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October 26 – Following God’s Lead · The Daily Ripples Podcast

• 0:03
  Hey guys, this is the Daily Ripples.
• 0:07
  We got Pastor Mike and Corey, and this is me, Corey.
• 0:10
  And today is following God's lead, the stone real leadership begins by remembering that God alone is the ultimate authority.
• 0:20
  Rebel one practical.
• 0:22
  Today I will lead with humility and serve without seeking control. Whether I'm making decisions or supporting someone else's leadership, I will listen carefully, speak graciously, and remember that no one has all the answers.
• 0:35
  The best leaders remain willing to learn.
• 0:38
  Ripple too spiritual.
• 0:40
  As I follow Christ, who came to serve rather than to be served, the Holy Spirit teaches me to listen before I speak and to trust the Father's wisdom above my own.
• 0:50
  The more I surrender control to him, the more faithfully I can serve those he places in my care.
• 0:57
  And yes, when I was thinking about this, man, years ago, I had a guy that worked for me or didn't work for me at the time. He got hired on as a project manager. And this guy had been doing the work we do for probably 30 years.
• 1:10
  And, you know, I was asking questions.
• 1:13
  Hey man, what do you know how to do?
• 1:14
  He was like, man, I've been doing this forever.
• 1:16
  Been doing this for a long time and I know everything.
• 1:19
  They, uh, I started watching this guy and the 1st thing this guy did the 1st day, I asked him to do something and man he messed it up.
• 1:27
  And, you know, it was a wild place to watch this whole interaction because this guy thought he knew everything.
• 1:34
  And I watched this guy dwindle and dwindle and that, and it was really interesting to watch this guy got, you know, probably demoted, demoted and demoted and demoted.
• 1:44
  And what that said to me was like, man, like when I come into a place and I know everything, I start falling back, almost, right?
• 1:52
  So if I'm never, if I'm not always learning and growing, because I'm sitting still.
• 1:57
  You know, in the gym, like a guy talked to probably a couple months ago, he was talking about, man, I'm just doing this and this and this and I'm growing.
• 2:05
  I said, well, how you grow?
• 2:07
  What does that look like?
• 2:08
  Because it sounds like you're standing still.
• 2:10
  And for me in my world, if I'm standing still, I'm always going backwards.
• 2:13
  And so to me, when I was reading this, because it said, you know, the best leaders remain willing to learn.
• 2:19
  And like if I'm not learning and seeking out God through this processing through other processes, because it says on page 46, it says, um, whatever it says, I'm dropping playing, it says on page 46, it says, we found that God does not make too harder terms with those who seek him.
• 2:40
  So if I'm always seeking, I'm always learning, and if I'm always learning, I'm always growing.
• 2:44
  But I think that's important.
• 2:46
  What do you think?
• 2:46
  Well, for me, it starts kind of where, you know, the, the, the stone starts at today and is that is remembering that God alone is the ultimate authority, you know, and it takes me back to even thinking about, you know, what one of our friends in the recovery rooms just says a lot, you know, that, uh, well, he says that there's no wasting God's economy, you know?
• 3:09
  And so that kind of reminds me that, you know, God is in control, and he also uses all things.
• 3:16
  I mean, as scripture tells us, you know, all things work together for the good of those who love God, you know, who are called according to his purpose.
• 3:22
  And so as long as I keep, you know, 1st things first, you know, keep God in control, remember that God alone is the ultimate authority, remember that God is God and I am not.
• 3:31
  And that, you know, even that that reliance on God or reliance on our higher power is the recovery books puts it, you know, is baked into all of the traditions and steps, you know, the reliance upon the higher power.
• 3:44
  You know, on way back in the back of the, you know, 4th edition, you know, of the big book of Alcoholics Anonymous, I think it's on page 562, if anyone wants to fact check me.
• 3:55
  And it, just talking about the traditions and tradition too, you know, that for our group purpose, there's but one ultimate authority, you know, a loving goddess seem to express himself in a group cautious, her leaders of a trusted servants, they do not govern.
• 4:06
  And for me, I have to apply that same level of energy about, uh, our leaders are but trusted servants in what I do as my calling, as my career, you know, is my job, you know, pastoring.
• 4:19
  I have to remember that while I may have, you know, ideas and thoughts and plans, you know, for a church or a congregation or ways that I, you know, feel led to try to lead, what you said about, you know, leaders always learning is important.
• 4:32
  And it's important for me as well.
• 4:34
  And I've had a couple of little lessons, you know, along those lines, even in the past, you know, a few months, you know, that I had to kind of see, you know, how my approach in certain things was not being effective and kind of pray about it, think about it, reflect on it, you know, spend some time with God about it, to try to figure out, okay, well, what if anything do I need to do now, you know, to try to correct any issues?
