Sometimes all I need is a verse or a phrase of Scripture to get my mind flowing and wrap my arms around all God is teaching me at the moment.  I had one of those moments last week.

Reading in 2 Kings chapter 24, verse 1, the first four words of the verse rocked my world (for a moment).

“In his days, Nebuchadnezzar” 2kings 24:1

In his day Nebuchadnezzar was a king.  He was a well-known King that brought havoc to the Israelites. He was a greatly feared and powerful leader.  At his word nations and people’s could be destroyed (except where God intervened of course).  As greatly as he struck people in fear and awe in his day, I am not too afraid of Nebuchadnezzar today.  The fact is he is dead.  No more. Gone.  Out of sight.  As big and bad as he was then, he is no longer a threat today.

It was a great reminder and one that I needed to read at the time.  Regardless of the circumstances of my life at the time, no matter how desperate the situation may appear, this too shall pass.  Better days are ahead, and in reality, for the believer at least, the best days are yet to come.

I must say that my life is pretty good these days.  God is blessing my immediate family.  Cheryl and I have good health personally. The church is going great, but as a pastor I feel the weight of those around me.  These are hard times for many.

Are you going through a difficult time today?

Read the words of 2 Kings 24 and verse 1 today.  Don’t read too far.  Only four words are needed to remind us that in spite of all our struggles, this too shall pass.

The best is yet to come!

It’s not exactly easy to read, but hopefully the brochure below will give you a head start in deciding which project works best for you.  We will have these brochures for your convenience tomorrow.  We need 1,300 people to sign up to serve our community through Operation Serve at Grace Community Church.  Sign ups are following each service tomorrow, which are at 9 AM and 11 AM at Rossview High School. We will have free food and games for the kids following the 11 AM service.  Also, don’t forget the free financial seminar tomorrow from 2 to 4 PM.  Childcare will be provided.  It’s a busy, long, but great day at Grace tomorrow.

This Sunday, August 30^th, following both services at Grace Community Church, we are asking people to pick from dozens of projects that have direct impact on the community in which we live, which they will complete in one day on Saturday, September 26^th.

This will be our 4^th year to do Operation Serve for our community and this year we expect and need 1,300 people or more to volunteer.  It is a huge undertaking.  Planning is a year long process.  Dozens of people have been doing administrative and planning tasks long before we sign up for projects.  There are projects everyone can do and families are encouraged to volunteer together.

As we have the last several years, we partner with the city of Clarksville and with local non-profit organizations to find the greatest needs that we can address.  The largest project is the neighborhood project, where we concentrate on one neighborhood, in partnership with the city, to transform it in one day.  It will be amazing to watch as hundreds of volunteers in Operation Serve t-shirts flood the streets of North Clarksville this year.

You do not have to attend Grace Community Church to volunteer.  Volunteering is free.  This year we have asked the people who regularly attend Grace Community Church to help us fund this project before we do the work.  Our budget this year is $54,000.  I am so amazed at how much one group of people in a church less than 4 years old love their city and want to show the community the love of Jesus in practical ways.

Come join us. Sign ups are in the gym at Rossview High School after each of our 9 AM and 11 AM services this Sunday.  (We will feed people after the 11 AM service.)

I damaged my proprioceptors and it has impacted every part of my life. Word of caution, protect your proprioceptors!

Did you even know you had a proprioceptor? Actually you have several within your body. Here is a definition:

Proprioceptor: A sensory receptor, found chiefly in muscles, tendons, joints, and the inner ear, that detects the motion or position of the body or a limb by responding to stimuli arising within the organism. Proprioceptors are important for the coordination of muscular activity and the maintenance of balance and posture.

On July 5th I sprained my ankle. As a result, I have had a harder time running, but perhaps worse it seems it is even more common for me now to twist the ankle again. A doctor told me it was because I had damaged my proprioceptor. In this case, my proprioceptor was located between my ankle and my foot and helped my ankle know when it was twisting too far one direction or another.  Since that particular proprioceptor is now damaged, I have a harder time maintaining balance and posture and I almost have to retrain myself to run. It is causing me to hurt more when I run, not just in my ankle, but in other parts of my body, because my sense of balance is not as keen, which ultimately causes me to run less than I normally would.  In the meantime I miss the exercise I received from running more often, which is affecting my mood, my energy level and my general attitude.  (I realize I probably needs some physical therapy to help me through this healing and re-training.)

This experience provided, however, a great life lesson for me, because I think our greatest proprioceptor may be elsewhere in our bodies than science has indicated. I think our conscience and our sense of morals serve as a proprioceptor to help us keep balance in life and more easily recognize the difference between right and wrong. When this particular proprioceptor is damaged, it is much harder to gain our sense direction again and making the wrong decision becomes easier the second time.

