brian jennings

I wanted to add a few miscellaneous thoughts about risks, that didn't really fit yesterday's post:

1. People who are perpetually asking others to be part of huge risks, even though the idea just popped up in their head, wear out others, and cause people to ignore their good ideas. I've been guilty of this more than once. I've also been on the receiving end. On the receiving end, it sometimes sounds like this, "Hey, I haven't thought this through at all, but I think that you should start consuming your thoughts with my half-baked idea that might destroy in this organization all that you have been carefully working towards."

Maybe that's the extreme side, but at the very least, ideas that carry large risks take up mental capacity. I have a limited amount of this (more so than most, perhaps). 

Don't get me wrong, there are times for ideas and brainstorms. I like an environment where ideas can flow freely. We need people with random ideas. But there is a difference between, "I've been thinking something through that I'd like to bounce off of you," and "I just read an article and I think that we should..."  Timing is part of this too. Think it through and find the right time for your big ideas. You'll be better heard and more valuable to your organization.

2. Quit dwelling on the risk that you took, which didn't work out. 

Person A: "I'd like us to completely empty our food pantry in order to meet this specific need that we heard about..."  

Person B: "In the days long after King David, Assyria laid seige to Israel and many starved to death, and those who didn't resorted to eating things like donkey heads because they had not saved enough food."

Person A: Speechless.

Maybe this example is drastic, but we do this all of the time. It's good to learn from the past, but it's bad to be paralyzed by it.

Again, the goal here is to be valuable to God, your organization, your friend, your spouse... It's an issue worth thinking through. 

Peter Drucker said, "People who DON'T take risks generally make about two big mistakes a year. People who DO take risks generally make about two big mistakes a year."

You get the idea. We all will make mistakes. But if we don't ever take a risk, then we won't do great things. We won't be stretched. We won't find a new way. We won't help as well. We won't solve the problem. 

But just because it's a risk, doesn't mean it's good. Choices do have consequences, so if taking a risk is worth it because of the good that it might do, not taking a risk may also be wise sometimes because of the harm that it can cause. That's why the big risks that we choose should be well calculated. We should pray about it. We should get some input. But we should not be afraid to pull the trigger sometimes. 

I've seen a few teams from church take some risks over the past few weeks. They were well thought out. They had the opportunity to do something great. They prayed it over. They gained input. They did all of the right things. 

The result is that it drove them to prayer, and moved them to faith and excitement. The excitement raises exponentially when risks are involved. Life becomes fuller. 

Nothing has brought me more joy over the past month than to see several people close to me taking some risks. It's been a new thing for some of them to take a risk for God's sake. 

Are you in the midst of a risk? Are you praying about one? Are you leading others towards this?

My desire is to ambitiously & humbly pursue things that God cares about. I should resist arrogance, because I know how flawed I am, and how much I need help. But I should resist apathy, because too much is at stake. 

My desire is to pursue things that matter. Lots of people use up all of their ambition on things that don't matter. I don't want to go there. 

And lots of people end up arrogant, as they chalk up some wins. I want to resist that too. 

Fact # 1: Ambition is required for someone to lead well. I'll define ambition as An internal passion that drives someone towards discipline, hard work, and sacrifice in order to achieve a goal or pursue a vision. (Note, that I'm not defining "ambition" as necessarily being selfish in nature.) 

Fact #2: Ambition often leads people away from humility. "Selfish Ambition" (see Philippians 2) by its very definition is wrong. It's an ambition that is all about self promotion. Not all ambition begins this way. But even with an admirable root, one's ambition can drive them to step on others, win at all cost, shut down others, and lose all perspective. 

Show me the greatest and most noble of leaders, and I'll show you people with ambition and humility. They are driven, passionate, and laser-focused. Jesus was. Paul was. Wilberforce was. MLK was. 

I know some humble people who are not great leaders. I'd much prefer to hang out with them, as opposed to some arrogant leader with loads of ambition. But they don't lead well because they lack ambition. They aren't disciplined enough to lead well. They aren't passionate enough to lead well. And they don't have a focused energy to drive their ship. There have been times, I'm afraid, when I was this guy.

