Time with my dad

One of the highlights of my weekend away at my parents was Sunday afternoon, going to the pub to watch footy with my dad. Although West Ham did win, which was great, it was the first time me and my dad had sat and had time together alone, doing something that we could both talk about for two hours. That time spent with my dad was priceless and will be a lasting memory for me.

It's funny how we can yearn for and have these encounters with our earthly fathers, when actually our Heavenly Father is yearning for those encounters with us. He longs to spend time with us; and for us to seek time with Him. After the enjoyment of spending time with my dad on Sunday, I have realised that I long for those moments with my Father in Heaven and I have to make more time in order to have those times. I can't remember who said it (might have been Luther), but whoever it was said:

If I know I am going to have a busy day, I make sure I spend at least three hours in prayer.(Or something like that anyway!)

Great quote, but I want the principle behind it to be true for me. If I'm busy I need to seek God more than if I am doing nothing, otherwise I am just doing stuff in my own strength. I also get to a place where I am just not enjoying my time with Him, just because I want to spend time with Him.

More gems from Humility

Humility continues to be a book that touches me. I have been reading it very slowly and not everyday as I meditate on certain aspects. I have been reading the two chapters on the practical strategies of working towards a humble life - As Each Day Begins and As each Day Ends. These are the things that CJ Mahaney suggests:

At the beginning of the day-

-Reflect on the wonder of the cross

-Acknowledge my need for God

-Express gratitude to God

-Use any travelling time wisely (to work)

-Cast my cares, worries and burdens upon him

-Ask for Holy Spirit Annointing for my day

At the end of each day:

-Give God the glory for everything you have received and acheived

-Receive the gift of sleep from God and acknowledge it's purpose, sleep is a picture and parable of what it means to be a Christian. Our bed holds us up and takes our bodily weight as we relax; our Saviour holds us up and takes our sin and sustains us as we relax into him.

None of this is brain surgery, but seeing it written down and assessing what my quiet ties currently look like is helpful. It is changing the way that I come to God at both the beginning and the end of the day.

You can read a great reveiw on the book on Phil Whittal's Blog.

Courage not cowardice

Whilst reading through the chapter called 'Summoning Courage' in The Leadership Secrets of Billy Graham, I came across this:

"(Martin Luther) King was well aware that the alternative to courage was cowardice, and he was not afraid to name it. In fact, there is power in naming these opposites, courage and cowardice, and then determining to choose the first.
Said King, "We must constantly build dikes of courage to hold back the flood of fear."
King led with enormous courage, though he surely felt 'the flood of fear.' "

We may not face the same things that Martin Luther King Jr faced, but we all face battles. We all have to confront things that we would rather not. To take courage is to defeat cowardice, I want to be a man that builds 'dikes of courage', a man who continues to face my fears and embrace them as ways of growing in Christ and in leadership.

Team fun

Proverbs 17:22 says:

''A cheerful heart is good medicine but a crushed spirit dries up the bones.''

Harold Myra says in The Leadership Secrets of Billy Graham:

''When one hears laughter in the halls of an organisation, when humour and good spirits enliven the breaks, when serious discussions are broken up by humour, it's a very good sign the enterprise is healthy. Teams that emphasise fun and good spirits lift effectiveness.''

I can say that this is true. This last year has seen the largest team working for the church on a full time basis. We have all worked hard to strengthen the church in the various areas that we are responsible for. We have worked hard at communicating with each other and keeping an air of openness. We have shared difficult times together, standing alongside each other in prayer.

One of the things we have done really well is we have found the time to laugh together. There have been lunchtimes when I have literally had tears of laughter rolling down my face. I believe that this sense of fun mixed with the seriousness of seeing the gospel advance has made for a team that has proved to be greatly effective.

Myra goes on to say: ''Although extremely serious about their mission and the eternal stakes, the team could laugh together and play together." That's the sort of team I want to be part of.

Saying 'no' to pride

"Pride also brings down leaders. "Pride ruins pastors and churches more than any other thing," Mike Reinhan has written. "It is more insidious in the church than radon in the home." When you read about the next public figure to fall, remember Proverbs 16:18 - "Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall." That person's situation might appear circumstantially complicated, but at root it's not: Pride goes before a fall."

C J Mahaney, Humility, page 35

I want these words to haunt me, to be there when I am tempted to think of myself better than I ought. When I am tempted to think that my way is the only way. When I am tempted to think that somehow I am achieving things without the help of my Father. It is only by God's grace that I can say no to pride when it arises in my life and only by his Spirit that I can live a life of humility in submission to him.