Random Thoughts for a Wintery April Saturday...

- I wonder how the fish felt about the Boston Tea Party...

- I like helping people, but I'm terrible at asking for help.

- It's a blizzard outside, my kids have been running around the house in their swimsuits all day, I don't really know why, and I don't have a problem with it. Does that make me an unfit parent?

- I wonder how people feel when they Twitter and no one follows.

- I think the Broncos will be just fine.

- I bet those early blooming daffodils feel pretty stupid now!

Light for Everyone

Have you ever noticed how someone calling attention to some good that they've done just doesn't seem appealing to us?  "Hey, look at me, I fed homeless people, helped an old lady cross the street, AND rescued 6 kittens today!"  It just seems to take the breath out of the actual acts themselves (no matter how good they may be).  We're generally repelled by someone bragging about the good things they've done.

Contrasting this spotlight attitude is the humility of many who will fend off any type of praise whatsoever.  "Oh, it's no big deal... it's really no trouble..."  Some people will even go out of their way to keep secret some positive thing they've done.  But is it healthy humility, or something else?

In Matthew 5, Jesus called his followers the "light of the world."  He called their attention to the way they'd light a lamp and put it on a stand (not under a bowl) to give light to everyone around.  Then he said "let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven."

In Matthew 6, however, Jesus warns us to "Be careful not to do your 'acts of righteousness' in front of others, to be seen by them."  I think this is largely a concern with motive.  The key here isn't in hiding or spotlighting the good that we do.  It is in the good we do pointing people's attention to God.  It's ironic that the act of serving can so easily become a source of pride.  Obviously in the Mt. 5 passage, Jesus isn't telling us to go around calling attention to ourselves and the good things we do for others.  He's calling us to live a life that is so radiant that the people around us can't help but notice - and so 'other' that the only explanation is God.  When our lives call attention to Him, then we're giving "light to everyone in the house".

Gravity of Familiarity

What is familiar often goes unnoticed.  We can tend to take for granted those things that are most commonly present to us.  Blemishes and annoyances that may be very irritating at first can even fade into oblivion with time.  And sometimes, the same can happen with certain passages of the Bible.  Even the words of Jesus can become so familiar that we stop noticing what He really said.

Matthew 5 begins a section of Scripture that is, and should be, very familiar to most in the church - and even many outside it.  But as I was reading this morning, it struck me that these words were so familiar that I was reading without even thinking about what I was reading.  I wanted to do something to slow myself down and really notice what Jesus was saying, so I inverted the sentence structure within the passage - escaping the traditional cadence of "Blessed are those who... for they shall...".

When I was able to shed the weight caused by the gravity of familiarity, I noticed again how revolutionary Jesus' words really are.  Everything he said in this passage we religiously refer to as "The Beatitudes" (whatever that means), shakes the very foundation of worldviews throughout time and place.  He turned value systems upside down.  If you'll allow me a little license, here is a look at the passage from a less familiar angle:

The kingdom of heaven belongs to the poor in Spirit.

Comfort will be given to those who mourn.

The earth will be inherited by the meek.

Fulfillment will be given to those who insatiably seek righteousness.

Mercy will be shown to the merciful.

God will be seen by the pure in heart.

Children of God is the name given to the peacemakers.

The kingdom of heaven belongs to the persecuted righteous.

Pain inflicted on us because we align our lives with Jesus will result in great reward in heaven.

The reward really is great to those who live according to the worldview that Jesus offers in this passage.  Let's slow down and notice how these values can be fleshed out in our lives...

The Fool's Errand?

"If you want to improve, be content to be thought foolish and stupid." -Epictetus

In any group of people working together, inertia can make us blind to needed change.  We get to going a certain direction, doing things a certain way, that we stop seeing other possibilities.  So when a needed change is suggested, the person suggesting the change may seem like a fool.  A proposal that doesn't fit the status quo is not likely to be met with open arms by those who have settled the group into the status quo in the first place.  Because of this, many ideas never get brought out into the daylight, where they can shake us out of our lethargy.  Who wants to be thought to be an idiot?

Seth Godin argues along this same line of thinking as well in Tribes.  His thought is that groups are waiting to be gelled together under the leadership of heretics, men and women who are willing to jump the tracks and break free from the status quo.  Who will those people be?

