Oil changes and compost piles…

RTC just finished a series of conferences called “Overcoming the Dark Side of Leadership” based on a book by the same title.  One hundred and fifty pastors in three locations were reminded that “leaders who are aware of their dark side and are willing to deal openly and honestly with it before God are empowered for greater effectiveness”.

I used two practical illustrations from the book that relate so well to the African context – oil changes and compost.

Daily we see the effects on Zambian roads of those who fail to maintain their vehicles properly (see my blog “When the smoke clears…” 30/01/12 for more details).  Drive your car hard, never check the oil level or change it, and it is only a matter of time that your engine will seize and leave you stranded on the side of the road.

The concept of composting is also catching on in Zambia.  The agricultural program here at TTC is learning that compost “is the place for garbage with a bright future”.  Rind from watermelon, oranges and lettuce, chicken bones, grass clippings, fallen leaves, weeds etc., find their place in the compost pile.  The chemicals from the various forms of refuse, plus the rain and the sun beating down on the pile break down the garbage into “humus” that can then be spread onto gardens and flowerbeds, nurturing new life

Throughout the conferences, I challenged pastors to choose a spot where they would allow the Holy Spirit to perform a “spiritual oil change”.  In that same spot, they were encouraged to empty themselves of any garbage produced by the “dark side” and let the “Son light” of Jesus and the rain of the Holy Spirit break down the spiritual garbage and turn potential failure into Kingdom successes.  What a thrill to watch pastors all over the room find a private place to get on their knees before God in prayer.

You know, it is not just pastors who need an oil change.  All of us have a dark side that, if not dealt with, will slowly but surely leave us stranded on the side of the road for all to see.  What a great opportunity for all of us to take the garbage in our lives out to the compost pile.

Why don’t you find a spot where you can build a spiritual compost pile?  Why don’t you let the Holy Spirit make a service call in your life and let Him change your spiritual oil?

Until next Monday…

Don

Taking risks for Kingdom impact!

MJ turns the big 50 today!!!!

Normally, a man would be crazy to let the world know that his wife has just turned 50.  But how can I resist telling you especially when my weekly Monday Musings blog falls on the day of her milestone birthday.

A couple of weeks ago, I asked some family and friends to send birthday greetings by email under the theme “What Not To Wear” (a take-off of a television show).  Contrary to what some might be thinking, it was my way of preparing MJ to go away for a couple of days in celebration of her birthday.  Every few days I forwarded some of them to MJ leading up to her big day.  Thank you to everyone who participated.  The emails were incredibly creative and meaningful.  Although I could not use all of them in this blog, I saved a few that describe MJ so well.

“It doesn’t seem possible that you are joining the very elite “50′s” club today!!!  You still look as young and as great as ever and you seriously look good in whatever you wear

Have a marvellous time away with Don – may it be the beginning of a year of good surprises from our God and a decade of faithfulness and fruitfulness!

Who could have imagined years ago in Greenfield Park that we would both be serving in Africa today?

Our paths have crossed over many years and this is the most exciting season for us all in many ways – we’re so glad you’re here!  You have always had more than a beautiful face, Marie, your depth and your desire to serve God and make your life count for righteousness has always inspired me.

To see you here in Africa – making the most and the best of it is just a witness to your commitment to Christ.  And to Don!   Congratulations on a happy marriage too – it is a great testimony these days and we love hanging out with you guys whenever we can.”

Be blessed, friend!!!

Lynn (and Paul)

“She was stunning, engaging, warm, friendly, had a evident love for people and a classy French Canadian style!    These were my first impressions of Marie José.

As time went on, I saw more in this special young woman.  She had a hunger for God, sought the place of prayer and had the call of God on her life for ministry.

As her Pastor’s Wife, I had many talks with Marie José about God’s call, which she wasn’t quite sure about.  She loved her relationship with the Lord and wanted to do His will.  It was full time ministry that raised questions for her.

But God did His work.  When Marie José and Don married, I knew that these two were anointed and had a special place in God’s kingdom work that would be unique to them and their calling and it would be a large work beyond what they could have ever imagined!

I’m pleased to send birthday greetings to my dear friend, Marie José Mann!  You are special and will always be special to me.  You are gifted, wise, have the ability to see into the future and know how to take faith steps to build and shape it.  I am proud of who you have become and know that there is still more that God will develop in and through you.

