In His Grip

 

It was a spur-of-the-moment decision for a seminar title. Having seen it as a popular salutation in letters from friends, I thought it might perfectly fit the theme of the leadership seminar we were being asked to prepare for two different venues in Africa: In His Grip—Leadership Strength in an Insecure World.

It all began with a request by my friend, Austen Ukachi, Senior Pastor of He’s Alive Chapel in Lagos, Nigeria to return after seven years and conduct a second strategic planning review with his leadership team. He explained that the first review in 2016 had resulted in a new vision and mission along with inspiration that fueled planting daughter churches in Benin, Togo, Ukraine, England, Canada, and even Dallas, Texas, not to mention fifty other locations around Nigeria! But with COVID and other significant world trends, it was time to regroup and consider what the next seven years should bring. Knowing the executive consulting experience of my friend, Todd Ostlind, I asked if he might like to come along and help me out and was delighted when he accepted. Not wanting to waste a trip all the way to Africa, I also talked him into extending a second week so that we both could provide a leadership seminar for other Nigerian church leaders as well. That is how In His Grip was created.

The two of us took off from Spokane on August 30^th bound for United Airlines’ new non-stop flight from Washington DC direct to Lagos, Nigeria. We never made the connection! Severe thunderstorms along the way resulted in a two-day delay. So, our strategic planning retreat had to begin with an all-day Zoom meeting conducted from our hotel rooms in DC followed by two more days of live presence once our eventual overnight flight got us there in-person. Surprisingly, the interruption was minimal, and the team seemed thrilled with the final three-day results of strategic review, SWOT analysis, and new goal creation. I can’t wait to see what these energetic, mission-minded folks will produce now in the next seven years!

After a lively Sunday at He’s Alive Chapel’s main campus, where both Todd and I were pressed into preaching roles plus attending a colorful, hour-long graduation of 100 young people who had completed their six-month discipleship course, it was time for our first of two In His Grip seminars—one in Lagos and one in Abuja, an hour’s flight north.

The motivation for creating the new seminar came from a sense that so much has changed in the world during the past three years that many in leadership positions simply may not know how to adjust adequately to the new normal that now defines the world. As our promotional flyer stated: Moral Relativism, Gender Identity, Radical Political Movements, Technological Tsunami—how should leaders navigate this time of global culture transition? We organized the two-day seminar around several plenary presentations by Todd on global trends and me on missional trends interspersed with small group discussions on local impact and application. We wrapped it all up with “Six keys for standing firm as God’s leaders in today’s world.”

We didn’t really know what to expect, but it certainly wasn’t the overwhelming affirmation received in both venues!

Averaging 125 participants each time, Todd and I were amazed at the passionate responses from young and old alike claiming they had been blown away both by the seminar content and our delivery style, which featured highly interactive PowerPoint presentations along with audience participation. “We normally go to seminars and simply listen to lectures,” several told us. “Having a chance to be so engaged in the subject matter is quite new for us. We truly have been challenged to consider how our leadership needs to change in order to remain relevant.”

Needless to say, we now have plenty of invitations for follow-up from this trip including continued consulting with Austen’s church, interaction with several church mission pastors, and dialogue with those who participated via WhatsApp social media. One thing is for sure, knowing how to respond with appropriate effort and wisdom is certainly going to require firmly remaining. . . In His Grip!

A Personal New Normal

 With the world becoming more and more a post-pandemic place, some surprising ministry opportunities have emerged for me. The bottom line is that the “semi” in semi-retired is becoming increasingly true! A short list of some really neat ministry involvements from the past few months should prove my point.

Last June, I returned to Africa for the first time in two years (the longest hiatus of international travel for me since 1982). After a great two-day planning retreat with the OC Africa team outside of Johannesburg, I flew on to Harare, Zimbabwe, where I had been invited to give a three-day seminar on steward leadership. Thanks to some great groundwork by Dr. Lovejoy Chabata, we had 62 participants who were all national-level church leaders, professors of theology, and presidents of theological institutions. The response was quite astounding. Many of the concepts I covered on becoming a faithful steward leader dovetailed with what these leaders call integral mission, a topic of keen interest for those wanting practical applications of African theology. This interest has now blossomed into more invitations for me to be involved with online training of teaching facilitators, followed by a possible second trip next year to participate in a national conference on the subject.

As some of you may remember, I spent much of the past two years putting my steward leader seminar into a downloadable form with both video lessons and printable workbooks.

