Multiplying Joy

by Mike Johnson

12.12.12

“Since you have received any blessing from the coming of Jesus Christ who gave up all the luxuries of heaven to live in a weak and pained human body for our sake—hot his, since you have felt love radiating out from his act of stepping in for you on the cross, since you have been comforted by his presence, then make his joy complete by being like Him in every way, loving Him more fully and better giving of yourself to others.” Paraphrase from Philippians 2:1-7.

I love the way Philippians 2:1-7 connects the essence of Christmas (“did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made Himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant,”) with the many mundane moments of our seemingly-meager lives (“be like-minded, having the same love…”). The Christmas season is perfect for considering and taking measures to become more like Christ in every way, loving Him and others more fully.

Helping people better live Philippians 2 is what my life has become about. Seven years ago I began Ascending Leaders as an avenue to write, teach, train, consult and coach to that end, and to invite friends to do the same.  Helping church leaders succeed at their mission of helping people better live Philippians 2, as disciples on mission, has been our guiding principle in 2012.

A common theme we hear is, “I’m too busy.” Brandon Bajema and I traveled to Lubbock, Texas; Bellingham, WA; Holland, MI and Ada, MI to share with pastors and ministry staff of over 50 churches how to help people keep busyness from distracting from spiritual issues. Our free half-day workshop on the topic, Leading People from Busy to Engaged, coupled with a full day Charting Your Course seminar for church members blessed many.

Ascending Leaders is working towards becoming stronger and better able to serve churches and people.

1. Getting better at growing people of character and impact: Of those who have benefited from the work of my friends and I and completed our survey, over 95% indicated that we exceeded their expectations—up 5% from last year. 90% of the survey responders said that they experienced some tangible life change as a result—that is up from 65% last year. That is what we want to see! The answers to our woes in North America do not lie in Washington D.C. The answers lie in followers of Jesus living out His image in them, with his thoughts, emotions and actions, impacting our families, our churches, our communities, our country and our world. We are getting better each year at growing these kinds of people.
2. Pursuing Denominational Interest: One denomination, the Christian Reformed Church in North America (my “home” denomination), in June declared Ascending Leaders “accredited” to their churches. This means Ascending Leaders is recommended to churches to help them with discipleship and for their support of our work. This means that we will more easily help people in that denomination better live Phil. 2. Currently 55 churches of that denomination support the work of Ascending Leaders. One church of that denomination has contracted me to bring a Charting Your Course seminar to them 5-6 times over the next couple years. Another group of 21 Christian Reformed churches has contracted me as a consultant for church health in 2013.
3. Recruiting foundations to support special large projects: Several foundations in Michigan, Iowa and Texas expressed confidence in our work. The grant funds we received in 2012 from foundations totaled 55% more than last. They and individual donors allowed us to bring growth in character and impact to over 550 people and many more whom they impact and influence. The grants especially supported the half day workshops in various cities and our production of six more workbooks.
4. The discipline to tighten our belt when necessary: In the midst of political debates and talk of national “fiscal cliffs”,  it is gratifying to know that we have the discipline and self-sacrifice to live within our means. Our administrator Teri Watson and I were able to trim our cost of administration in 2012 by 75% from 2011. That means it takes longer to get things done, and some things we used to do get left undone, but are able to be responsible so that we can focus on our mission, rather than on organization survival. We thank God for this demonstration of responsibility.
5. Deepening our Trustworthiness: We continued as members of the Evangelical Council of Financial Accountability, a sign that we can be trusted as an exceptionally credible organization. I learned many good things from their workshop this year to strengthen Ascending Leaders.  We also make our financials and other matters about us easy to find through our complete entry with guidestar.org and our “transparency” button which Is easy to find on our website beneath the “About Us” button. When so many nonprofits have gone for years without reporting to IRS, we are proud to show our report form of each and every year. Because of our strong financial transparency we were awarded in 2012 the Guidestar Exchange Seal. Both the Evangelical Council of Financial Accountability accreditation and the Guidestar Exchange Seal point to our strong credibility and transparency of the way we steward this ministry.
6. Providing more topics to grow people’s character: By the end of this year, we will have published six more books. Five of them are about stewardship of different aspects of life. We now have 25 books, totaling over 150 sessions that small groups can use. We have ended the year by making this and others more accessible through our “Buy 3, Get 2 Free!” promotion. 
7. Actively seeking a humble, key partner to more strongly influence Christian character: It makes no sense to try to go it alone, when there are other good organizations who are passionate about Christ-likeness, character growth, missional impact, discipleship and leadership development from the very early days of people’s spiritual lives. We approached over 40 organizations this past year to explore the possibility of a partnership. Our search has narrowed to just a few organizations that share our mission and can complement our strengths. We trust that by mid next year we will be announcing who that key partner is. Our strength that most seem to be interested in is my God given ability to shape ideas into a curriculum and materials to be used across a congregation.

7.1Helping build church-wide cultures of discipleship: I have learned even more about this, this past year, blogged about it and even worked with one church to design a one month all church discipleship emphasis. I hope God allows me to do more of that in the future with other churches.

7.2Helping more people by teaching workshops at more conferences: This past year I presented workshops at three different conferences. The attendance at each workshop was exceptionally large. I helped people see the importance of self-awareness and some of the tools available.  Participants ranked these presentations highly.

