3 Weeks at UPS--part IV

Another reason I was horrible as a UPS employee was PRIDE.  I wouldn't ask for help.  There were nights I would be imprisoned by boxes and packages as I held up the delivery process.  One time a guy walked by and asked if I needed a hand.  My response... "No thanks. I've got it."  I lied!  I let my pride keep me from receiving help from someone because I didn't want to look like a failure.  After all, I was getting a Master's degree and some of these guys hadn't been to college.  That's how messed up I was!  These guys could have been very helpful, but I refused to let them.  So,  I opted for ineffectiveness and mediocrity instead of letting someone share the load and teach me how to do my job better.  Pride makes us ineffective as pastors, Christ followers and leaders.  So many times our churches suffer because we say to others, "I've got it."  When deep down you know that you're struggling.  The greatest thing that the body of Christ can do is to lock arms and help each other.  After all, we're on the same team.  But so many times we're too busy playing the comparison game... and the only way that can come out is to compare ourselves to someone who's doing "better" than we are and it causes jealousy.  Or we can compare ourselves to someone who's not where we are and it leads to pride.  Neither of those options are good, so why play the comparison game.  I've been there, at UPS and as a Church Planter.  But one thing has helped me... locking arms with other church planters and pastors and Christ followers and learning as much as I can from everyone I can.  I have taken the approach now that I can learn from guys like Shawn Lovejoy, Perry Noble, Ed Young and others.  But I can also learn from guys who are at smaller churches, more traditional churches, guys who are very young and guys who are very old.  I don't ever want to let pride be a barrier to what God wants to do at Journey Church.  In fact, I'm a part of several coaching networks as well as an association of pastors that I really don't have much in common with.  But whenever I get together with them, they encourage me, pray for me and share stories of how big and great our God is.   

I don't ever want to do anything that hinders the delivery of the Gospel.  So, here's what I want to do consistantly:
1.  Know Auburn/Opelika as well as the Chamber of Commerce knows it.  Drive around.  Talk to people.  Listen to people. 
2.  Nurture Vitality in all areas of my life.  That means discipline.  I stayed up late last night watching Kansas win the NCAA Basketball Championship... great comeback... but the alarm went off at 4:30 this morning... I didn't want to go to the gym... but I got up anyway. 
3.  Kill pride daily.  It will creep in every day... so I have to guard against it.  I have to surround myself with people who will speak truth into my life and call me out when I'm getting prideful.

I want to do all that so I can be faithful as a husband, father, leader, and friend and faithfully deliver the good news of the Gospel of Jesus to disconnected people in Auburn/Opelika and around the world.