Failure Is Not Fatal (Thoughts From Catalyst)

I really enjoy reading Seth Godin. I’ve written about him before. If you remember, Seth is not a professing believer and his audience is not necessarily the church, but anyone who likes big ideas and challenging leadership principles.

It was a privilege to get to hear him speak at this year’s Catalyst conference. It made me ready to read his latest book, Linchpin, even more. Here’s one (of the many ideas) Seth discussed at the conference.

The first time you bake cupcakes, you follow the recipe. And the cupcakes are good.

The second time, you get better at following the recipe and they turn out really good.

The third time, you might improvise and screw up.

Learning your lesson, you will follow the recipe again and again as closely as you can.

At this point, by the fifth or sixth time, some people improvise successfully and actually learn to bake. In the process they learn this: cupcake failure is not fatal.

That seems so elementary. Of course nothing really bad happens if you try something new but fail on a batch of cupcakes. But in today’s world, leaders can become paralyzed due to fear of failure or more so, as Seth wrote about in his book Tribes, the fear of criticism. That in itself can cause us to stop baking altogether instead of whipping up another batch of cupcakes.

Fear of failure or criticism can keep us from moving forward. We think we’ll get in trouble or replaced if we mess up. But the irony of it is we won’t do anything, which will…get us in trouble or replaced.

The question to ask yourself in these moments is this:

Which is worse: I do something and fail or I do absolutely nothing at all?

99.999% of the time the second option is much worse.

Here’s the thing (and I’m talking to myself here): we have a great responsibility. Eternity is in the balance. Souls are at stake. But it’s not up to us to save them. That falls on the Holy Spirit. We just have to be obedient. So when you fail, take what you learned from that attempt and improve on the next one. Be prepared to fail in order to succeed. Thomas Edison has been credited with this quote:

“I have not failed 10,000 times. I have successfully found 10,000 ways that will not work.”

The only real failure is doing nothing at all.

Know Who You Are (Thoughts From Catalyst)

At  Catalyst, we were fortunate to hear Beth Moore speak. Now, I’ll be honest: I’ve never read Beth Moore or even heard her speak on television. I didn’t really know anything about her except that she writes a lot of books for women and they seem to like her. But I was pretty skeptical about what she was going to share that would apply to me. Boy, was I surprised. Her talk was definitely a highlight for me. God used her to speak to me on fear and insecurity.

There’s so much I could write about from her talk (and I’ll probably write more later) but the one thing I want to hit on now from her talk that made an impact on me was this:

“Know who you are and know who you are not. Know who you want to be when all is said and done.”

1. Know who you are

Know what you stand for and that God created you for a purpose. He has a calling for you and filled with you with the potential to fullfil that mission for your life. Through Him, it’s all possible (Philippines 4:13).

2. Know who you are not

I’m bad for trying to measure up to other people. I’m sure I’m the only one that does that but I try to emulate what others are doing in their walk with Christ. I hear about people who can pray for an hour, I try to do that. Others say you should journal everyday, I try that. Meanwhile, I have not just talked with God about how He wants to converse with me. I’m starting to figure out that a very important part of our walk with Christ is knowing who He has created us not to be. We can usually accomplish more and be more effective by doing less.

I’m not called to walk with Christ like someone else, I’m called to have a personal relationship with Him. He created me. He knows how I’m wired so I need to be me and not someone else.

3. Know who you want to be when all is said and done

It’s like a roadtrip. It takes turn after turn to get to the final destination. You can’t get from Martinsville to Miami without following directions and making multiple turns. And each turn leads to the next. That’s what following Christ is all about: following His directions to a final destination. And the trip goes much smoother when we follow the directions as they are laid out. The directions don’t always keep you from traffic jams or rough roads, but they will lead you where you want to go if you follow them. It’s when we miss a turn or follow our own hunches that things start to get tricky.

The legacy we leave is determined now. The decisions we make now are writing our story, good or bad. And it’s important that we decide how we want the ending to be ahead of time and make decisions  today that will get us to that destination.

