There’s a reason I write about playing poker with the devil and sharks.
There’s a reason I write about leading to give.
There’s a reason I hustle. There’s a focus to my mission.
I’m here to help people figure out who they are apart from what they do. I want to help leaders live from an overflowing wholeness. I want to help them reach peak performance.
I want to help you. I’m writing to teach you this:
The Father affirmed the identity of Jesus at His baptism. Jesus then had clarity in His mission. (anointed to preach good news…) Jesus then built community to go after the mission.
Identity drives mission. Mission builds community. Identity first then mission then community. Your process will be the same as Jesus. Learn to cooperate with how you are conformed into the image of Christ.
Most in the church put mission first. They pressure you to change, serve, or bear fruit. That is backward! You abide. Then the fruit will come. (John 15) Abiding is the Father’s affirmation of your identity and His speaking truth to your hurts. Christian leadership should be about teaching others how to hear that.
Can you see/feel/hear this truth? Everything flows out of identity. That idea consumes me.
Two options:
- False self (ignoring pain because you’re attached to who you think you are) –> False mission (what you do to feel good about yourself) –>False community (you don’t know who you are and they sure don’t) OR
- Secure Identity (true self) –> Clear Mission –> Authentic Relationships
Want to take the second path?
- Becoming aware of your pain/hurt will release the grip of the false self.
- Invite Jesus into the vulnerable places the hurts have created.
- Drop the pretenses of false community.
Here’s what happens:
- You drop the need to prove externally and you begin to know peace internally (identity)
- Your frustrations become fuel for your passions. (mission)
- Your judgements of others stop and you are understanding. (community)
Those actions are the adventure of a lifetime. (That’s why this info is copyrighted. 
)
Hang around. I’m laser focused to help you lose the false self and experience a secure identity in Jesus.
You with me?
Chris,
When referencing Jesus’ path through Identity, Mission and Community you said: “The Father affirmed the identity of Jesus at His baptism. Jesus then had clarity in His mission. (anointed to preach good news…) Jesus then built community to go after the mission.”
I’m especially focused on the last sentence. “Jesus then BUILT community…” That’s an active phrase painting a picture of Jesus intentionally forming a community that fed his mission. In other areas of your posts I see this phrase, which seems to be your tag line so to speak (correct me if I’m wrong in this assumption): “Secure identity opens up clear mission which attracts community.” In this approach it seems community will naturally happen or is a natural result of when one is secure in his/her identity and has a laser focus on mission.
Is it one or the other; proactive or passive, intentionally pursued or a natural result of? Or as most things is it probably a combination of both?
Thank you for your thoughts,
Bret
Nice catch of the nuance. Definitely combination of both. It is attracted and then built. The disciples would’ve had awareness of Jesus (the sovereign grace of the Father and the social movement of His ministry) but Jesus had to call them out and pour into them.
The best way to build community is to have the health that comes from a secure identity that drives the mission. The health of the leader’s identity being in Christ and the resulting clarity of the mission will attract and then disciple from overflow.
Your question is great and shows a rapid understanding of the framework I’m arguing for. Any heartburn over me using your comment and my reply as a post?
Thanks for the great question
No sweat at all. Use away.
Thanks for the response. I’m enjoying working through some of this. I’ve been on a three-year journey exploring “community” and “the church” and your ideas are leading me to begin with the self (identity) and community emerging from that. Still fleshing that out and eventually have to dive deeper into developing identity, but making progress…
cool. thanks.
great to hear. Honored you’re diving in. The best way to really get a feel for this would be to come here:
http://peakperformanceretreat.eventbrite.com/
I’m guessing you’ve seen it if you’ve explored the site. Love to have you come.
Yes, I’ve seen and heard about the retreats. Intriguing but I don’t think it’s financially feasible for me to make the trip. I’m going to keep digging through this site, through prayer and my own study and see what I come up with. Will re-evaluate for the next session if there is one. Thanks for sharing. Keep doing what you do!
Yeah, Bret.
You should definitely try to get there. If not this round, sometime.
Sounds great. Heck yeah. Keep digging and let me know where you’d like to question/challenge/affirm. Thanks!