Leading Broken People

by Andy Wood on September 8, 2008

in Esteem, Leadership, Life Currency, Love, Words

A couple of weeks ago David Hayward, a pastor and gifted artist/cartoonist, posted this picture on his blog site, in a post titled “How I’m feeling about the church lately.”

(Used by permission)

(Used by permission)

I can relate.  For more than 30 years, it has been my privilege, my headache, my joy, and my nightmare to work with broken people or broken churches.  Prior to launching Turning Point Community Church in 2003, three of the four churches where I was senior pastor had experienced major divisions, open conflicts, forced termination of my predecessor, or some other kind of grief or pain.  Some had lived with the crud for so long, they’d arrived at the conclusion that this was somehow supposed to be normal.  “I’m sure it’s like this everywhere,” they’d intone.  “Oh, no it isn’t!” I’d scream inside, all the while smiling on the outside.

The brokenness isn’t limited to the organization.  David’s cartoon reminded me of something we used to proclaim loudly here.  Underneath the doorway leading into our rented facility, our church used to hang a banner that represented a passion and sense of calling for us.  Every Sunday, every worshipper at Turning Point walked under its message:

A Place to Begin Again.

I roughly estimated that for a long season, 80 percent of the people who arrived at Turning Point for the first time came here to heal.  Some came from broken marriages; others from broken lives of addictions or economic messes.  Many came bleeding from the most insidious wound of all – the church wound. [click to continue…]

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Hell in the Hallways

by Andy Wood on September 8, 2008

in LV Cycle, Waiting

The LifeVesting Cycle

1.  Allocate your resources.

2.  Explore the possibilities.

3.  Follow your passion.

4.  Execute your plan.

5.  Protect your investment.

6.  Enlarge your capacity.

7.  Wait

It’s one of my biggest fears.

I’m standing face-to-face with the God of heaven to account for my life.

My sin is covered, but God is looking at what I did with the life He gave me.  And he holds up a thumb and index finger, one inch apart.

“Andy,” He says, “you were this close, to seeing it happen, and you quit.  The blessing you were looking for was just around the corner.”  No wonder he’ll wipe away every tear from our eyes.

Many a wonderful idea started well, but never came to fruition because somebody pulled the plug too soon, and refused to wait.

Just for the record and the sake of full disclosure, I hate waiting.  I hate being told that waiting is the solution to any problem or situation I’m facing.  I believe traffic lights will be in hell, and I hate waiting at them – particularly when nobody’s coming from the direction of the green light.  I hate waiting in line and loathe waiting on hold while listening to a computer on the telephone (which will also be in hell).

That said, and my flesh notwithstanding, there is no substitute for time.  And the larger the investment, the longer the wait.  It takes 40 days to make a squash, and 40 years to make an oak tree.  How long do you suppose it takes to make a man or woman of God?  I heard of a recent controversial study that suggests it takes 26.5 years to make an adult in the U.S.  Makes sense to me.  Jewish tradition held that it took 30 years to make a rabbi.  (Yes, that’s why Jesus waited.) [click to continue…]

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The Popcorn Tree

by Andy Wood on September 5, 2008

in Enlarging Your Capacity, LV Cycle, Turning Points

The LifeVesting Cycle

1. Allocate your resources.
2. Explore the possibilities.
3. Follow your passion
4. Execute your plan.
5. Protect your investment.

6. Enlarge your capacity

When I was still a kid, my dad built a flower box for my mom. We got some nice, rich soil from a place behind our house where we had a lot of mulch and trees. She planted some flowers in the box, and we were excited to see what would come out.

What came out was something that at first looked like a weed. But this was no weed. It was a tree. A popcorn tree, my dad said.

I was entranced. It was my first sense of fatherhood and stewardship, all rolled into one.

If you aren’t familiar with them, popcorn trees, or Chinese tallows, grow in moist climates. They grow rapidly, and can get pretty big. They make great shade and ornamental trees, and in the fall, their seeds split open to appear like popcorn.

