these were words that i recently read on the back of a t-shirt a student was wearing on campus. while this is dynamite advice if you are clark kent, i wonder about the implications if one is an ordinary person.
consider the opposite....
in their book, ascent of a leader, thrall, mcnicol and mcelrath suggest that a main reason leaders fail is that they become isolated. “'When I meet with leaders, I simply assume society has infected them and they have not lived in authentic community and that this reality will eventually hurt them’ We would add to his statement, 'and hurt those who follow them.'”
the way out of isolation is vulnerability. "How do we overcome the isolation that threatens to rob us of our influence? The answer is found in the second rung on the character ladder - choose vulnerability."
let me be honest, as a "professional christian", (that is, i am paid on the assumption that i continue in my christian beliefs,) i am constantly tempted to choose to live out the title of this post. i heard a pastor recently say that he wonders if it is possible to be a pastor and a real christian at the same time. radical words, but i know what he means.
recently i was given the opportunity to share with a group how God has worked in big ways in my life in an area of struggle. i chickened out. why? because i'm a professional christian and professional christians don't have struggles. and if they do, they can only share them with other professional christians :) i know that many others are tempted in the same way.
i don't think this temptation is limited only to paid ministers, but is deeply ingrained in the whole culture of american christianity.
i dream of a christian culture and community that seriously and practically rejects the superhero syndrome. one that regularly chooses vulnerability, rewards those that do and together lives life under the kingship of jesus.
Monday, August 13, 2007
Sunday, August 05, 2007
two books to mess you up
i've really been messed up permanently by two books i've read this summer....renovation of the heart by dallas willard and organic church by neil cole.
renovation of the heart explores what it takes to transform the whole person into christlikeness and is a clarion call to see that every possible segment of life is changed. each area of life is changed through seeing what could be (vision), committing to that change (intent), and having the practical tools necessary to make it happen (means).
what has messed me up is thinking about the lack of #3, the means, almost anywhere in the American church. if you go to a good church with a good speaker, you probably hear lots of "what should be's" and maybe have the occasional creative interaction to make decisions. but the means? almost nowhere to be found. and that goes for most of my campus ministry too.
organic church is a radical book. it redefines what church is...it's not a building and a program, but is whenever two or three followers of jesus get together for jesus' mission. that's it. nothing more. it's that simple.
this is the type of church, though, that is spreading across the world like wild-fire. the church in places like china, cuba and india is growing rapidly, but it's not church like we often visualize it.
cole calls into question most of the structures that the american church calls "church." i've heard all my life from speakers, "the church is not a building, it's the people." but i wonder if they meant that?
so i'm a bit messed up. not sure what to do about it.
renovation of the heart explores what it takes to transform the whole person into christlikeness and is a clarion call to see that every possible segment of life is changed. each area of life is changed through seeing what could be (vision), committing to that change (intent), and having the practical tools necessary to make it happen (means).
what has messed me up is thinking about the lack of #3, the means, almost anywhere in the American church. if you go to a good church with a good speaker, you probably hear lots of "what should be's" and maybe have the occasional creative interaction to make decisions. but the means? almost nowhere to be found. and that goes for most of my campus ministry too.
organic church is a radical book. it redefines what church is...it's not a building and a program, but is whenever two or three followers of jesus get together for jesus' mission. that's it. nothing more. it's that simple.
this is the type of church, though, that is spreading across the world like wild-fire. the church in places like china, cuba and india is growing rapidly, but it's not church like we often visualize it.
cole calls into question most of the structures that the american church calls "church." i've heard all my life from speakers, "the church is not a building, it's the people." but i wonder if they meant that?
so i'm a bit messed up. not sure what to do about it.
pizza on the grill
i think pizza is certainly the food of heaven. i like to cook pizza at home, but am always hestitant to turn on the oven in the hot and humid chicago summers.
solution: the grill!
i don't remember how i thought of it...i think that i was churning my dilemna in my head..."hot weather, i love making pizza. hot weather, i love making pizza. can i grill pizza?"
so as i do with all of life's big questions, i googled it and found this page...
http://bbq.about.com/cs/meals/a/aa070602a.htm
it really was simple. i burnt the crust on my first run, but i won't do that again. the dough cooks fast! i think it would be fun to make smaller sized pizzas and let everyone put their own toppings on. seems like a fun party idea.
now i can have the food of heaven when the weather is more like the other place :)
solution: the grill!
i don't remember how i thought of it...i think that i was churning my dilemna in my head..."hot weather, i love making pizza. hot weather, i love making pizza. can i grill pizza?"
so as i do with all of life's big questions, i googled it and found this page...
