So you’ve heard the buzz and the jokes.  Harold Camping has predicted that the world will end on Saturday May 21, 2011.  We even have billboards proclaiming that here in Central Ontario.

So will it?  Well, probably not.  In fact, I’ve got Harold Camping’s book 1994 in my library somewhere. That thick manual is his earlier prediction that the world will end in 1994.  Ironically, you can still buy it on Amazon.

I agree with Jesus that no one will know the hour when Christ comes back.  It’s actually a good idea to agree with Jesus on things, especially when it comes to the world ending and all that.

Jesus said while he was on earth he didn’t even know the day or time.  So I figure if Jesus and the angels didn’t know, and I got 27% in grade 12 chemistry, then how would I ever be able to figure it out?

As bizzarre as tomorrow’s prediction is, it leaves me uneasy. Here’s why.  One day Christ will come back.

And that will be an awesome day and a terrible day.  When we finally realize it’s actually happening, we won’t be able to change anything.  I might in fact be late for many people you and I know and love.

Today is not that day.  At least not yet. Which makes what you and I do today so important.

And one day – when we least expect – it really will happen.  And in all likelihood, it will surprise even the people who buy billboards and write books.

Something personal on the blog today.  We’ve been married 21 years today.  Got married in the middle of law school. Toni was in my class.  I spied her across the room long before she even knew I existed.

The first time we talked I thought “I think I want to marry that girl.”  I’m so glad she said yes.

This morning was the first time in 21 years of marriage both of us forgot it was our anniversary.  I was driving our son Sam to school and between dropping my car off in the shop for brake work, figuring out how track practice and football practice were going to work out tonight, working through my meetings and my task list as I drove in and realizing Toni was going to be on call tonight at the hospital tonight, I remembered it was our anniversary.  I called her and we both laughed that we forgot.  That’s a good marriage. (Don’t worry, a dinner out is planned when our schedules are more normal next week.)

I wish I was one of those pastors who could say in 21 years we never had a fight about money or the future or each other.  But that just isn’t true.  We’ve disagreed on many things.  Sometimes we’ve created new categories of things to argue about (we’re both lawyers by training).  She’s seen the worst of me and I’ve seen the worst of her.  And in the process she’s seen the best of me and I’ve seen the best of her.

I used to think a great marriage was people who got along so well that they never argued.  That may be true for a handful of people, and if so, I’m cheering for them.  It just hasn’t been our story.  There are moments where we both knew that we either needed to turn to Christ at a much deeper level or we would simply have to throw in the towel.  We both loved Jesus enough to keep moving through it.  Sometimes we just didn’t know what else to do except to keep going.  So we kept going.

In the process of moving through some deep and elongated valleys, though, we discovered that on the other side our friendship got richer.  Our commitment to each other and to Christ grew.  Our love found a depth and resonance that neither of us actually new existed.  Despite the hardship, we’re having more fun than we’ve ever had before.

Maybe the reason this is both difficult and rewarding is because the covenant of marriage reflects the covenant relationship we have with God.  God won’t quit on us…because he knows despite the ups and the downs the relationship is worth it and holds so much promise.  The same is true I think when two people decide to share a life together.

After 21 years it hasn’t been a perfect story, but it’s been a deeply rewarding story.  If there is one piece of advice I have for people who are married, it’s simply this: don’t quit.  Keep going.  Keep digging.  Keep drilling down into the depths of your faith.  Keep looking for the best in the other person and be honest with yourself.  Get help.  And just don’t give up.

On the other side there is a richness that nothing and no one could prepare you for.   We still have good days and bad days.  But we’re discovering the power of a Christ-centered commitment layer by layer.  And it’s gold.

Thanks for saying yes, my bride.  I love you more than you could know.  Inside you is a treasure no one will ever be able to exhaust.

Who else is celebrating an anniversary? What’s helped you as you sought out a relationship that lasts a life time?

I need your help.  I know you’ve thought about this.  Doesn’t matter how strong your faith is, you wish some things were different.

In fact, you wish God were different.

I’m writing a message series for the summer (or fall) of 2011 called “I Wish”.  In it, we’re going to talk honestly about ways we wish God was different, and then try to figure out the reason he’s chosen not to be that way.

Let me give you an example.  For years, I have wished God would in the pain and suffering in people’s lives. It’s been a personal prayer in my life at times on my behalf and often on behalf of others.

