With so much nonsense being trafficked in the Christian community today concerning leadership, I wish these theoretical-lead-the-church-like-a-business writers and consultants would try to look at spiritual leadership from the viewpoint of those being led. The ones God uses to lead us in the Way never make it about themselves.

Kind of like Paul in 1 Thessalonians 2:7-8!

Something wonderful happened to me the day my firstborn child, Aimee, came into the world. For the first time in my life, I had totally selfless thoughts. Suddenly, I was holding in my arms someone who meant more to me than, well … me. At that moment, I knew that no sacrifice would be too great for this little girl I had just met but instantly cherished. Before I could become too proud of how dear she had become to me, I placed her in the arms of her mother. From the moment Judy began to nurse our baby girl, I knew they were experiencing a bond I would never know and could never experience.

If you’re thinking of the birth of your child and your love for them or your father and mother and their love for you, then you are picturing the role of an authentic spiritual leader—a parent. Paul reminds his readers of the selfless motives of the team he brought to Thessalonica by describing their role. They were parents to their disciples, as gentle as a nurturing mother and as firmly encouraging as a concerned father.

That’s the measure of authentic New Testament leadership.

So who are the people in your life the Lord Jesus is asking you to lead in His name? Remember, it’s not about them following you; it’s about you selflessly leading them to follow Another. His name is Jesus.

“But we were gentle among you, just as a nursing mother cherishes her own children. So, affectionately longing for you, we were well pleased to impart to you not only the gospel of God, but also our own lives, because you had become dear to us” (1 Thessalonians 2:7-8).

Question: Do you have a story of someone who led you well? I’d love to hear it.

Mommy, Daddy, Sammy

I was sure God was going to answer our prayer.

• Our leadership team, all abiders in Christ and claiming John 15:6, begged God to rescue our budget with a huge December.
• Following our Lord’s instructions on prayer (Matthew 6:5-13; 7:7-11; Luke 11:1-13; 18:1-5), we prayed specifically and persistently.
• We prayed alone, as couples, as families, in groups, and in community at all of our Christmas leadership events.
• Most of us fasted and prayed multiple times during December.

I was so sure that God would say yes to this prayer because usually He says yes when a request burdens our community in this way.

God Said No

He said no. Emphatically no. It wasn’t that He was testing us some to see if we would trust Him enough to move forward with a more robust budget in 2012 by giving us a partial yes. Our December giving didn’t even come close.

I’m devastated and my faith is shaken.

Like you, I don’t know what to do with no answers to my purest prayers when it seems I did everything right. I started doubting whether I really was abiding, if I was asking unselfishly enough, if maybe I was foolish to be so bold and public in leading our church in this prayer.

I came up with strategies to explain away the no. Some of that I’m sure was to protect the “reputation” of God, but a lot of it was simply to try to make sense of it myself.

And then, my grandson Zachy taught me a lesson on prayer.

Jesus rejoiced in the childlike faith of His disciples. Their excited reports of what God had done for them after their first missionary journey, “Lord, even the demons submit to us in your name” (Luke 10:17), elicits this response from the Master:

“I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and intelligent, and revealed them to little children. Yes, Father, for this was your gracious will” (Luke 10:21).

Zachy

Zachy was spending the night with us for the first time in his almost three years on earth Friday night. He had moved from a world of a lot of no’s (too many if his parents were to consult Judy and me!) to a world of yes’s. He got just about everything he wanted that night. Okay, I admit it. He got everything he wanted that night.

But then, when it came time to go to bed, his little heart broke. He cried and cried, saying only, “Mommy, Daddy, Sammy” over and over again. Finally, after an hour of comforting him and stroking his little back, he fell asleep with the whispered whimper, “Mommy, Daddy, Sammy.”

The next morning when mommy and daddy and brother Sammy came to pick him up, he ran into their arms and immediately asked them for something he couldn’t have.

They told him no. He protested. And then he asked again.

Children don’t care as much about yes’s as they do about relationship. They protest and throw fits when daddy says no, but what they most fear is being away from daddy…and mommy…and Sammy.

