The Sacred Shelf

The Sacred Shelf

There is a shelf in my office with books on it. Sure, there are quite a few shelves like it, but one shelf in particular holds 7 books that I hold sacred. These books are incredibly special to me. Each of these books have impacted my life in real ways; my life changed when I read these books for the first time. My life continues to change as I reread them each year. Two of them are written to pastors, but all of them are relevant and powerful. My notes and a few autographs make these books irreplaceable (to me). I wouldn’t sell them. No way.

So here, in no particular order, is my sacred shelf. Read through it and see if there is something that peaks your interest. Let me encourage you to read. Reading continues to change my life.

1. Under the Unpredictable Plant: An Exploration in Vocational Holiness, by Eugene Peterson. Eugene is my favorite author. You may recognize his name as the guy who paraphrased The Message Bible. I got him to autograph this copy. It is worn and highlighted. He wrote it back in the 80‘s (way before it’s time, in my opinion). This book is what pushed me over the edge to pursue vocational ministry. It is direct, it is challenging, it is uncomfortably authentic. My favorite quote: “A successful writer will discover a workable plot and write the same book over and over all his life to the immense satisfaction of his readers. The readers can be literary without thinking or dealing with truth. Prostitute writer. A successful pastor will discover a workable program and repeat it in congregation after congregation to the immense satisfaction of her parishioners. The church members can be religious without praying or dealing with God. Prostitute pastor.”
   
   
2. Pentecostal Theology and the Christian Spiritual Tradition by Simon Chan. This is a book where I get really nerdy. It isn’t a book, really...it is a journal from the Pentecostal Theology Supplemental Series. It is also out of print and very difficult to find. Anyway, Chan talks in this book on how Pentecostal tradition has defined “Baptism in the Holy Spirit” and he gives clear and researched arguments for traditioning, implementation, tongues, and how the church lives. It is a very practical and “normal” way to interpret tongues in the various contexts. I hate the stigmas that Pentecostals have inherited, and, I feel, if more people were to study Chan’s work, it could be lived out differently and in a more normal way. (So much for ShakeyourbonbonIseethebikini...say it fast...it’s like talking in tongues)
   
   
3. (Re)Understanding Prayer by Kyle Lake. Wonderful, practical book on prayer. Kyle was a pastor in Texas (University Baptist) when he wrote this book. I love it. Very readable and simple. He also speaks my Gen-X language. Kyle died several years ago. This book is great.
   
   
4. The Five Love Languages: The Secret to Love That Lasts by Gary Chapman. It is a foundational book that all couples should read. “Brilliant cheese” is my one liner review. He’s old school, he’s old, and he’s cheesy...but the material is golden. I require all the couples I counsel to read and discuss this book with me (along with Dave Ramsey’s book on money). If you read and apply the principles here, your relationships will be better off. I reread it to stay grounded and challenged to love my wife and my daughter in their own unique way.
   
   
5. A Tale of Three Kings: A Study in Brokenness by Gene Edwards. Classic leadership and brokenness book. I usually have interns and young staff leaders read this book with me in coaching. It is written as a poetic expression of three leaders and three perspectives. It is a very ground level book for leadership, in my opinion.
   
   
6. The Way of the Heart: Desert Spirituality and Contemporary Ministry by Henri Nouwen. This is quite possibly one of the only books that have made me sit in a fetal position and rock back and forth. It is hauntingly personal and developmental for a spiritual experience. It covers three disciplines and weaves their importance altogether: silence, solitude, and prayer. I thought about becoming a monk after reading this the first time. It is deep. It is challenging. Read with caution.
   
   
7. In the Name of Jesus: Reflections on Christian Leadership by Henri Nouwen. Henri made the shelf twice! That’s only because he was brilliant (he’s dead). This book is a response of his own leadership findings after a huge life transition. He speaks to the leadership and the big temptations of Christ (to be relevant, spectacular, and powerful). Truly a brilliant work. Very small book, but packs power in its punch. If you are a leader and haven’t read this book, stop and go buy it.
   

So, what are your favs? Do you have books (or blogs or whatever) that have changed your life? Care to share?

Planning a quick, slow death

I used to be a week to week type of dude. I looked at a week, I planned for it, and that was that. It worked perfectly. The only time I really needed to work ahead was when I had vacation days coming up. I wasn’t a procrastinator, but I did occasionally find more work at the end of the week than I would have liked.

When I was a youth pastor, a week to week approach worked pretty perfectly. When I started growing my career, I found that it was, well...stupid. I was led to this thinking by several random questions that I kept asking:

• Why would a pastor only write a sermon a few days before delivery?
• Why would a band work on a piece of music mere hours before it was to be shared with an audience?
• Why in the world would I allow my time to be sucked away by poor planning?
  

