Drew Boswell

a place for us to share ideas, talk about life, and learn together.

Wisdom at Work; Proverbs 6:1-19

“When Jesus heard what had happened [to John the Baptist], he withdrew by boat privately to a solitary place. Hearing of this, the crowds followed him on foot from the towns. When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, he had compassion on them and healed their sick.” Matthew 14:13-14 

Jesus was undoubtedly grieving at that time over the beheading of His cousin and friend, John the Baptist. He needed to “withdraw privately to a solitary place.” Nevertheless, the people learned of His whereabouts and came seeking His healing touch. Even in that painful time of loss, Jesus took compassion on the people and reached out to those in need. So there will times when we, too, must give of ourselves even when it is difficult or inconvenient to do so.

But there was another occasion when thousands of people sought to be healed by Jesus. After spending some time with them, He got in a boat with His disciples and rowed away. Mark 4:36 says, “Leaving the crowd behind, they took [Jesus] along, just as he was, in the boat.” Undoubtedly, the large following that day included individuals with cancer, blindness, physical deformities, and every other kind of human misery. Jesus could have stayed there through the night and healed them all, yet He had apparently reached the end of His strength and knew He needed to rest. He and His disciples rowed away, apparently leaving some of the needy people standing on the bank.

Just as there is a time to give, there is also a time to be alone, to pray and to escape from the pressures of the day, even though there are worthy things yet to be accomplished. Those who fail to strike this balance are risking the good things they want to accomplish.

The book of Proverbs shows us that we must say no to some things in order to do other things well. So how does one determine what these things should be? Solomon shows us how, and he does it by letting us overhear a conversation with his son.

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The Spectator; Trapped by His Words (vv. 1-5)

“My son, if you have put up security for your neighbor, have given your pledge for a stranger,
2 if you are snared in the words of your mouth, caught in the words of your mouth, 3 then do this, my son, and save yourself, for you have come into the hand of your neighbor: go, hasten, and plead urgently with your neighbor. 4 Give your eyes no sleep and your eyelids no slumber; 5 save yourself like a gazelle from the hand of the hunter, like a bird from the hand of the fowler.”

In Hebrew the word for “your pledge” is a picture of the hand – two hands shaking in agreement to something. All throughout the Old Testament the hand is symbol of power. So Solomon is telling his son “don’t give your power away to another by making a rash promise.”

To agree to put up security for another person’s debt is to lose control of the debt. If they make bad decisions or go through some kind of trouble, you are now responsible for the debt. When you “give your pledge” – it is the same as “signing on the dotted line.” Your future now rests on “the neighbor’s” willingness to pay off the loan.[1]

Don’t allow your words (whether it be verbal, or in writing) to trap you. Solomon says that you should do whatever is within your ability to get out of the trap. Don’t sleep, go to them and get out of the agreement.

But since you have signed on the dotted line, then you can’t demand but it says, “plead urgently” – literally humble, tread upon oneself, crush, demean – humbly go to the person and strongly seek to get out of the agreement.

When the animal is caught in the trap, they don’t take a nap for a little while, they immediately begin to try their best to get out of the trap. So “go, hasten”

“your pledge for a stranger” – if a stranger came to you and asked you to cover a debt in case he couldn’t pay for it, would you – most of us would say no, but the idea here is one where you give your money to a stranger who promises quick money. Give me your money, and you will be able to make a huge profit.

Proverbs 11:15 “Whoever puts up security for a stranger will surely suffer harm, but he who hates striking hands in pledge is secure.”

 Proverbs 17:18 “One who lacks sense gives a pledge and puts up security in the presence of his neighbor.”

 Proverbs 20:16 “Take a man’s garment when he has put up security for a stranger, and hold it in pledge when he puts up security for foreigners.”

 Proverbs 22:26-27 “Be not one of those who give pledges, who put up security for debts. 27 If you have nothing with which to pay, why should your bed be taken from under you?”

Proverbs 27:13 “Take a man’s garment when he has put up security for a stranger, and hold it in pledge when he puts up security for an adulteress.

Another way to think about this issue is where I have committed to more than I can really handle. One who says, “yes” to something and suddenly becomes overcommitted, overbooked, and now can’t really afford to keep up with all the things they have committed to, or said they would do.

