Elevate

Fruitful Leadership #3: Peace

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Peace is not a common commodity in our world today. There are conflicts between countries, in business, in families, and in our workplaces.

When I think of a picture of peace, I remember the lake at the camp I spent a number of summers at. It was a fairly large lake, so it was a rare morning where the lake was completely calm. Yet once in awhile, the winds died down completely and turned the surface of the lake into a sheet of glace. Not a ripple to ruin the effect.

It’s a rare day when the wind isn’t blowing in our lives. It’s not easy to experience complete peace.

As a Christian leader who wants to allow the Holy Spirit to work in and through us, we do want to bear the fruit of the Spirit as described in Galatians 5: 22 . We want peace.

Yes, we want peace in our workplace. I’m primarily thinking of peace as the absence of conflict in the workplace. We want peace on our teams as they work together. We recognize the need to not let conflict simmer but to address it and work through it before it boils over.

Peace takes constant monitoring of the situations we are in. It takes discernment to know when something is eating away at peace and needs to be resolved. But if you are a leader who desires a peaceful workplace you will need to ensure you are at peace inside first.

Peace begins inside you – if you don’t have peace, you will have a hard time being peaceful in your relationships. Peace begins with a relationship with the Prince of Peace. We want Jesus to continue to help shape us to become like Himself. And we invite the Holy Spirit to work in our lives to make us more Christ-like. We need to pray that God will help us forgive others and not continue to carry personal hurts. We need God to fill us with His peace. Knowing that we are right with our creator, the God of the Universe, is a great place to start with peace.

To live out peace as a leader, we need to be at peace with our relationships at home. If we are in conflict in one area of our life, it is bound to create cracks in our peace with others. We cannot separate our private life from our public life. Keep short accounts at home before you even step into your leadership role. Peace is evident in harmonious relationships.

It is in the heat of the moment that what is inside comes out. When that mistake is made, or someone falls short of your expectations – what is your first response? If it is anger and shouting and judgement – you may need to work on peace in yourself first. Peace begins in us.

Peace has to be worked for. There are times when our Canadian troops have been sent into countries where there has been conflict, and they are called Peacekeepers. Jesus asks us to be peacemakers and says, “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.” (Matthew 5:9) As Christian leaders, we need to be people of peace. This spiritual fruit should be produced continually in our lives in our relationships and in our leadership.

Peace may cost us something. There may be times where we need to apologize and make things right. There may be times where we will need to address issues with those on our team that won’t make us popular. Peace means addressing the issues that are causing conflict. Those in conflict may not always want to resolve that conflict. As leaders, we can ask God to give us great wisdom in how we lead through conflict and bring peace.

But let’s remember, peace, as a spiritual fruit, can only be produced in our lives as we continually are at peace with our God. If this is fruit of the Spirit, then we need to surrender to the Spirit’s work in our lives. And then we will bear the fruit of peace.

May you experience peace and excel at peacemaking!

Keep looking up,

Andy Wiebe

Fruitful Leadership #2: Joy

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Would you include the word joy in your description of your workplace, or to define your leadership? In Galatians 5: 22 -23 we read a list of nine fruits of the Spirit. These are characteristics that should be evident in anyone who is a follower of Jesus. In this second post on fruitful leadership we will focus on how joy can be evident in your leadership.

Joy. Somehow the word just makes me smile. It elicits happiness even in those three letters. Its funny how a smile on your face can take a load off your shoulders. Just try it. Smile. Doesn’t that simple act make you feel a little happier already?

Joy is not often a word used to describe one’s workplace. More common would be words like boring or duty or frustration or feeling useless. 

Joy is defined in the Miriam Webster dictionary as “the emotion evoked by well-being, success, or good fortune or by the prospect of possessing what one desires.” It is about delight. Maybe that is why joy is not often present in a workplace because we always want more. We do not often possess our desires or even accomplish the goals of the company. There is always a push for more. It is more common to experience a sense of frustration than joy because there is always another goal to push for. As a leader, we can get so caught up in climbing that next hill that we don’t take time to enjoy the accomplishments of today.

