Weekly Thought – January 19, 2016

Fred took his own integrity temperature regularly because he didn’t trust his human nature to fly straight on auto-pilot. He also measured the character of others, particularly when he was doing business with them. One of his secret weapons was his wife, Mary Alice. He refused to hire a key person without her meeting them and giving her input.

Measuring Character

Leaders with strong character have power, dignity, and integrity. Fortunately, our character can be strong without being perfect. It is enough that we want solid character for then we are teachable and reclaimable after falling. The worst flaw is to believe we are not vulnerable.

Here are measures I have found to be helpful in thinking about others:

1) Personality affects the way we react to pressure and desires. The introvert must be drawn out to discover the response while most extroverts must be reined in by themselves or others.

2) Testing the strengths and weaknesses presents surprises. Knowing others allows the leader to develop strengths and bolster weaknesses.

3) Past history is a predictor of the future. Asking co-workers, family, and friends can be enlightening. Often, character is better known than talents and skills.

Here are three areas that are beneficial for self-assessment:

1) Find a trusted and valued objective resource as a touchstone and standard. Biblical truth is an excellent yardstick.

2) Check for purity of purpose and transparency. “Yours to count on” is a good indication of strong character.

3) Tongue control, ego management, obedience, and confession are indicators of a strong character. Emotional maturity is always one of my personal goals.

Character grows strong under pressure, suffering, loss, tribulation, and failures, in which the mind gets experiences and the heart gets convictions. Character is the element that makes us stand when we want to run, to live when it would be easier to die, and to fight for the right — even in a losing cause.

This week think about: 1) How careful am I to assess my own character as well as those around me? 2) What does “purity of purpose” mean in my daily living? 3) What is my standard of truth?

Words of Wisdom: “Emotional maturity is one of my personal goals.”

Wisdom from the Word: “The king said to him, ‘How many times must I make you solemnly promise in the name of the Lord to tell me only the truth?’” (1 Kings 22:16 NET Bible)

Weekly Thought – January 5, 2016

Fred spent New Year’s Day reviewing and evaluating the preceding year. He looked at his relations: to money, business, family, friends, church, personal development, and God. Each year he carefully considered these areas and then did a personal audit.

2016 will be an outstanding year for the Breakfast With Fred Leadership Institute. We need your prayer support. And, so do our Christian colleges and universities. Please join our BWFLI Prayer Network and receive a monthly email with guided suggestions for standing with those who strongly lead Christian higher education. Contact us at brenda@bwfli.com

Straight and Crooked – Conclusion

It is very commonly accepted to talk about mankind as “sons of God.” Certainly we are all creatures of Him, but only in the new birth through Christ do we become sons and daughters. If we are automatically children, there is no need for the divine adoption. And without that the coming of Christ is a waste.

People who point to Christ as a “perfect example” are badly over-engineering the product. I have a high-precision German sports car. If I could find a highway with no speed limit, my car would perform perfectly. I sometimes feel it resents the governing I must do… it longs to run! It is manufactured to cruise at 100mph. When I am forced to hold it to 55mph, it doesn’t operate right. The bottom line is I have spent a lot of money for wasted precision.

Similarly, if God meant Christ to be simply a perfect example, the Son was way over-engineered. Any human being who is better than I am is a good enough example for me. I already have Mother Theresa when I need a model of selflessness, goodness, and faithfulness. She is by far a finer example of Godly living if that is all it would take. I could just become the disciple of someone who is 15% better than I am. If Christ is only an example it would be truly depressing for such a standard is unachievable.

I didn’t need an example; I needed a Savior. I needed someone whose sacrifice was acceptable enough to reconcile me to God (something that even Mother Theresa could never do!).

Intellectual integrity must be alive and well in our study of God. It is tempting to allow the study to overshadow the practice of worship. Sadly, I have met men who had a great mind for God but little heart. I once asked a Jewish philosopher, “Why aren’t all great theologians saints?” He said, “It’s simple.” Too often, theological studies involve one-upmanship. It views itself as the top of the intellectual ladder. If a theologian says to me, “What do you do?” and I say “I am a scientist,” he will say, “I am the one who studies the One who made what you study.”

I am convinced He has called us to humility for it is still the surest way to genuine intellectual integrity.

