We Are Wasting Away!

“Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day.” 2 Corinthians 4:16b TNIV

My mother used to say, “You are only as old as you feel”. In some ways this is a true statement and the reality is that my physical body is wasting away and will die one day. As I grow older, I am increasingly aware that this body is growing older. It takes me longer to accomplish a task than it did a few years ago. Not only does it take me longer, the task is more challenging and difficult to accomplish. Some are no longer possible. Others are completed with a greater risk to injury to my body especially my back.

In addition, concentration needed when working with my mind takes more energy and is thus more challenging and tiring. This means that more energy is used to accomplish the same task. All of this is happening at a time when my body is experiencing a decrease in energy levels. This means the balance of energy is challenged on both ends - more is needed and less is available. Growing older means reducing my level of activity including working with my mind. 

However, while dealing with these losses, the Scripture promises that inwardly I am being renewed daily. This is indeed good news! My inner life is growing stronger. My relationship with God through Christ is better than it has ever been and I am looking forward to continued growth in my relationship  with Christ.

So how do I live a fulfilled life when my ability to “do” is declining? The key according to this Scripture in focusing on my inner life. This means putting more energy into “being” with Christ rather that “doing” for Christ. In reality the physical focuses on the temporary and the inner life builds for the eternal.

This is what Jesus was teaching in John 15:5 TNIV,“I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.” Growing older frees me from the trap of busyness and gives me the freedom to spent more of my time and energy nurturing my relationship with Jesus. The promise of Jesus is that this will result in bearing much fruit, fruit that will last. This fruit has eternal value long after life in this body has ended. 

I want to shift from focusing on doing things for Christ to being with Him. This enables me to focus on the gains of growing older rather than the losses. It’s a choice I want to make. If not I risk growing more frustrated and bitter as I grow older and my body moves toward death. Living into this promise of a renewed inner life gives me hope and a future that is filled with increased meaning and purpose. Even if total disability should be my lot, I can rest assured that my life is bearing much fruit for the Kingdom and will last for eternity.

The Challenge of Retirement!

One of the challenges I am facing in the early stage of my retirement (I retired at age 70 April  30, 2014) is finding my significance in who I am in Christ (being) rather than what I do for  Jesus (doing). Ministry also provided me with feelings of importance from having title, status and prestige. I have been a missionary for the past 14 years. Before that I was pastor for 15 years followed by Conference Regional Minister for 8 years. Now my title is semi-retired. This is a loss.

Retirement also creates the loss of busyness. One of the most common questions in our culture today is about being busy. To be sure I have plenty of things to do though not much formal ministry. This gives me time to work with my hands and tackle projects that have remained undone while active in ministry. Working with my hands has been good therapy for renewing my mind. However the loss of busyness with ministry is a loss.

I realize that it takes longer to do the same amount of work whether working with my mind or body. The mind does not work as fast a well as it used to and neither does the body. In addition the stamina required to do the work has decreased so shorter times of work are required. 

In preparation for retirement the most helpful resource has been the book, “Gift of Years: Growing Older Gracefully” by Joan Chittister. It has helped me deal with loss that growing older brings with it. It seems we have two options in dealing with loss as we grow older. On the one hand we can continue to push forward and slow down only as the limitations of age rob us of our ability to perform. With this option we continue to find our significance in what we do. Therefore with the loss of abilities we loose significance. This option will leave is a feelings of victimization and will most likely lead to living with resentments that lead to bitterness.

The other option is to choose to find our significance in who we are rather than in what we do. With this option I am free to choose to reduce my level of activity rather than wait until I am forced to slow down. This is a process of maturing in Christ in which I increasingly find my worth in who I am in Christ rather than in what I can do for Him. I offer my gifts, abilities and wisdom as needed rather than forcing myself on others because of the needs of my ego.

