People live in rugged terrain. In-laws. Neighbors. Co-horts. Spouses. Opportunity to run the boat aground in difficulty lurks at every bend in river.
I know of nothing that distracts the heart like upset. Our minds rehearse our worst-case moments. We ping what she said and pong what I said only to ping and pong endlessly...else we start a new game.
Harmony isn't about evening any score nor getting satisfaction. Unity and peace is chosing to drop the injuries. Toss them to the wind.
I've offended as well as have been offended. I would guess the assaults would be pretty equal. Therefore, my walk with God and people could be perpetually neurotic....except for His style.
The merciful God has taught me to drop both issues. Let things go and quit getting them back out to thumb through the photos. Drop them. Think about bigger things which really matter...even toward the person whom I've hurt or who has hurt me. Think a lot about the goodness and loveliness of each. It is there to behold.
Colossians 3:12-15....I just used this passage as I performed the wedding of a young couple. He is 90 and she is five years his junior. When peace doesn't rule it is not up to both parties to get matters settled for such to arise. It is up to you to rest your restless mind, think on the good life....and begin to walk down that path.
Saturday, October 17, 2009
Friday, October 16, 2009
THE AMPUTATION OF CHRIST'S BODY
I'm constantly torn between things I have been told are true and learning Truth. Because I'm slower than most, I struggle more than most to both reach conclusions as well as voice ideas. Such is of what I write now.
The body of Christ has suffered amputation which has cost more than we can measure. Regarding government spending, media reports soaring numbers in the billions and trillions of dollars....and my mind can't figure higher than larger thousands. So it is (escalated, untrackable) great loss I believe we suffer due to a mistaken amputation in the church. The damage soars into the inability to calculate both height and depth.
I speak of women. I'm not a women's libber. I don't like the attitude for one thing. The body of Christ is not suffering due to failing to let strong-willed women participate. That's not my point. We are suffering because we won't let humble women serve.
Specifically, I believe churches are finishing in the loss column when we will not let our women pray in gatherings. We gather as brothers and sisters (we say); yet it seems to be a suit 'n tie affair. Such formality evidently discards women from this process. A shift from intimate and warm family to official organization seems to transpire.
Women are to keep silent....in that acceptable silence all know to be the Bible kind of silence...whatever that is.
Can they greet one another? Yes. Can they sing? Yes, we beg you. Can they lean over and ask if a friend has a pen she can borrow? Yes. But she can't say anything to God in prayer in front of people because she would be offensive? To whom?
Don't get me wrong. It would be a huge stretch for me if a woman went to the microphone to pray this coming Sunday. It would be my problem. But even this is not what I'm addressing. Our small group is a dynamic one. It is vigorous. One thing would wound it severely....requesting that only the men pray.
The church's power lies within its women. Women possess an inside track to the heart of God in ways men are clueless. It shows up in their tenderness as they pray. If I had to pick my druthers (one over the other), I would say the church would be more alive if the women were doing the praying and the men sat down and shut up.
That's an opinion. But since it is my blog...I felt I could get to say it. The body of Christ lives amputated because it has shut the women off from praying where men are gathered.
The body of Christ has suffered amputation which has cost more than we can measure. Regarding government spending, media reports soaring numbers in the billions and trillions of dollars....and my mind can't figure higher than larger thousands. So it is (escalated, untrackable) great loss I believe we suffer due to a mistaken amputation in the church. The damage soars into the inability to calculate both height and depth.
I speak of women. I'm not a women's libber. I don't like the attitude for one thing. The body of Christ is not suffering due to failing to let strong-willed women participate. That's not my point. We are suffering because we won't let humble women serve.
Specifically, I believe churches are finishing in the loss column when we will not let our women pray in gatherings. We gather as brothers and sisters (we say); yet it seems to be a suit 'n tie affair. Such formality evidently discards women from this process. A shift from intimate and warm family to official organization seems to transpire.
Women are to keep silent....in that acceptable silence all know to be the Bible kind of silence...whatever that is.
Can they greet one another? Yes. Can they sing? Yes, we beg you. Can they lean over and ask if a friend has a pen she can borrow? Yes. But she can't say anything to God in prayer in front of people because she would be offensive? To whom?
Don't get me wrong. It would be a huge stretch for me if a woman went to the microphone to pray this coming Sunday. It would be my problem. But even this is not what I'm addressing. Our small group is a dynamic one. It is vigorous. One thing would wound it severely....requesting that only the men pray.
The church's power lies within its women. Women possess an inside track to the heart of God in ways men are clueless. It shows up in their tenderness as they pray. If I had to pick my druthers (one over the other), I would say the church would be more alive if the women were doing the praying and the men sat down and shut up.
That's an opinion. But since it is my blog...I felt I could get to say it. The body of Christ lives amputated because it has shut the women off from praying where men are gathered.
Thursday, October 15, 2009
WHEN SELF-HELP IS AMBUSHED
Self-help books and videos are a billion dollar industry. Rightfully so.
As a kid I knew nothing of self-helps. I could have used the information. I didn't know attitude and confidence were so vital to our daily routine. They are!
A Dale Carnegie course opened a new world to me. I learned the marvel of potential and the magic of possibility thinking. I was introduced to a brand new kind of world on the very street where I lived.
While the self-help works are effective in leading many like me out of the basement of trying to get by in life, there is an eventual ambush awaiting around the corner. I believe the ambush is imperative. It will happen.
Eventually self will run into a matter where it finds itself bankrupt of ability to handle the moment. If we do not find the next stage of assistance we will live in depression topped with guilt for we will have failed....ourselves.
What is the next step? The Spirit of Christ....I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me...Phil. 4:13. And such confidence we have through Christ toward God. Not that we are adequate in ourselves to consider anything coming from ourselves, but our adequacy is from God....II Cor. 3:4-5.
Self indeed may be helped, but eventually self has got to have someone else bear the load for we will hit a wall....a very big wall. At that point, if the Spirit of Christ is not with us, we will find this self we have been grooming to be ambushed. We will be taken captive by our own failure unless we wisely place self in the center of the one who broke the bonds of death.