Now, finally, I am starting to see the fruit of that labor. Last month, a young couple in Burkina Faso (who I have never met personally) got a hold of the course and decided to offer it to local pastors and leaders. Thirty-five participated, using the video series I had recorded in French. I jumped in only at the very end with a Zoom appearance to congratulate them on completing the course. Once again, I was quite amazed at their testimonies of personal impact. I understand one elderly lady was in tears as she explained how much the section on identity in Christ meant to her. Being single and therefore childless had brought her lifelong ridicule and condemnation from the African community that identifies successful womanhood only with being a wife and mother. Clearly, God was using the basic theology lessons of this course as important reminders to help many grow and mature in their understanding of God’s truth. Already the young couple there has been approached by seven other churches who want the course to be taught again.

On August 30, I am heading out on a second trip to Africa, this time to Nigeria and DR Congo. The first part of the trip will consist of three leadership events led in partnership with a good friend of mine, Todd Ostlind. We’ll be offering a strategic planning retreat for a large church denomination in Lagos followed by two-day seminars called In His Grip—Leadership Strength in an Insecure World in Lagos and Abuja. Then, I fly on alone to Kinshasa, DR Congo, where I will once again offer my steward leader seminar in an event hosted by Pastor Nubako Selenga of ReachAfrica. I look forward to being able to write another report on all that happens during these next busy weeks of travel.

I am definitely not interested in returning to the intense travel and teaching schedule I maintained for the past decade, but it certainly has been wonderful to be able to respond to these very rewarding opportunities for ministry. So, for now, I will accept that being semi-retired is the new normal for this current season of life!   

Lessons from an old Easter Hymn

But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; The chastisement for our peace was upon Him, And by His stripes we are healed. Isaiah 53:5  (NKJV)

As this Easter Day draws to a close, I find myself reflecting on this powerful verse. Certainly, it is the central theme of this Passion season—that as a result of Jesus Christ’s sacrificial suffering, crucifixion, and resurrection, the price for mankind’s redemption from sin and death has been fully paid. However, it is the word “healed” that fascinates me. What exactly was Isaiah referring to? Was it the healing of our souls? Or perhaps the healing of our broken relationship with God Himself?

I believe I found some answers to this question in the lyrics of an old folk hymn. It was one we used two nights ago to open our Good Friday service. I actually had the privilege of participating in a small sixteen-voice ensemble that presented it as the opening number for our time of contemplation and reflection. O Dearest Lord, Thy Sacred Head, is a simple, but moving number arranged by David Johnson from a melody taken from the Supplement of Kentucky Harmony, a 19^th century collection of shape-note folk hymns. The lyrics were written by Father Andrew (also known as Ernest Hardy) in 1930. They are as follows:

O dearest Lord, thy sacred head

With thorns was pierced for me;

O pour thy blessing on my head

That I may think for thee.

 

O dearest Lord, thy sacred hands

With nails were pierced for me;

O shed thy blessing on my hands,

That they may work for thee.

 

O dearest Lord, thy sacred feet

With nails were pierced for me;

O pour thy blessing on my feet

That they may follow thee.

 

O dearest Lord, thy sacred heart

With spear was pierced for me;

O pour they Spirit in my heart

That I may live for thee.

 

What strikes me about these words is how they create a link between the wounds of Christ and specific healing I can experience. Far from being a broad, generalization, they help me understand how four fundamental aspects of my identity are forever transformed when I accept the gracious gift of Christ’s atonement.

 The first healing transformation is with my thinking. As Christ pours his blessing on my head, I find that my entire thought paradigm is changed. Instead of being trapped in self-defeating patterns of anxiety or unbalanced self-esteem (too high or too low), I am instead freed to think in new and noble ways as a steward of the Master of the Universe.

 The second healing transformation is focused on the work of my hands. Here, the change is not so much the activity my hands actually do (i.e. the particular type of career I’m in) but it is the reason for which that work is done that changes. The song says, “That they (my hands) may work for thee.” When I am conscious that what I am doing, mundane as it might be, is ultimately something that can bring glory to God, it changes everything.

 The third healing transformation is about my feet which symbolizes the trajectory of my life. Following the Master, wherever He may lead, can very often change the direction of my professional pursuits, as has happened multiple times during my own career. Those sorts of major shifts can be daunting and even debilitating, if done strictly within the context of our own perspective. But when I know the “bend in the road” has been prescribed by the One who told me to follow him, I need not be alarmed. I need simply trust and obey and look with anticipation what new thing He has in store around the corner.

