Seven.

June 21, 2010

In the June 7th Forbes Magazine, Rich Karlgaard noted some of the shared characteristics those companies which seem to have grown stronger and better despite the Great Recession.  His article is good and well worth the read, but I’m taking those ‘seven secrets’ and applying them to how we’re thinking at The Bridge:

Design.
I’m not a designer, I’m not even artistic.  But it doesn’t take too much to see bad design–in fact, in the past, I think a lot of our effort was just avoiding bad design.  Our design is getting better… thanks to GotPrint, t-shirt producers, and Cloversites, I don’t have to be an incredible designer to have good design.  We could be better, and we’re growing, but I’m glad we’re not settling for “free” when an investment in design speaks volumes about us.  We’re moving to a place where we’re pursuing beautiful design rather than just running away from bad design. I’m excited about that.

Speed.
In general, things are moving much faster than we thought they would… and this is building serious momentum–we’re planning to launch and daughter faster than we thought could happen.  We can’t take credit for this, but it’s happening.  We also are focusing on making sure we follow up fast and do what we said we would when we said we would.

Cost.
We’re working hard to show that when someone invests in The Bridge, we’re being wise in how we expend limited resources.  ‘Cost’ for us has less to do with what a customer gets from us, but how we manage the results we demonstrate to our investors.  In our community, it also means ‘free’ doesn’t suck.  We’re trying to do as much as we can at no cost to the people we’re ministering to… but we’re trying to do it as though they paid a premium to be there.

Service.
When it comes to our investor churches, we genuinely believe they are getting something by partnering with us, whether it’s people who participate and take a renewed passion back, or a sense of legacy, there are many benefits to being part of what God is doing through The Bridge in Pittsburgh.  But when it comes to serving our community, after just a couple of events The Bridge is already ‘the church that gave the free car wash–that’s great!’  We’re finding fun ways to show our community we care, we want to know our neighbors, and that God really loves them.

Courtesy of 'altemark' on Flickr

Communication outside.
Right now, this has to do mostly with face-to-face contact.  Rick, especially, has been knocking on doors and being ‘the face’ of The Bridge.  This will only go so far, and we’re analyzing where to best put some communications dollars: radio? adsense? street corner with a sandwich board? As we learn our community more and more, we’ll discover the best ways to communicate outside.

Communication inside.
We could do a better job at keeping launch team members on the same page, but we’re learning how to make sure communication among senior leadership is open.  Thanks to GoogleDocs, Calendar sharing, and Facebook, we’re growing in our communication and how we collaborate; we’re not ‘there’ yet… but I think we’re well on our way.

Purpose.
We’re here to help people connect with Jesus and see them grow in His likeness. More than that, we’re here to keep doing that by planting churches that plant churches to reach those far from God.  The Bridge exists to love, learn, and live Jesus Christ in our context at whatever cost.  We hope we have the purpose thing down… now it’s a matter of staying on mission when things, good and bad, tempt us to drift.

Why not run down the list yourself and give your church/organization a quick checkup?

By JeremiahGomez | Posted in Leadership | Tagged , , , , | Comments (2)

Myths

April 2, 2010

You did it today.  So did I.  At least once.  Probably without realizing it, we made an assumption about someone’s job–how easy or hard or menial or vital that job was; how untrained or overworked or under-appreciated or uncaring the person at the tollbooth, behind the counter, at the other end of the phone conversation, or in the corner office–having never really experienced it for ourselves.

I know there are ‘myths’ about every career, position, ministry, and activity; there are stereotypes and misinformed assumptions about what life there is like.  In the past few months, I’ve discovered some of my own misled assumptions and myths about church planting/church planters, and a few that other people have about those of us on this side of the church planting adventure.  So, the next few posts will have the common thread of debunking “church planting myths.”

By JeremiahGomez | Posted in church planting | Tagged , , , | Comments (0)

Whatchamacallit…

March 31, 2010
Nameless Can

courtesy of stock.xchng

As we have announced the name for the Pittsburgh Church Plant, The Bridge, reactions have been interesting to gauge.  Most people a generation before mine are thrilled with the name.  Most people in my own generation seem to like it, but don’t have a particularly deep  affinity for it.  People in the generation after mine could care less about the name and what to see something done before they develop any connection at all.  That really doesn’t have much to do with anything, but I thought I’d throw it out there as food for thought.

