confessions of a program pack rat

I'll admit it: one of my personal challenges as a leader is to get rid of stuff. Not physical stuff, but stuff to do, i.e., programs.

There's a kind of comfort in doing the same things over and over. I become familiar with the routine and develop a certain expertise in doing it. Doing that thing becomes a part of my identity, something that I value.

There's also a comfort in having a lot of things to do. Having a long to-do list makes me feel important. And It gives me lots of options (in case one of them fails). I'm not the gambling type who will put all my hopes into one or two things. I like to hedge my bets.

But being a leader means taking risks. It means figuring out what God wants our church community to focus on and then doing it. And failing doesn't necessarily mean, well, failure. Proverbs 24:16 says, "though a righteous man falls seven times, he rises again." It means that I have an opportunity to learn and move on.

It's time to ask God for wisdom about what to take off the to-do list and put on the stop-doing list. "If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him." (James 1:5)