When a person looks at pornography the first time, for example, or carries inappropriate intimacy too far, or tells the first lie, the person is more likely to repeat the offense, because the sense of doing the right thing becomes much harder to discern. I think that is what the writer meant when he wrote, “Above all else guard your heart for it is the well spring of life.” (Proverbs 4:23) When the heart crosses the line between right and wrong, wrong becomes a bigger draw than if the line is never crossed.

Bottom line: Protect your proprioceptors! Guard your heart!

Have you seen examples of this principle in your life or in the life of others?

One trend in organizations today that I am not sure existed even ten years ago is the freedom employees have to promote their personal identity on company time. Companies today seem to allow and actually encourage employees to brand themselves separate from the organization.  Whether it is with a personal blog or through authoring a book, employees can have a larger personal following and name recognition than the top leadership of the organization and at times even greater than the organization.  This is true in the corporate world and the church world.

There are obvious fears or concerns for organizations with this trend.  The more a team member becomes known the more likely it is that he or she will be recruited by another organization.  Also, a concern would be that the increased popularity of the individual could distract from his or her responsibilities to the organization.  Furthermore, though probably not admitted by most senior leaders, there could be a jealousy factor if a subordinate becomes better known and gets more recognition than the leader.

Personally I welcome this change in organizations.  When we started Grace Community Church our worship leader Daniel Doss already had some national recognition and we encouraged his continued growth and success independent of the church.  This sometimes meant we had to adjust schedules to accommodate his outside interests, but I always felt it was for the overall good of the church. Today I am excited about the potential several of our staff members have in creating their own personal brand through their blog and influence and I want to encourage their efforts to market their ministry on a broader scale, even independent of the church.

While I recognize the concerns and know I ultimately have the responsibility to see that the ministry of Grace Community Church is realized, I see several advantages for organizations in allowing personal branding:

It allows great leaders to stay with the organization longer.  If a leader has potential, he or she will naturally look for more opportunities to express his or her leadership skills.  Personal branding allows an avenue for personal growth, while the employee remains with the organization.

It creates a win/win for the organization. As a team member grows personally and he or she receives recognition independent of the organization, the team member’s personal growth means he or she has more to offer the organization and brings more attention, insight, and expertise to the organization.

Allowing personal branding creates a healthier and more rewarding environment within the organization that allows it to occur, which can help the organization attract and retain better leaders to the organization.

Do you see this trend? Can you think of examples of organization where this is happening?  Do you agree or disagree with an organization encouraging personal branding?

A friend recently asked me to name the top 5 things I do because I have to do, but don’t necessarily like to do. He called it the “underbelly of leadership”. It was a great question, so I decided to share the answer here.

Managing – I much prefer leading a vision versus managing the process of accomplishing the vision. I love big pictures, but stress over details. Part of my role, however, as a leader is to insure that the vision is actually accomplished and not simply painted. (Read a related post HERE.)

Correcting – I would rather receive the “Best Boss” award by being Mr. Nice Guy. Part of the leader’s responsibility, however, is to constructively correct errors so that the team gets better and the organization continues to improve.

Waiting – I know patience is a fruit of the Spirit, but it is the one I struggle with the most. I want accomplishment and quick and consistent follow-through. I have to recognize, however, that fast is not always best and that others on my team are wired different from me for a reason. They balance me well.

Submitting – I would rather have it my way. The fact is there are smarter people than me on our staff about some issues and if things are only done my way we will be limited to my strength and not the strength of the team.

Failing – I like to win. I want success and progress. It is how I am wired and the desire for a win keeps me focused on accomplishing the vision through strategy and diligence. The fact remains, however, that some of my greatest growth times in life and leadership have come through times of failure. I have to allow failure in my life and in the life of our team and help us to learn ways to improve through failing.

Leaders, how would you answer the question? What are the top 5 things you do because you have to do, but don’t necessarily like to do?

It was a tough day. A couple weeks ago my office seemed to have a revolving door. We have so much activity and excitement in the church right now, but the normal demands of ministry have not slowed to allow margin for the extra work required of me. In the midst of administrative and managerial responsibilities I also encountered a number of hurting people. I was confronted several times with issues where another person had wronged one person and they wanted me to help them change the other person they sense was mistreating them. It has always fascinated me when people expect the pastor to enforce morals on people in order to change them.

One of the principles I have learned in life and ministry is that RULES NEVER CHANGE PEOPLE. It doesn’t matter how many you have, how strictly you enforce them, or even how loyal people are to obey them. Rules alone never change a person. Rules are often necessary to protect people and bring order to chaos, but for people to change a heart has to change. Truth impacting a person’s heart changes people, not rules. I fully realize God uses people in this process, but I believe our role is more about directing people’s attention towards Christ, than it is enforcing their behavior.

