February 17, 2010

5 Filters for Leadership Development

A few years ago I had a tough conversation with my good friend and pastor, Chris Harrison, about the state of volunteer leaders within the church.  Having taken a couple of years away from youth ministry to focus on worship, Chris found himself quickly engulfed in youth culture as he felt the call of God leading him and his family back into the life and call of a youth pastor.

In one of our conversations Chris and I both expressed our discontentment and desire for leaders within the church.

Speaking from experience I was at a place where merely putting an ad in the church bulletin or declaring a casting call from the pulpit was not enough.  While there was never much of a shortage of bodies to occupy space within the youth room, our attrition rate was too rich for my blood and the turnover would often leave the youth with much to be desired.

Now don’t get me wrong, I have had the privilege of working with some phenomenal volunteers during my time in the church and tenure of ministry; people who have had significant impact in my life and the lives of those they served, but the fact still remained that there were far too many volunteers who thought of their place as not much more than a glorified babysitting job or a chance to get plugged in because they wanted to serve and really didn’t have a clue as to what or where they could contribute so they took whatever was available.

This is tragic!

The worst part of it is that I not only bought into the “serve and survive” model, but it is, by and large, the model that has been taught to me and by me from my very first staff position within a church (1997) until recently.

What is the “serve and survive” model?  It’s a mode of ministry that the church and it’s leadership have taught for years.  When someone comes into the church we encourage them to get plugged in; to serve.  Likely they may not know right off-hand how what they have to offer or even where their natural strengths, gift mix and experiences might fit into the church.  So what have we done?  We have encouraged them to serve in several different ministry departments and ministry roles until they find what feels like a fit and they can survive.

What?!

Let’s put this in market place terms.  Can you imagine what a Fortune Five-Hundred company might look like if they hired their employees, introduced them to the marketing department, the accounts payable and receivables department, the graphic design department and the other umpteen departments that make up the company, and after introducing each new hire to the perspective departments the Vice President said, “Now we want you to just get in there and work.  It’s okay if you don’t find a fit right away.  We just want you working toward finding what it is you think you’d be good at”.

Loosely translated, not only would this company NOT be a Fortune Five-Hundred company; it wouldn’t be a company.  Why?  Because the business would not and could not survive with management like this.  The turnover rate would be atrocious.  People would constantly be vying for the next best position, never maximizing their strengths, instead, merely looking to get in where they fit in and move up at every available opportunity that may come along.  You would lose accounts.  There would be no more getting new accounts.  Employees would be hard pressed to get anything done because they wouldn’t necessarily know, nor would they care how the job was to be done and to its greatest potential.  In short, it would be a disaster.

So why has the church settled for this model?  Why are we as the bride of Christ okay with extreme attrition and turnover?  What good are we doing anybody by allowing and even encouraging people within the body to serve and survive?

While I would agree that each person in the church has a place that they can and should be serving, I have come to believe that there is a better way to help people fit and flourish as well as maximize the potential of both the individuals and the church alike.  It is that belief that has led me to what I believe are 5 Filters for Leadership Development within the church.  That said, it doesn’t just apply to or stop with the church.  No!  This is a way of life; a leadership lifestyle, if you will.

Here it is…

5 Filters for Leadership Development

Filter # 1 – Discern: I believe we need to prayerfully discern (seek & recognize guidance) God’s will in the area of leaders and leadership development.  Instead of a first come, first serve mentality; instead of the serve and survive model, we ought to seek the Holy Spirit’s guidance and direction as to whom He would have leading in any and all ministry capacities.  Unfortunately this is counter-cultural within many churches today.  Yet it is when we stop having open tryouts and start getting strategic and specific about what it is we believe God is calling us to, and in the case of leadership development, who it is that God is calling us to, that we will see the turnover and attrition rate cease to exist as we have known it for far too long.

Filter # 2 – Disciple: Once we believe we have identified whom God has led us to within a specific role or responsibility, it is then our privilege to disciple them and by disciple I don’t mean give them the latest leadership book from Barnes & Nobles Top 10 list, ask them to read a chapter while we too read the chapter and get together once every other week to discuss what it is we’ve learned and maybe even look at how it might be applied in ministry.  Now I’m not saying that reading, learning and studying together is in itself bad.  I’m merely suggesting we call it what it is; learning, and not try to give it a label that is completely outside the realm of reality; discipleship.  Instead, I believe discipleship is more than studying, it’s more than learning and it’s more than following.  The way I see Jesus modeling discipleship is, first and foremost, by living life together with his disciples.  Sure there was deliberate teaching and instruction that went on.  Absolutely the disciples were likely to have heard, read and discussed some of the scholars and great minds in their culture and day & age.  But…what I see over and again is that the disciples, both while Jesus was with them this side of heaven as well as within the early church, did life together, eating, walking, teaching, traveling, working and a whole lot more.  Should we not then become more intentional about discipleship as a way of life rather than a means to an end?