• 4:56
  And then what, how do I need to, you know, interact, you know, with others, how do I need to lead, you might say, going forward?
• 5:03
  And then, you know, I think about even in, you know, scripture, you know, related to the stone today that Proverbs 19 and 21, that many are the plans in a person's heart, but it's the Lord's purpose that prevails.
• 5:15
  So, you know, we make, you know, there's that old saying that, you know, we make plans and God laughs kind of thing.
• 5:20
  And I don't know that God's laughing at our plans.
• 5:22
  I don't really believe that.
• 5:23
  But I think that when I make plans and I make decisions and I try to lead, the problem is there's too much of me in that, I've got to get myself out of the way.
• 5:35
  Well, how do I get myself out of the way?
• 5:36
  Well, I do things like, you know, what we're doing right now, you know, reflecting on the literature, you know, whether it's the recovery literature and especially, you know, the Bible and the scripture for me.
• 5:45
  And then, you know, take the feedback because, you know, people give you feedback all the time, Corey.
• 5:51
  you know, sometimes it's what they say.
• 5:52
  Sometimes what they don't say, sometimes it's how they react, facial expressions, all of those things.
• 5:57
  And all of those things were opportunities for me to learn from it.
• 6:00
  You know, it was kind of what I think of initially.
• 6:03
  You know, in John 330.
• 6:06
  It says, and, you know, I was talking about like, man, it goes on, let's talk about, you know, the husbands and the brides and the bridegroom, whatever.
• 6:16
  But the most important thing before, that was all before, but what it says in John 330 is, he must become greater, I must become the Lex.
• 6:24
  Yeah. And, you know, as a person that is trying to try us to be an example to other men.
• 6:31
  Um, I think about that a lot.
• 6:34
  And I try to be an example.
• 6:37
  And what's cool is sometimes like I get, you know, I get a friend of mine, that guy that I've taken through the work, he calls me, and, you know, what's cool is he got to see me and a couple other dudes start a meeting.
• 6:50
  And now that dude's starting to meet him.
• 6:52
  And I come at I was thinking about this the other day.
• 6:56
  I was coming into this position of trying to tell this dude how to do it and not stop myself from doing that.
• 7:01
  Because nobody else was in my ear.
• 7:05
  And he must become great and I must become less.
• 7:09
  And when I come in that position of that, and that's the most helpful position I can be.
• 7:14
  And, you know, because I've already done my part and acted in his example of what he can do.
• 7:20
  And he's taking that and run with it and let him run with it and let him do that just like, I did that.
• 7:27
  And it's a really cool thing to be that example.
• 7:29
  And I can't do that without doing this work because on page 164, right?
• 7:35
  It says,
• 7:38
  Got to ask him in your morning meditation, what you can do each day for the man who is still sick.
• 7:44
  The answers will come if your own house is in order.
• 7:48
  So my house must be in order for me to be of service, but if my own house is in order, I'm able to be an example of what God can do through me.
• 7:55
  And bam, I find that to be the most rewarding thing is not by telling somebody or doing that, but being in the example of somebody else.
• 8:04
  My significant other, she would tell you the same thing.
• 8:08
  No, she saw what this deal does for me.
• 8:12
  And she was like, man, what would that do?
• 8:14
  I want to do that because I see it a piece.
• 8:16
  I see the serenity.
• 8:17
  And man, like, you know, like we have her ups and downs, but you know, she's an exact example of like what this program can do for her for people as well.
• 8:27
  And, you know, but I think we come into this crossroads, you know, at least I do.
• 8:31
  Uh, you know, am I, is my house clean and I think that's a, that's almost like a direction to, if it's not, make it, get clean it up.
• 8:40
  Yeah. And I can, like, you know, because things will pop up, crop up, and I will, uh, gain something that's blocking me off from God, and that's my job to clean that up.
• 8:49
  So when you realize that your house is not clean, you know, order it in, what do you do about it?
• 8:54
  Like what practically do you do about it?
• 8:57
  Well, if I may, I'll, you know, this was kind of, this is kind of cool if you think about it.
• 9:01
  So on page 64, right?
• 9:03
  It says, you know, this decision was vital and crucial.
• 9:05
  Um, but me, if my, if like, you know, if I'm doing things and like nothing's moving and it pretty much I'm getting the result of page 52 full of fear, you know, I'm getting that result.
• 9:18
  Like of the bedevilments on page 52.
• 9:21
  Man, it's probably not in order.
• 9:23
  Yeah. And what it does is on on 64, it says, you know, this decision was vital and crucial.
