the reluctant leader

How To Earn $1 Million Per Minute

1.5 million dollars a minute.  That’s what Ricky Hatten was paid to have his face re-arranged by Manny “Pacman” Pacquiao Saturday night in Las Vegas and around the world on PPV.

Manny made about $2 million per minute.

Of course if you add in all the hours of training, running, sparring… Manny actually made a little over min wage - well, maybe a lot over. But the point is that every minute of glory and victory requires a thousand hours of hard work, preparation and strategic planning. And every minute in the glare of the spotlight and the sound of 10,000 adoring fans - requires weeks of lonely painful blood, sweat and tears that few are willing to endure.  

We all want victory and success, but most of us run from the pain and discipline that is the foundation of success. We want the glory, but not the cross.

Hard work and discipline is not nearly as exciting as “$1 million per minute” – but that’s reality.  There is not an top-shelf athlete in the world today who trains and plans as hard as Manny P.

His victory did not come easy - neither will yours.

Humility is Refreshing, and Rare

Humility in pro boxing is about as rare as a spotted owl or a white tiger - almost as rare as a unicorn.

When Ricky Hatten finally woke up and attempted to stand after being run over by a train - Manny Pacquiao extended his hand to help his opponent.

When questioned about that moment, Manny said, “I thanked Ricky for giving me the opportunity to fight him because he put his championship at stake.”

Wow. He thanked his opponent. No insults. No trash-talk. No taunts. No self-congratulatory victory dance. Just a thank-you.

Reminds me of the one other top pro athlete with a bit of humility and dignity – Rafa Nadal - who seems to apologize every time he beats his idol, Roger Federer.

Back to Manny. After helping Hatten to his feet and thanking him, Manny went on to say, “I told him it is nothing personal, that I just had to do my job, like he has to do his. I’m only a boxer so this is my job.”

And my favorite post-fight Manny quote: "He's a great fighter. I just got lucky to hit him first."

Gotta love that blue-collar working-man attitude. “Just a job” – not a war, not a vendetta, nothing to prove, nothing personal. How refreshing. 

Humility is always refreshing, no matter where is shows up. It is also always rare. And that’s sad.

Thanks Manny, for bringing a bit of dignity to a dark sport.

Pastors are Supposed to Know Stuff

Since I'm always trying to improve my diplomatic skills, I was listening to Jim Rome’s radio show yesterday, while driving my truck to meet my wife for lunch at Blue Coast (best burritos in Nashville).

I have no idea what it was, but something Bro Romy said prompted me to grab a pen & a scrap of paper and write the following list:

“The Pastor’s Job Description”

1. Know Stuff.
Pastors are supposed to know stuff – Bible, theology, history, leadership, management, etc. Therefore, we have to constantly learn. Best way I know to learn is to read. Pastors who don’t read end up either repeating things over and over or making stuff up.

2. Live Right.
People may or may not listen to our sermons, but they definitely watch how we live. That’s why, in the long run, being a good Christian is way more important than being a good preacher.

3. Preach the Bible.
Seems redundant to say, “Preach the Bible.” What else would a preacher preach? You’d be surprised. I was. I’ve heard “sermons” that hardly mention Jesus or the Bible. Too many sermons have slick power-points but little power and no point. If your pastor does not study and preach the Bible, find another church. And Pastor, if you don’t want to study and preach the Bible, find another job.

4. Be Spiritual.
Pastors do not have to be cool larger-than-life “really really good looking” type A personalities with toothpaste commercial smiles, but they do have to be spiritual. Not weird, scary, spooky, religious, mystical – spiritual. By spiritual I mean things like loving God, forgiving people, reading and applying the Bible, being a witness to neighbors and baristas.

5. Lead.
Leaders come in all shapes, sizes, volume levels, ages, ethnicities and accents. If God has called you to be a pastor, then He has also gifted you to lead. If you are not comfortable leading, find a mentor and learn.

Of course, that’s not all a pastor does – throw in some weddings, funerals, baptisms and county fair appearances - but that’s a good start.

Gotta go read another book, so I will know more stuff, so I can be a better preacher and leader.

***Not sure if this is an apology or an announcement, but... new short blog on my accidental missionary site called "Pastor on the Dance Floor" with rare vid footage of Ferdie C and Nuel N doing their thing during a training event for small group leaders. Scary.   

Stupid Statement #3: Thankfulness Run Amuck

He was the top NBA draft pick a couple of years ago. A teenager. Right out of high school. A gifted athlete. An instant millionaire. 

And, apparently a real thankful guy.

Before thanking his momma, his shoe company, his agent, his high school coach and the man upstairs, he said:

“First of all, I want to THANK MYSELF.”

