Jeanne Mayo 100x Leadership Podcast

When The Bionic Man Hits Bottom

Sometimes, like the original Bionic Man, Elijah, we become emotionally drained as we use everything within us to boldly serve the Lord. In times like those, the Lord often has to lead us into the desert, so we can hear His still small voice, that will love us back to SPIRITUAL SANITY.

1. An overview of the 1 Kings 18 account of Elijah at Mt Carmel.

2. Then the Bionic Guy, Elijah, faces off with Jezebel:

3. ELIJAH LEAVES HIS SERVANT BEHIND and sends himself ALONE into the desert. (1 Kings 19:3-4)

4. We forget in the desert and isolation that God’s name is, “I AM THAT I AM.” NOT “I DO that I DO!”

5. What are some of God’s answers when we, as the bionic leaders, hit bottom?

6. Jesus has come to LOVE YOU BACK TO SPIRITUAL SANITY.

Generation Z is hungry to be mentored, led, and parented by people that are willing to earn the right to be heard in their lives.

#1 Generation Z has been under raised by very protective and often “loose” parents.

#2 Generation Z has been cheated out of most experiences of a “true childhood.”

#3 The soundtrack of Generation Z’s entire life is the media and they are constantly surrounded by it.

#4 Generation Z is defined as the first generation to be deeply “pornified” by the age of 8. Porn is the wallpaper of their life.

#5 Generation Z is lost spiritually. They have no memory of the Gospel.

#6 Generation Z is leaderless. Little if any discussion is coming from their families and even less wisdom is coming from the internet.

WELCOME TO GENERATION Z – PART 1: "The Characteristics That Define Them"

Generation Z are people born from approximately 1996-2012. To effectively connect with this generation, we need to understand their mindset.

1 Chronicles 12:32, “From the tribe of Issachar, there were 200 leaders…All these men understood the signs of the times and knew the best course for Israel to take.”

1. Generation Z is RECESSION MARKED.

a. One of the most defining events in their lifetimes is the recession from 2007-2009.

b. This helps explain why so many embrace Socialism.

c. They tend to be more entrepreneurial.

2. They are WI-FI ENABLED. (Internet in my pocket generation.)

a. Currently, teenagers spend nearly nine hours a day absorbing some form of media.

3. They are RACIALLY DIVERSE.

a. The majority of immigrants coming to our country are from Hispanic countries.

· Since the beginning of the 1700's the #1 last name was "Smith."

· Now the most common last name is "Rodriguez."

4. They are totally SEXUALLY FLUID.

a. There are no rules or standards…They are trying to refine normal.

· 74% of Generation Z think it's ok to be transgendered.

· The only thing that is not acceptable is to have a bias for a "one man/one woman" relationship.

5. They are POST-CHRISTIAN.

a. The younger the demographic, the greater the percentage who fall into the category of religiously unaffiliated – the "NONES."

b. "It appears that in America that Christianity is collapsing when in fact, Christianity is being clarified." – Ed Stetzer

6. This is the first generation to be LEADERLESS.

a. They have endless amounts of information, but very little wisdom…and virtually no mentors.

I've been up close to far too many leadership train wrecks! Whenever ministry “train wrecks” occur, we talk about the OUTCOMES. But a far more important discussion is pin-pointing the specific ON-RAMPS that led to these moments. I've highlighted six that I think we all need to be aware of.

1. Realize soberly that SPEED kills.

a. Often the people who are fastest to “MAKE IT” are the fastest to “FALL.”

b. BUSY = “Being Under Satan’s Yoke”

c. The bad news is that in life, YOUR TIME WILL FLY. The good news is that you will always be the PILOT.

d. “Lives lived frantically are QUICKLY FORGOTTEN.”

2. Surround yourself with 2-3 key people who consistently DARE TO TELL YOU THE TRUTH...even when you don’t want to hear it.

a. We want people to be “real” around us...but we would prefer if the “real” is AFFIRMATION.

b. Accountability will always be a FARCE apart from your painful, humiliating choices to remain PROMPTLY AND BRUTALLY HONEST with one or two other people you deeply respect spiritually…people who have exercised the ability to HELP YOU MOVE TOWARDS PERSONAL GROWTH AND FREEDOM.

