Remodeling, Panera Ponderings, Bible Reading, Indians win, and home life

Personal - This has been a long week. I must confess that I finally ran out of gas last night around 7:30 PM and was unable to work on the basement. I wound up watching the Cleveland Indians win their second game against the Yankees. Having lived in Cleveland for 15 years I would probably have to say I am an Indians fan. However, since I live in Iowa now I have also adopted the Cubs as a team to root for. Everyone loves the underdog, right? ha!

Bible readings - I just passed the one-third mark of my read-through of the NET Bible. I really like it's readability. I am using the "Reader's Edition" which is in columns, but I wish they would publish one in paragraph form. It's much easier to read paragraphs across the page than down columns.

Panera Ponderings - yesterday was a good day at Panera. I trained a newbee on the cash register and was reminded of how much I really enjoy training and equipping people. I have to figure out a way to train and equip people in my "second" vocation; probably in my half-time as well.

Remodeling - the basement remodel is not going very well. I was so busy this week that I had almost no time to work on it. Today will be a 12-14 hour day. I also have to get rid of about a yard of dirt from the window well. Mark and Larry are coming over to help tape this morning. I'll be REALLY glad when this is over.

Home life - just when I didn't think it could get any crazier, yesterday it did. Mackenzie had to sing three songs for 10 minutes at Linn-Mar High School for I don't know why. (a little rant there) Morgan, at the same time, was being picked up to go to Kennedy's Homecoming dance. I was having issues with some work items, and Judy was studying. Andrew had class Friday night and I still don't know where Allyson was/is. HA!

Looking forward to a break...Tye out.

The Ascent of a Leader

I just finished reading The Ascent of a Leader. This book is really all about servant leadership and the difference between servant leaders and self-serving leaders. They talk about two ladders that leaders typically climb: 1. The capacity ladder and 2. the character ladder.

The capacity ladder is short ladder and it's rungs help a person climb to the top on the backs of others in many circumstances. The four rungs are:

• Discover what I can do
• Develop my capacities
• Acquire title of position
• Attain individual potential

There really isn't anything wrong with each of these, until you know that the rungs are attached to two runners: 1. Environments of mistrust and ungrace, 2. Relationships of power and leverage. Can you see the problem? This ladder is about being self-serving! I have worked with leaders like this and they typically use and abuse people on their climb to the top. It creates a toxic environment!

Then there is the character ladder. Here are the rungs on the character ladder:

• Trust God and others with me - humility
• Choose vulnerability - submission
• Align with truth - obedience
• Pay the price - suffering and maturity
• Discover my destiny

The runners on this ladder are 1. Environments of grace, 2. relationships of grace. These healthy environments create the fertile soil for leaders to serve and people to grow.

I have worked in both kind of environments and I can tell you that now that I am in an environment of servant leadership and grace, I'll never go back to serving in an environment of ungrace.

In order to reach the fifth rung (which is really all about legacy) and stay there the author gives seven things a leader can do to prepare for this:

1. You must confront complacency, avoiding patterns that may lead to indifference or hubris.
2. Seek out new ways to express your compassion and convictions
3. Remain teachable and make yourself available to teach others
4. Instead of comparing your influence to others', place your future fully into the hands of God
5. Share the benefits of your influence with those around you, rather than at their expense.
6. Approach your relationships and priorities in a fluid way instead of scheduling your life to the point of excluding relationships that really matter.
7. Aggressively seek to resolve your own character issues and weaknesses, continuing to trust others with your vulnerability and to align with the truth, even when it exacts a high price.

I feel pretty positive about each of these challenges. I am more often than not guilty of #4 and need to work on this. #6 can sometimes be a problem for me too.

If you have studied servant leadership at all, this book will be a different perspective on the same topic. I am still angry about the self-serving leaders that have hurt my family and me over the years and I need to practice forgiveness, sometimes on a daily basis. Tye out.

Jesus called them together and said, “You know that those who are regarded as rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant....
Mk 10:42-43NIV

I finished!!!

I started my annual read through the Message version of the Bible on Nov 22 and finished Revelation 22 this morning! WHOAH! The Bible in 100 days!

Uh, I'm not bragging. I read through using the speed reading method and wow! what insights! I'll be sharing those next week. Right now I've got to get a ton of things done for our spring Impact ~ Real Life. More on that later. Tye out.

I finished the Old Testament this morning

I started my annual read through of The Message, a translation of the Bible by Eugene Peterson on November 22nd and I finished the Old Testament this morning - that's 10 weeks and two days. O my!

This version is very easy to read and because the translation is so straight forward I can honestly say that I rarely stop and think to myself, "Self, what did that mean?" Also, I have taught myself to speed read by the Evelyn Wood Speed Reading Method and I am probably reading around 450-500 words a minute with comprehension.