Death? There will be no self-help when it comes to raising from the dead. All will do well to live in the confidence of Christ from this day forth. This is the only way we can avoid the ambush.
As a kid I knew nothing of self-helps. I could have used the information. I didn't know attitude and confidence were so vital to our daily routine. They are!
A Dale Carnegie course opened a new world to me. I learned the marvel of potential and the magic of possibility thinking. I was introduced to a brand new kind of world on the very street where I lived.
While the self-help works are effective in leading many like me out of the basement of trying to get by in life, there is an eventual ambush awaiting around the corner. I believe the ambush is imperative. It will happen.
Eventually self will run into a matter where it finds itself bankrupt of ability to handle the moment. If we do not find the next stage of assistance we will live in depression topped with guilt for we will have failed....ourselves.
What is the next step? The Spirit of Christ....I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me...Phil. 4:13. And such confidence we have through Christ toward God. Not that we are adequate in ourselves to consider anything coming from ourselves, but our adequacy is from God....II Cor. 3:4-5.
Self indeed may be helped, but eventually self has got to have someone else bear the load for we will hit a wall....a very big wall. At that point, if the Spirit of Christ is not with us, we will find this self we have been grooming to be ambushed. We will be taken captive by our own failure unless we wisely place self in the center of the one who broke the bonds of death.
Death? There will be no self-help when it comes to raising from the dead. All will do well to live in the confidence of Christ from this day forth. This is the only way we can avoid the ambush.
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
DISTRACTED OR WHAT?
Some days don't line out right. It started years ago when I was a kid. In fifth grade I was a little sleepy I guess as I brushed my teeth with Minit Rub. I can still see my eyes leave my head and bounce off of the mirror only to slam back into my skull as if they were connected by rubber bands. But really, I had fresh breath much longer than normal.
Then there was the time when in grade school that I pulled the ice tray from the freezer compartment. It had that smoke-like steam rising so I told my brother to put his tongue on it to see what might happen. Well.....I might ought to tell you a lot happened!
Years ago we got a new-fangled copier in the church office. I was standing beside it for the longest time when the secretary finally inquired as to what it was I was doing. I was doing what the copier said....standing-by. And....I was serious.
You can see how it is I would put the snow chains on the rear end of a front-wheel drive car.
I guess one of my stranger moments was just last week when I was in the break room. I set the micro-wave on 30 seconds and pushed "start" while I held in my hand the coffee to be warmed. It doesn't work that way.
Distracted...or what? Ah, it's just good to find reason to laugh at ourselves on occasion.
Then there was the time when in grade school that I pulled the ice tray from the freezer compartment. It had that smoke-like steam rising so I told my brother to put his tongue on it to see what might happen. Well.....I might ought to tell you a lot happened!
Years ago we got a new-fangled copier in the church office. I was standing beside it for the longest time when the secretary finally inquired as to what it was I was doing. I was doing what the copier said....standing-by. And....I was serious.
You can see how it is I would put the snow chains on the rear end of a front-wheel drive car.
I guess one of my stranger moments was just last week when I was in the break room. I set the micro-wave on 30 seconds and pushed "start" while I held in my hand the coffee to be warmed. It doesn't work that way.
Distracted...or what? Ah, it's just good to find reason to laugh at ourselves on occasion.
CONGRATULATIONS ARE IN ORDER
One of Tulsa's more famous preachers is Victory Christian's Billy Joe Daugherty. We have been friends for nearly twenty years. Our exchanges of notes far outweigh a few moments of getting to share a breakfast here and there.
I shot an email of congratulations to my friend this morning. He should hear from me.
A winner of a Peace Prize? A promotion? A nation reached? Funds raised? None of those.
Billy Joe is found to have cancer.
What an incredible opportunity for the very work this man does. His entire life is given to shine the light that God might be glorified. If I know Billy Joe, and I do, this cancer will not serve as a bulb burnt out but yet another light added to bring clearer focus to God.
Everything is a "Yes" and cancer is one of them. I know. It looks/sounds so strange. But God uses every crumb of life to advantage the believer. Billy Joe just became even more advantaged....and such is worthy of our congratulations.
Believers? What for? Because we think God runs the show....and every issue can be transformed into opportunity for even more glory! My friend....he is a believer!
I shot an email of congratulations to my friend this morning. He should hear from me.
A winner of a Peace Prize? A promotion? A nation reached? Funds raised? None of those.
Billy Joe is found to have cancer.
What an incredible opportunity for the very work this man does. His entire life is given to shine the light that God might be glorified. If I know Billy Joe, and I do, this cancer will not serve as a bulb burnt out but yet another light added to bring clearer focus to God.
Everything is a "Yes" and cancer is one of them. I know. It looks/sounds so strange. But God uses every crumb of life to advantage the believer. Billy Joe just became even more advantaged....and such is worthy of our congratulations.
Believers? What for? Because we think God runs the show....and every issue can be transformed into opportunity for even more glory! My friend....he is a believer!
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
SORTING
So much information comes at us. Opportunities bombard us. Possibilities entice us. How do we decipher the whirling choices which bid for our most prized attention?
We have to be determined to think. We have to deliberately use our minds; renew our minds that we may prove the will of God for us personally.
Man is stuck with a mind whose wheels no longer turn. We are too easily swayed by rote, routine, and rigorous bias. Ads have ruined us. Rather than thinking creatively, as well as openly, we have slipped into the comfortable trend of non-thinking, non-study. We just go with the proverbial flow.
But....not you! You want to sort. Dive into the options and decide for yourself just what you believe. That would the the will of God....Romans 12:2. I'm impressed with a level of learners among us--mixed in age--who seek Truth over popular opinion. Religious people have to be among the worst of being dishonest regarding research. We tend to bend the stats to fit our preconceived idealism.
Good for you....students of the Word of God. No one has come close to cornering the market on understanding God. The more we let the Bible look into us, the more it reveals we have weakness to improve and wobbliness to stabilize. Fear not. God can lead us to the fresh waters of Truth. Sort through the distractions. Conclude the simplicity of faith.
