Filed under Wisdom …

Mar 28 2012
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Identity, Leadership, Wisdom

Surrounded

“I’m surrounded.”

“We’re surrounded.”

Not words that you typically like to hear, right?  When we are surrounded, words like fear, encircled, and no way out seem flow through our thoughts.  However, there can be a great thing about being surrounded.  I was reminded of this yesterday when I called my brother (@jholbomb) to ask him for some advice in an area that I really wasn’t sure what to do next.  After his, “spot-on” advice, it brought to my mind how great it is to be surrounded….surrounded by people who are much smarter and wiser than I am on any number of subjects.  The reality is this,

You are only as good as who you are surrounded. 

This is true of in our personal and professional lives.  If you are not surrounding yourself with people who are wiser than you, then you will always hit the ceiling when it comes to your growth potential.  Your growth potential is only limited by the limits you set.

Have you asked yourself this question lately, “How teachable am I, really?”  If you find that you have difficult time asking someone for advice or help, because in someway it makes you look weak; your lack of action equates that you are weak.  Teachability doesn’t mean that we are dumb or stupid, it actually means that we are smart enough to realize that we don’t know it all.  The best leaders constantly surround themselves with people who are smarter, wiser, and stronger.

We are all surrounded.  Who is surrounding you?

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Aug 29 2011
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Andy Stanley, Decisions, Direction, Judgement, Principle of the Path, Wisdom

I Judge…So Do You…Let’s Listen

There is a part of all us, I believe, that looks out and reflects on the actions of others.  As Christians, we begin to get uneasy when we say this though, because we want to say that we definitely don’t judge people.  However, I think that if we are all really honest with each other, we are constantly judging or making judgement calls.  Whether we want our kids to hang around other kids, whether or not we want to do business with an individual, or even just looking out someones life-decisions, we make judgment calls.

Is this the right thing to do?  We always bring up the verse in Matthew 7 where it tells us, not to judge or we will be judged.  And so we will talk about individuals and even preface it with, “I’m not judging them, but…”  I once heard someone say that all “but” means is that everything I just said isn’t what I really think and now you will hear what I really believe.

Once again, it goes back to the struggle, is it good for us to make these judgment calls in peoples lives?  It’s a calculating question.  Although we know what Matthew 7 states, we also know that God expects us to make wise decisions, to protect our families, to guard our hearts and character, and even to look at the fruit that is produced in our lives and the lives of others.

I think our main issue is not that we need to worry about making judgment calls; because I believe we all do.  It’s understanding out to react to the judgement calls of others in our own lives.  The problem arrises when we are fine making judgment calls on others actions, but when someone makes a judgement call in our own lives, we find it all to be “unfair”.  We build the walls around us, and are in shock to think that “they” would think or say such a thing.  However, this is the wrong attitude to take.  If we believe that all of us have to or at least do make judgment calls about the way other people live, why not take the information that is given to us and use it to our advantage.

In The Principle of the Path, Andy Stanley highlights this in a great way:

Just about every decision we make becomes other people’s business…At every level, we pass judgement on decisions people make around us make.

His point is this: If our decisions are going to be public anyway, and judged by others, why not bring people into our decision-making process.  Why not hear first-hand what others are already going to talk about anyway.  This then takes being judged out of the equation, and sees what people have to say as insight.  This doesn’t mean we ask everyone’s advice.  It means we find those people who we trust the most; we find those people who we look at their lives and say, “That’s where I want to be in the future, tell me how you got to where you are at.”

Accept judgement calls from those who you respect the most…allow them access to your lives.  And the rest of those that judge; pay them no mind.  The truth is that “you will never reach your full potential without tapping into the wisdom of others.”  Find those that your trust and ask them point blank, “What do you think of this decision.”  Don’t worry, I am sure they will have an opinion for you!

