Run Your Race

I was very fortunate to have been at a great leadership gathering yesterday. Andy Stanley, pastor of NorthPoint Church in ATL and Craig Groeschel of LifeChurch.TV, Oklahoma City, are two powerful voices to leaders in the church today...and outside the church as well. Alike in many ways, they practice leadership quite differently and that may be the single best thing about the day I got to spend with them. As Andy Stanley said toward the end of the conference, "I have to run my own race." (Interpretation: Not Craig's race or anyone else's...) That was a defining moment in his leadership development. Definitely defining for me as well. There is a long list of people I admire as leaders and really tune into what they are saying and doing, and the temptation is to not only gather, but to emulate. That is only helpful to a point. As a church leader for many years, I remember being very frustrated and even critical of those I served in leadership because they didn't seem to value what I valued. Sometimes our passions leap the tracks and transform into unhealthy judgments. I know mine did. But hearing Andy frame it like this is very helpful for me. I can't run your race, and you can't run mine. It's pretty simple, isn't it? But we have this nasty tendency to try to make ourselves like others and/or try to make everyone like us! Both are harmful to relationships and ultimately to the body of Christ. Allowing one another to run their race is liberating and good for the emotional and spiritual health of the church.

The 7-day Sex Challenge

Ed Young's CBS interview about the 7-Day Sex Challenge. What do you think about this?

Mind Mapping

This is a tool I am using for sorting out thoughts or taking notes. This 'mind map' is from an audiobook I am listening to right now. Very good for scattered thinkers like me...

10 Ways to Pray for Barack Obama

By J. Lee Grady

Whether you are happy about this week’s election results or not, all Christians must unite in prayer for our new president. Please don’t forsake this responsibility. It’s over. We’ve reached the end of the longest, angriest and most nerve-wracking presidential campaign in American history.

More than half the nation is celebrating today while others are mourning. We are a divided nation, split into unhappy fragments by abortion, gay marriage, global warming, a failed economy and an unpopular war. Those who voted for Barack Obama have claimed a historic victory; some on McCain’s side are already looking for scapegoats. Politics is politics. Whether you voted for Obama or not, you need to pray for him. Here are 10 ways I plan to intercede for him regularly:

1. Pray for President-elect Obama’s protection. We already know that some weird, neo-Nazi fanatics in Tennessee plotted to kill Sen. Obama during his campaign. Let’s pray that racist hatred is not allowed to spread. Let’s cancel every assassin’s bullet in the name of Jesus. May civility triumph over bigotry.

2. Cover his wife and daughters in prayer. It is not easy to live under constant media scrutiny. Pray for his wife, Michelle, and their two daughters, Malia and Natasha, as they face invasive cameras, nosy reporters, maniacal fans and dangerous enemies. Obama is not only a politician but also a husband and a father.

3. Pray that he will govern with God’s wisdom. God rewarded Solomon because he asked for wisdom instead of wealth, long life or vengeance on his enemies (see 1 Kings 3:11-12). Pray that our new president will order his priorities like that. Despite Solomon’s tragic character flaws, his legacy was wisdom. We can ask God to give our president the same grace.

4. Ask God to keep our president humble. Many great American leaders became corrupt after they moved to Washington. The fatal attraction of fame, wealth and power proved irresistible. The only thing that will guard a man or woman from this pitfall is humility. May God deliver President-elec Obama from the curse of pride.

5. Pray for wise and righteous advisers to surround him. Godly leaders cannot do their job alone. Even the best leaders have failed because they trusted the wrong people. Pray that Obama will not select his counselors based on party, race, pedigree or political cronyism but on godly character and proven wisdom. Pray also that he will not allow secret traitors into his inner circle.

6. Ask for the spirit of reconciliation. Some segments of our deeply divided society want nothing to do with him now that he has won the presidency. Even some Christians will be tempted to harbor resentment and nurse political grudges throughout his term in office. Pray that God will grant forgiveness and healing so that leaders on all political levels can have constructive dialogue.

7. Pray that he will adopt pro-life convictions. Many politicians have changed their views on key issues while in office. In the 1800s some leaders who favored slavery later denounced it. In the 1950s some who opposed racial integration later became champions of it. Even though Obama won approval from many voters because he sanctions abortion, God could soften and change his heart.

8. Bind all evil forces assigned to manipulate our president. The specter of Islamic terrorism looms over the United States, and dark forces are ready to infiltrate. Our only hope lies in prayer to the God who is able to expose and outwit the schemes of the wicked. This is truly a time for spiritual warfare, and intercessors must not come off the wall in this hour! Pray that no foreign government, terrorist organization or demonic principality will use our new president as a tool. We must stand strong against the spirit of antichrist that promotes dictatorship, persecution of Christians and hostility toward Israel.

9. Pray that his door will remain open to the church. The loudest voices of secular culture—from Bill Maher in Hollywood to atheists in academia—would be happy if religion were removed from public life. Pray that President-elect Obama, who professes to have a personal faith in Jesus Christ, will unapologetically welcome Christian leaders into his company and seek their counsel. And pray that false religious leaders (who claim to know Christ but deny His power) will not have his ear.

10. Pray that our nation will enjoy God’s peace and blessing during the Obama administration. The apostle Paul instructed early believers to pray for all in authority “so that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and dignity” (1 Tim. 2:2, NASB). God’s will is for America to experience peace and prosperity so that we can continue to export the gospel to the nations. This must happen whether a Democrat or a Republican is in the White House. As we cry out for God’s mercy on our wayward nation, pray that He will allow us to be a light to the world as we finance global missions, feed and heal the world’s poor and share Christ’s love at home and abroad.
(J. Lee Grady is editor of Charisma.)

Passionate Days

There is soooo much heated discussion these days around the election of our President. So many angles have been presented and so many ads have been run, and now it's time to vote. I have to say this. I really like both of these characters. I think John McCain is a true role model of courage and dignity. The maverick thing has been overdone, but his POW story draws me to him. Truly an American Hero, in my opinion. Barack Obama has such presence when he stands to deliver. He is a brilliant thinker and handles himself with such grace. I call then characters because, let's face it, we only know what they and others have chosen to tell us about them. We don't really KNOW either one, do we? However, whomever emerges as our next leader, I will uphold in honor and support with prayer. The political process invites the heat of passionate opinions, and too often this divides us. But, it doesn't have to.