Like the gazelle and the bird there are so many people who feel trapped by their calendar. Before any time goes by, get out of the commitment that you have made, so that it will not damage your family, or your work/ministry that will make an eternal difference.

Remember that we live in a cycle of life. The New Year is the beginning of a new cycle for many families – How are you guarding your calendar so that God and His purpose for your family are not getting pushed out of the picture?

The Sluggard: Trapped by His Work Ethic (vv.6-11)

“6 Go to the ant, O sluggard; consider her ways, and be wise. 7 Without having any chief, officer, or ruler, 8 she prepares her bread in summer and gathers her food in harvest. 9 How long will you lie there, O sluggard? When will you arise from your sleep? 10 A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest, 11 and poverty will come upon you like a robber, and want like an armed man.”

The word “sluggard” occurs 14 times in Proverbs, and nowhere else in Old Testament. So if we study this word throughout the book of Proverbs it tends to mean “folly” or “foolishness.”

So the ant provides for itself, gathering and storing. It is self-governed, self-directed, it does not need to be told what to do. And it does not need to learn, it actually teaches.

When we look at the ant there is no apparent leader, the ants just seem to recognize that they should be gathering food and storing it away for a later date. With no leader Solomon is telling his son (and us) that we should show initiative and work, and not wait to be told to do something. Take useful action without a supervisor watching.

Proverbs 10:4-5 “A slack hand causes poverty, but the hand of the diligent makes rich. 5 He who gathers in summer is a prudent son, but he who sleeps in harvest is a son who brings shame.” There is a time for work (while the harvest is in the field), but if one waits too long the harvest rots in the field and there will be nothing to eat.

So you have the hands in the first sections that foolishly give away their power with a handshake, and here we see the hands folded across the chest while the foolish man sleeps while he should be working (gathering the harvest) like the ant.

So hands are a metaphor where a dad is trying to tell his son to not waste his time on foolish things – what are you doing with your time and how are you using it to provide for yourself.  

So the father tells his son, “poverty will come upon you” and when it comes it will strike quickly, it will take all you have like a robber, like an armed man takes everything of value.

We are not a people who are lazy in that we sit still, or fold our hands – we are like the ant in that we are engaged in frantic activity, but have little to show for it. The ant is wise because not only does she work hard, but she is purposeful and diligent in staying on task.

We must (get out of inappropriate commitments) then make an appropriate commitment, and then stick with it. When it’s time to work, we must work. When it’s time to rest, we should rest. When it’s time to spend time with the family, then be engaged. When it’s time to serve in the Lord’s church then do that – and stick with it over the long haul.

Some appropriate commitments to consider would be: rest and Sabbath-keeping, unhurried time with friends and family for the purpose of building strong relationships, and schedules planned far enough in advance to ensure that what we do, we do well.

 

The Scoundrel; Trapped by A Way if Life (vv. 12-19)

“12 A worthless person, a wicked man, goes about with crooked speech, 13 winks with his eyes, signals with his feet, points with his finger, 14 with perverted heart devises evil, continually sowing discord; 15 therefore calamity will come upon him suddenly; in a moment he will be broken beyond healing.”

A wicked man is considered worthless because he does not build anything on his own, he only desires to take other people’s belongings. He uses his body to somehow signal to others, which ultimately causes people to be broken up, or to cause disunity among brothers.

It has the idea of side conversations and meetings where when a larger group gets together, the wicked man then with his eyes, feet, hands, and a perverted heart constantly works to destroy, and in that destruction take things.

So you have a warning against over-commitment and making hasty agreements in the first section, and in the second section a person makes gains by working hard and smart. Here we see the shadow side of seeking to build up wealth – to covet. The person who covets has a sense that they lack something. So in order to fill that sense of need, instead of working, they scheme.    

The Portrait of the Scoundrel (vv. 16-19)

“16 There are six things that the Lord hates, seven that are an abomination to him: 17 haughty eyes, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood, 18 a heart that devises wicked plans,
feet that make haste to run to evil, 19 a false witness who breathes out lies, and one who sows discord among brothers.”

“Haughty eyes” is a reference to a person who refuses to lower his eyes to authority. He refuses to lower his eyes even toward God, meaning that he sees no one as his superior, no one is over him in authority.   “A lying tongue” is the person who lies to take advantage of whatever the situation may be. They say whatever needs to be said to make them seem to be in the right, or to get their way.

