Aspirations

Posted on January 23, 2012 by

This morning and particularly with the events planned for this coming week, there seems an almost overwhelming awareness to the growing confluence of the many unrelated sectors of my life.  Unrelated in that each could stand singularly on its own; maybe even deserving full focus.  Yet, these disparate arenas like ropes in a large net, seem spiritually intertwined with the lifelong goal of my calling: reaching cities.

My community service, leadership within the church, my political role, and the various income streams that enable such freedom, all seem to be piloting me toward a dream to live out my faith beyond the walls of any one sanctuary, truly impacting the marketplace.

Some of this may be driven by my annual scripture readings; this week, the Book of Daniel.  This ancient prophet was described by one of the secular leaders of his day as having “the spirit of the holy gods in him…found to have insight, intelligence and wisdom like that of the gods.” (Dan.5:11 NIV).   All my life, I have aspired to be such a man of God; at least for the last 40 years, given that like many, my teen and early twenty’s tested grace.

Daniel, extracted from his native land at an early age, was a part of a select group chosen on such criteria as: young, without physical defect, handsome, showing aptitude for every kind of training, well informed, quick to understand and qualified to serve in the king’s palace. (Dan.1:4 NIV).  He was certainly the Tim Tebow of his day!

Of course, he became renowned when his writings were selected for the canon of scripture, a combination of sixty six books from multiple authors, living on various continents and spanning centuries of time.   Yet, as I read Daniel’s composition now over a millennia passed, my subconscious is drawn to parallels and possibilities for my own life.

Why would I search these ancient scriptures each morning for relevant insight?  The reliability seems sufficient when compared with the thoughts of his companion authors, whom he never met.

As he describes his dream in Chapter 7 and various beasts which undoubtedly portray a series of empires forthcoming on the earth (much of that now confirmed by history), a subsequent event is occurring in the Heavens, with a throne established similar to that described earlier in the canon by Isaiah.  “The Ancient of Days took his seat.” (Dan.7:9); “In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord seated on a throne, high and exalted and the train of his robe filed the temple.” (Is. 6:1).  Daniel then offers a description hauntingly similar to that of John, in the Book of the Revelation.  He even mentions “wheels” just as did Ezekiel and yes, all three writers purifying fire!

Rivers are coming out of that throne and again, like Ezekiel and John, he attests to the life giving power wherever that river flows.  Daniel affirms John’s vision even more as “one like a son of man” approaches the Ancient of Days and is given authority, remarkably similar to Revelation chapter 5.

With that, other scriptures flood the mind, such as Luke’s writings in the Book of Acts that “God is no respecter of persons.”  (Acts 10:34 KJV).   Though some might attribute my thoughts to arrogance, I too can expect similar support from the heavens, and my possibilities as a leader are thus elevated, along with the probability of a life sovereignly orchestrated and divinely protected, just as it was with Daniel, the great tamer of lion’s.

And by the way, that same possibility is your own!

Posted in Leadership, Prophecy, scripture, Spiritual Revolution, Transformation | Leave a comment

Does Your Community Know You?

Posted on January 16, 2012 by

I was praying just a few weeks ago about how entrenched I was becoming in the political arena, and in fact, that it had been sometime since I had spoken in a church outside typical deacon duties at WS1st.  I even mentioned to God that it seemed that I had little sense of Word still treasured in my heart.  I was questioning my calling.

Just as God often does, he orchestrated a call from a friend, whom frankly I had not seen for some time.  Out of the blue he called and asked if I would have lunch, then at that lunch asked if I might be interested in speaking early in the New Year. I am always amazed at the process the Lord uses in constructing a message within me.  That process may be more rewarding for me, than the message is for the hearers! Again, I am grateful.

I now have three points of focus to which I will speak this evening:

*The Righteousness of Christ

*Relationship with God

 and

*Our Role

#1 Righteousness: Everything we do is by His Grace, and platformed only upon His righteousness; whatever I do that is constructive for the Kingdom has more to do with Him than my own skill set; and often in spite of my own sinfulness.  In fact he even selects foolish people (I qualify) to confound the wise!  There is purpose in Him using me.

