Here’s what our members have shared:

I Am Enough

Eph 2:10 For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

I take comfort in and am inspired by the fact that God made me just as I am and that when he made me, God had in mind what he created me to do. Therefore, regardless of how I feel about myself and my capabilities, I am enough to do what God has called me to and my service to God is important to him.

Jesus Prays for Me

Rom 8:34b Christ Jesus who died—more than that, who was raised to life—is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us.

It is always encouraging to know that someone is praying for you, but Paul says that Jesus Christ, who is standing right beside the Father, is interceding for you too. We can’t ask for better prayer support than that! Knowing Jesus prays for me boosts my confidence and ability to persevere.

God Trusts Me

1 Sam 10:6-7 The Spirit of the Lord will come powerfully upon you, and you will prophesy with them; and you will be changed into a different person. Once these signs are fulfilled, do whatever your hand finds to do, for God is with you.

I am so encouraged by the words “do whatever your hand finds to do, for God is with you.” All of us working in Christian ministry today have the Spirit within us and have discerned God’s call to ministry one way or another. While I am open to special direction from the Spirit, I am also released by God to use my common sense, my education, and my training and just do whatever I believe is required, knowing that God is with me and trusts me to make good decisions. I can be confident if I am being faithful to my call and to the Lord.

God Is with Me

Heb 13:5 “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.”

This is my “go to” verse whenever I begin feeling overwhelmed, hopeless, or defeated and it always strengthens my resolve to continue to fulfil my call to ministry. It is a promise given several times in Scripture. Knowing that God is always with me and will not abandon me is the rock of certainty that I stand on. This promise never fails to turn me to God in prayer as I seek his help.

God Is My Partner

Phil 1:6 [Be] confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.

Like you, God called me to serve him through my work in Christian ministry. His call began the good work he is doing in me and through me, and this verse is a promise that he will not abandon me midway through my call. He will carry me through to the end. My heart is full of joy knowing that I am not on my own; I have God as my partner in fulfilling my call.

Don’t Give Up

Galatians 6:9 So let’s not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don’t give up.

This is the verse that keeps me going when the going gets tough with the ministries I am involved in. No matter what is thrown at us – keep doing good!

Be Strong and Courageous

1 Chron 28:20 Be strong and of good courage, and do it; do not fear nor be dismayed, for the Lord God—my God—will be with you. He will not leave you nor forsake you, until you have finished all the work for the service of the house of the Lord.

Encouragement from a 100-Year-Old Pastor

At age 95, Pastor John Richardson told CCCC conference attendees to “Never die until you are dead!” He spoke about perseverance.

For his 100^th birthday, he preached a sermon at Waterloo Pentecostal Assembly on Isaiah 40:30-31 about gaining new strength and not growing weary. Let his inspiring words encourage you to “keep on keeping on.”

At the same service, he also sang a song every one of us would love to be able to sing at the end of our lives, “I Don’t Regret a Mile.” He joined Jesus in heaven not too long after this service.

I knew Pastor John for thirty-one years, co-taught Sunday School with him, and was always inspired by him. Let John inspire you.

The post Encouragement for Leaders appeared first on CCCC Blogs.

Though youths grow weary and tired,
And vigorous young men stumble badly,
Yet those who wait for the Lord
Will gain new strength;
They will mount up with wings like eagles,
They will run and not get tired,
They will walk and not become weary.

Isaiah 40:30-31 (NIV)

Follow the link below to hear the sermon.

The post Inspiration from a 100-Year-Old Pastor’s Sermon appeared first on CCCC Blogs.

There are times in the life of any ministry when the work is just plain hard. Sometimes much harder than anyone ever thought it would be. Ministry can be difficult and wearying. And yet, as the ministry leader it is up to you to rally the troops and lead them forward. What to do? How do you keep your own spirits up so you can inspire everyone else? A previous post has ideas for staying inspired when you have a long uphill road ahead of you to fulfill your mission. Those ideas are good in any scenario. This post, however, has ideas specifically for when the work is very hard and you are getting discouraged.