The greatest role I have as a pastor, in my opinion, is to introduce people to the life-changing message of Jesus Christ, help them learn the truths of His Word, help them become growing followers of Christ (disciples), but then allow God’s Spirit to change their heart, which will ultimately change their life.

I am praying today for more opportunities to spur hearts towards the life-changing message of Christ.

On the contrary, it is to be a witness between us and you and the generations that follow, that we will worship the LORD at His sanctuary with our burnt offerings, sacrifices and fellowship offerings. Then in the future your descendants will not be able to say to ours, ‘You have no share in the LORD.’ Joshua 22:27 NIV

What is your legacy? There is an old song Christian artist Steve Green sang called “Find us Faithful”. A line in the song says, “When your children sift through all you’ve left behind, will the memories they uncover…?” I recall hearing that song when my boys were young and I was always convicted! I was concerned about the memories I would leave behind for my boys.
Nate, our youngest boy, was often morbid with his childhood thoughts. When I travel out of town he would often ask, “Daddy, what will happen if the plane crashes?” To which I would reply, “Well son, I suppose I’ll probably die.” (I didn’t say that, but I was tempted to sometimes.) The funny thing though was that he wasn’t asking about my death as much as he was asking about his future. He was asking what he was to do without me. It was morbid, but it was a fair question.

What are those who come behind you to do when you are gone? What kind of legacy are you leaving them?  Since children are likely to follow in our footsteps, what footsteps are you setting for them? They often repeat the same mistakes we make. They often experience similar success. What kind of life are you living for them to follow?

Let me ask you an even more direct question: Would you want them to live the life you are living right now, or do you want more for them?  If you aren’t pleased with the answer, start living a different life before them today!

Nate (formerly known as Nathaniel), you have been a soul mate to me since you were very little. We are so much alike that it scares me for you sometimes. Yesterday was the longest ride of my life after dropping you off at college. This past week has been an emotional roller coaster. I am so excited that your dream of being at Moody has come true, but the thought of you being so far away and not seeing you everyday is overwhelming to me. You kept telling me “thanks for everything” the last few days. Son, if only you knew how much value you add to my life in so many ways. No thanks are necessary.

This letter will attempt to communicate to you clearly things I hope I have said to you over the years, but never want you to forget.

• There will never be anyone in your corner more than me.
• You are awesome. I am your biggest fan.
• At such a young age you have so much insight into life, leadership, church-life, and relationships. Use it well for the Kingdom.
• I will try to let you go, but honestly it is proving to be one of the hardest things I have done in my life.
• I am always here for you. You cannot interrupt me, because you are a part of me.
• I look forward to seeing you grow and be the man God wants you to be.
• Your passion for life and Christ is contagious.
• I hope you always make better decisions than I have at times.
• I pray you are determined to take risks, dream big, and trust God even more than I was.
• I will miss most our random conversations about tackling the world’s problems and our belly laughs at things no one else would understand.
• You have more potential than you even realize, but thanks for being so humble.
• Feel free to keep asking me to pray for you, but the request is granted long before it is made.  (You can just give me specifics.)
• My greatest wish for you, as it always has been, is that you will continue to love Jesus with all your heart.
• We named you well.  You truly are a “gift of God”.

You have my number. I am just a phone call (or text) away.

I love you buddy!

Dad (Pops)

P.S. Love your blog!  (nateedmondson.com)

Most parents want to develop a close, lasting bond with their children that goes beyond the years a child lives in the home.  Having a relationship with children that transcends time begins early in a child’s life as the heart of the child bonds with the heart of the parent.

Here are a few tips to help you connect with your children:

• Choose activities to do together that they enjoy.  It’s a great plus if they enjoy your hobbies, but you will have better success in connecting if you do the things with them they enjoy most. Don’t try to create a clone of you. Learn to love their activity.
• Don’t force yourself on your children. As children get older and develop outside interests, do not be the parent who always has to tag along.  Be there if you are invited, but allowing your children some freedom to explore.
• Remain accessible to your children, even during busy or stressful times.  Children cannot handle or understand stress the way adults can. They just know when they want or need their parents.   Make sure you are available as much as possible when the desire strikes them.
• Communicate on their level and with their interests.  Understand the language of their age and learn about the things they have interest in doing.
• Learn to love their friends.  This will show that you value their choices in friends and relationships.
• Be patient with them.  They should not be expected to have the maturity of an adult yet.  They will make mistakes and will not always make the decisions you want them to make.

None of these are excuses to give children everything they want or to allow them to set the standards for your home. For more on my parenting philosophy here read other posts under the category of PARENTING.  Connecting with children in a way that lasts beyond the years they must connect with you, however, begins early in the child’s life and takes a consistent effort on the part of the parents.

What ideas or ways can you add to build a lasting connection with children?