Maybe the church needs more idiots.  (I am fully aware that there are many who would argue that the church is already full of idiots, but that's another issue.)  We need people who are willing to risk looking foolish for the sake of improving our capacity to work out God's mission.  The church was still a new venture in the world when Epictetus made his statement.  I don't think he directed his comments to the followers of Jesus directly, but I wonder if they heard it and took it to heart.  They were certainly willing to be thought of as fools, as they swore their allegiance to Jesus - at any cost.

 

Our student ministry is in a rut.  We're stuck in a pattern that allows students to appear to have things pretty well together, but live most of their days disengaged from God.  They can regurgitate the proper answers, but how close to the heart of God are they really living?  It's time for some foolish ideas...

Jude Notes 4 - The Spirit

Jude warns the church that "certain individuals" ultimately are causing some major problems within the body of Christ's followers.  In my mind, this was always tied to the idea of some people being "false teachers".  A lot of preachers use this idea to justify never letting anyone else speak from "their pulpit" - lest they inadvertently allow false teaching to take place.  In the book of 2 Peter, which is closely tied with Jude, that phrase is used - but it is absent in Jude's writing.  Certainly, leadership in the church is responsible for teaching the truth, but there is more that makes these individuals who've "secretly slipped in among" us so dangerous than what they may say or not say in a relationship of authority.

The dangers that Jude points out are more behavioral dangers than didactic ones.  These people weren't necessarily in positions of leadership (though some were).  Their deteriorating effects began even with their initial presence, as they:

- pervert grace into immorality (God will forgive me, so...)

- deny the sole Lordship of Jesus (Who really makes the choices of your life?)

- reject authority (Can you follow another's lead?  Are you teachable?)

- speak abusively against spiritual forces they don't understand

- think of their own desires above what others need

- grumble and find fault ("I don't like this video/song/way of worshipping...")

- boast of themselves and use others for personal gain

- chase after only what they want (What do you spend yourself for?)

The result of all this following after their own personal agendas and desires is the division of the church.  When each chases after his own wants, we all go different directions, tearing the church apart.  Jude uses some pretty strong language in describing these people - identifying them with some major errors in Jewish history and asserting their utter condemnation.  He goes so far as to say that these people "do not have the Spirit."

And here is where things get really personal for us today.  Leadership in the church is not simply about running a well ordered machine.  It is not merely about being an 'upstanding member of the community' or having nice hair and straight teeth.  It's not the same thing as being a business leader or a great CEO.  Those skills may be useful - but they may also be utterly useless and sometimes detrimental to leadership if they get in the way of the Spirit.  

Leadership in the church has always been about the Spirit.  It is He who empowers us to do ministry.  Paul reminded the Corinthians of this when he said "Not that we are competent in ourselves to claim anything for ourselves, but our competence come from God.  He has made us competent as ministers of a new covenant - not of the letter, but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life."  He also reminds us that the treasure of Christ is held in us as "jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us."

Our churches need to rely less on "conventional wisdom" and take to heart the fact that competence to lead comes only from God - and God often accomplishes His purpose in unconventional ways.  We need the Spirit - without Him we're spinning plates on sticks at best.  It may be entertaining for a while, but it's not really accomplishing anything meaningful.

My Father's Son

Just listened to my dad's sermon from Sunday at WhiteWater - sort of 'guest-speaking' I guess about things that get in the way of moving closer to God.  He labeled those things 'rocks'.  I think one of the most pervasive 'rocks' that we carry around is a lack of prayer (which indicates a lack of an attitude of dependence on God).  Prayer was the focus of the service here that our students and I led.  We included a lot of stuff that was 'out of the ordinary' for a typical Sunday morning.

I found it funny that, while I had people wandering around the auditorium drawing with chalk and crayons, and sticking post-it notes to the walls, my dad made everyone hold on to rocks through their service.

I guess I really am my father's son.  We're odd like that...

Great Song and the story behind it...

I've been enjoying this song lately (and the rest of the album from Bluetree) - and it's awesome to hear the story behind it. Every song has a story, a genesis... I love the reminder in this song that God's not finished here. There's still hope for those with no other hope. May we share the hope we've been given.

