Good Friday 2009

He has destroyed what was against us, a certificate of indebtedness expressed in decrees opposed to us. He has taken it away by nailing it to the cross. Col 2:14 NET Bible

Chris and have this problem. We can't really celebrate Easter without first going through Good Friday. Seems we both need to be reminded of the sacrifice before we can celebrate the redemption--and it is in the somberness and remembrance of Good Friday that we are reminded of how we were bought with an incredible price--not of our own doing but out of Christ's love.

At service last evening, we were reminded of Christ's sacrifice, but it was the words from Colossians which really caught my attention and brought it all to reality.

We had a debt that there was no way we could pay--but Christ took it and paid it and nailed it to the cross for us. That is why a tool of torture and execution has become a symbol of hope and redemption--the cross. A place of death has become the way to life.

Happy Easter--our debt is paid and we are sons and daughters of God.

Is Anyone Else Concerned?

Every day it seems I read that the government is amassing more and more power.

The headline in the Business Section of The Washington Post for March 25th read: "The Pitch for Expanded Powers." And the tag line was: "Geithner, Bernake Seek the Authority to Seize Failing Firms Other Than Banks."

Frankly, I'm worried.

Our government should not be seizing firms. What is next?

I thought our whole business structure was built on the basis of the good succeed and the bad fail. If the government intervenes to save companies that should fail--what will that do to the entrepreneurs of the future? The great idea people like those behind Apple when it started and IBM and Xerox back when they began?

Will the bad business practices continue--with the safety net of a government bail out to save them from their own excesses and poor decision making?

How will the marketplace and industry evolve if the government is in control?

Isn't this all a violation of the Constitution somewhere?

AIG needed to fail.

GM needs to fail. So someone better and brighter can succeed it.

Big industries and corporations have been buying up and destroying competition for years to preserve their now obvious faults. And our government is condoning this behavior by buying them, seizing them and keeping them afloat. What's wrong with this picture? Since when did our government become the model way for running businesses?

I'm not sure I want to pay for all of this.

I'm not sure the world economy is in a position to finance the debt until our grandchildren can pay for it.

I'm worried that we have taken a leap into socialism--where the government controls everything and we are taxed at an unbelievably high rate to pay for it.

Nothing is free!

I'm worried about what's next?

Then when the Lamb opened the third seal I heard the third living creature saying, “Come!” So I looked, and here came a black horse! The one who rode it had a balance scale in his hand. Then I heard something like a voice from among the four living creatures saying, “A quart of wheat will cost a day’s pay and three quarts of barley will cost a day’s pay. But do not damage the olive oil and the wine!” Rev 6:5-7 NET Bible


Does this foretell of runaway inflation from a failed bailout plan? And of the incredible world-wide depression which results? I hope not.

So, is anyone else concerned? I think we need to pray harder.

Daylight Savings and Sunrises

I came out of the club this morning after an invigorating racquetball match to be greeted by darkness again. The darkness--the result of daylight savings time--reminded me how much I love the dawn and coming out of the club into the light of a new day. Just last week the sun was rising as did my spirits as I walked to my car after grueling racquetball matches.

I love starting my day with racquetball. It gets the body moving and in tune for the rest of the day. After a weekend, racquetball helps get those muscles moving again and back into tone.

In two weeks--dawn will be at 6:37 am--which is about when I walk out of the club. In a month--sunrise will be at 6:39 am--which means I will be treated to the rising sun on the horizon as I walk out the doors of the club. But, sadly, in 6 months dawn will again be back to about 6:42 am, meaning that the summer is about over and the dark season is beginning again. Wow--how quickly it all goes away.

But there sure is a lot of fun in between now and then.

And Patrick--if you click on the properties for this picture to see the title--you might get a bit of a surprise. Think about an early morning dive in this lake and tell me if you're game sometime.

So what is the advantage of daylight savings time? Most people like that it is lighter longer into the evening and we can get more chores done around the house and enjoy outdoor activities when the weather is mild. I like it because I get to enjoy more sunrises and I prefer sunrises to sunsets! I remember when Chris and I were younger and would do dumb things like driving through the night to get somewhere. Twenty-four or twenty-seven hours on the road switching off driving every couple hours. I always loved driving when the sun was coming up as the world awoke to the hope of a new day.

