Teachers or lovers?

I was reading a George Barna report today (read the report ). A couple of stats jumped out at me. Apparently, we evangelicals think we have spiritual gifts of teaching (28%) but not many of us have the gift of hospitality (3%).

Hospitality means that people feel welcome and at ease around us. They sense that they can be real with us. You know people who have the gift of hospitality. They invite you in quickly and you feel oddly at ease.

I'm not a big believer in spiritual gifts assessment tests. I've taken several. My experience indicates that they are more an assessment of how you view yourself and what you like. I think the people around you can give you a better sense for your gifts than a fifty question test. Friends know you.

I recently gave one of these tests to a group in a bible study. Two individuals in the group scored very high in leadership. It was awkward when we shared our results. I sensed tension in the room and saw others look down at their papers or stare at the floor when each of these people shared their results. I quickly moved on and redirected the group knowing that no one was ready to confirm leadership gifts in these two. In fact, had we done an exercise to indentify who, out of this group, was the least likely to score high in leadership, I am confident that these two would have been the top vote getters. Each of them has other evident gifts but we don't see any evidence of leadership. Both are definite followers.

Barna's report can be read in a number of different ways. We can argue the results reflect the direction and focus of the American church which clearly values teaching. Or, we can argue that the Lord is preparing his church to teach. The second is an exciting possibility.

The thing that bothers me is that most of us don't pay much attention to teachers that fail to connect with us on a personal level. We're less likely to listen to someone who doesn't connect. We hear, "Blah, blah, blah..."

The world outside our doors looks on Christians with a skeptical eye. It feels like we look down long noses and point fingers and pass judgement. It knows we are ready for a fight because fights are usually the only place they see us. The world outside our doors is pretty sure that we don't care. It hears, "Blah, blah, blah."

Barna's report disturbs me. It makes me think we have focused so much on teaching and guarding our doctrines that we've turned away from relationships. When someone reports a gift of hospitality in our churches, it's pretty unlikely that we get very excited. In fact, we're not even sure what to do with them or how to get them involved. Gift of helps? Stuff these envelopes. Mercy? Hand out some food. Hospitality? Uhhhhh ... we'll get back to you.

The Bible is pretty clear that the defining characteristic for followers of Christ is that people looking in will know we are Christians by our love. Acts speaks of believers gathering together in each other's homes, having meals together and even selling their stuff to meet the urgent needs that came up for people in their group. Is that what defines us today?

Jesus called people by name and valued the tax collector and prostitute as much as the educated and wealthy. He welcomed children and offered hope to women. He touched the diseased. People from all walks of life followed Him and tuned in to what He had to say. He loved.

Think of how the world will change when more of us adopt a Jesus-style of living. I like His style.

In Mark 12 we see Jesus getting into some philisophical fun with one of the religious scholars. The scholar asks Him to boil everything down. He's like an accountant looking for the bottom line. The balance.

Jesus tells Him that God is everything ("The Lord is one") and thus worthy of all his prayer, passion, intelligence and energy. And then he gives the second part and tells the guy, "Love others as you love yourself."

The scholar praises Jesus for His direct answer and the way He communicates but Jesus tells him that he is "almost" there; that he's right on the edge of getting it. It's like Jesus sees that the scholar can connect intellectually but still doesn't get the bottom line. It's as though the scholar dances around the things of God but just doesn't hear the music. He can't feel the beat. He's out of rhythm.

In Mark 12:38-39 Jesus tells the people to "Watch out for the religion scholars. They love to walk around in academic gowns, preening in the radiance of public flattery, basking in prominent positions, sitting at the head table at every church function."

When we put up walls of status, position, wealth and education and see ourselves at a higher level than others, we miss the Jesus style I spoke of earlier. When we adopt an "us vs. them" mentality we fail to love others as we love ourselves. When we treat others as less, we do not represent Jesus.

We evangelicals apparently see ourselves as teachers. Imagine how our communities would change if we valued being lovers of God and others more than anything else.

Lord, make me a lover.

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http://tinyurl.com/dx7yla
Survey Describes the Spiritual Gifts That Christians Say They Have

Wallow in the Dust

Three professors. Three approaches.

One professor is focused on details of format. He looks for mistakes in punctuation and subtracts points for margins not being set to the standard he wants though the college requires another. It keeps me from perfection. He seems to wield his red pen with joy.

A second professor requires rote memorization. It is important to him that I am able to demonstrate that I have ingested the writings of various authors. He wants detailed footnotes and requires very little original thought. It is actually easy to attain perfection in his class. All I need do is recite the answers he seeks. Some students don't like his approach at all. I suspect it's because they do not want to do the work required.

A third professor likes to have his students wrestle with concepts. His style encourages independent thought and personal discovery. He likes healthy debate and even goes to the point of making personal contacts. His grading style rewards conclusions, transparency and learning. His style compels me to go beyond the course syllabus and think about the concepts we discuss. My most significant challenge in his class is to limit my writings. I want to go deeper.

The first teacher frustrates me and makes me dread completing assignments. The second spoon-feeds me good information and gives me knowledge that will be helpful. The third shapes me and prepares me to apply knowledge. I make the A grade for each but the third has me seeing performance as a secondary issue at best. He ignites me. He is, in my estimation, a rabbi.

"Let your house be a gathering place for sages. And wallow in the dust of their feet. And drink in their words with gusto."
- Mishnah

Popular speaker/teacher Rob Bell says that a common well-wishing for someone in Jesus' day was to say, "May you be covered in the dust of your rabbi." While some debate if Bell is accurate, it is clear to me that there is historic validity for some dust-covering whether following or sitting at the feet of the teacher.

My third professor is a man I want to be around. I would like to hang with him, share time with him and talk with him in his car on a trip to the mall. I look forward to his contacts. When he recommends a book or podcast, I immediately set out to find it. If it were a dusty time I could see myself getting a good dose of his dust on my clothes.

The core of our interaction is predictable to anyone who knows how Jesus works. He has built a relationship with me. Beyond the education is a sense of care and concern. His words are supported by his actions. I would have no hesitation calling him about any issue I face whereas I would approach the other two only during business hours and only within the scopes of their courses.

It has been said that people will never care how much you know until they know how much you care. That is true of me.

