Leadership

DR: Finding A Voice

Read Luke 3:1-6

“In the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar… the word of God came to John son of Zechariah in the wilderness.”  vs. 1

While the average person was going about their lives in John’s day the drama of empire, or “the game of thrones,” went on around them. The centre’s of power were occupied by people who would try to make a name for themselves. But the word of God found a young man in the wilderness, a no-body in a no-place, and formed in him a voice that would be heard, a voice that would prepare people to see God’s salvation — Jesus the Christ, a voice that would call people to repentance from sin and point them to God’s forgiveness for sin.

That was God’s call formed in John. God’s word must be embodied. To find our own voice in the midst of empire requires that we know who we are, where we came from, and what matters most. Otherwise we will just go with the flow of empire— power and security seeking domination over others. Oh, Word of God come! 

Heavenly Father, grant me courage to sit with you in the wildernesses of my life — the desolate and alone spaces. Form within me clarity about who you are and who I am. May clearness of heart before You, generate clarity of speech before people. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

The Goose, The Plan, and The Dissenting Opinion

This week while making my way to UBC I came to a brief but dangerous standstill on 41st Avenue. In the approach to Cambie a driver had staddled two lanes and was stopping, starting, then stopping again and again. What the dickens?!

Then I saw him. A Canadian Goose had successfully stoped us. I’m not sure what he was protesting. The driver in the blue Subaru Forester was trying to shepherd the Goose to the side of the road. Like a western cattle rancher he applied force and size to drive the Goose away. But the Goose was having none of that. I smiled and nervously watched the approaching traffic in my rear view mirror.

Surely frustrated, the driver finally honked. Success. Something in the horn’s tone must have resonated with the Goose because he took off in a flash toward Cambie where he turned right toward City Hall.

The Broadway Plan

Did you hear about the Broadway plan? It’s all the rage as we plan for progress. Dense, denser, and densier.

I’ve been more interested in the minority opinion though. It calls for the Broadway Plan to be rejected. Expressed by Gabriella Peters and Ruby Langan, who serve as Commissioners with the Vancouver City Planning Commission they elevate their concerns to life and death. Perhaps it feels to some that they would stop progress, but that’s not their point. They want progress to include everyone. As I surmise their concerns are three-fold. 1. We are in an emergency. “Disabled people are dying now.” 2. The Broadway Plan provides lots of details on density but it doesn’t provide specific details for going beyond current inadequate building standards that harm the disabled. 3. The plan does not provide a plan that keeps us from creating a “poor door” out of the city for the current renters.

Here’s the Dissenting Opinion, please read it.

https://twitter.com/mssinenomine/status/1525189748716761088?s=20&t=liK5fK8vfkTuzoCoICu8jA

Minority Reports

Minority reports and dissent seem to stand in the way of progress or at least someone’s vision of security. Within the Scripture from which I speak each week, minority reports and dissent is the way of the prophets. To ignore their voice is to court disaster. Famously Joshua and Caleb provided a minority opinion when they urged Israel to trust God and enter into the land on the other side of the Jordan river; the majority said “no we will not go” and so they wandered in the desert for years. Not so famously Jonathan son of Asahel and Jahzeiah son of Tikvah, supported by Meshullam and Shabbethal the Levite, opposed Ezra the priest and the assembly who sought to compel the men who had “foreign” wives to send the wives and children away; their dissent was noted but rejected and so a vision of God’s inclusion of people in covenant was reduced to blood lines for a time until Christ.

From within my faith tradition I see land, inclusion and visions of progress and security often contested. The record speaks for itself. However, I know of a church here in the Lower Mainland that listened to a minority report once. The whole body was voting to sell the land and call it a day at their location. But one child raised her hand and voted no. They stopped to listen. Imagine that! Progress was stopped by one child. They listened, reconsidered, and voted to stay put. Today this property hosts multiple congregations and is stewarded through a multi-ethnic and multi-congregational board. It’s not easy, but it’s glorious.

Will Vancouver listen? It’s hard for Gabriella and Ruby to be heard. As far as I can tell the Vancouver Sun has not brought their concerns forward to the general public. But the general public is having a hard time on any day to hear, listen, and be engaged in the many decisions shaping the future of Vancouver. We’ve got our heads down and we are trying to make sure our circles of comfort survive.

But at least we have Twitter.

Hear! Hear! I raise my morning coffee to Gabriella and Ruby.

The Altar Between Us

Sometimes we see only what others have constructed and then in our minds, our hivemind constructs an explanation. Caution is required. Our interpretation of what they have done may not be right.

