Some weeks the Sunday sermon comes easily. Other weeks, well….it’s tough. This week has been one of those tough weeks for me. I have probably already invested over ten hours of time in a twenty-five minute sermon and I’m still not sure exactly what I’m going to say. That is ridiculous. Worse, I am not really quite sure why it happens. I suppose there are a variety of reasons. Some weeks it is because the text I believe I am supposed to preach is a difficult one. Other weeks there is stuff going on in my own life or in the life of my church which makes preaching like walking through a minefield; every step must be taken gingerly. Some weeks my well is just dry; my creative gauge is on zero, especially after I have been preaching for 6-8 weeks straight without a break.
More often than not the problem is what is called “paralysis by analysis.” I read, meditate, and pray over a text so long that it starts saying a whole bunch of stuff to me; far more than I could ever cover in one sermon. Then there are the times I find myself thinking more about how to actually present the sermon, worrying about my illustrations, PowerPoint slides, etc…more than the content of the message itself. Tons of stuff is going on between my two ears, but little of it will actually make it out of my mouth come Sunday.
Usually when I get in these modes I do one of two things. I do a brain dump and write down everything I am thinking (usually pages worth) and then I eventually get on a track that I can sustain and which is logical and comprehensible. The other thing I do when I get “stuck” is I just get up and walk away from the task for a while. These times I believe God is telling me I'm just not ready to write the sermon yet. When I come back to the task, usually after sleeping on it, it comes into focus more clearly.
The Bible is a great book and its depths will never be fully plumbed by preachers; not in a million years. Still, crafting 45-48 sermons worth listening to a year is a daunting task. I thank God for His inspiration and pray He will always find me a willing vessel.
Thursday, April 30, 2009
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
I Love My Church
I love my church - I mean the people. I know this sounds weird on the heels of last night's late-night post (this one is even later!). But tonight at the Christian Life and Witness class at FBC Cumming, NewSong had what had to be the largest group there (except for FBC) I'm certain of that. The people who were there really care about lost people. People at our church are hungry for Jesus - and hungry for God's Word. I sat next to Michael Smith and he spent the whole time underlining every verse the speaker mentioned. Michael also handed me his "counselor" application before the event was even over. He is ready to help someone come to Jesus! I'm excited about what God is going to do in Forsyth County and at NewSong through this event. I love NewSong. I love my job. I love the Lord Jesus.
Yes, pride is a sin - but I confess it. I was proud tonight; proud of my brothers and sisters in Christ. All of them, from all 25 churches that were there - God bless you!
Yes, pride is a sin - but I confess it. I was proud tonight; proud of my brothers and sisters in Christ. All of them, from all 25 churches that were there - God bless you!
Monday, April 27, 2009
Devote Yourself
Okay, it's 10pm on Monday night and I'm tired from a long day (but a great one!) and it is time now to sit down and consider what to write for my newsletter article which is due tomorrow, but before I do that I want to blog. I'm enjoying blogging more than newsletter writing lately...I don't know why, I am confident not many people are reading this - but it doesn't matter.
At any rate, one of the ways I prime my creative pump is by reading other blogs, especially ones by other pastors. I made my usual round tonight (you can see the ones I read on the right side of my blog, further down). But... (boy this is taking a long time to get to my point)...But... I ran across something by Pastor Steven Furtick tonight that really struck me as important. I don't particularly like Steven Furtick to be totally honest. He didn't make a favorable impression on me when he spoke at a Catalyst event I attended last October (boy, here I go again digressing....) But to make a long story short (ha ha) - what Furtick said resonated with me. I've got it below with a few comments interspersed and with my own take on a few things he covered.
Furtick reminds us that in Acts 2, 3000 people were converted to faith in Christ in one day and became believers. Acts 2:42 begins the description of the strategy for discipling this bunch of new Christians:
"They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer."
Did you catch it? They devoted themselves. Who devoted themselves? The new believers did! Nobody devoted them to the teaching. They had to do it for themselves. The apostles did the teaching - they laid it out for the people - but burden of discipleship rested primarily on the new believers, not the leaders of the church.
The job of church leaders is to create and sustain processes and systems that responsibly enable people to grow in their faith after receiving Christ. At NewSong this is the LOVE, GROW, SHARE process. But if a new Christian (or even existing ones) are not willing to devote themselves to teaching, community, and service, this does not mean the pastor or leaders of the church have failed in discipling them. It could be any number of things. For instance it might mean the person is not a truly regenerated born again believer. The speaker talked about that at the Christian Life and Witness Class tonight. There are plenty of people who sit in a pew every Sunday that "know all the verses but don't know HIM." They don not have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. A new nature should produce an insatiable appetite for the things of God. And that’s an appetite only God can create - not me, or Jordan, or Griffin, or McKenzi, or Justin, or our Elders.
I think if I hear one more person say they left "thus-and-so" church because they "weren't being fed" I'm going to throw up (my comment). Biblical discipleship is not about spoon feeding people. According to Acts 2:42, it’s an all you can eat self-service buffet where you get your own plate, refill your own drinks, and you clean up after yourself (Furtick).
Devote yourself!
At any rate, one of the ways I prime my creative pump is by reading other blogs, especially ones by other pastors. I made my usual round tonight (you can see the ones I read on the right side of my blog, further down). But... (boy this is taking a long time to get to my point)...But... I ran across something by Pastor Steven Furtick tonight that really struck me as important. I don't particularly like Steven Furtick to be totally honest. He didn't make a favorable impression on me when he spoke at a Catalyst event I attended last October (boy, here I go again digressing....) But to make a long story short (ha ha) - what Furtick said resonated with me. I've got it below with a few comments interspersed and with my own take on a few things he covered.
Furtick reminds us that in Acts 2, 3000 people were converted to faith in Christ in one day and became believers. Acts 2:42 begins the description of the strategy for discipling this bunch of new Christians:
"They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer."
Did you catch it? They devoted themselves. Who devoted themselves? The new believers did! Nobody devoted them to the teaching. They had to do it for themselves. The apostles did the teaching - they laid it out for the people - but burden of discipleship rested primarily on the new believers, not the leaders of the church.
The job of church leaders is to create and sustain processes and systems that responsibly enable people to grow in their faith after receiving Christ. At NewSong this is the LOVE, GROW, SHARE process. But if a new Christian (or even existing ones) are not willing to devote themselves to teaching, community, and service, this does not mean the pastor or leaders of the church have failed in discipling them. It could be any number of things. For instance it might mean the person is not a truly regenerated born again believer. The speaker talked about that at the Christian Life and Witness Class tonight. There are plenty of people who sit in a pew every Sunday that "know all the verses but don't know HIM." They don not have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. A new nature should produce an insatiable appetite for the things of God. And that’s an appetite only God can create - not me, or Jordan, or Griffin, or McKenzi, or Justin, or our Elders.
I think if I hear one more person say they left "thus-and-so" church because they "weren't being fed" I'm going to throw up (my comment). Biblical discipleship is not about spoon feeding people. According to Acts 2:42, it’s an all you can eat self-service buffet where you get your own plate, refill your own drinks, and you clean up after yourself (Furtick).
Devote yourself!
Sunday, April 26, 2009
Come Together
I went to a Christian Life and Witness class tonight at First Baptist of Cumming. The event was led by a representative of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association. It was great. It was even greater to see so many believers from so many churches come together in one place. There are 24 churches in our local community coming together for an evangelism event that will be held in September. It has been amazing to see us all come together under the banner of Jesus and tonight was the best yet; Baptists, Methodists, Presbyterians, non-denominational churches like ours, and others all together for the same reason – to win people to Christ.
At one point the speaker asked everyone to call out the name of their church on the count of three. The result was a cacophony of noise; some names were short, others long, but you could not make out any single one. Then he asked us to call out the name of the Savior on the count of three. The result was a clear and resounding JESUS!! – our voices became one. What a great illustration about what can happen when we put aside our differences and come around him instead of remaining isolated and divided in our little “tribes.”
Lord, help us to see this issue the way you see it… Amen.
