who's your sherpa?

Over the past few years, I've been fascinated by the stories of those who've climbed the world's tallest mountains. From those who've reached the top of Everest or K2, to those who've completed the so-called 7 summits, the narratives of their challenges and accomplishments are riveting.

Last week on the radio, I was listening to a guy who is planning to climb Everest next year. He was joined by his Sherpa, Ang Dawa. This was notable because traditionally, climbers in the Himalayas don't meet their guides until they arrive at the base of the climb, and as instrumental as the Sherpas are to success, they usually don't receive the acclaim or publicity of those whom they guide.

I think this is ironic, because it has become universally accepted that climbing the Himalayas without a Sherpa is close to impossible. They are experienced mountaineers with an extensive knowledge of the area, and whose very physiology is adapted to the region. First time climbers don't have the strength, experience, knowledge or lungs to accomplish this feat by themselves.

My mountaineering experience is pretty close to zero. I have climbed the highest mountain in So Cal (see inset of me on Mt. San Gorgonio) at a lofty 14,499', which means that I stood a mere 17,000 vertical feet shy of the summit of Everest. Not so exciting. But I do see the value of the Sherpa. And I realize that in my walk with God, I've had a number of people act as my spiritual Sherpas at various times.

These are people who had a little more time with God, a little more knowledge of His Word, more ministry, more time in prayer and a willingness to help me get a little higher and a bit farther than I'd been before. Dennis, Rick, Craig, Drew and (of course) my Mom and many others have played that role at one time or another, and I owe them a huge debt of gratitude.

Unlike Everest or Denali, however, this climb of christianity doesn't have a summit. At every stage, with each new challenge, we need people who will help us, guide us and shoulder some of our burden. I'm not sure who my next guide will be, but I am actively looking. And I think it's a question that needs to be asked of all of us: Who's your Sherpa?

called or driven?

I'm currently reading Gordon MacDonald's devotional classic "Ordering Your Private World." The book has a tremendous premise: to their detriment, Christians (and especially pastors) tend to focus on the seen life, when their private lives are much more fundamental in their ultimate success or failure.

His message really hit home for me on many occasions, but the chapter which dealt with our motivation for Christian leadership hit me like a punch in the gut. MacDonald believes that some lead in response to God's calling, and some lead because they are internally driven. Some unfortunate symptoms he identified of those who are driven:

1. A driven person is most often gratified only by accomplishment.
(success is found only in a goal achieved, never in the journey or in lessons learned)

2. A driven person is preoccupied with the symbols of accomplishment.
(it only feels like success if others know and celebrate it)

3. A driven person is usually caught in the uncontrolled pursuit of expansion.
(there can never be enough success/accomplishment to satisfy)

4. Driven people tend to have a limited regard for integrity.
(ends justify means)

5. Driven people are not likely to bother themselves with the honing of people skills.
(there is usually a "trail of bodies" in the wake of the driven leader. "He's really hard to work with, but he sure gets things done" should never characterize the Christian leader)

6. Driven people tend to be highly competitive.
(self worth comes from besting others)

7. A driven person often possesses a volcanic force of anger.
(because his identity is in his accomplishment, anyone that might make him look bad can be the recipient of his sarcasm, biting remarks or unrestrained anger)

8. Driven people are usually abnormally busy, are averse to play, and usually avoid spiritual worship.

These are characteristics that I've often recognized in my own life. I think most driven leaders were called at one time, and at various points, they get off track (think of King Saul, I Samuel 10-31). What we need is to reacquaint ourselves with the voice of God and its primacy in our lives. We need to ask again some foundational questions: What's important to God? Who am I in Him? What are His metrics of success? And finally, what is God asking me to do? When we choose to move in response to His voice, instead of the urging of our ego, we'll find peace, confidence and true success.


"You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had: Though he was God, he did not think of equality with God as something to cling to. Instead, he gave up his divine privileges; he took the humble position of a slave and was born as a human being. When he appeared in human form he humbled himself in obedience to God and died a criminal’s death on a cross." Philippians 2:5-8.