http://bbq.about.com/cs/meals/a/aa070602a.htm
it really was simple. i burnt the crust on my first run, but i won't do that again. the dough cooks fast! i think it would be fun to make smaller sized pizzas and let everyone put their own toppings on. seems like a fun party idea.
now i can have the food of heaven when the weather is more like the other place :)
Friday, August 03, 2007
out of the box ideas
if all goes well we're moving out the california to finish my graduate studies next summer. either way, we're going to sell our house and move. here are some of the things that we're wondering about in thinking about where to live in two years...
if location proximity is important, then it seems important to live in a place with lots of opportunities to meet people and share life. would a condo or apartment be better off? i'm not sure. i see people in condos in chicago and don't see much more shared life than in the suburbs?
would living near a park provide opportunities to meet people...especially those with children? maybe living in a community with a common swimming pool? i've been hearing about communities being built that have a common park, pool, etc. i wonder is this type of living setting would be more conducive for a shared life.
what's funny is that just as we're starting to think about moving into a place with higher probablity for connection, we've had more connections with our neighbors this summer than we even have before. mainly, it's because i was working on expanding my driveway and everyone came out to talk or help. that was really cool. i wonder is there's something to be learned.
another concern i'm having.... does trying to "find a place" that is more conducive for connections exclude sharing life with those that are different...different ethnicities and/or cultures. because in the end, those that are most like me are easiest to relate to. i don't want to just be surrounded by people just like me.
if location proximity is important, then it seems important to live in a place with lots of opportunities to meet people and share life. would a condo or apartment be better off? i'm not sure. i see people in condos in chicago and don't see much more shared life than in the suburbs?
would living near a park provide opportunities to meet people...especially those with children? maybe living in a community with a common swimming pool? i've been hearing about communities being built that have a common park, pool, etc. i wonder is this type of living setting would be more conducive for a shared life.
what's funny is that just as we're starting to think about moving into a place with higher probablity for connection, we've had more connections with our neighbors this summer than we even have before. mainly, it's because i was working on expanding my driveway and everyone came out to talk or help. that was really cool. i wonder is there's something to be learned.
another concern i'm having.... does trying to "find a place" that is more conducive for connections exclude sharing life with those that are different...different ethnicities and/or cultures. because in the end, those that are most like me are easiest to relate to. i don't want to just be surrounded by people just like me.
Thursday, June 28, 2007
out of the box
i'd love to throw some ideas around about what it would take to create even a semblance of sustainable authentic community. i've been thinking about two very basic things....proximity and a shared life.
proximity - i just wonder if people need to be closer locationally. i feel this to be especially true with small children. driving for 30 minutes in a car is one thing as an adult, but gets FAR more complicated with children. being close to others seems to be a key element in #2 as well.....
a shared life - i can get by without ever connecting to anyone in a week if i don't need anything from people. and that's exactly what i've created in my house....a self-sustainable environment with everything i need. or at least i thought....until the pain of loneliness says that there's something wrong with my system.
i wonder if a way out is to setup life so that i'm forced to share. (i have parents' voices running in my head...."share your toys, luke." "no, i don't want to!" :)
would it work to intentionally get rid of stuff....some tools, baby equipment and clothes, speciality items, etc.? if we knew others in our "community" had them, could we downsize and....share? i'm just brainstorming here. i can imagine all sorts of practical trouble. but if i'm forced to drive 10 minutes to borrow a tool from a friend, at least i've been "forced" to be indebted to another person and maybe i'll even talk to them. :)
what if a community created online lists somehow with things that could be shared with the group? like stuff, skills, gifts, talents, etc. no pressure, no guilt. just invitation to relationship and to living out jesus' teachings together.
what else would need to be in place for real community to foster in our disconnected american culture?
proximity - i just wonder if people need to be closer locationally. i feel this to be especially true with small children. driving for 30 minutes in a car is one thing as an adult, but gets FAR more complicated with children. being close to others seems to be a key element in #2 as well.....
a shared life - i can get by without ever connecting to anyone in a week if i don't need anything from people. and that's exactly what i've created in my house....a self-sustainable environment with everything i need. or at least i thought....until the pain of loneliness says that there's something wrong with my system.
i wonder if a way out is to setup life so that i'm forced to share. (i have parents' voices running in my head...."share your toys, luke." "no, i don't want to!" :)
would it work to intentionally get rid of stuff....some tools, baby equipment and clothes, speciality items, etc.? if we knew others in our "community" had them, could we downsize and....share? i'm just brainstorming here. i can imagine all sorts of practical trouble. but if i'm forced to drive 10 minutes to borrow a tool from a friend, at least i've been "forced" to be indebted to another person and maybe i'll even talk to them. :)
what if a community created online lists somehow with things that could be shared with the group? like stuff, skills, gifts, talents, etc. no pressure, no guilt. just invitation to relationship and to living out jesus' teachings together.
what else would need to be in place for real community to foster in our disconnected american culture?
