Ah, fresh contacts. I love how it feels to break open a brand new pair of tiny corrective lenses, set them free from their small packaged prison, and place them on my blinded eyeballs. There's no smudges, wear, germs...nothing. They're clean and clear. Good stuff. Weird thing is though, yesterday morning when I put my old pair in - which I had been wearing anywhere from 2 weeks to 3 months - I didn't think much of it. I really didn't notice that they were dirty or smudged or torn or old. They're just contacts. Right? That's what I used to think. Until I ripped open a brand new pair this morning...and the world was a 64-pack of Crayola goodness!
*Cue sunshine, rainbow, sparkledust, and harp music.
While I realize I've opened a door for this to be a serious lecture on eye health and sanitary hygiene, that's not really where I'm headed with this. [NOTE: You should not wear a pair of contacts any longer than the recommended length of time on the package. Obey the optometry rule-makers and all their commandments.] As I put my new lenses in this morning it occurred to me: almost every time you need to see things through fresh eyes, you don't realize it. The only reason I remembered to put new contacts in was because they finally came in the mail. My eyes weren't really bothering me. My eyesight wasn't being impaired (at least not that I'm aware of). I was totally fine and adjusted and comfortable seeing through the dirty, smudged, 3 month old lens. Are you?
A friend of mine recently had to take care of someone else's work. In a very short amount of time my friend discovered not only all sorts of errors and mistakes, but several outdated inefficiencies that needed to be corrected in the other person's method and productivity. Why were these mistakes even there? Is it because the person whose job they were covering is a slacker or a failure? Is it laziness? Or is it possible that the other person has stared at the same numbers on the same charts on the same screen for so long...that they can't really even "SEE" it anymore? When you look at something long enough - even a flaw or counterfeit - it can all start to appear like the real deal. You have to consciously hold it up to the light and put it next to the genuine article. You have to see it with fresh eyes. And if you and I are just being honest, there are times in life for all of us when and where that is very close to impossible. Rub your eyes all you want. It won't help.
So what on earth do we do about it? I recommend 1 of 2 things:
Option 1: Walk Away. Yes, seriously. Get up and walk away. Sometimes this might mean you literally get up from your desk or your task, take a walk around the block or to the gym, come back a little later and begin again. But other times this can mean packing your bags, abandoning ship, running for the hills (or the beach), and letting your mind and heart and soul find new life and breathe in some fresh air. This can be like a mental EKG for your innovation and creativity. This is why when I sit down to play the drums now (which happens about once every 6 months or so for fun) I have this whole new perspective and ear for what I'm pounding out. When I'm done, I walk away. I don't really think about the drums anymore. No one depends on me to play them. Sometimes, as ridiculous as this sounds, you have to forget to truly remember.
Option 2: Borrow Someone's Eyes. I know, you're the greatest at what you do. There's no one else around there who can do it quite like you. (That sounds like that James Bond song.) But here's the thing: someone around you has fresh eyes and perspective to see something you don't. God has placed someone in or near your circle who's actually talented and gifted and experienced enough to SEE things clearly and objectively. You don't have objectivity. You've been staring at it for too long. Maybe it's a project you've been working on or that chapter of that book you're writing or that sermon you've been preparing or that huge event you've been planning. The list is endless. The question is: How long will you stare off into oblivion before you realize that your vision is impaired. No, not your eyesight. Your VISION. Do you see what I'm saying?
Stop squinting. Quit rubbing your eyes. Call out for help or walk away. Maybe then, you'll start seeing things a little more clearly.
Several years ago I was suckered in by my curiosity over the copper and titanium magnet bracelets. There were enough people who told me that they could actually feel a difference with flexibility and arthritic pain that I had to give it a shot. All can I do is speak for myself, but after wearing one for a month....nothing. So why on earth I would allow myself to be suckered in again is beyond my capacity to understand or explain. Nevertheless, I am once again a sucker. 3 weeks ago I purchased my Power Balance wristband - endorsed and worn by an abundant list of well-known athletes who swear it has made a difference in their game, performance, and everything surrounding it. Just watch the videos on their website. Amazing! (Try and cut my sarcasm with a knife, if you dare.) Yet again, after my 21-day trial run, I can only speak for myself. But as far as I can tell, whether it's my flexibility, strength, balance, or whatever....nothing! There's more.
A recent in-depth study at the University of Wisconsin at Lacrosse (which I have actually visited, thank you very much) showed absolutely zero change in the students they tested. Outside the Lines on ESPN reported on the study: Watch the episode HERE.
