Leadership Today

It’s about time. In just a few days our American election will finally come to an end. The rhetoric and vitriol will stop, and the leaders of our country will get back to doing the work of leading, or so we hope.

Leadership is a much discussed topic. There is a massive “Leadership Training” industry today with books to read, videos to watch and conferences to attend. Yet why does it seem to me that we have such a lack of leadership?  Is it possible that today we have forgotten what it means to follow? In the last few years articles have been appearing talking about the importance of “Followership”.

Followership is the capacity of an individual to actively follow a leader.

Veterans Day is November 11. My father is a Korean War veteran and my younger brother served with the Marines in the First Gulf War. Military service, and the expected discipline of following orders, was something that I grew up with and have learned to value. Before 1973 the military draft required a large percent of American men to learn what it meant to follow orders. Today less than 0.5% of the American population serves. I wonder if this could be a reason for our leadership problems. It’s also possible that our focus on “self” as a nation is eroding our ability to both lead and follow, actions that demand selflessness and self-sacrifice along with personal humility.

It was our Messiah Yeshua who said “If anyone wants to follow after Me, he must deny himself, take up his cross, and keep following Me.” Regardless of who wins the election, we can expect continued leadership problems for our nation. Let it not be the same for us as Yeshua followers – let us deny our “self”, and practice humble followership of our perfect Leader Messiah Yeshua!

Forward for Messiah!

Kirk Gliebe

Rabbi & Director

Happy 5777!

At sundown on October 2nd we began the Jewish New Year of 5777. According to Jewish tradition, Rosh Hashanah is the birthdate of the World’s creation, yet today some followers of the G-d of Israel and Messiah Yeshua seem confused about G-d’s role in creation.

In ancient Jewish thought, the first century Jewish philosopher Philo argued for the intentional and direct creation of the universe, in opposition to the Aristotelian view of the eternality of matter. He also argued based on Proverbs that in his creating G-d used an agent called the Logos, which is interesting as we consider the teaching of Paul in the New Testament regarding Messiah Yeshua’s role in creation as well, though Paul argues that the Messiah is not just an agent of G-d but G-d himself. Traditional Jewish belief teaches that the earth is about 6,000 years old, calculated by the genealogies found within the Torah, and Maimonides taught that if there seemed to be inconsistencies between science and Scripture, than we need to study both more. As a person of faith, I maintain a firm belief in a very big G-d. I do not understand or comprehend all of the details of how G-d has created or ordered his world, but I accept as fact that the Scripture teach that G-d is the initiator, creator and sustainer of all that exists, which must limit my personal speculation, and therefore requires me to accept the limits of what I can thoroughly know for sure through science.

I am not ignorant about the discoveries of science, but I have to put the teachings of the Scriptures first. In Adam all die, but in Messiah all become alive. Hard to do if Adam never actually lived! Messiah Yeshua said, “When the Son of Man returns will he find faith on the earth?” It seems not too much.

Forward for Messiah!

Rabbi Kirk Gliebe

Coalescence: The Result of Trust Building!

In March I was honored to be a part of a small group leadership gathering in Dallas. As a member of the Steering Committee for the gathering I was asked to facilitate a discussion regarding ways of building and growing trust among ourselves as ministry workers from different organizations. One word that popped into my mind relevant to trust building was coalescence.  Coalescence can most easily be illustrated, if you think scientifically, as “the process by which two or more droplets, bubbles or particles merge during contact to form a single daughter droplet, bubble or particle.” For my simple mind, coalescence is most easily defined as the process by which two separate entities grow closer together until they ultimately become one.

I find this to be particularly interesting in my capacity both as the Rabbi of Devar Emet Messianic Synagogue and as the current President of the Union of Messianic Jewish Congregations. Developing trust between individuals within religious organizations is critical to ministry effectiveness. But trust grows slowly, demanding accountability, transparency and clarity of understanding between people, and yet is easily lost. Without these three values held closely, honestly and passionately among an entity’s constituents, “togetherness” can never be more than a superficial reality for any organization. Without these values an entity will inevitably and easily suffer division and chaos, and ultimately dissolution.