I want to be like my professor-friend as I teach, as I pastor and as I lead. I want to reflect the heart of Christ which lets people know they are safe with me regardless of their questions or how much or little they know.

I want to be covered by the dust of my rabbi, the dust of Jesus Christ, and I pray that those in my ministries will find me to be a rabbi whose dust they desire.

Lord, make me such a man.

Standing at the Crossroads

Jer. 6:16 "God's Message yet again: "Go stand at the crossroads and look around. Ask for directions to the old road, The tried and true road. Then take it. Discover the right route for your souls. But they said, 'Nothing doing. We aren't going that way." (The Message)

The flashing light above my head is yellow. I see three roads ahead of me and one road in my rearview mirror. Left? Right? Straight across? Do I turn around and head back to the road I know? The light flashes its yellow cautioning glow. Which way do I go?

The message is the same as it has been since humanity's clock took its very first ticks. It's the same old road, the ancient road, the road that is tried and true. It's the path that I was created to travel. It's the path that makes my soul complete when I faithfully follow.

Go on the ancient path; the path that reflects God's heart. I must walk the path not to build towers to bring myself fame and make my name known. I must travel the path not to advance my goals and my plans. The ancient road is a road that leads men to encounter God. It is a path that directs men to offer everything. It is a road that requires relinquishing life to discover Life. The ancient, tried and true road, brings men into relationship with God and shapes them in his image.

The road I live on is comfortable. My house is warm. My days are predictable. The Lord has blessed me. Yet, like Abram, I feel compelled to travel up the steep side of the mountain of the Lord to lay it all on the altar. My steps have grown more and more heavy as I have climbed. I wonder why the Lord would give me all that I have only to ask that I give it back. I have been trudging up this mountain path trusting in God but somewhat fearful of what may be required. Trust and fear appear oppositional. Faith wipes out fear. Yet, here I walk a path of faith with fear. My fear is that I will choose the wrong path - the path that is not the right route for my soul. The ancient road has no sign marking its entrance.

As it says in Jeremiah, I have to ask for directions. But, who do I ask? Perhaps I need to ask the friends who know me best. They know my pace, they are familiar with my stride and they know what keeps me moving forward. They know my strengths and my weaknesses. Will they confirm the right route for me?

The light clicks on and off overhead. I stand at the crossroads.

Disqualified from ministry

My friend has been disqualified from ministry. His church deacons met and voted, at the insistence of parents in the congregation, to put him on the shelf. The pastor met with him and confronted him with the disqualifying findings. He sadly told my friend that while his passion for God was contagious and his vocal stand for his faith admirable, he would no longer be allowed to work with students.

Disqualified. Condemned. Thanks, but no thanks. Hit the road, Jack.

I think it broke the Father's heart. But, I am sure it's not my friend's "disqualifying" action that causes pain to the heart of God. I think it is the process - airing the charges, debating his worth and value and then directing the pastor to deliver the news.

My friend sat stunned. What had he done to deserve this? He had two piercings to his left ear.

No infidelity. No abuse. No embezzlement. No crime committed. Just two simple piercings. The month before he was fully qualified to lead. Now, two needle holes later, he was removed.

The pastor was in a tough spot. Faced with angry, influential, regular tithers demanding that this leader be removed, he was left with a choice. He could either side with the sandal-footed, twenty-something with his spiked hair and suffer a potential hit to the bottom line. Or he could side with the parent, remove the pierced one and risk only having a few kids upset.

From a business stance, it looks like a no-brainer. But what about from a Kingdom stance? I suspect the damage was much more substantial to the Kingdom and has the potential of sending another set of teenagers away shaking their heads in disbelief once the true reasons for dismissal work their way down to them.

What would I do as a pastor and leader in the same situation? I believe that grace-based, godly leadership requires us to do the right thing even when it leaves us unpopular. I would see myself working with the dad to help him see that his judgemental attitude was more cultural and subjective than scriptural. It would take some patient but firm direction. If it turned to Levitical proof texting, contextual discussion would be in order.

If that brought about no change, I am confident that I would stand in defense of the pierced man even if it meant my being unpopular with a set of parents or board members. If he and his family were to threaten to leave the church, I would express my regret at hearing the news but be clear that our church would not be in the position of choosing one brother over another in the family of God. We will bear with one another in love.

Lastly, as a pastor and leader, I think I would lose some sleep over this conflict not because I would worry about the outcome but instead because I would question how well I had been equipping those in my flock to truly love one another and put one anothers needs above our own. I suspect some sermons about living as the family of God would be sure to follow.

My friend is pretty disenfranchised with the church of Jesus at the moment. He is very hurt and wondering if there truly is something wrong with him that makes him unacceptable to God. Intellectually he knows the truth but spiritually, his soul is wounded.

I'm thinking that the next time we meet I will buy him lunch at the foodcourt in the mall. While we walk to the restaurants I may stop in at a store for a quick errand with him, without warning, and get my ear pierced with him standing by.

It's just an ear.

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.

Do you want to plant a church?

"Do you want to plant a church?"

It's an odd question. It's akin to, "Do you want to open a McDonald's?" Or maybe, "Would you like to start a local chapter of The Lions Club?"

A friend and mentor lobbed the question my way. It came floating over my salad and struck me between the eyes. I had considered the question and wrestled with what God is planning for me but had not yet put my thoughts into words.

"Well, I know I don't want to build a building and raise up an organization that ends up adding responsibilities to burned out, overloaded people," I responded.

My mind bounced to the Scripture that says, "What does it benefit a man to gain the whole world and yet lose his soul?" I remembered reading that passage just a few days earlier and thinking, "What does it profit a man to build a giant church while losing intimacy with God? What does it profit a woman to be at church four nights a week doing God things while sacrificing sabbath rest with God."

My friend knows me well enough to recognize that my mind was processing. He remained silent and sipped his water while looking me straight in the eye.

"But it bugs me that the American 'church' (I made the quotation marks with my fingers as though I was Chris Farley on Saturday Night Live) has not even kept pace with population growth over the past three decades. It's like we sit in our comfortable pews and point a judgemental finger at the people who stay away and say, 'They have a problem. They are blind. They are selfish.'"

"Um hmmm," came the response as he took another bite of his sandwich.