• 9:30
  But it, and then it says, It could have little permanent effect, unless followed by strenuous effort to face and be rather the things in ourselves, which have been blocking us.
• 9:41
  So if there's something blocking me, I need to get I need to take care of that.
• 9:45
  And I think there's actions to be, you know, and there's complete, you know, the cool thing about AA to me is there's instructions.
• 9:54
  Yeah. And in those instructions of how to unblock myself from God.
• 9:59
  Like, and, you know, there's no wiggle room in it either.
• 10:03
  I think the only wiggle room I found is when I'm clearing up the past, and it's funny because Bill, Bill Wilson, you know, he alludes to it in his story and the Bill story, how, you know, he goes, there was not any real infidelity.
• 10:19
  Yeah.
• 10:20
  And then in the in the immense process, you know, that is the, like, man, it says, if you need to make something right, you need to go.
• 10:27
  you can go to jail.
• 10:28
  But when it comes to the men's process with significant other, it's almost like, well, it might be best to let bygones be bygones.
• 10:38
  Right. And that's the only gray area in Mids, and it's weird.
• 10:42
  I think that's interesting.
• 10:43
  Yeah, and we've talked about, especially, you know, last month, you know, we talked about and broke down, you know, kind of what we both think or have come to think about the whole concept of living amends as a, you know, which the book doesn't call it that, you know, calls it indirect, right?
• 10:59
  And so that's kind of where that example you just gave comes into play, you know, of making the, and I even was chuckling about, you know, that line you quoted about, there was no real infidelity.
• 11:09
  And I wonder if he wrote that, you know, to kind of, uh, keep on a good page, you know, with his wife, you know, who would have been reading it.
• 11:16
  Right.
• 11:17
  Because, like, well, there's no real infidelity.
• 11:18
  What's, well, like, is there fake?
• 11:20
  like what?
• 11:21
  They probably didn't have the words back then to talk about emotional affairs, where you become connected to another person that's not your significant other, you know.
• 11:31
  But, um, anyway, that was just kind of, that was just kind of funny, a thought that came to mind, you know, as you were sharing that.
• 11:37
  But, you know, I think also about the example that we have, you know, through our Christian faith, anyway, of Jesus, you know, and in Mark 1045, it says, even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for me.
• 11:54
  Well, if God's way of being with humanity is to come and serve us, then how selfish would I be just to be trying to serve myself.
• 12:05
  you know?
• 12:06
  And but when I don't follow God's lead, that's exactly what I'm doing, you know?
• 12:11
  And even in a conversation with somebody else, you know, either in church or in recovery and they're going through something, I always have to pause when, if it's a situation where, well, 1st of all, I have to discern, do they want advice or do they want a listening ear?
• 12:25
  So that's the 1st thing that I have to listen for.
• 12:27
  And the only way I can tell that is by that, you know, still small voice that's active all the time, you know, whenever I'm in tune, you know, when I'm spiritually fit.
• 12:37
  And uh, And that usually gives me pretty good guidance about, does someone need advice based on my experiences or do they just need like commiseration?
• 12:49
  You know, somebody to be there with them in the Nisto so that they know that they're not alone?
• 12:53
  You know, and there's also power in the program from that and there's spiritual growth that comes from that.
• 12:57
  I mean, yesterday's episode, you know, a Sunday that I took solo was all about, um, community, and finding community, and and that can be in the rooms of recovery.
• 13:08
  It could be in the church.
• 13:08
  You know, you could find connection points with other people on just about any line.
• 13:12
  The power of the program of recovery is that we're connected by that common peril, you know, that it talks about in the book, you know, and I think you talked about that a lot on Saturday, you know, about what happens when there's not that common peril, you know, and and how, yeah, this recovery and 12 step programs may be beneficial for everybody.
• 13:31
  But for us, it's life or death.
• 13:34
  You know, and that gives a different, you know, aspect to it.
• 13:38
  And so the quickest way that I can lead myself right back to the gates of hell right back into death's doorway is to start only listening to myself.
• 13:46
  Because if I'm only listening to myself, man, ain't nobody wanting to hear me, ain't nobody wanting to be around me, not to mention, or probably be divorced in about a month, but, you know, it's just, so it's always a great reminder that of what happens when I do follow God's lead versus what happens when I'm following my only and the distinction between the 2 is night and day.
• 14:10
  Man, that's with prayer.
• 14:12
  Yes, sir.
• 14:13
  Father God, help me serve with humility and trust your leadership above my own.
• 14:19
  Through your Holy Spirit, give me a listening heart and a willing spirit.
• 14:23
  Shade me through the example of Jesus.
• 14:26
  Amen.
• 14:27
  Amen.