The reality is this: crap happens. Week to week is slow death. This lesson is one my teams have helped me to learn, and that we are constantly working on. Everyone affects everyone. That means my sermon prep affects the music folks, and their excitement over new songs affects my sermon prep. When we work together, we have to work out in front of our goals, and we have to work hard.

Right now, I have the privilege of working with 9 different teams each weekend. We rely on each other. Along with that, we work with 4-5 other prep teams for what we have to accomplish. It’s sort of a funny flowchart, but there is no way we could accomplish our goal if we worked week to week. Since I am a part of the teams, from concept to delivery, it is quite daunting to think of the work we have to accomplish, and do so on time. I’m lucky to work with several pros who help this along. I simply ask questions at this point.

Getting to our current planning process (regarding our teaching series) has been quite the journey. I believe each team has to find their own rhythm and chemistry in the implementation. However, if you lead a team, you had better be helping them plan and plan in advance. We work about 3-4 months out on concept before delivery. That means that we work on it before the deadline. Our goal is to get to 6 months out. We’re not there yet.

I’ve included a snapshot of our process. Click on it and enlarge it. Look it over. If it helps you think or change your own normal, awesome. If you have something that can make our lives better, PLEASE SHARE IT.

Of course, Murphy lingers (ya know, Murphy's law?) and causes us to change course from time to time. Our goal is not to be so structured that we can't adapt. Our goal is to be structured enough, so that when we feel the need to change course, we can do so without utter chaos and disorder... but that's another post : )

That's Not My Job

I used to hear those words and cringe. Honestly, at times I have thought those were some of the most selfish words ever spoken, especially when it comes to working on a team. Over the years, I’ve learned and lived the difference between being willing to serve and being willing to lower the average.

Andy Stanley wrote a book called, The Next Generation Leader. The main principle that I took away is this: do what only you can do. This has applied to me in a lot of different ways. For instance, this week I will do tasks that no one else around me can do as well as I. BUT, when someone joins our team that can do it better than me (or at least 75% as well), I will gladly hand the task off. It hasn’t always been that way, though.

Throughout my time as a pastor (about 9 years...man, I am getting old), one of the things I have been really good at is organizing events: concerts, conferences, humanitarian efforts, mission trips, etc. I actually enjoy doing it. I’m pretty good at it. But, that’s not what God put me in ministry to do...I am not an event planner. I am a leader...I am a pastor...I am a coach...I am a multiplier. If I just planned events over and over, it would be OK. But, if I lean in to my calling and passions, more events get planned. I say this matter-of-factly, and with the text, there’s no emotion attached to it. Many of the events I planned weren’t fun. But, then there is Kenya.

I love Kenya. I love taking teams of people to work with my friends, Danny and Chrissy Bass. The day is fast approaching that I will hand off those teams to others. I dread that day...but I know it is for the best. I am empowering others and multiplying the ministry. I’m like this foundation type of guy...setting it up, doing it, and handing it off. But Kenya, I love this one dearly.

So, what do I do? Do I hold on to leading trips and teams because I am passionate about it? Or do I obey what I know God has called me to do and hand this piece off? What if God has something better planned for my gifts? What if, instead of one team every year or two, He’s getting me ready for something bigger? What if he is getting the work in Kenya ready for something bigger? That seems to be the trend so far. I should be leaning into this with excitement, but I don’t know the end result, yet.

I can empower and release leaders. Others can lead, others should lead. I should empower and release them to lead. If I don’t, not only am I holding back the passion and leadership of others, but I am short changing myself and God’s greater purpose. I want to lean in and do my job...

What has God called you to do that no one else can do? What’s your purpose? Are you chasing after that? Maybe it’s time to take a next step...like I seem to always be doing. Maybe, for you, it’s time to take a first step and discover. What do you think? Where are you on this journey?

Vintage Video

When I was a youth pastor, we shot this video. Audio is not great, and the dude who did the shooting/ editing is now a big shot living in Cali doing video work and making a name for himself.
Most of the kids in this video have now graduated or is in high school. Man, I'm getting old.
Enjoy.

What is love? (according to kids) from nate drye on Vimeo.

Sidetracked (look! a squirrel!)

Being sidetracked is a weakness of mine. My brain thinks about several things at once. For instance, right now, I am wondering what the people behind me are doing (I’m on a couch at Panera). Now, I am rereading my words and correcting the spelling/ grammar/ mistypes. Then there’s the temptation to head over to facebook real quick and check a couple of things, and email... Annoying, huh? I suppose another way of saying this is to “stay focused.” But I like the idea of sidetracked. It just hits home for me.

