Working throught the Camel chapter by Floyd McClung:
One Focus Above All Others
The one theing that transcends all others, the focus we are to have above everything else, is the glory of God. That's all that matters.
To quote John Piper: "If the pursuit of God's glory is not ordered above the pursuit of man's good in the affections of the heart and the priorities of the church, man will not be well served and God will not be duly honored."
Seeking to know the will of God without a revelation of the glory of God will lead to resisting, reacting against, and negotiating over the will of God.
Big Cars with Very Little Engines
Millions of Christians have given up on conventional church, not becuase the church demands too much from them, but because it demands too little. The church in the West is stuck in a rut of building-based, Sunday-centric, pastor-oriented Christianity. If the experience of attendig church on Sunday mornings boils down to sitting next to strangers for one to two hours, listening to another stranger (the pastor) talk for thirty to forty minutes, and then going home, it's no wonder that 80 percent of those who attend church are frustrated.
The church was not placed on this planet to entertain people for one hour a week.
The Need for Apostolic Passion
What is apostolic passion? I don't know what it means to you, but for me passion means whatever a person is willing to suffer for. In fact, that's the root meaning of the world. It comes from the Latin Patior and Passus, meaning "to suffer." It is what you desire so intensely that you will sacrifice anything to have it. Show me your checkbook and your appointments calendar, and I will tell you what you're passions are.
The word apostle means a sent one, a messenger. To be apostolic means we are sent on a mission. The apostolic calling of the followers of Jesus includes forging new ways for how we do church and pioneering new places where we do church. To be apostolic is to be radical, to be adventurous.
Apostolic passion, therefore, is a deliberate choice to live very intentionally for Jesus among our neighbors and in the nations. It has to do with being committed, to the point of rejection or death, to spreading the message of his love. It's the quality of those who are on fire for Jesus, who dream of making disciples for him.
I've given you just a smidgen of text on the glory of God. There were several pages on it. I suggest picking up the book and reading it. Understanding the glory of God really puts life in proper perspective. Another good resource for understanding the glory of God is Cat and Dog Theology by Bob Sjogren.
We have 2 small groups (care groups) starting the 9th and 11th. If you're interested in more info, please email me and I will give you the details.
Have a blessed Sunday and Monday.
Sunday, January 31, 2010
Saturday, January 30, 2010
You See Bones, I See an Army (cont,)
Now we get to see Camels 6 and 7 of Floyd McClung's book.
Camel #6: Frantic Pace of Life
Don't buy into the lie that the world determines how fast a pace of life you must live. And don't let your kids buy into it either.
If there are no margins in your life, you will not have time to hear God. Passion for Jesus and his purposes in life are chosen, then nurtured by those who refuse to let the world shape them in its mold. You are free to say no. If you don't the camel of frantic living will hunt you down, run you over, and then dance on your grave!
Camel #7: Conventional churchianity
Erwin McManus [from his book The Barbarian Way] speaks the truth when he says God is not unwilling to stand against the very church he started: "Two thousand years ago God started a revolt against the religion he started. So don't every put it past God to cause a groundswell against churches and Christian institutions that bear His name. If he was willing to turn Judaism upside down, don't think for a moment our institutions are safe from a divine revolt. I am convinced that even now there are multitudes of followers of Jesus Christ who are sick and tired of the church playing games and playing down the call of God. My travels only confirm that the murmurings of revolution are everywhere. I am convinced that there is an uprising in the works and that no one less than God is behind it."
Many people are leaving institutional churches, not because they don't believe in church, but because they do believe in it. They are not leaving because they have lost their faith; they are leaving so they won't lose their faith. The church has become a hindrance to the spiritual growth of many people. George Barna estimates that 53,000 people a week are leaving the church in America.
Why have so many left the church? They haven't! You can never be any less church than you already are as a follower of Jesus. What many people have discovered, and many institutional church leaders have yet to realize, is that church is who you are, not where you go. Sadly, many people are so addicted to the programs of the church, they aren't able to enjoy the beauty of simple, organic church. Institutional church has made them weak instead of strong. They need others to do church for them.
God is a God of order, but that doesn't mean he won't move against the order of man and create some holy disorder to get people to experience church as he intended it.
We measure greatness by how big an instituional church becomes, how many books an author has written or how moving a person is as a speaker. But God measures greatness by how faithful we are to him.
Amen! Camel #6 struck me in this piece. The frantic pace of life. I see it everywhere. Texting, cell phones, video games, internet, just to name a few of the things that pull our focus away from God and others. These, of course, aren't bad themselves, but when they occupy our thoughts and our actions beyond what is necessary, they can make us unhealthy in may ways. But it is a choice. Remember the good ol' days (think Walton's Mountain) when kids went to school, came home, had a snack, did homework, chores, ate dinner, and listened to the radio WITH THEIR FAMILY while mom and grandma knitted something to keep them warm at night? Back then there weren't the high statistics of people dying from heart failure like there are today. Ever think the stress of being pulled in too many directions has something to do with that, coupled with fast food consumption that helps encourage the fast-paced lifestyle?
Let's start saying no to the unimportant, unnecessary wants in life, the wants that we want because everyone else seems to want them and think them important, and strip our lives of the things that give us short-term fulfilment and immediate gratification. If we took these things out of our budget, how many children could we sponsor in another country? How much could we sent to Haiti? How many first aid kits could we send to Africa to tend to AIDS victims? I guess when we focus more on ourselves than on others, we spend our money on ourselves instead of on others. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. Matthew 6:21.
Have a blessed weekend.
Camel #6: Frantic Pace of Life
Don't buy into the lie that the world determines how fast a pace of life you must live. And don't let your kids buy into it either.
If there are no margins in your life, you will not have time to hear God. Passion for Jesus and his purposes in life are chosen, then nurtured by those who refuse to let the world shape them in its mold. You are free to say no. If you don't the camel of frantic living will hunt you down, run you over, and then dance on your grave!
Camel #7: Conventional churchianity
Erwin McManus [from his book The Barbarian Way] speaks the truth when he says God is not unwilling to stand against the very church he started: "Two thousand years ago God started a revolt against the religion he started. So don't every put it past God to cause a groundswell against churches and Christian institutions that bear His name. If he was willing to turn Judaism upside down, don't think for a moment our institutions are safe from a divine revolt. I am convinced that even now there are multitudes of followers of Jesus Christ who are sick and tired of the church playing games and playing down the call of God. My travels only confirm that the murmurings of revolution are everywhere. I am convinced that there is an uprising in the works and that no one less than God is behind it."
Many people are leaving institutional churches, not because they don't believe in church, but because they do believe in it. They are not leaving because they have lost their faith; they are leaving so they won't lose their faith. The church has become a hindrance to the spiritual growth of many people. George Barna estimates that 53,000 people a week are leaving the church in America.
Why have so many left the church? They haven't! You can never be any less church than you already are as a follower of Jesus. What many people have discovered, and many institutional church leaders have yet to realize, is that church is who you are, not where you go. Sadly, many people are so addicted to the programs of the church, they aren't able to enjoy the beauty of simple, organic church. Institutional church has made them weak instead of strong. They need others to do church for them.
God is a God of order, but that doesn't mean he won't move against the order of man and create some holy disorder to get people to experience church as he intended it.
We measure greatness by how big an instituional church becomes, how many books an author has written or how moving a person is as a speaker. But God measures greatness by how faithful we are to him.
Amen! Camel #6 struck me in this piece. The frantic pace of life. I see it everywhere. Texting, cell phones, video games, internet, just to name a few of the things that pull our focus away from God and others. These, of course, aren't bad themselves, but when they occupy our thoughts and our actions beyond what is necessary, they can make us unhealthy in may ways. But it is a choice. Remember the good ol' days (think Walton's Mountain) when kids went to school, came home, had a snack, did homework, chores, ate dinner, and listened to the radio WITH THEIR FAMILY while mom and grandma knitted something to keep them warm at night? Back then there weren't the high statistics of people dying from heart failure like there are today. Ever think the stress of being pulled in too many directions has something to do with that, coupled with fast food consumption that helps encourage the fast-paced lifestyle?
Let's start saying no to the unimportant, unnecessary wants in life, the wants that we want because everyone else seems to want them and think them important, and strip our lives of the things that give us short-term fulfilment and immediate gratification. If we took these things out of our budget, how many children could we sponsor in another country? How much could we sent to Haiti? How many first aid kits could we send to Africa to tend to AIDS victims? I guess when we focus more on ourselves than on others, we spend our money on ourselves instead of on others. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. Matthew 6:21.
Have a blessed weekend.
Friday, January 29, 2010
Just a Little Catch Up
It's been a while since I've blogged on what's going on at the Hazenberg household, so here goes:
Sunday Greg was presented with a beautifully handmade lectern. He was so surprised! Our Youth Pastor, Josh Kemper, asked his step-father, Mike, seen below, to build it and he did a beautiful job. With cherry, walnut, ash, and 50 hours of donated labor, Mike put raised crosses on the front and inlaid Greek symbols for alpha and omega with a cross in between on the desk face. Greg, Mike, and I and probably others had tears in our eyes as Greg saw it for the first time. I apologize for my poor impromptu photography. I think there is something wrong with my camera. Kristen took a better picture below with her camera.
Also this week, my ophthamologist appointment went well. My cornea is a little thicker than normal, which produces higher pressures, but they don't hunt that down with medications anymore. So I'm good for another 6 months! My optometrist said my left contact was -2.25 but my vision in that eye was -3.0. That explains my bad vision! So that's all good too!!!
Kristen went to the oral surgeon this week and found out she has 2 impacted wisdom teeth. Three of the teeth haven't erupted yet, but one barely did. If the insurance gets back to us quickly she should have all four out on the 18th of February.
Kristen was asked to Homecoming and will be wearing a burgundy gown. They are going to see the play "Wicked" in San Francisco and have dinner. She's very excited.
Greg had surgery on his arm today to remove a 50 cent piece-sized skin cancer called basal cell carcinoma. It was done by Joe Romeo of Romeo Medical Clinic. (We love our medical center. Everything is in one place!) He was in and out in less than an hour. Deep and shallow stitches, and he can shower and work. The shallow stitches come out in a week, the others dissolve. Local anesthesia. He's all good!!!!
Mark has been fighting a cold and a little sleep deprivation but he's almost done with his winter-term class on Nazi Germany. He love the subject. He's now working with the Jr. High at New Life Christian Center.
This Sunday, the 31st, we'll wrap up our last sermon on Reaching Out, then we start a 4-part series on Family. I'm excited that Greg and I will be sharing what we do to nurture a healthy family emotionally and spiritually the 7th. Josh Kemper will speak on the 14th on A Healthy Family is Learning to Communicate Well, Dan will speak the 21st on A Healthy Family is Learning to Spend Time Together, and Dick will speak the 28th on A Healthy Family is Learning to Grow Spiritually and Emotionally.
I got back on the mower this week, twice. Boy am I sore. I trip to Atkinson Chiropractic and I'm all good!!!
Have a blessed sunny Friday!!!!
Sunday Greg was presented with a beautifully handmade lectern. He was so surprised! Our Youth Pastor, Josh Kemper, asked his step-father, Mike, seen below, to build it and he did a beautiful job. With cherry, walnut, ash, and 50 hours of donated labor, Mike put raised crosses on the front and inlaid Greek symbols for alpha and omega with a cross in between on the desk face. Greg, Mike, and I and probably others had tears in our eyes as Greg saw it for the first time. I apologize for my poor impromptu photography. I think there is something wrong with my camera. Kristen took a better picture below with her camera.
Kristen went to the oral surgeon this week and found out she has 2 impacted wisdom teeth. Three of the teeth haven't erupted yet, but one barely did. If the insurance gets back to us quickly she should have all four out on the 18th of February.
Kristen was asked to Homecoming and will be wearing a burgundy gown. They are going to see the play "Wicked" in San Francisco and have dinner. She's very excited.
Greg had surgery on his arm today to remove a 50 cent piece-sized skin cancer called basal cell carcinoma. It was done by Joe Romeo of Romeo Medical Clinic. (We love our medical center. Everything is in one place!) He was in and out in less than an hour. Deep and shallow stitches, and he can shower and work. The shallow stitches come out in a week, the others dissolve. Local anesthesia. He's all good!!!!
Mark has been fighting a cold and a little sleep deprivation but he's almost done with his winter-term class on Nazi Germany. He love the subject. He's now working with the Jr. High at New Life Christian Center.
This Sunday, the 31st, we'll wrap up our last sermon on Reaching Out, then we start a 4-part series on Family. I'm excited that Greg and I will be sharing what we do to nurture a healthy family emotionally and spiritually the 7th. Josh Kemper will speak on the 14th on A Healthy Family is Learning to Communicate Well, Dan will speak the 21st on A Healthy Family is Learning to Spend Time Together, and Dick will speak the 28th on A Healthy Family is Learning to Grow Spiritually and Emotionally.
I got back on the mower this week, twice. Boy am I sore. I trip to Atkinson Chiropractic and I'm all good!!!
Have a blessed sunny Friday!!!!
Monday, January 25, 2010
You See Bones, I See an Army (cont,)
As promised, now we'll look at the seven camels that distract us by Floyd McClung.
Camel #1: Dabbling
Are you a spiritual dabbler? Do you borrow from other people's walks with God but have little or no intimacy with the Father yourself? Are you constantly shifting focus in your life, running after the newest, latest, "prevailing word of the Lord" as some people call it? Is it hard for you to put down roots emotionally in a community of people and build deep friendships of trust and accountability? If your answer to these questions is yes, you may have developed a pattern in your life of spiritual dabbling. To dabble literally means to have a casual or superficial interest in something, to paddle, play, or splash in the water. Spiritual dabbling may feel good, but God has much more for you.
Camel #2: Plateauing
We plateau when we stop growing. A plateau is a period or phase when there is little increase in our life. It is a season of life intended for our personal growth and development in which little headway is being made. God invites us to a lifetime of learning and spiritual growth. He is continually at work in us to form us to be like his Son, Jesus.
Spiritual growth cannot be separated from the testings of God. God tests those he loves. If we, or others around us, don't create the circumstances that test us, you can be sure that God will do it for us. He loves us too much to leave us on our own. If we fail the tests God takes us through, we plateau.
I have nothing against big churches, but then can be convenient places of hiding for those who have plateaued spiritually, including the pastor or others on the staff of the church. You can go to church and hide in the church. If this is you, you need to take time to do some serious spiritual homework if you are going to get off the plateau and move on to higher ground.
Camel # 3: Inner vows
An inner vow is a promise we make to ourselves, normally in response to pain or difficulty we experience in human relationships. Typically the vows we make use language like "I'll never do that again" or "I won't ever let anyone get that close to me again." Or, "Whatever it takes, I will make sure that never happens again."
The problem with making vows is that they imprison our heart. They set us on a course of action that locks us into a certain kind of behavior. Vows determine how we think and how we see. An ungodly inner vow gets us locked into idolatrous thinking patters that become an inner belief system. Ungodly inner vows rob us of true passion. Because they are based on fear, shame, unbelief, and a drive to prove ourselves to others, they rob us of our freedom to obey God. Or we strive to obey God for the wrong reasons. Inner vows can be discerned through the help of the Holy Spirit or a good counselor, and they can be broken through the power of the Cross.
Camel #4: Unclear vision
Nothing is more confusing to people than a leader or a person who frequently changes direction. I call this "blowing an unsteady trumpet." When the sound of a trumpet warbles or is off key, it does not inspire anyone, and it certainly doesn't make great music.