“hands that shed innocent blood” this list of seven things are given to us in the context of work or lifestyle. We would say now, I would never murder someone. David and Bathsheba – the story begins with laziness “a little folding of hands” where David stays behind while his soldiers go out and fight a war. 2 Samuel 11:1 “In the spring of the year, the time when kings go out to battle, David sent Joab, and his servants with him, and all Israel. And they ravaged the Ammonites and besieged Rabbah. But David remained at Jerusalem.” David was trying to save his way of life, his reputation – and was willing to kill an innocent to keep it.

A list of seven things are listed as being things that the Lord hates, and by saying it the way he did, his intention was to say that the seventh thing is above all the rest. So God hates haughty eyes, a lying tongue, etc….but he really hates it when a person causes discord among brothers.

The focus is not on God’s vengeance (there is no mention of it here), but instead we are to learn to hate the things that God hates. All of these things flow directly from the second half of the ten commandments – and they are all things that we can become if we are not careful. So guard your resources, but more importantly, guard your heart.

Luke 12:13-21 “Someone in the crowd said to him, “Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me.” 14 But he said to him, “Man, who made me a judge or arbitrator over you?” 15 And he said to them, “Take care, and be on your guard against all covetousness, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.” 16 And he told them a parable, saying, “The land of a rich man produced plentifully, 17 and he thought to himself, ‘What shall I do, for I have nowhere to store my crops?’ 18 And he said, ‘I will do this: I will tear down my barns and build larger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. 19 And I will say to my soul, Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; relax, eat, drink, be merry.’ 20 But God said to him, ‘Fool! This night your soul is required of you, and the things you have prepared, whose will they be?’ 21 So is the one who lays up treasure for himself and is not rich toward God.”

Typically we work from around the late teen years to we are let’s say sixty. That’s about forty years of working, earning a paycheck, building wealth, going through life. We need to avoid being trapped by bad decisions so that our resources can be protected and used effectively.

We need to work hard and guard our commitments and work effectively so that after a period of time we have something to show for all that effort, and we have to guard our hearts so that we please God in how we go about gaining resources.

But the question is “what do I do with my resources once I have protected it, managed it, and have done it in a godly way?” Luke tells us to become rich toward God – not to build bigger barns, or get bigger wallets – but to put it toward the things of God that have eternal dividends.  

Jesus says, “one’s life does not consist in the abundance.” – we must guard our resources so that they can be used for what really counts (time, talents, tithe, and your energy, your heart or passion). What are you doing right now that will really matter one hundred years from now?

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[1] Proverbs 11:15; 17:18; 20:16; 22:26; 27:13

Why Should I Seek Wisdom? Proverbs 2

When children reach the teenage years there is a delicate balance that must be achieved between parents and teens. How much control and how much freedom should a parent exercise? Parents have to decide how much control they will have over their child and how much freedom and decision making the youth will be able to exercise.

We see in this passage that a young man is being instructed by his father and he tells him that he will encounter two major temptations; peer pressure and sexual seduction. Instead of clamping down freedom and ratcheting up control – the father tries to teach his son how to make wise decisions himself, and he instructs him on the benefits of making wise decisions. He tells him the truth about life (these are the dangers), and he gives his son the necessary tools to handle it when it comes.

Also, the father begins with the importance of knowing God. Many parents tell their children “don’t do this,” or “don’t do that” and they may even show in the Bible how these things are destructive, but they do not give an alternative to the desire to be popular, or have a girlfriend, or be in a bad relationship. The alternative is knowing God and finding joy in that relationship and way of life. The alternative given to us in Proverbs 2 is the most valuable pursuit there is, the most important thing in life – to know and love God at a deeper level.  

So let’s take a look: 

How One Receives Wisdom (vv. 1-5)

2:1 My son, if you receive my words and treasure up my commandments with you, 2 making your ear attentive to wisdom and inclining your heart to understanding; 3 yes, if you call out for insight and raise your voice for understanding, 4 if you seek it like silver and search for it as for hidden treasures, 5 then you will understand the fear of the Lord and find the knowledge of God.

We see first in v. 1 there is an “if” and again in v. 4, “if” and in v. 5 we see “then” – these are if/then statements that say if you do this, then these things will happen.[1] If we take in our father’s commandments, then we will understand “the fear of the Lord and find the knowledge of God.” Fear and knowledge therefore do not just happen, they have to be sought after and desired. They require effort and time.