Jude Notes 3 - Flexibility

"... although I was very eager to write to you about the salvation we share, I felt compelled to write and urge you to contend for the faith that the Lord has once for all entrusted to us..."  - Jude

It seems that Jude had an agenda.  He wanted to write to the church about "the salvation we share".  A good idea.  It's encouraging to think and talk about what we have in common in the gift of Christ.  But I'm not sure Jude got to write the letter he intended (at least not as the letter that we have preserved in the NT).  It seems there was an issue that Jude felt needed to be dealt with first.  Something so disconcerting that Jude set aside what he was "eager to write" about in order to bring attention to the problem.

The problem was that the church was allowing "certain individuals" to lead the church in directions that would end in destruction.  (I'll discuss those individuals in another post.)  Jude shows a flexibility in instructing the church that I think we'd do well to follow.

I have some certain principles and ideas that I definitely want my students to take hold of before they graduate.  I often set out a theme and line out a series of lessons months before I'll actually be teaching those lessons.  But sometimes situations dictate a need for something else.  

I first saw this need for flexibility very early in ministry.  I had our youth night all planned out - about the second week I was there, so I still hadn't even met everyone.  It was a good time for introductions and some basic stuff.  That was the plan on Monday.  On Tuesday, two young men followed through on their plans to shoot up fellow students at Columbine.  Even separated by hundreds of miles, my new students were shaken (as each of us probably were) and questioning a lot of things.

Whatever my plan was, it needed to be scrapped because it was far outweighed by the circumstances.  I pray that we always see what is going on in the world around us and hold to our agendas loosely enough to let them go if need be.

 

Jude Notes 2 - Called, Loved, and Kept

Jude was writing his letter to "those who have been called, who are loved in God the Father and kept for Jesus Christ".

People today have many different descriptions of what the church is:

- a place for worship

- a place where Christians get to hang out together and talk about God

- a bunch of narrow minded judgmental gay-haters who are out of touch with the real world

- a religious organization that wants to force everyone to conform

- a group of people that are trying to be like Jesus

- somewhere to go on Sunday mornings

- somewhere to go when you need help

The list could go on, because there are an insane number of perspectives on just what the church is (from both within and without).  Jude's description of the church is people who have been called, loved, and kept.  In the interest of full disclosure, note that Jude's purpose here wasn't to define the church, he was simply describing the group to which he wrote.

It's interesting that the church, to Jude, was distinguished by actions God was taking.  It was God doing the calling, God who loved, and God who was keeping His people.  He didn't write to those who were current on paying dues, those who had good enough Sunday morning attendance, or those who had received the proper teaching and been properly baptized according to the proper formula.  Not that those concepts/actions are worthless, but... ok, they basically are - if we're doing them so God will approve of us and love us.

In a great moment of prayer, Isaiah (64:4,5) wrote (of Israel) that, 

"Since ancient times no one has heard,

no ear has perceived,

no eye has seen any God besides you,

who acts on behalf of those who wait for Him.

You come to the help of those who gladly do right,

who remember your ways.

But when we continued to sin against them, You were angry.

How then can we be saved?

All of us have become like one who is unclean,

and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags;"

Every "righteous act" we do in order to make ourselves presentable to the Father, to wipe away our own uncleanness is like a leper trying to wipe away their sores with a "filthy rag".  A recent word study of the word Isaiah used that's translated "filthy" just about makes me puke so I'll spare you the details.  Let's just say, our righteous acts don't make things any better and they don't earn us membership in some Jesus club.  (We live and choose in response to God's love, not as a precondition for earning it - but that's another post.)

The church is still called, loved by the Father, and kept in His Son.  I hope we always will hear His call, share His love, and rest in Him...

Jude Notes 1 - Humility

Reading through Jude, the first thing that strikes me is the humility with which he wrote. He didn't introduce himself as some high and mighty authority that the readers of his letter were supposed to listen to - but as a "servant of Jesus and a brother of James".

Often, we can tend to think in terms of credentials and qualifications. If we're looking for a job, we'll polish up our resume - listing out the experiences we've had that we think qualify us for the job. If we have a message we want the church to heed, we may feel tempted to preface it with a list of our accomplishments or successes in ministry. In short, we may be tempted to puff up ourselves before we deliver the message.