After years of puzzling over it, it finally dawned on me that while we want a God who rescues us from pain, instead we have a God who enters into it with us. So in the series, we’ll spend a week unpacking that in the series and then move on to the next “I Wish”.

So what do you wish was different about God?

In fact, I’d love for you to comment and then share this post with your friends (whether they go to church or not) and get as many people weighing in on this as possible.  I think it will make for an incredible series.

So, finish this sentence:

“I wish God….”

Go….

You’re leading whether you want to or not.

When I started out in life, I used to think leadership was something you did.  Now I believe it’s something you are.  And you can’t help but do it. You lead whether you intend to or not.

Think about the leadership implications of:

• The tone of every DM, tweet, status update or email you send.
• Your energy level and the way you interact with people in meetings.
• The way you interact with your volunteers, staff, colleagues, kids, spouse, neighbours and friends.
• The choices you make with how you spend your time.
• The way you spend money.
• The requests and demands you make of other people.
• The way you respond to needs around you.

How you live is more influential than what you say.  In fact, it reveals what you actually believe.  And people respond to that more than they respond to anything else.

This may be a day off for you, a day filled with things you don’t want to do, or a dream day.  Regardless of what it is, you’re leading by the way you’re living.  And how you live will determine the kind of impact you leave.

What do you watch for in leaders?  What do you think other people see in our lives that determines whether they want to follow or not?

What is routine to you has the potential to be a defining moment for someone else.

This happens to you all the time.  You have a problem with a product and you call customer service.  For you, the issue is significant enough to call the company about.  For the customer service agent, you are call number 38 in a list of what will likely be 125 phone calls today.  He’s talked to 37 of you already.  To you, the entire experience of the company is now hinging on one phone call.   To him, you’re just another upset person taking your place in a long line.

Or not.

Exceptional customer service happens when you’re not just one more person calling with a complaint.  Exceptional customer service happens when you end up feeling like you might be the only guy who called that day.  It happens when your complaint gets heard, and even if they can’t do exactly what you want, they care enough to work something out to keep your business.  But best of all, exceptional customer service happened when they made you feel valued, heard, understood and important.

Now flip it.

See, most of us are more like that customer service agent than we think.  You and I largely do the same thing every day.  Most of our jobs have routine elements to them.  So, for that matter, do our lives. And every person you connect with, wall post you respond to, message you clear out of your inbox, soccer practice you drive the kids to, ‘how was your day at school’ question at dinner,  and person you talk to at the event can easily end up becoming just one more item to deal with.  It’s just routine.

But there’s nothing routine about it to the person who sent you the email, is talking to you at the reception, or is waiting to see if dad really cares.

If you respond routinely, you won’t remember what you said ten minutes from now.  But they might remember it for months, or even for the rest of their lives.

What is just  routine to us can be a defining moment for them.

Which is maybe why I should never treat anything as routine.

At least as long as there are people involved.

I’m going to try to remember that every Sunday when I’m dead dog tired after preaching and there’s just ‘one more’ person who has a question for me or wants to say hi.  Because there’s nothing routine about that.

It’s Monday…and you’re looking at the week ahead.  Chances are the week is a mixture of opportunities and obligations.

There are things we have to do, and things we want to do.  As disciplined as we are in saying no and as selective as we are in what we choose to do, all of us still have our share of obligations ahead of us.

Here’s a question I’ve been toying with:

What if I saw everything I did as an opportunity (including the obligations)?

Basically, it would require an attitude adjustment on my part.  But think about it.  Chances are you resent something on your calendar this week.

Instead of walking into the meeting only thinking about when it was going to be over, what if you went in asking God to help you see this as an opportunity?

Instead of heading off the social function you’d rather avoid, what about asking yourself and God how you could grow, or show an interest in other people, or discover something you otherwise would have missed?

What if all the stuff around the house that has to be done was a chance to learn, grow and shift your attitude?

What would happen to you?  To your marriage?  To your parenting?  To your character?  To your influence?

What if you saw everything you did this next week as seeded with opportunity?

What you and I should bring to the table every day is our best.

There are some people who can solve a crisis in a moment that others couldn’t solve in a millenium.

There are some people who are constantly learning, growing, and adding skills and efficiencies to their repertoire.

There are some people who make others better by simply being around.