We are able to do this voluntarily because we are shifting from finding our significance in what we do to who we are in Christ. I am lead each day by the Holy Spirit with an increased desire to live in intimacy with God. In this relationship my true self is nurtured and fed. My relationship with Christ makes me important and gives me worth because Jesus has declared me worthy of  his death on the cross. I am now free to offer back to God and others who I am rather than striving to “score points” by doing for others. 

This means learning to live for the audience of One rather than living for the applause of many! It means living out John 15:5, “Those who remain in me, and I in them, will produce much fruit. For apart from me you can do nothing.” This means I need slow down and take care of my own soul first rather than burning out meeting the demands of the crowd. 

I knew all of this in my head when I set the time of retirement at 70 years. What I have discovered knowing something in my head does not translate into knowing it in my heart. Thus some days I have slipped into a “funk” emotionally usually without knowing the reasons.

The Greatest Challenge of Leadership

“What do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose your own soul? Is anything worth more than your soul?” Matthew 16:26 NLT

Every leader faces the challenge of balancing “Being” with “Doing”. Most of my life I have been focused on doing. Maximizing my impact on others, serving others and other performance goals. How can I live a life of influence?

What if we began with the questions, “What is God most desiring from me? What are the deepest longings of my soul?

I believe God’ priority is that I grow in my love for Him until I love the Lord with all my heart, soul and mind. He desires intimacy with me in a relationship that is growing where God is replacing all the things that I love and worship instead of Him. 

This is all about being a human in relationship with a mighty, awesome God, King of the universe. When this relationship is strong and growing I am able to serve others out of the overflow of Christ in me. On the other hand when my soul is empty as a result of living a self centered life, I have only myself to give to others relying on what is in my head rather than my heart.

This challenges me at the center of who I am. Its a question of where does my self worth/significance come from? Do I find my true worth in what I do or who I am in Christ? Perhaps looking at my calendar gives a clue. What is the balance between doing and being in my life? How many hours a day do I give to serving others, doing for God rather than being with God? 

It takes time to nurture my life in Christ. It doesn’t just happen without being intentional. What dictates how you use your time? Are you spending enough time alone with God (living for the audience of One) to keep your soul full and growing? Even my time with God can become a list of things I need to do and thus we miss the alone time with God in which He is the audience of my attention, my focus and center of attention.

Retirement challenges my dependence on doing for my significance (Stay tuned).

Transformation!

I have noticed a significant decrease in the use of the word repentance in Christian theological vocabulary. Is it possible that it is being replaced by the use of the terms diversity and Tolerance? Diversity is being used to describe the variance we see in the church in naming sin especially sexual sin. We are being called to accept sin as normal under the guise of tolerance rather than standing clearly on the truth of Scripture and its definition of sin.

Is it possible that the church is being influenced by the dominant culture in which we live? Are we increasingly coming under the pressure of political correctness? This will dim our light in a world filled with darkness. 

This is created since we are ignoring the power of the Gospel to transform and redeem persons living in the bondage to sin. Repentance is the first step of transformation - being made into the likeness and image of Christ. We cannot experience the power of the Gospel to transform us out of sin that we refuse to acknowledge.

Tolerance and diversity overlook the need for transformation and justifies who we are in our sinful nature. This leaves us without the hope of being changed by the power of Christ at work in us. Scripture teaches clearly that God cannot and will not tolerate sin nor overlook it. In fact when we tolerate sin we devalue and ignore the death of Jesus on the cross. God’s only remedy for my sin is Jesus death on the cross. The Gospel call to repentance is clear and it is the first step in offering sinners healing and hope. 

The Christian church is being polarized by disagreements about our understanding of sin. This is because we are increasingly relying on human reasoning in deciding matters of truth rather than discerning and doing the will of God. 

Unity is not found in tolerance and acceptance of sin rather unity is created when we hear God speak as we gather around the Scriptures committed to obedience to the truth revealed. In fact true diversity is diversity of race, language and culture as seen in the New Testament not diversity of truth.

Deciding Usurps Discerning!