To fill you in, they took a Power Balance wristband and another run-of-the-mill silicone wristband (like that WWJD bracelet you used to wear when it's was cool and trendy) and covered them with a sweatband so the subjects wouldn't know which one they were wearing. Every person was tested twice - once with the Power Balance and once with the plain wristband. The difference of the tests: NONE. So, what's with all the hype and hoopla?
I would say that you have your answer right there: HYPE! Get enough athletes to believe something - endorse it (for big bucks, of course) - and tell the world that "it works", and you've got the right ingredients to make a whole bunch of suckers! This is an industry that went from struggling to stay afloat for their first 2 years to now pulling in over $17 million this past year. $17 MILLION! My little black silicone wristband cost me $29 (plus tax). The fancy necklaces (you may have seen many of the Texas Rangers wearing them during the World Series) actually cost anywhere from $49-$89. This company is cleaning house. And interestingly enough, as a person who very rarely gets sick at all, during my 3 week trial period I not only got the stomach virus, but also have had the worst sinus infection I've had in years. Now I know, they don't claim that this thing will make you healthy or that it's an immuno-booster or antioxidant provider. But the timing sure is squirrelly. Imagine the irony for me last Monday as I sat in the doctor's office for the first time in a year, feeling like I'd been hit by a bus, wearing my Power Balance wristband. Let's just say I probably wouldn't have been selling anyone on rushing out and grabbing one for themselves.
So if you're entertaining the idea of joining the Power Balance craze, my recommendation is to take that $29 and give it to your favorite charity or to purchase a very large supply of dark chocolate-covered almonds. That said, if you're looking for a really cool looking wristband that is sure to catch the eye of someone around you, and if you need a new psycho-brainwashing tactic to convince yourself that you can jump 3 inches higher than you actually can, this just might be the subtle fashion piece you're looking for.
Anyone else out there tried Power Balance?
Let me begin by admitting this: I am still a recovering legalist. When you spend a great many years allowing much of your theology and worldview to be shaped - or even manipulated - by experiential and reactionary thinking, the road to recovery can be an uphill battle. I still feel like I'm in "Legalist Rehab" every time I listen to "A New Law" by Derek Webb. Still, I am grateful that in His good timing, God used His Word to begin knocking that wall down in my heart. He is still working. Still swinging. Still knocking it down. And sometimes...it hurts. While seeing this wall being torn down in your own life can be a painful but welcomed thing, seeing this blinding barrier going up in someone else's life may be even more paralyzing. Especially when it's your own child.
My son is a 6 year old ball of fire! In many regards I feel like I'm watching a movie of what my parents must have seen as they were giving it their best to raise me. At the same time, I know that this little man is totally his own person. We've had a few "episodes" in school already (which could be a bit disconcerting when you realize that he's only in Kindergarten), but for the most part he has actually done well. Most days when he leaves the classroom, it's still standing. But one thing we've seen that we believe actually helps him maintain his focus and contain his energy is STRUCTURE. Or let's put it another way: he lives by THE LAW! What works (at least at this point) for Nathan about school is that on the wall and in his folder are the rules. He knows, "If you do this and this and that and this and that...you'll get a GREEN CHECK! And GREEN CHECK'S are what we live for here in Kindergarten." Apparently he would just rather know in black and white - plain and simple - what he can and can't do. He would rather EARN privileges than have them taken away. He wants something to WORK for rather than the freedom to painfully learn and experience consequences. He's 6 years old and his worldview is being shaped like Play-Doh.
This predicament was even more exposed at home this week. Let's just say Morgan & I have been praying diligently for the Lord to show us how to teach Nathan good judgment, sound thinking, and simple obedience. What we've been experiencing would be better described as ZERO judgment and deliberate defiance. And just to be clear, those are pretty much the opposite of the desired outcome. The other night, as Morgan is asking Nathan, "Why did you make this decision? Would you make this decision at school?", he follows up the inquiry by explaining to us that at school there's a CHART. And on that chart are all the rules. And as you earn different checks on the chart you gain certain privileges. And [to use his words], "Maybe what I need here at home is a chart."
[Please do NOT miss the DEPTH of what your child is learning, thinking, and painting into the lens with which they look at the world, their life, and how it all fits together. It runs DEEP!]
