The Eagle Speaks – Carried into His Presence

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One of the best times for me to pray and think is when I ride my bike. Last Tuesday, Election Day, I hopped on my bike and rode around a reservoir near our house. As I called out to Abba Father for some direction a soaring bird with huge wings landed on top of a tree near the bike path. I quickly applied the brakes, as I was stunned to see a Bald Eagle above me. I pulled out my phone to capture this surreal moment and the eagle flew across the lake to join another eagle resting in a tree. I can count on one hand the times I have seen a Bald Eagle in the wild but to see two was unbelievable!

Mesmerized by the eagles perched high on the tree my mind began illuminating with Scripture texts about the majestic, powerful eagle. As the wind picked up the eagle took flight and soared over my head, again I tried to take a picture of it as it flew by. Well that black dot in the blue sky is the eagle 🙂  Needless to say I enjoyed the bike ride home, as I was filled with praise for the wonder of God’s creation.

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The next morning, as I sat down to do my devotions, my focus turned to the recent elections and I contemplated what it all might mean for our country. Immediately God brought me back to the eagles I had just encountered and how the eagle is the symbolic bird of the United States. I turned the pages of my Bible and began looking up passages about eagles. I ended up with 33 references! The imagery presented in scripture about the eagle is utterly amazing and I think will be an encouragement to many in light of the recent elections. So for the next few blogs I would like to share what I believe the Holy Spirit impressed upon my heart about the eagle.

The first truth is from Exodus 19:4: Carried into His Presence

You yourselves have seen what I did to Egypt, and how I carried you on eagles’ wings and brought you to myself.

I truly believe that our Father is preparing us His children for a new move of God where His passion is for us to be once again in His presence. We have been enslaved to our world, our “Egypt” for too long. Like an eagle God will place us on His wings and carry us out of bondage to His Holy Mountain to once again reveal His glory the place of true freedom. The eagle is a symbol of freedom and true freedom is only found in the presence of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

Join me in praying that the Father would place us on the wings of the Holy Spirit and bring us out of our sin and into the reviving presence of our loving Abba Father.

 

 

 

 

 

Kingdom Leadership – Burritos, a Prostitute, and the Power of God

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It was Tuesday night and we were walking through a motel parking lot when a lady stopped us to ask for some food. She had noticed us knocking on hotel doors carrying our basket filled with burritos, bananas, and chocolate chip cookies. We willingly loaded her small purse with as much as it could hold and then all of a sudden she unleashed a fury of anger and frustration with a torrent of words I can’t repeat in this blog. She was obviously at a breaking point; it was the end of the month, her phone had just been stolen, likely by a client she had sold her body to, and she exploded with a rage that masked her deep fear. We tried to settle her down and took a few minutes to attentively listen to what was troubling her. Once she calmed down we asked if we could pray over her. She paused for a moment, turned her head so that her eyes met both of our eyes and then quietly responded, “Yes! I need Jesus and prayer.”

Usually one of us prays for any of the individuals we meet, but this time the Holy Spirit nudged my wife Patty to gently touch this wounded woman’s shoulder and ask her if she would start out the prayer time. This sister didn’t hesitate to offer a prayer. So here in the middle of the parking lot, we held hands as she cried out to Jesus, literally crying and asking for forgiveness and help in her desperate situation. After a few moments Patty and I joined her before the mercy seat of God, asking the Father to flood her with His overwhelming goodness. The three of us could sense the Holiness of the moment and as we finished praying her anger and rage was replaced with a calm peace and a hope for a better day. We exchanged hugs; all sighed with relief, realizing that Jesus had just shown up.