In Hard Times, Rely on Established Practices

This first strategy for dealing with hard times is to go back to basics. Hopefully, you have already established regular routines and practices that keep you grounded in your faith, vibrant in your relationship with the Lord, and well connected to other people. When you are thrown into a crisis or a prolonged time of tough slogging, these routines and practices are there to support you.

Too often, we try to be the hero and forge through difficult times relying on our own strength. But it is through working with other people that our combined skills, gifts, experiences, and education provide the breakthroughs. You are not designed to do ministry (or life) on your own. This is why God gives people different gifts and roles.

One of the striking things about how Dietrich Bonhoeffer coped with being thrown into a Nazi jail was how his regular observance of the Church year continued in his small cell, giving him a sense of connection with his family and friends on the outside who also observed the Church year. While he was indeed alone in his cell, he knew he was not suffering alone. Even when they could not physically be with him, it comforted and strengthened him to know they were engaged in the same Christian practices at the same time as he was. If just the idea of solidarity had such a powerful effect on Bonhoeffer, how much more of a powerful effect should we experience when people are physically with us and able to help us?

The Practices

Make four practices part of your regular routine so they are available when you especially need them in hard times. If these four aren’t yet part of your routine and you are already in the midst of a very hard time, it’s not too late to turn to them.

1. Pray and discern how God is leading you.
   1. Psalms 13 (when you feel forgotten by God), 69 (when you are in great distress), and 34 (encouragement for when you hope for rescue) are great examples of David’s prayers in hard times. You can pray emotional prayers just like David did. Be real when speaking with God. He’s big enough to hear the raw you and he wants you to be honest in your prayers.
   2. Read my post A Leader’s Intimacy with God for some ideas on building your relationship with God. The most important point of that post in the context of hard times is to remember that the ministry you lead is Christ’s ministry, not yours. Let Jesus carry the ultimate responsibility for your ministry.
   3. I have some posts to help you with discerning God’s voice, a skill that is absolutely essential to successful ministry leadership.
2. Ask for help. Often leaders mistakenly think it’s lonely at the top and they have to bear their troubles and trials on their own. That is absolutely not true! It is only lonely at the top only if you want it to be lonely at the top. There are people who want to help you, but they may not know you want help. They may be too intimidated to offer help. There is no shame in asking for help: it is the wise thing to do and wise people will respect you for asking. Asking for help acknowledges that you are only human. And it shows people you respect them and believe they have what you need. Asking for help lets other parts of the body of Christ contribute what they can to overcome the obstacle. Don’t let pride prevent you from asking for help.
   
   Years ago, I pushed my infant daughter in her stroller on a long and steep walk up out of a deep ravine. Near the end, I suddenly felt I was being pushed ahead and the load became easier. You can see why in the above picture. When my family got behind me to push me up the last part of the hill, what was hard became a lot easier.
3. Connect authentically with peers and others. When you meet, put aside the usual success-focused chatter and get real. People are generally afraid to be the first one to get real, so be the one to take the risk. It’s highly likely that the response will be encouragement and support. I take this risk when I meet ministry leaders and almost every time the conversation suddenly turns to something far deeper than where the conversation started as they open up in response.
4. Remember God’s support. God promises to give wisdom when we ask for it and we know he also equips us for our tasks. But God can also work in people and circumstances around us in ways that only he can do. Ask God to support you. Even though he supports you anyway (he did call you, after all), explicitly asking makes you more aware that God is with you.

Overcome Feelings of Inadequacy

Wondering if you are the right person to lead when faced with a severe challenge is normal. Didn’t we all feel a sudden pang of inadequacy when the COVID-19 pandemic was first declared and we learned how disruptive it would be? I know I did. But thankfully, the Lord God likes to work through people who feel inadequate. God used Moses, Gideon, Esther, and others who felt they didn’t have what it would take to fulfill their missions. After the first pang of inadequacy, I felt God’s comfort and strength as I followed the advice I’m giving in this post.

