Ezer Nuggets

"You cannot lead beyond what you believe about yourself."  -- Jo Saxton - Ezer Collective 2018

I recently went to a leadership intensive called the Ezer Collective, and the experience is still swimming around in my head.  So as I offer up the nuggets from that time, I hope this will be both beneficial for you and for me.

Last year at this same intensive I felt like God cut open my body, pulled out my guts, reorganized them and put them back in.  There were a few ugly cries involved!  This time it felt more like God solidified the things he had already shown me and said, "Now walk it out."  Here are a few of my thoughts on that.

1. Just do it!  I realized this year that I am an expert at convincing myself that I do not know "how" to do something or that there are no opportunities to do it, when really the only thing holding me back is fear of judgment or rejection.  While God has compassion for the fear, he is also saying, "You Do know how to do this, and I want you to do it. The ONLY reason you aren't doing more of this is fear.  You will be ok." What in your life do you have opportunity and skill to use for the kingdom but are not doing out of fear...?

2.  Training not Trying...   It is so easy to criticize and be angry at ourselves when we  see example after example of trying and failing.  When I shift my perspective to "how has the training been going?" the answer is "awesome!"  When I am training, failure, slow growth and learning are a part of the process.  The process is more important than the outcome.  I'm training.  And it is true!  Even the tasks/visions God has given me to lead out in are very much for my training.  My job is to learn, train, engage, obey.  The result is up to Him.  Where is God training you?  How would it affect your process to stop trying and start training?

3.  Jo also spoke about Deborah from the Bible and how unapologetic she was about making the need and problem clear, and then calling the people to action.  She reminded us that "Using your voice may mean giving voice to what God is doing around you." How many times have I not spoken up, not advocated for what God is doing, or held back when he shows me a need because I feel I don’t have the right? Because it may make them uncomfortable.  Because I may be asking too much.  Yet... this is what GOD is doing!  It's not my agenda, it's God's.  We have to be able to rest in that in order to use our voices to advocate for what God is doing and calling us to.  How will others see the importance of the mission if we are ashamed of it? What has God opened your eyes to that maybe others don't see?  Are you using your voice to give voice to what God is doing around you?

Well, those are my nuggets!  Let me know if they were helpful to you, and if you want to go to the next Ever Collective visit https://www.josaxton.com/ezer-collective/


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