Finishing Well

Some of the lines bandied about in talking about leadership include "working yourself out of a job" and "begin with the end in mind." After having my final day at my shelter job on Thursday, I thought those sayings can be somewhat simplistic. I didn't work myself out of my job; there was a replacement. I didn't know starting out where the end of this job would be, only that it would end someday. And I'm still on a sort of "on call" to help the new guy transition well.

I guess for me there is never closure in the simplest sense of the word--the work will never end, until Kingdom Come. Finishing well seems to be more about legacy, if Iron Man 2 has taught me anything. Have you left this job, ministry, work better than when you came in? Did you leave without any burned bridges of relationships, as far as you could control? What good thing have you left behind that will go on after your last day?

Maybe it's better to start with those questions than to throw out those tired leadership statements!

Pentecost Reflection

Journaling this morning reminded me again that today is Pentecost Sunday. And I came up with this question as I reflected on the Acts 2 story: "How are you, Holy Spirit, bringing newness?" It was difficult to come up with a list.

Even if I know there is potential stagnancy I sense in myself and some of those around me, I know this is also my untrained ability to see that newness. God may be making all things new through His Spirit, but I'm often hurtling along on the freeway of life without my mirrors attached.

This reflection from Every Bush Is Burning by Joan Puls captures what I want to believe, and with the Spirit's transforming work also SEE more of this newness in my life and in our cities:


"I believe that nothing human is foreign to the Spirit, that the Spirit embraces all. Our mundane experiences contain all the stuff of holiness and of human growth in grace. Our world is rife with messages and signatures of the Spirit. Our encounters with one another are potential sites of the awakening and energizing that characterize the Spirit. But so much goes unnoticed. We fail so often to recognize the light that shines through the tiny chinks and the dusty panes of our daily lives. We are too busy to name the event that is blessed in its ordinariness, holy in its uniqueness, and grace-filled in its underlying challenge."


Come, Holy Spirit.

Transition Plan

If you don't know by now, my family and I are taking a step of faith for me to quit my stable 30 hour job so I could focus more on going "full-time" with Kingdom Causes Alhambra - Monterey Park (stable in work, not necessarily in pay :P) . There's been a rush of feelings, lots of fitful sleep, and wondering prayers. It can be hard living in that "in-between" space, wondering how it's all going to play out.

But this week as I started my transition plan (down from 30 to 16 hours with the goal of training my successor), I found so much life-giving work, meetings, and conversations that helped confirm this sense of calling even more with the additional time in Kingdom Causes work.

Monday--Meeting with local pastors about opportunities to serve the community. Also connected with the SGV branch of Habitat for Humanity.

Wednesday--Met with my coach to talk about our strategic plan for KCAMP for the next few years. Our team is already moving forward with all our listed goals.

Thursday--Monterey Park Ministerial group. Continued to dream and plan on how we can work together as well as for the city.

Friday--Did some extra mentoring time and replanted a garden with summer veggies.

Praise God for all these opportunities and connections. Sometimes I feel like what I'm doing with KCAMP "out there" is making up for all the pretty much in-house work I did as a pastor of a church.