At one point the speaker asked everyone to call out the name of their church on the count of three. The result was a cacophony of noise; some names were short, others long, but you could not make out any single one. Then he asked us to call out the name of the Savior on the count of three. The result was a clear and resounding JESUS!! – our voices became one. What a great illustration about what can happen when we put aside our differences and come around him instead of remaining isolated and divided in our little “tribes.”
Lord, help us to see this issue the way you see it… Amen.
Friday, April 24, 2009
Book Revew: A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man
I just finished A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man by James Joyce. What a struggle to read! I don’t know why I have this thing about finishing every book I start, but I do. It is as if there is some great ghost professor somewhere who has assigned me any book I pick up to read; somehow I feel like failing to complete a book I start means that I am a failure. I read a lot of classics so sometimes when I find a book difficult or boring, I research the story, either online or in a couple of books I own. Then I just charge on through it; at least after reading the summary I know what I am reading and why it is supposed to be so important. That is exactly what I did with this 246 page book. I knew about 20 pages in it was going to be a tough read, but I carried on. Why I'll never really know.
James Joyce is one of modern literature's most important authors, yet I’m not alone in finding his work difficult to grapple with. The main character of this book, Stephen Dedalus, in my mind is a highly flawed person with a very sad life. He has problems with bullies, with people who do not understand him or like him, sexual issues, “mommy and daddy” issues, teacher issues, spiritual issues, and more. Life for Stephen appears to be a random succession of cruelty, isolation, injustice and anger. He only finds escape through a few short-lived personal victories, most of which he later regrets deeply.
The way you learn all this is from inside the main character’s head. Using a stream of consciousness technique, Joyce presents the thoughts, impressions, emotions and reminiscences of his protagonist, often disregarding their logical sequence. This is intended to mirror the complexities of the subconscious mind. The book is also highly autobiographical. Joyce, like Dedalus, grew up a Catholic, and even studied briefly for the priesthood before renouncing his faith at age twenty spending the rest of his life living in Paris, Trieste, Rome, and Zurich as a poet and a writer.
Metaphorically speaking (and you can’t read a classic without speaking metaphorically!), the book is a proto-typical coming of age story. It is about how to forge your own identity and to make your own way. Like Icarus (son of Dedalus in the Greek myth) the reader watches as Stephen tries to fabricate wings of his own so he can fly above the tribulations of his life and establish his own life elsewhere. In doing so he rebels against the religious beliefs he inherited, his family and friends, and the deeper, and more complex struggles he faces in society as a whole. He concludes that if he is ever going to find his true soul (in his case, the soul of an artist), he must sever all bonds of faith, family, and country and then spread his wings and go follow his dream.
To be honest with you, I do not recommend this book unless you want to be confused and depressed – or, unless someone assigns it to you to read like my “ghost professor.”
James Joyce is one of modern literature's most important authors, yet I’m not alone in finding his work difficult to grapple with. The main character of this book, Stephen Dedalus, in my mind is a highly flawed person with a very sad life. He has problems with bullies, with people who do not understand him or like him, sexual issues, “mommy and daddy” issues, teacher issues, spiritual issues, and more. Life for Stephen appears to be a random succession of cruelty, isolation, injustice and anger. He only finds escape through a few short-lived personal victories, most of which he later regrets deeply.
The way you learn all this is from inside the main character’s head. Using a stream of consciousness technique, Joyce presents the thoughts, impressions, emotions and reminiscences of his protagonist, often disregarding their logical sequence. This is intended to mirror the complexities of the subconscious mind. The book is also highly autobiographical. Joyce, like Dedalus, grew up a Catholic, and even studied briefly for the priesthood before renouncing his faith at age twenty spending the rest of his life living in Paris, Trieste, Rome, and Zurich as a poet and a writer.
Metaphorically speaking (and you can’t read a classic without speaking metaphorically!), the book is a proto-typical coming of age story. It is about how to forge your own identity and to make your own way. Like Icarus (son of Dedalus in the Greek myth) the reader watches as Stephen tries to fabricate wings of his own so he can fly above the tribulations of his life and establish his own life elsewhere. In doing so he rebels against the religious beliefs he inherited, his family and friends, and the deeper, and more complex struggles he faces in society as a whole. He concludes that if he is ever going to find his true soul (in his case, the soul of an artist), he must sever all bonds of faith, family, and country and then spread his wings and go follow his dream.
To be honest with you, I do not recommend this book unless you want to be confused and depressed – or, unless someone assigns it to you to read like my “ghost professor.”
Thursday, April 23, 2009
Ramsey Right On
I attended Dave Ramsey’s Town Hall for Hope simulcast tonight at NewSong – I’ll probably be the first guy around to blog about it because I had to leave before the event was completely over. At any rate, I heard what he had to say, in the inimitable way only Dave can say it, and he was totally right on.
What he said in a nutshell was that things are not nearly as bad as people (mainly the media) are making them out to be. A big part of the economic problem is fear, which he reminded us means False Evidence Appearing Real. With a ton of statistics he obviously had available on over-sized monitors Ramsey occasionally glanced down at he pointed out that the current economic situation is not even as bad as the Great Depression in the thirties. In fact, he said, it is not even the worst recent recession we have had; statistically speaking the ones in 73-74 and 82-84 were worse. Of course, “worse” is relative if it is you that are being impacted personally. Ramsey also really took on Washington. He bashed both the Bush cabinet which he said decided to “bail out stupid,” and the Obama cabinet who he pointed out has decided to “stimulate stupid.” Ramsey also gave an economic history/theory lesson as he contrasted Keynesian Economics (John Maynard Keynes) with those of Milton Friedman. No surprise that Ramsey came down on the Friedman side of that equation.
The “hope” we have, economically speaking, according to Ramsey is capitalism and the American consumer. He believes if government will stop “interfering” with the free market and if we as consumers will stop spending what we don’t have and begin taking personal responsibility for our actions, our economic ship will ultimately right itself. For our part (consumers), what we need to do most is to learn how to say (and listen to) the small word “NO.” He was referring to our strong appetite for immediate gratification and our short-sighted financial planning.
Investment-wise, Ramsey was promoting real estate (buyers’ market, and interest rates at 50 year lows) and the stock market (profitable in every 15 year segment since forever ago). As for inflation, he feels it will probably grow, especially if the government continues its suicidal spending plan. The best way to deal with inflation, he argued, is to invest in things that will rise with inflation such as real estate. He also took a shot at those who promote investing in gold stating it is practically at an all-time high due to panicked investors. As for banks, Ramsey said he prefers local community banks and credit unions where he can talk to a real person. As for stocks, he prefers growing, sound companies who have a culture of excellence like Wal-Mart, McDonalds, and Dell Computers (to mention a few stocks he referenced).
All in all it was a very informative and entertaining evening. I’m glad I went and I left feeling more hopeful, which I suppose was the purpose of the event. Kudos at NewSong go to Chuck Braddock, our “go-to” guy when it comes to Dave Ramsey, who spent hours getting everything set up just right (with an assist from Michael Smith). Also, I have got to brag on my homeboy Justin – thanks for working closely with Chuck to help us all enjoy a good event.
What he said in a nutshell was that things are not nearly as bad as people (mainly the media) are making them out to be. A big part of the economic problem is fear, which he reminded us means False Evidence Appearing Real. With a ton of statistics he obviously had available on over-sized monitors Ramsey occasionally glanced down at he pointed out that the current economic situation is not even as bad as the Great Depression in the thirties. In fact, he said, it is not even the worst recent recession we have had; statistically speaking the ones in 73-74 and 82-84 were worse. Of course, “worse” is relative if it is you that are being impacted personally. Ramsey also really took on Washington. He bashed both the Bush cabinet which he said decided to “bail out stupid,” and the Obama cabinet who he pointed out has decided to “stimulate stupid.” Ramsey also gave an economic history/theory lesson as he contrasted Keynesian Economics (John Maynard Keynes) with those of Milton Friedman. No surprise that Ramsey came down on the Friedman side of that equation.