Of late, I have been in a study of Judah, one of the sons of Israel; the study a part of a book I am writing.

If you study the lineage of Christ, you easily make the connection with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.  Their story is a beautiful allegory of human development from risk taking to personal transformation.  Ultimately Joseph is born, the dream child and certainly a Christ-type.

But despite Joseph’s lifestyle, you will not hear God aligning himself with Joseph; He prefers to be called the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.  Then, when Jacob was prophesying over, or blessing his sons, it was Judah, not Joseph to whom he attached the Messianic scepter, the ruler’s staff.

Ironically, Judah’s firstborn died prematurely with no offspring; his daughter in law Tamar, being denied the cultural obligation of her near-kinsman to aid in bearing children, was then left alone in life.  The plot thickens as she later dresses as a prostitute and pursues Judah for that right.  In a moment of his own grief after the loss of his wife and all his sons, he unknowingly stumbles upon a prostitute, “lies with her,” producing twins.  Jacob’s prophecy is redeemed and the Christ, who was God,  aligns himself not with the winsome and righteous Joseph, but with the lesser Judah, one who had violated the laws of this God of Jacob.

The Lion of Judah is  on our side, regardless of our failures.  He is not just the God of perfection and promise but chooses to also identify with those of us who need a redeemer.  He does not even require righteousness of us, he brings it.

I need not fear as a leader, sharing my ineptness, for I am broken at best, otherwise there would have been no need for a Lamb.  Yet, not only did this Lamb become the sacrifice for my sins, this Lion by way of the cross forever drove a stake in the ground regarding righteousness…it is a gift from God.

 #2 Relationship with God: In my recent reading of I Samuel 20: 41-42 I was again struck by the open relationship between David and Jonathon.  In these verses a secondary story seems to backdrop the challenges of Israel, revealing the true heart of these two men of God, though their lives were marred by the political pressures of Saul and the trauma of a nation constantly at war.  David had a heart after God as a young man and a deep brotherly love for his companion Jonathon, one that depicts the true nature of an undistracted relationship with Christ.  Even David’s warring was out of a passion for the people of God, unlike Saul, who was seduced by the politics of people.

Back to David’s heart and the relationship of intimacy between Jonathon and David, these verses are a part of a scarlet cord of righteousness and relationship that connect the true attributes and desires of God, He desires relationship with you more than you desire relationship with him.  We have lost that somewhat in the evangelical church, in our overly religious and legalistic attempts to war and win for the Kingdom, if not for building our own empires!  His Kingdom is righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Ghost.  Religion has tainted the message of Christ, focusing more on life’s battle than our personal intimacy with Him.  Post war Baby-boomers were told too many stories about Goliath and the battles with the Philistines than the intimacy of David and Jonathon; and now, even marring that message with our own sexual and gender challenges.

We have created a system that demands service and giving, more often than enabling an understanding of righteousness and relationship, which takes me to my third and final objective, our Roles.

In the spill over of our industrial age transition, the work of the Lord has been given more emphasis than the Lord of the Work.

Trust me; you as an individual are more important than your service to any one church.  You are the Church; our sanctuaries are simply gathering places.  In fact, as a tool for reaching the unredeemed masses, it may be the least effective tool.  Churches are only effective when they enable people to deliver righteous returns within real marketplace scenarios…community leadership that glorifies God; that is worship too!

If all we are doing is bringing people together to arouse some spirit like emotion, in order to further the strategies of some lone organization, pay its bills and bless the leader, what a waste of kingdom resources. That is the reality in many churches.

Our role is to demonstrate Christ through our lives each day in the marketplace, not simply to earn a living, and then return on Sundays with our tithe.

Though used numerous times in Old Testament Hebrew language, the Greek word for congregation, is used only once in the New Testament.  It comes from two words, one from which we derive our word agonize, the other “together”.

We should not be surprised when there is conflict in our churches, for they are a crucible of sorts for the development of each individual, more than a gathering place for the “unsaved.”

We have been raised to believe conflict is bad and only occurs in such radical places as the senate floor.   Struggle is necessary for life, in fact for birth!  Watch a chick peck and push its way out of the shell.  If you dare pick up the egg and begin to peel it off with compassion, the chick will most probably die!  Our churches should cause us to struggle, to morph, to become so that His Kingdom may!  If all we do is attend on weekends, what merit is that facility.