Now, if we want to be a Christian leader who is radiating the Holy Spirit’s fruit, our joy cannot be dependent on our accomplishments or about having everything we desire. Our joy has to come from our relationship with Jesus and the experience of His Spirit in our lives. Our joy is then not based on our work and the level of success we experience but in our relationship with Jesus. Being in a state of is not dependent on outside influences or accomplishments but primarily on the fact that we have a God who loves us and cares for us. Our joy comes from knowing that we are in God’s hands, and He will look after us whether business is going well or not.

When I first became a pastor, I was told by a few people that I looked mad all the time. I did not realize this. It may have been my nervousness or my determination to focus and do a good job, but my expression on my face communicated that I was mad. I think I am smiling more. I have not had that comment for many years, and I am glad. Yet we do need to realize that people read our expressions and make assumptions. As leaders, we need to be aware of what we communicate – intentionally and unintentionally – and how this reflects the fruit of the Spirit.

For a two-year period, I worked at a job I did not love. I dreaded going to work every day. So, I began praying that God would give me joy at work. A few days later, as I was busy loading deliveries onto my truck, I suddenly paused. I had been whistling as I was moving pallets around! God was giving me a joy that I was not finding in my work. I was feeling lighter and not carrying the weight of the world on my shoulders. It may be that we need to pray diligently that the Holy Spirit would fill us with His joy so that we can produce the fruit of joy as we lead people.

Joy in the workplace lifts people’s spirits. As leaders, we have a large role to play in creating the atmosphere in which work takes place. Let’s make sure that we are doing all we can to contribute to a joy-filled environment.

Keep looking up,

Andy Wiebe

Fruitful Leadership #1: Love

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There has been much study done on the character and personality of good leaders. In the book of Galatians, the Apostle Paul introduces what he refers to as the “fruit of the Spirit”, describing what Christians are to live like, to be like. As believers in Jesus, we have His Spirit living in us when we surrender our lives to Him. Just like al healthy apple tree produces apples, a healthy Spirit-filled person will produce the “fruit” of the Spirit.

Paul gives a list of nine fruits, or characteristics, that people surrendered to Jesus and filled with his Spirit will be like. It makes sense, then, that a Christian leader will be a Spirit-filled person who will ideally be producing the fruit Paul lists.

The first fruit listed is love. If you are a Christian leader, you should be exhibiting the characteristic of love to those you lead and serve. Jesus, in Matthew 22: 39, defines the second greatest commandment as: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” One of the most important characteristics of a follower of Jesus is then, to love. And to love our neighbour. If we are unsure who our neighbour is, we can read Jesus’ story of the Good Samaritan in Luke 10. While others noticed a beaten and robbed man, the Samaritan cared for his wounds and took him to a place to heal up, even paying all the costs this might incur. The neighbour was the one who loved the less fortunate one in practical ways that made a difference in his life. As we daily surrender our selves to the Holy Spirit, he will continue to help us become more loving in our leadership. While it is our responsibility to love, it is the Holy Spirit who helps us to love better and who fills us with a desire to love when we may not really want to.

So how might the fruit of the Spirit of love be evident in a Christian leader?

It would begin with a genuine caring for the others one connects with. These could be your boss, or co-worker, or employees. They could be your church staff and volunteers. Sometimes, people like me who like to focus on the project and getting things done, can see those around me as people who help me get my stuff done, rather than seeing them as people who need to be noticed and cared for. To love is to notice people and to care for them. And to look for ways to help them. A leader who is producing love in their relationships at work will recognize when someone needs to be cared for and not just used to accomplish the leader’s vision.

Love includes communicating well with those you work with and serve. It means that we create an environment where direction is given clearly, and feedback is welcomed. Rather than being threatened by the ideas of others, a leader who loves will see each person as a contributing member of the team. By creating an environment where exchange of ideas is welcomed, the leader makes it clear that everyone is valued.

A leader who loves will want to make sure that their team has healthy relationships with each other. The leader will not hesitate to apologize for hurting someone. He will take ownership of his own mistakes and not dwell on those of others. Love means finding solutions to relationship breakdowns. Rather than just demanding blind loyalty, a leader who loves will create an environment where all on the team enjoy serving together.