The main point, however we say it, is to not lose sight of the goal. This is true for in the moment, throughout the week, or over a period of years. For those of us who lead people, when we get sidetracked, we lose a lot: time, energy, momentum. Once we lose these things, we can’t get them back, we can only start over. Starting over is sometimes needed. Start over a lot, and you’ll lose.

So, over the years I have learned a few tips to help my sidetracking ways. I’m sure there’s a better list, this one is just mine. I’ll admit, if I could go back in time and read this list as a 20 years old, I would consider it extremely dorky. I don’t expect anyone to be as dorky as I am with this type of stuff. But, if you can get value out of it for your own strategy in leading other people, awesome. Find something that helps you; share it with others.

• Make a daily plan. 

  I have my “to do” list. It is always evolving and rarely gets completed by the end of the day. It combines work and personal stuff, because they’re both important. I use the app Evernote for this.

• Don’t lose the ideas! 

  Find a way to catalog them. Again, I use Evernote for this. I call them Brainstorms. I type them in the app as soon as I have them. Every week, I look through them and toss the ones I don’t think will stick. I hang on to the ones that I think are brilliant, and I share a few precious ones with others before they evolve into daily tasks (to do list) and pursue them.

• Make a quarterly goal.
  
Do this with each team you serve or lead with. Develop your way of getting there. Make that into action steps. Chip away at it throughout the quarter.

• Schedule your connections.
  
I know this sounds incredibly dorky, but if I don’t limit my email, facebook, twitter, or phone conversations, they will take up my entire day (especially with the blessing/ curse of the smartphone). Turn off the email and the internet and make appointments in your calendar each day to focus on them. I have 3 30 minute appointments during my work day for these. I also use TweetDeck to schedule and update my own posts. Interaction is huge. Give it time. Just don’t let it suck your productivity.

• Schedule play time. 

  Psychologists tell us that we have a threshold for self control. That means that it is quantitative (I can literally run out of self control). So, it is really important that I have time set aside that has no restraint. That usually happens on my day off, but I also try and make it an everyday thing. Whether it is walking around aimlessly at the office and talking to everyone, or reading blogs that I like, or going golfing...I make it a part of my schedule to do these things. In a way, it’s like I am tricking my inner rebel into thinking that I am wasting time. It’s on purpose.

• Determine when you’ve had enough before you have enough.

  Sounds like an eating rule, right? Well, it is. It’s also a good way to schedule your time at the office (if you have that flexibility). I have found that I can always find one more thing to accomplish before I leave the office. The problem lies within that thinking, though...because I can easily work another 2-3 hours without even thinking about it. I have a time limit, and it’s been a challenge to just LEAVE. But, I am getting better...and more productive.

• Read.

  Yes, it’s that important. Videos are cool, but reading is essential to leading. I don’t care what anyone else says, reading brings the biggest bang for my leadership buck. It doesn’t even matter if it is a leadership book, there are principles and nuggets everywhere. I have a bookmark folder for regular blog readings that I visit every day. I don’t read every blog every day, but I pick and choose. I read 2-3 books at a time, now. I love it. I usually get a book or two down each week. I am a nerd. I didn’t just get this way, though. I am 12 years into a reading habit. I assume it will get worse. Not a reader? Start with blogs. Read mine. Go to the column on the right and find some that I like. Make a habit of RSS feeds. Start there, every day...see what’s out there. I bet you will find cooler things out there than you could have imagined. Make the jump...those you lead are begging you to jump.

• Re-read.

  In my office there is a shelf of books I treasure. I re-read them every year (the titles are another blog post). They are precious books, and there re about 7 of them right now. Find your favorites and re-read at least once a year. Saturate yourself in them. The book of Proverbs is a wonderful place to start. This not only feeds me when it comes to leadership, but as a spiritual person, a father, a lover, and a man.

• Work Ahead.

  It’s like debt. Once you get behind, there’s little hope to catching up on your own. Manage your work like you would if you had to be away for a month. Start that habit NOW. It makes those you work with (and for) happier to work with you. this pays HUGE dividends.

Of course, this list is not original. I have gleaned and made personal the principles I have read (Scott Belsky, Seth Godin, and Rick Warren have made HUGE impact on me) and habitually practiced. I don’t do all of these perfectly, and, contrary to my dorky persona, I’m constantly challenged by this list. I hope you find something in this post to inspire you. If you did, share it with others.