The Bogeyman.  “…an amorphous imaginary…monster [which] has no specific appearance, and conceptions about it can vary drastically from household to household within the same community; in many cases, he has no set appearance in the mind of a child, but is simply a non-specific embodiment of terror.” (source)

Today, your mind has the incredible capacity for imagining the most creative and productive ways to perform in your ministry leadership role. Ways that can dramatically advance the Kingdom of Jesus Christ without burning you out in the process. God gives the greatest ideas to the most open-minded and humble. It’s a tremendous partnership.

But there lingers in the shadows an enemy – the Bogeyman, waiting to devour any good thoughts you may have. It insidiously holds your mind captive to what CAN’T happen; what God CAN’T do; what disaster WILL take place. Here, then, are some ideas for fighting back:

SLAYING

1) Recognize the battle for what it is. Ephesians 6.12 reminds us that this isn’t a battle we’ll soon forget. It’s an epic struggle between good and evil. It’s for keeps. And every battle seems to begin in the mind.

2) Take every thought captive. 2 Corinthians 10.5 reminds us we are in charge of our thoughts. We make them obedient to Christ. We don’t wait for them to behave. We don’t plead with them and beg them to obey. We take them captive like we are victorious.

3) Never Fight Alone. Proverbs 27.17 reminds us of the dynamic of community. We do not succeed in this life on our own. We need a band of close relationships to watch our back while we watch theirs.

4) _________ What could be a 4th way to slay the Bogeyman?

I am honored to share this guest post by Steve Gunno dealing with pet peeves (which eat away at our ability to serve strong). Steve is pastor of The Cadence Church in Morgantown, West Virginia. He’s got a passion for lost souls, which I highly admire. He’s in the trenches doing ministry. He’s one of my heroes. You can check out his blog at http://stevegunno.blogspot.com/

“Pet peeve”

An Odd Thing. A “pet” is that little furry thing you bring home from the pound. It goes on walks with you, makes tossing a stick in the yard a satisfying experience, sleeps on the couch when you’re not looking. A pet is a critter you invite to be part of your life. A “peeve” is something that irritates or disturbs you: fingerprints on the computer screen, dirty dishes on the coffee table, people not grasping the meaning of “fast lane.”  Put these terms together and you’ve got an irritating something-or-other you take home to live with you. A pet peeve is an odd thing.

A Violated Ordinance. The dictionary reminds us a pet peeve is a personal annoyance. One person might not be annoyed by used chewing gum in the otherwise pointless car ashtray, but the thought of dislodging yet another crusty glob sends someone else into fury. Most of us have a list of our pet peeves filed away in our mind, complete with mental videos documenting the proper punishment for transgressors. Much like a pet is a personal animal, these peeves are personal ordinances which others violate at their own peril.

A Caring Owner. Caring for a pet is a part-time job: the feeding, the walks, the…um, scooping. It might not dominate our days, but it eats away at the edges. When it curls up on your lap and sleeps, though, it’s all worth it. Caring for our domesticated peeves eats away at the edges of our mind: the score-keeping, the raging Facebook posts, the crafting of perfect passive-aggressive responses. At the end of the day, peeves don’t fetch your slippers–they just leave you boiling.

A New Perspective. Given the sad return on peeve care, here’s a crazy thought: why don’t we chase those peeves out of our proverbial yard? After all, no real benefit comes from the self-righteous anger we wallow in as we reload the copier’s empty paper tray. To everyone else, our tirades look trite. It obviously didn’t matter to them. Isn’t it a bit selfish to assign everyone in our lives the responsibility of memorizing our custom list of annoyances? Sure, everyone has them, but what if we let people off the hook? Yes, people might not know every moment you gave grace to them, but they will benefit from life with a more gracious you.