This lack of ambition could be caused by many things. It could be caused by comfort, lazyness, lack of purpose, or distractions. It could even be an overreaction away from being overly ambitious (in the bad, selfish way). But let's be honest, Satan doesn't care what causes us to be ineffective. He'll be quite pleased for us to not be ambitiously loving, helping, serving, opposing injustice, and teaching. 

Are you ambitious, in a noble way? How so? If not, why? What can you do about it?

(Tomorrow, we'll try to wrap up this discussion by putting it all together.)

Yesterday, I brought up this idea. Today, I want to talk about the humility aspect. 

We're familiar with the Proverbs that warn the proud of their upcoming fall. Not only have we read about this, but we've all seen it. If we've paid attention, we've also seen that the best leaders are humble, they seek input, they respect others, and they don't put themselves on a pedastol. But what is it that so often drives leaders towards arrogance? 

Ezekiel 28:1-5 gives some insight. It tells of a city full of people who were prideful, thinking that they themselves were god. And here is how they got there:

They were wise.  They were skilled. They became rich.

"And because of your wealth your heart has grown proud" (vs. 5). 

Back to my questions, "What causes us to grow proud?" Often, the answer is success. Whether that success is in the marketplace, in the gym, in family life, in skill, or in possessions, these things often lead us to be proud, unless we are very careful. 

Have you ever caught yourself refusing to gain wisdom from someone else because they were talking about your field of expertise? Have you ever been shut down by someone because your were talking about an area where they had experienced (or at least imagined) success? When we do well in some area, we can assume that we have it all figured out. We can also feel that we can't let anyone else challenge us, The Experts! But at the end of the day, these things lead us to a prideful trainwreck. 

This is huge stuff. If you want to honor God in your family, work, volunteering and recreation, it will require humility. And if you want to grow in effective leadership, it will require the same, but the grain of success will pull against you. 

What else tempts us away from humility?

To paraphrase Jim Collins, "If you look at purely financial metrics, the most spectacularly successful leaders possess an odd combination of personal traits - extreme personal humility and intense professional will."

I think that lots of leaders have one or the other. But how often do they have both?

I'm asking, "Am I weak in either of these departments?" I'm asking myself, but I'm going to be asking some others too. 

Collins is a self-proclaimed research nerd. He usually lives in the businees world, but his research reveals needed qualities found in Scripture. I look forward to exploring more of this topic in the days to come.

Over the Christmas holidays, I discovered something shocking and horrific - there is a type of candy called "Horehound." My parents were talking about a relative who used to give them this candy, and they always thought that it was kinda nasty. My first response was this, "I'VE ALWAYS BELIEVED THAT I SHOULD NEVER EAT ANY KIND OF CANDY NAMED "WHORE" (INCLUDING ALTERNATE SPELLINGS), OR "HOUND." This value, which I've held firm to my entire life, will prevent me from ever trying this candy.  

I did a little bit of research, and apparently, it's a popular candy here, but especially in Europe (I'm guessing that it's a real hit in Amsterdam). It's also used for medicinal purposes at times, but it still sounds disgusting to me. The real question is, "What marketing team thought this would be a good name for candy?" Now that I think about it, I have many more questions than answers. 

Lastly, if you've been buying this candy for your relatives, and you are horribly offended by my post, I do not apologize. What in the world were you thinking? 

Rex Ryan is the big-talking coach of the NY Jets. He made a crucial leadership error this season (OK, probably a lot more than one but let's stick with one). He appointed Santonio Holmes to be a team captain this year. If you don't know about Holmes, google him and you'll read about how he has a long history of trouble with the law, family and teams. He's incredibly talented, so he's a guy that coaches always hoped would straighten out. Yesterday, Holmes, in the biggest game of the year, spent much of the game on the bench because he was fighting with teammates and not playing hard at all. So here is the leadership lesson that Rex Ryan ignored:

People can change. However, if a person lacks character, integrity and a team-first menatlity when they are not a leader, they will still lack those thing when they are a leader. Changing their situation or their position will not fix their issues. It might hide them for a while, but usually they will still rear their ugly heads. 