I watched this little tree take off, and soon we transplanted it from the flower box to the front yard. We got more and more into trees, and soon found four more popcorn trees – then some redbuds and dogwoods. I had this sense of pride and ownership in all of them, but none more than the original – the queen of the yard – as she quickly grew taller than the eaves of our house.

Then one day the unthinkable happened. I came up the street to my house, and found the most horrific sight. Someone (my dad) had taken shears and whacked my tree off at about six feet. The queen of the yard now had a crew cut.

It was ugly.

Shameful.

Hideous.

“Pruning,” he called it.

“Disaster” was what I called it.

Of course, my dad knew a whole lot more about trees and all things agricultural than I ever will. (I once asked him, “How’d you get so smart?” He said, “I keep my ears open and my mouth shut.”)

Anyway, the queen began to reshape. To spread. To grow, not just taller, but shapelier, even more beautiful.

This life lesson became even more applicable to me as I grew spiritually. [click to continue…]

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Go Pull Some Weeds or Something

by Andy Wood on September 4, 2008

in LV Cycle, Protecting Your Investment

The LifeVesting Cycle

Stage 1:  Allocate your resources.
Stage 2:  Explore the possibilities
Stage 3:  Follow your passion
Stage 4:  Execute your plan

Stage 5:  Protect Your Investment

Years ago, a Detroit homeowner went to check on his five-bedroom house.

It was gone.

As in, completely removed down to a vacant lot, gone.

Completely baffled, he asked the Detroit Free Press to help him find out what was going on.  A reporter learned that not only was the house gone, but the deed to the empty lot was in someone else’s name.  What had happened?

For starters, several years had passed since the homeowner had left the city without providing a forwarding address.  Moreover, he had failed to make arrangements for someone to keep the property in repair.  So the house was torn down because a city ordinance called for the removal of neighborhood eyesores.

Gives a whole new meaning to “Snooze, you lose,” doesn’t it?

Want to see a farmer laugh?  Tell him you’re going to plant corn or tomatoes or something, take a three-month vacation, and come back to pick your harvest.  Sorry, Mr. Douglas.  It doesn’t work that way, in Hooterville or anywhere else.  Investments of any type require care and cultivation.  Jesus’ story of the sower and the four types of ground show just how rare a harvest really is. The seed that fell on the hard path became birdseed.  The seed that fell on stony ground sprang up rootless.  And the seed that fell among the thorns choked.

Investments – seeds of all types and the environment they’re planted in – require nourishing.  That means breaking up the hard, resistant places, deepening the shallow places, and pulling the weeds.  Did I mention that this was work?  Where every day hurls new surprises and challenges?  But if the harvest is worth it (and you will wonder at times), then the cultivating is worthwhile.

In order to experience the return you want, your investments require your attention, diligence, and adjustments.  Mind if I switch metaphors?  Hebrews 12 talks about the same idea, only it uses the imagery of a marathon race, and you’re the runner.  Based on the imagery in this chapter, here are four ways to protect your investment: [click to continue…]

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Could You Follow a Governor Like That?

by Andy Wood on September 3, 2008

in Executing Your Plan, LV Cycle

Stage 1:  Allocate your resources.
Stage 2:  Explore the possibilities.
Stage 3:  Follow your passion.

Stage 4: Execute Your Plan

“Okay, people, settle down.  This meeting will now come to order!  You guys in the back, keep a lookout for tax collectors and terrorists.

“We’ve called you out today because we have a new arrival in town.  This young man says he’s come from Persia, from the King’s palace.  Says he’s one of us, but has an important message.  Sir, you have the floor.”

“New governor, you say?  I never knew we had an old one.  No disrespect, sir, but you look a bit young to be a governor.  How much government experience do you have?”

“Okay, so let me get this straight.  You’ve never held public office.  You’ve never been a governor, mayor, or even a public defender.  You’ve never commanded an army or even seen a fight.  Your one job has been to serve up wine to the king.”

