Sitting at my desk and watching the office traffic I notice unusual instances on a regular basis. Suppose I see a misstep In the hall and a coworker stumbles over a box. I may assume the individual is simple clumsy.

However five minuets later I notice another coworker trip over the same box. Ten minutes later, yet again another individual stumbles over the box again. What would be my opinion now? Maybe that the box should be moved. Its not that I am amazingly insightful but I simply recognized the pattern.

The old adage is true that: Once makes an instance, twice and it may be a coincidence, BUT three times and its a pattern.

We find patterns all around us:

• We recognize self-fulfilling prophesies: people who identify with stress and tragedy find fault with their employer, coworkers, and are soon dismissed.

• We see relationships: as a government eliminates a middle-class the faster that countries economy declines.

• We figure out sequences: Fibonacci numbers consist of adding together the two previous numbers to create the current one: 1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 21, 34, 55, 89, 144 and so on.

• We discern behaviors: individuals in crowded places tend not look each other in the eye.

• We discover laws: the force of any object equals its mass times its acceleration.

• We detect flows: resources and influence move away from weakness, toward strength and opportunity.

•We discover personal inclinations: I grow irritated the more I grow fatigued and hungry.

How do we find patterns? They just seem to show up. Although having a pattern-seeking mindset may unlock sight of theses sequences. Start by noticing something that happens more than one time. Then focus thought and look for or remember other related instances.

Begin to ask yourself: What sequences do you see evident in your situation, What rhythms explain its “flow”, and What standard or common patterns apply to your issue?

As a child, growing up in a very competitive house hold, sports were a source of competitive pride. During the early and mid 90′s there were only two NFL teams worth cheering on, the Dallas Cowboys and the San Francisco 49ers. With my father being a die-hard Cowboys fan, I had no choice but to go with the 9ers (obviously a better choice). During match-ups we would dawn our team apparel while sitting in the family room anxiously awaiting the games end, hoping our team would give license for bragging rights with a win.

I remember one such experience very vividly. The 1994 playoff game against the Dallas Cowboys, a real nail-biter. Amazingly the 49ers upset the two time defending champions with a 21-14 victory. I was elated. As I ran through the house shouting “We Won, We Won”, I distinctly remember my father bring me back to reality with a simple statement. “We Won, do you have a mouse In your pocket. Who is this WE?”, were his eloquent words of wisdom.

Not that he did not appreciate the victory or that he was not happy for me. But, he was attempting to curb my disillusion. In my ranting I gave off the arrogant attitude that my shouts at a television set actually helped secure the victory. I was “Successful By Association.” This attitude comes to us all at times. It may come as a result of being hired on at a fast growing company, or from a stellar performance by a child at an athletic event. This feeling could be brought on by being given a greater position at our place of employment, only after a 30 year veteran has retired. The reasons for the feeling of “Success By Association” are almost innumerable.

“Isn’t it good to feel apart of the team and share in victories,” you may ask. The answer is, sometimes and only to a certain extent. In talking to potential and seasoned leaders I would have to say no. It is almost never appropriate to take on the win of an organization as your own.

To fully understand the the origin of “Success By Association” we need to understand the marketing of the “armchair quarterback” mentality. The NFL and other sports organizations, as well as some corporate entities, have gone to great length to convince the population that a win for them is a win for you, the individual. If the team or company succeeds you too, by nature of your one-sided relationship, are entitled to the same level of the feeling of success. We hear this concept in award reception speeches, new product press-releases, album releases, and sideline interviews of star athletes. It never fails, some where in the rambling are lines like, “I could not have done it without the fans.” With a nod of the head and smile we are tricked into believe our season long shouting rampages have paid off. We were acknowledged in the win and that’s all we really wanted.

But the extent of this marketing ploy only goes so far. In fact, it is in word only. Don’t believe me, ask yourself a few questions; will you ever get to hold the trophy? How much cash will you see from those record album sales? Will your bonus be the sale dollar amount as the executives who praised your team in the last project meeting? Payout, real bottom-line payout, is a truer test of your level of success.

Are you relishing the accomplishments of the organization as a whole or do you now your true value to the team and can prove it with hard evidence, not just words?

Real leaders know where true success comes from and where real success does not come from.