Regardless, in my last post, told you I would share the highly scientific, market research-intensive, professional process we used for landing on a name.  I’m not sure how ‘real’ church planters do it, but this was our process:

  • Talking.
  • Praying.
  • Talking.
  • Killing bad ideas.
  • Praying.
  • Discussing names with people.
  • Killing bad ideas that we thought were good ideas.
  • Starting over.
  • Praying.
  • Talking.
  • Dealing with pressure about the need for a name from different sources.
  • Praying and talking.
  • Sensing ‘this is it’ from the Holy Spirit, other people, and launch team members.
  • Announcing a name.
  • Getting an EIN and checking account.
  • Continuously sharing the name and why it’s significant.
By JeremiahGomez | Posted in church, church planting | Tagged , , , | Comments (0)

Retail Reflections: Training

October 29, 2009
Barbed<Image courtesy of DawnAllyn>

One of the things I very much appreciate about my current place of employment is the value they place on training.  I’ve had jobs before where training consisted of being given a list of duties/responsibilities and being told to “go and do.”  Where I’m working now, however, places such an emphasis on properly training their management staff that I spent the entirety of my first two weeks learning hands-on how to function in my new role.  This season of  training culminated in a daylong ‘evaluation’ of sorts wherein a training manager made sure I knew what I was supposed to know; it was made clear even then there will be other focused learning opportunities along the way.

Granted, I was hired because there was a sense of chemistry and I have a certain skill-set which appealed to the person responsible for finding a good fit for the open position.  But certain skills and being something of a people-person only go so far… so before I was to be trusted with higher levels of responsibility, I had to be trained.  All of this quality (and costly) training did more than just prepare me for job responsibilities—it demonstrated that I had value and granted accountability.

I feel valuable—this company invested hours and hours and hours of payroll in me knowing they wouldn’t see immediate return on that investment.  People took the time from their other responsibilities to make sure I was equipped to succeed.   In doing this, the company began forging a relationship from day one with a new employee, making it less likely in the high-turnover world of retail that I would leave before bringing any value to the team.

I’m also accountable—all of that training and being evaluated means I should know how to operate according to the standards of the company.  The organization fulfilled its part by ensuring I was given the tools and understanding necessary to fulfill the functions of my job.  That means I now need to fulfill those same functions according the standards and practices outlined during the training process.  This way, I know when I’m doing well without anybody needing to tell me (although it’s still nice to hear)… and I know when I’m not doing so well.  There’s no question about whether enduring the consequences of personal error is fair or not because I cannot claim ignorance or faulty education.  This kind of training/accountability lays the framework for doing better and better work as well as bringing more and more value to the organization as our relationship continues.

Too often in organizations and ministry we are  so excited that someone wants to serve we train them with the ‘go and do’ mentality, heaping task upon task which must be done upon them… rather than cultivating them to take on real responsibility.

What if we took more time to invest in our workers and volunteers—showing them value, ensuring the organizational culture and standards were being modeled and providing boundaries of accountability while helping to define a ‘win’ both for them and us.   This type of approach is different depending on the organization and the person being trained but it means a greater likelihood of reproducing quality leadership and having confidence in those who serve.  This kind of training is certainly costly and it is a little risky (what if the person we invest so much in leaves? takes what we taught and uses it somewhere else? is a jerk?)… but the potential reward far outshines the risk.

By JeremiahGomez | Posted in church | Tagged , | Comments (0)

Doing the right thing…

October 27, 2009

…isn’t always easy.  There are times and circumstances that we face which when right and wrong are more like shades of gray than they are black and white.  There are those moments when a choice presents itself when both (or all!) options seem more than ‘okay;’ times when we have to decide about jobs, health procedures, organizational strategy, whether to stay or go in any number of things, or the best course of action for a loved one and their future… and the details, options, and consequences are anything but simple.

