Leadership, Lordship, Laboring

We were blessed to have the opportunity to have Tom Yeakley join us as our keynote speaker this past April at the Cedarmore Retreat Center just outside of Louisville, KY.

Tom is one of 3 Sphere directors for the Navigators (vice-presidents) and has been very influential in the area of leadership development for the Navigators ministry- not only in the United States but also abroad.

One of the things that I walked away with continuing to think more about was on Tom’s 1^st Message on the Privilege of Leadership.   The first part that generated MUCH healthy discussion was in the area of Leadership and ‘Followership’.  In our world today, leadership is looked upon in a very good way- but also ‘hyper-celebrated’.  This is done in such a way that the idea of ‘followership’ is really seems to have no value whatsoever.  But in God’s economy…. The follower AND the leader are BOTH valued highly.  Particularly in the military culture- this idea can be lost.  But as men and women who are pursuing God and helping others to pursue God while being immersed in a military culture- it is important to remember to keep God’s perspective on value.

Good teaching on leadership is a sought after issue for us- as many times it is a topic that just isn’t mentioned enough.  Therefore we were VERY grateful to have Tom and Dan Daetz come and join us for our conference and to talk about this topic.  Here are the 4 points Tom made in his first message.

4 Components of Good Leadership

1.     Set Direction

2.     Align Resources to Direction

3.     Inspire and Motivate

4.     Manage the Work of Others

I particularly enjoyed the 1^st point on setting direction.  Setting Direction is the point that answers the ‘why’ we do what we do.  If we can’t help others to see the ‘WHY’ behind what we’re doing and what we’re trying to help others move toward- they won’t decide to do it.  They won’t put their own discretionary effort toward these goals.  But if we can help those we are discipling and leading in gaining clarity toward God’s objectives and goals- each young disciple can move forward with their own conviction, energy, and creativity in reaching the World for Christ.  Therefore, we must each continue to move forward in our own personal walk with God- so that we can continue to point people to Christ- the real, personal, God that we know.... not some distant God who is uninterested and uninvolved.  As we continue personally with Christ, we can connect those who God is allowing us to influence, to connect with Him personally as well.

Measuring Our Effectiveness

Measuring our Effectiveness

Wanted to take some time to have a friend of ours share a thought he shared with our STS team at Ft. Campbell a few weeks ago.  Matthew Clark is currently leading the Ft. Campbell Navigators ministry as I am coaching him as he is leading our ministry.  Matthew has done a great job of helping our ministry continue to progress in the depth and commitment level to in depth bible study.  He is also doing a great job of continuing to push the vision of discipleship that Jesus modeled for us.

Here are a few points that I asked Matthew to post on our blog to share with everyone...

Hope it stirs some good and challenging thoughts and applications as we move closer and closer toward the model that Christ left us.

 Recently I had a conversation with a fellow soldier and they were confessing to me the age old frustration. They were banging their heads against the wall in ministry but seeming to go nowhere. As we talked through the challenges of being a Christian in their unit and trying to be an example for Christ the inevitable phrase came out: “I am doing the best I can but no one in my unit seems to be interested in Christ.” As I drove the two and a half hours home that night this began to stir up a lot of thoughts in my head. I confess that I have often felt this way myself. As a young Specialist, newly arrived at Ft. Campbell, I was often frustrated that no one in my unit seemed to respond to me talking about Christ. I could easily throw my hands up and say that no one was interested. And I would wash my hands and say that I had done my best and move on.  But I have come across some verses that are worth consideration.

Matthew 9:37 – Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few.

John 17:20 - “I do not ask for these only, but also for those who will believe in me through their word.

If God promises that the harvest is plentiful, and if He also promises that there will be those that believe through my word, then the question dramatically changes. No longer can I say that no one in my unit or sphere of influence is interested in Christ. Now I have to ask myself why am I am being effective in reaching out to them?

                Christianity is a very different culture from the World. And because of that we create a gaping chasm of a rift between the two worlds. Lots of things contribute to this gap; culture, values, purpose. In all reality we are living for very different things than the world is. And if we let it this can very easily alienate us and set the distance further and further away until we become irrelevant. Normally our approach is to invite people to church or to a bible study if they do not come then we throw our hands up and say, “Well I tried, they just weren’t interested.” But again if Jesus promises a harvest then either Christ is lying or we are using the wrong tactic. We expect those people to come out of their culture, their comfort zone, their family to take part in ours. What would persuade someone to want to cross this gaping chasm by themselves to take part in what is going on with us?
                In truth people will make this jump. But I argue that these are the people that are already desperate for Christ, people who are already relationally isolated, and people who are broken. Because these are the people that we are attracting to us it is no wonder that we spend massive amounts of energy bandaging them and taking care of them and very quickly lose an offensive and aggressive mindset. And although these people need Christ desperately I think we are losing the battle in long term influence by separating ourselves and only being attractive to the relationally isolated population.

