Author: Addis Andy

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An open letter to my brothers, friends, comrades in arms known as CrossPoint Campus Pastors.

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Brothers,

As I have been studying the book of Joshua in my personal devotional time, I have been gleaning some lessons on leadership. I must admit, that the purpose of my study time is to hear from God and submit to Him. But, the side notepad of leadership ideas that stream from this book have caused me to think much about what I, you and we do here at CrossPoint.

I will hopefully put these thoughts all together some day and (even more hopefully) I pray they will be a blessing to us all, but something struck me today I need to share, immediately.

By the way, if you just said ‘hurry, hurry’… you may need to take a weekend off.

Chapter 12 of Joshua is one of those pass by chapters. It’s just a list of names of conquered kings and geographic designations you can’t even find on the maps in the back of the book.

I know there is a significance in each name and location, but let’s be honest; most of us just skip a chapter like this and leave it to the seminary profs.

However, I want you to see the placement.

Joshua is a 24 chapter book and this ‘pass by’ chapter of names and places divides the book in half. From a leadership perspective, the division is important.

The first half of the book is about conquest, war, taking the land, fulfilling the promise and achieving victory. It’s exciting, fast-paced and the stuff found in most pulpit pounding sermons.

The second half of the book is about maintenance, administration, putting out ‘fires’ and setting up the systems to inhabit this new promised land. While it has it’s highlights, the second half of Joshua just doesn’t seem to have the same power-punched excitement of the first half.

Despite the difference between the front and the back of this book… both are equally important aspects of leadership.

We all love the passion of the vision, the launching of the new, the exhilaration of pioneering. And, guiding a church through these waters is most definitely in your wheelhouse… it’s what you do, what you’ve been called to, it’s what you’re gifted in, it’s the requirement of being ‘the pastor.’

And, in the same breath, the distribution of resources, the placement of people, the mediation of grumbling, the discussions on direction and the day to day mechanics of sustainable ministry are also your direct responsibility… it’s what you do, what you’ve been called to, it’s what you’re gifted in, it’s the requirement of being ‘the pastor.’

I am thankful for your partnership in the Gospel. I am privileged to know and work with you. I am more confident in this day than I have ever been in my professional life that I am surrounded by the finest men I have ever called brothers and pastors.

I offer this letter to you, not as a rebuke… not at all. I send this to you as a reminder to us all.

Taking new ground, blazing a trail and pounding out Kingdom victories are what we do. But, JUST AS IMPORTANT are the day to day, grinding it out, working the process and using what you’ve got moments that God has given you the privilege of getting done.

Be the leader.

Be the pastor.

Much love to you all and blessing on your families.

Seeking more of Him and less of me,

Andy Addis
Lead Pastor, CrossPoint Church

Mark 5:1-2 “They came to the other side of the sea, to the country of the Gerasenes. And when Jesus had stepped out of the boat…”

This is one of those days in ministry my seminary professors warned me about. I have spent the entire day knee deep in email, receipts, setting up chairs and tables for women’s Bible study, and in all kind of routine office details…

Not exactly charging hell with the water pistol on a day like today.It can be hard to remember that these days are often just as important as the days of monumental spiritual battles and great victories for the kingdom.

I am reminded of this every time I read the Gospels and see that Jesus and his disciples were either coming from some place or going into another.

When I read a passage like that, I’ll often turn to the maps in the back; just like we did when we were kids in Sunday school doing anything to stay awake.

If you look real close you might find the dot on the map where Jesus and His disciples started walking, and then where they stopped.

Honestly, sometimes I’m still flabbergasted that in one small verse Jesus may have traveled mile after mile. What I read in less than three seconds would’ve taken them a day or more to walk on foot.

Those are the ‘in betweens’… the transitions between amazing stories of Jesus healing someone and then moving to another place where He has a royal rumble with the local religious leadership.