Thursday, June 07, 2007
i'm responsible
i just heard this quote by someone...
your systems are perfectly designed for the results you are attaining
i love it! it helps me get out of my self-delusion that i'm somehow floating along by the will of some external forces. of course God moves in time and history. but that doesn't excuse me from responsibility to sharpen myself, to align my life with Christ, to grow in love for God and others.....
personal character "systems," ministry "systems," family "systems".....the results that i see is how i have (or someone else has for me) designed it.
time to change some systems!
your systems are perfectly designed for the results you are attaining
i love it! it helps me get out of my self-delusion that i'm somehow floating along by the will of some external forces. of course God moves in time and history. but that doesn't excuse me from responsibility to sharpen myself, to align my life with Christ, to grow in love for God and others.....
personal character "systems," ministry "systems," family "systems".....the results that i see is how i have (or someone else has for me) designed it.
time to change some systems!
Sunday, May 27, 2007
my box
i don't know why i remember this song from eighth grade. it's weird i know. my eighth grade english teacher, mrs. allard, was a little eccentric (isn't that a prereq for being an english teacher :). but we got to read some really good books. she must have taught us this song by Malvina Reynolds sometime:
Little boxes on the hillside,
Little boxes made of ticky-tacky,
Little boxes, little boxes,Little boxes, all the same.
There's a green one and a pink one
And a blue one and a yellow one
And they're all made out of ticky-tack
And they all look just the same.
since then, i find myself singing this song in my head, sometimes out loud. my kids and wife know it by heart. the song's about houses in suburbia, and more about the values that suburbia represents.
recently, i read a book called technopoly by neil postman. one of postman's main themes is that any new technology brings about a culture change...and western culture is far too naive about how it accepts new technologies without thinking through it's implications.
for example, the monks of medieval times invented a clock (can you imagine a world without a clock?!), to tell them when to stop and pray. the clock, though, later turned out to be the foundation of production (we can now measure the amount of work done / hour) and industrialism.
crazy, eh?
this is what i'm wondering lately: has anyone questioned the implications of the "technology" of a house?
...of each house containing all that is needed in itself for a "good life?"
...of each house being a little haven for a nuclear family, and only a nuclear family?
...of each room being a little haven for each member of that family?
...of the luxury of having enough rooms for kids to sleep in different rooms, when one family used to all sleep together?
i know that there's a move from the suburbs back into the city. the suburbs are looked down on by those city folks. but really, is it any different? so you have a flat or a house that's right next to another house for a box. i have a whole house on a little land for a box. a box is a box, right?
i'm starting to feel that our version of boxes in america is stopping the fulfillment of our deep longing for authentic relationships. i know that others are feeling the same way. is anyone doing anything that is out-of-the-box? :)
Little boxes on the hillside,
Little boxes made of ticky-tacky,
Little boxes, little boxes,Little boxes, all the same.
There's a green one and a pink one
And a blue one and a yellow one
And they're all made out of ticky-tack
And they all look just the same.
since then, i find myself singing this song in my head, sometimes out loud. my kids and wife know it by heart. the song's about houses in suburbia, and more about the values that suburbia represents.
recently, i read a book called technopoly by neil postman. one of postman's main themes is that any new technology brings about a culture change...and western culture is far too naive about how it accepts new technologies without thinking through it's implications.
for example, the monks of medieval times invented a clock (can you imagine a world without a clock?!), to tell them when to stop and pray. the clock, though, later turned out to be the foundation of production (we can now measure the amount of work done / hour) and industrialism.
crazy, eh?
this is what i'm wondering lately: has anyone questioned the implications of the "technology" of a house?
...of each house containing all that is needed in itself for a "good life?"
...of each house being a little haven for a nuclear family, and only a nuclear family?
...of each room being a little haven for each member of that family?
