I recently got back from a vacation in Washington DC and Maryland. I loved the time I got to spend with my great friend Michael Craig. He’s part of a growing and vibrant church in Maryland if you’re up that way. As I traveled around DC I got to see a lot about our founding fathers, our country’s history and men and women who left an indelible legacy. I also got some time to pray and just be alone with God. I got to pray about the legacy I’m leaving.

One of my great friends and mentors used to always ask me; “What are you doing that will live on after you’re gone?”. That question has always bothered and challenged me. While I was on vacation I realized however that the legacy I’d been focused on for so long was more about people remembering me and something magnanimous that I had done. I  wanted people to remember me for having done something amazing or contributed to the church or missions in some significant way.

It felt like God was whispering to my heart that what mattered more was who I am not what I do. It seems so simple but I think I’ve been missing it. It’s honestly easier to relate to people on the basis of what you do because you can control that to a certain extent. Who you are is a much more complicated thing to show and can be miscommunicated more easily.

I’ve in no way got this figured out but life is starting to boil down to loving God, my family and others, receiving God’s acceptance of who I am and trying to faithfully use the gifts He’s given me to build His kingdom and not my own. Somebody let me know if you get that figured out. It still feels a long way off for me.

I recently found my high school band director through a friend on facebook. I’ve wanted to say thank you to him for a long time. Here’s what I emailed him:

Mr. J,

It’s Adam Herod. Not sure if you’ll remember me or not. I was a sax player at Terry Sanford graduating in ****.

At any rate, it’s nice to see what you’re up to. I wanted to drop you a line to say thank you for the influence you and Mrs. J had on my life. I thought you’d like to know that music is now my profession and passion. I am a worship pastor here in Raleigh after spending time in Atlanta and Virginia Beach.

I’ve used a lot of things I learned from you in my musical journey. (especially the “if you’re going to make mistakes, make them big”) (more…)

It’s been a minute or two since I last blogged. The family and I have been on vacation and I’m just getting back into the groove.

I wanted to share something with you that I read before leaving for vacation. It’s called “A Jesus Manifesto” and it was written by Leonard Sweet & Frank Viola. Not the most obvious pairing on the planet, but a great testament to the truth that they’ve agreed to in this document. Here’s a taste of what they have to say:

What is Christianity? It is Christ. Nothing more. Nothing less. Christianity is not an ideology. Christianity is not a philosophy. Christianity is the “good news” that Beauty, Truth and Goodness are found in a person. Biblical community is founded and found on the connection to that person. Conversion is more than a change in direction; it’s a change in connection. Jesus’ use of the ancient Hebrew word shubh, or its Aramaic equivalent, to call for “repentance” implies not viewing God from a distance, but entering into a relationship where God is command central of the human connection.

I challenge you to take a few minutes and visit their site. Read the manifesto and ask the Holy Spirit to speak to your heart. If you’re like me (and let’s hope you aren’t , expect to be confirmed, convicted, challenged and motivated. My prayer is that we would all embrace Him and make it our mission to make Him known.

I love helping others figure out how to navigate the issues going on in their life/team/church/organization. It makes me feel alive to help other people. I’ve given advice over this last month on social networking, worship team policies, connecting a firewire hard drive to a USB only computer and church service formats. I love seeing others succeed. I have my bouts with personal ambition and jealousy when others go further than I do, but at my heart I’m a servant leader who believes in supporting the dreams of others.

I’m becoming convinced that one of my strengths moving forward will not be knowing all the information but knowing where to find information. I am building more relational capital by sharing information freely than I ever did by trying to keep my sources on lock down and appear smarter than I am. I have my former church to thank for that to a large degree. They helped open my heart even more to how to bless others.

There is a paradigm shift from being the guy (or gal) with all the answers to being the gal (or guy) who can steer someone to thought and on their own process to find answers. It’s one of the reasons I’m always linking to others. Sometimes it can get annoying if you turn into some one’s personal google, but people truly appreciate someone who knows where to find answers.

Do you share your knowledge freely? Any thoughts on how this applies to your world? I’d love to know your thoughts.

This is a part of the Tribes Group Blogging Project based on Seth Godin’s book “Tribes”.

“Leadership happens out of the corner of your eye, in a place where you weren’t watching”.

It’s so true that the genesis of great leadership often goes unnoticed. One of the great challenges of leadership, in my opinion, is seeing that potential and developing it in others. To embrace their hope and help them pursue their dreams.

Seth says that everyone knows the “leadership tricks” but it’s really about creating an experience for your tribe. If that’s the case, and I believe for the most part it its, then leadership is about helping people connect. Helping them “care” about your cause. If your “cause” is getting people clean water like in the case of charitywater.org then make them feel the thirst of others and see clearly how they can make a viable change. If your cause is making people better bloggers then do what John Saddington (yes he gets 2 separate links. he’s the guy who started this tribe up.:-) does and constantly give people tools to do more and go farther.

One thing I’m noticing more and more about leadership is that it really cares about others. It reminds me of when the love chapter of the Bible says “love is not self-seeking”. The leaders I truly admire are like Tasmin Little. (mentioned on p.123) She cares more about getting classical music heard and appreciated then she does about the profit she’s losing from giving her CD away. Seth did the same thing by asking people to give away their audio copy of his book at the end. Or guys like Shawn Wood and Anne Jackson who used their influence in the last year to get people to buy shoes, sponsor children and provide clean drinking water for people in need. By caring more about the message than the bottom line, these people inspired me to find out more about their cause and to spread the word.

I wonder. How many people could we affect if they could see that we care more about their connection than our reputation? If they understood that your chief concern as a leader was seeing their dreams soar? I loved Seth’s last line about hope. “Without it, there is no future to work for.”

Where would we be as leaders if we oozed commitment and hope? Better yet, where would our “tribes” be? I’d love to hear your thoughts.