50?  A great age!  When I turned 50, I finally felt grown-up!  You’re just beginning, girl!   God has developed you as a leader “for such a time as this” but the future and its promises lay ahead for you to discover and shape.

I love a quote by Wayne Cordeiro which states:  “Potential always lies ahead of you, not behind you.  It is found in what can still be done, not in what you have already done.”

So, my gift to you on this your milestone birthday is my firm belief in you, your God-given abilities and your potential.  You are equipped by God to make an incredible impact in the kingdom of God.

With tons of love and a big hug from Canada.  Always your friend!”

Margaret Gibb

“What an amazing coincidence.  On January 28, 2012, the very day after Don sent us an email regarding his ingenious ‘What Not to Wear’ scheme to celebrate your birthday, our eyes caught this headline in The Gazette:

MONTREAL – “La Grande Dame de Montréal” is half a century old, but by all accounts she’s aging gracefully.

We could only wonder who had tipped them off to the momentous occasion of your 50th birthday considering Don’s efforts to keep things under wraps for now at least.  We had to read on… oh, our mistake, the article went on to talk about

Place Ville Marie – inaugurated in 1962 as the “Eiffel Tower of Montreal”

The article did continue to expand on the ‘Grande Dame’s’ many outstanding features from commanding the highest rents in the city and remaining a design and development success, being a pioneer in the development of underground shopping.  So… it’s not such a stretch after all with all these things in common – high class, stunning sense of design and shopping too!

Seriously though, we do want to wish you all the best for your 50th birthday.  We hope you enjoy your lovely surprise.  We know it won’t involve driving through a snow storm to celebrate our birthdays together at the Willows or having a drink sent to our shared table in the historic setting of the Keg in Old Montreal but, knowing Don, we are sure it will be memorable.

Have fun, enjoy the celebration, don’t worry about the number and remember lots and lots of friends will be thinking of you from afar on your special day.

May God grant you many, many more years of meaningful service, love of family and friendship with many.”

Lot of love from,

Gwen and Gary

By the way, MJ knows how to end the first half century of her life in style.  We watched Zambia win the 2012 African Cup of Soccer for the first time in their history.  Zambia will go absolutely wild today.  All in celebration of MJ’s 50^th!!!

I love you Marie-José!!!!!!!!!

Until next Monday…

Don

Taking risks for Kingdom impact…

www.reinventingthechurch.com

Kick Off…

At the time of the writing of this blog, you in Canada will know which team won the Super Bowl.  Here in Zambia, on the other hand, I have to discipline myself for the next twelve hours not to look at the Internet or watch any news so that I can watch it live “African style”.

You see, for me to watch the Super Bowl live means staying up all night.  So, a group of us will gather tonight (7 p.m. Zambian time) and watch our live version of the Super Bowl.  The trick is to avoid anything that will give the score away over the next twelve hours.

Presently, the African Cup of soccer is taking place in Equatorial Guinea (bigger for Africa than the Super Bowl by far).  Zambia has reached the semi-finals.  This nation is going crazy.  After every goal, you hear an eruption of jubilation across Kitwe.  After every win, the people fill the streets to celebrate.  The only thing that subdues the celebration is the heavy rains accompanied by thunder and lightning.  This is the one time I thank God for roaring thunder and skies filled with lightning as it keeps the celebrations from happening all night long.

The work “kick-off” takes on a whole new meaning for RTC this week.  Tomorrow kicks off our 2012 season of conferences and seminars across Zambia and other parts of the Continent.  There is a growing anticipation amongst Zambian pastors as the “Overcoming the Dark Side of Leadership – turning potential failures into Kingdom successes” conference approaches.

I have learned over the years, that all of us have a dark side.  For some it is more acute than others, but left unchecked, the dark side will eventually catch up to us and overtake us.  No one has to tell you what your weak link is.  You know when the dark side raises its ugly head, and you know its effect on you personally if you do not deal with it.  The concept of the conference is based on a book by the same title.  The author, Gary McIntosh, says:  “The dark side, though sounding quite sinister, is actually a natural result of human development.  It is the inner urges, compulsions, and dysfunctions of our personality that often go unexamined or remain unknown to us until we experience an emotional explosion.”

