ENOUGH TALKING, ALREADY!

I am finally at that point where I've had enough.  How about you?  What am I talking about?  Well, let me tell you.  I am tired of just talking about things. Tired of dreaming or planning and nothing every happening.  I am ready for some action!

I think it's high time we moved on beyond mere talking and do something.  Phrases are part of our existence.  You can see them on billboards, in magazines and even framed on the walls of your local church.  But, I must ask, "does it work and are you actually doing it?"

It's one thing to spend the time and energy to come up with what we believe God wants us to do but it's quite another thing to take those thoughts and convictions and turn them into tangible action. Hugh Halter and Matt Smay applied this to the church when they wrote the book, "The Tangible Kingdom."  In this book, they raised the question of what the church would look like if it was tangible, and could be seen by others.

In order to become tangible the church is going to have to change.  Some of these changes will cause us to squirm.  It will necessitate that we venture into a world that for a long time we have avoided. We must believe that God wants us to go there (Mt. 28:16-20) and that he will protect and guide us along the way.

I don't know about you but I have heard enough sermons to last a lifetime.  I have sat in enough bible studies and Sunday School classes to be among the most equipped.  The real question for me and perhaps for you is to ask whether or not these things that you and I have absorbed have caused us to move toward those who need Christ or not.

It's time for the church and that means, me to make a decision.  Are we going to be satisfied for another year to talk about being a disciple or are we going to say enough is enough and begin to put feet to our beliefs and convictions.  I recently heard someone say that following Christ may start in our head and then move to our heart but it must in the end move to our feet and hands.  WOW, that's what I want, do you?

Let me know what you think?  Can you join me and say, "Enough already!" If so, I would love to hear from you.

WIll you do the Write thing?

Every year I receive a box of books (about 24 in all) that I agreed to read and critique for a Christian  book judging organization.  I love to read so this is not a big deal.  For some it would be as I have to read them in about three months time.

I actually look forward to reading the books but I must admit that most of the books really aren't that good.  At times, I wonder just how the book was ever published. I say this knowing that I am not the best writer in the world either but I am being asked to give my opinion of what an author has written.

In the end, one author in each category (and there are many) is dubbed the winner.  They receive some prizes and significant recognition at the annul conference/banquet for that very purpose.  I even think that the banquet is in Hollywood.

I must admit that that would be quite an honor, but more importantly, for me it's all about the content of the book.  Writing is an amazing vehicle for communication and yet in many circles, little of it is done or at least done well.  Some will tell you that we are moving away from the written page (on paper) and before too long we will do everything digitally.  I don't know about that, but it seems to me that there is still plenty of room and time for actually writing books about significant issues, regardless of how the end product looks and feels.

I have noticed or at least made an observation that I want to share with anyone who might read this blog post.  This observation is in particular a thought about my own denomination. We do have books that have been written over our history. Much of what has been written has been more about our history or our theological beliefs.  Little has been written by our own authors about life issues or ministry matters that would be helpful and encouraging for all to read, especially young pastors and leaders coming up in the ministry.

I have often wondered, why?  I know plenty of people who are experienced and bright. Why don't they write and use their gift to bless the life and ministry of others?  Or more to the point, I want them to write and be used or God to make a difference for the advancement of the kingdom of God.  I am not the greatest writer but I am committed to writing and by God's grace he will use my thoughts and experience to bless, encourage and equip others to do the same.

Tell me what you think.  I would love to hear it!

DIGGING DEEP IN THE SECOND HALF

I know that there are many things that distinguish a great team from a good or average team.  This is blatantly obvious to anyone who watches carefully the unfolding of the NCAA college basketball tournament.  While there are exceptions, there is a common thread that usually shows up in the play of the great teams.  That thread is simply: know how to adjust in the second half of play.

Time and time again I have seen the lesser ranked team come out in the first half "blazing hot!"  They shoot an incredibly high field goal percentage, make most if not all of their free throws, keep their turnovers low and commit few fouls.  This often astounds the crowd.  Many think that this is leading to a big upset.  But, the coach of the great team knows not to panic.

The coach and players of the lesser ranked, but nevertheless ahead at half team, are excited.  They can't believe in one sense how they have played.  They are excited about the fact that they are ahead.  They see no reason to adjust.  They figure that if it worked in the first half that it will work fine in the second half.  This is their first and biggest mistake.

