What’s Your Standard?

October 01, 2010

We all have standards. Standards for the way we work, the way we dress, the way we communicate, the way we interact, the way we get things done, the way we lead, etc.

So here’s a few thoughts on setting your standards:

1. A higher Standard. As leaders, we are called to a higher standard. And as followers of Christ, an even higher standard. Set your standards so high that it may seem impossible to reach them.

2. God demands and expects excellence from us. It drives me crazy when I see something done without excellence but with the excuse of “well its okay because our intentions are good.” Nope. Not good enough. Our God deserves our very best. Always. We should never use our faith as an excuse for being average. Our faith should drive us to be excellent in all things.

3. Average is not good enough. Average is easy. But it’s a constant battle to be great. It’s hard, or otherwise everyone would be great.

4. Learn from the best. Comparing yourself to others just like you won’t challenge you or make you improve. Compare yourself to the best. Both inside and outside your industry. Learn from others who are better.

5. Expect to be excellent. Can you say that you or your team are “the best in the world at what you do?” If the answer is no, then why not?

6. Set the tone. If you want your team to reach for the highest level and strive for excellence, you first have to set the example. I hear this from leaders all the time…. “well, my team is just not committed to making things great.” The question is are YOU committed to making things great and setting the tone and standard for your team. It has to begin with you.

7. Reality is real. If you can’t achieve greatness and the standard you have set, then figure out why. Maybe you just don’t have the team to pull it off. Or operationally it’s just not possible. Understand your reality, make adjustments, and then execute. Don’t get stuck in the blame game. Make adjustments and keep striving.

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Posted by Brad Lomenick at 04:48 AM • Permalink

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3 Comments »

1. Those are very intuitive leadership techniques, and I think many good leadership techniques are intuitive. However, from a Christian paradigm, much about a leader’s standards do not seem intuitive or they may even appear counter-intuitive. I believe #2 on your list is important; however, if a leader makes “excellence” his or her goal, then this leader may or may not fail according to a secular paradigm; however, their leadership will not be very Christlike. A Christian’s desire for excellence should derive from his or her desire to reflect God’s glory (his or her desire to radiate God’s excellence). Good leadership techniques do not commend one to God. A good leader who seeks his or her own fame is working against God. But, as Paul says, whatever a Christian does, he is to do to the glory of God.

   Perhaps you mean to imply the above in standard #1. I apologize is that is the case.

   Sorry if this seems brash. This is not solely in reaction to this post. It is in reaction to a preponderance of Christian leadership writings that, I feel, do not do a good job integrating the “Christian” with the “leadership.”

   Comment by Peter Almon – Oct 01, 2010 @ 05:53 AM

2. I agree with the first comment.  I think as Christian leaders our highest standard is obedience to God.  My standard is to be obedient to every thing that God calls me to do and to be an example of leadership to those whom I lead.  Any other criteria eventually leads to false ideas of success and failure.

   Comment by Sheldon Clowdus – Oct 01, 2010 @ 06:27 AM

3. I also agree that setting measurable standards for success and failure is a dangerous line to flirt with, especially within the realm of church leadership. However, the Word suggests that we do all things as if unto the Lord. It suggests that we work as if our master was there watching even if he or she is not there looking over our shoulder. It suggests that we live (especially as leaders) above reproach.

   These Scriptural references/metaphors, I believe, suggest that we do strive for the same level of excellence as God Himself would set for the standard for Himself. It is not easy, but we need palpable, comprehensive techniques to help us explain to newer or younger believers what being a disciple of Christ looks like. We cannot simply say “be obedient to what God calls you to do,” and expect a baby Christ follower to interpret, understand, and execute God’s will every time, can we? I believe people can learn quickly; I myself experience God’s grace in using the weak things of this world to shame the strong, using and guiding me in His work.

   However, metrics for success and failure, I believe, can be tools for God’s glory if used wisely.

   Comment by Jeff Campbell – Oct 05, 2010 @ 04:42 PM

No, it’s not the lyrics to AC/DC! I don’t even listen to them anymore (much)…

I am really just happy and at peace about being back in Seattle and back in the passenger seat of the most Epic journey of my life to date! Kari and I just returned from a 10 day cruise (it was supposed to be a 3 hour cruise-no. just kidding-it was 10 days) to upstate NY to visit, minister to, and be blessed by my family! I love them, and am sure that over time, Kari will too. JK! I have the sarcasm bug tonight I guess, but really am thrilled to be home. I am starting to consider this our home, as we both come from such different ones, and yet by God’s grace and provision, are soooo far away from BOTH of them that we are alloted the liberty of completely, unabashedly defining exactly what our HOME will be!