“Well, okay, I’m impressed.  It seems as if the Lord’s been opening up some pretty impressive doors.  But again, with all due respect, sir, this dump ain’t Persia.  Heck, we’re not even a city.  And I appreciate the fact that you’ve been doing some crying and praying for us.  But you’re not the first guy to try to rebuild this wall.  We’ve been trying this for 40 years.  So why don’t you scurry on off back to your cushy job?  I’m sure the king’s a bit thirsty by now.”

“Wow.  You’re serious about this, aren’t you?  I’ve never seen anybody stand up to the entrenched politicians like that.

“You really believe, don’t you?  I’ve never seen anybody with that kind of confidence in God, except ole’ Ezra, the priest.

“You’re going to actually do this, aren’t you?  I’ve never seen anybody hold a weapon in one hand, and a building block in another.

“Governor, could you hand me one of those bricks?  I’m in.” [click to continue…]

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Pursuit of Passion, or Half-Built Castles?

by Andy Wood on September 2, 2008

in Following Your Passion, LV Cycle

The LifeVesting Cycle

Stage 1:  Allocate your resources
Stage 2:  Explore the possibilities.

Stage 3:  Follow your passion.

Heart Island and Boldt Castle (Click picture to enlarge)

Heart Island and Boldt Castle (Click picture to enlarge)

George Boldt had the touch.  And everything he touched seemed to prosper.  The son of poor parents, Mr. Boldt came to America in the 1860s from Prussia.  George was a man of tremendous industry and organizational skill.  With daring and imagination, he became the most successful hotel magnate in America.  He was also the president of several other companies, and director of the Hotel Association of New York.  For George, to “dream” and to “do” were the same thing.  However fantastic his dreams, they happened.

But business wasn’t his passion.

Louise was.

And what he did, he did for her.

As a testimony to his love for his wife, George purchased an island on the St. Lawrence River in the Thousand Islands Region, and had it carved into the shape of a heart.  He renamed it Heart Island and began preparing for the greatest achievement of his lifetime – a Valentine’s Day present for his wife.  You’ve heard that a man’s home is his castle?  For George, this was literally true.  He would build Louise a castle.

George spared no expense.  He invested $2.5 million (in 1900 currency), bringing in the finest artists and most skilled craftsmen for the project.  He imported marble from Italy, stone from Scotland, and art from the treasures of Europe.  The towers and spires rose imperiously over the waters of the St. Lawrence, and the castle looked as if it would rival those that dot the Rhine.  Rising six stories from the foundation level of the indoor swimming pool to the highest tower room, an elevator served the 120-room mansion with its 365 windows. In all, there would be eleven buildings, including a clock tower, a power house, a playhouse, and a gazebo.

Then in January 1904 tragedy struck. [click to continue…]

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15 Gateways to Your Future

by Andy Wood on August 31, 2008

in Exploring the Possibilities, LV Cycle

My friend Kevin, who is also an elder in our church, is a professional idea generator.  He drives a “Dream Taxi,” whose mission in life is to help individuals, couples, ministries, and organizations achieve their goals with excellence and bucketloads of creativity.

While I can’t hold a candle to his idea-generating genius, I thought I’d take a stab at it.

In the previous post, I looked at the first stage of the LifeVesting cycle, Allocate your Resources.

Here’s the second:

2.  Consider the possibilities.

Back to the farming analogy, take a look at this familiar verse:

“He who goes to and fro weeping, carrying his bag of seed,
Shall indeed come again with a shout of joy, bringing his sheaves with him” (Psalm 126:6).

Interesting promise.  Especially when you understand that first-century agriculture was done in a way that we would consider backwards.  In those days, the farmer would cast his seed first, then plow it in and cultivate the ground.  Not very efficient by today’s standards, but the spiritual image is compelling.  Once the farmer had a vision of what he wanted to harvest, he was prepared to start casting the seed.  He didn’t do a lot of computerized soil samples.  He didn’t analyze it to death.  He walked to and fro, looking for opportunities to cast!

