JULY 2016

5 MEMORABLE MOMENTS (JUNE 2016)

  1. Did 13 training runs for a total of 124 miles. (4 runs were half-marathons or longer!)

  2. Had a productive preaching off-site in Discovery Bay with Spencer, AJ, Glen, and Christopher.

  3. Grew friendship and established ministry partnership with Christopher Stites.

  4. Had largest giving month at theMOVEMENT ever!

  5. Hosted Rebekah's family in our home and re-connected with all of them. 

4 GOALS (JULY 2016)

  1. Run San Francisco Marathon in under 5 hours.  

  2. Serve the students/leaders of Hijacked 2016 well.

  3. Enjoy of a time of rest/relaxation with Rebekah at Acts 29 Pastor's Retreat in Long Beach, CA.

  4. Complete "Fundraising/Partnership Piece" for theMOVEMENT's 2016-2017 Budget.

3 HABITS

  1. Post 100 words to edwardpaz.com 20 times.

  2. Complete 15 training runs.

  3. Read at least one chapter of one of the Gospels daily.  

2 SACRIFICES

  1. Live by the budget.

  2. Be in bed by 10pm.

1 COMMITMENT

  1. By August 1, 2016, I finish the San Francisco Marathon in under 5 hours.

#459 - THE FEW VS. THE MANY

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There will always be the few. Who criticize. Who despise. Those who are literally watching and waiting to see you fail. Secretly, they scroll your social media accounts hoping that they can pick up on some sort of clue that things aren't going as well for you as you'd like them to! 

There will always be the few. Who judge. Who gossip. Those who would rather see you fail than see themselves succeed. Unfortunately, they place more of their emotional energy on critiquing you than creating for themselves.   

But my encouragement to you today is simply this:

Don't let the hate you receive from "the few," steal your joy from the love you receive from "the many."

Focus your attention on the many. Who love. Who appreciate. Those who want to see you succeed! Openly, they scroll your social media accounts liking and loving the things that you post because seeing you happy makes them happy!

Focus your attention on the many. Who receive. Who affirm. Those who understand that you being great takes nothing away from them being great! Joyfully, they encourage you knowing that your success feeds into their success. 

Leader, you have a choice. To be distracted by "the few" or to be motivated by "the many."

I encourage you to be motivated by "the many." Because the reality is, if you become too distracted by "the few," "the many" will soon become the "the neglected."

#458 - THE ONE KEY TO PERSONAL AND PROFESSIONAL GROWTH

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The following is a difficult truth that I wish wasn't a reality, but I have a choice to either lean into it and grow or reject it and never become all that God created me to become. I have a choice to either receive it gladly and mature or pretend it is not true and remain immature. The truth is this: 

I will only grow to the degree that I lead myself to be made uncomfortable. 

Example include:

  • I will only grow in my endurance to run longer distances when I lead myself to be made uncomfortable by adding miles to my "long run" each Saturday. 

  • I will only grow in my discipline to manage my money when I lead myself to be made uncomfortable by delayed gratification.

  • I will only grow in my capacity to lead a large organization when I lead myself to be made uncomfortable by delegating tasks, responsibilities, and authority to other leaders.

  • I will only grow in my authority to preach boldly when I lead myself to be made uncomfortable by proclaiming the truths of God's Word that I know may not be "seeker sensitive" or "socially acceptable."

  • I will only grow in my ability to love my wife sacrificially when I lead myself to be made uncomfortable by serving her at inopportune times and in inconvenient ways. 

  • I will only grow in my willingness to forgive when I lead myself to be made uncomfortable by extending continual forgiveness to those who I feel deserve it the least. 

  • I will only grow in my resolve to believe God for the impossible when I lead myself to be made uncomfortable by pursuing dreams, goals, and objectives that without His intervention I would fail. 

  • I will only grow in my effectiveness to pastor others when I lead myself to be made uncomfortable by listening when I no longer want to listen and by saying what I fear being said. 

How are you leading yourself to be made uncomfortable? 

As it relates to your health, finances, leadership, vocation, relationships, faith, etc. what circumstances, situations, and opportunities are you placing yourself in that you know will cause you discomfort but will also force you to grow?

You must lead yourself through the desert of discomfort if you desire to enjoy the oasis of growth. 