A Freeing Release. Before we pour the kibbles for our irritating varmints, maybe we should consider what Jesus did. In a culture where foot travel resulted in funky feet, a servant would wash the nasty soles of guests at the door. But Jesus picked up a towel and provided this service to his friends. This was not fun for him. He put others before his personal comfort and preferences, and challenged us to do the same. Might we start by dropping a few peeves at the pound?

What are some pet peeves people love to keep close?

I remember it well. I was serving as a full-time youth and music minister back in the 1980′s (yes, I started when I was 5!) – the era when choruses were making their debut in a lot of churches. We started adding choruses to our Sunday worship sets which meant less hymn singing. Not only that, we started using an overhead machine that projected the lyrics up on the wall on a screen that covered the cross on the wall behind the platform.

2005 March - James Portrait

You can imagine the outcry.

“Where are the hymnals?!” “Why are we singing these shallow songs?!” “WHERE’S THE CROSS?!?”

All that was manageable because the lead pastor and I had a vision and felt it was the right direction to take the congregation (which ultimately turned out to be the case). What took more time to learn to manage was one person in particular (we have reconciled through the passing of time and the grace of God, so this post is more about lifting up God than bashing this person). I’ll call him Frank. That’s not his/her name. I just want to respect him/her.

Frank had perfect timing. Usually just before the worship time would start, there he’d be – in my face. He didn’t wait to schedule a conference for a Tuesday afternoon. No, Frank was up in my grill as I was walking up the aisle to the platform to start leading worship to an Almighty God.

Frank had just the right words. He said things like, “I don’t like you.” “We are going in the wrong direction.” “Why are you doing this to us?” “I can’t worship as long as you’re on the platform.” “I’m going to talk to the board about you.”

Although this went on for a few years, Frank always had little impact on the influencers of the church. His complains were largely tolerated but made little difference to where the church was going. Nevertheless, I was being slayed  personally Sunday after Sunday. I tried to consider the source. But the insults still cut deep.

Looking back, I learned a couple things. Perhaps as you read them, they will give you hope as you serve God in your calling:

1) Vision is powerful. If you are doing what God wants you to do, there will be beautiful confirmation and  there will be tremendous resistance. Invite God into both. Cherish the confirmations. Surrender the resistance.

2) Pain is still pain. It doesn’t matter if you are serving in a full time ministry capacity or making widgets on an assembly line. We are human. We feel pain. Never deny it. ”Pain + Resistance = Suffering”. There is nothing right or wrong about feelings. When we get hurt, we hurt. Acknowledge the pain and move through it under the direction and strengthening of God – and process it with your accountability network (you DO have an accountability network, don’t you?).

3) Battles are for choosing. Not everything is worth dying for. Sure, some resistance may be a hint you are going off the deep end (but that’s what your accountability network is for – you DO have an accountability network, don’t you?). So choose your battles. Fight for what you know is right. Let petty complains melt into the grace waters that flow under the bridge.

Frank turned out to be one of the best things to happen to me in ministry leadership. I didn’t sense it then (good grief, I wanted to eliminate him at the time). But looking back, I learned a lot from Frank. I learned to avoid burnout by leaning heavy on the God who kept telling me to go back to church and lead worship, regardless.

Do you have a “Frank” in your ministry? How do you deal with him/her?

This past Tuesday, the 213th issue of the Serving Strong PowerMail went out. In response, one of the subscribers shared a note with his accountability group [you have an accountability group, don't you??] and copied me. It was so good, I had to share it with you because it gets to the essence of serving strong in ministry leadership.

Friends,

I treasure all of you as my near and dear family in Faith,  and thank you all for praying me through the rough 24 hrs of fear and faithlessness that I just experienced.  Your support, your prayers, and especially His Word has lifted me to higher ground. 

Because you so actively supported me these last few days, I had to share this [issue] from Serving Strong from today… especially follow the link that Scott has in there about dependence.  “Be desperate and carry a Big Faith” When I read the link he has posted inside this message…it made me smile from ear to ear.  I am believing that Christ allowed the 24 hour assault I just went through just to get me to a place of desperation, so I would escape with the Bigger Faith that’s required to carry out His plan.  If nothing else, I obviously needed an elevation in my Faith so it can match up closer to “the plans He has in store”.  

