RickWomack: back to the future

had a very surreal opportunity today - to speak at emmanuel college for the school of christian ministries. its been over 17 years ago that i left emmanuel and it really doesn't seem that long - guess that's my memory beginning to fog over.

anyway, although i work for our denomination, i've purposed (at least for now), not to "re-preach" a word that God's given to me previously - i always want it to be a fresh word, not left-overs. disclaimer, keeping with the food metaphor, there are some times that i'll use some "ingredients" from a previous message - i.e., a particular point or story - but never the whole message, rehashed.

so today i thought i'd share the reduced fat version (i.e. to the point!) of what i spoke on:

title:
detours, delays & distractions

big idea:
could it be God trying to get your attention when you encounter these

notes:

In my job, I travel
Like to get where I'm going quickly
Don't like a detour or delay

What can we learn in the process?
Some of you heard Steven Furtick say last week at Catalyst, "Between the promise and the payoff is the process."
God uses the detours and delays to help us with our Understanding of the Process

You discover who you are in the process -

Neh. 1:11-2:5

In prayer, Nehemiah discovered his purpose (end of vs.4 & vs. 5)
Know who I am NOT - I'm not a plumber/car repairman/handyman/hunter/fisher/gardner
Know, Who I am? - Things I love: being a husband, being a great dad, worship, public presentation (teaching, preaching, leading), ideation, privately serving others
Nehemiah started ended with "I was a cupbearer" --> becomes a leader and rebuilder in vs. 5
Nehemiah was a cupbearer

Relationships are key

Scripture says, "Iron sharpens iron"(Prov. 27:17)
No "iron" can sharpen itself - it takes another
Life happens
Life happens in relationship
Nehemiah had relational expertise on several levels that we can learn from:
- As the King's cupbearer, he basically was a part of the inner circle of leadership - that constitutes: diplomacy, tact, wisdom, trust, awareness and leadership
- As the leader of the people he had to know how to: organize, administrate and encourage the people
- Chapter 4 where they begin to grumble and he basically tells them to "man up" and get the job done
- Criticism is a part of leadership and criticism is a part of relationship: How will you respond?
- I like what Rick Warren says, "When you're small, they'll dismiss you; when you're growing, they'll criticize you; when you're large, they'll resent you"
- You can't win, dismiss the critics and move on with what God has for you - a tough lesson, but one you have to learn.

In every season of your life, look for fruit

In the process of life, we go through seasons
Some of the seasons are great, we know God is near
Some of the seasons are painful
What do you do in the painful seasons of you life: you have two choices?
You own the past - leads to self-engulfment (to flow over and enclose); self-seeking; self-serving - focused on self
You allow God to own the past - He can use it and you to help others, serve others, see others

Jesus said in Jn 12:24-26 - "I tell you the truth, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds.
Jesus compares our lives to a kernel of wheat that falls to the ground