We have now framed the gospel in such a way that people need a leader to follow and a place to gather.  Your role is more than with just any singular church, but in personal leadership within the world at large.  We are a royal priesthood and rightful leaders of His kingdom on earth.  We are called out of darkness to bring light, thus we are all leaders in our own way.

The church with its many needs of time talent and resources, may actually hinder the development of our full leadership, if it holds us away from a struggling world that gropes for leadership.

You have the righteousness of Christ; the Father is in love with you and desires relationship with you beyond your comprehension.  You carry the capacity to bring His Kingdom to this Earth, and to deliver the dream that is captive inside each individual; a dream sufficient to redeem creation.  And yes you personally have a specific role, a calling and therefore a voice in this world, outside the church; at a time, when our nation suffers daily from a dearth of integrity and leadership, from Congress to Main Street.

Are you a leader?  Does your community know it?

Posted in Leadership, Spiritual Revolution, Transformation | 2 Comments

Containment or Partnership

Posted on January 9, 2012 by

Occasionally a strange sensation seems to overtake me in the early morning hours.  I will begin to emerge from my sleep with an idea, not anxious but growing.  The longer I contemplate, the more solid and developed the thought becomes.  I then become driven to capture my thoughts, not only so others may read, but that I may process and learn as well.  I am not sure this is a good thing, for I no longer enjoy rest as much as thought.

If I have been scheduled to speak somewhere, then I understand the source of my distracted sleep, and occasionally will jot down notes on a pad (one that contains its own source of light for my wife’s sake) which I keep at my bedside.   I then may return to sleep, as I will have scheduled time later for that preparation.  Usually those thoughts are specific to the audience to whom I shall speak, and may be related to some recent life experience or recent reading.  However, as with this morning, there are times that my thoughts are open ended and free flowing, as if there is something to be captured not yet experienced.

As I lay on my pillow, long before daylight this a.m., the two words “containment” and “partnership” repeatedly came to mind.  Containment being what we typically do with our faith.  I believe I am a spirit, housed in a vessel, yet co-occupied by a Being greater than myself.  Yes, I am a container of God.

Yet, when I ponder or attempt to language those beliefs to others, or to this same God in prayer, He is so much more audacious than my limited self could ever accommodate.  Like when I look up into the heavens each new day on my retrieval of the morning newspaper, He is both up there and in “here”.  Nothing new to my readers thus far.

Partnership though, takes us to another plane.  If I allow God to be who I say He is, One who sits over the universe, while having taken on the form of a man (not only for my redemption, but for my cognitive benefit) with an attitude of advocacy for me, that’s huge! Beyond comprehending, unless one is in fact “occupied.”

I just took down a sticky note that I have had at my desk for some time; on the note I had earlier attempted to define advocacy:  A person of influence who is where I need to be, who believes in me and is willing to risk their own position of influence to get me there.  That my friend is who Christ is!

God, who is not a man, became flesh to demonstrate His love for me.  He risked His glorious position as Creator to reposition His creation.  “He paid a debt He did not owe, I owed a debt I could not pay, I needed someone…” an advocate, a partner.  That partnership is now sealed and recorded and the physical heavens now set at my beckon if need be!  He could have called ten thousand angels, but He died alone for you and me.

Shall I now dare contain this awesome partner in the small self that i am?  Would it not be better to step outside what life has told me that i am and walk along side the I Am, who was, and is, and ever shall be?  I am sounding more religious than I desire.

Shall I fear the challenges of life as I lead others, given the ocean of advocacy that I have both within and around me.  The heavens are mine, the galaxies were made for me.  I have belittled Him by my inability to fully engage with Him.

I have held Him too close, like a firefly in a Mason jar.  Today, dare I take the lid off my small jar?

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Happy Knew Your!

Posted on January 2, 2012 by

This title is neither my lack of spell check nor the ornery slip of a smart phone word substitution, but rather  an intentional play on words.

A reminder, as we ride into the new year, return to our real work world from recent celebrations, or recall yesterdays hopeful resolutions.

