TransForum

Mess into a Message

noreply@blogger.com (Dale Oquist) — Wed, 27 Jan 2010 22:14:00 +0000

I received a text message from someone and they used the word "mess" to mean message. I thought they meant mess - like, "I made a mess of this." When I showed concern in my reply over the "mess" they immediately corrected the mistake and said they meant "message" (which I coached them to shorten to msg next time). It all changed from negative to positive.

Not meaning to be over-spiritual about this; isn't that what God is always doing? He takes our mess and turns it into a message. God's business is taking the crud of our lives and turning it into that which is miraculous. Turns our losses into wins.

God is in the recycling business. In fact, God has no trash cans! Live with that hope.

Isaiah 61:3

To all who mourn in Israel,
he will give a crown of beauty for ashes,
a joyous blessing instead of mourning,
festive praise instead of despair.

Tiger Woods

noreply@blogger.com (Dale Oquist) — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 00:44:00 +0000

I read an article regarding Tiger's troubles and thought it was well done. The author focuses on the fact that the world's best golfer needs to look deep within himself for the answers he is looking for.

If you are interested: http://www.jsonline.com/sports/golf/79271622.html

Grace and Peace.

Expect a Miracle

noreply@blogger.com (Dale Oquist) — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 22:57:00 +0000

Oral Roberts died today. He was 91. The evangelist, university founder and harbinger of the faith healing movement died of complications with pneumonia.

Controversy has swirled around the man for many years. He did not help himself when he essentially threatened his supporters that "God would take him home" if he did not raise $8 million.

Yet he leaves a legacy of faith. A statement that he always used that should be a mindset mainstay for every follower of Jesus is: Expect a Miracle. Because we serve an omnipotent God, we can expect the impossible to give way because of faith!

Another great slogan that is said to have been on his desk was: Make No Small Plans Here.

A great pioneer in the faith is gone. May God give comfort to his family and friends.

Expect a miracle!

Leadership Philosphies

noreply@blogger.com (Dale Oquist) — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 19:24:00 +0000

I was asked this week about my leadership philosophies. My reply was that I have two that are guiding me of late.

1. Any of us should be able to speak for all of us. As it relates to ECC, all of our staff should be unified on issues of the existence and purpose of our organization that any one of us should be able to speak for the whole organization. The key to this is staying on message and declaring it over and over again. Communicate and then communicate more. When you feel like everyone gets it, say it again.

2. Get others to follow you off a cliff. This is not a suicidal mission, it is a missional passion. Believe in what you are doing that you get others to join with you as you pursue a crazy dream that only happens if God helps. When the flames start to burn, leaders will lead the way with those that partner with them to get things done long after everyone else has gone home to enjoy a quiet evening.

Other philosophies that have guided me:

- How a leader leads is always changing. How you lead today should be different from 5 or 10 years ago.

- You gain influence by giving away authority. Most people want power through authority. Most want to be the one making all the decisions. If you give away authority, your power will shift to influence.

Be a leader!

A Troubled Church

noreply@blogger.com (Dale Oquist) — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 05:26:00 +0000

Perry Noble, a senior pastor in SC has a blog about leadership. Here is a recent post regarding 15 Signs That a Church is in Trouble.

Good stuff.

#1 – When excuses are made about the way things are instead of embracing a willingness to roll up the sleeves and fix the problem.

#2 – When the church becomes content with merely receiving people that come rather than actually going out and finding them…in other words, they lose their passion for evangelism!

#3 – The focus of the church is to build a great church (complete with the pastors picture…and his wife’s…on everything) and not the Kingdom of God.

#4 – The leadership begins to settle for the natural rather than rely on the supernatural.

#5 – The church begins to view success/failure in regards to how they are viewed in the church world rather than whether or not they are actually fulfilling the Great Commission!

#6 – The leaders within the church cease to be coachable.

#7 – There is a loss of a sense of urgency! (Hell is no longer hot, sin is no longer wrong and the cross is no longer important!)

#8 – Scripture isn’t central in every decision that is made!

#9 – The church is reactive rather than proactive.