My words were not able to keep up with my thoughts but I managed, "I think we have a problem, we are blind and we are selfish."

His smile made it clear that he saw right through me. Good friends have the ability to do that. "So, you've been thinking about this a lot, huh?"

He was right. Sleep has not come easy. Books and articles have been devoured. My prayers are constant and my eyes have become sensitive to those "outsiders." It is though God is giving me the ability to see us as they see us. And it hurts my heart.

I've been tossing and turning wondering how to love people as Christ would. How did he hang out with people and chat? How did he live that caused people to ask him questions? How do I live? How do we live?

"You still with me?"

My friend's voice made me snap back to our spot in our window booth. I laughed, apologized and looked at my untouched salad. "Yeah, barely," I chuckled.

"So, you don't want to plant a church?"

"No, I don't want to start another place that takes people from somewhere else. But, I do want
to build the church, if that makes any sense. I do want to do something that sets people free. I don't want to be a recruiter, ya know?"

I could see from my friend's puzzled expression that more was needed.

"It seems like we spend a lot of time recruiting people to come to this, come to that or join this group or that. We've got to recruit them because if numbers go down that makes giving go down and then when giving goes down, budgets get cut. Then you can't pay bills and people lose their jobs so you recruit harder to get the people to do what you need. It's like a vicious cycle. I don't want to be a recruiter. "

"Then what do you propose?"

I don't have the answer to that question yet. Now, two weeks past our lunch meeting, I have no answers of how to do what I want to do. Last night, I glanced at the clock at 12:59 AM and then returned to staring at the ceiling praying, "Lord, what are you doing with me? What do you want? What should I do? How do I do this? Where do I start?"

No booming voice ... no still small voice ... no direction-bringing dream... only an ache in my heart that "outsiders" come to see how very fond my Father is of all of us.

I looked at the clock again.

1:52 ...

The Christmas story ... at least what we've made of it

Imagine that first Christmas ...

But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.

Future generations will add two to three family parties, two staff parties, three to four church programs, one school performance and days of shopping at crowded malls, fifty greeting cards, and at least one night of wrapping. Your children will go to practice upon practice to prepare for performances and you will watch them at school, at church and at civic events. You will sew costumes and rehearse lines. Your friends will host a dinner party or two to add to the festivities. And there will be lots of baking to do.

You'll cut down trees and hang pretty bobbles on the branches. You'll put giant, inflatables of a jolly bearded man in a red suit on your lawns. Also there will be a green, monsterish creature people will call a "grinch." And, much will be made of a deer with an illuminating nose.

People will sing songs about a "Silent Night" and a "Holy Night" and sing about peace while having no idea what true Peace is.

It will all be so much fun! People will borrow money to make it all happen. People will work as hard as they can to provide something called, "the perfect Christmas."

Elves, reindeer, snowmen, a baby in some straw, boughs with red berries and fa la la la lah. Yes! That is the miraculous "Good News" we've come out here to tell you about tonight. Pretty exciting, don't you think? People will even be rude to each other and God's people will get ticked at people who wish them "Happy Holidays." Most won't really care much if people know this Savior born today but it will be very important to them that people say, "Merry Christmas."

Now hurry off, you shepherds. Get down there to Bethlehem and find that baby. If you don't you're going to be messing up nativity scene pictures for all eternity! We can't even imagine Christmas plays without those little kids in bathrobes with towels over their heads! Go, go now.

We're burning out at a record pace

I looked at the digital clock on my desk and saw the red numbers reading 12:04. My day had been backed up from the start when my stress level increased with each passing train car making me an additional ten seconds late for my nine o’clock appointment. My earlier breakfast meeting had been difficult to draw to a close despite having set two different audible alarms on my PDA. I arrived at my office at 9:10 apologizing for being tardy. In the middle of trying to get caught up on correspondence before an 11:00 commitment, an interuption came - someone's printer wasn't working. If technology is not doing what is promised, I am the first call in my office. In fact, I am the first call when my extended family sees the 'fatal error' screen. (Chances are, since you are online reading this blog, you are the resident computer guru in your circle too, right?) After a reboot, all is back on track and I try to get my train of thought back to where it was. Soon I notice the 12:04 signaling that I am late for our weekly staff lunch appointment. I look at my PDA with disappointment wondering where the customary reminder tone went.

Halfway to the restaurant I became painfully aware that I had spent yet another morning too busy to take care of even the most basic of physical needs. As we entered the restaurant I hurried to the restroom.

Dr. Richard A. Swenson, in his book Margin describes margin as “the space that once existed between ourselves and our limits.” I am operating outside the bounds of the personal constitution I wrote a number of years ago at a Franklin/Covey personal coaching seminar. My Christian values of desiring time with God, Sabbath rest, prayer and relationships with others have been pushed aside by what Covey calls the “urgent but unimportant” in The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People. The space between myself and my limits has disappeared. Has yours?

Swenson notes past generations’ bravery in the face of challenge and is careful to point out some key differences existing today that increase our stress levels. We travel faster, we tote computers and PDA’s to remain connected wherever we go, specialization drives us to achieve, debt and materialism undermine security, crowds surround us most everywhere we go and the exponential speed of change forces us to try to keep up.

I have had a few pivotal moments in life when I have had to face the fact that burnout is not God's plan, it is man's. Man is impressed by packed schedules and even elevates the insanely busy and declares them "hard-working" and "dedicated." We Christians outwardly scowl at the workaholic ideal but then hand out the accolades to those around us who work non-stop. We admire them. The man who says, "I am sorry, I just can't do any more" is seen as weak. Others gather to encourage him to press on, tell him how valuable he is and then say, "Hey, we've all got it tough."

Swenson echos the same counsel that doctors have been preaching for years. He demonstrates the consistent result of high blood pressure, heart attack and stroke and points out the weakened relationships in the marginless life. The institution gathers briefly to offer a few words and then quickly moves to fill the gaps and find the next person who will give their very lives for the cause. That cause can be anything from selling widgets to preaching the gospel of Jesus.

What? The church? Surely if any organization had the idea of the importance of Sabbath rest, balance and time for meaningful relationship, it would be the church, right? Wrong. Consider James Dobsons' newsletter article of 1998 where he wrote,

"Our surveys indicated that 80 percent of pastors and 84 percent of their spouses are discouraged or are dealing with depression. More than 40 percent of pastors and 47 percent of their spouses report that they are suffering from burnout, frantic schedules and unrealistic expectations. We estimate that approximately 1,500 pastors leave their assignments each month..."

