You were wondrously created by God, embrace the gifts God has given you and don’t diminish those gifts because you see something else as more desirable or important. Throughout my life I’ve wrestled with visibility, importance, and validating the absolutely unique calling with which God has called me. Embracing my “wiring” as a spiritual engineer is key to my contentment. My greatest joy is creating tools and structures that serve the Body of Christ. I recognize it as the gift of a prophet, to hear and see the heartbeat of God and to know how to accomplish it.
I get joy from building “bridges” and watching people use the bridge to get from one side to the other. Entire economies are changed by bridges. Where people live, where they worship, where they do business, all of this is shaped by bridges. Small businesses sometimes exist because a bridge expands their base enough to make a go of it.
Causing transformation is about building bridges to bridge the gap between where a person is and where they are called to go. Leading, coaching, mentoring, teaching, preaching, training, and resourcing out of a prophetic unction is about designing and building bridges.
When I build a bridge (a divine functional structure) it brings great satisfaction and fulfillment to take a step back and love that it is finished, that it is beautiful in its own way, that it is being used, that it is being used without people even thinking about where it came from or the skill that went into its design and construction.
The beauty of bridge building is I don’t have to man the toll booth because that is the role of the one with the gift of pastor. I don’t have to paint it when it needs a face lift, I don’t have to direct traffic on the bridge, I don’t have to sandblast it when it starts to rust. I build the bridge and then I take a step back and admire the work and its functionality and then I move on to the next gap that must be bridged.
What will Donna and I leave behind in Africa? Bridges, I hope. What will we leave behind in Africa? Functions, processes, bridges, paths. What will we leave behind in Africa? People trained, mentored, and lifted as transformational servant leaders, equipped to lift, in turn, those they lead.
We all have a root of pride that needs crucifixion. I have struggled my entire life feeling the need to be the apostle. I was constantly exposed to the idea that if I were to accomplish something of enduring worth I would need to be an individualistic swashbuckling leader who single-handedly cleared the path and built the mechanisms. If I wanted my work to be recognized I needed to be THE leader. When you build bridges, no one thinks about who built the bridge. The name of the designer or builder is rarely on the bridge. Who’s name is on the bridge?: The politician who procured the funding for the bridge. The bridge would not be there without the funding of the politician, the structure would not be there without an apostle or a superintendent clearing the way for it and supporting it. No one really remembers who built bridges, all they might remember is who championed the building of the bridge.
We can take solace in the fact that one breaks up fallow ground, another plants, another waters, but God gives the increase. We can take solace in the fact that the Body of Christ is made up of many members, each doing their part. Reality is, some apostles clear the way for the vision and may tend to not validate the work of other members of the Body of Christ who make the vision happen, and then we wonder why everyone wants to be an apostle. That is so wrong. (Which I must add for clarity that my Pastor, Don Gifford, was never this way and I enjoyed working with him for 13+ years.)
A politician says, “look at the bridge I built,” when they did not design it, they did not build it, and they did not pay for one cent out of their own pockets. They championed the cause, they pulled support from their colleagues, and they led a vote to fund it. See, this is what I’ve struggled with my entire life. I’ve collaborated on bridges that leaders have championed. Its not that I could not envision a bridge in a particular place or have the foresight to see how the eco-system could be helped by its placement; it is that my calling is prophetically seeing and building bridges. At the ribbon cutting the politician is front and center and the architect, the engineer, and the builder are in the wings looking on. I could take this even one level further to those who drove the rivets and raised the steel. They too point to the bridge and tell their grandchildren, “I built that bridge.”
Who built the bridge? They all built the bridge. God orchestrated a chorus to build the bridge. When we worry about who gets the credit or when we fail to acknowledge every contribution as essential to the building of the bridge we damage the hearts of those who gave of themselves for its completion.
Apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers, they all built the bridge. I’ve heard Carolyn Tennant refer to the interaction between the five ministry gifts to the church as “a dance,” each deferring to the other as they mirror the collaboration of the Trinity. We aren’t very good at that dance, and as a result we devalue the necessary and critical contributions of every member of the Body of Christ.
If only we could be a people with our pride crucified, walking in humility, preferring and seeking to honor one another, the Body of Christ would be healthier. We would accomplish more. We would have people embracing in and anchoring in their spiritual gifts.
During the second Great War, Winston Churchill visited the coal mines. Churchill knew the critical importance of coal to the war effort. He also knew that cutting coal was not glamorous. In a speech to the miners, Churchill encouraged them with these words.
