Tag Archive - quotes

delegate

December 20, 2010 in nehemiah with 0 Comments

Nehemiah 1:1-4

[1] Now when the wall had been built and I had set up the doors, and the gatekeepers, the singers, and the Levites had been appointed, [2] I gave my brother Hanani and Hananiah the governor of the castle charge over Jerusalem, for he was a more faithful and God-fearing man than many. [3] And I said to them, “Let not the gates of Jerusalem be opened until the sun is hot. And while they are still standing guard, let them shut and bar the doors. Appoint guards from among the inhabitants of Jerusalem, some at their guard posts and some in front of their own homes.” [4] The city was wide and large, but the people within it were few, and no houses had been rebuilt.

Nehemiah and the people of Israel have just finished an amazing feat.  They built the wall around Jerusalem in just 52 days.  He then begins to feel God is calling him to do another work, which we’ll see soon is to put together a list of the exiles who have returned to Israel.

He doesn’t try to do both things though, he delegates.

Sometimes God calls leaders to do many different things at different times, and sometimes we misunderstand what he’s saying and try to do it all for ourselves.  God wants us to involve other people in ministry, but often we don’t.

And what happens when we don’t involve other people?  We burn out, we get frustrated… and sometimes we just quit.

When instead, we could’ve delegated, allowing other people to help us in ministry.  Now, I’m not saying that we should give it all to someone who can’t handle it… notice that Nehemiah gave it to a man who “was a more faithful and God-fearing man than many.”

I think many times ministers and Christian leaders burn out because we try to do it all.  We feel that God has called us to do this, and, of course, “no one could do it as well as me.” Then, as we begin to tire, we feel like no one wants to help in the ministry… because we haven’t allowed anyone to.

Nehemiah followed God’s leading, and appointed (delegated) someone to take over, who he knew he could trust, someone he knew feared the Lord.  He didn’t delegate to just anyone, but delegated to one who wanted to follow God’s leading…

When you’re feeling burned out – a) figure out what you can delegate, and find someone who is faithful to help you do that… and b) give it to God…

Sometimes you’ll feel like you can’t do it, that you’ll never be able to finish what you’ve started.  I know that the Israelites felt that way when they were halfway through building the wall, so, just like Nehemiah said to them: “Remember the Lord, who is great and awesome!”

Delegate and remember God, your loving Father, will help… and so will many people who are itching to get some ministry experience…

in Christ,

Isaiah

Tech Support Thursdays #1

December 9, 2010 in personal, tech support thursday with 6 Comments

I decided to tell you a few funny stories that happened during my two years doing phone tech support.  These posts are going to be called Tech Support Thursdays, and for no rhyme or reason, today will be the first.  I’ll try to do this once a month, as I remember.

“My TV is broken”

Me – “*ISP Name*, my name is Isaiah, how may I help you?”

Caller – “My TV is broken.”

Me – [pause] “Um, this is *ISP*, not your tv company.”

Caller – “It has to do with the High-Speed.”

Me – “Alright, what seems to be the problem?”

Caller – “My TV isn’t showing anything.”

Me – “Do you mean your computer monitor?”

Caller – “No, the TV with the highspeed.”

Me – “So your monitor…”

Caller – [interrupting] “TV”

Me – “Ok, your TV, whatever, does it have a light on it?”

Caller – “Yes, it has an orange light.”

Me – “Ok, what I want you to do is press the button on the monitor  - sorry, TV, and then press the button on your computer – um, the big box underneath your monitor, er, TV.”

Caller – [sighing] “Ok.” [presses both buttons, and I hear the computer fan kick on.]

Me – “Alright, can you press the button on the ‘TV’ now?”

Caller – [surprised] “It works!  How did you do that?”

Me – “I believe that your computer was turned off.”

Caller – “Well who would do that?”

Me – “Uh, I’m not sure, but it was turned off.”

Caller – “Well, I’m going to get to the bottom of this.”

Me – “You do that.”

