Allow me to elaborate. When I look through my glasses I see and find what it is I’m looking for and I rarely notice the glasses themselves. If I do notice them it’s because they’ve become dirty or scratched. Being a Lens to someone means you care more about helping someone clearly see the Truth they are seeking than  you do them noticing you. You’re work as a Lens is to remain clean and transparent, gather as much Light (Truth and Knowledge) as possible and put that into focus for the person you are serving. Being a Lens is about developing an attitude of humility and a desire to serve in the most humble and honest way possible. It’s not about you, but about helping the other person to see more clearly. As a Lens you do everything you can to give the person you are assisting the best and most honest view possible with the ultimate goal of going completely unnoticed if possible during that process. It serves a natural defense against Pride and keeps the focus on where it should be: living the life of a Disciple and proclaiming the Truth of God and His Creation (see 1 John 2:6).

Seeing ourselves as merely leaders allows for our pride and ego to sometimes get in the way. We can easily fall victim to thinking we’re the focus and what we do and say is what matters most. It can become more about what it is you know, how much you know, and how well you can articulate that knowledge and lead others to it. Those things are just as important to being a good Lens, but the focus (pun intended) and motive behind developing proficiency in those areas is much different. Being a leader also puts a tremendous amount of pressure on you to live up to the person you’re leading and their expectations of you to get them where they want to go. Being a Lens removes that pressure and puts the onus on them to decide their own path and whether or not to accept the Truth you are showing them.

Don’t just be a leader. Be a Lens and be the best Lens you can be! Polish yourself by improving your level of knowledge and wisdom. Enhance your ability to focus others by increasing your ability to articulate through language skills both written and spoken. Remain transparent in your life so that others may see Christ through you because a Lens works both ways. As you help others to see more clearly, God’s Truth and His Love will shine more brightly through you to them. You don’t even need to be in a leadership position to be a Lens to others. It’s a mindset, not an ability, so anyone can do it. Even you!

Look around today and you will find literally hundreds, if not thousands of books and other related materials on “Leadership”. Indeed, “Leadership” and all of its associated training has become an industry unto itself. John Maxwell, Dale Carnegie, Steven Covey, Zig Zigler, and countless others have written book after book on the subject and yet we still have a shortage of true leaders in the world today. Why is that? I would like to suggest it might be because the true mark of a leader is not about being a “Leader”; it’s about being a “Disciple”. Not all leaders are Disciples, but all Disciples are leaders (emphasis mine) and it is precisely the Christlikeness within a leader that draws people to them. Yet the majority of today’s leaders, or should I say the people trying to become leaders, completely miss this fact and that is, in my opinion, largely do to the increasing secularization of our society. It’s no longer acceptable to talk about Jesus or the Bible in public any more, so the people wanting to sell books have taken His principles and stripped out any reference to Him in order to be more marketable with His very message.

I have read many books on leadership and let me tell you this: There is nothing written in any of them that was not first taught by Jesus two thousand years ago. The problem with reading these books is that many people end up idolizing and worshiping the author rather than the source from whom they are getting their material and inevitably all we end up with is a list of techniques for being a leader that sells us short and leaves us still wanting. They are missing the one crucial element for true success as a leader and that element is Jesus Christ.

Jesus Christ is the perfect model for leadership, not John Maxwell, not Zig Zigler, and certainly not you or me; and the sooner we realize this, the less time we’ll need to spend reading book after book on the subject of Leadership. Now I’m not condemning the wisdom and principles of leadership that the authors mentioned above have shared in their writings. Some of them are devout followers of Christ, which is precisely why they are such successful leaders. I’m simply saying that we need to keep what they say in the proper perspective and always keep first and foremost in our mind who we should be modeling ourselves after. Leadership exercises, activities, classes, and programs are great, but if that is your purpose and your process for becoming a leader, then that’s all you will have to offer others. If your life however, is about being a Disciple of Christ, a Servant of God, you will not only have the skills and techniques of a great leader to share with others, you’ll also have the Person of Jesus Christ to offer them.