Mark 16:2 "And very early on the first day of the week, at sunrise, they went to the tomb." (NET Bible)

In reflecting on sunrises--I was reminded that our whole confidence in eternal life in Christ began on a Sunday morning at sunrise!

Equipping the Team for Success

I was reminded about an important aspect of leadership while in church the other day.

Good leaders equip their team members to do the work. The real problem is when the leader abrogates this important task and forgets how to interact and equip the team members.

This is biblical! Read Ephesians 4:11-12. It speaks to the leaders and what they are supposed to do for the team members--equip them.

"It was he who gave some as apostles, some as prophets, some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, that is, to build up the body of Christ," (Eph 4:11-12, NET Bible)

These verses struck me as being applicable to many areas of life--and especially teams. Churches are, after all, teams of people working together for an important outcome. The world borrows lots of ideas from the Church and then changes them a bit and calls them the product of "Renaissance thinking" or some other moniker. But we know where they really come from.

This concept works for teams. The leaders need to equip the team members to do their jobs. The leaders must not do the jobs--but be about getting the resources, and training, and developing the enthusiasm in the team to successfully accomplish the mission or task.

I've been part of teams where the leader has great ideas, and great vision; but doesn't provide the team members the skills or the desire to achieve the end state. It is sad. Because the ideas are great. But the execution fails because the leader isn't doing the job and therefore, the team can't do its job.

Churches can be like this too. With paid staffs and professional pastors, the membership may develop the idea that if they throw enough money at the problem--they will succeed. That is a sure sign that the pastors and teachers aren't doing their jobs--equipping the members to do the work. Somewhere the idea gets turned that the pastors and teachers are doing the work. And some pastors may thrive on this--being the key cog in the wheel. These pastors may even be afraid that if the team gets too good, they won't be needed. But it's not true.

Sometimes team leaders are their own worst enemies, too. They say they want the team members to move out and do the work--but when it comes right down to it they are afraid to let the team do its mission. They throw up roadblocks to success--their own success as it would be. The create a dysfunctional dependency-based relationship where the team cannot--no is not allowed, to do its work without the direct and intimate involvement of the leader. How are they going to learn?

I have seen this over and over again. Leaders cripple rather than equip their team because they are afraid the team won't need them.

I think what this verse and what I take away from all of this is--charge them up and send them out.

Equip the team for success. Give the team members the tools and enthusiasm to do their tasks and then LET THEM DO IT! Yeah, there will be mistakes, but consider these as teaching points.

The team will be stronger and will begin to meet is tasks and perform its mission and purpose.

Reason for the Season?

We've probably heard it said many many times: "Jesus is the reason for the season!"

And on the surface we think we a being pretty smug and smart about all of it as we respond to the nay-sayers who grind their own particular axes at this time of year. After all, this is our axe to grind. It is a national holiday after all. We even have a National Christmas Tree.

So to respond to people and remind them that "Jesus is the reason for the season" seems to be our own little effort at reminding people about this holiday and its reason for existence.

But you know what? I found out something recently. The statement is wrong!

Believe it or not, even though the season is named for Jesus--He is not the reason for the season. I was in shock because after all my smugness at thinking I knew all about it, there was more to understand.

So if Jesus is not the reason for the season--then who is? Or what is? Why am I so confused all of a sudden over something so seemingly obvious?

Turns out the answer is in Galatians 4:5, follow-on to my blog entry about the Christmas Story in one line from last week.

Galatians 4:5: to redeem those who were under the law, so that we may be adopted as sons with full rights. - NET Bible

The reason for the season is, US!

Christmas exists because God sent His Son to the world to redeem US and make us His sons and daughters.

That is why it is so important for us to share our joy with everyone at this time of year. We are the purpose that Christ came into our world--to redeem and save us from ourselves and the darkness. And as sons and daughters of God, our task is to share the love that came down at Christmas with everyone who does not share the joy nor see the light.

Merry Christmas--you are special!

The Christmas Story in One Line

The service in church this past Sunday was special. It was a Christmas season service and it was fabulous in terms of both music and message.