If God has spoken, then blow the trumpet and call the people to action. But don't call them to action in one direction and then blow it again and ask them to charge in another direction. If you are seeking direction, find out what God is saying and stick with it. Don't change because it gets tough, or because it is more exciting to move on to something new.
Godly passion grows as a response to a clear, steady, consistent vision of God's glory saturating the planet through movements of organic and obedient churches. Know what part God has given you in this worldwide movement of movements and stick with it. Don't waver and don't look for new direction when things get tough. Stick with what God says. It may take many years of consistent obedience to realize all God has planned to bring about through your life. Faithfulness is a long journey of obedience in the same direction, empowered by a sweet-tasting grace of God.
Camel #5: Financial Security
The most God-glorifying gathering I have attended on the subject of finances was called Generous Giving. The name says it all. Good stewardship is not about accumulating but giving, not about hoarding but sharing. God expects us to be wise stewards, and that includes investing and making a profit. But the treasures that will be enjoyed forever are those that are the result of investing in people's lives for eternity, not the ones stored up on Wall Street.
If you experience a loss of fervor for spreading the gospel, it may be in direct proportion to the amount of time you are occupied with your future security. If that is the case, it's time for some honest evaluation. Jesus said it very clearly:
Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven...For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
That was a pretty long 5 camels. Next time we'll do the rest. This time I just want to add something to camels 4 and 5. Camel 4 talks about unclear vision and the context is that of shifting from one vision to another. I agree this can be very unclear for a congregation. Anything handled in this fashion can make it unclear and leave people without a firm foundation, whether it is ministry (like having a great idea and hyping it up, getting everyone exciting and involved, then never doing it again), or a new way of preaching (whether the norm is topical or walking through an entire book of the Bible), it will be fresh and new when it changes but if it is not consistent to a degree, it can throw people off. Vision, as well, needs to be consistent. Seek God, cast the vision to the congregation, and put it before them often and in different ways so that every person attending knows where the church is headed and what they believe and stand for. Someone once said that they were church shopping and knew they found their church because the first day they attended they knew where that church was headed and what they believed. Other churches they attended for a few weeks never mentioned their vision or values. Be consistent.
Camel #5 talks about financial security in the context of investing on Wall Street. I think it is much more common that people invest in Wal-Mart. We are a nation of shoppers and the advertising companies who serve retailers know this. Americans have a reputation around the world as being materialistic and greedy. True, we have a lot, make good money, and live comforably compared to most nations. But I think it is important to evaluate what we really need compared to what we want. I think we often have additctions to shopping. We go into a store, not really needing anything, but just wanting to waste time or get the thrill of getting a good bargain. We come home with a treasure that moth and rust destroy and thieves can come in and steal. Junk. Stuff. Future garage sale items. Future trash can items. Why? Because there is something deep down inside us that we are trying to satisfy and we're looking in the wrong places. I would rather take that money and invest it in a college fund to enrich my children's lives than blow it on coffee, shoes, make-up, or clothes. I would rather give it back to God, generously and abundantly, because it is His to begin with. I have much satisfaction and peace giving back to God and God continually provides for all my needs. I can't outgive Him. I have faith in His faithfulness. He loves me so much. This is where true satisfaction lies when it comes to money. Investing in God's treasures . . .people. One way our church is showing practical love is that we are beginning to bring food to church and after church take it to the homes around us and give it away. Whether it is a bag of tangerines, a gallon of milk, or the cookies and muffins and coffee that don't get consumed during services, we are putting feet to our faith. It's all about where our focus lies.
Have a blessed cloudy Monday.
Camel #1: Dabbling
Are you a spiritual dabbler? Do you borrow from other people's walks with God but have little or no intimacy with the Father yourself? Are you constantly shifting focus in your life, running after the newest, latest, "prevailing word of the Lord" as some people call it? Is it hard for you to put down roots emotionally in a community of people and build deep friendships of trust and accountability? If your answer to these questions is yes, you may have developed a pattern in your life of spiritual dabbling. To dabble literally means to have a casual or superficial interest in something, to paddle, play, or splash in the water. Spiritual dabbling may feel good, but God has much more for you.
Camel #2: Plateauing
We plateau when we stop growing. A plateau is a period or phase when there is little increase in our life. It is a season of life intended for our personal growth and development in which little headway is being made. God invites us to a lifetime of learning and spiritual growth. He is continually at work in us to form us to be like his Son, Jesus.
Spiritual growth cannot be separated from the testings of God. God tests those he loves. If we, or others around us, don't create the circumstances that test us, you can be sure that God will do it for us. He loves us too much to leave us on our own. If we fail the tests God takes us through, we plateau.
I have nothing against big churches, but then can be convenient places of hiding for those who have plateaued spiritually, including the pastor or others on the staff of the church. You can go to church and hide in the church. If this is you, you need to take time to do some serious spiritual homework if you are going to get off the plateau and move on to higher ground.
Camel # 3: Inner vows
An inner vow is a promise we make to ourselves, normally in response to pain or difficulty we experience in human relationships. Typically the vows we make use language like "I'll never do that again" or "I won't ever let anyone get that close to me again." Or, "Whatever it takes, I will make sure that never happens again."
The problem with making vows is that they imprison our heart. They set us on a course of action that locks us into a certain kind of behavior. Vows determine how we think and how we see. An ungodly inner vow gets us locked into idolatrous thinking patters that become an inner belief system. Ungodly inner vows rob us of true passion. Because they are based on fear, shame, unbelief, and a drive to prove ourselves to others, they rob us of our freedom to obey God. Or we strive to obey God for the wrong reasons. Inner vows can be discerned through the help of the Holy Spirit or a good counselor, and they can be broken through the power of the Cross.
Camel #4: Unclear vision
Nothing is more confusing to people than a leader or a person who frequently changes direction. I call this "blowing an unsteady trumpet." When the sound of a trumpet warbles or is off key, it does not inspire anyone, and it certainly doesn't make great music.
If God has spoken, then blow the trumpet and call the people to action. But don't call them to action in one direction and then blow it again and ask them to charge in another direction. If you are seeking direction, find out what God is saying and stick with it. Don't change because it gets tough, or because it is more exciting to move on to something new.
Godly passion grows as a response to a clear, steady, consistent vision of God's glory saturating the planet through movements of organic and obedient churches. Know what part God has given you in this worldwide movement of movements and stick with it. Don't waver and don't look for new direction when things get tough. Stick with what God says. It may take many years of consistent obedience to realize all God has planned to bring about through your life. Faithfulness is a long journey of obedience in the same direction, empowered by a sweet-tasting grace of God.
Camel #5: Financial Security
The most God-glorifying gathering I have attended on the subject of finances was called Generous Giving. The name says it all. Good stewardship is not about accumulating but giving, not about hoarding but sharing. God expects us to be wise stewards, and that includes investing and making a profit. But the treasures that will be enjoyed forever are those that are the result of investing in people's lives for eternity, not the ones stored up on Wall Street.
If you experience a loss of fervor for spreading the gospel, it may be in direct proportion to the amount of time you are occupied with your future security. If that is the case, it's time for some honest evaluation. Jesus said it very clearly:
Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven...For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
That was a pretty long 5 camels. Next time we'll do the rest. This time I just want to add something to camels 4 and 5. Camel 4 talks about unclear vision and the context is that of shifting from one vision to another. I agree this can be very unclear for a congregation. Anything handled in this fashion can make it unclear and leave people without a firm foundation, whether it is ministry (like having a great idea and hyping it up, getting everyone exciting and involved, then never doing it again), or a new way of preaching (whether the norm is topical or walking through an entire book of the Bible), it will be fresh and new when it changes but if it is not consistent to a degree, it can throw people off. Vision, as well, needs to be consistent. Seek God, cast the vision to the congregation, and put it before them often and in different ways so that every person attending knows where the church is headed and what they believe and stand for. Someone once said that they were church shopping and knew they found their church because the first day they attended they knew where that church was headed and what they believed. Other churches they attended for a few weeks never mentioned their vision or values. Be consistent.
Camel #5 talks about financial security in the context of investing on Wall Street. I think it is much more common that people invest in Wal-Mart. We are a nation of shoppers and the advertising companies who serve retailers know this. Americans have a reputation around the world as being materialistic and greedy. True, we have a lot, make good money, and live comforably compared to most nations. But I think it is important to evaluate what we really need compared to what we want. I think we often have additctions to shopping. We go into a store, not really needing anything, but just wanting to waste time or get the thrill of getting a good bargain. We come home with a treasure that moth and rust destroy and thieves can come in and steal. Junk. Stuff. Future garage sale items. Future trash can items. Why? Because there is something deep down inside us that we are trying to satisfy and we're looking in the wrong places. I would rather take that money and invest it in a college fund to enrich my children's lives than blow it on coffee, shoes, make-up, or clothes. I would rather give it back to God, generously and abundantly, because it is His to begin with. I have much satisfaction and peace giving back to God and God continually provides for all my needs. I can't outgive Him. I have faith in His faithfulness. He loves me so much. This is where true satisfaction lies when it comes to money. Investing in God's treasures . . .people. One way our church is showing practical love is that we are beginning to bring food to church and after church take it to the homes around us and give it away. Whether it is a bag of tangerines, a gallon of milk, or the cookies and muffins and coffee that don't get consumed during services, we are putting feet to our faith. It's all about where our focus lies.
Have a blessed cloudy Monday.
Friday, January 22, 2010
One man's mission of hope in Haiti
This is a great place to donate for the relief effort in Haiti. We have donated here. Watch the story that aired on NBC on this man and his organization. One man's mission of hope in Haiti
Also, to learn more about their organization and how they got started in Haiti, as well as how to donate online, visit their website here.
Also, to learn more about their organization and how they got started in Haiti, as well as how to donate online, visit their website here.
You See Bones, I See an Army (cont,)
We're on the home stretch now, more than halfway through the book, more like 2/3 actually. Floyd McClung has given us much wisdom. In this chapter, Watch Out For The Camels, we learn three ways to learn faithfulness and what it means to be a focused person.
Being what the Bible calls a faithful servant is essential to pleasing God and doing what he calls us to do. Jesus promised that the person who is faithful in little will become "lord over much." In the same passage, Jesus taught that the servant who is faithful over mammon - things - would earn the right to be a steward of spiritual matters. In other words, if you don't pay your bills and don't keep your word, professing readiness to obey God is just so much hype. God can't trust a person with spiritual treasures who is not faithful in the practical issues of life.
Jesus taught in the same passage that a person who has not learned to be faithful in "another man's vineyard" will not be master of his own. What Jesus meant by this was that learning to serve another person's vision or ministry, learning to be faithful in our service under someone else's leadership, is a prerequisite for being trusted by God to lead others. Serving people teaches us lessons that prepare us for finding our place in the kingdom of God.
It may help to define what it means to be a focused person. It means to give a determined, concentrated effort and your full attention to the particular thing God has called you to, such as an assigned responsibility or a commitment to do something. It means sticking with something until it is finished.
Focus is not just about what we see outside ourselves. Focused people have a fixed point of reference in terms of their core values and standards as well. They have inner strength. Some people may think focused people are stubborn. I think of them as reliable. They don't change their message or behavior to please the crowd they are with.
Focused people are not moved by lack of approval. They have deep inner convictions that allow them to give their attention to the one thing they are assigned by God.
If you are passionate about engaging your culture with others in organic church, you will have to say no to many good things in life. You will have to reduce the circles in your life, the spheres of activity that draw you away from faithfulness to what you believe in and are committed to. Simple church requires us to simplify life.
Modernization, with all its advantages, also has disadvantages that can cause us to live a fragmented and harried existence. We normally live at a hectic, speedy pace that mitigates against what organic church, the ecclesia, is called to be. You don't have to consciously say yes to sin and temptations to be compromised by our modern way of life; just go with the flow. Do what is expected of you, and you lose the battle for focused obedience.
Tomorrow we'll look at seven camels that distract us. But for now let's touch on a couple of the points made above.
Faithfulness. Have you ever noticed how God takes us through little things, then builds upon them? Maybe we start off with making coffee at church on Sunday morning. We're behind the scenes. No one really sees us, but if we're not faithful, like if we sleep in instead of showing up on time, there is disappointment and frustration. If we are faithful, God gives us bigger responsibilities. It's through this building process that we learn many lessons and God, in turn, continues to mature his disciples. I was teaching a Bible study last year and we were talking about faithfulness as we studied the story of Ruth. Someone had an epiphany and said, "I think God is telling me that if I take better care of the things I already have, God may give me more and better things!" You should have seen how bright that light bulb was that went off in her head! Since then, she has worked very hard in her home and God has blessed her with better items. God is faithful.
Focus. In re-reading this text, I was reminded of two experiences which were quite opposite. I was sitting with a friend once, just the two of us, discussing a variety of things and learning about each other. In the hour or so we were together, her cell phone went off with calls to texts several times. Each time she said "Excuse me," and apologetically took the call or texted back. None of these interruptions were emergencies, but it seemed as though this was a normal part of her day, to stop whatever she was doing, and respond to whatever distraction came along through her technology. In contrast, I met with three different ladies this week. Two were in public settings and one was at her home. In each case, whether cell phone or home phone, they began ringing. In all cases, not one lady even flinched to answer. One even turned off her phone completely. I must say I felt much more valuable to these three ladies than I did to the first I described. I saw a maturity in these three ladies that I admired.
I make it a policy not to interrupt a one-on-one meeting by answering the phone. I believe the person I am with is more important than whatever else may try to interrupt our time together. The only exception is if I hear my child's voice on the message machine saying they are ill and need to be picked up from school, then I will pick up. Otherwise, the call can wait until I'm available to return it. This decision starts with a time of thought (without distractions), to really consider what is important to us. We must consider what it is that we value and make sure that lines up with God's principles for how we live our lives. Life is made up of many choices. Who we are and what we say and do are the result of the choices that we make. Are you content with the results of your choices? If not, spend some time in prayer and seek God to help you determine where you need to make different choices. Read God's Word (Proverbs is a great place to start) and discover His will in this area.
Blessings on this cloudy Friday night.
Being what the Bible calls a faithful servant is essential to pleasing God and doing what he calls us to do. Jesus promised that the person who is faithful in little will become "lord over much." In the same passage, Jesus taught that the servant who is faithful over mammon - things - would earn the right to be a steward of spiritual matters. In other words, if you don't pay your bills and don't keep your word, professing readiness to obey God is just so much hype. God can't trust a person with spiritual treasures who is not faithful in the practical issues of life.
Jesus taught in the same passage that a person who has not learned to be faithful in "another man's vineyard" will not be master of his own. What Jesus meant by this was that learning to serve another person's vision or ministry, learning to be faithful in our service under someone else's leadership, is a prerequisite for being trusted by God to lead others. Serving people teaches us lessons that prepare us for finding our place in the kingdom of God.
It may help to define what it means to be a focused person. It means to give a determined, concentrated effort and your full attention to the particular thing God has called you to, such as an assigned responsibility or a commitment to do something. It means sticking with something until it is finished.
Focus is not just about what we see outside ourselves. Focused people have a fixed point of reference in terms of their core values and standards as well. They have inner strength. Some people may think focused people are stubborn. I think of them as reliable. They don't change their message or behavior to please the crowd they are with.
Focused people are not moved by lack of approval. They have deep inner convictions that allow them to give their attention to the one thing they are assigned by God.
If you are passionate about engaging your culture with others in organic church, you will have to say no to many good things in life. You will have to reduce the circles in your life, the spheres of activity that draw you away from faithfulness to what you believe in and are committed to. Simple church requires us to simplify life.
Modernization, with all its advantages, also has disadvantages that can cause us to live a fragmented and harried existence. We normally live at a hectic, speedy pace that mitigates against what organic church, the ecclesia, is called to be. You don't have to consciously say yes to sin and temptations to be compromised by our modern way of life; just go with the flow. Do what is expected of you, and you lose the battle for focused obedience.