Patrick Lencioni in his book The Advantage speaks of four disciplines required for a healthy organization:

1)      Building Cohesive Leadership Teams

2)      Creating Clarity in Purpose and Policy

3)      Over-Communicating that Clarity

4)      Reinforcing that Clarity

Demanding real accountability, transparency and clarity from each member of a team, organization or communal entity is critical if the organization is to be healthy and to function in the way it’s supposed to. If these three values are not being carefully adhered to, trust will be diminished and ultimately lost, regardless of whether that entity is your local congregation or an international association like the UMJC.

Our faith in Messiah Yeshua demands that we live lives before one another of accountability, transparency and clarity. I agree it’s not easy, but Messiah Yeshua never promised us more than an execution stake in this world, so learning to build genuine trust with one another seems a small price to pay to living as effective members of the Messianic Kingdom.

Forward for Messiah,

Kirk Gliebe

Rabbi & Director

How to Keep Your Faith from Growing Old

Today, April 11^th,  I turned 50. Born at the time of the conflict in Vietnam, growing up during the crisis with oil and inflation in the 70’s and coming of age during the tensions of Nuclear posturing with the Soviets during the 80’s, my formative years were filled with a sense of uncertainty. Our world seems much the same today: conflicts … concerns … uncertainty. G-d always seems to prefer working in times of uncertainty since our uncertainty demands from us his followers total reliance on Him, The Certain One. 

Growing up with all this tension, both inside and outside my home, all that mattered to me was that I would be a success – I wanted to make my indelible impression on this world! I knew that being successful would require a well thought out plan!

A Person Needs Goals to be a Success! - (1975)

Interestingly enough, G-d messed up my own plans for success! I became a follower of Messiah Yeshua on July 31, 1981 at the age of 15 through the witness of my friends Russ and Jeff, and it was only after coming to accept Yeshua’s Messiahship that I discovered what true and certain success really was: knowing G-d and following G-d! This is what brings true success and a genuine certainty for life. I want to first encourage you to personally make sure you have truly come to accept Yeshua’s Messiahship and sacrificial atonement for your sins if you have not already done so. I secondly want to encourage all of you who do accept Yeshua to have proper life goals; to invest your time and resources to strengthen Messiah’s Kingdom effort through your life!

My Life Purpose Statement

(Phil 3:7&8)   That I may know G-d and make Him known,

II Tim 2:2)       Entrusting to faithful men what Truth I have

                                been shown, so that they will do the same,

(II Tim 4:6-8)   In order that I will finish the Fight                                                                           well in the Faith

(I Cor 9:27)      Not becoming disqualified. - (1984)

Remember, successful people don’t just live life; they attack it for G-d’s glory! Life is a gracious gift provided by our Heavenly Father. Only marking time is a misuse of that divine gift.          (1988)

I’m 50 years old today, April 11th. In my life I have seen too many well-meaning people, followers of Messiah, make very bad choices that leave their lives a mess, usually because they let their faith grow cold. I remember when I first heard that old Keith Green song:

My eyes are dry, My faith is old, My heart is hard, My prayers are cold
And I know how I ought to be, Alive to You and dead to me

But what can be done For an old heart like mine, Soften it up, With oil and wine
The oil is You, Your Spirit of love, Please wash me anew

With the wine of Your Blood

So how to keep your faith from growing old as you grow older? Below are five basic yet critically important principles that I live by and recommend to you:

1)    Pursue knowing G-d better each day of your life through careful reading of Scripture and intentional times of prayer with G-d

2)    Live a life of continual repentance of sin and actively distance yourself from the values of the world

3)    Commit yourself to living out a Radical Faith in G-d – always choose to do what G-d wants even if it’s hard and others think you are crazy!

4)    Determine to both be a disciple of a strong spiritual mentor and to be a spiritual mentor of those who need spiritual training and encouragement

5)    Share with others all that G-d has done for you

“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than by the one you did do… Explore. Dream. Discover.”

Mark Twain

If you are going to choose to do something out of the box with your life, explore, dream and discover G-d’s plan for you! Despite the uncertainty of our time, we know that G-d is working and moving our world toward His certain end, the Kingdom of our Messiah Yeshua! Live your life for the purpose of building up Messiah’s Kingdom through your time and resources. This will be true kind of investment will bring a certain reward.

Forward for Messiah!

Kirk Gliebe

Rabbi & Director

Certainty in Uncertain Times

On April 11th I turn 50. Born at the time of the conflict in Vietnam, growing up during the crisis with oil and inflation in the 70’s and coming of age during the tensions of Nuclear posturing with the Soviets during the 80’s, my formative years were filled with a sense of uncertainty. Our world seems much the same today: conflicts … concerns … uncertainty. G-d always seems to prefer working in times of uncertainty since our uncertainty demands from us his followers total reliance on Him, The Certain One. 