The “hope” we have, economically speaking, according to Ramsey is capitalism and the American consumer. He believes if government will stop “interfering” with the free market and if we as consumers will stop spending what we don’t have and begin taking personal responsibility for our actions, our economic ship will ultimately right itself. For our part (consumers), what we need to do most is to learn how to say (and listen to) the small word “NO.” He was referring to our strong appetite for immediate gratification and our short-sighted financial planning.
Investment-wise, Ramsey was promoting real estate (buyers’ market, and interest rates at 50 year lows) and the stock market (profitable in every 15 year segment since forever ago). As for inflation, he feels it will probably grow, especially if the government continues its suicidal spending plan. The best way to deal with inflation, he argued, is to invest in things that will rise with inflation such as real estate. He also took a shot at those who promote investing in gold stating it is practically at an all-time high due to panicked investors. As for banks, Ramsey said he prefers local community banks and credit unions where he can talk to a real person. As for stocks, he prefers growing, sound companies who have a culture of excellence like Wal-Mart, McDonalds, and Dell Computers (to mention a few stocks he referenced).
All in all it was a very informative and entertaining evening. I’m glad I went and I left feeling more hopeful, which I suppose was the purpose of the event. Kudos at NewSong go to Chuck Braddock, our “go-to” guy when it comes to Dave Ramsey, who spent hours getting everything set up just right (with an assist from Michael Smith). Also, I have got to brag on my homeboy Justin – thanks for working closely with Chuck to help us all enjoy a good event.
Monday, April 20, 2009
Birds
Have I mentioned I’m a birder? No? Well, I am, sort of. By that I mean I’m not a “gung ho” kind of birdwatcher who travels great distances to see birds, or who spends hours behind binoculars watching for birds at home, or even one who spends a lot of money and time trying to attract birds to their yard. Basically what I mean is I enjoy watching them and trying to see how many different kinds of birds pass through our yard as the seasons go by.I have three bird feeders out now along with four hummingbird feeders. Regular visitors to my yard include the Ruby-throated Hummingbird, Carolina Chicadee, Tufted Titmouse, Northern Cardinal, Northern Flicker, Pileated Woodpecker, several species of Fly-catcher (they all look alike to me), Blue Jay, Brown Thrasher, American Crow, White-breasted Nuthatch, some kind of Wren (not sure if it’s a house wren or a Carolina wren), House Finch, American Goldfinch, Eastern Meadowlark, Robin, Eastern Bluebird, and the Mourning Dove. Oh, and of course, lots and lots of squirrels in my feeders!
The photo above is of a Barred Owl that hangs out around our house. In fact, there is more than one. We hear them fairly frequently. If you’d like to hear what an owl like this sounds like click HERE. This particular owl was sitting right behind our house on Sunday afternoon. I had been looking over at a feeder I put out on a limb just below where the owl was sitting when all of a sudden I noticed the owl. They are masters at camouflage. This guy sat there for at least 30 minutes and he kept falling asleep. I had time to go inside and get my camera and come out and take several photos of him. He did not seem to mind. Eventuallly he flew to the ground as if he was going to catch a mouse or something, but when he landed there wasn't anything there. He just flew down from the tree to the ground, swiveled his head around a few times, and then he flew off. I’m sure we'll see him again though, because like I said, we see and hear them fairly frequently.
We have had a few hummingbirds so far – but not too many. It’s a little early yet. In time we’ll have them fighting over the feeders we have situated around the house. I love to watch them set up their little territory and then bomb any intruder that tries to feed at “their” feeder. They are amazing little birds.
All in all, I feel close to God watching birds – actually I feel close to Him any time I’m out in nature. God is so creative and his creation so precious and beautiful!
Saturday, April 18, 2009
Getting the Word Out
Although I am relatively new to the whole blogging, Facebook, Twitter phenomenon I have obviously recently embraced the concept as a way to get the Good News about Jesus (and NewSong) out. Upon browsing other blog sites I noticed that other bloggers list their Facebook and Twitter accounts and I’m suspecting one reason they do so is so these links will be picked up and indexed by Internet search engines, especially the more often the links appear.
What and I trying to say? Well, the first place most people are going to turn to find out anything on the Internet is a search engine, most likely, Google. Thus by pointing a link or two at my blog, my Facebook account and my Twitter account I should generate more public listings on search engines, so here I (shamelessly) go.
Here is a link to Steve Jackson pastor of NewSong Community Church in Cumming, Georgia on blogspot and Steve Jackson pastor of NewSong Community Church in Cumming, Georgia on Facebook and Steve Jackson pastor of NewSong Community Church on Twitter.
Oh, I feel so cheap now! But hopefully in a little while a web crawler will be by to pick up those links and before long, voila, more people will find me, view my blog and my Facebook account and my Twitter account and discover all the absolutely astounding information that can be found there! :-)
It will be interesting to see if this works…
What and I trying to say? Well, the first place most people are going to turn to find out anything on the Internet is a search engine, most likely, Google. Thus by pointing a link or two at my blog, my Facebook account and my Twitter account I should generate more public listings on search engines, so here I (shamelessly) go.
Here is a link to Steve Jackson pastor of NewSong Community Church in Cumming, Georgia on blogspot and Steve Jackson pastor of NewSong Community Church in Cumming, Georgia on Facebook and Steve Jackson pastor of NewSong Community Church on Twitter.
Oh, I feel so cheap now! But hopefully in a little while a web crawler will be by to pick up those links and before long, voila, more people will find me, view my blog and my Facebook account and my Twitter account and discover all the absolutely astounding information that can be found there! :-)
It will be interesting to see if this works…
Brand Loyalty
This past week I changed all the stuff I use on the Internet to Google from Yahoo. This shift took more time than I anticipated, but having completed the transition I am very happy with it. Among other things my web portal is now iGoogle, I’m using Google Calendar (which syncs with my Outlook calendar automatically), I have also added Google docs for the church Elders and staff to share and collaborate documents on, and I was already using Gmail.
As I made this transition I realized how I am usually very loyal when it comes to brands. Even though I love change in most instances, when it comes to changing brands of something, I’m slow to make changes. For some unknown reason to me, I choose a brand and then stick with it, seemingly for life. I am a Nike-Coke-Windows-Levis-Charmin-Starbucks-GM-Wesleyan-Browning-Dial-Colgate-NIV-Lipton-Sony kind of guy.
The whole issue of brands is an interesting one. Why do some people prefer Coke and others Pepsi? Why do some people drive GM cars while others prefer Ford? Why do some use Apple computers while others use Windows-based machines? Why are we so brand-intensive and brand-loyal? Why are we so quick to defend "our brand," or to tell others about it?
What makes us purchase the same brand time and time again when we have so much choice these days? And why do we “choose” certain athletes, movie stars, politicians, sports teams, and even friends and then stick with them so loyally – even, at times, when such loyalty is not warranted? I did a cursory search on this topic and discovered the issue has been the object of intense study. There are some very deep essays and even dissertations on the topic available on the Internet. Mostly, of course, by scholars and marketers who either love or hate brand loyalty, depending upon their share of the market.
I didn’t dig deep enough to find out much, but I did discover a few things. For one, brand loyalty is not necessarily about price or which product is actually best. We don’t choose our brands logically, we choose with our hearts. Reasons are varied but can be anything from catchy advertisements, or packaging, or the it being brand our parents always used, and a whole cluster of other reasons.
Loyalty was important and noted even in biblical times. Jesus said, “No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other.” (Matthew 6:24 NIV) Attempting to serve two masters leads to “double-mindedness” (James 4:8), undermining loyalty to a cause. James 5:2.
Of course brand loyalty is important in my field, the church world. Why do people choose one church over another? I’m sure there are a million reasons (proximity, like or dislike of the preacher, the people, facilities, programs, and probably way down the line, the church's theology). My guess would be people choose churches in the same illogical and unexplainable ways they choose the other brands they choose.
What do you think?
As I made this transition I realized how I am usually very loyal when it comes to brands. Even though I love change in most instances, when it comes to changing brands of something, I’m slow to make changes. For some unknown reason to me, I choose a brand and then stick with it, seemingly for life. I am a Nike-Coke-Windows-Levis-Charmin-Starbucks-GM-Wesleyan-Browning-Dial-Colgate-NIV-Lipton-Sony kind of guy.