The way that is described here is of a person seeking wisdom, by calling for it, digging for it, mining for it, so that it can be found or discovered – but all of these things require a person to diligently seek it out – it does not just pop into your mind and heart.

I love my children, but one of my children has a tendency to wander off away from groups – water parks, cub scout camp, church… and there have been several times when we realized that the child (who shall remain anonymous) there is a rush of panic and fear that rushes over you – and your whole focus is finding that child as quickly as you can. I know I treasure this child, because I seek after the child with all I have, my heart desires nothing else but to find this child.

I yell the child’s name “anonymous”, I look under stuff, I look in stuff, I really do want to find the child. This is how we are to seek God – we cry out to the Lord in prayer, we search His Word as though we really want to discover Him, and His commands for our lives – not in some kind of guilt trip, or so we can be self-righteous.

Mark 10:46-52 “And they came to Jericho. And as he [Jesus] was leaving Jericho with his disciples and a great crowd, Bartimaeus, a blind beggar, the son of Timaeus, was sitting by the roadside. 47 And when he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to cry out and say, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” 48 And many rebuked him, telling him to be silent. But he cried out all the more, “Son of David, have mercy on me!” 49 And Jesus stopped and said, “Call him.” And they called the blind man, saying to him, “Take heart. Get up; he is calling you.” 50 And throwing off his cloak, he sprang up and came to Jesus. 51 And Jesus said to him, “What do you want me to do for you?” And the blind man said to him, “Rabbi, let me recover my sight.” 52 And Jesus said to him, “Go your way; your faith has made you well.” And immediately he recovered his sight and followed him on the way.”

When we seek after wisdom with all that we have, it is not just wisdom that one is given, but God Himself! We get to know God better, we relate to Him at a deeper level.

How the Lord Protects Us With Wisdom (vv. 6-8)

6 For the Lord gives wisdom; from his mouth come knowledge and understanding; 7 he stores up sound wisdom for the upright; he is a shield to those who walk in integrity, 8 guarding the paths of justice and watching over the way of his saints.

In chapter Proverbs 1 wisdom calls out to us and here we see that we are to call out for wisdom. So, wisdom desires to be listened to, and the Lord is ready to give wisdom to any who seek it. He stores it up for when we seek Him; it can be found in great quantity. Wisdom is directly related to obedience where the believer chooses to obey and wisdom is then given from God and their paths are protected. The seeker of wisdom is described as upright, blameless, just, and faithful.

Wisdom in the life of a believer then becomes a shield that is given by God that protects the believer. When we are diligent and obedient, wisdom is given from God and our decision-making becomes one where wisdom is shown. So if we look at it from the opposite view, and reverse the teaching here – when we are disobedient, wisdom is not given in the life of a person, and then their decision making is one that lacks wisdom because it is not given by God, and the person’s path is not guarded, and they suffer harm.

One of the ways that God “watches over us” is to allow us to choose to follow Him, and then because we choose His ways, and obey His commands, then he gives us the ability to protect ourselves by our ability to make good and wise decisions.

It is like a father who teaches his child to wear a helmet when he rides his bike. Every time the child goes to ride his bike the father tells him, wear your helmet – then one day the son goes out, puts on his helmet and rides his bike without the father having to say anything – he then falls – how did the father protect his son? By giving him instruction and the son then listens and obeys, and the son is protected when he fell.

As our heavenly almighty father, He has the ability to make us walk in His ways, but He has decided to give us the freedom to choose. The Bible teaches us that those who become wise are those who seek the Lord, and obey His commands (holiness) – wisdom “skills in life” are given to them by God.

The best way to prepare our children for the world is to teach them to fall in love with God’s Word. To memorize it, to discuss it, read it, pray through it – and teach them to have a quiet time on their own. We lead by example – we love God and His Word, and they follow. We can have a quiet time with them, teaching of why we do this and how important it is, then have a quiet time at the same time but separately, and then them by themselves.

Deuteronomy 6:4-9 “Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. 5 You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. 6 And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. 7 You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise. 8 You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. 9 You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.”