Usually co-brooding produces the most negative explanations. Goodwill evaporates across the distance and the borders.

A counsellor shared with me years ago that children are incredibly perceptive; they pick up the cues indicating something is going on relationally in the family or in the room. However, children are usually terrible interpreters of what has happened.

In these days of Covid, of distance, and the speed with which we see what others have constructed or written, we are all children. We are quick to perceive, but we are terrible at interpreting. Then, from the distance, sure of ourselves, we strap on our armour, take up our swords sure that annihilation of the other is the only answer.

This is an old problem. In Joshua 22, when the Eastern Tribes returned home after battling alongside the rest of the tribes of Israel under Joshua’s leadership, they constructed a massive and imposing altar alongside the border on the Israelite side near the Jordan river. When the rest of tribes heard of this altar they assumed the worst, idolatry and treason against the Lord, strapped on their swords and issued a call for war.

Fortunately leaders were sent to Reuben, God and the half-tribe of Manasseh ahead of the hastily formed army to launch an inquiry and seek an explanation of the altar. War was averted. An acceptable explanation was heard. The altar was built with the future generations in mind. The altar was a reminder and a prompt meant to affirm their connection to the LORD and to the other tribes.

Devastation was averted and the altar was given a name: A Witness Between Us–that the LORD is God.

Through the years I have found this story very helpful. The people I have served alongside and been in the same family with have done their own thing. I have too. Their actions seemed strange to me. On the “other side of the Jordan” we each are left wondering what the other is up to. Often we each have our good reasons. But across the space I am astonished at how quickly trust and good will evaporates. The stories we construct in our heads and with our co-brooders need to be tested.

Whether its a Tweet or an absence, an off-hand comment, or a transition in their lives, my internal narratives must be tested. I have found its good to keep assuming good-will and “the best” unless it has been sufficiently explored with “the others.” James said, “Be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry…” (James 1:19).

Our digital lives seem to shrink the physical distances marked out across the globe. Yet, phones attached to our hands, social media and zoom have not improved the quality of our internal narratives. These narratives still need to be sifted. People still need to be given the benefit of doubt. This kind of move requires humility, time, kindness and gentleness. Paul put it this way, “Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near.” (Philippians 4:5)

The Lord is near.

Student Ministry Conundrum

Student leaders run out of steam for a lot of reasons. But what if our system is failing them!?

Our staff team read through Tim Casteel’s insightful article, Turning Drowning Students into Christ-Centered Laborers, back in February. Ever since we have been working out how we might adapt his idea for students here at UBC.

Tim highlights the need for sustained growth in personal formation that yields leadership and service on campus over the long-haul. We resonated with his observations and concur that students in our church do indeed run out of steam. Many want to be able to do more, but may have neglected the formation of habits and perspectives that will carry them through not only the last year of University, but also into their careers. The transition starts in their “third year” and seems to be eating their lunch and their bandwidth for making spiritual leadership investments in new relationships.

Maybe our system is the problem. We know we need to adjust to a different student reality.  Many of the students involved at Origin Church have professional work experiences (we call them “co-ops”) throughout their degree. They may leave campus and work with companies for 3, 6, 9 and even 12 months at a time. So, the average undergraduate at UBC may take as many as five and half years to complete their degree.

As they enter into the last years we know they are changing gears and are often looking beyond our community and church. But we have always been thinking longterm about their life with Jesus even if they were not . Our hope is to keep “doing stuff together that sparks a life journey with Jesus.” We keep hoping they will make significant contributions into the spiritual life and development of other students. Read: relationships!

We have been equipping upper year students to make significant investments with first years and their peers. But we think Tim may be onto something about this generation and the need to give them keys for unlocking sustainable habits in multiple areas of their lives. We like the idea of giving attention to multiple areas of formation: spiritual, personal and missional.

Here’s our plan at the moment. It’s definitely a work in progress! We have been taking time in our weekly staff meeting to generate ideas for the next session. This next week I will be writing the session: Develop Friendship Capacity.

Equip our core team of students during the summer term to implement this plan Fall 2021.
9 Keys and 9 Meetups with sessions of about 45 minutes. Provide a printed guide or pdf doc which can be viewed on their phone.
Provide a 15 minute video that they can watch together.
Provide suggestions on how to take this “key” and unlock this area of growth.