Isn’t that awesome! HC #5! I am stoked about that too, and am going to be having many meetings and discussions and prayer times in regard to the Kickoff of another Epic community. I would like to see all of our HC comms grow and change and serve their communities, and love each member like the early church. I have an upcoming sermon to deliever, and just request prayer about that-that God would speak, not Jeff-that I would be dilligent, yet at peace about the talk-but ultimately that it would not be “just information transfer, but that it would intersect with life.” I really like that quote KC.

Well, we are back. Praise Jesus! Let’s get to work!

I am reading a book this evening, considering why and how pursuit of God and his righteousness becomes a chore, instead of a joy. Why is ‘man vs. food’ more exciting to me than david vs. goliath? Why is it that I can’t ever seem to make time for God, but i can make time for exercise, a movie, or ‘game night’?
 
I hope and am confident that confession and repentance are things that we who claim to be Christ’s followers are practicing daily…because in reality, do we even go a day without sin? No? Then, wouldn’t that mean that we should be confessing and repenting daily? anyway, Total Church:
 
G. K. Chesterton said, “The man who lives in a small community lives in a much larger world…The reason is obvious. In a large community we can choose our companions. In a small community our companions are chosen for us.” Community has been insightfully defined as the place where the person you least want to live with always lives! Responding to this, Philip Yancey says, “We often surround ourselves with the people we most want to live with, thus forming a club or clique, not a community. Anyone can form a club; it takes grace, shared vision, and hard work to form a community.” We might also add that it takes a miracles that only God himself can perform. But it is in such a community that disciples are made. To be a community of light from which the light of Christ will emanate we need to be intentional in our relationships-to love the unlovely, forgive the unforgiveable, embrace the repulsive, include the awkward, accept the weird. It is in contexts such as these that sinners are transformed into disciples who obey everything King Jesus has commanded.

So, I figure that this online blogy-thingy would be as good a place as any to record some notes/thoughts/lists?/ideas from and during my journey through Neal F. McBride’s How to Lead Small Groups. I am venturing down the trail of leadership, and while I am realizing some God-given gifts and talent, I am also recognizing the frightening reality and responsibility of leading people. It is hard!

So, here we are, in the development of House Church Pastor leadership documents…i.e. a “Job Description” or “Leadership Contract”… I am unsure of how much material is too much at this stage, but I DO KNOW that more is better than none?… So please pray that God would be clear in how He’d like these ideas, methods, and ‘terms of service’ outlined.

So the first chapter of my book is about defending/knowing in case of the need to defend small group necessity based on Scriptural Support. So…

-Old Testament Roots:

a. Gen. 1:1 God (Elohim) exists as plural, a.k.a. TRIUNE, which is arguably enough proof that a small group is a representation of Himself…

b.Concept of groups further broken down/exampled by God’s chosen people, the Israelites…nation, tribe, family/clan, and household, father/man (Deut. 7:6, 7-8, Ex. 40:38, Gen. 49, Josh. 13-22, Num. 26:21-49, Gen. 50:8, Deut. 6:22)

-New Testament Roots:

a.Jesus Christ as perfect small group leader…(Eph 5:1-2 Imitators of God, i.e. Christ) Becoming Christlike is not simple, easy, or even easily explained…Not necessarily replicating/duplicating every act of Jesus, i.e. healing a blind man’s sight by spitting on his eyes [Mark 8:23], but replicating BEHAVIORAL PATTERNS is the idea…

b.Jesus’ establishment of His small group (disciples)…(Matt. 4:18-22, 10:2-4, Luke 6:13-16) He ELECTED to est. this group, He certainly did not need the companionship or assistance of the disciples…

c.Jesus actively participated in BOTH small and large group ministries (Mark 12:37=large, Matt. 26:6=small)…often withdrew from large group ministry to the familiarity and support of His select small group (Mark 3:7)

d.Jesus’ amount/nature of time spent with small group-travelling, sharing meals, experiencing mutual hardship, literally living together…closer to crucifixion, we see less time spent with multitudes and more and more time with small group…

e.Jesus’ time and attention to RELATIONSHIP, NOT ORGANIZATION…did not proclaim earthly organization, but a heavenly realm (Luke 17:20-21)…as a practical demonstration of the gospel, HE chose to spend time with people, caring, healing, listening, forgiving, encouraging, teaching, and preaching.

