Dinner in the house of Agustin and Carol

We went to visit Peiru's student, Carol in her house yesterday. Carol's husband, Agustin is a chef so we really had some good food for dinner. Below are some photos:

Chef Agustin cutting the chilli

Chicken with Mexican mole sauce

John Maxwell on the Hardest Thing in Leadership

Here are 10 questions with leader John Maxwell:

1. When you were growing up, is this what you thought you would be doing vocationally? If not, what did you want to do?

From my earliest memory, I’ve known that I was going to be a pastor. My brother and I even played church together when we were little. I was a senior pastor leading churches for 26 years. During that time, I felt God call me to teach leadership, which I began doing with fellow pastors. As time went by, more and business people came to learn leadership from me. I left the full-time pastorate in 1995 to teach leadership, now not only to pastors and business people, but also to educators, government leaders, and others. And through my nonprofit organization, EQUIP, we’ve been able to train millions of leaders worldwide.

2. What’s the most different job you’ve had from what you are doing now and how did that job help you with what you are doing now?

One of my first jobs was in a meat packing plant. And being the high-energy, curious person that I was, I wanted to learn everything I could about what we did. Unfortunately, that wasn’t the general attitude at the plant. They actually told me to slow down at my work and stop asking questions. As one worker told me, “Look, I just kill the cows and go home.”

From that experience, I realized that I wanted to be in work that was mentally stimulating and engaging with people.

3. Who is one person, besides Christ, who most helped to shape your leadership and how did they help you?

My father, definitely. I grew up in a leader’s household. He modeled good leadership and taught me and my brother how to lead. His influence has impacted everything I do. He’s my hero.

4. Besides the Bible, what is one book that has most helped to shape your thought process in life and ministry?

Spiritual Leadership by Oswald Sanders. That’s the book that really made me aware that everything rises and falls on leadership.

5. What are three words other people would use to describe your work style/ethic?

Energy, passion, encouragement.

6. What is your greatest strength in leadership?

Understanding people and caring about them. That’s really at the heart of leadership, isn’t it? If you don’t care about people, you shouldn’t try to lead them.

7. What is your greatest weakness in leadership?

Hiring. I’ve made some messes there. That’s because I believe so much in people that I tend to see only the best in them. I believe anyone CAN grow, so I can make a mistake in thinking that everyone WILL grow.

8. What is the hardest thing you have to do in leadership?

This goes with the last question. The hardest thing for me is to realize that not everyone continues on the journey with you. Saying goodbye as I move forward and others stay behind is very sad for me. But it’s important for every leader to learn that sometimes people either can’t, won’t or shouldn’t go the whole distance with us.

9. What is one misconception about your position you think people in your church may have?

Of course, I’m not senior pastor anymore. I still preach several times a year for my friend Tom Mullins at Christ Fellowship in West Palm Beach, but I don’t lead anything there. But from my years of experience, I’d say that people seem to think that being the top leader in an organization means you have ultimate freedom. The reality is that if you’re doing leadership the right way, then the higher you go, the less freedom and more responsibilities you have. The path gets narrower.

10. If you could give one piece of advice to young leaders, from what you’ve learned by experience, what would it be?

Pay the price for growth. People won’t give you credit when you’re early in the journey, but keep growing, learning, leading. The return doesn’t often come till years later, but it’s worth the price.

12 Confirming Questions for Calling

The following is from Mark Driscoll's teaching "The Calling of a Church Planter."

Calling Confirmation Questions

1. Is the Holy Spirit out ahead of you planting the church? You don’t plant a church for God, you plant a church with God. If money, people, and a place start showing up as you’re preparing to plant, that is potential evidence that the Holy Spirit is out ahead of you. (Acts 1)

2. Is your church planting call obvious to other godly leaders?

3. Has God confirmed your church plant by showing up in miraculous (big, supernatural, no-other-way-to-explain-it) ways? In Acts 3 and 4, Peter heals a man, preaches, and then thousands of people get saved.

