When leaders get irritated

It happens to anyone who leads. I don't need to go into the causes as there can be many. The question is how does one handle the irritation with ones staff? It may seem like an elementary question but it actually is not as our response can help or hinder our leadership. It is why careless leaders lose unnecessary coinage with staff because they do not moderate their responses appropriately. 

Leaders have a higher responsibility to moderate their emotions and responses than others. The best leaders choose carefully how and when to respond to irritating events and modulate their emotions with care. The control of our emotions is designed to get us the best result rather than to vent in ways that are unhelpful. Leaders who are careless with their responses and emotions often hurt people unnecessarily (especially true with emails).

There are many times when leaders choose to keep their irritation to themselves and seek to solve the issue without revealing their emotions. There is often no need for staff to know our irritation if it is not necessary. Every time we reveal irritation we use and often lose coinage with staff.

There are a few instances where leaders intentionally choose to reveal their irritation, strong feelings or appropriate anger in order to make a significant point. There are times and events that require strong reaction because the issue at hand is critical to the organization. Especially when a key value of the organization has been violated.

The issue is whether leaders have the ability to modulate their emotions and often keep their emotions to themselves. And, to use their emotions in a productive manner rather than allowing them to be used unproductively. 

(Written from Berlin, Germany)

Can the Gospel impact whole cities?

The answer is yes! We know because God has done it before and I am confident he will do it again (I hope many times over) in our day. I remember growing up in Hong Kong where the Gospel was not well known in the sixties. Today it would be hard to live there without being touched by the love of Jesus in some way as over the years the Gospel has flourished and grown and the church has been deeply active in the life of the city. Much the same can be said for Singapore.

Today I am attending a conference for Together for Berlin, a coalition of ministries committed to reaching Berlin with the Gospel. ReachGlobal participates heavily in this effort. Together we would like to see a transformational Gospel presence in every one of Berlin's 100 distinct neighborhoods. Together, across ethnic (there are some 200 ethnic churches in Berlin), denominational and country lines we want to see the name of Jesus become well known and His reputation lifted high. And that in a city that is today one of the most secular but influential cities on the planet. 

Can it happen? Through the presence of the Holy Spirit and the power of the Gospel it can. And I believe it will because God has laid a similar burden on the hearts of so many Christians in this city and when God's people live and work in unity (John 17) God can work powerfully. Powerful ministry comes out of God's people putting aside their less important differences for the cause of the Gospel and the name of Jesus. They have kingdom hearts like Jesus not provincial and small hearts like many others. 

In the room with me are people from all over the world who now live in Berlin. They are very different and their faith expressions are also varied. The music this morning comes from a Romanian church in Berlin of 600, one of the largest churches in the city. Many different people, different churches, but they are of one mind when it comes to reaching this city with the love and transformation of Jesus. The unity of His people is a sign of His presence. Jesus said so! And it is evident in Berlin!

What about your city? Is there an effort among God's people to come together for the cause of the Gospel? I watched it happen in my home city, Hong Kong. I am watching it happen in Berlin and in ReachGlobal we are praying for some 100 such places world wide. I know of a number of cities where such efforts are underway and it always starts when God's people come together in unity around the Gospel. What unites us as evangelical believers is far more powerful than what divides us.

(Written from Berlin, Germany)

Desperation

I just arrived in Berlin for two and a half weeks of meetings and discovered when I checked into my room that my phone was missing. Immediately there was this feeling of desperation. All my contacts, my best way to communicate, the one thing that is never more than a few feet from me at any time and somehow it has become separated. 

It got me to thinking! What if we were as desperate for the company of the Holy Spirit in our day as we are for that little piece of technology that has become so dear to our lives and which we cannot do without. I think that is the point of John 15 where Jesus says I am the vine and you are the branches and whoever remains in me and I in them will bear much fruit.

I know that I can exist without my phone. I know I cannot exist without the presence of the Holy Spirit. If only we were as concerned about Him as we were about those things that make our life manageable on the technology side. A good lesson learned. Now I hope I can still locate that piece of technology!

(Written from Berlin, Germany)

Pray for those in Ukraine: A missionary's perspective

Comments from a ReachGlobal staff member

It’s now after 5 am in Ukraine on March 4.  Before I go to sleep tonight in the US, I’ll scour international news sites and Facebook with friends from Ukraine, looking for friends and ministry partners who may be on Skype at this early hour (for them) to see what happened with the ultimatum presented by the Russian government for Ukrainians to abandon their posts in Crimea or face the consequences and wrath of the Russian Army.

 It is surreal to live in and love the country that is the headline of every international newscast.  News changes so quickly that I’m often hesitant to post or make requests too specific.  That said, I would like to suggest ways we can pray together:

 Just as God held back vast armies numerous times in The Old Testament, we have seen God hold back the immense Russian Army and opposition in Ukraine.  Please pray with us that God will grant peace throughout Ukraine.  We are dependent on him for his intervention.