The whole issue of brands is an interesting one. Why do some people prefer Coke and others Pepsi? Why do some people drive GM cars while others prefer Ford? Why do some use Apple computers while others use Windows-based machines? Why are we so brand-intensive and brand-loyal? Why are we so quick to defend "our brand," or to tell others about it?
What makes us purchase the same brand time and time again when we have so much choice these days? And why do we “choose” certain athletes, movie stars, politicians, sports teams, and even friends and then stick with them so loyally – even, at times, when such loyalty is not warranted? I did a cursory search on this topic and discovered the issue has been the object of intense study. There are some very deep essays and even dissertations on the topic available on the Internet. Mostly, of course, by scholars and marketers who either love or hate brand loyalty, depending upon their share of the market.
I didn’t dig deep enough to find out much, but I did discover a few things. For one, brand loyalty is not necessarily about price or which product is actually best. We don’t choose our brands logically, we choose with our hearts. Reasons are varied but can be anything from catchy advertisements, or packaging, or the it being brand our parents always used, and a whole cluster of other reasons.
Loyalty was important and noted even in biblical times. Jesus said, “No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other.” (Matthew 6:24 NIV) Attempting to serve two masters leads to “double-mindedness” (James 4:8), undermining loyalty to a cause. James 5:2.
Of course brand loyalty is important in my field, the church world. Why do people choose one church over another? I’m sure there are a million reasons (proximity, like or dislike of the preacher, the people, facilities, programs, and probably way down the line, the church's theology). My guess would be people choose churches in the same illogical and unexplainable ways they choose the other brands they choose.
What do you think?
Wednesday, April 15, 2009
Book Review: Here's the Story
I stopped by the library with Donna recently and looked in the “new books” section and found the 2008 biography of Maureen McCormick titled Here’s The Story: Surviving Marcia Brady and Finding My True Voice. I love to read biographies and usually pick more, shall I say, "historical” characters, but I could not resist reading a book about one of the Brady Bunch. Because I’have always been a big Brady Bunch fan – I’have also probably seen every episode at least two or three times. At our house the girls have a running joke about me because they think my deep sayings often sound like Mr. Brady; things like, “You have to be a friend to have a friend, kids.”
But I digress; the book only takes a few pages to cover the “Brady” years. I believe Barry Williams wrote what is considered the definitive “Brady Bunch" book. Instead McCormick’s book is more of a personal memoir covering the ups and (honestly, mostly) downs of her life.
McCormick was born the same year as me, 1956, and grew up in Southern California (where she still lives with her husband and daughter today). She began her career at the tender age of six after winning the Baby Miss San Fernando Valley beauty pageant. She then appeared in numerous commercials for great sixties brands like Mattel Toys, Kool-Aid, and Mr. Bubble (to name a few). She also appeared in early episodes of some great sixties shows like Bewitched and My Three Sons before landing her role as Marcia Brady on The Brady Bunch, which aired in prime time from 1969 to 1974.
McCormick clearly had her share of troubles, especially after the show ended, and she writes candidly and courageously about them. It seems most child-actors end up going down the road of drug abuse, rehab and multiple marriages. Honestly though, McCormick seems to have had an even more difficult time than most. In addition to the usual stock of downfalls McCormick also survived depression, an eating disorder, and more. Of course, all this makes her more human, and thus easy in some ways to relate to. I could see how women my age who idolized Marcia Brady could gain a sense freedom in the fact that prim and perky Marcia Brady struggled like we all do.
But I digress; the book only takes a few pages to cover the “Brady” years. I believe Barry Williams wrote what is considered the definitive “Brady Bunch" book. Instead McCormick’s book is more of a personal memoir covering the ups and (honestly, mostly) downs of her life.
McCormick was born the same year as me, 1956, and grew up in Southern California (where she still lives with her husband and daughter today). She began her career at the tender age of six after winning the Baby Miss San Fernando Valley beauty pageant. She then appeared in numerous commercials for great sixties brands like Mattel Toys, Kool-Aid, and Mr. Bubble (to name a few). She also appeared in early episodes of some great sixties shows like Bewitched and My Three Sons before landing her role as Marcia Brady on The Brady Bunch, which aired in prime time from 1969 to 1974.
McCormick clearly had her share of troubles, especially after the show ended, and she writes candidly and courageously about them. It seems most child-actors end up going down the road of drug abuse, rehab and multiple marriages. Honestly though, McCormick seems to have had an even more difficult time than most. In addition to the usual stock of downfalls McCormick also survived depression, an eating disorder, and more. Of course, all this makes her more human, and thus easy in some ways to relate to. I could see how women my age who idolized Marcia Brady could gain a sense freedom in the fact that prim and perky Marcia Brady struggled like we all do.
After kicking her drug habit, McCormick battled depression, reconnected with her mother, whom she nursed through the end of her life, and then found herself in a pitched battle for her family with her weird brother. McCormick also chronicles her faith experiences in the book. She admits that she was “not an easy or quick convert” (pg. 146). She also recounts her conversion experience where she was walking down Westwood Boulevard in LA when, suddenly and without warning, she was thrown to the ground by God. Then she saw two hands reaching down from the sky towards her; “it was Jesus,” she said (pg. 148). After that McCormick began attending a Vineyard church, but she still seems like more a a seeker to me.
The “story” has a relatively happy ending, although not everything is resolved. What's more, since “Marcia” is still alive, her story continues. This biography is definitely worth reading. I consider it a good, but not great, read. Reading the book held my attention but I did not feel as though I lwas reading a barn-burner.
The “story” has a relatively happy ending, although not everything is resolved. What's more, since “Marcia” is still alive, her story continues. This biography is definitely worth reading. I consider it a good, but not great, read. Reading the book held my attention but I did not feel as though I lwas reading a barn-burner.
Monday, April 13, 2009
Easter 2009
Easter Weekend 2009 at NewSong began on Friday night as a small crowd braved a tornado warning to attend a Good Friday service. Luckily we had John’s Creek Police Chief Ed Densmore with us who remained in constant radio contact with Fulton County authorities about the weather as we worshipped. We delayed our service about 30 minutes as we enjoyed time together downstairs in the church in a room with no windows. Then we went upstairs for the service. We had a great acoustic worship set led by Jordan C. and then just as I was wrapping up my comments we heard the tornado sirens start back up. Allison asked if we could do one more song at the end of the service and Ed responded, “Now might not be such a good time,” and we all scurried back downstairs. After another 20 minutes or so in the windowless room below we all headed for home.
Sunday’s sunrise service was amazing (the two photos in this post are from that service). By the time Amy and I arrived at 6:15am volunteers had everything well in hand. The chairs were all set up in the parking lot, the tables were being prepped and the food cooked by a bevy of volunteers led by Karen & Jesse Rivera and Dave Allen (thanks everyone!). The sun rose right on cue through purple and pink skies as the gorgeous wisteria vines covering the trees glowed in appreciation of the rising sun. We had about 75-80 Jesus-lovers who braved the 45 degree temps to honor our Lord. Thank-you Jesus!After a sumptuous pancake, egg, sausage, bacon, and hash brown breakfast we finally we held our Easter Worship Celebration at 10:30am. Many of our members brought guests as requested, all our volunteers were “spot on” as they “served as if they were serving Jesus.” The praise band was rocking. There was an air of excitement in the air as we celebrated Jesus. As one staff member said, what happened today is a good example of what a “win” looks like at NewSong. I tried my best to bring the gospel and to make it plain and not churchy. I spoke on the hope that Jesus’ resurrection brings that is so much better than the hope the world offers. I did get slightly off track at the end and forget a simple acronym (BASE) but I covered well, making things up as I went. I also went off on a rabbit trail about “dead dog parties.” I suppose you had to be there to appreciate that. What can I say, I was excited. It was Easter!