In Joshua 9 & 10, there are principles demonstrated to the reader about how to handle those times when we don’t know what the ‘right thing to do’ is.  The people of Israel are in the midst of a progressive military campaign as they work to conquer & claim land promised in generations past.  They have faced and overcome many obstacles; individuals have risked their own lives and families for the sake of a greater cause; all the while God has shown he alone is the Leader, Provider, and Conqueror.

Word comes to these same people that an army unlike anything they had faced thus far had amassed… and is heading directly toward their position.  Israel’s battle tacticians and warrior-leader, Joshua, begin planning strategy, knowing there are many battles which still lie ahead… and that if they can’t deal with the obstacle heading their way, all will be lost.

In this midst of this, a band of tired, road-weary, seemingly desperate travelers comes their way seeking a treaty of peace.  And the Joshua, the Israelites, (and us, too!) learn some hard lessons in doing the right thing.  Over the next few Joshua posts, we’ll discover what some of those lessons are.

By JeremiahGomez | Posted in Joshua | Tagged , , , , , | Comments (0)

Retail Reflections: StockBoy

October 1, 2009
487794_chemistry_4<image courtesy of vierdrie>

A little while ago, I shared my experience interviewing for a home improvement retailer.  You can read that post here.  During my recent journey of searching for and being given work, I experienced some interactions with the retail world that might be useful in informing different aspects of the Church world.

One of the other potential employers who needed ‘very open availability’ was only able to commit to five hours a week of work.  Again, the pay rate wasn’t anything spectacular.  But here’s how the interview process played out:

  • Brief, initial phone interview focused mostly on verifying information from the application and confirming ‘very open availability.
  • One-on-one interview with a potential supervisor.  Questions covered everything from experience to hypothetical ‘what-if’s.”
  • One-on-one interview with the potential supervisor’s supervisor.  More questions, but mostly casual interaction much more conversational in tone.
  • One-on-one conversation and clarification with the “HR Lady.”

Pretty involved for a part-time, low-paid position, wouldn’t you agree?  Much of the questioning and conversation centered around two things: availability and chemistry.

In a retail world, availability is king.  If you can’t actually be at work when people are going to be buying things, you’re not going to be much of an asset to the company.  The question was, “are you actually willing to commit to being here and making this a priority?”  Through experience as well as recognizing the ramping-up for the holiday shopping season, this potential employer knew they needed to clarify issues of availability.  Not being able to show up when they most needed to show up meant not getting the job.  Period.

Remember, we’re talking about a guaranteed *five hours* of work a week here… but needing wide-open availability all week long.

Chemistry was also important.  Everything related to serving in this environment was about ‘teamwork.’  Each shift contributes to the success of the store as part of a team; preparations for the next day’s selling activities are completed as a team; training is administered to staff as a team.  The concept of the ‘team’ is very, very important.  Someone coming on who is focused too much on themselves will have a negative impact on the team; likewise, someone who can’t take personal responsibility will also negatively impact those around them and the store’s bottom line.

It was clear this working together aspect was incredibly important… and why, I believe, I interacted with so many people in the course of pursuing a job offer.

When it comes to finding people for our ministry teams, we would be wise to consider these aspects of the process as incredibly important, too.  If a retailer spends so much time checking to see if commitment and chemistry are so important before investing a small hourly wage in their employee, maybe the Church should care for these things in pursuit of advancing the Kingdom of Christ.

What level of commitment are we expecting from our people?  Now, I’m not saying we push people too hard or too far; and I’m not advocating the idea that every member should sacrifice everything outside of church for church (that’s not really ministry… but I’ll save that for some other post some other time).  In my experience, people rise exactly to what we expect of them.  Expect half-hearted participation and that’s what you’ll get.  Expect deep commitment from those who serve out of love, and watch them rise to the occasion.

How much are we looking for chemistry and teamwork rather than ‘rising stars?’   I got the feeling this particular retailer had passed ‘qualified applicants’ by because they lacked the ability to work on a team.  Maybe we could take a page from that play book and again realize that a ‘qualified‘ ministry team member does not always the right ministry team member make.

