[My Wednesday blogpost series is connected to my 2020 4Q program in which I share my personal responses to the questions raised in the worksheets.] 

Three disciplines for a serving leader in the area of BEING are prayer, solitude, and unconditional love.

Prayer is all about getting aligned with our “Audience of One,” ensuring the ongoing calibration of our hearts. Even Jesus had to stay aligned with the will of his heavenly Father through prayer.

Solitude is getting alone where we can unplug and think, processing who we are and Whose we are. One practical idea from Andy Crouch that ensures an effective solitude time is unplugging from all technology at least one hour each day, one day each week, and one week each year. We need to be intentional about putting solitude into our schedules; if we don’t plan for it, it won’t happen. 

Lastly, is the discipline of “Experiencing Unconditional Love.” Jesus experienced his Father’s words of affirmation throughout his ministry (“This is my beloved Son in Whom I am well pleased.” Matthew 3:17). When we know how much we are loved and are transformed by love, we can extend that love toward others. Click here to access a list of God’s unconditional love statements for you (put your name in the blanks).

Which of these three disciplines are you planning to give more of your focus? What is your plan to ensure it’s long-term implementation? 

Personally, I need to focus more on the discipline of experiencing God’s unconditional love. To make sure this happens, I’ve placed a note—“Spend at least 15 minutes experiencing ‘unconditional love’ by using the list at http://www.lukek.me/guls—in my scheduled solitude reminders on my digital calendar (Amy and I block out several hours each month for solitude—during the winter months we will often find separate quiet spaces at a local library…when the weather is nice we like to spend this time outdoors in a quiet, natural setting).

Now it’s your turn. Which of the three disciplines do you need to give more focused energy? How will you make sure it happens on a consistent basis? Go ahead, write something down…you are a serving leader!