Your Agenda

The word agenda is a plural word from Latin that means "things to be done." Let's poke around this word a little.

First, "things to be done" implies that they are things that are presently undone. But more than just undone, they are things that should be done (in the opinion of the agenda maker). Think of the agenda for a meeting - it's a list of things that aren't yet done (otherwise they wouldn't be on the agenda!) but they are things that should be done (otherwise they wouldn't be on the agenda!). The agenda helps those in the meeting "stay on task," rather than rabbit trailing onto something else. Agendas can be good things.

Second, my agenda is my personal plan. It's the list of things that I think should be done. These can be things that I will get done or someone else, but I still want to see them get done. Royals in the playoffs is on my agenda, Chiefs winning a playoff game is on my agenda, bicycling regularly is on my agenda. Again, there's nothing wrong with having an agenda, and in fact, having an agenda is necessary. What would we accomplish if we didn't have some form of agenda?

Some people can be described as "agenda-driven," which usually carries a negative connotation. Sure, it could just mean someone who has a plan and is diligent about accomplishing it, but more often it refers to someone who will bowl over others in pursuit of that agenda and ignore anything not on the agenda.

Then of course there is also the "hidden agenda," where someone has an undisclosed plan, but acts as if his or her plan was something else. For example, a young suitor who opens the door for a woman not because he wants to be polite, but because he wants to be noticed by the woman's daughter.

The downside of agenda is when one's agenda prevents him or her from valuing good things that don't happen to promote the agenda. It happens in every corner of life, such as in theology. A man has a certain set of theological beliefs about secondary matters, but holds those beliefs firmly. Whenever a point is made from Scripture that challenges that agenda, rather than a thoughtful reconsideration of his beliefs, he ignores or attacks that point in order to preserve his theological agenda. Another example is politics. A woman has a particular political agenda, but when someone of a different political stripe raises a valuable point, rather than politely comparing values over coffee, unclever labels are flung at each other and then comes the highly effective "unfriending." Agendas like these often are some form of an -ism. -Isms are not a set of goals, in most cases, but agendas (a specific set of plans to accomplish goals). The political left (-ism) and political right (-ism) could have the same goal of job growth, but vastly different agendas to achieve it.

Relationships are frequently sacrificed to maintain one's agenda. When "staying on task" becomes more important than "staying on what matters," agendas have gone from helpful to combative. They are no longer "things to be done," but rather "things that I've made more important than they ought to be." What's the Latin word for that? (inflatius?)

One night, you decide that you want to go out for a nice Italian dinner (your goal). So, you choose a place you read about called Mezzano's. You check on line, and send the address to your smartphone to map out your path (your agenda). As you are following the nice direction lady living inside your phone, your spouse texts a friend about your plans and the friend says that you really should try Meglioni's because the gnocchi is so much better there. Your goal has not been challenged, but your agenda has. Now you have a choice:

1. Keep to my map and go to Mezzano's ("average") to accomplish my agenda.
2. Map a new route to Meglioni's ("better") to accomplish my goal. Rerouting!

It seems like a pretty easy choice for many of us. Good gnocchi is good gnocchi, and that's my goal. But when it comes to our theology, our politics, and our other -isms, rerouting is all but easy, and often because we've confused our agenda with our goal. Goals are the what: things like justice, freedom, rights, transformed lives, generosity, unconditional love, alleviation of poverty, etc. Agendas are more about the how. When we confuse the how with the what, we've lost sight of the goal.

When your agenda is challenged ("try a different restaurant"), it's easy to react as if your goals are being challenged ("eat Greek food"). When this happens, ask what is really being challenged - my goal or my agenda? If your goals are not being challenged, perhaps your agenda needs to be realigned to better achieve those goals. A challenge like that is a good thing!

But if your goal is what truly is being challenged, you're now faced with one of two possibilities: A) your goals need to improve, or B) you need to stand firm (even if your agenda needs to change).

In order to sort this out, however, we've got to understand the difference between our goals and our agendas. If we get those confused, we'll end up eating mediocre gnocchi for the rest of our lives.

New Year's Surrendolutions

Stories of triumph by means of human determination fascinate us. We never seem to tire of hearing stories of men and women persevering through jungles of challenges and the slimmest of odds, willing themselves to great accomplishments. The stories inspire us, encourage us, and restore hope in the power of human effort.

