LV Alter-egos

From Shame to Grace

by Andy Wood on April 16, 2010

in Esteem, Five LV Laws, Life Currency, LV Alter-egos, Pleasers, Principle of Freedom

And you will be called priests of the Lord, you will be named ministers of our God.

You will feed on the wealth of nations, and in their riches you will boast.

Instead of their shame my people will receive a double portion,

and instead of disgrace they will rejoice in their inheritance;

and so they will inherit a double portion in their land,

and everlasting joy will be theirs (Isaiah 61:6-7, NIV).

It’s a scary journey, the move from shame to grace.  But it’s a journey every growing believer in Christ, every recovering addict, every healing soul must take.  The paths are often unfamiliar.  Lessons must be un-learned and relearned.  You will be forced to face down familiar, but largely unchallenged beliefs.

People who live in the realm of shame live in a world the Brennan Manning describes as “huffing and puffing to impress God.”

It’s a realm of performance.  Brownie points or self-condemnation.  Self-fixing mixed with wallowing in guilt.  Comparing ourselves to others in order to feel superior… or to prove what an absolute joke we are.  “You’re nothing,” shame whispers.  “And if people really knew you, they would agree.”

As much of a liar as shame is, sometimes it’s more comfortable to return to old patterns of thinking and feeling.  It’s embarrassing and uncomfortable to confront the truths of the scandalous grace of God.

“I am a creation of infinite worth?” Ridiculous.

“I am totally forgiven?” What do you mean, “totally?”

“I am completely loved, fully pleasing?” In what universe?  What absurd fantasy?

Challenge that!  Confess the truth, whether it lines up with your feelings or the twisted logic of shame or not.  And most of all, learn to accept the grace of God as it is expressed through the graciousness of others.

The secret is gratitude.  When a friend encourages you, when someone offers a gift, when another praises you, receive it with the same graciousness in which it was offered.

Try this for practice: [click to continue…]

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Your Most Powerful Hidden Desire

by Andy Wood on April 10, 2010

in Consumers, Enlarging Your Capacity, Five LV Laws, LV Alter-egos, LV Cycle, Principle of Freedom

Inside you lurks a deep desire. 

It’s quiet, but compelling. 

It’s one of the secrets of everything that motivates you – in fact, your deep, abiding happiness depends on it.  Yet it’s so hidden, so behind-the-scenes, that if I were to ask you to list your strongest longings, I’m almost certain this wouldn’t make the list. 

But it’s there.  It’s powerful.  And your response to it may well be the difference between addicted and sober. 

Between ambition and actualization. 

Between frustration and fulfillment. 

The desire?  [click to continue…]

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The 380 and The 120

by Andy Wood on April 4, 2010

in Consumers, Five LV Laws, LV Alter-egos, Principle of Eternity

What are you going to do with the resurrection of Jesus?

Let’s assume for a minute that you actually believe it.  That three days after He was crucified, He actually rose from the dead and ascended into heaven.

Now what?

I guess you and I have to decide where to file that.  We can be part of the 380.  Or we can be part of the 120. [click to continue…]

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Leading and Loving “Bent Nail” People

by Andy Wood on March 21, 2010

in Ability, Enlarging Your Capacity, Leadership, Life Currency, LV Alter-egos, LV Cycle, Pleasers

(The Law of the Nail, Part 2)

In the previous post I introduced you to The Law of the Nail.  A corollary to the Law of the Hammer (“If all you have is a hammer, everything looks like a nail”), the Law of the Nail says,

If you are a nail, and especially if you’ve been pounded a time or two, everything (and everybody) looks like a hammer.

That’s even true when you’re a light bulb, not a hammer.  Just watch the video:

Everybody gets banged up by people or by life sooner or later.  But sometimes we are faced with situations in which we must work with, lead, or love people who, in nail terminology, are really bent up.

Because you are on the same planet, much less in the same building or  room, they don’t trust you.  Doesn’t matter whether you have earned their mistrust or not.  They perceive, speak, and reason through their woundedness.  And as far as they’re concerned, you’re just another hammer, waiting for your chance to pound away at them.

So what do you do with these people?  Make their fears come true?  Write them off?  Get offended?  Ignore them?

I’d like to suggest that you have an opportunity to both get the job done (whatever “the job” is) and be an instrument of healing.  Here are some ideas: [click to continue…]

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God Never Says “Uh Oh”

by Andy Wood on March 10, 2010

in Ability, Consumers, Five LV Laws, Following Your Passion, Leadership, Life Currency, LV Alter-egos, LV Cycle, Principle of Abundance, Waiting

(What to Do When Your Brook Dries Up, Part 2)

In the last post I shared some ideas based on the experience of a prophet in the Bible named Elijah about what to do when we try to draw from familiar sources of support, provision (income), encouragement, or direction – only to find that they simply aren’t there anymore.  In the two days since then, I have talked to

  • a man who needed counsel and didn’t have a pastor,
  • a missionary who has seen a significant decrease in support,
  • a former lay leader in churches who is struggling to find a church home,
  • a pastor whose congregation is struggling both financially and in attendance,
  • a student whose marriage engagement has broken off,
  • a church member in another city whose pastor was terminated, then abruptly died.

