my girls

DSC_6186-2, originally uploaded by kab_live.

i'm just lucky i guess

DSC_4574-2, originally uploaded by kab_live.

love these girls! just wanted to share. i'll get back to the leadership series later this week.

leadership identity

You can't teach a frog to fly.

I really believe that the BEST thing a leader can do is get comfortable in their own skin - and lead out of who they are.

Who You Are is made up of a lot of things…it includes your strengths and your weaknesses; and for Christians the “Old Self” and the “New Self, led by the Spirit”.
**Both your nature and your nurture are at work in you, and so is your spiritual transformation.

Leadership gurus have debated over the years about how much effort should be given to improving weaknesses. Some push for well roundedness, others for specialists who focus on only on their strengths.

I think you are most valuable where you add most value, so I try to spend my efforts doing the things that I believe I am stronger in…and maybe even gifted in. This isn't a far cry from the NT teachings on spiritual gifting. Look to:

-1 Corinthians 12

-Ephesians 4

-1 Peter 4

-Romans 12

In each of these there are 3 common themes. 1) There is intended diversity in the way people serve and lead, because 2) God designed people, and He did so that 3) Needs would be met as our diversity leads to our unity and maturity.

Check out my own translation of Romans 12:6-8, "Since we have different gifts, let’s go ahead and be who we are, without trying to be something we’re not – if you preach, preach God’s word; if you’re a serve, serve; teach so that learning happens; encouragers encourage; givers be generous; leaders lead well, and those who show mercy and compassion, do just that & with the right attitude."
--
About 10 years ago, I read a book that set the tone for the way I lead, interact, and build teams. George Barna, in his book The Second Coming of the Church, prescribes that there are 4 styles of leaders. Visionaries see things that should-be and could-be; Strategists understand systems and can chart ways to accomplish a vision; Operational Leaders are great at managing people, resources, and details to completion of a task or goal; and Relational (team building) Leaders understand people, know how and when to communicate so that people will buy-in to an idea. *Which do you think is mostly you?

Simply determining your strengths and your style of leadership doesn't make you a good leader; but owning and practicing that leadership identity puts you on the path to being a great leader!

What’s Your Leadership Discipline?
{I read this somewhere sometime} If you want to be a better golfer what do you do? Practice. How about if you want to be a better musician? Practice. If you want to be a better leader, what do you do? You get the picture. So what’s your daily leadership practice?

A leadership discipline is a behavior that you choose to intentionally practice every day. Here are some tips for creating your leadership disciplines:
1) Keep it Simple. (something that is measurable and achievable)

2) Make it Stretchy. (something that helps you to grow)

3) Make it Fun. (something you enjoy and look forward to)

**As an example, here are my current leadership disciplines:

1) Collaborate with someone, on something, every day. (simple)

2) Evaluate something for effectiveness, clarity, creativity, etc, every day. (stretchy)

3) Invest in another leader, every day. (fun)

REpost: leadership

I'm doing some leadership development with our staff and leaders...and in prepping I went back and read through this article I wrote in 2008. I'm reposting it now to kick-off a 4-part blog series on leadership.

Certain skills are valuable to all good leaders. I am finding it very difficult to place the following list in an order of importance, though, I might consider them in two groups: 1), of primary importance and 2), of secondary importance.

Primary, or inward skills: Self-Awareness, Discernment, Courage, Loyalty, Integrity

Secondary, or outward skills: People skills, Listening skills, Communication skills, Management skills (including delegation), Initiative (including forward-thinking)

Good leadership is the discipline of building intentional relationships to help guide and enable people to participate in a vision, mission, or goal. People will join a leader because he displays love, humility, authenticity, competency, and self-control. For this reason, leadership must be an action-oriented, interpersonal influencing process. In essence, leadership involves vision and personal initiative. Jesus, who perfectly modeled loving, authentic, relational leadership, did more than just teach these characteristics. He communicated these characteristics through the actions of his life and leadership. One of my favorite leadership quotes has been “We must be the change we envision”; and it is this participation that allows people to truly join and follow a leader, rather than simply submit to his words.

I highly value a self-differentiating-team style of leadership; and I believe that small strategic teams can multiply participation in effective processes. In this model, people are released to reach towards their potential, and together they make something greater than any one of them could have made on their own. In the church, there is strength in dependence as we co-depend on God’s people and ultimately we depend on God. (And not to get way off of track, but, in a way, this mimics a social, or economic, view of the trinity. As Christians, we embrace and celebrate three equal and distinct functional expressions of God’s identity. All divine activity occurs through the cooperation of the three Trinitarian members; and the members express the excellence of the whole one God. Each part of the Trinity fulfills a role within a single, divine program.)