Tomorrow we'll look at seven camels that distract us. But for now let's touch on a couple of the points made above.
Faithfulness. Have you ever noticed how God takes us through little things, then builds upon them? Maybe we start off with making coffee at church on Sunday morning. We're behind the scenes. No one really sees us, but if we're not faithful, like if we sleep in instead of showing up on time, there is disappointment and frustration. If we are faithful, God gives us bigger responsibilities. It's through this building process that we learn many lessons and God, in turn, continues to mature his disciples. I was teaching a Bible study last year and we were talking about faithfulness as we studied the story of Ruth. Someone had an epiphany and said, "I think God is telling me that if I take better care of the things I already have, God may give me more and better things!" You should have seen how bright that light bulb was that went off in her head! Since then, she has worked very hard in her home and God has blessed her with better items. God is faithful.
Focus. In re-reading this text, I was reminded of two experiences which were quite opposite. I was sitting with a friend once, just the two of us, discussing a variety of things and learning about each other. In the hour or so we were together, her cell phone went off with calls to texts several times. Each time she said "Excuse me," and apologetically took the call or texted back. None of these interruptions were emergencies, but it seemed as though this was a normal part of her day, to stop whatever she was doing, and respond to whatever distraction came along through her technology. In contrast, I met with three different ladies this week. Two were in public settings and one was at her home. In each case, whether cell phone or home phone, they began ringing. In all cases, not one lady even flinched to answer. One even turned off her phone completely. I must say I felt much more valuable to these three ladies than I did to the first I described. I saw a maturity in these three ladies that I admired.
I make it a policy not to interrupt a one-on-one meeting by answering the phone. I believe the person I am with is more important than whatever else may try to interrupt our time together. The only exception is if I hear my child's voice on the message machine saying they are ill and need to be picked up from school, then I will pick up. Otherwise, the call can wait until I'm available to return it. This decision starts with a time of thought (without distractions), to really consider what is important to us. We must consider what it is that we value and make sure that lines up with God's principles for how we live our lives. Life is made up of many choices. Who we are and what we say and do are the result of the choices that we make. Are you content with the results of your choices? If not, spend some time in prayer and seek God to help you determine where you need to make different choices. Read God's Word (Proverbs is a great place to start) and discover His will in this area.
Blessings on this cloudy Friday night.
Thursday, January 14, 2010
You See Bones, I See an Army (cont,)
The latest highlights from Floyd McClung's book:
Apostolic leaders are called to focus their gifts and energies, and the gifts and energies of those they lead, on winning, maturing, and multiplying others in church-planting movements. They can do this in the marketplace and in the nations. If they do this well, they are "wise master builders." Not to do so is to be a foolish builder.
If you are devoted to apostolic ministry, and gathering and multiplying new disciples for Jesus does not excite you, there is a good chance you need to go back to the Cross. You may need to fall in love with Jesus all over again, to catch a fresh vision of why God made you they way he did. Effective disciples of Jesus know what they are called to do, and they do it single-mindedly. It's certainly not for their own entertainment or fulfillment that they are called to follow Jesus. They are not gifted with the gifts God has given them to bounce from one visionary endeavor to another. They are called to build God's church, no matter what their vocation in life.
I am convince it is not the famous but the faithful who will receive the big crowns in heaven.
Ten Characteristics of Courageous Apostolic People
1. Vision
2. Faith
3. Building, not just blessing
4. Miraculous supply
5. Starting new churches
6. Settle disputes and apply discipline
7. Appoint and coach local church leaders
8. Suffer persecution and endure hardship
9. Impart values and vision
10. Movements and networks
Leading reluctant people and helping them overcome their objections and fears is what helps leaders stay close to God.
When I look at the list above, and compare Greg to it, it is obvious he is an apostolic leader.
1. The first thing he did when he asked God to confirm the name of our church is to receive the vision from God.
2. He has an unwavering faith, believing God for the impossible. How many other people do you know who would plant a church in the poorest part of town?
3. He started building our church with a prayer walk and prayer meetings.
4. I remember Greg telling me of a conversation he had with God about 30 years ago. He was working hard in his landscaping business, at the time focusing on becoming more successful than his brothers in business. He was considering buying a house and saving for retirement. God told him not to. He struggled with this, as would I, that it wasn't logical not to plan for the future. But God knew his plan for Greg. Someday he would marry me, who had a house and a retirement fund. He didn't have to worry about it, just focus on what God was calling him to do at the moment, and God would take care of the rest.
5. He started a church.
6. He is often brought in to settle disputes and facilitate healing between people.
7. He's built an awesome launch and leadership team and continues to add and develop leaders.
8. He lost a wife to diabetes, and one to her adultery. He lost his dad to cancer. He's been financially poor. He's been accused of things and had his pastor not defend him or try to bring truth and restoration to the situation.
9. He has taught our vision and values to our team over 6 months and helped us live it out.
10. We want to be a church that plants other churches.
Yeah, I'd say Greg is apostolic. It's very cool living with someone who's passion is God's passion. Never a dull moment!
Have a blessed Thursday.
Apostolic leaders are called to focus their gifts and energies, and the gifts and energies of those they lead, on winning, maturing, and multiplying others in church-planting movements. They can do this in the marketplace and in the nations. If they do this well, they are "wise master builders." Not to do so is to be a foolish builder.
If you are devoted to apostolic ministry, and gathering and multiplying new disciples for Jesus does not excite you, there is a good chance you need to go back to the Cross. You may need to fall in love with Jesus all over again, to catch a fresh vision of why God made you they way he did. Effective disciples of Jesus know what they are called to do, and they do it single-mindedly. It's certainly not for their own entertainment or fulfillment that they are called to follow Jesus. They are not gifted with the gifts God has given them to bounce from one visionary endeavor to another. They are called to build God's church, no matter what their vocation in life.
I am convince it is not the famous but the faithful who will receive the big crowns in heaven.
Ten Characteristics of Courageous Apostolic People
1. Vision
2. Faith
3. Building, not just blessing
4. Miraculous supply
5. Starting new churches
6. Settle disputes and apply discipline
7. Appoint and coach local church leaders
8. Suffer persecution and endure hardship
9. Impart values and vision
10. Movements and networks
Leading reluctant people and helping them overcome their objections and fears is what helps leaders stay close to God.
When I look at the list above, and compare Greg to it, it is obvious he is an apostolic leader.
1. The first thing he did when he asked God to confirm the name of our church is to receive the vision from God.
2. He has an unwavering faith, believing God for the impossible. How many other people do you know who would plant a church in the poorest part of town?
3. He started building our church with a prayer walk and prayer meetings.
4. I remember Greg telling me of a conversation he had with God about 30 years ago. He was working hard in his landscaping business, at the time focusing on becoming more successful than his brothers in business. He was considering buying a house and saving for retirement. God told him not to. He struggled with this, as would I, that it wasn't logical not to plan for the future. But God knew his plan for Greg. Someday he would marry me, who had a house and a retirement fund. He didn't have to worry about it, just focus on what God was calling him to do at the moment, and God would take care of the rest.
5. He started a church.
6. He is often brought in to settle disputes and facilitate healing between people.
7. He's built an awesome launch and leadership team and continues to add and develop leaders.
8. He lost a wife to diabetes, and one to her adultery. He lost his dad to cancer. He's been financially poor. He's been accused of things and had his pastor not defend him or try to bring truth and restoration to the situation.
9. He has taught our vision and values to our team over 6 months and helped us live it out.
10. We want to be a church that plants other churches.
Yeah, I'd say Greg is apostolic. It's very cool living with someone who's passion is God's passion. Never a dull moment!
Have a blessed Thursday.
Sunday, January 10, 2010
You See Bones, I See an Army (cont,)
Continuing on with Floyd McClung's book.
Like Jesus when he worked as a carpenter is intended by God to be an example to those in the marketplace. They are just as called and commissioned to minister within their vocation as those who go to other nations. By working as a carptenter, Jesus was modeling how he wants the church to infiltrate every sphere of life.
The strategy Jesus followed in the next season of life, the three years of intentional discipleship with the twelve, modeled the goals and methods we should follow no matter what vocation God has called us to. In the two seasons of his life, Jesus both validated the sanctity of ordinary life and modeled how to intentionally make disciples as we do ordinary life.
To be dedicated to Jesus is not first of all about being a missionary or pastor but being intentional and obedient in making disciples.
Apostolic people take the church to the world; they don't wait for the world to come to the church. God always intends the fruit of apostolic service to result in more obedient disciples for Jesus. That means getting them together in small, simple gatherings, then equipping and encouraging them to obey all Jesus taught us to do. When th Holy Spirit falls on such a missional community and it begins to grow out of control, a church-planting movement is born.
Without its apostles, the church becomes hopelessly ingrown, and ultimately disobedient to Jesus' commission to disciple all nations. When local churches, Christian organizations, and educational institutions marginalize or exclude those with apostolic passion, they can no longer expect to be fully obedient to Jesus.
We had a great speaker in church today. John Dupree from the Harvest Group and one of our board members, blessed us with an awesome talk on being a Cross Cultural Christian. It hit home for many I heard and was very timely for many. I took special joy in hearing him talk about being apostolic, the very thing we've been looking at in this book recently. He confronted selfishness, taught on giving and on the great commandment. He talked about the top line and bottom line of the Bible, Bob Sjogren's wisdom. It was very equipping.
We also had an opportunity to start to say good-bye to the Hicks family. Though they were with us for only 4 months, we have been blessed by their heart, their humor, their ministry, and all the things that make them a great family. They will be missed.
Have a blessed Sunday evening.
Like Jesus when he worked as a carpenter is intended by God to be an example to those in the marketplace. They are just as called and commissioned to minister within their vocation as those who go to other nations. By working as a carptenter, Jesus was modeling how he wants the church to infiltrate every sphere of life.
The strategy Jesus followed in the next season of life, the three years of intentional discipleship with the twelve, modeled the goals and methods we should follow no matter what vocation God has called us to. In the two seasons of his life, Jesus both validated the sanctity of ordinary life and modeled how to intentionally make disciples as we do ordinary life.
To be dedicated to Jesus is not first of all about being a missionary or pastor but being intentional and obedient in making disciples.
Apostolic people take the church to the world; they don't wait for the world to come to the church. God always intends the fruit of apostolic service to result in more obedient disciples for Jesus. That means getting them together in small, simple gatherings, then equipping and encouraging them to obey all Jesus taught us to do. When th Holy Spirit falls on such a missional community and it begins to grow out of control, a church-planting movement is born.
Without its apostles, the church becomes hopelessly ingrown, and ultimately disobedient to Jesus' commission to disciple all nations. When local churches, Christian organizations, and educational institutions marginalize or exclude those with apostolic passion, they can no longer expect to be fully obedient to Jesus.
We had a great speaker in church today. John Dupree from the Harvest Group and one of our board members, blessed us with an awesome talk on being a Cross Cultural Christian. It hit home for many I heard and was very timely for many. I took special joy in hearing him talk about being apostolic, the very thing we've been looking at in this book recently. He confronted selfishness, taught on giving and on the great commandment. He talked about the top line and bottom line of the Bible, Bob Sjogren's wisdom. It was very equipping.
We also had an opportunity to start to say good-bye to the Hicks family. Though they were with us for only 4 months, we have been blessed by their heart, their humor, their ministry, and all the things that make them a great family. They will be missed.
Have a blessed Sunday evening.
Friday, January 8, 2010
You See Bones, I See an Army (cont,)
Continuing with Floyd McClung's book, this section titled Strong but Weak.
Being courageous is about believing God for what he puts in your heart to do for him, and then doing it. It doesn't mean you have it all together, or that you always have faith to move mountains, but it does mean stepping out in faith to obey the next thing God tells you to do, whether you're twenty years old and have been walking with God just a few years or you have known Christ for decades. One of the problems with not seeing ourselves as courageous is that we don't take up the challenges God has for us.
I have discovered that God is more concerned about my passion than my ministry. I have learned that if I keep my heart on fire for him, he will take care of my ministry.
I have learned that these times are arranged by God for us to seek him. It's his way of putting desperation in our hearts for him, to prepare us for the fresh word he wants to give us. These types of experiences usually precede a major decision in our lives. As I said, it's God's way of preparing us, of stirring our hearts to be alone with him so we can hear his voice.
Courageous Leaders Mobilize Courageous People
When you inspire your friends and people around you to obey the commands of Jesus and model obedience to Jesus yourself, you are courageous. When you go one step further and intentionally invest in the lives of those you are discipling to obey the Great commission, you are equipping them for courageous ministry. The word equip is used by Paul in Ephesians 4:12. It was originally a medical term used to describe what happens when a broken limb is mended and set straight. To equip someone is to mend what is broken in his life so he can go all out for Jesus.
We join his mission by living a lifestyle of personal evangelism, prayer, and disciple-making, and by inviting others to do the same. Reaching out to the unchurched and poor of the earth is central to God's purpose for the church and for each of our lives. When Jesus was crucified, he was led outside the gates of Jerusalem. Apostolic people follow Jesus' example and go outside the gates. We go where we are not comfortable. We take risks. We get away from comfortable and familiar church life and get among the people.
I really like the definition of the word equip used above. It is funny that for many of the people in our church (me included), there have been deep spiritual hurts in their lives. God has led them to our church to mend, get rid of misconceptions, and be set straight to follow Jesus with their whole hearts. God even brought a couple one week who had been spiritually hurt, and after Greg listened to their story and prayed with them, sent them back to their church to work out the problem with those who had hurt them.
Ephesians 4:12 was the scripture that God used to name our church EQUIP. I was reading a church planting book I had picked up and read this scripture in it. My eyes kept going back to the word equip, as though I hadn't read it or comprehended it. Finally I got God's point, that was what He wanted us to name our church. Bringing the word to Greg was interesting. Greg didn't immediately latch on to it. But being the Godly man he is, he prayed, saying, "God, if this is the name you want for our church, because it is so unique, you've got to show me why. You've got to give me a reason, some proof, this is of you." Sure enough, God showed him within a day the acronym that would be our vision: "Everyone Qualified, Unified, Ignited in Purpose." It is this acronym that encompasses our values and purposes. Pretty cool.
We went over our vision and values last Sunday. This Sunday we're having one of our elders come and talk about outreach. If you're interested in checking us out, our times and location are on our website at http://www.equipchurch.org/.
Have a blessed overcast once again, Friday.
Being courageous is about believing God for what he puts in your heart to do for him, and then doing it. It doesn't mean you have it all together, or that you always have faith to move mountains, but it does mean stepping out in faith to obey the next thing God tells you to do, whether you're twenty years old and have been walking with God just a few years or you have known Christ for decades. One of the problems with not seeing ourselves as courageous is that we don't take up the challenges God has for us.
I have discovered that God is more concerned about my passion than my ministry. I have learned that if I keep my heart on fire for him, he will take care of my ministry.
I have learned that these times are arranged by God for us to seek him. It's his way of putting desperation in our hearts for him, to prepare us for the fresh word he wants to give us. These types of experiences usually precede a major decision in our lives. As I said, it's God's way of preparing us, of stirring our hearts to be alone with him so we can hear his voice.
Courageous Leaders Mobilize Courageous People
When you inspire your friends and people around you to obey the commands of Jesus and model obedience to Jesus yourself, you are courageous. When you go one step further and intentionally invest in the lives of those you are discipling to obey the Great commission, you are equipping them for courageous ministry. The word equip is used by Paul in Ephesians 4:12. It was originally a medical term used to describe what happens when a broken limb is mended and set straight. To equip someone is to mend what is broken in his life so he can go all out for Jesus.