As Morgan explained to Nathan, "You understand that this means things like TV and dessert and playing on the Wii will now have to be earned?", it was as if he found great satisfaction and comfort in the fact that the rules and rewards were now going to be clear. Forget the whole idea of living by grace and principle and discipline and consequence, just give me a new law! My son doesn't want to think, he just wants to be able to look at the board and say, "Nope. Can't do that." He would rather EARN his allowance than have it taken away. And please understand, for many years in my life, on a much bigger scale, not with my parents, but with the God of the Universe...this is how I lived.
Rules & Rewards are easy.
Grace, mercy, discipline, and consequence are painful. Very painful!
But they are the road to wisdom and discernment and good judgment.
And Jesus paid the way for us to be able to walk that road.
What road are you walking?
We're still praying about how to walk with Nathan through this and teach him that what he's asking for is not really what he wants. At the same time, you can't make someone believe that. They simply must come to understand it and accept it. You can't drag someone down the narrow road. You can only point and lead the way.
Last Thursday I got a call from the school: "Mr. Mayfield? Yes, this is the nurse at Columbia Elementary School. I have Nathan in here and he's just thrown up." LOVE IT! Actually, I was mortified. I quickly remembered the isolation you feel when you're the one who's spewed your lunch on the classroom floor. And the horror of having vomit covering your shirt and jeans. And the janitor sprinkling that disgusting powder on your vomit, as if to mark it with a sign that says, "Look at Nathan's vomit everyone!" It's quite awful - maybe the feelings more than the vomit. (Or maybe not.) I went up to the school, loved on my son, collected his stuff and brought him home. And it didn't take long to figure out that this wasn't just lunch disagreeing with him. It was the virus.
Morgan took care of Nathan all day Friday. The poor kid must have thrown up 15 times. So this doesn't make it the slightest bit surprising that on Friday night at 9:00, my wife was running for the toilet. And let me say on behalf of the love of my life - this was NOT pretty!
From the moment I brought Nathan home on Thursday I was popping the immuno-boosters. I washed my hands so many times that I thought the skin was going to flake off. I was bound, determined, and convinced, "I am NOT going to catch this virus!" And even though I was a mountain of confidence, I decided on Saturday afternoon that I probably should call Josh and give him a heads up that he "might want to be ready to preach in the morning". I was sure that I wouldn't have to call him. I felt fine. Great, even! I was going to make it unscathed. I even slept on the sofa to avoid the germs emanating off of my wife's virus-ridden body. I curled up in my blanket and dozed off...believing that I had conquered the beast. And then....I woke up.
My alarm went off at 6:00. The instant I stood up a rush came over my body. This was what I felt last February when the food poisoning hit and my poor friend Jeff thought I was going to die right there in his car. (Another story worth telling sometime.) Sweat started evacuating out of every pore of my body. I took off running and dove onto the bed right before I was about to hit the floor. And there I lied. As if this little troll of a virus was standing on my back, one hand on his hip and the other holding his spear, saying, "I have hunted you down little man. And now I will consume you!" All that praying and wishful thinking and sanitizing...and here I am like a limp trout that's been pulled out of the water. I was mad. VERY mad! Not that I was sick, or that I'd been defeated by some invisible germ. But because I had a message prepared. I was so ready to deliver this sermon that the Lord had placed on my heart. I didn't want to miss being with my church family. This was NOT in my plan!
But God had another plan. God had something to say and didn't want me to say it. He had put a message in Josh's heart that someone needed to hear. And here's the proof. On the back of a card we received after yesterday's 10:45 service, it reads: "I think it's great that God brought me here today to hear about brokenness and that I can get through anything He walks me through!" Quite frankly, while I'm still excited to preach the message I had prepared, that wasn't it. This girl needed to hear something very specific from God and He knew how it needed to be communicated. And quite possibly He had to knock me on my butt to get me out of the way so that someone else could say it. He'll do that, you know. And He also needed to remind me (as He does every once-in-awhile) that I am not in control. I am NOT the King. The world does not revolve around me. And that sometimes the prayers of the just-recently-humbled can be more powerful than a sermon. And this I know: When God makes me sick, it is ALWAYS because He has something to say.
It's quite interesting to me that this "virus" only affected me for about 6 hours or so. Just long enough to keep me on my back, at home in my bed, with nothing else to do but PRAY that God would be moving in the hearts and lives of the people at my church. Praying that He would anoint Josh's words and thoughts, and use them to speak right into the hearts of those who needed to hear from Him.
If the Lord needs to move you out of the way, are you willing to be moved?