Bottom line, we prayed that people would bring their friends, relatives, co-workers and neighbors to church. They did. We prayed that God would show up. He did. Were lives changed for eternity? I believe so. We may not see them right away; we might never get to see them ourselves. But I believe the Holy Spirit did His work and will continue to work in hearts that were exposed to God’s truth and His unfading and unfailing hope yesterday at NewSong.
Thank you NewSong Church for being faithful to invite others to hear about Christ! Through your commitment to our vision to see people who don’t know Christ get the opportunity to know Him, we have reason to celebrate! Let’s keep it going now. God is amazing and He certainly blessed us with an awesome Easter this year. All glory and honor to Him!
Bottom line, we prayed that people would bring their friends, relatives, co-workers and neighbors to church. They did. We prayed that God would show up. He did. Were lives changed for eternity? I believe so. We may not see them right away; we might never get to see them ourselves. But I believe the Holy Spirit did His work and will continue to work in hearts that were exposed to God’s truth and His unfading and unfailing hope yesterday at NewSong.
Thank you NewSong Church for being faithful to invite others to hear about Christ! Through your commitment to our vision to see people who don’t know Christ get the opportunity to know Him, we have reason to celebrate! Let’s keep it going now. God is amazing and He certainly blessed us with an awesome Easter this year. All glory and honor to Him!
Saturday, April 11, 2009
Book Review: The Principle of the Path
I just finished Andy Stanley’s latest book, The Principle of the Path. I love this book. Stanley never ceases to amaze me at his ability to lay out deep spiritual truths in easy-to-understand ways. He does this in a way that makes you think, “How could I have missed that?” or, “How did he see that? I have read that passage a hundred times.”
The essence of this book is the “principle” Stanley wants to get across. Again, it is so simple, you wonder how come you haven’t picked up on it before. The 'Principle of the Path' says that the direction you are currently traveling – relationally, financially, spiritually, and so on – will determine where you end up in each of those respective areas. This principle is true regardless of your goals, your dreams, your wishes, or your wants. In other words, “The principle of the path trumps all these things. Your current direction will determine your destination” (pg. 15).
This principle explains why so many seemingly smart people – people with good intentions – often end up far from where they intended to be. They start out with a clear vision of where they want to be in five or ten years, but then they miss that destination by a mile. Why? Because the path they chose was not headed in that direction despite their best intentions. Stated positively, if you want to arrive at a certain destination, you must choose the right path. The problem, of course, is that we have a propensity for choosing paths that do not lead in the direction we say we want to go. This disconnect happens because “The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it?” (Jeremiah 17:9). Most of us actually do know what is right and true, and honorable; the problem is we are not on what Stanley calls a “truth quest.” Instead we are on what he calls a “happiness quest.” We want to feel happy - now - and our quest for happiness often overrides our appreciation for what we know is true; what we know we should do. In our pursuit for immediate happiness we refuse to delay gratification for the greater good that will come later. The answer to this problem, Stanley says, is to pursue truth; to stare it right in the eye and then pursue it, because as Jesus said, “You shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free” (John 8:32).
The good thing about the principle of the path is that even though it often works to our detriment, it can also be leveraged to our advantage. Like the law of gravity it works all the time. That means just as there are paths that will led us to places we never intended to be, there are paths that will lead us away from those places as well – and paths that will lead us exactly where we want to go – the key is acknowledging the truth, and then getting on the right path to begin with; and then sticking to that path.
Most of the biblical wisdom in the book comes from Solomon and the book of Proverbs. Solomon was the wisest man who ever lived (besides Jesus) and much of his wisdom is written down for us in Proverbs. Like I said above, the great thing about Andy Stanley is he takes things a step or two deeper than many teachers and he really points out places of application where we can apply these truths. One of my favorite features of the book is the questions he suggests we ask ourselves along the way to analyze why we have chosen a particular path. Questions like, “Why am I doing this, really?” And, “If someone in my circumstances came to me for advice, what course of action would I recommend?” And, “In light of my past experience, my future hopes, and my dreams, what is the wise thing to do?” This last question is probably the best one of all.
My prayer is that the next time I find myself standing at a fork in the path I will use my head more than my heart and choose wisely. After all, the direction does determine destination, every time.
Thanks Andy!
Friday, April 10, 2009
Easter Eggs
We've had fun today dying Easter eggs. Reminded me of when the girls were little and we did this every year.My eggs were "interesting" colored.
Donna did the best egg - a dark red one.
Fun having everyone at home!
More later...
Thursday, April 9, 2009
Great Day!
We had a great day today. Donna and I picked up Amy at the Atlanta airport at 7:45am and then we came home and I made a batch of biscuits. Then we changed clothes and drove up to Amicalola Falls and did about a 3 mile hike. It was great. We cam home after that and rested a bit then I cooked out pork chops and steamed some vegetables on the grill.Like I said, it was great, especially having Amy home a day earlier than we expected. It was wonderful for all four of us (me, Donna, Amy and Leigh) to sit down together for a meal tonight. I'm exhausted and stuffed from eating too much supper, but it's all been worth it!
Until Tomorrow!
Wednesday, April 8, 2009
Sermons "In the Barrel"
In the old days preachers talked about having a sermon "in the barrel." That usually meant that after many years of preaching, he or she had written so many sermons they could always pull one out they had preached before, dust it off, update a few illustrations, and use it again. This was especially the case in the days when preachers moved to a new church every three or four years. They could pull out a whole bunch of "old" sermons and preach them again at their new church.
Personally, I've never had much luck recycling my sermons. I've tried, but either what I had to say the first time was not very good, or else what I said really just doesn't seem as applicable now as it did back then; so preaching from the barrel just doesn't work for me. To me, preaching is a moment in time where the text and the preacher and the congregation and the Holy Spirit all come together and something great happens (hopefully!).
I have begun to experience some interesting side effects of preaching for seventeen years however. When I decide on a text and start studying it, trying to discern what I believe God is saying in that particular text to our particular congregation, I often search on the Internet for ideas and illustrations to augment my own study. These searches are usually specific once I get an idea to preach on, for instance I'm preaching this Easter from 1 Peter 1:3-9 where Peter describes the basis of our hope as believers is Jesus Christ and his resurrection from the dead. The main idea of my message is how we need hope more than ever today and the hope we need is available to us through Jesus' resurrection and that hope is applied to our life when we place our faith in Him and become part of God's family. My search terms this week were something like, "sermon, 1 Peter 1:3, hope, resurrection." When I searched using those words I came across a link that looked very promising - whoever wrote the blurb my google search uncovered was really thinking like me. It was only when I got to the website where the quote came from that I realized the "guy" was me from a previous sermon I'd written. Ha ha... that guy isn't so smart after all.
Like I say, this is happening to me more and more. I suppose it's only normal too. I have hundreds of sermons online now and since we all have lenses through which we interpret Scripture, if you stick to a text long enough, and really pray through it, it only makes sense that what you find there would be similar to what you have previously discovered when studying that text.
So why not just preach the old sermon that's in the barrel to begin with? Well, like I said, the impressions God gives are often similar, but they are also usually different enough that you are really expressing a totally different thought or making a totally different point of application when preaching on the passage this time. Scripture is like that; it is so full of meaning and application.
The good news this Wednesday afternoon is that I have all three of my messages for this Easter weekend done! I'm preaching about the cross on Good Friday, specifically about one of Jesus' sayings from the cross: "Father, into your hands I commit my spirit" (Luke 23:46). At our Easter Sunrise service I'm preaching about the women going to the tomb to anoint Jesus' body and the disciples' odd reaction to the news from the women that "He is risen!" (Luke 24:6). And finally, I'm preaching the text I mentioned above from 1 Peter for the "main event," our 10:30am Easter worship celebration. The theme of that message is the hope Jesus' resurrection brings; it changes everything!
It is going to be a great Easter. My daughter Amy will be home from L.A., my church and I are going to invite a horde of unbelievers to worship this week, the weather is going to cooperate - and, most importantly, I am convinced God is going to show up in a big way. I can hardly wait!
I trust that each of you reading this are also looking forward to a joyous celebration of our Savior's resurrection this Sunday. May God grant you a meaningful Easter where His hope comes alive in you in new and powerful ways.