Christian leaders display the fruit of love when they are willing to serve rather than lord their authority over others. Jesus pointed this out in Matthew 10: 44, “For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” Some leaders love being the boss and want to make sure everyone knows they are the one in charge and they are the one to be obeyed. Yet even Jesus showed that he came to serve. For him it even meant giving his life to pay for the sins of all people. Love means being willing to serve others, even if you are the leader. Maybe you get coffee for someone rather than expecting they need to get you one. Or you listen rather than direct. You still need to give direction and guidance and set standards that need to be met, but you do so in a way that shows you care about the people you are leading. Love them by serving them.

Christian leader, allow the Spirit to flow through you, displaying love to those you work with.

Keep looking up,

Andy Wiebe

A Good Team Produces Good Work

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Two are better than one,
    because they have a good return for their labor:
 If either of them falls down,
    one can help the other up.
But pity anyone who falls
    and has no one to help them up.

Ecclesiastes 4: 9-10

As a pastor, much of my work is a solitary effort. I work on my sermon on my own. While I consult resources such as commentaries and word studies, I am responsible for creating the sermon myself. When I teach a Sunday School class, I generally work on it on my own. I am co-teaching a class on Acts right now. Though we spend some time discussing the scriptures together, we take turns preparing the lessons on our own. When I teach and lead, I build on all I have read and seminars I have attended, learning from the authors and presenters. Yet much of my job as a pastor I do on my own.

This last week I was reminded of the value of working with a team. Our church is in the middle of a Three-Week Prayer Focus. We will conclude with a Solemn Assembly on a Saturday, a Prayer Vigil where people will sign up to pray for an hour or more through the night, and then a Celebration Service on the Sunday morning. This has become a much better event than I first envisioned because others have helped think through how to make it the best event it can be.

When I presented the idea to the chairman of the church board, he instantly saw my vision and began to dream with me as to what we should plan and how to roll it out to the congregation. As we, together, dreamed about how the event might work for our church, we got more and more excited. We could see how to invite people to participate and even how to get them to step into some new experiences of prayer in the process. I had not thought of a prayer vigil through the night, but he suggested it.

This chairman suggested we shoot a promo video with interviews of people from our congregation telling us what they thought of prayer. He knew of someone who could create the video. He asked someone to round up people to participate, and several people did, resulting in a very effective promotional video.

He suggested that we make some promotional posters. Again, he knew of someone who would do a good job with this. Now we have some great posters for the event, and even a prayer guide for the event that people are now using to guide their prayer times. Other board members were willing to sign up to help coordinate and lead the prayer vigil. They have also volunteered to make announcements and lead group prayer times.

If I had only depended on my own dreams and skills, we would still have had an event, but it would not have become the great experience it now is. I needed the Board Chair, the other board members, the promotional materials designer, and video producer to make the event that much better.

We need others to team up with if we want to do a good job on many things. Inviting others into the process makes it better because we get to dream with others and bounce ideas off each other that make the result that much better. Working together ensures no one is left carrying the load, and everyone can use their skills and abilities to expand the capabilities of the leader. Sharing the work with others prevents your project from being a lonely experience; instead, the process becomes a shared collaboration with others who have the same convictions and ideas.

I hope you have a good team around you. If not, then I pray that God will help you to find the right people to join your team.

Keep looking up,

Andy Wiebe

Punctuality Begins With Arriving Early

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When I started out as a young youth pastor, I was told by my Senior Pastor that I had to show up at least one hour before the Sunday morning worship service. I have experienced the value of this advice many times and followed the practice in preparation for other meetings and events as well. I have found that there have been many times when that extra hour has been beneficial.

1. Arriving early ensures I am on time.

It may seem like it goes without saying, but if you plan to be an hour early, you will most likely be on time. If you have a flat tire on the way, you may even have time to change it and still arrive on time.

2. Arriving early protects my integrity.

When you are on time and start events on time you maintain integrity, but when you are late, or start things late, people aren’t sure they can trust you when you announce the start time for an event. And when you don’t follow through on start times, it may affect people’s sense of your overall integrity. You want to be on time and ready to go for your event so that you can keep your word on when you will start.

3. Arriving early gives me time for last minute adjustments.

Often there have been issues to iron out before the service. You have time to photocopy anything you forgot, or to change that one PowerPoint slide. It gives you time to make sure all the technology is up and running. There have been days when I have needed all the time to make sure I fixed something or did a final tweak.