As an aside--it is refreshing not to attend a liturgical church anymore. We attend one which is trying to be relevant to the people without holding onto traditions which have outlived their purpose. I mean, the whole concept of Advent is an artificial creation, it is not a biblical season specified by God. So adapting the church season to the world to remain relevant is important. Radio stations are playing Christmas music, there is no reason to exclude Christmas music from church just because it has been decreed that the season is Advent and Christmas doesn't begin until Dec 25th. By then, for most people Christmas is over. The church needs to work to remain relevant in peoples lives. Maybe the calendar needs adjusting a bit.

But that is not the topic of this writing.

The Christmas story in one verse--that was the topic of the message this past week. The verse is Galatians 4:4.

"But when the appropriate time had come, God sent out his Son, born of a woman, born under the law," --NET Bible

And that friends is the Christmas story.

And it turns out that the whole story is contained right there. Christmas was the action of an active and caring God. It happened at the perfect time when God had decided it was time. God sent his Son--who was with God before he was sent to earth and he was born fully man and under the law he came to fulfill.

And that is the essence of Christmas.

Today is the Day--Get Started

I ran across a brand new song by one of my favorite Christian artists this weekend. The song is "Today is the Day" and it is by the usually high energy Lincoln Brewster. And this song is high energy--just the way I like it.

I've been listening to the song in the car ever since I found it because it really speaks to me. Maybe it is the culmination of a lot of things I've been through lately and a lot of baggage I'm hauling around.

The song opens with these words:

I`m casting my cares aside

I`m leaving my past behind

I`m setting my heart and mind on You

Jesus
I`m reaching my hand to Yours

Believing there`s so much more

Knowing that all You have in store for me is good

Is good

What comfort these words are to people who are saddled with the loads and shots that life sends them.

But it is the chorus which rises out of the mundane, "stuck in the rut of life" situation that we sometimes find ourselves to proclaim:

Today is the day

You have made

I will rejoice and be glad in it

Today is the day

You have made

I will rejoice and be glad in it

And I won`t worry about tomorrow

I`m trusting in what You say

Today is the day

So, today is the day and as some have written--it is the first day of the rest of your life. It is not too late to turn around and start over. Will it be easy--no. But it will be worth it.

The song closes with a modification of the chorus which goes:

And I won`t worry about tomorrow

I`m giving you my fears and sorrows

Where you lead me I will follow

I'm trusting in what you say

And if you really want to know what it means--check out Matthew 6:25-34 and remember God said we are more valuable than the birds or the flowers and He takes care of them!

Today is the Day!

A Christian in the Political Environment

Chris and I attended a small group session sponsored by our church last night where the topic of discussion focused upon Christians and politics. This entry is my personal (not the group nor the church's) view and take on what we discussed.

As you might suspect, the basis for the discussion centered upon Romans 13:1-7, where Paul reminds that God institutes governments and that we are to respect the governments God institutes by being in subjection and paying taxes.

But as Christians, what are we supposed to do? Be activists in politics or withdraw and be the best Christ followers that we can be? The Amish come to mind as an example of those who have chosen to withdraw.

If governments and leaders are instituted by God, then why bother to vote? God's got it in control! No matter whether Obama or McCain are elected, it is God's plan. (And that is more reassuring than you might think)

But wait! The expectation in the United States is that this country is "Of the People and For the People." We the People are the government. As Christians living to be subject to the government we have to accept this call and be involved--because if you read Romans again it is telling us not to resist authority and then by extension--we are resisting authority by not being involved in the government.

How can Christians be involved? The are many ways to be involved and they do not all require fanatical policital activism.

At the most basic level--be an informed voter and vote. On election day fall on your knees and ask God to guide your vote. This is the means through which God implements our Government--through us: We the People.

Live every day as a Christ follower. In that way you will affect others and potentially their votes and involvement in the government. Be a Christ follower first and foremost.

Then there is the extreme level--be actively involved in government and elections. Not everyone is called to do this, but some are. Be careful not to appear to be imposing your personal will on the system--because non-Christians are really good at identifying what Christians are against--but have a poorer grasp on what we are for. Personally, I'm a huge fan of eternal life.

We, Christians, need to do a better job helping non-Christians understand what we are for and what we believe and I will tell you it is certainly not a laundry list of "Thou shalt nots."

Be compassionate, respect others and understand that even as Christians we have different takes and views and that we are not carbon copies of each other. How boring would that be?

Being a Christian in the political environment is an important task that God gives each of us to, but we bring different talents and gifts. The only absolute about the task is that each of us as resident of the United States, are absolutely expected to be involved and as a minimum vote.

