In a coaching conversation this week with a pastor who is currently reading The Surprise Factor he told me of his initial reaction – the surprise is the place where God intersects with what is unfolding! It was very gratifying to know that people are catching on to what this book is all about. I think the key to surprise is training oneself to look for God’s surprises in the midst of the day. When we look for them, they really are there!
This chapter
on urgency has a sort of “opposite” appeal for me. As a coach, I am often working with pastors
on time management issues, and use Covey’s Important vs. Urgent quadrant (Time
Management Matrix) – encouraging pastors to identify the important elements of
weekly life, get them in the calendar first, so that when the urgent happens,
they have not lost track of the important in the midst of the urgent. This chapter calls us to embrace the urgent
as an important work of God’s surprise in the midst of life!
Questions for consideration:
Are the urgent things in your life pressing needs from which change can
arise, or are they the needs of the people around you?
What steps can you take to determine the difference?
How does your congregation respond to urgency as a motivator? What would happen if instead of anxiety,
urgency became a motivation for change?
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