Study Leave Book Reflection #3

This book is not about sports! The term coaching is not exclusive to the arena of athletics, but most people instantly relate the two, and since I'm such a sports nut, I'm sure that seeing the title made most people think: "Bill read a football book on Study Leave!!" No, I did not. :)

I was introduced to the idea of coaching almost two years ago, and a friend gave me this book a while back. I've begun to incorporate more of the concepts and techniques in my ministry already, and it's helped in a number of ways. As always, if you want the rest of my reflection paper on this book, drop me an e-mail and let me know, I'll be glad to send it along!

Reflection on: Coaching For Performance

Author: John Witmore 180 pages. Published by Nicholas Brealey Publishing

Summary:

Sir John Witmore is co-owner and a trainer and lecturer for Performance Consultants, a company that teaches coaching to business leaders and managers around the UK and USA. He literally ‘wrote the book’ on the concept of coaching for increased performance, and many companies have used the principles he espouses to recreate the atmosphere of their companies in an ever changing business climate.

The over-simplified version of coaching is to help the person you are coaching find the answers for themselves through active listening and strategic questioning. As much as the word has connotations for athletics, coaching is not just a sports issue; its concepts are just as effective in other setting, from business to parenting to leading in ministry. It increases ownership and buy-in for people who are involved in the coaching and bringing the best out of them.

The idea that drawing out the answers (and even drawing the coachee to go and find the answers for themselves) instead of telling or instructing creates an atmosphere that allows the coachee to take responsibility and gives them a way to grow to their maximum potential, even if it is beyond the abilities and skills of the coach in the same area. The questions are broken into four segments: Goals – what do you want to accomplish? Reality – What is happening now? Options: what could you do? Will – What will you do? In each segment, the coach asks questions and allows the coachee to set the agenda, but directs the conversation to cover the steps to making decisions that will accomplish the goals.

While it seems like it will take more time to coach than to simply tell or direct, the truth is that the responsibility and attention, not to mention potential excitement generated in the coachee will make the oversight of the coachee take less time in the future.

The last few chapters of the book covered the surprising topics of coaching teams and the deeper, spiritual benefits of coaching that helps people find meaning and purpose in their lives.

So Far... GOD!

This is what I love about God working in our midst:

• Last Thursday, after the Night of Prayer asking God to move His kingdom forward through us, I was walking downtown for some lunch and ran into someone who attends our church sometimes. Out of they blue, they start talking to me about wanting to get baptized. Okay, apparently God was listening to our prayers...

• Someone came up to me after the message on Sunday and told me that they had been suffering with depression for a few months, but they came to our Night of Prayer last Wednesday and when they left, the depression had lifted. He was tearing up when he told me that he was so excited to be over it, and how blessed he felt just to be there.

• So many new people in the worship services, and so many of them looking ready to engage God at whatever level they could. All ages, all places in life, all different kinds of folks. It was especially cool to see our college students come back and bring friends with them their first Sunday back in town. And it was great to see first service fill up quite a bit. Love you, first service people!

• I could see people connecting to the song, "Better Hands Now" that Theresa sang, and having that extra element in the message helps it connect to people. I hope that piece went home with you, that God's hands are better hands to hold the struggles and issues of your life.

• I'm so proud of the Worship Team leading us into God's presence. Karl wasn't feeling well, but from where I was sitting, you couldn't tell. We're so blessed as a church family to have dedicated, talented, God-honoring, God-loving people to lead us in worship every week, but Sunday was a notch above.
  

• The Elders were excited to be leading the next Night of Prayer, and hoping to get the opportunity to pray for someone.

I'm looking forward to this week's Night of Prayer. We're also having a time of teaching/training afterward for anyone interested in fasting as a part of prayer, so plan to be there Wednesday and stick around for 20 minutes or so after for the training. God is on the move, and we need to be in step with Him.

Night of Prayer #1 Recap

All I can tell you is that it feels lighter around here today. I'm not sure if there have been any answers or if anyone else feels it, but it feels lighter around here. Prayer makes things happen, not in a "magic" way, but in God's way, and I think that the line got moved last night. Can't put my finger on it, but that's how it feels.

Big thanks to everyone who came and participated, and be sure to invite your friends along next week when we'll do some more praying. It wasn't big and splashy, but it was prayer that we needed to pray, and I'm grateful to everyone who made it.

And bonus props to Tawna Brockett who painted the three figures on the platform. I didn't know she was creating art for the Simply Pray series, but she created three figures in different postures of prayer that exactly depict what we're talking about the three messages in the series. Look at what God was already doing...

So we keep praying.

Night of Prayer - August 20

In 27 minutes, we will have our first of three Nights of Prayer as a part of the message series we're doing on the subject of prayer. Honestly, I'm a little nervous, it's been a long time since we did something like this, and there's a lot at stake. We're praying for God to do big things in our church family, for Him to break through on whatever the heart issue is that is holding back our financial health as a church, and we want to see His kingdom move ahead. That's all big time stuff.