He knows you still and your real life challenges, even feels the pain of those who were totally unable to celebrate the holidays because of an ailing spouse or some other grievous reality; the case with a dear friend who’s beloved is gripped by cancer.

This post is to him and to those whom I don’t know, who possibly like me 40 years ago, now endure the stabbing grief of a divorce or other life loss.  I then had little hope of a real future, and worse, surrounded by friends with few answers…but God knew.

January 3,1973 He suddenly changed everything in my life and now on this 2nd day of January 2012, I celebrate the 63rd birthday of a wonderful wife whom I married on December 23, 1973, thirty-eight years ago.  As well, today I celebrate with a 30-year-old daughter whom in 1970 would have seemed an impossibility in my pain, only another dream lost.

But He knew! Yes, God knew my life before I was formed in my mother’s womb, even knew me before He formed my mother!  Psalm 139:1-18.

He knew you and your’s as well.

Happy Knew Your, He knows your life and holds your dreams!

He is with me when I awake the day after New Year and with you… still (18).

Posted in Transformation | 3 Comments

Pearls of Great Price

Posted on December 29, 2011 by

For several days now I have been pondering where our culture is headed, one driven by pluralism, political correctness and attempts to accommodate our growing population on this ever “shrinking” globe.  Driving some of my concern is the growing debate around spiritual reality and the deafening cacophony of voices emerging from radical fundamentalists, both Christian and others; even a rebirth of atheism is afloat and now, a new word that defines our attempts at tolerance, “faitheism.”

What is reality when it comes to the spiritual?  Is the concept of spirit some fabrication by those possessing the “God-gene,” the majority of others living entirely in a secular reality now threatened by the many conflicting religions, most of those  perceived as defying true science?  Can culture continue to allow “those religious, driven by the fears of personal unknowns,” to jeopardize peace and prosperity?  Once that corner is turned, will morality then shift as well, “prosperity” and freedom from religion becoming more important than respect for life and liberty itself?  That my friend is the intellectual aperture that accommodates religious persecution and genocide among those once thought civil!  Should I mention the Holocaust?

How does one who respects the right of religious expression, esteems the process of scientific thinking, yet harbors true moments of personal “divine revelation”, cope in today’s culture?  That, my friend, is who I am.

Science is too real to ignore, but too theoretical to buy as absolute, especially if one has experienced paranormal moments unexplained by generally accepted scientific law.  On the other hand, religion alone has its own absurdities, even among those of my own Protestant faith.  The latter strike me as bizarre each time I gather with well-educated people who sit silently in aged pews until instructed; those same people then offer up songs of “worship” that hold no reality other than revered tradition.  Funerals are often the most bizarre, as humans collide with a certainty too difficult to manage, unless one accepts the fallback position of religion.

Is religion bad?  No indeed for many would otherwise perish in life’s struggles.  As well, what is it about this universal need among humans that begs religion, man’s attempt to reach to a Higher Being than themselves?  Even among Atheists an impassioned desire to disprove takes on its own religious fervor!  Does that universal trait not demand some credibility, or is religion nothing more than the opiate that atheists propose, science being the only methodical definer of reality, and religion mere folklore?

Now I come to the crux of my own struggle, explaining the spiritual realities of my personal life experience, especially those occurring outside traditional religious worship.  If I remain too silent have I too been less than scientific?  Would ignoring my compelling need to share my own discoveries and revelation of a Higher Being, be as wrong as a respected physician, who outside institutionally accepted means, discovers a cure for deadly disease yet never shares that breakthrough, for fear of rejection by other professionals?

Revelation takes one to a dimension of reality that does not exist otherwise and yet, often is based on intangible and irreplicable evidence.  Revelation can therefore be discounted as religious and thus debatable at times, but so has been the course with science for centuries, though that debate has not stopped nor has our progress with understanding universal laws.   I cannot ignore evidence, the miraculous circumstances of my life, well beyond my control, and if beyond my control, by whom was it controlled?