Shouldn't we know better? In The Church You’ve Always Wanted by Wagner and Halliday, the authors devote a large portion of their work to encouraging leaders to buildchurch environments where believers are not exhausted by demands but instead find rest, peace and are re-energized. It is the same principle of margin that Swenson presents. The number of Christian books written on the topic would easily fill several bookshelves.

Swenson indentifies three major costs of progress saying we have suffered relationally, emotionally and spiritually. That is true of my life. Is it true of yours? The hectic pace of our days and the unrealistic demands of our jobs leave us angry and exhausted not wanting to spend time with people. Deadlines squeeze out exercise, bible study and prayer. Hobbies are shelved and relationships are stunted as we look at people as appointments and blocks of time.

What do we do? I am thanking God for pointing out the cause of my pain and am planning change (repentance) by trimming the time commitments that are standing in the way of relationships. We must trust the Lord to take care of us as we begin scheduling down time for life and relationship to happen. We have to budget our time and let our employers know our limits. When the piles continue to be pushed to our desks, we've got to leave them behind at the end of the day. If it doesn't get done in the 40 hours we have committed to working, we've got to let the chips fall where they may. If that's a pink slip, perhaps we need to trust our Father enough to thank Him. A termination is not terminal but burning out can be.

We've never heard tell of the man who, on his deathbed, says, "My only regret is that I did not spend more time at the office." Instead, we've all heard the wishes of our elders saying had they had everything to do over again, they would have spent more time in relationship. In fact, isn't that what Jesus is all about too?

When we don’t even have time to use the bathroom, something is very, very wrong.

Of splinters and logs, dust and planks

This morning a follower of Christ told me of another follower of Christ who told her matter-of-factly, "I will be praying for your salvation." That sounded odd to me since I knew her salvation had already been purchased and that nothing could seperate her from the love of God. Apparently my sister was making some choices that my other sister did not approve of so she nonchalantly judged her "unsaved."

Why do we do that to each other? Why do we judge? Why can't we see the heart and character of God in the words of Jesus who gave us a hilarious word picture about judging each other? Jesus told his listeners that before they worried about picking a speck or splinter out of a friend's eye that they first should consider the "log" or "beam" in their own eye and deal with it. (Mt. 7:3)

Can you picture that? I can. Logs are big. Beams are heavy. They are bigger than splinters, bigger than branches, bigger than limbs. When you trip over a log, you know it. If someone asks you to pile up a bunch of logs you know it's a task that is going to require more than you can provide without help. I picture it as a guy spinning around with a 10 foot beam sticking straight out of his eyeball saying, "Woah, look at you, Loser! You've got a piece of sawdust in your eye. How can you not see that and do something about it!"

Why can't we see God's heart in this? Why can't we see that it hurts His heart when we pass judgement on our brothers and sisters? Why can't we trust the Holy Spirit to do His work and be there for our brothers and sisters and love them through the messy times of life? We tend to hang our shingles on Matthew 18 and want to speed right toward booting our brothers and sisters out of the family. We miss the heart of even that process which implies time and a goal of restoration. Think about it ... "if your brother sins..." What does that mean?

I've got to measure it and evaluate it against all of Scripture. Does it mean any sin? If someone speeds, tells an ugly woman she looks beautiful, smokes or eats too much do we form a brigade and go after all the sinners to get them to comply and then throw them out if the don't submit to our code? Maybe God's talking about "the biggies" here? What are "the biggies?" Why would Jesus say this and also give us the beam and speck analogy? I believe it's a concern thing. The process of Mt. 18 should be soaked with loving care and not be a cold, hard code of enforcement.

When I am tempted to start focusing on the choices of others and inflate them to disqualifing events that cost them their very salvation, I sin. I minimize the breadth and scope of my Rescuer's rescuing. I say that it's good but not good enough to cover this one. Not good enough. Not enough.

Life is messy. We all make bad choices. We all are fragile beings who choose sin. It's not helpful at all for me to start whacking my sister with the beam sticking out of my own eye to get her to see the speck, beam, or log in her own. The process is noisy and the result is a bloody mess where everyone ends up hurt.

Humility does not puff up and say curtly, "I will pray for your salvation!" Humility says, "I love you, I worry about you and I'm praying that you seek and trust our Father in this. I have no stones to throw."

In John 8 Jesus comes to the defense of a woman caught having sex with a guy who was not her husband. (That's probably "a biggie," huh?) Against all the religious leaders, he takes her side and tells them to consider their own sin. And then, when they all wander away speechless, he turns back to the woman who is probably stairing at the ground waiting to die and he says, "Who condemns you?" She looks around and see that all the guys with the beams sticking out of their eyes are gone. She's amazed. She's rescued. She's been saved. I think she leaves changed as Jesus tells her to go and live life differently.

"I will pray for your salvation."

"Please don't. Jesus already took care of that."

The language we use

We go to the "sanctuary" to meet with God. We go to "church." We talk about "God's house" and tell children to be quiet and respectful in "God's house."

Those who stumble onto this blog hoping for answers will instead find lots of struggles and will probably leave with more questions than answers. My questions and struggles here reflect the process of my pursuing a graduate degree in Christian leadership. I find my Father allowing a good shaking that is going down to my roots.

Most recently I've been working on what seems to be a simple question, "What is the church?" I've been listening to the Psalms on my iPOD using The Bible Experience. I've been reading books about character, leadership, time management, integrity and marriage. I'm discovering my definitions are off. I'm discovering that my foundation has some pretty week stones that the Lord is gently crumbling and replacing. Some of those stones are represented in the language I have grown up with having spent my entire life in "church."

I realize it may sound like symantics, but bear with me for a moment. Jesus never talked about church as a destination. He never talked about it as a place. Instead he talked about church as something we are. It's a significant difference. It changes the way I think. I have spent thousands of hours in buildings that I have called "churches" over these last 45 years. Christians go to church, nonchristians don't. That was my conclusion. People will know we are Christians by our attendance at church, right?