#10 – The people in the church lose sight of the next generation and refuse to fund ministry simply because they don’t understand “those young people.”

#11 – The goal of the church is to simply maintain the way things are…to NOT rock the boat and/or upset anyone…especially the big givers!

#12 – The church is no longer willing to take steps of faith because “there is just too much to lose.”

#13 – The church simply does not care about the obvious and immediate needs that exist in the community.

#14 – The people learn how to depend on one man to minister to everyone rather than everyone embracing their role in the body, thus allowing the body to care for itself.

#15 – When the leaders/staff refuse to go the extra mile in leading and serving because of how “inconvenient” doing so would be.

noreply@blogger.com (Dale Oquist) — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 18:30:00 +0000

This past Friday night, Joni, Dawson and I, along with another family, went to see Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat at the 5th Avenue Theater in Seattle. The musical has been performed for decades. This was my first live experience of this particular account of the Biblical story of Joseph. If you have never seen it, it is a remarkable production having only a handful of spoken words. Even the narrator sings her part. I think that part of it made it an endurance test for my 11 year old.

As stated, the musical is a biography of the life of Joseph from Genesis 37-50 written by Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice. It is very entertaining with bright colors, a variety of musical styles and frequent humor. There is an obvious deletion of any reference to God from beginning to end.

I surmise that it was intended to be both entertaining and inspiring. The theme song is "Any Dream Will Do" that you hear at the very beginning and again at the end. It is a song that chronicles the life of Joseph. My thinking is that it was designed to leave you with a sense that whatever your dream is, it will do for you what Joseph's dreams did - lead to a life of fulfillment. Yet, as entertaining as it was, it fell empty in the inspiration department for me because it left out the most important portion of Joseph's life - his relationship with God. It takes out the very foundation of the story. Joseph's dreams were God-given. His ability to interpret dreams was God-given (Genesis 41:16).

So it is for me. My life and my plans and my story falls flat without the Spirit behind it. Whatever I do or accomplish today or tomorrow or throughout life will only be meaningful and inspirational if it points away from me and toward God!

I recommend Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat as a great show. But it will not change your life because is has deliberately taken out the Life Changer - God.

I Left My Heart In...

noreply@blogger.com (Dale Oquist) — Sun, 04 Oct 2009 03:27:00 +0000

I recently read an amazing story about David Livingstone. He was born in 1813 in Scotland and died in 1873 in Zambia, Africa. He was an extraordinary man with a heart for God and others. His adventuresome spirit took him to places few if any had seen up to that time. His skill with medicine gave him a doorway to ministry. He was the first medical missionary to Central Africa.

Toward the end of his life, he lost contact with the outside world for about 6 years.Henry Morton Stanley, a newspaper employee sent to find him by the New York Herald newspaper in 1869, found Livingstone in the town of Ujiji in October of 1871. He greeted him with the now famous words, "Dr. Livingstone, I presume?" to which he responded, "Yes, and I feel thankful that I am here to welcome you."

In less than two years Livingstone would die of malaria and dysentery. After his death, Britain wanted the tribe in Zambia to return the body of their countryman for a proper burial. At first the tribe refused. Eventually they sent his body back, but without the heart. They placed a note on his body that said, "You can have his body, but his heart belongs in Africa." Livingstone's heartless body is buried at Westminster Abbey in London.

Today there is a statue of Livingstone at the place where they buried his heart.

Question: If your heart were to be buried at the place you loved most, where would that be?

Not Bored, Too Busy or Tired

noreply@blogger.com (Dale Oquist) — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 21:09:00 +0000

Maybe it is just a good reminder or a new revelation; God is not bored, too busy or tired. There is no divine thumb twiddling. There are no celestial yawns. There is no need for God to have "call waiting."

A dynamic (and correct) assumption is that God is actively at work in your life. God is already and always working on your behalf. He is ever present and acutely attentive to you.

The issue is that we can tend to get bored, too busy and/or tired. Our boredom, busyness and weariness then distracts us from the pursuit of godliness. So, when we are bored, too busy and/or tired, we do not reflect the image of God in which we were made.