How has my life been preserved in numerous close calls, even a head on collision in which one car passed through another?  Now I have surely exposed myself and my wife, for she was driving!  How was 75 year old Leonard Sykes awakened from a coma instantaneously, sitting up in his bed in the Lexington Hospital, the first words out of his mouth, “The Lord’s come over me” when his already grieving wife posed the question?  How did that happen on the same day as a young man, ill experienced, awkwardly entered a hospital room, not out of affection for Leonard only, but out of obedience to a “voice” that morning, “If you will pray for Leonard, I will heal him?”  Leonard was found greeting and shaking hands with others just a few days later at a local prayer breakfast!

How did I end up in 1997 on a 24th floor windowed, corner perch in a downtown office, twenty years after hearing a voice that promised I would see a city impacted by the gospel, then  in no way positioned to become a minister of the gospel, let alone a mayor.

How do I explain the coincidence of the property manager of that building dropping by my church office uninvited, a day after and within the same hour that the voice spoke again, “Tomorrow about this time, I will open the windows of heaven?”  That phrase was so congruent with a vision of an open window which I experienced as a child!  Even, the weekend before I would be required to offer payment for the use of that same office, after some two years of gratuity and a recent management change, I was forewarned by “the voice” though visiting a friend on the other side of the nation in an unrelated environment.  Sure enough, that Monday afternoon, an agent of the new management group dropped by my office to break the news!

Do I remain silent about these phenomena for fear of loss of position in my community at a time when our nation’s culture is shifting drastically?  As well, will the “truth” behind my openness be discounted by the failures of my own life, more untimely and intemperate words than actions, and worse yet, I misrepresent the One whom I know as the Christ?

Can I best serve my community as an outspoken and ardent believer or continue as a relatively silent public servant?  There seems little room for both in a much politicized and pluralistic nation.  Yet, there seems less hope if we continue this downward spiral, so easily predictable when one reads the history of our once religious motherland.  We also, may be the last bastion of freedom, known now for over 200 years, though “liberty and justice for all” has not always been the case when good men fail to act.

“Pearls of great price” has new meaning.

Posted in Leadership, Post Christian, Spiritual Revolution | 4 Comments

Christmas, When God Bought the Zoo

Posted on December 24, 2011 by

There are few things I enjoy more than processing my early morning thoughts on a day not overly planned.  Maybe I am too self-absorbed?  However, these moments provide the luxury of thinking out loud (actually through my fingers) within the beautiful silence that come with each new day.  My wife is usually still in bed as I begin, but awake by the time I post, for I often have her proof my communication before going public.  She is my best critic and I should listen to her more often!

Each morning, I click on the coffee and turn off the alarm (sometimes this step provides a real “wake-up” call for my neighbors), then head out the driveway to retrieve the orange plastic wrapped treat we know as the Journal.  Most of its information I have already read on line, but the habit persists; although I must confess, I was somewhat overly stimulated and earlier in my retrieval the first few mornings after the election.

Immediately after reading the Journal, comes my progressive read through the Bible, followed by devotionals by Oswald Chambers and others.  From there and before heading to my computer, I retreat to my favorite place of prayer, in the fresh awe of my daily adventure with a God.  He is so intimate, yet beyond finding out; though now fully revealed in the Christ of Christmas.  So personal, that He faithfully meets with me each morning as we literally converse and reason together, even about political questions and the greater good!  Yet now 40 years into our conversation, He is never exhausted by my inquiries, nor offended by the range of my questions; and I am always stretched beyond my last visit in prayer.

Last evening we celebrated our 38th wedding anniversary with somewhat of a spending spree: a movie and a delicious seafood meal at Bonefish.  By comparison to some, we could be called fiscally conservative, a real fit for Clemmons!

This morning I continued to ponder the spiritual nuances that moved my wife and I to tears in what up front seemed only a silly movie, “We Bought a Zoo.”  Such a depiction of humanity: from the tragic loss of a spouse, the serendipity that comes from a fresh start, the giftedness and creativity that comes out of childhood trauma, and yes, even our deep affection for lesser species.

You see, in our fallen state we have created our own zoos, our own “enclosures.”  Cameron Crowe by use of subtle nuance illustrates this truth and many more.   Matt Damon and cast build a story around a deceased spouse who remarkably saw beyond her own life and made provision (circus money) for her husband’s dreams and others.  A young zoo keeper, whose team excels at their mission while of course challenging regulatory authority, finds her true love only after sacrificing her earliest years for a few threatened species, “caged” 9.2 miles from the nearest Target store!

