The Transparency Files Part 4

Today we we'll examine the second reason leaders fear transparency.

REASON #2 INSECURITY 

1 Samuel 13:11(NASB)

11 But Samuel said, “What have you done?” And Saul said, “Because I saw that the people were scattering from me, and that you did not come within the appointed days, and that the Philistines were assembling at Michmash,

I'll never forget a few years ago when my Pastor (yes, every pastor needs a pastor) made the following statement, "Insecurity + Inferiority = Ineffectiveness." It's a simple formula that packs a powerful punch. Now there's a lot of leaders in ministry today that would never admit this (since that would require some transparency), but one of the greatest struggles leaders deal with today is their own insecurity. For an insecure leader, the mere thought of being transparent scares them half to death. 

It scares them because deep down inside:

• They fear that people will see them as they see themselves - inadequate. 
• They think that their work or ministry has to be built on "their" strengths. 
• They think that if people realize that they too are just people, then they will no longer follow them. 
• Like so many of us brought up in the church they have been taught that transparency is weakness and you have to pretend to be untouchable to life's challenges and Satan's attacks. 

If you're a leader reading this right now and you can identify with what I'm talking about then I'm going to let you off of this demonic hook today. I'm going to share a secret with you that's going to restore your Kingdom effectiveness as a leader and allow you to get your peace back:

Your identity is not found in the people you've been called to lead but rather in the One Who has called you to be a leader. 

Truly secure people have no problem being transparent because they know that their purpose and identity is not tied up in what other people think. Their purpose and identity is found in Christ and Christ alone. You cannot allow your identity to be determined by the opinions of others. People are people but if you allow people to determine who it is that God called and created you to become then your vision WILL be hijacked by your critics and you'll live out the rest of your life angry and frustrated.

This kind of insecurity is exactly what cost King Saul both the throne and the favor of God in 1 Samuel 13. He was more concerned with what the people thought about him and managing his personal image than he was about what God thought. The results of his own insecurity were tragic:

1 Samuel 13:13-14 (NASB)

13 Samuel said to Saul, “You have acted foolishly; you have not kept the commandment of the LORD your God, which He commanded you, for now the LORD would have established your kingdom over Israel forever. 14 But now your kingdom shall not endure. The LORD has sought out for Himself a man after His own heart, and the LORD has appointed him as ruler over His people, because you have not kept what the LORD commanded you.”

 Imagine what would have happened if Jesus allowed the people around him to determine His identity. Over and over again people tried to force Jesus into their collective agenda's and over and over again Jesus managed to disappoint them. But that's okay because He wasn't worried about popularity polls and mans opinions. He refused to compromise His identity and calling. He knew Who He was and what it was that He came to do.

Men and women of God you need to realize today that:

• Man didn't call you to leadership - Jesus did, and nobody can change that (Romans 11:29).
• YOU ARE God's choice for the job (1 Peter 2:9). 
• YOU ARE going to make a huge impact for the kingdom of God (John 14:12). 
• Your ministry WILL be established on His strengths and not yours for His strengths are made perfect in your weakness and when you are weak, He is strong (2 Corinthians 12:9-10). 

Yes YOU ARE going to succeed, but not because of how how incredible you are - it's because of how incredible His power is that's working through you. YOU ARE God's choice to lead and that doesn't change because of what a few people might say or think so don't be afraid of being transparent. Transparency helps people relate to you and it gives people hope. Ultimately, it will build the kind of trust and respect that will lead more people to know Jesus Christ as their personal Lord and Savoir.    

Keep It REAL,

Pastor Travis

The Transparency Files Part 3

Today I want to begin examining the top 3 reasons leaders tend to avoid transparency like the plague.

REASON #1 -  PRIDE

That's right folks - good old fashioned pride. It's been around since Satan was kicked out of heaven and it managed to find it's way into the garden of eden robbing mankind of a perfect existence free of pain, sickness and death. Ever since the garden man has been pridefully trying to find ways to "cover up" whatever it is that they are lacking in their lives and leadership. 

One of prides most deceptive and destructive thoughts is the one that says "Hey, I've got this whole leadership thing figured out." The deception here is that in order to be a leader you have to have (or pretend to have) all of the answers all of the time and that's simply not true. Pride, if left unchecked, will hinder and eventually even destroy your ministry. Proverbs 11:2 says, "When pride comes, then comes dishonor, But with the humble is wisdom." 

Leader, you can only fake it for so long. Sooner or later those people following you are going to figure out that you don't have it all figured out but by that time it may be too late. Your credibility tank may be empty and you'll find your ministry or family stuck on the side of the road going no where fast. Besides, the sooner you admit that you "don't know" the sooner you can start searching for the answers and that's when you start experiencing real growth as a leader.