This has to be important, because there have been so many distractions and discouragements in the last couple days that I'm losing count. Everything from the silly to the serious. I'm trying hard to focus on Jesus in the middle of this all, and the drive over here was a big help. I heard the new Third Day song "Call My Name," and I decided that would be a good idea. I am calling on Jesus to be here while we pray, and to help me concentrate while the distractions either resolve, disappear, or find some perspective. Nothing in our ministry here ever goes easy. Nothing. It's always an uphill battle for every inch of territory, and my hope is that tonight, we move the line. More to the point, we see God move the line. I'll let you know what happens, but keep praying, okay?

Study Leave Book Reflection #2

This is the second book I read on my Study Leave, one that several friends had recommended. I have always liked the idea of team as a metaphor for the church, even if the Bible doesn't use it. I think in our modern context, it works well and communicates much, especially to men who don't always feel comfortable in church.

That being said, I'm pretty sure that when it comes to dysfunctions, churches have as many as any other team, whether in the corporate world, the athletic world, or anywhere else you might look. This is a business book, but as you can see, the applications are clear for a church context without much translation. If you'd like to read the personal reflection portion of my paper, drop me an e-mail and I'll shoot you a copy.

REFLECTION ON 5 DYSFUNCTIONS OF A TEAM

Author: Patrick Lencioni 230 pages. Published by Jossey-Bass

Summary:

Lencioni is a committed Christian who is a business consultant and performance coach. I first heard of him at the Leadership Summit two years ago. His books (this is my third of his) are written as a ‘Business Fable,’ the first part a work of fiction that highlights the need for and application of the principles he is attempting to communicate. The last part of the book is a summary of the principles and ways to apply them in real world settings.

This particular book is about the power of teamwork in the workplace and how, without it, a more talented and better resourced team can fall into habits and situations that hold them back from their full potential. In the case of this fable, the department heads that formed the executive staff of a software company, but the application to a church Leadership Team were obvious. The dysfunctions are: Lack of Trust, Fear of (constructive, positive) Conflict, Lack of Commitment (to the decisions made by the team), Avoidance of Accountability (to each other and to the team), and finally, Inattention to Results.

The ‘cure’ for each of these dysfunctions would be – build a foundation of trust so that there is positive, helpful conflict over ideas that do not damage relationships, therefore allowing each team member to share how they feel, positive or negative, about each idea. When conflict is working in a team, there is greater buy-in to decisions, even when a team member had issues and even strong opinions against it, because they had their opportunity to be heard and their ideas on the subject vetted by the entire team. This creates a higher level of accountability (and requires a higher level of accountability) among the team as they all hold each other to a higher standard of functionality in the wake of team-created decisions. All this leads to placing a higher value on results, because instead of individual performance being the focus, the good of the whole team is the greater consideration, and the positive results of the entire operation will be the standard of measure for everyone.

Study Leave Book Reflection #1

I'm posting the summary portion of the reflection papers I wrote and gave to the Elder Team for each of the books I read on my Study Leave. There are more personal reflections that accompany these summaries, and if you want to read those, drop me an e-mail and I'll send you a copy.

This is the first book I read on Study Leave. It's one that I've had on my shelf for a year and was apprehensive about picking up because I knew I wouldn't be able to put it down. I was right, so thank God for a Study Leave to focus some time on learning.

Reflection on HOLY DISCONTENT

Author: Bill Hybels 155 pages. Published by Zondervan

Summary:

Hybels, pastor of Willow Creek Community Church in the suburbs of Chicago, is one of the leading pastors in America, and some would say in the world. He writes about the burning passion that drives people in whatever world-changing endeavors they pursue. God has placed a passion in the heart of every person, and as we live our lives, there will be crystallizing moments that reveal what our passion is. Those ‘burning bush’ moments are the beginning of what he calls Holy Discontent; a stirring, a burning in our soul to make a difference, to change what is wrong, to see justice prevail, to bring about positive transformation in our broken, unfair, problem ridden world. By using both biblical characters and stories from his own journey and those of people he knows, Hybels builds a case for finding our Holy Discontent and developing it into a world-changing passion in our lives. He outlines the steps to finding and feeding that discontent, and how to turn it into action and keep the flame burning.

Back In The Office

I've come to realize I probably need to post more often, so I'm going to try, feel free to pray for me.

Some issues at the end of my Study Leave: first, it was a productive time, with 4 very helpful and important books that I read, a bunch of sermon work that got done, and four very effective meetings that took place (though the meetings were not originally supposed to be a part of the Study Leave). I will post my reflections on each of the books over the next 4 weeks, and you can see for yourself what God was trying to say to me and to our church family as well. I'd love to hear your comments on the reflections.