We have to be determined to think. We have to deliberately use our minds; renew our minds that we may prove the will of God for us personally.
Man is stuck with a mind whose wheels no longer turn. We are too easily swayed by rote, routine, and rigorous bias. Ads have ruined us. Rather than thinking creatively, as well as openly, we have slipped into the comfortable trend of non-thinking, non-study. We just go with the proverbial flow.
But....not you! You want to sort. Dive into the options and decide for yourself just what you believe. That would the the will of God....Romans 12:2. I'm impressed with a level of learners among us--mixed in age--who seek Truth over popular opinion. Religious people have to be among the worst of being dishonest regarding research. We tend to bend the stats to fit our preconceived idealism.
Good for you....students of the Word of God. No one has come close to cornering the market on understanding God. The more we let the Bible look into us, the more it reveals we have weakness to improve and wobbliness to stabilize. Fear not. God can lead us to the fresh waters of Truth. Sort through the distractions. Conclude the simplicity of faith.
HOW SPEAKERS CONNECT
We are in the speaking business. Whether the pulpit guy or classroom teacher or making announcements, etc. we are in the speaking business. Speaking is the creative trait of You Know Who.....God. Therefore, speaking is serious business.
How is it the Holy Spirit links a speaker's words to a listener's ears? Why is there such ideal understanding shared by some? The speaker gets it and the hearer gets it. I don't know nearly all I would like on this topic....but it is important we keep improving regardless of age or style.
Let me give you two really great recommendations for books that have a lot of good to say on this topic:
How is it the Holy Spirit links a speaker's words to a listener's ears? Why is there such ideal understanding shared by some? The speaker gets it and the hearer gets it. I don't know nearly all I would like on this topic....but it is important we keep improving regardless of age or style.
Let me give you two really great recommendations for books that have a lot of good to say on this topic:
- Communicating for a Change by Andy Stanley and Lane Jones
- Made to Stick by Chip and Dan Heath
Neither of these books are new on the market. I've recommended them before. Yet, new readers come on board and.....sometimes we miss a recommendation here and there.
Speak well. Speak effectively.
Monday, October 12, 2009
A DAUNTING TASK OF FAITH
Everyone likes faith. Right? Wrong.
Faith may hit everyone as that sweetness of acceptance like that of a newborn. But such just isn't the case. The church struggles with faith. Why? Because it requires risk. Jesus said the work we are to do for God is to believe...John 6:29. But isn't faith a step? No. Faith is a daring walk and many would rather talk the talk.
Recall the Israelites thrill over their release from Egyptian bondage? There was no thrill. There was no gratitude for God's miracle. They were peeved. They were mad at the whole silly mess. They wept in sore bitterness just wishing they could go back into slavery. Because why? It was easier.
It was easier.
Do you get that church? The daunting task of faith is to dare tread where so many don't and won't. It is easier to remain in church bondage---no change, no study, no effort, just opinion debating opinion---but at least it is easier.
When the church hits a crossroads it will often be a conflict over faith versus easy-street. One of the things that drives me is the rough terrain. I don't love it but I do see the grace and mercy of God in it. If everything was perfect with little trouble I would either be out of a job or living in the cemetery.
Faith may hit everyone as that sweetness of acceptance like that of a newborn. But such just isn't the case. The church struggles with faith. Why? Because it requires risk. Jesus said the work we are to do for God is to believe...John 6:29. But isn't faith a step? No. Faith is a daring walk and many would rather talk the talk.
Recall the Israelites thrill over their release from Egyptian bondage? There was no thrill. There was no gratitude for God's miracle. They were peeved. They were mad at the whole silly mess. They wept in sore bitterness just wishing they could go back into slavery. Because why? It was easier.
It was easier.
Do you get that church? The daunting task of faith is to dare tread where so many don't and won't. It is easier to remain in church bondage---no change, no study, no effort, just opinion debating opinion---but at least it is easier.
When the church hits a crossroads it will often be a conflict over faith versus easy-street. One of the things that drives me is the rough terrain. I don't love it but I do see the grace and mercy of God in it. If everything was perfect with little trouble I would either be out of a job or living in the cemetery.
Sunday, October 11, 2009
WHY IS THE KINGDOM SO DIFFICULT?
Nothing is as exciting as the kingdom of God. Nothing. One of the things I like about it is it will not let us rust into place. The nature of the kingdom is fluid; always moving about in surprises of great mystery.
Brains want proof. God won't give it. Creation? Parting of the Red Sea? And the Jordan River? God will not show His hand as to how He did any of these. Brains can't figure it so they conclude it all a hoax.
But God is God because He had the ability to create brains...and then baffle them! Read I Corinthians 1:20-31. Note those called and the "not many called". Brains...can't figure God so they work to dismiss Him.
Jesus spoke in parables in order to clearly be misunderstood unless one proved to be simple-minded. Brains can't measure Him; can't possibly chart Him. God is ridiculous to the syllogistic equationists. He won't fit into either because He is much smarter.
The kingdom isn't difficult.....unless one operates from brain-strategy. This is why elders are not a board of directors. They are believers in the unexplainable. This is why pastors aren't CEOs of the church. They are believers in the far-fetched mysteries of the Invisible and Living God!
Why is the kingdom of God so difficult? It isn't.....unless you are using man's intellect to track the mind of God. And then? Good luck on that one. It will be difficult then.
Brains want proof. God won't give it. Creation? Parting of the Red Sea? And the Jordan River? God will not show His hand as to how He did any of these. Brains can't figure it so they conclude it all a hoax.
But God is God because He had the ability to create brains...and then baffle them! Read I Corinthians 1:20-31. Note those called and the "not many called". Brains...can't figure God so they work to dismiss Him.
Jesus spoke in parables in order to clearly be misunderstood unless one proved to be simple-minded. Brains can't measure Him; can't possibly chart Him. God is ridiculous to the syllogistic equationists. He won't fit into either because He is much smarter.
The kingdom isn't difficult.....unless one operates from brain-strategy. This is why elders are not a board of directors. They are believers in the unexplainable. This is why pastors aren't CEOs of the church. They are believers in the far-fetched mysteries of the Invisible and Living God!
