The Wisdom of Teams - Part 1

We Win or Lose in Teams

One of the lessons God's been teaching me recently is the importance of your "life team". When I'm with certain people, it's cool to experience a strong synergy that happens whenever we talk and plan things out. I think when you find someone in your life that can "spur" you on towards love and good deeds, that person is a valuable "life team" player and someone to definately invest your life into.

Newsong's Example

And when I went to Thailand and met up with Dave Gibbons, I saw firsthand how important it was to church plant with a team of people you trust and enjoy being with. One thing I learned from the Newsong model is to challenge people to do missions and to church plant within the context of friendships. Going solo will bring with it a lot more challenges (e.g. finding a community, finding co-workers you trust, loneliness, temptations, lack of accountability, loss of vision and happiness as you struggle in spiritual warfare alone, etc.).

But when we do ministry (even traveling to a different country to try out something new for God's Kingdom ... something you've never done before) with loved ones, it becomes an enjoyable ride and an great adventure ... when it's done with friends ... with community. And it creates moments and memories that will bring those relationships even closer. It also becomes a great witness for the world to see as well ... when they see how you "love one another", and laugh together.

The picture on the top left is of Henry (can't remember his last name) and Dave Gibbons. Henry is one of Dave's closest friends who came to spend a few months with him in Thailand, just to encourage him, hang out and enjoy life together with. When I saw them together, it was a blessing for me to see a simple friendship filled with love and laughter. And for every Newsong project, there are teams of friends that are gathered first, and then commissioned to go. I think there's great wisdom in that kind of philosophy.

A Couple of Favorites

That team dynamic of friends "doing life together" is also seen for me in two of my other passions, The Dallas Cowboys and U2. The lead picture above is a picture of one of the greatest trio combinations in NFL history ... Aikman, Irvin and Smith. Together they won 3 Super Bowls and became the most successful team in the 1990's ... though retired, they are still close friends to this day.

And U2 ... what more can I say about the greatest rock group of all time? I love seeing pictures like the one on the left that show a glimpse of their friendship together. How many bands can stick around with each other from high school (when they were formed) and put up with rock-n-roll size egos for almost 30 years?!?!? When people ask them how they do it, they simply state that it's because they like each other ... because they're friends.

"Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their work: If one falls down, his friend can help him up. But pity the man who falls and has no one to help him up! Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken." Ecclesiastes 4:9,10,12

I wanted to share a bit more on this topic, but I think I'll wait another day or so ... this post is getting pretty long as it is!

EDIT: Another example of teams ...

You need a good sense of humor! :) I love this video!

Currently Reading Unchurched Next Door, The : Understanding Faith Stages as Keys to Sharing Your Faith By Thom S. Rainer see related