• Nature camouflages itself for protection against predators

• Predators hide their intentions in order to catch prey

• Military leaders will strategically fake weakness to draw in an enemy and fake strength in order to repel another

• On the athletic field one play will be disguised as another in order to trip up the opposing team

• In dating relationships as well as in politics, individuals will hide character flaws

• Riddlers convince would-be sluths of false assumptions

There is a natural love to conceal the true nature of a thing.

Focus to look beyond first impressions and maybe you will see past the deception around you.

— What are the areas in your life where deception is evident?
— Is it possible you are being self-deceived?

I remember dreaming of what life would be like the day I was given “real” responsibility in a major church organization. Lying on my bed in the dorms of O.R.U. I never imagined that the moment would come so suddenly and so quickly. I had only been out of the class room a little over a year and most of my context for ministry was theoretical. This type of responsibility, real life stuff, was somewhat foreign to me. I knew I was called to ministry, I had a very good education both theological and practical, yet nothing could have prepared me for the next 10 months.

As you can imagine, in an organization of size there are certain expectations in place. The youth group I was now overseeing had been 300 strong only a few years prior. A few youth pastors later and the crowd had dwindled to around 40 kids. Mostly the children of fellow staffers and a few committed few where all that was left of the once phenomenal youth program.

I was told one story after another as to “why” the program had dwindled. There is a funny thing that happens when a staff member leaves an organization, at least an unhealthy one. As the reasoning for the downfall began to leak out I noticed negativity in each shared story. From what was being spoken one might believe that each previous staffer had unique and devastating moral failings, Each was incompetent, some where crooks, and others were just in the wrong place at the wrong time. I’m sure some of these concerns about previous staffers had some validity but more often than not these were just exaggerated reflections. When people leave a church, good or bad, it’s almost as if reason is gives for others to finally say what they were thinking. And if you are the new guy and ask the question “what happened” be prepared for the allocations to fly.

Things are not always as they seem. Few times have I seen a transition in ministry where each side responded healthy, especially those fringe parties like coworkers and acquaintances. If you are the new guy take what you hear with a grain of salt. If you are the one leaving expect some of the lingering roomers to be unfair and a bit bitting. I don’t believe people act this way on purpose or consciously, rather our need to sensationalize the past helps expand truth and past reality.

Dose it suck to be a pastor? That depends are you the bright and shinny new guy, fresh on the job or are you the pastor moving on to fulfill your calling else where. Depending on what side of the coin you are on may taint your perspective.

If you can think it, organize it, catalogue it, or need to remember it, Evernote may be the puzzle piece you are missing. I love the fact you can access all you information across multiple platforms. There are apps for smartphones, iPads, desktop computers, and the web that allow you to instantly view, search, store and manipulate your information. Quite simply, Evernote is a place for every notation, big or small. Evernote has seriously helped me organize my life.

There are similar products around the web but I have yet to find a produce that has the functionality and usability of Evernote. The basic subscription is free, however the paid option gives you much more upload space. The paid options are $5 per month or $45 per year. Both have the same features they are just different ways to pay.

Create a free account here, you will be glad you did.

I was told to pray and ask for direction. As if consulting with the creator of the universe, on the most important decision of my life; up to that point, never crossed my mind. Second I was told to serve locally and see if doors would open. Again, a bit of a naive suggestion. Was I to labor away for weeks, months, years, in hopes that some day my efforts would reach heaven and gain God’s attention. Then, if I am lucky, He will grant me the opportunity to fulfill the calling He, supposedly, placed on my heart. This type of validation by indentured servitude was not my cup of tea. I think ministry may be the only calling/profession where individuals slave away, kept in check by their massa with the hopes of future employment. I was just a little to ambitious to ride the wave of pray, work, and hope I got God’s attention.

I soon realized that the right opportunities are the ones that present themselves. Life is to short to sit around wondering “is this it, is this the one God, or do I have to work a little longer and prove my self over and again?” I sent out hundreds of resumes, called churches, contacted Head Hunters, and watched the job boards religiously. Finally my day came, a unique posting caught my eye, Youth Pastor needed, 9,000 member, multi-site church; the listing sounded AMAZING. It was amazing and devastating at the same time.