Why is the kingdom of God so difficult? It isn't.....unless you are using man's intellect to track the mind of God. And then? Good luck on that one. It will be difficult then.
Saturday, October 10, 2009
LAST OUT IN THE 9TH INNNING...IT'S OVER
My Cardinals lost tonight in the National League Division Series to the Dodgers. We lost three straight. We were never a threat. We went down without as much as a whimper. It is a game and my team...including some of my friends....lost.
What I like about the kingdom of God is that even when the last out is made...it isn't over. The opposing team just thinks it is. Remember Lazarus? God was late. He let the last out take place and even let the opponents have a period of extra celebration. Lazarus was good and dead!
But then there was God. He showed up....in Jesus form of course. He had something to say about the rules of the game, the game itself, and the assumed results of the game. He reversed the decision and declared dead Lazarus not dead after all. He was found living.
What a story! What a God! What a resurrection power we have. When you think the story is told--is complete--and the bad news has won, maybe you should read Romans 4:17-25 once again. We know the God who knows how to overwhelmingly conquer.
With God, even when the game is over and done with....it isn't over. For my Cardinals, the year is done. For our participation in the greatest system on earth (the kingdom) we never do anything but win.....even if the umpires declare it a loss! Good for us!
What I like about the kingdom of God is that even when the last out is made...it isn't over. The opposing team just thinks it is. Remember Lazarus? God was late. He let the last out take place and even let the opponents have a period of extra celebration. Lazarus was good and dead!
But then there was God. He showed up....in Jesus form of course. He had something to say about the rules of the game, the game itself, and the assumed results of the game. He reversed the decision and declared dead Lazarus not dead after all. He was found living.
What a story! What a God! What a resurrection power we have. When you think the story is told--is complete--and the bad news has won, maybe you should read Romans 4:17-25 once again. We know the God who knows how to overwhelmingly conquer.
With God, even when the game is over and done with....it isn't over. For my Cardinals, the year is done. For our participation in the greatest system on earth (the kingdom) we never do anything but win.....even if the umpires declare it a loss! Good for us!
THE UNREST OF HUMANITY
We live in very spiritual times. One can tell it by the intensity of unrest plaguing nearly....everyone. Whether a church leader or a church denier, arrows of stress and struggle continue to arc both camps. We need help.
These spiritual times call for some (many if He can get us) to open our spiritual eyes. We must pray for wisdom and then watch for it to fall from heaven...James 1:5 and 3:13-18.
We churches must awaken to the truth that the thousands are not leaving us because they are worldly. It is because we are. We have slipped into insipidism but called it spirituality. We have loaded our people with reason to suspect all who don't believe precisely as we, but have failed to groom them to want to draw together in the harmony for which Jesus prayed.
In spiritual dire we must find our way back to each other. The devil is picking us off one at a time---not because the world isn't being reached but--because when we reach the world we are not keeping these good people because they didn't find anything new when they were with us.
The body of Christ is a garment that blankets the earth. Satan prowls to find just one thread here and there to unravel the many who have been knitted together in the sweetness of Jesus. We must continually awaken to our own doctrinal wackiness, our appetite for lukewarmness, and our vain excuses to reject our religious neighbors.
Humanity may be in unrest; but Jesus is the hope of the world. We must not only go out with his message but we must make sure our faces look like and our voices sound like there really is something new about us when just one soul is brought in.
May we be determined to offer gigantic and thrilling peace to a corporate world which hungers for it from someone somewhere. Let is be us!
These spiritual times call for some (many if He can get us) to open our spiritual eyes. We must pray for wisdom and then watch for it to fall from heaven...James 1:5 and 3:13-18.
We churches must awaken to the truth that the thousands are not leaving us because they are worldly. It is because we are. We have slipped into insipidism but called it spirituality. We have loaded our people with reason to suspect all who don't believe precisely as we, but have failed to groom them to want to draw together in the harmony for which Jesus prayed.
In spiritual dire we must find our way back to each other. The devil is picking us off one at a time---not because the world isn't being reached but--because when we reach the world we are not keeping these good people because they didn't find anything new when they were with us.
The body of Christ is a garment that blankets the earth. Satan prowls to find just one thread here and there to unravel the many who have been knitted together in the sweetness of Jesus. We must continually awaken to our own doctrinal wackiness, our appetite for lukewarmness, and our vain excuses to reject our religious neighbors.
Humanity may be in unrest; but Jesus is the hope of the world. We must not only go out with his message but we must make sure our faces look like and our voices sound like there really is something new about us when just one soul is brought in.
May we be determined to offer gigantic and thrilling peace to a corporate world which hungers for it from someone somewhere. Let is be us!
Friday, October 09, 2009
WHAT MAKES A GOOD PREACHER....PART II
Am I a good preacher? With what I'm about to share, the answer is Yes.
Oh, I know how that sounds but hear me out. I am a good preacher and for good reason; God makes the weak powerful. On the front of my Bible stamped in gold is the phrase Power is perfected in weakness. That passage in II Cor. 9 lifted me to the level of acceptability. Weakness is my pass at the preacher-door. Weakness lets me in to this ideal fraternity of men I otherwise would never get to know.
What makes a good preacher? Weakness; fumbling, dorky, nerdy, stammering, and even failing weakness makes us good preachers. Who else but God would turn what works so upside-down that one as myself (and hundreds of other nobodies) could get to function in one of the greatest roles on earth.
What I had to learn was to accept His offer; bring my weakness to the table. I bring my weakness to work with me. Every one of my elders knows a secret about me that isn't a secret to anyone; I am about as weak as it comes. Yes, I mature some. I get better at some matters. But when the day is done it is one thing that makes me pop as a minister...only my weakness.
Weakness is the battery-pack, the electrical outlet, the dynamo of a preacher. Power God says is perfected in one and only one thing....it is perfected in weakness.