This stage of the cycle asks you to consider the kind of results you want to have by doing what our farmer did here. [click to continue…]

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You Can’t Plant if You Don’t Have Any Seeds

by Andy Wood on August 30, 2008

in Allocating Your Resources, LV Alter-egos, LV Cycle

I live in an area in which cotton farming is a multi-million-dollar enterprise.  Care to hazard a guess about how much time the farmers here spend stripping or picking cotton?

About two weeks.

Everything that determines their futures for another year comes down to a two-week process.  And yet, it’s what they do during the other 50 weeks of the year that will make or break the success of their harvest.

It’s all about the cycle, and where they are on it.

You may not be a farmer, but you were created to be a harvester of sorts.  God created you with the capacity to envision a better future and a rewarding eternal state. But in most worthwhile pursuits, you don’t have the luxury of microwaving your results in a matter of minutes.  While his medals were earned in a matter of seconds, Michael Phelps didn’t jump into a pool for the first time in June.  His victories were the crowning achievement of his training cycle.

We, too, experience life in a variety of cycles.  The seasons, economic cycles, and generational cycles come to mind.  LifeVesting is no different.  Each of the Laws of LifeVesting operate on cycles of continuous movement.

Don’t think of these as a locked-in sequence of steps; life is wonderfully much messier than that.  Instead, think of the LifeVesting cycle as a flow of activity, moving from one stage to another.  Over the next few days, I’d like to explore these with you. [click to continue…]

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How Many Choices Do You Get?

by Andy Wood on August 26, 2008

in Five LV Laws, Principle of Eternity

You're closer to death than ever.

You're closer to death than ever.

Jeff, a very gracious and thoughtful reader, made the following comment on my post about the LifeVesting Principle of Abundance:

I have been seeking God’s truth for a while now and many of the things you said here coincide with what has been revealed to me. Except one- that we have one life. I’m not here to dispute anyone else’s faith or beliefs. Whatever one person feels about God is probably necessary for that person’s spiritual growth. However, i just feel compelled to say that one thing that I have come to understand is that we have many lives. Again, if you truly believe we have “one shot”, then I am not here to judge your faith. I just think that those who read this should at least explore the possibility of reincarnation. I think that the idea that God would give us one chance is contradictory to his nature, and his plan.

Jeff’s ideas and request (that we should at least explore the possibility of reincarnation) actually speaks to a fifth principle of LifeVesting – the principle of Eternity.  For the sake of review, The first four “Laws of LifeVesting” are as follows (they’re built around the acrostic, Get A.L.I.F.E.):

Abundance: I live in an abundant universe, created by an abundant God, who wants me to have an abundant life.

Legacy:  I have the power to influence and bless others long after my life on earth is over.

Increase:  I will receive an increase on my life choices in proportion to my willingness to invest and wait.

Freedom:  I will be served by the people and things I invest in and serve.

The Principle of Eternity says:  I have the opportunity to affect the quality of eternity by the choices I make.

I would be interested to know your thoughts about Jeff’s comments; here are mine. [click to continue…]

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In the Beginning was the Word. Then Came the Wordle.

by Andy Wood on August 25, 2008

in Uncategorized

Hey, wanna have some fun – part mindless, part meaningful?  Check out wordle.  A wordle is a decorative word tag that is built on whatever text you may supply.  It randomly creates a tag cloud, but allows you the opportunity to change into a wonderful variety of fonts and color schemes, including a pallette that allows you to design your own color scheme.  I just made this one from the Sermon on the Mount (NIV, if you MUST know).  Click on the image for a much better look.

Since I had the text from their wedding ceremonies, I made a unique Wordle for all three of my kids, and some of the others brides and grooms I’ve done weddings for.  Printed on a good printer, it makes a nice (cheap) and completely unique gift.  (Here’s the one from Carrie and Kyle’s ceremony:)

In order to save it, I use ScreenHunter, a great free tool for taking a picture of whatever’s on your screen.

The deep, spiritual side of me likes the way the words can be uniquely rearranged based on the number of uses in the text.  Gives me something to meditate on.  The ADD side of me gives me something to do when I should be taking out the trash, grading papers, or something more, uh, useful.  Enjoy!

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