Being thankful is a good thing. But this guy took it to a new level. An absurd level. I have never heard of thanking yourself. I’m not even sure why anyone would want to do that.

Here’s the leadership lesson: we need to be thankful people.

Whether you are a famous teenage millionaire athlete with a shoe deal who can dunk from the 3-point line, or a balding middle-aged middle-class weekend-warrior with a 3-inch vertical and no shoes - you have plenty to be thankful for. 

Specifically, we need to:

1. Thank God. If our heart is still pumping blood and our lungs are still sucking air, then we owe God thanks - every minute of every day.

2. Thank our family. All of us are who we are because of the love, care and help of family. Husband. Wife. Dad. Mom. Brothers. Sisters. Sons. Daughters. We owe them lots of thanks.

3. Thank our friends. Friends who are “born for adversity” and friends who “stick closer than brothers” deserve our thanks. (Pv. 17:17, 18:24)

4. Never thank ourselves. Also, it’s probably a bad idea to congratulate ourselves and to honor ourselves.

*** New post on my multiply site called, "A Message to Worship Leaders" ***

I Love the Church!

It seems to be popular these days to criticize the church. Some who have given up on organized church are even being hailed as "revolutionaries" by pollster George Barna.

I guess I am not much of a revolutionary since I freely admit that I love and need the local church.

Why do I love the church? Because almost every good thing in my life came through the church.

- I first heard the gospel at First Presbyterian Church.
- I Got filled with the Holy Spirit at New Covenant Church.
- I met my wife and got involved in world missions at Maranatha Christian Church.
- I raised my sons at Victory Christian Fellowship.
- I get to work with my best friends at an organization called Every Nation Churches.

I thank God for the church. The organized church. Even organized churches that are a bit disorganized. And, I  thank God for the the flawed churches like 1st Pres, New Covenant, Maranatha, Victory and Every Nation that helped shape my life. They are not perfect, but that didn't stop God from working on me through them.

The NBA used to have a commercial that featured spectacular dunks, ankle-breaking cross-overs, celebrity fans and buzzer-beaters. At the end of the commercial, players and fans would look into the camera and shout: "I LOVE THIS GAME!"

The news often shows the darker side of the NBA: drug suspensions, out-of-wedlock children, drunk driving arrests, strip club violence, etc. Some fans got so sick of the dark side that they began to vocalize their hate for the NBA, the game of basketball and all the players.

Others simply switched the channel and watched a respectable sport like wrestling. 

The are many church people who are following the example of the NBA-haters and channel-switchers. Some are so offended by religious scandals that they end up criticizing and attacking everything church. Others are so sick of religious hypocrisy that they roll their eyes and switch the channel anytime church is mentioned.   

Not me. I still love the Church. I love my church. And, I love the church down the street that has a different name and style. I still believe the church is or has the answer to almost every question or problem out there.

What about you? Do you still love the church?

I think God does.

A Reluctant Leader with a Tennis Racquet

"Hey Bob, thanks for the Bible verse. It really helped today!"

The scene was the sacred grass of Wimbledon. These words were spoken by a professional tennis player after winning a match in one of the most prestigious tennis tournaments in the world.

Bob Kraft, the founder of Tennis Ministry International, sends a text/email "Bible verse of the day" to hundreds of professional tennis players and coaches all over the world.

I have added Bob to my list of reluctant leaders. Here's why.

Many years ago Bob felt called to be a missionary to China, so he trained with Youth With A Mission (YWAM) and moved to Hong Kong. After serving China's underground church for a few years, he got busted and decided that maybe ministry in China was over.

Rather than giving up on mission work, he, like Moses of old, thought about what was in his hand. For Moses it was a shepherd's staff. For Bob it was a tennis racquet.

What do you do when you feel called, but the door is slammed in your face? Quit and go home, or find another door? Bob found another door and another mission field. That same sense of calling that took him from Illinois to Hong Kong, now took him from the underground church in China to the tennis courts of Wimbledon. He is known by many players and coaches as the unofficial chaplan at the Grandslams and other professional tennis events.

Bob is spending a few days in Manila this week. I just had a lunch with him, along with Michael P and John S from our Every Nation missions department. We talked about how God is moving in Vietnam, Cambodia and Wimbledon.

During our talk I realized again that lost people are all the same, whether they are bald-headed rich & famous professional athletes or bald-headed orange-robed Buddhist monks - they are all in the same boat, and that boat is sinking. And we are called to help them.

Today's question for reluctant leaders everywhere: "What is in your hand?" 

Whatever it is, God can use it for His glory, if you will let Him.