I count it a privilege and joy to be able to work at innovative ways to help churches succeed in their mission of growing people of character and impact. It is my joy to serve you and your churches, to serve alongside friends (dedicated contract staff, our board and volunteers) who also care about character growth and to use resources to not help just an individual, but hundreds and thousands through the domino effect of impact that one growing character has on those in his/her sphere of influence.

 Help us meet the challenge!

Help us meet the match!

Multiply Joy!

Walking the Journey of Grief--One Breath Prayer at a Time #16

 NOTE: Lois is the core author of our soon to be released new study Thriving: Stewarding Unexpected Change.

Breath Prayer: EXPECT

Lois Hoogeveen*

December 9, 2012

Advent is a time of waiting. It is a time of anticipation. It is a time of expectation. The season of advent has caused me to think about expectations.

Expectations. We all have them. We expect things of ourselves. We expect things of others. Expectations might be realistic or unrealistic, fair or unfair, just or unjust. We might say, I expect you to…, but more often our expectations are unspoken. They are hidden. It takes conscious effort to recognize the expectations we have of our self and others as well as the expectations others have of us. Realistic expectations of our self and others is one of the secrets to experiencing happiness, satisfaction and peace. Identifying our expectations may reveal why we are struggling, disappointed, frustrated or searching. Misunderstandings are often rooted in wrongful or wrongly-perceived expectations.

How do we react to unexpected circumstances or unexpected responses from people? Do we feel angry, fearful, frustrated, devastated, cheated? Seven months after my husband passed away I got a medical bill for something I was told would be covered completely. I was not happy with the bill, the miscommunication or the fact that it was so long after his death. While I was still talking with medical and insurance personnel about this unexpected bill I got an unexpected envelope delivered to my house. Inside was a gift – a check that was just a bit larger than the medical bill. The unexpected timing of this gift was a resounding reminder of God’s profound provision.

Expectations include an element of anticipation. What are you anticipating should or could happen as you make plans for celebrating Christmas? Plans include family and friends, gift giving and gift-receiving, visiting and entertaining visitors. Wrapped up within each one of us are hosts of expectations. Some are obvious. Others are hidden. Some will be met. Others will not. Some people and gifts will exceed our expectations. Others will disappoint us. Are your expectations of yourself and others realistic?

Waiting is another component of expectation. Expectant parents, although eager to meet their new baby, know the importance of waiting until the baby has fully developed. You might decide to sell your house and expect someone to want to buy it, but you have to wait for that person to find it, see it and make an acceptable offer.  You might expect to be offered a new job after a positive interview, but have to wait to hear if you have been selected for the position.  We might expect a phone call – from a doctor, a child, a friend – with a report or an update on a given situation, but we have to wait until the call comes. It is in the waiting time that we develop character, that lessons are often learned. Waiting often leads us into an increased awareness of God’s presence and power.

I have been examining my expectations. What do I expect of myself as I move through these weeks and months, putting more and more time between the day I was still married and the day I became a widow? What do I expect of others during this painful, confusing, twisted and unwanted journey? What do others expect of me as I travel this road of grief recovery toward a new normal? What does God expect of me? What do I expect of God?

We sing Come Thou long-expected Jesus, born to set Thy people free.  Isaiah says You did awesome things that we did not expect (Isaiah 64:3).  God is the God of both the expected and the unexpected. Although the people of Israel expected His birth they had waited so long for the fulfillment of this prophecy that His incarnation caught them by surprise. This long-expected Messiah was born, lived, died, arose and returned to heaven. Our return, and the return of those we love, to heaven is expected. Yet the timing and details are often unexpected.

I have decided to look for the unexpected that God is doing in my life. As I keep my eyes open for the unexpected from God I find security in what I know I can expect from Him. I expect the Lord will always hear me when I pray. I expect Him to give me courage and hope. I find hope in both the expected and unexpected ways in which God directs my life. My prayer is that God will shape my expectations into realistic and joyful expectations of myself, others, and above all, Him, as I live on earth and long for heaven.

EXPECT In the morning, O Lord, You hear my voice; in the morning I lay my requests before You and wait in expectation. Psalm 5:3

I know that through your prayers and the help given by the Spirit of Jesus Christ, what has happened to me will turn out for my deliverance. I eagerly expect and hope that I will in no way be ashamed, but will have sufficient courage so that now as always Christ will be exalted in my body, whether by life or by death. For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain. Philippians 1: 19-21

* One of our authors, Lois Hoogeveen, lost her husband in early March to a battle with cancer, which began just 3 months earlier. Jim and Lois had pastored 5 churches, 2 they planted. At the time they were hit with this disease they were transitioning into specialized transitional ministry for the next season of their full time ministry. They were and are good friends of Ascending Leaders. Through the journey with cancer, Jim and Lois wrote and shared their "breath prayers," each day. "Breath Praying" is something they had first learned seven years ago from the Ascending Leaders Christ Habits book Prayer: Listening to God's Voice.

Since Jim's passing, Lois has been continuing to write excellent reflections on this journey along with breath prayers. She has consented to allow us to share some with you. Lois is also the core author of one of our newest workbooks:  Your Pathways: Strong Connection with God.