Up for air. To a certain extent, this is the feeling I think many of us are having. I’m not sure we are closer to any answers or plans then we were months ago. We only have new decisions, fears, anxieties, strategies and thoughts that occupy our mind. Regardless of this, for me personally, I believe I have come up for air. I’ve gone back to my gym, though I feel more like I work there, scrubbing down equipment after each use, then actually working out. I’ve heard from coaches who are ready to get going and to have FCA there with them as they navigate all of this newness. I have my masks I carry and wear where needed and required. None of the inconveniences seem to bother me as much. I whole heartily believe it’s the work of the Lord in my life, because I can get worked up about things, especially things I think are illogical and inefficient. But I’ve let most of that go. How did I get to this space? To begin with I put down my phone, my remote and cleared my mind. Then I returned to an old leadership truth I’ve used over the past 15 years, three principals that help me navigate life, decisions and strategies. It’s the picture of a target, starting small in the center, go deeper has it expands to a larger area. I wanted to share those with you.

1. Start Small. The first step is always the most important step. I have found, in my leadership, my most effective sustainable strategies, decisions and outcomes have come from when I didn’t start big but started small. Jesus led this way. He started with three disciples and grew is inner circle to twelve. He didn’t start out with hundreds of disciples. He started small. Jesus says in Luke 16:10; “Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much…” Don’t feel like every decision has to be made now, we don’t necessarily need to make decisions for January now. Get some small wins and be methodical. Start with one step at a time.

2. Go Deep. By starting small we are able to make sustainable decisions and strategies. This is partly why Jesus chose only twelve disciples, he knew he could go deep with them and make a greater impact which could multiply to others from this depth. Jesus’s ministry is all about sustainability, this is discipleship. “Then Jesus told his disciples, ‘If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake will find it.” Matthew 16:24, 25. Self-denial and cross bearing require a deep commitment. These things asked of us, by Christ, require a deep footing in order to sustain the storms on the horizon. Where are you growing deep? Are your decisions and strategies sustainable over time? Bring depth to your life’s work. I always try to make sure everything has depth to it before I chase it.

3. Think Big. While the first two principals focus on small incremental steps, but if followed will allow for big thoughts and ideas. It may seem counter to have big thinking third in line, because honestly this is where most of us start. I can remember when I started in ministry 18 years ago. I had this big thinking vision of reaching every college student in Atlanta with the Gospel. For a vision, there is nothing wrong with this statement, but it’s not where I needed to start. I needed a first step and some depth to establish a good foundation to allow for the big thought. Jesus leadership serves as an example here as well. He started with 12 disciples, spoke and taught a deep truth into their life and we see the result in Acts 6:7, “So the word of God spread. The number of disciples in Jerusalem increased rapidly, and a large number of priests became obedient to the faith.” It all started with only twelve. I continue to think big, encouraged by what I believe things can be and dream about my role in those outcomes.

The world is changing, and we will continue to find ourselves in unique places. As leaders we must navigate these waters and help others navigate them as well. Keeping in mind the ministry of Jesus and his leadership during difficult times can help us. Start Small. Go Deep. Think Big.

Lead Well and Be Encouraged!

I have heard the phrase, “I’m burdened” more than once over the past 3 months or so. The burden for most started with the COVID 19 and has now led to a burden for those who feel marginalized because of the color of their skin. To be burdened is a movement within our heart where we have a balance of empathy, anger and sadness. When we read the scripture, God’s call on our life is to be much more than burden wearers. In Galatians 6:2 the writer Paul states; “Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way, you fulfill the law of Christ.” Paul’s statement is clear, we are to carry the burdens not just feel the burden. Because it is what Christ has called us to, the love of himself and mankind.

I think there are three main points to consider when carrying another’s burden. Let me stop here for one moment and say this post is not a response to any circumstances more a reminder of how we should live our life on earth. I’m talking about a lifestyle not a reaction. We must carry burdens for others every day, this is what true authentic love and care is all about.

1. Drop It. The first thing we may have to do, as we take on the burdens of others, is to drop some burdens of our own. We may have to drop our opinions, fears, anxieties, strongholds, past thoughts, distractions and ultimately ourselves. Jesus said so in Luke 9:23; “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.” Paul writes in Philippians, “For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.” We have to die to our own desires and begin to desire greatness, comfort and healing for others. I’m not talking about an unhealthy submission to others, I’m talking about removing the splinters and ash in our eyes so we can see others and their needs.

2. Hold It. When one of my children were little, they would reach up to me and say, “I want to hold you.” In reality it was me that they wanted to hold them. But as I look back on it, it brought me comfort when they would wrap their little arms around my neck and squeeze for the security they yearned for, oh how I miss those days. Carrying one another’s burdens is very similar. We have to hold onto the burden we take on for others. In talking about the Lord Psalm 94:1 says, His huge outstretched arms protect you – under them you’re perfectly safe; his arms fend off all harm. Holding something tight can bring security, love and empathy in the same way our heavenly father provides this to us.

