OC ’12: Friday 3rd Session Notes

Doug Fields led this discussion.  He was the Youth Pastor at Saddleback for 29 years!

3 Sunlamps that blind you:

1. Numbers and focusing on your numbers can cause you to lose focus
2. The pace of life can be hard.  In fact, being with people for fun and refreshment was rare when he was in youth ministry.  He was always with others for “ministry”.
3. Comparing yourself to others and their programs can overtake you and damage you.  It . matter how good you are, there are always going to be people who don’t like you

In most ministry settings, those sunlamps are being focused on by a lot of leaders.  You are the majority but don’t know it because no one admits it.

1. How do you turn the lamp off?
2. How do you get back to living again?

1. He’s learned that bigger isn’t better.  Better is better.  Bigger is overrated.
2. Hurry is the enemy of depth.  Slow down!
3. He replaced comparison with effectiveness.  God created Doug Fields to be Doug Fields.  He needed to stop comparing and start abiding.

He just needed God to work on him.

Are you paying attention deeply for the things Jesus cares about and wants you to be doing?  You have to turn off the articifical lights that are blinding you and focus on God.

Quit being impressed by the busy-ness of others.  Busy-ness leads to brokeness.  Work hard but don’t find your identity in your task.