Discomfort. Growth. Discomfort. Growth. Discomfort. Growth. This is a pattern for life that if you choose to embrace it can produce results that you never thought possible. It is also a pattern for life that if you avoid, will result in the following happening by default: Comfort. Stagnation. Comfort. Stagnation. Comfort. Stagnation.   

The bottom line is this:

You can have comfort or you can have growth, but you can't have both!

Which will YOU choose today?

#457 - #SEEEDFAIL

In a day and age where our social media platforms tend to tell a story about our lives that is much more "polished" than we'd like to admit, I want to take this opportunity to "pull back the curtain" on several areas of my life in an effort to make a point that I hope will be an encouragement to you.

In regards to my health...

Though you may #seeEDrun, what you don't see is me:

  • Indulging in fast food way more than I should.

  • Refusing to engage in exercise besides running.

  • Eating, many times, to numb the emotional pain and stress I am experiencing.

In regards to my marriage...

Though you may see many happy pictures of my wife and I under the hashtag #seeEDblessed, what you don't see is me:

  • Refusing to fix the bed in the morning when it is the one thing my wife has explicitly asked me to do everyday.

  • Settling on date nights being dinner and a movie when I know I am capable of being much more thoughtful about how we can invest our time together.

  • Pretending to be asleep in the morning so she has to take the dog out to the bathroom! (I'm such a selfish loser!)

In regards to my pastoral leadership...

Though you may see many great experiences I am blessed to have as the lead pastor of theMOVEMENT through the hashtags #seeEDpastor and #seeEDpreach what you don't see is me:

  • Struggling to effectively lead the church staff.

  • Procrastinating on my sermon preparation.

  • Abdicating my responsibility to lead because I'd rather be liked by men than obedient to God.

In regards to my finances...

Though I am currently enrolled in Dave Ramsey's Financial Peace University, what you don't see is me...

  • Resisting creating and sticking to a budget.

  • Neglecting to aggressively pay off debt because I'd rather have the latest pair of Jordans.

  • Overspending on eating out because I refuse to develop the discipline of shopping for food and cooking at home. 

In regards to my heart...

Though many people have said that my "heart" is what they appreciate about me the most, what you don't see is me...

  • Being more frustrated with others' sin than I am with my own.

  • Giving up on people even though God has not given up on me.

  • Envying the blessings of others to the point where I am blind to God's blessings to me. 

So what is the point of sharing these (there are many more!) inadequacies with you?

As sick to my stomach as it makes me to think about my many shortcomings, the point is this: if God can call, equip, use, and bless a prideful, irresponsible, selfish knucklehead like me, He can do the same with you!

Since the beginning of time, God has been using busted and broken men and women, just like me and you, to accomplish His purposes on earth and bring glory to Him in heaven. It's just what God does. 

Though by the time my life is through there will be many failures by which I could place the hashtag #seeEDfail, I am trusting that when all is said and done, the hashtag that will be placed next to my name will be #seeGODredeem!

Can you trust Him to do the same with you?

But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. 2 Corinthians 12:9

#456 - PASTOR, GET CARE

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Pastor, you need to be cared for. You need to be listened to. You need to be heard. You need to be ministered to. You need a safe place where it is OK to talk about how you're really feeling. As an under-shepherd to the Good Shepherd, you need to be shepherded.

I've found one of the best places to receive this type of care is from other under-shepherds like yourself. Meet with another pastor in your city. Join a network of pastors. Connect with other pastors online. Do something. GET CARE. The quality of your care for others depends on it.

Additionally, pastor, you need to care for another pastor. A younger pastor. A newer pastor. A lonely pastor. You need to find a pastor who isn't being cared for and care for them. Minister to them. Ask them questions. Share your resources. Invest your time. GIVE CARE. In some ways, the quality of that pastor's care for their flock depends on your care for them. 

Too many of us are dried up spiritually, failing morally, unhealthy physically, and burnt out emotionally. Too many of us live lives of isolation, and it is only a matter of time before the enemy picks us off in the same way a lion can kill an elephant that has wandered away from its' herd.

Pastor, get care and give care. Soon. Our collective ability to carry out our task faithfully requires our commitment to these things. 

I write these words with deep conviction because in my 10+ years of volunteer/vocational ministry, I have had pastors who have extended care to me and their investment of time, effort, and energy has been a precious gift that has made all the difference in my ability to continue to be faithful to my call. 

As a pastor who cares for others, I am surrounded by pastors who care for me. 

Pastors, let's make it our goal to make this every pastor's reality.