Series: How to Create Your Best Decade Ever
Lawnchair Larry
YOU’RE GONNA NEED A BETTER TEAM!
If you and God have arrived at a bigger dream for your next decade then you’re gonna need a better team to bring you the breakthroughs you need to rise to the next level.
Recap of Series so far:
1. One Resolution to Rule them All — Follow Christ First and Most of all.
2. Farmer Dale and how Words, thoughts and deeds are like seeds — ponder the harvest you want a decade from now. Begin with the end in mind.
3. Ahmundsen vs. Scott — it’s planning and preparation far in advance of your mission that brings success — not good luck or bad luck.
Today: Bigger Dreams Take Better Teams
To go higher than you’ve ever gone before you’ve got to have a better team around you than you’ve ever had before.
Felix Baumgartner
Bigger Dreams Take Better Teams
If you want to have breakthroughs and go higher in any of these areas then you’re gonna need a better team around you:
Finances / fitness / family life / marriage / great friendships / new hobbies / new career
T.E.A.M. = Together Everyone Accomplishes More
[BUT ONLY IF YOUR TEAM HAS THE RIGHT PLAYERS ON IT!]
However the TEAM acronymn is NOT always true. Just think back to group projects in High School.
African Proverb: To go far, go together. To go fast, go alone.
Sometimes we’ve been let down by teams in the past so we just decide to go it alone and most of the time for extended journeys across uncertain terrains and times this is very unwise.
MYTH of the Solo Christian who says in his heart: ‘I don’t need no stinkin’ church!’
A christian without a church is like a football player without a team.
You and I were crafted for connection with God and others. Jesus talked about connecting to God and to others all the time didn’t he?
Don’t neglect getting together with other Christians as some are in the habit of doing.
The writer of the New Testament book called Hebrews says it this way in Hebrews 10:24-25:
And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works,not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near. —Hebrews 10:24-25 [ESV]
Wisdom suggests that a cord of three is better than a one stranded cord.
Ecclesiastes 4:9-12
Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their toil.For if they fall, one will lift up his fellow. But woe to him who is alone when he falls and has not another to lift him up! Again, if two lie together, they keep warm, but how can one keep warm alone? And though a man might prevail against one who is alone, two will withstand him–a threefold cord is not quickly broken. —Ecclesiastes 4:9-12 (ESV)
You need friends for your journey.
Jesus recruited a team.
Moses had a team.
Paul had a team.
Peter had a team.
The early church was a powerful team and did far more together than any one of them could have ever done alone.
Acts 2:42-44
And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers.And awe came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were being done through the apostles. And all who believed were together and had all things in common. —Acts 2:42-44 (ESV)
Bigger dreams take better teams.
Why we got and paid for a pitching coach for Kaleb.
Why I pay a lot of money for coaching.
My ‘Mentoring Matrix’ and how I work with that and why — any time I want to go to another level in my life I reset my mentoring matrix: books, paid coaching, podcasts, audio books, lunches with practitioners. Lifelong Learning and resetting my mentoring matrix is vital for my growth and the success of my endeavors.
Proverbs 3:1-18 [The Passion Translation]
Jeff will read this text “The Passion Translation Bible.”“
Action Planner for Recruiting YOUR A-Team
Submit to God as the writer, director and producer of your life movie.
Walk with God moment by moment.
Hammer on your own personal integrity and seek wisdom from many angles.
Ponder and prepare for your 10-year vision and think about areas where you need breakthroughs and surround yourself with a team to make that possible.
Remember Ahmundsen living with Eskimos to prepare for his South Pole expedition years before he ever led a team to go there.
5.Admit you need help and ask God for wisdom and seek wise counselors.
Be teachable. The third mark and means of wisdom is willingness to take advice. Fools are wise in their [own] eyes. Some take no advice at all. Other fools listen to only one kind of advice. For example, many rely only on the counsel of their peers. Many of us listen only to people of our own race or class or political persuasion and not to others.
Wisdom is to see things through as many other eyes as possible through the Word of God and through the eyes of your friends, of people from other races, classes, and political viewpoints, and of your critics. Wise women and men create a company of counselors around them — mentors and advisors and friends and people from whom they can get a ‘second opinion’.
The Gospel is the resource for creating teachability. It shows us that we are sinners, yet its deep assurance of God’s unconditional love for us in. Christ makes it possible to facd our flaws without denial.
Is there a person or kind of person you should be listening to but have not made the effort to do so? —Timothy Keller’s Daily Devotional: ‘God’s Wisdom for Navigating Life’ p. 24
YOUR ‘A-TEAM’ Recruiting YOUR DREAM TEAM using the ‘Mentoring Matrix Concept’ – Using this framework virtually guarantees your future success or at least giant positive gains toward your ‘U.L.E. [ Ultimate Life Endeavor]’
X
-Your matrix has four quadrants: Upward Mentors / Professional Peers / Buddies / Giving Back [ downward ]
-Every time you want to take your dream to a higher level in area of your life you’ll need to reset your mentoring matrix to support your preparation, planning, execution and successful mission accomplishment. New levels have new devils so you need to apprentice yourself to those who have already defeated the ‘devils’ at the new levels you want to rise to.
-People you absolutely MUST have on your A-team:
1. The Trinity -Father, Son, Holy Spirit
2. Your Church
3. High Caliber Christ Followers
4. Practitioners who have done what you desire to do.
5. People who see things differently to cover your blind side.
Over the next five years you will become the average of the people you spend the most time with.
—Jim Rohn
Think about Roald Ahmundsen and Robert Falcon Scott from last week and Larry the Lawnchair dude & Felix Baumgartner from today. Your success is largely determined by YOUR personal ‘A-Team’ [mentoring matrix]
To go higher and to have the key breakthroughs you dream of in the decade ahead you’re gonna need a better team.