While doing this morning’s Digital Daily Bible Study:
- My children let the Guinea Pigs loose
- Weiner Dog vs Piggie
- 3-yr-old demands I get him dressed live on camera...
- plus the hip-hop stylings of Levi and Alysia at the very end! 😂
#ThisIsRealLife
#ThereWasAnAttemptToTeachTheBible
God can put a panic in a great army so that they are defeated by very few (1 Samuel 14:15).
Never assume that great odds against you are decisive.
They aren't.
God is.
Look to Him, follow Him & be fearless.
“Righteousness guards the man of integrity.” (Proverbs 13:6, NIV)
“Righteousness is like a shield of protection, guarding those who keep their integrity.” (Proverbs 13:6, TPT)
My greatest prayer for my children — beyond them discovering a saving knowledge and true faith in Jesus Christ — is that they would grow to become men and women brimming with honor and integrity.
The pathway to integrity begins at home and extends through the local church. This past year, the Lord has graciously allowed Amber Herron and I opportunities to suffer well in front of our children and model taking the high road (1 Peter 1:2).
What can feel like an extended season of burdens and curses to Amber and I is in reality a God-ordained blessing for the sanctification of our children, primarily our older three.
Jesus taught us to bless those who curse you and love your enemies.
Not *like* your enemies; *love* your enemies.
While turning the other cheek doesn’t feel good in my flesh, it honors God and inspires people to be walking in the Spirit.
That’s my heart for my children this Father’s Day: that God’s grace would continue to be poured out upon Team Herron, enabling us to continue taking the harder and nobler path of integrity and honor.
Jesus never fought back. Christ didn’t curse those who hurt Him or withdraw from those who misunderstood Him; Jesus literally *prayed for* His accusers.
Integrity teaches us that your greatest display of strength is in holding your tongue and not fighting back.
By God’s enduring grace, I pray I can be that kind of man for my family.
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‘Wisdom comes to the heart that is hungry for God.’ (A.W. Tozer)
Whenever I feel discouraged and want to quit something, I remember the words of my then 3-year-old after she puked carrots all over the living room floor: “I’m gonna need more carrots.”
‘As a leader, you will have to make decisions that those whom you lead and even spectators won’t understand for years.’ (Dr. Eric Mason)
Leaders are targets for the Enemy. If you’re leading out front, then of course you’re going to be on the receiving end of fiery darts. Expect it.
Misunderstandings and miscommunications will happen.
You cannot control other people’s perceptions. You can only control your own actions and reactions.
Be careful with what you hear about someone. You might be hearing it from the problem.
As soon as we step into condemnation instead of conversation, we can no longer see that person clearly.
‘A perverse man sows strife and a whisperer separates the best of friends.’ (Proverbs 16:28)
People don’e own you when they hurt you. They own you when your entire life is defined by that hurt.
If you’ve been burned, heal. If someone has an issue with you and they’re telling everyone except you, they don’t have a real issue with you. They just enjoy the attention they get from talking about you.
‘Love God and He will enable you to love others even when they disappoint you.’ (Francine Rivers)
The only way to handle ‘prodigals’ is to let them go, give them to God, and pray for their return with tears. And when you see them on the horizon with their head hung low, wrap your arms around them and welcome them home.
We are all rough drafts of the person we are becoming.
Don’t be afraid to start over. It’s a chance to build something better this time!
Sure, the winds feel strong and your team is small. Stand firm. If you set your anchor, you won’t drift.
"This past year affected our church in a really significant way.
We saw people leave because they were frustrated that we weren’t meeting soon enough.
We saw people leave because they thought we were trying to meet again too soon.
We saw people leave as we taught the Bible in a way that didn’t align exactly with their political party of choice.
We saw people leave because they thought we didn’t take a strong enough stance on social issues.
We saw people leave because they thought we took too strong of a stance on social issues.
We saw people leave because they thought that the Enneagram was satanic.
We saw people leave because they thought we weren’t doing enough.
We saw people leave because they were relocating for a new job, they wanted to move to a more affordable area, or they were moving to be closer to family and countless other reasons.
But the bottom line is this: We saw a lot of people leave."
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This video was heartbreaking when Amber and I came across it last week.
We could relate.
We've experienced all these things + more in the past 12 months too.
This pandemic took a tremendous toll on our family and ministry.
Nearly every day I felt like a pinata full of bees.
But you know what?
I've discovered there is something beautiful that emerges in the pain.
We can choose to run to the church instead of away from the church.
We are all rough drafts of the person we are becoming.
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If you found yourself in a place far from your church home, may I gently encourage you to go back to your church home and try again?
Perhaps confession and forgiveness is your next step.
Be the bigger person. Apologize. Reach out.
See what God can do through you.
If you found yourself nodding throughout the video as a fellow church leader, may I encourage you?
Don't give up.
Not now.
You have too much potential and too many lives to change.
Every loss is a lesson.
Get better and get moving.
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For what it's worth, I just wrapped a live coaching call with church leaders this morning that may encourage and motivate you too.
Feel free to share this YouTube link: https://youtu.be/IUb-6IaYXdg
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Don't Give Up!
In Christ, your best days are NOT behind you.
There is another chapter God wants to write through you.
In Christ, the BEST is YET to come!
Jumpstart your day with this live recording from this morning’s Fearless Leadership Coaching.
“I just want to say to the kids out there watching:
You can do anything you want in life.
Unless Jay Leno wants to do it too.”
- Conan O'Brien
Conan O'Brien was hurt by Jay Leno in 2010. He had been contractually guaranteed the prestigious hosting duties of NBC’s The Tonight Show six years earlier and within a matter of months of taking on the new gig, he was Leno’d.
Anytime Conan is asked to look back and talk about that painful experience, he adheres to a simple principle: Don't throw the past under the bus, even when you have been Leno'd.
Conan doesn’t throw the past under the bus. Even when David Letterman was publicly sniffing for dirty laundry to air on his program (that's what gossips do), Conan did not dishonor NBC.
Leaders don't throw the past under the bus, even when they're Leno'd.
There is no honor in tearing down people and organizations . . . especially in church world.
Jesus purchased the church with His blood. That's HUGE!
God loves the church, created the church, and declares the church to be Christ's bride.
Have you ever talked smack about another man's wife? Imagine doing that to Jesus Christ.
If a church has hurt you in the past, that does not give you the right to muddy its name. If a church leader has disappointed you in the past, they are not your enemy (see Ephesians 6:12!).
Forgive and let go. The church's role is NOT to dig up dirt on people but to wipe the dirt off people and launch them into their destiny.
Leaders understand that integrity is doing the right thing even when it hurts. Trust me, I've been unjustly hurt many times during my years of ministry. But I've found that God is honored most when we talk smack the least.
If you're a leader who has walked through the fire, allow Isaac's experience in Genesis 26 to be your model.
Isaac was misunderstood, dishonored, and shunned over and over again. But he doesn't fight back. He submits to the Lord's will and finds closure in a beautiful display of the gospel:
“Isaac asked them, ‘Why have you come to me, since you were hostile to me and sent me away?’ They answered, ‘We saw clearly that the Lord was with you; so we said, ‘There ought to be a sworn agreement between us’—between us and you . . . And now you are blessed by the Lord.’ ”
(Excerpt from Holy Shift: Laugh Your Mass Off & Reach More People Far From God by Jonathan Herron)
