Upsidedown Leadership Part 2

6) Get off the Cutting Edge

7) Don't Just do Something, Stand There
"When the people of God are trapped between a body of water and the most advanced army of the ancient world, I imagine the Hebrew leadership-type people are scanning the crowd looking for some leader who will do something.  Yet God gives Moses this instruction, 'The Lord will fight for you, and you have only to be silent.' (Exodus 14:14)"

The commandment we forget - "A day of rest each week reminds me that I am not to lead, but to follow.  My Master is gentle and kind, and He says come to Him and He will give me rest.  His yoke is really easy (Matt. 11:28-30)."

"We talked for hours about God and Jesus.  As the conversation got more intense, I needed to go to the bathroom.  When I returned, I asked him an important question. 'Do you want to accept Christ into your life right now?' He said, 'I just did, when you were in the bathroom.'  All God needed was me to get out of the way."

"...Jesus did nothing.  Then when He was on trial, it seemed to me to be the time to argue most passionately and eloquently for God's way.  Instead, Jesus just stood there and answered nothing.  I wonder if some people at the time interpreted His lack of activity as weakness, fear, or incompetence.  he seems the exact opposite of what a forceful leader should do.  Almost upside down."

8) Think Inside the Box

9) Become a Nobody
"Once you really know who you are, you can bend down and wash someone's stinking feet.  You can work and not be recognized or thanked."

"It is amazing what you can accomplish when you do not care who gets the credit."

10) Embrace Shame

Interns go to Long Island

Week seven in New York took Season, Allison, Kevin, Jonathan, and me to Long Island.  We were also joined by Brooklyn interns Jordan and Kelly.  We worked at Trinity Baptist Church in Shirley- wayyy out on Long Island. We were helping out with Amazing Wonders Aviation VBS!

Long Island reminds me a lot of rural Georgia.  Just replace southern accents with LI accents.  The church was small but active, and it took me back to our West End days.  The church has a bus ministry, which I think is always a good idea, and a lot of the VBS kids came in via church bus.  I got to work with 3rd and 4th grades, and I even got to teach one night. 

Being on vacation in LI also gave the intern group lots of quality time together.  We got to go to the beach and play in waves, as well as play lots of uno and spoons, and a few good rounds of sardines. 
We learned through VBS that God has power over creation, circumstances, and over sin.

Our Lord is great, vast in power; His understanding is infinite.
Psalm 147:5