Pursue faith! Pursue His purpose!

Beware: Hypocrisy

noreply@blogger.com (Dale Oquist) — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 23:25:00 +0000

Whenever a person's words and actions conflict, we have a tough time overcoming that discrepancy, thus deeming them irrelevant because they are not credible. Through the years we have needed contracts and agreements because of a lack of trust. Our "word" was not as strong as our signature on a legal document. Our handshake became merely a greeting and not the seal of an agreement.

Hypocrisy has become easy to find. How costly for some because the more they talk, the harder it is to listen.

In the current issue of Newsweek, George F. Will, in discussing the President's speech to Congress regarding health-care last Wednesday, said:

"He deplores 'scare tactics' but says that unless he gets his way, people will die. He praises temperate discourse but says many of his opponents are liars. He says Medicare is an exemplary program that validates government's prowess at running health systems. But he also says Medicare is unsustainable and going broke, and that he will pay for much of his reforms by eliminating the hundreds of billions of dollars of waste and fraud in this paragon of a program, and in Medicaid."

My point is NOT the health care debate. My point is that, as easy as it is for us to see the hypocrisy in another person's speech, is as easy as it is for others to see it in us. Read Matthew 23:13-26 and see how many times Jesus uses the word, hypocrite. He is not speaking to the politician or the pagan, but those that should know better - religious people.

Weigh your words. Weigh your actions. To say that we should not speak until there is perfect balance is unrealistic. But let's at least have enough credibility so people will listen when we talk.

Birthday Present

noreply@blogger.com (Dale Oquist) — Thu, 10 Sep 2009 15:25:00 +0000

For my Birthday this year, I received a Kindle from Joni and Lauren. I thought everyone had heard of them by now, but as I have been showing it off (the last day and a half) it has surprised me how many have never heard of it.

Kindle is a hardware and software platform for reading e-books and digital media. Amazon created and sells the Kindle that competes with other digital readers like the Sony Reader or the iRex iLiad. It is pretty amazing.

The display uses e-ink electronic paper that is easy to read, even in sunlight. It has a 3G wireless feature that allows you to have basic web access as well as downloading books, magazines and newspapers. The wireless access fee is included in the price so there is no monthly charge. It took about 20 seconds to download an entire book. If you would like, it will read the book to you with its text-to-speech feature.

It is a great gift, because I would have never bought it for myself.

Just ask, and I will take you on a tour.

Best/Worst Trades Ever

noreply@blogger.com (Dale Oquist) — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 00:23:00 +0000

There have been some sports trades that will go down as great/terrible, based on which side of the trade you are on.

- The LA Lakers got Kobe Bryant for Vlade Divac

- In 1992, the Green Bay Packers traded a 1st round draft choice for Brett Favre, who had previously thrown a total of 4 incomplete passes in his pro career.

- Wayne Gretzky was traded from the Edmonton Oilers to the LA Kings for 5 players. Those 5 scored a total of 223 goals while Gretzky scored 918.

- Worst of all time? Harry Frazee, owner of the Boston Red Sox, supposedly needed money to fiance the Broadway musical, "No, No, Nanette," so he sold George Herman "Babe" Ruth to the NY Yankees for $100,000 (over a million in today's dollars).

All of the players mentioned are some of the greatest to ever put on a sports uniform.

Yet, these are not the worst trades ever. That is reserved for the spiritual rather than the sports world. Romans 1:25 speaks of the worst trade ever. When a person exchanges the truth of God for a lie - when they exchange the worship of God for the worship of things - that is the worst trade ever. We all make that trade until we make the best trade ever - When we exchange our sin for his righteousness! (2 Corinthians 5:21)

You are the general manager; will you pull the trigger to make a great trade?

Influence

noreply@blogger.com (Dale Oquist) — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 06:44:00 +0000

Effective leadership is not about position or title. Therefore, a person does not have to hold a high position or have a certain title to be a leader. Conversely, just because a title is conferred, authority has been granted and a position of authority is established, does not automatically make a person a leader, much less an effective one.