Filter # 3 – Develop: In my estimation one of the greatest filters we can utilize within leadership is the development of individuals.  This comes in many shapes, forms and facets.  The development process is more than just giving people tools they can use in leadership.  I believe it begins by walking alongside of people, living, learning, equipping and utilizing various tools available to us in order to help us recognize people’s natural gifting and strengths.  There are great resources out there on the topic of finding and fulfilling one’s strengths and natural gifts that I believe can be used as tools in helping to discover how people can not only fit, but flourish as a leader both in life and in ministry.
The problem is that instead of seeking to discover where God has naturally gifted someone and developing their skill set even further, we focus on the need within the church or specific area of ministry, ask people to fill the void and try to develop a skill set within them that is likely foreign and will never quite fit.
Marcus Buckingham, an industry leader and psychologist in the way of leadership development, has designed tools and literally written, instructed and taught for hundreds, if not thousands of hours on the subject of leadership development and finding as well as focusing on one’s natural gifts and strengths.  He is but one of the many resources available for us today that can help us better develop not only our leaders, but ourselves.

Filter # 4 – Deploy: This is where the “rubber meets the road” so to speak.  As a leader there is not much that is more exciting than watching a person exercising his or her God-given gifts and abilities, otherwise known as M.I.A. (Ministry In Action).
I’ve played sports since childhood and coached sports most of my adult life.  To say that winning wasn’t important to me would be misleading, but to assume that winning is everything is a far cry from my reality.  As a coach I love nothing more than watching a player whom has busted their tail all season long in practice begin to implement their newly acquired and recently refined skills, strengths and strategies into the game.  That’s when, as a coach, I feel awesome!
The same can be said for ministry.  I really enjoy seeking God’s person for the position and the experience of doing life together.  Where I feel that I thrive and what I enjoy most is in the development process of individuals which ultimately leads to deployment in which they begin to apply in life and in ministry, the fundamentals that they have been developing over time and with coaching.  That’s when, as a coach, I feel awesome!

Filter # 5 – Duplicate: The final filter in the 5 Filters for Leadership Development is to both encourage and enable your current leaders to duplicate the process they’ve experienced with someone they have prayerfully considered and believe that God would be calling them to disciple, develop and deploy.
There are countless examples of this throughout Scripture, but none wring more true than the relationship between the Apostle Paul and Timothy.  Spend any amount of time reading Paul’s dialogue with Timothy in 1 & 2 Timothy and you’ll see immediately the ways in which Paul believed God had called them together, the means by which Paul sought to disciple Timothy, living life together, instructing and teaching, and encouraging Timothy.  But it didn’t stop there.  Paul spent intentional time developing the skills he saw within Timothy and gave him strategies to live and serve more effectively within the body as well as within the world.  As an early church leader we see how Paul commissions Timothy to lead and do the work of the Lord within the body.  He goes on to talk about leaders within the church and asks Timothy to duplicate the process.

11 But you, Timothy, are a man of God; so run from all these evil things. Pursue righteousness and a godly life, along with faith, love, perseverance, and gentleness. 12 Fight the good fight for the true faith. Hold tightly to the eternal life to which God has called you, which you have confessed so well before many witnesses. 13 And I charge you before God, who gives life to all, and before Christ Jesus, who gave a good testimony before Pontius Pilate, 14 that you obey this command without wavering. Then no one can find fault with you from now until our Lord Jesus Christ comes again. 15 For at just the right time Christ will be revealed from heaven by the blessed and only almighty God, the King of all kings and Lord of all lords. 16 He alone can never die, and he lives in light so brilliant that no human can approach him. No human eye has ever seen him, nor ever will. All honor and power to him forever! Amen.17 Teach those who are rich in this world not to be proud and not to trust in their money, which is so unreliable. Their trust should be in God, who richly gives us all we need for our enjoyment. 18 Tell them to use their money to do good. They should be rich in good works and generous to those in need, always being ready to share with others. 19 By doing this they will be storing up their treasure as a good foundation for the future so that they may experience true life.20 Timothy, guard what God has entrusted to you. Avoid godless, foolish discussions with those who oppose you with their so-called knowledge. 21 Some people have wandered from the faith by following such foolishness.

What an example!

I don’t pretend to have all of the answers or to have “figured it all out”.  One thing I know for sure, God has a plan for each and everyone of His children, and as a leader I believe one of my greatest charges in this life is to help His people not only see and recognize their God-given gifts, but to live life with the people God entrusts to me, disciplining, developing, deploying and being a part, however big or small, of the duplication.

