top3 for February 23, 2024
Welcome to the last weekend in February. First games of spring training and warmer temperatures are seeping into the forecast. Before you head off into your weekend, here are three things that I have read and been thinking about this week. Hope they are as helpful to you as they have been for me.
Have a great weekend!
#1
Maturity is found when we resolve that we will be true to who we are called to be and resolve that we will not live by imitation of others, or by compliance or conformity to others’ ideals for us.
Courage and Calling by Gordon T. Smith
Maturity is not being true to ourselves but being true to Christ. It is in the imitation of him that we discover who we truly are. It is through his ideals for us that we flourish. Imitating anyone else but Christ does not lead to the goal.
Lack of maturity says we are surely missing out and leads us to keep our options open. Maturity is committing to set aside all other avenues for Christ and not looking back.
#2
The old seminary professors used to speak about a necessary trait for pastoral ministry called gravitas. It refers to a soul that has developed enough spiritual mass to be attractive, like gravity.
The Pastor as Minor Poet by M. Craig Barnes
Don’t get stuck on only pastors needing gravitas. It is for all persons. It is the key component of kingdom building as it is developed by the Spirit in believers. Gravitas therefore isn’t a goal but rather a byproduct. Gravitas takes time of a long obedience in the same direction toward Christ through faith that develops spiritual mass. Some mistake gravitas for charisma or charm. Charm does not require depth while gravitas comes from it.
I say all of this to also warn us about the people we choose to follow. Let us not be satisfied with charming leaders. We need to be satisfied with nothing less than gravitas. A depth of relationship with Christ that is not only noticeable in their lives but felt in ours.
The greatest thing you can do for the people in leadership is to demand that their lives are ordered in such a way as to grow deeply in love with Jesus. The rest will take care of itself.
#3
What people resist is not change per se, but loss. When change involves real or potential loss, people hold on to what they have and resist the change.
The Practice of Adaptive Leadership by Ronald A. Heifetz, Marty Linsky, Alexander Grashow
As someone who is constantly dealing in change management, this has been a helpful quote that I keep coming back to. I also need to be reminded that people are sometimes willing to change (ie. risk loss) when they are desperate or when they trust. Maybe also said that when there is no other way forward or when someone they believe has their best interest at heart and wisdom invites them change is contemplated.
The best thing leaders can do is to be a consistent presence focused on those they lead. We cannot control the emergencies in life that sometimes lead to a desire for change, but we can do something about building trust. That is why length of time in leadership begins to be a, if not the, key. Once again, a long obedience in a faith-filled and servant-based direction is important. The minute anyone gets a whiff of selfishness or manipulation you can be assured you have your work cut out for you to implement any change. And quite frankly, if either of those are true then it should be difficult if not impossible to lead change or anything else.
todd nelson 