That evening on the dangerous streets of East Colfax Jesus allowed us to be a part of Kingdom Leadership. Jesus Himself demonstrated it best when He knelt down and washed the dirty feet of His disciples. It doesn’t make sense to us that King Jesus became a servant and yet He did. And after He finished displaying this powerful picture of Kingdom Leadership He challenged His disciples by saying these words:

Do you understand what I have done for you? …You call me ‘Teacher’ and ‘Lord’, and rightly so, for that is what I Am. Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another’s feet. I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you…Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them. John 13:12-17

Take a minute to reread those words. Jesus is telling us that if we desire to see transformation in our world and witness the goodness of our Father it will begin on our knees serving others just as Jesus served us on the cross. Servant Leadership will open up the door for the Father’s Kingdom to break forth. Burritos, bananas, and chocolate chip cookies become tools for us to share the love in the darkest places, yes even the places where the lies of Satan reign.

When we practice Kingdom Leadership Jesus’ style, you will be blessed by doing the same. It is truly indescribable yet somehow in the middle of the parking lot that evening Heaven came down and glory filled our souls!

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Kingdom Leadership – Towel & Basin

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When you enter into the sanctuary of the church our family attends you are confronted with a potent picture of Kingdom Leadership. On the left stage located beneath a wooden cross is a brown washbasin with a towel draped over it. Every Sunday as worshipers crowd in, lift up praises to Jesus, and hear His Word there is a visible sermon calling them to emulate the actions of the King of the Universe.

The image of King Jesus on His knees washing dirty, stinky, ugly, gross feet the night before His journey to the cross would be forever seared into the minds of His disciples who were still grappling with a man-centered approach of leadership. When Jesus approached Peter to wash his feet, Peter vehemently responded, “No, you shall never wash my feet (John 13:8). I believe Peter was still in the CEO paradigm mode of leadership, meaning the world rotates upon a leader’s wish and command. It would take a betrayal of his Lord, a bloody cross on which His rabbi died, and a restoration on resurrection day to shift Peter’s worldview to the towel and basin approach.

The Kingdom of God would advance by humble servant leaders who followed in the steps of Jesus even if it meant washing the feet of the “Judas’ in their life.” The early church launched an unstoppable movement of Jesus’ love by serving the poor, sick, and the “least of these” which opened wide the door for an introduction to the true King of the Universe Jesus Christ.

Some where along the way we lost our towel and basin approach to Kingdom Leadership. How can I tell? Just observe the emotional reactions to the current election by followers of Christ. Many are distraught, consumed with fear, and even overcome with rage at the direction our country is heading. I know because I have had some of those same emotions. Yet when I walk into church and I see the towel and basin I’m forced to wrestle with Jesus’ approach to a leadership style designed to take over the world with a humble love that serves.

When I reread and mediate on the Kingdom Leadership principles in John 13 I get inspired again in the midst of what appears to be a hopeless situation in our country. The early church faced odds of opposition from the right, left, and everything in between yet in a couple hundred years they turned the cruel Roman Empire upside down with the towel and basin approach and earned the right to share the gospel. Rome was invaded and overthrown by a King who ruled in the hearts of His people because of the towel and basin.

On our refrigerator is a picture of a towel and basin. It reminds our family that there is only one way to lead and that is on our knees washing the feet of others. I pray that November 8, Election Day, will be a day that calls followers of Christ to exhibit the humble act of washing the feet of those in our homes, neighborhoods, schools, work places, those serving in political officials and yes even our enemies. I’m praying another Kingdom movement is about to explode by towel and basin!

Kingdom Leadership – Security

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As a pastor and church leader I have read countless books and attended many conferences on leadership. Although these tools have been enriching and assisted me in the area of leadership, I have learned that if one foundational truth is missing all the books and seminars have little value. I believe the foundation of Kingdom Leadership is security.

You can be blessed with natural gifts of leadership, but if you miss security the results can be devastating for you and those God has called you to lead. Evidence of this can be found in the lives of King Saul and King David. Saul was gifted with incredible natural abilities to be a powerful leader, yet led out of insecurity, which ultimately destroyed him and his family. In contrast the shepherd boy David, even overlooked by his father when the prophet Samuel was searching for a leader, found security in God’s love and was chosen to have the Messiah come from his family line.