Why would I ever want to give up? Too weak. Why would I ever be tempted to walk away? Weakness. But God shoots my excuse to smithereens by saying, Yes my friend, you are all of what you think you are. You are a lousy mess....and lousy messes are who I use. Look at mousy Moses, delinquent David, and pouty Peter. You think I don't know class? Friend, you are first-class lousy....and you will make ME look so good because you---young man---must have help....Mine.
Be encouraged. The very thing we believe curses us---weakness---is the only pass that gets us through the preaching gate. Don't forget it.
(A note to self. This is really a good post. Way to go me!)
Oh, I know how that sounds but hear me out. I am a good preacher and for good reason; God makes the weak powerful. On the front of my Bible stamped in gold is the phrase Power is perfected in weakness. That passage in II Cor. 9 lifted me to the level of acceptability. Weakness is my pass at the preacher-door. Weakness lets me in to this ideal fraternity of men I otherwise would never get to know.
What makes a good preacher? Weakness; fumbling, dorky, nerdy, stammering, and even failing weakness makes us good preachers. Who else but God would turn what works so upside-down that one as myself (and hundreds of other nobodies) could get to function in one of the greatest roles on earth.
What I had to learn was to accept His offer; bring my weakness to the table. I bring my weakness to work with me. Every one of my elders knows a secret about me that isn't a secret to anyone; I am about as weak as it comes. Yes, I mature some. I get better at some matters. But when the day is done it is one thing that makes me pop as a minister...only my weakness.
Weakness is the battery-pack, the electrical outlet, the dynamo of a preacher. Power God says is perfected in one and only one thing....it is perfected in weakness.
Why would I ever want to give up? Too weak. Why would I ever be tempted to walk away? Weakness. But God shoots my excuse to smithereens by saying, Yes my friend, you are all of what you think you are. You are a lousy mess....and lousy messes are who I use. Look at mousy Moses, delinquent David, and pouty Peter. You think I don't know class? Friend, you are first-class lousy....and you will make ME look so good because you---young man---must have help....Mine.
Be encouraged. The very thing we believe curses us---weakness---is the only pass that gets us through the preaching gate. Don't forget it.
(A note to self. This is really a good post. Way to go me!)
Thursday, October 08, 2009
WHAT MAKES A GOOD PREACHER?
Ah. Who's been waiting for this....other than elders?
I'm not a good judge on this one, but it is worth addressing. I try to evaluate myself. Tenure isn't the mark. Delivery skill isn't. Bible knowledge? Social prowess? None of these are the big markers.
I would look at Rick Atchley, Mike Cope, Randy Harris-type men. These, and many others, possess a Spirit about them that are not from earth. This Spirit fills them with a love for God, a compassion for all, and a courage which causes them to be dependent upon no one.
What makes a good preacher? I don't think it's his skill. I think it's his gift. God pours himself into our men if our men will allow. A good preacher doesn't feel compelled to be slick in delivery nor lean toward the need to entertain. He is sure about one major item....Jesus of Nazareth.
But who can stand the test of the famous ones listed above? We can. They are where they are because of their deeply embedded humility as much as anything. Therefore, I salute the Larry Wishards and the Jackie Chestnutts and the Bob Herndons and the Gayle Thorntons of our era. Men like these may not do the keynotes at our university lectureships, but they've inspired the brotherhood for several generations without complaint....well with little complaint, anyway.
What makes a good preacher? I imagine God. Period
I'm not a good judge on this one, but it is worth addressing. I try to evaluate myself. Tenure isn't the mark. Delivery skill isn't. Bible knowledge? Social prowess? None of these are the big markers.
I would look at Rick Atchley, Mike Cope, Randy Harris-type men. These, and many others, possess a Spirit about them that are not from earth. This Spirit fills them with a love for God, a compassion for all, and a courage which causes them to be dependent upon no one.
What makes a good preacher? I don't think it's his skill. I think it's his gift. God pours himself into our men if our men will allow. A good preacher doesn't feel compelled to be slick in delivery nor lean toward the need to entertain. He is sure about one major item....Jesus of Nazareth.
But who can stand the test of the famous ones listed above? We can. They are where they are because of their deeply embedded humility as much as anything. Therefore, I salute the Larry Wishards and the Jackie Chestnutts and the Bob Herndons and the Gayle Thorntons of our era. Men like these may not do the keynotes at our university lectureships, but they've inspired the brotherhood for several generations without complaint....well with little complaint, anyway.
What makes a good preacher? I imagine God. Period
WHAT MAKES A GOOD ELDER.....PART II
Why this topic? Phone calls and emails and personal conversations are laced with "what to do back home". Churches are struggling. So are the communities. Why is there not a strong match?
I believe the hope of the individual congregation rides on the faith and courage of the elders. Resist that if you will, but the elders do oversee the flock. The preacher can go nowhere and lead very little if the elders do not endorse, promote, envision, and support. The preacher can ruin what the elders try to accomplish, but he cannot take the church any direction the elders will not lead. The elders get the last word and they should. Thus, the importance of Spirit-fed, Spirit-led men as they are to get their orders from the Commander.
Faithfulness to a brotherhood college or paper will kill a church. Playing it safe was never the style of the Chief Shepherd. Losing his life in conflict was. Elders who live to see that the church lives in peace have developed a philosophy contrary to scriptures. Such peace and tranquility are found sprinkled above America's ground. They could be known as Cemetery Churches.
Trouble-makers you accuse? Hardly. The simple and sweet nature of Jesus will rub the tradition-hearted members to a frantic frenzy. II Peter 4:12.....life in the church is not an easy, Sunday-school, flannel-graph movement.
The church needs good elders. Of course it needs good preachers, good families, as well as good vision, etc. But it must be regarded the elders of any flock set the tone and the personality of their congregations......whether they want to or not. The whole church looks to them for leadership. The question is, Is it getting it?
Therefore, the church is calling for brave men who will dare buck the tide of us. We need men who can see beyond the safety-net of the weekly contribution and the attendance figures. We need men of faith who believe God can create something from nothing and can give life to the dead....Romans 4:17.