4. Are you reaching lost people? The goal of church plants is the salvation of lost people. If you’re not doing this, don’t plant a church. If you want to be a shepherd, there are plenty of existing flocks in need. (Acts 8:5-9)

5. Has Jesus showed up and told you to plant? (Acts 9)

6. Has God told you to plant through a vision? In Acts 10 and 11, Cornelius and Peter both have a vision: Peter is called and Cornelius welcomes him.

7. Has God providentially relocated you to plant? In Acts 11:19-21, believers scatter due to prosecution and plant a church where they resettle.

8. Is God calling you to plant because you’re not totally necessary at your current church? If you’re in a church with good leaders that will be fine without you on their team, God may be calling you to relocate to a place where you can use your gifts and resources to their full capacity. (Acts 13)

9. Is God calling you to plant because you’re currently wasting your time in a toxic place? (Acts 14)

10. Are you called to be a catalytic church planter or to plant a church-planting center? In Acts 14, Paul goes from one city to the next planting churches and then sends in other men to establish elders whereas James (Jesus’ brother) plants a church in Jerusalem and stays there, sending other men out.

11. Has God called you to plant by giving you a deep burden for a city or people? (Acts 17:16)

12. Has God called you to plant by giving you a core group? (Acts 18:7-8)

5 reasons why leaders quit

Read an article by Perry Noble on leadership this morning. It is about the 5 reasons why leaders quit in church. Here it goes!

#1 – Burnout

I once heard someone say, “I would rather burn out than rust out.” Uh…BOTH are bad because NEITHER of them finish well. Too many people in the ministry work themselves into a frenzy, never take time to disconnect and refresh, and do absolutely nothing for fun--this always ends badly!

When it comes to leadership circles in America, we’ve equated being busy with being godly; however, the haunting reality that confronts that idea is what God Himself said in Psalm 46:10, “BE STILL and know that I am God,” not “be busy!”

If we are not taking regular breaks, doing things “just for fun,” and disconnecting, then burnout isn’t a matter of “if,” but “when!”

#2 – Unrealistic Expectations

Too many people believe that "ministry = easy" despite the fact that it seemed to go really badly for everyone in the Scriptures that sold their lives out to Him! Jesus went to the “place of the skull” to be crucified…why would we ever believe He would lead us to “the place of the mattress?”

When we impose our plans and ideas on God and refuse to surrender to His, it usually leads to people “giving up” because “God just didn’t come through.”

#3 – Criticism

Criticism hurts, it always will, and if it ever doesn’t, then, according to my counselor, something is dead inside of you. And it is always personal (especially when someone begins with, “Don’t take this personally, but…).

You can’t let the critics dictate what you think/feel! If you have a ministry that constantly responds to critics, then you will not have one that responds to Jesus. You MUST respond to the people who God has placed in your life to surround you and protect you–that’s not criticism but rather correction. However, you cannot allow those who know you the least to control you the most–period!

#4 – Discouragement

Every church leader I’ve ever chatted with has done some serious battles with discouragement. After your message on Sunday, the enemy comes in and begins to accuse you, telling you that you did a pathetic job and that no one is going to come back next week. I’ve had to battle discouragement during the message before, hearing voices inside of my head saying things like, “You stink, these people hate you…you need to quit the ministry…” and so on.

This is why it is essential for leaders to get in a place like David did in I Samuel 30:1-6. David faced an incredibly discouraging situation and yet somehow managed to find His strength in the Lord. I do this by reading through encouraging letters and e-mails that I’ve received in the past, placing myself in encouraging environments, and focusing on what God’s Word says about me.

#5 – Losing Focus on God’s Power

When we actually believe it is up to us to make people come back to church every week rather than believing we are conduits that God wants to work through to do that very thing…it’s over! Because we fall into the trap of trying to outdo ourselves every week, every series and every year and prayer/seeking the Lord become some things we love to talk about but fail to do. He saves…He draws people…and He uses us to do it. It’s not up to us but rather we need to allow Him to work through us to accomplish all that He wants to do!

Face it; on our own, we don’t have enough power to blow our noses. We need Him. He is the game changer!