C.S. Lewis once said “Aim at heaven and you will get earth ‘thrown in’: aim at earth and you will get neither.” If we keep our focus on Heaven and we remain in Him, He will remain in us and we will bear much fruit; and it will be the fruit of our efforts that shows ourselves to be His Disciples. If we miss the example of Christ Jesus and remain focused on the training and techniques of being a leader, we limit ourselves and those we are teaching to what we know, and what we are. When we serve others as Disciples of Christ and train them as Disciples rather than just “Leaders”, the sky is the limit as to what can be accomplished because what we accomplish is done for the Kingdom, in His name, for His glory, rather than for ourselves. As Disciples: “We proclaim Him, admonishing and teaching everyone with all wisdom, so that we may present everyone perfect in Christ. To this end we labor, struggling with all His energy, which so powerfully works in us.”(Col.1:28-29 NIV) Amen.

Take your pick. They all boil down to one of these: Lust, Gluttony, Greed, Sloth, Wrath, Envy, and PRIDE (Rom. 3:23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.); and all of these things lead to death (Physical and Eternal). But take heart, because the other side of that Romans 3:23 verse is Romans 6:23 “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” WE HAVE A SAVIOR and a way out! That my friends is the greatest joy of being a Christian. We’re still going to die physically because we live in a world ravaged by the effects of sin. There’s no escaping it. But we (our souls), as believers in Christ, will live on in Eternity with our LORD Jesus Christ; being forever in His Presence and in His Light and in His Perfect Love in a little place He’s gone to prepare for us called Heaven. That is the Gospel. For those who have ears to hear… let them hear and believe. Amen.

The below videos are from a presentation given by University of Virginia School of Law professor and former defense attorney James Duane and Virginia Beach Police Detective George Bruch. They are EXCELLENT! and clearly show why, if you’re ever arrested, to KEEP YOUR MOUTH SHUT and don’t say ANYTHING to the police especially if you are innocent. God Bless the Fifth Amendment! It’s not just for criminals after all.

Here’s the first part from the law professor’s point of view:

Here’s the second part from the police detectives point of view:

What am I doing about it? Well I’ve gone and done something that very well may be the start of something that one is effective and two, is livable in the long term. I signed up and two weeks ago began a Zumba class. What it Zumba you ask? Here’s the marketing description for you:

Zumba is a Latin inspired, dance-fitness class that incorporates Latin and International music and dance movements, which create a dynamic, exciting and effective fitness system. Zumba means to “move fast and have fun.” The class format combines fast and slow rhythms that tone and sculpt the body in an aerobic/fitness fashion to achieve a unique blended balance of cardio and muscle-toning benefits.

All I can say is this is one of the craziest things I’ve done in a long time and an hour of this is a LOT harder than it looks. It will totally and completely kick your butt in a very good way. I would personally like to thank my instructor and co-worker Lisa Hoppe for her inspiration and incredible level of energy and stamina. She is a human dynamo! and a blessing to everyone in her classes. As for me, please keep me in your prayers on Thursdays from 5:15 to 6:15 pm. I need all the help I can get to make it through this class and remember… as a child of the King, your body is not your own. It belongs to the Lord and was bought at a huge price. It is the dwelling place of the Holy Spirit. So take good care of what you have been given in this life and if you like, go Zumba for God!

• “Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body. (1Cor. 6:19-20 NIV)”
• “Don’t you know that you yourselves are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit lives in you? (1Cor. 3:16 NIV)”

Here’s a little sample of what Zumba looks like:

Here’s another (longer) example:

I can’t wait for my son to be old enough to understand what Baptism is about and what it means to own your faith and make that decision for yourself to put your life in Christ’s hands. He wants to be baptized now just like his big sister, and it breaks my heart to have to tell him no, but as his father and as I did with Megan, I cannot let my children just “go through the motions” without fully knowing and understanding what it’s all about. Megan was ready and able to make that decision and I am so thankful and happy that she did and to know that we will be together someday in Heaven!

I’ve posted a short video clip here of Megan’s Baptism if you’d like to see. It may take a few minutes for the video to load especially if you have a slower connection, so please be patient. It’s worth it to see the smile on her face. Praise God!

“Dear Lord… I pray for my brother Steven and his family right now. I cry for their loss and pray for your comfort to be upon them as they lean on you to help them through this incredibly hard time. Please Father… wrap them in your loving arms and hold them tight. I wish I could myself. Let him use the talent you’ve given him to get him through this grief and anguish. Let his music be his connection to you through all of this and may whatever he writes about this time bring comfort to other as well. In Jesus name I pray. Amen and Amen.”

