I watched a movie over the weekend entitled “Cold Souls”. The setting was a world where individuals could extract their souls and store them in safe deposit boxes. The idea being, that the soul was what caused the inner turmoil, guilt, and stress in their lives, so why not just remove it. You also had people selling their souls for money on the Russian black market. The movie was not dark, but comical. At the end of the day, everyone was realizing that the benefits of exchanging their souls for something else were very short-lived.
Although the movie did not explicitly address any spiritual themes, I couldn’t help but agree with the premise, that we often make decisions that exchange the fullness of life we were meant to live for something short-sighted, immediately gratifying and temporary.
I encountered a similar theme at a concert I attended over the weekend. Switchfoot, a Southern California-based band, had a hit song called “Meant To Live.” A few lyrics in the song sum up the point:
“We want more than this world’s got to offer…..And everything inside screams for second life…We were meant to live for so much more, have we lost ourselves?”
Filed under: Uncategorized
I shared a thought this morning with my small group; I decided I would post here as well.
Paul, in I Corinthians, is teaching the church about spiritual gifts. Apparently, there was an issue about how or why they were using them. Toward the end of one chapter, in concluding thoughts about using their gifts, Paul challenges them to stop thinking like children and begin to think like adults.
I have a two year old son and a four year old sister (that is not a misprint). At Christmas time, the way they think about their gifts is very competitive. It’s all about who has the most, the biggest and the best presents. They get a lot of satisfaction out of how their gifts benefit themselves.
As a dad, I look at gifts completely differently. I want to use my gifts to give away and make someone else feel special and loved. I get satisfaction out of how much my gifts benefit others. (I’m sure all parents can relate to this feeling)
We have each been given spiritual gifts, talents, resources, time, etc. Use what you have been given to serve, not compete.
Filed under: church life
Occasionally, when I’m reading, a phrase or idea will really stick out to me. That happened to me this morning while I was doing some devotional reading In I Corinthians.
In chapter 12 Paul is teaching about how the church functions together as one body. He describes the talents, gifts, and positions that God had blessed the church with. About the time we’re beginning to think that the success of the local church relies on our individual contributions and giftedness, Paul throws a major curve ball into the conversation and begins to layout what he calls “a more excellent way.”
The “more excellent way” is Love. In chapter 13, Paul begins to wreak havoc on those who would turn church life into an analytical collection of spiritual one-liners, lifeless theology and religious action-steps.
Our message without Love is just noise, our theology without Love has no purpose, and our religious actions without love are taking us nowhere fast.
After thinking about this today, it drives me crazy that the “more excellent way” is not a simple action step to check off of the list. It is an idea, it is open-ended, it applies to everything, it changes everything, and I guess that is exactly the point.
Efficiency is a good thing. Whether at our jobs, in ministry, or in our personal lives, having systems or processes that work for you (and not the other way around) make life much more enjoyable and productive.
If you’re like me, there are processes or systems for things that I routinely do that frustrate me. They don’t work for me. Because of the frustration, I typically procrastinate or do a less than an excellent job at the task. Often, because a process doesn’t work for me, not only does it frustrate me, but it often costs me. Let me give you a quick example.
I’m sure most of you are familiar with Redbox. It’s a fantastic idea that has revolutionized the DVD rental business. They have rental kiosks at locations all around town and for only 99 cents per night, you can rent a movie. Compared to traditional rental stores like Blockbuster, this is an amazing benefit for the customer. DVD rentals for only 99 cents!
There is only one problem, the process just doesn’t work for me. My last Redbox rental cost me over $7. The one before that, over $14. I could give you example after example of how I have over paid because the process apparently doesn’t fit me well. Basically, I have a hard time remembering to return the DVD’s the next day, or I’ll forget about them completely.
My solution: a different process called Netflix. I pay one flat fee per month for Netflix and DVD’s are sent to me in the mail. When I’m done with them, I return them at my convenience. Whether I kept the movie for 1 day or 20 days, it costs me the same. Netflix is the perfect process and system for me.
Admittedly, what I mentioned above is not a process change that has radically altered my life (although it is probably saving me a few dollars each month). But, it is a process and system that works for me. As I begin to examine different areas of my life (at work, at home, in ministry) I am seeing more and more that I can do one of two things. I can keep “beating my head against a wall” with processes and systems that limit me, frustrate me or cost me – Or – I can change things. I can do things differently. I can search for, ask help for, or invent a process that works for me.
In the comments below, I would love to hear about processes or systems that you’ve changed to work for you.
One of my Lead Yourself decisions (previous post) that I’ve made is to begin working through a reading list. I’ve got a list a mile long and I’m a slow reader, but I know that consistent reading needs to be a part of my life.
I popped in a LifeWay over the weekend and picked up Transformational Church by Ed Stetzer and Thom Rainer. I’m about 40 pages into it, and so far, so good. I came across a thought that really resonated with me. While describing the expectations the reader should have about the book, they make this statement:
“…we recognize that for some, this book will be too connected to the existing church. They will want something more avant-garde that throws off the old shackles and ideas. This book may seem to be focused on churches as they are rather than how they theoretically should be. And, we are OK with that.