One of the greatest problems in the body of Christ today is that we have pastors who assume they already have all the answers to their own questions. The truth is, admitting that you don't have all the answers only gains greater respect from those following you. It helps them to relate to you and it also gives them comfort knowing that you're not leading them blindly. After all, an effective leader is a learning leader. 

Successful ministry was never intended to be build on our own strengths anyways. It was always designed to be built on His. 2 Corinthians 12:9 says it this way:

"...My grace is sufficient for you, for my strength is made perfect in your weakness.' Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest on me." 

Did you catch that last part? If you want the power of Christ to rest on your leadership and ministry then humility and transparency need to be a part of who you are and what you do. If you put all your emphasis on your strengths and are too prideful to humble yourself under the mighty hand of God then WARNING: As Luke 14:11 says, You will be humbled.

"For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted"  

So remember that:

• Humility invites the power and presence of God into your life, ministry, and family. 
• We need to be transparent and humble acknowledging that we don't have all of the answers all of the time but are willing to work to find those answers.
• If we want His power in our lives to increase than we have to decrease (John 3:30). 

Keep It REAL, 

Pastor Travis 

Divine Delay

Okay, so I know some of you have been hitting the website and asking about part 3 of the Transparency Files. I do apologize for the delay but I can assure you that it was a divine delay. God required me to take a step back from ministry for the past couple of weeks in order to refresh, refocus, and refill the tank. It's been an incredible 2 weeks of rest that's brought more benefits than I had initially even imagined! I feel like a new man and I am fired up about what God has in store for FCC in 2012. I'll share more about that journey with you at another time but for now, while I begin working again on the Transparency files I wanted to share another blog with you that I just read yesterday written by Pastor Perry Noble. It was a blog that hit way too close to home for me and it forced me to do some self evaluation. 

I hope it blesses and challenges you as much as it did me. And remember, it's all about building REAL relationships with REAL people. Enjoy!

A Divine Slap In The Face (Breaking An Online Addiction!) December 7, 2011

CONFESSION:  This article is more of a confession that it is a correction!  It’s not about what I see others doing/not doing but rather something I have realized for myself and am currently wrestling through, hope this helps some people!

It was one of the most divine slaps in the face I had ever received; in fact, I’m still recovering from it, let me explain…

A little over a month ago I was with a group of about ten people or so in a restaurant where we had gathered to celebrate and reflect on the end of a pretty intense season of ministry we had just completed.  We had seen God do some amazing things and had more than enough reasons to be excited about the evening.

We got our menus, spoke with each other about the options in front of us and then chatted about what we preferred and then placed our order with the waiter.

After the waiter was gone I pulled out my cell phone.  Please understand, no one had texted me.  No one had called me.  I did not have any voice messages from earlier in the day.  Why did I pull out my cell phone then?  Simple…I needed to check Twitter.

As I did this something told me to stop and listen…and when I did I heard no conversations taking place at the table.  No laughing.  No celebration.  No recalling what the Lord had done.  Then I looked up and discovered why…

EVERY SINGLE PERSON AT THE TABLE WAS LOOKING DOWN AT THEIR CELL PHONE!

Doing what, I have no idea…probably twitter, facebook or whatever…but what stood out to me in a very convicting way was that ALL of us were neglecting being connected with the people who were right in front of us and were engaging in something else that, for some reason we all considered to be more important.

I was convicted!  BIG TIME!  Here I was with a group of friends that I should be enjoying life with and instead I was obsessed with an online perception that I somehow felt was more important than the relationships that were right in front of me.

Thought began to flood my mind of other times I had done the same…

• The times I had been on the couch with Lucretia, and instead of engaging her in conversation I am seeing how many people retweeted me.
• The times that Charisse had been trying to get my attention and instead I was trying to see how many “likes” that NewSpring’s facebook page had.
• The times that I had been in a room FULL of people and opportunities to engage in conversations that mattered, but instead I was more obsessed with clearing another level of Angry Birds.

Like I said, it was a divine slap in the face and I realized that I was neglecting real community, real people who were right in front of me and instead engaging in relationships online that were superficial at best and achieving “high scores” on games that had absolutely zero significant value.

Honestly, if I found out today that I had 30 days to live my obsessions would not become how many twitter followers I could gain, how many times I could dominate “words with friends” or even having to check who had written on my facebook wall in the past 15 minutes.  It would be people, REAL people and REAL relationships that would be important to me.

Please do not misunderstand this!  I am NOT the anti-social media guy!  I love keeping up with people via the world wide web.  I love playing a game or two on occasion.  I love the fact that I know a lot about my friends all over the world because they update their lives via social media.

