Tod Tanner's blog

Leading vs. Driving

I believe there is a huge difference between leading someone and driving someone. When you lead people, the mass majority of them get to where you desire for them to go. When you drive people, you personally might get to your destination sooner, but the number of people who get there with you is minimal at best. Leading someone requires the leader to take time to invest in the people the leader wants to influence. Driving people, however, requires little or no investment in people because the end result is more important than people.

I could go on and on about this, but I think you get the point. Therefore, allow me to present a question. How do you know if you are leading someone and not driving them? Lynn Anderson, in his book They Smell Like Sheep, says that someone is a good shepherd or leader if he or she smells like sheep. I believe shepherding style leadership is effective because it causes the leader to be in and amongst those he is leading. This will result in the person using this style to smell like those he is leading.

The question now becomes, what does it look like be in and amongst those you want to lead? This too can take on a number of different characteristics. For some, it might mean leading people through social media or other forms of written communication. For others, it might be taking time out of your day to have intentional conversations with others around you. A parent or spouse can also participate in this type of leadership by investing time into a family member in a manner that the family member receives love. Once again the list in endless.

The common element, however, to this style of leadership is the valuing of people. A shepherd has compassion for those that he leads and is willing to be patient in the process. He also knows the desired outcome and will not be distracted from taking those in his care to that outcome.

I believe we are all leading someone. Let's reflect on our styles this day and strive to truly lead them and not simply drive them.

Work Ethic

Have you ever worked with someone that worked harder to avoid working as opposed to actually working? If you answered yes to this question, I know that you have been frustrated with them and the situation as a whole. I bring this situation up in order to encourage those of us who follow Jesus to maintain a strong work ethic.

Paul addressed this issue with the church at Thessalonica. He told them, "For we hear that some among you are leading an undisciplined life, doing no work at all, but acting like busybodies" (2 Thes. 3:11). Paul is talking to church members and this is a sad testimony for them. Our testimony is the best thing that we have to share with others concerning our relationship with Jesus Christ and the testimony of our work ethic can be used by God to open up bigger and better conversations with co-workers. When we maintain a poor work ethic, we are not sharing much of a testimony.

So, what are we supposed to do then? Paul answers this question when he says, "Whatever you do, do your work heartily, as for the Lord rather than for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance. It is the Lord Christ whom you serve" (Col. 3:23-24).

As we seek to maintain a strong work ethic, we need to understand that it is Jesus Christ whom we serve. In striving to see our work through this view, we are more likely to work in a Christ honoring fashion because we know it is to Him and for Him. Therefore, let's all take on this day with the goal of working as unto the Lord and not simply being a busybody.

Patient and Kind

Happy Valentine's Day! I hope that your day is off to a great start. I thought on this Valentine's Day, I would take a moment to try to define love. We use this word on a host of occasions, but do we know what we are saying or even not saying? Let's see if we can learn a little about this important word.

I would like to consult the Bible in order to get a definition for love. The apostle Paul was writing to the church at Corinth and the first thing that Paul does in teaching them about love is that he says that true love is sacrificial. The word that Paul used was agape. This was the strongest word that he could have used. This kind of love is not like a friendship or even a strong desire. Instead, it is the kind of love that says, I will do whatever I need to no matter what it might cost me. This is the kind of love the Jesus expressed on the cross when He gave His life for us.

Paul then goes on to say that this sacrificial love is patient. To be patient means more than to wait for your loved one because he is running a little late. Instead, it means to suffer long for him. It means to not seek revenge when he wrongs you, but rather to patiently love him even when hurt by his wrong actions.

Next, Paul says that love is kind. Once again returning to the original language, we discover this means to actively share goodwill and compassion with others. This type of loving kindness is an action, it does not sit passively waiting to be served. Rather, it seeks to serve no matter what has taken place in the past. Paul continues to develop his definition of love from this point and each descriptive word points to sacrifice and action.

So, on this day, will you love someone special in your life with a sacrificial love? Better yet, will you be willing to embrace this kind of love from the Father who embodies it?

A Special Weekend

I have been looking forward to this weekend for some time now. I have the pleasure of gathering with a host of other couples in Groesbeck, TX on Friday (2.10) in order to talk about a biblical approach to marriage. Then, two days later, I get to teach in two services from Ephesians 5:22-33. In this passage Paul talks to the church at Ephesus about what a Christ centered marriage looks like.

Paul concludes this passage by saying, "Nevertheless, each individual among you also is to love his own wife even as himself, and the wife must see to it that she respects her husband" (5:33). I would like to draw attention to a couple of things that Paul says. First, "each individual" is responsible for the fulfillment of this passage. Therefore, I personally do not need to worry about what another husband or wife is doing or not doing. I need to be concerned with my application of this passage. I believe a host of marriages would be more Christ centered if we worked on our own marriages and not be so concerned about someone else's marriage.