The problem with that is, it ignores the fact that we're only messengers - or at least that's what we should be. If the message is only mine, it's going to come up short of what the Body really needs. One of our seniors will be preaching in a couple weeks and I want him to be aware of that fact. He needs (and I need) to simply say what God wants him to say. His job is not to craft the greatest sermon ever heard (by the half of the congregation that will still be in town). It's to search the heart and mind of God for His message to His people - and deliver it as His servant.

Jesus had a brother named Jude. And another named James. It's not too much of a stretch to say that it was probably this same Jude, Jesus' own brother, who wrote this letter. We know His brothers didn't believe in Him until after His death and resurrection, but that they did come to belief. But Jude doesn't write on the authority that "Jesus is my brother, so you better listen up." He had something on his mind that he wanted to share with the people. And he did it as a servant.

Whatever ministry you and I may be sent into, may we go there as humble servants.

Under the Bus

What do you see when you see the next generation?  I think many of us miss the hurt and the hiding.  We see the athletes and scholars and partiers as simply that - athletes, scholars, partiers.  But what lies below the surface?  What is the truth about who these people are?  Will we get to know them well enough to find out?  

A Big Dig in a Little Corner

I've been really digging into the book of Jude for the past several days.  That may seem a little wierd since Jude takes about two minutes to read, but I'm finding a lot there to think about.  Basically, Jude (who likely was Jesus' brother) writes a note of warning to the church, urging them to "contend for the faith" and be wary of ungodly influences that were sneaking in.  He warns the church that those who have previously been considered "God's People" had not escaped punishment when the turned from God's ways.  The implication is that if the church allows anyone to slip in and lure her away from Jesus, the church ceases to be God's and places herself in great danger.

Jude writes to remind the church that this shouldn't surprise them, but they should be alert to people who would "divide you, who follow mere natural insticts and do not have the Spirit."  He calls them "grumblers, and faultfinders" who boast about themselves and flatter others for their own gain.  I wonder how many churches today have failed to heed this warning and are led only by what comes naturally instead of by the Spirit of Christ?  How many of us rely on our own talents and knowledge base and bank accounts to decide what ministry we will do?  

"But you, dear friends, by building yourselves up in your most holy faith and praying in the Holy Spirit, keep yourselves in God's love as you wait for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to bring you to eternal life."  (I think there's an interesting use of words between here and verse 1 that you should look into...)  In relying on Him, we are enabled to skillfully offer what is needed to those who doubt, to go near enough to the fire to rescue those who are falling in - without burning up in the process.

What are we chasing?

I read a great quote on Mark Batterson's blog this morning (the specific post was from last week): "The impact God has planned for us doesn't occur when we're pursuing impact. It occurs when we're pursuing God."

I don't think any church sets out to NOT have an impact on the world. No leadership team I know of sits around and says, "Ok, guys, how can we make sure that we're not making a difference in the community around us?" But I do think that it's easy to get sidetracked by good strategy and wise thinking - tricked into pursuing impact instead of pursuing God Himself. Just because we can devise a means to an end doesn't mean it's the right end. "Seek first the kingdom of God..." Everything else flows out of that.

Our team of leaders have been talking about issues of membership and what it means to belong to the body of Christ here at WestWay. I appreciate the thoughts Batterson shares at the beginning of his post about inviting people into the dreams God has for their congregation, and being a "shareholder in everything we're called to do" - being part of the church is about God impacting the world.

We are called to pursue Him.

May we do so with abandon.

Deeper Than Teacups

It was really good this morning to hear Kyron (my youth minister in Jr. High) speak. Partially, it was just good to see him and his wife again, but also, what he talked about is something I've been thinking about a lot lately. It's one thing to pray on behalf of someone who's filled out a request card - it's another thing to pray with someone who's just poured out their need to us (or had them exposed despite their efforts to appear to be well). Kyron talked about the thought of us carrying the light of God to dark places by praying with people who are hurting.