Many congregations have settled for using the political process of making decisions in the life of the church rather than pursuing God’s Will together using the spiritual discipline of discernment. Decision making results in creating winners and losers. As a result we experience increased fragmentation and division in the Body of Christ rather unity around the revealed will of God. 

An example of discerning and doing the will of God is found in Acts 13:2. Here the leaders of the Gentile church at Antioch were meeting to worship and fast together. We do not know if there was some challenge they were facing or if this was a regular discipline for these leaders. As they were before the Lord, the Holy Spirit spoke clear instructions to commission Barnabas and Saul to go as missionaries into the Gentile world.

Whenever the goal of church leaders is to Discern and Do the will of God the church will move forward with courage and power. Unfortunately the church has opted for decision making where God’s voice is minimized. Rather we rely on a political process similar to that used by our government to find our way into the future. 

In politics power and influence are used to impose our personal agenda on a group or organization. The key element in this process is debate controlled by Roberts Rules of Order. These rules are intended to ensure an orderly process of debate so that division is limited. The political system uses “checks and balances” to control the abuse of power among leaders.

In my eight years as Regional Conference Minister for IN-MI Mennonite Conference when working with congregations going through difficult times I usually found that there was confusion about the balance and use of power and authority in making decisions between the Administrative Boards (church council) and the Board of Elders. Thus a “tug and pull tension” was created that resulted in confusion, tension and increased the use of politics and campaigning. Until this pattern is broken the polarity and division continues to increase.

This seems to be the pattern Mennonite Church USA is caught up in today. However Scripture offers us a better way. God speaks when we are committed to obey. Therefore when a group of leaders are committed to discerning and doing the will of God than we need to create time and space in which we are able to hear the still small voice of the Holy Spirit. This will require significant times of solitude and silence. 

Romans 12:1-2 gives shows us some of the overarching parameters in discerning the perfect will of God. Any attempt to hear God speak must be preceded by a willingness to do the will of God. Obedience becomes the only option.

Organizational Strategic Planning: Three warning indicators that your strategic planning is incomplete by Stanley J. Troyer ACC

A good strategic planning process includes three components. If your organization skips or poorly executes one of these components, it is unlikely to get results you planned for from your strategic plan. 

There are huge costs associated with an incomplete planning process:

• Failure of leadership to deliver desired results in the market and a sense of falling behind;
• Failure to achieve desired financial and operational results;
• Frustration throughout the organization and the perception that strategic planning is a waste of time; and
• Loss of credibility of the leadership team within your organization.

A sound strategic planning process includes the following three elements.

1. Answer the “big” strategic planning questions – but without jargon or by spending a fortune on a consulting firm. 

The big questions include: 

• Who are our customers and how can we better serve them? 
• Who are our competitors and how can we best them? 
• What do we do best and how can we build on that edge? 
• How can we prepare the organization to defend against threats and seize opportunities? 
• What are potential scenarios that we need to consider for the future, and how will we prepare for them? 

Unfortunately, many organizations debate these issues with academic discussions and confusing jargon. They are like philosophers trying to decide how many angels can dance on the head of a pin. At the same time, some organizations come up with brilliant answers to these questions, but can’t quite take them to the point of clear initiatives that get done. 

The big strategic planning questions are worthless if they don’t result in a few clear, compelling strategic initiatives to strengthen the organization.

1. Set a few clear priorities and an overall strategic theme. The most important outcome of the first part of the strategic planning process is to identify the most important priorities for the organization. Starting with a long list of potential priorities, the organization discusses the relative value of each, and hones in on only a few key priorities. This discussion can also lead to greater clarity about the big strategic planning questions, especially about what the organization should do best.

Once a list of no more than three to five priorities is agreed upon, the organization can come up with a strategic theme. This is a one-line statement that conveys the overall strategic push for the organization. Examples could include: “Beat Google!” “Expand to China.” “0% medical errors.” “Become a magnet for talent.”