Are you allowing yourself to be irreplaceable? What happens if you're removed from the equation? Will it all fall apart?
I finally jumped into reading "Rework" by Fried & Hansson. This book is an absolute must-read for anyone in any role of leadership. I love Seth Godin's exhortation on the front cover of the book: "Ignore this book at your own peril." And there you have it. I'm not sure what's exciting me more: the content or the ADD-friendly, short-segmented way the book is written. I guess I'll go with the content. And at this point in my life, I've read so many books that cause this lightbulb to go off in my head - the "Why didn't I think of that?" bulb - that it's a shot in the arm to read someone else validate and affirm decisions you've already made. I wanted to share one of those specific things with you.
When I arrived a year and a half ago at The Brook, I tried to spend my first 4-6 weeks really just absorbing the culture, the state of things, and the underlying realities. I wanted to know WHAT we were doing, HOW it was being done, and most importantly, WHY. I quickly figured out that we were a LOT of different people doing a LOT of different things. People who originally may have been moving in the same direction, but were now rowing our own lifeboats and trying to convince ourselves that we're all paddling up the same stream. This was not the case. So I spent much time on my face praying about this. What do we do, Lord? And I kept coming back to the same thing: less is more.
Trying to be honest - and fair at the same time - we easily had 14-18 different ministries trying to stay afloat, defend their territory, and forge ahead. In our very first Leader Huddle I presented a new approach: less is more. We want to be Starbucks, not Walmart. (And oh, how I meant that in multiple ways!) We laid out our biblical core values - worship. grow. serve. together! - and we said that if something isn't directly birthed from or pouring into one or more of these values, we're not going to do it. And there are even a few things that we might argue ARE birthed from or pouring into these values, but for now...we're not going to do them either. WHY? Because LESS is MORE!
In "Rework", Fried and Hansson talk about the first step that Gordon Ramsay almost always takes when trying to breathe new life into a "failing restaurant": he "trims the menu". They go on to say that "Improving the current menu doesn't come first. Trimming it down comes first. Then he polishes what's left. When things aren't working, the natural inclination is to throw more at the problem. All that ends up doing is making the problem bigger. The right way to go is the opposite direction: Cut back." It was a very difficult decision to tell many of these people I had only known for 6 weeks, "We're not going to do that anymore". Some people aren't fans or believers in "Less is more". That's OK. Some people are! And I believe those leaders, organizations, and yes, churches who choose to do a FEW things - those who choose to take the risk to even cut those things that aren't essential and "polish what's left" - will wind up with something that (over the long haul) makes a difference. A BIG difference!
Agree? Disagree? Let me know.
Last night you could hear the collective gasp of Cowboys fans everywhere as their team was just beginning to show the first signs of life this season when - nailed by a safety blitz - their Quarterback, Tony Romo, was driven into the turf. Anyone who's watched football for any length of time knew pretty quickly that his collarbone had probably lost that duel with the ground. [Ground-1, Collarbone-0] You know for most any football team, losing your starting QB is a hard blow to take. At the same time - especially for a "professional" team - shouldn't this be sort of like getting the wind knocked out of you? Stay down for a minute, let your gut and your lungs recover, get back up and hit someone! Right?
Apparently not.
As I watched (most of) the rest of this game, I saw some serious leadership truths exposed. And most of what I saw, I pray I'm never guilty of. For instance, the defense for the Cowboys started this game with 2 interceptions - straight out of the gate! The first 10 points on the board might have been scored by the Cowboys offense, but the defense was responsible for them. But the instant those same 11 defenders stepped back onto the field AFTER their Quarterback had been injured, it was like they had forgotten how to play football. Eli Manning picked them apart like they were only 6 of them out there. And if you know the Cowboys, you know that they've purchased several All-Pro players on their defense. At least, I thought.
I watched one offensive series where the play calling from the Offensive Coordinator and the expression on the faces of the players on the sideline and the effort and attitude of the players on the field basically communicated to the back-up QB, "We know that you're the back-up, and that you have no ability to actually make something happen or win this game, but we're going to try and pretend that it's all going to work out and that we believe in you." Yaaaayyyy. Jon Kitna had to have felt like more like a pile of cow DUNG than a Cowboy. Always good for your self-confidence.