Theologically, however, we also recognize that even the greatest of human accomplishments are like filthy rags when compared to the perfection in God's character (Isa 64:6). This does not rob these accomplishments of their greatness, but it serves to show how awesome God is - so much greater than the best of our best that even these feats are like tattered rags. Therefore, we are left unable, even with our greatest human accomplishments, to elevate ourselves to God's level and thereby merit salvation.

How, then, should we view the traditional New Years' Resolutions? Should we take up the challenge of human endeavor to will ourselves into better habits, self-improvement, and narrower jeans? Or should we hold to the vanity and impotence of human effort alone, and declare that these resolutions are self-deluding?

I suggest a different approach.

The arrival of the new year is a fantastic time to take stock, evaluate your year, your priorities, your stewardship of time, talent, and treasure, and to look forward to making the next year better than the previous. We often have extra time off of work and other responsibilities, so we have a ripe environment for self-evaluation. If you are going to set personal goals, this is perhaps the best time of year to do so.

Resolutions can be encouraging or defeating. Rather than "goals," we call the "resolutions," which means I resolve myself to do something, such as losing 20 pounds or reading the Bible through. If I meet these resolutions, I feel pretty good about myself.

However, if I make it as far as March, but then drop my diet and my exercise, I am not merely failing to meet a goal - I am failing at something I resolved to do. By making a resolution, I put my character behind this. I put the integrity of my name on it. And now, my failure is a failure in my character, not just my waistline. This is why not meeting a resolution is more deflating than merely missing a goal.

Rather than resolving ourselves to try harder, I suggest listing ways you believe the Lord wants you to surrender to Him in 2014. This involves spending some time in prayer, at the ready with Bible, pen, and paper, asking the Lord what areas of your life need to be surrendered to Him. As He illumines you, write down those things. Be specific. Don't make the list impossibly long, but don't make it unchallenging, either.

Then, in prayer, begin your first surrender by surrendering the list back to Him. Surrender yourself to the process of surrendering these things in 2014. Then keep that list where you will review it at least once a week for 52 weeks.

Rather than resolving to lose 20 pounds, surrender to the Lord to be a steward of the body He gave you. Spend the year focusing on that surrender, which will naturally result in better diet and more exercise. Rather than resolving to read the Bible through, spend the year learning how to surrender yourself to the study of and obedience to His Word. Rather than resolve to learning the Mongolian language or taking a night class or reading 50 books, spend the year surrendering your mind to the Lord, for its renewal (Rom 12:1-2). Rather than setting a goal, begin a process of surrendering more of your life to God.

It's still very much like a resolution, and it still takes effort and perseverance, but rather than the mere grit of human determination alone, it becomes a very spiritual exercise of relinquishing yourself to Christ for His purposes. Then by the end of the year, if there is any success at all, you'll have a compelling, encouraging story to share with others. And all the motivation in the world to surrender even more in 2015.

What is Success?

What is "success"?

This question gets asked a lot in leadership seminars, self-help books, and "positive confession" teachings. But I'm not asking the question in those ways. I'm not asking in a theoretical or philosophical way, either. I'm asking in a simpler way.

We sometimes experience disappointment because we don't feel "successful." We haven't accomplished something we wanted to, we haven't performed to someone else's expectations, we see people who have done better at something than we have, we assess our lives and don't find a very big sum total. (It's worse when the more successful ones are younger than we are!)

We know what it's like to feel unsuccessful. But one question I've learned to ask of those who feel unsuccessful is to ask them what success would be. Too often, they don't know.

I ask you - how can you expect to feel anything other than unsuccessful if you aren't sure what success would be?

I try to avoid definitions of success that rely heavily on factors I can't influence. For example, if I have a estranged relationship with someone, I can't control how the other person will respond. So for me to define "success" in this case as full reconciliation, my definition of success would be based in large part on something I have no control over. But if my definition of "success" is to do everything reasonable to seek reconciliation, to remove all stumbling stones within me that block reconciliation, to be the kind of friend I should be, then I can be successful in things that I have influence over (with the Spirit's strong help and guidance). Paul says in Romans 12:18 "If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all people" (emphasis added).

Now, full reconciliation would always be the goal, but my personal success would be in fulfilling my part of reconciliation, and doing what I can to foster it in the other person.

If you feel unsuccessful, ask what success should really be. Make sure your definition of success is something you have major influence over (again, with God's help). Most often, success will be defined as obedience and submission to God's will. Don't let anyone other than God define for you what success really is - otherwise, you're almost certain to feel unsuccessful, and not even know why.