P.S. I find it ironic that the CD I’ve been listening to is one of his and is titled “Signs of Life”. God Bless you and your family Steven Curtis Chapman!

Update: Here is some info regarding condolences.

In lieu of flowers, the Chapmans request any gifts be directed to Shaohannah’s Hope, according to the Steven Curtis Chapman web site. To express condolences click here. By mail, send to P.O. Box 150156 Nashville, TN 37215.

The first aspect of “The One” is in reference to the Lost One and can be found in Matthew 18:10-14 and Luke 15:3-7. Here is the passage from Matthew: “See that you do not despise one of these little ones, for I say to you, that their angels in heaven continually behold the face of My Father who is in heaven. [“For the Son of Man has come to save that which was lost.] What do you think? If any man has a hundred sheep, and one of them has gone astray, does he not leave the ninety-nine on the mountains and go and search for the one that is straying? And if it turns out that he finds it, truly I say to you, he rejoices over it more than over the ninety-nine which have not gone astray. Thus it is not the will of your Father who is in heaven that one of these little ones perish.”(Matt. 18:10-14 NASB)

The second aspect of “The One” is in reference to pursuing and becoming more like Christ: The Holy One. There are way too many passages to list so I’ll just post a couple. The first is from 1 Peter chapter One: “Wherefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and hope to the end for the grace that is to be brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ; As obedient children, not fashioning yourselves according to the former lusts in your ignorance: But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation; Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy.” (1 Pet. 1:13-16 KJV)

The second passage is from 1 Peter chapter four: “Therefore, since Christ suffered in his body, arm yourselves also with the same attitude, because he who has suffered in his body is done with sin. As a result, he does not live the rest of his earthly life for evil human desires, but rather for the will of God. For you have spent enough time in the past doing what pagans choose to do — living in debauchery, lust, drunkenness, orgies, carousing and detestable idolatry. They think it strange that you do not plunge with them into the same flood of dissipation, and they heap abuse on you. But they will have to give account to him who is ready to judge the living and the dead. For this is the reason the gospel was preached even to those who are now dead, so that they might be judged according to men in regard to the body, but live according to God in regard to the spirit. The end of all things is near. Therefore be clear minded and self-controlled so that you can pray. Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins. Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling. Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God’s grace in its various forms. If anyone speaks, he should do it as one speaking the very words of God. If anyone serves, he should do it with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ. To him be the glory and the power for ever and ever. Amen.” (1 Pet. 4:1-11 NIV)

The final reference to “The One” pertains to going on the offensive and attacking “The Evil One” rather than just being passive in my faith. It comes from several passages; the first one being a promise from Jesus: “And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.” (Matt. 16:18 KJV). The second one is found in 2 Corinthians chapter ten: “For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.” (2 Cor. 10:3-5 NIV) My final passage in this third aspect comes from Pauls admonition in the fifth chapter of 1 Peter: “Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls about like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. But resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same experiences of suffering are being accomplished by your brethren who are in the world. And after you have suffered for a little while, the God of all grace, who called you to His eternal glory in Christ, will Himself perfect, confirm, strengthen and establish you. To Him be dominion forever and ever. Amen.” (1Pet. 5:8-11 NASB) Being alert and resisting the Devil is an offensive move. It requires intention and effort and the ability to overcome the apathy in our lives. It’s hard to do and this is often where I fail in my quest of “Going after the One”.

The Lost One. The Holy One. and the Evil One. There you have it! That’s who I’m going after and regardless of my personal success or failure in this endeavor, I want to encourage all of you to “Go after the One’ in every way possible because like Elwood Blues said in the Blues Brothers: “We’re on a mission from God”.

I just love God’s ways and sense of humor because He responded and reminded me of what I’m supposed to do and He did so using my own words to do it. Here’s a devotional I wrote about three years ago as well.

