thoughts on life, leadership, ministry and whatever other weird stuff comes to mind

It’s always amazing to me how fast news travels, and so this is my attempt to get ahead of the jungle drums and let you know about an important change happening for me and our family.

WHAT’S THE BIG NEWS? The big scoop is that, as of 28 March 2010, I will no longer be serving as Senior Pastor of Warnbro Community Church. I’m sure that this will come as a surprise, and perhaps even a shock to some, but in recent months I have felt certain that God has been calling me step down from this role that I have held for almost 10 years. It’s a huge decision, but one we feel is totally right for us at this time.

I want to be quite clear about this…. I am NOT leaving Warnbro because of some issue or big problem.

Stop, and read that again.

There are NO leadership disputes or disagreements. Far from it! This is an awesome church, and has been a wonderful place to serve. This has been one of the most difficult aspects of leaving… it’s not because some issue or problem. It’s about a sense of God’s leading in our lives. I have been very privileged to serve and lead Warnbro Church, and it has been a huge part of my family’s life for this past decade. I believe that the church has a huge future ahead of it, and I have done my best to lay a platform for what is next, but I also firmly believe that I’m not the one to lead it there. I believe that God has someone better suited to take on that task. My skills and gifts lie elsewhere, and I am stepping aside from this role to allow God to guide me into what is next for me. The church has some very exciting directions and projects for the future, but I just don’t sense I’m the one God is calling to lead Warnbro into those things. It’s really that simple. It was a fairly recent revelation to me, and I’m stepping out in obedience. If that sounds crazy to you, I’d have to agree… seems a little crazy to me too, in many respects, except for the fact that I’m quite certain this is what God wants.

WHAT’S NEXT FOR ME? I have no idea! I’m not leaving to take up some other position. There is no “better” job in the mix. No other church or ministry under consideration. We’re just going to trust God that he’ll provide as he always does. I’m ready and feel strongly the time is right for me to begin the transition to the next thing. What is that? I’m not 100% sure to be honest, but I believe that faith is about small steps in the right direction, and I’m taking this one step now and we’ll see what is next. We’re open to wherever God takes us, even if that means a role outside of a formal church or ministry role. In fact, I feel that our next stop may well be in the marketplace or a non-church role.

WHEN DO WE FINISH UP? We have committed to being here until Sunday, March 28 to assist as much as we can with the preparation process for transitioning to another senior leader. That’s the weekend right before Easter. That’s 8 weeks away, and I’m sure it will be a busy time for us all.

SO… I would appreciate it if you would continue to pray for the O’Brien family and the Warnbro Church family – it’s a scary, interesting, unexpected place for us all to be. God will provide and guide, as only he can. But, it’s also kind of exciting. We’ll keep you posted.

“A society grows great when old men plant trees whose shade they will never sit in.” –Ancient Greek Proverb

Our world is being consumed by consumers. They’re everywhere. And the Church is not immune to the effects of consumerism. Tragically, in many respects, one of key approaches to growing a local church is centred largely around figuring out what people think they need, and then developing programs and facilities to meet those needs. Spiritually, those of us in church leadership are acutely aware that felt needs are seldom our real needs, but we pragmatically recognise that we need to gain an audience to discuss deeper things, and that audience is gained through connecting with shallow things.

I love the quote above… I came across it through Michael Hyatt, and I love the picture it paints. Whether you’re talking about eco-issues or whether you’re talking about the Church, it’s a profound word of wisdom.

I see one of the greatest challenges in the contemporary churches quickly becoming the grip that baby boomers have on the shaping of what church looks like. Baby boomers grew up in a world that they built and shaped for their own purposes, and they were good at it. They are used to things being made to suit them. They helped create the consumerist mentality that has now been taken to new heights by the Gen Y lot (Gen X-ers seemed to rebel a little against their parents in this), but the boomers still have the power because they have the resources, even as they quickly move into retirement.

In churches, boomers have the power to plant for the future or to consume until their last moment. It’s a tough choice. Consuming is more instantly gratifying and enjoyable. Planting for the future often means I won’t get to enjoy it, and I may not even like it. But a great society is built when we unselfishly realise that we either leave a blessing or a curse to the next generation through the decisions we make now.

I don’t think these issues are new. I think they’re just more sharply recognisable in our fast-moving and dynamic world. Personally, I feel very strongly that if I am going to a church when I am eighty that is doing all the stuff *I* like and love, then we’re probably in big trouble for the future. I know I will struggle with being a part of something I may even intensely dislike at a personal level, but I’ve made the commitment to be a planter and not a consumer. I want to be part of something great, not just something that lives as long as I prop it up.