While we are fully aware elders are mere men, they are specially-assigned-forces mere men. They must protect the flock from the Trojan wolves of safety-first and everybody-get-along-second. Jesus was the Chief Shepherd for he dared defy the logic of those who knew all about the Word but were clueless about the needy, hungry hearts.
What makes a good elder? The possession of the brave heart burdened to see that all people receive opportunity to hear the good news. This doesn't happen by having Elders' Meetings. It happens because good leaders are intentional to resist the multiple voices of the flock in order to hear the courageous guidance of the Chief.
I believe the hope of the individual congregation rides on the faith and courage of the elders. Resist that if you will, but the elders do oversee the flock. The preacher can go nowhere and lead very little if the elders do not endorse, promote, envision, and support. The preacher can ruin what the elders try to accomplish, but he cannot take the church any direction the elders will not lead. The elders get the last word and they should. Thus, the importance of Spirit-fed, Spirit-led men as they are to get their orders from the Commander.
Faithfulness to a brotherhood college or paper will kill a church. Playing it safe was never the style of the Chief Shepherd. Losing his life in conflict was. Elders who live to see that the church lives in peace have developed a philosophy contrary to scriptures. Such peace and tranquility are found sprinkled above America's ground. They could be known as Cemetery Churches.
Trouble-makers you accuse? Hardly. The simple and sweet nature of Jesus will rub the tradition-hearted members to a frantic frenzy. II Peter 4:12.....life in the church is not an easy, Sunday-school, flannel-graph movement.
The church needs good elders. Of course it needs good preachers, good families, as well as good vision, etc. But it must be regarded the elders of any flock set the tone and the personality of their congregations......whether they want to or not. The whole church looks to them for leadership. The question is, Is it getting it?
Therefore, the church is calling for brave men who will dare buck the tide of us. We need men who can see beyond the safety-net of the weekly contribution and the attendance figures. We need men of faith who believe God can create something from nothing and can give life to the dead....Romans 4:17.
While we are fully aware elders are mere men, they are specially-assigned-forces mere men. They must protect the flock from the Trojan wolves of safety-first and everybody-get-along-second. Jesus was the Chief Shepherd for he dared defy the logic of those who knew all about the Word but were clueless about the needy, hungry hearts.
What makes a good elder? The possession of the brave heart burdened to see that all people receive opportunity to hear the good news. This doesn't happen by having Elders' Meetings. It happens because good leaders are intentional to resist the multiple voices of the flock in order to hear the courageous guidance of the Chief.
Wednesday, October 07, 2009
WHAT MAKES A GOOD ELDER
I have worked with elders for a long time; not just Memorial's but several others in the process of mutual kingdom activity. Elders are people. They are not perfect mini-Jesuses. They do have weighty responsibilities. Some have served as shepherds out of ego while some seem to have served out of guilt. Others find it their honest-to-God calling....and they are very good at fulfilling such a role. These need our applause.
The called ones are those I now address. What makes a good one. While multiple responses would be appropriate, I address only one. Fearlessness is such a blessing to any flock. Courage to follow God regardless of opinionated pressure is the mark of a true, faithful, and kind presbyter.
When an man oversees the congregation and is afraid of none of the members, you have a good elder. However, if he fears another elder, or the preacher, or the big donor, or his own wife, he's ruined. He may stay in the position, but his decisions will be warped. Imbalance, as well as dwarfed fruit, will follow.
My guys are people. One thing that I've long admired is every decision is based on what they think God thinks. This is such good news to the staff as well as the congregation. These men have other important big-career-job responsibilities. Yet, they make tough decisions regardless of the attack and misunderstanding such may create.
Elders are people. Sure, they are likely to misread God at times. What human doesn't? Thus, a congregation may take two steps forward and one step back. But the idea of a church leader operating from pressure of any of the flock is catastrophic to the body health. Too many elders hold their position while trying to lead from the fetal position of fear; somebody might leave, someone might hold back their check. Good elders care more for the over-all flock than pacifying the one or two critics.
What makes a good elder? I think that anytime a congregation finds men who are brave enough to stand alone on their decisions regardless of support, we have diamonds in the rough. A lot of elders set themselves up for criticism because they are able to be faithful to God and keep their mouths shut from unnecessary (even protective of another) information.
May they be highly exalted! May they be pleased to serve the upside-down, inside-out concepts of God when so many times such opportunities just don't make sense.
The called ones are those I now address. What makes a good one. While multiple responses would be appropriate, I address only one. Fearlessness is such a blessing to any flock. Courage to follow God regardless of opinionated pressure is the mark of a true, faithful, and kind presbyter.
When an man oversees the congregation and is afraid of none of the members, you have a good elder. However, if he fears another elder, or the preacher, or the big donor, or his own wife, he's ruined. He may stay in the position, but his decisions will be warped. Imbalance, as well as dwarfed fruit, will follow.
My guys are people. One thing that I've long admired is every decision is based on what they think God thinks. This is such good news to the staff as well as the congregation. These men have other important big-career-job responsibilities. Yet, they make tough decisions regardless of the attack and misunderstanding such may create.
Elders are people. Sure, they are likely to misread God at times. What human doesn't? Thus, a congregation may take two steps forward and one step back. But the idea of a church leader operating from pressure of any of the flock is catastrophic to the body health. Too many elders hold their position while trying to lead from the fetal position of fear; somebody might leave, someone might hold back their check. Good elders care more for the over-all flock than pacifying the one or two critics.
What makes a good elder? I think that anytime a congregation finds men who are brave enough to stand alone on their decisions regardless of support, we have diamonds in the rough. A lot of elders set themselves up for criticism because they are able to be faithful to God and keep their mouths shut from unnecessary (even protective of another) information.
May they be highly exalted! May they be pleased to serve the upside-down, inside-out concepts of God when so many times such opportunities just don't make sense.
Tuesday, October 06, 2009
WHEN YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT TO DO
Kingdom life is always in full bloom. It is alive. It is fantastic. It is full of unphysical terrain that the eye cannot envision and the foot cannot maneuver. Sometimes life in the kingdom is so rich we don't know how to read it; we don't know what to do.
