Wandering with Reckless Abandon

Before the Nameless site changed over (and all the old posts disappeared), I wrote a post there about the value of passion. I have been thinking more and more about it of late…

I have also promised to talk about some of the relationships that I have with people at my dealership… so I now feel the need to knock out to birds with one stone.

There are two guys that I really appreciate at the dealership… Hamp and Leo.

Hamp is an older guy, retired from Montgomery Ward for a while. He had been in retail management for quite a while, and began working for us mainly as a driver taking cars back and forth from dealers. He has, however, grown into so much more than that. He has recently taken over the role as our inventory clerk which basically means he is in charge of making sure that our stock looks good, is displayed well, and that we can sell cars effectively. I appreciate Hamp because he approaches his job with a passion and vigor that is becoming more and more uncommon in this day and age. Hamp gets paid far too poorly for all that he does, but he embraces his job and makes the life of those of who sell cars so much easier.

Leo is another older guy that keeps our dealership clean. He comes in everynight around 8pm, and leaves sometime in the morning before we get there. But he does his job well, and makes sure that we are ready for business everyday. The cool thing about Leo is his attention to detail, and the fact that his job is his way of worship. Leo is a follower of Christ, and in a manner reminiscent of Brother Lawrence he worships God through his sweeping, emptying garbage cans, and cleaning toilets. It is cool to watch him work…

It is so cool to be around people who are passionate about what they do… and you can always tell when they are.

This evening we are going to watch as a bunch of grown men play a game with a ferocity that is fueled by a passion for the game…
Lately I have been in conversation with a friend who is passionate about shepherding and caring for the lives of those she leads…
This morning at church I watched as a guy played the guitar, and you could see his passion, and how it was fueled by his desire to worship his creator…
Lately I have had some conversations with a local youth pastor whose love for his students and creator triggers his passion for ministering to his students…

I often think back to how Jesus started the church…
Taking a handful of guys who knew so little in ways of the formalized religion. No theological training, or any kind of seminary or preacher school…
They had passion…
Passion to pass on what Christ taught them…
Passion to begin a movement…

In the past, when putting together leadership teams for different ministries I have always looked for passion first. Passion for Christ, passion for those to whom we minister, and passion for worshiping together.

If someone has those three, the rest can be taught.
If a team has those three, there is no stopping it.
If the church has those three, the gates of hell stand no chance…