Five years ago I received a clear calling. This calling was as clear as my call to preach and pastor. God directed me to personally develop and mentor 100 men to become devoted Christians and strong spiritual leaders.
THE NAME – MEN OF PROMISE
The process and material to develop these leaders is called Men of Promise. Inspiration for our name comes from the Moses’ encounter with his father-in-law Jethro who asks Moses, “What are you really accomplishing here?” Moses would sit and hear ALL the people’s disputes against each other from morning till evening (Exodus 18:13-14). Jethro told Moses, “This is not good. You’re going to wear yourself out and the people too.” (Exodus 18:15-16). He goes on to instruct Moses to “select from all the people CAPABLE, honest men who fear God and hate bribes and show them how to lead.” (Exodus 17-21). Men of Promise are today’s emerging leaders in our church. Some are ready and some are raw…but they are our best.
On Sunday, November 7, I kicked-off a new message series entitled, “Identity Theft.” I was inspired to teach this series after hearing Craig Groeschel of Lifechurch teach on it. I am excited about this series and believe It’ll empower ALL to pursue God’s best version of themselves!
Quick – Who makes the best pound cake in the world?
My Aunt Doretha used to make the best pound cake in the whole world. It was so rich and creamy. I remember visiting my Aunt Doretha one summer and she explained to me that it was called a pound cake because it used a pound of butter and a pound of sugar (talk about busting the diet). Although it may not have been healthy, it sure was delicious! As I reflect on my aunt’s recipe, I wonder if the pound cake would lose its taste if one of the MAJOR ingredients (sugar or butter) were missing? Would it remain rich and creamy or morph into chewy disaster?
In today’s politics, both Democrats & Republicans demonize those who attempt to move to the middle in an attempt to forge compromises and solve problems that meet the needs of all. We all suffer from this polarization. We desperately need more leaders in Washington who can collaborate.
Google gives an example of what could happen if people would collaborate:
To improve collaboration with others, there may be no greater source for “how to” than Dale Carnegie’s 1936 classic How To Win Friends and Influence People. The principles are timeless. Some of the techniques we can each use to strengthen our collaborations with others include:
Become genuinely interested in other people. Take the time to ask them about themselves, their points of view, their histories.
Be a good listener. Remembering we’ve been given two ears and one mouth, and using them in that ratio, is a great first step. Let others do the majority of the talking. Put yourself in the “reverent” listening mode, like the person you are speaking with is telling you the most important thing in the world. No multi-tasking while listening. No trying to get in a word edge wise.
Be empathetic. Try honestly to see things from the other’s point of view. Repeat key points of what you’ve heard. Even if you don’t agree with the idea, paraphrase your understanding of their thoughts and needs and refrain from judging.
Be open, supportive and encouraging in your collaborations with others. Encourage diverse perspectives. Seek to understand. Be optimistic and supportive when hearing other points-of-view.
In my humble opinion, there’s something wrong with leaders from every walk of life. It appears we’ve lost the art of collaboration. It’s the missing ingredient we all need if we’re to be successful in life!
Do you currently practice collaboration with others? If so, how? If not, why?
Our leaders met this past Thursday to discuss and discern what God would have us to do corporately regarding the tragedy that rocked Haiti. Although there are some conservative Christians labeling this as “God’s judgment,” we, however will take the high road & pray prayers bold enough to “WAKE… GOD UP.” Please click the link for more information & join us!
In case you’ve wondered what happened to my blog, rest assured because all is well! I had to take time and prepare for my doctoral thesis defense. Consequently, I’ve had to steal away and prepare. I’ve been sort of “micro-blogging” primarily through facebook andTwitter.
I just started reading a book by Jim Collins (author of Good to Great) titled, How the Mighty Fall. Collins unveils several years’ worth of research on why great companies collapse. These are companies like Zenith, Circuit City, Bank of America, Merck, IBM, etc. They were at some point leaders in the industry and seemingly invincible, but they have all suffered horrendous falls. Collins says there are five stages of decline.
Here is an interesting quote:
“I’ve come to see institutional decline like a staged disease: harder to detect but easier to cure in the earlier stages, easier to detect but harder to cure in the later stages. An institution can look strong on the outside but already be sick on the inside, dangerously on the cusp of a precipitous fall.”
Here is what struck me in the first few chapters: stage 1 of decline is “”Hubris Born of Success”, i.e. pride. Collins is not writing from a Christian perspective, but his research states that great companies begin a skid to irrelevancy and death by pride. The insidious cocktail of entitlement and arrogance begins to course through the company’s veins and eventually seduces it into stage 2, and thus, the decline is well under way.
What is true for the organizations we work for and serve is also true about our own lives. Proverbs 16:18 says, “Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall.” Or perhaps Proverbs 11:2, “When pride comes, then comes disgrace, but with the humble is wisdom.” Lastly, Mark 7:20-22 says, “And he said, ‘What comes out of a person is what defiles him. For from within, out of the heart of man, come…pride.”
Dictionary.com defines “pride” as, “a high or inordinate opinion of one’s own dignity, importance, merit, or superiority, whether as cherished in the mind or as displayed in bearing, conduct, etc.” The antidote for pride is humility. Humility is the root of any virtue and all graces flow from it. The purest form of humility was displayed in the life and death of Jesus Christ. The One who deserves all accolades and praise came to serve. The One who is esteemed above all else emptied himself and died on a cross (Phil. 2:1-11). He laid down his life for the proud, but then, our pride is what keeps us from seeing and savoring this.
A team is capable of accomplishing things that no individual, no matter how multi-talented, could do alone. To function well:
A team must be committed to a common vision and purpose, and it must be willing to work in unity for the improvement of the whole rather than the advancement of any one member.
Synergism can be defined as the interaction of elements that, when combined, produce an effect that is greater than the sum of the individual parts. Therefore, synergyis a joint action that increases the effectiveness of each member of a team. Synergy is exactly what Jesus had in mind when he chose His twelve disciples.
From a large pool of disciples who were following him, Jesus designated only twelve men who would become his disciples. This was such a significant decision that the Lord prayed all night to prepare for it (Luke 6:12-13 & Mark 3:14).
Jesus knew that this was the team that would be with Him for the rest of his ministry, and He was prepared to pour Himself unreservedly into their lives. Jesus’ actions, the unshakable reality of the resurrection and the indwelling power of the Holy Spirit turned a group of men who were characterized by confusion, infighting, and self-interest into a genuinely synergistic team. Today the church (the body of Christ on earth) is not an organization but an organism that manifests both unity and diversity.
What does Ephesians 4:4-16 tell us about the dynamics and purpose of this organism, and what do 1 Corinthians 12:12-26 and Romans 12:3-8 tell us about how spiritual gifts contribute to the effectiveness of the groups of believers?
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Best regards,
Clarence E. Stowers, Jr.
