A long obedience in the same direction.
Hello leaders.
Here is this week's round-up of the things I have been learning as I try to follow Jesus while helping others do the same.
ONE Thing I'm Learning While Following Jesus from the Leadership Chair. 🪑
There are weeks when ministry feels like a long string of details. A schedule needs attention. Someone is waiting for an answer. A plan that made sense on Monday needs to change by Thursday. None of those things is unimportant, but I can get so absorbed in keeping everything moving that I lose sight of why we’re doing any of it.
Recently, I’ve been trying to slow down long enough to ask a simple question: How is this helping people know God, grow in freedom, and share Christ? That question doesn’t make the practical work disappear. It helps me remember what the practical work is for.
I need that reminder as much as anyone I lead. It’s easy to talk about mission when the room is full, and energy is high. I want to hold on to it when I’m working through another ordinary decision that no one will ever hear about.
God has given me people to love and a church to serve. I don’t want to miss the joy of that because I’m too busy managing the next thing. I’m learning to look for the purpose inside the details again.
ONE Scripture I'm processing. 📚
(2 Corinthians 4:5) "For we don’t preach ourselves, but Christ Jesus as Lord, and ourselves as your servants for Jesus’ sake."
This verse makes me examine whose name I’m trying to make great through my work. It is possible to talk about Jesus while quietly looking for affirmation for myself. I want the way I teach and lead to help people trust him more, while I remain willing to serve without being the center of attention.
ONE Thing to Try This Week. 😎
Try this: Before you open your messages tomorrow, spend five minutes telling God what you’re carrying and asking him to guide your leadership today.
This gives you a chance to notice what is weighing on you before the day gets loud. It reminds you that people and decisions belong to God before they become your responsibility. Five honest minutes may change the way you enter the next conversation.
ONE Thing Worth Your Time. ⏰
READ: Why Spiritual Direction Matters For The Care Of The Soul
Leaders spend a lot of time helping others discern what God is doing, and we need space to pay attention to our own lives with God as well. This short article explains how listening and reflecting with a trusted guide can help us notice what we might miss on our own.
ONE Question/Thought For our Spiritual Formation 🧐
Question: If I kept leading at this pace for another year, what would grow, and what would suffer?
It can be hard to judge a pace while we’re in the middle of a demanding week. Looking a year ahead may help you see which habits are worth keeping and which ones need to change now.
Keep learning. Keep leading. Keep following Jesus.
— Dr. Cannon (Fellow Traveler)