3. Become intentional about CONSERVING YOUR EMOTIONAL ENERGY and determining your personal “ADRENALINE PATTERNS.”

a. Energy is RENEWABLE…but not LIMITLESS. It comes in CYCLES and WAVES…not in a CONSTANT STREAM.

b. ADRENALINE is a hormone secreted by the adrenal glands, especially during times of STRESS and HIGH EXERTION (I.E. the reason people can have almost supernatural strength and endurance during times of crisis…like the mom who lifts a car off her child who is trapped below).

· But after an “ADRENALINE HIGH,” there will invariably be an “ADRENALINE LOW/CRASH.” Let me give you some possible things you’ll experience during that period, if only on a minimal scale after minimal exertion:

o Easy anger and frustration levels

o Sadness or “feeling super blue”

o Easy vulnerability to sin

o A magnifying of negative comments or “what went wrong”...beating yourself up.

o Overall emotional state that easily wants to say, “This isn’t worth it. I’m out.”

o A blah-ness, flatness, and/or general apathy towards even things or people that matter to you.

c. Nolan Ryan was a historic starting pitcher for the Texas Rangers. He was prominent in baseball from the 1960’s through the 1990’s…and is considered one of the greatest pitchers of all times. Listen to his profound observation about his personal “ENERGY PATTERN” when he was on the pitching mound:

o “I became a great pitcher when I realized that there would only be about FIVE TIMES A GAME when I needed to pitch at 100% force. I learned that conserving my energy for those moments was the key to sustained and unforgettable success.” —Nolan Ryan

d. Determine what you are willing to FAIL in...not giving 100%.

· Too often we’re willing to fail at “BEING A CHRISTIAN” because we don’t want to fail “PERFORMANCE-WISE.”

e. Matthew 11:28-30 (The Message), “Are you TIRED? WORN OUT? BURNED OUT ON RELIGION? Come to Me. Get away with Me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a REAL REST. Walk with Me and work with Me. LEARN THE UNFORCED RHYTHMS OF GRACE. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with Me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.”

4. Make sure your definition of success lines up with what you see as a repeated definition of success in the WORD OF GOD.

a. Often even the church describes “success” as “performance.”

I hope that by vulnerably sharing from my experiences, you will be able to avoid making some of my same mistakes. One of my signatures in ministry leadership has been authentic transparency and this podcast really plays into that arena. With more than 50 years in full-time ministry…there were many mistakes to choose from! But I've narrowed them down to my top eight.

#1. I underestimated the power of my SHADOW SIDE.

#2. I began to internally evaluate my ministry worth by the ATTENDANCE NUMBERS and by my PAYCHECK.

#3. I said “YES” too many times.

#4. I failed to “LEAD UP” well enough.

#5. I PROCRASTINATED too long in making some of the tough calls.

#6. I allowed MINISTRY REJECTION to become PERSONAL REJECTION.

#7. I felt secretly guilty when I took TIME OFF. So I wound up taking care of EVERYONE ELSE…but not myself.

#8. I “leased a nail” out to the enemy in the form of HURT and RESENTMENT.

It’s not WHAT YOU DO in life and ministry that will multiply the broadest. It will always be WHO YOU ARE.

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We can get really cynical if we don't realize that politics is everywhere there is humanity. We just don’t expect “politics” to exist in the church because we’re all “Christians.” However, as “human beings” are a part of a church...there will be “Church Politics.” In this podcast, Jeanne and Vance discuss how to keep from becoming cynical or disillusioned when you have to deal with church politics.

How do you keep from becoming cynical or disillusioned when dealing with church politics?

#1: I look at people in the church world that have allowed cynicism and church politics to deeply wound them...and I don’t like what I see.

#2: I remind myself that heaven and hell are for real.

#3: The Bible says, “promotion comes from the Lord.”

#4: Being a woman in ministry causes you to experience politics in a different way.

#5: Often a person of race in the church world, has to navigate things with more thought and intentionality than a lot of other cultures. They have to think through the way they think and say things so as not to be thought about as “aggressive or threatening.”

Church politics is real, but you do yourself a service if you don’t let yourself get cynical or bitter. Politics is everywhere there are humans. Don’t let yourself get frustrated thinking it’s only the “church world.”

If this podcast was helpful for you and your team, head over to Legacy for more leadership resources to succeed in youth ministry! https://jeannemayo.com/legacy-signup/