Here are the topics we are proposing:

Here’s a little more about the topics:

  1. Live loved —An exploration of The Gospel of Jesus  & A life full of the Holy Spirit
  2. Develop a Growth Mentality: An exploration of research related to the Growth Mentality.
  3. Increase Friendship Capacity An exploration of the different realms and dimensions of friendship.
  4. Meet Jesus in Prayer:  Getting started; in solitude and in community
  5. Develop Executive Function Skills and introduce becoming “a non-anxious presence”
  6. Curiosity: Rock Philippians 2:3-4; Initiate conversations & and take an interest in their spiritual life.
  7. Meet Jesus in Scripture. Develop a plan. Use the Hand Illustration. 
  8. Become a Giver (instead of a Taker): An exploration of Adam Grant’s work.
  9. Point to Jesus and Make Invitations: missionary ID and evangelism as a lifestyle.

We’d love to hear from you. Like I said: Literally this is a work in progress!

Students:
If you are an upper year student, what do you wish you had given some more energy and focus to in terms of growth in your first and second years?

If you are a first or second year student, which of these are you most interested in?

Ministry Leaders:
As student ministry or church leaders do you have similar concerns for this generation?

All:
Are there other topics you might propose for each area of formation?

Riding the Highs & Lows with Joseph

Last week in staff meeting I was reminded of a Bible Study I facilitated for the Origin Retreat last February 2020. For any who are sorting through the date — that’s before our Covid “lockdown” here in BC a few weeks later.

Several times over the last ten years I have lead students through long reads of Scripture. This one was particularly fun and deeply meaningful.

I’ve laid it out for you. In small groups someone would read the Scripture and then I would write out the questions. While they were answering the questions I would add to Joseph’s timeline. (Expand the picture.) I provided a bit of commentary between each reading and discussion assignment as well as some teaching that referenced, Dr. J. Robert Clinton’s work, The Making of a Leader. Specifically I as interested in Clinton’s idea of an integrity check. He writes,

“The God-given capacity to lead has two parts: giftedness and character. Integrity is the heart of character.

An emerging leader becomes aware of the importance of integrity through through integrity checks. An integrity check is a test that God uses to evaluate intententions in order to shape character. There are three parts to an integrity check: the challenge to consistency with inner convictions, the response to the challenge, and the resulting expansion of ministry.”

Dr. J. Robert Clinton,The Making of a Leader: Recognizing the Lessons and Stages of Leadership Development, 1988. p. 58-59.

I was also interested in helping our group expand their sense of time across their reading of the pages of Scripture as well as their lives. We are in such a hurry! Life happens (and that can be traumatic!) and we can loose sight of the fact that God is working. One of the pivotal questions and the great “aha moment” came when we figured out the years covered in Joseph’s life and added in the questions, “What do you hope will be true about you in 13 years?”

Read: Genesis 37:1-11
Q: What is it like to be the favourite? or to not be the favourite?
Q: What is it like to have ambitions or great dreams as a teenager?

Read: Genesis 37:12-36
Q: What kinds of violence or trauma can make a dream disappear?

Read: Genesis 39:1-23
Q: What kind of integrity tests/events are common between the ages of 18 and 24?
Q: How do you respond when people take advantage of you, your vulnerability, or your integrity?

Read Genesis 40:1-23
Q: Why is it important that Joseph gave credit to God for the interpretation?
Q: If you were a prisoner with Joseph would believe his story of innocence?
Q: What is it like to be forgotten?

Read Genesis 41:1-57
Q: What did God do for Pharaoh?
Q: What did God do for Joseph?
Q: What do you hope will be true about you in 13 years?

Read Genesis 42-43
Q: How is a moment of possible “revenge” an integrity test?
Q: Is this a high moment or a low moment for Joseph?
Q: How is Joseph still an “outsider?”

Now I hope you are not just riding the highs and lows with Joseph, but you are also living the highs and lows with God.

What if my neighbour could be president?

What if my neighbour could be president?

I think I would like to vote for my neighbour.

Jesus commended being a neighbour. In fact Jesus seems to think more of being a neighbour than being a president, especially if one’s vision of greatness is lording it over other people.

I think my neighbour might be a good president, especially since she doesn’t want to be president. But, she acts like a president all the time; well if by that you mean she acts like a neighbour. She’s always organizing people to meet the needs of the day and when they can’t be organized or won’t be organized, she still finds a way to get it done. She’s quite the strategist too, thinking about the future, making adjustments so humans flourish. I would vote for her.

Jesus said the greatest commandment was to love God and that the second (commandment) was like it: to love your neighbour as yourself. When asked about loving the neighbour, Jesus promoted being the neighbour who loves. Seems like we should be voting for neighbours.