The higher ranked, but behind at half time team does not panic.  The coach knows that panicking will accomplish little.  He knows his team and he knows that they can play better.  He knows that they are experienced players and are capable of regrouping.  He knows that they must adjust their level of play to deal with the poor play of the first half.  He talks with his team about where they made their mistakes and tells them how they can and will need to do things to correct their errors.  He encourages them to go out and play with passion and the skill that he already knows they have.

Recently, I was participating in a training event that focused on living the second half of our lives with purpose and integrity.  We have all made mistakes but in the second half of our lives we can go our there and lives lives that are healthy and wholesome, and making a contribution to those we live with, work with and are going to meet.

The reality is that even if we have had a good first half, or a bad first half of our lives, we are called to and able to live an even more kingdom productive second half of our lives.  This will require us to dig deeper into where we have been, think about where we are going and determine with whom we will take this journey.  I believe, as I was told, that we can live an even better second half of our lives but first we must dig deep into our lives for the gold that God will give us and enable us to keep on living the way he desires.

A PHRASE FROM THE STAGE

Over the past few years, I have given a great deal of time thinking about discipleship.  During this time, one writer (disciple maker) shared a thought with me that has been very helpful and I want to share it with you.

Jim Putnam, author of the book "Real-Life Discipleship states that one of the ways they begin to identify where a person is in their faith journey is by listening to the way they talk.  He is convinced that the more mature you are spiritually, the more maturely you speak.  In essence, they listen for a "phrase from the stage."  That is, if a person is spiritually immature, they talk one way, while a person that is mature speaks quite differently (infant-adult).

Over the past few weeks, I have been listening for this as I have spent a lot of time in churches and other Christian contexts.  It's amazing to listen and try to get a handle on where one might be in their spiritual journey.  As a disclaimer, let me say that Putnam nor am I saying that this is the only barometer for reading the faith stage of a given person, but it does help.

Obviously, our goal is to see people grow in their faith and begin to hear them speak differently. We want to see and hear people become more mature in their walk of faith.  Not only do we want this for others, we want if for ourselves.  How are you talking these days?  From what stage does your phrase come from?

I'd love to hear from you and know what your experience has been when it comes to people speaking a "phrase from the stage.'  Respond and let me know what you are hearing!

What do you think about that?

Recently, while re-reading "The Cost of Discipleship" by Dietrich Bonhoeffer, which is no doubt a classic in Christian literature, I was struck by something the Bonhoeffer wrote.  Don't misunderstand me, I was moved and challenged by many things he said, but this one stood out for some reason.

Without question, Bonhoeffer was transformed by the thought that Christ had forgiven him of his sins. He was also haunted by the thought that if Christ did this for him, to accept this forgiveness meant that he had to totally forfeit anything that might be considered something he could bring to the table, and give his entire commitment to following Christ.

This meant for Bonhoeffer that following Christ in this way was not just for the "holy" few, but for anyone that made the decision to accept Christ and follow him.  Here's the paragraph that drove this truth home to me.  It was born out of  Bonhoeffer's own pilgrimage into the monastic experience.

Monasticism was represented as an individual achievement which the mass of the laity could not be expected to emulate.  By thus limiting the application of the commandments of Jesus to a restricted group of specialists, the Church evolved the fatal conception of the double standard-a maximum and a minimum standard of Christian obedience.

As a result of this, I began to think about the way we go about pursuing discipleship in the context of the church.  It's almost as if we present it as something that only a few can achieve or even pursue.  The reality is that every believer must obey the call of Christ to follow him.  It is not just a mental assent to his call but an all-out commitment and pursuit of Jesus Christ.

In Bonhoeffer's own words we hear, "Only he who believes is obedient and only he who is obedient  believes." This is a powerful screen for those who claim that they are saved and have accepted the call of Christ upon their lives.  This means that every believer must be obedient to Christ's call for them to follow him in a fully devoted life of discipleship.

I wonder, what would the church of today look like if we followed the simple truth set forth by Bohoeffer?  Are you following it?  If you believe, are you obedient?  If you believe, truly believe, then according to this you are one who believes.   I am wondering, what do you think?

Here's What I'm Thinking!