My prayer is that this blog will help get the wheels of leadership and leadership development turning in your heads and hearts, and that you will make a conscience decision to seek God in this area.

May God’s grace richly bless and fill your life!

~A. Anderson

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January 29, 2010

H2O

This afternoon I went to coffee with some buddies at a local coffee shop.  I’m not sure whether it was my fault for not speaking the cultural language of coffee or the barista’s fault whom took my order and attempted to make my custom coffee.  Regardless, let me go on record as saying that it was one of the worst beverages I have ever tasted and by far the nastiest coffee I have ever put in my mouth.  Needless to say the coffee left much to be desired and my thirst was not quenched.  If anything, my yearning for a different type of coffee, aka “Starbucks”, was great.

I was thirsty.  I was looking for a fix.  My attempt at filling this need in the moment backfired.

My encounter with said coffee brought me to a place of contemplation…

I envisioned the coffee tasting like that of stagnant water.

What is stagnant water?

Stagnant water – (′stag·nənt ′wöd·ər):
Motionless water, not flowing in a stream or current. Also known as standing water.

Stagnant water = Dead water

The dangers in dealing with stagnant water are many and vast.  Read any report on stagnant water and you’ll quickly find that this type of standing water is dead water.  From an array of bacteria and parasites to mosquitoes mating, diseases like malaria and dengue run rapid and wreak havoc.

So here’s what I’ve been questioning?  How often do I willingly settle for stagnant water when there is a wellspring of living water available?

Over 2,000 years ago Jesus addressed a culturally crass woman about this very topic.

“When a Samaritan woman came to the well to get some water, Jesus said to her, ‘Please give me a drink.’  The woman said, ‘I am surprised that you ask me for a drink, since you are a Jewish man and I am a Samaritan woman.’  Jesus said, ‘If you only knew the free gift of God and who it is that is asking you for water, you would have asked him, and he would have given you living water.” (NCV)

Now don’t get me wrong.  I’m not equating Jesus’ encounter with the Samaritan woman as though he were rolling through Starbucks and placing his order for a Venti Latte, extra whip.  What I am saying is that everyday people from every nation, tribe and tongue grow thirsty and experience a need for their hydration, or lack there of, to be filled and in relationship to my coffee experience, if we attempt to fill up with something that is gross and stagnant, we will continue to thirst, grow sick and eventually die.

The solution?

Living Water – aka – “Holy Spirit”.

Here’s the deal in a nutshell.  The Samaritan woman was so used to custom and tradition that she failed to see or understand what was right in front of her.  She had the chance to experience a quenching in which she would never grow thirsty again.  Instead of accepting the gift that was being offered she rationalized the situation with Jesus. 

How are you going to get the water when you don’t have anything to scoop it up with?  And the well…it’s more than 100 feet deep.  You’re a Jew and I’m a Samaritan.  You worship here and I worship there.  Man I’m thirsty!

So here it is.

Each one of us has a God-shaped hole in us that we need to fill.  We attempt to fill with things that don’t matter; temporal things, things that leave us empty, longing for more.  This is no different from the Samaritan woman whom attempted to fill her thirst through relationships.  She was married five times and the man she lived with at the time wasn’t her husband.

So what are the things that we try to quench our thirst with?  When parched, what do we attempt to fill our heads and hearts with?  Is it empty relationships?  Is it votes of confidence?  Is is climbing the corporate ladder?  Is it trying to be good enough?  Regardless of what it is, I am sure of this one thing, after trying to fill the obvious voids in our lives with things this side of heaven, we will be left in want.
The dangers in dealing with empty attempts to fill these voids are many and vast.  Read the Word of God and you’ll quickly find that this type of fulfillment is dead water.  From an array of bacteria and parasites to sin mating, diseases like brokenness and disparage run rapid and wreak havoc.

So here’s the question?  How often do we willingly settle for stagnant water when there is a wellspring of living water available?


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January 25, 2010

Sunday Night Download – 1.24.2010

What a week…

*My daughter, Tailyn, celebrated her fourth birthday on Wednesday.  In all of my years of celebrating birthdays, I don’t know that I can recall anyone as excited about turning four as my little girl is/was.  She woke up, smile on, ready to take on all that being four has to offer.

*Saturday we celebrated Tailyn’s birthday with family and friends @ casa de’ Anderson.  The festivities kicked off at 2:oo pm and continued well into the evening.   What a day!  Our family is so blessed to have such incredible friends and family whom love and support us so much.  A big thank you to all who helped make Tai’s birthday celebration so special.

