Ron Edmondson » Vision

The Power of Caged Momentum

Ron Edmondson — Tue, 24 Aug 2010 11:00:37 +0000

I recently posted an important leadership and life principle I have learned the hard way. When you get a brilliant idea, before you quickly rush to complete it, sleep on it. You can read that post HERE. I want to continue that thought process with another principle that builds from that one. Let me illustrate it with a practical example:

Launching Grace Community Church was an 18-month process from the time I agreed to obey God’s encouragement to start a new church. (I had resisted His encouragement 10 years…but that’s another post.) After we recruited our core team, we asked them to wrestle in prayer months before we had our first meeting or they even officially committed to the vision; then we made them wait 9 months before we ever met as a church. Waiting to implement God’s vision for excited people inclined inclined towards progress was difficult, but the result proved an important principle about human dynamics and organizational development. (That’s a fancy way of saying…waiting sucked, but it worked…)

In a similar fashion, although we knew small groups would be a major part of our mission, we did “test” groups with a few people for months before we allowed the entire church to join a group. We used that time to train leaders, but it also served the purpose to generate enthusiasm among those that had to wait to get in a group.

The principle at work here is what I call The Power of Caged Momentum…

Telling a person or a group of people to wait for something they really want to do and are excited about builds positive momentum. Of course, there is always the balance between waiting too long that you lose opportunity and moving to fast that you don’t build enough momentum. I can’t solve that for you in a simple post. Your situation and experience will be unique to you, but the principle here is important.

Don’t be afraid to make your church, organization or team (or even your family) wait before they get to experience something great. The power of caged momentum may even make the experience and outcome better.

Have you seen this principle at work? I’d love to hear your story.

The Competitive Nature: Could It Be Used for Good in the Church?

Ron Edmondson — Mon, 26 Jul 2010 11:00:14 +0000

There’s a competitive spirit in most of the leaders I know…even church leaders. I saw mine kick in while running recently…

It was 6 AM and already 76 degrees with near 90% humidity. I was casually running, listening to our former worship pastor and my friend Daniel Doss’s song Masterpiece, when out of the corner of my eye I sensed someone trying to pass me. I looked around and it was a girl! She’s the wife and sister of two good friends from college, and a dedicated athlete, so I may have normally been okay with her passing me, but something snapped in me. I exchanged a few cordial remarks and then I gradually picked up speed. I killed myself…and I suffered for it the next day…but I won! YEA!!! Not that it was a race, and I’m sure she could have taken me had she wanted to, but there was the thrill of victory when I pulled ahead on the road.

I have written about this concept before (read a previous posts HERE and HERE) and I know it creates controversy to talk about, but what if we used that competitive spirit in a way that helped grow the Kingdom? Is there a way to satisfy a natural tendency of many leaders and still glorify God? (Seriously, I’d love your input!)

As I reflect on Scripture, Jesus picked disciples who seemed to have a competitive spirit about them. (Consider Matthew 18:1-3 and Mark 10:35-45) Jesus didn’t condemn the disciples for entering a competition. He even acknowledged, “Whoever wants to be great”. Then He simply pointed them back to the correct way for a disciple of Jesus to compete: in service to others. Consider also Paul’s encouragement in 1 Corinthians 9:24.

Personally, I think we should not be as afraid or freaked out when the natural competitive nature rises. Instead of asking people to check that competitive spirit at the door (along with enthusiasm and excitement), I think we should learn to channel it towards energy, which honors God, serves others, and advances the mission He has given the church. The strange thing to me is that many will leave our churches on Sunday and experience the “thrill of victory” by watching a competitive sport, yet we tell them this is a wrong attitude to have in the church. What if, in our desire to win, we strived to be great in service to others, excellent in the way we love the unloveable, or awesome in how we forgive the people who hurt us most? What if we competed with our natural tendencies towards sin…with a competitive desire to win? I know some will suggest I’m advocating pride, or even false humility, but every good thing has the potential to be corrupted if misused. What I’m really suggesting is that maybe our goal is not to do away with a natural tendency towards competition, but to figure out how to balance that with a command to be holy as He is holy. (Plus, sometimes I just like to stir discussion!)

What do you think?

8 Ways to Keep a Leader Looking Forward

Ron Edmondson — Wed, 16 Jun 2010 14:03:25 +0000

One of the responsibilities of a leader is to be consistently looking forward for the organization. A leader has to continually be asking the question: What’s next? That’s a critical key to continued growth of the organization.

The problem for me in completing this task comes with the immediate demands on my time. The now cliché statement goes “Sunday’s coming” is always true for a pastor. There are always immediate needs of people in the church. It seems there is something that continually occupies my immediate attention. Still, if our church is to continue to grow and face the challenges of a changing community, I must discipline myself to pick my head up from the daily routines to think long-term for our church.