There are probably many good definitions of Christian maturity. Here is one of them:

"Whether it is favorable or unfavorable, we will obey the Lord our God."                                        

                                        (Jeremiah 42:6)

It was about 5:00 in the morning, and after the best night of sleep that week, I awoke full of energy. Not a soul was stirring on the tiny Pacific resort in Ghana. I decided to go for a walk.

I had ben part of a Christ In Youth team that spent time training youth workers from around the country, and then assisting them in leading a large youth conference. As a way to express grattitude, the CIY leaders let us have some R&R on the last day of our ten day trip. 

The ocean water lapped over my feet as I plodded along the beach. And just when the sun began to peek over the horizon, I saw signs of life ahead. My beach walk was blocked by several large boulders, so I climbed. At the top of the largest rock, I sat down and watched ten or so fishermen as they drug their boats and nets to the water. But there was something unusual about these fishermen - they were just boys. Some were maybe in their teen years, but most were much younger. 

I watched them navigate their boats out into the water, where they began casting nets. I thought that they probably did not get to go to school, which is unfortunate. And I assumed that their families were poor. But the thought never entered my mind that they could be slaves. I knew that child slavery existed. I was pretty sure that I had even seen it a few times in the cities of Manilla and Accra. But it never entered my mind on that beautiful beach. 

I recently read about Pam Cope's remarkable story in her book "Janten's Gift." Just a few years ago, she began an incredible work to rescue and provide aftercare for children who were enslaved. They were forced into a grueling life of fishing for their master. Boys as young as four years old were found being forced to fish from sunrise to sunset, seven days a week. Many were beaten. Most were hungry. All of them knew many other boys who had drowned. 

I have thought a lot about those boys whom I saw fishing on that serene morning in Ghana. Maybe they were part of an unfortunate family, just doing their best for their parents. Or maybe they were slaves. Maybe they were terribly mistreated. Maybe they were starving. Maybe they were wondering if their parents would come to their rescue. Maybe they saw me. 

In my volunter work with Blackbox International, an organization that exists to provide aftercare to sex-trafficked boys, I've learned how often my story has been lived out. We talked to many people who had seen trafficked boys, but they just didn't realize it. Maybe their minds just didn't allow them the possibility of realizing such horrors. Maybe they were too busy to notice. Maybe they just did not know what to look for.

One of the beautiful things that Blackbox is doing is helping people see what is already in front of them. Of coarse, it's also helping people see what may not be close to home, but is still an issue that should concern them. 

I'm pretty convinced that my story gets lived out in different ways too. We see a friend, but we miss the hurt underneath. We chat with a waitress, but don't know that she's broken. We ask, "How are you?" but don't give space for an honest answer. 

Jesus had a way of seeing people's hearts. Did he have supernatural advantages? Sometimes, but I'm not sure how often he tapped into that advantage. The Bible often points to something else in Jesus - compassion. His great compassion for people led him to see beyond the surface. It led him to create space for people to talk with him. It caused him to step away from the mob in order to listen to the person, the broken woman, the educated Pharisee, and the young child. He never failed to notice that he was looking at someone who was hurting, broken, confused or enslaved.

I want to be like that. People around me need me to be like that. And God can help me be like that. 

James Harrison of the Pittsburg Steelers is known as a dirty player, and his recent hit on Colt McCoy didn't help. There are times that he has deserved that title, and there are times where his reputation has brought a spotlight on him.  The NFL has said that players cannot hit guys in the head with the top of thier helmets. This is what he keeps doing. Really, all he needs to do is to keep watching the guy that he tackles, instead of lowering his head. Regardless, he has defended himself and has said that it will probably keep happening. 

Everyone has said about everything that could be said about this from a sports perspective, in many repetitive, boring and irrelevant ways (such as, "a defensive player can't help it when an offensive player ducks their head at the last second," which didn't happen at all). I want to say a word or two about this from a from a human perspective.

It's easier to defend poor actions when you aren't the victim. The neglectful parent, the petty thief, the reckless driver, and the human trafficker can rarely identify with the pain of the victim. It's made me wonder if there are victims whom I've dismissed. It also made me contemplate how I respond to someone who says that I'm causing harm in some way. Do I blow them off? Do I get defensive? Do I not give a rip? Can I change if I need to?