Wisdom Protects Us From Evil Men (vv. 9-15) 

“9 Then you will understand righteousness and justice and equity, every good path; 10 for wisdom will come into your heart, and knowledge will be pleasant to your soul; 11 discretion will watch over you, understanding will guard you, 12 delivering you from the way of evil, from men of perverted speech, 13 who forsake the paths of uprightness to walk in the ways of darkness, 14 who rejoice in doing evil and delight in the perverseness of evil, 15 men whose paths are crooked, and who are devious in their ways.”

The seeker of wisdom is described to us as being on a path. While on this path he begins to understand how God sees righteousness, justice, and equity – and understand the “good path.” He will discover that living this is “pleasant to the soul.” He enjoys living a godly life, it brings him joy. He doesn’t have to, he gets to. It’s not a duty, or obligation but a privilege.

Wisdom given from God to the believer, and a love for God and this way of life becomes a guard against men who desire to seduce him into “ways of darkness” We see that not only do these men have perverted speech, are unrighteous, walk in ways of darkness, but that they “rejoice in doing evil.” They love being perverted, walking a crooked life path, and being devious. The danger is not what these evil men will do to the young man, but how they will draw him in to doing what they are doing, even to the point of thinking that it is pleasurable and having fun in this activity. The danger is that he will become what they are.

We all have a sin nature, that when we expose ourselves to certain things, stirs up things within us. These evil men use that sin nature to entice the young man into perverse activity. But when the young man has wisdom – he realizes this and rejoices instead in His God, and God’s ways – thus giving him the ability to not go down the crooked path.

Wisdom gives the young man the skill of saying, “no” and realizing that he does not want to live a life that way. The young man has a desire to serve God, rather than allow his sinful desire to control him, and lure him into wickedness.

Wisdom Protects Us From Evil Women (vv. 16-19)

16 So you will be delivered from the forbidden woman, from the adulteress with her smooth words, 17 who forsakes the companion of her youth and forgets the covenant of her God; 18 for her house sinks down to death, and her paths to the departed; 19 none who go to her come back,
nor do they regain the paths of life.

We see the young man, who is separated from his father, and as he is walking he comes across a woman. Wisdom will protect a young man from this “smooth” talking woman. Her smooth talk is for the purpose of getting the young man to commit adultery with her. She is not keeping the pledge that she gave to God (notice it’s not about her pledge to her husband).

Malachi 2:14 “But you say, “Why does he not?” Because the Lord was witness between you and the wife of your youth, to whom you have been faithless, though she is your companion and your wife by covenant.”

Another way to think of this is to engage in a relationship where the other person is willing to break a covenantal promise in order to get something she wants. The people that we choose to associate with will have a direct affect on us – wisdom tells us that being around this woman is dangerous.  

Proverbs 13:20 “Whoever walks with the wise becomes wise, but the companion of fools will suffer harm.”

Desire is a theme that runs through this chapter – desire for God, desire to fit in, desire for an adulterous woman, etc.. Desire, when kept in check, and when a young man is righteous, holy, upright etc…is guarded and protected from the consequences of immoral and evil behavior because he does not engage in the activity.

But here the lust for this woman leads to a “sinking down to death,” keeping the desire in check, not engaging in activity or going to a place where this desire is aroused, has to be guided by wisdom. If not, it leads to destruction. The enticement to be with the peer group leads one to become like they are, here the desire and lust for this woman leads to the destruction of one’s life.

Wisdom’s End Result (vv. 20-22)

20 So you will walk in the way of the good and keep to the paths of the righteous. 21 For the upright will inhabit the land, and those with integrity will remain in it, 22 but the wicked will be cut off from the land, and the treacherous will be rooted out of it.

Here again we see the young man joined with a group – but they are a good and righteous group who are on a good path. And if the young man is able to be guided by wisdom, says “no” to danger, then he will “inhabit the land” and “remain” there. In the Old Testament land often times represents the presence of God, or a relationship with God. When we are obedient we are in a place where we can know God and remain in that place of knowing Him at a deeper level.

But the wicked are “cut off” from knowing God, learning things about Him, and are even at a point where they are “rooted out of it.” Wisdom then, when sought after with all that we have, with our whole heart, and if we remain obedient to God’s commands, we will have the honor and privilege of knowing God.

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Imagine you get on a plane and travel to deepest and most remotest part of a land where the people there do not speak your language and use crude instruments and tools, and have no knowledge of any other land than the surrounding country side where they grew up. Now you take that person and fly them to New York, and drop them off from a taxi to Times Square, you close the door, say “good bye” and drive off. How do you think they will do? Will they be successful? Will they even be able to live?

