Room Changer

Growing up, I heard the "world changers” message a hundred different ways. Some were better than others, some more eloquently delivered, but they never failed to speak to me and fire me up. It was like the speaker was speaking directly to me, and I wanted so badly to be that guy. The guy who changed the world.

While the message these men were preaching was always the same, they had a large list of men to use as examples. John Wesley traveled from town to town planting churches, which revolutionized the way we plant churches today. This world changer's legacy has outlived him by centuries, and there is now a Methodist church in almost every town across the country. Billy Graham held his revivals and filled football stadiums to preach the gospel, reaching millions of people. D.L. Moody put Christian literature in the hands of the masses. The list is long, and longer still if you include secular influences like Steve Jobs, who revolutionized how we interact with each other and how we access media today. Larry Page and Sergey Brin started Google and changed the way we search for information in the internet.

All of these men had one thing in common: a Big Idea.

I wanted that Big Idea so bad. I thought, prayed, and schemed, dwelling on it continually. God just needed to give me that one idea that would revolutionize the way people came to know Him.  I could start the next ground breaking church, or the next big movement that swept the country, because that’s how a person went about changing the world. To change something as big as the world,  a BIG idea is clearly needed. There is no room in God's kingdom for small ideas. I would have to be different, think outside the box, and innovate change in a way no one had done before.

 For a while I became obsessed, walking around bumping Kirk Franklin in my Disc-man. “Do you want a revolution? What, what do you want a revolution?" I did, and I knew God had a BIG plan for me. He was going to use me in a special way. I could feel it. Any day now God was going to drop that world changing vision in my lap and we were going to set the world on fire!

A week went by with no grand vision.

Surely it was because I wasn't reading my Bible enough.  I needed to read longer, go deeper in my devotions, pray harder. Maybe I wasn't firm enough in my faith for God to use me in the way I wanted Him to. This would work. When you can’t hear God, it’s because you are not listening hard enough. I heard that at church.

Then a month went by.

The changes I had already made hadn't worked. Most likely because God had such a big vision for me that He couldn't reveal it all at once. I just needed to hang out the church more, get more involved, serve in other areas so he could help me grow spiritually. After all, if I was going to change the world, I needed a firm foundation. Wise men build their house upon the rock. I heard that in a children’s song.

A year went by.

I knew I followed a BIG God. I knew he had a plan for me. I just needed to be faithful in the little things. Come to think of it, I didn't always tithe. How could God trust me to change the world if I didn't tithe? So I started tithing twelve percent, just to be safe.

Now, this was it! I’d been completely faithful--volunteering, tithing, staying in the word, praying constantly--I was ready. It was time to do this thing! At this point,  I was only listening to David Crowder and The Newsboys, thinking that any day now God was going to drop that bomb on me, and we would be off to plant a church, or start my Billy Graham like revivals, and I was ready.

Then life happened.

The time had come for me to move out of my parent's house and get my career off the ground. Construction management might not be as glamorous as traveling from football stadium to football stadium preaching the gospel, but it was still a good, solid choice.  Jesus was a carpenter, after all. Even away from the influence of my family, I was still being faithful, leading bible studies in my home and staying on the path He'd set for me.  

It was getting depressing, though, the nagging worry that God wasn't going to use me in the way I'd thought he would. I wasn't even working at a church, let alone riding horseback town to town planting them. It was depressing, yes, and it was starting to make me angry. I was doing everything right. Where was God?

Fast forward another year.

Life was comfortable; I was having success at work,  the money was rolling in, and life was good. So, no, God wasn't using me to change the world but He was taking care of me. Maybe he just wanted me to enjoy this life? Maybe I was just supposed to make a difference by giving at church, and letting somebody else, somebody more qualified, do the heavy lifting. It takes all types to get His will done, and if everyone physically worked at the church who would contribute to the kingdom financially?

Five years have gone by.

I was flat out angry with God. I felt passed up, and it started to show in my life. I would sit through church with an "I could do better" attitude. I'd hear a sermon and pick it to pieces. I'd meet a new staff member and think to myself, "Seriously? They hired this guy? I would have been a better candidate." Jealousy reared its ugly head and any time somebody did something that impacted the kingdom I was practically making fun of them or picking them apart. Not really to their face, but in my head. How did he get a part in the kingdom ministry? How can a person who has only been saved for 6 months teach me anything?

My walk with God was taking a beating because we had this huge unresolved issue. "God, I feel like you have called me to ministry, but you haven’t opened a single door. Let’s be honest you have closed every door in my face, but you won’t let me shake off that original calling. Ha ha, real funny."

So, I pulled a Jonah.

 I did everything in my power to escape the calling he'd placed in my life. I ignored it. I focused on other things. All of the time I'd previously devoted to Him, I now focused on my career and meeting Mrs. Right. I avoided one on one time with God, because anytime I was alone or in the word, that feeling would start creeping back up. I could hear Him telling me to change the world, so I ran.