Second, Paul also tells husbands and wives what we are to be about. The husband is to be concerned about loving his wife, and loving husband will follow the example Christ set and that is one of sacrifice (5:25). Jesus was willing to lay down His life for His bride, am I willing to do the same thing on a daily basis? When Jesus sacrificed for His bride (the church), He did so no matter how they treated Him. I need to be willing to do the same thing, even if I am not treated the way I want to be. I must admit, however, that I am treated like a king by my bride, even when I don't deserve it!

Paul also commands wives to respect their husband in all things. Let's be honest, sometimes husbands deserve respect and other times we don't. It would probably be a great deal easier for a wife to fulfill the command if Paul called a wife to respect her husband only when he deserves it. But, this is not the command. Therefore, it is imperative for a wife to respect her husband and then trust the Savior for the outcome, even when she may not feel like it. Paul tells wives that living this way is living "as to the Lord" (5:22).

Father, thank you for marriages. Please give all of us the courage to live out our marriages the way that you designed them to be.

Trust in the Lord!

A passage that many of us have committed to memory is Proverbs 3:5-6. King Solomon tells us to, "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight." If you know a little about Jewish culture when Solomon wrote this, you learn a great deal about this verse.

When kings traveled during this time, they would always send someone out in front of them in order to clear the path for the king. The travelers job was to discover bumps in the road and eliminate them. He was always responsible for seeking to discover any danger along the way and remove it prior to the kings arrival. It was common for the traveler to be at least a day's journey ahead of the king.

When the king would set out on his journey, he was responsible for traveling the path that others had prepared for him. This meant that the king had to trust the one clearing the path ahead of him. This was not the age of cell phones, so the king simply had to have faith that the cleared path was truly the best path.

So, how does this relate to you and me? I am glad you asked. Our Father desires to travel ahead of us in order to clear a path for us to travel upon. The key to this, however, is trusting Him with all of our heart and not leaning on our own understanding. Instead, we need to acknowledge His ways and walk the path that He has laid out in front of us?

What path does He have you walking right now? Yes, it might be scary and yes you might think another way is better. But, He is calling you to trust Him and not yourself. Go ahead, take that next step down the path He has already made straight for you.

A Sonic Cherry Limeaid

I have a Sonic right across the street from my office and this can be a dangerous thing as I am a big fan of their Cherry Limeaids. If you have ever had one before, you know what I am talking about. Once I had my first one, I was hooked and having one always leads me to desire another one soon. I guess a Cherry Limeaid is like a potato chip, you can't be satisfied with just one.

I have discovered that the constant pursuit of a Cherry Limeaid is not the only thing that I should continually desire. Jesus said that the constant pursuit of His righteousness is something else that I should continually strive after. Jesus' first recorded sermon is found in Matthew 5-7. In it He states, "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied" (5:6).

To hunger and thirst for something is a continual action. After I had my first Cherry Limeaid, I knew that I would want more. After I enjoy a well prepared steak, it causes me to desire another one. As I hunger and thirst for His righteousness, I will have a stronger desire to continue down this path. The question now becomes, what is righteousness? Righteousness is being in right relationship with the Father through the Son. Jesus is calling us to hunger and thirst after a right relationship with the Father.

The amazing thing about this is that in finding this right relationship we are truly satisfied. The word satisfied in the Greek is a very vibrant word. It means to be full or overflowing. Look at it this way, I can drink 1000 Cherry Limeaids in one day and I will never be completely satisfied. I might be full, but not satisfied. The only thing that brings complete satisfaction is a continual hunger and thirst for a right relationship with the Father.

God, thank You for allowing us to find complete satisfaction in You. Please give us a hunger and thirst for Your righteousness today.

Living for traditions

If you are reading my blog, it will not take long to discover which university I attended. I had a great time at Texas A&M, and God did amazing things in my life while there. One of the most exciting things about A&M is all of its historic traditions. For example, the student body stands up throughout the football game in order to represent the 12th man and to signal to the coach ones readiness to participate in the game if needed. I don't know of another school that does something like this.

Living out a tradition can be fun, but it can also be dangerous. I believe this is true in life as well as within churches today. If a tradition is a detriment to fulfilling an overarching purpose, then the tradition must be set aside for the betterment of the organization, and yes this does apply to church life today.

I believe Paul expressed this same sentiment when talking to the churches in Galatia. He was rather upset with some of the church leaders because they had come into the churches and were leading them to embrace traditions that were not biblical. Paul, however, did not simply cast stones at them, but rather tried to lead them by relating to them. He said that when he was trying to please men more than God, he was advancing in his leadership. But his advancement and leadership was based on "ancestral traditions" (Gal. 1:14). Traditions had become more important to Paul that biblical truth.

What are the traditions of your church? As you think about the answer to this question, ask yourself another question. Are the traditions of my church built on the word of God or on personal preferences? Now, I am not advocating that you remove all traditions and label them bad. I am, however, advocating a critical reflections upon our traditions and seeking to discover if they are preferences or biblical mandates.