A rebellious teenager is almost lost to traditional public education, after his artistic dark side is exposed by the painful and premature loss of his mother.  This redeemed talent soon provides the theme for re-launching the zoo and holds hope secure through the last hurdle of a potentially rained out opening day.  As always, romance and love wins in the end, kept alive throughout the movie by a darling kid sister and the puppy love of a preteen girl.

Why this movie at this season?  From a secular and more cynical perspective, Crowe understands market.  It’s Christmas, hearts are tender and hope is high!  Yet, possibly Christmas is a God thing, opening our cage doors each year to the possibilities held deep in our hearts by our Creator?  His gift was much more than circus money, and our possibilities are now unlimited.

Merry Christmas to the zoo!

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My Christmas Miracle

Posted on December 23, 2011 by

Thirty-eight years ago God gifted me with the crowning piece of His reconstructive plan for my life.  The Cornerstone of course came on January 3, 1973; it too was the result of a Christmas season, though one spent in a dark place, the result of three years of grief and confusion that I need not go into.  That January night, I walked into my Dad’s house and through his prayers was welcomed back to my heavenly Father’s “place.”  Redemption came into my life, setting off another journey that has been almost magical.

You see, as I later shared my January story at a dinner table with a teacher friend, shortly after returning to the classroom from our Christmas break, the story expanded even more and an eleven month journey began, which culminated in a wedding on December 23, 1973.  This day marks my 38th anniversary with that friend.  Through many dangers toils and snares we have already come, but grace…the beauty of marriage.

This journey has drawn us closer as friends; we have grown up together; weathered life and enjoyed a provision that neither of us fully accomplished.  We have watched God’s generosity unfold as we have been stretched personally and professionally while honoring God’s great benevolence toward us with full service to others.  I say this not out of arrogance but to give honor to the one who has enabled that service.

What a gift a help mate is, who will encourage even when the sacrifices they encourage cost them the most.  What a gift, when their labor behind the scenes too often goes unrecognized, with some of the dreams they hold dear, being lost to better platform the life of the one to whom they are wed.

Now thirty-eight years later, my wife’s gift continues after countless hours spent alone during degree programs and career changes; special days forgotten in the rush of obligations to others, some naively overplayed by youthful ambition and the thought of “getting ahead.”  The grace of her vital reinforcement when stamina was gone and future threatened by present failures.  “Two are better than one and three cords are not easily broken,” the beauty of Christ in a marriage; and in my case, a Christmas Miracle.

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The Morning after Planet Earth

Posted on December 14, 2011 by

This strange title came to me as I opened my heart to write this a.m.  I look forward to my early morning, post devotional processing; and at times, am pleased with outcomes that often begin as bizarre as this a.m. entry.  We’ll see?

The title is a possible carryover from the time I had to myself last night.  Holiday Chek-mix in hand (my wife is a phenomenal snack creator at Christmas; the Achilles’ heel of my physical trainer, Josh), I watched three hours of Planet Earth videos.  Amazing stuff: from pre-historic volcanic activity and undersea life, to Emperor Penguins.

At times I am challenged by the distance between scientific explanations and religious dogma; challenged not because of religion versus science, for neither have a handle on truth, though both are means toward truth.  The challenge is not truth but man’s attempt to convey truth, whether of Physics or God and Creation.  My dilemma as well are the many treasured moments of my own reality, when the meta physical presence of God has been so tangible with prophetic outcomes now far outnumbering my own doubts, after 63 years of journey with God.

My somewhat cynical observations of mankind in the fields of education (20 years), science (I do have a now “ancient” biology degree), religion (40 years), community politics (a three term mayor) and the too often awkward leadership blunders of the well-meaning in my life, to include myself, still pale in significance to my private moments with God.

