VELCRO: Concepts That Make Leaders Stick

Mark Twain once said that when he was a child, he couldn't believe how little his parents knew.  Yet, when he became a man, he was amazed at how much they'd learned.  The older I get in youth ministry, the more I realize I have a lot more to learn.

I've found  in youth ministry  it's extrememly difficult to relate to the students without being relevant to them.  I had a student one time send me a message on Facebook.  He was letting me know that he appreciated the fact that his "peeps think you're legit."  If you just had to ask someone else what that sentence meant, guess what - you've got a lot more to learn, too!

Point of Origin

Just about any time I go somewhere on a long trip, I use my GPS.  I plug in my destination, and because the GPS is on my Android phone, it tells me how to get where I'm going.  This is a very helpful tool to a guy who once got lost twice in the same night trying to pick up his date for homecoming as a Junior in high school!  (To her credit, my date actually endured the entire evening - which included getting lost on the way to dinner, too.)


But a more important question, I believe, is not "Where am I going?" but rather "Where am I coming from?"  Check out what Gamaliel, a Pharisee, said in Acts 5:

Holding On to the Promise

Have you ever been promised something by someone that just didn't seem to make much sense?  You know what I'm talking about - they told you what they were promising, and when you looked at the circumstances surrounding the promise, you just saw no way possible that it could, should or would happen.  So consequently, you didn't put much time into belief that it would happen.


The Bible is replete with examples of promises that God has made to people that defied logic and circumstance.  

A Life Well Spent

The Times Square Church Facade,
where Rev. Wilkerson was the founding
Pastor; (inset) "The Cross and The
Switchblade" was probably the book
for which Rev. Wilkerson was most
widely known.

I woke up this morning to read that David Wilkerson has died.  I will be far from the only person to comment or blog on this in the next 24-36 hours.  But it struck me, not because I knew him or was connected with him in any way, but because of how he spent his life.


The front page of Wilkerson's World Challenge Ministries, Inc. website says that his we (his family) "rejoice at the joy of knowing that David Wilkerson spent his life well."  That certainly seems like an understatement to me.   God used Rev. Wilkerson to found Teen Challenge and Times Square Church - two ministries that have reached, and continue to reach, literally hundreds of thousands of people for the sake of the Kingdom.  On the Times Square Church website, Pastor Carter Conlon said that, Pastor David Wilkerson’s was a life fully given for the glory of God and souls of men."


There has only been one other time, that I can remember at the moment, in my life where I was caused to take pause for a moment and evaluate my life and what I want to be my legacy - and that was when Rich Mullins died suddenly about 12 or so years ago.


As we remember in the coming days the legacy of Rev. Wilkerson, I encourage you to do as I will do - evaluate even for a moment what we want to be said of us.  Am I a life "fully given" to God and for His kingdom's sake?  Will my life be a life well spent?

VELCRO: Concepts That Make Leaders Stick

I periodically run a segment in Youth Staff e-Mails I call "Velcro".  The whole purpose is to share some leadership concepts that I'm working on, learning, have learned or have even just been introduced to, with the leaders around me.  I've shared on the blog once before in this vein, and I thought that I'd share again something that I'm learning and honing in my leadership.  I call it "Leading From the On-deck Circle".


As I was reading in one of the blogs that I follow, I was reminded of something that's so important for all of us to understand: in order to be a great leader, we first have to be great followers!

Overcoming Temptation

I'm becoming a regular reader of other blogs.  I've always tried to keep up with certain people's blogs - I've long had a few RSS feeds in my Google Reader and phone app.  But, until the last few weeks, I've not been very faithful with regularly checking in.  So, on that note, I was catching up on Jeff Leake's blog yesterday.  He posted some of Rick Warren's comments on temptation.  It struck me as encouraging and motivating, so I thought I'd share them today.  You can read Jeff's entire post from Monday here.

The Great Exchange

As I was reading in Acts and Romans today, I suffered from what happens to me occasionally - lack of inspiration.  I don't read through devotions looking for sermon or blog material.  I read through it for me, and despite that, I'm still uninspired at times.  Certainly, that's not anyone's fault but my own.