May 14 2011
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#Cat11, Andy Stanley, Catalyst Dallas, Christine Caine, Courage, Craig Groeschel, Donald Miller, Gary Haugen, Leadership, Matt Chandler, Wisdom

Catalyst Dallas #Cat11

Catalyst Dallas was an amazing experience that I continue to wrap my head around.  There was great leadership insight as well as just great teaching.  Wanted to share quickly some of the following that I loved from the conference.  There is definitely more than this collective list, but wanted to share some of them with you.

Andy Stanley

As most of you know, I love Andy Stanley.  I have read pretty much every one of his books and still listen to his podcasts on pretty much any subject.  He is wise, clear, and practical.  Andy talked about 3 faces of courage: 1.  The courage to stay, when it is easier to go, 2.  The courage to leave when you want to leave, 3. The courage to ask for help, when it would be easier to pretend that everything is OK.  Under the last face, Andy reminded us that “Secrets are dangerous and are usually fear related.”  Andy also reminded us that when it comes to fear, “We should only ever fear not knowing if we are in God’s will.”  How true is this?!

Gary Haugen

I love Gary Haugen.  He is the president and CEO of International Justice Mission.  There organization goes across the globe to help stop child sex trafficking.  I have heard him speak before, and he still has the fire, compassion and drive to save those that are enslaved.  Haugen asked this question: “As Christians, is it our goal to seek to be safer or become braver?”  Haugen also stated that, “If we expect to know exactly where we are going, the cost, and whether or not we will succeed, then we are not acting bravely, but are seeking to be safe.”  Courage takes stepping out into the unknown, and believing God will sustain.

Christine Caine

This is the second time I have had the opportunity to hear Christine Caine speak and she hasn’t disappointed.  A few words to describe her is passionate, encouraging, and action-oriented.  Her and her family stated the A21 Campaign which helps end sex trafficking around the world.  Caine asked us the question, “Is the blessed life, the safe life?  The purpose of life is not to end up in a coffin safely.”  Caine is so passionate, but moved to action.  Caine stated that, “Emotion is not compassion; compassion is action.”  Great stuff from Caine…If you ever get a chance to hear her, you must go!

Donald Miller

I absolutely love Donald Miller.  He was in the top 3 of all the speakers we heard.  Miller talked on the story of Joseph in a way that gave fresh perspective on God’s will and path in our lives.  I love this line that he gave us: “Never take control of your life, just take responsibility.”  God is in control, just be responsible wherever God puts you.  Awesome!

Craig Groeschel

Craig is a great communicator.  Love his books and talks every time I get a chance to be apart of them.  Craig gave a great message on how the church’s generations need to work together.  To the older generation, Craig stated that they must not judge, fear or put down the younger generation, but rather believe in them.  To the younger generation, Craig stated that they must show honor and respect to the older generation.  In humility they find responsibility and leadership.  This was a dynamic talk.  Extremely good all the way around.  Great for all generations to hear.

Matt Chandler 

Probably the best talk in my mind, and he didn’t even get to finish it all because of time.  I would have loved to have not taken a break and just kept learning.  Chandler talked on how we disciple people.  His answer: “Preach the gospel continually.”  I love this statement: “Grace driven effort is violent.”  Chandler talked on how we have lost the weight of sing.  There is so much that I could write on this talk…Simply powerful.

Andy Stanley – Last Session

Once again Andy hit a homerun to finish it up.  Some of the principles he spoke on:

  • The less you do, the more you accomplish
  • Do only what you can do
  • Some leaders buy into the myth of being “well-rounded”
  • Leaders forget to distinguish between their authority and their core competencies.  ”Leverage your authority as little as possible.  Make as few decisions as possible.”
  • Your weakness is somebody else’s opportunity.
  • Stress is often related to WHAT you are doing, not HOW MUCH you are doing.
  • Leadership is not primarily about getting things done “right”.  Leadership is about getting things done through other people.
This was a great conference.  So much more that I could write about, and I might later down the road.  I first have to see how to apply these principles to my life, leadership, and roles.
May 10 2011
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Craig Groeschel, Money, Weird, Wisdom