With that discipline in mind, here are 8 ways I keep myself looking forward:

Read – I try to read something everyday and I read an equal balance of leadership and Christian books. In addition, I follow about 100 blogs with a variety of focuses, from technology, to culture and leadership. I take notes of ideas sparked along the way.

Explore – I attend several conferences each year. I go to discover new techniques, strategies and ideas, but also to network with people doing what I do. The world of social media (Twitter, Facebook, etc.) has made it easier to connect with other leaders and I take advantage of the opportunities and ideas presented.

Hang out with a younger crowd – I love the idealism of youth. The newest ideas always seem to come from the younger generation at the time. One reason I like to be around college students is that they keep me fresh in my thought process.

Hang out with risk takers – I often need to be where creative energy isn’t limited by practical reasoning. There’s a place for that too, and I’m a realist by nature, but I don’t want to quit dreaming the impossible either. I certainly don’t want to be around those who have “It will never happen” as their first response.

Invest in others – As I invest in others I am personally energized. I feel I have even more to offer and have a stronger desire to keep a fresh approach when I think others value what I have to add to the discussion.

Let others invest in me – Sometimes I have to release power to others on my team and allow them to lead me. I’m stretched to dream bigger by the people on my team. I also have several men I often recruit to speak into my life. When I stop dreaming, I find it necessary to allow others to push me.

Rest - When I’m tired or stretched personally I’m less likely to dream. I have to discipline myself to stop sometimes, but it’s always productive when I do. (Seems like there is a Biblical command relative to this….)

Exercise –This may seem to be a contradiction to the last, but it is not. The best mind-stretching time for me is when I am running. The key for me is to break the monotony of busyness and allow my mind room to think. Something about exercising gets the blood flowing through my body to my brain.

How do you keep focused on the forward picture, without being bogged down in daily routines?

Which of these do you most need to implement in your leadership today?

One Statement and One Question that Impacted My Life

Ron Edmondson — Wed, 09 Jun 2010 11:35:30 +0000

Recently, actually in the same week, I had a statement made to me and a question asked of me that made me stop and reflect. Does that ever happen to you? Can one word or phrase someone says jump out at you and challenge you to think about your life for a moment?

Either way, here’s what happened to me and I thought it was important enough to share.

One Statement:

I have become friends with our local university president. Recently while we were having lunch, I talked to him about the possibility of getting my doctorate. I just completed my second masters degree this past month. He was encouraging, but questioned how I would do that and continue to pursue the big dreams God has me in the middle of right now. His statement was:

Ron, at our age, we can’t afford to waste a moment of our time.

Wow! Do you see the urgency in that statement? He’s right. What he didn’t know at the time is that I didn’t plan to quit everything else to pursue a doctorate, but the point is well taken. I need to be more purposeful in my life these days than ever before. I’m thinking…perhaps…that you do also!

One Question:

My son Nate has always been part of my personal accountability, whether I asked for it or not. He’s home for the summer and recently while throwing a baseball he asked me this question: Dad, are you going through a mid-life crisis?

He was referring to my increased passion lately for writing, networking, and connecting online. He specifically wanted to know if I was building my platform for my own sense of accomplishment. He wanted to make sure I wasn’t getting a big head.

I answered him by saying something such as, “Well, if it’s the kind that you’ve heard about, where a man grows his hair long again, gets a new moustache, a girlfriend or a motorcycle, then the answer is ‘No!’.” The truth is, however, and what I went on to explain to him, is that I am more purposeful than I’ve ever been in my life. For the same reasons my university president’s statement resonated with me so loudly, I want to be even more purposeful these days than ever before in my life. If that’s a mid-life crisis…so be it!

What about you? Why are you doing what you are doing?

Don’t Quit Your God-Given Vision Before It’s Time

Ron Edmondson — Sat, 24 Apr 2010 12:15:47 +0000

There is a sobering story in Numbers 32:1-5…

The tribe of Reuben wanted to bail on the rest of the Israelites. Read the story for yourself.

They wanted to take the easy way out…
They wanted to rest on their current success…
The journey ahead seemed too much for them…

Perhaps that’s your story today. The journey has gotten much harder than you expected and the days ahead seem unbearable. Some days you would just rather quit trying.

Are you tired of pushing forward?
Are you burned out…satisfied…comfortable…afraid…confused?
Are you ready to quit?

If you know the job you’ve been called to do isn’t finished yet…

Don’t quit…

Find the courage, recharge your batteries, raise up some other leaders…

…But whatever it takes…move forward…

Is that your story? Are you tempted to give up? Leave a comment and others and I will pray for you…

Leadership Development for Dummies

Ron Edmondson — Thu, 08 Apr 2010 11:05:20 +0000

Sorry if the title is crude, but leadership development may not be as difficult as we often make it out to be. One of the number one questions get about leadership is how to develop new leaders within an organization. The task seems overwhelming. Maybe it doesn’t have to be.