We join his mission by living a lifestyle of personal evangelism, prayer, and disciple-making, and by inviting others to do the same. Reaching out to the unchurched and poor of the earth is central to God's purpose for the church and for each of our lives. When Jesus was crucified, he was led outside the gates of Jerusalem. Apostolic people follow Jesus' example and go outside the gates. We go where we are not comfortable. We take risks. We get away from comfortable and familiar church life and get among the people.
I really like the definition of the word equip used above. It is funny that for many of the people in our church (me included), there have been deep spiritual hurts in their lives. God has led them to our church to mend, get rid of misconceptions, and be set straight to follow Jesus with their whole hearts. God even brought a couple one week who had been spiritually hurt, and after Greg listened to their story and prayed with them, sent them back to their church to work out the problem with those who had hurt them.
Ephesians 4:12 was the scripture that God used to name our church EQUIP. I was reading a church planting book I had picked up and read this scripture in it. My eyes kept going back to the word equip, as though I hadn't read it or comprehended it. Finally I got God's point, that was what He wanted us to name our church. Bringing the word to Greg was interesting. Greg didn't immediately latch on to it. But being the Godly man he is, he prayed, saying, "God, if this is the name you want for our church, because it is so unique, you've got to show me why. You've got to give me a reason, some proof, this is of you." Sure enough, God showed him within a day the acronym that would be our vision: "Everyone Qualified, Unified, Ignited in Purpose." It is this acronym that encompasses our values and purposes. Pretty cool.
We went over our vision and values last Sunday. This Sunday we're having one of our elders come and talk about outreach. If you're interested in checking us out, our times and location are on our website at http://www.equipchurch.org/.
Have a blessed overcast once again, Friday.
Thursday, January 7, 2010
You See Bones, I See an Army (cont,)
Starting Chapter 4, The Next Bono-or Is It Billy Graham by Floyd McClung.
I have discovered [that], because I have a dream in my heart of what the church is called to be, I am not the prisoner of those who don't share my dream. I dare to dream because God has deposited some courage in my heart. It is his grace to me, and I receive that grace to follow my dream.
Changing the way we do church has to be motivated by something greater than a dislike of the old ways. It must be apostolic in the biblical meaning of that word. We must be deeply convinced that the church as been commissioned to go into the unknown, that we have a life-changing message, good news for those who have never heard it, and that everywhere we go we are to establish outposts of the kingdom of God.
Jesus is the model for changing the old way of doing things. He broke with the Jewish ways of doing things that he himself had initiated, and if he did it to the Jews, what makes us think he will not change the church today, the very church he began two thousand years ago? The need for a radical reformation is just as great now as it was then, much more so than is widely emphasized or taught.
For example, though he was sent by the Father to launch a worldwide movement, Jesus spent most of his time investing in a few people, particularly marginalized and broken people. There are thousands of churches in the cities and villages of Africa, but too few of them are modeling holistic, discipleship-based church like Jesus did in Palestine. The men and women Jesus spent most of his time with were not powerful, famous, or recognized as leaders in his day, Jesus chose twelve ordinary men and a few women to be the first leaders of his movement. He invested in them, mentored them, and taught them how to do life. His influence on them changed how the men treated their wives, how they did business in the marketplace, and how they handled their finances. He commissioned them to make more disciples (like he had done with them), who in turn were to raise up still others. Jesus started small and personal, but he had something vast and global in mind. The commission Jesus gave his first disciples reflected the greatness of the one who sent him. He worked on a personal level because the Father cares deeply for people, but he gave his disciples a worldwide commission because the Father also cares for all nations.
I believe all those who say yes to Jesus today receive the same commission as the original twelve apostles. We may not all be apostles by gifting, but we are all charged to be part of the apostolic mission of the church.
So here's the question: Are you participating in the apostolic mission of the church? Are you discipling someone? Perhaps being discipled? Are you seeing Sunday morning as the game, or the huddle? Is your playing field the foyer of your church, or your community? Do you meet regularly with people for prayer? Do you stop and pray for needs when someone shares with you? Are you part of a small group? The book of Acts has all kids of examples of what it means to be apostolic. Ephesians 4 has lots of examples of leadership. Study the playbook, get a coach, huddle on Sunday, then head out into the community to play ball! The superbowl is just around the corner!
Have a blessed overcast Thursday!
I have discovered [that], because I have a dream in my heart of what the church is called to be, I am not the prisoner of those who don't share my dream. I dare to dream because God has deposited some courage in my heart. It is his grace to me, and I receive that grace to follow my dream.
Changing the way we do church has to be motivated by something greater than a dislike of the old ways. It must be apostolic in the biblical meaning of that word. We must be deeply convinced that the church as been commissioned to go into the unknown, that we have a life-changing message, good news for those who have never heard it, and that everywhere we go we are to establish outposts of the kingdom of God.
Jesus is the model for changing the old way of doing things. He broke with the Jewish ways of doing things that he himself had initiated, and if he did it to the Jews, what makes us think he will not change the church today, the very church he began two thousand years ago? The need for a radical reformation is just as great now as it was then, much more so than is widely emphasized or taught.
For example, though he was sent by the Father to launch a worldwide movement, Jesus spent most of his time investing in a few people, particularly marginalized and broken people. There are thousands of churches in the cities and villages of Africa, but too few of them are modeling holistic, discipleship-based church like Jesus did in Palestine. The men and women Jesus spent most of his time with were not powerful, famous, or recognized as leaders in his day, Jesus chose twelve ordinary men and a few women to be the first leaders of his movement. He invested in them, mentored them, and taught them how to do life. His influence on them changed how the men treated their wives, how they did business in the marketplace, and how they handled their finances. He commissioned them to make more disciples (like he had done with them), who in turn were to raise up still others. Jesus started small and personal, but he had something vast and global in mind. The commission Jesus gave his first disciples reflected the greatness of the one who sent him. He worked on a personal level because the Father cares deeply for people, but he gave his disciples a worldwide commission because the Father also cares for all nations.
I believe all those who say yes to Jesus today receive the same commission as the original twelve apostles. We may not all be apostles by gifting, but we are all charged to be part of the apostolic mission of the church.
So here's the question: Are you participating in the apostolic mission of the church? Are you discipling someone? Perhaps being discipled? Are you seeing Sunday morning as the game, or the huddle? Is your playing field the foyer of your church, or your community? Do you meet regularly with people for prayer? Do you stop and pray for needs when someone shares with you? Are you part of a small group? The book of Acts has all kids of examples of what it means to be apostolic. Ephesians 4 has lots of examples of leadership. Study the playbook, get a coach, huddle on Sunday, then head out into the community to play ball! The superbowl is just around the corner!
Have a blessed overcast Thursday!
Wednesday, January 6, 2010
You See Bones, I See an Army (cont,)
Continuing with the chapter called Courage to Change by Floyd McClung, this section is titled, Leaders Need Friends Too.
Having numerous people in your life can actually prevent the development of significant friendships. Jesus preached to the crowds, but he built his friendships with a few close associates. He knew the difference between a follower and a friend. And we must as well.
We can and should build friendships with those we disciple. Every effective leader invests in the lives of a few people at a time. In-depth personal discipleship takes the sting out of the lonely leader syndrome and creates a culture of friendship and community in our church. Genuine personal discipleship involves friendship. You can't invest yourself in someone's life without becoming friends. Paul said, "We loved you so much that we gave you not only God's Good News but our own lives, too."
There are times when I have to say no to a coworker. When that happens, I sometimes must take off my friend hat and speak firmly about what I believe is right for everyone involved. That kind of talk is a test for friends and coworkers, but talking truth with each other is absolutely essential if we are to grow together as real friends and healthy coworkers.
Is this too difficult to do? Not for Jesus, and not for us either if we are willing to grow in the skill and honesty it requires.
Apostolic Teams and Their Role
Elders in a simple church serve to equip and disciple the members of the church, or network of churches, they serve. Apostolic teams focus on pioneering among those who have not yet heard the good news, moving throughout a network of churches. Apostolic teams give oversight to pioneering movements. They cultivate and uphold a set of core values that empower such a movement. Local church elders care for the flock under their charge; an apostolic team does the same thing but also cultivates a church-planting culture of faith and vision for those who have never heard the good news.
Apostolic teams are focused. They are not satisfied with just overseeing the affairs of a local church. They burn with a desire to plant churches and reach those outside the influence of the gospel, especially those who have never heard of God's love in Christ. Apostolic teams are not apostolic because the team members are prophets or apostles. They are apostolic because they have a vision to plant churches where the gospel has not yet been proclaimed. You can be an apostle by gifting and fail to fulfill the purpose of your gift. Apostles are pioneers by calling, but they start new churches to fulfill their calling.
I have a very simple way of defining apostolic teams: they do what apostles did in the book of Acts. They preach the gospel, make disciples for Christ, plant churches, and appoint and coach elders of local churches. They believe God for the impossible and pull down Satan's strongholds. They suffer and sacrifice for what they believe in. In short, they win, gather, and multiply disciples and churches for Jesus, especially where people are unchurched and unreached.
You can talk about being apostolic until you're blue in the face, but if you don't plant and reproduce churches, you're not apostolic. If you worship and fast together to hear God's plans and strategies for the lost, and then lay hands on those God' appoints to be sent out, you have the beginnings of an apostolic team.
Death Benefits: The Price of Leading a Dry-Bones Army
We are called to die. Not just once to sin, but as a way of life. By dying to our rights, we find life. That means dying to our opinions, dying to the right to be understood, the right to be represented, the right to be loved, the right to be treated justly, and all of our other rights. Very few leaders understand this truth. They strive to find their role, their ministry, how they fit on the team, and so on. It is sad to watch men and women strive to keep what they have to give up anyway if they are to be part of God's mission. Jim Elliot wrote in his journal, "He is no fool who gives that which he cannot keep, to gain what he cannot lose."
That was the end of chapter three. I love that quote by Jim Elliot. Greg has been teaching the concept of dying to oneself to some of our leaders. He's teaching what it truly means to be a shepherd. We are blessed to have a humble, teachable team, but as mentioned above, sometimes there are those who have a grandiose dream of a high position in a church. Perhaps their dream includes sitting behind a large desk, having people come to them crying with problems, having the perfect thing to say, and being the hero. Maybe they see themselves preaching or leading worship to large crowds of people who adore them. Perhaps a big salary and car are part of the picture. It's a beautiful daydream, isn't it? But the reality of serving God is often much different.
Greg told the story Sunday of going to Nicaragua near Honduras to visit an old man who was a shut in and had recently stopped talking. This man had planted many churches in his lifetime and led many to Christ. But now, he was discouraged. He would write, "Where have all the brothers gone?" Meaning, "Why isn't anyone visiting me in my old age, I've impacted so many lives, where are they? Have they forgotten me?"
In order to visit him, Greg took an ambulance ride for over 6 hours over horrible roads to get to the edge of a river. There, he found out, he had to get in a canoe and travel up the Cocoa River for 2 days. With him where a team of men from Argentina, and other countries, to visit this man. When they finally arrived at his house, he was sitting in his chair, unable to walk or talk, but able to motion. He was happy to see he had visitors. This team of men laid hands on him and prayed for his healing before going to bed in a house across the road.
The next morning the team heard commotion from the old man's house. They ran across the road. His wife couldn't find him. He wasn't in bed. They finally found him in another room, praying to God for his visitors. He could walk and talk! All this to say, that sometimes we have to put aside our agendas and die to our comforts and go outside ourselves to minister to others. Six hours in a cramped ambulance with seven other men, three days in a canoe. But look at the joy it brought that man, a servant of God himself, in his last days. This is what we're called to do. Hospital visits in the middle of the night, consoling grieving and counseling feuding families, confronting sin, taking hits to our character and responding with grace, believing God for the impossible, hugging the homeless and praying for the lost. I'm sure my eyes haven't even begun to scratch the surface of what God has in store for us, but I try to keep my heart prepared for the unexpected. It's not about us. It's about giving God all the glory he so abundantly deserves. We are His servants, He owes us nothing. We are to seek Him and obey. Plain and simple.
Hve a blessed overcast day.
Having numerous people in your life can actually prevent the development of significant friendships. Jesus preached to the crowds, but he built his friendships with a few close associates. He knew the difference between a follower and a friend. And we must as well.
We can and should build friendships with those we disciple. Every effective leader invests in the lives of a few people at a time. In-depth personal discipleship takes the sting out of the lonely leader syndrome and creates a culture of friendship and community in our church. Genuine personal discipleship involves friendship. You can't invest yourself in someone's life without becoming friends. Paul said, "We loved you so much that we gave you not only God's Good News but our own lives, too."
There are times when I have to say no to a coworker. When that happens, I sometimes must take off my friend hat and speak firmly about what I believe is right for everyone involved. That kind of talk is a test for friends and coworkers, but talking truth with each other is absolutely essential if we are to grow together as real friends and healthy coworkers.
Is this too difficult to do? Not for Jesus, and not for us either if we are willing to grow in the skill and honesty it requires.
Apostolic Teams and Their Role
Elders in a simple church serve to equip and disciple the members of the church, or network of churches, they serve. Apostolic teams focus on pioneering among those who have not yet heard the good news, moving throughout a network of churches. Apostolic teams give oversight to pioneering movements. They cultivate and uphold a set of core values that empower such a movement. Local church elders care for the flock under their charge; an apostolic team does the same thing but also cultivates a church-planting culture of faith and vision for those who have never heard the good news.
Apostolic teams are focused. They are not satisfied with just overseeing the affairs of a local church. They burn with a desire to plant churches and reach those outside the influence of the gospel, especially those who have never heard of God's love in Christ. Apostolic teams are not apostolic because the team members are prophets or apostles. They are apostolic because they have a vision to plant churches where the gospel has not yet been proclaimed. You can be an apostle by gifting and fail to fulfill the purpose of your gift. Apostles are pioneers by calling, but they start new churches to fulfill their calling.
I have a very simple way of defining apostolic teams: they do what apostles did in the book of Acts. They preach the gospel, make disciples for Christ, plant churches, and appoint and coach elders of local churches. They believe God for the impossible and pull down Satan's strongholds. They suffer and sacrifice for what they believe in. In short, they win, gather, and multiply disciples and churches for Jesus, especially where people are unchurched and unreached.
You can talk about being apostolic until you're blue in the face, but if you don't plant and reproduce churches, you're not apostolic. If you worship and fast together to hear God's plans and strategies for the lost, and then lay hands on those God' appoints to be sent out, you have the beginnings of an apostolic team.
Death Benefits: The Price of Leading a Dry-Bones Army
We are called to die. Not just once to sin, but as a way of life. By dying to our rights, we find life. That means dying to our opinions, dying to the right to be understood, the right to be represented, the right to be loved, the right to be treated justly, and all of our other rights. Very few leaders understand this truth. They strive to find their role, their ministry, how they fit on the team, and so on. It is sad to watch men and women strive to keep what they have to give up anyway if they are to be part of God's mission. Jim Elliot wrote in his journal, "He is no fool who gives that which he cannot keep, to gain what he cannot lose."
That was the end of chapter three. I love that quote by Jim Elliot. Greg has been teaching the concept of dying to oneself to some of our leaders. He's teaching what it truly means to be a shepherd. We are blessed to have a humble, teachable team, but as mentioned above, sometimes there are those who have a grandiose dream of a high position in a church. Perhaps their dream includes sitting behind a large desk, having people come to them crying with problems, having the perfect thing to say, and being the hero. Maybe they see themselves preaching or leading worship to large crowds of people who adore them. Perhaps a big salary and car are part of the picture. It's a beautiful daydream, isn't it? But the reality of serving God is often much different.