Let me know if you want to read more of these.

in Christ,

Isaiah

own it

November 22, 2010 in nehemiah with 0 Comments

Nehemiah 1:4-7

[4] As soon as I heard these words I sat down and wept and mourned for days, and I continued fasting and praying before the God of heaven. [5] And I said, “O LORD God of heaven, the great and awesome God who keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love him and keep his commandments, [6] let your ear be attentive and your eyes open, to hear the prayer of your servant that I now pray before you day and night for the people of Israel your servants, confessing the sins of the people of Israel, which we have sinned against you. Even I and my father’s house have sinned. [7] We have acted very corruptly against you and have not kept the commandments, the statutes, and the rules that you commanded your servant Moses. (ESV)

Bad news.  That’s what Nehemiah had heard just before he says this prayer (which continues on and the end of which we’ll talk about tomorrow.)  The remnant of the people of Israel has been ashamed, and the wall of Jerusalem has been broken down and its gates have been destroyed by fire.

We hear bad news all of the time.  Turn on the radio, tv or even within news on the internet or Facebook, and we see bad news.  TSA patdowns, economic struggles, scapegoats and those who’ve been victimized.

But rarely do we own the bad news, and our own part in it.

Nehemiah, in verse 6, says, “Even I and my father’s house has sinned.”

Nehemiah knows that he and his father’s house have contributed to the problems of whole of Israel.

no man is an island.

What we do affects those around us, spritually, mentally, physically.

Nehemiah knew this, and knew that he, also, was a cause of the problem.  Israel’s idolatry was a nation-wide problem, and Nehemiah claimed his part, his idolatry.

What about you?

Do you struggle with idolatry?

A good definition of an idol would be, “anything that comes between you and God,” right?

Do you place time with God as a priority in your life?

Do you seek to put other people’s needs ahead of your own?

why not?

Are you selfish or self-less?

Are you the cause of bad news in other people’s lives, or an encouragement to them?

Before you can move on and be different, you have to own that you are part of the problem.

This post could be a huge downer, maybe even bad news, if it wasn’t for the truth of verse 5:

O LORD God of heaven, the great and awesome God who keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love him and keep his commandments,

Nehemiah knew that before he could do anything, he had to:

1) Praise God

2) Confess (own) his own part in the problem.

What do you need to confess, or own, today?

in Christ,

Isaiah

Priorities

June 12, 2009 in personal, quote with 0 Comments

Dear <put you name here>,

Do you really think that your email and RSS feeds <add whatever is taking your attention> are more important that my Word this AM?

Love, God.

SMACK!

Does this smack anyone else upside the head like it did me?

Thanks to fmckinnon for the quote

We get busy, and we forget who we really are. We get hurt, and we forget who we really are. We find ourselves in the midst of trials, and we lose ourselves – forgetting who we are. But our identity in Christ is power.

March 4, 2009 in quote with 0 Comments

We get busy, and we forget who we really are.

We get hurt, and we forget who we really are.

We find ourselves in the midst of trials, and we lose ourselves – forgetting who we are.

But our identity in Christ is power.
Arron Chambers – Remember Who You Are

So long as we imagine it is we who have to look for God, we must often lose heart. But it is the other way about—He is looking for us.

February 15, 2009 in quote with 0 Comments

So long as we imagine it is we who have to look for God, we must often lose heart. But it is the other way about—He is looking for us.
Simon Tugwell

Thirsty hearts are those whose longings have been wakened by the touch of God within them.

February 12, 2009 in quote with 0 Comments

Thirsty hearts are those whose longings have been wakened by the touch of God within them.
A. W. Tozer

Every Christian should start their day with the Bible in one hand, and the newspaper in the other.

February 2, 2009 in quote with 0 Comments

Every Christian should start their day with the Bible in one hand, and the newspaper in the other.
Karl Barth

Monotony

January 30, 2009 in Uncategorized with 0 Comments

Because children have abounding vitality, because they are in spirit fierce and free, therefore they want things repeated and unchanged. They always say, “Do it again”; and the grown-up person does it again until he is nearly dead. For grown-up people are not strong enough to exult in monotony. But perhaps God is strong enough to exult in monotony. It is possible that God says every morning, “Do it again” to the sun; and every evening, “Do it again” to the moon. It may not be automatic necessity that makes all daisies alike; it may be that God makes every daisy separately, but has never got tired of making them. It may be that He has the eternal appetite of infancy; for we have sinned and grown old, and our Father is younger than we. – G.K. Chesterton

To those who say Church is boring, say this to yourself: ‘Church is boring because I am boring. I am boring because I don’t think of other people enough.’

January 25, 2009 in quote with 0 Comments

To those who say Church is boring, say this to yourself: ‘Church is boring because I am boring. I am boring because I don’t think of other people enough.’
Scott Beckenhauer – speaker at Winter White Wash

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