...of the luxury of having enough rooms for kids to sleep in different rooms, when one family used to all sleep together?
i know that there's a move from the suburbs back into the city. the suburbs are looked down on by those city folks. but really, is it any different? so you have a flat or a house that's right next to another house for a box. i have a whole house on a little land for a box. a box is a box, right?
i'm starting to feel that our version of boxes in america is stopping the fulfillment of our deep longing for authentic relationships. i know that others are feeling the same way. is anyone doing anything that is out-of-the-box? :)
Wednesday, May 23, 2007
just jesus
jesus!
creator
messiah
king
long-expected one
friend
healer
good ruler
life bringer
alpha and omega
creation restorer
jesus?
he's of a different era, dispensation!
don't model his ministry!
he came for Israel!
he's before the church!
reinterpret his teachings!
be careful with him!
no. jesus. just jesus!
the king of the kingdom
the sender of the Spirit
the teacher of his followers
the savior of all the nations
the master of the universe!
my king! just jesus.
creator
messiah
king
long-expected one
friend
healer
good ruler
life bringer
alpha and omega
creation restorer
jesus?
he's of a different era, dispensation!
don't model his ministry!
he came for Israel!
he's before the church!
reinterpret his teachings!
be careful with him!
no. jesus. just jesus!
the king of the kingdom
the sender of the Spirit
the teacher of his followers
the savior of all the nations
the master of the universe!
my king! just jesus.
Thursday, May 03, 2007
myers briggs (mbti) and ministry
i've always really liked the personality theory of myers-briggs. well, actually, not always. at first i hated it because i thought it boxed me, categorized me as something without first consulting me to see if i wanted to be categorized.
but now i really like it. REALLY like it. my ENFP friends still really hate it...and thus verify their ENFP description :) . it helps me in at least four ways....
helps me understand myself
helps me understand others and my relationship to them (especially my marriage)
helps me help people in teams understand each other (communication, conflict, etc.)
helps me understand whole groups of people and organizations
this last one is really interesting to me. it seems like you can really understand whole groupings of people by MBTI. this especially helps me understand christian denominations and churches. for example...
~churches that value emotional worship and future-oriented/inspirational teaching (charismatic/pentecostal) seem more NF.
~churches that value doctrine, tradition, and right teaching (baptist, bible churches, conservative presbyterian) above all seem more ST.
~churches who really value service and social justice (more mainline churches) above all seem more SF.
~churches who like ritual and other hands-on worship styles (anyone with icons, statues, candles, etc.) seem S.
(i'm just not sure where NT fits? i am an NT and i don't feel like NT fits anywhere...or better, it might fit uncomfortably almost anywhere :)
i know there's more to church groupings than that. (like socio-economics!) but this perspective really helps me understand groups more. i think ideally, the church shouldn't be grouped by personality types and gifting. but that's just how it is most of the time.
most conflict in church beliefs and between church leaders i think can be partially viewed through mbti. for example, in the emerging church, mark driscoll....high T....brian mcclaren....F. for that matter, it seems most people in emergent village, F, modern christianity, T.
here's a really weird thing to me: i believe that personality is mostly wired in us by God. so if we are drawn to certain beliefs, values and denominations because of personality, it seems like personality might predispose us in our beliefs. i'm still getting my head around that. in any case, this perspective helps me have more grace than judgement on those different than me and if it helps me love like jesus, i'm excited about it. i think if i ever wrote a book, it'd be on something like this.....
you can take a uncredentialed, free version of the test here.... http://humanmetrics.com/cgi-win/JTypes1.htm
but now i really like it. REALLY like it. my ENFP friends still really hate it...and thus verify their ENFP description :) . it helps me in at least four ways....
helps me understand myself
helps me understand others and my relationship to them (especially my marriage)
helps me help people in teams understand each other (communication, conflict, etc.)
helps me understand whole groups of people and organizations
this last one is really interesting to me. it seems like you can really understand whole groupings of people by MBTI. this especially helps me understand christian denominations and churches. for example...
~churches that value emotional worship and future-oriented/inspirational teaching (charismatic/pentecostal) seem more NF.
~churches that value doctrine, tradition, and right teaching (baptist, bible churches, conservative presbyterian) above all seem more ST.
~churches who really value service and social justice (more mainline churches) above all seem more SF.
~churches who like ritual and other hands-on worship styles (anyone with icons, statues, candles, etc.) seem S.
(i'm just not sure where NT fits? i am an NT and i don't feel like NT fits anywhere...or better, it might fit uncomfortably almost anywhere :)
i know there's more to church groupings than that. (like socio-economics!) but this perspective really helps me understand groups more. i think ideally, the church shouldn't be grouped by personality types and gifting. but that's just how it is most of the time.
most conflict in church beliefs and between church leaders i think can be partially viewed through mbti. for example, in the emerging church, mark driscoll....high T....brian mcclaren....F. for that matter, it seems most people in emergent village, F, modern christianity, T.
here's a really weird thing to me: i believe that personality is mostly wired in us by God. so if we are drawn to certain beliefs, values and denominations because of personality, it seems like personality might predispose us in our beliefs. i'm still getting my head around that. in any case, this perspective helps me have more grace than judgement on those different than me and if it helps me love like jesus, i'm excited about it. i think if i ever wrote a book, it'd be on something like this.....
