Integrity
I came across the following in a periodical:
Most people make integrity synonymous with honesty, but integrity has a finer point. The root word for integrity is "integer," which implies singleness, unity, something not divided, consistency, and by extension, reliability and trustworthiness - in everything.
A person of integrity is an honest person. He does not lie, steal, cheat, or take unfair advantage of others. The true follower of Christ has little problem with these major issues. Even the best of us, however, are sometimes careless about our integrity in little things. It is important that we maintain our integrity at every level. It is the "little foxes that spoil the vines" (Song of Solomon 2:15).
The person of integrity presents the same face every time and in every situation. In contrast, a hypocrite presents a different face to different people. Even a little two-facedness violates scriptural principles and undermines our integrity. Those who observe this behavior lost the ability to trust our "face."
It would seem that consistency is as much a part of integrity as honesty is. Without honesty, integrity is impossible. Without consistency though, we can fool ourselves into thinking we are people of integrity because we are 'telling the truth' even when we tell the truth from different perspectives.
The person of integrity speaks the same message regardless of who they are speaking to.
Start!
As I think through my life, I can see many times where I hesitated because I wasn’t sure. I can also see times where I should have hesitated. The times I should have hesitated were marked by my own impetuousness and instead of simply counting the cost upfront, I paid the price. The times when I hesitated because I wasn’t sure, were usually because I did count the cost and wanted things to get a bit better before I proceeded.
One of the poor habits I come across as I talk with group leaders is a reluctance to continue a scheduled group meeting if one or two people are unable to attend. This is going to be a little weird: I sometimes wonder if, even in a small group setting, we can become numbers driven. The fact is that people are not going to show up on occasion… and even for good reason!
Some of the best times I’ve had a group are when most of the members didn’t make it. We’d just put the material aside and spend a drawn out time focusing on the really important part of group life: each other.
As we look forward into this new and coming year, I wish to challenge you to keep this word in mind: START. Absolutely take time to count the cost! Don’t neglect that by any stretch. But don’t let the paralysis of analysis stop you in your tracks. Solomon writes these words:
Ecclesiastes 11:4: “If you wait for perfect conditions, you will never get anything done” (NLT)
I don’t believe in the whole New Years Resolutions thing. If you don’t have the discipline to change in April, why would you have more discipline in January?? So, don’t make this a resolution… just start what you believe God wants you to do.
This Group Gets It! (repost)
I received an email from one of our group leaders this week about their plans for their summer series. It is one of the best ideas that I’ve heard a group doing for the summer!
Here’s what the leader wrote:
Our group will be doing some things differently for our next study. We all have very busy schedules and each family has a lot of stuff piling up that needs to get done at our homes. Some of the families recently had babies and you can only imagine how busy they are.
Last week we showed up at at our host home and Daniel was on a ladder trying to clean his gutters and squeeze in a project before small group meeting. He was there, by himself, on the ladder. We need to ask our friends for help and be willing to return the favor. For us to help others we can start by helping each other and then maybe continue to others in need.
In the CONNECT series, we had a study a few weeks back that we talked about PRIDE and how we don’t ask for help because we think we can handle it ourselves. This is a chance for us all to break our pride and let others help us out. We found that our small group gatherings have been getting smaller recently and the main reason is because we are all behind on our to do lists.
We came up with a plan! Each of us are going to make a list of projects that need to get done around our house. Sometimes this list is referred to as a “honey do list.” Each week, we are going to have a fellowship gathering at each family’s home and work on their list. We are at our best when we are helping other people, so why not help our own family’s with their projects. It is another activity that defines team building and brings us closer together.
#4 Relator
Continuing the results of my Strengths Finder 2.0 evaluation, my fourth strength is that of "Relator."
People who are especially talented in the Relator theme enjoy close relationships with others. They find deep satisfaction in working hard with friends to achieve a goal.
I have a great love for working on teams. There is incredible potential when people set aside personal agendas and work toward a common goal. John Maxwell used to say that "teamwork makes the dream work." How true it is. In fact, David says in Psa 133:1 that when unity is present, everyone wins. Unity requires that individual preferences and agendas are set aside for the greater good.
To use a very popular phrase: "We are better together!"
Sabbath!
For the last couple of weeks I've been enjoying my annual extended Sabbath. This year was a transition point in our family. Last year, it seems, was our last 'family vacation.' This year our eldest stayed home to work and minimize her accumulating student loan. Our middle child chose to join the youth Ministry Tour instead of spending time with us! So, my wife and I packed up with our 12 year old son and headed off.
I've learned about myself that it takes me a few days before I begin to unwind. This year was made more complex when I decided to attempt a washroom renovation. That turned out to be more akin to pouring gasoline on a fire than anything else. I didn't get nearly as much done as I planned and that didn't help with my stress level the first few days of vacation! However, once we blew town, I began to feel the stress dissipating from my body.
It was great to have the detox time, now it's climbing back in the saddle and getting back up to speed.
BTW: I've decided that unless you are a boater, scuba diver or a drinker: you don't need to spend more than a couple of days in Key West.
What I'm Thinking...
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