*Monday was a day for staff meetings.  We kicked things off with a discussion about marriage.  Over lunch our staff engaged in a much-needed dialogue about vision and values both within each one of us as individuals as well as within the church.  I hope and pray that this is merely the beginning of many of the important steps we need to take in being obedient to God’s leading for His bride which He has given us responsibility for.

*Thursday night was phenomenal!  We picked up in week three of a four part series entitled, All Things New.  This week the focus was on New Worship.  One of the many things that we did as part of the worship experience was to incorporate several worship stations throughout the worship center to help facilitate times of meditation, scripture reading, prayer, reflection, communion, and much more.  It was an incredible time together adoring our Lord and Savior as a community.

*PESM (Pacific Evangelical School of Ministry) has me railing.  It seems as though no matter how much I am reading and or writing, I am hardly able to catch up let alone keep up.  With only a few weeks left for the two classes I’m currently enrolled in, Christian Holiness and Pastoral Care & Counseling, we are already doing exhaustive prep work toward our upcoming semester of classes which includes New Testament Survey.  Ahhhhh…..

*Friday night was a great time.  I had some friends over and we played a friendly game of cards while watching the Portland Trailblazers play the Boston Celtics.  I enjoyed hanging with the fellas while Stacy and our friend, Lisa, took the kiddos to see Alvin and the Chipmunks, The Squeakquel.

*Today was a great day @ Oregon City Evangelical. I co-taught a class with my friend and mentor, Dr. Brent Burson.  We looked at Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5), specifically focusing on “blessed are the meek”.  This topic was taxing for me as it is something that I have wrestled with most of my life.  I really appreciate the class and those engaged in it.  The sharing is priceless and our times of prayer and encouragement are coveted.

*Tonight I watched as the Minnesota Vikings go down down to the New Orléans Saints.  I was blown away at what an incredible game it turned out to be, and while I like Drew Brees, I was really pulling for Brett Favre.  Oh well…  Such is life.

*Now I am off to hangout with Stacy for the evening.  I’m gone all week at a conference, back for a couple of days and gone again for another week.

What a week!

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January 18, 2010

Sunday Night Download

This week I…

1. Enjoyed great discussions with fellow staffers @ Oregon City Evangelical

2. Had a blast @ The Inn.  We’re in the middle of a series entitled, All Things New.

3. I volunteer @ my son’s school on Friday’s.  This week was exceptional.  I taught him how to play Wall-Ball and laid the smack down!

4. Friday night I took Kaedon to his first professional basketball game; the Portland Trailblazers vs. the Orlando Magic.  We were gifted INCREDIBLE seats by my grandmother for Paly’s birthday.  16 seats off of the floor accompanied by the Lexus suites, a.k.a. all you can eat, gourmet food.  To top it all off, the Blazers put the smack down on the Magic.  Awesome!

5. Tough conversations.  I have a friend whom I meet with on a regular basis for food, friendship and accountability.  The times we have together are such a blast and often times the hardest conversations I’ve had.  I’m glad to have friends that I can confide in, that won’t and definitely don’t pull punches.  It’s not easy, but it’s necessary!  Thank you, God, for allowing people into my life whom honor you and support me.

6. Yesterday, (Saturday) I spent 13 hours total, including drive time, to Seattle and back for Stacy’s family Christmas.  Stacy has some pretty amazing aunts and cousins.  It’s too bad that we don’t see them more than a couple of times a year.

7. Food poisoning – on the way back from Seattle yesterday our family stopped off at a place to remain anonymous.  Stacy, Autumn & Tailyn all got the same items, cheeseburgers w/ special sauce.  I got a different type of burger and Kaedon got chicken nuggets.  Why is this important?  Because all the girls came down with food poisoning within hours of our dinner together.  NASTY!  I’ll give you more details about the mess later…

8. Blessed are…I’m co-teaching a class with my buddy Brent, a PhD in PSYCH.  What a blast!  We have such different personalities and backgrounds that it makes for some pretty incredible discussions and perspectives in the way of teaching.  Today we taught on the subject of mourning: Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. This is a message that I was a part of later in the year as we were in our series entitled, Nine.  With Dr. B’s class, we are spending the next 20 weeks walking through Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount.

9. Today I led worship @ church for our “alternative” service.  As we were preparing to sing the song, God of This City, I totally blanked out on the melody and was stuck in the harmony.  I tried to get on track.  I played the song.  I hummed the melody.  I tried all the tricks of the trade and still…nothing.  Anyway, I started the song @ the Chorus thinking that it would carry me through and I would come to.  No such luck.  What I love most is that God calls us to make a joyful noise.  In spite of my inadequacies, God knows my heart and that I was all about honoring and glorifying Him.  So I sucked it up pretty good.  Such is life, huh?!  I’m grateful for grace.