During this phase, many organizations settle for a long list of priorities. This has the benefit that nobody feels excluded or insulted. However, it makes it highly unlikely that the organization will get anything done completely.

1. Implement. The biggest complaint about strategy is that it never seems to get executed. Here are a few reasons why:

• Neglecting to commit essential resources to the strategy, including capital, training, technology, and people.
• Failing to take things off the plate of busy employees, and instead just stacking more work on them.
• Having lack of will to stop old initiatives that compete with the new.
• Not setting clear roles, responsibilities, accountability, and rewards systems.
• Giving up after a few setbacks or initial resistance.

A sound strategy spends as much time on implementation planning as it does on the more glamorous work of answering the key strategic questions and setting priorities.

Which of the above areas is weakest in your organization? Some organizations are strong at asking the big picture questions, but fail to follow up. Some set too many priorities, and cannot say “no” to good ideas, despite limited resources. Others are strong at executing, but lack the vision to develop compelling strategic initiatives.

TroyerCoaching can help. I have a proven strategic planning process that is simple for you to implement, and gets results efficiently. 

To learn more, download my Strategic Assessment by clicking here or contact Stanley Troyer at stantroyer@me.com or 269-861-3188.

Increase Your Influence

Seven Conversations Every Leader Needs to Master to Be More Influential

by Stanley Troyer ACC

Do you ever wonder if you are as influential as you could be? Many leaders are one-trick ponies when it comes to influence. They use one approach in every situation. Sometimes this works, the same way a broken clock is right twice every day. However, by developing greater flexibility and range, you can be even more effective.

By associating different parts of the body with different influence styles, you can quickly assess whether you have the full range conversations that a leader needs to use in order to influence people in almost every situation.

Left Brain. The left brain is the seat of facts, logic, analysis, information, and data. When you are an authority, or when you know facts that matter to the other person, relying on the left brain can help you convince someone that an idea makes sense. However, most leaders overuse the left brain, especially in Western society. There are limits to facts and logic. For instance, it is hard to win over someone’s heart with a PowerPoint presentation.

Right Brain. The right brain is where we process images, stories, metaphors, and pictures. It is the gateway to the subconscious. By using more stories and images, leaders can reach people at a different level than with the left brain alone.

Gut. The gut, or “hara” as the Japanese call it, is our center. It is where we go when we take a stand, negotiate, assert appropriately, create a contract, or set boundaries. When we influence from the gut, we tell someone what we like and do not like about their performance, tell them what we expect, and offer incentives to encourage them to comply.

Heart. In situations where we want authentic commitment and not just compliance, it is not enough to tell or assert. We have to be vulnerable. Here, the conversation shifts to asking for advice and help, listening to the other person’s aspirations and goals to craft a solution, and being flexible about how things get done. The leader doesn’t have to be wishy-washy, especially on the final goal, but is open to new ideas about how he or she can be better, and how to get to the goal.  

Spirit. The spirit is about our shared values and experiences. Here, we appeal to our common ground and the bonds that hold us together. Use this approach to form a team and create a feeling of alignment.  

Vision. Vision is about where we are going. Here, the leader paints a compelling, inspiring picture about where we can go together, and then invites others to jump in and build on the vision. This is the approach to use for a team that is kicking off, or when a push is required to get people to move forward despite challenges. If you combine the right brain, spirit, and vision together, you can make a compelling case that gets a team aligned in a powerful, authentic way. 

Legs. The legs are used when conversations start to go poorly, for instance when the other person gets emotional or when the meeting has begun to spiral down. This does not mean that you give up and retreat, but it does mean that you take a “time-out” and let both parties rethink their positions, and than come back together. The Harvard Negotiation Project calls this “Going to the Balcony.” It prevents a meeting from spiraling downwards.

Would you like to learn more about these approaches, and how to use them to achieve your goals and influence others almost effortlessly? Contact me anytime at 269-861-3188. 

I invite you to download my FREE influence planning tool by clicking here.