This is what life is like when we don’t seek God with all of our heart. Life makes no sense, it’s maddening, it’s confusing, and it seems to keep changing. There is no sense of direction and we wander from place to place, day to day, not knowing, and not understanding. Everything is foreign and we don’t understand very much at all.

But after a while, we kind-of figure some stuff out. We discover that we can dig through dumpsters to get food, and we can find clothing in the streets sometimes. But what if we were from New York, and spoke the language, and knew how to hail a cab, or had money to pay for it, because we had a job in one of those high sky scrapers. We had a home, and every sign we read told us where to go, how much, or we understood that dangers that lay ahead. Wisdom is like looking at the world as though we were from another land, and putting on glasses that allowed us to see and understand the world correctly.

The road to wisdom begins with understanding who God is, and what He is like. He is holy; we are not. He is all-powerful; we are not. He is all-knowing; we are not. He is all-loving; we are not. We have been cut off from Him, because of our sin. But in His love, he has made a way, for it all to make sense through a relationship with His Son Jesus Christ.

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[1] Paul Koptan, The New Application Commentary (Grand Rapids:Michigan; Zondervan) 97.

Asking Hard Questions: an essential key to achieving success

Jesus regularly asked questions. He did this as a way of teaching the disciples and to help them understand who He was. When Jesus asked questions it also helped those around Him to understand what was important to Him.

  • What do you think about the Christ? Whose son is he? (Matthew 22:42)
  • Which is greater: the gold, or the temple that makes the gold sacred? Which is greater: the gift, or the altar that makes the gift sacred? (Matthew 23:17-19)
  • When I broke the five loaves for the five thousand, how many basketfuls of pieces did you pick up? (Mark 8:19)

Jesus’ ability to ask well crafted questions helped His followers to understand very deep and life changing spiritual lessons. As a leader, it is important to learn to ask the right questions, at the right time, to the right people. We call this evaluation. Questions help to accomplish various things in an organization but consider the following:

  1. Evaluation helps everyone on the team to define a “win.” In organizations there are as many definitions for “win” as there may be staff working for the organization. In church life you may have a staff, support staff, and volunteers who are all working for the church but they may all have a different expectations of success. If the church has a service on Sunday “WIN!” If there is a new family that ventures through the door “WIN” If there are no sound or audio/video issues “WIN!”

When you sit down and ask the hard questions then everyone is able to see what is important, just by what questions are asked. If the organization is not asking questions of evaluation, then that in itself speaks volumes. In sports, identifying a win is easy. Did we win the game? Anything else is a loss. Coaches and players are evaluated by how effective they are at putting points on the scoreboard and winning ball games.

In your organization, what is a “win?” Does this help you move toward something? Also, in sports each season is brand new. You get to start over. In church life, every year builds upon the previous one. There are no “mulligans.” Forward steps are made while pulling the weight of the church’s past. The first step in evaluation is to have an agreed upon “win” for whatever it is you are trying to evaluate. The older the church is, the more people have to be led to “this is a win”

  1. Evaluation helps to align budgets with expected outcomes. To continue our sports metaphor, there are agreed upon rules, set number of players, and basic needed equipment (balls, bats, helmets, shoulder pads, etc.). It is obvious when a sports team spends money on things that don’t help it to win, because their winning, scoring, etc. is affected (or their new scoreboard is the size of a small planet).

If a football team decides not to hire an offensive coordinator and let a volunteer handle it when they have time, then they may see the drastic effects of this decision on the first game of the season. So while the gold rims on the team’s bus may look nice, they will lose because they put the money in the wrong place (and they probably are getting horrible gas mileage).

If a new coach is hired (because the previous coach was not winning) and they have a losing season, it won’t be too long before he/she will be replaced. Why? Not because he was not a nice guy, or loved sports, but because he was not leading the team to win ball games. Churches have different definitions for success, but you can determine what they feel is important by where they put their money. Are you utilizing your resources to accomplish the win? Are you wasting precious resources on things that are not helping you to “win?”

