Most of us would love passion to fuel our life and work every day.

That’s always how it starts, right?  When you begin something, it’s pretty much all passion.

Whether you’ve felt a call into ministry, you’re starting a new job, you’re toying with a new idea, or you’re even beginning a new relationship, passion gets us out of the gate almost every time.  And it can stay around for a season or two.

The problem is for all of us, passion fades.   Even when we know something is right-that we really shouldn’t be doing anything else-passion wanes.  Give it a season, a year, or (for the ultra passionate), a decade, eventually it just doesn’t feel like it used to. Or like we think it’s supposed to.

That’s when we do one of two things:

• We look for ways to renew our passion.  A new project.  Better numbers.  More growth.  A promotion.  A new pattern.  A side hobby.
• We look for a new position.  We leave what we used to think was our dream calling and hope to find a new one somewhere else.

Can’t get passionate about this job anymore?  Find a new one.  Don’t like your current spouse? Trade her in.

Which is a shame.  Because passion has a surprising counterpart:  perseverance.

So many people quit what could be a life calling not because the calling dried up but because their passion did.  Sometimes perseverance is the only difference between what you are currently feeling and what you once again feel, between the results you are getting in your current work and the results that are just around the corner.

I always wonder how many people quit just moments before a critical breakthrough.

God never promised that all of our days would be filled with passion.  Nor, actually, is passion listed as a virtue.  Guess what is listed as a virtue?  Perseverance.

You will have days, weeks, even seasons that are characterized by passion for what you’re doing.

And you will have periods of time – sometimes long periods of time – where you will simply have to persevere.

What I’ve discovered is that on the other side of perseverance is renewed passion.

Maybe the best thing you can do if you’ve got a great idea, a great calling, a great work,  is hang in there.  You’ll be surprised what you might discover.  And accomplish.

I was at Elephant Room this week, a forum hosted by Harvest Bible Chapel for pastors and church leaders.

The best part for me was the honesty, candour and wisdom shared by the panel:  James MacDonald, Mark Driscoll, Steven Furtick, Jack Graham, T.D. Jakes,  Wayne Cordeiro and Crawford Lorritz.

Here are a few insights that really impacted me (in no particular order):

“It’s easier to be a critic than to be a pastor.”  Mark Driscoll

“The devil can’t steal my ministry.  He has no authority.  So he’ll just steal the joy of my ministry.”  Wayne Cordeiro

“Write the cheque.  Go back to sleep.”  James MacDonald on the limits of cheque-book evangelism.

“None of our books will be on sale in heaven.”  T.D. Jakes, on the limits of human theology.

“You can’t integrate the church until you integrate your life.”  T.D. Jakes on racial integration.

“You are ready for restoration in ministry when you are known more for your repentance than for your sin.” Spurgeon (via T.D. Jakes)

“You can teach what you know but you reproduce what you are.”  Wayne Cordeiro

“We use anger as a substitute for the anointing of God.” T.D. Jakes on how some preachers over-rely on anger in preaching.

“Just because someone doesn’t want you in their circle anymore doesn’t mean that they can’t be in yours.”  James Macdonald quoting Craig Groeschel

“There is a difference between leadership development and developing leaders.” (missed the source)

And finally, this raw confession:

“I always knew God loved me, but I thought it was because he had to. Now I realize he wants to.”  Steven Furtick

Loved the Elephant Room.

What other insights have you gleaned lately, at the ER or elsewhere that have helped you?

Had a great conversation last week with some leaders who lobbed a fresh thought my way.  We were talking about preachers, and being one, that always gets my interest up.

As we talked about effective communication,  one of the people said that the best ways to evaluate a preacher is to watch with the sound turned off.  Most preachers, he observed, look angry.

That was a huge insight.

How I say something is as important as what I say.  I had already noticed that most of us need to smile more; most of us look moderately unhappy much of the time.  But this observation really drove it home.

Now there are moments where we can rightfully be angry.  But all the time?  Every Sunday? Every day?  No. No wonder people are afraid of God.

Maybe this goes beyond preaching into life.  What if you simply decided to tell your face to match your mood every time you:

Walk into a meeting

Meet a friend

Arrive home at night

Greet your children

Picked up the phone

Start skyping

Pump gas

I don’t want my default to be a scowl.  In part because I don’t like people who are like that.  But also because I know a God who decided to make his final word “love”.

So…every time you move into a new situation today (if you don’t have something other than ‘the usual stuff” to communicate) try smiling.

It might communicate more than you think.