It is true, that there is strength in numbers and that one stick can easily break, but a bundle of sticks cannot be broken. I believe that more success can be experienced when leaders focus on their strengths and depend on strategic teams to accomplish more. Some years ago, I read The Second Coming of the Church, by George Barna, on which I have based much of my leadership philosophy. He asserts that there are four necessary types of leaders in a good leadership team construct. Visionary leaders see the big picture. They dream dreams, tell stories, and inspire people. Strategic leaders know how to put a vision into action. They know where they are going and can determine how best to get there. Operational leaders get things done. They are organized, administrative, and task-oriented. Relational leaders are team builders. They bring cohesion between goals and people; they are often the “glue” that holds the organization together.

Some people are born with leadership traits, but real leaders are developed. I believe that people can work-hard-to-get-better at anything; but one’s weaknesses will never become their strengths. Leaders will be most efficient in areas in which they are most competent. By strategically building teams with balanced leadership styles and skills, I believe that more can be accomplished, and more can be accomplished better. Good leaders are those who are always learning and always developing. In effective leadership, one must never grow stagnant, but instead they must continue to evaluate themselves and their processes, sharpen their skills, and make changes when necessary. Good leaders will always become better leaders when they share leadership, lead by example, and genuinely connect with the people that they are leading.

notes from 1 Corinthians 1:26-31

Letter from Paul to the Corinthian church (counter-cultural to readers – and to us)

The audience: THESE ORIGINAL READERS = mostly new Christians
-Their early excitement muted by selfish attitudes and actions
1) They understood GOD FORGIVES SIN {but they} used it as an excuse
2) Within the church = arguments, choosing sides, competing for power
THEIR ATTENTION HAD TURNED FROM GLORIFYING GOD TO GLORIFYING
THEMSELVES, AND B/C OF THIS, THEY WERE NOT OPEN TO THE
TRANSFORMATION THAT GOD WANTED IN THEM AND AROUND THEM.

Paul describes them in Romans 1 this way: that “by pretending to be wise – they became fools, they were trading the greatness and glory of God for much less – for cheap junk”.

I might say: “They had God…but they tried to pretend like they were bigger than Him – and so they really weren’t experiencing what it was to be God’s.”

-I THINK: they wanted what they didn’t have (what seemed "normal"– what their culture said was important. And so they began to even deceive themselves in some sort of false pride. And Paul confronts this:

1 Corinthians 1:26-31: There’s a perspective-thing at work here = they/I don’t seem to realize how impressive God is – the reality is that God is so impressive, that He just can’t be impressed with us and our stuff.

And so Paul writes: ²⁶ For ^[r]consider your calling, brethren, that there were not many wise according to ^[s]the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble;
-In "normal" life, it seems that everything is measured by OUR greatness, aptitude, ability, strength, etc. This is how we are measured/judged/we achieve.

-Paul writes that God calls/chooses not b/c of what we are, but rather, in spite of it.
“You know what kind of people you were – You know that He didn’t choose you because you impressed Him”.
MIRROR MOMENT: “Take a good look – what do you see?” If these Corinthians were honest, they didn’t see many impressive people. They saw very ordinary people, from unimpressive backgrounds.

And in the next few verses Paul reminded them of WHY God chose them: ²⁷ but God has chosen the foolish things of the world to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to shame the things which are strong, ²⁸ and the base things of the world and the despised God has chosen, the things that are not, so that He may nullify the things that are, ²⁹ so that no ^[t]man may boast before God.

Do you think Paul is saying God is foolish?
God’s Ways are so much higher and wiser than human reasoning that it seems foolish to human thinking.

Paul gives a better example of what seems like the weakness/foolishness of God but is not. ²⁵ Because thefoolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men.
-What seemed weak to the world – was God’s greatest, most wise, powerful, and noble act.

And so there is this meaning that Paul is trying to express that God’s spiritual sight and perspective is upside-down from the world’s sight and perspective.

In vv. 27-29, it’s not that they are really ignoble and contemptible; this is just how the world sees them, because most were not born of a powerful-name and they hadn’t amounted to much. BUT THEY WERE CHOSEN, and by really believing in and deciding to follow Christ they’re taking part in this higher-plane spiritual thing.

Why does God intentionally work counter-cultural to humanity in this? 1) He just is higher 2) Purpose - V.29 tells us “so that no flesh should glory in His presence”.