Greg told the story Sunday of going to Nicaragua near Honduras to visit an old man who was a shut in and had recently stopped talking. This man had planted many churches in his lifetime and led many to Christ. But now, he was discouraged. He would write, "Where have all the brothers gone?" Meaning, "Why isn't anyone visiting me in my old age, I've impacted so many lives, where are they? Have they forgotten me?"
In order to visit him, Greg took an ambulance ride for over 6 hours over horrible roads to get to the edge of a river. There, he found out, he had to get in a canoe and travel up the Cocoa River for 2 days. With him where a team of men from Argentina, and other countries, to visit this man. When they finally arrived at his house, he was sitting in his chair, unable to walk or talk, but able to motion. He was happy to see he had visitors. This team of men laid hands on him and prayed for his healing before going to bed in a house across the road.
The next morning the team heard commotion from the old man's house. They ran across the road. His wife couldn't find him. He wasn't in bed. They finally found him in another room, praying to God for his visitors. He could walk and talk! All this to say, that sometimes we have to put aside our agendas and die to our comforts and go outside ourselves to minister to others. Six hours in a cramped ambulance with seven other men, three days in a canoe. But look at the joy it brought that man, a servant of God himself, in his last days. This is what we're called to do. Hospital visits in the middle of the night, consoling grieving and counseling feuding families, confronting sin, taking hits to our character and responding with grace, believing God for the impossible, hugging the homeless and praying for the lost. I'm sure my eyes haven't even begun to scratch the surface of what God has in store for us, but I try to keep my heart prepared for the unexpected. It's not about us. It's about giving God all the glory he so abundantly deserves. We are His servants, He owes us nothing. We are to seek Him and obey. Plain and simple.
Hve a blessed overcast day.
Saturday, January 2, 2010
You See Bones, I See an Army (cont,)
This segment of Floyd McClung's book is on Team Leadership:
Each person needs opportunity and encouragement to serve side by side with their gifts and passions. Just how does diversity on a team glorify God? There is a unique honor God receives from a team of people who subordinate their individual personalities to work through his or her differences and fears. The glory God receives from a team learning to work in such a way is much greater than that which comes from one-person leadership models. Each team member has to accept the invitation to go to the Cross with each new challenge the team faces. Dying to one's rights, preferences, mistrust, and old ways of relating is the price to pay for team unity.
Harnessing the gifts and callings of a group of strong-willed, gifted, and opinionated leaders takes a major work of grace on the part of each member of the team. It can be done, but not without the leader getting involved in each of the team members' lives, spouses included. It takes years of sacrifice, humility, and continued growth on the part of each member of the team for it to work.
Team members who are not open with one another about their fears, their hurts, and their sinful tendencies make it impossible to build a foundation of trust. Patrick Lencioni, in his brilliant book The Five Dysfunctions of a Team, defines trust as "believing other members of the team have my well being in mind." Trust means I want people to help me by speaking into my area of ministry, my personal performance, and the deep places of my heart.
Failure to build trust in a team is damaging because it hinders healthy debate, resulting in little or no heartfelt commitment to decisions, avoidance of mutual accountability, and getting sidetracked from our mission. Without trust a team cannot be a team, certainly not a team that reflects the love that exists between the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. A team without trust and mutual submission cannot experience the oneness of spirit and purpose that God intends them to have. ...team ministry is almost impossible where the team leader is not a father to hose on the team.
The funny thing is I was going to comment and in the process refer to Patrick Lencioni's book, but Floyd did it for me. I highly recommend this book to anyone who works with others, either in a secular or spiritual environment.
There is so much truth in these paragraphs. I've been on great teams who worked together, as well as potentially great teams that totally missed the mark. Patrick's quote, "believing other members of the team have my well being in mind", is called charitable assumption. I've been guilty of bringing baggage into teams where I thought there was no charitable assumption. I just automatically thought people didn't like me for whatever reason because in my past people have make judgments against me for no reason. This in itself caused people to not treat me authentically because I didn't have an authentic view of myself and projected that. If someone isn't being who they really are, they are cheating themselves. I much prefer being around people who are honest about who they are, good, bad, and ugly. Most believers will naturally treat others with charitable assumption. Those that don't need to be taught.
Have a blessed, overcast Saturday.
Each person needs opportunity and encouragement to serve side by side with their gifts and passions. Just how does diversity on a team glorify God? There is a unique honor God receives from a team of people who subordinate their individual personalities to work through his or her differences and fears. The glory God receives from a team learning to work in such a way is much greater than that which comes from one-person leadership models. Each team member has to accept the invitation to go to the Cross with each new challenge the team faces. Dying to one's rights, preferences, mistrust, and old ways of relating is the price to pay for team unity.
Harnessing the gifts and callings of a group of strong-willed, gifted, and opinionated leaders takes a major work of grace on the part of each member of the team. It can be done, but not without the leader getting involved in each of the team members' lives, spouses included. It takes years of sacrifice, humility, and continued growth on the part of each member of the team for it to work.
Team members who are not open with one another about their fears, their hurts, and their sinful tendencies make it impossible to build a foundation of trust. Patrick Lencioni, in his brilliant book The Five Dysfunctions of a Team, defines trust as "believing other members of the team have my well being in mind." Trust means I want people to help me by speaking into my area of ministry, my personal performance, and the deep places of my heart.
Failure to build trust in a team is damaging because it hinders healthy debate, resulting in little or no heartfelt commitment to decisions, avoidance of mutual accountability, and getting sidetracked from our mission. Without trust a team cannot be a team, certainly not a team that reflects the love that exists between the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. A team without trust and mutual submission cannot experience the oneness of spirit and purpose that God intends them to have. ...team ministry is almost impossible where the team leader is not a father to hose on the team.
The funny thing is I was going to comment and in the process refer to Patrick Lencioni's book, but Floyd did it for me. I highly recommend this book to anyone who works with others, either in a secular or spiritual environment.
There is so much truth in these paragraphs. I've been on great teams who worked together, as well as potentially great teams that totally missed the mark. Patrick's quote, "believing other members of the team have my well being in mind", is called charitable assumption. I've been guilty of bringing baggage into teams where I thought there was no charitable assumption. I just automatically thought people didn't like me for whatever reason because in my past people have make judgments against me for no reason. This in itself caused people to not treat me authentically because I didn't have an authentic view of myself and projected that. If someone isn't being who they really are, they are cheating themselves. I much prefer being around people who are honest about who they are, good, bad, and ugly. Most believers will naturally treat others with charitable assumption. Those that don't need to be taught.
Have a blessed, overcast Saturday.
Friday, January 1, 2010
You See Bones, I See an Army (cont,)
The holidays sure have a way of sidelining our plans, don't they? I hope to finish up this book with you shortly, then review the two books I've read since I've read this one. I'm also reading two more simultaneously, so I will give you those when I'm done as well. Lots of great stuff to ponder!
Now, continuing on with Floyd McClung's book:
Perhaps it is helpful to summarize the nature of spiritual authority this way:
1. Derived authority: The authority that has to do with earning the right to lead others. Derived authority is the consequence of godly character, wisdom, servanthood, humility, and recognition by others of a person's gifting and calling.
2. Delegated authority: The authority given to a person by someone else. A person with delegated authority must also earn the right to lead people spiritually.
3. Distributed authority: The authority given by Jesus to all those who know, love, and obey him. It is distributed to everyone in the church but is only effective if it is exercised in humble obedience to the commands of Jesus. All those who are Christlike share in the spiritual authority that Jesus gives to all his children.
But the authority Peter speaks about in 1 Peter 5 is the responsibility spiritual leaders have to serve God's people with love and integrity, not the power to command or control those they lead.
Below is a list of scriptures that clarifies the scope of authority spiritual leaders have been given by God, with clear conditions and restrictions: [I have included links, where the book spelled them out]
1 Peter 5:1-5
1 Tim. 5:17
Titus 1:5
Acts 20:28-31
1 Thess. 5:12-13
Heb. 13:17
2 Tim. 4:1-2
2 Tim. 2:24-25
...Jesus defined authority as influencing people by serving them. If we serve, we have influence, and if we influence people, we have spiritual authority in their lives. In this way, authority is defined as the privilege of influencing others by exercising one's spiritual gifts in a Christlike manner.
But how do we know if we are exercising spiritual authority the way Jesus did? The following questions may help:
1. Does it liberate or does it enslave?
2. Does it lead to conformity or does it bring creativity?
3. Does it bring dependence on man or God?
4. Does it produce servility or servanthood?
5. Does it depend on law or grace?
6. Does it destroy or does it build a person's confidence?
7. Does it equip people to function in faith or does it produce fear?
8. Does it produce accountability or anarchy?
9. Does it equip people for ministry or does it make them spectators to the ministries of others?
That's a good chunk for today. Let's talk about number 3 today. Does it bring dependence on man or God? Sometimes in the church today, when someone approaches a leader with a question about how they should go about doing something, whether ministry-related or personal, it is quicker and easier to give the answer we believe in our heart to be the clear, logical, generally accepted direction and be done with it. What this creates, however, is a dependence on man. The individual will continue to approach that person or other leaders with their questions about what to do. This creates a dependence on man. The better way of handling it is oftentimes to advise the person to seek God's direction themselves. After all, who will give the right answer everytime? Being human, we can certainly lead people astray, even without intention. This advice will cause the person to spend time on their knees, seeking the all-knowing God of the universe. This creates dependence on God. People will come and go, but God is here to stay.
Now where does that leave godly counsel that the Bible talks about? Godly counsel can and should be sought but not with a frequency that causes dependence on the godly counsel (man). Be wary of this also: when you seek godly counsel, does the godly counsel immediately give you an answer off the top of their head, or do they insist on having time to pray about the situation themselves first, seeking God, modeling that posture before you, and then come and confirm or not confirm the direction? I would be wary of any godly counsel that I wasn't absolutely sure had the spiritual gifts of wisdom and/or knowledge, and who gave me a quick answer. Even when seeking godly counsel, we should always seek God first.
I believe I blogged previously about a quote from the book that said the best Pastors are the ones who teach their congregations to hear God's voice for themselves. I believe this is one of the most import things that can be taught to equip someone in life and in ministry. We must depend on God first and foremost in our lives above anyone else.
Have a blessed cloudy New Year's Day!
Now, continuing on with Floyd McClung's book:
Perhaps it is helpful to summarize the nature of spiritual authority this way:
1. Derived authority: The authority that has to do with earning the right to lead others. Derived authority is the consequence of godly character, wisdom, servanthood, humility, and recognition by others of a person's gifting and calling.
2. Delegated authority: The authority given to a person by someone else. A person with delegated authority must also earn the right to lead people spiritually.
3. Distributed authority: The authority given by Jesus to all those who know, love, and obey him. It is distributed to everyone in the church but is only effective if it is exercised in humble obedience to the commands of Jesus. All those who are Christlike share in the spiritual authority that Jesus gives to all his children.
But the authority Peter speaks about in 1 Peter 5 is the responsibility spiritual leaders have to serve God's people with love and integrity, not the power to command or control those they lead.
Below is a list of scriptures that clarifies the scope of authority spiritual leaders have been given by God, with clear conditions and restrictions: [I have included links, where the book spelled them out]
1 Peter 5:1-5
1 Tim. 5:17
Titus 1:5
Acts 20:28-31
1 Thess. 5:12-13
Heb. 13:17
2 Tim. 4:1-2
2 Tim. 2:24-25
...Jesus defined authority as influencing people by serving them. If we serve, we have influence, and if we influence people, we have spiritual authority in their lives. In this way, authority is defined as the privilege of influencing others by exercising one's spiritual gifts in a Christlike manner.
But how do we know if we are exercising spiritual authority the way Jesus did? The following questions may help:
1. Does it liberate or does it enslave?
2. Does it lead to conformity or does it bring creativity?
3. Does it bring dependence on man or God?
4. Does it produce servility or servanthood?
5. Does it depend on law or grace?
6. Does it destroy or does it build a person's confidence?
7. Does it equip people to function in faith or does it produce fear?
8. Does it produce accountability or anarchy?
9. Does it equip people for ministry or does it make them spectators to the ministries of others?
That's a good chunk for today. Let's talk about number 3 today. Does it bring dependence on man or God? Sometimes in the church today, when someone approaches a leader with a question about how they should go about doing something, whether ministry-related or personal, it is quicker and easier to give the answer we believe in our heart to be the clear, logical, generally accepted direction and be done with it. What this creates, however, is a dependence on man. The individual will continue to approach that person or other leaders with their questions about what to do. This creates a dependence on man. The better way of handling it is oftentimes to advise the person to seek God's direction themselves. After all, who will give the right answer everytime? Being human, we can certainly lead people astray, even without intention. This advice will cause the person to spend time on their knees, seeking the all-knowing God of the universe. This creates dependence on God. People will come and go, but God is here to stay.
Now where does that leave godly counsel that the Bible talks about? Godly counsel can and should be sought but not with a frequency that causes dependence on the godly counsel (man). Be wary of this also: when you seek godly counsel, does the godly counsel immediately give you an answer off the top of their head, or do they insist on having time to pray about the situation themselves first, seeking God, modeling that posture before you, and then come and confirm or not confirm the direction? I would be wary of any godly counsel that I wasn't absolutely sure had the spiritual gifts of wisdom and/or knowledge, and who gave me a quick answer. Even when seeking godly counsel, we should always seek God first.
I believe I blogged previously about a quote from the book that said the best Pastors are the ones who teach their congregations to hear God's voice for themselves. I believe this is one of the most import things that can be taught to equip someone in life and in ministry. We must depend on God first and foremost in our lives above anyone else.
Have a blessed cloudy New Year's Day!
Monday, December 14, 2009
You See Bones, I See an Army (cont,)
Continuing on with my highlights and thoughts on the book by Floyd McClung.
Three Responsibilities of Those Who Lead in a Simple-Church Community
those that are given spiritual leadership are called to lead. It is going in front. It is making decisions and persuading others to be part of the decision. You can tell a leader because he or she has a following. He is not thinking in terms of hierarchy, but of relationship and responsibility.
Three primary responsibilities of those who lead in a local ecclesia:
To guard
1. Against wolves from within (Acts 20:28-30)
2. Against false doctrine (2 Tim. 4:1-5)
3. Aginst decievers (2 John 7-11)
4. Against those who cause divisions (Rom 16:17-18; Titus 3:10)
5. Aginst influences of sexual promiscuity (1 Cor. 5:9-13)
To govern
1. By caring for people.
2. By teaching God's word.
3. By correcting people in error.
4. By appointing other elders.
5. By making decisions.
To guide
1. By teaching the Word.
2. By discipling and equipping others to lead.
3. By imparting passion for God's glory to others.
Simple church by its size and nature needs a coaching and supporting leadership style, not a directing or delegating manner of leading.
Submission to Spiritual, Task, and Teaching Authority
The Bible makes it clear that we are to be committed to a local community of Jesus-followers. Being part of a simple-church community includes submission to true spiritual authority, which means we are humble enough to allow ourselves to be served by others with spiritual gifts we don't have. Some have erroneously taught that to be part of a simple church or house church is to be free from all spiritual authority. In fact, submission to a person or a group of people who follow Jesus is a sign of spiritual maturity. That includes submitting to those who lead. However, there is a difference between submission and blind obedience. Obedience for the sake of obedieince is not good. We can obey evil as well as good; we can obey man when we ought to obey God. Nor is obedience that produces conformity biblical obedience. Obedience to spiritual leaders in order to gain acceptance feeds an unhealthy need for approval.