Scriptures that stressed loving one another were all interpreted through my church lens. If Jesus told us to love one another that meant we were to love each other at church. The commandment to love God was to be fleshed out at church first and foremost. Even the commandment to remember a Sabbath rest was a cloaked directive to go to church. In fact, it seems to me that most of us in the church have reshaped Jesus' command to make disciples. Now it includes a general understanding that our greater goal to get them to come to church. "Lost sheep" now refers to people who have walked away from the church because to walk away from the church is to walk away from Jesus. Even the statistic that 90% of kids who grow up in the church walk away from it when they are in college betrays our bias. Are they walking away from Jesus or the institution?

Scripture teaches us that when we come to Christ we become part of the church regardless of whether we invest in an institution or not. The church is believers. The Lord is present in the church wherever believers happen to be.

Am I saying we should stop going to "church?" Yes. Instead the church (believers) should not give up gathering together to live life, share and discover the width and breadth of God's love. If an organization is filling our lives with more and more demands, adding to our burdens and making us weighed down so much that it zaps our energy and makes it impossible for us to live in the peace and rest that Jesus promised, we need to do whatever we can to get free to pursue Jesus. If an institution is using guilt or manipulation to get us to serve it, we need to step away. If we are using an institution to build ourselves up and convince others how much we are worth and how important we are, we need to recognize prideful motives and step away.

As a pastor, how often have I berated the people who show up, because of the people who don't? Do you know what I mean? I am guilty of spending time and effort in a bible study where the attendance was not large enough for me, sharply grilling those who came with, "Where is everybody?!?" I am guilty of attaching a higher level of significance and spiritual maturity to those who are "truly committed" enough to show up week after week. Maybe the truth was that some of those who stayed away were actually spiritually mature enough to recognize that their position in Christ did not hinge on getting to my study.

As a pastor, have I promoted the organism that feeds my needs, pays me and keeps me busy to a place where it is an idol? Do I serve the organization or Jesus? Do I equip people to operate as the church or do I promote a system that limits them and invites them into a codependant relationship? Do I work to convince them that they will fail away from our organization so that they will not leave? If they leave it will weaken our organization which needs their time and money to exist.

I want to do all I can to build the church, which is the people of God. I want the organizations I lead to free people and help them discover true community that exists outside the two hours we meet each Sunday. I want to provide a place where the church can gather, a place where the church can find resources and be refreshed. I want to provide a structure that is not much of a structure at all.

We have no sanctuary or holy of holies where God hangs out. Our building is not "God's house" and is no more special than the storefront on the corner or the corner table at Panera's.

I am the Eggman. I am the Walrus.Coo coo kachoo

Nonsensical lyrics penned by John Lennon left people grappling for his message. What is the eggman? Who is the walrus? Is it "coo coo kachoo" or "goo goo ga jube," Humpty Dumpty's last line before he fell off the wall to his death?

I've always, right or wrong, interpretted the eggman and walrus to be the center of attention and the final authority in the song. The Eggman and Walrus were, in my mind, the key players that really mattered.

In my continuing studies of biblical leadership I've been given much to wrestle with. What is a true leader by biblical standards?

I've read the books advising pastors to take control and exercise "pastoral authority" in leading their congregation. I've read the advice to make sure my name is printed boldly and large across the top of my letterhead. I've scratched my head hearing advice to place my desk between myself and those who come into my office and to make sure that my chair is just a bit higher up than those who enter into my dwelling. Afterall, I am the Eggman, right?

Eugene Peterson, tongue in cheek, wrote in "Working the Angles" that he is convinced that he could take any high school graduate and make him an accepted pastor in today's church by providing a six-month intensive with a four course curriculum. Course 1, he says, would focus on creative plagiarism supplying the tools for speaking with wit an wisdom simply by following the outlines found in books or through online resources. Course 2 would focus on voice control for prayer and counseling to provide a "holy Joe intonation." Course 3 would provide tools for efficient office management to give the appearance of a tight ship. Lastly, course 4 would present image projection focusing on a half-dozen devices to create the impression that we are "terrifically busy and widely sought after for counsel by influential people."

Biblical leadership is very different from secular leadership. It has nothing to do with self-elevation techniques and everything to do with reputation. When Paul warmly greeted the Thessalonians in the first three chapters of his first letter we see intimacy, integrity, sincerity and a reputation that cause people to want to follow his leadership. When we read Psalm 15 we discover that God desires authenticity that is shown in action. He desires men and women who reflect His heart and character.

Peterson believes in what he calls "angles" of ministry. Preaching, teaching and administration are the visible lines to a triangle and the angles are prayer, study of Scripture and then spiritual direction that we give to others.

My spiritual gifts, according to a variety of assessments are leadership and administration followed by preaching and teaching and hospitality. That gift mix, I am told, is a solid mix for pastoral ministry. Honestly I wonder why things feel so frantic if I do have this supposed "right mix" for ministry?

I suspect Peterson is accurate when he explains the stress that comes in church climates that seem to, "do their best to fill our schedules with meetings and appointments so that there is time neither for solitude nor leisure to be before God, to ponder Scripture, to be unhurried with another person."

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Be still and know that I am God.

But Lord, I have no time to be still.

Be still and know that I am God.

Sorry Lord, I have another meeting at 7.

Be still and know that I am God.

Lord, you understand that I have to get the publicity done for that upcoming event, right?

Be still and know that I am God.

I have to go to that special service.

Be still and know that I am God.

And what am I to do with the man who has cancer? The teenager who is confused? The young couple that is coming at 5?

Be still and know that I am God.

I know you are God but get off my back. I don't have time to be still. I am the eggman. I am the walrus. Too many people are depending on me. I, I, I ... me, me, me...

BE STILL. I AM GOD.

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The Lord is working on me. Is it possible to "do church" so much that we miss the point? Is it possible to be so focused on building attendance and adding good church programs that I cause people to feel the same frantic stress I feel? Is it possible to help hurried believers clear off their plates, head to the mountain and seek God in solitude?

Right now, I'm a good administrator and a decent preacher who is out of balance. The weight of work is pressing, pressing, pressing and consuming my life, my energy and my intimacy with God. I study Scripture for others, I pray for others and give hurried advice looking over the shoulder of the people I encounter to that next thing coming down the road. Like Jesus, I need to push away from the crowd and head up the mountainside where I can be still and rest in God.

