Today’s Readings: Job 39:1-30; Luke 22:24-30; Psalm 104:1-9, 24, 35c
One of the things that most interests me in life is the topic of leadership. I LOVE spending my time thinking/reading about what qualities make an outstanding leader. There is one thing that I enjoy even more than thinking/reading about the topic of leadership, however. That thing is having the privilege of meeting a great leader.
In my first five weeks in California, I have had the chance to spend time with someone that I think is a phenomenal leader from whom I have much to learn. That person is named Lisa. She is the director of the nursery school which is affiliated with the church I serve.
So what makes Lisa a phenomenal leader?
There are many things I could list, but for the sake of time I will list just two. First, Lisa cares deeply about the people she serves. She consistently goes the extra mile to make sure the needs of the children and parents in the community are being met. Second, I respect the way she deals with the staff of the school. One of her sayings is: “I don’t ask the staff to do anything I wouldn’t do myself.”
In other words, Lisa embodies the sort of values Jesus was talking about in today’s passage from the Gospel according to Luke: “Let the senior among you become like the junior; let the leader act the part of the servant” (Luke 22:26 from The Message).
On a day when all of us are invited to think about what makes a good leader, I would invite you to identify someone you think manifests those qualities. Once you have identified that individual, take a moment and thank God for that person’s presence in your life. Til next time…
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For those of you who would like to support the vision & ministry of Woodland Hills Community Church (the faith community I serve that continues to encourage me to minister outside the box), please click on the link just above.
Friday, October 16
Today’s Readings: Job 37:1-24; Revelation 17:1-18; Psalm 104:1-9, 24, 35c
As I look at the challenges global climate change is presenting us with these days, I can’t help but see irony in the way we are approaching the situation. Human beings – driven by our desire to consume natural resources and control nature – have created most of the problems that we are now facing. Yet we are told that the only hope the planet has is if human beings - the ones who screwed things up in the first place, mind you - take action and prevent the destruction of the planet.
Now don’t get me wrong. I do believe there are many ways in which human beings can apply their minds to slow (and perhaps in some cases reverse) the patterns of destruction. I get nervous when we forget to factor in some of the restorative aspects of nature – the ways in which the planet can organically right some of the wrongs we have inflicted upon it.
It is that very restorative dimension of nature that I think of when I read the psalmist’s words in today’s psalm: “What a wildly wonderful world, God! You made it all, with Wisdom at your side…” (Psalm 104:24 from The Message).
This makes me think of all the ways each of us makes the same mistake in our personal lives. We see a problem before us, and try to correct it on our own – as if we alone were in complete control of things.
Today, I would encourage you to resist the temptation to succumb to the notion that you alone can fix all the problems before you. Instead, take time to seek out God’s Wisdom that is embedded in the world around you. Til next time…
As I look at the challenges global climate change is presenting us with these days, I can’t help but see irony in the way we are approaching the situation. Human beings – driven by our desire to consume natural resources and control nature – have created most of the problems that we are now facing. Yet we are told that the only hope the planet has is if human beings - the ones who screwed things up in the first place, mind you - take action and prevent the destruction of the planet.
Now don’t get me wrong. I do believe there are many ways in which human beings can apply their minds to slow (and perhaps in some cases reverse) the patterns of destruction. I get nervous when we forget to factor in some of the restorative aspects of nature – the ways in which the planet can organically right some of the wrongs we have inflicted upon it.
It is that very restorative dimension of nature that I think of when I read the psalmist’s words in today’s psalm: “What a wildly wonderful world, God! You made it all, with Wisdom at your side…” (Psalm 104:24 from The Message).
This makes me think of all the ways each of us makes the same mistake in our personal lives. We see a problem before us, and try to correct it on our own – as if we alone were in complete control of things.
Today, I would encourage you to resist the temptation to succumb to the notion that you alone can fix all the problems before you. Instead, take time to seek out God’s Wisdom that is embedded in the world around you. Til next time…
Thursday, October 15
Today’s Readings: Job 36:1-16; Romans 15:7-13; Psalm 104:1-9, 24, 35c
Ever since I was a young child, people told me that I was incredibly - almost annoyingly - optimistic. I had a consistent way of finding silver linings in what others considered dark and forbidding clouds.
People would tell me: “Don’t worry, Craig. You’ll grow up and that will change. You will learn how hard and unfair life is and then you’ll become more realistic.” I would smile and say, “We’ll see.”
Well, many years have passed (over 30) and I’m still waiting for those folks to be proven right. That’s because today – at the age of 42 – I still have what most folks would call a raging sense of optimism.