What should we remember when we feel weak and inadequate? Well, when Paul had a weakness and asked God to take it away, the Lord said to him:

“My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness.”

2 Corinthians 12:9a

Awareness of a weakness or perceived inadequacy should simply drive you to turn to God for greater awareness of his grace. Remember that God equips everyone he calls with what they need to fulfill their call. Part of that equipping might be the people God placed around you. They share a call to the same mission, but they have different equipping than you have. This is what God did by providing Moses with Aaron. The group of you can then work together on your shared mission and by doing that, the group helps you fulfill your call.

Fight Imposter Syndrome

There is a thought pattern arising from feelings of inadequacy called Imposter Syndrome. You have it when you doubt your skills, talents, or accomplishments and have a persistent internalized fear of being exposed as a “fraud.”¹ It can really debilitate you. If you suffer from this, challenge it with this thought: you were called by God who knows you inside out; he knows your weaknesses and yet he still called you. You are not an imposter. You are exactly the person God wanted for what you are doing. Success with your call does not depend on perfection or on you alone. It depends on your obedience to God.

There are also things that only God can do through his Spirit. So don’t try to do his work. Do everything you can and pray for God to do the rest.

Deal with Weariness and Despair

Over time we can become weary and even despair when we look at the enormity of the problems we address through our ministries. I wrote a post that addresses this exact issue. I reread it as I wrote this paragraph and, at least for me, I find it tremendously encouraging.

Contemporary Circumstances

There are two issues that are really challenging right now related to the pandemic and social conditions.

COVID-19 Pandemic Issues

The pandemic has been especially hard on pastors. They have had to deal not only with all the changes to how their churches worship and conduct their programs, but they have done this while enduring the many opposing opinions held by members of their congregations. Their concern is: how will pastors be able to lead their congregations forward in unity once the pandemic is over?

Before going further, I and every other Christian must say a huge "Thank you!" to the pastors who have guided us and helped us stay steady in our faith and Christian life throughout the pandemic. To every one of you I say, "Thank you! Well done."

If this is an issue you are troubled by, please see my post Making Peace in Your Church. Now is the time to provide leadership like never before to help your congregation navigate through and out of the pandemic. Show them how it is done in God’s kingdom.

Something else to think about is just how far we’ve come since March 2020. Who would have thought churches everywhere would be streaming their services? That virtually everyone would get comfortable with video meetings? This past year, you have likely led with more strength than you ever have because you have guided your congregation through all the tumult and disruption. Congratulations! Celebrate what you and your team did. It’s beginning to look like the end of the pandemic is in sight, at least as I write this in the first days of July 2021.

Social Issues

Another issue is troubling, especially for older leaders who have seen the whole world they once knew turned upside down and the pace of upheaval accelerate rapidly in recent years. Like waters rushing through rapids, postmodern thinking has swept us up and carried us swirling down the river into a strange new world without objective truth, the antithesis to everything Christians believe based on God’s own revelation in Scripture. In these tumultuous times, some leaders wonder if they are the ones to take their ministries into a future that looks so contrary to God’s way for humanity.

If this is your concern, it may be helpful to remember that the Church has twice before had to adapt to a complete change in how the world works. The first time was due to the collapse of the Roman Empire, and the second was the decline of feudalism. Both times, the Church ultimately figured out how to adapt and through bursts of creativity recovered from the losses it had suffered in the transitions.

Remember, the Spirit Will Guide Us

We can be confident about our future because Jesus gave us the Holy Spirit precisely to guide us² so we can handle issues like we face today. Take heart that the Holy Spirit continues to breathe new life into the Church each and every day. The end of the Roman Empire resulted in the birth of religious orders that led to renewal in the Church. Today we have multiple movements within the Christian church creatively testing ways forward. It may take time to assess these new ways of being the Church, but the Spirit will help us discern what to do. Be confident. Be patient. Keep giving God your best.