OK, this analogy got a little deep, so let's take it back to football (where everyone is overpaid). If Harrison played a position which made it more likely for his head to get crushed by a massive force that he couldn't avoid, causing temporary or even longterm medical issues, I have a feeling that he'd feel just a little bit differently about the situation. Linebackers are rarely in the position to have their head taken off. Maybe he can play quarterback the next time they play the Ravens. 

For millions of people who have walked on this earth, the word "enslaved" would strike at their very core. It might cause fear, anger, depression, anxiety, rage, hopelessness, or a mixture of all of the above.

For those of us who have not lived in this nightmare, it's probably easy to say the word without those attached emotions. But we can hear stories, we can pray, and we can work to alleviate suffering. The more we do these things, the more we align our hearts with God's heart. 

As I've worked with Blackbox International, many things have struck me. I'd like to share two of them:  

1. There are 400,000 enslaved boys, and each one has a story.  

2. God loves each of these boys more than I can even love my own sons. 

It's hard to read very far in Scripture without seeing how much God cares for the oppressed, neglected and forgotten. Just this past week, I read Jeremiah 30:8-9. It is a good prayer for these boys (regardless of their specific situations). Perhaps it can move you closer to God's heart as you dwell on it. 

"In that day," declares the Lord Almighty, "I will break the yoke off their necks and will tear off their bonds; no longer will foreigners enslave them. Instead, they will serve the Lord their God."

Yesterday, I wrote about the warning found in Jeremiah, which tells us that some will misrepresent God, even as they claim to speak on his behalf (see that blog here).  Today, I'll list a few questions that I ask when I become concerned that someone is falsely speaking in God's name:

1. Are their words confirmed by Scripture? There are some Biblical issues that Godly people can disagree on while both affirming Scripture, but if someone teaches that Jesus did not die and rise from the dead or that if we are faithful then life will always be happy and easy, we have a problem. 
2. Do they humbly embrace some of the tension and mystery of Scripture? The more that I study Scripture, the more that I learn, but I also continue to realize that there is so much that I do not yet know or understand. I get a little nervous when I hear someone teaching in a way that comes across as arrogant when Scripture seems to allow room for tension. There is a line somewhere between arrogance and speaking with confidence in Scripture. It takes discernment to know where that is. I was once blasted by a dude who said that I too often said, "I believe..." and "Scripture seems to indicate..." in a sermon about end times. He said that I disrespected God's Word by not telling people exactly what would happen, which he had figured out (as it turns out, his entire teaching was incredibly flawed but that's another story). I taught people as best I could, presenting different thoughts by Godly, smart people, and including my position, but I recognized that those who had other thoughts could still be my brothers and sisters in Christ. God speaks with absolute clarity on many issues. But there are other things that leave us wrestling, studying and longing to know more. I think that he had his reasons for this. I will keep pursuing his truth, but I'll be nervous when I hear someone who seems to speak with more clarity and certainty on a subject than God did. (Have I opened up a can of worms here? Maybe. I hope you hear my heart here. For an interesting case study, read Acts 15 and land on verse 28 for a while).)
3. Do their actions gel with their words? Jesus said that we can know of someone by the fruit that they produce. No one is perfect. We are all flawed. But Godly discernment should help us see when someone is saying one thing and then living in an opposite way. 
4. What are their motives? My discernment radar started beeping when I read about a TV preacher who owned a mansion, a fleet of collector cars, and more expensive toys than I could imagine say, "I think God is happy for us to enjoy our lives." He was telling others to be generous (by giving to him), but wasn't being generous in return. He was hoarding. He was building his own kingdom. I Timothy 6 gives us clear warning about those who will practice godliness as a means to financial gain. There could be other dark motives involved. Money is just a big one. 

This is a question that we need to be asking. Just because someone says that their words are from God does not make it so (even if that person is really passionate, really good with words, or wearing a really sharp outfit). 

Hearing people misrepresent God is not a new problem. Jeremiah 22 speaks of this issue a lot. You should take a look at the whole chapter, but here are some excerpts: 

I did not send these prophets, yet they have run with their message. (vs. 21)

I have heard what the prophets say who prophesy lies in my name. (vs. 25)

I am against the prophets who steal from one another words supposedly from me. I am against the prophets who wag their own tongues and yet declare, 'The Lord declares.' (vs. 30-31)

The bottom line is that we need to be discerning. Tomorrow, we'll look at some of the warning signs that we can note. Be thinking about them, and you can add your voice to the discussion.  