However, I finally came to realize that I had personally allowed social media to become an obsession that was distracting me from what was really important rather than a tool that I could make use of.  I had allowed it to steal time away from my family and my friends…and call it what you will, but I had to call it sin.

What am I doing about it?

FIGHTING through it!  I believe social media CAN be as addicting as alcohol, drugs or gambling.  It meets a perceived need of inclusion, acceptance and friendship (you DO understand that most of your facebook friends are not actually your friends don’t you?)

• I’m having to FIGHT to make the decision that at dinner time the cell phone does not come with me to the dinner table.  That is my time with my family…and any “emergency” will just have to wait!
• I’m having to FIGHT through the “need” to check up on twitter when I am in a group of people with whom the Lord has put me in a live, active relationship with.
• I’m having to FIGHT to not play games on my phone or Ipad when I’m in a room full of people with whom I need to be paying attention to.
• I’m having to FIGHT to not be engaged with an online audience at night when opportunities to engage with my wife and daughter are way more important and way more fruitful in the long run.
• I’m having to FIGHT to not take my phone with me into important meetings and carry on texting conversations that cause me to disconnect from what I should be paying attention to!

It’s a fight…and just something I’m learning and wrestling with.  I will still be blogging, still be tweeting…but for me it’s going to have to be put in it’s proper place.  Because…I’ve also seen that an addiction to social media can take our eyes off of Jesus and put them on people, thus causing us to cave into the fear of man and completely forget that we are called to fear God.

And…many times we can’t even obey what the Lord says in Psalm 46:10 because we are so dang connected!!!  We can’t respond to the voice of God because we’ve been trained like Pavlov’s dog that when we hear “the tuning fork” (aka. notification from our phone that we have a text/email) that we feel the need to immediately respond, thus ignoring what is right in front of us.

One more time let me say it again–I’m NOT against social media, smart phones, games and such…but they should be used wisely and be a tool in our hands rather than the obsession of our day that we just can’t seem to do without.

I would love to hear your thoughts on this growing problem. Please feel free to post below and share your own experiences with the problems Pastor Perry Nobel addresses in his blog. 

Keep It REAL, 

Pastor Travis

The Transparency Files Part 2

So when being transparent are we supposed to share everything with everybody? Do we make every single struggle in our lives known to just anybody? The obvious answer to this question is a resounding "NO." After all Jesus did say in Mathew 7:6:

"...do not throw your pearls before swine, or they will trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you to pieces." 

While we all need spiritual accountability in our lives you also need to understand that sharing some of your personal trials or struggles with the wrong people could really end up causing you a lot of unnecessary heartache. If you don't use some discretion while being transparent you could unknowingly share your heart with a "wolf in sheeps clothing (Matthew 7:15)" who was just waiting for the opportunity to as Jesus said in Matthew 7:6 "tear you to pieces."   

So Just How Transparent Should We Be?

In part 1 of The Transparency Files we examined the transparency found in the Apostle Paul's ministry in order to illustrate the need to make biblical transparency an important part of our lives and ministry. However, what we also learn from Paul is that using discretion in transparency is absolutely necessary. While Paul was very transparent about the fact that he had a "thorn in the flesh" we have no idea what exactly it was that Paul was struggling with. Paul never goes into detail about his struggles with sin and its been driving Theologians crazy as they've been trying to figure it out ever since. 

Some have speculated that Paul was struggling with the sin of pride while others think that as a single man he was struggling with lust and his ability to fulfill his commitment to living a celibate life. But the reality is that nobody really knows for sure. All we do know is that according to Romans 7:19 Paul said "For I do not do the good I want to do, but the evil I do not want to do-this I keep on doing." Paul had some struggles and while he wasn't afraid to share that with the masses, he also made a point to omit what exactly it was that he was dealing with. All we know is that there was something he couldn't get victory over without the help of Jesus. 

Who Should We Be Transparent With?

James 5:16 commands us to "...confess our sins to one another" and Galatians 6:2 tells us to "Bear one another's burdens, and thereby fulfill the law of Christ." In other words - BE TRANSPARENT WITH ONE ANOTHER. But just who should we be transparent with?

The kind of transparency you share with your spouse is obviously going to be more intimate than the transparency you would share with an usher at church. For some, the best person for accountability is going to be your husband or wife. For those that aren't married (and even for those that are) you'll need at least one good friend, pastor, or mentor that you can trust and be transparent with. This needs to be someone who can know the worst thing about you but still love you unconditionally. Jesus made accountability a priority in His earthly ministry when He sent out His disciples in pairs (Luke 10:1-3). But how do you pick the person or people with which you are going to be accountable to and transparent with? As always, the bible gives us some great insight here. 