Three Kinds of Authority
Task Authority
A person put in charge of a task or projects gives assignments and direction. Under him or her is a group of people whose responsibility is to comply with the leader's instructions as promptly and efficiently as they can.
In a work situation, sometimes we just needd to be told what to do and do it.
Teaching Authority
Teaching authority is based on the ability to persuade. The pastor or leader who balks at being asked legitimate questions needs to understand the difference between the different types of authority.
Spiritual Authority
The purpose of spiritual authority is not for passive compliance but for people to be motivated from the heart by Jesus' commands. Those with spiritual authority have responsibilities to guard, govern, and guide those they are given authority to lead. Their task is made easier if those they lead submit to their leadership. If their leadership is exercised in a mature manner, they will seek to influence those they to hear God for themselves and obey him from the heart. Spiritual growth happens through self-discovery, not imposed obedience. The purpose of spiritual authority is to inspire people to obey the commands of Jesus and to equip them for service, not command or control people's lives.
The essence of Christian maturity is a response from the heart to the will of God and to the direction given by spiritual leaders.
A spiritual leader may be a channel of God's Spirit motivating a person, but that person still needs to internalize what God is saying to him or her. Telling people what they must do, and why they should not do something else, may get a leader the immediate results he or she wants, but it doesn't produce spiritual maturity in others.
The exercise of spiritual authority in relation to this kind of obedience should be aimed at helping people discover the will of God by hearing God themselves. If people know how to hear God themselves, then spontaneously reproducing movements of simple churches are much more likely to happen. Top-down spiritual authority stifles a movement, making the leaders the bottleneck through which all decisions must pass. But when people hear God for themselves, they can get on with the work God has called all of us to do.
Tomorrow we'll look at a summary of spiritual authority, among other things dealing with leadership. Today I was able to work about and hour and a half with Greg doing landscaping. It was great. Though I have pain, while I was working, I felt no pain. Tomorrow it may hurt again, and possibly even worse, but it was better than staying home thinking about it. I hope to continue working through my healing over the next few weeks. Have a blessed sunny Monday.
Three Responsibilities of Those Who Lead in a Simple-Church Community
those that are given spiritual leadership are called to lead. It is going in front. It is making decisions and persuading others to be part of the decision. You can tell a leader because he or she has a following. He is not thinking in terms of hierarchy, but of relationship and responsibility.
Three primary responsibilities of those who lead in a local ecclesia:
To guard
1. Against wolves from within (Acts 20:28-30)
2. Against false doctrine (2 Tim. 4:1-5)
3. Aginst decievers (2 John 7-11)
4. Against those who cause divisions (Rom 16:17-18; Titus 3:10)
5. Aginst influences of sexual promiscuity (1 Cor. 5:9-13)
To govern
1. By caring for people.
2. By teaching God's word.
3. By correcting people in error.
4. By appointing other elders.
5. By making decisions.
To guide
1. By teaching the Word.
2. By discipling and equipping others to lead.
3. By imparting passion for God's glory to others.
Simple church by its size and nature needs a coaching and supporting leadership style, not a directing or delegating manner of leading.
Submission to Spiritual, Task, and Teaching Authority
The Bible makes it clear that we are to be committed to a local community of Jesus-followers. Being part of a simple-church community includes submission to true spiritual authority, which means we are humble enough to allow ourselves to be served by others with spiritual gifts we don't have. Some have erroneously taught that to be part of a simple church or house church is to be free from all spiritual authority. In fact, submission to a person or a group of people who follow Jesus is a sign of spiritual maturity. That includes submitting to those who lead. However, there is a difference between submission and blind obedience. Obedience for the sake of obedieince is not good. We can obey evil as well as good; we can obey man when we ought to obey God. Nor is obedience that produces conformity biblical obedience. Obedience to spiritual leaders in order to gain acceptance feeds an unhealthy need for approval.
Three Kinds of Authority
Task Authority
A person put in charge of a task or projects gives assignments and direction. Under him or her is a group of people whose responsibility is to comply with the leader's instructions as promptly and efficiently as they can.
In a work situation, sometimes we just needd to be told what to do and do it.
Teaching Authority
Teaching authority is based on the ability to persuade. The pastor or leader who balks at being asked legitimate questions needs to understand the difference between the different types of authority.
Spiritual Authority
The purpose of spiritual authority is not for passive compliance but for people to be motivated from the heart by Jesus' commands. Those with spiritual authority have responsibilities to guard, govern, and guide those they are given authority to lead. Their task is made easier if those they lead submit to their leadership. If their leadership is exercised in a mature manner, they will seek to influence those they to hear God for themselves and obey him from the heart. Spiritual growth happens through self-discovery, not imposed obedience. The purpose of spiritual authority is to inspire people to obey the commands of Jesus and to equip them for service, not command or control people's lives.
The essence of Christian maturity is a response from the heart to the will of God and to the direction given by spiritual leaders.
A spiritual leader may be a channel of God's Spirit motivating a person, but that person still needs to internalize what God is saying to him or her. Telling people what they must do, and why they should not do something else, may get a leader the immediate results he or she wants, but it doesn't produce spiritual maturity in others.
The exercise of spiritual authority in relation to this kind of obedience should be aimed at helping people discover the will of God by hearing God themselves. If people know how to hear God themselves, then spontaneously reproducing movements of simple churches are much more likely to happen. Top-down spiritual authority stifles a movement, making the leaders the bottleneck through which all decisions must pass. But when people hear God for themselves, they can get on with the work God has called all of us to do.
Tomorrow we'll look at a summary of spiritual authority, among other things dealing with leadership. Today I was able to work about and hour and a half with Greg doing landscaping. It was great. Though I have pain, while I was working, I felt no pain. Tomorrow it may hurt again, and possibly even worse, but it was better than staying home thinking about it. I hope to continue working through my healing over the next few weeks. Have a blessed sunny Monday.
Saturday, December 12, 2009
You See Bones, I See an Army (cont,)
Continuing with Chapter 3 by Floyd McClung.
It's About Bonding and First Impressions
The challenge in church today is that people are imprinted by other people who don't have the DNA of radical New Testament church. They have bonded to meeting-oriented church, to church done for them by pastors, and to church that is conducted in a building one day a week. They have a DNA of dependency on the life-support systems of Sunday school, youth programs, and men's and women's ministries. I often picture this kind of churchgoer as a very sick patient in an ICU ward, in isolation, hooked up to a life-support systems. And that is what conventional church does for many people. They are dependent on the ministries of the church. church for these people is not a radical movement where they are leading people to Christ and baptizing their converts weekly, but something that exists to serve them, to keep them alive.
If the leaders and members of conventional churches are busy maintaining the business systems and structures of the church and don't have time to be winning people to Christ, the people will bond to the Western business-oriented DNA of their leaders. If their leaders don't reproduce followers of Jesus, the people won't believe it is a high value in the church. If the leaders see themselves as the ones who run the church instead of those who preach to the lost and disciple new believers, then the people will be imprinted with that DNA. The DNA of a church at the deepest level sets the pattern of who the church becomes. It is that pattern that determines how everything else grows and reproduces, or doesn't grow at all.
Like Jesus, we don't have the right to say who can and cannot do things for God. We cannot set limits on people's spiritual authority.
God distributes authority in simple-church communities to each person. People who lead do so without needing permission or position to get on with carrying out the Great Commission. One's covering is found in his or her position in Christ, and not in human positions above them in the chain of command. It comes from heart-level humility that others recognize and accept.
The dangers of the top-down hierarchical model of command-and-control-type leadership is that it ties people to a chain of command and creates dependency on other people for empowerment and permission to minister. A codependency is developed that is unhealthy and will not lead to reproducing churches spontaneously.
Many people fear that without the top-down model of leadership there will be no clear authority. This is a false assumption based on bad experiences or lack of experience, or worse, a lack of understanding of how God designed his church to function. The strongest authority one can have is spiritual authority. If a person's life does not warrant them influence in the lives of others, then they won't be respected. But if they speak with wisdom and insight, and serve with a humble attitude, people will notice and will follow them, regardless of the person's title or position. Jesus led in this manner.
I have personal experience in this area. I was once removed from ministry by the person above me and was no longer allowed to disciple anyone. I knew at the time this was very wrong, unhealthy, and unbiblical. But, wanting to submit to my authority and keep peace in the church, I obeyed. Looking back, I wish I hadn't. Floyd explains above how our ultimate authority comes from our position in Christ. I see many loyal church-goers struggling in this area. Their scope is limited to the immediate church, not the Kingdom of God. They put their Pastor above their God in making decisions. Is it because the ramifications of not obeying the Pastor appear more immediate and threatening than the wrath of the Almighty? What if the Pastor is wrong? Greg encourages all our leaders to question his direction, to line up what he says with what the Bible says. He tells them to obey the Bible if he's wrong. He expects that. He has always done that. Once it cost him his job as Associate Pastor, but he did the right thing.
Do you have the courage to do the right thing? I wish I had.
It's About Bonding and First Impressions
The challenge in church today is that people are imprinted by other people who don't have the DNA of radical New Testament church. They have bonded to meeting-oriented church, to church done for them by pastors, and to church that is conducted in a building one day a week. They have a DNA of dependency on the life-support systems of Sunday school, youth programs, and men's and women's ministries. I often picture this kind of churchgoer as a very sick patient in an ICU ward, in isolation, hooked up to a life-support systems. And that is what conventional church does for many people. They are dependent on the ministries of the church. church for these people is not a radical movement where they are leading people to Christ and baptizing their converts weekly, but something that exists to serve them, to keep them alive.
If the leaders and members of conventional churches are busy maintaining the business systems and structures of the church and don't have time to be winning people to Christ, the people will bond to the Western business-oriented DNA of their leaders. If their leaders don't reproduce followers of Jesus, the people won't believe it is a high value in the church. If the leaders see themselves as the ones who run the church instead of those who preach to the lost and disciple new believers, then the people will be imprinted with that DNA. The DNA of a church at the deepest level sets the pattern of who the church becomes. It is that pattern that determines how everything else grows and reproduces, or doesn't grow at all.
Like Jesus, we don't have the right to say who can and cannot do things for God. We cannot set limits on people's spiritual authority.
God distributes authority in simple-church communities to each person. People who lead do so without needing permission or position to get on with carrying out the Great Commission. One's covering is found in his or her position in Christ, and not in human positions above them in the chain of command. It comes from heart-level humility that others recognize and accept.
The dangers of the top-down hierarchical model of command-and-control-type leadership is that it ties people to a chain of command and creates dependency on other people for empowerment and permission to minister. A codependency is developed that is unhealthy and will not lead to reproducing churches spontaneously.
Many people fear that without the top-down model of leadership there will be no clear authority. This is a false assumption based on bad experiences or lack of experience, or worse, a lack of understanding of how God designed his church to function. The strongest authority one can have is spiritual authority. If a person's life does not warrant them influence in the lives of others, then they won't be respected. But if they speak with wisdom and insight, and serve with a humble attitude, people will notice and will follow them, regardless of the person's title or position. Jesus led in this manner.
I have personal experience in this area. I was once removed from ministry by the person above me and was no longer allowed to disciple anyone. I knew at the time this was very wrong, unhealthy, and unbiblical. But, wanting to submit to my authority and keep peace in the church, I obeyed. Looking back, I wish I hadn't. Floyd explains above how our ultimate authority comes from our position in Christ. I see many loyal church-goers struggling in this area. Their scope is limited to the immediate church, not the Kingdom of God. They put their Pastor above their God in making decisions. Is it because the ramifications of not obeying the Pastor appear more immediate and threatening than the wrath of the Almighty? What if the Pastor is wrong? Greg encourages all our leaders to question his direction, to line up what he says with what the Bible says. He tells them to obey the Bible if he's wrong. He expects that. He has always done that. Once it cost him his job as Associate Pastor, but he did the right thing.
Do you have the courage to do the right thing? I wish I had.
Friday, December 11, 2009
You See Bones, I See an Army (cont,)
Now on to Chapter 3 by Floyd McClung.
Paul patiently waited to appoint leaders in the churches he started until they had time to grow and find their way. Sometimes he left them to develop on their own, encouraging them to build on the values, truths, and passions he imparted to them while he was with them. He trusted the Holy Spirit in them to guide them.
There is a time and place to train spiritual leaders. But if we get ahead of God's timetable inpeople's lives, it may actually hinder natural development. If we try to force growth in spiritual leaders before they are ready, it creates problems, such as a performance mentality, unhealthy dependency, and an inability to think and discern for oneself.
Those who appreciate the beauty and innate order of God's natural design for the church serve the church with the greatest wisdom.
What gives the church cohesion on such a model? Its values and vision. When the values and vision of the kingdom are clearly understood by those who father and mother a movement, and they are clearly articulated for all to understand, and imparted through discipling relationships, the DNA of the movement takes hold in people's hearts.
Our present forms of church government are perfectly suited to produce the resuls we are now seeing - that is the problem! How we typically lead and organize churches is built on a model of maintenance and direction, not heared for spontaneous expansions. We have learned how to control the church, but we struggle to learn how to allow the Holy Spirit to be in control.
Because we are Sunday-meeting focused, instead of everyday-movement focused, we immediately think about how disorderly our church meetings will become if there is no order. But think bigger: if our churches are growing spontaneously, our problems will change. Our focus will not be about meetings alone, as important as they are, but how to disciple the leaders as they disciple new converts and equip leaders to lead and reproduce themselves.
Structure should never control life, only serve it. Only involve people in structures who are secure with being out of sight and serving. You don't use a water hose to build water pipes in a large block of houses, nor should you invite someone to be an elder who doesn't have water flowing through them to the lost, or has only a small flow of life. Elders are people who "eld," who do the stuff of ministry outside the flock as well as inside. If they have the values and live the vision, they are already bringing water to the thirsty.
That's a good chunk for today. So many things to comment on! Let's do paragraph #1 today. Paul patiently waited to appoint leaders in the churches he started until they had time to grow and find their way. Sometimes he left them to develop on their own, encouraging them to build on the values, truths, and passions he imparted to them while he was with them. He trusted the Holy Spirit in them to guide them. This is often a struggle for me. Greg and I have had many conversations about many people on this very subject. For those of you who know me, I'm more task-oriented. I like efficient meetings, bullet lists, to-do lists, and read through the Bible in a year checks boxes. Do it and move on. Greg is very relational, which shows God's sense of humor in putting us together! Often I will catch him saying something cute, like, reaching for a cracker, choosing the broken one, and saying, "I'll take the rejected one." Show's his Pastor's heart too. Many times he'll treat inanimate objects like they have feelings. Cracks me up. I digress . . . Back to the point.
Often, I will see someone who might need correction in an area. Nothing major, but maybe they don't quite have the Christian perspective on a particular action or belief. I'll want Greg or I to talk to them about it. I know if I was off base on something, I would want to be put on the right track. I've had people do this to me along my walk and I have SO appreciated it. It's kind of like there are two types of people: those who tell you there is brocolli in your teeth, and those who let you walk around all night with it. Which are your friends? I'd rather have one friend than a whole room of non-confronters.
Greg, on the other hand, picks his battles carefully. He will wait. And for me, wait for what seems like months and months. He chooses other things to talk to the person about. He trusts the Holy Spirit to do much of the convicting of someone's heart. He is a gentle shepherd. Me, if given full reign? I'm the pointy end of the rod. Fortunately, we balance each other out quite well and I'm learning how and when to confront people, and when not to.
You might be curious as to the areas where I've been corrected by caring people in the past. I've probably blogged on these before, so if I have, please forgive my forgetfulness.