Weird Money

I am continuing in my reading of Craig Groeschel’s most recent book, Weird.  I just recently finished the section on “Money”.  There are so many great insights and teachings in this section that it would take a long time to expound and highlight them all.  However, in one part of this section Groeschel brings out a great point of why wealth doesn’t equal wisdom.  Groeschel states:

Proverbs 21:20 is a great verse to memorize: “In the house of the wise are stores of choice food and oil, but a foolish man devours all he has.”  The wise–not the rich–have more than enough in their house.  They have extra.  According to this verse, it’s a foolish person who lives paycheck to paycheck.  

When “61% of working Americans live paycheck to paycheck”, we need to wonder how much wisdom is around us!  Money can cause us to do some pretty dumb things can’t it?  When we have some, we want to use it.  With well over half of working people in the United States living this way, it would seem like a “normal” problem.  But just because a problem is “normal” doesn’t negate that fact that it is still a problem.

It’s not an income problem.  It’s a lifestyle problem…it’s a spiritual problem.

It’s a choice.  How will you decide to live?  Your answer will affect your life, your families life, and potentially generations to come.  Choose to be wise and a little weird.

Apr 25 2011
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Direction, Growth, Music, Wisdom

“I Fall to Pieces”

Don’t you love that classic song, “I Fall to Pieces”?  It just has that great rhythm and sound that brings you back to old radio listening.  But the problem is that a lot of times the title of that song becomes a reflection of our lives.  We seem to fall to pieces in any number of situations.  Usually when we fall to pieces, we have made decisions in our lives that are negative and we end up reaping the reward of our actions.  How then do we become wise?  How do we stop falling to pieces?

Proverbs 13:20 MSG states,

Become wise by walking with the wise; hang out with fools and watch your life fall to pieces.

There are plenty of ways that the Book of Proverbs directs us to become wise, but I think this might be one great way to start.  Get around people who are wise.  If you see someone who seems to have a wonderful marriage or family relationship, “walk” with them.  Ask them questions about what they have done and learned over the years to get where they are at today.  If you have money issues, “walk” with those who are disciplined and principled in their finances.  Ask them how they save, give, and spend there money.  One way to stoping falling to pieces is “walking with the wise”.  When we do the title of our song will begin to change.

Apr 19 2011
2 Comments
Consequences, Heart, Wisdom

Raging Heart

I absolutely love stuff that has to do with our hearts.  The reason?  I am convinced that our hearts control pretty much every single one of our actions.  Not an easy thing to swallow, is it?  I recently read Proverbs 19:3 NIV as it states,

A person’s own folly leads to their ruin, yet their heart rages against the Lord.

In other words, we make our decisions, don’t like the consequences, and blame God for the outcome.  However, there is more to it than just that.  It is more than blaming God.  It is hardening our hearts with anger and bitterness towards God.  Our hearts either will be open to correction and direction, or we will continue on our path of destruction.  It’s all starts in the heart.

Mar 28 2011
2 Comments
Direction, Hope, Identity, Truth, Wisdom

Complete Identity

There is a great line from the movie, Analyze This where Billy Crystal’s character is asked, “Who are you?”  Crystal answers, “Who I am, WHO I AM, who am I, who am I is a question for the ages.”

What a question?  Who am I?  I am sure that you have been asked that or even thought about that question before.  Most of the time we answer this question with what we do in life.  It is our identity.  We tie ourselves to professions, accomplishments, and even failures.  However, if you are a Christ-follower, your identity is only tied to one thing…one person.

You will never feel complete or content without a life-connecting relationship with Jesus Christ.

When you collide head-long into the arms of Christ, your identity is never in question.  No job change, accomplishment, or failure shakes your understanding of what it means to be a child of God.  When our identity is in Christ, we begin to see the circumstances of life as opportunities for God to work in our lives.  Identity in Christ is the only way ever to remain grounded when we are high on accomplishments, and the only way to remain firm when we seem to hit rock bottom.  Your identity in Christ defines you first and foremost.  This means every decision we make flows through Him.  We must choose to find completeness in His identity alone.