Those stories are exciting, powerful and very important lessons, but between them is the drab, mundane, plodding along from point A to point B, otherwise known as the ‘in betweens’.

Those in between moments aren’t really worthy of publication, and they don’t get your attention, but in reality there would be no great story after story if you didn’t have the connections in between.

Most of our life isn’t spent on the mountaintops, or in the incredible climax of adventure. Life is mostly about the valleys in between, the day today duties and responsibilities that get us to the high points of life.

Peter was there when Jesus raised that little girl from the dead, but he was also there on the boat ride that took the entire night before. James saw Jesus throw down on the Pharisees and shame them for their religious pride, but he also spent the days before walking dusty roads, sleeping on the ground and just staying close to Jesus.

They aren’t fun, they aren’t glorious, but without a doubt they are necessary… the ‘in betweens’.

It’s on the ‘in between’ days that we develop our faithfulness, endurance, and steadfastness. It’s on those days we learn to listen to, follow after and be near Jesus, so that on those other more exciting days, following Him will only be natural.

Life is not about transporting yourself from mountaintop to mountaintop. It’s about reaching the peak by doing the hard work in the valley followed by the slow climb to the top, all the while letting Jesus lead the way.

Just as Jesus disciples followed him everywhere, walked with Him countless miles, and hit the road between those amazing stories, so we should also be faithful in the ‘in betweens’.

Don’t forget, if today you’re on the ‘in betweens’, it means you’re on the road to someplace great.

Be faithful. Follow Jesus. You’ll get there.

This is a reprint of a column I was asked to write for the Hutchinson News: March 4, 2013

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As a pastor I’m privileged to walk through difficult moments with people. It’s an honor to hold hands with someone while tears flow.

I’ve learned that the hardest questions have even harder responses. We encourage, support and love others, but must avoid trite, cliche-ish answers.

Remember, God wants us to wrestle with Him. When Jacob wrestled with God all night long, God changed his name to Israel, which means “wrestles with God.”

God’s not afraid of our questions, and He doesn’t shy away from anger or hurt. So when the pain runs deep, wrestle with Him.

Scripture records that Jesus cried at least three times. In His tears we can see a few wrestling moves for some of life’s biggest hurts.

1. “Why would God allow this to happen?”

It’s that difficult moment when faith meets tragedy and you say, “This is not how it’s supposed to be.” A life is taken, a diagnosis is validated, or the nightmare becomes reality.

Jesus experienced this in the story of Lazarus being raised from the dead:

John 11:35: “Jesus wept.”

Knowing He was going to raise Lazarus from the dead, Jesus still broke down and wept. Why?

The only plausible explanation: Death was never intended to be a part of our reality. This is not how things are supposed to be.

The creation account shows humans living immortal in paradise; that was the plan.

Every hurt, pain and disease is the product of humanity’s fall and the broken universe that Paul describes as groaning in pain, waiting for restoration (Romans 8).

2. “If God is good, then why does this hurt so bad?”

Hebrews 5:7: “In the days of his flesh, Jesus offered up prayers and supplications, with loud cries and tears.”

Jesus suffered on the cross and, even in the anticipation beforehand, He cried.

Suffering is the result of risk.

If you could give your children a pill that would make them completely obedient and love you (sorry, they haven’t made one yet), you might be willing to slip it into their dinner.

But shortly you would not be satisfied with their perfect obedience and devotion. You’d want to know they really love you, and that means they’d need the option not to love you. If you’re going to experience love, you must take a risk.

Nearly all of our deepest suffering comes from that risk – one that God knows, too.

3. “I don’t care about anything else; I just want this to be different.”

Sometimes we don’t care about logic, spirituality or anything else. We just want things changed.

In Luke 19:41, Jesus drew near the city of Jerusalem and “He wept over it.” In this passage, we see that Jesus longed for the situation to be different; He desperately wanted the city’s inhabitants to turn to Him, but they wouldn’t, and it caused Him to weep.

