Harvard Club, New York, New York (2008)
]]>Observations/Reflections: On the Nuance between Management and Mentoring
Status: Dictated but Not Reviewed
Published: 11/05/08
Written: 09/23/08
Dictated By: Flint McGlaughlin
I need to draw a distinction between those I manage who need to be mentored/discipled and those who need to be directed and empowered per my formula as outlined in management model 19b. It is not possible to mentor each of your leaders. One must know the difference and direct his time accordingly.
]]>Observations/Reflections: On the Spiritual Development of My Children in 2008 and 2009
Status: Dictated but Not Reviewed
Published: 11/04/08
Written: 09/23/08
Dictated By: Flint McGlaughlin
I see two new practices that I need to start with my children for the sake of their spiritual formation:
Slowly but surely the whole picture is coming together.
]]>Observations/Reflections: On Proverbs 28:23
Status: Dictated but Not Reviewed
Published: 11/03/08
Written: 12/07/06
Dictated By: Flint McGlaughlin
I am struck by a principle that I have recently taught on, but which I see within this passage again.
The verse says that, "if you turn at my reproof, behold, I will pour out my spirit to you; I will make my words known to you." Notice that wisdom is the result more than study. "If you turn at my reproof" is the key phrase. A behavioral change attracts greater wisdom.
This is a message that is consistent throughout scripture. Wisdom speaks, one responds with a turning or a new way of life; then wisdom comes in greater depth.
In a sense it might be described as follows: Call, Response, Understanding.
]]>Observations/Reflections: In the Face of My Inadequacy
Status: Dictated but Not Reviewed
Published: 10/28/08
Written: 09/08/08
Dictated By: Flint McGlaughlin
Despite my earlier writings, I still feel as though at times I am working out of an inaccurate sense of adequacy. At times I realize how inadequate I am for what God has called me to do. That recognition is followed by a cycle of emotions which end in some form of contriteness. It brings me back again to those three key insights that have framed my approach to the present tense living.
Observations/Reflections: On Jeremiah 6:16 - The Path
Status: Dictated but Not Reviewed
Published: 10/27/08
Written: 03/01/07
Dictated By: Flint McGlaughlin
I absolutely love this passage: Jeremiah 6:16 says, "Stand at the crossroads and look; ask for the ancient paths, ask where the good way is, and walk in it, and you will find rest for your souls."
I don't know if I have ever read a passage that more aptly describes the process I find myself in, the process which I am asking others to engage. I recorded this text, now, not so that I might expound on it, but so that I can preserve its impact. I don't think it needs expounding. I think it needs obeying.
]]>Observations/Reflections: On the Opposite of Certainty
Status: Dictated but Not Reviewed
Published: 10/24/08
Written: 09/20/08
Dictated By: Flint McGlaughlin
What is the antonym for certainty? Is it uncertainty? I do not think so, because certainty represents an absolute state, but uncertainty represents a measured (perhaps fluctuating) state. Is the opposite of certainty not being certain?
I am not sure either because this is only another way to express a kind of partial certainty. Thus, there is no clear opposite condition. Let's apply this thinking to a particular:
One might be certain that Jesus is the Son of God or one might be uncertain that Jesus is the Son of God. It seems that if one were absolutely uncertain that Jesus is the Son of God, then one is actually certain that He is not. In this case, rather than discovering the opposite of certainty, we have just considered two extreme polls within the same concept. I could go on, but suffice to say, I am certain that I am uncertain about the nature of certainty.
]]>Observations/Reflections: On Philippians 2:7
Status: Transcribed and Reviewed
Published: 10/22/08
Written: 11/11/05
Dictated By: Flint McGlaughlin
I have read this passage many times, and it has been a constant source of encouragement or correction to me. But as I studied it, yet again, this afternoon, I was impacted by the phrase, "taking the very nature of a servant." I think there is a difference between taking the form of a servant and taking the nature of a servant.