A couple more songs to consider--The Grip of Christ that won't let go!

I’ve been listening to two songs recently which are over a decade apart in age, but both speak to the same concept. That idea is that God is never too far away and that he has a firm grip on us.

The first is Sometimes by Step written by Rich Mullins in the early 1990's. One of the key lines near the end of the song is: “I may falter in my steps, but never beyond your reach.” He then goes on to write and sing: “O God you are my God and I will ever praise you.” (BTW--click on the link to listen to the song.)


The second verse contains these words:

Sometimes I think of Abraham

How one star he saw had been lit for me

He was a stranger in this land

And I am that, no less than he

And on this road to righteousness

Sometimes the climb can be so steep

I may falter in my steps

But never beyond Your reach

CHORUS:

Oh God, You are my God

And I will ever praise You

Oh God, You are my God

And I will ever praise You

I will seek You in the morning

And I will learn to walk in Your ways

And step by step You'll lead me

And I will follow You all of my days

The other song, written by the Desperation Band in about 2007 is Promises. One key line in this song goes; “All of your promises won’t let go of me.” Later the song goes “I couldn’t walk away if I tried ‘cause your love is better than life.”

Singin' all your promises wont let go of me

Singin' all your promises wont let go of me

Singin' all your promises wont let go of me

Singin' ll your promises wont let go of me

I surrendered my life to your ways

I have learned what it means to obey

Jesus my heart has been changed by you

I am walking the path you have made

I am seeking the truth every day

Jesus my heart has been changed by you

I couldn’t walk away if I tried

'Cause your love is better than life

Now the suns shining bright

And it just won’t set

'Cause your love is a light and it lights my step

My heart is amazed every day to the next

Your joy overtakes and I can’t Forget about it

What is it about these two songs that keeps me listening to them? The whole concept that God’s grip on me is sure and he won’t let me go--no matter what. They both go along with the David Crowder song: Never Let Go that I wrote about last week. I guess I am just marveling in the firm grip that God has on me and each one of us.

The deep understanding of God’s love for us--that love that sent His Son to die for us--before we even realized we needed Him. They both continue the theme of Romans 8:35-39 which reminds us that nothing can separate us from the love of Christ. No matter how hard we try!

These can be hard words to accept--and perhaps that is why there are songs written about that strong grip on each of us.

So what is the bottom line, in terms of promises? I think Romans 5:6 kinda says it all: "For while we were still helpless, at the right time, Christ died for the ungodly." (NET Bible)


What time is it? The right time. When is it? The right time. No matter when it is--and it is different for each of us, the grip of Christ on each of us is at exactly the right time.

We all falter in our steps on the path of righteousness. Get up! Look at Christ and follow Him and keep your eyes on Him. So when you falter--remember the promises of God--He dies for us at just the right time and nothing (and I mean nothing) can separate us from the love of Christ and all of His promises!

Who Are You Working For?

Well who? Consider this.

An elected representative believes they are working for the electorate. They enact legislation and develop bills to bring money and government support to their district. On the surface this seems to be good thinking. The representative wants to get reelected and by showing concern and support for the electorate it would seem that that is why the people elected them in the first place. But wait--if each elected representative is doing the same thing, then who is working for the greater good of the country and the world. It could be postulated that this is one of the problems that our government currently has--the elected representatives are thinking and working at too low a level--hence all of the "pork barrel" projects that plague our budget.

A couple weeks ago as our pastor was finishing a sermon series on Proverbs he posed this question to the congregation. He had discussed a number of important verses in Proverbs about work ethic (Prov 10:4, 6:10-11 and 21:21) and ideas about working first and playing later (Prov 24:27). It was the closing idea of the message and he only briefly addressed it--because the reference isn't from Proverbs at all, but rather Colossians. He referenced Colossians 3:23-24:

3:23 Whatever you are doing, work at it with enthusiasm, as to the Lord and not for people, 3:24 because you know that you will receive your inheritance from the Lord as the reward. Serve the Lord Christ. (NET Bible)

This is an important issue for leaders. So I'm going to dig into the concept a bit deeper.

Knowing who are we working for is important because it is in knowing who we are working for that we will be able to determine what decisions and actions we should be taking.