We, too, find ourselves in positions of futility and loss, but as we wrestle with God we remember that any loss or hurt is temporary.

Not to demean anyone’s suffering, which is deep and painful, but we must remember that for believers everything in this life is temporary.

2 Corinthians 4:17: “For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison.”

In this life we will have pain, and there are no easy answers. But we can always struggle, grow strong and endure.

It’s time to wrestle.

Our church (CrossPoint) participates in an annual event called a Rite of Passage. As an intergenerational church, or what I like to call a Titus 2 church, this event is an official entrance for the young men and women of God to take their place in His church.

Part of the process is a moment in which the young men and women of God stand up respectively and receive a charge concerning their quickly approaching adult life. It’s always an amazingly powerful moment, and after reading these words over 25 attendees at out Hays campus yesterday, I wanted to share it with those of you who have never experienced it.

By the way, huge thanks to my friend and mentor Chuck Stecker for training us in this process so many years ago, and letting me build on your framework.

Charge to the Woman of the Kingdom of God

• You must never forget you are royalty
• As daughters of the King you are a princess
• Conduct yourself in a manner worthy of nobility
• Think of yourself no less than a child of the Creator Himself
• In the way that you speak, act, walk, talk, and carry yourself… Remember that you are no less than an ambassador of heaven.
• You are the representative of Christ!
• You are to carry the spiritual DNA of the Savior into this world.
• You must protect yourself from the lies of the media
• Shelter yourself from the ungodly standards of the entertainment world
• And separate yourself from the patterns of behavior that are unbecoming a princess in the kingdom of God
• Your dress should protect the eyes of God’s men
• The words that come from your mouth should bear a testimony of your innocence, wisdom, and inner beauty
• Your behavior should point others to the same God that you honor
• You must determine in this moment and remember it in every moment that follows, that the lies of this world will tell you that you must look, act and behave in some other way. But, by God’s Holy Word you must stand on the fact that you are perfect in Jesus Christ, that your frame was not hidden from Him when you were knit together in the womb, that you are beautiful by the book.
• No man or woman has the right to tear you down, misguide you, lead you astray, or try to convince you you need to be something else.
• You are bought by the blood
• Sacrificed for by the Lamb of God himself
• You are the apple of His eye
• You are a promise waiting to happen

• You are the one whom God has said I have plans for you to prosper and not to harm  you, to give you a future and a hope,

• You are royalty in the kingdom of heaven.
• Live like the princess you are.

Charge to the Man of the Kingdom of God

• You are warriors on behalf of of the Lord Jesus Christ
• You must no longer act as children, but conduct your affairs with bravery, honesty, integrity and valor
• The expectation of a warrior is to rise above
• In this world the enemy will approach you from every direction
• You will be told that a man is to act in a way unbecoming of a leader in God’s army
• You’ll be ridiculed into standing with those who stand against God
• You will be given the image of a man that is actually not a man, but a boy in the form of an adult
• As a man and warrior in God’s kingdom, you are to deny the lies and hold firm to God’s word as the standard for what is the way to live
• You must be prepared to hold the front line on the issues of character, integrity, standing for God’s word, building up his church, and protecting others who you call “brother and sister”
• Into every battle that rages onto the perimeter of of your life, you must carry the banner of God’s Word in this confidence, “If God is for us, who can be against us!”
• When the women of the kingdom of God come into any room – whether young or old – and they look at you the warriors of God – whether young or old – they should find themselves at ease and at peace because they know their protection is secure, their purity is preserved, and they are under the very real protection of the God of this universe… because a man of God is in the room.
• Follow Christ
• Stand for His word
• and Be a Man
• Live like the warrior you are

I am aware that nothing in the preceding statements is politically correct, culturally sensitive or socially progressive. However, it is Biblical and unashamedly the hope and expectation for this new generation of Jesus followers.

Happy birthday!