By JeremiahGomez | Posted in church | Tagged , , , | Comments (0)

Mall Fail

August 3, 2009

Image: violator3Image: violator3

–

A few days ago I posted ‘That’s okay…’ about some positive learning experiences I had with some friends at the mall last week.

Let me share a few things that were ‘teachable moments’ because of what they teach us to avoid.  Don’t worry, names have been changed to protect the innocent and avoid some kind of libel charge:

–

Understanding your environment is incredibly important:

I haven’t been able to find Bottle Caps anywhere.  You know: those sweet-tart kind of candies that have a little fizz in them?  We can’t get them where I live, so while we were at the mall, the four of us dropped into Childhood Obesity R Us (a candy shack).  But right next to the candy shack (which, by the way, did have Bottle Caps… at an incredible premium) was Carcinogen Crossing (a tobacco shop).  That may not have been a problem… except that the smell of the tobacco shop was incredibly overwhelming… it morphed with the sweets smell of the candy shack and created some kind of nasty, hanging malodorous funk that wasn’t at all pleasant.  The candy shack wasn’t doing very much business, and I can’t help but wonder if it had something to do with its neighbor.   Who are the candy people trying to reach?  Tobacco smokers?  Or would vying for a spot near the Lego store have been a better bet?

What does that have to do with churchy stuff?  Oftentimes it’s tempting to do something that worked very well elsewhere… in some other environment.  But ‘plugging’ that program/idea/method into where we live just won’t be effective because of where we’re situated. We’re trying to reach lego-store kind of people next to a tobacco shop… maybe we should try to do something to meet the needs of the people around us in their own context.

A few months ago, a friend of mine posted this link–it’s a good example of the need to understand your environment in a ministry setting.

Know your environment.

–

Simplify:

There was a certain item we were hoping to get.  An item so in demand many people want one, but not so currently ‘have to have it’ that anyone should be sold out.  Checking was done about which stores should have this item in stock.  One didn’t.  Another of the same chain didn’t.  A third store did, but was unable to provide the right kind of service… so a purchase was made to get the item all the others were supposed to have and a walk commenced to one of those other stores to get the rest of the process taken care of. (I’m being purposefully ambiguous, sorry for how awkward that paragraph was).

It was a lot of work and frustration for something pretty easy—especially when you understand the money was going to be spent on this item… and it was going to bolster the sales of one store or another.  If people would have just done what they said they would, a very happy customer would have been had.  Instead, they were left with a customer who wasn’t so much ‘happy’ as ‘finally taken care of’.

I wonder what we do that could use some simplifying; what we do that is overly frustrating and inconvenient for a reason that made sense on paper or in theory but has no practical benefit…

–

Just Be Who You Are:

One of the stores we stepped into was kind of like the Apple Store’s socially awkward distant cousin.  In fact, it was meant to compete with an ‘Apple Store’ kind of draw.  But something happened: the culture of the parent company and the culture of this particular store didn’t match.  Somehow in the push to ‘be like the other guys’ this brand, in my own uneducated opinion, was suffering.  The people were only focused on selling a product, not representing company, brand, or offering experience.

There’s nothing wrong with competing.  There’s not anything wrong with seeing how your competition is doing something and besting them at it.  But trouble comes when we sacrifice who we are in order to compete with some other ‘growing concern.’  It’s very doubtful the ‘growing concern’ grew by laying identity on the altar of success.

–

So, who wants to go to the mall with me this weekend?

By JeremiahGomez | Posted in church | Tagged , , | Comment (1)

That’s Okay…

July 30, 2009

shopping_supermarket_market_266581_lThe other day Sarah and Iwent along with our next-door neighbors on a road trip toward Philadelphia.  We didn’t have any particular agenda other than to enjoy the King of Prussia mall and celebrate with Dan (our neighbor) when he finally procured a new iPhone 3Gs—a special reward for kicking the nicotine habit.  But while we were there participating in North American consumerism, I was struck by the way a few places did business and how some of the principles which seemed to drive positive experience (and those that brought about a negative experience) have a great deal of value to those of us pursuing relevant and engaging ministry.  Yes, I know some of you will have a problem with using consumer-based observations to talk about effective ministry… that’s okay: don’t read this post.