There are a few answers to the question "Who am I working for?" Some of the answers could be: my boss, my country, myself, the stockholders, the electorate. How leaders answer the question is critical in evaluating success and in providing a context for decision making.

As in the case of the elected representative, the belief of who we are working for influences our on-the-job decision making.

So in answer to the question: "Who are we working for?" we draw from Colossians--we are working for the Lord. That, as they say, changes everything. The whole reason we go to work, the decisions we make at work and in leading our team, even the standards we use to evaluate success are cast in a different view when we accept and understand who we are working for in reality.

This may put us at odds with our earthly bosses as we make morally correct and consistent decisions.

But the up side is--we will be consistent and understandable--by our peers, our subordinates and our earthly bosses. Making decisions consistent with God's values, while not often easy, is why God called us to be in the professions he called each of us to be in. We are there to contribute in the manner God has called us. Sometimes that means we make correct decisions which may be unpopular with those who think they are our bosses.

But then--we'll be able to cut out the pork!

You Never Let Go

I listened to a song on the plane the other day which made me stop. I listened to it many times and really had a Jesus moment right there in the middle of a 747 at 38,000 feet over the Pacific Ocean some 15 hours from home.

The song is: You Never Let Go by David Crowder Band. The lyrics were written by Mike Hogan, David Crowder, and Mike Dodson. According to GodTube.com "this song was written when the United States and world were watching the news after Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans, LA on August 29, 2005. In response to seeing those images and in prayer of thanks to God, David wrote these words because 'Ever faithful, ever true... in joy and pain, in sun and rain, [God's] the same. Oh, [He] never let[s] go.'"

I've added a You Tube clip so you can listen to the lyrics--but they really hit me square between the eyes as I was winging above the earth.

When clouds veil sun
And disaster comes
Oh, my soul
Oh, my soul
When waters rise
And hope takes flight
Oh, my soul
Oh, my soul
Oh, my soul

Ever faithful
Ever true
You I know
You never let go
You never let go
You never let go
You never let go

And I realized that even though these words were written about a natural disaster they also applied to the disasters in my life. I was comforted and humbled realizing that no matter how hard I may try to let go of Christ and to hide in something else, or blame someone else for whatever is happening, that Jesus never lets me go. His grip on me is tighter than I ever could imagine. He knows my weakness and even before I start to release my grip on Him, He is tightening His hold on me. So that I will not fall.

When I rebel--Jesus never lets go. And despite my rebellion, when I try to separate myself from Him, when I try to hide or drown in the rising waters--He never lets me go. Nothing can make Him let go of me--no matter how hard I try.

The words of Paul written to the Romans comes to mind:

8:35 Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Will trouble, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? 8:36 As it is written, “For your sake we encounter death all day long; we were considered as sheep to be slaughtered.” 8:37 No, in all these things we have complete victory through him who loved us! 8:38 For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor heavenly rulers, nor things that are present, nor things to come, nor powers, 8:39 nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in creation will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. (NET Bible)

And so, as the song ends--it remains and so does His love for me.

When clouds brought rain
And disaster came
Oh, my soul
Oh, my soul
When waters rose
And hope had flown
Oh, my soul
Oh, my soul
Oh, my soul

Oh, my soul
Overflows
Oh, what love, oh, what love
Oh, my soul
Fills hope
Perfect love that never lets go

Oh, what love, oh, what love
Oh, what love, oh, what love
In joy and pain
In sun and rain
You're the same
Oh, You never let go

So What Are You Going to do About it?

We would never get on an aircraft or a train without knowing what the destination was, would we? As a society we spend a lot of time worrying about destinations and end games and what the final outcome is supposed to be.

It is important to have a vision about the end state. What is the deliverable? Where we are going? Maybe even knowing why we are going there. How does it help the team or meet an objective?

Leading teams requires the leader to look out ahead and see the objective as well as the obstacles. Foresee the dangers that need to be overcome.

In church this Sunday, the message was based on Proverbs 22:3.

A prudent man sees danger and takes refuge, but the simple keep going and suffer for it. (NIV)

And it struck me--leaders need to be able to see into the future, recognize the danger AND take action. Three very important things.

Most of us can tell the difference between the light at the end of the tunnel and the headlamp of the oncoming train--but the critical aspect is: so what are we going to do about it?