Well, at least happy George Washington’s birthday, if you believe in that kind of thing.

I guess that might sound a bit odd. I mean who doesn’t believe in birthdays? Even if you don’t celebrate them, you have to believe in them. Unless we all live in the matrix and just woke up this morning collectively when the system got rebooted.

But let’s not get that weird. Let’s at least take one step back.

What’s not to believe about George Washington’s birthday? The answer is actually kind of simple and can be displayed with yet another question: “Why in the world do you believe in George Washington at all?”

Seriously? He’s on the one dollar bill, chopped down a cherry tree but could not tell a lie, and founded this great nation of ours. While some may argue they don’t like him, you’d be a little on the crazy side to claim that he never existed.

True, there’s no one alive today that ever met him, hung out with him or even saw him give a speech, but the evidence is overwhelming for his existence.

From what I understand there are more than 60,000 historical documents ranging from his personal diaries to governmental transcripts to letters between friends as evidence. We know a lot about who he was, what he liked and what he was trying to accomplish through all the documents he left behind. We even have his signature on a little document called the Declaration of Independence. It’s a pretty good read. On top of that, it’s pretty good evidence that he existed.

It’s also a pretty sure bet that old George was a real living Yankee doodle dandy just based on the archaeology. You can go to his house, sit in his chair and tour the grounds where he lived. Not to mention, there are countless artifacts and locations depicting his political and military background. You can’t do that for The Cat in the Hat since that lovable character was born in the mind of the great Dr. Seuss and lives only in the imaginations of children and adults today. But George… he actually walked and talked in the physical plane just like us. So, I can tell you where he lived, what he did and what he accomplished. On top of that, it’s pretty good evidence that he existed.

Probably the most fascinating evidence to support ol’ George’s realness is found in the results that he got. The Washington Monument stands strong and true as a beacon to anyone who visits Washington DC (oh yeah, then there’s that, Washington DC). As already mentioned, his portrait gracing the one dollar bill gives him a bit of contemporary familiarity. But, more importantly are the countless lives dedicated to the American dream, the voluminous amount of books detailing his history and the fact that today is a national holiday remembering his birthday. I’m pretty sure you’d be hard-pressed to find anyone in your neighborhood, whether they knew it or not, who was unaffected by George Washington. On top of that, it’s pretty good evidence that he existed.

So, maybe this is all pointless for you. Maybe you never asked yourself the question, “I wonder if George Washington ever really lived?”

Maybe your conspiracy indicator never got tripped, so, you never questioned if this whole American experiment was actually built upon a throne of lies conjured up by political radicals of the past manufacturing some stalwart idolized leader, fictitious and mythical, needed to coagulate the masses into the foundation of a new political system.

Maybe you think, you have to be a real loon to even go down that road.

I would agree.

Yet, I am baffled by the amazing amount of people who never question the existence of George Washington, but adamantly deny there is no evidence for Jesus

The historical documents are amazing! There are more than 20,000 copies of the Greek New Testament in hand written notation, and yet scholars praise the manuscript authenticity of Homer’s Iliad because it has almost 1000 original copies. Extra biblical documents exist from political powers to non-Christian historians that talk of Jesus and His followers as statements of fact and eyewitnesses to the accounts we see in Scripture. Additionally, the miraculous nature of the existence of these documents is exacerbated by the fact that Washingtonian era documents are a couple hundred years old, while Jesus documents are a couple thousand years old. On top of that, it’s pretty good evidence He existed.

Archaeological findings for Jesus and the teaching of the word are beyond speculation. Of the tens of thousands of archaeological digs pertaining to biblical era discoveries, there has never been a known contradiction of Scripture. In fact, there have been several cases in which scholars denied the historicity of Scripture only to make an archaeological discovery that undermined their beliefs and supported Scripture. And if you’re brave enough to make the trip, you can see many of the places and artifacts surrounding the Gospel stories and Acts with a trip to the Middle East from Jerusalem to modern Turkey to Rome. On top of that, it’s pretty good evidence He existed.