I did eventually find Mrs. Right, and she was truly the nicest person I had ever met. She was kind, looked for the best in everyone, and complimented them on it. I knew I would have to step up my game to lead a woman like that. God started working on me through her, and she showed me how to be nice. Once we were married I wanted to do anything I could to make sure I could help her grow in her faith like she was helping me to grow in mine. After a year of being married, my outlook had completely changed. I didn't care that doors had been shut to me in a ministry role anymore. Quite frankly, that wasn't even what I wanted. I wanted to have kids--lots of kids--and it seemed like everything was just fine as it was.

Then my first son was born, and I had my WHALE MOMENT.

It was a game changer. The fire that had burned in me most of my life reignited, and I was determined to raise my kid to be a world changer. My son could be the catalyst that changes the world, or that sets it on fire.

 Our Life Group at this time was centered on finding our family ID, the thing that defines the values of the family unit that can be passed on to future generations. My wife and I found that for us, our calling is to “blaze the trail”.  The word blaze has multiple meanings, our favorite being the mark left on a tree by a person to show anyone coming behind them that they were going the right way. It's a calling to be the man or woman that future generations can look to make sure they are following the path that God has set for them. God hadn't chosen to use me to change the world, but I was determined to be the kind of dad who could show his son how to leave his mark on the world.

Then my second son was born, and I freaked out.

It was clear to me that I was supposed to raise these boys to be world changers, but I hadn’t even begun to understand how to do that. Sitting in church, the pressure was rising. It wasn't just voices in my head talking to me anymore,  it was the preacher. “It's time for some of you to accept the calling to be a part of a ministry." I could feel God nudging me, and there was nothing gentle about it. Inwardly, I ran through my list of excuses. I didn't have the Big Idea. I wasn't equipped. I wasn't a pastor or a preacher and I didn't have the qualifications to become one either. I'd chosen a different direction. Then God spoke to me as clear as day.

Stop running. It's time.

Now I'd heard him call me, but I had no idea how to take the next step. It’s time? I prayed and prayed, and prayed some more, and I decided to go for it.  Planting a church seemed like a logical place to start, and my wife was on board. She was awesome like that. If God was calling me to change the world, she wanted to make sure we obeyed. The only problem was, God didn’t send me any clear instructions, but I figured this was it. So, after a lot of prayer and consideration, we decided we should plant a church in Omaha, Nebraska. We made the trip up there, but left feeling like this wasn't what God wanted us to do. The old familiar sinking feeling came back to me. Not again! I knew God had a big plan for me, and now I'd heard Him calling, felt Him nudging (shoving) me. I felt the pressure mounting, but I just couldn't figure out the next step.

Six more months of searching go by, but I was only getting more and more frustrated. I know He's called. I’d do whatever He said, go wherever He asked. I just needed to know what he wanted from me.

I was full of righteous frustration.

I was in the word, being mentored, mentoring others, striving to raise my kids to know and love Him. Still, I was missing some important piece of the puzzle. We were pregnant again, with the third baby boy in less than two years, and my desire to teach them to become world changers is growing every day. The desire was growing, but my confidence was shrinking. Was it even possible to teach someone to become a world changer without leading by example? Did I miss a crucial step in the messages I'd heard? Was there some sort of algorithm I needed to know to unfold the mystery of changing the world? Why were some people out in the world making an impact, all day every day, and blowing up the God scene while I was benched? More realistically, I was watching the game on TV at home.

And then I had my "Ah ha!" moment.

I was invited, last minute, to the Global Leadership Summit. I got to hear a message about leading where you are by Bill Hybels. It hit me so hard that it seemed like my head was going to explode. The thought was so simple, but it was the piece of the puzzle that I had been overlooking my whole life. God was saying, "If I can’t trust you to lead where you are right now, how can I use you to reach the rest of the world? You’re not even reaching the people you're around now." BOOM. Can you hear the bricks falling from the sky?

I had gotten so wrapped up in preparing for God to use me, that I'd failed to let him use me.  I was preparing to receive a calling that I had already been given. I was so busy doing the right things that I missed the real things.

I left the conference with a new outlook on life. I was fired up to get back to work and start a new culture inside the company I worked for. I still wasn’t changing the world but I was making an impact where I was. We changed everything. We restructured the company to put the needs of the employees families first. We got to know new hires on a personal level, and we watched as people started becoming curious about this God we worshiped. We saw grown men get teary eyed as we told them how important they were to our organization and asked them how we could serve them and pray for their families.

Then one night we were in my oldest son’s room preparing to do our nightly devotions. Staring at the world map hanging on his wall, I had a moment of clarity. This is what I told my boys: We live in a big world, and in that big world, we live in a big country. In that big country, we live in a big state. In that big state we live in a big county. In that big county, we live in a big town. In that big town we have a big house, and in that house we are in a tiny room. To change the world, we have to start by changing the room we are in. If you boys can do that, you will be world changers. The moment the words left my mouth, my life was changed.

Jesus is the ultimate example. He didn’t go everywhere in the world, he worked with what was in front of him. He healed the sick person he came across, he spoke to whoever was around to hear,  and he poured a lot into a few people that he was in constant contact with. Those people did the same in turn, until everyone had heard his message.

