Energy Leaks

Leadership takes energy. Jesus knew how to direct his energy and he left us a great example. He refused to engage in debates with the scribes who wanted to argue and not learn. Jesus never wasted energy with the religious. He knew his mission was to save those who needed a physician. Jesus never wasted energy begging people or manipulating people to follow him. His ministry campaign was simple: Follow Me.

He always kept moving and told the disciples to do the same if they were not received. "Wipe the dust from your feet." and "Don't give your pearls to swine." are very direct approaches. Jesus knew how important it was to share his treasure with the people who could receive it.

Jesus was AWARE of the energy he carried, that divine virtue that emanated from him. It was so tangible, that he KNEW when it left him with the woman who had the issue of blood.

This begs the question: Do we have energy leaks? Do we allow the divine presence that God has placed in us to be depleted by words, distractions, or being busy in the wrong things?

As leaders, we must realize that we can become depleted and we must make guarding the energy we have a priority. How can we do so? Let's use the acronym energy:

Examine your current schedule and be willing to release draining activities

Never be afraid to use the word NO.

Evaluate the relationships that are closed to you- are they draining or depositing?

Refuel in the presence of the Lord daily.

Get a grip on gratitude, grace, and giving- they are energy refuelers

Yield to the Holy Spirit's promptings to rest

You've got a mandate to fulfill and you've got to have the energy to get it done. I pray that you will avoid energy leaks and that your life energy will be poured into the right people, places, and purposes.

Find Your Sphere

Welcome to 2015 or 5775 according to the Jewish calendar!

There are many new opportunities, new places, new doors, and new connections ready to be made. As a leader you will be tasked with making those connections with a wise and discerning mind. As 2014 (or 5774) came to a close, one of the things I heard God say distinctly was, "Find Your Sphere in 2015." 

When God gives very direct statements, I have now after many years realized that it is up to me to dig deeper, to ask a preceding question, sometimes internal, to gain a greater understanding. So, I went digging.

In my search, I heard a preceding word: "Circle minded people tend to think two-dimensionally. If you are going to move to the next dimension, you have to find your sphere." 

Now, I was really intrigued. God, you're going to have to elaborate.

And he did:

Jesus had a sphere of influence, and more than one. If not, he would have never impacted

Kings, Soldiers, Scholars, Priests, Fishermen, Tax Collectors, Prostitutes, or a schoolboy with a lunch to give away. 

Circles create circular thinking and circular people (people who only form a circle of friends) keep you going in circular motions. Repetition and traditions are easy to form with circular thinking. They are not so easy to dislodge from when I call for a different method of doing. Change upsets circular people because they enjoy the safety of repetition, seasons, and cyclical activities. 

Spherical people handle information latitudinal, longitudinally, and are not intimidated by the winds that can blow from any direction. They aren't unsettled by change, and have a multidimensional approach to problems and vision.

Two-dimensional, flat thinking will flat-line in the next dimension. I want to release global influence to my people. Many can't come out of the neighborhood because they won't leave the circle mentality. It is time to expand thinking so that my influence can reach out through them in a greater way. 

Well. That was pretty specific! This conversation led me to do some some research that I will share below:

Circles lie within spheres. Spheres have an infinite radius. I was starting to get the point of whatGod was saying.

A circle is one dimension of a sphere. The sphere is the larger picture of your connections, with the potential to have an infinite reach and impact. Here are some further properties of the sphere:

Points are all the same distance from a from a fixed point on a sphere. There is an equality as a principle in the sphere. Spheres have a fixed point, a core, a center.

One unique thing about the sphere is that the contours and planes are all circles. These planes connect and interconnect, creating the sphere. Every contour and plane has a purpose and a connection within the sphere. They may not touch at all points but they are connected. Some circles depending on the plane, run parallel, not perpendicular, so they may not touch.

The sphere has constant width and girth. Every point is umbilical and not distorted or disproportional. Nothing about the sphere is lopsided or out of shape or place. Umbilical implies that all points are getting one source or focal place of nourishment. All points are equal. The sphere and the plane are the only surfaces with these properties. The sphere has the smallest surface area of any solid, yet the greatest volume.

So, what is my takeaway?

God is looking for his leaders to develop multi-dimensional relationships

God is looking for us to have relationships that have a center and core

God is looking for us to have balanced and nourished relationships

God is looking for greater connectivity and networking in our relationships

God is looking for our relationships to be balanced and not distorted

God is looking for less "surface" more volume or "depth" in our relationships

When your sphere meets another sphere of another dimension, it creates what you see below:

 Your sphere is never diminished by another sphere. Expand your thinking. Find your sphere. And let this year be your greatest year of healthy, balanced, nourished, connected relationships ever.