Nobody wants to see a cranky volunteer in a Santa suit, especially if he is ringing a bell in front of Wal Mart. Serving should always come with an attitude of thankfulness. Colossians 3:17 says, "Whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, GIVING THANKS to God the Father through Him." 

When thankfulness is removed from serving, we are left with cranky Santas ringing bells, cynical volunteers whose desire to help the poor has turned into complaints against them (met one of these a few weeks ago), and entitled pessimists who drag down teams.

Can you add to the list?

Stressed? Overwhelmed? Unfulfilled? Trying to control the world?

There is good news. We aren't in charge of the world, so we can quit trying to act like we are. You may be thinking that this is an easy thing to understand, but Scripture takes it farther in Jeremiah 10:23:

"I know, O Lord, that a man's life is not his own; it is not for man to direct his steps." 

We were not created to direct even our own steps. We were made to allow God to direct our steps. And when we do that, peace, contentment, adventure and fulfillment follow. 

Doing something for God is good. 

Including a child in that good thing is better. 

I don't always think like this, but I'm glad when I do. I don't always have the opportunity to speak in front of over 600 students, but I often have the opportunity to do good, and to include my kids in it. 

What took place at Penn State is an absoloute tragedy. I fully recognize that we don't know all of the facts yet, and I hope that the authorities can find the truth. With that said, it reminds me of of a principal that I taught about last weekend. 

The sin of one can become the sin of many. 

In Judges 20, a story is told of a woman who is so horrendously gang-raped that she dies. When the rest of the Israelites find out about it, they go to the tribe where the atrocity took place and tell them, "Hand over the men who did this terrible thing so that they can be punished." But the tribe refuses. They tell them to take a hike. And at that moment, the sin of a few became the sin of many.  

That tribe lacked the courage to confront the sin of the few. Unfortunately, this happens all of the time. Let's face it, doing the right thing is difficult - especially when it's as messy as what happened at Penn St or what happened in Judges 20, and especially when friends or family are potentially guilty. It will likely cost time, energy, money and friendships. But having the courage to do the right thing is always worth it - for you, for other potential victims, for past victims, and even for the perpetrator (allowing someone to cause destruction to self and countless others is never loving). 

I feel like it's appropriate to add that wisdom is needed here. A false accusation can cause as much harm as anything. But that's another subject for another day. 

There are lots of little acts of leadership that leaders have to navigate each day. I'm talking about things like encouraging the team, communicating clearly, leading a meeting, or being sensitive to an issue that needs some attention. Today was one of those days where I had a leadership fail. It had nothing to do with a lack of integrity, preparation, or sincere motive. I just didn't hit a home run (It's more likely that I got thrown out at first on a close play). It wasn't a huge deal. The issue all by itself won't jeopardize our organization or anything like that. But it was still a fail.

Q. So what's the only thing worse than a fail? 

A. Ignoring the fail.

Honestly, I thought about pressing through with my day. I thought that maybe I'd quit thinking about it tomorrow. I figured that we were all big boys and girls and would get over it. And then I had a wiser thought. I thought about the times that I left issues unresolved, or apologies unsaid. They never turn out pretty. 

So, I thought about what went wrong, and then I made the rounds and told everyone that I was sorry for not doing better. It probably took 10 minutes. It was a 10 minutes that was well worth it. Everyone had obviously thought about it some or more. Everyone knew that it wasn't a huge deal but.... it wasn't my best. They all accepted my apology. They even offered some ways that they could have helped. 

I'm really glad that I listened to wisdom. I'm glad that I closed the door on the issue, and I'm glad that I made sure that our team was all together. We have an awesome team, and I don't want to let my laziness or lack of courage ever stand in the way of that. 

Oh, and just in case some of the HP Team is reading this, thanks for putting up with my leadership fails. I'll try to keep them to a minimim. As Bill Hybels would say, "You can put my picture back in your wallet." I'll journal about it a bit, pray about it, and try to learn to do better.