I'm in that mode at present. I'm uncertain about some of our directions. What do we do when we don't know what to do? Great question, Terry!
What we do is believe. We believe God knows both what and how. He knows what is needed and how to get it done. This would be called assurance.
What we do is believe. We believe everything is perfectly all right before we ever arrive at the understanding we think we need. We can be sure everything is okay. This gives us room to enjoy any process rather than fret. Everything is handled....everything.
What we do is believe. We believe His ways are higher than ours; His understanding is richer than ours. Therefore we relax on a dime. We are free to discuss, debate, and deliberate. Simultaneously, we are free from worry. Anxiety has no place in our faith walk. Security does.
What we do is believe that if God can send a complete son through virgin channels and later raise that same dead son from a stone grave....He must be able to handle our lesser challenges.
I would say that when we don't know what to do we can be sure He does...and nothing about Him has atrophied.
I'm in that mode at present. I'm uncertain about some of our directions. What do we do when we don't know what to do? Great question, Terry!
What we do is believe. We believe God knows both what and how. He knows what is needed and how to get it done. This would be called assurance.
What we do is believe. We believe everything is perfectly all right before we ever arrive at the understanding we think we need. We can be sure everything is okay. This gives us room to enjoy any process rather than fret. Everything is handled....everything.
What we do is believe. We believe His ways are higher than ours; His understanding is richer than ours. Therefore we relax on a dime. We are free to discuss, debate, and deliberate. Simultaneously, we are free from worry. Anxiety has no place in our faith walk. Security does.
What we do is believe that if God can send a complete son through virgin channels and later raise that same dead son from a stone grave....He must be able to handle our lesser challenges.
I would say that when we don't know what to do we can be sure He does...and nothing about Him has atrophied.
"I CELEBRATE YOU"
The following information passed my screen today. It is another one of those reminder-moments that not all is well in this world of ours. Teachers of little ones in Sunday School classes will want to remember that many sad faces which pass through their classrooms have often encountered the unspeakable just that week.
By Michael Y. Park
(People.com) -- There's nothing funny about Tyler Perry's latest work: a revealing account of the horrific abuse he suffered as a child.
Tyler Perry is the executive producer of the well-received new film "Precious."
"I always thought I would die before I grew up," the comedian writes in an uncharacteristically somber letter to fans on his Web site.
After watching a screening of the lauded movie "Precious," about a 16-year-old girl who is physically and emotionally abused, the New Orleans native, 40, best known for his comic Madea character, reveals a flood of memories came back, and that "a large part of my childhood had just played out before my eyes."
Beginning with his mother's failed attempt to leave his abusive father, Perry recounts a horrific list of beatings and hardships he suffered.
"My father came home, mad at the world," he writes. "He was drunk, as he was most of the time. He got the vacuum cleaner extension cord and trapped me in a room and beat me until the skin was coming off my back."
Perry goes on to relate accounts of being seduced by a friend's mother at age 10, to being molested by another friend's father, to finding out that his own father was molesting a friend. And he tells of how his grandmother made a bizarre attempt to rid him of his allergies.
"She said she was going to kill these germs on me once and for all," he says. "She gave me a bath in ammonia."
But seeing "Precious," he said, helped him realize once again that he had survived it all.
"It hit me so hard, I sat there in tears realizing that somehow, by the grace of God, I made it through," writes Perry, who signed on as an executive producer on the film, which was also produced by Oprah Winfrey. "My tears were tears of joy, being thankful that I made it."
And the most important lesson of all? Learning to forgive, he says.
"I know that there are a lot of people out there with stories far worse than mine but you, too, can make it. To those of you who have, welcome to life. I celebrate you," he said. "We're all PRECIOUS in His sight."
We will do well to remember such pain as such need is called upon for each of us to say to our students, "We celebrate you!"
By Michael Y. Park
(People.com) -- There's nothing funny about Tyler Perry's latest work: a revealing account of the horrific abuse he suffered as a child.
Tyler Perry is the executive producer of the well-received new film "Precious."
"I always thought I would die before I grew up," the comedian writes in an uncharacteristically somber letter to fans on his Web site.
After watching a screening of the lauded movie "Precious," about a 16-year-old girl who is physically and emotionally abused, the New Orleans native, 40, best known for his comic Madea character, reveals a flood of memories came back, and that "a large part of my childhood had just played out before my eyes."
Beginning with his mother's failed attempt to leave his abusive father, Perry recounts a horrific list of beatings and hardships he suffered.
"My father came home, mad at the world," he writes. "He was drunk, as he was most of the time. He got the vacuum cleaner extension cord and trapped me in a room and beat me until the skin was coming off my back."
Perry goes on to relate accounts of being seduced by a friend's mother at age 10, to being molested by another friend's father, to finding out that his own father was molesting a friend. And he tells of how his grandmother made a bizarre attempt to rid him of his allergies.
"She said she was going to kill these germs on me once and for all," he says. "She gave me a bath in ammonia."
But seeing "Precious," he said, helped him realize once again that he had survived it all.
"It hit me so hard, I sat there in tears realizing that somehow, by the grace of God, I made it through," writes Perry, who signed on as an executive producer on the film, which was also produced by Oprah Winfrey. "My tears were tears of joy, being thankful that I made it."
And the most important lesson of all? Learning to forgive, he says.
"I know that there are a lot of people out there with stories far worse than mine but you, too, can make it. To those of you who have, welcome to life. I celebrate you," he said. "We're all PRECIOUS in His sight."
SO WHAT EXCITES ME?
Many, very many, things light my fire! I live wowed....every day! Today I address one wow.
I love the "God-whispers". They go on all day long day after day. God-whispers are those fleeting moments when He causes something to occur which either heightens awareness of something significant or boosts our understanding by reversing our thinking.
God-whispers are those nudges of God when we are listening to a sermon or reading a book. The deliverer is speaking of one matter and God explodes that thought exponentially...to me that's a God-whisper.
Anytime I hear of one extending a hand to the poor, God whispers. When I learn of an act of courageous faith, God is whispering to my heart. When an elder volleys an idea which challenges my inadequate comment, I've learned to abort the tempting resentment and capture the God-whisper.