I love the church. One cannot read the New Testament and miss out on the fact that God loves the church too! Throughout the Bible, prophets, teachers and leaders of all kinds, have a deep love for the church, the body of Christ. Okay, now that this is settled and we all agree. There's something else that has been on my mind and will not leave me. That is the matter of what the church stands for and the very thing that must be priority no #1, namely "making disciples!" All of us can quote Matthew 28:16-20 which records Christ's final words to his disciples on earth. These were the very last things he told them. Think about it, if you were about to tell someone the last words that you would ever utter on this earth, what would it be? Jesus chose to give his disciples a mandate, a command, that he expected them to obey. His love for them, motivated him to tell them that if you want to please me, then obey and tell others the good news about me and show them what it means to live in obedience to the things that are important to me. Then, you will truly be my disciples. As I look at the visible expression of the church in the world today, I get a lot of mixed messages. It really only takes a short while to figure out what's important once you enter the fellowship of a local church. Is it the maintenance of the building? Is it how much money we have in the bank? Is it how great of a worship team we have up front? Is it all about the pastor or other leaders in the church? Finding out the culture of the church really doesn't take a lot of digging to unearth. The question however that must be asked is a different one. We must ask whether or not the church is fully committed to doing what Christ told his disciples at his last meeting with them to do. We mus ask, and we must see if they are making disciples? Does the teaching reflect this priority? Do the leaders of the church model the biblical pattern of making disciples? Are the resources of the church used for this purpose? Is essence, is disciple making a priority in the church? I am not writing as one who knows how to do this perfectly. I am writing as one who believes that this must be our priority and one who knows that for many churches and believers in general, it is not. What then, must be done? First, I would suggest that we should get on our knees and repent from all of the wasted effort and time that we have spent on less worthy things, instead of making disciples. Next, we must return to the Word of God and make pour ourselves into the text of the Scriptures, making sure we understand this priority and know exactly how Christ, the one who gave us this mandate, made disciples. Finally, I suspect that we should read as much as we can from those who are ahead of us in this journey. For from those who have already seen this as important and are well on their way to making disciples, we can learn a great deal. In the end, I want to ask a very important question. Are people around you growing more like Christ due to the way you talk and act or are they not seeing it. Are they feeling the impact of someone who is deeply committed to living out Christ's command or are they simply around someone who calls themselves a believer but not living like one? Are you just pretending? I know for one, that I do not want to pretend, I want to be a disciple and I want to make disciples? How about You? For what it's worth, Here's what I'm Thinking!

Here's What I'm Thinking!

For those of you who know me, you will know it's coming but for the unsuspecting person it may be a surprise. Based on the picture above, I have to say it, "Life is a balancing act." Okay, I warned you. When I hear those words, I am prompted to think of all the times in my own life when things seem to be out of balance. It's not always a problem that causes me to lean one way or another. Sometimes, it's due simply to the choices I have made. All of us are prone to go in one direction or another over perhaps a different way. The reality in the midst of this is that life is made up of a variety of things that we must keep in balance. We must keep our relationship with God in order. We must work on the relationships we have with other people, especially those that are closest to us. In a similar way, we need to have some balance with the people we meet who do not share our faith or perspective on life. In the end, we need to keep some kind of balance of all three and even more if we are going to prevent a dangerous lean in one direction or another. As I looked at the woman in the picture, I got the sense that she was good at taking in all that was going on around her, yet keeping a focus on the package that she was carrying on her head. She did not let the things around her distract her or the unevenness of her path to make her go astray. If you've never seen a sight like this, it is quite a sight. Amazingly, it is mostly women who carry these types of loads. And, very often, it is small women doing it. This is interesting because we sometimes are led to believe that big people carry the weight or move the load. My observation says the opposite. In my own life, I want to be able to live a life for the Lord that has a healthy balance in all that the Lord asks of me. An unhealthy focus on things that are in and of themselves good, can turn out to be to my own demise. Where are you today when it comes to living a life that has balance? Are you lopsided when it comes to serving the Lord. Are you consistent in your study of God's word but greatly lacking in terms of living out the truth of the Word with those around you? Perhaps it would be helpful for you and me to occasionally pause long enough to gather a reading on just how balanced we are and if needed, make the necessary adjustments. Next time you lean one way or another, recall this picture and ask the Lord to help you get back to a life that is balanced and acceptable in his sight.