The Super Bowl kick off is history.  The winning team has embraced the coveted trophy (although I do not know who that is).  RTC’s 2012 conference kick off is twenty four hours away.  Pray with me that every pastor who attends will be a winner and that all of us will find victory over our “dark side” so that not only will history speak well of us, but more importantly, we will receive the eternal reward that says:   “Well done, though good and faithful servant…Come and share your Master’s happiness!” (Matthew 25:21).

Until next Monday…

Don

Taking risks for Kingdom impact!

www.reinventingthechurch.com

When the smoke clears…

Try following a truck that is projecting a cloud of black smoke.  Oh the relief when you finally get a chance to pass and see the road with clarity ahead of you!

One of the challenges of living on the Continent of Africa is seeing a problem but feeling somewhat powerless to fix it.  One year after moving to Zambia, I still find myself driving along the road on a daily basis saying to myself, “I just don’t understand it”!

The pictures you see in this blog are a daily occurrence on African roads.  Shifting loads that lead to a capsized truck, mechanical failures that leave a driver stranded on the side of the road for days at a time are just some of the things that happen on any given day.  And just when you think you have seen it all, you come across something that you can believe only if you see it.

Every day I am captivated by “what could be” if people would only learn the importance of proper maintenance and quality control.  Imagine the revenue lost because you drive something until it leaves you stranded on the side of the road (sometimes two or more weeks).  I am not sure of the thinking behind this philosophy.  Is it because one can’t afford to maintain it, or is it because you don’t take the time for proper maintenance because you fear the loss of business to someone else?  Either way, you lose.  Or how about overloading a truck to the point that you turn a corner, causing the load to shift, and losing everything including your truck?  Not sure of that philosophy either.  There is a saying in Africa: “there is always room for one more”.  Maybe the same holds true for a truck – there always room for one more bundle of charcoal… until you turn a corner and lose the whole load.

And then, in the midst of my frustration, I am brought to the reality that I have the privilege of doing something about it.  I may not be able to control the loss of production on the roads of Zambia, but I can encourage, equip and empower Kingdom productivity in the church.  The axiom “the local church is the hope of the world” stands true here in Zambia.  If you can teach the church productive principles, then the church can lead the way and model those principles to the world.

RTC is one week away from starting its first series of conferences.  Our goal is to reach 250 pastors in three cities over four days.  Oh how I pray that these days will be filled with Spirit led productivity.  If you want something to pray about over the next week, you can join me in praying that 250 pastors will leave a conference prepared to take the church in Zambia to new heights of productivity.  You can pray with me that when the smoke clears from our days together, there will be greater clarity in the church for Kingdom impact!  I can’t wait to get started and join God wherever He chooses to work!!!

Until next Monday…

Don

Taking risks for Kingdom impact!

www.reinventingthechurch.com

The norm and the extraordinary…

There are certain things in Africa that just become the norm.

Potholes for instance, there are the usual ones that you can pretty much get around with your eyes closed.  Then they are the new ones created by the rainy season that are designed to keep you alert.  And just when you think you know where they all are, a new one appears to surprise you.

Then there are the sewer back-ups.  If you are fortunate enough, or should I say unfortunate enough, to live at the end of a sewer line, it is quite possible that three to four times a year, what everyone else flushes will end up backing up your sewer system.  Guess what happened last week?

Or what about cream that sours well in advance of the expiry date.  You go to the store, look for the freshest cream on the shelf, take it home and put it in the fridge.  On the day your wife goes to make a lovely “Mississippi Mud Pie” desert, whips the cream, only to discover that it has gone bad well in advance of the expiry date.

These so called “norms” are worth it when you get the opportunity to experience the “extraordinary”.

How about beginning your weekend by spending Friday evening with ten pastors of another denomination?  What a privilege to not only invite them to a conference designed to equip them, but also have the chance to encourage them and pray for them.

Or, what about spending Saturday morning with fellow global workers, enjoying a pancake and bacon breakfast!  What a motivation to discuss over breakfast things that have the potential to influence and shape the lives of bible college students who are preparing for future ministry.

