Bart Blair

Celebrating Victory

I have a confession to make: I am lousy at celebrating accomplishments. 

If you've ever been on a team that I've lead (or happen to be a member of my family) you will recognize this as absolute truth.

I'm a goal setter; a high-achiever. I'm driven for victory, purpose-driven and I'm able to drive others mad. I accomplish a lot but often fail when it comes to taking time to recognize the value of an achievement and to celebrate it. Typically, while others are high-fiving in the background and saying "job well done" I'm already looking ahead to the next task that needs to be tackled or analyizing the results to see how we could do even better the next time around.

I value the way God wired me. I know it was intentional and there is a reason that I am the way I am. But I also recognize that in order to be an effective leader, I need to be able to pause and celebrate. Even God Himself stepped back from His creation and celebrated what He had done; "...God saw that it was good."

I am reminded of this today because I stumbled across a list of goals that I set for myself at the start of 2009; posted right here on this blog. I realized that while I'd set the goals, and made them public, I'd never actually reviewed them at the end of the year; much less take time to celebrate any which had been accomplished.

Here's the list of goals for 2009 - with a note on where I finished:

1. Finish recording and release With the Breath in My Lungs - DONE - you can buy it here!

2. Get out of debt (except the mortgage) - NOPE, close but no cigar.

3. Transfer all my family mini DV cassettes to DVDs - NOPE

4. Lose 10 pounds - DONE - Actually lost 28 lbs and have kept it off!

5. Read 24 books - NOPE, only 7.

6. Learn to use my digital SLR camera better - NOPE. Actually, my Maxxum 7D died making this one impossible.

7. Take tennis lessons - NOPE, but after losing 28 lbs my game improved exponentially.

8. Get a new Macbook - SORT OF...bought an iMac instead.

 

Defining the Win

This video of my (then 4-year-old) son Silas scoring his first goal in soccer was the first I ever posted on YouTube.

He shoots! He scores! And he declares, "Daddy, I win! I win!"

Since the outcome of that 4-year-old mob-soccer game wasn't going into any record books anywhere, I suppose it's fair to say that by scoring a goal, Silas did indeed win.

Much has been written (in countless books on leadership) about "defining the win." Last year Charlie Sheen made a very big deal out of "winning" - using a definition that I believe only he might live by.

As I contemplate my personal day-to-day operations of disciple-making and kingdom-building enterprises, I am constantly reminded to evaluate and re-evaluate what it means to win in our service to Jesus.

Outside of my ministry work, there are a few things that I enjoy immensely:

- Playing golf
- Coaching little league baseball
- Playing tennis
- Fishing
- Songwriting

When I particiapte in any of those activites, whether alone or with others, I always have a clear set of personal expectations on how the endeavor may conclude and at what point I feel that my expectations have been met; i.e. whether or not I got a win!

Sometimes I go fishing with my sons or a buddy and the purpose of the trip is to build our relationships. Other times, I'm going to catch fish.  If the purpose of the trip was to deepen in our relationships and that happens, then catching fish in the process is a bonus. But if I have no other plan than to hook me some trout, then the trip is a bust if I fail to do so.

As a church leader, I have many roles. Sometimes my duties are related to the individual investment of time and energy into people. Other times, my responsibilities are much more broad and might involve the planning and/or execution of a larger event or program which includes lots of people.

Regardless of the gig, I have been challenging myself lately to define my win by making three assessments:

1) What are the expectations of those to whom I am ministering (individual or group)?
2) What do I realistically believe that I can do to meet those expectations?
3) What are God's expectations of me in this situation?

I believe that in order to most effectively define a win, I need to employ this trifecta. By evaluating a specific set of expectations on all three parts, I find that it becomes easier to ensure that my efforts are focussed and effective, and that I am able to stand before God with a clear conscience; knowing that my motives were not only others-centered, but that they were Spirit-led.

Quote of the Day

A Leadership Lesson

"Jeremy Lin’s basketball game is very unselfish. He is always looking to make others on the team look good, setting them up with assists and passes so they can score. That’s what great leaders do. They make others on the team play well and put them in positions to succeed. They don’t need to be the one scoring the most points or being out front all the time."

-Steve Adubato

Read the rest of Steve's article here: http://www.nj.com/business/index.ssf/2012/02/adubato_leadership_lessons_we.html

Quote of the Day

"God is in the business of redeeming the messes we make in life, but that doesn't mean there is not a price to pay - often a very steep price - for ignoring God's whispers of counsel."

-Bill Hybels (The Power of a Whisper)

Finding God in the Small Things

"What is God doing in your life?"

It's a question that sometimes requires too much thought to answer. We know He's there. We know He's working. But sometimes the progress is about as noticable as trying to feel the earth turn beneath our feet.

Sometimes it's easy to see God when we see the "BIG" action take place; healed ilnesses, new jobs, fixed relationships, spiritual rebirths, etc.

But if we are always looking for the BIG deal, I think we often miss some of the neatest things that God does.

In 1 Kings 19, the prophet Elijah goes looking for God. While standing on Mount Horeb (aka Mt. Sinai) waiting for God to pass by, Elijah experiences a set of tumultuous conditions; hurricane-like winds, a massive earthquake and a raging fire. At first glance, as he watched (and felt) the turbulence around him, Elijah could have easily summised that God was in the midst of all that action.

But God wasn't there.

He wasn't in the BIG stuff.

God was in the small, silent space that followed. He was in the gentle whisper.

What is God doing in your life?

Take the time to stop, look and listen. Examine where you are today vs. where you were 12 months ago. Notice any change? Anything different? 

God is there. He's always up to something...