you can take a uncredentialed, free version of the test here.... http://humanmetrics.com/cgi-win/JTypes1.htm
Tuesday, April 24, 2007
baptism on facebook?
this weekend, my 4 month old son will be baptized at the saturday evening church. baptism is such a funny thing. i grew up in a church that adamantly opposed any type of baptism accept "believer's baptism" a.k.a., dunk 'em-when-you're-older-style. (although "older" can be like 4 or 5!) any church that practiced infant baptism was obviously heretical and not bible believing. when i got a little older, i started to wonder what dunking someone in a bath tub in front of a bunch of already Christians had to do with 1st century baptizing of john or jesus or the religious people of that day.
a little later, i started listening to the arguments about infant baptism from my reformed friends. there are some things that make sense. for example, a biblical understanding of salvation was more communal and family orientated. joshua says "as for me and my house, we will serve Yahweh." seems like a decision could be made by the parents for the whole household. job is seen sacrificing for his grown children. seems like children weren't responsible for their own sins until they were older.
those are weird to me and i can't quite place those instances in my head. whenever there's something in the scriptures that i can't fit into my pre-conceived theology, i have to question my perspective.
but i'm still not sure that baptizing a young child in front of a whole group of already Christians is getting at it still.
maybe something like this would be closer: you become a christian. you send "re-birth announcements" (corny, eh?) to all your friends saying that you're now a jesus-follower. you put spotlights in your front yard with a big sign that says "i'm a follower of jesus now."
is that any closer?
a couple weeks ago, an international student i know became a christ-follower. he was a hindu. he said that he changed his facebook "religious preference" from hindu to christian. that change would be seen on all his friends' home pages on facebook the next time they signed in.
now that seems close indeed!
i'm still having my children baptized. my pastor does a great job saying that infant baptism doesn't save a child...it's a parents' dedication of the child and an acknowledgement that God's love through jesus will be there waiting for children when they get older and profess their faith themselves.
we have to often live within the ideals, perspectives and values of christian church as it is now.
a little later, i started listening to the arguments about infant baptism from my reformed friends. there are some things that make sense. for example, a biblical understanding of salvation was more communal and family orientated. joshua says "as for me and my house, we will serve Yahweh." seems like a decision could be made by the parents for the whole household. job is seen sacrificing for his grown children. seems like children weren't responsible for their own sins until they were older.
those are weird to me and i can't quite place those instances in my head. whenever there's something in the scriptures that i can't fit into my pre-conceived theology, i have to question my perspective.
but i'm still not sure that baptizing a young child in front of a whole group of already Christians is getting at it still.
maybe something like this would be closer: you become a christian. you send "re-birth announcements" (corny, eh?) to all your friends saying that you're now a jesus-follower. you put spotlights in your front yard with a big sign that says "i'm a follower of jesus now."
is that any closer?
a couple weeks ago, an international student i know became a christ-follower. he was a hindu. he said that he changed his facebook "religious preference" from hindu to christian. that change would be seen on all his friends' home pages on facebook the next time they signed in.
now that seems close indeed!
i'm still having my children baptized. my pastor does a great job saying that infant baptism doesn't save a child...it's a parents' dedication of the child and an acknowledgement that God's love through jesus will be there waiting for children when they get older and profess their faith themselves.
we have to often live within the ideals, perspectives and values of christian church as it is now.
Wednesday, December 13, 2006
thank you GOD for church plants!
i've been thinking lately how AWESOME it is that there are so many planting new churches. it seems like planting groups are sprouting up everywhere! that's SUCH a blessing. it seems to mean that christians in america are contextualizing the gospel in the language of the next generation. it seems like that never happened in places like europe.
thank you GOD for blowing your wind over our land!
thank you GOD for blowing your wind over our land!
Friday, October 27, 2006
send the family to the front line?
so it seems that there are a couple really different views of the relationship between family and ministry for those in ministry.
i've always stuck close to the view that relationship with God comes first, then your spouse, then your kids and then your work or ministry. my dad used to tell me when i was just thinking about entering full-time ministry, "you'd be better off as a used car salesman than with a wife who does not support you in ministry." (nothing against used car salespeople!)
but point taken. an unhappy wife, spouse or family that is falling apart or even just not given what they need is no way to go about things. and probably even more so if you're in a vocational, all-eyes-on-your-family kinda of place in ministry. (which would be....um...about all of it.)
in the past, there have been lots of guys who for various reasons have left their family high and dry in search of the next ministry breakthrough. i remember reading in college about D.L. Moody in a biography. he did just that and it didn't set right with me...probably because of my dad's voice in my head. but now, i wonder if dad's on to something.
a question i often wonder is, "what level of sacrifice is appropriate for a family?" let me be honest. it feels to me that most of the "sacrifice" of vocational ministry falls not on the minister, but the family. the time away from home, the lack of emotional energy left for the family at the end of the day, the hard to contain work/homelife distinction all end up robbing the family mainly.