So I re-read through Acts 2, and was suddenly struck by something Peter said at the end of what is probably the greatest sermon ever preached.  "Therefore let all Israel be assured of this: God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Messiah."  A few things struck me here:

Self-Discipline

I suppose that, as one who hasn't been disciplined enough to blog on a consistent basis, I don't have much to say about this topic!  However, I've been having conversations with my wife lately, typically about how I need to grow and improve, and about the areas of my life in which I'm not pleased or satisfied.  Many of these "problems" arise from a lack of self-discipline, in one way or another.


When I see so many things in my life that I want to change or need to change, often times I become overwhelmed.  Change is never easy - it takes self-discipline.  

Signs of Life

I'm an avid follower of Turning Point Ministries' radio program - the preaching and teaching of Dr. David Jeremiah.  Recently, I began listening to a series he was preaching entitled, "Signs of Life" in which he addressed five signs of the life of a Christian: dusty shoes, worn out knees, rolled up sleeves, open hands and outstretched arms.

It really hit home pretty well with me - reminding me of some things I should be doing as a Christian, and some attitudes/perspectives I should have as well.  Because I'm a Youth Pastor, it also got me thinking: what are some of the signs of life in a healthy youth ministry?  I'm constantly asking myself the question, 'How healthy is my youth ministry?'  So, over the next several days (maybe not every day, but regularly!) I'm going to dive into some of my own thoughts, spurred by the preaching of Dr. Jeremiah and its application to my life, on the signs of life in youth ministry - and how those things also apply to those of us not in youth ministry, too.

A Little Distraction

It seems that, once I get on a bit of a roll with this blogging thing, something comes up.  Well, just last week, "something" came up.  More like someone came up, actually.

My wife has been pregnant since May and was due February 4th.  Last Wednesday AM, she gave birth to our newest family member, Shayna Leigh Winter.  She was born at 8:26 and weighed 7lbs, 10oz and was 19.5" long.  You can see a picture of her below.

Dedication in Reverse

I posted this a while ago, and it was mentioned to me recently in an e-mail, so I thought I'd post it again (with a few minor additions).  Originally, this was written in August, 2009 before my parents went to China on a two-year missions term.

One of the hardest things that I've had to do in recent memory I did just this week. I loaned my parents back to God for a while.

For about 16 months, I've known that they had the opportunity to move to China on a teaching visa for two years. Before they began planning the details of the trip, they actually came to my wife and I and asked us what we thought about the idea.

Among the Humans

As I was reading in Daniel last week, I tried to pick one verse from each chapter that stood out to me in one way or another.  Since Daniel is a pretty familiar book to me, I tried really hard (and perhaps too hard!) to not pick the first thing that inspired me.  I wanted to force myself to dig something out of the Word where otherwise I might not have.


As I got to Daniel chapter 2, my process was challenged.  I read through the chapter a few times, and finally, by the evening prayer service we were having (last week was our week of prayer and fasting), something hit me in verse 11.

"What the king asks is too difficult. No one can reveal it to the king except the gods, and they do not live among men."

Some background here: Daniel 2 tells the story of King Nebuchadnezzar's dream.  He didn't understand it, and so he sought his sorcerers, magicians and enchanters to interpret the dream.  However, he not only wanted them to interpret the dream, but he wanted them to tell him what the dream was in the first place!  Verse 11 (above) was their response.


As I read it, I thought of how grateful I am to serve a God who is among humans.  He is a God who has promised to never leave us nor forsake us (Hebrews); a God who sticks closer than a brother (Psalms); a God who has told us not to fear for He will be with us wherever we go (Joshua).


So be encouraged today, friend.  There is a God who is not distant from us, who does live among us, and who is with us in, and through, everything!

Velcro: Concepts That Make Leaders Stick

One of the things that I enjoy doing, though I must admit I have much room to improve in, is equipping people to be leaders.  In e-Mails that I send out to the Youth Staff volunteers who serve students with me, I've created a section entitled, "Velcro".  In it I share leadership principles that "make leaders stick" (pun intended!); princples that I'm learning, or have been reminded of through blogs I read, other Pastors I talk to, etc.  Once and a while, I plan on sharing some of these same thoughts here, because I believe that, no matter what we do, these principles are applicable to all of us.


John Maxwell defines leadership as "Influence.  Nothing more, nothing less."  That's a pretty succinct definition. At the same time, some people ask, "How do I gain influence with others?"  It's simple: influence is commanded, not demanded; it's earned, not taken.  Let me explain.