-God chooses the foolish, weak, base, the simple, to prove Himself as the only worthy of glory. In effect, God says: “It’s not you, it’s Me”. He chooses these “foolish Corinthians” in order to humble those in high places…to attack pride…that “under the judgment of God the wisdom of the flesh (all that we could understand and do on our own) can only blush at its miscalculations”.

-God then intends (and does) great things through the fools, the weak, the broken (as they submit to Him, invest in Him as He invests in them).

And so God’s choice eliminates self-esteem. It’s not about their esteem, but about His.

(It seems that all of our Bible heroes were also bumbling idiots in some way; *see Abraham, Moses, David, Peter, Paul, Mary Magdalene, etc.)

Abraham – pretended his wife was his sister and let another man have her (twice!), he had concubines, had a child with slave Hagar,
Moses – killed an Egyptian, reluctant to follow God – made excuses
David – affair with Bathsheba – sent her husband to his death, overlooked sexual abuse to happen in his family,
Peter – rash words & actions, hot-tempered, denied Jesus
Paul – persecuted the church, killed Christians, ignored the HS in Acts 20-21, wrote of His struggle with sin in Rom 7, the thorn in his flesh in 2 Cor 12
Mary Magdalene – possessed by 7 demons

-God intends great things through the fools, the weak, the broken – simple, regular people (as they submit to Him, invest in Him as He invests in them).

-And this is huge – because in Christ we have this ultimate potential that we can live within (who doesn’t want to live their potential?) – And that potential is seen the more we know God and allow Him access to our life…in this He is glorified.

³⁰ But ^[u]by His doing you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, ^[v]andrighteousness and sanctification, and redemption, The emphasis falls on God’s activity – In Christ = HE is their wisdom (wisdom activity).

God didn’t just make us wise, righteous, and holy in Christ. He gave us Christ so that we should never need anything else for salvation. And wisdom does not have to do with “getting smart”, nor with status or rhetoric. God’s wisdom – the real thing – has to do with salvation through Jesus.

³¹ so that, just as it is written, “LET HIM WHO BOASTS, BOAST IN THE LORD.” God chose the “foolish things” so that they couldn’t boast in themselves…and in that He also made possible the one true ground for boasting: “let him who boasts, boast in the Lord.” And this word “BOAST” might best be translated “put confidence in/trust”. And so Paul is writing: “Trust Christ Completely – or trust nothing”.
And so God’s choice demands heightened and proper Christ-esteem self-esteem.

The Challenge: I know my strengths…and I especially know my weaknesses and limitations better than anybody else (you do to). And we usually tend to “front” our strengths (talk big)…and yet we tend to make decisions out of our weaknesses (act small). {talk big about how good we are and what we deserve – act small, doing nothing great, committing to nothing, out of fear or doubt or apathy}

You are (I am) average, weak, and foolish, God chooses you anyways…and God can accomplish great things in you. You only must invest in Him and let Him invest in you – as you do so, remember and embrace that HIS CHOOSING:
1. Eliminates self-esteem (1:26-29)
2. Demands Christ-esteem (1:30-31)

Prayer: That they would put aside everything that keeps them far from God and invest themselves fully in what God is doing this weekend…

all-time NBA team

The season is over, the Mavs are the Champs, and basketball talk is beginning to wane. For me, that means (other than the NBA draft), no more sports talk until October. In an effort to keep the conversation alive, I've been brainstorming my "all-time NBA team".

To begin I decided to list (I love lists) my Top Five at each position. *a few positions received a 6th as honorable mention.
PG: Magic, Oscar Robertson, Isaiah Thomas, John Stockton, Jason Kidd, *Steve Nash

SG: MJ, Kobe, Allen Iverson, Pistol Pete, DWade

SF: Bird, Dr. J, Pippen, Rick Barry, Dominique, *LeBron

PF: Tim Duncan, Barkley, Dirk, Mailman, KG

C: Kareem, Wilt, Hakeem, Moses Malone, Shaq, *David Robinson

Then I created my 1st team, The Starting Five:

Jason Kidd - This may seem ridiculous considering his company on the Top Five, but in relation to the reset of the Starting Five, I want a PG with high bball IQ and great passing ability (goes for all my PGs), who also has defensive prowess, and the ability to not be a shoot-first PG. Of course Kidd can score; he's proved himself on the drive and at the 3, but he does look to create opportunity for others to score first. With the scorers he's playing with here, that's what I need from him.