A couple days ago, I finished reading Red Moon Rising, the story of the beginnings of the current 24-7 prayer movement (which is an echo of Celtic and Moravian prayer movements in their own days). The book shares the story of a bunch of people around the world coming into a desire to pray light into dark places. They've started prayer rooms that are covering the globe in prayer 24 hours a day, and going out into the world to love people like Jesus does.

I wonder, if the church really is as shallow as pop culture seems to perceive her, is that largely due to being out of rhythm with the heartbeat of God? Can we learn to pray in ways that lead us to rediscover the depth of His love for humanity? What will be the cost - and will we be willing to sacrifice?

I have a ton of questions churning within me about praying. I'm convinced that a lot of what currently passes as prayer is only scratching the surface of what God desires. I'm convicted that I personally have often relegated prayer to something other than my expression of total dependence on God. But I don't have a lot of answers.

I talked with my small group and with my students and a few other people about the idea of a 24-7 prayer room. What would it look like to do something like that in our valley? I even went and looked at a building that is for rent downtown that would work out pretty well. Is it in the budget? I don't know... What will the other leaders of the church think about this idea? We'll see... Will people actually sign on to this idea and come to pray for an hour to 'staff' the prayer room? I don't know that either... But I do know that in the past few weeks God has been fanning a flame within me that has a lot to do with praying creatively and missionally and leading others to deeper streams of prayer than the teacups we've settled for.

I'd really appreciate your prayers as I continue to process through all of this and find the way forward.

Worship Resource

I found a cool site called Movie Tools that can be a great resource for people who lead worship. Just thought I'd pass along the link. I used a few of the loops in worship Wed. night. Here's a sample of what's on the site to dowload FREE.

Curious Sidenote: The site appears to be run by a guy in Halle, Germany (on the Saale river). This is the same Halle I went to in a 1 month foreign exchange program during high school. I lived with a family (the Kuehne-Laehne family) out in Petersberg, a little community north of the city. I'm not sure what kind of guest I was, but they were great hosts - I'll never forget Ingolf, Claudia, Georg and their parents. We were a short distance from Wittenberg and I got to visit the place where Martin Luther nailed his 95 Theses to the door of the Roman Catholic church. Thinking about it now, I really miss Germany. I should go back there sometime.

Why Drive So Far?

I've been in the middle of a pretty busy stretch lately. The ski trip two weekends past was supposed to be followed by an annual vision casting banquet, which has now been postponed until later this month (the day after a girls trip I'm driving for). This past weekend I took a small group of guys out to the IA-NE Christian Convention in Omaha - and I have two group trips to Denver in the next month. We're hosting a concert by VOTA here tonight and planning a student led Sunday service sometime in the not too distant future. In April we're hosting a couple hundred students for an annual youth event that rotates between a few churches in the region. I'm also trying to get some groundwork done for a pretty intense prayer initiative.

The travel seems to be one of the most often questioned aspects of the youth ministry lately. "Why would you go (with a bunch of kids) to Casper one weekend, turn around the very next weekend and go to Omaha, and throw in two trips to Denver in a span of 7 weeks? You'll be spending a lot of time driving..."

Actually, for the Omaha trip last weekend there were about 14 hours driving on Friday and Saturday and only about 10 hours of actual programming/event taking place. Why spend so much time in a car to get to a youth event that's only 1 night and one morning? Here's an actual comment from Friday night that illustrates why.

"Man this is awesome. I love GORF." (the name of the Jr. High event we were attending).

Not that big of a deal except one thing: the student making the comment had never been to the event before, and the comment was made before any of the programming had taken place. We showed up at the convention center, got checked in, went to check in at the hotel, then went to Fuddrucker's for dinner (best greasy burgers in Omaha). The event hadn't even started yet and he was already loving it!

But the 500 miles covered together on the road were part of the event for my students. This small group of guys spent 500 miles beating on each other, laughing at Cheetos faces and fingers, getting truck drivers to honk, and just hanging out all day. The time spent traveling is sometimes the most sustained contact any of these students have with another human being. It's a chance for relationship to develop. I want to take advantage of that anytime I can.

The last three youth trips have been the best three trips in my time in ministry here. It's been exciting to see the students responding to what God's been impressing on them in these trips - I look forward to seeing how they continue to implement their convictions in their homes and schools and jobs... and to logging a few more miles in a couple weeks.