f.Why? Jesus used this context to TEACH and MODEL: spiritual knowledge, attitudes and behavior. Not a formal or academic experience. All members simply PARTICIPATED in whatever Christ was doing, where He was going, etc. Through this intimacy, the members were “granted  to know the mysteries of the kingdom of God…” (Luke 8:10). “LIVING-LEARNING LABORATORY”

g.Leadership Training. Common men, uneducated, but willing to follow Him (Acts 4:13, John 17).

h.Met in Homes…(Romans 16:3-5, Philemon 1:2)

i. ACTS 2:42-47 A PICTURE OF THE FUNCTIONING CHURCH OF GOD

j.Involvement in large group meetings as well (Acts, 3:11-26, 6:9-10, 8:4-8, 17:1-4)

 

 

I love the conclusive paragraph McBride writes, as he tries to explain the paradigm shift of the first-century church to what we understand to be “church” today! “Large public meetings became more difficult as time passed. The church began to encounter increasing persecution. Followers of Jesus Christ found they were unwelcome in the temple, synagogues, and public forums. Small home meetings, therefore, took on an even greater significance. Nevertheless, it would be a mistake to conclude that house churches were exclusivley a result of persecution. Before or during and with or without persecution, active participation in a house church was not considered an option-it was the norm!“

He later describes how Constantine made Christianity legal and churches sprung up and badda bing, badda boom, we are trapped in the ideology that CHURCH is the church building, not the people who go…!!!???

 

THATS THE POINT. IT’S THE PEOPLE. DUH. THE PEOPLE ARE THE CHURCH.

So Kristi gave her life to Jesus monday night!

Groundbreaking for Epic Life Church, if you ask me (not that you did…)! So the attacks were close behind. I’ll not share them all, but one in particular is the story of The Foundation House at Bothell. This is the upscale retirement community where God has allowed me to work for almost the past year now (a week from tomorrow=one year) and up until very recently, all has been well….well, kind of.

Some people would have called me crazy to stay there as long as I did, and through what I stayed through. Today, I work for the fourth executive chef, yup, the FOURTH chef that has been hired since I started there last August. They have come and gone for different reasons, but the fact that remained was that the residents needed to be fed. Even the “sous chefs” that have come and gone have been interesting to watch, learn from, and deal with. My suffering, perseverance learned, integrity built, destroyed and rebuilt, and everything else that has been happening to me spiritually and professionally has, up until now, been something that has been celebrated and encouraged. I felt irreplaceable. I felt like God was using me, showing people truth and light, and His name was being glorified.

Some recent things, however, have changed. I have begun to be challenged on my boldness of faith, my beliefs and the expression thereof as well. It is no longer safe to express light. I am experiencing, for all that I understand of it, persecution for my faith. It’s cool…I mean, there’s nothing I can do now. I have sinned. I have fallen short of the glory of God. We all do. I don’t care if you plant churches, preach sermons, protect your spouse spiritually, or read the word daily. You fall. I fall. Some of the events that have transpired have made it become like a warzone at work: constantly battling myself and my flesh from taking part in jokes and stories I KNOW are not glorifying to God, striving for personal integrity and trying to model it for ‘subordinates’ (if I can even call anyone that-it has been made clear to me in one of my write-ups that I have no managerial responsibility over my fellow employees), or even answering something simple with the truth like why it’s okay for a Jew to eat bacon with breakfast.

Nevertheless, I love cooking for the residents. I love being a source of truth in an environment lacking Jesus. The thing that has been hard to come to grips with is that the people around me, while maybe experiencing conviction for the first time in years-maybe even in their whole lives- don’t like the way truth feels. They don’t like the things I say. They just plain don’t like me…or Him. I’ve been told that persecution follows misional living, but I’ve never experienced it until now.

I was explaining to Mike today on the way home from work (a coworker, 57, whom I give a ride home to often) that it SHOULD be peculiar that my job is on the line. He says it doesn’t make sense: I am always on time, always work hard, manage people well, produce good-looking and good-tasting food, and respect the men and women on the wait staff with how I speak about them/to them, and am generally just good at what I do. But for some reason, everything I say that even insinuates a Christian theme or moral/ethical affiliation is rejected, discouraged, even outlawed by the Employee Handbook.