This week think about: 1) Where do I struggle the most with humility? 2) Who is Jesus in my life? 3) How can I make intellectual integrity part of 2016?

Words of Wisdom: “Sadly, I have met men who had a great mind for God but little heart.”

Wisdom from the Word: “The righteous person behaves in integrity; blessed are his children after him.” (Proverbs 20:7 NET Bible)

Weekly Thought – December 29, 2015

Fred valued intellectual integrity. Speakers who depended on emotional persuasion without the benefit of facts won little respect. He did the hard work of thinking about ideas and developing a system and framework for his worldview.

The year is ending. What a time of grateful reflection. We are deep into plans for our 2016 schools and the excitement is palpable. Please continue to partner with us in prayerful expectation. May your last days of 2015 give you ample opportunity for praise to our faithful and true God.

Straight and Crooked – Part Three

I was taught to go to church twice on Sunday. So when I moved to an area where they didn’t have Sunday evening services, I didn’t know what to do. I felt guilty. It took me a long time to work through this, getting to the point where I could say to Mary Alice, “It is okay to stay home.”

We need to be more honest with young Christians about that. For example, we tell new Christians to have a specific daily time for prayer and Bible study. That’s fine. But instead of laying it on as a duty, we need to explain the rationale. We need to sit down and explain: “You are new; here is a discipline you will find healthy. Most mature Christians take up a routine for reading the Scripture. At the least, it is good to set aside a daily time with God.” We must always remember God isn’t tied to our schedule.

We must be honest with people about what a discipline is, what a ritual is, and what reality is.

People are quite different in the way they can best approach Scripture. I went to a church where a mathematician was the leading elder. He was very strong on studying the Bible chapter by chapter, verse by verse – front to back. It just broke his heart to vary from this pattern. Others are equally strong in their beliefs and convictions, but prefer the method which applies scripture topically.

We must carefully counsel new Christians in this regard. After all, we are not on a point system with God. He wants us to know Him – not attempt to beat some hypothetical (and erroneous) score. We as older Christians (and hopefully more mature) must always seek to instill the importance of a relationship with God.

I was at a college in Florida where a medical doctor made the mistake of opening his speech by listing his doubts. He asked me later what I thought of his talk. I said, “I’ve found I have no right to give a group my doubts because when I find an answer, I can never get that group back together to finish the discussion. So while I live with my doubts, I only preach my beliefs.”

It is tempting to express your doubts, because it makes you feel comfortable and real. But it is much more helpful to focus on the positive. I remember a late night session with Baylor students, talking about the minimum you can do and still be considered a good Christian. One foreign student spoke up: “I’m not interested in the minimum; I’m interested in the maximum.” I suddenly realized she was the one with intellectual integrity. Those in the discussion were trying to get into heaven on the cheapest general admission ticket; she was in love with God.

This week think about: 1) How can I clarify the difference between discipline, ritual, and reality? 2) What is my counsel for new Christians? 3) When do I let intellectual integrity slip?

Words of Wisdom: “We must be honest with people about what a discipline is; what a ritual is; and what a reality is.”

Wisdom from the Word: “But set Christ apart as Lord in your hearts and always be ready to give an answer to anyone who asks about the hope you possess.” (1 Peter 3:15 NET Bible)

Weekly Thought – December 22, 2015

Fred believed in identifying personal uniquenesses and focusing on their development. His ability to handle large quantities of information, distilling into essential parts helped others. He likened his process to putting handles on pots to make it easier movement. He said an idea needs a handle to pass it from one to another – one of his gifts was building handles.

BWFLI thanks you for your faithful encouragement. The 2016 schedule is complete and the planning is now in active mode. Please continue to pray for Lindsey Wilson College, Alice Lloyd College, Asbury University, and Palm Beach University.

Straight and Crooked – Part Two

In our comfort driven society, too many high profile church leaders allow the irresponsible to avoid discomfort. For example, if a thousand members are giving an average of two percent of income, success is declared. But this is way short of a true healthy congregation’s contributions.

It is tempting for the pastor to brag on the size of the budget as if everyone were doing what they should. Instead of talking about the irresponsibility of not giving sufficiently, too many pastors make them comfortable by talking about meeting the budget.

