Like Top Ten Lists?

Do you read top ten lists? Here's a serious one that I found on a blog by Tony Morgan, a minister and 'strategy consultant.' He writes about growth and about the necessity of change if our desire is to grow in our skills and effectiveness. I've been visiting the change theme often lately. Could be that God is just doing something in me and letting you look over my shoulder while He does, or - could He be sending you a message, too? Each of us is tempted to settle into our rut, to discover a way to live life that fits, and then to stay there. If we make that choice, our effectiveness in every area of our lives will diminish, rapidly, as our skills become irrelevant, and as the world passes us by. Tony suggests a list of indicators that would show us we are stuck, that we are at risk. Are you unwilling to adapt to the demands that exist today? Take a look.

10 Signs You're not Ready for Change

1. You see other organizations as the competition instead of the idea incubators.
2. You're trying to avoid criticism that comes when you fail...and when you succeed.
3. You're afraid of the culture.
4. Your life is fast and cluttered and there's no space to dream.
5. You value getting it right over getting started.
6. You believe conflict is a bad thing.
7. You've stopped asking questions.
8. You think systems and strategy are the enemy of creativity.
9. You're expecting to receive credit for your ideas.
10. You think you've already arrived.

Amen and Ouch! He's made me think, how about you?

"Idea incubators" is a great concept, isn't it? Why are we so reluctant to admit that somebody else has thought of a way to accomplish a task effectively?

And, if someone has found a better way to get the job done, why are we so resistant to letting them teach us what they've found? Could it be just pride? That old sin dresses itself up in all kinds of costumes - doctrinal 'purity', love of 'tradition,' are just a couple I'm familiar with inside of the Church. I want to be a person who knows how to cooperate and collaborate, especially with others who love God, even if their ideas and methods challenge my comfort levels.

That 'cluttered life' is something I know too much about. Yesterday, I sat around all day at home, not by choice or wisdom, but because I was waiting for a UPS shipment for which I had to sign! God is so good at making us take some time to just sit and listen to His voice, isn't He? Create margins in your life, time to recharge mentally and spiritually, to be a listener, instead of a 'do-er.' Remember the Mary and Martha story from Luke 10? Martha was rushing about making dinner for Jesus. Her sister, Mary, was at the feet of the Lord, listening and learning. When Martha finally blew a fuse and asked Jesus to tell her lazy sister to help her get dinner on the table, the Lord's response was surprising, a gentle rebuke to the misplaced values of the hard-working Martha. “Martha, Martha! You are worried and upset about so many things, but only one thing is necessary. Mary has chosen what is best, and it will not be taken away from her.”" (Luke 10:41-42, CEV) It is hard to accept that the faster we move, the less likely we are to allow change into our lives that will keep us effective.

The price of change is the risk of making mistakes! When we are adapting and trying new methods, new ways, we will get it wrong, from time to time. Despite our best intentions we will confuse inspiration and excitement. But it is a risk worth taking.

Let's grow on in the Kingdom, ready to let God do what He wants to do, first in each of us, and then with each of us. When Isaiah saw how stubbornly sinful his nation had become, how resistant to God's call for repentance and change, he went to the Lord in prayer. And here is what God spoke to Him:

"For I am about to do a brand-new thing. See, I have already begun! Do you not see it?

I will make a pathway through the wilderness for my people to come home.

I will create rivers for them in the desert! The wild animals in the fields will thank me, the jackals and ostriches, too, for giving them water in the wilderness.

Yes, I will make springs in the desert, so that my chosen people can be refreshed. I have made Israel for myself, and they will someday honor me before the whole world.

“But, my dear people, you refuse to ask for my help. You have grown tired of me!" (Isaiah 43:19-22, NLT)

I believe those ancient words are written for you and me. God is preparing a people for Himself that will take the unchanging Gospel into a changing world with new tools, new methods, and new means. Will we join Him, or will He find the animals more ready to receive His gifts and thank Him for His provisions than us?

In every place in life we have a choice - innovate or die!
Life is not static, but ever changing.
Don't be afraid. Our eternal God is our anchor. He who is Alpha and Omega, the same yesterday, today, and forever, leads us into the future, showing us new grace, new ways, new things for each new day. Trust Him.

_____________________

Change my heart, O God,

make it ever true,

Change my heart, O God,

may I be like You.

You are the Potter,

I am the clay,

Mold me and make me,

this is what I pray.

Change my heart, O God,

may I be like You.

-- Eddy Espinosa, Vineyard Publishing