Issue No. 225 of Your Weekly Staff Meeting features a stunning tool for nurturing your walk with God. Dietrich Bonhoeffer wrote that “Christianity without discipleship is always Christianity without Christ.” And this reminder: check out my Management Buckets website with dozens of resources and downloadable worksheets for your staff meetings.
Answer the Phone!
Summer, here in the Northern Hemisphere, is often a time for more casual reading—but I’ve discovered that others use the slower pace as a springboard for investing more concentrated time on their spiritual disciplines. Others use the change of pace to make modest or even dramatic changes in how they hear from God.
Back in 2007, I reviewed John Ortberg’s book, The Life You've Always Wanted: Spiritual Disciplines for Ordinary People. He wrote that “following Jesus simply means learning from him how to arrange my life around activities that enable me to live in the fruit of the Spirit.” He added, “The traditional term for such activities is ‘spiritual disciplines.’ But for many people, that term carries associations of legalism, or attempting to earn God’s goodwill, or something like New Year’s resolutions—good intentions that are neither practical nor world-changing.”
In the footsteps of Richard Foster (Celebration of Discipline) and Dallas Willard (The Spirit of the Disciplines), Ortberg wrote this gem in 1998. His humor and his plain-spoken practical theology shine through and it remains one of my favorite books. (He joked about calling it “Dallas for Dummies.”)
Read the third chapter for his core message, “There is an immense difference between training to do something and trying to do something.” He adds, “Spiritual transformation is not a matter of trying harder, but of training wisely.” Example: A New Year’s resolution to pray more every day may accomplish little if it doesn’t lead to being a more God-honoring person.
He warns do-gooders that God is not impressed with the activity of training. “Spiritual disciplines are to life what calisthenics are to a game. Once the game starts, basketball players get no bonus points based on how many free throws they shot in practice. The only reason to practice them is to be able to make them in a game.”
As you prepare to inspire your team for the rest of this year, help them focus on results not activity. As you pray and practice spiritual disciplines this summer, remember that those activities are not ways to get extra credit from God. If you’re not becoming more loving, you’re wasting your practice time.
You have your favorite spiritual tools and I have mine. My favorite daily devotional is A Diary of Private Prayer, John Baillie’s devotional classic with 31 morning prayers and 31 evening prayers. This past year, Gregg Hunter, president of Christian Camp and Conference Association, recommended a new tool: Jesus Calling: Enjoying Peace in His Presence, by Sarah Young.
Jesus Calling is remarkable. In the first 10 pages, Missionary Sarah Young describes her journaling journey and how she began to experience the Presence of God. (Don’t skip this.) The 365-day format features two to three paragraphs per day—Jesus talking to me—followed by several Scripture references.
Here’s an excerpt from August 6: “When things seem to be going all wrong, stop and affirm your trust in Me. Calmly bring these matters to Me, and leave them in My capable hands. Then, simply do the next thing.”
Reminder: you may already have an abundance of helpful spiritual tools. If you’re ready for a change of pace, Jesus Calling is a stunning option. But it’s not the practice of the spiritual discipline that matters—it’s the living it out. Am I becoming more like Jesus?
Jesus is calling. Answer the phone!
To order this book from Amazon, click on the graphic below for Jesus Calling: Enjoying Peace in His Presence, by Sarah Young.
Your Weekly Staff Meeting Questions:
1) Jesus Calling is available in book, audio or iPhone and iPad apps. If you have ventured outside of books for your spiritual tools, tell us about your experience. Does “Angry Birds” ever distract you from the Presence of God?
2) John Ortberg says that God is not impressed with the activity of training. As you inspire and motivate others in their walk with God, do you focus on the activity (church attendance, daily devotionals, etc.) or the result (purity, humility, generosity, sacrifice, etc.)?
10 Sustainability Questions - Insights from Mastering the Management Buckets: 20 Critical Competencies for Leading Your Business or Nonprofit
One of the big ideas in the Program Bucket, Chapter 6, in Mastering the Management Buckets is to count the cost—before you launch a new program, product or service. It’s all about sustainability.
Luke 14:28-30 says, “Is there anyone here who, planning to build a new house, doesn't first sit down and figure the cost so you'll know if you can complete it? If you only get the foundation laid and then run out of money, you're going to look pretty foolish. Everyone passing by will poke fun at you: 'He started something he couldn't finish.'” (The Message)
For more resources and reading recommendations, including a list of the “Top-10 Questions to Ask About Program Capacity and Sustainability,” visit the Program Bucket webpage.
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