What a child wants most is the secure love of a parent and the familiar surroundings of the community of the family.

But they never stop asking!

The Measure of Faith

There’s my lesson. We tend to measure faith by adult behavior. God measures faith by childlike behavior.

I’m still begging my Father for more money to do the things we want to do for His Kingdom in 2012, but I’m not going to try to fine tune my prayers.

He’s given me what my redeemed heart longs for most: His unfailing love and strength, and a community of faith where I feel safe.

Just like Zachy, what we really want is the presence of our Father rather than His yes.

Question: When God says no to your prayers, do you tend toward more adult behavior of explanation or the childlike behavior of running to His arms and protesting His no?

This is the second half of a piece I read to the church on Easter of 2011: the raw truth about Church of the Open Door.

We’re Here to Tell You

We’re here to encourage you by telling you over and over again that the life you’ve been living is not the life Jesus wants you to have. To help you believe that you are worth far more than what the voices of this world tell you you’re worth.

We’re here to tell you that life is more than the weekly lineup of reality shows, the vacations you go on, the restaurants you eat in, the fine wine you drink, the golf courses you play on or the sports teams you follow.

We’re here to tell you that your worth is not limited or even defined by the car you drive, the home you live in, your fitness factor, your significant career, your education in a prestigious university, your political party, or your status in some sick codependent performance-based religious tradition.

We’re here to tell you that you do not need to medicate the pain of life with booze, drugs, exercise, materialism, portfolios, education, career, control, or even theology.

What We Know!

We know that we live in a world where few people keep their promises or remain faithful to anything or anyone. We want to introduce you to Jesus, who does keep His promises and will remain faithful. And we beg Him to strengthen us so that we can become the exception to your experience by keeping our promises to Him, you, and one another.

We know that you need a new vision for your life. We know from God’s Word and from personal experience with Christ that you do not have to hang onto this hurtful world with the death grip of someone who isn’t aware of a better option.

We know that you may feel like the better options are for others.

Donald Miller, in one of my favorite books, Blue Like Jazz, tells the story of a group of hostages taken by terrorists in a remote corner of the world and held there in a dark room for over a year. When the Navy Seals got to the building, opened the door and announced, “You’re rescued; you’re free. Come out into the light!” Not one of the hostages, huddled in a mass on the floor, moved a muscle. They had been in the dark for so long they didn’t believe in the light anymore. Or, like most of those who live outside the grace and mercy of God, didn’t think it was for them. So one of the seals took off his gear, got down on the floor, wrapped himself around the nearest hostage, held onto them tightly, whispering over and over and over, “It’s all right. You have been rescued. You’re safe. You’re free. You can walk out into the light.”

What We Want To Do

(more…)

This is the preoccupying question in America today, “How bad will it get?”

It’s a 24/7 thing now, and it’s game on in the political arena. But while our politicians scramble to prove it’s not their fault, Wall Street executives hunker down, and news cycle experts and talk radio hosts bark their analyses and theories, most of us just want to know, “How bad will it get?”

The only dependable authority for the Christian—the Word of God—is pretty clear in its answer to the question, “How bad will it get?”

Worse.

Even if the markets rebound, credit flows again, someone invents an alternative to fossil fuels, and we all pitch in to save the planet, it’s going to get worse.

Before you think I’m getting all doomsday on you, I also want you to know that there’s a place to go and Someone to talk to about all of this. This is someone smarter than Rush Limbaugh and more powerful than Barack Obama.

There’s a phrase in the New Testament inviting every Christian to turn to Someone else–Abba Father (Romans 8:15). This is an endearing and intimate title for God the Father that could be translated, “Father, my own dear Father.” It is the title a child uses to relate to a father when the child knows that he or she is dear to Him, the one He delights in.

As the world crumbles around us, you may wonder if this is the time when it all spins out of control and if the worst-case scenario guys are right. That question, “How bad will it get?” may be keeping you up at night. Here’s what I do when my anxious thoughts multiply within me—I crawl up on my Father’s lap and talk to Him about my fears, feelings, and hurts. It is the upside of crises for the child of God–deepening intimacy with Abba Father.