1. It Has To Be Somebody That's Earned Your Trust. 

Proverbs 17:9 says, "He who conceals a transgression seeks love, But he who repeats a matter separates close friends." In short, it has to be someone who knows how to keep their mouth shut. Don't pick somebody that spends their Sunday afternoon gossiping about the people they saw in church on Sunday morning. If they gossip to you about others than they will gossip to others about you. Remember that "When words are many, sin is not absent, but he who holds his tongue is wise (Proverbs 10:19)."  

2. It Has To Be Somebody That Will Love You Unconditionally.

Proverbs 17:17 says, "A friend loves at all times..." The person or people you are accountable to and transparent with need to love you unconditionally. You need to feel safe knowing that you can share the reality of your struggles with them and that it won't change how they see you. As much as possible they need to see you through the eyes of Christ and be able to believe the best in you even when you've made a mess.   

3. It Has To Be Somebody that Has Permission To Rebuke You. 

Proverbs 27:6 says, "Wounds from a friend can be trusted, but an enemy multiplies kisses." The last thing you need to do is surround yourself with people that don't love you enough to rebuke and correct you. David wrote in Psalm 141:5 "Let the righteous one strike me, it is an act of faithful love; let him rebuke me-it is oil for my head; let me not refuse it." Making yourself accountable to people who only tell you what you want to hear is a deadly habit for the both of you. Or as Jesus said in Luke 6:39, "...Can the blind lead the blind? Will they not both fall into a pit?" Which brings us to the next point.

4. It Should Be Somebody That Has A Certain Level of Spiritual Maturity. 

Psalm 101:6 says, "...the one whose walk is blameless will minister to me." You need to find somebody whose "walk" is blameless. I'm talking about the direction of their walk not the perfection of their walk. You don't need to find someone that's perfect but you do need to find someone who is sincerely walking towards God everyday. And let me make a very clear point here; When I'm talking about spiritual maturity I'm not talking about physical age. I know plenty of younger Christians who are far more spiritually mature than some older believers. It's been said that with age comes wisdom but that's simply not true. Sometimes age shows up all by itself. Spiritual maturity is not reserved for the aged.  It's available for any one that hungers and thirsts for righteousness and so you may have to humble yourself and seek the spiritual mentorship of someone who is physically younger than you but is spiritually more advanced.  

      5. It Must Be Somebody That Is Bearing Fruit.

Okay, so number 5 may seem kind of redundant but I can't stress this point enough. If we are going to be people led of the Spirit than we have to surround ourselves with others who are being led of the Spirit. Before you choose an accountability partner you need to prayerfully watch their lives and listen to their conversation. Find someone that's achieved a level of spiritual maturity and fruit bearing that you admire and that you yourself want to achieve. According to Galatians 5:22-23 the evidence that we are living a Spirit led life is that we bear the fruit of "love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self control." 

If you're going to lead a healthy family or ministry than transparency is absolutely necessary. Your children, congregation, or even your employee's need to know that you're human and that you make mistakes too. I am convinced that transparency is the kingdom key to building genuine relationships and community. Using discretion while being transparent is absolutely necessary and can save you a lot of undue turmoil.

However, when it's all said and done let's never forget that God always has the final say. You'll always need to be willing to follow the leading of the Holy Spirit in any situation. There will be times when God will require your obedience to be openly transparent in an area of your life where you weren't planning on being transparent. It's in these times that we humble ourselves, put our flesh on the cross (Luke 14:27), and trust God with the outcome of our obedience.  

So don't try to be superman, and make sure you use discretion in your transparency. In my next post we'll begin to examine the top reasons why leaders avoid transparency.

Until then remember to keep it REAL! 

Pastor Travis

The Transparency Files - Part 1

I'm not sure when it happened or how it started but somewhere along the way leaders started teaching that transparency in leadership is a weakness. Weather it's leading our families or leading our ministries we've been taught that we should never share our own spiritual struggles or fatigue with those we lead. The results of this line of thinking is tragic.

• We have exhausted leaders who are afraid to admit they are tired. 
• Family and church members can no longer relate to us because we pretend like we are perfect people and nobody can relate to perfect people. 
• Burn out rates in ministry are soaring.
• Marriages are struggling and pastors children are begining to resent the ministry. 
• Leaders personal relationships with Christ are diminishing.
• We are producing better actors than pastors. 

Is this kind of non-transparent leadership traditional? Yes.

Is it popular? Yes.

Is it biblical? NO! 

