Thoughts In The Fog

In Mindanao I remember learning that there is no such thing as a bad team, only bad leaders.

In Manila I remember learning that that you need to define your micro to refine your macro.

Now that I’m back in the Mountains I am learning that a bad leader certainly has no mission, and mission isn’t a mission until seen micro and macro.

I think it matters that I’ve been reading Extreme Ownership throughout these trips. It’s certainly helped me handle the joke of a performance that my team had in my absence. My eyes were open to vulnerabilities, both on our structure, and in myself. Holes in my game. Details that need to be micro-processed in order to be macro-viable. It’s helped me place the correct focus, not on one entity’s performance, but on the apparent absence of a common thought that ought to drive the performance of the entire team – a mission.

This mission has been defined, roughly. A draft mission, I believe, is far better than having no mission at all. In this particular case I took the mission of our entire church – To testify to the good news of God’s grace – and added ‘through leading worship with singing and playing of instruments.’

That was the first and foremost reason why I stuck around the Good News afternoon service, beginning so many Sundays ago. It was because of the worship. If I could lay down my burdens and set my focus on the goodness and greatness of our God for just a moment, it was during the worship in the afternoon service. The mission I stated is this significantly personal to me, and is my intent in every move I make and every decision I take with regards to my team.

I say again, our mission is to testify to the good news of God’s grace, through leading worship with singing and playing of instruments. Lots of adjectives and additional details can be placed there, but this is on a macro. Fine, I could say our mission is to testify to the good news of God’s grace, through leading the afternoon congregation and leadership into corporate worship with harmonious singing and playing of instruments. Yes, my gauge as to if the voices and the instruments are accomplishing their mission or not is if they are in harmony.

I have so many reasons to just give up. Yet It is in these heavy moments where I am reminded of the sheer power and faithfulness of the Lifter of my cares. The One who took Extreme Ownership over this reality and over each and every human being to ever exist.

It is from His mission of reconciliation that my own mission has its origin and continuous meaning. Infinite and eternal, Christ is His own mission. Borderless. Timeless. Absolutely perfect, yet forever dynamic. Full, but overflowing.

As such, our missions evolve. In Christ, our mindsets are constantly renewed, and we are transformed, moved from glory to glory. The mission of Christ is the perfect love behind our own missions…

…and so, we lead.