I am not the eggman.
I am not the walrus. I am not the Light, I am only a light pointing to the Light.


Biblical leadership and integrity is not measured by the size of our programs, overflowing budgets, published works, name-dropping and self-elevation. It is measured by what the bible calls "fruit that will last." Biblical leadership reflects the heart and character of Jesus and compels others to follow a reasonable and achievable example that is lived out in front of them. It is 2 Tim 2:2 and the partnership talked about in Phillipians 1. Biblical leadership is not "lording over" people and making demands from position or status but walking alongside people and inviting them to a relationship.

I want to be a leader who reflects the heart and character of my Lord. Maybe that means working at Walmart and having a casual group in my home where we share life and be the church? Maybe it means clearing my ministry plate and starting again with a new set of definitions for success.

The stirring continues ...

Living in the Wrong Quadrant?

Am I proactive or reactive? What do I value most? What are my core principles? Who am I? Do my daily tasks reflect the answers to these questions?

To walk by faith and not by sight requires that we walk reflecting who we claim to be. Walking by sight means we fill our days responding to what we see. Our calendars get filled up with tasks that come in reaction to whatever is happening around us.

In Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, author Steven Covey says that all the events and tasks of our days can be placed in one of four quadrants.



1) Urgent and Important

2) Urgent and Unimportant

3) Not Urgent but Important

4) Not Urgent and Not Important


Leadership requires discipline to make sure that the urgent not crowd out the important.
I see the challenges of leadership, recognize the demands and then am baffled how the President of the United States can take a bike ride when I barely have time to use the bathroom.

When we live in the urgent quadrants we do not lead, we respond. Our stress level increases and our bloood pressure spikes. The things we claim to be important (prayer, family time, rest, time with friends) get pushed aside until they too cannot be ignored anymore and become urgent.

For example, we all know that exercise is important but it's not really urgent. It doesn't ring like a phone and it can easily be pushed back until later. We push it back time after time until it finally becomes urgent and important when our weight increases, our blood pressure goes up and we find ourselves in emergency rooms.



We also see it with the dad who continually pushes family to the back burner while he climbs the corporate ladder or works to build the biggest church. Family time is not urgent and vacations can be postponed to later when things are less busy. Things become urgent when his wife leaves him and his kids are angry.


We can have character. We can be men and women of integrity and we can truly desire to be in vibrant relationship with God but leadership requires that we do what others are unable or unwilling to do. Leadership requires taking action to stay true to what we claim to value most.

I remember sitting in my senior pastor's office as a young man and telling him I would need to leave the church picnic early to attend my son's soccer game. He told me that would be unacceptable and that he would need to discuss it with the deacons. Acting on what I valued most, I agreed that a meeting with deacons would be fine with me and that I was more than willing to find a new position if need be. He was more concerned with my being there to run the sack race than he was that I follow through on my commitment to my family.

I remember another occassion when I was asked to speak at a Christian summer camp. Unfortunately it coincided with my daughter's fifth birthday. I explained that my wife and I had a commitment to be there for every birthday. I offered a compromise of bringing my family with me but the director simply told me that would not work and said, "She'll have other birthdays!"

I was blessed to hear Andy Stanley address a group of 3000 youth ministers a few years back. I remember his counsel to us to "cheat the church." He spoke about how impossible it would is for us to meet every demand in our churches and that we would have to decide who to "cheat." His counsel was solid. He told us not to cheat our relationship with the Lord, not to cheat our health and times of rest and not to cheat our marriages and families. The only thing left to cheat, he told us, was the church with its unending demands and programs. He shared staggering ministry statistics with us - broken ministry marriages, hurting ministry families, pastors with addictions and lives out of balance.

Walk by faith and not by sight. I claim to have faith in Christ and I encourage my congregation to spend time with him. I encourage families to build time together. I tell people they can find peace and rest in Christ. Yet, when I live in the urgent and walk by sight, I am far from the person I am encouraging them to become.

Leaders without character play a game with the clock ticking. It is only a matter of time before the buzzer sounds and the game ends as people discover that the well-oiled organization had no foundation. The leader without character leaves his team in shambles.

The leader with character builds other leaders with a win in mind. ("7 Practices of Effective Ministry" by Andy Stanley, Reggie Joiner and Lane Jones) The Great Commission leader sees his target and then makes moves to hit that target. He understands the commandment to ove one another and sees it in light of the Great Commission as an incarnational ministry. Joiner points out that the leader sees things in terms of steps and not programs and requires that we always evaluate if we are taking steps that are moving us toward the target.

One of the most difficult tasks of the leader is to recognize that he is "a light" but "not that Light." (Chris Hill, 2005 Youth Specialties Conference) While people may want to treat him as the Light (Jesus), he must recognize that he is only a light pointing toward THE Light. He cannot accept the mantel of "The Light" and must deflect efforts to put him in that role. He must invite others to join him as equally important lights in a team approach like the one presented by Wayne Cordeiro in "Doing Church as a Team."

There are so many great ideas, great programs, wonderful bands and opportunities that come our way. The people in our churches present numerous ideas as "something our church should do" and we hear "something you should do, Pastor." We want to please, we want to serve and we want to grow our churches. But each time we say yes and take on new responsibilities we stretch the band more and more thin.

Leadership evaluates. Leadership plans. Leadership asks, "Does this move us toward our goal?" Leadership mines other leaders and shares responsibility handing off responsibilty. Leadership is proactive.

Character defines the purpose of leadership. Leadership without character is bankrupt. Leaders must have character. It is a prerequisite for solid leadership.

Wrapped up in gifts?

Get out your crayons and scissors and put together a list of all the things you want for Christmas. Cut up the Sears catalog and the sales flyers and paste the pictures of all the things you want onto your list.

What would you like for your birthday? Father's day? Mother's day? Your anniversary? We all love getting gifts even though we are sometimes unhappy with the gifts we get.

But what about the spiritual gifts that Scripture talks about?

I believe the first challenge we face when considering spiritual gifts is that we have an entirely different paradigm to consider. These gifts are given to us, not for us, but for the benefit of others and the pleasure of God.