I said to him today, “Mike, it makes perfect sense that I am not welcome to work here. The world doesn’t like truth. It comes with the territory.” Know that this revelation is not me trying to be all high-and-mighty holier-than-thou or anything like that. I don’t want to lose my job. I am scared to death that I am not going to be able to make the same amount of money anywhere else, have the same schedule, or be able to do the things I love like make soup and creatively use leftovers for a low-cost lunch special. I AM SCARED-scared that He won’t provide I suppose. Know this: the purpose of this story is that conviction is not welcome, that it’s hard loving Jesus out loud, and that learning to welcome suffering and persecution is not something that happens overnight. It takes time. And, it comes with the territory.

so i am unsure how many times i am allowed to start and stop blogging. however, it is important that i catalog my thoughts, somewhere. i wish journaling worked. i wish blogging worked. neither seems to, but i cannot NOT remember the things that happen to me. they are too good. He is too good.

nevertheless, i met with keith today. house church stuff is on the move! the development of us leaders (the house church pastors) has been a roller-coaster ride! how can a man, whether you have led bible studies in the past before or not, whether you are 25 and married, 30 and single, or 45 with kids….how can you sheperd people? how!? and yet, we are called to do just that. teach, pray for, pursue, and lead spiritually through the murky depths and chasms of the world in which we live. it is intense! it is exciting! it is impossible.

i guess that’s kinda what i am saying. without full and complete submission to Christ, to His will, and to His supreme power and wisdom, it is not feasable. many stories are forthcoming, and many revelations need to be shared. PLEASE, anyone reading this, please pray that God would convict me and allow this blog to be a venue of recording experiences and sharing tactics. i need a record. i need a record. i need TO record.

 

house church is hard. koininea is not easy. devotion is active. the reward is inexplanable…

“everyone was FILLED with awe…”acts 2:40-something

 

try it. you’ll like it.

Where to begin:

It is sunday, april 26. I have not blogged since november. I have been inside an intense season of revelation, blessing, and spiritual maturation. my fingers, my mind….they cannot find the words to express the love i am experiencing for My Father in Heaven right now.

One story at a time, and hopefully anyone out there wondering, prodding, poking, searching, or criticizing will have an opportunity to see God’s masterpiece of grace through the lives of His people here in Seattle.

I have been an employee of Foundation House at Bothell, an upscale independent retirement community for about 9 months now. I have seen 4, count ‘em, 4 Executive Chefs come and go, and have been asked by the Lord to stay, at least one year and see his favor increase, among peers, friends and other men. It has not been easy, knowing my rate of pay has been the same as my subordinates (much like the Corporal in the US Army-more responsibility, same pay as a Specialist rank E4) and being the one called upon to continue driving the meal preparation and service forward in lieu of a permanent Chef…ordering, managing, inventory, training, 6 days a week, all the weight of the FHB meal schedule in my lap. I am not saying God did not provide help, leadership, and encouragement, however; Chris has been a huge blessing to me, and at least for a short 2 months or so, it seemed like I would have a friend/brother to share with in Christ’s blessings and will in that kitchen. He’s gone on now, and I am thankful for his new job-

My point, though, is that GOD IS FAITHFUL. Kari and I lived with Pastor Keith and his family until VERY recently, and in the last month, He has blessed us RICHLY for our patience and humilty. We have our own apartment, well under the average percentage cost for dual income couples in this city, i got a FREE tonsillectomy done at the seattle V.A., and we both have been given raises in the last week! Praise God for his provision!

Please pray for us as we approach the beginning of our very own House Church, as well as for motivation for me to continue sharing what God is doing here through this venu.

 

Thank you…next story will be about acting! for worship!

jeff

As I usually do, let me start this blog with an apology. It is almost excrutiating for me, as legalistic and disciplined as people see me being, to actually committ and follow through with this weekly blogging. I owe it to so many people who have supported me to give the effort it takes to keep them informed. I am truly sorry, and am starting over with my attempt.

So, where to begin….again. Kari and I are still living with Keith and Kristine, Dave and Aaron, and the boys. We are soo thankful for the Lord’s provision of this house, and have learned and grown substantially as a result of being here. Our current prayer is that the Lord would allow us to continue to persevere in our financial battle, and become debt free as soon as possible. If it is His will, we would also like to begin saving AGRESSIVELY for a down payment, as the housing market looks like it will stay in our favor for some length of time. While we love our current living situation, we are very excited to host our own House Church, and have a space of our own to entertain, train, and make new friends while continuing to love on the ‘old’ ones.