“We shall not fail, and then some day, when your children ask: What did you do to win this inheritance for us and to make our name so respected among men?” one will say: “I was a Fighter Pilot,” another will say: “I was in the Submarine Service,” another: “I marched with the Eighth Army,” a fourth will say: “None of you could have lived without the convoys and the Merchant Seamen,” and you, in your turn will say, with equal pride and with equal right: “WE CUT THE COAL.”
On that day, when I stand before Father, and he asks me what obedience I gave, I will say, “I built bridges, I built bridges that helped others fulfill what you asked of them. I built bridges that helped people overcome the obstacles to the fulfillment of their calling. I did what you asked of me, I built the bridges.”
Embracing adversity, being willing to say “yes” to the tough stuff gives us new lenses to see things differently, it exercises atrophied muscles needed for new adventures and callings, and it deconstructs our inferior plans to make way for God’s excellent plans. In this episode we talk about saying “yes” to adversity in expectation of the joys ahead.
Listen or subscribe to the Calibrate Life Podcast in Apple Podcasts, in Google Podcasts, in Stitcher, or in any podcast player.
Yesterday, I found myself being thankful for the Covid-19 disruption. I was taken by surprise by my sudden fondness. Why? Because I got a glimpse of the positive, of God’s hand working us through adversity. I got a fresh look at our partners and their tenacity as God emboldens them and carves new paths for them.
I liked the world the way it was. I did not want the world to change. I liked fundraising the way it was pre-Covid, not to say it won’t go back. I liked the way the world and the markets functioned pre-Covid. I have moments of wanting to run back to the pre-adversity ways. (Continue for the rest of the article…)
On David’s 60th birthday, his journal entry included 7 things he will do in the next 20 years based upon lessons learned in the previous 20. In this episode David and Donna talk about reflections on joyfully living, leading, and loving.
Listen or subscribe to the Calibrate Life Podcast in Apple Podcasts, in Google Podcasts, in Stitcher, or in any podcast player.
Turning 60 this week caused me to look back and to look forward. 20 years ago in April of 2000 I isolated in a cabin for 3 days of prayer and fasting to plan out the next 20 years of my life. Part of the plan was repeating the 3 days of prayer in isolation in April 2020. Little did I know that most of the world would be in isolation in April 2020. My life doesn’t much look like the dreams and strategies of that 40 year old, but the core foundation is intact and while I did not see thing happen as I envisioned them, the important things happened, just in a way different than I thought — but I wouldn’t change anything! (continue to read the rest of the article.)
Margin is the blank spaces on a document that defines its borders and makes it readable and functional. We need margin in our lives. It is the spaces, the blanks, that make everything else work. REST, health, well-being, effectiveness and many other things are elusive if we don’t mind the blank spaces. In this episode of the Calibrate Life Podcast we talk about putting the margin back in.
Listen or subscribe to the Calibrate Life Podcast in Apple Podcasts, in Google Podcasts, in Stitcher, or in any podcast player.
I’ve made a re-commitment to learn to REST on new levels in 2020. In last week’s podcast we talked about 2020 being the year of REST, and the acrostic we gave was:
R for REFRESH renew emotional
E for ENERGIZE renew the physical
S for SABBATH (as a verb) renew the spiritual
T for THINK renew the intellectual
Today we are going to hit the topic of MARGIN. and for our Africa House leaders this is a self-leadership and a personal health capacity.
We’ve declared our 2020 to be the year of learning to REST again. The “gold” of our lives comes from the ability to rest in the Presence of God, learning to zone down, learning to listen. In this episode we talk about our renewed commitment to really learn to rest, to have abiding peace in the midst of chaos.
At the beginning of every year I take the time to think about the passing year and reflect on what I need and hope the new year to be. Last year, in 2019, my word was “FOCUS.” We had a very large missions budget to raise and we knew we needed to stay focused on the priority of getting that looming task complete so we could move into the next phase of our mission and ministry. For 2020 the word is “REST.”
Life is simply full of sacrifices. As a matter of normal course, we often give up something we care about or love to gain something we care about or love more. Sacrifice embraces change and transition as we let go of important things to gain more important things.
My friend sends a daily devotional to his friends. It always starts with a quote, and I regularly “steal” the quote. I had no intention of doing a podcast on sacrifice this morning, I had 12 other topics I was working with, but this quote caused me to start writing in my journal, and realizing that instead of taking the time to write something else, we just need to go with this topic. It is in our hearts, so this is what we will discuss. Here’s the quote:
“If God would grant us the vision, the word sacrifice would disappear from our lips and thoughts; we would hate the things that seem now so dear to us; our lives would suddenly be too short, we would despise time-robbing distractions and charge the enemy with all our energies in the name of Christ.”