Effective leadership is about influence. So, there is no limit to leadership. We should redefine successful leadership to mean helping and encouraging others to succeed. Individual advancement is not the key to success, but seeing potential greatness in others and doing everything you can to unleash that greatness should be the standard for anyone who wants to be called "successful."

This is a lot of work because any degree of success will first require work. As someone as rightly observed, "the only place where 'success' comes before 'work' is in the dictionary."

Whatever your position, title or authority (or lack of it), be a person of influence!

Here are a few suggestions:

- Catch people doing things right.

- Don't just think encouraging thoughts, speak them out.

- Write a letter telling someone you believe in them.

- Enhance your faith in God. Enhance you faith in others.

- Try one full day without one negative word or excuse.

- Be enthusiastic.

- When people share their dreams or ideas, only think of ways they could happen.

- If you know of someone who has a big project they are working on, cheer them on.

- Encourage and affirm every hour.

- Say a prayer every hour.

Make it a great week.

Favre and the Minnesota Vikings

noreply@blogger.com (Dale Oquist) — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 23:18:00 +0000

Believing in People

noreply@blogger.com (Dale Oquist) — Sun, 16 Aug 2009 02:30:00 +0000

A principle of having influence is believing in people. The way any leader has impact and influence is believing in the people you are leading.

The genesis of this principle is theology because God's method to transform us is his love for us - which translates into God's belief in us. He sees our destiny and believes in our potential. He not only believes he acts in accordance with what he sees us becoming. Since the whole of the Old Testament speaks to the inability of human effort meeting God's standards, He resolved the issue through his son Jesus' sacrifice. Now we have access to a relationship with God and with that comes an ability to change in ways never before possible.

Essentially God was making sure that we understood that we did not have to change to become part of His family.

Our motivation to change comes from a desire within us rather than an external pressure to perform for others - because we now know God's unconditional love. We know God believes in us and that is the basis of our change.

So, the way we expand our leadership influence is, in part, a heart issue. It is believing in those we lead.

Believe in someone and make sure they know it. Where would we be if God had kept silent.

Pat on the Back

noreply@blogger.com (Dale Oquist) — Fri, 14 Aug 2009 16:02:00 +0000

I received a letter a few weeks ago and I reread it again today. It mentions Heartbreak Hill in the Boston Marathon. This is what Wikipedia says about the hill:

"Heartbreak Hill is an ascent over 0.4 mile (600 m) of the Boston Marathon course, between the 20 and 21 mile marks, in the vicinity of Boston College. It is the last of four "Newton hills", which begin at the 16 mile mark. The Newton hills confound contestants (out of proportion to their modest elevation gain) by forcing a late climb after the downhill trend of the race to that point. Heartbreak Hill itself rises only 88 vertical feet (27 m), from an elevation of 148 feet at the bottom to an elevation of 236 feet at the top, but is positioned at a point on a marathon course where muscle glycogenstores are likely to be depleted—a phenomenon referred to by marathoners as "hitting the wall."

The nickname "Heartbreak Hill" originated with an event in the 1936 race. On this stretch, defending champion John A. Kelley caught race leader Ellison "Tarzan" Brown, giving Brown a consolatory pat on the shoulder as he passed.His competitive drive apparently stoked by this gesture, Tarzan Brown rallied, pulled away from Kelley, and went on to win—in the words ofBoston Globe reporter Jerry Nason, "breaking Kelley's heart."

Maybe you would give someone a pat on the back to inspire them to make it through a tough spot in their life.

Maybe someone is going to give you a pat on the back today - take it as a gift and take the hill.

Make it a great day.

Thankful

noreply@blogger.com (Dale Oquist) — Mon, 27 Jul 2009 15:14:00 +0000

I know, I know, I haven't posted for way too long. I have a bunch of reasons but no excuses.

Anyway.

I was writing in my journal this morning and the theme was "thankful." I started each sentence with, I am thankful for _______. I was overwhelmed with a euphoric gratitude. I am so thankful for so many things and I felt like I could not write fast enough. With every new moment God gives, a new reason to thank Him is created.

