I stopped putting so much stock in who follows me.

Stats are good. Don’t get me wrong. They indicate a connection to your target market. But they are a double-edged sword. They also distract from what’s REALLY important (read John 15.4-8 and you’ll understand what I’m talking about).

I started putting much more stock in Who I follow.

God is the one Who calls the shots. Unless I’m undeniably, unabashedly, unwaveringly connected to Him on a daily and consistently-deeper way, I will miss the mark. In fact, the closer I get to Him, the less it is about me anyway.

How’s your new stat?

I heard a quote by William Barclay the other day. It was in a commentary on the book of John. I thought of you who diligently serve Christ in ministry leadership and wanted to share it with you as an encouragement:

“What God did for Jesus, God does for every man. When God sends us out upon a road, He does not send us out without directions and without guidance. When God gives us a task, He does not leave us to do it in the lonely weakness of our own strength. God is not a silent God, and ever and again, when the strain of life is too much for us, when the effort of God’s way is beyond our human resources, if we listen we will hear Him speak, and we will go on with His voice ringing in our ears, and His strength surging through our frame.”

…His strength surging. It’s how God rolls.

THAT’S a picture of serving strong, wouldn’t you agree?

How’s your faith in God these days? Do you realize how important your faith is to serving strong in ministry leadership?  My friend, Kevin Martineau posted an excellent piece last week called, “The Problem Is With Us, Not With God.” In that post, there were 6 sentences that stuck out to me and renewed my faith in the God that calls me.

Below is an excerpt from Kevin’s post. I trust this 6-sentence meditation does the same for your faith as it did mine. So, grab a cup of hot coffee and slowly reflect on each sentence. Allow God’s Spirit to settle down beside you and embrace you with his awesome capability.

Ephesians 3.20-21

1) He is able – that is, there is nothing that God cannot do.  

2) He is able to do – that is, God is not idle or asleep, but active in our lives.  

3) He is able to do immeasurably more – that is, His expectations are higher than our requests.

4) He is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask – that is, He listens to our prayers.

5) He is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine – that is, God reads our thoughts.

6) He is able to do this according to His power that is at work within us – that is, God does all this through the power that is already in us.

Let me ask again, how’s your faith in God these days?

Every once in a while in history, God raises up incredible mentors for the rest of us. These mentors show us what it looks like to serve strong in ministry. I call these “silent mentors” because, although they impact my life in a profound way, they will never know it this side of heaven.

One such silent mentor of mine is Jim Elliot*. If you respect Jim Elliot as much as I do, you will appreciate some of his quotes:

“God always gives His best to those who leave the choice with him.”

“He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose.”

“Most laws condemn the soul and pronounce sentence. The result of the law of my God is perfect. It condemns but forgives. It restores – more than abundantly – what it takes away.”

“Live to the hilt of every situation you believe to be the will of God.” (what a definition of “burn”!)

Which of these quotes speaks to you today? Do you have one to add?

*If you don’t know about Jim Elliot, you need to watch this video:

I hear a frequent comment from pastors I know. It goes something like this:

“I have to admit that when I read personally that it is hard to not say – ‘hmm, this passage will really preach!’ I struggle with that at times…”

Big problems result when sermon prep squeezes out time alone with God. Fellowship with Christ suffers. The Bible morphs into a mere ”idea book” for the delivery of a product to a defined audience. Meanwhile, the Pastor’s spirit withers on the vine. This is just the environment burnout feeds on.

Pastor: We need to hear from you. Here are a couple questions:

1) Do you struggle with this? If so, how frequently?

2) How do you keep personal one-on-one time with God from turning into sermon prep?

3) Is personal study and sermon prep an either/or proposition or both/and?

I am on the board of a church that is embarking on a journey into deep discipleship. We recognize that it’s a big vision. We firmly believe, however, God is leading us to be a place where people not only reconnect with Christ, but grow in relationship with Him.

As a result, I am reflecting on my own spiritual journey. I think about the times I’ve grown closer to Christ. I think about the times I’ve drifted away from Him. I certainly want the best relationship I can have with Christ. But there are certain barriers (boulders, if you will) that keep standing in my way. Here are the 3 most prevalent to me:

Success. I feel good when I get a win. It lifts my spirit. I celebrate. But, for me, these are times I forget about God. Maybe it’s because I rely on my own strength. I begin thinking I may have what it takes to be successful after all. That’s Boulder #1.

Freedom. I was born into a free country and raised in a Christian home. I am free to choose where I live, what I do for a living, what I watch on TV, what I eat for lunch, etc. But without an accountability network, this “freedom” shackles me. I need boundaries. Without them, I run the risk of going too far in my freedom and stunting my relationship with Christ. Boulder #2.

Distraction. Choices face me everyday. Choices in the pages on the Internet, products on grocery shelves, TV channels, iPod apps, books at Barnes & Noble, items on restaurant menus, etc. Choices mean distraction. Distraction keeps my mind so occupied I reach the end of the day wondering what I really ever did to cultivate my relationship with Christ. Boulder #3.

A dynamic walk with Christ is a dance; an art form. The boulders don’t care that I desire a deep relationship with Christ. They face me when I wake and are there with me all day long. I must daily dash around the boulders that seek to stunt my personal spiritual growth. One could call this a ”Boulder Dash“.

What boulders are unique to your spiritual journey? For example, do you find it difficult to study scripture just for your personal growth without thinking how it will preach to the congregation next Sunday? I’m interested in your thoughts.