Personally, I've never had much luck recycling my sermons. I've tried, but either what I had to say the first time was not very good, or else what I said really just doesn't seem as applicable now as it did back then; so preaching from the barrel just doesn't work for me. To me, preaching is a moment in time where the text and the preacher and the congregation and the Holy Spirit all come together and something great happens (hopefully!).
I have begun to experience some interesting side effects of preaching for seventeen years however. When I decide on a text and start studying it, trying to discern what I believe God is saying in that particular text to our particular congregation, I often search on the Internet for ideas and illustrations to augment my own study. These searches are usually specific once I get an idea to preach on, for instance I'm preaching this Easter from 1 Peter 1:3-9 where Peter describes the basis of our hope as believers is Jesus Christ and his resurrection from the dead. The main idea of my message is how we need hope more than ever today and the hope we need is available to us through Jesus' resurrection and that hope is applied to our life when we place our faith in Him and become part of God's family. My search terms this week were something like, "sermon, 1 Peter 1:3, hope, resurrection." When I searched using those words I came across a link that looked very promising - whoever wrote the blurb my google search uncovered was really thinking like me. It was only when I got to the website where the quote came from that I realized the "guy" was me from a previous sermon I'd written. Ha ha... that guy isn't so smart after all.
Like I say, this is happening to me more and more. I suppose it's only normal too. I have hundreds of sermons online now and since we all have lenses through which we interpret Scripture, if you stick to a text long enough, and really pray through it, it only makes sense that what you find there would be similar to what you have previously discovered when studying that text.
So why not just preach the old sermon that's in the barrel to begin with? Well, like I said, the impressions God gives are often similar, but they are also usually different enough that you are really expressing a totally different thought or making a totally different point of application when preaching on the passage this time. Scripture is like that; it is so full of meaning and application.
The good news this Wednesday afternoon is that I have all three of my messages for this Easter weekend done! I'm preaching about the cross on Good Friday, specifically about one of Jesus' sayings from the cross: "Father, into your hands I commit my spirit" (Luke 23:46). At our Easter Sunrise service I'm preaching about the women going to the tomb to anoint Jesus' body and the disciples' odd reaction to the news from the women that "He is risen!" (Luke 24:6). And finally, I'm preaching the text I mentioned above from 1 Peter for the "main event," our 10:30am Easter worship celebration. The theme of that message is the hope Jesus' resurrection brings; it changes everything!
It is going to be a great Easter. My daughter Amy will be home from L.A., my church and I are going to invite a horde of unbelievers to worship this week, the weather is going to cooperate - and, most importantly, I am convinced God is going to show up in a big way. I can hardly wait!
I trust that each of you reading this are also looking forward to a joyous celebration of our Savior's resurrection this Sunday. May God grant you a meaningful Easter where His hope comes alive in you in new and powerful ways.
Tuesday, April 7, 2009
Recovered Post: Ups and Downs
Here is the post from yesterday that I deleted this morning trying to get rid of a weird comment. On re-reading it I find I'm not as down this afternoon as I was last night when I wrote this; looks like God is winning the battle!
Ups and Downs
Posted Yesterday at 10:25pm
It has been one of those up and down kind of days.First, the “up” part: I was able to get my “Monday” stuff done at church today and even got my message ready for Good Friday. The message is a meditation on one of Jesus’ sayings from the cross: “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit” Luke 23:46. It was good to have some quality study time meditating on the cross. I hope to have more of these special times with God this week.
The down part is that I struggled with disappointment today over the small crowd we had on Sunday. I knew it was coming; spring break means we’re going to have lots of people out. But even though I was prepared for that, the crowd size disappointed me. I confess I have a unhealthy preoccupation with numbers. I know the true measure of success for every church is how well they are fulfilling their God-given mission. But still, when 22 families are out in a church our size it hurts.
God was good to me though. After church when I walked out to my car I noticed one of our communication cards stuck under my windshield wiper. A child had written on it, “Pastor Steve, You are appreciated and loved. Thanks for all you do." Thanks my young friend. And thanks God for the encouragement.
The lesson in all this, of course, is that it is God’s church and not mine (Matt. 16:18). Furthermore, the battle itself is the Lord’s, not mine (1 Samuel 17:45-47). It does not matter whether the battle is “out there” or “in here" (in me),” because the battle is the Lord’s. David knew that when he faced Goliath, Joshua knew it as he circled the walls of Jericho, and Peter and Paul knew it as they faced their challenges too.
Perhaps in this special week where God overcame even something as debilitating and as final as death, God can teach me and change me too.
Lord, hear my prayer.
Ups and Downs
Posted Yesterday at 10:25pm
It has been one of those up and down kind of days.First, the “up” part: I was able to get my “Monday” stuff done at church today and even got my message ready for Good Friday. The message is a meditation on one of Jesus’ sayings from the cross: “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit” Luke 23:46. It was good to have some quality study time meditating on the cross. I hope to have more of these special times with God this week.
The down part is that I struggled with disappointment today over the small crowd we had on Sunday. I knew it was coming; spring break means we’re going to have lots of people out. But even though I was prepared for that, the crowd size disappointed me. I confess I have a unhealthy preoccupation with numbers. I know the true measure of success for every church is how well they are fulfilling their God-given mission. But still, when 22 families are out in a church our size it hurts.
God was good to me though. After church when I walked out to my car I noticed one of our communication cards stuck under my windshield wiper. A child had written on it, “Pastor Steve, You are appreciated and loved. Thanks for all you do." Thanks my young friend. And thanks God for the encouragement.
The lesson in all this, of course, is that it is God’s church and not mine (Matt. 16:18). Furthermore, the battle itself is the Lord’s, not mine (1 Samuel 17:45-47). It does not matter whether the battle is “out there” or “in here" (in me),” because the battle is the Lord’s. David knew that when he faced Goliath, Joshua knew it as he circled the walls of Jericho, and Peter and Paul knew it as they faced their challenges too.
Perhaps in this special week where God overcame even something as debilitating and as final as death, God can teach me and change me too.
Lord, hear my prayer.
Comments
I blogged yesterday but had to take the post down because I got a really weird comment on it from some guy in Brazil and I don't know how to delete comments so I took the whole thing down.
Comments now have to be preapproved by me before they make it to my blog. I hate to take that measure, but I don't know any other way to do it. If someone out there knows how to delete comments once they've been made, I'd appreciate you helping me on that one!
Today is going to be a good day. We woke up to snow here in Cumming - amazing.
I am going to work on this weekend's messages. If you get this, be praying for me!
Steve
Comments now have to be preapproved by me before they make it to my blog. I hate to take that measure, but I don't know any other way to do it. If someone out there knows how to delete comments once they've been made, I'd appreciate you helping me on that one!
Today is going to be a good day. We woke up to snow here in Cumming - amazing.
I am going to work on this weekend's messages. If you get this, be praying for me!
Steve
Sunday, April 5, 2009
Weekend Fun
We've had a great weekend. We enjoyed the warm temps yesterday and got all our hummingbird feeders out (4 of them). We have already seen a few hummingbirds!
Today we got our regular bird feeders up. We’re ready now for any kind of bird that might come by. Today I had to rescue a female cardinal that got trapped in our garage. I finally had to just grab her. Unfortunately she decided to bite me when I grabbed her. She didn’t break the skink, but wow, it really hurt! She pinched a blood blister on my finger.
We also had a good day at church. Our crowd was down due to Spring Break; but we were not off that much. Donna and I were going to head to Highlands for a few days, but the cold temps that are forecast for the next few days have caused us to stick close to home. We’ll have a fine time here though; and we’ll be even more ready for Easter.
God is Good!
Today we got our regular bird feeders up. We’re ready now for any kind of bird that might come by. Today I had to rescue a female cardinal that got trapped in our garage. I finally had to just grab her. Unfortunately she decided to bite me when I grabbed her. She didn’t break the skink, but wow, it really hurt! She pinched a blood blister on my finger.