"If anyone does not provide for his relatives, and especially for his immediate family, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever." (1 Tim. 5). i know this is talking about providing financially (which may exactly apply if in FT ministry!), but how much more important is it to provide spiritually and emotionally? from jesus' teaching, i would guess that he would say, VERY!
of course there's the whole jesus-says-to-leave-your-wife-and-children passages. i read those as jesus asking them to either 1)give up allegiance to them or, 2) give up the right to have a wife and children. i can't see jesus asking people to leave their wives and young children, especially in light of the fact that jesus, on the cross, is still caring and providing for his own mother.
so is it right to take time and emotional energy that is necessary for your family's growth to give to others in ministry? is it right to knowingly put kids or spouse in harm's way? what level of "taking from the family" is wise? of course i trust in God. but let's be honest, we're making decisions that affect not just our own lives, but other's too. it's one thing to trust God with our own life or death, but quite another to make the decision for another.
maybe physically dangerous and emotionally demanding ministry should be saved for those that are single. or maybe the expectations should just be lowered. (and maybe that might be an internal, spiritual adjustment for married ministers who try to do too much!) maybe that's what paul talks about when he suggests to remain single for the sake of the kingdom. maybe married people are trying to minister like they're single and sometimes end up single as a result of it.
would a soldier take his family to the front line of a battle? or what good soldier would have a family and then leave for the rest of his family's life?
i don't think either is a good option.
i've always stuck close to the view that relationship with God comes first, then your spouse, then your kids and then your work or ministry. my dad used to tell me when i was just thinking about entering full-time ministry, "you'd be better off as a used car salesman than with a wife who does not support you in ministry." (nothing against used car salespeople!)
but point taken. an unhappy wife, spouse or family that is falling apart or even just not given what they need is no way to go about things. and probably even more so if you're in a vocational, all-eyes-on-your-family kinda of place in ministry. (which would be....um...about all of it.)
in the past, there have been lots of guys who for various reasons have left their family high and dry in search of the next ministry breakthrough. i remember reading in college about D.L. Moody in a biography. he did just that and it didn't set right with me...probably because of my dad's voice in my head. but now, i wonder if dad's on to something.
a question i often wonder is, "what level of sacrifice is appropriate for a family?" let me be honest. it feels to me that most of the "sacrifice" of vocational ministry falls not on the minister, but the family. the time away from home, the lack of emotional energy left for the family at the end of the day, the hard to contain work/homelife distinction all end up robbing the family mainly.
"If anyone does not provide for his relatives, and especially for his immediate family, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever." (1 Tim. 5). i know this is talking about providing financially (which may exactly apply if in FT ministry!), but how much more important is it to provide spiritually and emotionally? from jesus' teaching, i would guess that he would say, VERY!
of course there's the whole jesus-says-to-leave-your-wife-and-children passages. i read those as jesus asking them to either 1)give up allegiance to them or, 2) give up the right to have a wife and children. i can't see jesus asking people to leave their wives and young children, especially in light of the fact that jesus, on the cross, is still caring and providing for his own mother.
so is it right to take time and emotional energy that is necessary for your family's growth to give to others in ministry? is it right to knowingly put kids or spouse in harm's way? what level of "taking from the family" is wise? of course i trust in God. but let's be honest, we're making decisions that affect not just our own lives, but other's too. it's one thing to trust God with our own life or death, but quite another to make the decision for another.
maybe physically dangerous and emotionally demanding ministry should be saved for those that are single. or maybe the expectations should just be lowered. (and maybe that might be an internal, spiritual adjustment for married ministers who try to do too much!) maybe that's what paul talks about when he suggests to remain single for the sake of the kingdom. maybe married people are trying to minister like they're single and sometimes end up single as a result of it.
would a soldier take his family to the front line of a battle? or what good soldier would have a family and then leave for the rest of his family's life?
i don't think either is a good option.
Sunday, October 01, 2006
fun with media
i like to collect fun christian media on the internet. (especially stuff that helps christian laugh at themselves.) here are some that i think are funny....
Vintage21.com Jesus videos
Terminator and Jesus from MadTV
Reformed Gangstas (i consider myself both arminian and reformed, but this is funny!)
Real Christian Heroes (click worship and arts and then creative arts gallery)
Baby Got Book music video
anyone have anymore to add to the list?