Beyond a shadow of a doubt, the most compelling evidence for the reality of Jesus is based on the results of His life. For 2000 years His church has endured persecution, emerged from its own corruption and touched every corner of the globe. Whether people misused His name, or sacrificed their own lives to the flame because of Him, there is no denying that Jesus Christ has been the most influential person to ever walk the face of the earth. From hospitals to universities, from extravagant cathedrals to neighborhood churches, and most importantly the billions (and that’s with a B) of lives changed testify to a real and living Savior they have encountered and experienced. It seems that of all the things which may be arguable there is one thing we know as a fact: Jesus’ life created results. On top of that, it’s pretty good evidence He existed

So, on the annual remembrance of the founder of our country I am thankful to live where I do and I am blessed by a country where I am free and safe. But, I am also reminded how confused the world is that would accept without pause the existence of a man they’ve never met and close the banks for a leader they’ve never even seen photographed, nor from which they’ve heard a sound bite.

Yet, denying those same evidences and procedure used for their faith in George Washington, they reject the Son of God; not because they have thought about it, but because they don’t want to believe in Him.

Still we must remember, this is exactly what the Word said would happened. Jesus would be rejected, He would be a stumbling block, and He would be considered foolishness. (Luke 9:22, 1 Corinthians 1:23)

From the very beginning, God warned us that His Son would not be accepted, and that should give us some peace. On top of that… it’s pretty good evidence He existed.

I remember listening to a preacher a few years ago and walking away with a single thought… hmmmm. No need to wait for some big reveal, that was the only thought I could come up with… hmmm.

I know that ‘hmmm’ is not much of a thought, but if I could be very honest, it wasn’t much of a sermon.

I know I sound rude, judgmental, close-minded, arrogant, yadda, yadda, yadda; but before you judge me take a look at a snapshot of the message I am talking about.

The preacher claimed to be able to tell us how tall God was….?

Here is how he came to this special revelation:

• Using the Hebrew measurement of a “span” as gauged from the Old Testament
• Comparing the measurement of how tall horses were by span measurement
• Combined with the evidence in Isaiah (chapter 40, verse 12 to be exact) that God measured off the heavens by the span of His hand
• Then extrapolating the anthropomorphic size of a humanoid body as derived from the known proportional relationship between handsize and stature…
• He shared with us that God was like 10 foot someting.

Okay, first of all… hmmm (now you understand, right?)

Second, a ten foot tall guy is an impressive dude, but a pretty puny God.

Third, even if he was right (but lets not get into that), who cares? What would this knowledge mean to me, or anyone else on this spinning blue ball.

Again I must say…hmmm…

Obviously, there is a problem. But, it’s not a problem with a single sermon, or a sermon giver. It’s much larger than that.

The problem is with the expectations of modern preaching. For example, ‘successful’ and acclaimed pastors are often complimented with phrases like “That was amazing, I’ve never heard anything like that before.” Or, “I have never thought about that passage like that!”

Almost never has a preacher been complimented in this way: “I have heard that same message a thousand times before from a hundred different pastors, thank you for being faithful.”

Believe me, as a preacher, that never happens.

People today like novelty, the new and the unique. The only problem with that is we have been writing about, praying about, teaching and preaching the Scriptures for thousands of years.

That being said, if you come up with something new, you’re probably wrong.

 1 Corinthians 1:22 For Jews demand signs and Greeks seek wisdom, 23but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles, 24 but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.

We need to celebrate truth, not the novel. We must value the real, not just the creative. We stand on the eternal Word of God, not the temporary fad of man.

If you’re a preacher… preach with power, passion, fire and creativity, but never feel compelled to be unique. That was Jesus’ job, not yours.

