Mike Henderson

Don't Miss God's Power and Presence

 

Encouragement: Antidote to a Quitter Culture

One of the inevitabilities of life and the ministry is that people will abandon you.  Not everyone will go the distance with you.

The fact is, we live in a quitter culture.  People walk away from their jobs, their spouses, their new year's resolutions, and their churches.

Near the end of the apostle Paul's ministry some of his coworkers abandoned him.  That absolutely amazes me.  Just the thought of being able to serve alongside Paul fires me up.  But people left him.  My guess is, based on typical human reasoning, they had "good reasons" for leaving Paul high and dry.  After all, they had "justifiable concerns" of Paul. 

Over the years I have followed some pastors with incredible ministries.  Men like Rick Warren, Bill Hybels, Andy Stanley, and Perry Noble.  Their stories are similar.  They have all had good friends and coworkers abandon them, and of course, all left for "good reasons."  In every case it was the pastor's fault.

So I'm sure it was the same for the apostle Paul.  

Perhaps those who abandoned Paul were concerned that his prison sentence showed that God was not in his minstry.

Whatever their reasoning they left.  But under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit Paul in 2 Timothy 1:16 is asking God to greatly reward Onesiphorus who stood with him and encouraged him while he was lanquishing in prison.  "May the Lord grant mercy to the household of Onesiphorus, for he often refreshed me and was not ashamed of my chains..."

My guess is you will cross paths with someone this week who has been abandoned by someone.  They are feeling incredible loneliness.

Stay alert and take the time to step in and encourage.  You will be glad you did.  And God may just happen to shine on you, and even your family. 

 

Promoting From Within

One of the most common pitfalls in a church or any organization is elevating someone too soon.  As soon as a gap opens, we in leadership tend to grab the closest body.

However, Paul advised Timothy to "test people first"; that is, to give promising people a less-prominent task to start with.  Allow people to produce and demonstrate a great attitude and solid work ethic.

Naturally, some will balk at "washing feet"; that is, those who will not do well in leadership prefer to take the elevator straight to the top.  Taking the stairs is lonely.  Go to any multistory building, take the stairs, and you will likely not see anyone.  The crowds tend to take the elevator.

Oswald Sanders in his book "Spiritual Leadership" says, "The story of the church and its mission is filled with examples of failed leaders who were elevated too soon."

While many despise starting at a lower rung on the ladder, often that is the very thing that propels someone to the top.

Two final thoughts:

1. To the leader, help avoid the derailment of a young leader by not promoting too soon.

2. To the employee, relish the first step on the ladder.  Be thankful for the opportunity that has been given.

Winning is More Fun than Drama

Some gravitate to drama.  After all, TV viewers love to watch drama on the big screen.  Drama sells.  However, it can be devastating in an organization and even in the home.

Think about what it would be like if every time as a teenager you came home your parents were arguing and screaming at each other.

What would it be like if you had to go to work and pretend to get along with a coworker or boss who had some kind of vendetta against you?

Without a doubt some are totally oblivious to the harmful effects of drama.

As I think back over the 2011 NFL football season there is a classic case of how drama damages a team.

The Cincinnati Bengals were absolutely horrible during the preseason.  At the time they were having contract disputes with one of their star quarterbacks.  Previous to that two other players continued to negatively effect the team with their own egotistical personal behaviors.

As a result, when the season started most analysts wrote the team off completely.  Why?  Because emotionally healthy people clearly understand that teams and organizations cannot overcome the type of dysfunctionalism that results from all the crazy drama.  In fact, many felt that the coach himself should probably go because the Bengals simply had too many deep issues in the organization.  Some predicted the team would likely win no more than two games.

By mid-September all three players were gone from the Bengals team.  

Guess what?  The drama was now gone.  And the team started winning football games.  When the season ended they had won enough games to get into the playoffs.  They did not need a new coach, they simply needed to get rid of the players who were creating all the drama and holding the team back.

Sounds simple.  Get rid of all the drama and get back to winning!

Owners Stand Out

Back in the 1960's the Green Bay Packers won the first two Super Bowls.  Ever since that time the quarterback has lived in some sort of fish bowl.  In those days the legendary Bart Starr was the quarterback.  The next legend to come along two decades later was Brett Farve.