Evaluation (Thoughts From Catalyst)

Daniel Pink, a business leader and author, spoke on Thursday about motivation. And he gave some great insight to what drives us or gives us the passion to keep going.

Most of his talk was geared toward the business world but I believe his thoughts can apply to the church as an organization and certainly helps us create our staff culture at CrossPoint. There’s so much good stuff from his talk that I still need to process and work through. And I’m eager to read his book Drive.

But there was one thought I want to work through: I believe evaluation breeds excellence. And Daniel wrapped up his talk with this idea:

“At the end of the day, ask yourself this: ‘was I better today than yesterday?’ When the answer is yes, you can celebrate your accomplishment and roll that momentum into tomorrow. When the answer is no, it gives you a drive to get up in the morning and have a better tomorrow.”

Have you ever asked yourself that? What are you doing today to improve, little by little, over yesterday? What will you read today? What prayers will you pray? Who will you meet? What conversations will you have? What will you practice that will allow you to improve on yesterday’s achievements or failures?

Start asking yourself this question at the end of your day and I believe it will jump start your personal growth in your job, with your family and, most of all, your walk with Christ.

Appetites (Thoughts From Catalyst)

Last week, the CrossPoint staff attended the Catalyst Conference in Atlanta. It’s an annual conference where more than 12,000 leaders come together for 2 days to hear some of the best leaders speak. There’s so much to process and I’m still going over my notes and even purchased audio of the talks so I can listen again to catch the things I missed the first time.

But over the next few days, I’ll be sharing some of the quotes/thoughts that I’ve been wrestling with since the conference.

The first thought that really stuck with me was from the first session with Andy Stanley. Andy, referencing the story of Jacob and Esau from Genesis 25,talked about appetites that can never be satisfied. Those he listed were:

• Progress
• Responsibility
• Respect
• Win
• Growth
• Fame
• Achievement
• To Be Envied

Andy talked about some or all of these desires can control leaders. These desires are natural and God-created but sin distorted them. Let’s face it: we’re human, so once sin entered the picture we crave these because we’re always looking for the bigger and better.

But what really stuck with me was this idea:

“We’d all sale our birthright for the right bowl of stew. What’s your ‘bowl of stew’?”

Andy’s challenge to all of us:

1. Reframe – Look at it from God’s viewpoint and in light of what He’s called you to do. Ask: “Ten years from now, I want to be…” Let that guide your decision-making now.

2. Refrain -Do what’s wise and control your desires. Don’t let them control you.

Motivation

Great quote from John Maxwell:

“The whole idea of motivation is a trap. Forget motivation. Just do it. Exercise, lose weight, whatever. Do it without motivation. And then, guess what? After you start doing the thing, that’s when the motivation comes and makes it easy for you to keep on doing it.”

So true! If motivation came natural, we wouldn’t become overweight, or in debt, or spiritually cold.

What are you putting off for when you feel “motivated”? Start it today and motivation will come.

Run Your Race

I went on the elliptical this morning. About 5 minutes into it, I was tired. Not sure why, but I had this moment’s thought: “let’s try again tomorrow”. I was faced with a moment that I could quit or keep going. I kept going.

The hardest part of exercising (and life) is not starting or finishing. It’s the time in between the two.

Endurance is a tough thing. Pastor Carl gave a message on endurance. The definition he gave for endurance was “crashing through the quitting points”. I was faced with a quitting point this morning. Was it a big deal if I cut out on my workout? In the scheme of things probably not. I very well could have picked it up tomorrow and been ok.

But the other side of it is that it makes it a little easier to quit next time the going gets tough.

Our Christian walk can be the same. This is why next steps are so important. Some are big steps while others are small. Regardless, if you’re taking another step you’re moving forward.

Our model for this is Jesus. He had every reason to quit before the cross. The crowds had abandoned him. Most of his disciples were no where to be found. He had done nothing wrong, yet he faced the cross for one reason: you.

Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.

Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. (Hebrews 12:1-2 NIV)

When the going gets tough, and believe me I know it can, keep going. When it looks like there’s no answer. Don’t quit. When you’re tired, push through. The problem or failure you’re at right now is just a hurdle, not the finish line. Run your race and finish strong.

It’s better to inch your way toward the right finish line than to finish first place in the wrong race. Stay focused. – Steven Furtick

Rhythm of Life Part 3

In what will be my last post on this subject (at least for this week), I want to write about what I’m learning to be a practical way to have a sabbath.

First of all: it’s not about legalism.  I do not want to be misunderstood.  This is personal between me and God.  I simply want to put this out there and ask that you get personal with God and see how He directs you about it.

Second: it’s not about being lazy.  Having a sabbath is never about getting out of work or an excuse to lay around all day.  For me, I equate it to financial giving.  When I give 10% back to God, I’m trusting Him to meet my needs with the 90%.  The very same can be said with our time.  If I give a period of time to God, I’m trusting He will help make the rest of the week productive.  Our entire seven day week belongs to Him already.  He grants us the time, we shouldn’t be so quick to fill up every available moment with work and activities. I go hard for 5 days, then give a day to Him away from work.  This can be family fun time or used for personal study/reflection.  Each week could be a little different.  The main thing is that you’re doing something away from work that will allow you to rest from the stresses and burdens of work.

Thirdly: The specific day or period of time doesn’t really matter. For me, Sunday is a work day.  So I can’t really take a sabbath on Sunday.  For the summer, I have chosen to use Friday.   Sheridan is no longer in pre-school this summer so I will devote each Friday to daddy-daughter days.  I will disconnect from computers and my phone to just have time with her.  I’m realizing how quickly she’s growing up and want to be proactive about our time together.  So we’re going to have a fun summer of Fridays together.

For some, you may not be able to take a whole day.  Start out with an afternoon.  Take a nap, ride a bicycle, or just play with your children.  Things that will relieve the stresses that come from your work life.  It will make you feel better and I believe God will honor you giving your time.

In Choosing to Cheat, Andy Stanley says, when it comes to our work life and family life, we all will cheat somewhere.  In work life, there are many others that can do your job, but you are the only one who can fill your responsibility at home.  This woke me up to the reality that taking a sabbath is so important for my family and for me.

Again, I just challenge you to seek God about this in your life.  It may be drastically different for you.  Whatever He says, just be obedient.

“Next Step” After Graduation

Last night, we attended Sheridan’s pre-school graduation program.  She did a fantastic job.  Sheridan is definitely an extrovert who loves being on stage to sing and dance in front of people.  She does not take after her dad (which I believe is a good thing).  She said her Bible verse very well (Romans 3:23) and sang at the top of her lungs in each song.  It was a proud day for me as a father but also a little sad since this means she’s growing up.  Next is elementary school in the fall.  Sheridan is very excited about going to a new school.

While pondering this last night, the Holy Spirit spoke to me.  Elementary school is a “next step” for Sheridan.  And she’s excited about taking it!  But there are Christians who haven’t taken their next step in their Christian walk due to fear, complacency, or just laziness.  What if we allowed Sheridan to continue attending pre-school year after year?  She would never be stretched or grow in knowledge and wisdom.  She would remain at the pre-school level as the years go by.  Sadly in our local churches we have people who met Christ decades ago but remain spiritual pre-schoolers.

If that’s you, I have great news!  If the Holy Spirit is leading you in a next step (baptism, regular giving, having a daily quiet time, serving in the local church, discipleship of a new believer, etc., etc.) God has already worked it out.  When you actually receive that, it makes taking that step a little easier.  Sure there may be some work involved and you might mess it up at first, but if He’s calling you to it, then He will take responsibility for the outcome.  Charles Stanley says this: God takes full responsibility for the live fully devoted to Him. And that’s so cool! That’s where I want to be: in the will of God.  It’s definitely not always comfortable or safe, but it is no longer about me trying to achieve, it’s about what God has already worked out.  And that’s my prayer for you.

You already know what God is calling you to do.  Take that next step and trust in His promises to take care of the result.