Christmas is a blast when your children are two and four years old. They jump and shout even when they open puzzles. Puzzles! Puzzles are basically educational tools, but we can still trick them into thinking puzzles are actually real toys. (Don’t burst their bubble and go spoiling it for us.) Our boys even get excited when they open up new books. This is an awesome season of life.

But it wasn’t all books and puzzles over Christmas—especially when grandparents came into the picture. They gave all the favorites this past Christmas; the cd-player with microphones and read-along books, among several others. Our four-year-old received a huge remote-controlled truck from his grandparents and he loves it. Our two-year-old received a bike, which very quickly found a special place in his heart.

He had never ridden before, but he had seen his older brother cruise around the neighborhood on a bike so he understood the concept. Immediately he hopped up on the seat and tried to take off through the living room and into the kitchen.

But he struggled to even get started.

He just couldn’t get the wheels going. He knew where to sit, where to put his feet, where to put his hands, and what needed to be done, but the failure was caused by friction. The friction between the wheels and the carpet was just too great for him to overcome on his own.

So I pushed him. And he took off. Once he got a little momentum going, he was good to go. “Look, I not falling!” was heard over and over as he sped around the house on his new big boy bike. He could ride the bike just like his big brother—he just needed a little push.

I see 2015 as a year of pushing for 801South. Of course, Emily, my wife, will be doing some pushing near the end of March as we welcome the newest addition to our family. But the pushing I’m talking about will be much less dramatic.

We’ve been training and equipping and apprenticing for over a year now. Some of those who have been apprenticed are now serving (and serving well) in lead roles. Others are going to need a little push. They know where to put their hands, where to put their feet, and what to do, but overcoming the friction at the beginning is where they need a little push.

The friction of leadership is in the “feeling ready.” As we continue to reproduce leaders through apprenticing, we have to continually remind apprentices that no matter how much apprenticing you receive, you will never feel ready. Those who trust us and jump in to leading realize quickly that the friction is easily overcome. At the starting line, however, it is real and it is strong.

So we’ll be pushing people this year. Not very “Christian,” huh? Jesus was actually pushing people all the time—to realize their potential and put their gifts, skills, and talents to work. They didn’t feel ready, but yet they managed to begin a movement that continues today—over 2,000 years later.

We need to do a little pushing.

Where do you need a little push?

Where do you need to do a little pushing?