Watch your walk. Note those divine surges which lift you instantly as if you were a two year old tossed into the air by your dad. It takes your breath away and your immediate response is do that again.
When God whispers, we love it so much---benefited so much---we immediately wish He would do that again.
God-whispers.....they excite me!
I love the "God-whispers". They go on all day long day after day. God-whispers are those fleeting moments when He causes something to occur which either heightens awareness of something significant or boosts our understanding by reversing our thinking.
God-whispers are those nudges of God when we are listening to a sermon or reading a book. The deliverer is speaking of one matter and God explodes that thought exponentially...to me that's a God-whisper.
Anytime I hear of one extending a hand to the poor, God whispers. When I learn of an act of courageous faith, God is whispering to my heart. When an elder volleys an idea which challenges my inadequate comment, I've learned to abort the tempting resentment and capture the God-whisper.
Watch your walk. Note those divine surges which lift you instantly as if you were a two year old tossed into the air by your dad. It takes your breath away and your immediate response is do that again.
When God whispers, we love it so much---benefited so much---we immediately wish He would do that again.
God-whispers.....they excite me!
Monday, October 05, 2009
SO WHAT BOTHERS ME?
Believe it or not, things go on in the church that I'm just not so sure about. To hear some tell it in their skewed judgmental way, I have tossed doctrine to the wind. So, I write to say some things go on that I have to go back to the Word to see what I think I should think.
At ZOE a woman stood before the group of us and spoke. That makes me uncomfortable. What makes me most uncomfortable is I can't put a scripture to its wrongness. Women are to be silent. Yes, I know but what do I do with the women who are singing? What do I do with the women who are complaining? Just where does that silent zone begin and where does it end? If it ends not in the Word but where we begin to fidget, we are most silly in our convictions.
And then Sunday morning at Woodmont, wouldn't you know it, two women served communion along with six men. I was hearing from a liberal preacher in 1975 that it was all right for women to pass communion trays, but I couldn't buy it. Yesterday I saw it and I want to say, Hey don't you know you can't being doing that? Don't you know it is profane.....to see a woman....pass a tray....standing up? Don't you know it's scriptural for a woman to pass the tray from side to side sitting down, but she can't do it walking around. It's just not.....you know.....
I surely don't mean to mock either of these experiences. But I wish to convey I hit points I'd rather not have to think about because I can't come up with sufficient reasons why I want my reasons to stand. In the meantime, the world is rushing past us to the bars and the casinos looking for someplace to belong; to be accepted.
It must be one of our goals to discard any barriers between us; certainly those God did not erect. It would seem right that we speak where the Bible speaks and not add to the Word to fit our expectations.
Uncomfortable? Yes. But I want to grow more uncomfortable with the unknown millions going to hell without a Savior than I want to pacify my dis-ease of needing to feel good about church when I'm there....and I think it would be a good bench-mark for you.
At ZOE a woman stood before the group of us and spoke. That makes me uncomfortable. What makes me most uncomfortable is I can't put a scripture to its wrongness. Women are to be silent. Yes, I know but what do I do with the women who are singing? What do I do with the women who are complaining? Just where does that silent zone begin and where does it end? If it ends not in the Word but where we begin to fidget, we are most silly in our convictions.
And then Sunday morning at Woodmont, wouldn't you know it, two women served communion along with six men. I was hearing from a liberal preacher in 1975 that it was all right for women to pass communion trays, but I couldn't buy it. Yesterday I saw it and I want to say, Hey don't you know you can't being doing that? Don't you know it is profane.....to see a woman....pass a tray....standing up? Don't you know it's scriptural for a woman to pass the tray from side to side sitting down, but she can't do it walking around. It's just not.....you know.....
I surely don't mean to mock either of these experiences. But I wish to convey I hit points I'd rather not have to think about because I can't come up with sufficient reasons why I want my reasons to stand. In the meantime, the world is rushing past us to the bars and the casinos looking for someplace to belong; to be accepted.
It must be one of our goals to discard any barriers between us; certainly those God did not erect. It would seem right that we speak where the Bible speaks and not add to the Word to fit our expectations.
Uncomfortable? Yes. But I want to grow more uncomfortable with the unknown millions going to hell without a Savior than I want to pacify my dis-ease of needing to feel good about church when I'm there....and I think it would be a good bench-mark for you.
ZOE CONFERENCE....I'VE BEEN THERE!
Many from Memorial have attended the ZOE Group for years. I've heard such great things about it that I skipped my annual Catalyst Conference in Atlanta to be a part of this Nashville experience. It was superb!
My friend Greg Taylor is a part of the brains and heart behind this event...and what a great job he does. He's the perfect personality for this gathering. The worship was awesome. The keynotes were revealing of God's greater heart. And, the riches will never leave me.
Frank Viola was the big-deal speaker and he was wowed by our singing. He begged us to adopt him....and we did. Of course Randy Harris and Mike Cope were stellar and Jeff Walling is always going to be one of our main men.
I walked away with so many special blessings; too many to list. But hearing Sally Gary speak of same sex attractions was really special as I want to help minister to such a special people. And then Teresa Newsome was a complete joy to watch as she signed for the deaf. What a glory she is!
I hope God lets me go back next year. And....I hope you consider making the trip. It is the perfect break after an intense summer of service and travel.
My friend Greg Taylor is a part of the brains and heart behind this event...and what a great job he does. He's the perfect personality for this gathering. The worship was awesome. The keynotes were revealing of God's greater heart. And, the riches will never leave me.
Frank Viola was the big-deal speaker and he was wowed by our singing. He begged us to adopt him....and we did. Of course Randy Harris and Mike Cope were stellar and Jeff Walling is always going to be one of our main men.
I walked away with so many special blessings; too many to list. But hearing Sally Gary speak of same sex attractions was really special as I want to help minister to such a special people. And then Teresa Newsome was a complete joy to watch as she signed for the deaf. What a glory she is!
I hope God lets me go back next year. And....I hope you consider making the trip. It is the perfect break after an intense summer of service and travel.
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