Stop and think about that for a minute. In our selfish culture we would be shocked if, after unwrapping our gift, our dad said, "I gave you that gift so that you can share it with your brother and sister, for their benefit." Perhaps that's why so many squabbles erupt in the church whenever the topic of spiritual gifts and their right usage comes to the forefront. We tend to look at spiritual gifts as we do earthly gifts, do we not?

When we look at 1 Timothy 4:12-15 we see that Timothy is told not to neglect his spiritual gift but to use it, develop it and strengthen it. The "Timothy Factor," as Dr. Elmer Towns calls it, is clear. The Lord has given spiritual gifts to His children and has decided who gets what.

We get tripped up when we get wrapped up in gifts and fail to understand the best intent.

I Corinthians 14:12 "So it is with you. Since you are eager to have spiritual gifts, try to excel in gifts that build up the church." (NIV)

How do you discover what your spritual gift is? There are tests and inventories out there to help but I've always found that the best way to discover them is to ask someone else what your spiritual gifts might be. I've found that most people don't really think they are gifted in the areas they are gifted in. The person who has the gift of hospitality usually doesn't see it as a big deal, they operate in it naturally and often think that everyone else should too. The person with the gift of administration often doesn't regognize it as a gift but sees it as a discipline and gets frustrated by others who do not show the same abilities.

It is important to identify your gifts so you can fan the flame, develop them and put them into practice building up the followers of Christ, which the Bible calls "the church."

The leader's impact on modes of worship

"Worship is like a car to get us from where we are . . . to where God wants us to be. Transportation and communication are imperative, the mode or vehicle is not imperative. While it is imperative that we worship God, how we do it has second importance. Worship is like a car that gets us into the presence of God." - Elmer Towns, Putting and End to Worship Wars

I remember the old pastor who joked, "Son, if you raise your hand in my church you better have a question!" We both laughed. His experience had taught him difficult lessons and resulted in his fear of expressive worship methods and the controversy they bring.

Then, I also remember sitting under the teaching of a pastor who singled out a woman in the congregation who was being particularly expressive with arms waving, hips moving and eyes closed tightly. He made her the example for the rest of the fellowship by declaring, "I can see the Holy Spirit on you today!" The bar was set and several others immediately started emulating her actions.

What is the pastor's responsibility in directing modes of worship? I think Towns was right indicating that the mode is secondary to the purpose. Within the context and bounds of Scripture, our mode of corporporate worship should be seen as the vehicle which brings us to the presence of God.

Some literalists like to restrict their modes only to what they see clearly prescribed in Scripture. While their methods are curious, I respect the vehicle they use. It works for them.

My parents' generation is fairly certain that God ordained organ music to be His approved musical instrument while banning guitars at the same time. Their rigid view puzzles me but their vehicle brings them to God.

My teenagers bang their heads and listen to amplified guitars and drums and then quickly change to accoustic guitar to worship. I've even caught them listening to bagpipes and instruments whose names I can't even pronounce. Their vehicle looks less restrictive to me. It brings them to God.

As I consider shaping worship services my goal should be to provide the vehicle that connects while understanding that it will not connect with all. Scrapping a vehicle is only a good idea when the vehicle is empty. Though a gastly picture, crushing a mini-van loaded with passengers to replace it it with a new SUV will definitely bring loud complaints from the passengers.

Existing vehicles require tune-ups and maintenance, no doubt, but we have to use extreme caution before scrapping them to be replaced with something else.

What is Leadership?

I've been wrestling with issues of leadership, character, management and spiritual development while completing the readings for my recent seminary class. I have gifts of administration and leadership and am confident of that. But, administration makes me a manager and leadership makes me a shaper.

There's some conflict between the two but they also can complement each other. The manager can get lost in the details and lose the big picture. The manager develops the methods to accomplish goals. The leader sets direction and enlists people to take up the cause and pour themselves into it.

I have seen leaders who inspire people but struggle to move them anywhere. It's like the football coach who gets his team all pumped up in the pregame speech. While his boys are definitely amped to play the game, their success depends on how well they have been prepared.

I have seen administrators schedule events, put together checklists and chart out goals and budgets only to have no one show up for the events they've planned. They have great systems in place but no followers.

I remember a youth ministry intern I had working with me years ago. He was passionate about Jesus and built strong relationships with students. They were ready to follow his lead. I remember meeting with him a few weeks before a high school canoe trip to help him be sure he had covered all his bases (and to protect myself from the phone calls from angry parents if he hadn't.) We had a couple dozen students registered but when I asked if he had called the canoe company to make a reservation he gave me a blank stare. I got the same stair when I asked about release forms, transportation and adult leadership. I asked him about his plans for food, tents and camping and his look turned more to terror. I laughed with him and helped him with a checklist of details that had to be checked off to ensure a successful and safe event.

All seemed to be going well on the starting day of the event until we reached the place where we were getting the canoes. They had no reservations and no more canoes available! Instead of having a powerful canoe and camping trip, we returned to the church with two dozen disappointed students. He never checked that one of the list. In fact, he admitted that he lost the list within a day of our meeting and thought he remembered everything. While he had leadership potential, he struggled to get followers the rest of the summer because the kids just started to expect that, dispite his enthusiasm, the events wouldn't live up to the billing he gave.

By the end of the summer I had him carrying three-ring binders with schedules and checklists. I worked with him to help him delegate and enlist the help of those in our group who had gifts of administration. No matter what I tried, he'd lose his materials or forget to make key contacts. I knew the reality was that he would never make it as a youth pastor as long as he was unwilling to work to develop some basic administrative skills. He spent the next five years bouncing from church to church before settling into a youth support service where others determined his schedule and all the details of his days.

Did he have leadership abilities? I think he did at some level. People were willing to follow until they discovered his inability to fulfill his promises. Had he been willing to develop some foundational administrative skills, the type provided in thousands of one-day management seminars given daily all across the country. I believe he would have done well. Instead, he shrugged and would say, "Hey, it's not my gift."

I think Bill Hybels said it best noting, "the leader is the organization’s top strategist... systematically envisioning the future and specifically mapping out how to get there."

But, the leader who is unwilling to develop the systems and specificality of the needs Hybels points out, ends in frustration time after time with few followers and co-workers. She is representative of the leader in the ancient proverb saying the leader who travels with no followers is merely taking a walk.