4. Arriving early prevents rushing.

When you are rushed you are not in the best frame of mind. Being rushed often gets our frustrations up and means we may miss something in our final arrangements prior to the event. When we have time, we can be more relaxed and work through our last-minute preparations with time to spare.

5. Arriving early gets me focused.

Everyone knows how life happens and sometimes we are distracted by what we dealt with earlier that day. If you get to your event with time to spare, you can go over the agenda and get your mind cleared and focused. You have time to pause and pray to ask God to help you focus on the moment and leave the distractions with him.

6. Arriving early helps me ensure all volunteers are ready.

When you are early, you will have time to check in with your volunteers to make sure thy are ready to go. I like to give people a heads-up about when their turn is in the service or event. When everybody knows their role, the event will go smoothly.

7. Arriving early gives me time for people.

When you are early, and ready for your event early, you have time to greet people as they arrive. There are often a few people who arrive early. I have had some significant conversations with people because I had time to slow down greet them before the service.

You may think arriving an hour early for a worship service is over the top, but I would encourage you to try it. I’m sure if you try it five or six times, you will begin to experience the benefits and establish this as your own habit. There is value in punctuality, and arriving early ensures your punctuality.

Keep looking up,

Andy Wiebe

The Importance of Consistent Messaging

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Whether in conversations with a friend or making a transaction at a store, we need to be able to communicate or intended message clearly. As church leaders, we want to communicate with the people in our churches and the communities around us, and it is important that we put thought into our messages we communicate to avoid unnecessary confusion.

Every time I drive to the community where I serve as a Transition Pastor, I pass a confusing message. On the side of the road there is a big tea pot shaped sign up on a post, as if announcing a place to stop and have tea. As you get closer, you will see that they do not want you to stop, because as you turn off the highway, you are greeted by two orange traffic barricades with a sign that says, “Do not enter. Private yard.” It must have been a restaurant at one time but not anymore. Yet the teapot sign remains inviting people to enter a private yard.

Just this morning I walked by another confusing message. In a storefront at the local mall, a slogan says: “Celebrate your shape.” In my mind, that indicates that they would have clothes for a variety of shapes of people. Instead, the mannequins in the display window are all pencil thin. That seems like a confusing message to me. Does it mean you can celebrate any shape you want as long as you are very thin.

Let’s look at a few ways that we as church leaders can prevent common inconsistent messages:

  • We say we want to strengthen families and then we plan separate activities for everyone.

Many churches say they support families. That is good, and we should support them, but too often we keep the families busy with their own separate activities. Children go to Sunday School and Children’s Club. Youth go to Youth Night. Men and women go to their own Bible Studies. We say we support families and then we plan everything to separate them. I know there are benefits to the separate programs, but how about we bring them together more? Instead of planning a Youth Ski Trip, plan a Family ski trip. How about planning mixed Bible Studies occasionally?

  • We say we are an intergenerational church but don’t allow children to serve in the worship service.

In many churches, serving in the worship services is limited to adults – often only “accomplished” adults. While the messages on the website might state the church values intergenerational participation, a different message is communicated each Sunday morning. Why not add some youth to your worship team? Many of them are musical and would love to learn to play an instrument as part of a music team. How about having children reading scripture?

Some of the ushers in our church are inviting their children to help them pass the bags to collect the offering. There are many places where children and youth can learn to serve and serve well.

  •   We say we want to reach our community with the gospel but have no outreach from our church.

I understand there are many ways to reach into our community with the gospel, and much of that can be done by individual members of our church. It’s exciting when we hear of that happening. Yet if this is something that we say we want as priority in our church, the church should provide opportunities for outreach and training. We need to follow through on what we say we think is important as a church.

  • We have a website that announces activities we do not offer.

Every church needs to have a website. We need to be able to communicate with people online. But let’s make sure that our information is up to date and accurate. Recently I was looking to book a bus ride from one town to another. I searched online and found a site advertising the route and rates. I made some initial plans that revolved around catching that bus. I went to book it, only to find that the route and bus service had been cancelled for a year or two already. We don’t want to do the same thing with our information online. Communicate what you offer and make sure you it’s accurate.

