Mr. Social Justice, you confuse me

"It is a riddle, wrapped in a mystery, inside an enigma; but perhaps there is a key." Winston Churchill

Mr. Social Justice, you confuse me. You talk of loving like Jesus. You turn your back on the church in disgust and throw up your hands judging it hypocritical. You blog about children trapped in human trafficking and you are quick to write "LOVE" on your arms in indelible ink. You adopt vegan lifestyles and march in front of chicken restaurants bringing attention to the inhumane treatment of animals.

I admire your convictions, Mr. Social Justice, but you do have me confused. You are angry at consumerism and the lavish lifestyles of Americans but you drop $20 on concert tickets and drive 200 miles to bang your head to the riffs of one band after another. You drop twenties for t-shirts, burlap patches and buttons that carry the slogans of your causes.

But all that is okay, Mr. Social Justice. That isn't what confuses me most. What confuses me most is that 1.3 million children have their lives ended each year in this country. More than 4,000 are terminated every day. Where is your outcry, Mr. Social Justice? Why do you consistently vote for candidates who promise to move to expand the practice of terminating life? Do you somehow believe the answer to our social ills is actually to kill human beings before they might be born into poverty? Why will you defend chickens and battle fishermen saying that all life is equal but you are surprisingly silent when it comes to defending the voiceless child in its mother's womb?

I truly do admire your determination, Mr. Social Justice. I admire your commitment to your causes. I join you in your fight to end human trafficking. I stand beside you in your efforts to bring clean water and mosquito nets to Africa. I am angry at evil men who put guns into the arms of children and march them into war.

But, you are a mystery to me, Mr. Social Justice. Why have you turned your backs on the voiceless in support of something called a "woman's right to choose?" Why do you fight greenhouse gasses and remain silent on abortion? Do you truly believe that the problem is that we have too many people on this planet and that the solution is to limit the population by ending human life?

Please, Mr. Social Justice, could you spare these children some room on your blog or a place on your bumper to speak up about ending abortion? Could you maybe write their names on your arms?

Please, Mr. Social Justice. Please be outraged.

http://rockforlife.org/

Hi Ho, Silver! Away!

Is team leadership biblical?

Consider Moses. We see in Exodus that he was hesitant about leading. He recognized his human limitations and was wise to ask the Lord for companions to compensate in the areas where he saw shortcomings. And the Lord, rather than respond harshly and tell him to go it alone, provided leaders like Joshua and Caleb to help carry the load.

In Exodus 18, we see Moses' father-in-law, spending some time with him and concluding he is on burnout pace.

Allow me license to move pastor Moses forward to our present time. I picture his father-in-law meeting him at 6:30 am where Pastor Moses leads a study for men. Without much time given to conversation and sharing life with these men, Moses moves on at the prompting of his PDA to make his 9 am breakfast meeting with a local businessman who is considering membership in his church. By 10:30 AM Pastor Moses walks past his secretary into his office and sits behind his desk with its Post-It notes and to-do lists scattered about. It is not a minute later when his secretary walks in carrying her black book of deadlines and details asking if he has a moment. Thirty minutes later she finishes reminding him of appointments, meetings and people in hospital and heads back to her spot in the outter office.

"Is this a normal da-" Jethro's question is interupted by a beep on the phone and the secretary telling Moses that a deacon would like to know if he has "a moment" to discuss "an issue." He can't well turn away a deacon so he welcomes him in.

The moment turns into a half an hour in which his friend tells him of "a lot" of people who are considering leaving the church because "they" don't like the style of the new worship leader. He knew that Moses would want to know.

He has time to return two quick calls before the monthly lunch meeting with area pastors. Moses and Jethro head out the door running late. By 1:00 they sneak out the back of the room to head to the hospital to make three quick visits and then are back at the church by 2:30. As they walk through the office the secretary reminds Pastor Moses that his monthly letter for the newsletter has to be to her by 3:30 because she leaves at 4:00.

Moses sits at his keyboard and begins typing his article. He isn't fifteen minutes into the process when the beep on the phone brings the familiar voice telling him that the new worship leader is on the phone and would like to talk to him. Moses knows his worship leader has most likely gotten wind of "people" being unhappy with changes. He sighs and picks up the phone.

As he hangs up having one more fire put out, his secretary pokes her head in the door to tell him she is leaving for the day and tells him that the newsletter is on hold until he gets his letter done.

"Honey, I'm going to grab supper here tonight," he tells his wife on the phone. "I have to finish this article and then go to the deacons meeting tonight. Kiss the kids."

I can imagine Jethro calling timeout and being firm with his son in law. He sees that his work load is out of balance. In fact, while it is holding things together right now, his solo approach is limiting ministry and not allowing others to grow by leading. Jethro helps his son-in-law share the load by showing him how to delegate tasks and develop team systems to share leadership.

Here today, too many of us enjoy the ego-stoking thrill of being THE ONE who calls all the shots and makes all decisions. But, our human limits are far below what God desires to bring about through team leadership. Team leadership allows us time to connect, time to breathe, time to commune with God. Team leadership ensures that others share the load and have the opportunity to grow in their relationships with the Lord.

Even the Lone Ranger had Tonto.

Unplugged

Several years ago, MTV experimented with inviting artists to appear "unplugged." No amps, no distortion, no giant productions ... all trappings were set aside in favor of simplicity. People were struck by the beauty of talent.

I just went unplugged for almost a month. I purposely disconnected my email, set away messages on my phone and broke my computer ties with the work world. It was beautiful. The electronic noise in my life faded away.

The electronic noise was replaced by other noises. Draining electronic noise gave way to rejuvenating conversations, relaxed schedules and laughter. The click of keyboards gone, my hands were freed for other things; human touch, board games and play.

Anxiety and racing heartbeats were put to death by afternoon naps. Wrestless nights were gone by day four and replaced by deep, renewing sleep.

I am a techie. I love gadgets. But I have gradually become a slave to electronic devices. Initially, they kept me connected to people. I love people. But somehow, these little connecting devices became tools of details and deadlines and grew into barriers that kept me from people. Instead of helping me in building relationships, these devices have become little more than pipelines for additional demands, administration and scheduling.

My unplugged experiment brought a major unexpected bonus. I found myself having running conversations with God. He surprised me by showing up beside me on amusement park benches in Orlando. I felt His arm around me while I walked around the pool and I shared numerous moments with Him where I sensed Him saying, "Breath deep, enjoy, look what I have given you."

Sabbath rest.

Unplug, my friend. Please don't answer my call. Feel free not to respond to my email immediately. Set aside times to unplug and sense God hanging with you.