This video is very scary, but I guess it’s scary to me how poorly informed many folks are about basic political issues anyways. As Australians, we could laugh at some of the feeble responses to questions about what Sarah Palin actually believes in and stands for, but the truth is that most of us are pretty clueless about K Rudd, T Abbott, M Turnbull, and most of the big issues in Australian or global politics, including global warming and all the hot stuff on the agenda right now.

And then we get to vote…

I love democracy, but it seems to me (on a purely rational level) that a bunch of ignorant people making decisions can’t possibly be the best way to go on some issues. This is why referenda are very poor decision-making tools.

Dunno… just saying…

If you’re looking for a highly intelligent and sensible discussion about the existence and implications of God in the world from an elite mathematician, then you MUST listen to this.

John Lennox is Professor of Mathematics at Oxford University. I would LOVE to see him in debate and dialogue with Richard Dawkins, whose writings to me are flawed with terrible logic and an incorrect understanding of science and the scientific method. Lennox slices through the smoke and mirrors to address the real issues.

As an aside, I totally agree with Lennox’s view on creationism and some of the creation science stuff out there… “confusing the big thing with small things”… he’s a smart, articulate guy… worth the 30 minutes investment.

And, yes, I am a little biased towards Mathematicians…

It’s amazing what a difference confidence makes.

As the Dow tips into the highest territory it’s been in well over a year, there’s a general feeling of confidence slipping back into economies all around the world, including the Australian one. Anyone who has traded shares knows all too well that there is very little that is rational about the stockmarket. More than anything, it’s an emotional game, far more than many would want to admit. Perfectly solid and excellent companies will find their share prices falling for all kinds of irrational reasons, while others see enormous leaps based on nothing more than rumour and a hunch.

In sport, confidence is huge. Anyone who has played on a winning team knows the feeling that even when things look bad and the chips are down, you just know that you can do it. It’s rather different when you play for a losing franchise, and even when you’re winning, you’re just waiting to lose it through some catastrophe… snatching defeat from the jaws of victory. Watch the walk of the confident, and you know there’s a difference.

Interestingly, confidence leaks and overflows into others… and so does a lack of confidence.

Watch someone get up on stage to speak or sing, and you immediately get a sense of their confidence and it impacts even the audience. When someone is confident, you relax and enjoy. There’s nothing more excruciating than watching a nervous and terrified person fumble their way forward… you feel yourself on edge with them… your heart rate goes up and you feel yourself cringe.

Confidence is more important than we sometimes realise. It’s hard to manufacture. You can only bluff so long before you’re out of the poker game. But true confidence is a game changer. You just know it’ll work out because… well, you just know…

Not sure I have all the answers, but I’m more convinced than ever that confidence is key in more ways than we understand.

I’m about to start getting some calls from Telstra/Bigpond.

I’ve been a Bigpond customer for almost 8 or 9 years now. I’ve been pretty loyal as a customer and have stuck with them in spite of issues and poor service at times. But, I won’t be getting a customer service call because I’ve been a loyal customer.

Nope, I’ll be getting a call because I’m leaving Bigpond, and based on past experience, I’ll be getting a call from some guy tasked with such things to offer me a better deal, a discount here and there, an incentive to stay. It’s almost predictable. And it’s too little, too late.

If I had a call from Bigpond every 6 or 12 months to let me know that they had new deals and could save me money and help me more, etc., I would be an even more loyal and long-term customer, but instead they seem to wait until you leave to suddenly come up with deals and discounts. I understand why they do that, but it’s a stupid way to do business. Why wait until you lose a customer in order to try and keep them?! It’s a knee-jerk, reactionary way to do customer service, and it’s just dumb.

I’m trying out iiNet for a season, and I have to say that so far I’m pretty impressed with their customer service. That just may be because I was signing up, but their communication on every level has been sharper and friendlier than any of my recent connections with the great behemoth of Telstra. I guess we’ll see…

This guy is not a bigot… he’s just stupid. There is a difference, ya know…

“I get up every morning determined to both change the world and have one hell of a good time. Sometimes this makes planning my day difficult.” -E.B. White.

I love this quote. A simple line like this makes me wish I could have met Elwyn Brooks White for coffee (or maybe a beer?!)…

Been thinking about this a lot, and I guess the options are:

1. The devil really did do it

2. God is disciplining us (we don’t like to include this one much, but it’s there in the Bible)

3. We’re dumb and did it to ourselves

4. Someone else was dumb and did it to us (directly or indirectly)

It was interesting to see the Sydney Anglicans wrestling with their crisis at a theological level (very Sydney-Anglican-like, I guess!). Beyond all that, I can truly say that I fully understand the emotions of Peter Jensen… I know exactly how he feels. One of the few times I can say that I’ve been exactly there, and I know the grief he is talking about.

As a leader, you may not have caused it or had a direct hand in it, but you own it at a deep level, sometimes more than the people who caused the havoc. I guess that’s what makes leaders different. Ownership & responsibility… a deep sense of stewardship.