The only thing that’s changed is the word I would use to describe my upbeat attitude. Instead of using the word “optimism”, I would use another word to describe myself that comes from today’s passage from Romans. In that passage, Paul wrote: “May the God of green hope fill you up with joy, fill you up with peace, so that your believing lives, filled with the life-giving energy of the Holy Spirit, will brim over with hope!”
The last word of the passage is the word I would use to describe myself; I am a “hope-filled” person. While I have certainly had my share of frustrations and set backs over the years, I have refused to surrender my grip on hope based upon my faith in the One who makes all things possible.
Today, I would ask you: “What word would you use to describe your attitude/approach toward life?” Til next time…
Ever since I was a young child, people told me that I was incredibly - almost annoyingly - optimistic. I had a consistent way of finding silver linings in what others considered dark and forbidding clouds.
People would tell me: “Don’t worry, Craig. You’ll grow up and that will change. You will learn how hard and unfair life is and then you’ll become more realistic.” I would smile and say, “We’ll see.”
Well, many years have passed (over 30) and I’m still waiting for those folks to be proven right. That’s because today – at the age of 42 – I still have what most folks would call a raging sense of optimism.
The only thing that’s changed is the word I would use to describe my upbeat attitude. Instead of using the word “optimism”, I would use another word to describe myself that comes from today’s passage from Romans. In that passage, Paul wrote: “May the God of green hope fill you up with joy, fill you up with peace, so that your believing lives, filled with the life-giving energy of the Holy Spirit, will brim over with hope!”
The last word of the passage is the word I would use to describe myself; I am a “hope-filled” person. While I have certainly had my share of frustrations and set backs over the years, I have refused to surrender my grip on hope based upon my faith in the One who makes all things possible.
Today, I would ask you: “What word would you use to describe your attitude/approach toward life?” Til next time…
Wednesday, October 14
Today’s Readings: Job 32:1-22; Luke 16:19-31; Psalm 39
The first eight years out of college, I spent time working two different jobs. In my first position out of college I worked as an employee of the state; in the second position, I was an employee of the county.
Neither of those publicly funded positions paid great. Both positions, however, had great benefits. All of my health insurance premiums were paid by my employer, and I accrued both a sick day and a vacation day each month.
Over time I grew to take these benefits for granted. Like many of my co-workers I started focused my attention primarily on my drawbacks of my positions (i.e. low pay, demanding work, etc.). In my ninth year out of college I decided to work for a small private company. I chose to take the position because it afforded me the opportunity to pursue a life-long dream of running for political office during my free time. Right away I noticed the conditions were different. I had no health insurance coverage. I had just one week’s vacation each year, and I got less than a week’s worth of sick leave annually. I never realized how good I had it when I worked those publicly funded positions until I left them.
In many ways, I was like the rich man in today’s story from Luke. I never bothered to stop and appreciate what I had until it was gone. Unlike the rich man in the story, however, I did get the opportunity to go back and share my experience with my former co-workers. Their response was fascinating. They ignored me.
Their response helped me realize that one of the great challenges in life is to be able to appreciate what you have at any given moment and make the most of it. So often we simply take the blessings in our lives for granted. Today, I would encourage you to first stop and appreciate what you have. Then seek out opportunities to share your blessings with others: whatever form those blessings take. If you do that, chances are you won’t find yourself filled with the same thing Lazarus was filled with: regrets. Til next time…
The first eight years out of college, I spent time working two different jobs. In my first position out of college I worked as an employee of the state; in the second position, I was an employee of the county.
Neither of those publicly funded positions paid great. Both positions, however, had great benefits. All of my health insurance premiums were paid by my employer, and I accrued both a sick day and a vacation day each month.
Over time I grew to take these benefits for granted. Like many of my co-workers I started focused my attention primarily on my drawbacks of my positions (i.e. low pay, demanding work, etc.). In my ninth year out of college I decided to work for a small private company. I chose to take the position because it afforded me the opportunity to pursue a life-long dream of running for political office during my free time. Right away I noticed the conditions were different. I had no health insurance coverage. I had just one week’s vacation each year, and I got less than a week’s worth of sick leave annually. I never realized how good I had it when I worked those publicly funded positions until I left them.
In many ways, I was like the rich man in today’s story from Luke. I never bothered to stop and appreciate what I had until it was gone. Unlike the rich man in the story, however, I did get the opportunity to go back and share my experience with my former co-workers. Their response was fascinating. They ignored me.
Their response helped me realize that one of the great challenges in life is to be able to appreciate what you have at any given moment and make the most of it. So often we simply take the blessings in our lives for granted. Today, I would encourage you to first stop and appreciate what you have. Then seek out opportunities to share your blessings with others: whatever form those blessings take. If you do that, chances are you won’t find yourself filled with the same thing Lazarus was filled with: regrets. Til next time…
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