Vintage21.com Jesus videos
Terminator and Jesus from MadTV
Reformed Gangstas (i consider myself both arminian and reformed, but this is funny!)
Real Christian Heroes (click worship and arts and then creative arts gallery)
Baby Got Book music video
anyone have anymore to add to the list?
why blog?
this was a funny page....
How to dissuade yourselves from becoming a blogger
it brings up a good question....why blog? it seems like there are several possibilities...
1) you have too much time and have nothing better to do
2) you want someone, anyone, to know you and in our disconnected culture and hope this might be a way. (well, now there's myspace for that ;)
3) you want influence and want your name to be on the internet. after all, megaphones on street corners are sort of out in our culture, so how else to get your message out?
my brother in law eric asked me the other day why i started blogging....i said that it's all about influence and fame. what? is that so wrong? :) if none of the good guys have influence, where's the world going to be in 50 years!
my original hope was to start blogging about some of my counter-western culture thoughts on parenting and family. when my wife and i started researching parenting styles (greener grass parenting? :), i didn't find a lot online from a christian perspective from the parenting style we were leaning toward, and i think there should be.
of course, this blog isn't anything about parenting and family. hopefully i'll start it someday soon....
How to dissuade yourselves from becoming a blogger
it brings up a good question....why blog? it seems like there are several possibilities...
1) you have too much time and have nothing better to do
2) you want someone, anyone, to know you and in our disconnected culture and hope this might be a way. (well, now there's myspace for that ;)
3) you want influence and want your name to be on the internet. after all, megaphones on street corners are sort of out in our culture, so how else to get your message out?
my brother in law eric asked me the other day why i started blogging....i said that it's all about influence and fame. what? is that so wrong? :) if none of the good guys have influence, where's the world going to be in 50 years!
my original hope was to start blogging about some of my counter-western culture thoughts on parenting and family. when my wife and i started researching parenting styles (greener grass parenting? :), i didn't find a lot online from a christian perspective from the parenting style we were leaning toward, and i think there should be.
of course, this blog isn't anything about parenting and family. hopefully i'll start it someday soon....
Sunday, September 03, 2006
how does it apply to middle-class-white-christians in america?
in my quiet time last week i read two passages that led to to the same question....how does the bible apply to me as someone who is, relatively speaking, wealthy and in positions of power. (if you own ONE car, you're weathly!)
two passages on the same day... Luke 18:1-8 and Ps. 17. here are excerpts....
Luke 18:6 And the Lord said, "Listen to what the unjust judge says. 7And will not God bring about justice for his chosen ones, who cry out to him day and night? Will he keep putting them off?" (why did i think that this passage had to do primarily with everyday prayer requests....?)
Ps 17:13 Rise up, O LORD, confront them, bring them down; rescue me from the wicked by your sword.
my trouble is this: i'm not in any position to need justice about anything and i don't have enemies. with the passage in luke, i'm not even associated with anyone who is in need of justice. i'm just not around anyone who isn't also in positions of power and affluence like me. with the psalm, i suppose i could spiritualize it...i have enemies of the world, the flesh and the devil. and believe me, they are certainly enemies. but david is obviously talking about real enemies...flesh and blood enemies.
so maybe in order to have the bible apply to me more, i need to make some enemies and get around those who experience injustice. i have no idea how to even begin doing that....and i'm not sure that i really want it bad enough to follow through if i did know.
the bible is hard....
two passages on the same day... Luke 18:1-8 and Ps. 17. here are excerpts....
Luke 18:6 And the Lord said, "Listen to what the unjust judge says. 7And will not God bring about justice for his chosen ones, who cry out to him day and night? Will he keep putting them off?" (why did i think that this passage had to do primarily with everyday prayer requests....?)
Ps 17:13 Rise up, O LORD, confront them, bring them down; rescue me from the wicked by your sword.
my trouble is this: i'm not in any position to need justice about anything and i don't have enemies. with the passage in luke, i'm not even associated with anyone who is in need of justice. i'm just not around anyone who isn't also in positions of power and affluence like me. with the psalm, i suppose i could spiritualize it...i have enemies of the world, the flesh and the devil. and believe me, they are certainly enemies. but david is obviously talking about real enemies...flesh and blood enemies.
so maybe in order to have the bible apply to me more, i need to make some enemies and get around those who experience injustice. i have no idea how to even begin doing that....and i'm not sure that i really want it bad enough to follow through if i did know.
the bible is hard....
intro to lark news
this website cracks me up. they're a little edgy sometimes...it's good christian news satire. this one's pretty funny....