If your a sermon hearer… be hungry, be diligent and applaud the gifts God has given those in leadership, but don’t chase something new. The Gospel that was then is the Gospel that is now.

If your a seeker… be open, be keen and be real, but don’t judge the truth by the weirdos on the fringe (by the way, thats good advice for lots of arenas in life). There is truth and you can find it.

“Preach not because you have to say something but because you have something to say.”

—Archbishop Whatley

A huge component of the Christian experience is community.

Unfortunately, we live in a generation that claims to be spiritual, but highly values independance. We love statements like:

• I’m not religious, but I am spiritual.
• I love God, I just don’t like the church.
• My beliefs are personal.
• I’m closest to God when I’m by myself out on the lake.

There’s just one problem with phrases like these, and that problem is called the Bible. You can’t believe the above statements and the Bible at the same time.

Here’s what I mean:

I’m not religious, but I’m spiritual – anytime we try and distance ourselves from religion because some professor/teacher/friend told us religion and religious people were wrong/stupid/idiots, we deny what the Bible says: Hebrews 10:24-25 “And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.” 

I love God I just don’t like the church – to say you love God, but don’t love the church is an insult to the God you say you love. In Revelation 21:9 there is a descriptive/allegorical reference to Christ and His church: “Then came one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls full of the seven last plagues and spoke to me, saying, “Come, I will show you the Bride, the wife of the Lamb.”” Throughout Scripture, the church is known as the Bride of Christ. To say you love God but don’t love the church is just like  looking at someone and saying, “I like you but I can’t stand your wife.” That’s bad form, my friend.

My beliefs are personal –  in a politically correct universe we are all allowed to have opinions, so long as we never let anyone know what they are. This has led us to the place of seeing our faith as a private matter that should never be spoken. Unfortunately, for the believer in God’s word, this is not possible. We see it clearly in Romans 10:9, “Because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” Obviously, a mandated component of faith is going public. In fact, it’s very difficult to find a biblical reference that tells you to keep anything quiet.

I’m closest to God when I’m by myself out on the lake – I think it’s possible to have moments of closeness to God in solitude, but most people use this line of thinking as an excuse to get out of being a part of the church. Colossians 3:16, “let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another…” First Corinthians 12:27, “Now you are the body of Christ and individually members of it.” Romans 12:5, “so we, though many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another.” Believe me, I could go on and on.

Truth is, if you’re going to be biblical about your Christianity you need to be part of the Body of Christ, a.k.a. church. Now, there are many churches and many people involved, but there is one additional element that takes that experience to a whole ‘nutha level!

In the contemporary church expereince you drop the babies off in the nursery, the kids in the children’s wing, shuttle the teenagers off to the youth service and the adults gather together for Sunday school or “big church.”

But time after time in Scripture we see that separating our churches by age, and keeping the older’s away from the youngers because they don’t like each other’s music or pop culture references, leads to one thing: an unhealthy church.

Titus 2 instructs the church to have the older man teach the younger man in the older women teach the younger women, to live life together. We call this, intergenerational ministry.

Intergenerational ministry is a two-way street; the older folks have to love the younger folks and be willing to put up with their shenanigans. And the younger folks must be taught to respect and cherish their elders. In this environment, real ministry takes place. Instead of communicating information in isolated age graded classes, intergenerational churches see real revelation in their teaching that erupts in transformation of real lives.

Our church has been struggling with this for years. We’ve instituted an annual Rite of Passage to elevate our children to adult status when they are ready. We’ve open the doors of service to a multiplicity of ages so that teenagers and seniors can serve side-by-side. We have broken down barriers of age grading allowing those in the church to be influenced, motivated and trained by people they differ from by decades.

Last Sunday evening, my Grow Group (life group, small group, cell group, pick your flavor, etc.) decided to integrate intergenerational life at that level.

We have just under a dozen kids between the ages of three and 11 that hang out in the basement during our Grow Group time.