There are some people who are determined to solve a problem no matter what. Even if they can’t in the end, it wasn’t for lack of trying.

There are some people who cultivate wisdom that makes everything they contribute to better (I have seen this present in 25 year olds and also absent in 45 year old – age is not the key determinant in wisdom)

If you can bring this to the table on the majority of your days, you will bring more than most people.  In fact, according to Seth Godin, you will become indispensable.  In his words, you become a linchpin, and your value goes up.  (If you want some innovative thinking on this, read Seth’s short post on it.)

The only way I can live in this space regularly is by managing my energy, not just my time.  Everyone gets the same amount of time in a day, but not everybody brings the same amount of energy to a day.

For me at this stage in my life and work, here’s what I need to do to bring my best energy:

Get enough sleep (7-8 hours a night)

Exercise

Eat reasonably healthily

Start my day with the Bible and prayer…and cultivate a closeness with God that is with me throughout the day

Have some fun (for me, biking, taking pictures, watching movies, and hanging out with friends and family)

Write and Blog (this blog is a place where I can say whatever is on my mind)

Do more than one thing (being a full time pastor and writing and speaking is like cross-disciplinary training for me)

Get around people smarter and wiser than me

Have white space in my calendar with nothing to do but think and work ‘on it’ not ‘in it’

Read

Start my day early and get my best work in before 10:00 a.m.

Cultivate life-giving friendships with churched and non-churched people

I have a lot to learn, but I do know this: when those 12 things are present in my life, I bring much better energy to whatever I’m doing.  How about you?  What fuels your energy?

Time management is one thing.

But we all know people who put in lots of hours and get few results.  In fact, sometimes we are those people.  A twelve hour day can produce less when I’m dragging than a six hour day might when I have energy and enthusiasm for a task. In fact, I’m coming off a season where I’ve invested a lot of time in a way that’s challenged my energy. That’s hardly optimal.  I’ve heard a few leaders speak on bringing your energy to a task and it’s really got me thinking.

What if we started thinking about our work and life less in terms of time management and more in terms of energy management?

If life is a stewardship, one of the best things I can steward is my energy.  Bringing energy to a task is bringing an alert mind and full heart.  It’s bringing optimism and drive rather than indifference or exhaustion.

If I really think of stewarding my energy as much as stewarding my time it would mean:

I need to make sure I show up to key tasks (writing, meetings, family and administration) with energy, rested, alert and ready to bring my best.

I would value down time, because off time actually refuels your energy.

I would pay more attention to what fuels me (rest, exercise,  reading, friends, family,  working on it, not just in it) so that my tank is fuller.

I would be more willing to walk away when I wasn’t bringing my best instead of putting in three more unproductive hours and wasting everyone’s time.

I would be more disciplined with down time because I would realize it allows me to bring my best to work, family and relationships.

Oh – and energy is something that can really help you make an impact.  We all get the same amount of time each day, but energy varies from person to person.  When we show up with more, we make a bigger difference.

What if you started to manage your energy rather than your time?  What difference would that make?

Many of us go to conference, have dreams or envision a future that’s different from the present.  That’s normal, and frankly, admirable.  Life is better when we try to make progress. And God designed us to help usher in a better reality than the one sin envisions.

Last week at the Orange Conference, I got asked a great question: faced with a lot of changes that need to be made, how do I decide which ones to make?

I love that question.  A simple answer: work backwards.

Here’s what that means.  Imagine where you want to be down the road.   Then work backwards to figure out what changes you need to make that future reality.  Ask yourself: if I really want to be that kind of person/church/leader, what do I need to change to get there?

I know that sounds simple, but it’s important because normally that’s not how change works.  Often, we come away with ten fresh ideas or changes we want to make.  But rather than make sure all our changes are leading toward the same end or goal, we just randomly implement good ideas unaware that they may even be working at crossed purposes.  And because the changes we implement aren’t leading anywhere in particular, they frustrated everyone involved (including those of us who initially thought the change was a good idea).

Got a change you want to make?  First, plot out a mental picture of where you want to be one, two or five years down the road.  Then work backwards to figure out whether the change you’re proposing makes sense given your goal.

So it’s day two of the Orange Conference, and I can imagine your passion is running high.  But passion alone won’t win the day.  Passion needs something else: clarity.

Here’s a repost that might help us think through how to implement what we’re currently excited about.

_____________