10. I enjoyed a great lunch with three good friends after church today.  I love me some TDM (Taco Del Mar) and I love talking it up.  I had a blast doing both today!

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January 11, 2010

Sunday Night Reflection

1. A long week of school (Pacific Evangelical School of Ministry).  We started a week ago, Sunday and finished Wednesday night.  While I enjoy most of the material and the conversations, the best part of this week’s class time was our colloquia (a.k.a.) ping-pong tournament that took place after class on Tuesday night.

2. The Inn on Thursday night was the first celebration gathering of 2010 and the kickoff of a brand new series entitled, All Things New.  We started the night off with a spaghetti feed in a night that included worship through song, prayer, public reading of Scripture, a message, and plenty of hanging out.

3. Ryen, my youngest daughter, has her third ear infection in a string of infections.  Having just switched medical insurance companies, she will likely need to see a specialist this week to determine the root cause of the problem and to decide if she will need tubes in her ears.  Yuck!

4. Started teaching a new class with my friend and mentor, Dr. Brent Burson.  We’re doing a 20-week series on Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount.  Today was the first of what I anticipate will be many phenomenal times together.  This week; “blessed are the poor in spirit”.  Next week; “blessed are those who mourn”.  Should be a great week…

5. Picked up a couple of new books that I’m totally excited to read @ Powell’s Books in Portland, OR.

6. Went on a date with Stacy and some friends to an incredible Mexican food resteraunt on Hawthorne in P-town.  I had a bit of heaven on earth wrapped in a tomato tortilla and accompanied with some chips and salsa.

7. Funny moment of the week: My daughter, Tailyn, lives her life in a musical…really!  She is in the habit of singing everything she says.  It’s awesome!  I even think she called me, rather sang to me; “Daddy, you’re a dork for brains”, and I think it was in the key of ‘C’.

8. Lesson of the week: Worship is a choice.  To love the Lord your God with everything; all your heart, soul, mind & strength, that’s a decision that each person in responsible for making in all things.  For me, this week was particularly refreshing as I moved toward experiencing worship in heart; with emotion and passion.

9. High for the week: My high for the week was seeing my family after being away from them for nearly four days at school.  While I enjoy hanging with the boys, learning and goofing, there is nothing in this world quite like a hug from Stacy, a smile from my kids or some good quality CT – “cuddle time”.

10. I’m praying for: healing in my body.  I messed my knee up pretty good nearly three weeks ago while playing indoor soccer.  I know it’s probably nothing shy of getting older, and for fear of sounding like I’m merely complaining, I have experienced soreness in my body, back , shoulders and abdomen, that is taking away from feeling well.  I appreciate your prayers.

11. This week: I am really looking forward to a few meetings this week, catching up with some friends and mentoring some others.  I’m also super-stoked about The Inn this week.  We’re picking up where we left off last week in our series All Things New, specifically looking at new wine skin.  I’m praying God rocks our world in a new, profound way…

12. I’m missing: It’s often that I think about the friends that I’ve made over the years and across the country.  That said, I have really been missing my peeps on the east coast as well as in the 85308.  I’m hoping to take some time this coming year to hit up North Carolina as well as Arizona, to connect with friends and loved ones, and to experience ministry together.

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January 5, 2010

“That-a-way”

The lights above illuminate the silky wet grass below.  The sidelines bustling with young men ready for their moment and time to take to the gridiron.  The stands hug the field creating a bowl of excitement and anticipation for the onlookers hoping for victory and cheering on their own.  This is the backdrop that set the tone for many of my Friday nights throughout my tenure in high school.

As a Junior in high school I played for Coach Ed Burton and the Oregon City Pioneers.  While many lessons were learned about the game of football; the fundamentals of positioning, momentum, reading the eyes of your adversaries, the subtle nuances of both offensive and defensive schemes, and more, there was no lesson that has stood out to me greater than the one of encouragement.

At the end of each football game our team would take to the sidelines of our biggest fans and greatest supporters.  As a team we would applaud the onlookers in recognition of their support and together, with one voice, each would sing the Pioneer fight song, and this was merely a precursor for what would follow each game.

Immediately following the fanfare our team would sit in amongst the fans, eyes fixed on our coaches and hanging on every word which would inevitably lead to the player, and in some cases, players that would be highlighted for his play which set him apart from the rest.  Whether it was a specific play, exceptional attitude, leadership and the like, our coaches would pool their thoughts collectively and announce the “player of the game”.

In addition to making known the honoree of the weekly award, as well as encouraging comments surrounding that individual, our team would shout out a chant led by our coach and echoed by our team.  For the case in point we will use the name Brian:

“Hey Brian (echo)!  Go Brian (echo)!  That a way (echo)!  That a way (echo)!”