                And first and foremost I do not think this is the model that Jesus left for us. Jesus did not remain on the fringes of society, drastically different, and expect everyone to come to Him. Jesus was attractive to them. Jesus went to them. And Jesus sent us to them.

Matthew 9:35 - And Jesus went throughout all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom and healing every disease and every affliction.

Luke 10:1 - After this the Lord appointed seventy-two others and sent them on ahead of him, two by two, into every town and place where he himself was about to go.

Jesus bridged this chasm leaving us an example of minimizing the distance people have to go. And He went to the world rather than expecting them to come to Him. Jesus’ example was to be close enough to the world to influence them but different and challenging enough to show them something different. But the most important thing is Jesus went to them.

Often times people are afraid to grab a beer with their fellow soldiers after work. They are afraid to go to a cook-out. Or they don’t know how to interact with the world because the divide is so far apart. But if we want to have a global impact and a lasting impact then these are fundamental skills we need to develop along with an understanding that we need to go to them, not the other way around. And it starts with me engaging one person in my unit, relating to him, and influencing him the way Jesus modeled.

God promises a harvest. So either God is a liar or we are becoming increasingly ineffective and irrelevant. Let’s look back at Jesus’ example and do what He did. Let’s go to the world instead of expecting them to come to us. And let’s influence one person and watch it grow exponentially.

A Candid Interview with Matthew Clark on Life and Ministry

My friend and fellow Laborer, Matthew Clark, does a quick interview on life and ministry while also being involved in the Military.  Hope you all take the time to listen and grab a few points on what this might look like in your own life and you can engage in battle as well.

listen to ‘A perspective from a military’ on Audioboo

James and Monica’s PCS dinner

It doesn't take a hero to order men into battle. It takes a hero to be one of those men who goes into battle. - Norman Schwarzkopf

James and Monica moved to Ft. Campbell with the expressed interest in getting training and discipleship so that they might be able to engage in the mission of Jesus Christ to make disciples of all nations.  Some have arrived at Campbell- through nothing of their own choosing….  But the Carters arrived through a direct, intentional, and purposeful choice.  They recognized the command of Christ to make disciples- they were already doing as best they can to do it- they saw people at Ft. Campbell who can help them to do this effectively.  They made intentional decisions to be away from the comfort of their own homes, their own families, and their own friends- to get the training in how to lead others as they engage in Christ’s work to make disciples. 

            Over 500 miles to move away from the familiar, from the comfort, security, and safety of home- to allow others to invest into their lives so that they can meet the mission of Christ.  That’s what they did…. That’s what they are doing again…..

            The decision to move here, for training 7 years ago….. has culminated to what is going to happen in the next few days… and the next few months…. And the next few years.

            Not an issue of safety, comfort, security- but one of dedication, courage, and commitment to Christ.  I'm reminded of a great quote from John Shedd.

            "A ship in harbor is safe - but that is not what ships are for.- John A. Shedd

            We’re not here for safety, or comfort, or our happiness…. We’ve been chosen by God to do a work, to execute his gameplan, to fulfill His desires to see the world come to know Jesus Christ.  That is going to take men and women who are not worried about playing it safe.  They've chosen to take on the great adventure as God matures them and uses their lives to send them out and make disciples of all nations.  

Matt 28:18-20  All authority on Heaven and Earth has been given to me.  Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.  And teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.  And surely, I will be with you till the end of the age.

Maybe there are some risks... maybe there isn't safety... maybe we have to take a step away from the familiar-  But Jesus promises He will be there for us.  That's enough for me.   That's enough for the Carters as well.  Godspeed to our fellow laborers, our team-mates, our friends.

Exciting and Terrifying!!

Exciting and Terrifying all at the Same Time!!

Great conversation with one our young soldiers attending biblestudy at our Soldiers Chapel study. This particular soldier was led to Christ by a chaplain and was referred to us to begin discipling him and helping him grow to maturity in his pursuit of Christ.

“John” (as we’ll call him) just started coming to the biblestudy and one of our biblestudy group leaders has been encouraging him to continue spending time in the Word in daily quiet time and also in investing in biblestudy. As John continued doing biblestudy- he realized more and more how he was to look to God to answer questions for him such as “should I get out of the army?” or “does God want me to move my family somewhere else to reach out to people who are not being reached?” Great questions!!