A week ago tomorrow I had an accident at work, slicing almost completely off the tip of my left thumb…When chef said to put my heart and soul into my work, I must have misinterpreted him as saying my flesh too….oh well! I am fine, 7 stitches later, and am thankful for the extra day off last saturday that allowed me to finish ‘polishing’ my first “sermon” ever, which I was priveleged enough to get to present to the growing core development team of Epic Life Church this last sunday night, november 2. The Lord spoke, and it was AWESOME! I even got to use a Rome:TotalWar metaphor that even the ladies could understand and make use of (hopefully).

I am optimistically praying about and dreaming about the talks/plans/opporunity of the Create Cafe, which Keith and I have met and discussed a few times. This ministry would facilitate some awesome fellowship, employment, income, and a myriad of other events. Owned by the church, there would also hopefully be a lot of freedom to experiment and spend freely any profits on the advancement of the Kingdom, becuase there wouldn’t be greedy shareholders, partners, or even a struggling entrepeneur pinching every penny. Anyway, its a great idea, and I am stoked to be learning many many trade secrets that I may one day be called to put into practice for Jesus!

So, cut my finger-ok. Living with the carps-awesome. My wife-the best! Job-hanging in there. Church-fun, growing, challenging, exciting. That’s pretty much it for now. Thanks for reading!

 

jeff

Today, Keith and I had “a meeting”… I know what you’re thinking-wait….no I don’t.

Well, I seem to be having eloquence-blocked trains of thought right now, and cannot for the life of me think of anything smart to say. So, I will just tell you the story of our talk.

We met at 9 this morning, and might I add, what a beautiful morning it was! Sunny, 62 (to be precise), and not a care in the world on my weekly monday (day off). We talked marriage, we talked ministry, and we talked volleyball! It was the time I have been praying for as I know he has been super busy getting settled and being a father, husband, and senior pastor of a budding church….sounds easy, right? I don’t think so.

Anyway, we discussed my potential roles and what we are struggling with and where our vision is taking ourselves, or families, and ultimately the Body here in Seattle…If you [brothers] have not done this with your pastor lately, DO IT! They are God’s instruments-shepards. You are the flock! Be sheparded! It feels good. Talk with him (or her), share, be real, be UNAFRAID. ‘Submit to one another out of reverence for the Lord Jesus’ instructs GOD, via Paul. The thing that stuck, and that will continue to stick, was Keith’s suggestion to learn to be “humbly confident.” We see Christ doing it all the time-leading by serving, teaching in parables (“…let he who is without sin cast the first stone…”), and giving ALL glory to the FATHER.

It is the task, the goal, the battle….the EPIC that young men must face. Learn to defeat your pride/desire for glory through experience of GOD’s realized potential through you. No confidence in self; pure, unadultered, infallable confidence in the One who has all power. No shame, no fear, no doubt; pure, full, unbreakable, immovable assurance in what, how, and why HE is doing. Period.

That is my quest. It’s what I want to know. What I want to see. To hear. To speak. To teach…Humble Confidence.

I would like to publicly praise the Lord for the encouragement He has been offering me via a potential Nebuchadnezzar in my life.

My boss has not yet openly disclosed where his “internal motivation” derives from, however I have noticed a small rug thingy recently hung on his doorway quoting the ‘holiest…dalai llama’ and I am still prayerfully considering when and how to ask questions about his faith and initiate a discussion. Mind you, I am his employee, visa vis his servant, and therefor offer him my full respect, attention, and worksmanship. I do know, however, that ‘good people’ are and will be perishing eternally and desire that he and everyone I know come into and remain in a love relationship with God the Father through Jesus Christ, His son, the Way.

That being said, I remember how the Lord has used, and will continue to use people who don’t, or just don’t yet believe He is. I am encouraged, most of the time EVERY DAY, and sometimes more than once a day, by the Lord my God through this man. It is truly amazing, to be blessed and affirmed verbally, professionally, and socially by a man I greatly respect and aspire to be like (in the kitchen anyway). God uses him to tell me how hard I am on myself [duh], how that can be used for the positive, and how I am enough (i.e. good enough, smart enough, punctual enough, respectful enough, and talented enough) to do the job at hand.

PRAISE THE LORD! I have read and trust in the “Five Love Languages” study, and know firsthand from my marriage that communicating love in an effective way has sooooo much more success for the person being loved. I love going to work! I love that the Lord of Hosts finds a way, and makes it clear that it IS Him, to love me each day in the dialect He created me to be loved in.

Seek and you shall find, ask and you shall receive, knock and the door will be opened. I am not sure where or why that verse popped into my mind, but take it as it is-it may be what you need to do, or hear.