In subsequent installments I will elaborate on the opportunity and how it came about. For now, I realized that all the well intentioned advice I received was, out right wrong. As in any profession, if you are going to excel in ministry you have to go after it. I exhausted every possible avenue searching for that first time experience. Not that prayer and servitude were not part of the repertoire but I actually worked at it. Most folks seem to believe that if God “called” you into ministry then it is His job to evoke the inception of every opportunity. As with every promise from the mouth of the Creator, you have to do your part. Buried in the promise of salvation are the action steps of; confess, believe, accept. If you feel called to ministry, get to work.

So, “Does it suck to be a Pastor?” Yes, so much bad advice is given to the novice starting out in ministry and No, once you taste your first experience of full-time ministry you will never look back.

Extra: If you need advice on where to start in looking for your first shot in ministry; comment, Facebook, or Tweet me and I’ll share with you the steps that get results.

Never failing to be true, upon hearing my admission, my inquisitors struggle to hold a straight face. It is almost as if they wish to say, “Does it suck to be a pastor?” While I receive this emotionally charged response with each admission, I never quite get use to the taken-back nature of the questioner.

Are they surprised that a normal looking individual like my self would choose a life of servitude to God and man? Do the think that only white haired, wrinkled old men, wearing robes and collars should dawn the name, pastor? Or, is it that I look like I can bench-press a truck that throws them of kilter? Whatever the assumption, I believe most are shocked that this segment of the population has not died-out and still is a relevant sect of culture.

To answer the question, YES and NO. Throughout a few blog posts (or as long as the thought lasts) I think I’ll expand on quagmire; Does it suck to be a pastor? There are multiple reasons why, yes, some times it sucked something fierce. While other moments bring me a joy I can’t explain. The center piece of the answer is the people factor. In my short five years of full-time pastorate I have worked with, around, and for some amazing and some outright dastardly individuals. In later installments I hope to share some of those stories, the good, the bad, the ugly.

It’s a big word, not so much the phonetics but the implication. This is something we all feel at times in our lives. But mor often than not we are discouraged from talking about ors frustrations. Sometimes frustration is obvious others times it’s hidden below the surface. Either way YOU are the only one who can truly deal with it.

Too often we look at frustration and see reason trapped in exterior stimuli. Life, spouse, kids, job, co-workers, all these externals have their place in allowing frustration to mount, but the true file comes from within.

Jesus dealt with frustration on one well recognized occasion. Jesus’ friend Lazarus had died. When he received word, he and his disciples returned to the family home of this close friend. Jesus was well known by this family. They had listened to his teachings and had seen the miracles he performed. They were believers.

But now one of their own was laying in a tomb, wrapped in grave cloths. As word of Jesus’ arrival reached the family of Lazarus, his two sisters ran out one at a time to meet him. Each sister, in her own words said, “if you had only been here my brother would still be alive.” Jesus answered each of them with these sentiments, “Have I not told you that if you believe in me you will never die.” Each sister heard the words but did not take to heart what he was truly saying.

Then Jesus appears at the tomb where Lazarus was buried. He looked around at all the mourners and became so frustrated in his faith that cried. Jesus didn’t cry because his friend was lying in the tomb dead. He cried because, even though he had stared it many times, the living, loving, God of heaven and earth was standing right in front of them and they did not realize the potential they were faced with.

Frustration is a byproduct of a heart directive with no tangible evidence. Seeing through the eye of faith may strain reality. The expected and intended outcome may bring disbelief and criticism from others. But just as faith is internally charged, so is frustration internally controlled. Outside influences may incite emotions of frustration, but we have the ability to transfer those emotions to that of faith.

As the contestants weigh-in each week the product of the previous weeks determination is measured in pounds. Week after week determination grows as the pounds drop off.

True determination moves to act that garners results, ending in heightened determination. The cycle of manifest determination changes every aspect of life. As the pounds fade the contestants become more self assured, as assurance rises a new perspective on life is revealed.

Find determination, the fuel to loose… Or win.

Most day-to-day decisions are directed by our mental maps. We see markers for uncharted waters and choose a path. At times we are unwilling to push beyond the dragon on our map.

All of our dragons are different. For some it’s a fear of change, for others it’s a fear of success, the reasons are irrelevant. The ocean is vast and someone will sail past the point of no return.

The sea-serpents held up in your mental map may be valid but they may be simply preventing you from achieving.