So, here are four more positive principles I caught on our little journey (I’ll post a couple of ‘no no’s’ after the next ‘Joshua’ post…):

Accept that People May Come with no Intention to ‘Buy [In]’ to Anything: Let them browse.

One of the first in-mall stops we made was at Tiffany’s.

I am an unemployed minister and my wife is a part time administrative assistant.  Let’s just say we’re not rolling in the dough.

Dough is something you need to buy most of the stuff at Tiffany’s.  It was obvious that Sarah and I aren’t really ‘Tiffany’s’ kind of people.  Something that struck me was the level of comfort the staff had with a group of four people who came in just to look around.  They understood that people would come and go having not bought anything.  There were no high-pressure sales techniques, but there also wasn’t any sense that we were some kind of nuisance.  We were welcome even though no one was going to close a sale off of us.

I would guess they were okay with us taking up space because the good folks at Tiffany’s know that if we’re going to buy something, it may not be on the first or second or third visit.  I would also guess they know that what they offer isn’t for everyone.  There will always be those who come in and leave without making any kind of commitment.

There are times we’re driven to ‘make people buy’ what we’re selling—our vision for the future or some little project.  Accept that people may come to see you burn with passion, they may enjoy what you say, they may even like what you have to offer… but that doesn’t mean they’re going to buy.  And that’s okay.

Understand that Different People Have Different Expectations: Not everybody will like/approve of/applaud what you’re doing.

I really enjoy Apple products.  In fact, I’m a huge fan.  I like seeing other people who use a MacBook while at a coffee shop and talking about their ‘Mac experience;’ I enjoy discussing the latest and greatest innovation headed our way… and I especially enjoy spending time in an Apple Store.  When we finally made it to the Apple Store, the place was packed.  I had to squeeze in past people and was struck at the kind of noise a bunch of people can make in a small area.  AND I LOVED IT.  It was part of the experience.  Getting hands-on with products, asking questions, considering options… in a place where each aspect of the shopping experience is designed to be exactly the way it is (it didn’t seem anything was ‘accidental’ about layout, service, or care).  Again, I loved it.

But it was a little too much for my wife and our neighbor friends.  For people who are unfamiliar with ‘the brand’ it likely seems chaotic and overwhelming.  For people who prefer to browse quietly or anonymously, the Apple Store would be a little scary.  Those people may not buy from an Apple Store… and as of yet, I don’t see Apple changing their stores to try to reach them—they have other points-of-sale which will allow more private people to engage the brand in another way: online, over the phone, or through retail partnerships.  Not everybody enjoys an Apple Store, and Apple’s okay with that.

When it comes to churches, not everyone will enjoy your environments (too big, too small, too noisy, too quiet…)—but hopefully they will help you reach your focus group; are you okay with that?

Do One Thing and Do it Well: We don’t have to major in every experience.

Next to the Apple Store was the Bose store.

Know what Bose does?  Sound.

That’s it.

The only thing you can buy at Bose is sound stuff.  Sound components for home theater systems, speakers for computers, audio hookups for mp3 players, even whole-house systems.  But it’s all sound related.

They believe quality sound enhances just about everything—and that the enhancement is worth a premium for quality of workmanship and technology.  For entertainment, they promote the premise a high-quality TV needs high-quality sound.  And you can’t buy the TV from them.

Sound is what they do.

It seems they feel if they can just get you to experience what they do best, you’ll be convinced of the value of it.  (This works, by the way… my wife could care less about sound components, but after experiencing the Bose demonstration, she told me she secretly would enjoy the system we experienced—hefty price tag and all (of course, this is assuming my whole ‘unemployed’ situation were to be rectified)).

We can’t possibly do everything well, and that’s okay… but are we doing something very, very well?

It’s Okay to Focus on Experience More than Expediency: Faster isn’t always better.

Our last stop before leaving town for the day was IKEA.  Those Swedes know a thing or two about enjoyable, affordable design.  They also set up their store on the premise that people need to experience the product before they buy it—so, the unsuspecting shopper is confronted with a seemingly endless supply of showroom displays with each component noting where it’s found for pickup and how much it costs.  The veteran IKEAphile isn’t so much ‘confronted’ with the style of the store as much as they have come to savor it.