 Inconsistent messaging not only misinforms people, but it also causes them to lose trust in us. If we can’t communicate accurately, it will seem as if we are not being truthful. We end up not just disappointing people but turning them away from our church. Let’s make sure that our messaging is consistent and accurate.

Keep looking up,

Andy Wiebe

Half a Century of God’s Faithfulness!!

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I just realized the other day that I have been a follower of Jesus for 50 years – and God has sure proven His faithfulness! I was about seven years old when my dad prayed with me, and I surrendered my life to Jesus. Next month I turn 57. And God has never failed me over all those years. I have experienced what Deuteronomy 7:9 declares, “Know therefore that the Lord your God is God; he is the faithful God.”

God has proven his faithfulness in always being there for me, in good times and bad. He has been there when I was so disappointed in Him that I deliberately tried to ignore Him for a period of time. I was frustrated how my life was going and began to wonder if God would ever intervene. That attempt to give God the cold shoulder didn’t last for too many days, because no matter what, God has always been there. He was never far from me. Romans 3:3-4 declares God’s faithfulness even when we are not. “What if some were unfaithful? Will their unfaithfulness nullify God’s faithfulness? Not at all!” And God has shown His faithfulness as I have learned to get to know Him better over the years. When I think back to the simple faith of seven-year-old me and the way God has proven His love in ever deepening ways, I am so thankful that faithfulness is one of God’s attributes!

I have experienced God’s faithfulness in his forgiveness. As scripture declares in Romans 5: 8, “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” He loved me while I was a sinner, and he loves me as I continue to struggle with sin. And like the patriarchs of the Old Testament, God has used me in meaningful ways even as I fall short of His best for me. God working in and through me has allowed us to be part of some unique experiences like helping a church grow in a school and then move into its own building, and putting on Easter events for the community that drew three times as many people as we usually saw on a Sunday.

God has been faithful in giving me a great family! I have a beautiful wife, who is clearly a gift from God. We have two beautiful and competent daughters! Again, clearly gifts from God! And He has helped us through many difficult things. We have had family health scares but known God’s peace in those as He walked with us. We have had times of financial strain, without a house, without a job, and unsure about what was next. God arranged for a job that provided us with enough finances to buy a house after two years. We have experienced answers to prayer, from finding skates for a great deal to healing when we needed it.

The faithfulness of God is evident as I look back over the years to how God directed us to certain churches and communities to live and serve in for awhile. While there were a few disappointments along the way, it was clear that God directed us to the places where we could fit and serve Him well. He has given us many great memories from the different places we served.

God loves people. He loves to welcome them into His family. And He loves to walk with them for the rest of their lives! I have experienced that in many personal ways. It is so good to never have to worry if He will still love us if we do something wrong, or if He might ignore us or no longer respond in love. “Know therefore that the Lord your God is God; he is the faithful God.”

Keep looking up,

Andy

What Energizes You?

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A friend of mine is going through a difficult stage in life. His job is not what he would like and leaves him exhausted at the end of the day when he wants to spend time with his family. He has a large debt that he is working to clean up among other issues that stress him out. When I asked him what fills him up, he answered, “Right now, I have no clue.” He is so overwhelmed with life that trying to think of something that would help energize him seems impossible.

What fills up your tank? There is value in finding something that energizes you.

Being in nature fills me up. I love driving through the mountains, enjoying the scenery and watching for wildlife. My wife and I stopped at a little heart-shaped lake in the Pine Pass in northern British Columbia this fall. Heart Lake is nestled at the foot of some mountains, surrounded by towering pines and spruce. When you walk out on the little dock, the water is so clear you can see right to the bottom of the lake. We enjoyed sitting at a picnic table, reading, then pausing to take in the scenery, and repeating that process. It filled me up.

Sometimes spending time with the right person fills me up. We all know there are certain people who drain you. They draw energy from you. But there are others who make you feel good. There have been times when my wife has told me, “You should really talk to so and so.” Or “you should have lunch with your friend.” There are a few men in my life, who, when I spend a little time with them, leaves me encouraged and energized.

Some of you might get energized by reading a good book. I love to read. It might be a novel or a book that challenges me spiritually. I love to learn, and reading helps me to do that. And it can fill up my tank.

I’m also a project person. I love working on a project where there is a clear goal in mind that I can work toward. I get filled up when I can contribute to something meaningful that cumulates in a well-done finished project.