It is possible for me to assume the form of a servant, while in my heart, in my nature, I am holding on to my ego. I must consider what it means to take on "the very nature" of a servant. It requires a fundamental change in my essence, not just in my actions. The Greek here is Morphene Doulou. It is translated in other places as "form." Wuest says, "The Greek word for 'form' refers to that outward expression which a person gives to his inmost nature." Wuest explains that it "proceeds directly from within."
Marvin Vincent says that it "was a complete and characteristic expression of the slave's being." It is interesting to note that the word "God" in this passage does not have the definite article in front of it. It seems to be referring to the very essence or nature of God. As Wuest notes, he is not referring specifically to the three persons of the Godhead, but rather to the essence of God.
It seems that this passage is talking about one's essence.
If I am to have the mind of Christ, if I am to be a true servant, then something must change beside my actions. There must be a reformation of my essence.
]]>Observations/Reflections: On the Transcendence of Worship as Enabler of Sanity
Status: Dictated but Not Reviewed
Published: 10/21/08
Written: 09/04/08
Dictated By: Flint McGlaughlin
Throughout the mental meanderings that characterize my soul search, and throughout my interest in everything from XEL Defense to Offer Response Optimization, I find my soul returning over and over again to the notion of each of these efforts/engagements as worship engagement. It is this single understanding which prevents me from overload.
Reality defies classification. In my attempt to fit all pieces in some kind of whole, I experience great distress. At times this distress is dangerous. But when I let go of my need to become or know and focus on the Knower, when I intentionally engage in worship as I explore, everything changes. I work not from anguish but from exultation. There is a kind of pervasive joy that powers my activity.
]]>Observations/Reflections: On Proverbs 1:20-33
Status: Dictated but Not Reviewed
Published: 10/20/08
Written: 12/07/06
Dictated By: Flint McGlaughlin
I have written elsewhere on other verses within this passage but I notice a pattern, here, that is worth attention. First wisdom calls. If there is no response on the part of the person wisdom is calling to, then a calamity comes at which point the person now calls upon wisdom. But it is too late.
So in a sense, I might observe a pattern in the calls. First the call comes through wisdom. Last the call comes from me. I need to respond to the call before I become the one calling. The first call is an attempt to turn me; the second call (my own) is an attempt to escape.
]]>Observations/Reflections: Notes from Calvin on Self-Denial
Status: Dictated but Not Reviewed
Published: 10/16/08
Written: 09/10/08
Dictated By: Flint McGlaughlin
Bibliography: Calvin, J., & Beveridge, H. (1997). Institutes of the Christian Religion. Translation of Institutio Christianae Religionis; Reprint with new intro. Originally published: Edinburgh: Calvin Translation Society, 1845-1846. (III, vii, 1). Oak Harbor, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc.
I am moved by Calvin's thoughts on the life of self-denial:
The great point, then, is, that we are consecrated and dedicated to God and, therefore, should not henceforth think, speak, design, or act without a view to his glory.1
Let this, then, be the first step: to abandon ourselves and devote the whole energy of our minds to the service of God.2
Hence follows the other principle: That we are not to seek our own but the Lord's will and act with a view to promote his glory.3
For when Scripture enjoins us, in regard to our fellow men, to prefer them in honour to ourselves and sincerely labour to promote their advantages (Rom. 12:10; Phil. 2:3), he gives us commands which our mind is utterly incapable of obeying until its natural feelings are suppressed.4
Thus, each flattering himself sets up a kind of kingdom in his breast.5
But Scripture subjoins a most excellent reason when it tells us that we are not to look to what men in themselves deserve but to attend to the image of God, which exists in all, and to which we owe all honour and love.6 The Lord has given him a mark which ought to be familiar to you for which reason he forbids you to despise your own flesh (Gal. 6:10).7
The Lord points him out as one whom he has distinguished by the lustre of his own image (Isaiah 58:7).8
You see that to bear the cross patiently is not to have your feelings altogether blunted and to be absolutely insensible to pain according to the absurd description which the Stoics of old gave of their hero as one who, divested of humanity, was affected in the same way by adversity and prosperity, grief and joy; or rather, like a stone, was not affected by anything. And what did they gain by that sublime wisdom? They exhibited a shadow of patience, which never did, and never can, exist among men.9
But though he (Peter) obeyed the divine ordination with the greatest alacrity of heart, yet, as he had not divested himself of humanity, he was distracted by a double will. When he thought of the bloody death which he was to die, struck with horror, he would willingly have avoided it; on the other hand, when he considered that it was God who called him to it, his fear was vanquished and suppressed, and he met death cheerfully.10
...it is clear how necessary it is to temper the bitterness of the cross with spiritual joy.11
Observations/Reflections: On Jeremiah 6:14 - Inadequate Ministry
Status: Dictated but Not Reviewed
Published: 10/15/08
Written: 03/01/07
Dictated By: Flint McGlaughlin
Jeremiah 6:14 says: "They dress the wounds of my people as though they were not serious, 'peace, peace' they would say when there is no peace." As I study this passage, I feel my own soul pierced. How many times do people come for ministry? How many times do we "dress their wounds as if they were not serious"? We may say they are serious, but we don't truly behave as though they are.