We have the perfect game plan right in front of us, if we just pay attention to how Jesus went about changing the world.

He took every opportunity to love whoever he was around, and empower and encourage them to do the same. He flipped the script of what we think strong leaders do and he showed us that to truly lead we have to serve. He changed the room he was in. Some great examples take place in the smallest rooms. He sat down for dinner and the savior of the world washed the feet of some nasty fishermen and tent makers. Then he spent the rest of the night encouraging them, and telling them that if they want to be great leaders they have to serve in the same way.  He encouraged new believers by being nice, being real, and being a servant of others.

I plan to follow his example every time I enter a room, singling out the person I can encourage, serve, or show love to. It’s a life changing mindset. When I stopped thinking about what I was going to do and started focusing on what I could do right now, I found myself actually noticing who needed me to care about them.

When Jesus was around people who were solid in their faith, or even those who falsely perceived themselves that way, he challenged them to go deeper. Growing up in church I considered the Pharisees to be villains, but now I think that most Christians, at least honest ones, can relate with these guys. It’s human nature to want to know if we’re living right. We also like to compare ourselves to others to gage if we are on the right track or not. That's all the Pharisees were doing. They followed the law to the letter, taking only so many steps on the Sabbath because it was a day of rest.

A modern day Pharisee goes to Sunday school, then church, then Sunday night church. They attend Christian school and Wednesday night youth group, and then volunteer at one of the other services. They read six books of the bible a day, pray long intense prayers, and only listen to Christian music. When they are old enough, they find work at a church. They never cuss, drink, smoke, party, or watch reality TV. They probably don’t watch TV at all. It gets in the way of their bible reading.

Any of this sounding familiar?

I am a Pharisee. My list of "I don’t"s  is long, and I've spent most of my life being proud of it. The problem is, that lifestyle is dangerous. It's far too easy to start feeling good about yourself because you've never done anything on your list of "don't"s, but you really haven't done anything. Maybe I haven't led anyone to Christ this decade, but it's alright because I don’t party or drink, so I’m still good with God.

We can go through our list of all the things we didn't do today, or we can have a good answer when Jesus asks how many people we've shown His love to today. He doesn't care what we didn't do today, but He cares a lot about what we did.

Find a mentor that will challenge you to focus on the calling we have all received, to  go and tell the world about what Jesus has done. Don’t just be a good person, be a light in a dark room. It’s easy for us to be so busy being Christians that we forget to show Christ's love. So enter the room and  seek someone to encourage and empower. Even Christians need pushed to go deeper and shine brighter.

This is the life changing part for me. As humans in our weakness we have to know if we are living right. Are we making a difference? Are we changing the world? When Jesus was on earth he impacted the twelve he was around most often more than anyone else. Want to see how effective you are at sharing your faith? Look no further than the person who sees you the most. Are they growing? Do they leave feeling inspired, encouraged, and motivated to change the room they are in?

Whoever you are around the most should be influenced by you the most! I think about this a ton because I am married and have children. A spouse spends more time with you than any other person. They know when you’re putting on a face, or when you’re being real. They know when you are you giving them one hundred percent.

I don’t believe we are in charge of our spouse’s relationship with God, but I do believe you are the biggest influence of building them up and encouraging them to grow for the same reasons Jesus poured more into those he was around the most. It’s simply because they are always around and we have more time to invest in them. So many days in my own life I get home from work, I get the kids to bed, and then I just want to pass out. My wife and I have a bedroom together and even if we are sleeping I spend more time in close proximity with her than I do with anyone else.  Disclaimer: she pushes me and gives me 100% all the time but often times I’m tired and the conversation is weak sauce, and I have to remind myself to change the room. Then I can wake up, give her my undivided attention and hopefully challenge her in her walk as much as she challenges and inspires me in mine. 

Children are the same way. As a Dad of 3 awesome little boys who I desperately want to raise to be world changers, I can tell you that if you dump time into them they will reflect your leadership. What your children see you do they will do, good or bad.  In my world I wake up early go to work and come home late and I’m tired so my wife and kids get my worst. I don’t want that for them, so I do what I can to remember the ones I’m around the most need to see God in me the most. Making that time intentional is an everyday struggle for me, but if I can change the room they are in, I can change the world.

If you’re not married that’s alright, but you’re not off the hook. Maybe you have a roommate, or parents, or a sibling. Maybe you live alone, but you work with somebody every day and you’re just going through the motions. Will that person you’re in closest contact with want Christ because of the way the room changes when you’re in it?

Change the world by serving the people in front of you, encouraging the believers around you to be a light in a dark room, and pour more into the people that are in closest proximity to you most often.

Change: To lay aside, abandon, or leave for another; switch.

As Christians, that’s exactly what we are called to do. We lay aside and abandon our own desires for His. We leave the world's standards to be held by God's standard. We switch to something greater than ourselves.

You don’t need to start the BIG movement, He already did, and it will continue with or without you.

Please don’t be like me, so busy preparing for the “ministry” I thought God was calling me to, that I failed to minister to those around me. Let me encourage you to start today.

Change the room you're in.