Amid the conflict in Kiev, there has been a prayer tent where people of numerous denominations have gathered together and stood to intercede for unity and peace.  Please pray with us that this unity of believers will continue long beyond this conflict.

Pray for war to be completely avoided in all areas of Ukraine.

We know from biblical accounts and personal experience that we serve a God of restoration and miracles.  Pray that He changes and directs the hearts of opposition leaders.

Pray for wisdom as the new government in Ukraine leads.  The new Prime Minister is a former Baptist Pastor.  Pray that he will hear and heed God’s voice.

We place our hope in God.  We recognize that He uses nations and leaders to accomplish His will.  Thank God for His sovereignty.

Often when the things that we put temporary hope in are stripped away, we see people search for answers.  Pray that Ukrainians will continue to turn to God for eternal hope and answers.

The best leaders are purveyors of hope

Our world is full of people who will see the down side of every situation even if there is none to be found. Whether it is the weather, the economy (OK so that one might be valid), ministry opportunities or life situations, many live with a degree of pessimism.

Good leaders, however, cannot live where many others may live for leaders are purveyors of hope. Not out of blind optimism. They are deeply realistic about the situations they face. But they also believe that the mission God has given them can and will be accomplished and they are committed to finding a way to go through, over, under or around barriers and obstacles. They are women and men of resolve.

Hope and vision are deeply connected because vision is not possible without the hope (and resolve) to get there.

Being a purveyor of hope actually starts with the ability to articulate a clear, compelling direction and picture of where a team or organization is going. Optimism without a clear picture of the preferred future will not motivate bright people. They might like the optimism but they will ask what its all about!

It also includes the ability to help staff know what their part in that picture is and to empower them to contribute to the goal. Staff want a piece of the action and a sense of empowerment instead of control and micromanagement. Good leaders are encourages and hold their staff to the same high expectations as they do themselves.

When times are tough, it is leaders who keep hope alive by helping the team figure out how to creatively deal with the challenges they face. Many ministries today are faced with severe financial constraints - or soon will be. Leaders are responsible to give their people the hope that they will find a way through. A large part of that is helping figure out how to manage with less while still keeping every one's eyes on the goal.

Even when hard decisions need to be made, the willingness to make those decisions for the health of the organization is a hopeful sign for staff. Knowing that their leaders are willing to do what is best for the organization (compassionately but proactively) gives staff confidence that the organization will prevail, in spite of the challenges that are faced.

Here is an interesting observation. Being a purveyor of hope does not mean that one is a raving extrovert or necessarily overtly optimistic. It does mean that one has great resolve and that resolve to succeed gives the team or organization confidence that the ministry they give themselves to will prevail and make a difference.

The cards we are dealt

Two things I know: I know that life is not fair and I know that God always is.

We see evidence of the first truth every day: illness, job loss, unfair circumstances, just the plain stuff of life that is not always pleasant or desired.

All of us are dealt a set of cards in our lives, and sometimes the hand is not what we signed up for. Those are the situations that cause discouragement, fatigue, disappointment, depression and anxiety.

If all we had were the first truth, (and that is all most people in our world have) life would be most discouraging. But, we know that God is fair, He is good, and He loves to redeem the unfairness of life for His greater purposes in our lives. In fact, speaking of God's goodness and fairness, there is nothing in us that deserves His attention to our lives in any way. The question is not why God allows some situation in our lives but why He deeply cares for us when it occurs. 

Think of the cards you have been dealt, the good ones and the hard ones. And then consider Peter's words: "In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that your faith - of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire - may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed (1 Peter 1:6-7).

What is interesting about Peter's words is that God has a higher purpose for our lives than our comfort. More important than our comfort is the quality, strength and development of our faith - and faith is developed when we are at the end of ourselves and must turn to Him in our need. For the Christ follower there is nothing more important than faith and trust in the Father and it is our trials that grow our faith quotient.

But even that is overshadowed by our ultimate goal which is to result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed.

Our faith, our response to the issues of life results in praise, glory and honor as others around us watch us handle the unfairness of life with genuine trust in our loving God. Our ultimate mission in life, after all is to make the father look good and the son well known.

We do that when we allow the unfairness and discouragements of life to be forged into cutting edge faith and in doing so we overcome the cards we have been dealt with the strong, tempered alloy of faith which brings great glory, praise and honor to God.

Understood in this light, each bad hand we are dealt becomes an opportunity to grow and to bring glory, praise and honor to God. It all depends on how we view life and its ultimate purpose. The shallow view is that life is about me. The grander view is that life is about God and how He wants to use me to bring glory, honor and praise to Him. How we view life and its ultimate purpose will determine how we respond to the cards we have been dealt.

If the cards in your hand today look unfavorable to you remember this truth. In the end you have the winning hand for God always has the last word.

Pray for Venezuela. See this YouTube video of what is largely unreported

Video of the current desperate situation in Venezuela