What fills you up? If you are not sure, maybe you need to ask someone close to you. They may have seen where you shine and where you seem to act happier. As I said earlier, my wife sometimes reminds me to take time to be with one of my energizing friends.

If you feel you have no idea what energizes you it may be time to try new things. Even though it sometimes doesn’t seem like it, you are in charge of your calendar, and your time. I know that we all have demands on us from work and family and other commitments we are tied to, but we should all have even a few minutes here or there to spend on our own well-being.

Identifying what fills you up, and then spending time doing that activity is an important way to fill us up amid the stresses of life. When we get hungry, we eat. When we have been giving and giving too long, we begin to lose ambition and get short-tempered. We need to “eat” something that will restore joy and inner peace.

Some pastors take a sabbatical for a period of weeks and months. While time off is good, even in that scenario, the true value comes not just from taking time off to rest but spending time in our “tank filling” activities. If you are married, you might want to help each other enjoy your energizing activities. This could look like covering for each other in the home for half an hour or so occasionally so the other person can have a few moments to spend on themselves.

Let me finish with one more suggestion, probably the one we should have started with, and one that should remind us that any “tank filling” attempts fall short if we are not right with the One who created us and wants to walk through life with us. A key “tank filling” experience is to have some quiet time to spend with just you and God. You could read scripture. The Psalms may encourage you as the psalmist cries out to God with the same emotions you are feeling. Or you can read the Old Testament stores and be encouraged that God uses even the busy and messed up people for his purposes. You could spend some time talking with God. Think of it as a conversation. Ask him for encouragement and joy. You might want to sing songs of praise, or one of the old hymns. Taking time to be with God can fill a person up.

Remember that God created us all unique, with unique ways of being re-energized and filled up for the next day.

Keep looking up,

Andy Wiebe

Perfect Public Prayers?

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Public prayers can have great significance or be almost meaningless.

Years ago, I knew an older man whose mind was starting to deteriorate. It wasn’t easy carrying on a conversation with him, yet when asked to pray, he would pray these great prayers. They were not necessarily eloquent or filled with theology, but you could sense the love for God and the sense of friendship with Him.

When I refer to public prayers, I mean those usually prayed in our Sunday services at church. Here’s why I think some are more significant than others. Sometimes it seems a prayer is prayed strictly out of tradition or routine. The service always opens in prayer, so the pastor needs to pray something. Or the pastor prays before he begins his sermon just because that his is routine. Sometimes it even seems like it is just filler or used as a transition. We’ll pray now so the musicians can sneak onto the stage and magically appear at their instruments.

Some public prayers seem like the ramblings of someone who has no idea what they want to pray about, so they just stumble into their prayer. In some cases, you know exactly what a person will pray because they always pray the same prayer. It seems that the one leading in prayer sometimes just says a few nice words, but has forgotten they are addressing the Lord God Almighty, the Creator of the Universe!

On the other hand, there are some prayers that are well thought through and prayed with heartfelt words like the older gentleman above. So how can we improve our public prayers?

First, remember whom you are addressing. When you are praying in a public service, you are not praying to the congregation. You are praying to the God of the universe. You are praying to the One who deserves all our praise. You might even want to begin your prayer with the lines of the Lord’s Prayer, “Our Father who art in heaven,” or a similar address to the Creator of the world. As you lead in public prayer, you are functioning in a priestly role, bringing the congregation before the Father and connecting with Him.

Do not pray to teach someone something. Some public prayers seem as if the person praying is using that platform to try to tell the congregation something, rather than leading the congregation into the throne room of God. A prayer is not a time to teach a theological truth, though it is definitely a time to give thanks to God for that truth and what it means to us as believers. (And please don’t pray the announcements: “Thank you, God, that we can have a Valentines Banquet for our married couples next Friday at 7 and that we can get free tickets for the event.” Keep the prayer a prayer.)

When you are asked to pray publicly, do some preparing. Musicians practice their music. The pastor probably writes out his sermon. He might practice it out loud. Why would we not prepare, maybe even practice, what we want to say to God in our prayer?