3. Lift It. A clean and jerk is a weightlifting exercise where the person, while standing, takes the barbell off the floor, brings it to their chest and lifts it above their head. True power and strength are found in lifting the heavy weight overhead and holding it there for a few seconds. This is a great picture of what lifting another’s burdens looks like. We have to lift it up above everything else going on at that particular time. It also allows others to take notice and come alongside us to help support that person as well. When we bring other people to the table to help, we show how much we value them and want others to value them as well.

Carrying each other’s burdens allows us to walk out Christ’s commands to love God and love others. This type of love shows how valued we feel others are, though they may be different, we gain empathy and compassion and make this world a better place. Drop some things in your life, hold tightly to the things of others and lift them up to the Lord and allow him to add value and love to someone else’s life.

Lead Well and Be Encouraged!

My routines have been disturbed, no destroyed. I am a creature of routine. I wake up around the same time, go to the gym at the same time, watch my kids go to school and get home at the same time. I coach practices on the same days and the same times. If you are like me you have routines and these routines are in chaos at this moment. I’m watching the news more than I want to. I am inside more than I need to. I worry more than I have to. The problems we face are beginning to become our new routines and focus.

This is where, I believe, many of us find ourselves today. Our lives have been disrupted. We have gone from predictable routines and plans to uncertainty, fear and confusion. We need a change of perspective, a revolutionary change.

I have found myself hunkered down in 1 Peter 3:3-6. In this passage Peter writes to his audience, in my opinion, on how to change our mindset. He writes our perspectives are created on the foundation of our “new birth of living hope” found in our “imperishable inheritance” through Christ. But the verse order is just as important. Peter begins, in verse 3, proclaiming praise before he proclaims the problem. In verse 6 he writes a fact, we may face suffering, but he begins in verse 3 with giving praise. This is a wonderful lesson for us all, we must filter everything through praise not problems. Our perspective changes when we choose praise before we address the problem.

This is a great lesson to us all. I think most of us, especially in today’s time, see the problem first. We go to news or social media and are flooded with the problem. When, in fact, God is calling us to praise and to base this praise on the fact we are on the cusp of a revolution not just a revival. A person who chooses praise first, is a revolutionary leader who views situations not as problems but opportunities. These opportunities are buoyed by the new birth and inheritance shielded by God’s power. To choose praise is truly revolutionary, causing a dramatic or complete change.

I’m aware our circumstances can overwhelm our praise and magnify our problems. I’m not sure what God is calling us to, many smarter than me seem to have that figured out. What I do know is God has provided us a living hope no matter our circumstances and he did this through the most revolutionary act the world has ever seen, his son, a cross, a grave and a resurrection. To me this deserves a revolutionary leaders. This deserves revolutionary perspectives. This deserves revolutionary praise.

I once had a young couple come and see me for counseling. They had only been married a few months and were experiencing what they determined to be some major issues. She was upset with him because she felt he was self-centered, only doing the things that made him happy at the exclusion of her needs. He simply did not understand the problem – he saw the things that he wanted to do as a release for him. His new job was stressful, and he needed some things to help him escape. After listening to them, I began to guide them on journey of understanding what it means to actually serve one another. I let them know the first place we must start is to simply go – to move forward and change each other’s lives before changing our own. To me this is the first part of adopting a life of service.

2. Service is about needs. Servant leaders put the needs of others before their own needs. Great servant leaders always measure joy by the accomplishments of those around them not by what they themselves have accomplished. Robert Greenleaf, the man who coined the term servant leader, suggests asking these questions:
   1. Do those we serve grow as persons?
   2. Do they, while being served, become healthier, wise, freer, more autonomous, more likely themselves to become servants?
3. Service is about equity. Great servant leaders create a culture where there is a level playing field and everyone has the opportunity to succeed. Serving others is about empowering, not controlling, and seeing everyone as a collaborative partner. The best servant leaders I have seen are those who give people space to develop and use their talents and gifts.
4. Service is about self-realization. When we serve, we always serve from our own character base. Servant leaders check their motives, always evaluate their values, and continue to look for opportunities to learn and grow. Greenleaf writes, “Servant leaders create a positive ethical climate for followers by striving to be trusting, insightful, open to new ideas, strong and courageous.”

When we serve, many times, we have to get up and go, not letting bitterness, pain or pride stand in the way. Great servant leaders get up, go, conquer obstacles and change people’s lives. It requires more than showing up or carrying a title… it requires movement toward transformational change.

Ask yourself these questions:

1. Do you work to gain understanding, input, and buy-in from those you lead? What does this process look like for you?
2. Which of the following do you feel are your strongest attributes in your leadership: trusting, insightful, open to new ideas, strong or courageous? Which are your weakest? How can you get better?

Lead Differently!

Greg