On the flip side, the administrator who is unwilling to develop foundational leadership skills fills his day making plans and developing systems that will be followed by no one. The administrator, however, can be successful when coming alongside a leader.

I am coming to the conclusion that Hybels is correct in pointing out that the most effective leader has the ability to develop systems and provide detailed maps of the journey. This leader sumultaneously possesses the ability to connect with people and persuade as well as develop plans to take the organization to a specific destination.

Theodore Roosevelt said, "The best executive is the one who has sense enough to pick good men to do what he wants done, and self-restraint to keep from meddling with them while they do it."

Though Roosevelt did not know it, he was promoting a 2 Timothy 2:2 approach to leadership which tells us to take the Truth we have received and then entrust it to other reliable (capable, dependable, thourough) people who will then pass it to others.

Where am I in all of this? Sometimes I am the leader who rings the bell and calls all to follow but, because of outside pressures and too many distractions, have not taken the time to map the direction. Sometimes I am the administrator who sees so many tasks that need to be done that I trample the people I am called to care for.

When balanced, disciplined and focused, I see God accomplish amazing things because of my willingness to submit everything to Him and stay true to what He has called me to.

Rick Warren has said that it is important that leaders know who they are. Who am I?

I am a child of God. Imperfect, flawed, fragile. Renewed, redeemed, accepted.

I am a leader. I know my weaknesses: I am subject to distraction. I am subject to trying to please others. I am subject to taking on too much and relaxing and resting too little. My willingness to give tasks to others without meddling in the results can be misinterpreted when I fail to praise.

I am dependant on Christ. I am surrounded by a very gifted team. I am called to convince people to follow and live like Jesus and shake off the shackles of religion and legalism.

I am called to equip people for ministry. I am a multiplier. I do not crave the spotlight. I am a cheerleader.

I am comfortable with others and humbled by their service. I am committed to shared journies where I sharpen and am sharpened. I am a "we" and "us" type of leader. I am committed to being genuine.

This class is going to stretch me. I can see that already.

Worship. Are we looking for an experience?

The tingles hit and the little hairs on the back of your neck stand up. You give a little shiver. Does that mean the Holy Spirit is making a guest appearance? Do we turn our caps to the side and yell, "Yo, yo, yo ... da Holy Spirit is in da house, y'all!"

And then, when the tingles don't hit and we let out a yawn, do we announce that, like Elvis, the Holy Spirit has left the building?

Is the Holy Spirit fickle? Can we get Him to show up by singing better or dropping to the floor?

Some of us act like the Holy Spirit can be manipulated into performing for us. If that is truly the case then we move God. If we have the power to move God, it means we are in charge. Doesn't it?

I've heard people leave a service where local believers gathered and sadly pronounce, "Man, that place is dead." I've also heard people promote a local church saying, "Man, you can just feel God working there!"

My knowledge of both congregations is that the "dead" church has planted churches, supported missionaries, and given substantial resources to feed the hungry of its community while the church where my friends have felt God's presence, though a wonderful caring body, has invested itself mostly in building beautiful facilities, providing great sound and lighting and paying a staff to run programs for the local body.

Both are bodies of believers where the Holy Spirit is active. One is very exciting and the other is more static. One body has an external focus and the other has an internal focus. One is mature Christians with many years under their belts and the other is made up of growing Christians who are being discipled. Both are communities that love and support their members.

When we come to a worship service seeking an experience, we come with selfish motives. When we go on a mission trip seeking an experience, we go with selfish motives. When the "experience" doesn't meet our expectations, we leave disappointed.

Worship is not a pep rally. Worship is not a mundane ritual. Worship is obedience to Christ even when we get no tingles. Worship is a lifestyle where we lay every part of our lives, every activity, every aspect before God and say, "Make me like you."

When we gather as a group, we bring all that we are and all that we have to offer to our God together. We lift Him up and we build others up. We come to give, not to get.

Who am I to pronounce a church "dead" simply because its members take comfort in calming music and ancient songs? Who am I to judge a church "alive" based on its cool drama team and pumping praise band? Scripture is pretty clear that the way I will know they are followers of Christ is by how they love God and love others. Sixty minutes on a Sunday morning are not going to give me the ability to see that.

I am an ABOLITIONIST

Going, going ... entrenched.

Spiritually, I think I am becoming more and more convinced that the modern American church is missing the call of Jesus. As we package our gospel in neat little boxes with fancy graphics and run our power point presentations to the same crowd that fills our pews week after week, there is a world outside our doors that is perishing and hopeless. We've taken Jesus command to "go and make" and transformed it into "sit and learn." His command to feed has turned into "be fed."

I recently read an account in Alvin Reid's book "Radically Unchurched" that rattled me. Reid starts out his work talking of a young man named Bill and says that Bill's tie-dyed shirt, his wild hair and his shoeless feet are all indications of his being a "recent" convert. I had to reread it a few times.

It reminded me of the time a YoungLife speaker came to my church with a clean-cut girl and stood behind the pulpit and told us that when she first came to YL she had pink hair and a lip piercing and wore wild clothes. He held her up like a polished trophy to get us all excited about how she had so obviously changed. It was as if he was saying, "Just look at her now! Look at what we've done."

That type of stuff hurts my heart. Why do we look at externals and make judgements on the internals? I've known so many, lost, frozen-hearted people with nice haircuts, pretty clothes and well-manicured outter appearances.

I love Shannon. Shannon is an interesting child of God. She dares to put what He says into practice. She drops everything and heads off to serve the poor and oppressed. She sits barefooted on park benches and shares her lunch with homeless people. Her hair is crazy, her look is unique and her life is not wrapped up in material things. She looks a lot like the YoungLife girl probably used to look like. She is totally sold out to Christ and she finds little use for sitting in church week after week without putting her faith into practice.

The rest of Reid's book is quite good. It challenges the church in numerous ways. But I hope we are not challenged to transform how people look while missing the core of what Jesus called us to when He called us to be reborn from above.

Shannon's life shows me she has the heart of Christ. YoungLife girl? All I know about her is that she's got a pretty haircut.*

* By the way ... this is not an indictment on YL or its programs. In reality, the YL guy knew what it takes to get the suits to pull out their checkbooks. He did what works. This says more about the church of America than it does about YL.