YOU NEVER KNOW WHAT YOU GOT...

...UNTIL YOU DISCOVER IT. Who you need is right around you, right now. You need a friend, there is one. You need support, it's there. A pastor, there. Everyone you need is around you. You just have to figure out how to find them.

In the last post we were talking about showing those who do what you value how much you value them. In this post let's talk about those who have a great capacity to do what you value, but sometimes live undiscovered right next door.

Leaders ask, "How many people of great worth am I missing who are surrounding me?" A leaders job is to discover the worth/value of people. Like a miner searching for buried treasure this is our task. Leaders are to dig out the worth of others and show it to the world.

This can only be accomplished when the existing leader (the miner) chooses to...

Stop judging too early.
Stop making assumptions about those around you. So many times weak leaders pass judgment too early and never get the chance to discover the true value of those right next to them.

Stop being threatened by the worth of others.
I see leaders do this in church. Someone is brand new to the church and has a natural gifting to lead. All of a sudden they are moving through the ranks of an already established leadership. Pretty soon and existing leader is threatened, and nothing good comes

Develop people.
Leadership exists because of people. If you are a paid staff member in any people oriented organization like a church/non-profit you will be unemployed if you don't reach and discover the worth of people. Look for worth, and find out what makes those around you valuable. Then tell them.

YOU NEVER KNOW WHAT YOU GOT...

...UNTIL IT'S GONE. Have you heard that phrase before?

I had a meeting with some dear friends of mine and huge contributors to the vision of The Rock Church. In the meeting we talked about all kinds of stuff, but mainly we talked about how important it is to value one another. After our time together I reflected on a leadership moment I had while talking, "Make sure those you value know you value them while they are there to value."

When we don't value those around us there is a very real chance they may not be around us any longer. Wisdom tells us what we value will move toward us, what we take for granted will move away.

Have you told those you value how much you value them? It's a pretty big deal because when they go you might not get the chance. For instance, my friend Kathryn Tongg was on staff for 9+ years, and just recently she knew the Lord was asking her to be a full-time mom. She prepared to leave the staff position she'd held for nearly a decade. To my amazement it was unbelievable after her transition how many times I wanted to step outside my office and ask Kathryn a question. It was uncanny how much of what I value was resting within Kathryn, and now she is not here. Did I tell her how much I valued her while she was executing that which I value? A good question to ask yourself if your a leader.

Take the time before the end of this year to tell those you value how much you value them. Think about the person on your team or in your life who you really miss when they are absent with the flu or on vacation, this a person of great worth in your life. Take the time to value them!

ICE CUBES IN BOILING WATER

by Jeff Knight

Put an ice cube on the counter, what do you get? A puddle. Put it in boiling water, what do you get? More boiling water. An ice cube must be surrounded in the right environment, 100% of the time!

My life is no different. If you put me in a mediocre world, you'll get a mediocre run-of-the-mill ordinary man. My surroundings and environments determine who/what I can become. There is no escaping it.

I grew up in a home that had no recollection of the Lord until I was eight years old. At that point, mom and dad found Jesus as their savior and we started attending church. A few months later, I asked Jesus into my heart. I was the product of my surroundings. I know countless people who believed in God as a child simply because mom and dad did, there's nothing wrong with that.

When I became a teen it was the first time I recall questioning my faith, but not in a way like I wanted to rebel and live a different way, I wanted to know why I believed what I believed. It was also the first time in my life where I had teachers and influences challenging what I believed, why I believed. As I went to college it was the first time it seemed like there were a lot more people around me that didn't believe. As I grew it was tougher and tougher to know what I needed to know and be who I needed to be because my surroundings had changed drastically. Until the day I surrounded myself with true purpose. When I grabbed onto God's purpose for my life all the influences changed, so did my surroundings.

Back to the ice cube. The ice cube is never ready for the boiling water! It must not jump in! The ice cube is never ready for room temperature. Likewise, I am never ready to be surrounded by a bunch of mediocrity. I am never prepared for it. If I venture to the wrong environment I better tell someone where I'm going because more than likely I'll not be coming back the same!

So what am I saying in this post? I am saying that who you spend your time with, where you spend your time at; both determine your future. Paul said it this way, "Bad company corrupts good character." It's the truth. I must continuously be aware of who I am surrounding myself with, or I better watch out because the essence of what I am will change when the heat gets turned up.

PERSPECTIVE EXERCISE

Want to reflect on your 2008, find out the good, the bad, the areas to celebrate and improve?

Here is a little secret my Life Coach taught me. I want to share with you 8 statements that can help you reflect and gain vital perspective. Reflections can be a positive way to put circumstances, good and bad, into empowering opportunities. I do this exercise often as I go through the peaks and valleys of church leadership, personal growth, fatherhood, being a husband, race car driver and etc. I think these statements, if you'll sit down and put in the time, will help you realize you are well on your way to the life God wants for you.

Finish the sentences...

1. "I'm afraid that..."
2. "It makes me angry that..."
3. "I'm ashamed that..."
4. "I feel guilty that..."
5. "It makes me happy that..."
6. "I'm grateful that..."
7. "I'm secure in..."
8. "I'm proud of..."

Here is an example of me doing this exercise during a very difficult time. Your circumstance need not be difficult, I've used this exercise to process high points also. Take the time to reflect on your 2008, Christmas, or even your weekend. Try to be succinct and brief in your statements; it will help you gain perspective to go forward.