I know what it is to hear God’s voice, though so many theologians even deny the possibility.  I have seen the promises parlayed with that voice come to pass despite my failures and sin-laden choices.  I have felt the consequences of my choices, watched their alignment with the principles of scripture; a reinforcement that those scriptures are enduring and relevant.  Yet, with each failure found the favor and grace of a loving God, a friend that sticks closer than a brother; and I have one of the best of brothers.

I am now witnessing a transformation in churches as they are forced to reach out to their communities or suffer the peril of the current global financial crisis.  Yes, the 2007 word, “My Church is in foreclosure” I believe to have been from God and His Christ.  Not a harsh word but as stern as any caring CEO (and there are such animals) could offer.  Foreclosure is simply the rightful repossession of property, leveraged in partnership so that dreams could be launched, while managed by those who have already overcome the hurdles that surely arise when risk is taken.  He has overcome, even the grave!

“I saw a scroll (technically a deed) in the right hand of the One Seated on the Throne. It was written on both sides, fastened with seven seals. I also saw a powerful Angel, calling out in a voice like thunder, ’Is there anyone (a near-kinsman) who can open the scroll, who can break its seals?’

There was no one—no one in Heaven, no one on earth, no one from the underworld—able to break open the scroll and read it.

I wept and wept and wept that no one was found able to open the scroll, able to read it. One of the Elders said, ‘Don’t weep. Look—the Lion from Tribe Judah, the Root of David’s Tree, has conquered. He can open the scroll, can rip (love the language “rip”) through the seven seals.’

So I looked, and there, surrounded by Throne, Animals, and Elders, was a Lamb, slaughtered but standing tall. Seven horns he had, and seven eyes, the Seven Spirits of God sent into all the earth. He came to the One Seated on the Throne and took the scroll from his right hand. The moment he took the scroll, the Four Animals and Twenty-four Elders fell down and worshiped the Lamb. Each had a harp and each had a bowl, a gold bowl filled with incense, the prayers of God’s holy people. And they sang a new song:

Worthy! Take the scroll, open its seals.

Slain! Paying in blood, you bought men and women,

Bought them back from all over the earth,

Bought them back for God.

Then you made them a Kingdom, Priests for our God,

Priest-kings to rule over the earth.”

Rev. 5:1-10 (MSG)

Posted in Leadership, Post Christian, Prophecy, Spiritual Revolution, Transformation | 5 Comments

The Work Begins First in the Leader

Posted on December 10, 2011 by

The last few weeks have provided such personal “aHa” moments as I continue to regroup and allow God to reconstruct my leadership capacity.

All this years I have been about challenging others; well guess whose time it is?  This is not about me confessing that everything I have done has been wrong, for much I still contend was God at work through me.  If that sounds arrogant, I am simply expressing what I as a Christ follower have been led to believe.  God does work through us and daily grace “up-leads” our life.  Up-leading came as a new word this week, and expressed to me the quality of leadership that lifts the lids on others so that a systemic growth occurs within one’s personal universe or community. Sometimes this may feel chaotic and painful.

However, for true change to occur, seasons of leader adjustments must also occur.  That is, the leader him/herself is required to step to a new level.  That can come in two forms, an internal awareness that moves us to self-selected growth or a moment of stumbling into our blind spots, where grace affords one to fail forward!

This is not false humility, nor being “too hard on my-self (as friends often comment), but addressing a real dynamic that I know personally to have occurred in my life multiple times, in my case about every 5-6 years.

The beauty is that, with every cycle, there have always been new dimensions of opportunity soon to follow; thus the excitement, the delight of leadership.  Painful at first, but renewing when one is flexible and willing to allow providence to take its full course.

My physical trainer always demands that last set of push-ups, maxing out my limits but expanding my muscle memory, toward a day that this same series of repetitions becomes painless and my present goals exceeded.

Leadership development so correlates to the physical!

Corporate and organizational growth also requires stretch moments, necessary if change is to be institutionalized and sustainable.  Thus you better understand my constant press within both the community and the Body of Christ during these pivotal moments in our great nation.

I trust this most recent “lid-lifting” in my own life adds value to my own community.

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Perspective

Posted on November 23, 2011 by

Pain and failure so beautifully produce perspective…the threatening shadow of death that would often doom our dreams is merely our myopic viewpoint of the broad and ample covering of His protective wings.

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