We also had a good day at church. Our crowd was down due to Spring Break; but we were not off that much. Donna and I were going to head to Highlands for a few days, but the cold temps that are forecast for the next few days have caused us to stick close to home. We’ll have a fine time here though; and we’ll be even more ready for Easter.
God is Good!
Saturday, April 4, 2009
Book Review: Crazy Love
I just finished reading Crazy Love: Overwhelmed by a Relentless God by Francis Chan. Amy gave me this book for my birthday (thank-you!) and I’m glad because I have heard so much about it. My overall impression of the book is that it is really good, but not necessarily life-changing.
I have decided my “less-than-over-the-top” reaction to the book stems more from unrealistic expectations of what it was going to be like rather than from any shortcoming on Francis Chan’s part. I had heard this was a life-transforming book, and it might be for some, but personally I have been wrestling with these same issues for quite a long time now (at least since I first received my call to ministry in the early 90's) so mostly what I found myself doing as I read was nodding my head thinking, “Yes, that’s right” instead of shaking it in amazement and saying, “Wow! I never thought of that,” or “Really?”
Chan describes why he wrote the book on page 168, “I wrote this book because much of our talk doesn’t match our lives. We say things like, ‘I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me,’ and ‘Trust in the Lord with all your heart.’ Then we live and plan like we don’t even believe God exists. We try to set our lives up so everything will be fine even if God doesn’t come through. But true faith means holding nothing back. It means putting every hope in God’s fidelity to his promises.”
I could not agree more. As a pastor I see this all the time. In fact, as a pastor (and as a Christian) I do it myself. I often find myself planning “exit strategies” in case God doesn’t show up, which I realize demonstrates a definite lack of faith. I did it earlier this week when the Elders and I were wrestling with whether or not to proceed with buying a piece of land for the church to eventually build on. It is a huge financial commitment for us. As I prayed through the issue I kept thinking in terms of "What if it isn't God's will" instead of boldly claiming the land, "by faith." I wish I didn’t do that. Truth is, the father's cry in Mark 9 of, “Lord, I believe, help my unbelief!” (Mark 9:24) often could be used to sum up my spiritual journey. I do believe, but then by my actions I prove I don’t really have faith.
My main criticism of the book is I don’t think Chan really provides an answer to this problem. He sees the problem is we don’t love God enough so the answer is we should love God more, but love can’t be forced, can it? Isn’t that the nature of love? The reason we don’t love God enough, according to the author, is because our understanding of God is deficient (page 22) so he proceeds to write three chapters to show us who God really is and why he is worthy of our love. He expects us to be convinced and then expects we’ll be driven to our knees in worship, which ultimately equates to love in Chan’s vocabulary. I don’t blame him for not being able to explain "how," I struggle with the same issue myself and in my church.
In the next seven chapters Chan examines what he perceives to be the sorry state of the church (apparently mainly thinking about the church in America, and in particular in Southern California). His conclusion is that we are lukewarm Christians who attend lukewarm churches spending our time striving for a life with God characterized by control, safety and an absence of suffering.
Are we “missing it?” as Chan contends? Are we even “good soil” (saved) as he asks? Do we offer God our “leftovers” instead of our best? Perhaps… probably...maybe. To the extent that we ask ourselves these questions and wrestle with the answers, the book is helpful. When it comes to the answer to the big question, yes, God is definitely the answer, and yes, God is love, but I’m not sure I’m any wiser for having been retold this so many times; mostly I just feel guilty.
I have decided my “less-than-over-the-top” reaction to the book stems more from unrealistic expectations of what it was going to be like rather than from any shortcoming on Francis Chan’s part. I had heard this was a life-transforming book, and it might be for some, but personally I have been wrestling with these same issues for quite a long time now (at least since I first received my call to ministry in the early 90's) so mostly what I found myself doing as I read was nodding my head thinking, “Yes, that’s right” instead of shaking it in amazement and saying, “Wow! I never thought of that,” or “Really?”
Chan describes why he wrote the book on page 168, “I wrote this book because much of our talk doesn’t match our lives. We say things like, ‘I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me,’ and ‘Trust in the Lord with all your heart.’ Then we live and plan like we don’t even believe God exists. We try to set our lives up so everything will be fine even if God doesn’t come through. But true faith means holding nothing back. It means putting every hope in God’s fidelity to his promises.”
I could not agree more. As a pastor I see this all the time. In fact, as a pastor (and as a Christian) I do it myself. I often find myself planning “exit strategies” in case God doesn’t show up, which I realize demonstrates a definite lack of faith. I did it earlier this week when the Elders and I were wrestling with whether or not to proceed with buying a piece of land for the church to eventually build on. It is a huge financial commitment for us. As I prayed through the issue I kept thinking in terms of "What if it isn't God's will" instead of boldly claiming the land, "by faith." I wish I didn’t do that. Truth is, the father's cry in Mark 9 of, “Lord, I believe, help my unbelief!” (Mark 9:24) often could be used to sum up my spiritual journey. I do believe, but then by my actions I prove I don’t really have faith.
My main criticism of the book is I don’t think Chan really provides an answer to this problem. He sees the problem is we don’t love God enough so the answer is we should love God more, but love can’t be forced, can it? Isn’t that the nature of love? The reason we don’t love God enough, according to the author, is because our understanding of God is deficient (page 22) so he proceeds to write three chapters to show us who God really is and why he is worthy of our love. He expects us to be convinced and then expects we’ll be driven to our knees in worship, which ultimately equates to love in Chan’s vocabulary. I don’t blame him for not being able to explain "how," I struggle with the same issue myself and in my church.
In the next seven chapters Chan examines what he perceives to be the sorry state of the church (apparently mainly thinking about the church in America, and in particular in Southern California). His conclusion is that we are lukewarm Christians who attend lukewarm churches spending our time striving for a life with God characterized by control, safety and an absence of suffering.
Are we “missing it?” as Chan contends? Are we even “good soil” (saved) as he asks? Do we offer God our “leftovers” instead of our best? Perhaps… probably...maybe. To the extent that we ask ourselves these questions and wrestle with the answers, the book is helpful. When it comes to the answer to the big question, yes, God is definitely the answer, and yes, God is love, but I’m not sure I’m any wiser for having been retold this so many times; mostly I just feel guilty.
Friday, April 3, 2009
Tallulah Gorge Hike
I went hiking today with my father-in-law, Don Hartsfield. We went to Tallulah Gorge State Park. We had a great time. We hiked down into the gorge and crossed the suspension bridge and then walked on around the gorge covering the north and south rim trails and all the scenic overlooks.Tallulah gorge is considered one of the “Seven Natural Wonders of Georgia” and is approximately two miles long and nearly 1000 feet deep. A series of five or six waterfalls occur as the Tallulah River races through the steep rocky cliffs.
Some interesting side notes include the fact that in 1970 Karl Wallenda walked across the gorge on a steel cable (the steel cable platform is still there), stopping twice to stand on his head. Sadly, Wallenda died eight years later in a fall in San Juan, Puerto Rico as he tried to walk between two 10-story buildings. Also, several river scenes from the movie Deliverance starring Burt Reynolds were filmed in the Gorge (yikes! Do I hear banjos?).
Anyway, it was fun. I always enjoy hiking with Don. We also did a little sightseeing after our hike. We ate at Oinkers Barbeque near Clayton for lunch then drove through Lakemont, GA and by Lakes Rabun, Seed, and Burton. We stopped at the old Sautee store and drove on through the scenic Sautee-Nacoochee valley and then on down through Cleveland and back to Cumming. Everything was green and very spring-like. It was good to get away and relax.
Thursday, April 2, 2009
Successful Evangelism
In Craig Groeschel’s blog today he writes,
“Just because people attend your church, serve, and give, don’t assume they are saved.
My father-in-law was a deacon in his church for years before truly understanding the grace of God.
One of my greatest fears is that many of our churches are full of people with a false spiritual confidence.
I like to tell young preachers, you don’t fail when you invite people to repent and follow Christ and no one responds. You fail when you don’t invite people to repent and follow Christ.”