The first was a male, Christian co-worker I asked for advice one day. My kids were little but entering the age of trick-or-treating. My husband, whom I was legally separated from, was always very much against celebrating Halloween in any fashion, even giving out candy at our door. I asked my co-worker who also had children, a little older than mine, what his family did that night and if he thought trick-or-treating was okay. Though I don't know all the details, the gist of it was that trick-or-treating originated in Satanic rituals and pagan beliefs. He reminded me of the verse, "If you're not for me, you're against me", and "Don't give the devil a foothold." I was convinced, and my children have never trick-or-treated or asked to go. We don't give out candy at our door. We usually turn off the lights and watch tv. In the early years, I posted a sign on my garage door that read "We do not participate in Halloween", which got the neighbors used to not knocking on my door.
The second instance I remember was my women's ministry director gently educating me on how to choose a qualified leader. I was wanting to get out of leading my group for single moms and was seriously considering another single mom in the group. This lady was energetic, her kids not too young to require a lot of need, fairly faithful in her attendance and great relationally. She had gone through some ringers in her life and had a good pool of experience and compassion. I felt it was a good match for her also because it would help grow her. I hoped it would help her focus more on Jesus and less on her relationship with her boyfriend. It was a healthy next step for her in ministry, from just serving in task ministries, and acutally shepherding someone.
I received an email from my leader who clued me in to the qualifications of a leader of people. They had to live a more exemplary life than this lady was leading. She was having a sexual relationship with her boyfriend. At the time, I knew that, but felt she could better relate to other ladies in the group who were in the same place. I felt I often came across as too high and mighty as I was very sold out on purity. I was gently corrected and am thankful for that to this day.
Another time I was told I should share more of myself with others, meaning opening up about my past. I tend not to go there for two reasons: 1. I don't think anyone cares. 2. It's in the past and though it may contribute to who I am today, my past doesn't define me. I prefer to live in the present and look forward. I think now it is good to share, when needed to help build bridges relationally. I always will answer questions about my past, I don't hide anything, but at the same time, my past doesn't monopolize my conversation. I prefer to listen to others.
So, that's where I'm at and what I think about letting the Holy Spirit lead others to repentence. I try not to be too spontaneous or impetuous in fixing situations.
Paul patiently waited to appoint leaders in the churches he started until they had time to grow and find their way. Sometimes he left them to develop on their own, encouraging them to build on the values, truths, and passions he imparted to them while he was with them. He trusted the Holy Spirit in them to guide them.
There is a time and place to train spiritual leaders. But if we get ahead of God's timetable inpeople's lives, it may actually hinder natural development. If we try to force growth in spiritual leaders before they are ready, it creates problems, such as a performance mentality, unhealthy dependency, and an inability to think and discern for oneself.
Those who appreciate the beauty and innate order of God's natural design for the church serve the church with the greatest wisdom.
What gives the church cohesion on such a model? Its values and vision. When the values and vision of the kingdom are clearly understood by those who father and mother a movement, and they are clearly articulated for all to understand, and imparted through discipling relationships, the DNA of the movement takes hold in people's hearts.
Our present forms of church government are perfectly suited to produce the resuls we are now seeing - that is the problem! How we typically lead and organize churches is built on a model of maintenance and direction, not heared for spontaneous expansions. We have learned how to control the church, but we struggle to learn how to allow the Holy Spirit to be in control.
Because we are Sunday-meeting focused, instead of everyday-movement focused, we immediately think about how disorderly our church meetings will become if there is no order. But think bigger: if our churches are growing spontaneously, our problems will change. Our focus will not be about meetings alone, as important as they are, but how to disciple the leaders as they disciple new converts and equip leaders to lead and reproduce themselves.
Structure should never control life, only serve it. Only involve people in structures who are secure with being out of sight and serving. You don't use a water hose to build water pipes in a large block of houses, nor should you invite someone to be an elder who doesn't have water flowing through them to the lost, or has only a small flow of life. Elders are people who "eld," who do the stuff of ministry outside the flock as well as inside. If they have the values and live the vision, they are already bringing water to the thirsty.
That's a good chunk for today. So many things to comment on! Let's do paragraph #1 today. Paul patiently waited to appoint leaders in the churches he started until they had time to grow and find their way. Sometimes he left them to develop on their own, encouraging them to build on the values, truths, and passions he imparted to them while he was with them. He trusted the Holy Spirit in them to guide them. This is often a struggle for me. Greg and I have had many conversations about many people on this very subject. For those of you who know me, I'm more task-oriented. I like efficient meetings, bullet lists, to-do lists, and read through the Bible in a year checks boxes. Do it and move on. Greg is very relational, which shows God's sense of humor in putting us together! Often I will catch him saying something cute, like, reaching for a cracker, choosing the broken one, and saying, "I'll take the rejected one." Show's his Pastor's heart too. Many times he'll treat inanimate objects like they have feelings. Cracks me up. I digress . . . Back to the point.
Often, I will see someone who might need correction in an area. Nothing major, but maybe they don't quite have the Christian perspective on a particular action or belief. I'll want Greg or I to talk to them about it. I know if I was off base on something, I would want to be put on the right track. I've had people do this to me along my walk and I have SO appreciated it. It's kind of like there are two types of people: those who tell you there is brocolli in your teeth, and those who let you walk around all night with it. Which are your friends? I'd rather have one friend than a whole room of non-confronters.
Greg, on the other hand, picks his battles carefully. He will wait. And for me, wait for what seems like months and months. He chooses other things to talk to the person about. He trusts the Holy Spirit to do much of the convicting of someone's heart. He is a gentle shepherd. Me, if given full reign? I'm the pointy end of the rod. Fortunately, we balance each other out quite well and I'm learning how and when to confront people, and when not to.
You might be curious as to the areas where I've been corrected by caring people in the past. I've probably blogged on these before, so if I have, please forgive my forgetfulness.
The first was a male, Christian co-worker I asked for advice one day. My kids were little but entering the age of trick-or-treating. My husband, whom I was legally separated from, was always very much against celebrating Halloween in any fashion, even giving out candy at our door. I asked my co-worker who also had children, a little older than mine, what his family did that night and if he thought trick-or-treating was okay. Though I don't know all the details, the gist of it was that trick-or-treating originated in Satanic rituals and pagan beliefs. He reminded me of the verse, "If you're not for me, you're against me", and "Don't give the devil a foothold." I was convinced, and my children have never trick-or-treated or asked to go. We don't give out candy at our door. We usually turn off the lights and watch tv. In the early years, I posted a sign on my garage door that read "We do not participate in Halloween", which got the neighbors used to not knocking on my door.
The second instance I remember was my women's ministry director gently educating me on how to choose a qualified leader. I was wanting to get out of leading my group for single moms and was seriously considering another single mom in the group. This lady was energetic, her kids not too young to require a lot of need, fairly faithful in her attendance and great relationally. She had gone through some ringers in her life and had a good pool of experience and compassion. I felt it was a good match for her also because it would help grow her. I hoped it would help her focus more on Jesus and less on her relationship with her boyfriend. It was a healthy next step for her in ministry, from just serving in task ministries, and acutally shepherding someone.
I received an email from my leader who clued me in to the qualifications of a leader of people. They had to live a more exemplary life than this lady was leading. She was having a sexual relationship with her boyfriend. At the time, I knew that, but felt she could better relate to other ladies in the group who were in the same place. I felt I often came across as too high and mighty as I was very sold out on purity. I was gently corrected and am thankful for that to this day.
Another time I was told I should share more of myself with others, meaning opening up about my past. I tend not to go there for two reasons: 1. I don't think anyone cares. 2. It's in the past and though it may contribute to who I am today, my past doesn't define me. I prefer to live in the present and look forward. I think now it is good to share, when needed to help build bridges relationally. I always will answer questions about my past, I don't hide anything, but at the same time, my past doesn't monopolize my conversation. I prefer to listen to others.
So, that's where I'm at and what I think about letting the Holy Spirit lead others to repentence. I try not to be too spontaneous or impetuous in fixing situations.
Monday, December 7, 2009
You See Bones, I See an Army (cont,)
Finally continuing on with Floyd McClung's great book, here is what I liked in this chapter titled, Asking the Right Questions.
Simple Versus Complicated Church
I believe there are distinct advantages to such a simple expression of church and ministry:
1. It is simpler to get things done. It doesn't take a long time to conduct the business meeting of the church!
2. Accountability is more natural and powerful with two or three people. It is more difficult to confess sins or weaknesses with a larger group of people.
3. There is greater flexibility. It doesn't take long, or involve as many decisions, to change or adapt to new opportunities.
4. Communication flows more easily with a small group of people. Misunderstandings can be cleared up more quickly when the group is smaller.
5. There is greater proximity ot people who don't know Jesus. It is natural for a small group to meet in a restaurnat or bar or office, thus keeping a group located among people who don't know Jesus.
6. Direciton is more quickly and clearly confirmed in simple church. God often uses two or three others to confirm what he says to us.
7. Leadership stays natural and relational. When the leadership functions in a small group of people, it is much more difficult for it to function from a lofty position since everyone knows each other.
8. Multiplication can happen spontaneously as the group grows. It doesn'ttake a worship band, a fat check, a telemarketing campaign, and a new building to plant a new church!
The difference between complicated church and simple church is that the complicated church relies on programs to disciple people, while simple church empowers people to disciple people.
I believe deeply and fervently in the marriage of church and mission. One of my coworkers said to me at one point, "You don't believe in direct sending, do you?" He clarified that he believed local churches should not and could not send missionaries directly to the field, that they were not gifted or anointed by God to send people as missionaries apart from missionary organizations. That kind of thinking seems a long way from the church of Antioch in Acts 13.
On the other side of the coin, there are many local churches that have no vision for the nations and no room in their thinking or their leadership for visionary leaders that are not part of their local church. These churches are ingrown and controlling. Their view of God is too small and their understanding of church is too narrow.
A person with a vision is not a prisoner of a person without one.
Vision from God for his church will give you faith for the church you are part of. You will see how much God loves the church. You will pray for her and weep for her and, if necessary, leave her. You will be free to love, forgive, and submit to her and her leaders as well - if that is what God says to do.
When God imparts a vision and finds someone with courage to take hold of that vision and run with it, God himself will stand behind it. If he gave it, it is his vision. He will complete what he starts in you, as long as you obey him and act with integrity and humility. Even if you make mistakes, God will rescue you if you ask for his mercy. No force on earth or demon in hell can keep you from the will of God if you walk obediently before God and humbly before others.
[Speaking of his training program for doing simple church.] Interestingly, we have to train people from traditional and institutional church backgrounds out of the old way of doing church, and orient them to the new paradigm of simple church. I jokingly say to those we train, "You never have to worry about losing your job because you will never have one." In other words, they key to passing the torch to the next generation of leaders in simple-church-planting movements is never to hold the torch, speaking of positions and titles. We teach people to be servant leaders who raise up others to carry the torch from the beginning. This is a new style of leadership that requires serving behind the scenes, being secure enough to be a coach to new leaders without poistion or title. The goal of a simple-church-planting movement is not being an up-front pastor or elder but being a spiritual father or mother to a movement of elders and church planters.
That's plenty for today. The part I would like to comment on is the last paragraph. "being secure enough to be a coach to new leaders without poistion or title." I don't believe it is always a sense of security that makes a person want a position or title. Sometimes it is a belief that they will function better in society with other institutional church leaders if they have a position or title, as the church culture expects it. It's a way of identification and an element of communication. Whether that is true or not is debateable. A person can always explain, "I don't have a position or title. In our church, we all do the work of God, as is needed at that moment. Some of the things I do or have done are . . ." That would actually help to open up a dialogue of simple church methods and paradigms. I don't believe we always have to conform to those around us to be effective in carrying out God's will for the church.
I also believe that sometimes people desire positions or titles out of pride, self-centeredness, and ego. Some people have a goal to have the most lofty job title in an organization. The Bible makes it very clear that "God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble." James 4:6. My mom always quoted "Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall." Proverbs 16:18. Pride in someone is always the negative thing that I identify in a person first. Whether it is in their words, their mannerisms, their actions, their lifestyle, etc. For me, like seeing an alcoholic or ex-alcholoic, I can spot it a mile away. Pride is the thing I like to work on correcting in a person, and it is not always easy, comfortable, pleasant, or enjoyable. It can hurt, and it should. It is a deep rooted evil that God opposes in people.
Know that pride is the unhealthy version of what a person thinks of him or herself. The healthy version is what the Bible tells us to do. It is to have an honest estimation of ourselves. That means we shouldn't think too lowly or too highly of ourselves, but know what our strengths and weaknesses are and continue to strive to become a better person. "For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the measure of faith God has given you." Romans 12:3. Even when we have a true estimation of ourselves, it doesn't mean we go around flauting all the positives. Your good points will be evident to all. We don't have to impress anyone but God, and he knows our hearts and our thoughts, and sees all our actions.
Simple Versus Complicated Church
I believe there are distinct advantages to such a simple expression of church and ministry:
1. It is simpler to get things done. It doesn't take a long time to conduct the business meeting of the church!
2. Accountability is more natural and powerful with two or three people. It is more difficult to confess sins or weaknesses with a larger group of people.
3. There is greater flexibility. It doesn't take long, or involve as many decisions, to change or adapt to new opportunities.
4. Communication flows more easily with a small group of people. Misunderstandings can be cleared up more quickly when the group is smaller.
5. There is greater proximity ot people who don't know Jesus. It is natural for a small group to meet in a restaurnat or bar or office, thus keeping a group located among people who don't know Jesus.
6. Direciton is more quickly and clearly confirmed in simple church. God often uses two or three others to confirm what he says to us.
7. Leadership stays natural and relational. When the leadership functions in a small group of people, it is much more difficult for it to function from a lofty position since everyone knows each other.
8. Multiplication can happen spontaneously as the group grows. It doesn'ttake a worship band, a fat check, a telemarketing campaign, and a new building to plant a new church!
The difference between complicated church and simple church is that the complicated church relies on programs to disciple people, while simple church empowers people to disciple people.
I believe deeply and fervently in the marriage of church and mission. One of my coworkers said to me at one point, "You don't believe in direct sending, do you?" He clarified that he believed local churches should not and could not send missionaries directly to the field, that they were not gifted or anointed by God to send people as missionaries apart from missionary organizations. That kind of thinking seems a long way from the church of Antioch in Acts 13.
On the other side of the coin, there are many local churches that have no vision for the nations and no room in their thinking or their leadership for visionary leaders that are not part of their local church. These churches are ingrown and controlling. Their view of God is too small and their understanding of church is too narrow.
A person with a vision is not a prisoner of a person without one.
Vision from God for his church will give you faith for the church you are part of. You will see how much God loves the church. You will pray for her and weep for her and, if necessary, leave her. You will be free to love, forgive, and submit to her and her leaders as well - if that is what God says to do.
When God imparts a vision and finds someone with courage to take hold of that vision and run with it, God himself will stand behind it. If he gave it, it is his vision. He will complete what he starts in you, as long as you obey him and act with integrity and humility. Even if you make mistakes, God will rescue you if you ask for his mercy. No force on earth or demon in hell can keep you from the will of God if you walk obediently before God and humbly before others.
[Speaking of his training program for doing simple church.] Interestingly, we have to train people from traditional and institutional church backgrounds out of the old way of doing church, and orient them to the new paradigm of simple church. I jokingly say to those we train, "You never have to worry about losing your job because you will never have one." In other words, they key to passing the torch to the next generation of leaders in simple-church-planting movements is never to hold the torch, speaking of positions and titles. We teach people to be servant leaders who raise up others to carry the torch from the beginning. This is a new style of leadership that requires serving behind the scenes, being secure enough to be a coach to new leaders without poistion or title. The goal of a simple-church-planting movement is not being an up-front pastor or elder but being a spiritual father or mother to a movement of elders and church planters.