In the End

Just because God called you to ministry does not mean your ministry will be easy. Ministry can be very hard and there is no denying that. But even in the midst of hard times, God provides the people and the equipping you need. And whatever is not provided is what God has left for himself to do.

Let’s not become discouraged in doing good, for in due time we will reap, if we do not become weary. Galatians 6:9

CCCC’s members can discuss this post in The Green.

Key Thought: Knowing God’s perspective changes everything.

The post When Ministry Becomes Hard: Help Is at Hand appeared first on CCCC Blogs.

What do you do when your passion for your call is dwindling and you are beginning to feel like you should leave ministry?

Ministry leaders all have up and down seasons. Enthusiasm waxes and wanes. Work can energize and drain us. Sometimes, even though we know we were called to ministry, our passion for our call diminishes, and then we wonder if we are still called to ministry. If this happens to you, remember that a loss of passion for your call does not necessarily mean you are done with ministry in your current role or with your current church or agency. And it doesn’t mean God has released you from your call. It just means you need to think about:

• what your call is,
• your expectations about what fulfilling your call will be like,
• how you personally are fulfilling your call, and
• your ministry’s mission.

I have another post about developing a passion for your mission that focuses on developing passion by knowing God’s heart. I recommend you read that post as well because there is nothing like seeing your work the way God sees it to motivate you. And if you have lost all sense of call and are doing your job without any connection to God’s leadership, my post about partnering with God should help you re-establish a dependence on his direction.

However, this post focuses on practical things you can do to rekindle your passion for your call. Leaving ministry is not your only option and the best years of your ministry may still be ahead of you. It might be that all you need to do is make some adjustments to what you think about your call or how you are fulfilling it. So, let’s start.

1. Relive Your Call Experience

To correctly discern if you have been released from your call, go back to the call you received (and any other ways you’ve felt called since then). The goal is to find greater clarity about your call and help you understand it in today’s context. Then you will know better how to pray about your call and to assess your options. Are these options variances to your call, logical extensions of your call, or outside of your call?

God does not use a formula to call people to ministry. He calls people many different ways. Don’t think less of your call if it came about a different way than others experienced theirs. Some had a dramatic word from the Spirit that called them to ministry. Others came to a gradual realization of their call based on circumstances, personal interest, or conversations. I’ve heard several hundred call stories and I’ve never heard the same one twice. Treasure how God worked in your life to call you into ministry.

Write Your Story

If you have already written out the story of your call, read it again now to refresh your mind. Otherwise, think back to when you discerned your call and capture the story by using the following points as a guide. And then update that story with any further times of discernment about your call.

Write down:

• What was happening in your life at the time
• Whether the call found you “out of the blue” or if you were seeking to discover what God wanted you to do
• Your emotions upon receiving the call; for example, excitement. If excitement, what excited you? Be specific. If fear, what were you afraid of and how has it worked out since then?
• Whether the call was a natural fit that made sense to you or if it was a radical departure
• Who helped you discern your call
• The steps you took throughout the discernment process
• The timing of the discernment process, whether quick or slow
• How much you relied on trust and faith in God when you accepted the call
• The reactions you received as you shared your call with others
• How the call affected your plans, your career, and your family

You may not have anything to say for some of these points, but the more vivid your story, the more it will help you understand what God wanted you to do when you were called.

Recall Your Dreams

For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them. Ephesians 2:10

Remember the enthusiasm you had when you came to work at your current ministry and when you accepted the job you have now. What were your dreams for what you would do and accomplish? Relive the early days and note how you have accomplished or expanded your dreams over time. Are you still dreaming today? Ask God to give you a fresh vision for your call.

Get the Big Picture

You might find it helpful (I know I do) to step back and see how your call fits into the bigger picture of God’s plan for humanity. Your call is not just about you and your job. It is a delegation from God to you to do something important in service to his mission. It is also important to the people God wants you to reach through your call. By understanding the metanarrative of the Bible, you set your work in the context of God’s work and will find it easier to set priorities and determine, of all the good things you could do, which ones are the priority from God’s perspective.