The Apostle Paul was more than just a preacher. He was "the" New Testament church father as well as a church planter, leadership developer, pastor to pastor's, mentor and spiritual father to many. Paul would ride into town, start a church, appoint leadership and then ride out of town to do it all over again in another city. He was used by God to pen two-thirds of the New Testament scriptures that we all read and study today. If anyone had something to lose by being transparent with the people he led, it was the Apostle Paul. 

The book of Romans was one of those letters that God used the Apostle Paul to write. It's actually what Theologians call an "Encyclical" letter which basically means that when Paul wrote it he intended for it to be passed around from church to church to church and then read aloud to all the members in that church. In Romans chapter 7 Paul did something that many church leaders today would actually call foolish and even naive. In fact, I'd bet that if a church leader of Paul's standing did the same thing today we would no doubt hear gasps in the crowd and watch the jaws of the religious drop to the floor.  

Paul wrote:

"For the good that I want, I do not do, but I practice the very evil that I do not want. But if I am doing the very thing I do not want, I am no longer the one doing it but sin which dwells in me (Romans 7:19-20 NASB)." 

He would go on in verse 24 to even call himself a "wretched man." In a letter that would be published and read to thousands Paul says, "Hey, I've got some issues of my own. I don't have this whole thing figured out yet. In fact there's some sin dwelling inside of me that still needs to be dealt with, but thank God that He hasn't quit working on me!" 

Now that might not sound like a big deal to some of you reading this but you have to remember that this isn't just another church member writing these words - this is the church planting, pastor developing, New Testament church overseeing Apostle Paul! And that's not the only time Paul is rediculously transparent.

In 2 Corinthians 12:7-10 Paul shares that he has a weakness and a "messenger from Satan" that won't leave him alone:

Because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations, for this reason, to keep me from exalting myself, there was given me a thorn in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to torment me- to keep me from exalting myself! Concerning this I implored the Lord three times that it might leave me. And He said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness." Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me. Therefore I am well content with weaknesses, with insults, with distresses, with persecutions, with difficulties, for Christ's sake; for when I am weak then I am strong." 

Boasting in weakness is a New Testament concept that has fallen to the way side. We live in a ministry age of "image management" where we do everything in our power to make ourselves look good and protect our image when in reality we've been called to magnify Jesus and reflect His image. But Paul wasn't looking for a book deal nor was he trying to get himself on national TV. Paul's goal was to obey God, plant churches, and make disciples and admitting that he had weaknesses was something that everybody could relate to.

(Now let me make something clear right here, I am not talking about making excuses for our sin. Sin has no place in our lives and we are called to live holy and set apart for God so don't try to twist this blog or these scriptures to make an excuse for some sin that you want to embrace and refuse to repent of. For more reading on the dangers and consequences of pursing sin read Galatians 5:13-21.) 

This past Sunday God required me to get transparent and share with FCC how the business of moving my family, moving the church, and pastoring a growing ministry has taken a toll on my personal relationship with God. My time with God had weakened, my prayer life was on life support and my devotion time was growing cold fast. I had allowed the urgent things in life and ministry to take the place of the important things in life.

Being transparent in front of the entire church (including several first time guests) wasn't something that came easy. Being that transparent went against every bone in my body. I mean think about it, the pastor just stood up and told his congregation that "My prayer life stinks right now and I'm not pursuing God like I once was." That's not something your carnal flesh wants to do since the flesh is always about making the flesh look good but the results of this transparency was both incredible and divine.

FCC had the most passionate alter call we have ever had in our new facility. The alters were full of people, both members and first time guests seeking God for renewed passion. Tears were flowing and worship was rising as the people were asking God to help them get their prayer life and passion for God back to where it once was. There was repentance from "luke warm" relationships with God and people petitioned God to help them get back to that place of a burning hot relationship with Jesus again. The Holy Spirit did something that day that we will never forget. 

What was the key that opened the door to this kind of move of the Holy Spirit? The obedience to be Transparent. Transparency from the leader gave everyone else permission that day to be real and admit that their passion for God wasn't where it needed to be either.

I know that for some of you reading this blog the thought of being this transparent scares you half to death. Like me you too have fallen for the fallacy that transparency is weakness. The world and yes even the church has taught us to be superman (or woman).But transparency is a kingdom concept, not a worldly concept. Things are much different in the Kingdom. Paul said, "Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. THEN you will be able to test and approve what God's will is-His good pleasing and perfect will (Romans 12:2 NIV)."

Stick with me for the next few days as together we are going to unpack the idea of biblical transparency as well as the top reasons why we tend to run away from it. This is gonna be life changing - I promise. 

Keep It REAL,

Pastor Travis