John’s response to it all was that he was excited to realize that God could be directing him toward what GOD WANTED FOR THEM and to realize that he needed to submit more and more to God’s directing rather than directing things for himself and for his own thoughts and desires. But John also said that it was terrifying as he saw more and more that ‘someone else’ would be doing the directing and not him…

“Its Exciting and terrifying all at the same time!!” John exclaimed at biblestudy that evening…

“John” eventually deployed and is currently overseas. We’re hoping and praying that God will put us in touch with more and more soldiers like “John” who have a hunger to meet Christ and know Him personally and submit to Christ’s call and direction for their lives….

As Peter told Christ so many years ago… "Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. We believe and know that you are the Holy One of God."- John 6:68-69

At Ft. Campbell, we are creating an atmosphere where soldiers can discover these truths and find a face to face, personal interaction with Christ…. And eventually come to the same realization that Peter did in those days that Christ walked with the 12 disciples…

Then we encourage them and challenge to take the plunge and begin the adventure of laboring for Christ wherever He might take them…

Reading the book "Living Legacy"

Team Campbell and Friends....
Our STS team finished the year reading the book "Living Legacy"
Written by Jim Downing to celebrate the 75 year anniversary of the Navigators Ministry.
Here are a few points that people drew out as we read it and discussed it together.
If you have not had a chance to read it- I highly recommend it as it will give you each an idea of how the Navigators ministry started and what it took to get this tremendous work off the ground and running to where it is today....
The book is divided into 2 parts.
The first part covering Dawson Trotman- the founder of the Navigators
The second part covering Lorne Sanny- the leader who took over after Daws died

Part I

• The book presented Daws as Human- Lindsey Stone
• Daws recognized that it Was God who did all the work- Jake
• Daws was assured of the Promises of God- Mercy
• Jim had every reason to never come back to Daws and the ministry since he felt offended, but he DID return- Joe
  
• Daws prioritized laborers at the cost of casualties- Matthew
• Depending on how much we put into it is what God allows us to produce- Jake
• Simple Mission: Christ + maturity- Jake
• Daws made the mission simple- find one man, help him grow to where he can help another- Caleb
• Daws knew what God gave him and made no apologies for his weaknesses but was never satisfied with the state of things- Matthew
• The sovereignty of God is what started things and what continued things- Mercy
• Daws passion and Vision changed people's lives- Matthew

Part II

• The mentality that Daws created was that everyone was responsible for everything- Matthew
• Jim's perspective on the ministry: "The Navigators were on the front lines, waging spiritual warfare, releasing captives out of darkness, and equipping them and enlisting them in spiritual battle" - Jake
• Daws perfectionist attitude caused him to be a micro-manager, we need to be careful not to fall into this trap- Joe
• Having a 'protector' like Jim was for Lorne is key to our survival- Joe
• The community that they had, re-emphasizes for me what the environment can do for ministry- Andrew V
• Lorne modeled submission to God, He was an undershepherd to the Great Shepherd- Jake
• Quote from page 80 "Although the Navigator family was exceptionally close, there were some wounded souls who felt like they were outsiders and second-class citizens. They were only healed as they banded together and bonded in new spiritual battles, of which there was an abundance of opportunity" - Joe

Selection

We just began going through the book, The MasterPlan of Evangelism by Robert Coleman.
In it… Coleman outlines Jesus’ plan to reach the World for God. His plan- train a few … invest in them in such a way that they will be driven to do the same. Coleman breaks down Jesus’ strategy in find these men and discipling them to become disciplemakers.

The first step that Coleman talks about in Chapter 1 is Selection.

The following are thoughts that came from our STS biblestudy group as we discussed chapter 1.

• Selection- the choosing of men to train and invest in who will be capable of leading and training others for the cause of Christ
• Is it worth doing?" "Is it getting the job done?" –questions that Coleman challenges us to ask in our churches and ministries in order to see if the activities we are doing and involved with- are actually meeting Christ’s goal of making disciples who are actively pursuing Christ, walking with God, and attempting to disciple others around them
• What are the criteria that Jesus used to ‘choose’ His men?
  They were willing to learn…
  They were willing to give up everything to follow Christ- Matt 4:20 … at once they left their nets and followed Him…
  They were looking for more…
  They were frustrated with the current model of what it mean to ‘follow God’
• The helping of a few ensures that we are ‘multiplying’ the people who will be able to lead others- therefore investing in a few allows us to help a larger number of people because we train others to be leaders who can help others…
• It seems like the bottom line of what Coleman was trying to illustrate is how each of us can do a similar practice is investing in a few men rather than attempting to help everyone at once- invest in a few and train them effectively, affect them deeply, and then send them out to reach others in their own spheres

What are your thoughts on Coleman’s idea of ‘selection?’