Studying the Bible’s metanarrative doesn’t need to take a lot of time. If you have twenty-one minutes, two videos from The Bible Project provide an excellent overview of the Bible’s metanarrative, the Old Testament Overview and the New Testament Overview

When I review the big picture of what the Bible reveals about God and humanity, I feel very confident that, however turbulent things appear in this moment of history, there is a solid foundation upon which to base my ministry. I see the importance of my work and I challenge myself to do my very best while relying on the Holy Spirit for direction.

Other Ways to Fulfill Your Call

It could be that your passion is dwindling because you have maxed out the opportunity to follow your call in your current position or current ministry. For example, as I worked with a youth pastor to help him regain his passion for his call to ministry, he realized that after more than a decade as a youth pastor he was ready to lead a church. The loss of passion was a signal that he was ready to step up to a new way of pursuing his call. He went on to successfully pastor a church of his own.

Define Your Call

Once you’ve done these reflections, write out a fresh definition of your call. If it has evolved from its original state, defining it in writing will help align your thinking with your call as you now understand it. You will also know more precisely what steps you should take to keep progressing towards your call’s fulfillment.

2. Reset Your Expectations

Sometimes reality can be so different from the dream! We set out working in our call expecting God’s blessing and protection, but while God does always work for our ultimate good, it does not mean that his ways will be exactly what we want them to be. If you are losing passion for your call, it may be time for a reality check. Acknowledging the following realities will change them from being surprises that might defeat you to potential events that you can plan for and overcome. You won’t feel defeated when they pop up.

There will Be Obstacles

For a number of years, things went very well for CCCC under my leadership, making for an unusually prolonged period of good times. I thought, “This is easy.” But I always qualified that statement by reminding myself, the board, and the staff that continuance of the current good times couldn’t be taken for granted. There will come a day of testing. I didn’t want them devastated if hard times or even normal times returned. “Don’t get cocky or overconfident,” I repeatedly said to myself.

Of course, we worked very hard to make the continuation of those wonder years more likely, but the time of testing did come, more for me than for CCCC. What kept me going was reflecting on my call. On a number of days, I repeated to myself, “I will not let these circumstances prevent me from fulfilling my call!” And with prayer and professional growth, I came through those years.

If you believe the good times are actually the ordinary times, then the first obstacle that arises might knock you down. Some ministries are difficult all the time. Maybe some are easy all the time. But most ministries will have their ups and downs. Work hard, do your best, and acknowledge that there will be tough times. Enjoy the good times while you have them. Do not let the hard times separate you from your call.

It Will Take Time

Sometimes it seems like all we are doing is planting seeds. Wouldn’t it be nice to harvest some of the seeds you have sown and watered over the years! But unrealistic timelines can become demotivating and lead you to wonder, “What’s the use?” One helpful way to keep your passion ignited is to see regular progress towards your hoped-for results.

Set realistic timelines and let God do what only he can do. Read my post How to Stay Inspired When You Are Only Halfway Up the Mountain.

You Will Have to Grow

There is a possibility that leadership is not your strength. Perhaps you misunderstood your call. Maybe it was to serve a mission rather than lead it. If you think this is a possibility, then read Maybe Leadership Isn’t For Me. More likely, though, you correctly heard your call to leadership but you need further equipping to lead well today.

I've had a series of five-year contracts with CCCC (I'm on my fourth). Some time before each renewal, I've said to the board chair, "I was the right person to be the leader when the last contract was signed. Am I still the right leader for the next contract? If not, can I become the right leader for the next five years, or am I not at all the right leader?" My goal is through personal and professional development to be a fresh, new leader perfectly suiting the organization's needs for the next contract period.