While we were there, I didn’t notice anybody in a hurry.  They walked, browsed, and enjoyed.  Now, if someone HAD been in a hurry, I’m sure they could have rushed through without too much difficulty… but much of the experience is wrapped up in not being a slave to the clock.   There’s nothing wrong with getting things done in a hurry or maintaining focus, but I think it’s important to make sure we’re not pursuing expediency at the cost of experience.  It’s okay to slow down.

Now, of course, these observations only go so far before they break down; not to mention the obvious fact that they’re my observations… so, they come from my [flawed/geeky/strange] perspective. It’s also really important to note that all of this comes with the mindset that these are principles for helping to impact our world with the truth, power, love and presence of Jesus… not for the benefit of institution, bottom line, or brand… which is definitely something we can’t just learn from the mall.  And I’m okay with that.

Any thoughts?

By JeremiahGomez | Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , | Comment (1)

Strength & Courage (Part 2)

July 17, 2009

This continues the discussion started in the last post; it might help you to read it first.  The main gist of that last entry is this: in the first chapter of the book of Joshua, we see the book’s main character facing an impossible situation, and based on the lessons he learns, we, too, can learn how to have strength and courage when we’re facing the impossible.

One lesson is to remember God’s promise.

As God is exhorting Joshua to be strong and courageous, following the incredible promise that God will not leave or fail this new human leader of his people he pointedly tells Joshua of the need to follow God’s instructions:

Joshua 1:7-9 (TNIV)

Be strong and very courageous.  Be careful to obey all the law my servant Moses gave you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, that you may be successful wherever you go.  Keep this Book of the Law always on your lips; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it.  Then you will be prosperous and successful.

It’s a pretty loaded passage of Scripture—but, again, there is a lesson for us as we face impossibility in the lesson Joshua received when facing his.  Joshua is promised success—but that promise is contingent on his careful obedience to the Law.  It seems many of God’s promises are contingent on his instructions; in fact, the promises we listed previously are all connected with a call, instruction, or correction.  God’s promises are coupled with his commands to fulfill mission, to pursue him above all else, to obey him before everyone else.

Many of us get frustrated when God’s promises don’t seem fulfilled in our lives.  The first step is asking 1) if the promise is conditional, and 2) if we’re meeting that condition.  Then, we need to remember that ‘God is not slow in keeping his promise as some understand slowness…’—that in his way and in his time, he will do what he has said he will do.  In no way does this deny God’s active grace in our lives, but reminds us that he has chosen to be gracious to individuals responsible for their own decisions. But all of that is probably a series of entries for some other time.

Back to Joshua: strength and courage for his impossible situation has something to do with recognizing and following God’s instructions.  In fact, he is told to become so intimately familiar with the Law that day and night he thinks of it, that he speaks it, because he must be careful to do everything written within the Law.

Why do you suppose this is?

My conjecture is because God knows in impossible situations there will be moments when even great leaders like Joshua—and people like you and me—will be tempted to address an issue in some way outside of God’s design.  God knows there will be times in the midst of the impossible when Joshua/we will be tempted to proceed in a manner which temporarily appears to benefit us but is more our invention than Gods and brings him little glory.    Times would come for Joshua, and they come for the rest of us, when we are tempted to operate outside of God’s specific instructions; when what is easy will trump doing what is right; when moving swiftly will outshine moving correctly; when we will try to force God’s hand of provision and promise by moving outside of his design.  We begin to think we know more and see more than we really do, rather than trusting in the omniscience of the One who rescues and leads us.

Joshua only had the Torah (first five books of our Bible).  We have the life-giving instruction of all the Scriptures and the indwelling of the God’s own Spirit.  Strength and courage is found in partaking of the Word of God—in it we discover his character, our purpose, and God’s faithfulness in the midst of our humanness.