How have you seen Jesus using this principle as He was beginning His ministry?

What are your thoughts on attempting to apply this principle yourself?

Do you have questions about trying to apply this principle in your ministry context?

What has God used to mature you???

First of all…..
Great Question……
Can’t answer it all in just a phone text…
Andrew M. ….one of our young guys in the ministry that is growing in leaps and bounds texted me today a question "What has God used to mature me?"
He asked me another great question- but one at time….
By far- what God has used to mature me…. is using me as His tool to disciple and train others. It has been such and exciting and challenging adventure- not always on the joyous side- or should I say happy-side. But it has definitely been the most fulfilling and growing things that God has ever done with me.
I can see the reason why it has cause me to grow so much is because when I am discipling another- when I am training another- I no longer think selfishly about myself- I am progressively growing more and more concerned about what I can do to help this other person that I am discipling grow more and more and get to a point where they are developing spiritual "OWNERSHIP" of their own relationship with God. Ownership- meaning they are taking personal responsibility to make things happen- they are no longer waiting for someone to do things- they are no longer waiting for someone to challenge them to read their bible- they are no longer waiting for someone to challenge them to find someone to help and disciple- they are doing all these things because they themselves realize that this is between them and God. THEY have to be the ones to say in

Josh 24:15 … " choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your forefathers served beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD."

I don’t care what anyone else does… I am going to serve Jesus Christ. Helping someone get to this point- and then helping them see how God can use them and then equipping them with the skills and confidence so that they can do that- man………. No greater feeling!!!
I had to get a point first where I had to make a decision- am I going to be a spectator Christian- or am I going to be in the trenches allowing God to use me powerfully in the lives of others. Sure God could use me- if he could use a donkey to speak to Balaam- He can use anyone and anything- but what I am talking about is making a commitment to :
1. Get training- so that I can mature and grow
2. Get training- -so that I can disciple others and train them to disciple others
So… getting to a point where Luke 9:23-24 (Then he said to them all: "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. 24 For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will save it. ) was a REAL action in my life and I was sacrificing all my personal hopes and dreams to do things like become a doctor… make stupid amounts of money… all those things are literally and figuratively dying inside me as I am realizing that those are all empty pursuits and that if I REALLY wanted to help people- I needed to be involved with helping them with the ETERNITY question…. Making that commitment and allowing those ‘dreams and aspirations’ to die- that was a huge growth step for me…. A tough one… but a really huge one and fulfilling one.
So many other lessons too that I have learned as God has been using me to disciple others that is growing my relationship and dependence on Him…
One of them is how I was (am) so excited to help someone grow and/ or lead them to Christ- that I would do everything in my power to help them- but I realized that 1 Cor 3:7-11 is what the reality is:

1 Cor 3:7-11 So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow. 8 The man who plants and the man who waters have one purpose, and each will be rewarded according to his own labor. 9 For we are God's fellow workers; you are God's field, God's building. 10 By the grace God has given me, I laid a foundation as an expert builder, and someone else is building on it. But each one should be careful how he builds. 11 For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ.

So.. If I were really going to make a difference in people’s lives- I needed to work where God was already working- so that translated to committing to spend time with people who God was really tugging at their heart AND they were responding positively to that as well. God tugs at everyone’s heart- but not all of us truly respond positively- sometimes its really hard to figure out if someone is truly responding- because their words say they do… but I’ve realized that it is a person’s ACTIONS that truly determine what they are ultimately SAYING from their heart. I thought that if I simply spent enough time with someone- being their friend- they would eventually be as excited for the cause of Christ as I was- it was/is NOT true. And it cost me a year of my life figuring this out- and it almost burnt me out eternally too… all this before I was even 25 years old….
But I realized about myself is that I DO WANT to invest personally with everyone- but I just don’t have the time and energy- physical energy and emotional energy to invest with everyone- especially with someone who in the end can simply turn around and say they are really not that interested in Christ- but that they did like me as a person… which is cool- and I know God can use it to draw this person more to Him. But as a STEWARD of this body- a steward of ME- I have to use ME in the most effective way possible for the mission of Christ- and that is to invest in relationships where God is working and where that person is responding positively and aggressively toward knowing Christ and fulfilling the mission of Christ.
So… realizing this about myself and positioning myself in such a way as to allow God to "deploy" this weapon as best as He sees fit- that was a huge growing thing for me…
So much more… but I’ll end there… ask me some more…
I love talking about (writing I guess…) it all and showing how Christ is the difference in my life….