When we find traditions that are biblical mandates, we must hold to them with all that we are. When we find traditions that are personal preferences, we must be willing to let them go in order to reach people with the gospel of Jesus Christ. When preferences win the day, we are communicating to those around us and to our Father, that our preferences are more important than people.

Father, give us the courage to evaluate our traditions. When we find these traditions in your word, help us to hold onto them. When we realize they are personal preferences, help us to let them go.

Be Strong and Courageous!

What is God calling you to be and do? I did not get the structure of that last sentence wrong. I believe we must be what God wants us to be, then we can't help but do what He wants us to do. Is what He is calling you to be scary? I hope so because this would mean that you can't do it without His help.

Joshua received a call that was much bigger than himself as he was to lead the children of Israel into the long awaited Promised Land. Forty years before they were to walk into the Promised Land, Joshua saw it with his own eyes and was ready to go. But, 10 men were too afraid and told the children of Israel that they should not go. The nation of Israel chose to listen to 10 people and as a result the walked around the desert for 40 years and had to bury 1+ million people.

Fast forward 40 years and Joshua is ready to go back. The Father says to the nation of Israel through Joshua, "Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous! Do not tremble or be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go" (Josh. 1:9).

The first thing that we see in this verse is that God had commanded them. Go back to my first question, what does the Father want you to be? The answer to this question is a command from God. As a result of the command that He gave to the nation of Israel and to us, we can be strong and courageous. We do not need to tremble or be dismayed, for the Lord our God is with us wherever we go.

The passage does not say that it will always be easy. If you don't think Joshua did not have to deal with some complaining, you are crazy. Can you imagine a million people asking, "Are we there yet?" If we chose to follow God's commands, we will encounter difficult times. But, we know that He is with us wherever we go. He does not promise to make it easy, but He does promise to walk with us.

Father, thank you for calling us to be Your followers. Please give us the courage to walk in obedience and to experience You in new ways when it gets difficult.

What's up with titles?

Have you noticed how many folks seem to be getting hung up on titles or is it just me? It seems to me that when someone finds themselves in a new office, they get the feeling that they have earned a title and others should address them differently. I have to admit that this does not make a great deal of since to me and the reason is because I am not so sure it is too biblical. Let's use Paul as an example.

Paul, who was arguably the greatest missionary of all time, did not seem to be a big fan of titles. He told the church at Corinth, "For I am the least of the apostles, and not fit to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God" (1 Cor. 15:9). Did you catch that? Paul acknowledge that he had earned the title of apostle, but I don't get the feeling that he wanted everyone to address him that way. I believe this was the case because Paul knew, "but by the grace of God I am what I am. . ." (1 Cor. 15:10). It was not the title that made Paul great, but rather God's grace and he wanted to point to God's grace and not a title.

Now, I know that some will say that we should respect those in authority and when we address those in authority by their title we are showing respect. I promise that I hear and understand that logic. I, however, have to confess that if I encourage everyone to address me as "pastor" I fear I would quickly lose my identity in my position as opposed to who I am.

Yes, I have the privilege of serving a church as its pastor. I, however, am a child of God, husband and father long before I am a pastor. If I miss being a child of God, husband and father, I will never be the pastor that our Father intends for me to be. And, if I was called pastor all of the time, I do not know if my ego could handle it.

So, if it is okay with you, please call me Tod as I strive to live out what Paul taught, "but by the grace of God I am what I am" (1 Cor. 15:10).

Church Is A Family

I believe that the church is a family and not an institution.  While I understand that a church has business aspects, its primary task is not business minded.  The primary task of the church is to fulfill the Great Commission and share the fact that our heavenly Father desires to adopt others into His family.

Given this conviction, this is one of the most difficult and exciting times in my life.  Deborah, Danielle and I are soon to move to Groesbeck, TX and become a part of the church family known as First Baptist Groesbeck.  We have enjoyed getting to know our new family via social media and look forward to locking arms with other believers in the church and community in order to share God's love with all whom we encounter.  This is exciting!

This time, however, is also sad in that we have to say good-bye for now to our church family known as Hickory Grove.  The three of us went and had dinner with some dear friends last night.  The lady of the house told me to make sure that Danielle did not forget her.  This broke my heart and still does this morning.  I promised her that Danielle will never forget her and I will live up to my promise.  I know that I will see my Hickory Grove family again soon, but it still hurts to part ways.

Why do I take the time to share all of this?  Answer, so that we can all look at church as a family.  Please, let's not institutionalize church and call it a team.  Jesus lived life with His disciples and then used them to start His church.  Paul wept with those he served and agonized when he departed from them.  We see over and over again leaders in the New Testament praying for and with the church.  The church is a family and if you do not have a church family you are missing out. 

Hickory Grove family, thank you for loving the Tanners.  Your impact is eternal.  FBC-Groesbeck, TX, thanks for adopting us into your family.  We look forward to serving our Savior with you.