The most important things

Have you ever heard that saying “the main thing is to keep the main thing the main thing”?

It’s a great statement that doesn’t actually say anything other than this: priorities.

I’ve been teaching for over three years now (almost four actually) and in the course of sending over 1,000 missionaries to the field, my team and I have had to discuss our priorities.

 

 

 

Even this week I told a group of leaders the following: when you have the choice of what to promote, practice, and protect please choose these things:

 

It’s not complicated…it’s the “main” thing.  Here’s what’s important.  Here’s what we value:

 

I always read about honor in scripture.  In fact, I intend to write an entire blog series on the subject.  I think it’s something I always valued, I just didn’t know how to express it.  Over the last two year in particular, honor has become one of the pillars of how we operate.  We choose honor when dishonor is an option, we preserve dignity, we speak highly and hopeful of people (even those that annoy us, offend us, or fail us).  We also choose honor when doing nothing is probably easier.  We honor authority, we honor one another and we honor those we lead.  It’s just the better way.  We serve as mirrors to one another by giving and receiving feedback.  Feedback says: what does the best version of you look like?  I’ll tell you when you’re acting like it…and when you’re not. 

 

It’s where this whole operation began.  Twenty-two years ago, a life-changing concept was articulated by Seth Barnes.  It said, God might just be speaking more than we care to listen.  What if a relationship with God is more than just giving Him my laundry list of requests and hoping I’m lucky enough to find myself somehow in His will?  We call it a “relationship” but we find false contentment in it being egregiously one-sided.  What if God genuinely communicated with us.  In Genesis it says He “communed” with Adam and Eve.  We see all throughout Scripture of God speaking to His people.  We listen because God might just have something to say.

 

“Go into the world and preach the Gospel.”  Who?  You.  Who?  Me.  We’re “Plan A”.  There is no “Plan B”.  If the world is to hear of the hope of Christ it’s because WE obeyed.  There’s quite frankly nothing more to discuss.

 

That’s it.  That’s what’s important.  What if a generation lived with these values?  Would your family, life, church and kids look different?  I’m going to work to that end.  If you want in.  Just let me know.