I bet if we spent as much time on His lap as we spend in front of our computers, iPhones, and televisions checking the latest bad news, we’d feel a lot better about the future. We’d probably say, “Well, my Abba always told me it would get worse, but He also promised to take care of me. You see, I’m very special to Him.”

“For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by which we cry out, ‘Abba, Father.’” –Paul, Romans 8:15

CRAZY BUSY!

My life is crazy busy and it always has been.

There’s never been a time in my adult life that a lot of pressures weren’t competing for the time I need to devote to my relationship with the Lord Jesus. I’ve been a fireman, university student, Army officer, seminary student, pastor, Bible teacher, and author. All extremely demanding.

And then there’s family, friends, community…

You know the drill.

My Time and Space for Jesus

This is why I’m so committed to journaling. No other spiritual discipline has kept Jesus at the center of my life more than journaling. If focuses my mind, my thoughts, and my prayers like no other spiritual exercise.

But I’ve found that just saying, “I’m going to start journaling” doesn’t work for me.

I must have a special time and a special place to meet Jesus with my Mead Notebook, my Bible, my pen, and my heart.

For me it has to be early morning before our home wakes up, and in my special chair left of the table in our den so that I can accommodate my caffeine habit left-handed. I keep all my journaling stuff right there, never move it, and never vary from that place and that time unless I’m on the road. (And that’s the topic of another blog!)

Your Time and Space for Jesus?

If you’re crazy busy, journaling is a great discipline to create time and space for Jesus.

I can’t know what your best time and space will be. But I do know that if you’re serious about keeping the Lord Jesus at the center of your life, He’ll show it to you.

Oh, and another thing: NO LAPTOP, MOBILE PHONE, OR OTHER DISTRACTING INSTRUMENTS ALLOWED.

That’s what works for me. I’d love to hear about your special time and space where you meet the Lord to journal.

Personal discipline and commitment seem to be replacing grace and mercy as the start points for Christianity.

The results are predictable; just read about the Middle Ages.

Unless we admit our own powerlessness to change ourselves, we’re going to continue churning out failing, hidden, and frustrated church-goers.

We need another reformation, from Protestant works-righteousness!

“The reformation was a time when men went blind, staggering drunk because they had discovered, in the dusty basement of late medievalism, a whole cellarful of fifteen-hundred-year-old, two-hundred proof grace–of bottle after bottle of pure distillate of Scripture, one sip of which would convince anyone that God saves us single-handedly.” (Robert Capon, Between Noon and Three)

The Good Shepherd Came Down

Meditations on Psalm 23:5

On Christmas morning I’m going to lead Church of the Open Door through meditations of the wonder of Psalm 23 in light if the Incarnation. Because of Christmas, King David’s words describe the reality of our lives as Christians. The Lord is my Shepherd.

I’m journaling through a verse every morning this week, meditating on the actuality of Christ being my Good Shepherd who showed up in a manger in Bethlehem so that all that David says and feels about his Good Shepherd is true of me.

Here’s Day 5, Verse 5. You may want to subscribe or go to edunderwood.com to keep up with the series daily.

Day Five: You prepare a feast before m in the plain sight of my enemies. You refresh my head with oil; my cup is completely full (Psalm 23:5, NET Bible).

Best Christmas Ever!

“This is shaping up to be a pretty good Christmas.”

“Best Christmas ever!”

These are the sentences we all use. Sentences that betray our deep need to maximize the experience of this special season.

Problem is that when we’re honest with ourselves, there just aren’t that many “best-ever Christmases.” Even when we’re in the middle of a good one, we know that this is a happiness that can’t last.

All I have to do is think about some of our friends around the world or in our church who walk with Christ. In spite of their devotion to Christ, 2011 has been a year they’d just soon forget. Their prospects for a “perfect Christmas” are bad, very bad.