Asking the "what are we going to do about it?" question is what separates successful from unsuccessful leaders.

The successful leader sees the danger or the obstacle AND develops mitigation strategies and plans for the impending activity. At the same time, the leader keeps the team informed of the activity—both the obstacle/danger and the mitigation strategy. This is a critical aspect of transparency—which leaders need to minimize panic and rumors.

Leaders who are "heads-down" and just worrying about the day-to-day operations may see the danger/obstacle, but like the simple person in the Proverb, don't take action until it is upon them. Then they pay the price for not thinking into the future. Usually that price is very high and could be failure or at a minimum a serious delay in achieving the desired end state.

One of the traits that separates adults from children is the ability to foresee consequences, the future ramifications of an action or an inaction. Children, like the simple, tend to be in the moment and unaware of the consequences of their actions or inaction. They are willing to let life come at them and have the love and comfort of their parents to bail them out of the scrapes and to protect them from dire consequences which occur from their inability to see into the future.

Leaders must depend upon themselves and their teams to foresee consequences and to take action.

Another aspect of leadership based upon this Proverb to consider is the idea: Is what the team doing today working towards the desired end state or what the team needs to be doing in the future?

Good leaders know where the team is supposed to be headed and what the desired end state is. If the team is spending a lot of energy and not making progress to achieving the end state, then the leadership needs to intervene and get the forward momentum moving again. The cost for spinning wheels too long is failure.

This is a lot like life--I have a dream about what I want my retirement to be like. Unless I take action to align my current and future actions to achieve that dream it will be nothing more than that. But, if I take positive action and evaluate today and tomorrow in terms of my desired end state--then my dream will become my reality!

It is hard to take control of a out of control situation--but that is the call of leadership. Leaders who are unhappy about what the team is doing are not leading. They are following or have become victims. Leaders lead. Leaders need vision. Leaders need to implement the means to achieve the vision and to overcome the dangers/obstacles on the along the way.

See the future, develop mitigation strategies, take action.

Managing a Leader's Time

Time. It seems that leaders never have enough time to get everything done that needs to get done. There is always something more to do, something new to check, some outstanding item to correct. It's kind of like the mule in the picture--a bit too much in the cart to handle. We wind up in a situation wondering who is in control--the leader or the tasks? As in the picture, if we allow ourselves to become saturated and over tasked--no one is going anywhere and that especially includes our team.

What to do?

Recognize that many our nature says we want to do it all. We want to have our hands in every aspect of what's happening and be fully engaged. Then, once we recognize that our tendency is to do it all, begin to develop an action plan to back it down a bit. Remove some of the bundles from the cart and put them in someone else's cart.

In church this past Sunday, we read a story about a famous leader, Moses, who had a similar problem. He wanted to do it all. And he was trying to do it all. He actually thought he was supposed to do it all and he was becoming ineffective at leading because he had not learned the magic of delegating.

You should read the story in Exodus 18, but I'll provide some of the important aspects. Moses' father-in-law, Jethro, came for a visit after Moses had led the people out of Egypt. In Exodus 18:13-16, Jethro observes what Moses is doing--judging the people and solving disputes. People are standing around and there is a lot of nothing getting done while Moses is diluting his ability to lead the people and be their representative before God. I love what Jethro says in verse 17: "What you are doing is not good!" Basically, Jethro pointed out that Moses was killing himself being involved in the small stuff. Sometimes it takes an outsider to slap us with the obvious.

Jethro reminds Moses what his role is to be--that of representative of the people before God, not solver of petty disputes. Moses has himself tied into a role that he need not do. Jethro advises Moses to appoint others to solve the disputes to free him up to have the relationship with God for the good of the people. And a funny thing happened, Moses listened to Jethro (even though he was his father-in-law!).

Leaders--listen to Jethro. What is the most important thing that you do and that only you can do? What are you doing that someone else is capable of doing or even more capable than you of doing? Give it to them. Use your team. Don't kill yourself by being so involved in minutiae. Focus on the big stuff and off load what you can onto others. They will appreciate being involved and if you match individual capabilities with tasks, the job will likely be done better than you were doing it.

Effectively using your team members is a ciritcal aspect of team success. Effectively using your personal resources is critical to your survival and happiness. You can't do it all and more importantly, you shouldn't do it all--so why try. Use your team. That's why leading is a team sport!