People come to us in dire need. They come to us with life and death struggles. We pray for them at an altar for ten minutes and send them on their way.
Something is wrong. It is true that this text may not directly be addressing the problem I am discussing. But somehow it increases my conviction that we must do more.
]]>Observations/Reflections: On Discerning What God Wants in Your Life
Status: Dictated but Not Reviewed
Published: 10/14/08
Written: 08/29/08
Dictated By: Flint McGlaughlin
I suspect that there is a point in time when your seeking for what God wants is superseded by something that you desperately want for God. I suspect that this is the point in which you have actually discovered what it is that God wants from you.
There is a nexus between your searching and his wooing. When you come to the point when you are desperate to do something for Him, when this something is so compelling that you would almost risk doing it, even if you weren't sure it was best, you may have found what it is He wants. In a sense, I am observing that there may be a point where your desire to know God's perfect will is overtaken with your desire to seek something special that is emerging in your heart. It is at this very point where you may be discovering what it is that God desires from you.
]]>Observations/Reflections: On Proverbs 11:3, Planning and Decision Making
Status: Transcribed and Reviewed
Published: 10/13/08
Written: 03/06/06
Dictated By: Flint McGlaughlin
Scripture says, "The integrity of the upright guides them. . . ." The older I get the more this maxim helps me. Most of the decisions we struggle with may be resolved by turning to the simple but profound scriptural virtues. If a man does what is most right, he achieves what is the absolute best.
Over and over again, pragmatic issues return to the concept of right, and it helps me discover the reality of what is best. For example, I have never let the amount of money influence my decision process. Money should be managed on the basis of principle, not amount.
It is amazing how principles are compromised by degree. The more the money, the harder it is for some.
I must constantly keep before me this primary management truth: "The integrity of the upright guides them. . . ."
]]>Observations/Reflections: On Starting a Fire With No Matches
Status: Dictated but Not Reviewed
Published: 10/10/08
Written: 09/02/08
Dictated By: Flint McGlaughlin
Over the years I have looked for many sources of tinder. Here in Florida the palmetto or cabbage palm are superb. I find that I can get to a soft fiber by peeling back the sheaths.
Once I find the finest of the fibers, it is important to separate them so they catch the spark better. If they are packed a little too tight they resist the spark. You can build the rest of the fire by using the other parts of the palmetto. You can even use the tender shoots in the center for food. All in all, you can find your food and cook your food all with the simple palmetto. It is a gift for survival in the southern swamps.
This afternoon I took my children and worked on starting a fire with no matches. Quin used flint and steel to build the fire for lunch. We then pulled the tinder shoots from the cabbage palms (or from the palmettos) and ate them, after which we cooked cuts of meat over the open fire. The children were thrilled, but it's important what they learned. This is the second time, now, that Quin has started a fire with no matches and no paper.
I am proud of him.
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