That's plenty for today. The part I would like to comment on is the last paragraph. "being secure enough to be a coach to new leaders without poistion or title." I don't believe it is always a sense of security that makes a person want a position or title. Sometimes it is a belief that they will function better in society with other institutional church leaders if they have a position or title, as the church culture expects it. It's a way of identification and an element of communication. Whether that is true or not is debateable. A person can always explain, "I don't have a position or title. In our church, we all do the work of God, as is needed at that moment. Some of the things I do or have done are . . ." That would actually help to open up a dialogue of simple church methods and paradigms. I don't believe we always have to conform to those around us to be effective in carrying out God's will for the church.
I also believe that sometimes people desire positions or titles out of pride, self-centeredness, and ego. Some people have a goal to have the most lofty job title in an organization. The Bible makes it very clear that "God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble." James 4:6. My mom always quoted "Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall." Proverbs 16:18. Pride in someone is always the negative thing that I identify in a person first. Whether it is in their words, their mannerisms, their actions, their lifestyle, etc. For me, like seeing an alcoholic or ex-alcholoic, I can spot it a mile away. Pride is the thing I like to work on correcting in a person, and it is not always easy, comfortable, pleasant, or enjoyable. It can hurt, and it should. It is a deep rooted evil that God opposes in people.
Know that pride is the unhealthy version of what a person thinks of him or herself. The healthy version is what the Bible tells us to do. It is to have an honest estimation of ourselves. That means we shouldn't think too lowly or too highly of ourselves, but know what our strengths and weaknesses are and continue to strive to become a better person. "For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the measure of faith God has given you." Romans 12:3. Even when we have a true estimation of ourselves, it doesn't mean we go around flauting all the positives. Your good points will be evident to all. We don't have to impress anyone but God, and he knows our hearts and our thoughts, and sees all our actions.
I Survived!
It was one of those weekends that don't happen too frequently, that makes you take a deep breath, lead with your helment, and try not to get a foul. All last week was packed with things to do, like painting the sets, taking care of a sick child, typical stuff like laundry, dishes, and dusting, Christmas shopping and wrapping, and many, many others. Friday was my birthday and I looked forward to a slice of cake from Old Tyme Pastries and seeing Kristen on opening night at the Gaslight Theater. So began the treadmill, a good pace, but there is an element of stress that comes when your youngest is on stage all by herself for a 12 minute monologue. She did great. It was my favorite birthday gift.
Saturday was full of more details, the bulletin, wrapping presents for the set, and gathering all the many items needed to make my part of Sunday happen. My mom, brother, and sister-in-law stopped by with turkey soup and their Christmas gift. Then they went to see her perform. I cleaned house and Greg helped make snacks for our Leadership Team White Elephant Christmas party. It was a blast. After everyone left, we worked on church stuff for another hour or two until Kristen came home around 11:00.
Sunday, we loaded everything into the truck and car and headed to church by 7:30. Mark helped Kristen with her car windows and she came and played the drums like a very exhausted trooper. Still fighting her sinus infection, she did great, then left at 10:30 for the theater for her next 2 performances. Church was great. We had Mike do his Christmas Rap, Arline, his friend, came from Tracy and sang Breath of Heaven (Mary's Song), my favorite, we had a great and very original Christmas sermon that especially blessed one of the ladies who was visiting, and we handed out a gift to each family. Tear down began, and it was something. We must have broken 10 glass ornaments on the floor. The tree was definately a learning experience, especially when you have to set it up and tear it down each week.
After church, we came home and waiting for Greg's mom to arrive from Escalon. I went to buy some roses for Kristen and headed to the theater. Greg and his mom soon followed. She was turning around in a neighbor's driveway when she arrived at our house and her car died. Greg had to push it to get it parked in front of our house. We didn't know if he could fix it, if she had to spend the night, or just what was going to happen, but we enjoyed the performance and Greg got the car working when we got home. She arrived safely back in Escalon last night. It was great seeing our Youth Pastor's family and another youth at the theater to see Kristen, as well as Kristen's dad and step-mom.
Yesterday afternoon and evening, Mark was in Carol Fest at Stanislaus State. We could have gone, but were too tired. I'm glad I got to experience it 2 years ago when Mark was a music major. We enjoyed a quiet evening watching Greg's team beat the Vikings and I dozed off and on during the game.
Kristen is exhausted and not over her sinus infection, so she's home sleeping today. We saw snow flurries outside this morning for a brief minute. Greg is home preparing for his next sermon. He can't cut grass in the rain. It's a blessing.
So today, it's catching up on details that didn't get done last week, like blogging, and trying to catch up on sleep. The next blog will be on Floyd McClung's You See Bones, I See an Army. Have a blessed rainy Monday.
Saturday was full of more details, the bulletin, wrapping presents for the set, and gathering all the many items needed to make my part of Sunday happen. My mom, brother, and sister-in-law stopped by with turkey soup and their Christmas gift. Then they went to see her perform. I cleaned house and Greg helped make snacks for our Leadership Team White Elephant Christmas party. It was a blast. After everyone left, we worked on church stuff for another hour or two until Kristen came home around 11:00.
Sunday, we loaded everything into the truck and car and headed to church by 7:30. Mark helped Kristen with her car windows and she came and played the drums like a very exhausted trooper. Still fighting her sinus infection, she did great, then left at 10:30 for the theater for her next 2 performances. Church was great. We had Mike do his Christmas Rap, Arline, his friend, came from Tracy and sang Breath of Heaven (Mary's Song), my favorite, we had a great and very original Christmas sermon that especially blessed one of the ladies who was visiting, and we handed out a gift to each family. Tear down began, and it was something. We must have broken 10 glass ornaments on the floor. The tree was definately a learning experience, especially when you have to set it up and tear it down each week.
After church, we came home and waiting for Greg's mom to arrive from Escalon. I went to buy some roses for Kristen and headed to the theater. Greg and his mom soon followed. She was turning around in a neighbor's driveway when she arrived at our house and her car died. Greg had to push it to get it parked in front of our house. We didn't know if he could fix it, if she had to spend the night, or just what was going to happen, but we enjoyed the performance and Greg got the car working when we got home. She arrived safely back in Escalon last night. It was great seeing our Youth Pastor's family and another youth at the theater to see Kristen, as well as Kristen's dad and step-mom.
Yesterday afternoon and evening, Mark was in Carol Fest at Stanislaus State. We could have gone, but were too tired. I'm glad I got to experience it 2 years ago when Mark was a music major. We enjoyed a quiet evening watching Greg's team beat the Vikings and I dozed off and on during the game.
Kristen is exhausted and not over her sinus infection, so she's home sleeping today. We saw snow flurries outside this morning for a brief minute. Greg is home preparing for his next sermon. He can't cut grass in the rain. It's a blessing.
So today, it's catching up on details that didn't get done last week, like blogging, and trying to catch up on sleep. The next blog will be on Floyd McClung's You See Bones, I See an Army. Have a blessed rainy Monday.
Saturday, December 5, 2009
A Must See
If you haven't seen the Turlock Christian High School Drama, "It's a Wonderful Life", you've got to. Jeffrey, who plays George Baily, did an amazing job. He sounds just like Jimmy Stewart! Leon Fox, who plays Mr. Potter, was also amazing, sounding just like the original. Casey Franco, who plays Clarence, was also equally impressive, sounding just like Clarence. Kristen did a fabulous job with her monolog as Mary's mother, a jewish woman, in Swaddling Clothes. Touching and funny. Mrs. Dawn Davis, the director, once again pulled out amazing performances from all the actors. It was truly an enjoyable, heart touching evening at the Golden Gaslight Theater in Denair. Today's performances are at 2:00 and 8:00 and tomorrow at 2:00 and 7:00. Adults $7.00 and can be bought at the door. The junior class has wonderful holilday goodies to purchase as well. Don't miss this holiday classic event.
Thursday, December 3, 2009
Flexibility Was the Word Yesterday
I sit at my desk remembering all the things that happend yesterday and my eyes glance over to the Franklin Covey catalog I get. (Time to re-order my calendar pages for 2010!). On the front cover are the words, "I am a planner." How true! Me too! That didn't seem to matter at all yesterday.
I got up, showered, did my shoulder stretches and sat on the sofa with my Bible, thinking, "Ah, this is so nice! Kristen will drive herself to school, Mark will drive to school, Greg will go to work, I will spend a couple hours with a dear friend, hit the grocery store on the way home, start the laundry, and spend the next few hours finishing painting the set for Sunday, catch up on my list at my desk, and take Kristen to her oral surgery consultation at 3:30. It's going to be a great day!"... Ha!!!
Kristen got up, not having gotten dressed for an hour (she's been not feeling well) and asked me to write a note to get her out of class early, as the teacher was planning to dismiss the kids early today, but I had to sign her out at the office, since Kristen is under 18. Which meant, driving to school at 2:30. My first flexibility moment. "Could you also drive me to school?" My second flexibility moment. Ugghhh. "Sure." "Could you make my lunch? I'm running late." "Sure." My third flexibility moment. I take her to school and come home.
Mark got up and said, "Mom, I think I need your help with something today. I ran over a screw and my tire is going flat. Can you follow me to the tire store to drop off my car and take me to the college? (Which also meant, and could you pick me up at 2:30 and drop me off to pick up my car at the tire shop). My fouth flexibility moment. "Sure." "I'll call my friend and tell her I'll be late." I asked him to call around to see who had his tire in stock and get the best price. He found my tire store was $20+ cheaper, had it in stock, and could have him out in 30 minutes. He decided he could wait for the car and be late to class. "I'll call my friend back and tell her I can come now." My fifth flexibility moment.
I saw my friend and spent a little more time than planned, but it was a great time of sharing and learning. My sixth flexibility moment. I come home and was greeted at the door by our 2 year old golden retriever who once again jumped the six foot wooden gate on the side of the house. My seventh flexibility moment. I put him in the backyard and went to the bathroom. When I came out, he was gone. I opened the front door, looked at the driveway, and here he comes again! I put him in the backyard and tied him up, getting mud all over my shirt, pants, and shoes. I came in and changed into my paint clothes. After all, I had to get back to my planat some point, and now seemed like the time to do it!
I put on the laundry, noticed the dog dish was dirty and decided to clean it. As I'm washing the dish, the phone rings. It's Greg. "I'm so glad you called! I have to tell you what the dog did." When I finished, he told me Kristen called him and is sick at school and needs to be picked up. My eithth flexibility moment. I left and picked her up in my paint clothes. I connected the dots of her symptoms with a list on TV of the swine flu. Sore throat, body aches, tiredness, etc. I decided to call the doctor.
They could get her in at 2:30. My ninth flexibility moment. I called and rescheduled the oral surgery appointment. I worked on the laundry tried to finish my quiet time. No painting in sight. The doctor said she had a sinus infection and was negative for swine flu. Yeah! She had the same symptoms Greg and Mark had. I hope I'm not next.
I came home and then left to get her prescription. I had to wait about 30 minutes so I finished my Christmas shopping. I went to the counter and asked for the prescription I had just dropped off. I paid for it and my items and came home. When I called Kristen to come take her medicine, I noticed they had given me the auto refill prescription that had given Kristen hives two weeks ago, not the antibiotic. I had to go back. My tenth flexibility moment. They wouldn't take it back. It was in a plastic/foil heat sealed bag, like a bag of candy, obviously had not been tampered with at all, and they wouldn't give me my $20 back. Not a happy camper at all! I got the antibiotic after being advised to call the regular pharmacy manager tomorrow. Now they're infringing on my plans for tomorrow! Gggrrrrr. I had had a good attitude until this point, now I was losing it. I was nice at the pharmacy, but not happy when I got home.
Anyway, I hope I can go to the grocery store and paint today. I dare not make any further plans for today in case God isn't finished dealing with my inflexibility.
Have a blessed foggy Thursday.
I got up, showered, did my shoulder stretches and sat on the sofa with my Bible, thinking, "Ah, this is so nice! Kristen will drive herself to school, Mark will drive to school, Greg will go to work, I will spend a couple hours with a dear friend, hit the grocery store on the way home, start the laundry, and spend the next few hours finishing painting the set for Sunday, catch up on my list at my desk, and take Kristen to her oral surgery consultation at 3:30. It's going to be a great day!"... Ha!!!
Kristen got up, not having gotten dressed for an hour (she's been not feeling well) and asked me to write a note to get her out of class early, as the teacher was planning to dismiss the kids early today, but I had to sign her out at the office, since Kristen is under 18. Which meant, driving to school at 2:30. My first flexibility moment. "Could you also drive me to school?" My second flexibility moment. Ugghhh. "Sure." "Could you make my lunch? I'm running late." "Sure." My third flexibility moment. I take her to school and come home.
Mark got up and said, "Mom, I think I need your help with something today. I ran over a screw and my tire is going flat. Can you follow me to the tire store to drop off my car and take me to the college? (Which also meant, and could you pick me up at 2:30 and drop me off to pick up my car at the tire shop). My fouth flexibility moment. "Sure." "I'll call my friend and tell her I'll be late." I asked him to call around to see who had his tire in stock and get the best price. He found my tire store was $20+ cheaper, had it in stock, and could have him out in 30 minutes. He decided he could wait for the car and be late to class. "I'll call my friend back and tell her I can come now." My fifth flexibility moment.
I saw my friend and spent a little more time than planned, but it was a great time of sharing and learning. My sixth flexibility moment. I come home and was greeted at the door by our 2 year old golden retriever who once again jumped the six foot wooden gate on the side of the house. My seventh flexibility moment. I put him in the backyard and went to the bathroom. When I came out, he was gone. I opened the front door, looked at the driveway, and here he comes again! I put him in the backyard and tied him up, getting mud all over my shirt, pants, and shoes. I came in and changed into my paint clothes. After all, I had to get back to my planat some point, and now seemed like the time to do it!
I put on the laundry, noticed the dog dish was dirty and decided to clean it. As I'm washing the dish, the phone rings. It's Greg. "I'm so glad you called! I have to tell you what the dog did." When I finished, he told me Kristen called him and is sick at school and needs to be picked up. My eithth flexibility moment. I left and picked her up in my paint clothes. I connected the dots of her symptoms with a list on TV of the swine flu. Sore throat, body aches, tiredness, etc. I decided to call the doctor.
They could get her in at 2:30. My ninth flexibility moment. I called and rescheduled the oral surgery appointment. I worked on the laundry tried to finish my quiet time. No painting in sight. The doctor said she had a sinus infection and was negative for swine flu. Yeah! She had the same symptoms Greg and Mark had. I hope I'm not next.
I came home and then left to get her prescription. I had to wait about 30 minutes so I finished my Christmas shopping. I went to the counter and asked for the prescription I had just dropped off. I paid for it and my items and came home. When I called Kristen to come take her medicine, I noticed they had given me the auto refill prescription that had given Kristen hives two weeks ago, not the antibiotic. I had to go back. My tenth flexibility moment. They wouldn't take it back. It was in a plastic/foil heat sealed bag, like a bag of candy, obviously had not been tampered with at all, and they wouldn't give me my $20 back. Not a happy camper at all! I got the antibiotic after being advised to call the regular pharmacy manager tomorrow. Now they're infringing on my plans for tomorrow! Gggrrrrr. I had had a good attitude until this point, now I was losing it. I was nice at the pharmacy, but not happy when I got home.
Anyway, I hope I can go to the grocery store and paint today. I dare not make any further plans for today in case God isn't finished dealing with my inflexibility.
Have a blessed foggy Thursday.
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