Michael Jordan - It's MJ. The ultimate scorer. Defensive beast. His Clutch-ness. The best.

Larry Bird - A great SF is a multi-dementional workforce who can score, defend, run, gut-it-out, and take over when necessary. Larry Bird is the best SF ever. Period. MJ is the centerpiece of this team, Larry is his VP. His hard work, leadership, and overall bball ability are core to our defensive and offensive strategies.

Tim Duncan - Though I have cross-state rivalry with the SA Spurs, I cannot deny Timmy his place as the best PF in history and the perfect PF for my team. Pass it to him on the post, let him back in a couple of steps and drop it in...all day.

David Robinson - As a MFFL I really struggled with this decision, but my need was for an athletic, strong, center who can rack up blocks and rebounds while working with Tim Duncan and company. That leaves me David Robinson. The same could be accomplished with my Top Five, but not with his humility and teamwork.

Next, I worked out my 2nd Team...it seems ridiculous to call these guys The Bench:

John Stockton - I know, I know...with Kidd and Stockton - Where's Magic!?! Considering the number of dominant players on my team, I had to work hard to choose the outstanding players who can also step-down to the highlight reels. Stockton's game-vision and shooting ability should be rewarded with a ring on this team.

Kobe Bryant - If MJ wants a break, Kobe isn't a bad 2nd option for the SG. I don't care what you say, there is only one MJ. But IF there was a player worthy of the conversation, it's not Grant Hill, LeBron, DWade, AI...it could only be Kobe.

Scottie Pippen - Scottie Pippen obviously has the chemistry to play on the Starting Five with MJ, but Bird gets the edge. The 2 SFs can be switched out as needed. His athleticism and defensive play are key here.

Charles Barkley - Sir Charles is our bad-boy. his aggressiveness on both ends of the court should give our team and fans a boost when needed.

Hakeem Olajuwon - Hakeem is versatile and quick enough to build a team around. Here he pairs with Barkley to move the ball quickly and soundly on the offense, and dominate the boards and blocks (and steals) on the defense.

Finally, I needed a couple of role players as my 11th & 12th Men:

Gary Payton - "The Glove" is here to harass the other team's offense.

Steve Kerr - Think of Kerr as our 12th man/player-coach. Steve can run the offense when/if needed, but also plays a role in sharpening and directing the team as an assistant coach.

I challenged a few friends to create their "all-time NBA team". I'll post the ones I receive in the comments section.

the math of multiplication

I have spent much of the last 9 years preaching the principle of multiplication. In simple equations, If one event can occur in "m" ways and a second can occur independently of the the first in "n" ways, then the two events can occur in "mn" ways. Spiritually speaking, multiplication is representative of a heavenly paradigm that is upside down from earthly logic. As humans, we draw in to ourselves, accumulate, and build up [this is addition]. With proper perspective, we realize that God is the owner and supplier of all things, and He is deserving of all glory and good; and His activity is of giving out from (and of) Himself. In doing so, much more is made of Him [this is multiplication].

Christ modeled multiplication perfectly as He invested His own power and glory "m" into lives of people around Him "n" to create Christians "mn" (also called Christ-followers, disciples, followers of 'the way', children of God). The key to multiplication is the giving away of "m" and "n". For Jesus, the closer He was to someone, the more practical, personal, and challenging His relationship was with them. The more He gave away, the greater potential of "mn".

The point: The Christian way and life is of the heavenly paradigm. We must not conform to the addition of egocentric self-sufficiency, whether in the physical, emotional, intellectual, or spiritual realms; but we should be conformed to multiplication in the likeness of Christ, by giving away of ourselves. God produces great things from this paradigm. This means that the activity of worship or community, or any other Christian activity, is not about us. It's about the great thing God is doing as we continue in the process of multiplication that He has begun.

(*The picture is to show the work of multiplication in my own family. New baby Boyd is due November 23rd!!)

Giving Away My Faith
I give away my faith to fulfill God's purposes.
Ephesians 6:19-20, "Pray also for me, that whenever I open my mouth, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may declare it fearlessly, as I should."

Giving Away My Life
I give away my life to fulfill God's purposes.
Romans 12:1, "Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God-this is your spiritual act of worship."

Giving Away My Time
I give away my time to fulfill God's purposes.
Colossians 3:17, "And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him."

Giving Away My Money
I give away my money to fulfill God's purposes.
2 Corinthians 8:7, "But just as you excel in everything, in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in complete earnestness and in your love for us, see that you also excel in this grace of giving."