  1. Evaluation helps one to better manage time. There is the famous illustration of the college professor who displays an empty jar and has several large rocks that he then places in the jar. He then asks the class, “Is the jar full?” They say, “yes.” The professor then gets out pebble sized small stones and pours them over the larger stones. He then asks, “Is it full?” They say, “yes.” He then pulls out sand, etc. you get the idea. Evaluation helps us identify what are the large stones, the most important things in ones’ life. Those large stones have to go in first, they won’t fit if you have already put the pebbles, sand, etc. in first. Evaluation asks, “What are the large stones and are they getting into my life first?” 

I would argue that the most precious resource that you have is your time. If you want to get more out of your day, or accomplish those big goals you have set, then they have to be prioritized, they won’t fit once you have dealt with the constant urgency of the present. Evaluating helps the leader show where he/she feels time should be spent by the organization. Asking, “What is consuming most of our time?” and “is it being effective in helping us accomplish the win?” is incredibly important. What are the “big rocks?” and are we delegating/prioritizing the needed time to see that they are getting done?

  1. Evaluation helps to clarify mission. If everyone in an organization has a different definition of a “win,” then leaders will budget and calendar with their definition in mind. This difference leads to different goals relating to different missions and values within the same organization.

This leads to an “every man for themselves” mentality. If you need something then you compete for resources and personnel against other staff or leaders who are trying to accomplish their own mission. When you evaluate and ask the hard questions then resources are directed toward a common direction. Calendars are aligned to accomplish the same things. Mission begins to be clarified among the organization because the win has been defined and questions are being asked to determine if what you are doing is being effective at accomplishing it.

Luke 14:28-30 “For which of you, desiring to build a tower, does not first sit down and count the cost, whether he has enough to complete it? 29 Otherwise, when he has laid a foundation and is not able to finish, all who see it begin to mock him, 30 saying, ‘This man began to build and was not able to finish.” (ESV)

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Click here to read more articles written by Drew relating to asking questions and evaluation.

Involving Specialists When You are a Generalist

umbrellasThis past Tuesday evening was a Cub Scout meeting. As the leader of my son’s age group we were continuing to go through first aid requirements for a rank advancement. We had to move a couple of times because the church where we meet is having some construction, but eventually we settled in the front of the church sitting on the grass. That evening we had a couple of new scouts that were supposed to be in the older group (they had met off campus that evening and they did not get the word so they sat in with us). So with new faces and beginning a little behind our normal schedule I started to work through my presentation.

We began by reviewing previous weeks (what should go into a first aid kit, defining first aid, how we had made our own first aid kits, etc.) and then we started into new material. We began discussing “hurry up” cases like severe bleeding, heart attack, stroke, etc. and as I asked the boys the partner up to practice scenarios, for the first time I looked up and scanned the parents who were sitting toward the back.

One of the dads there was in medical scrubs, so I just asked him, “Sir what do you do?” and he responded “open heart surgery.” Of course, I laughed out loud. Here I am teaching first aid while a person who does open heart surgery was sitting in the back of the crowd. An expert in all things first aid was there but a novice was doing the teaching.

As I have reflected on this crazy turn of events I wonder how many times in organizations those who are “experts” are not utilized; they are in essence sitting the back of the crowd. As the night progressed and we moved from severe bleeding, to stoke, to choking and the heimlich maneuver, I constantly looked to him and said, “let me know if I get this wrong” and “please feel free to add something” and he did eventually jump in and begin to add some great insights.

Generalists and Specialists

The Merriam-Webster dictionary’s simple definition of a generalist states a generalist is “a person who knows something about a lot of subjects”. A specialist is defined as “a person who has special knowledge and skill relating to a particular job, area of study”. In my example above I have a shallow and broad range of knowledge about first aid. The “open heart” expert dad has “specialist” knowledge in medicine – which is much deeper and specific than my own. That’s what he does for a living. Doesn’t it make more sense to let him lead this specific area of study with the boys?

Specialists add a depth to what you are doing; so how does one include then, especially if you are a generalist?

  1. Advanced Planning – As with any degree of creativity and ingenuity, these things often take time to put together. You can’t ask someone to prepare a wonderful presentation, a speech, or even be there if your request comes at the “last minute.” As the leader, take the time to think way ahead and you will be surprised at how many opportunities and specialists will present themselves to your organization. They have always been there, you were just not in the right frame of mind to see or utilize them.
  1. Communication – Once your plan is together, then communicate it with the group who is involved in what you are doing. Give the invitation to those whom may have a specialty in a given area to help in that one area.