Undoubtedly you will have to invest in your personal and professional development over time so you can keep up with all the changes in our society that touch on your mission. You can’t expect that who you were twenty or even five years ago when you accepted your call will still be sufficient to fulfill your call today. Expect the need to learn and practise new skills to come up again and again through your career. Regularly research the best current thinking in your field of ministry. Continuous learning means continuous growth.

There May Be a Cost

There may be some costs that come with your call. For example, as you engage in the lives of your congregation or help people on the street, their stories and problems could take an emotional toll on you. Another example is that what is happening in the world around us could depress us. But we must accept the costs as part of the call and not let them beat us down. After all, Jesus did say to “count the cost” before engaging in ministry. There may be other costs you can identify with your call. Acknowledge them and find ways to mitigate them if you can. Be ready to bear with them if you can’t. As you face these weighty realizations, remember to keep a balanced perspective with all that is good about ministry. My soul, my soul must sing! is a great post that celebrates joy in the ministry workplace.

I highly recommend, as does everyone else who writes on this topic, that you have something apart from your vocational life that restores your soul and gives you joy. My post Work, Work, Work, Work! Is that all there is? will inspire you to emerge from work into a full life. Make family a priority. Find a hobby. Take time to enjoy God’s beautiful world.

State Your Expectations

Review this section and update your list of expectations. Prior to this, your expectations were probably assumed rather than stated, and that likely led to disappointment when they turned out not to be your experience. By listing your updated and maybe more realistic expectations, you won’t suffer disappointment. You are better prepared by knowing what goes along with your call and your passion will endure through it all because you will know your circumstances are just part of life.

3. Examine Yourself and How You Fulfill Your Call

There may be things about you that are holding you back from fulfilling your call. You need to smooth out your rough edges as a ministry leader. I know that, as much as I think the obstacles are “out there,” the ones that are really holding me back are very much “in here.” If you are losing enthusiasm for your call, it could be a sign that you have some personal attributes that you need to work on. My post A Self-Checkup for Ministry Leaders will help you work through those internal factors and discover what you can do to set yourself up for greater success. You don’t want to be your own stumbling block.

When you are doing a self-evaluation, it is a good time to also get some honest feedback from people who know you and care for you. You want to find people who truly desire your ministry success and who are willing to speak the truth to you. Listen carefully to them. If you are married, ask your spouse for their observations. No one knows you better than your spouse and no one is as invested in your personal success as your spouse is.

Out of this investigation, develop a personal development plan. Your passion should revive as you enthusiastically take positive action that will help you better live out your call.

4. Reexplore Your Ministry’s Vision/Mission

It could be you have simply fallen into a rut. Perhaps your work is so easy for you that there is no challenge anymore. I find that every time I dive into CCCC’s vision (our End Statement – CCCC members will be exemplary, healthy, and effective Christian ministries) I emerge energized, full of creative thoughts, and itching to get back to work. If you are in a rut, it may be a sign that you are ready for a bigger challenge. That challenge could come from expanding or deepening your vision for your current ministry or it could mean you are ready for a different role somewhere else.

My post, The Untapped Potential of Your Mission Statement, shows you how to explore your strategic statement. Although my passion was not dwindling at all, exploring the CCCC End Statement afresh pumped up my passion for my call and for CCCC many times over. It led to the discovery that CCCC as it was (and as far as it had come), was still just a glimmer of what it could be.

Conclusion

A friend of mine, a retired pastor, gave the closing speech at the 2007 CCCC conference at 95 years of age. John Richardson said his best advice for ministry leaders is, “Don’t die before you are dead.” Don’t give up. Keep going. God’s not done with you yet.

CCCC’s members can discuss this post in The Green.

Key Point: Keep your call fresh and vital!

The post Rekindle the Fire: A Fresh Passion for Your Call appeared first on CCCC Blogs.

The prospect of burnout and losing one’s joy is very real for people working in ministry, so it’s very good news indeed that Jesus says he has a better way. Let’s let him minister to us through his words.

“I will give you rest.”