 The final healing transformation is about my heart and the ultimate essence of my life-purpose. To “live for thee,” is to let my identity as a Christ-follower take precedence over all other demands and callings. I must never forget, as Steven Curtis Chapman’s song lyrics so aptly state, “God is God, and I am not.”  However, I am God’s child, His servant, and His steward and within these phenomenal relationships, I can find true and lasting life-purpose.

 One final image this song offers comes from the words pierced and poured. It is from Christ’s wounds experienced through piercing that blessing and transformational power is poured out on someone like me. It makes me think of the  anointing that took place in the Old Testament, such as this one recorded in 1 Samuel 16:13 - So Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the presence of his brothers, and from that day on the Spirit of the Lord came powerfully upon David.

 That’s why I like the imagery of this historic hymn. It helps me envision Christ as God’s “horn” or vessel full of unquenchable resource that had to be pierced in order that the oil of blessing could be poured out on me—on my head, my hands, my feet, and my heart.

 May the hope of this blessing and potential renewal encourage you and me alike as we move ahead into the rest of this year remembering these lessons from an old Easter Hymn.

Let's Steal Christmas Back from the Grinch

 I have a theory that the Grinch who stole Christmas is back again! He's back not to steal Christmas like he did the last time, but to steal from us the real reason for the season.

If you remember from Dr. Suess's famous children's book, or maybe the Broadway musical, the last we heard of the Grinch is that he got reformed. When he realized that taking away everyone's presents and holiday treats didn't stop Christmas from happening, he changed his mind and went back to Whoville to give everything back and join in the celebration with them. As Dr. Suess puts it:

Then the Grinch thought of something he hadn't before!
"Maybe Christmas," he thought, "doesn't come from a store."
"Maybe Christmas...perhaps...means a little bit more!"

And he brought back the toys and the food for the feast

And he. . . he himself. . . the Grinch carved the roast beast.

But today, my sense is that the Grinch is more subtle. He's learned that he doesn't need to steal Christmas the way he did last time by taking away all the presents, food, and things people used to celebrate the holiday. Instead, all he has to do is divert people's attention from why Christmas was established in the first place. And if I'm correct, then I would say the Grinch has done a masterful job of it this particular year. First we have the supply chain issues that creates anxiety about being able to adequately shop for those Christmas gifts. On top of that, there is the global COVID pandemic along with national mandates plus anxiety about deep systemic problems in our societies.  Is it any wonder that our "Silent Night, Holy Night" has been shattered with terror, trauma and tears?

So--I believe it's time to steal Christmas back from the Grinch. And in the spirit of Dr. Suess, here's my idea of how we should do it:

Let's Steal Christmas Back From The Grinch 
by Jon Lewis
The Grinch has come back with some new Grinch-like zeal
And now knows that instead of a thing he must steal,
All he must do is change the main reason
That people like Christmas during this winter season.
Today Grinch thinks Christmas could maybe be stopped
When folks forget Jesus with stuff they have shopped,
That tinsel and lights and toys to be awed
Will make us all think that there’s really no God.
Or if that doesn’t work to bring a pandemic,
Or cause us to worry about problems systemic.

But the Grinch doesn’t know that God is no stranger
To those who believe Christ came in the manger.
So, this year let’s show Grinch that Christmas IS more
Then expensive gifts we buy at the store
Or then trying to make the whole world happy
With man-made ideals that are often quite sappy,
And focus instead on the Bethlehem story
Where shepherds and angels gave God all the glory,
For the coming of him of whom prophets did tell,

Christ, God Incarnate, our Emmanuel!

May God give you some fresh, new reasons to truly have a. . .

Merry Christmas!

Why Christmas Is Important

Recently, I was asked by my church to teach a couple of adult Sunday School lessons on the topic of Why Christmas Is Important. As usual, the process of thinking through this subject was more beneficial for me personally than probably for anyone else who sat in my class. It also brought new meaning to the Advent readings my wife and I have been doing this year. It has reaffirmed for me that despite of the commercialization that takes place around this holiday season, especially in our American culture, the core of Christmas is still a powerful testimony of Missio Dei, God’s great mission to reclaim a fallen world and reestablish relationship with all mankind. 

With that in mind, here are nine reasons to consider why Christmas is important, divided up (a bit like Dickens’ three ghosts) into Christmas Past, Present, and Future: 

From Christmas Past 

1. The Fulfillment of God’s Promises – It reminds us that Christ’s birth and subsequent life among men, is the fulfillment of hundreds of prophesies found throughout the Old Testament. 
2. The Incarnation: God becoming Man—It is the single most important event since the beginning of the universe, the moment when the Creator Himself chose to become part of His own creation. 
3. The Means of Redemption—The Christmas event of Incarnation was the only means by which God could bring about His act of redemption and reconciliation for the entire human race. 