Today the quarterback is Aaron Rodgers.  He has already in his young career solidified himself into the hearts of Green Bay fans.  Yes, his statistics are phenomenal.  At this point they are undefeated following a Super Bowl win last year.

And we could go on and on about his great decision making, his accurate throwing, and his ability to read defenses.

But here is one of my favorite qualities that he possesses.

Ownership!  Here is what I mean.  This past week the former great tight end and coach of the Chicago Bears, Mike Ditka, noticed that when the punting team took to the field Rodgers was on the sideline counting the number of players to make sure they had eleven. 

Now why was he counting?  That's not his job.  Plus, no one would have even entertained a negative thought had he just took a seat on the bench.  And I am not suggesting that he never takes a seat on the bench, because sometimes you have to communicate with the coaches upstairs.

I simply want to point out that he is so much into the game that he is noticing even the things he in not responsible for.

Think about the company or organization you are a part of.  Do you notice things outside the realm of your responsibilties?

Perhaps you are in a meeting and you notice there are not enough pens at the table.

Or as you walk up to the front door you notice a piece of trash lying on the sidewalk.

Or maybe the toilet paper is running low.

The truth is, it all matters.  Does it matter to you?  It does if you have taken ownership.

 

God's Presence Makes a Difference

This past weekend Carol and Savannah were in Pittsburgh for a wedding.  Carol has five nephews and nieces living there and this was the fifth.

While she was gone I worked on a couple of projects, studied, read, preached at New Hope, and connected with a few people.

However, while I functioned in a fairly normal way, life was different.  Life was missing something.  In this case it was easy to identify.  Carol was missing, she was out of town.

Now you may be thinking, "Well, that's rather obvious."  The reason you think that is because she is a physical, tangible person.

But here is the point.  I still functioned.  I still did life.  I still enjoyed watching football and going to church.

However, if she had been present life would have been richer and more fulfilling.  Her presence matters.

Now if her presence matters, what about God's presence?  Many go through life without God being a part.  Some function very well and do life as if they do not need God. 

But what if He were present in their lives?  Does their day job then become more fulfilling?  Does their family life enjoy a higher level of satisfaction?  Are their times of recreation more replenishing?

I can't answer all those questions with a numerical number or percentage.  I can't give any hard and fast data.  On the other hand I could quote numerous Scripture, but if I can detect a difference when Carol is gone, surely God's presence makes a difference!

Sitting Idle Can Be Dangerous

Recently I needed to take my truck in and get a tire repaired due to a nail having taken up residence in the tire.

While there I noticed an old pickup from the sixties.  As I talked to the mechanic he told me the story.  The owner had used it on a regular basis.  However, one day he just parked it under a tree and left it there for ten years.

First question that hits my mind is, "What did you have to do to get it running?"  Why did that question pop into my head?  While I am not a mechanic I do know the battery is dead and perhaps the gas lines are gummed up.

The same thing holds true for people.  Have you ever noticed that the longer you sit idle the more you want to continue to sit.  At the least it is difficult to get up and get going again.  When I play basketball, if I sit out for twenty minutes, it takes a few laps up and down the court to get going again.

Just like it's hard to get a truck running after it has been sitting for years, it's hard to get people back up and running if they have been sitting on the sidelines.  This explains why it is so hard to get people who have dropped out of church to once again return to the church and regain their fervor for serving the Lord. 

It's dangerous to one's spiritual health, one's family, and one's marriage.  The present world system is working 24/7 against the family and the church can be a great antidote.

That's why it is so dangerous to be sitting on the sidelines.

More Lessons from Football

Jesus often taught using stories, parables, and metaphors.  Even among the prophets props were very popular as there are many ways to communicate biblical truth.  While Jesus used fishing to illustrate the church on mission, I am not too aware of all the intricacies of fishing.  However, I am a fan of football and it has many similarities to the church and it's mission.

All week I have been posting about what the church and football have in common.  Here are a few more.