All of this leads me to my point.  It wasn’t any one tackle, sack, interception or touchdown that stands out to me.  What plays over in my mind’s eye time and again was the encouragement that was given and received by all.  Our team went undefeated that year with our only loss obtained in the State Championship game.  What I believe our team would remember most of all that season would be the camaraderie that was built around working together, sweating together and encouraging one another.  One thing is for sure, these are the lessons that I won’t quickly forget.

In a letter to a young church, Paul wrote these words in Romans, “that is, that you and I may be mutually encouraged by each other’s faith.” (1)  He was writing to a relatively new team of believers, followers of The Way, in which they were learning the ropes of what it meant to be a team or in this case, body.  As a “head coach” Paul was responsible for leading a team, teaching them the fundamentals and encouraging his players.

Without belaboring the point, I want to encourage you to intentionally seek out ways by which you might encourage those around you, on your team, in your home and whom you might encounter or come across.  While it’s easy to be critical and pick apart what we see and don’t like in others, we have the distinct privilege and even more, the responsibility of encouraging people.

Here are some things that I would offer up for consideration in the way of encouragement and our role in it:

#1 – Look – Be intentional about looking for the things that people are doing right.  In the same way that you might catch your kids or those around you doing something wrong, be deliberate about catching others doing something positive or good and make note of it.
“We should keep on encouraging each other to be thoughtful and to do helpful things.“ (2)

#2 – Communicate – Find ways to express your observations and gratitude toward others.  Take advantage of opportunities to communicate your appreciation for people by writing a note, sending a card, giving a gift or verbalizing what you noticed and how you feel/felt about it.  In other words, become a “cheerleader”!  I recently read a quote that really captured the essence of communicating encouragement: “You need to be aware of what others are doing, applaud their efforts, acknowledge their successes, and encourage them in their pursuits.  When we all help one another, everybody wins.” (3)

#3 – Take the focus off of yourself - I don’t know about you, but the lenses in which I interpret most things in life are filtered through “me” lenses.  There are times that I can hardly see past myself and therefore am short in either looking for and or communicating my appreciation of others and encouraging them.  We would all do well to take the focus off of ourselves, putting on another pair of lenses and doing something to build others up.  Paul puts it this way; “Love from the center of who you are; don’t fake it. Run for dear life from evil; hold on for dear life to good. Be good friends who love deeply; practice playing second fiddle.“ (4)

#4 – Keep Going -“Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another – and all the more as you see the Day approaching.” (5)  With all of the distractions this world has to offer it’s easy to act at first, in this case, an encouraging word.  That said, like most things, it’s merely a matter of months, weeks, days and in some cases, minutes in which I totally lose sight of what my good intentions were.  Stop it…or DON’T stop it!  Keep going.  Continually seek out opportunities to encourage, build up and edify.

(1) Romans 1:12, NIV
(2) Hebrews 10:24, ESV
(3) Jim Stovall, author & speaker
(4) Romans 12:9-10, MSG
(5) Hebrews 10:25, NIV

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December 30, 2009

Christmas In Perspective

This past Sunday I really felt the Lord led me to give a bit of a different Christmas message than one might expect for the traditional Christmas message as well as the last message of the year.

The message was entitled, Christmas In Perspective and really takes the view of Christmas from a new set of lenses and hopefully helps to bring about a clear perspective for what Christmas is all about.

In a day and age in which we run the risk of allowing distractions to invade our every moment, our perspectives can quickly become skewed based on what we think we see and whether or not it is truly ever in a right perspective.  I contest that while the real reason for Christmas is in our line of sight, we are often too caught up with the things (circumstances) around us that we run the risk of missing Christmas all together.  What’s more is that we may be well-intentioned but as such get so distracted that we create a huge wreck of sorts.

I’d love for you to take a few minutes and check out some of my thoughts on Christmas In Perspective…

A. Anderson

more about “Christmas In Perspective“, posted with vodpod

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December 28, 2009

Sunday Night Mind Dump – 12/27/09

What a week.

It’s hard to believe that another Christmas season has come and is already gearing up to make its exodus in but a few short days from now.  With a new year right around the corner, I am finding myself doing a whole lot of introspection, thinking about the happenings of 2009 as well as dreaming of the possibilities that lie ahead in 2010. 