One of the things I’ve noticed about great neighbours, is that they tend to love those closest to them even when they are far from home. Love starts at home, maybe leading does too.

I think my neighbour could be a good president. I’d vote for him because he’s pretty keyed up about making our community a place where you would never want to sacrifice your children in order to live here, or even survive here. He doesn’t have a lot of catchy sayings, but he does seem to tell the truth… thoughtfully. In fact, he’s always thinking about how to make this a place where the next generation could thrive.

I have another neighbour who could be president. Maybe I should vote for him. I could write him in. He has a good fence, but he’s always leaning over it to say hello. He would be appalled to condone death by drone. Over the years he’s built unlikely friendships by serving behind the scenes over and over and over. I’d vote for him in a heartbeat.

What’s wrong with voting for a neighbour? What if the most powerful elected official in the country was going to be your neighbour? That would make you pause wouldn’t it?

And then there’s my neighbour who cares about air, soil, and water — and by doing so she really cares for people. She would make an excellent president. She’s so glad for people to work and she knows the priceless value of habitats. Why can’t we have presidents who know the power of “and.” You and me. Me and you. You and me and the stuff of earth.

What if choosing leaders as if they were going to be my neighbour might actually help me vote?

I think I’d like to vote for my neighbour. What about you?

#voteforyourneighbour

Note: No neighbours have paid for this endorsement, nor have any candidates for the office of president reached out to me. Most of my neighbours are Canadian, so they can’t be president. But, I sure have enjoyed thinking about my neighbours being the president if I voted for them!

Wait and Listen

What is your smaller world of interaction teaching you?

Some of you may have discovered a neglected discipline as your world has become smaller during the pandemic. Maybe you have cooked more, baked more, practiced an instrument more, gardened more, or perhaps you have rested. But my guess is that the discipline of waiting and listening for Jesus’ voice has not become “easier.” I pray that we would all be given grace to increase our capacity to listen to Jesus. If we don’t, we will miss out on so much joy.

John the Baptist’s life is full of so many discipleship lessons for the followers of Jesus. When his disciples are all stirred up by comparison and jealousy John responds with contentment, jubilation and joy.

His contentment had been nurtured through surrender and faithfulness.

He says, “A person can only receive what is given them from heaven.” Without this surrender and perseverance in relationship to God John would not have had joy.

John’s joy has been nurtured through clarity and conviction.

He is clear about who He is and what is about. His identity flows from His relationship with God and the unique time in which He has been situated in God’s plan. John richly describes his relationship with Jesus, with himself, and his relationships with people and the stuff of earth through the metaphor of the wedding party. John says,

“The bride belongs to the bridegroom. The friend who attends the bridegroom waits and listens for him, and is full of joy when he hears the bridegroom’s voice. That joy is mine, and it is now complete. He must become greater; I must become less.” (John 3:29-30)

The Friend of the Groom

When you are part of the wedding part, the groom’s men or the bride’s maids you have certain responsibilities and roles to play. At the wedding the point of focus is not you; it’s the groom and bride. As the friend of the groom you are not trying to upstage him; you want to attend to his needs and to his purposes in loving, celebrating, and building up his bride.

John says he has been attending to Jesus, the Messiah. John has been waiting for Jesus. John has been listening for Jesus. And when Jesus speaks, John has joy. When the bride moves toward Jesus John celebrates and feels a sense of completion in his life.

Are you learning to wait on and listen for Jesus? Our joy is in hearing his voice and responding to Him in obedience.

Waiting and listening are not passive; they require attentive effort.

At at wedding celebration the friend of the groom may be seen sitting, walking, and standing. Sometimes he appears to be alone — but he may actually be on task for the groom. Sometimes he appears to be with the groom: sitting, walking, standing. Sometimes the friend of the groom may be attending to a need of the groom’s bride on the groom’s behalf. There is joy in all of it.

But all the activity has as its point of reference that the friend of the groom has been able to wait and to listen.

Even while active in mundane or once-in-a-lifetime tasks, the friend of the groom is mindful to listen for the groom’s voice.

This is John’s internal posture: attending to the voice of Jesus.

Is it yours?

You can nurture this kind of attention through:

daily surrender to Jesus.

daily openness to His Spirit filling you.

daily feeding on His Words and the stories of Jesus’ life.

daily mindfulness to His nudge drawing your attention to people so you can participate in what He is doing in their lives and yours.

celebrating the union of the Church with Jesus the Lamb of God!