Live from #Next2015 (Atlanta, Georgia)

The Daily Next

“I’d like to be remembered as kind, as generous…I hope to have an impact on a lot of people” –Truett Cathy

The Love Leech — Codependency

If you are busy heaping up and storing up, then you are a prime candidate to lock both your resources and your love away so that it becomes an unaccessible commodity. Too many people in this life have acquiesced to the pursuit of fixation on treasure, pleasure and self, which all lead to unfilling result of frustration, weariness and emptiness. When we should, rather, be concerned with what we are pouring out not heaping up. We must break our own fleshly co-dependencies of leeching the love out of others.

Ted Cunningham (@tedcunnigham) says when you have a limited supply you become desperate. We must recognize that we are in fact limited (feel free to ask your spouse if you need clarification) and we must be receiving from the One and Only Source Christ Jesus. He also said poignantly, “Do you want great relationships? Remove the expectations of receiving anything in return.” This is the secret of Psalm 23:5 of your “cup running over.” Christ pours into you, you pour into others with no expectation of return or reward! 

Pouring out? Yes, Pouring out in praise, pouring out into others, pouring out love into a broken and hurting world. Pouring out kindness, generosity, and graciousness. The world, our families and our organizations are in desperate need of those selfless servants who are leaders and influencers who set the thermostat on this kind of living and loving.

No Goal is Too High If…

Dan Cathy (@dancathy) reminds us that “no goal is too high if we climb with care and confidence.” But, don’t miss this, the joy of the goal is best experienced through the struggle of the climb. Does the fellow who helicopters to the top of El Captain have the same joy, same appreciation or same sense accomplishment the one who makes a 19-day ascent?

Dan Cathy advocates this kind of leading, living, loving and thinking when he says,”Uncommon thinking leads to uncommon results.”

For the Christian, a significant portion of the pursuit is about the journey—what you learn about yourself, others and your God along the way. For many of us, we have become far too common. Often it’s our comfort that makes us common. We are inclined towards a bent of comfort and ease. But, nothing great was ever built by comfort. No Dawn Face of El Capitan was ever scaled by comfort. And no follower of Christ ever picked up a comfortable cross. That’s why organizations like Chick-fil-A resonate with so many people: We are so dang uncommon!

Jesus said, “for even the Son of Man came to serve and not to be served and to give his life a ransom for many” (Mark 10:45). How are you serving? Who are you serving? And what is your expectation of return?