Feb 18 2011
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Direction, Wisdom

>Convinced

>idea
I don’t know about you, but I am convinced about a lot of things.  Not only that, I know that I convince myself things that are not even what’s best.  For example:  I am convinced that eating cookie cake with icing is really not that bad for me.  Following that, I am convinced that sodium is really just a preservative and taste enhancer, so there’s nothing wrong with it.

Although those examples might seem a bit silly, in reality we have a tendency to convince ourselves of a lot of things don’t we?  The problem is when we start to convince ourselves of things that not only hurt our physical bodies, but also our spiritual bodies.  Convincing ourselves of doing the wrong thing should be more difficult shouldn’t it?  We are only human, yet when we become a Christian we become a new creation.  We have been convinced that Christ’s way is the only way.  We like to think that convincing ourselves is a mental struggle, but in reality it is a heart issue.

Every arena of life intersects with what’s going on in our hearts.  ~Andy Stanley


The only thing that we need to convince ourselves, is we need someone greater than ourselves to help make our decisions.  When we are finally convinced that we need God and He wants to help us make wise decisions, the arguments in our heart begin to cease and God’s voice directs our steps.

Action
What are some things that you convince yourself of that you know is not good?

Proverbs 3:5-6 NLT
Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding.  Seek His will in all you do, and He will show you which path to take.

Feb 04 2011
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Behavior, Wisdom

The Words We Choose

>idea
There is something about the words we choose.  Words have the ability elevate our souls so high that we lose ourselves in the clouds.  Oratory can take us so high that it brings us to our knees.  Yet words are not feelings.  Words are what cause the feelings to well-up inside of us.  They make us dream, reach, and dare to connect our thoughts to reality.

When we choose to find within ourselves the words that lift vision and hope to others, we get to see the spark of others ignite as their dreams take a small step towards reality.


I guess the real question for us all is, “What words are we using to encourage the dreams of others?”  What have we said to our spouse, children, friends, etc that blows oxygen to the fire that God has for them?  When we “encourage” others we are literally putting courage in their lives.  Choose your words wisely.  You never know what could stomp out or fuel the fire in others lives.  Choose to elevate.  Choose to help others lose themselves in the clouds.  Dare to give the words that connect dreams to reality.

Action
Write intentional words of encouragement to your spouse.

Proverbs 10:11 MSG
The mouth of a good person is deep, life-giving well

Jan 17 2011
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Grace, Wisdom

>Show Wisdom

>idea
I recently heard T.D. Jakes say, “I know a lot of smart people who are not wise.”  This statement hit me, because it is so true.  Smarts don’t equal wisdom.  Knowledge doesn’t equal wisdom.  Wisdom can only come from God.  But more importantly perhaps is why God gives us wisdom.  Wisdom comes from God only through his grace.  We do not deserve the wisdom and insights that God gives us.  I use to think that God gave wisdom to merely help guide and direct our lives.  Although this is part of wisdom, I found personally that sometimes when God enlightens us with his wisdom, it becomes increasingly easy to judge those who have not or do not practice God’s wisdom.  But I have found this to be true,

God doesn’t give us wisdom to judge others, but rather out of His mercy and grace He gives us wisdom to show grace to others.  


Wisdom is not prideful.  It doesn’t boast in knowledge.  Wisdom puts into practice the extension of God’s grace in our lives.  It shows others the grace that we have been given.  Wisdom is merely the humbling of ourselves to God and others.  Perhaps the greatest form of wisdom is granting to others what they have not come to realize: That all of life is accomplished and built on something we can’t achieve ourselves…grace that comes from an All-Mighty God.

Action
What wisdom has God given you that you can show others?
How does wisdom and grace interact in your life?

Proverbs 24:14 NCV
In the same way, wisdom is pleasing to you.  If you find it, you have hope for the future, and your wishes will come true.

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