This is where verse 5 of David’s song about and to his Good Shepherd comes in.

Really David?

When I read the narrative accounts of David’s life, I have a hard time placing Psalm 23. When exactly did he experience all of this goodness? King David was constantly at war and dealing with the political intrigue and pressures of life “within the beltway” of Jerusalem.

His family was a mess. His own son tried to take his throne.

He sinned terribly. His adulterous and murderous behavior scandalized his administration.

He lost a baby.

So when exactly was this time when his cup of life was completely full?

A Good Shepherd in a Bad World

The secret to David’s joy in verse 5 was that he chose to focus on his Shepherd rather than his circumstances.

On his worst day, David knew that his Shepherd was still good.

David’s secret can be our secret. If ever there was a season we should concentrate on the goodness of our Shepherd rather than the badness of our life, it’s Christmas.

Question: What are some ways you’ve found that help you think more about the goodness of your Shepherd than the badness of your life during Christmas?

The Good Shepherd Came Down

Meditations on Psalm 23:4

On Christmas morning I’m going to lead Church of the Open Door through meditations of the wonder of Psalm 23 in light if the Incarnation. Because of Christmas, King David’s words describe the reality of our lives as Christians. The Lord is my Shepherd.

I’m journaling through a verse every morning this week, meditating on the actuality of Christ being my Good Shepherd who showed up in a manger in Bethlehem so that all that David says and feels about his Good Shepherd is true of me.

Here’s Day 4, Verse 4. You may want to subscribe or go to edunderwood.com to keep up with the series daily.

Day Four: Even when I must walk through the darkest valley, I fear no danger, for you are with me; your rod and your staff reassure me (Psalm 23:4, NET Bible).

The Dark Valleys of Christmas

For most of us this Christmas, like just about every other Christmas of our lives, will have at least one of those “now you need to walk through the darkest valley” assignments from the Good Shepherd.

• “Now you must trust me as you take your children to your ex-husband’s godless home to celebrate who knows what and be exposed to I hate to imagine.”
• “Now you must trust me as I tell you to go to the bedside to say ‘Merry Christmas’ to your dying friend or loved one, even though you have no idea what to say or how to be.”
• “Now you must somehow make it through this season with the heavy heart of loss since this is the first Christmas without your lifelong partner.”
• “Now you must go to the seventeenth event or get-together with your wacked-out in laws or your dysfunctional family, when all you really want is a simple Christmas at home with your kids.”

I can’t know what your specific “Now you must” assignment from the Good Shepherd that feels like a dark valley of life is, but I know that you have at least one. We all do.

But I do know what you can do about it.

Read on in Psalm 23, verse 4.

“I fear no danger, for you are with me; your rod and staff reassure me.”

The Shepherd’s presence and guidance–the reassuring touch of his rod and staff–calms the fearful sheep, giving them confidence and courage to follow him through the darkest valley.

I’m on my fifth dark valley assignment from the Lord Jesus this Christmas, and today’s the big one. I’m not looking forward to it because memories of dark experiences in that valley from Christmases past. I’m pretty sure this is going to hurt.

A lot.

But I am looking forward to being with my Good Shepherd, and feeling the reassuring touch of his rod and staff through the dark valley that is December 23, 2011.

Questions: How can I help you through your dark valley this Christmas Season? How can i encourage you to trust the Shepherd’s care? 

The Good Shepherd Came Down

Meditations on Psalm 23:3

On Christmas morning I’m going to lead Church of the Open Door through meditations of the wonder of Psalm 23 in light if the Incarnation. Because of Christmas, King David’s words describe the reality of our lives as Christians. The Lord is my Shepherd.

I’m journaling through a verse every morning this week, meditating on the actuality of Christ being my Good Shepherd who showed up in a manger in Bethlehem so that all that David says and feels about his Good Shepherd is true of me.

Here’s Day 3, Verse 3. You may want to subscribe or go to edunderwood.com to keep up with the series daily.

Day Three: He restores my strength. He leads me down the right paths for the sake of his reputation (Psalm 23:3, NET Bible).