Then, you have the privilege of ending the weekend by preaching in a church that is almost bulging at the seams.  To top it off, three young adults walk forward to accept Christ into their hearts.  It does not get any better than that!!!!

So, I am willing to put up with some of the “norms” in order to experience the “extraordinary”.  Never see the norms in your life as obstacles.  Use them as opportunities to experience the extraordinary moments that God brings your way!!!!

Until next Monday…

Don

Taking risks for Kingdom impact!

www.reinventingthechurch.com

Mango’s in abundance…

MJ and I arrived in Zambia on Thursday in the midst of the rainy season where everything is lush and green.  A sharp contrast to the dry, dusty season we left in September.  I have received at least two emails from Canada suggesting that we knew when to leave as a major snow storm hit Montreal the day after we left!

The mango and avocado trees on our property are alive with an abundance of fruit.  What a joy to be able to share the abundance with those who come to work on our property.  I wish you could see the smiles as we give bags of mango’s and avocados to the worker’s who maintain our yard.  What we take for granted is so often a huge blessing to those on the receiving end in Africa.

One year ago, we faced the renovation of an empty house that needed a lot of work here in Kitwe.  What a blessing to arrive a year later to a clean, furniture filled house that has now become our African home!

Later this morning, I will leave for our RTC office at Trans Africa Theological College to begin a very busy four months of conference planning on African soil.  Again, what a difference a year makes, as last year we faced major renovations of the second and third floor.

I am reminded that life is full of renovations, hard work and challenges.  If we live for today only, these things will become overwhelming.  However, there are rewards for those who choose to press on through the challenges toward a preferred future.  You can turn a house into a home.  Empty floors can be turned into useful spaces that will ultimately encourage, equip and empower hundreds of leaders!!!!

Today marks the beginning of new challenges.  Last year’s renovations have becomes this year’s opportunities.   The God who provides the abundance of avocados is also the God who will honour your hard work with abundant blessings!!!!

As I bring this blog to an end, a song called “Jesus, You’re the Center of My Joy” is playing.  It suggests that all that is good and perfect comes from Him.  He’s the heart of my contentment and hope for all I do.  Wow!

Until next Monday…

Don

Taking risks for Kingdom impact!

www.reinventingthechurch.com

On the road again…

After an incredible Christmas season with family and friends, I find myself on the road again.

Over the last four days, I have had the privilege of participating in three leadership seminars and speaking in two churches in the Sarnia area.   This morning I find myself writing this blog in the Windsor airport, sitting through a flight delay, waiting to fly the Windsor/Toronto/Montreal corridor.

Tomorrow, MJ and I will board a plane in Montreal.  Three flights later and a twelve hour layover in London, we will land in Ndola, Zambia on Thursday at noon.

If I were to look at life through normal glasses, I might think this kind of lifestyle is crazy.  However, over the last three years, life has been anything but normal.  What keeps me going when in an eight day period I take seven flights that span two continents?

That question is probably best summed up in this way.  How rewarding it is to sit in a room with church leaders over a twenty-four hour period and watch as they begin to paint a picture of a preferred future for the church they serve.  Nothing gets my leadership adrenaline going more than to experience moments when God shows up in a meeting and turns on the vision light bulb.  Or how about having the opportunity to meet with thirty leaders as they meet for their very first leadership meeting in their brand new church building?  Then, to top it off, leave a day later for the Continent of Africa where for the next four months I will sit with hundreds of pastors/church leaders to discuss challenges in the African church.

There may be long flights and short nights to see some of this happen, but these things soon take a back seat to the rewards of pouring into and participating with church leaders around the world.

As I end this blog and hear over the intercom that my flight to Toronto will leave in forty-five minutes (a further delay), I will say so long for this Monday.  I look forward to blogging you next Monday from Kitwe, Zambia (barring further delayJ)!!!

Don

Taking risks for Kingdom impact!

www.reinventingthechurch.com

I want to take this opportunity to thank you for following my blog in 2011. The WordPress stats helper monkeys prepared a 2011 annual report for this blog.  You may be interested in what  they found.

Check back next Monday for my first blog of 2012.

Let me take this opportunity to wish you a God-sized year of Kingdom impact in 2012!

Don

Taking risks for Kingdom impact!