But we’re not there yet.  So allow me to reflect on the week that was…

I was invited by our senior pastor to share the final message of the year.  With a blank canvas to start with and a myriad of colors from which to choose from, I really felt the leading of the Holy Spirit to address Christmas from a totally different perspective, hints the title, “Christmas In Perspective”.  Let me just go on record and say that this message was easily one of the toughest I have had to prepare let alone present.  There has been so much in the way of distractions this year, specifically this Christmas, that I was really struggling to come up with anything at all.  So several phone calls later including one to my good buddy and pastor Chris Harrison, I came to the realization that God was doing something phenomenal in way of my perspective on Christmas and the way that I am used to seeing things.  I will speak more to this as well as post the message when it’s available a little later in the week.

A crazy occurence; in between our 1st and 2nd service today I was approached by one of our musicians explaining the need for a drummer.  After searching the premises and with no luck, the default was me.  What?  Believe you, me, they were desperate and willing to take on almost anyone.  So nearly three years removed from my last stint at the drums I took to the trap set with sticks in hand and gave it all I had.  I made a noise unto the Lord.

1:00 pm marked the end of all three messages for the day, but was just the beginning of my day.  Immediately after our Sunday celebration services my family and I were off to my Aunt and Uncle’s house for a family Christmas get together.  It was great getting to be with my extended family over food and our first ever white elephant gift exchange.  Good times…

It’s now 7:41 pm and I’m still downloading and unwinding from the day. 

With no rhyme or reason here are some of the things that were integrated into my week as well as random thoughts:
~Staff & other meeting(s)
~Christmas shoping for Stacy & with Stacy
~Cleaning, cleaning & more cleaning
~Soccer @ the Indoor Center on Monday night
~I went for my first run since Thanksgiving
~I really wrestle with conflict resolution sometimes
~This Christmas season has been incredibly difficult
~I absolutely loved being a part of my kids opening up and putting to use their presents.
~My daughter, Autumn and I had an incredible conversation about the reason(s) for Christmas.  She’s so full of insight and fun to talk with.
~Went to Uncle and Aunt’s house Christmas eve for our annual Swedish festivities.  Love that we all get together and still really like each other!
~Went to bed way to late on Christmas eve and woke up way to early on Christmas day.  But, hey – isn’t that part of the fun of it all?!
~Got my first pair of glasses ever.  Progressives (aka) tri-focals.  What a transition from having never worn glasses or contacts to full on progressives.
~It’s still cold season in the Anderson house.  Lot’s of sniffling noses and yucky coughs, but getting better by the day, thank you Jesus.

So much has gone on since my last blog post, but for now this will have to suffice.  I am feeling a Red Box coming on.  I’ll have to let ya’ll know how it goes.

From my family to yours, Merry Christmas!  May you seek to know Him more intimately, love Him more passionately, and live for Him more intentionally this Christmas.  Remember to keep Christmas in perspective.

Until all hear,

A. Anderson

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December 21, 2009

Sunday Night Mind Dump

This last week seems like a blur in many cases.  A lot of great things going on as we wrap up the 2009 year, and just as many great things lie in wait as 2010 quickly approaches.  So as I sit on my wife’s laptop nearing the ten-o-clock hour I find my week playing over in my mind as though it were a reel to reel film capturing multiple images by the second.  If you were to bring those images to a halt and shine light through each particular slide you might see pictures like:

~Friday’s ”Pajama-party” @ Kaedon’s school.  I volunteered at his class on Friday and had a blast!
~Tuesday’s ”eye opening” experience while picking up Stacy’s glasses @ the opthamologist (more to come later)…
~Saturday I officiated the wedding of two of my great friends!  What a blast!!!
~Wednesday I spent the day with an 82 year-old pastor who has been in ministry more than twice my life time.  An incredible man who loves God, loves people and gets ministry.
~Thursday I talked with a great friend and incredible mentor from North Carolina that I have deeply missed.  My only regret is that we haven’t done so more often.

We just got back from church not too long ago.  Tonight was the last time we (The Inn) will meet as a collective group for a service this year.  It’s unbelievable how fast this past year went by.  There were so many things that took place.  A lot of great moments to celebrate as well as a fair share of trials.  That said, our time together tonight was a great way to wrap up the year.
The night started off with pizza from MoonPie as we sat around and ate together.  After dinner we continued our time of worship with music as my buddy, Jake led us in times of singing, prayer and hearing Luke’s account of the birth of Christ.  We continued with worship as we shared the Word of God together (Matthew 2:1-13).  The Big Idea for the message was simple; not loosing sight of Christmas while celebrating Christmas.  I think for me the times that I enjoy most are the moment before and after The Inn; times when everyone’s hanging out and sharing life together.  Awesome!

Right now I am getting ready to hangout with Stacy after putting the kiddos to bed.  Their staying up late due to Christmas break and super-stoked to do so.  SportsCenter is recalling the sports highlights of the day.  Kaedon is coloring on the couch…well, not “on” the couch.  Rather, he is coloring on paper while sitting on the couch.  And for the rest of the family…Stacy is helping Tai brush her teeth, Ryen is fast asleep and Audie is at her bff’s house for yet another night.