Groeshel's comments really struck home with me. At NewSong we’re about to start intentionally reaching out to nonbelievers in ways we’ve not done before. We’re going to make it a priority. We’ve been planning for it, preaching about it, and praying about this for several weeks now. Easter Sunday is almost like a “re-launch” for us as we make this, I believe, bold move.
Reading Craig’s blog makes me wonder if maybe we'll even see some of our own folks really “get it” when we do get intentional about preaching salvation. Wouldn’t that be awesome!
By the way, what a great quote he closes with. I couldn’t agree more: You don’t fail if people don’t respond. You fail if you don’t invite people to repent and follow Christ. We need to remember this if we don't see immediate results as we preach more boldly and invite a response.
Thanks Craig!
“Just because people attend your church, serve, and give, don’t assume they are saved.
My father-in-law was a deacon in his church for years before truly understanding the grace of God.
One of my greatest fears is that many of our churches are full of people with a false spiritual confidence.
I like to tell young preachers, you don’t fail when you invite people to repent and follow Christ and no one responds. You fail when you don’t invite people to repent and follow Christ.”
Groeshel's comments really struck home with me. At NewSong we’re about to start intentionally reaching out to nonbelievers in ways we’ve not done before. We’re going to make it a priority. We’ve been planning for it, preaching about it, and praying about this for several weeks now. Easter Sunday is almost like a “re-launch” for us as we make this, I believe, bold move.
Reading Craig’s blog makes me wonder if maybe we'll even see some of our own folks really “get it” when we do get intentional about preaching salvation. Wouldn’t that be awesome!
By the way, what a great quote he closes with. I couldn’t agree more: You don’t fail if people don’t respond. You fail if you don’t invite people to repent and follow Christ. We need to remember this if we don't see immediate results as we preach more boldly and invite a response.
Thanks Craig!
Wednesday, April 1, 2009
Book Review: The Unforgiving Minute
I just finished a book called The Unforgiving Minute by Craig M. Mullaney. This enjoyable read is a memoir of the author’s life as a student, soldier, and veteran. The book begins with his first day at the US Military Academy at West Point. From there he survives the challenges of the US Army Ranger School, Oxford University (as a Rhodes Scholar), falling in love, and then combat in Afghanistan as a Platoon Leader. As the book ends the author is a combat veteran teaching at the US Naval Academy. As amazing and interesting as all that sounds, the story is actually deeper than that; it’s also the story of someone coming of age, finding love, dealing with disappointment in his family, wrestling with incredible disappointment in life, and finally coming to terms with life as his own man.
The title to the book comes from the last stanza of one of my favorite poems, Rudyard Kipling’s “If.”
If you can fill the unforgiving minute
The title to the book comes from the last stanza of one of my favorite poems, Rudyard Kipling’s “If.”
If you can fill the unforgiving minute
with sixty seconds’ worth of distance run,
Yours is the Earth and everything that’s in it,
And – which is more – you’ll be a man, my son!
The “unforgiving minute” the story builds toward is the riveting account of a firefight on a barren ridge in Afghanistan where Mullaney and his platoon are engaged with al-Qaeda fighters when a message crackles over the radio that one of his men is “KIA” (Killed in Action). In that one unforgiving minute everything changed. Doubt crept in. Was the loss of this soldier his fault? What could he have done different? As one reviewer said in the liner of the book, “Learning from his experience can help us face our own unforgiving minutes.” I hope it will help me with mine.
The lessons learned are many. Near the end of the book the author visits his brother who is now attending West Point himself. He sums up some of the lessons learned as he reflects on what he wants to say to his brother:
“There was so much I wanted to say to him that I wasn’t sure where to start. I wanted him to know that the greatest privilege I ever had was leading men in combat. He was going to be tested over and over again in ways he could never predict or simulate in training. There were going to be times when he would be afraid, but I wanted him to know that courage has more to do with facing that fear than forgetting it. His men would expect him to share their risks and stand with them in the storm. But they would also expect him to set a course, decide, act, and lead. He couldn’t afford to doubt himself. The only way to never make a decision he would regret would be to never make any decisions at all. Finally, I wanted to tell him that doing everything right might still entail heart-wrenching consequences. Gary would have his own unforgiving minutes, I feared, but what mattered was that he fill those minutes with ‘sixty seconds worth of distance run.’”
The book is full of leadership lessons, stories of military life (including an amazing account of what it's like to go through Ranger school) and what it’s like to be a Rhodes Scholar at Oxford. I highly recommend the book. The memoir also contains some great quotes; everything from Winnie the Pooh to Napoleon and Winston Churchill. Here are a few of my favorites from the book:
In case of sudden and temporary immersion, the important thing is to keep the head above water.
- A. A. Milne, Winnie-the Pooh
Infantry platoons and squads rely on two truths:
1) In combat, infantrymen who are moving are attacking.
2) Infantrymen who are not attacking are preparing to attack.
- Infantry Field Manual (FM 3-21.8)
Do your duty – and never mind whether you are shivering or warm, sleeping on your feet or in your bed.
- Marcus Aurelius
Life can only be understood backwards, but it must be lived forward.
- Soren Kierkegaard
I have not been at the front; I have been in front of it.
- Wilfred Owen, 1917
Patience is bitter, but its fruit is sweet.
- Afghan Proverb
If you’re going through Hell, keep going.
- Winston Churchill
To strive, to seek, to find, and not to yield.
- Tennyson, Ulysses
The Unforgiving Minute
A Soldier's Education
by Craig M. Mullaney
© 2009 by The Penguin Press
Yours is the Earth and everything that’s in it,
And – which is more – you’ll be a man, my son!
The “unforgiving minute” the story builds toward is the riveting account of a firefight on a barren ridge in Afghanistan where Mullaney and his platoon are engaged with al-Qaeda fighters when a message crackles over the radio that one of his men is “KIA” (Killed in Action). In that one unforgiving minute everything changed. Doubt crept in. Was the loss of this soldier his fault? What could he have done different? As one reviewer said in the liner of the book, “Learning from his experience can help us face our own unforgiving minutes.” I hope it will help me with mine.
The lessons learned are many. Near the end of the book the author visits his brother who is now attending West Point himself. He sums up some of the lessons learned as he reflects on what he wants to say to his brother:
“There was so much I wanted to say to him that I wasn’t sure where to start. I wanted him to know that the greatest privilege I ever had was leading men in combat. He was going to be tested over and over again in ways he could never predict or simulate in training. There were going to be times when he would be afraid, but I wanted him to know that courage has more to do with facing that fear than forgetting it. His men would expect him to share their risks and stand with them in the storm. But they would also expect him to set a course, decide, act, and lead. He couldn’t afford to doubt himself. The only way to never make a decision he would regret would be to never make any decisions at all. Finally, I wanted to tell him that doing everything right might still entail heart-wrenching consequences. Gary would have his own unforgiving minutes, I feared, but what mattered was that he fill those minutes with ‘sixty seconds worth of distance run.’”
The book is full of leadership lessons, stories of military life (including an amazing account of what it's like to go through Ranger school) and what it’s like to be a Rhodes Scholar at Oxford. I highly recommend the book. The memoir also contains some great quotes; everything from Winnie the Pooh to Napoleon and Winston Churchill. Here are a few of my favorites from the book:
In case of sudden and temporary immersion, the important thing is to keep the head above water.
- A. A. Milne, Winnie-the Pooh
Infantry platoons and squads rely on two truths:
1) In combat, infantrymen who are moving are attacking.
2) Infantrymen who are not attacking are preparing to attack.
- Infantry Field Manual (FM 3-21.8)
Do your duty – and never mind whether you are shivering or warm, sleeping on your feet or in your bed.
- Marcus Aurelius
Life can only be understood backwards, but it must be lived forward.
- Soren Kierkegaard
I have not been at the front; I have been in front of it.
- Wilfred Owen, 1917
Patience is bitter, but its fruit is sweet.
- Afghan Proverb
If you’re going through Hell, keep going.
- Winston Churchill
To strive, to seek, to find, and not to yield.
- Tennyson, Ulysses
The Unforgiving Minute
A Soldier's Education
by Craig M. Mullaney
© 2009 by The Penguin Press
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