Life in Africa

records, meetings, and hijackings

I think we broke the record today for our longest staff meeting ever. But it was really good. It totally didn't seem like it took almost 3 1/2 hours.

We hold staff meetings every other Monday morning for all our staff (missionary and Basotho) and interns. Our meetings have three parts: testimonies, department updates, and development. We all sit in a big circle (which today was even bigger since the Outreach Staff joined us as well). Starting anywhere in the circle, we work our way around the room -- anyone who wants to can share a testimony about what God has been doing in and through them and their department in the past few weeks. This morning, more people than usual shared incredible stories of what God has been up to. It is encouraging and energizing for all of us to hear what He's doing throughout the ministry.

Then we go back around the circle sharing department updates -- upcoming events that everyone should be aware of. Because we are a team, we feel it's important for everyone to know what's happening in each area -- even if they are not directly involved in it or affected by it. We want everyone to walk away with a sense that their efforts indirectly affect everything the ministry does -- and through that, impact every life that is impacted by the ministry. "It's all Kingdom business!"

Then we end off with a time of development. Niel and I feel strongly that we are called by God to minister to our team -- to the staff and interns He has blessed us with. We are intentional about providing as many opportunities for growth and development as we can.

(As we recently shared with our interns, we are not responsible for them, but we are responsible to them. We are responsible to them in the sense of creating an environment that is conducive for personal and spiritual growth and providing as many platforms for development as we possibly can. But we are not responsible for them. They alone are responsible for their own growth and development. What they do with the opportunities we provide is their own choice.)

Development time usually involves a teaching of some sort (either by Niel or via a teaching DVD) and a time of discussion about personal (and ministry) application. We are currently working through a DVD series about submitting to authority. The sessions this morning -- and the discussions that ensued -- were really, really good.

In spite of the way it hijacked my morning, necessitated that I reschedule several meetings, and made my day seem rushed and hectic, I walked away from staff meeting feeling strengthened for the week ahead.

,

backlog

,

I believe in backlog.

I'm pretty much always tired. I wake up almost every morning still feeling sleepy. Even after a good night's sleep, I'm tired. Even after the very rare occasion of sleeping till noon, like I did this morning (wow!), I still wake up tired. Backlog, I tell you.

Getting a sufficient amount of sleep one night (or even several) does not seem to make up for the backlog of tiredness. That's my theory, anyway. Otherwise, why would I still be tired today?

Backlog. Gets me every time...

it’s always been about jesus

In Genesis, He is the ram at Abraham’s altar.
In Exodus, He is the Passover lamb.
In Leviticus, He is our high priest.
In Numbers, He is the cloud by day and the fire by night.
In Deuteronomy, He is our city of refuge.
In Joshua, He is the One who fights our battles.
In Judges, He is our judge.
In Ruth, He is our kinsman redeemer.
In I & II Samuel, He is our king.
In I & II Kings, He is the gentle whisper in our hearts.
In I & II Chronicles, He is our victory.
In Ezra, He is the faithful scribe.
In Nehemiah, He is the rebuilder of everything that’s broken.
In Esther, He is the One sitting faithfully by the gate.
In Job, He is our living redeemer.
In Psalms, He is our shepherd.
In Proverbs, He is our wisdom.
In Ecclesiastes, He is the One who brings meaning to our lives.
In Song of Songs, He is the beautiful bridegroom.
In Isaiah, He is the suffering servant.
In Jeremiah, He is the potter at the wheel.
In Lamentations, He is our ever-constant hope.
In Ezekiel, He is the divine shepherd who gathers His flock.
In Daniel, He is the fourth man in the fiery furnace.
In Hosea, He is our faithful love.
In Joel, He is the One who baptizes us with the Holy Spirit.
In Amos, He is our restoration.
In Obadiah, He is our Savior.
In Jonah, He is the great missionary who takes the Word of God to the world.
In Micah, He is our peace.
In Nahum, He is the One who brings good news.
In Habakkuk, He is our mighty strength.
In Zephaniah, He is the One who forgives.
In Haggai, He is the signet ring of the Lord.
In Zechariah, He is our refining fire.
In Malachi, He is the sun of righteousness with healing in His wings.

In Matthew, He is the Messiah.
In Mark, He is our compassionate and willing healer.
In Luke, He is the Son of Man.
In John, He is the way, the truth, and the life.
In Acts, He is our salvation.
In Romans, He is our intercessor.
In I & II Corinthians, He is the fulfillment of all of God’s promises.
In Galatians, He is our Redeemer.
In Ephesians, He is our peace.
In Philippians, He is the supplier of our every need.
In Colossians, He is our life-source.
In I & II Thessalonians, He is our faithful Lord.
In I & II Timothy, He is the mediator between God and man.
In Titus, He is our merciful Saviour.
In Philemon, He is the giver of all good things.
In Hebrews, He is our great High Priest.
In James, He is the One who exalts the humble.
In I & II Peter, He is our rescuer.
In I, II, & II John, He is the display of God’s love for us.
In Jude, He is the One who keeps us from stumbling.
In Revelation, He is the King of kings and Lord of lords.

consistency is paramount

Over the past several weeks, a recurring mantra in my head has been “Consistency is paramount”. When we return to a place for a specific experience, atmosphere, or service and are met with glaringly huge inconsistencies, I just have to shake my head. Consistency is paramount. It’s what will keep us returning for more, compel us to tell others about our good experiences, and cause us to be increasingly confident as we know what we can expect.

To me, consistency is an integral part of excellence. Excellence is one of our ministry core values and is something I personally value very strongly (at times to a fault, I know). We constantly tell our staff team that excellence honors God and inspires people. When people know what they can expect, and are delivered that each and every time, I believe that’s excellence.

Seeing so many people’s and businesses’ lack of consistency this past month has been good. Good in the sense that it’s caused me to see things I haven’t seen before and think about things I never considered before. Any time I become aware of things like this, I take a good, long, magnifying-glass look at our own ministry. What areas are we inconsistent in? What should be the non-negotiable consistencies in our ministry? In each department? How do we get our entire team on board as we strive for consistency in all areas?

We still have a long way to go. But I know we’re on the right path.