From Christmas Present 

1. A Celebration of Joy—In a world full of despair and discouragement, it stands out as a celebration of joy! Regardless of cultural tradition or even secular application, it stands out as one event with a primary purpose of bringing gladness and joy to as many people as possible. 
2. Global Missional Impact—In a world divided and fragmented, the “good tidings of great joy” of Christmas is a message directed at ALL people everywhere in the world. It therefore is the most global “missions” event of the entire year as God’s values of hope, peace, joy, and love are passed around and shared worldwide. 
3. Original Model of Gift-Giving—In a world obsessed with self-centeredness, it declares and models God’s generosity to Mankind through the gift of his own Son and thus becomes the ultimate model of selfless gift-giving with a focus on people other than ourlselves. 

From Christmas Future 

1. Renews our Expectations—It reminds us that Jesus not only came to be with us 2000 years ago but has promised to come again. 
2. Restores Hope for Eternity—It further helps us remember that Jesus will not only come again to establish His Kingdom, but now, as part of his family, we have the prospect of spending Eternity in God’s presence. 
3. Refreshes our Commitment to being Prepared—As we wait for His second advent, it helps us focus on Christ’s mandate to be prepared for his return no matter when it might be. This, in turn, demands that we need to stay committed to unity, faithfulness, and being blameless and holy, as Paul so aptly states in Ephesians 1:4 and Colossians 1:22. 

 All of these reasons certainly give new meaning to the messages embedded in Christmas Carols whether sung in church sanctuaries or a Home Depot plumbing aisle or a Beijing MacDonald's. Those messages are still powerful and clear and worth singing again and again, such as: Joy to the world! The Savior reigns! or Cast out our sin and enter in, be born in us today, or Oh tidings of comfort and joy. . .  because Christ our Savior was born on Christmas Day. 

 All good reasons to reaffirm why Christmas is important. 

And all good reasons, even this year, to truly have a . . . 

Merry Christmas!

Stewarding a Fallen Planet

Enroute during a road trip from California to our home in Spokane, Washington, my wife and I passed through areas of the Shasta and Klamath national forests that had been devastated by wildfires just a few months before. It was shocking and so sad to see the extent of the total annihilation of all plant life in some of the most verdant forests of America. Even Mt. Shasta looked somber, its pristine white glaciers covered with the dark gray soot from those same fires. At one place along our route, however, I was impressed to see workmen spraying wide borders on both sides of the road with what appeared to be mulch and grass seed. “Wow,” I commented to my wife, “they must be attempting to reseed the burned area to get something growing again as quickly as possible.”

That got me thinking about the question: how should we steward a world that is fallen? It’s one thing to preach Creation Care where there is blatant human abuse of the environment, such as water pollution, toxic emissions, or oil spills. But what does it mean to be a steward of our world when Creation itself  appears to cause the devastation, such as earthquakes, tsunamis, and lightning strikes that spark forest fires?

When God gave Adam the mandate in Genesis 1:28 to subdue and rule over all He had created, He certainly knew that soon it would become a fallen world, one that would also produce thorns, thistles, and tsunamis. After Adam and Eve’s tragic decision to disobey their Creator, God restates the responsibility of caring for the earth, except now He adds the stark reality that working the ground will mean “painful toil” and “by the sweat of your brow you will eat your food . . .” (Gen 3:17-19). This indicates that just because we live in post-fall planet, that doesn't change God's expectation that we are supposed to tend and care for it.

So again, I ask, how should we approach our stewarding of a fallen world, especially when it means responding to devastation that wasn’t really our fault? Let me suggest three responses:

1.       With a sense of obedience. We should be committed to Creation Care, not because our efforts are going to make or keep our world perfect, but simply because God told us, His chosen stewards of this planet, to do so. It’s easy to think that there is little point in working hard at something over which we don’t have ultimate control. But isn’t this also true of our responsibility in stewarding relationships with other people, such as our spouse or our children? Our stewarding efforts of encouragement and guidance will never make them perfect, but that doesn’t mean we should cease our responsibility to be the partner or mentor they may need. So also with the environment. We need to do our best to fulfill our Creation Care mandate regardless of the ultimate outcome—simply out of obedience to our Master. 

2.       With a readiness to endure hardship. Living in a fallen world, by definition, means facing pain and trial. The New Testament is full of reminders about this, but also matches them with ready exhortations to endure through them as a means of learning, building character, and becoming strong.  If it works for building character and spiritual maturity, it should also work for building greater understanding and wisdom in how better to provide Creation Care. We should steward our fallen planet despite how challenging that task might be. 