Many people are unwilling to lead an effort as a whole but they may be much more willing to lead an evening, or specific meeting – especially if it involves something they are passionate and knowledgeable about.

  1. Leave the Ego at the Door – People are leaders for different reasons. If you are a leader who always wants to be in the spotlight, then you are limiting your organization. If the teaching, speaking, leading, etc. always has to be done by you, then you are blocking great opportunities and moments from your organization.

Make sure that this is not being done because of your pride, that you have not communicated with others, or simply haven’t taken the time to plan things out.

 

Choosing to Move Toward the Complex: One Leader to Teams

org-chartThis past summer we had our largest Vacation Bible School and this past weekend we wrapped up our largest Fall Festival in decades for the church. In both of these instances we had a follow up meeting with those who helped lead these ministries and outreach efforts. In both cases we came to the same conclusion/agreement – we have to move from individual leader/s to teams. This transition marks a very important change in the church culture (at least in the children’s ministry).

What Happens If We Don’t Change How We Operate?

If we continue to grow while maintaining the same structure, it will cause damage to the organization. Its similar to a child wearing shoes several sizes too small — pain, discomfort, and eventual discarding the shoes all together. Those leaders who are in key places of your effort, if they are pushed past a certain point, then they will grow overwhelmed as in a wave of a tsunami. Growth can always be challenging, but if it is not properly managed it can lead to burnout and people bing hurt. We begin the process by asking:

Do We Really Want to Continue to Grow?

 It is easy for organizations and leaders to get to a point where they are happy with the size. They say to themselves “this far and no further.” If we don’t change how we operate then damage will happen, the performance that is driving the growth will stop, and the growth levels will stop and adjust to how you have reacted to these new challenges. Change is necessary at every step of growth. So, as the leader you have to determine if this is the point where we need to change, or do we continue to do what we are doing because it is working.

For our team, the next step of growth is to push down to another level in the organization. In Vacation Bible School one leader cannot do crafts, Bible story, etc. we must transition to a team of people leading crafts, Bible story, etc. Our rooms are not big enough, and there are simply too many people in a given area.

With Fall Festival there are simply too many details that have to get accomplished in a limited window of time (after church but before the event starts). In Fall Festival we need to move toward a team of people leading with one person over food, another over games, another over registration, etc. In both of these instances we are moving from one leader to teams.

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What are the Challenges to This New Growth Step?

  1. Communication. When moving from one person leading everything communication with multiple levels of people can be difficult. Once they could simply send out a letter to helpers, have a meeting, and all information is easily communicated. But when a level is added to the organization communication becomes more complex. In an age of Facebook, twitter, etc. look for tools that will help you in this developing and more complex effort. Everyone does not need to know ever detail – now you must divide communication into who needs to know what is essential to their departments.
  1. Training. Leaders move from doing everything themselves to delegating to second tier leaders. The primary leader shouldn’t do anything that deals with (insert responsibility, food ex.) instead he/she should delegate this item to the (insert team leader, food ex.) and trust this team to take care of it.

This is often difficult for a leader who is used to doing everything themselves. In this process of handing off responsibility to others, the main leaders should make sure people know what they need to know and have the resources they need to do their job.

  1. Recruiting. With this new tier of leadership there are new people in the room. The main leader and their team are comfortable with how they have done things up to this point, and there is probably a level of rapport. These new leaders have to be allowed into the leadership circle. The old days need to stay in the past and not brought to the table — a new day is here with new people at the table.
  1. Budgeting. Spending can get out of hand quick if teams are given free reign on spending. With one leader, it is much easier to keep track of spending, but now individual departments have to be given budgets to make sure things stay on track. 
  1. Meetings. Meetings are held as departments instead of the team as a whole. There is nothing more frustrating than to be in a meeting that has little to do with you or your department. There will be times when the whole team needs to meet (vision casting, theme reveal, discussing the event as a whole, etc.) but many times it would be better if individual teams meet at a time convenient for them, and they can discuss what is essential to them.

I am very excited to see what God is doing in our ministry, and am constantly challenged by Him in areas where I need to grow. This is the wonder of ministry, our job is never done, and we are never able to say, “done.” There will always be families and friends that need to hear about Jesus. The more He stretches me and grows me, the better equipped I am to reach the lost. How about you? What challenges are you facing in your ministry?

"For by grace you have been saved through faith." Ephesians 2:8

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