But the thing that really struck me the most was the lack of leadership from Tony Romo. Last night proved in crystal clear fashion that your title or position means NOTHING compared to your actions and attitude. In the words of Julius from Remember the Titans, "Attitude reflect leadership!" I've seen Quarterbacks in the NCAA and NFL get injured before. Many times. And I've watched them light a fire underneath the seat of their team by simply standing up, staying present, and saying with the expression on their face, "You can do this!" Not Tony Romo. He stood their on the sideline looking like a 3rd grader who'd just been benched for bad grades. I know, it's painful and it sucks to have your collarbone broken, but take some Advil and GET OVER IT! You're a PROFESSIONAL! Any "leader" who lives in a world where their team's ability to rise or fall - win or lose - totally depends on them, is not really leading their team. The look on Tony Romo's face - the attitude that was oozing out of him and spilling over onto every other player on that sideline and field - was painfully obvious: "Well guys, we're done." And how do you think that running back who missed his blocking assignment feels this morning? Probably like he is singlehandedly responsible for screwing up the rest of the team's season. Sucks to be him!
Tony Romo, I know you don't get this or see this right now, but this is actually your BEST opportunity to lead that you might ever have in front of you. What are you going to do with it? Are their 22 guys on that field....or 1?
This Sunday I'm preaching about the biblical principle of "Shared Leadership" - how God's design for His church(es) is NOT for one man to run the show. That point was visibly proven last night on Monday Night Football.
I just received my brand new copy of Leadership Journal. I love this magazine! It's always packed with great insight, encouragement, and things to think about for anyone in Christian leadership. But I opened it today and on the very first page I read something that stopped me dead in my tracks. On the side column, titled "Preaching Booster", the first line inquires, "Looking for a source of inspiration and ideas for your sermons?" This is a column for the website & organization "Preaching Today". Good stuff! And while I know the intent and ultimate aim of this company & their column is to provide a creative outlet for illustrations, insights, and ideas to enhance your sermon, this is NOT what I read. The one major fatal mistake they made? The use of the word "inspiration"!
There are times lately when I have felt like I'm on somewhat of a tirade about this - that I keep harping on it over and over. But in this day of plug-and-play, cut-and-paste, and collaboration...I think we've begun to rely and depend on some things that ultimately don't hold water. Whether I'm studying and planning and mapping out a new sermon series or fervently laying out the vision for our church, the easy way now seems to be the path most are taking. I know I can go online and within 10 minutes find 50 new incredibly creative ideas for a new sermon series that will reel people in and capture their attention. If I'm not totally sure of the direction that the Lord is leading me to courageously lead and pastor my church, well heck, I can just copy what you do. It's right there, in full color, waiting on me to surgically transplant it right into the body of believers that God has placed under my care. This so-called "inspiration" is right under your nose, in front of your face, waiting at your fingertips. But if I'm being honest, I don't find it to be all that inspiring. In fact, I think it's quite lame!
Let me stop circling the parking lot and just pull into the spot. The reason why this is a sorry substitute - a cheap, inauthentic, plastic version of the living, breathing, original creation that God intends for you and your church - is because every single shortcut we take in our preaching and in our ministry is born from a lack of prayer. Every single time I decide to get up off my knees, pull out of the pages of God's Word, and choose to go anywhere else for "inspiration", there can be no greater result other than something that's been seen and heard and experienced before. Do you get this? Do you understand - or more importantly BELIEVE - that God's Word is "full of life-giving power"? Do you grasp that to those whom He has placed the irresistible calling to "Preach the Word", He also provides a new heart and new eyes to see those words literally come to LIFE? When we stand to preach the Word of God is it evident that we've been moved and shaken by His Spirit to boldly proclaim His truth......or that we've done a really good job of taking that message and putting our own twist on it? Do we seriously think our people need a new twist?
Want to use a video to help drive home a point? Great. Looking for an illustration to set up where you're heading in scripture? Awesome! Happy hunting. And thank God for all the resources available to make that happen today. But if you're looking for "inspiration" - REAL, MIND-BLOWING, EYE-OPENING, LIFE-GIVING INSPIRATION - close the door, open God's Word, get on your face, and - much like the persistent neighbor in Luke 11 - don't stop begging, pleading, and asking until the Lord reveals that Word that He is longing to whisper. He's not going to shout it. If He spoke to Elijah in a whisper, what makes us think He's going to take out an internet ad to get our attention?
If you're a pastor, a leader, a youth minister - if God has called you in any way to lead His people - don't settle! He called you to use YOU! He called you to speak to YOU! To create something new in YOU! Don't miss it.
Would love to hear your thoughts.