28 “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”
Matthew 11:28-30

Verse 28 has a very powerful, attractive pull to it. Jesus’ invitation to come to him and receive his rest simply screams at me, “You’re okay. I love you. You’re safe. That’s enough now.” Sometimes I just want to surrender myself into Jesus’ care and be enveloped in his arms.

But no! That is not what Jesus is telling us to do. Jesus does not intend for us to escape from the world or our jobs. He wants us to continue working, but to work differently—his way.

The Context

Matthew 11, which contains this offer from Jesus, opens with John the Baptist languishing in a prison cell wondering about the legacy of his life of obedience, hardship, and sacrifice. Looking back over his life and ministry, he asks, “Is this all there is? Is there any fruit? Are you the one who is to come, Jesus?”

In response to John’s questions, Jesus reminds John of the prophecies of the One who is to come and that Jesus’ ministry gives evidence of their fulfillment. He then pays tribute to John.

However, John’s questions lead Jesus to review his own ministry thus far, and he marvels at its lack of results. He remonstrates against the cities which didn’t respond in faith to his miracles, but then does something quite unexpected. He praises his Father and says that the way God works is pleasing to God and that’s good enough for him.

Jesus’ Invitation to Us

It is then that Jesus says to others, presumably his followers (including us), to come to him. The point isn’t to let people retire and “be okay”, but to give them a new perspective and send them back out to work again. The key statement is “Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.”

Jesus’ Kind of Rest

When Jesus says we’ll find rest he does not mean that we will be inactive. Christ’s rest is very active. It involves a yoke after all, so he means for us to be working. But he wants us to learn from him. He wants us to learn to evaluate our ministries and our efforts the same way he did his. Doing so will result in our results-driven souls taking a rest.

• Jesus accepted that God has a way of working and the implication is that he was comfortable doing his part and leaving everything else to his Father.
• Jesus was committed to obedience to his Father, not to achieving results. His attention was on what his Father revealed to him to do. He could afford to be gentle and humble in heart as he served his Father because he wasn’t measuring his success by external results.

Jesus will use his yoke to get us to work with the same gentleness and humbleness as he did. If you want to know how well you are leading like Jesus, ask yourself, “How gentle a leader am I?”

Gentle Leadership

The issue comes down to a simple question which can be asked three ways:

1. Am I satisfied with knowing that I am leading the ministry in a way that is pleasing to God, or must I have external results to satisfy me?
2. Are results the goal of my work or the consequence of the good work that I do?
3. Am I content to do what God has asked me to do and leave the fruit to God?

I know that getting results is very important. They show good stewardship of the ministry’s resources. They indicate that the church’s mission is being advanced. They mean that people are benefiting from the ministry’s work. This is all good. But we should be pleased with results, not driven by them.

If we are following Christ, and conducting our ministry in alignment with Christ’s values, then we will be faithfully obedient and God will provide fruitfulness as a by-product of the good work we do in his name. The problem we should avoid is what happens when people are driven by measurable results: they can easily fall prey to seeing people from a utilitarian perspective, making people a means to achieving a goal rather than seeing them as fellow image-bearers of God.¹

Jesus was satisfied with a ministry career which he saw as just a process (albeit an important process) in his Father’s work plan. He could perform his duties and not worry about the outcome because the outcome was God’s responsibility. Paul wrote something very similar: “I planted, Apollos watered, but God was causing the growth.”

So in this passage, Jesus says to do the work we have been called to do (and we know he expects it to be very well done), but that we should take our pleasure from doing it in a Christ-like manner. If we do that, we can pray for God to bless our work with much fruit, and the results will be the reward or consequence of the good work we do.

Conclusion

All Christ asks us to do is to gently and humbly fulfill his call and leave the consequences up to God. What are you striving for that you need to turn over to Jesus? “Come to me…and I will give you rest.”