If you would like a little prompt toward thanks, start with Psalm 136.

Thanks is the tone of my day and it will be reflected on my face.

This week is another week of graduate classes. May be a little tougher to focus with 90+ degrees outside. I give thanks.

Books I Have Been Reading

noreply@blogger.com (Dale Oquist) — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 07:07:00 +0000

To give you an idea of the books I have read lately, I thought I would give you this list.

Accomplishment and Character

noreply@blogger.com (Dale Oquist) — Tue, 16 Jun 2009 18:24:00 +0000

I wanted the Orlando Magic to win the NBA title. Better said, I just didn't want the Lakers to win it. So, I was not thrilled to see the parade and celebration for the team on sports highlights this past week.

It was the discussion around the title and celebration that gnawed at me most. In summary, the title won by the Kobe Bryant led Lakers was what this superstar needed to put all the controversy and trouble of his past, behind him. The trouble referred to was the sexual assault case brought against him in 2003 in Colorado. He admitted to adultery, not assault. In 2004 the case was dropped because his accuser would not testify. The accuser later brought a civil suit against Kobe which would settle out of court.

The point commentators were making (that was so much bigger than the title) was that a person's accomplishment can trump their character. If they provide a collective sense of success, society will ignore gaping flaws in their character (this applies to entertainers and politicians as well).

This is a dangerous message/mindset that only leads to a moral malaise. Character is the building block upon which we build the structure of our choices and virtues.

Abraham Lincoln said it well, "Character is like a tree and reputation like its shadow. The shadow is what we think of it; the tree is the real thing."

8th Grade Graduation

noreply@blogger.com (Dale Oquist) — Sun, 14 Jun 2009 03:50:00 +0000

Our middle child and oldest son, DJ, graduated the 8th grade today from Evergreen Christian School. ECS is the school our church started over 30 years ago. Since 8th grade is the top of our educational ladder, graduation is a big deal. Some of the students have been together for over 9 years. It is the only school DJ has attended.

One of the highlights of the ceremony is the bestowing of the "Student of the Year" award. The award is given to the student(s) that not only have excellent academic achievement, but also overall character and leadership development. There were two given out this year as chosen by the staff and Rachel M and DJ were the two selected. We are proud of DJ and the bright future that awaits him.

It was fascinating to listen to the speeches by the students. For the most part it was talking about their memories over the years. I realized that our memories work just like our cameras, in snapshots. Made me reflect on the snapshots of my past and thank God for them. One of the students referenced a great quote by Dr. Seuss, "Don't cry because it's over, smile because it happened."

Congratulations DJ. Full Speed Ahead.

noreply@blogger.com (Dale Oquist) — Sat, 13 Jun 2009 06:10:00 +0000

Joni and I had a date night tonight and decided to take in the movie, UP. A Pixar animation, the movie was really enjoyable. Seeing the trailers gave me an inaccurate expectation that it was just a comedy. It was a very touching movie that I would recommend. There were moments that were truly emotional for me. I think I am getting more sensitive the more life I live.

We still love seeing the hard heart heart turned soft, don't we? Makes me think of Ezekiel 36:26.

Subject Without a Clause

noreply@blogger.com (Dale Oquist) — Fri, 05 Jun 2009 21:42:00 +0000

Brent S. is a friend of mine that has a brilliant mind. He is no stranger to comments on my blog and I would be surprised if he doesn't have a fan club based on that alone. From my "Existential Anxiety" blog earlier this week, Brent commented. His comments are such that we all need to assimilate them. Thanks Brent.

It's almost as if you were begging me to comment! You had me at exist, friend.

What you're saying is spot on, but I would add one key caveat: the doing and being dichotomy can be dangerous even for the sincere believer. Many, many Christians suffer from existential anxiety because they feel as though they need to be an active (or hyperactive) part of the church machine, involved in everything, part of anything, anything to quell those same existential anxieties.