Looking back at this post I am feeling extraordinarily blessed.  I am incredibly honored that God has seen fit to bless me as a husband, father, pastor, and friend.  And although life can and often is hard at times, I am thankful for the opportunity to live life with great people and an incredible God!

This next week is going to be incredibly busy as well.  To name a few, here are some things on my plate…
1. A suprising amount of meetings
2. Visitations w/ Pastor Leroy to several retirement and nursing homes Monday
3. preparation for this weekend’s celebration service
4. Preaching the last message of the 2009 year on Sunday morning
5. Christmas eve w/ my Uncle Kevin and his family
6. Christmas day w/ my mom, my in-laws & my dad
7. Taking time to be a dad
8. Getting back to the gym

While all of this may seem like a lot, I am honestly looking forward to a phenomenal week! 

And on that note I bid thee goodnight…

~A. Anderson

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December 14, 2009

Monday Morning Reflections

It’s Monday morning, December 14th.  It’s hard to believe but we are only eleven days away from Christmas morning and seventeen days away from a whole new year.  Wild!  Where does the time go?

Yesterday was interesting.  It began by waking up to some black ice before heading off to church. 

Upon arriving at church and much to the fault of the weather traffic conditions, I had very little time to prepare for my morning including changing guitar strings, going over the music, checking e-mails, and the like.

One thing that I was and continue to be excited for is the opportunity I will have come January to co-teach a Sunday morning series with my friend, Brent.  We are going to be teaming up to do a series on the Sermon on the Mount.  Each week we will work together to unpack Jesus’ words to an incredibly eclectic group of individuals.  I’m super-stoked about it…

 I have been leading worship nearly every Sunday for the past five months or so and yesterday was no exception.  While I really enjoy the opportunities I have first and foremost, to worship God, sometimes my human expectations of self get in the way and blur my vision.  I confess that yesterday was one of those days. 

After church we scurried off to my dad’s place.  This is the first time that my brothers and I and our families have all been at my dad’s together since my parent’s recent divorce.  It was great to be together as family, but really sucked because it is unfamiliar ground to us; so many expectations, yet no one knows what the expectations are or how to go about them.  All-in-all it was nice celebrating my dad’s birthday and I pray for family reconciliation for my mom, my dad and my five siblings as well as many of the extended family and friends whom have been deeply affected by my parent’s divorce.

Last night was pretty sweet.  We went to “Qahal” (Hebrew: The Gathering) at Valley View Evangelical Church.  Several phenomenal leaders helped to make the night happen and I am so grateful for such wonderful people in my life.  The night started off with a full-on turkey dinner thanks to Tom Hurt, Brent Burson and Tim Mroz.  It was accompanied by the most mashed potatoes I have ever seen, salad, cranberries, stuffing, rolls, pie and more.  Each individual table was set-up for communion in which someone at their perspective table led the charge and the patrons of each table broke bread together over their meal.  Hmmm…sounds familiar.  A pretty sweet way of recognizing communion. 

My buddy Garrett led worship with a great group of musicians and vocalist while my friend James brought the message, “Blessings”.  It was pretty sweet how they worked it out.  They did the message and worship in tandem.  Garrett started off with a few songs.  James came up and started the message and paused after his first point.  Garrett and company led a couple of other songs.  James came back up to continue where he had left off and so the story goes.  This pattern continued throughout.  Awesome!

We were over-prepared and it ended up being a total blessing.  With so much food un-eaten, we were able to take three huge trays of turkey, three vats of mashed potatoes, four full pies, two big-ol bags of salad, a 20 gallon bag of rolls and even more leftover food to our local Union Gospel Mission.  Talk about need?!  Talk about unexpected blessings?!  The UGM were ecstatic to see us last night and met us on 2nd and Burnside with a cart ready for transport.  A brief conversation and many thanks and we were off.  What I loved most was that before we even hit the car door the Director was already offering to fix a plate of food for a homeless woman fixing to go to sleep on the street.  Amen!

I have so much going through my brain at the moment:
~Family
~Church
~Ministry
~The Inn
~Qahal
~Future
~Expectations
and each one seems to be occupying a good portion of space in my mind. 

Lord, I pray that you will help bring sense to the things floating around in my head.  Help me to know YOUR will and to walk in YOUR ways.  My desire is to bring glory and honor to YOUR name.  I’m praying for the strength to be silent and to listen to YOUR voice and direction.  Please help me to be obedient to the things YOU are calling me to.

~A. Anderson

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