Throwing a spiritual mantle over the nonspiritual is a temptation for many leaders. This is also a serious downfall among the people, in general. “We have spent hours in prayer and we believe this is the answer.” If this is true, I am all for that statement. Too often, the decisions are made for political reasons and are based on human reasoning alone. Doing God’s work in man’s way is dishonest.

How many times do we promise to pray for someone when we have no genuine intention of doing so? That is harsh, isn’t it? Perhaps in the moment we intend to pray, or perhaps we just want to end the conversation. How about dropping God’s name? If I have been invited to speak at a prayer breakfast, I make sure my friends know. That way I get in one lick for God and two licks for me.

Here is a tough one: how about an organization that passionately preaches the imminent return of Christ while setting up a ministerial structure in perpetuity with all the accoutrements? I have often wondered how book publishers negotiate royalty contracts with people who expect Jesus to return within months. Do they put in contingency clauses?

Another concern is the common belief we are all children of God, regardless of our faith positions. I believe we are all creatures of God, and through the new birth, we become children of God. If we are all given the inheritance at birth, there is no need for the work of Christ. And if His work is unnecessary, so was His coming. Without His coming, we are still creatures, but very lost and without hope.

Think about this: 1) When am I tempted to “get in one lick for God and two for me?” 2) How do I respond to the temptation to make things comfortable when I should be challenging? 3) What areas in my life are out of balance?

Words of Wisdom: “Doing God’s work in man’s way is dishonest.”

Wisdom from the Word: “I know, my God, that you examine thoughts and are pleased with integrity. With pure motives I contribute all this; and now I look with joy as your people who have gathered here contribute to you.” (1 Chronicles 29:17 NET Bible)

Weekly Thought – December 15, 2015

Fred once commented he liked to do “crooked thinking on the straight and narrow.” He highly respected the body of Christ and refused to take pot-shots at the church, even when offered opportunities by high ranking intellectuals. Leadership Journal published an article entitled Straight Answers in a Crooked Age which gave Fred a platform to express his quest for intellectual integrity in Christian leadership. We will do a series which covers all his points in coming weeks.

Straight and Crooked – Part One

Several years ago, I was talking with a former fundamentalist who had left the ministry to enter politics. I realized how far he had strayed from fundamentalism when he said, “You know, Smith, I respect your intelligence. How in the world can you still believe in authority of Scripture?”

I knew he would argue against a rational defense, so I took a different tack. “At one time in my life, I thought about taking your position because there was so much in the Bible I found distasteful. But then I realized it was my distaste rather than my disbelief that was causing the problem. I didn’t want to believe the parts of Scripture that commanded my actions. I didn’t want to lose control of my life making obedience more important than knowledge.”

He didn’t change his mind, but I think he went away respecting the fact that intellectual integrity could make you submit to Scripture.

Since then I’ve done more thinking on the subject. If I remove the portions of Scripture I dislike, and five of my friends do likewise, the six of us could pretty well scrap the whole book through our distaste for obedience, our rebellion against authority, and our worship of knowledge.

I know myself well enough to know I’m not God-like enough to be that authoritative. Honesty compels me to accept the authority of Scripture.

Intellectual integrity, however, is not abundant in the Christian community. In fact I find more of it in business than I do in religion. There’s a simple reason: business uses the language of figures. Politics, religion, and education don’t lend themselves to bottom line evaluation.

I will throw out several areas which are troublesome and later we will cover them in depth: 1) Spiritualizing the non-spiritual; 2) Operating from spiritual platitudes; 3) Confusing creatures of God and children of God; 4) Transposing knowledge and faith; 5) Policing the church, positively and negatively; 6) Turning reality into ritual and forced disciplines; 7) Setting the bar too low; 8) Pushing theology into boxes.

Humility is still the surest way to genuine intellectual integrity.

This week think about: 1) Where are my struggles with integrity? 2) Who best knows my soft spots? 3) What am I doing to grow into a whole person?

Words of Wisdom: “Honesty compels me to accept the authority of Scripture.”

Wisdom from the Word: “The one who conducts himself in integrity will live securely, but the one who behaves perversely will be found out.” (Proverbs 10:9 NET Bible)