Nate Saint
We all have made many sacrifices throughout our lives, letting go of important things to gain or accomplish things of greater value. As it regards our journey to Africa, we know it is and will be a sacrifice, but here’s the amazing thing about it: It does not feel like a sacrifice, it feels like a joyful privilege — because it is.
As you consider the sacrifices you are called upon to make, here are a few questions we’ve considered throughout our life, and this journey in weighing out the costs and the joys.
How do you know when the sacrifice is TOO great?
We mustn’t be motivated by asceticism. Asceticism is severe self-discipline, cutting ourselves off from enjoying anything in religious devotion. Asceticism is “earning” God’s favor by punishing ourselves. God is not punishing us when he gives us an invitation to participate in something wonderful and fulfilling.
I admit that as I continue to understand “taking up our cross,” “denying self,” etc., I may Lose perspective and take on a tinge of asceticism, but when I see that happening I know I am missing the point. We GIVE our lives that we may truly GAIN our lives. We take up the “cross” of Christ that we may experience the true joys that are only available through the abundant life that Christ gives to us.
We have much to say about this as it continues to unfold in our own lives, but we TRUST God that the difficulties, trials, and challenges we face on this journey are working a far greater good in our lives and in the world… and that it is worth it—above and beyond!
How do you know when the sacrifice is too great? Here are some thoughts:
The sacrifice will usually be commensurate with the vision or the hope.
The sacrifice (not as a rule, but as an evaluator) will usually be commensurate with the vision or the hope. I would give my life for my children to keep theirs. I would not give my life for the family dog (some people would, me, no.). I assign value in a certain way and the way I assign value determines what I am willing to sacrifice. Some would not make a sacrifice for the mission of God because they do not believe it right to share Christ in other cultural contexts.
The Sacrifice is too great if the desired outcome is not valuable enough to warrant the cost.
The sacrifice is too great if the desired outcome is not valuable enough to warrant the cost. If our sacrifice takes us out of the game forever, then it is to be very carefully considered. In baseball, a sacrifice is when a player bunts the ball assuring their own “out” in order to put another player into scoring position. In this case “out” is temporary, it costs the team one of their “outs” for the inning, but it increases the likelihood of the true goal, scoring. The goal in a baseball game is putting runners across home plate and putting numbers on the scoreboard. So, how do you know when the sacrifice is too great, hard to say, but in a baseball game it would be clear to me that getting tagged out in order to position your team to score: worth it. Sustaining a life changing injury that will end your career in order to position your team to win: NOT worth it.
Think about it.
The extent of the sacrifice must be a personal decision/choice.
Sacrifice is a personal choice. I chose to never sacrifice the health or well-being of my family for the church or ministry, or to placate a dysfunctional member. We did choose many times to choose obediently following what we felt to be the will and pleasure of God over financial gain, financial security, and many of the material things we would have liked. It has been a lifelong lifestyle choice. And here’s the thing… we trust God to know the better way for us, better than the way we would make for our selves through our own choices. My observation: I’ve never been disappointed. Totally worth it.
No one can decide for you what you should or shouldn’t sacrifice. You have to decide, because it will be you who pays the price. By the way, I’ve been in toxic environments where church leaders wanted to decide for you what you were going to sacrifice. I’ve seen the damage that comes from such toxic leadership.
For us, transitioning our lives and our family to go to Africa is a sacrifice, but it is a joyful sacrifice. Funny thing about joyful sacrifices, they feel more like a joyful privilege than they do a sacrifice. Wow, we GET to do this and we are so honored… See, that’s the heart that should accompany the sacrifices, and sometimes we have to grow into a place where we open our hearts and our hands a little wider, we see more clearly the vision and the heart of God, and we offer to God that which does joyfully cost us much.
Finally… (For Part One)…
For our commitments and our sacrifices to produce the desired results while producing joy in our lives, we have to grow toward those sacrifices. It’s not something pushed, cajoled, or guilted out of us. Our sacrifices are an investment toward a vision, a desired outcome, a mission. As we walk in the grace of God, only out of that relationship can you come to answer the question of what you are to give, to sacrifice, and evaluate the costs you are willing to pay for the things important to you. Sacrifice always begins with the sacrifice of self. Letting go of our agenda and embracing the agenda of God. He prepares us step by step. At the beginning of my journey I was not where I am now. I am capable of embracing things I could not have just a few years ago… and, I have the hope that in the future we will be prepared for new things and new adventures, we will be ready to take on greater challenges, because we’ve been prepared.
David and Donna Delp are the founders of Calibrate360 and host the weekly Calibrate Life Podcast. For more info about them visit our About Us page. To learn about their mission, visit our Mission Africa page.