Here’s an excerpt:

A New York City subway train holds 1,200 people. This blog was viewed about 5,800 times in 2011. If it were a NYC subway train, it would take about 5 trips to carry that many people.

Click here to see the complete report.

Fifty – two Christmases…

This week I stood in front of the mirror trimming hairs where they should not grow and wondering why hair drops out where it should stay.  I turned to my wife and said, growing older is quite unique!

As I pondered that “aging” moment, I began to think of the fact that I am about to celebrate my fifty second Christmas.  It would take a book, not a blog, to pen all of the Christmas memories.  The following are a few.

Thinking that I could hear Santa and his sleigh on the roof and trying to fall asleep so that he would leave my gifts under the tree.  The Mann/MacKnight overnight train trip to 164 Lansdowne St., Campbellton, New Brunswick to spend Christmas with Tom and Annie MacKnight.  My first Christmas gift to my new bride, a state of the art crepe pan, Teflon no less!  What I thought was a practical gift, though accepted graciously, should have been wrapped around my head.  Having my kids leave M&M’s and a glass of milk for Santa because Dad (I mean Santa) loves M&M’s.  Watching our family dog, Buster, guard his gifts under the tree, opening them Christmas morning and then spending the rest of the day growling at anyone who tried to come near them.  Oh the memories!

The twenty-first Christmas is remembered for a different reason.  I drove my grandparents (Tom and Annie MacKnight) to my brother’s home in Montreal.  We all woke up Christmas morning and tried to put on our brave face but as we gathered in the living room, our bravery soon turned to tears.  It was the first Christmas without Mom and Dad, who had died suddenly in a car accident one month before.  There is no guarantee that all Christmases will be filled with joy, but I can guarantee you that mourning will eventually turn to dancing if you keep Jesus as the center of your life.

Well, the hair may be growing where it shouldn’t or it may be leaving places it should stay, it may even be turning color, but one thing remains constant – Jesus is still the reason for the season!

This will be my last blog of 2011.  Let me take this opportunity to wish you and yours a wonderful Jesus centered Christmas and God sized New Year of fresh opportunities.  Thank you for your faithful readership of my blog this year.  I look forward to sharing new adventures, insights and observations in 2012.

May Jesus be the center of your joy this Christmas season!

Until next time…

Don

Taking risks for Kingdom impact!

www.reinventingthechurch.com

It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas…

I don’t know if I am the only one who does this, but each year I like to track the first Christmas commercial of the season on television.  This year I saw the first one in the last week of October.  Give me a break!

There is kind of an unwritten rule in the Mann household.  The decorations and Christmas music do not come out until December 1^st.  For those who would say “bah humbug” (whatever that means?), I kind of like the tradition.  It gives us something to look forward to and allows us to enjoy the season for a whole month without wearing out the routine.

So, this past week, our home has been filled with the music of the season.  Saturday the tree came out, Christmas balls were hung from ceiling lamps around the home, and it’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas.

To top it all off, we were together with our kids last night for Stephanie’s birthday party.  What a terrific pre-Christmas gift, having our children in our home gathered around the Christmas tree.

I have preached a message over the last couple of weeks called “Jesus, Be the Center of My Life”, using Colossians 1:18 as the text:  “…so that in everything He (Christ) might have the supremacy”.  In the message, I draw a comparison between making stuff the center of our lives versus making Jesus the center of all we do.  Now, don’t get me wrong, I like “stuff” as much as the next person.  The “big kid” comes out in me on Christmas day.  My idea of stuff puts more of an emphasis on electronics than it does clothes (sorry kids), but I will not refuse either.

Here’s the point.  I looked at my kids last night at the birthday party and realized that any amount of stuff MJ and I may give them will not last.  Their memories of me will not be based on the “stuff”, but on the love, encouragement and Christ-centered heritage that we can impart to them.  Wow, that carries a lot more responsibility than stuff!

This Christmas season, enjoy the trimmings, the sounds and the “stuff”, but remember to keep Jesus in the center of all you do, because He is the center of your joy!

Happy birthday Stephanie.  Stay fresh, stay sweet and keep Jesus as the center of all that you do!

Until next Monday…

Don

Taking risks for Kingdom impact!

www.reinventingthechurch.com