The most frightening aspect of all of this is that in exposing ourselves to Scripture and the Spirit of God, we expose our hearts to his holiness.  We see where we have deviated from God’s design for us; we begin to see the parts of our lives that are dark and in need of his light and redemption; we find our nastiness overwhelmed by his beauty.  It’s frightening because in these moments, we are confronted with the awesome, powerful righteousness of God and know what it is to feel ‘undone’ in the presence of the King.  But in those moments, we remember that even his correction is an act of love designed for his glory and honor—and the God who promised to not forsake or abandon us will keep that promise though we have not earned nor do we deserve it.

Joshua was told his success would come through following God’s instructions.

Should we expect anything different in our own lives?

By JeremiahGomez | Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , | Comments (2)

Moooo-ve.

April 15, 2009
Used by permission. From 'skinnyde' on Flickr.

Used by permission. From 'skinnyde' on Flickr.

Seat position?  Check.

Mirrors?  Check.

Hands at ten-and-two?  Check.

Pedals from left-to-right: clutch, brake, gas.  Check.

Herd of cattle in the middle of the road?  Check. Check. Check. Check. Check. Check. Check. Check. Check. Check. Check. Check. Check. Check. Check. Check. Check. Check. Check. Check. Check. Check. Check.  Check. (There were
quite a few cows present.)

I was at the very beginning of my adventure of being a driver.  I don’t even know that I had a Learner’s Permit yet, but our family friend, Albert, was going to spend a few minutes with me while I played my hand at driving his aged and well- loved Chevy S-10 pickup.  We were on a quiet dirt road behind my grandparents’ place and it was time to test my standard-transmission-driving mettle.  It was a perfect day for a drive.

Except, of course, for the dozens of cattle lazily staring at the white half-ton truck and its occupants.

I would begin to move forward and then stop.  Start.  Stop.  Start.  Stop.  The cycle repeated itself as I tried to intimidate our cud-chewing companions.

Albert was patient.

For a while.

The cows in the road were distracting me.  They were big.  They were stupid.  And they were in the road. One of those cows would easily be victorious in a ‘Half-ton Pickup Truck vs. Bessie the Cow’ match; forget trying to take on the entire herd before us.  This wasn’t my truck and I hoped Albert would let me drive it again sometime—but if our adventure together resulted in a cow-shaped dent on the vehicle, I had a feeling no further opportunities would be coming my way.

Start.  Drive a little.  Get too close to cows.  Stop.

What was I to do?  Honking the horn didn’t work–the animals didn’t even flinch.  Should I get out of the truck, wave my arms, and try to ‘shoo’ them (they outnumbered me…and maybe that’s what they were waiting for before making their ‘move’)?  What about trying to identify their leader and negotiate a settlement with these bovine invaders: you move off the road and we won’t barbecue anything but chicken for the rest of the year? I hoped Albert would just drive the truck to some other cattle-free lane and I could try my hand at driving there.

But then Albert gave me some of the most important advice anybody has ever given me when it comes to life and leadership.  I didn’t believe him at first.  In fact, I thought it was the dumbest thing I’d ever heard.  His advice was counter-intuitive and, from my perspective, possibly an invitation for an insurance claim.  But he insisted, and I was amazed when I actually did what he instructed.

He told me,

“Just keep moving; they’ll get out of the way.”

Rather than stopping because I saw the obstacle, I continued to move ahead…and the cows cleared the way.  They didn’t want to be hit by the little white truck any more than I wanted the little white truck to hit them.

Now, I know it’s a simple story—and probably reveals a little too much about my upbringing—but I wonder how many times we’ve stopped in our tracks or changed course in our life journey because of an obstacle that lays ahead when if we had just kept moving, we would have discovered the ‘obstacle’ wasn’t has scary or formidable as we had first thought.

No, not every difficult situation or obstacle we’re confronted with can be overcome just by continuing to blindly move forward; there are times when continuing on a chosen path can bring destruction and the obstacles mean we really do need to re-think our next step.   But do me a favor and reflect about what obstacle lies in your path today when it comes to your plans for the future, your desires for your family, the activities of your job, the current state-of-affairs at your church, or even the dream God has placed deep in your heart.  Maybe that obstacle is nothing more than a ‘herd of cattle,’ and you should heed Albert’s advice: Just keep moving.  They’ll get out of the way.

By JeremiahGomez | Posted in Encouragement, Leadership | Tagged , | Comments (0)