I hope this encourages you as it has me, and if nothing else, I just wanted to say thanks for being there with me.

Blessings

Key phrase: “Get me to a place of desperation, so I would escape with bigger faith that’s required to carry out His plan.”

Have you ever been blessed by fear? If so, what have you learned in the process?

I just finished reading a blog post by my new friend, Bill Grandi (aka the CycleGuy). His post title is “Not Just A Number.” You can check out Bill’s entire blog here.

This post got me thinking as I anticipate, what we in America call, Thanksgiving. This time of year I reflect on things for which I am grateful. As my children are now coming home from college, the things that I am grateful for today are much different than when they were toddlers. Being 45, I am thinking more about significance and less about success. I think about simple things like putting up the Christmas tree with my grown children and beautiful wife.

What does CycleGuy’s post and Thanksgiving have in common? Well, Bill highlights the omniscience of God – how God knows all things and how no one falls through the cracks. It reminds me of the scripture:

Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground outside your Father’s care. And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. So don’t be afraid: you are worth more than many sparrows.  Matthew 10.29-31

“…even the very hairs of your head are all numbered.” Wow! That’s amazing. Have you ever attempted to count how many hairs you have? I know it seems strange for a bald guy to write a post like this, but don’t you get the picture? You matter to God. Let me say it again…

You matter to God

So, the next time you are tempted to think thoughts of despair or defeat or self-pity, remember: God sees you as worthy. Don’t let the enemy make you think any different. Serving strong means serving with confidence that God knows and loves you.

For THAT…. I am most grateful.

What are you grateful for these days?

Spam folders – as common on the technological landscape as grass on a summer meadow in Ohio. We all have these folders. I try to keep mine from growing out of control. Periodically I'll empty the folder.

This morning I just checked my spam folder and one in particular caught my eye. The subject line read,

"I s*elling rolex]es. do you wan$t one? ch]eap nq"

No kidding. I believe what they were trying to say was "I'm selling rolexes. Do you want one cheap?"The extra breaks in the phrase were no doubt an attempt to fly under the spam filter's radar screen. No such luck. Sorry, pal. Spam filter caught you and put you in your place (technological purgatory) until I decide when to flush you down the eToilet forever.

Spam email attempts to sell us something we don't want. It's a nuisance. And the attempts are relentless. Same is true of negative self talk. Think about it for a moment. What are some of the messages do you send yourself all day long?

"I'm no good."

"I won't be able to give up that habit no matter how long I try."

"This circumstance is too difficult to be resolved."

"I'll never reconcile with that person."

"This is going to be a bad day, I can sense it."

"Yeah, you succeeded. But it was just dumb luck. Don't count on it again."

The list goes on and on. Take it from someone who experiences this personally. I have negative self talk going on in my head all the time. I think of this sort of talk as a form of spam coming relentlessly at me. I believe it's part of the human condition as a result of the great Fall of man (thanks Adam).

So the question is: What's our spam filter? How we choose to deal with this negative self talk will have a profound impact on our ability to serve the span of care to which God has called us. If you're down on yourself, for example, you are that much less able to help another person who is down on THEMSELVES. Better to develop a spam filtering technique. That way, even though you can identify with the person who is down on themselves, you can show THEM how THEY can develop their own spam filter. So how do we develop this spam ability?

FIRST STEP

The first step in any sort of spam filter against negative self talk is to get soaking in God's Word. Start with Proverbs. There are 31 of them. That's a Proverb a day for a month. Try the praise Psalms. However you do it, fill your mind with God's perspective.

Your ability to keep yourself from "selling yourself a cheap Rolex" will help you minister to others. Develop your own personal spam filter against negative self talk and you'll be Serving Strong!