Letter To New Leaders
The following is a letter to all new leaders who are considering starting or are starting out in the Thrive process. Sometimes we just need a little perspective for the journey. (Excerpt, Leadership Manual, pg 7)
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Friends,
I want to welcome you to the missional leadership journey. Engaging God’s mission of restoration is the journey of a lifetime. It will stretch you, pull you, push you and twist you in ways that will give life meaning. You were meant to do this and we at Thrive applaud you for taking the risk.
Much of the leadership questions and processes you will need are here in this manual. But there is a side to the journey that can never be in the manual. And that is your specific route. I want to launch you by telling you a story that describes the freedom to discover that route.
If you live in the twenty-first century you’ve probably tried an online map service. They’re really great. They provide detailed instructions as well as a picture of what your route to your destination looks like.
A couple of years ago, I took my family on a trip to Disneyland and punched in the route to one of these services. The site promises to provide me with the best possible route to my destination. It felt really good leaving with all the information I would need to get there fast. We left in the morning and hit Los Angeles about 2:30 PM. It was a hot day.
Little did I know that Highway 5 in Los Angeles is now a parking lot. Millions of cars were moving at the speed of a slug, all seeming to want to get to the same destination as me. I honestly could have walked faster. It was the kind of slow death crawl that brings out the worst in little children. Mine were not spared. It felt like a scene out of Chevy Chase’s Vacation. “When are we going to be there?” “I’m hot.” “He touched me.” Little children are not meant to sit in a car shaped box, strapped in for longer than two hours at a time.
I used to live in Los Angeles and knew of other possible routes, but my memory of the freeway system seemed hazy. Sensing a need to get out of the parking lot, I took a chance and cut over on some main streets and winged it. Before I knew it, I was flying down another highway feeling sorry for anyone who had to drive the 5 on a regular basis. I was a free man, but something troubled me.
You see my map had fooled me into thinking it was THE path to follow. It had provided me with the best potential route, but it had no way of knowing there was going to be traffic, and heat, and screaming children. This was a recipe for disaster. My printout only had this one route, so I was left to inch along the 5 or venture out and try another way. For most of the route it had served me fine. It was easy. But at some point I had to make a decision to detour, mostly for the sake of my sanity. By doing so, I had opened myself up to getting lost a long the way, but also to potentially a quicker, more effective route. I took a chance and we got there in once piece.
As you navigate your journey with your group you will often be left with a decision when to discover your own path. This material is like a map in that it is meant to provide an interesting route to wholeness but it is not the only route. This is A map. Not THE map. This is a very liberating thought when you really think about it. What this means is that you can take detours, tread new uncharted ground, and figure out a different path along the way. Just remember that when you venture into uncharted territory there are usually no WalMart along the way. You may be on your own. If you do, seek wise counsel along the way.
As you tread along the path, remember that you carry the promise of the Holy Spirit to guide you. Where ever you go, look to the Holy Spirit to lead you into a rich experience of faith, hope, and ultimately to love. I encourage you to try new ideas, take chances, and see what works for you. If you sense the Holy Spirit’s leading you in a direction, which is different from this material, trust the Holy Spirit. He is your true guide. This material just provides you with possibilities and options. You can always come back to it, or even stay with it as it serves you well. You may find that it is exactly what you need most of the way, or just some of the way.
Blessings on your journey!
Jonathan
You’ve put your finger on one of my favorite things about the Thrive materials: They are completely flexible. At various times we as a group have pitched parts out completely. Other times we’ve added new parts in. Sometimes we track right along with the materials, finding them to be perfect for where we are at in that stage of our journey together.
I will never forget the first time I talked to you trying feel out if you really felt the materials were A map and not THE map. What I was suggesting at the time (to have men and women in a mixed group as opposed to men in one group and women in another) was not something you had done yet. I was just waiting for the “No, you can’t do it that way” line to be said to me. Your response, instead, was exactly what this post says: Try it, go for it, how can we best support you in this experiment? I have to admit I was completely surprised by that response.
The experiment worked out great for us and I’m so grateful we had the opportunity to chart some new territory with your support using these materials.
This is good for me to read. I “broke free” when i did a few things. I let go of all pre conceived ideas i had or anyone else had ever had about my life and totally in the most purest form emptied myself and humbled myself before God. I also completely got rid of the “fear of man”. It was a sacrifice to do, but in the end it has taken me to the unchartered territory that your talking about here. I do feel alone and that not many people understand me, but I know that i know that i know that God’s holy spirit is empowering me to think and act like never before. No longer do i feel like i am walking around aimlessly. I have stepped into my destiny and into something greater than myself. There is purpose to everything i do, say or think. I imagine that great men of God in the past had to have come to a point in their lives where they had to break away from everyone and everything in this world and connect with a greater reality. “Greater is he that is in me than he that is in the world”. This scripture has become a part of me. I believe it with all my heart. Blessings to everyone out there and whenever you feel yourself all alone remember that God said “be still and know that I am God”. When i meditate and confess on these words, i feel a security and warmth that consumes all and any fear and doubt.
“If you sense the Holy Spirit’s leading you in a direction, which is different from this material, trust the Holy Spirit. He is your true guide. ”
beautifully put
.. it seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us