#449 - A REALITY CHECK FOR PASTORS

Today I found out that yet another "high-profile" pastor has been removed from his position in ministry. The elders within the church discovered unresolved sin in his life that disqualified him from his role, and both the elders and the pastor decided that stepping down would be the best course of action.

In addition to grieving and praying for this man and the church that he leads, I also find myself staring at, once again, the devastating implications of sin - especially for those who serve in pastoral ministry.

This man's story serves as another serious warning to me that unconfessed, unresolved, unattended to sin is costly. Not only will it undermine the work that you have put in to serve the local church, but it also has the potential to hinder the work that God is doing in the individuals within the local church that you serve.  (I understand fully that God's work in the lives of people will happen with or without me, but the idea of my sin in any way hindering that work is a terrible thought.)

Knowing that I am just as susceptible to sin as the pastor who was removed from his position, I am compelled to pray the following prayer that I encourage you to pray with me as well:

Heavenly Father, help me. Your word says that sin is crouching at my door and that its' will is to overtake me. Lord help me to be aware of this sin. Lord help me to avoid this sin. Lord and if, for any reason, I succumb to this sin, give me the humility and courage to repent and confess. Lord help me. Lord help me. Lord help me. Lead me not into temptation, but deliver me from evil. The same power that rose Jesus from the grave lives in me, and I ask for that power to help me overcome sin today. I pray this in Jesus' name, Amen.  

#448 - A RECOMMENDED RHYTHM OF REST

When it comes to leadership, I am convinced that the most important person you will ever lead is yourself.  

If you can't effectively lead yourself to accomplish your goals and objectives, how can you reasonably expect that you would be able to lead someone else to accomplish theirs?

Those who see you as their leader are watching you, and if they see that you are unable to lead yourself, over time, their respect for you will decline and your ability to lead them effectively will eventually erode.

With this reality of leadership in mind, one of the most important areas you must lead yourself in is...rest.  Because no one can rest for you, because no one can force you to rest, you must establish and execute, for yourself, a rhythm of rest.

One of the greatest gifts you can give to the team you lead is your emotional energy, and if you do not have adequate rest, emotional energy will be something you do not have the capacity to give.

Several years ago, I was "sold" on the idea of making rest a priority by Pastor Rick Warren when he outlined the following recommended "rhythm of rest."

1. Divert Daily  - Every day break away from your work to do something you enjoy.

2. Withdraw Weekly  - Every week take a full 24 hours straight to disconnect from your work entirely. 

3. Quarantine Quarterly  (I added this one, and couldn't think of another "Q" word that would work!) - Though this wasn't a part of Rick Warren's plan, I recommend that every quarter you take 2-3 days to "get away" to think, plan, pray, rest, and do whatever else you need to do to recharge. I used the word "quarantine" because, as an introvert, I like the quarterly break to be in isolation!

4. Abandon Annually  - Every year take at least a week or two and go on a vacation! Leave the laptop at home, set up an email auto-responder, put your cell phone away, and take this opportunity to remind yourself that your work, your organization, and your team will be just fine without you!

If you're not yet convinced that establishing a rhythm of rest is important, I will leave you with this closing thought:

If you do not choose to rest, your body will eventually shut down and force you to rest.

The question you must ask yourself is, "Do I want my rest to be an intentional, proactive choice or a forced, reactive response?"

Choosing the former will surely strengthen your leadership ability, becoming a victim of the latter will indefinitely cripple it.

Choose rest.

#447 - 9 REASONS WHY I'M RUNNING ANOTHER MARATHON

Though I could easily come up with many excuses why I couldn't and shouldn't run a marathon this upcoming July, I choose to focus on the reasons why I can and will:

1. Beating my previous marathon times of 7:17 and 5:54 is a must. I am determined to run this one in 4:45.

2. Training for a marathon gives me the opportunity to practice leading the most important person I will ever lead...myself. 

3. Completing a faster marathon at 33 than I did at 24 and 29 would be very encouraging to someone like myself who is starting to feel older and older.

4. Encouraging Spencer and AJ as they train and watching them cross the finish line, at their first marathon, is more fulfilling to me than completing my own.

5. Challenging myself to accomplish something that is intimidating to me gets me out of my comfort zone is good for my personal development.

6. Running long distances, like nothing else, strengthens my inner will and resolve. If I ever want to become a great leader, I am going to need major resolve.

7. Enjoying the beauty along the various trails, breathing in the fresh air, and feeling my heart pumping as I run invigorates me and makes me feel truly alive.

8. Learning lessons about life as I run has been very profitable for me. Running is a relentless teacher.

9. Adding another medal to my collection is always rewarding!

The beauty of well thought out, articulated reasons for pursuing a goal is this:

When strong reasons are juxtaposed to weak excuses, excuses don't stand a chance!

#446 - ABOUT EXCUSES

If there is one thing you can count on never having a shortage of, it is...excuses. 

Excuses for why you can't.
Excuses for why you shouldn't
Excuses for why you won't.

Excuses to prevent you from starting.
Excuses to keep you from continuing.
Excuses to stop you from finishing.

And the reason why you'll never have a shortage of excuses? Anything can be an excuse.

Let me say that again just in case you missed it. If you are looking for an excuse not to do something, you WILL find one because anything can be an excuse. 

Your age. Your race. Your socioeconomic status. Your parents. Your kids. Your education. Your religion. Your past. Your job. Your schedule. Your friends. Your President. The weather.

When an excuse is what you want, an excuse is what you will find.

My challenge to you is to not let the direction of your life be driven by your excuses. Do not let your future be determined by your excuses. Do not let your legacy be defined by your excuses.

Instead, allow the outcome of your life to be decided by a much more powerful force...

YOUR REASONS. 

#445 - THERE'S MORE

Are you challenging yourself? 

To compete harder. To achieve greater. To dig deeper. 

Are you challenging yourself?

To create better. To persevere longer. To reach higher.  

I encourage you on this first week of the second quarter of 2016, to make the decision to pursue a goal that will require you to push yourself to your mental, physical, vocational, or relational limits.

There is more inside of you.

More fight. More creativity. More value. More athleticism. More love. More contribution. More effort. More influence. More desire. More achievement. 

There is more for you to accomplish.
There is more for you to experience.
There is more for you to conquer.

But you must be aware,

Your "more" is always at war with your "less."

The war is real. The war is relentless. The war is always being fought.

But you have a weapon - CHOICE. So, wield this weapon and choose "more."

And do it quickly before "less" chooses itself.

APRIL 2016

5 MEMORABLE MOMENTS (MARCH 2016)

1. Enjoyed being a part of Christina's proposal day!
2. Re-energized at a productive/restful study break at Jenness Park. 
3. Finished the Livermore Half-Marathon in under 2 hours 10 minutes and earned my Golden State Half Series Medal for consecutively running Oakland, San Francisco, and Livermore Half-Marathons!
4. Accompanied my wife and friends to watch Justin Bieber live!
5. Led our church to serve 300+ at our Easter Outreach and 250+ at our Easter Sunday service!

4 GOALS (APRIL 2016)

1. Lead productive Directional Leadership Team Off-Site.
2. Take Rebekah to Commis for a date night.
3. Finish C.S. Lewis - A Life by Alistair McGrath.
4. Create Spring/Summer Reading/Listening Plan.

3 HABITS

1. Post 100 words to edwardpaz.com 20 times.
2. Complete 15 training runs.
3. Read/listen to an audio book daily. 

2 SACRIFICES

1. No clothes/shoes shopping.
2. Be in bed by 10pm.

1 COMMITMENT

1. By May 1, 2016, I complete 15 training runs.