It usually requires at least one or two parental visits downstairs to keep it in check. Practicing a stern face, the gritted teeth, and the quiet yelling as you descend the stairs, “I told you kids to keep it down!”, we had kind of fallen into this as a rut of normalcy.

So, we decided to eat together, study together and pray together like we always do, but this time with a little change up!

We ate first and made sure the kids didn’t run off to the basement, but kept them with us. Then, we moved prayer time from the end to the middle.

We kept the children with us and told them we wanted them to see what we did while they were playing. We explained that we were going to pray for each other, and that we often prayed for them.

Finally, we shared some Scripture about how important it was to live for the Lord and asked them if they had prayer concerns. Believe it or not, they did. Apparently grade school can be pretty stressful!

Then we all prayed together and dismissed them to go play while we finished with study.

Here’s the take away:

1. It was hard to get into that night’s Bible study since all the adults were talking about how awesome that was having their kids hear Scripture from other adults and be encouraged in prayer. There really were some giddy daddies in that Bible study.

2. Parents talked to their kids on the way home, and the consensus was those kids thought it was amazing, too. They were looking forward to doing it again.

No theologians… No trained children’s professionals… Just a room full of moms, dads, singles and grandparents who love Jesus and lived it out in front of other generations.

Let me encourage you to make sure that you are living the Christian life in community. And then go the extra mile, make sure that you are learning from those who’ve walked many more miles than you, and then make sure you are sharing with those who are trying to follow your footsteps.

Psalm 71:18 So even to old age and gray hairs, 

O God, do not forsake me, 

until I proclaim your might to another generation, 

your power to all those to come. 

catalyst |ˈkatl-ist| noun

1. a substance that increases the rate of a chemical reaction without itself undergoing any permanent chemical change.

2. a person or thing that precipitates an event: the governor’s speech acted as a catalyst for debate.

Everyone has a position of leadership and influence. Some influence a few lives, maybe from the home, and some influence the masses from whatever God-given role in which they have been placed. But, one thing is for sure… everyone leads someone.

For the Christian leader, that is not enough. To lead, even with character and integrity, falls short of the standard and potential that God asks of everyone who leads in His name.

I have heard a multiplicity of times over the years that God doesn’t care about results, just faithfulness.

That’s never settled quite right with me.

Faithfulness, for sure, is a part of the Christian leaders expectation, in fact, it is the foundation from which all other parts of leadership flow.

But too often I think we use faithfulness in lieu of effectiveness as an excuse. True, there have been some who are called to ineffective faithfulness, called to futile acts of service. For example, the prophet Isaiah:

Isaiah’s Commission from the Lord

6:8 And I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?” Then I said, “Here I am! Send me.” 9 And he said, “Go, and say to this people: “ ‘Keep on hearing, but do not understand; keep on seeing, but do not perceive.’ 10 Make the heart of this people dull, and their ears heavy, and blind their eyes; lest they see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their hearts, and turn and be healed.”

I don’t know about you, but that sounds like a pretty miserable calling to me. It must’ve sounded miserable to that prophet as well, since even though he was in the of visually impressive presence of God Himself, with angels roaring overhead, and the sound of worship so loud it shook the building, that his first response to this calling was, “ How long, O Lord?”

I have to think that an Isaiah calling is the exception to the rule. Not just because that seems like a gruesome way to live, but because Jesus seemed to set up another normative standard:

Matthew 12:33 “Either make the tree good and its fruit good, or make the tree bad and its fruit bad, for the tree is known by its fruit.

It appears that the standard for believers, leaders and anyone who calls themselves a follower of Christ is to bear fruit.

This is all background to let you know my personal philosophy which I carried with me into the reading of Joshua chapter 1. Many of you will remember this chapter as the “Be strong and courageous” passage.

I love the threefold call on Joshua, formerly second-in-command, to be strong and courageous and lead God’s people after their earthly leader Moses had passed away.  Three times he is told to be strong and courageous, is reminded that God would be with him as he was with Moses, and is promised that God will never leave nor forsake him.