The two sermons I wrote while away are coming up the next two weeks, and honestly, I've never written a sermon before the week I was going to give it, so this will be a new experience. The series is called "Simply Pray", and I'm looking forward to it in a whole new way after these last few Sunday's messages during the Blockbuster series. Endure, trust, believe, die to self: these are all leading our church family toward something God is trying to say to us and build in us, so the next logical step is to talk to Him about it all. Can't wait to see what God does when we go to prayer with all that He's already giving us.

Just so you know, coming back early to share with the congregation about the financial situation Sunday was not a hard decision, but I wish I hadn't had to make it. If you weren't there, I came back a day early in order to share with the church family that we are 25% behind in our giving from last year, and last year we weren't meeting expenses, either, so something needed to be said. I hate begging for money, so I didn't do that, I just pointed out that, with attendance up over last year, it was obvious that this was not really a money issue, it's a heart issue. Jesus said in Matthew 6:21, "For where your treasure is, there you heart will be also," so we know that people are willing to come and willing to bring their friends to church, but not everyone's heart is in it. We are going to pray, listen, and then obey what God is telling us on this, and hopefully we can see some breakthrough. Please keep that in prayer. But I want you to know that I believe in this church family, I believe in God's promises for us, and I believe in my role here as the pastor, so it was not hard to decide to be here and be the one to tell folks what's going on. I love this church, and I am living in the hope that God is going to fix what's in our hearts and continue to use us to make a difference in the Portneuf Valley for Christ.

One more thing you need to know: the Elder Team and I met twice in the last two weeks for a total of 10 hours. We studied the Bible together, prayed together, shared our hearts and our past, and we pounded out the Guiding Principles and Goals for the 2008-2009 ministry year. I am so excited to be working with these guys, they are dedicated, open to learn, and ready to trust God for big things. Once we get the typos all cleaned up, you will be able to get a copy of both of those documents from the church office via e-mail or hard copy. I'm looking forward to what God has for us this year in way that is fresh and exciting. I hope you will pray for and participate in what God is up to in this church family.

So, back in the office today, and back in the pulpit on Sunday. We'll see if I remember how to do this. :)

Two and a half Anniversaries

This past couple weeks have been full of reminders of time passing in my life, and for a change, I'm really okay with it. At least today I am. :)

The most important was the past Friday, August 1, the 16th wedding anniversary for Beth and I, so let me start there. I love her more today than I did that day, and I know she feels the same. We've been through so much together, and it's hard to imagine anyone being able to put up with so much 'stuff' for so long. When I talk about marriage, I always say people want to sign up for better, richer and health, but in reality we get worse, poorer and sickness just as often. There have been so many amazing moments, and so many ridiculous challenges, but through it all, God has kept us together, and kept us at each other's side. I am blessed to call Beth my friend, my partner, and my wife. After a great dinner (thanks to some good friends, another blessing in my life), we laid in bed and shared some of the highlights of the past 16 years. Aside from the birth of our children, we chased so many memories that made us laugh and gave us pause to thank God for allowing us to survive and see fruit. Proverbs 18:22 says, "He who finds a wife finds what is good and receives favor from the Lord." Found it, Got it, Thanks Be To God!!

Another anniversary I stumbled across in my life was the 4th year of being past my cancer treatment. For those who don't know, in 2004, I was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, and was treated at the Cancer Center here at the Portneuf Medical Center. I stopped in there on Friday to see a friend who was receiving her last chemo treatment and was reminded that July of '04 was my last chemo. What a blessing to have good people and good facilities available, and to know that so many people were praying for me. I never know if I talk about it too much or not enough, but the entire cancer experience was a major part of my journey, and one that I continue to be amazed by as God uses it over and over again to help other people.

Later that same day, I was called to the home of a dear couple in our church family that got some bad news: her cancer was no longer responding to treatment. I don't have any magic words for moments like that, but I came, I sat, we talked and prayed and we put our hope in God for the best He has to offer.

The 'half' anniversary was the reminder of how long I have been the pastor here in Pocatello. If you stay in a place long enough as pastor, you have these experiences: I was invited to pray at the reception of a newly married couple, David and Lacey Engle. David was in grade school when Beth and I were called to Poky, and I've watched Dave grow up. Now in his twenties, he's married and starting the next chapter of his life, and I get to marvel at how many precious moments like this I have received in my ministry. Someone asked me how long I have been pastor here at FBC Pocatello, and when I told them it was 12 1/2 years, they asked me if that was normal. I held my laughter (barely), and said that no, it was not the norm for a pastor to stay that long, but when you're having this much fun, who wants to go anywhere else?!

I know that God isn't done with me yet. He's not done making me a better husband, father, friend and pastor, and He's not done making me a better Christ-follower. I love how He reminds me that He has been faithful in bringing me this far, just so He can remind me that He's going to keep working on me.