…So, it has fewer buzzwords found in cutting-edge writing. But it is about how God is working and how your ‘normal’ church [emphasis is mine] can be a Transformational Church…”
Let me be honest with you, I’m in my mid-twenties, I’ve been around church my entire life, and the idea of “normal church” doesn’t immediately energize me. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not on the “church bashing” bandwagon. I love the church. I have the opportunity to serve at an awesome church on a great staff. Maybe because I’m so surrounded with the church, between what I read in blogs, on Twitter and in the Sword of the Lord (the last one was a joke), I find myself looking for things that are different, trendy and innovative.
I think innovation in ministry is awesome. I want more innovation in church. I think it is obvious God is moving in dynamic ways that are completely different. That being said, “normal” churches are the ones that the majority of us worship in, and to me, that’s where the opportunity is.
I’m young, and It’s easy for me to think that the latest trend in church life is going to usher in the kingdom of God. I’m learning that the greatest opportunities we have at the present time are to plant new churches; and to work with, pray for and to encourage the thousands upon thousands of “normal churches” to join God on His mission. I’m praying that a great move of God comes from within what is currently the “status-quo.”
I watch a few TV shows regularly. It is common for the show to be anchored by a strong personality who leads courageously. As the series progresses, we discover that the lead character, who appears to have it all together in public, is conflicted in his personal life, and struggles with what seem to be the most basic of self disciplines and personal responsibilities. To keep the show interesting, both his courage and personal turmoil tend to be greatly exaggerated. It makes for great TV.
I had the opportunity recently, along with several of our staff, to take part in an in-depth survey and study about, ourselves, and the way God made us as individuals. Our moderator over the course of several sessions convinced me of one thing: If I wasn’t leading myself, it was crazy to think I would be effective at leading others.
I was recently challenged again about this. What were some specific steps I was taking (or going to take) for self-leadership? I won’t detail the personal steps I’m taking, but I will share the 3 areas I focused on and the rationale for each:
- Personal
This might include self-disciplines that need accountability, needs that aren’t being met, goals you never accomplished, or a hobby that you haven’t made time for. - Professional
Evaluate the meaningful impact and influence you are having on those around you. Are there steps in education or training that you haven’t come around to? You might consider evaluating your schedule to determine if you are reaching maximum effectiveness. - Public
Are you actively sharing with others what you are learning? You might consider exploring opportunities in your community that could benefit from your unique giftedness. Do those around you think you are completely self-sufficient or on a journey?
Give me your thoughts on “leading yourself” in the comments below.
from the concert stage
I walked onto the concert stage Friday night at our church’s annual Freedom Festival. While I was waiting for the “ready” sign from our tech crew indicating that the band was ready to play, I looked out at over 10,000 people and thought, “there is power in community.”
It was impressive. The size, the sounds, the inter-connectedness of it all seemed to over shadow whatever differences or problems we had all arrived with that evening.
For a few moments we were all living focused around a few commonalities (food, fun, fireworks!).
The more I have had time to process this, the more I’m beginning to see the power of community as it relates to the church. I think a living faith community will be noticeable. It will be connected by beliefs, passion and a relationship with Christ that isn’t disconnected from everyday life, but overwhelms it.
Bottom line, I realized that to have community, it had to be more than about me. It’s about people. Wear your faith on your sleeve and give, serve and live life connected with those around you.
There’s a lot more to it than that, but the experience from Friday night sticks with me.
Here are a few ideas for effective communication for those who are blessed with many ministries in the “not-so-simple” church.
1. Start from vision/mission
Whether your ministry is streamlined or spreadout, understand that effective communication will reflect the vision and mission of the church. This can be seen in consistent descriptions, common verbiage and inter-connectivity among ministries.
2. Create a plan
Thought through, organized communication is noticeable. Random, shotgun communication is confusing. Before you get creative, get organized.
3. Embrace levels of priority
This idea can be a tough sell among layers of staff or volunteers, but if implemented, will bring focus and impact when you speak. When communicating with larger goups, you can connect with a few, or you can connect with everyone based on the relevance of your message. Some messages/announcements should never make it to the main platform. Be a priority filter.
4. Get creative
The message is dependent on the medium. Great plans never get off the ground unless people get what it is your talking about. Find creative people and let them add the color and wow factor to your communication plan. Black and white doesn’t cut it; those movies passed off the scene decades ago.
5. Tell your story
If we begin to look at our ministries as the story God is writing in the lives of the people around us, we’ll want to tell it. Instead of dates, times and locations; share decisions, growth and life change. Trust me, your church and your community are way more interested in that.
Filed under: vision | Tags: community, mission, perspective, sacrifice, vision
I ate lunch today at our rescue mission in downtown Jacksonville with the Executive Director, Jim. As we’re eating, someone walks in and passes on a message that a pallet of t-shirts had just been donated and delivered.
I could see the appreciation and excitement about the delivery on Jim’s face. He commented to me, “the little things make the difference.”
I’ll be honest, as I sat there, that truth didn’t quite do anything for me. I was thinking about the enormous amount of support necessary to run the mission on a daily basis. The volunteers, the food, the staff and the funding seemed, to me, to be the most important thing, and we hadn’t talked about any of those. Jim was exited about the little things.
It hit me later on, that I had completely missed it. While all I could see was the entire scope of the operation, they saw the vision of the mission being accomplished in a pallet of t-shirts. Someone (or business) had seen the need and invested in the cause by providing hope to the hurting in our city.
How many times have we missed seeing the victory, or the vision being accomplished right in front of us, because we couldn’t see past the enormous (seemingly never ending) amount of work in front of us?
The little things matter. I’m looking for them.