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It Couldn’t Be Done by Edgar A.  Guest

Somebody said that it couldn’t be done,
But he with a chuckle replied
That “maybe it couldn’t,” but he would be one
Who wouldn’t say so until he’d tried.
So he buckled right in with the trace of a grin
On his face. If he worried he hid it.
He started to sing as he tackled the thing
That couldn’t be done, and he did it.

Somebody scoffed: “Oh, you’ll never do that;
At least no one ever has done it.”
But he took off his coat and he took off his hat,
And the first thing we knew he’d begun it.
With a lift of his chin and a bit of a grin,
Without any doubting or quiddit,
He started to sing as he tackled the thing
That couldn’t be done, and he did it.

There are thousands to tell you it cannot be done,
There are thousands to prophesy failure;
There are thousands to point out to you, one by one,
The dangers that wait to assail you.
But just buckle in with a bit of a grin,
Just take off your coat and go to it;
Just start to sing as you tackle the thing
That “cannot be done,” and you’ll do it.

Now, I must say I am no Pollyanna looking through rose-coloured glasses, but research does show that people often give up too soon and don’t press hard enough to find a solution. I do recognize that there are things that, in reality, are impossible to do.  However, and it is a huge ‘however’, when pessimists try to stop me or when the challenge seems too big to overcome, if it is truly a worthy goal, I will:

• challenge my view of what ‘reality’ really is, because I know that most of my own assumptions are so deeply held that I’m not even aware of them. The same goes for you too of course. If something is desirable but not possible (in your estimation), go and talk with others. Seek out people who have lots of knowledge or lots of contacts, because the more people you ask the more complete the information you will receive. I have been very pleasantly surprised over the years when I’ve told someone about a difficulty and they’ve introduced me to someone for whom the difficulty was readily solvable. Life is most difficult when you live it alone. Let others expand your understanding of what is possible.
• recognize that no one can truly know their personal or organizational limits until they give it their best. This doesn’t mean that you have to try to do everything. It just means that you are honest about why you are not trying. Perhaps when you say it is impossible, what you really mean is it isn’t a high enough priority, or you are too scared or intimidated to try, or you just simply don’t want to do it for any number of hidden reasons. Saying it is impossible is the easy route that lets you avoid dealing honestly with your reasons for not proceeding. It does feel better to say “It isn’t possible” than it is to say “I didn’t want to make the effort.” You don’t really know what you are capable of until you try. By the way, the reverse is also true: until you try, you don’t know what you are not capable of. The difference is, until I try I can always imagine in my mind that I could do it if I tried. That’s the definition of an armchair critic!
• expect that my limits will change over time as I develop myself. Ryan Kennelly bench pressed 1,075 lbs on November 8th, 2008. I guarantee he didn’t lift that weight on his first ever bench press! That would have been impossible. But as he trained and developed his muscles, what once was impossible became possible. Likewise, if I am not the leader today who can accomplish my vision, then I must set out to become that leader. That means self-development. That means life-long learning, life-long reflection, life-long practicing to become what you believe you need to be. That is why I write so much about challenging yourself, about actively searching to discover what you don’t know you don’t know. I owe it to my employer to push my limits as far out as possible. (This is also a key component to your job security strategy!)
• remember that sometimes, when the goal is really important and there seems to be no way, it just takes pure courage and boldness to move ahead. If the worst that can happen is an acceptable risk, then go for it.

In The Opposable Mind: Winning Through Integrative Thinking, Roger Martin shows how a number of business leaders (mostly Canadians for once!) tackled challenges that conventional wisdom said were impossible to solve and created great companies such as Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts, Red Hat and the Toronto International Film Festival as a result. They were successful because they assumed there must be a way to do what they wanted to do and they didn’t stop until they found it. Every one else gave up too soon and picked the lesser of two evils, a solution that was less than what they desired.

We are beginning a complete, comprehensive strategic review of CCCC, and I will be applying this advice to myself and the ministry. We will be looking for the ideal way to achieve our mission and will challenge everything that holds us back from complete mission fulfillment. We will exhaust all sources of help before settling for anything less than the ideal solution.

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