I’m not sure where I got the impression, but when I was younger, I looked down on people who used written prayer. In my mind, you were less spiritual if you didn’t just “pray from your heart.” In my church we never used prayers of old or that others had written. Yet I have learned the value of writing out what I wanted to say. Sometimes I write out the complete prayer, other times I have a point form list to refer to. Taking time to do this means I have put some thought into what I will say.

If we write it out, we will be less likely to forget something we wanted to include. In a pastoral prayer you may want to have a reminder of the various needs of the congregation, including names of individuals needing prayer. In an opening prayer you may want to thank God for something related to the theme of the morning, or of the sermon coming later. It can be a time thank God for being the great and awesome God we have come to worship.

Writing out a prayer can help us avoid some of the annoying habits we get into without realizing it. We can cut down on the “umms” or stop repeating the same phrase. For some reason, a common word I often hear in prayer is “just.” We just want to thank you, we just want to ask you to help, we just…. Our words mean something. Saying “just” trivializes what we are asking God for or thanking him for.

It is a privilege and honour to lead in public prayer. Let’s treat it as the privilege and honour it is to approach our Heavenly Father on behalf of those gathered to worship.

Keep looking up,

Andy Wiebe

Looking Ahead With Clarity Series: Part 2: Where We Are

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We are in the middle of a three part series about looking ahead with clarity. Part 1 was about recognizing where we have come from. I discussed the value of reflecting on how God had used us in the past and what God has been teaching us that may give us a sense of what is next for us. Today I want to suggest looking at the present reality, where we are, and then in part 3 move to where we are going.

When I use my Maps app on my phone, I type in where I want to go, ask for directions, and immediately am asked for “your location.” There is no way of knowing how to get somewhere if I don’t know where I am starting from. We want to look ahead with clarity, so we must be clear about our starting point. We need to ask, “Where am I?”

When I am considering my personal life and goals for this next year, I may evaluate things like my physical health or emotional well-being. If I want to be healthier, I need to be clear on what my reality is right now. If I want to lose twenty pounds, then I need to know how much I weigh right now so I can measure if I am moving toward my goal. A clear and accurate starting point is necessary for us to know if we are making progress toward our goals.

Alberta Einstein has been given credit for the following quote: If I had an hour to solve a problem I’d spend 55 minutes thinking about the problem and 5 minutes thinking about the solution.” While this may seem excessive, too often we want to jump to the solution too quickly. Dreaming about the future is much more appealing than trying to determine an accurate picture of our present reality. Yet, unless we are clear on where we are, we will have a hard time knowing where we are going. If we do not have a clear picture of where we are we will not know how to improve and set good growth goals.

So before you start setting goals, take the “55 minutes” needed to do an accurate reality check. If you want to be better at managing your time, first figure out how much time you allot to different activities in your day. If you want to lose weight, first determine how much you weigh and what the ideal weight for you is. If you are looking to keep growing in your skills, do an assessment of your skills and where you feel you are lacking. Take time for a reality check in the area you are looking to set goals in.

After the reality check, you can begin asking questions of yourself to determine where goals should be set. Here are some questions I’m asking as I look ahead:

  1. How can I improve my health?

Presently, I am overweight. I have less energy than I think I should have. I am eating more than I should. I need to work towards becoming healthier.

2. How can I keep on learning and growing?

Presently, I am reading regularly. I read quite a bit and listen to podcasts. How can I keep growing and developing in my role as a Transition Pastor? I do not want to stagnate as a person and as a pastor.

3. How can I keep growing in my relationship with Jesus?

Presently, I read the Bible just about every morning. I take time to talk with Jesus. Is there something I should change up or add into my life that would help me move closer to Jesus? What format should I use to read through the Bible again this year? My prayer life is better than it has been, but it could still use some improvement. How can I address that?

4. How am I doing financially?

Presently, I have some debt that needs to be cleaned up. I do not like carrying debt other than my mortgage. I spend money quite freely, maybe too freely? I tithe regularly, but should I be more generous this year?

What questions do you need to ask yourself to take an honest look at your reality? You may use some of the questions I ask myself, but I’m sure there are others that are your own questions you are facing. Set aside some time to get your reality clear so that you can set goals with clarity as well.

I’d love to hear how you go about setting goals for yourself. Leave me a comment.

Keep looking up,

Andy Wiebe