* Loyalty is a must.  Bill Parcels and others have said that disloyalty is the greatest threat to any team.  Even now as the season gets underway the issue of Carlson Palmer has been a distraction in the Bengals training camp.  He was unhappy and wanted to be traded.  Sometimes the chemistry is just not there.  However, the Bengals would not trade him, so he retired.  I am not sure why any team would want to keep a player who was not happy.  Eventually it will affect the effectiveness of the team.

* Preparation is a must.  No one can simply show up and wing it, or others will know.  Sometimes I think people are unaware that their lack of preparation is noticeable, but it is.  Especially this year in the NFL where the teams missed a lot of practice and preparation, it will be showing up.

* Patience is a virtue.  It is not uncommon to stumble in the first half of the game.  But the team with patience and continues to play in the second half often find that they are able to come back and win the game.

* Fans hate to miss games.  Just this week as the preseason gets underway Savannah and I both wanted to watch the Redskin/Steeler game.  Rachel, who is flying back from South Korea will miss it, but only because she is in flight.  Personally, I love to get letters from the people at New Hope who hate missing when they leave to go on vacation.

Every week I look forward to another game day at New Hope.  Perhaps I am a little weird, but I love watching the players intermingle, chat it up, and connect with one another before and after the game.  And that continues to be one of my favorite parts of Sunday; simply the interactions and the connections taking place at New Hope.

Football is a Great Metaphor

Let's continue to look at one of the most vivid images in today's society: Football.  I am always amazed on Monday mornings especially how the analysis of Sundays games parallel Church on Sundays.

With that in mind, let's look at some more similarities:

7) Fans arrive early and help set the atmosphere.  I love coming early on Sunday mornings.  Granted I am a morning person, but my dad always told me if I was not ten minutes early for work I was late.  Arriving early is simply a great habit to cultivate.

8) Evaluation is a must, but criticism outside the locker room is frowned upon.  Teams typically watch hours of game film, but they keep the feedback in house.

9) Teams must have the right people on the team.  One of the things I recall from earlier days in Washington was quarterback Mark Rypien's inability to move around very well in the pocket.  However, he was operating behind an incredible front line, and the Redskins went on to win a Super Bowl with Rypien as the quarterback.  The key was having a great offensive line.

10) You can do serious damage if you bring in the wrong person.  Last year the Redskins gave Albert Haynesworth a huge contract, but he failed to work out and was even seen pouting on the sideline. He never worked out and cost the team a ton of money.

Because NFL teams have playbooks, I plan to give all New Hope attendees a New Hope Playbook this weekend.  Should be fun.

 

 

Sound, Smells, Smiles, Sermon, and Sunday Experience

This morning during the Sunday service at New Hope I first noticed two things and then four things that make a difference. 

Smells.  At first glance that sounds a little odd.  Here's why.  As I turned the corner this morning in one of the hallways at the school, I was hit with the smell of coffee.  I told Jen Muse, and at first she felt bad as she was making the coffee.  I quickly reminded her that the smell was a good thing. Even people who do not like coffee still love the smell.  The right smells are a good thing.

The following is a quote from Be Our Guest, a book about the customer service at Walt Disney World. "There are about 5 million receptor cells in the human nose and it is only a short trip from there to the brain.  Smells are stored in our long-term memory.  In fact, scientists have found that if you associate a list of words with smells, you will better remember the words.  At Walt Disney World, smells are used to help deliver magical memories."

Sound.  When I commented to John that his guitar sounded very full (best way I could describe it in my nonmusical vocabulary), he mentioned that it was due to his new strings.  Now I know that guitar strings matter and make a difference.

Smiles.  All you have to do is look in the mirror.  Look at yourself with a smile and without a smile.  Which one looks better?  It's a wonder we don't smile more.  At any rate, I saw lots of smiles today.  Michael Eisner said, "Each contact is a chance to win over someone...a frown, indifference...is an intrusion in the magic world that our theme parks (Disney) are designed to create."  Smiles are huge and everyone can do that and make a difference. 

Sermon.  Today we began a brand new series, 5 Things That Will Destroy Your Marriage.  I love teaching on the topic of marriage and I believe we got off to a good start.  Sereral told me that they were bringing someone next week, others wish someone they knew were there.  Week 2 should be fun. 

Add all four up and it leads to a great Sunday experience at New Hope.