Here are some of my 30k foot level thoughts of this read through:

• God has a plan.
• He loves his people unconditionally
• His mercy is not exclusive
• He honors those who honor him
• Like our earthly fathers, God has his way of getting our attention when we step out of line
• God responds to prayer
• God is absolutely sovereign
• He still responds to prayer even though he is sovereign
• He promised to redeem Israel (this happened through Jesus)
• He promised restoration and peace in the land (this is yet to come)

That is just some of my observations of this lightspeed read through. I can't wait to get to the New Testament tomorrow morning! Tye out.

The Power of a Praying Husband - "Her Fears"

Even the strongest, most godly women have fears. They fear many things that can become consuming at times. Since they are often not the primary wage earner, they must rely on their husbands for their needs. They fear for their children, whether of not their husband will be faithful, and many other things. Often, these fears actually become founded in truth at the loss of a job, sickness of a child or aging parent, or some catastrophic loss.

It is at times like this when our wives are feeling fearful that pure logic and rationale do not work. As men, we deal with our wives on a rational/logical basis, and they are dealing on an emotional basis. So, what do you say when your wife is overcome by fear? Listen to this quote by Stormie:

Do you know what your wife's greatest struggle is? Are you aware of her deepest fears? You may already have a good idea, but if you're not absolutely sure, ask her. Say, "Tell me what you struggle with or fear most in your life, because I want to pray for you about it."

Too often, women carry burdens in their lives that are far heavier than their delicate shoulders were created to bear.

Sometimes a woman fears that the difficult spot she's in at the moment is as good as it gets, and that things will never change. That hopeless mindset is torturous for any woman.... (p141)

I am going to spend time praying for my wife and her fears today. Tye out.

Why great men fall

I don't know about you, but this whole Ted Haggard thing has me doing a lot of thinking. This morning I read an article by the good folks over at MondayMorningInsight and Todd Rhodes challenged pastors and leaders to order this book and we are going to go through it together in the coming weeks.

I'm thinking that maybe our staff at New Covenant Bible Church should go through it together. Whattayathink guys?

I, for one, am well aware of the battle that takes place in the pastor's life and I want to be an overcomer. I also know that it will ONLY be by God's grace.

So, back to the book. Here is what Todd said about the book in his weekly email:

By focusing on well-known Biblical examples, he points to easily identifiable signposts that trapped 'great' men. The profiles in give pause to others in similar environments: pastors, ministry heads, even fathers and husbands struggling to maintain their families. Goodall explains why biblical morality is the key to avoiding ethical failure. His thousands of hours of counseling also provide unique insights into the character flaws that contribute to falls from grace. Some of the issues covered include:
--Entitlement--Entrepreneurs without Balance --Compartmentalization --Expectation of Silence --The Sex Issue --Integrity --Anger --Accountability --Conscience --Mentors and Coaches--Ethics --Stress and Pressure --Money --Depression and Moods --The One Who Can Keep You from Falling

I can't wait to get started. Tye out.

So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don’t fall! 1 Co 10:12NIV

I finished the Bible!

Yesterday I finished my read-through (cover to cover) of the Bible. I started on Dec. 31st of 2005 reading through The Message and what I discovered is that I REALLY enjoyed reading it. In fact, I found myself having to quit reading because I would run out of time each day. Wow! What an experience! A complete read through in 4 months. How and why? (you were asking)

1. Evelyn Wood Speed Reading - I know most of you will probably think this is a sham like WWF Wrestling and the Ginshu knife, but it's not. I purchased the book, read it, and have since nearly doubled my reading speed. Also, the faster you read the better you comprehend. Click here for more info on speed reading.

2. Reading an easy-to-read translation - I have read the KJV through at least once because at Christian College you have to. It was frustrating to read, study, and understand. No wonder! It's over 300 yrs old. Then I read through the NASB - better language, but not good for readability. Then I read through the NIV, several times. WOW! The NIV is without a doubt the best English version we have. Then, I read the Living Bible one year. I loved it! Moral of this story? Find a translation that reads easy and read it!

2a. Readability of the version - I discovered that it is easier to read a Bible that is laid out in paragraph format rather than verse format.

3. A plan - I used an online read through plan that I designed. This provided accountability and motivation. Click here for more.

4. Sacrifice - I spent an average of 45 minutes a day reading. This does not include studing.

I started my second read through for this year. I'm doing the NIV this time.

God means what he says. What he says goes. His powerful Word is sharp as a surgeon’s scalpel, cutting through everything, whether doubt or defense, laying us open to listen and obey. Nothing and no one is impervious to God’s Word. We can’t get away from it—no matter what. Hebrews 4:12ish The Message