As a Youth Pastor, I have the privilege of reaching out to students and the Youth Staff members on a regular basis.  The main purpose that I seek to gain their trust and influence is to that I can help guide them and influence them for eternity's sake.  They then, in turn, can influence others for eternity's sake.


This is how I gain influence in their lives: consistency, dependability, genuine care and concern and support - in both good times and bad.  You see, it can be downright intimidating thinking about how you might gain influence in someone's life.  But, when you strip it down to it's barest essentials, it's simply earning someone's trust.  


An easy way to determine how you might gain someone's trust (and earn influence in their lives) is to ask yourself this question:  "Who do I allow to have influence in my life, and why do I allow it?"  Often times, answering that one simple question is enough to let us see how we can become a trustworthy and influential person in others' lives, for the sake of eternity.

Life's Noise

Most of the blogging that I do is not done with the any other intention than sharing what I'm either going through at that moment, or have just gone through.  Once and a while, I find myself in one of those places where life's noise - the circumstances, people, events we can't control - seem to drown out the voice and presence of God.


Today was one of those days.  For various reasons, I've found myself striving for the right solution to a problem that had to be solved quickly.  As the day wore on, and I sought council of others wiser and more creative than I, I became more and more frustrated with myself and my situation.  At one point, I even made the comment to my wife that, "it's in these types of situations I can't make a right choice".  I even begin at times, in stressful situations like this where a choice needs to be made quickly, and executed flawlessly, to wish upon myself an easier place in life.  But, in the words of former President John F. Kennedy, we ought not pray for easier lives, but to be stronger men.


So, as always, I find that God challenges my thinking and convicts my actions.  I suppose, if there's no other purpose in this post, it's to remind you, as I'm convicted today, in difficult and stressful or trying situations, to listen for the voice of God rather than trying to seek out the answer for yourself.  It's a similar concept to what Elijah experienced in I Kings 19:

(Elijah) replied, "I have been very zealous for the LORD God Almighty. The Israelites have rejected your covenant, broken down your altars, and put your prophets to death with the sword. I am the only one left, and now they are trying to kill me too." 11 The LORD said, "Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the LORD, for the LORD is about to pass by." Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the LORD, but the LORD was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the LORD was not in the earthquake. 12 After the earthquake came a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper. 13 When Elijah heard it, he pulled his cloak over his face and went out and stood at the mouth of the cave.

Elijah was faced with a situation where he felt his very life was in danger.  What was God's instruction to him?  His presence and voice.  As the Lord passed by, He wasn't in the commonly experienced noises of life: the ever-noticeable wind, earthquake or fire.  He was in the still, small voice.  Elijah's response?  He humbly entered the presence of God, undoubtedly listening to His voice.  Ought not we all, in times of trial and stress, enter the presence of God, ignoring the noise of every day life around us, and listen to His voice?

Fear of Midian

I just finished reading an e-votional that I get in my inbox just about every morning.  Typically, I read through it and find something to ponder for a while.  But, every once and a while, something hits me right between the eyes.  This morning was one of those mornings.


Judges 7 tells us the story of a man named Gideon and his army.  It starts off by saying that God spoke to Gideon, telling him that the his army was too big to deliver the Midianites into their hands.  Mind you, the Midianite army was in excess of 100,000 soliders.  So God led Gideon through a process whereby, in time, the army was pared down to 300 soldiers.  300.  To fight more than 100,000.


What did Gideon do in this situation?  He remained committed to the Lord, despite his circumstances.  He knew that God had spoken and called him to something, and he trusted that, no matter how bleak the situation may have seemed, God would see him through.  So what happened?


The Bible tells us that the Lord delivered the Midianites into the hands of Gideon and his army.  "When the three hundred trumpets sounded, the LORD caused the men throughout the camp to turn on each other with their swords. The army fled to Beth Shittah toward Zererah as far as the border of Abel Meholah near Tabbath." (Judges 7:22)


So what are the "Midianites" in your life this week?  It could be your job situation, your finances, your marriage, you children - literally anything.  Be encouraged that, no matter how bleak your situation, the battle is God's - not yours.  Don't allow the fear of how things might appear to you overcome your faith in the one who is above and beyond, far greater than all your "Midianites".