate on those things which move you closer to God. God mysteriously meets us as we choose to think differently, and we are flooded with a sense of peace that defies our current reality…and this unleashes a flood of joy in our soul.

This week…take the negative, limiting thoughts of your old mindset captive…and replace them with thoughts from your new God-infused mindset. As you do, take note on how differently you begin to see things.

Monty

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Maintaining Leadership Passion in 2012

As we launch into another new year, I have noticed there seems to be at least two types of leaders. One leader looks at the opportunity a new year brings to hit the reset button…to try something new…to experience the energy that comes from stepping out by faith into the unknown realm of potentiality.

Another leader takes a deep breath and with a massive sigh breathes out a quiet prayer hoping that the next year will be better than the previous year, or perhaps maybe this year I should change jobs and get off of the leadership treadmill.

Leadership is hard work. It requires a high level of self awareness and the courage to allow God to do some work in the soul to bring about an increasing level of integrity and honesty.

Yet most leaders are so busy they seldom take the necessary time to pause, slow down and listen to their soul and to what God is saying in the quiet spaces. It is easy to justify why there is no time to deal with these things, after all, we are important, we have things to get done, people to lead, objectives to accomplish for the common good and corporate vision right?

One key trait that I have observed in the lives of great leaders that last is that they take the time to engage in healthy self-examination. I’m not talking about becoming a comatose navel-gazer, but rather becoming a person that is self-aware and deals with the shadow side of their personality in order to grow in a holistic fashion (body-soul-spirit). This also grows the organizations that they lead.

Take a moment and read through Gordon MacDonald’s piece on what he calls “The Seven Deadly Siphons.” While he wrote this for pastors specifically, I think you will easily be able to make the connections to whatever area of leadership you are in.  Evaluate where you need to invest some energy this year so that you lead well with integrity and continue to finish strong!

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The Seven Deadly Siphons

Loss of Spiritual passion seems to be the inevitable result of:

1. Words without action. We are tempted to think that saying something actualizes it. We have a momentary feeling of spirituality when we talk about wanting to pray more or “have more time in the Word.”

2. Busyness without purpose. Ministry produces activities, programs, conversations. If our choices of time-use are not disciplined by call and purpose, our energies become like a lazy, shallow river.

3. Calendars without a Sabbath. A datebook filled with appointments but absent of significant hours (days) of quiet and reflection-written in first-is an abomination (an old and harsh word) to the God of the Bible, who said, “Six days you shall labor…the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God.”

4. Relationships without mutual nourishment. Pastors tend to be acquainted with too many people but know too few people. The spiritual masters have told us for centuries that without soul-friends, we won’t gain spiritual momentum.

5. Pastoral personality without self-examination. Too much ministry is built on unresolved anger, unhealthy needs for approval, and the instinct to control. Failing to explore our soul for un-wholeness ultimately takes it toll.

6. Natural giftedness without spiritual power. A pastor can go a considerable distance in ministry with catchy words, people skills, political savvy, and a facility for organizational dynamics. But kingdom work demands qualities that only a filled-up soul can offer.

7. An enormous theology without an adequate spirituality. A pastor cannot represent a view of reality that includes Creation, evil, reconciliation and conversion, sacrificial service, and eternity-a mind-boggling expanse of conviction-and have a spiritual-exercise regimen that is pea-sized in contrast. A great theology demands a great spirituality.

__________________________

These are some powerful areas to consider, ruminate upon and take action. The power of your public ministry will only be as great as your private world. If you are not investing in the private world of your soul you are choosing to cap your level of leadership and growth. Each of the areas that MacDonald mentions are worthy of spending some time unpacking, and I would encourage you to do exactly that.

Make it a great year!

Monty