Recently, I had the chance to share at the Gateway Church Lunch & Learn, a monthly training we have for our leaders on the third Tuesday of the month during lunchtime. These can be viewed online at live.gatewaychurch.com if you’d ever like to join us.
I shared about the Character Matrix which has been one of the greatest tools to help me in my spiritual growth as well as the tool I use the most in helping others grow.
Fortunately, these principles are included in Uprising: A Revolution of the Soul by Erwin McManus which I highly recommend!
From the Gateway Leaders website:
“Often we struggle to make progress by falling into the same struggles time and after time. We can make small changes that will have a big result to move from being selfish (proud, foolish, and greedy) to become servant leaders (courageous, wise, and generous). Discover our role to play in the divine change God wants for our lives and the lives of those we serve.
Based on the life-transforming principles from the Scriptures as expressed in Uprising: A Revolution of the Soul by Erwin McManus and The Uprising Experience: A Personal Guide for a Revolution of the Soul by Erwin McManus, Rick Yamamoto, and Eric Bryant, the character matrix helps us move from brokenness to wholeness.
Watch this Lunch and Learn video here or below.”
The three life-changing journeys include:
1. A Quest for Nobility (A New Perspective)
•Greed – demanding more
•Gratitude – thankful for what you have and not mad about what you don’t have
•Wholeness – able to give more than you receive (51%)
•Generosity – able to give without concern for receiving, “of noble birth”
2. A Quest for Enlightenment (A New Habit)
•Foolishness – making the same bad choice repeatedly
•Faithfulness – making the right choice no matter how small it is
•Perseverance – making the right choice no matter how small it is and no matter what happens
•Wisdom – connecting cause and effect
3. A Quest for Honor: (A New Attitude)
•Pride – thinking about yourself too lowly or too highly
•Humility – committed to follow and serve
•Integrity – able to be trusted with followers
•Courage – the absence of self rather than the absence of fear
For more resources, consider the following for yourself, your small group, or your entire church or ministry:
- Uprising: A Revolution of the Soul by Erwin McManus
- Uprising Video Kit from BlueFish.tv (video & curriculum for small groups and leadership teams)
- Follow @ErwinMcManus on twitter
- Listen to messages from Erwin at Mosaic in Los Angeles.
Awesome Eric, I’ve always loved the character matrix. It’s been transformative for me, and the framework is always in the back of my mind as i’m working with others on their own journey
Apr11 The problem isn’t that Real Christian don’t care or lack the abltiiy to see the need, the real problem is they lack faith and belief to simple trust the Lord for his fellow manHebrew 11:6But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek
Gratitude has been a definite struggle for me this year as I try to navigate my family’s future. We’ve moved to Houston recently and it’s been hard to find a job as I’m looking to get into ministry. Not only do I have to find a place I can work, but my wife will have to like the church as well! Often I’ll slip into complaining about being in Houston, how it’s out of my control, or how I have it so hard. Then, I’ll wake up and remember how fortunate I am- that I can actually take a minute to try and find a good job, instead of working out of necessity. Many people in the world would kill to work at the McDonald’s down the street so that they could feed their family. McManus, in his book, brought this home, as I read, “Often times, it’s not that we don’t know what to do, it’s that we don’t do what we know.” For me, I either need to stop complaining and be patient, or go work at McDonald’s. There is always something.