Category: Leadership (Page 3 of 7)

There Is Freedom From Addiction

FreedomFor nearly twenty years I struggled with an addiction to pornography. Over those two decades, the addiction became progressively worse and more controlling. I began to feel there was no way out. Last week I shared ways that addiction will control you. You can read that article [HERE].

For a vast majority of those two decades, I was in counseling for unrelated issues. There were many opportunities to share my struggle with a professional. However, the control of addiction kept me silent. My hopelessness grew as my addiction spoke more convincingly to me than the professionals. I was trapped and there was no way out. Or so it seemed.

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THIS POST ORIGINALLY APPEARED ON THEWHOLEMAN.CO ON JANUARY 25, 2016.

3 Benefits to Life’s “Pause” Button

pause buttonIn the last two years my wife and I have made two major relocation decisions. In July 2014 we, in conjunction with my retirement from the military, we made the decision to move our family to the Washington D.C. metro area. We had no job, no home and a baby five months from her arrival. All we had there were a couple of friends that we knew we wanted to build a church with, so we went. It was a pretty neat, and terrifying, time. Sixteen months later we’re a month into our next big transition to Boise, Idaho.

We learned a ton during our time in DC. God used that time to solidify certain callings in my heart and reorganize and replace certain notions I assumed I had a full grasp on. To be honest, we went to DC with the belief that we would be there for three to five years, learning what God needed us to learn. But, by the time we left, God had made it clear that our time there was finished and He had other things for us in Boise. We’re still not positive what those other things are, but I’ll let you know when we know.

With as much as we had learned in our time in DC, God (through a great friend – Thanks, Isabelle) has used this last month, in the midst of being without a home, job or any solid idea about what we’re doing, to teach me something that is almost more important than anything over the last fifteen months: Cherish the pause button.

Sometime in life we are given the opportunity to hit the “pause” button. That does not always mean that everything stops; sometimes just certain things stop and the rest of life continues. Sometime other circumstances or people choose to press pause for us and we don’t have a say in it. Regardless of how it gets pushed, I have learned there are some great benefits to it.

Rest.

The pause button is a great opportunity to rest: physically, mentally and emotionally. For us, in leaving DC, we were not physically tired, but there was some mental and emotional rest that we needed. I was not as astute as my wife in recognizing that. She mentioned the need to rest during our transition while I was running around saying, “I’m good. Let’s get this thing going and start something new!” She was super gracious and gentle in helping me realize I needed to rest; she’s brilliant that way. For some that rest will include a time for healing.

Sometimes life hits pause in an abrupt way. It can be the end of a relationship, the loss of a career, or the loss of a loved one. In those moments it may seem like someone hit the “stop” button. They didn’t; I promise you that life starts again. During that time of pause, rest needs to include healing as a main theme. That can look like more one-on-one time with God (and should), professional counseling or therapy or just coffee with a friend; really anything that moves you toward healing. The pause button is a great opportunity to rest.

Scripture for REST: Matthew 11:28-30 & Psalm 4:8

Perspective.

The pause button is a great opportunity for perspective. While we were in DC we were busy. Busy with life, busy with building a church, and busy with work. In the midst of our busyness, perspective was not something that I had readily available. Because I know perspective is important, I try to always make sure that I’m engaged with people, my wife, and a couple close friends, who offer differing perspectives. But, the truth is, even with all your best efforts, busyness is often an enemy of perspective. Busyness reminds you that there is always something to do and, unless you are intentional about it, typically does not leave the door open for very much perspective. If you let it, the pause button allows that door to swing wide.

Sometimes the perspective is something new, sometimes it is a realignment of perception you already have. With our departure from DC God has realigned a number of perceptions I have about ministry and given me new perspective on what it could look like to “do” life with others. I’m excited about Boise. The pause button is a great opportunity for perspective.

Scripture for PERSPECTIVE: 2 Corinthians 4:18 & Proverbs 19:21

Appreciation.

The pause button is a great opportunity for appreciation. This benefit is loaded with all sorts of stuff. For me, I have come to appreciate, more than I already did, my roles as a husband and father. I get to help get my son ready for school and then drop him off. Then I get to come home and hang out with my wife and daughter until naptime. During naptime I get to write, have coffee with friends, watch television, nap, or read. Then I get to hang out with my wife and daughter again. We pick up our son from school. Then depending on the week, my wife and I alternate, I take my son to hang out. We cook dinner together, eat together, and then put the kids to bed together. Then once the one year old decides she is actually ready to sleep, my wife and I hang out. Then bed and repeat the next day. I love it.

And I love that my wife loves it. The other day she said to me, “It’s going to suck when you have to go back to work. I love that you get to hang out with us all day.” The pause button has allowed me to look at what I have in my family, thank God for the roles I get to fulfill in husband and father, and really appreciate the gift they are and this time I have with them. I am confident that God is using this time as a memorial stone so that when we hit the “play” button, He can bring me back to it and remind me of the appreciation I felt and why I get to be a husband and dad. There is something that God wants to help you appreciate during your pause. Let Him show you. The pause button is a great opportunity for appreciation.