In John 13 we see Jesus, the Son of David, leading out of a deep-seeded security. Verse 3 states the source of His security:

Jesus knew that the Father had put all things under His power, and that He had come from God and was returning to God; so He got up from the meal, took off His outer clothing, and wrapped a towel around His waist…”

Jesus was the greatest of all leaders because He “knew the Father.” Jesus could deal with harsh criticism from religious leaders, overwhelming disappointment when the crowd missed His message, and even rejection from family and close friends because His Dad loved Him. Jesus didn’t lead out of fear or insecurity, but out of a loving heart deeply anchored in His Daddy’s overwhelming love.

I have a long ways to go in leading like Jesus, but I do recall that when I started to grasp the Father’s love for me my leadership started to change. I realized how my insecurities led to a striving spirit that worried about pleasing man and earning the Father’s favor, which left me exhausted. I recognized that the most important thing I could do as a spiritual leader at home and in the church was to spend time with my Heavenly Father and receive His love for me. Throughout the gospels Jesus teaches that knowing the Father is His number 1 priority, in fact He displayed this by often leaving a crowd to find a quiet place to talk with His Dad. After a season of being renewed in His Father’s presence He was able to show the people what His Father’s love looked like.

When we are secure in the Father’s love for us we are able to be Kingdom Leaders, it doesn’t matter whether we have natural leadership gifts. Kingdom Leadership flows from the river of Abba Father’s love for you. As you and I drink from the river the flows from the Father’s love seen best at Calvary in the death of His Son, we become conduits of that love that touches those around us.

Kingdom Leadership – Love Displayed

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My father-in law has always been an exceptional leader. He led as a school principal for over 40 years helping to create environments where students and teachers thrived. For 6 years I experienced this first hand as I inhabited his office with fellow classmates who I tangled with on the playground. Instead of a stern rebuke, which was deserved, he smiled and handed my fellow fighting partner and me a puzzle and said, “When you finish this you can have your recess back.” Even though I despise puzzles to this day it was an ingenious way to restore a relationship as one was forced to work closely with his opponent and by the end a friendship was formed.

Yes, even though I graced the principal office to many times to count I was still allowed to marry his daughter and be apart of the family for almost 30 years. These past few years I have watched my father –in law lead in an unforgettable way. He used to lead literally hundreds of people but now, most of the time, it is down to one, his beloved wife of over 50 years who battles memory loss. Patty and I recently spent a few days with them and we witnessed Ray pouring out unconditional love to Jan in affirming words and countless actions. Just as he did during my elementary school years he teaches how to lead in love in the midst of a battle that won’t be won. He continues to give even when love is not always received or understood.

Watching my father-in law lead in sacrificial love brought to mind one of the greatest passages of leadership in the Bible John 13:1-17, Jesus washing His disciples’ feet. This text starts out by saying:

Jesus knew that the time had come for Him to leave this world and go to the Father. Having loved his own who were in the world he now showed them the full extent of His love (vs. 1).

The goal of Jesus’ mission on earth was to bring the Father’s love to an orphan planet. Jesus’ final act of love on the cross was only a day away and yet He takes the time to show the future leaders of the church what Kingdom Leadership looked like. If you want to lead in the Kingdom it will require a love that brings you to your knees-washing the dirty feet of both friend and foe.

As Patty and I watched the second presidential debate I noticed my father-in-law’s hand gently holding his wife’s hand. I thought about the contrast of the world’s view of leadership that promotes power fueled by fear and how the Kingdom of God promotes sacrifice fueled by the by the love of heaven seen best at the cross. When I asked my father-in law how he gets through each day, he said, “Tim, I pray daily for the love of God to fill me with patience and strength to love Jan, and He does.”

As we live in a culture void of Kingdom Leadership, hear the voice of God call us back to the model given to us by Jesus in John 13. May we fervently pray for the Holy Spirit to fill us anew with Heaven’s love to follow Christ’s example.

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