Be Intentional

You know the routine. You arrive home late from work, kick of your shoes, loosen the tie, untuck the shirt, and start thumbing through the mail; sorting the bills from the credit card applications and advertisements. About that time your wife arrives home from picking up the kids from soccer and ballet and the clothes from the dry cleaners. She lovingly tosses your Subway sandwich on the counter and delivers a tender kiss to your cheek. Since everyone else ate dinner in the car, you'll enjoy your 6" Sweet Onion Chicken Teriyaki at the computer while you pay the bills and check the S&P 500. If you're lucky, the kids will interrupt you with a few questions on their homework. And if you are amazingly blessed, your wife will ask you to help give the toddler a bath. With the kids down for the night, you are back to paying bills which will require a typical discussion with your wife about budget, priorities, and spending. You catch the local news as your wife goes off to bed. You slip in beside her later and catch some rest before starting all over tomorrow.

If this sounds familiar, you are not alone. For such is the life of every man in American who is content with leaving the leadership of his home to chance. That may sound harsh and maybe there is nothing inherently evil with this routine, but I believe God has something different in mind when he calls a man to lead his family. We must be intentional about engaging our families in the pursuit of Godliness. We must be intentional about developing Christian character in our children. And we must be intentional about sharing Christ's love with our neighbors. Being intentional will change your routine. Try it!

Traditions

Traditions

My daughter, Sarah, came home this week from Dallas for the Thanksgiving holidays. As she began planning out her week at home, I was quickly informed that we would begin decorating the house for Christmas on Friday, the day after Thanksgiving. When I suggested that this would be a little early and that we should probably wait another week or so, she quickly protested and called her sister, Hannah, to support her position. They were both very outspoken and confident that we had ALWAYS decorated the day after Thanksgiving. It was tradition! We absolutely could NOT break with tradition after all these years.

The funny thing...I honestly don't remember ALWAYS decorating for Christmas the day after Thanksgiving. But I guess that really doesn't matter. My family now has a tradition, real or imagined, that has some pretty strong feelings attached. Traditions are like that. They become an expectation around which we can jointly identify; a landmark that assures us we are in familiar territory; and an event that provides emotional security. We would all be well advised to take note of the traditions at work and at home and make sure they are celebrated. Or better yet, introduce some new traditions this year.

Happy Thanksgiving! Guess I'll be hanging Christmas lights tomorrow.

Castle Walls

Castle Walls


occasionally, every leader must retreat temporarily. On the front lines, leaders are required to be self-sacrificing, out front, persevering in the face of opposition, tenaciously defending the cause, and tirelessly pressing toward the goal. It can be exhausting. I've been thinking a lot about the importance of retreating lately; of taking time out in a safe place to rest, reflect and regroup. I'm concerned that today's leaders don't prioritize and plan for retreat but I'm even more concerned that they don't have a PLACE to retreat. This led me to think about castles - the ultimate medieval retreat. Inside the castle walls the warrior could let down his guard, take off the armor, stow the weapons, stop looking over his shoulder, love his wife, play with the kids in the courtyard...You get the picture. And why was this possible? Planning and design. The medieval castle was designed with retreat and safety in mind. Let's look at the architecture of the castle:

• Walls - up to 20 feet thick and 40 feet high, these structures were designed to be impenetrable and unscalable.
• Moats - added protection against the enemy getting too close to the walls and possibly becoming undetected. Also kept hoists and ladders at bay.
• Drawbridge - tightly controlling everything coming into and leaving the castle.
• Portcullis - heavy, protective grilled gates opening and closing vertically at either end of a narrow passage way. A sort of "contingency" defense useful for trapping enemy troops successful in infiltrating the drawbridge.
• Watchtowers - set at each corner of the castle to provide keen monitoring of all the enemy activities and other approaching threats. Useful for surveying the activities within the castle walls as well.
• Authority and Order - the impressive defensive architecture of the castle was useless in the absence of clear direction and commitment on the part of the castle occupants. Peace and order on the inside only served to fortify the mechanical defenses.

I encourage you this week to evaluate your "castle." Is home a safe retreat? Have you been diligent to create an environment that is emotionally, physically, and spiritually healthy? If you haven't been intentional in this area, chances are you'll find at least a few vulnerable weaknesses. Make sure you know who and what is coming and going. Not just through the front door, but through cable TV and the internet. Ask a few close friends to help you make an objective assessment of where you might need to shore things up a bit. Make sure unconditional love is communicated freely, creatively, and enthusiastically. You'll be a better leader if you can effectively retreat from time to time.

"Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour." 1 Peter 5:8 (NASB)