Scripture for APPRECIATION1 Thessalonians 5:18 & Psalm 100:4

Recently I had the opportunity to meet with Mike Loomis. He is pretty awesome. During our talk he reminded me that the ability to be, what he calls, location-independent is a gift and blessing and that not everyone has the ability or opportunity to be. It is a blessing; scary, but still a blessing. So I realize that even though I was able to voluntarily hit the pause button on a large portion of our life, not everyone can. But you can hit it on specific areas that you feel need to be paused, even if it is for just a short time. In those moments, be intentional about rest, perspective and appreciation. Write it down if you have to. And for those that life and circumstances hit the pause button for, you can still be intentional about those things.

Even when it seems difficult we can still cherish the pause button.

What are some other ways we can cherish life’s pause button?

True Wisdom: 2 Things It Isn’t & 7 Things It Is

wisdom

used from kenmbuki.wordpress.com

In the past I have struggled with understanding the difference between knowledge and wisdom. I knew things. I knew a lot of things. I prided myself on learning and knowing facts. I earned a few degrees along that way and that only added to the confidence of knowing. Even if I didn’t know specific details about a subject, I always knew enough that I was able to mash it together with other knowledge and make it sound like I knew what I was talking about. I thought all that knowledge meant I was wise. I thought that was enough.

Turns out that it is not enough. Over the last seven years I have been learning to follow Jesus better than I did my first thirty-one years. During that time God has taught me, through numerous circumstances, that I knew way less than I thought I did and that I was severely lacking in the wisdom department. He also taught me that true wisdom, His wisdom, is essential to fulfilling my roles as a follower of Jesus, a husband, a father, and a leader.

For clarity sake let’s differentiate between the two in meaning. Knowledge is the gathering of facts or information acquired through experience or education. Wisdom, on the other hand, is the prudent or sensible application of that acquired knowledge in any specific circumstance. When I see the definitions next to each other I realize that knowledge is good, but wisdom is preferable.

During those seven years God has continually brought me back to James 3:13-18. Maybe because the two things that I struggled with the most have been the two things God, through James, tells us that wisdom from God is not. In order to understand what true wisdom is we need to understand the things that create roadblocks to it. These are the two things that true wisdom is not and are in fact what James calls, “earthly, unspiritual, demonic.

True Wisdom…

…is not Jealous.

In verse 13 James calls wisdom meek. The quality of meekness is grounded in quietness and gentleness, which will be addressed in the second part of this article. Jealousy is opposed to and cannot occupy the same heart as meekness. Jealousy in a person causes them to focus on their discontentment and resentfulness at what others have, whether it is their possessions, influence, or even authority. Jealousy often insights one’s heart toward malice for the person that is the object of their envy. A heart consumed by jealousy resides in a world of strife and confusion and dampens your ability to prudently apply knowledge in a quiet and gentle way.

…is not Selfish.

Jealousy gives way to selfishness. When a person’s focus becomes their glory and their advantage, then their ability to wield wisdom in a way that is beneficial and God honoring no longer exists. If jealousy gives way to selfishness, then selfishness gives way to a myriad of other sins. Deceit, surrender to temptation and the like are all sewn by the desire to indulge one’s self. James calls this is the wisdom of devils. Selfishness shuts down your ability to be truly wise.

One of the most important things to understand about true wisdom is that it is a gift from God. James tells us that if we lack wisdom and ask God, who by His very nature “gives generously to all without reproach,” it will be given to us. True wisdom comes from God and consists of seven qualities.

True Wisdom…

…is Pure.

It is undefiled by the world and is the unadulterated Word of God residing in you. It does not allow known sin, but instead studies and meditates on holiness of heart and mind.

…is Peaceable.

Peace follows purity. Wise men preserve peace at all cost. They seek to create peace and to restore it where it may have been lost. In his commentary, Matthew Henry says that wise men seek to create and restore peace “In kingdoms, in families, in churches, in all societies, and in all interviews and transactions, heavenly wisdom makes men peaceable.”

…is Gentle

This is the meekness that James first mentions. Acted out it is far more than simply timid and quiet. Heavenly wisdom is not cruel or harsh and is slow to anger. It is not domineering, pompous or offensive in conversation. Heavenly wisdom maintains a gracious and controlled behavior toward others in a way that exhibits humility.

…is Open to Reason.

In a word it is persuadable. It seems counter-intuitive to suggest that wisdom can be persuaded, but in the context of heavenly wisdom, someone that is wise can be persuaded toward good and away from evil. We make mistakes and the wise person is open to the persuasion of the Word of God to influence their behavior and conscience.

…is Full of Mercy and Good Fruits.

True wisdom is full of and offers the same mercy that God extended to us. That God-extended mercy compels the wise one to do good works, relieve needs, forgive offenses and to do those as often as the situation presents itself.

…is Impartial.

True wisdom does not separate others because they are different. The impartiality of heavenly wisdom is that which does not pass judgment based on conjecture and does not seek to admonish others based on preconceived notions. It offers the same acceptance to everyone, regardless of differing conditions.

…is Sincere.

Heavenly wisdom is without deceit. It rejects craftiness and guile that the world counts as wise. It is genuine and wide-open, sound and unchanging, and dependable with itself.

Heavenly wisdom draws others to Jesus. This is the wisdom that I’m continually asking God to produce in me. This is the wisdom that produces wholeness and allows us to walk in the roles that God created us to in a way that honors and glorifies Him. This is the wisdom that helps us to sharpen each other. This is the wisdom from above.

If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him.

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