When Words Fail
“Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we ought, but that very Spirit intercedes with sighs too deep for words.” (Rom. 8:26 NRSV)

Sometimes in life we come to a point where we are so distraught, so hurt, and so confused that we just don’t know what to do. We know we should turn to God. We know we should pray; but we just can’t find the words to wrap around our feelings. Often we just give up and don’t pray because we are too frustrated with our inability to articulate our thoughts into prayer.
When you find yourself in times like these, don’t give up! Bear your feelings, your thoughts of anger, pain, joy, fear, love, all your emotions to the Holy Spirit and let Him interpret your prayer to God. Do not try to put your thoughts into words. Simply let them be fully present in your mind and give them to the Holy Spirit. Be HONEST with Him and allow Him to do a great work within you. Jesus left so that He would come: “And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever”(John 14:16 NIV). “But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you. Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid” (John 14:26-27 NIV).

Christ has promised us a counselor, an interpreter, to guide and comfort us until His return. He did this so we may have peace and live our lives without fear. Believe in the power of the Holy Spirit to bring your “unspeakable” prayers before God and then thank our Father in Heaven and say these words to Him at the end of your prayer time: “Abba, Father, Daddy… I love you!” I’m willing to bet you will experience a feeling of love (His Love) wash over you like you have never felt before.

As a result, this is also a day I tend to get a little upset with God and we end up having some words about the situation. As usual, He wins the argument and I don’t feel any better because of it. Yesterday though was a little different. He reminded me of this devotional I wrote three years ago and that He is worthy of honor and praise all the time. Even when I “don’t feel like it” because He had allowed something bad to happen in my life that I don’t yet fully understand. This is one of those moments where “Faith” meets the real road of life and is put to the test. He is worthy all of the time, no matter what. And so are our Mother’s AND Fathers. Not just one day a year, but every day. Don’t take them for granted. One day they’ll be gone and Mother’s and Father’s days will become hard for you as well. Call them right now, even though it’s not Mother’s/Father’s Day, and tell them how much you love them and how much they mean to you, but first pray to God and thank Him for Who He is and for the parent’s He’s given you. Here’s the original piece from May 8th, 2005.

Mother’s Days
Today is a very special day; just ask any card store, florist, or restaurant owner. Today is the day we recognize and honor Mother’s here in the United States and I believe it is a very good thing to do. Mothers make the world run and we would be lost without them. Actually… we wouldn’t exist without them. Praise God for “Mothers”!

That being said, I would now like to beg God for forgiveness for what we have done to Mother’s in our American society today through this institution that we have created called “Mother’s Day”. I was recently talking to a lady at church and we were trying to figure out when to have a very important meeting regarding the future of the church itself. This is when I made the grievous error of suggesting we meet on Sunday the 8th (Mother’s Day). Immediately I was reminded that that was “Mother’s Day” and it would be inappropriate to infringe on that day and ask such a thing of the congregation. “Wouldn’t your wife be upset?” she asked.

Immediately bells and sirens started going off in my head until I realized what I was confronting in this situation: our American Culture. My response to her was to say: “What difference does it make? I honor, or at least try to honor my mother and my wife as the mother of my children every day. Not just once a year.” This caught her by surprise and I think, or at least I hope, made a lasting impression. As Christians we are taught not to conform to the ways of the world but to seek first His Kingdom and His Righteousness. Our society, in its never ending attempt to remove all accountability, has decided that one day a year in May and one day a year in June is what will be set aside to honor our Mother and our Father, make a buck, and check it off our individual “I’m OK checklists.” Then we can go back to doing whatever, without any guilt or sense of obligation to honor them the other 364 days of the year. America, in it’s attempt to “capitalize” on Mother’s and Father’s has done them both a great injustice and simultaneously set up two days out of the year for society to publicly practice idolatry (see Deut. 5:8): where we put Mother’s and Father’s before God in our lives.

The scripture says: “Honor your father and your mother, as the LORD your God has commanded you, so that you may live long and that it may go well with you in the land the LORD your God is giving you” (Deuteronomy 5:16 NIV). I cannot find anywhere in this passage where is says “once a year”, or “one day in May and June.” We are supposed to honor our parents all of the time, not just once a year; and we are to honor our God all of the time , with no exceptions, not just when it fits our schedules. Now if only the card stores, florist, and restaurants could see the big picture here, they just might be able to enjoy the blessings of our Father more than once a year; and our Culture might just make a turn for the better. Make everyday Mother’s Day and Father’s Day all of the time and give God the honor and glory He deserves no matter what day it is.

Thank you Lord for Mother’s and Father’s. May we honor them always and may we honor You above all else. In Jesus name… Amen.