Leadership development begins with an understanding that the success of any organization depends greatly on the leader’s willingness to delegate responsibility to others in the organization. The attitude of top leadership is vitally important to developing new leaders. The more a leader tries to control, the less likely others will be to help him or her accomplish the vision. Without people willing to follow a leader, there is no leadership development. (For you pastors who reject this idea, please read Exodus 18 or Acts 6…or just follow Jesus through the Gospels.)

I believe the best leadership development is accomplished by allowing others to gain experience by doing, therefore we must find ways to allow others to lead. The good news is that delegation can be simplified into two words.

INVEST and RELEASE

Invest in others so they understand the vision of the organization and have the resources, skills and authority to accomplish their assignment.

Release them to add their strengths, creativity and energy to accomplishing the vision.

I realize this is a very simplified answer to a very complicated process, but perhaps simplifying leadership development is needed to ensure we tackle this necessary part of growing a healthy organization.

Have you made leadership development a more complicated process than it needs to be?

Are you holding other potential leaders back because you will not release them to lead?

Saturday Dream Stretch: Local Church Vision

Ron Edmondson — Sat, 06 Mar 2010 12:40:34 +0000

I have enjoyed the dream series the past few Saturdays. Thank you to all those that have participated in these posts.

Today I have a fun dream stretch. I am curious what some of these dreams will be. At my church, Grace Community Church, we are seeing God do amazing things. This post was inspired a result of that activity of God. Somehow, I believe we have only scratched the surface of all God dreams for us to do. (I’d love our people to participate in this dream stretch, as well as other churches.) This dream is more specific than last week’s world problem dream stretch. I want to hear your dream for the local church.

Here is today’s Saturday Dream Stretch:

If money, time, or volunteers were no limitation, what would you have your church be able to do? What dream do you have for your local church?

Go ahead….DREAM BIG! I don’t believe for a second you can out dream God. As with previous dream stretches, please comment here on the blog, rather than to me through Facebook or Twitter, so everyone can read your response.

Are there any other dreams you’d like me to consider for a Saturday post?

You can still participate in past posts with the related posts links below this one.

Ted Talks: Paul Romer’s radical idea: Charter cities

Ron Edmondson — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 21:10:56 +0000

This video from Ted blows my mind. I love big dreams…I love mind-stretching exercises…this one helps me think bigger than I might normally think. It’s 18 minutes long, but it’s worth watching. Whether you agree with this line of thinking or solution to global problems is not the issue here, but feel free to share them. I’m sharing this because I love how big Paul Romer is thinking.

What do you think? Will this work? More than that, does it make you think bigger?

What To Do When Questioning Your Abilities

Ron Edmondson — Sun, 07 Feb 2010 13:47:03 +0000

Next time you question your abilities to pursue your God-given vision , consider the story of Moses:

Moses said to the LORD, “O Lord, I have never been eloquent, neither in the past nor since you have spoken to your servant. I am slow of speech and tongue.” The LORD said to him, “Who gave man his mouth? Who makes him deaf or mute? Who gives him sight or makes him blind? Is it not I, the LORD ? Now go; I will help you speak and will teach you what to say.” But Moses said, “O Lord, please send someone else to do it.” Exodus 4:10-13

Moses was used of God to do incredible things for God’s glory, yet Moses, more than many leaders I know, questioned his own abilities. He lacked confidence and would have probably never volunteered for the job. His reasons might have been:

Past failure
Fear
The task was overwhelming
He was intimidated by the Asker
He felt unqualified

What’s your excuse for not obeying the vision God has placed in your heart? Is it really a valid reason?
Perhaps you need to do as Moses did…walk by faith, not by sight.

Saturday’s Dream Stretch: Place To Visit

Ron Edmondson — Sat, 06 Feb 2010 14:00:48 +0000

For the next few weeks, I’m going to be encouraging dream Saturdays. I have often believed that dreaming is a healthy exercise. I think God encourages big dream.

How can anyone read this verse and not have their imagination do a little stretching?

However, as it is written: “No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him” 1 Corinthians 2:9

I believe dreams help us heal from negative emotions, stretch our imagination, and encourage us in the midst of difficult times. Sure dreams alone won’t solve the problems we face, but they may help point us towards a positive direction…and who knows…we may just head our life towards attaining some of them.

So, here’s the deal. I will throw out a dream category and you share your dream with a comment. (I know some of you read these from Facebook and it’s easier to share the comment there, but I hope you’ll take the time to share them on the blog, so those that don’t read via Facebook can read them also.)

This weeks dream stretcher:

If you could visit anywhere in the world, where would you go?

(Keep in mind, this is a dream, so stretch your mind….in dream world there is no limits of finances, time, or physical restraints.)

Share your answer now then check back to see where others are dreaming of visiting.