In essence, this is the promise for all believers. If we are really “followers” of Jesus then it means he is going in front of us. He is the one pushing down the barricades, stepping into the shadows, doing the hard stuff… we are… following.

So, if He is doing all the heavy lifting up front, we should be strong and courageous bringing up the rear.

But, let’s get back to the issue of bearing fruit. One of these be strong statements is followed by an incredible phrase:

Joshua 1:6 Be strong and courageous, for you shall cause this people to inherit the land that I swore to their fathers to give them.

The above quotation is in the English Standard Version. I love it because it’s different than most translations which say Joshua will “lead this people” versus what it says in this version, that Joshua will “cause this people.”

A good biblical leader will cause his people:

•  God is already doing something
•  God has made promises He will keep
•  God is leading, we are following
•  God can use you as a cause agent, or catalyst to see His will done in this world and in many live

Whether you’re leading in your home, at work or school, in your community, or church, the role of the Christian leader is to be a cause agent for what God has promised and is already doing.

Joshua was given the task of seeing God’s promises fulfilled in the lives of many, simply because HE would believe God.

He could lead those people because He was following God… even if they struggled.

What is the missing element in your home, your church, your anywhere? Why are good people wandering in the desert, instead of taking the promise land?

Maybe you are the X factor… God is looking for that catalyst, that cause agent that will start a chain reaction manifesting the promises of God to become reality in many lives because YOU believed.

Be strong. Be courageous. Follow Him.

I freely admit it… I am a nerd.

I am often more comfortable around books than I am around people. I love digging into academic things, even when I am not being graded. And, I’d rather write an article than have a conversation (for example, this blog).

I’m not anti-social, I’m just pro-alone. Fair enough?

Out of this nerdom will sometimes come a thought or comment that cracks me up and I wonder if anyone else would think the same. However, because I know I’m a nerd, I often keep it to myself for fear of getting a cyber-wedgie, or an e-wet-willie from one of you online cool kids.

But, this time, I’m going to take the risk… here goes.

This past Christmas season I preached on the wise men of Matthew chapter 2:

2:2“Where is he who has been born king of the Jews? For we saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.”

You know the story, these unknown wise guys see a star and somehow know the Child born under it is beyond significant and one of them yells, “ROADTRIP!”

They gas up the camels, shout out “Eat my dust,” and start the search. Cool story, but here’s where the nerd part kicks in…

In doing the original language study, to see if there was anything below the surface I should know or teach, I looked at the word “star.”

No big surprises really, the Greek for star means star. It could mean planet or constellation, but star really does the trick. Good job English translators.

The actual Greek is prononced astera (insert nerd transition engine ignition here). Here’s my stream of consciousness…

“Hmmm… didn’t I learn the Kansas state motto in grade school? Wasn’t it ‘Ad astra per aspera’?

But, that’s Latin, not Greek.

‘Ad astra per aspera’ means ‘to the stars through difficulties.’

Wait, Latin ‘astra’ and Greek ‘astera’ both mean star. Cool! The Latin must have stole it directly from the Greek.

I wonder if ‘astera’ made it to English? I mean if you put an ending on it like ‘ed, ‘ing, or…wait, no way…

(quick check of www.etymonline.com)

YES! Too cool, the modern English word asterisk is straight up Greek and/or Latin. It means little star, duh.

Yep, that little mark, symbol, or star that tells you to look at the bottom of the page for more information or check a footnote is the same root word from the Bible.

That’s when it hit me… (are you ready for it?)

I wonder if when the wise men saw the aster(isk), if they heard God saying, ” * See Jesus below “

I told you I was a nerd.

Still, the next time you see or use an asterisk, or for that matter, the next time you see a star… why don’t you look for Jesus?

Many blessings and thanks for letting me share some nerd humor.