Since we know that knowing G-d and following G-d provides for us his certainty, how should we be investing ourselves, our time and our resources today? I want to encourage you this month to Invest your time and finances to strengthen G-d’s Kingdom effort! 

Messiah Yeshua warned us about investing: “But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in or steal.” 

On April 16th Devar Emet celebrates 20 years of ministry work as a unique part of G-d’s greater Kingdom effort. Much has been accomplished as you will see in this newsletter, yet so much remains to be done. The future is uncertain.

Despite the uncertainty of our time, we know that G-d is working and moving our world toward His certain end, the Kingdom of our Messiah Yeshua! Let us generously work together to build up Messiah’s Kingdom through our time and resources. This kind of investment will bring a certain reward.

Forward for Messiah!

Kirk Gliebe

Rabbi & Director

The Hard Work of Resting

For much of the last few weeks I have taken time away from Skokie. Technically I was on a sabbatical. No I wasn’t wasting time doing nothing. I’m way too Type A for that. I was busy reading, writing and thinking, but without the stress of interruption from calls, emails, texts and unexpected crisis walking into my office. It was very restful! My mind lately had grown exhausted from what has been a very exciting and effective time of almost continuous ministry. Not all burdens will exhaust the body, but all burdens can exhaust our mind and spirit.

Rest is of course a Scriptural commandment. Yeshua our Messiah himself spoke this challenge to us in Matthew 11:28, “Come to Me, all who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” Yeshua is not speaking here of taking a break from doing the dishes, instead he is speaking of our laying on him the deep burdens of our heart and mind.

Laying our burdens at the feet of our Messiah Yeshua brings rest. For those of us in ministry work, whether vocational or volunteer, this means rest from assuming responsibility for what we can’t control; rest from activity that G-d hasn’t actually called us to do; rest from people who won’t choose to change no matter how much time we might pour into their lives.

Yeshua calls us to rest in him, in who he is and in his sovereignty over our lives as Melech Mashiach, King Messiah!

Impacting our world for Messiah demands our willingness to work hard for him while at the same time resting fully in him. Paradoxical yes, but isn’t that always G-d’s way? Something to think about!

Forward for Messiah,

Kirk Gliebe

Rabbi & Director

Still Looking for Truth

Marketing experts write that every three to five years our culture completely reinvents itself, with the process compressing with each passing cycle. This change is not just limited to the United States or even Western Civilization; the entire world is going through this process of societal and cultural upheaval. Current societal change is often mistakenly called “Postmodernism”, an older term describing societal trends in the 1970’s breaking from what used to be “Modernism”. But in reality what society has become today is highly individualized, what British Philosopher Dr. Alan Kirby calls “Pseudo-Modernism. Kirby states, “whereas postmodernism favoured the ironic, the knowing and the playful, with their allusions to knowledge, history and ambivalence, pseudo-modernism’s typical intellectual states are ignorance, fanaticism and anxiety”.

Today in America personalized spirituality is all the rage, even if these same individuals can’t express any deep understanding of what it is that they actual believe. Fanatical commitment, at least for short periods of time, has been evident as well (remember the “Occupy Wall Street” protests a few years back?), but just not to religious faith as statistics show that now 27% of Americans state as “None” their affiliation with organized religion. Today, by some estimates, there are five to eight times as many high school and college students being diagnosed with anxiety disorder as was true half a century or more ago. As Dr. Peter Gray wrote recently, “The changes seem to have much more to do with the way young people view the world than with the way the world actually is.”

The truth is that people today are still looking for Truth, they just might not realize it.

Reaching people in our ever adjusting secular society will require that we tenaciously adjust, creatively consider and honestly evaluate our methods of communicating the Message of Messiah Yeshua, never deviating from the clear proclamation of our message. And one more thing: we need to make sure our message is clearly validated through the actions of our everyday lives.

Forward for Messiah,

Kirk Gliebe

Rabbi & Director

https://philosophynow.org/issues/58/The_Death_of_Postmodernism_And_Beyond - Dr. Kirby

https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/freedom-learn/201001/the-decline-play-and-rise-in-childrens-mental-disorders - Dr. Gray