What they all have in common – in the language of Elijah’s experience, their “brooks have dried up.”

I fully expect that nearly half the conversations I have tomorrow will be in the same vein.

Bottom line:  there are two kinds of people in the world [click to continue…]

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What to Do When Your Brook Dries Up

by Andy Wood on March 9, 2010

in Exploring the Possibilities, Five LV Laws, Hoarders, LV Alter-egos, LV Cycle, Principle of Abundance, Turning Points, Waiting

It was that time again.  Time to plan the annual Men’s Rafting Trip in Colorado.  I had taken a group of fifty men a year earlier and discovered how some guys get the nickname “Bob” when they go rafting.

That’s all I want to say about that.

Now as I pulled out the file, I came across the list of men who had gone with me.  What a difference 12 months had made!  I was amazed at the profound changes so many of them had witnessed. 

  • Three had been fired from their work. 
  • One had quit his job and was unemployed for four months. 
  • One man endured an extended season of severe depression.
  • Another had faced a dangerous autoimmune disease and was out of work for several weeks.
  • One man’s career was at a dead end.
  • Three others lost their businesses.
  • One left for another state with no job in sight. 

Put in Biblical language, “their brooks had dried up.”  That is, they looked to a means by which God had provided for them in the past – health, strength, job, career – only to discover that the resource was no longer available.

Little did I know as I scanned that list that I, too, would soon face a drought of my own.  Up until that time my ministry was fairly evenly split between an itinerant ministry and a part-time pastoral staff position.  Within a matter of weeks, my traveling ministry had dwindled to two continuous months of inactivity.  Then the church where I had served for four years terminated me, along with a number of other staff members, because of budgetary restraints. 

Downsized!  [click to continue…]

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Wisdom is Boring

by Andy Wood on January 28, 2010

in Gamblers, Insight, Life Currency, LV Alter-egos, Tense Truths

Wisdom is boring.

Wisdom is a nag.

Wisdom is a boring nag.

Wisdom sucks the life out of the party.

Wisdom is a boring, party-killing nag.

Wisdom asks questions about consequences when all I want to do is enjoy myself.  What’s wrong with a little fun, know what I mean?  Wisdom uses words like “safe,” “abstinence” and “consequences.”  Now THAT’ll get your blood pumping.  Zzzzzzz.  Look, all I want to do is have a little pleasure in my life.  I know there’s more to life than feeling good.  But I can control myself. [click to continue…]

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Hands-Free

by Andy Wood on January 24, 2010

in 100 Words, Five LV Laws, Hoarders, Life Currency, Love, LV Alter-egos, Principle of Freedom

Oh, the breathtaking joy of living hands-free!

Of living without seizing control – of my life or yours.

Of dropping my guard and relaxing my fist and my grip…

And trusting that He is my shield  and healer, my righteousness and guide.

Oh, what these hands can do if Someone else is at the controls of my life!

Raised to Him in worship…

Extended to you to serve…

Opened to you to touch and support…

Holding the hands of those we cherish most…

Ready to hold you or that which is precious to you…

Pointing the way for others to follow.

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How’d I Wind Up HERE?

by Andy Wood on January 18, 2010

in Consumers, Exploring the Possibilities, Five LV Laws, LV Alter-egos, LV Cycle, Principle of Freedom

Maybe it’s because I majored in history in college.  Maybe it’s because I’m an explorer at heart (not always a good thing).  Maybe it’s because I’m a typical man who hates to ask for directions, or maybe it’s because I often wind up in places I didn’t intend to go.  But regardless of the reason, one of the most common questions I ask myself is, “How’d I wind up here? 

That’s a pretty handy thing if you want to stay out of the bad neighborhoods, the dead ends, or the “I told you so’s” in the future.

But wouldn’t it be more helpful to have a bit of a roadmap ahead of time?  Maybe to get some directions that apply to whatever path I or you think we’re on? [click to continue…]

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The Diagnostic Question

by Andy Wood on January 15, 2010

in Exploring the Possibilities, Five LV Laws, Gamblers, LV Cycle, Principle of Freedom

This is about asking yourself a simple, but profound question about choices and consequences and serving.  Choose well, you’ll live well.  Choose poorly, and you will serve the consequences of those choices.  

Moses understood that.  Just before his death, he called an assembly of Israelis and reframed all the things that God had taught him.  We call it, “Deuteronomy.”  Here’s what Moses had to say as he was wrapping things up:

This day I call heaven and earth as witnesses against you that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live and that you may love the LORD your God, listen to his voice, and hold fast to him. For the LORD is your life, and he will give you many years in the land (Deuteronomy 30:19-20, NIV).

There’s one example of the diagnostic question:  Am I choosing life or death?  It’s a powerful question about the path we are on.  A friend of mine has started using this to frame his everyday decisions – what he eats, his business decisions, his family relationships. 

Jesus offered another way to frame your choices. [click to continue…]

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