And, to our discredit and convicting shame, we've for a time catered to fulfilling the superficial anxieties rather than addressing the serious existential concern of what it means to be the people governed by the resurrection. This issue of which you speak--and speak rightly--is not a sin problem as much as it is a human problem. To be a person of the resurrection is to be identified with the living Christ and the God who is necessary and sufficient. The subject without a clause is the subject to which we ought to be subject.

To be a believer is not to be forgiven or to have been delivered from the past; it is, indeed, to be an entirely new creation. The moment it becomes us versus them in any way (and it is too easily and subtly reduced to such bigotry) is the moment it ceases to be truly Christian and, ironically, exemplifies the type of existential anxieties that plague the nameless soul.

OK, I'm done now.

Existential Anxiety

noreply@blogger.com (Dale Oquist) — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 17:52:00 +0000

A diagnostic of the condition of our society would include the malady of existential anxiety - we don't really know who we are, where we came from or where we are going. If stated in a word, we struggle with significance.

The language of the mind would produce such blurbs as, "I'm not worth anything," or "You wouldn't like me if you knew me." The foundation of such inner self-deprecation is that our self worth is derived from our life performance and other's opinion of us. We see our worth based upon what we DO and not who we ARE.

Living in this mindset, you start to live life dependent upon other's approval, acceptance and love. Each day rises or falls on how others have responded to you. If they responded well, if others approved of you, it is a great day. Basing our worth on the reaction of others is setting ourselves up for approval addiction. You will end up feeling like an option in a vending machine.

Such a life lives with the fear of rejection, the prison of self-consciousness and the stress of hypersensitivity. This person will exaggerate truth to make themselves sound important, be relegated to superficial relationships and will easily give in to the temptation of being defensive. This is not God's plan or design for our lives.

Redirection is necessary! At some point we have to realize that God is the source of our significance. The Bible states that God loves you and that love produced an invaluable sacrifice. God "loved me and gave himself for me" (Galatians 2:20). Your significance, my significance comes - not from something outside of my existence - but from within, through Jesus Christ.

He accepts you and loves you, nothing else compares!

A Brush Becomes a Belt

noreply@blogger.com (Dale Oquist) — Tue, 26 May 2009 05:28:00 +0000

We continued our "Get Your Fight On" message series yesterday. The armor of God is the topic and we focused on the Belt of Truth. As part of the teaching, we used an everyday responsibility to be a spiritual exercise. When you brush your teeth this week, use that as a prompt to pray and reflect - "do I have any wrong beliefs or attitudes in my life that need to be eradicated?"

It is amazingly how God has answered that prayer for me. Brushing my teeth has become more than just a cavity prevent-er, it has become a belt of Truth.

The Fight of Your Life

noreply@blogger.com (Dale Oquist) — Sat, 23 May 2009 16:24:00 +0000

As I am meditating on another installment of our "Get Your Fight On" series, I was stationed at 1 Timothy 6:12. Paul encourages (nice way to say command) us to "Fight the good fight of faith..."

Our battle spiritually is not to fight the enemy of our soul - because that battle has already been won. You don't have to win a battle that has already been won. The conflict we are in now, is actually the fight of our lives - the fight of faith.

We must do everything we can to continue to bolster our faith, and in doing so, we will overcome in any spiritual conflict.

1 John 5:3-4

Wherever You Go

noreply@blogger.com (Dale Oquist) — Thu, 21 May 2009 23:09:00 +0000

Moses had died and Joshua was to take over his responsibility to lead Israel to possess the land God had promised (Joshua 1). God then spoke to Joshua to give him instructions for the task ahead - to cross the Jordan River to enter the promised land.

I love some of the phrases Joshua hears from God: "I will give you every place where you set your foot," "I will never leave you nor forsake you," "Be strong and courageous."

Then the Lord commands him to be careful to obey all the law, "do not turn from it to the left or the right so that you may be successful wherever you go." As the Lord ends his instructions, the last phrase has captured me, "the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go."

What if you heard God promise you the same? That wherever you go, God is with you and you need not ever be discouraged, but should be strong and courageous.

I say the promise is yours! As your heart is toward God, you are quick to speak his words, meditate and act on them - you will be prosperous and successful which means, God will be with you wherever you go.

Get going!