Every Christian needs the Good Shepherd’s strength during the demanding days ramping up to December 25th.

But verse 3 makes me think about some friends and loved ones who are facing more than the every-year pressures of Christmas.

These are those precious disciples of the Savior who are walking with Him through life’s toughest days.

The newly-single mom trying to somehow make this Christmas less painful for her children now that “daddy” (and I use that term grudgingly) decided he wants a new family.

The Bible teacher fighting for her next breath from a body full of cancer.

The spouse stuck in a loveless marriage because of a “life-partner” (and I use that term grudgingly too) who has decided they’re not going to live for Christ, their marriage, the children, and others but for their own interests, career, and fulfillment.

For these dear followers of Christ, Christmas hurts too much to get all festive.

Does this describe your life this year?

If so, Psalm 23:3 is your verse.

Your Good Shepherd wants you to know that he will restore your strength, even when the pain of life takes your breath away.

Your Good Shepherd promises that if you will take his hand and trust him with the pain of the next challenge, the next hurt, the next day, hour, or minute, he will take you down the right path for you.

He can’t promise that it’s going to be okay this Christmas. But he does promise that if you trust him enough to follow, he will redeem your pain in ways that enhance his reputation.

Question: Does this describe your Christmas this year? Write me and I promise to pray for you. 

The Good Shepherd Came Down

Meditations on Psalm 23:2

On Christmas morning I’m going to lead Church of the Open Door through meditations of the wonder of Psalm 23 in light if the Incarnation. Because of Christmas, King David’s words describe the reality of our lives as Christians. The Lord is my Shepherd.

I’m journaling through a verse every morning this week, meditating on the actuality of Christ being my Good Shepherd who showed up in a manger in Bethlehem so that all that David says and feels about his Good Shepherd is true of me.

Here’s Day Two, Verse 2. You may want to subscribe or go to edunderwood.com to keep up with the series daily.

Day Two: He takes me to lush pastures, he leads me to refreshing water (Psalm 23:2, NET Bible).

Sometimes I forget that David was a king. Imagine the pressures on his schedule—the endless meetings, the long lines of people needing their king, the palace operatives demanding an audience. And all of this while trying to appease the too many wives and too neglected children of his highly dysfunctional family.

Still, in the blur of his kingly schedule, David prioritized his personal time with his Good Shepherd. Whether on the battlefield, around the palace, with his flocks, or in the charged atmosphere of his home, David made time for his Shepherd.

Why?

Because David knew that only his Shepherd could take him to that place where the two of them could be alone, that place of rest and refreshment.

Right now, on the 21^st of December, I’m so unlike David I’m ashamed to admit it. Unlike David, I’m exhausted. Not from leading armies into battle or settling arguments between the Secretary of State and a Senator, but from celebrating the birth of the Good Shepherd!

But it’s not his fault; it’s mine.

There’s not one sentence in his entire Bible that says, “Okay, Ed, when my birthday comes, make such a big deal about it that you stop just short of killing yourself and everyone else with special events, parties, and activities. That’s what I want from you in December. Wait, that’s not enough, I want you to start all of this right after Thanksgiving…or better yet, before Thanksgiving!”

No, all he wants from me in December is what he wants from me the other eleven months of the year.

He just wants me.

To stop what I’m doing, look up at him, and say, “Hi, Jesus.” And he will take me by the hand and lead me to the same place he used to take David to. That quiet place where the two of us can be alone so he can give me rest and refresh my soul. That place where I lie down and completely relax because I trust my Good Shepherd. He knows what’s best for me, loves me deeply, and cares for my every need because I’m his special concern.

I need to be more like King David as I celebrate the birth of the Good Shepherd who only wants to take me to lush pastures and lead me to refreshing water.

Time to stop what I’m doing, grab my Bible and my journal, and spend an hour with my Good Shepherd.

Questions: Have you lost sight of the Shepherd’s goodness in trying to celebrate his birth? What are some ways you have discovered that you can pause to let him lead you to your place of rest and refreshment?