3.       With a commitment to renewal. If there is one quality of God that repeatedly is illustrated in Scripture, it is His heart for renewal. Israel’s history of rebellion and betrayal is constantly matched by God’s readiness to restore and renew those who are repentant. Without question, our Master is a God of second chances. As His stewards, we therefore need to imitate this same commitment to renewal in our stewarding of our environment. Just as sure as our own personal loyalty to God will falter from time to time, this fallen world will surely demonstrate its tendency toward self-destruction. As planet caretakers, we need to simply accept this and follow our Master’s example with a commitment to restore and renew—again and again.

I doubt those workmen beside the road were being motivated by a biblical mandate for their reseeding project; but nonetheless, they were demonstrating the work of an intentional gardener. I thank God for their reminder to me that, despite the devastations we will surely see across our fallen planet, there are always good reasons for God’s faithful stewards to care for His Creation. 

Soot-covered glaciers on Mt. Shasta, burned forests, and green reseeding effort

A Birthday Blog

 Teach us to number our days aright, that we may gain a heart of wisdom. Psalm 90:12 (NIV 1984)

Today, March 23, 2021, is a perfect day to reflect on this verse. Why? Because today is my 70^th birthday! On such a life milestone as this, I can’t help but review with gratitude the phenomenal opportunities God has packed into my life until now and then ponder what He might still have in mind for me in the years ahead. Whatever the case, today is a good time to consider just what it means to “number our days aright” and be a good steward of time.

I have enjoyed teaching about the stewardship of time in my Africa Steward Leader seminars during the past decade, and I have often used the analogy of looking at the squares on a calendar as a series of empty cardboard boxes. God gives every single person the same-sized box each day of our lives—a twenty-four-hour-sized box. No favoritism here! It doesn’t matter if you are wealthy or poor, healthy or weak, from the Global North or Global South—we all get the same size box every day of our lives. But even though God is involved in determining the size of our box, He allows us to decide much of what goes in it. There are times, of course, when He will direct us through circumstances He brings our way, but for the most part, how we choose to invest those twenty-four hours each day is up to us. Making those choices is where good time stewardship fits in.

I have never found a more useful tool for making wise, daily stewardship choices than the “Time Management Matrix” presented in Steven Covey’s classic book The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. The simplicity of breaking down what we do into four quadrants defined by Important, Not Important and Urgent, Not Urgent is what makes it so powerful. Anyone glancing at the matrix can immediately see the wisdom of not allowing the less important things of Quadrants 3 and 4 to crowd out the urgent things of Quadrant 1 or the most important parts of our life in Quadrant 2. However, as much as I have taught this tool for daily decision-making, I admit that the discipline of actually applying it on a daily basis is not easy. Nevertheless, my own challenge (and my challenge to you) is to make this discipline as much a part of daily practice as possible. In my mind, it is definitely one way to “number our days aright.”  

How to fill up each daily box is one level of time stewardship—call it the micro level of seconds, minutes, hours, and days. But the verse says, “Teach us to number our days” (plural), which also calls for a macro level of time stewardship that deals with weeks, months, years, and possibly even seasons of life. In this case, I have found another extremely valuable tool that has helped my own assessment of where I am in life and what my focus should be. It comes from Dr. Robert (Bobby) Clinton’s “Leadership Emergence Theory” first described in his book The Making of a Leader. Not only does Clinton propose six distinct life phases that most godly leaders experience, but he also says that the most effective leaders are those who perceive their lives with increasing perspective of how God is leading and guiding them. At least twice in my life, I experienced a sudden and somewhat traumatic career change. Being able to overlay Clinton’s life-phase map over my own timeline was a huge help at those transition moments and helped me gain the perspective I needed to embrace the new phase with purposeful intention and, most importantly, personal peace. Looking back, I can’t help but think it was exactly what I needed to “number my days aright”—to develop appreciation for the new season of life God had led me to, to be better and not bitter. To this day, I am grateful for Bobby Clinton’s wisdom in providing such a useful tool as well as his own personal words of counsel.

So now, I feel like I am standing at the threshold of another important life phase. What exactly the future will hold for a 70-year-old guy like me, I can’t be sure. There’s nothing like this past year of COVID-19 to teach me that life will always have unexpected surprises. However, I am actually excited about this next season of life, regardless of the unknowns. What I am sure about is that this is no time to stop “numbering my days aright,” both at the micro (daily) level as well as the macro (life-season) level because I know this is how God will keep transforming my heart with His truth, His love, and His wisdom.