Mega-church downsizes, cuts non-essential members
Mega-church downsizes, cuts non-essential members
Saturday, September 02, 2006
disclaimer
in good postmodern fashion, i want to have a disclaimer on my site. if i'm going to start putting my thoughts on various things online, i thought i had better warn you: i'm prone to changing my mind. :)
one of the students i work with at purdue calumet had a great quote as a signature on her email for awhile. it describes well my disclaimer:
"Although it may be unnecessary to state the obvious, there should be no doubt in anyone's mind that the opinions that I express here are but my own, and naturally, that I reserve the right to change them at any time that I am convinced, by the use of reason and better logic, of the error of my ways." (Juan R. Torruella)
that describes me well. i'm obviously not that postmodern :). i'm pretty swayed by evidence...although sometimes if i get a picture in my head of what could or should be, i may disregard evidence on the way to fulfilling that picture.
so there it is. that's my disclaimer
one of the students i work with at purdue calumet had a great quote as a signature on her email for awhile. it describes well my disclaimer:
"Although it may be unnecessary to state the obvious, there should be no doubt in anyone's mind that the opinions that I express here are but my own, and naturally, that I reserve the right to change them at any time that I am convinced, by the use of reason and better logic, of the error of my ways." (Juan R. Torruella)
that describes me well. i'm obviously not that postmodern :). i'm pretty swayed by evidence...although sometimes if i get a picture in my head of what could or should be, i may disregard evidence on the way to fulfilling that picture.
so there it is. that's my disclaimer
Friday, August 11, 2006
fun with eggs
so since my wife has been pregnant, she's craved scrambled eggs just about every morning for breakfast. i have wikihow on my google home page, and one day, this how-to came up. it's surprisingly simple and easy to do. fun!
http://www.wikihow.com/Break-an-Egg-With-One-Hand
http://www.wikihow.com/Break-an-Egg-With-One-Hand
Wednesday, July 26, 2006
jesus franchises
i just finished watching the willowcreek leadership summitt 2003 interview with ken blanchard and john maxwell. i was really struck by a picture that ken blanchard painted. when he was asked how american pastors are doing with leadership, he responded with a charge for churches to unite and "kill the competition," by focusing on jesus. churches are like franchises promoting a product, the message of jesus. he called us to get over our club rules, regulations and rituals and work toward the same goal. (of course, the church is much more than that....all illustrations break down either quickly or somewhere down the line.)
that's always been a value and passion of mine. working with ivcf, i get to move in and out lots of different churches, denominations and christian circles. i count that a priviledge. i dream of a time when churches of an area like mine in nw indiana could unite and kill the competition. it seems possible to actually focus on proclaiming the message of jesus in a way that unites people of differences.
but that dream has been challenged recently for me. because in order to unite, that would mean that christians would all have to adopt my "united" framework. what i mean is that i believe with all my heart that there are certain things that are central to the christian faith and certain things that are periphery. if we could all just focus on the central things, we could kill the competition. but who gets to decide what's central and periphery? and is it just pride to think that i get to say what is peripheral?
lots of folks wouldn't agree on what is central and what is not. that's why the differences. and sometimes i wonder if my" dropping of peripheral things" is just pushing my framework on another. some folks i've found recently would not even agree that there are central and peripherial beliefs. for them, everything is central....and to acknowledge a periphery is to acknowledge weakness, lose respect and to become ineffective in leading people to jesus.
would jesus or paul have said "well, that's not central and i'm not sure if what i believe is right or not.... there have been so many perspectives over the years." part of me doubts that.
at the same time, humility and a biblical understanding of the human condition, even after jesus changes a person, would seem to include some doubt at all times of our own ability to get it right. i just can't believe that having an attitude of absolute correctness would be something jesus would want.
that's always been a value and passion of mine. working with ivcf, i get to move in and out lots of different churches, denominations and christian circles. i count that a priviledge. i dream of a time when churches of an area like mine in nw indiana could unite and kill the competition. it seems possible to actually focus on proclaiming the message of jesus in a way that unites people of differences.
but that dream has been challenged recently for me. because in order to unite, that would mean that christians would all have to adopt my "united" framework. what i mean is that i believe with all my heart that there are certain things that are central to the christian faith and certain things that are periphery. if we could all just focus on the central things, we could kill the competition. but who gets to decide what's central and periphery? and is it just pride to think that i get to say what is peripheral?
lots of folks wouldn't agree on what is central and what is not. that's why the differences. and sometimes i wonder if my" dropping of peripheral things" is just pushing my framework on another. some folks i've found recently would not even agree that there are central and peripherial beliefs. for them, everything is central....and to acknowledge a periphery is to acknowledge weakness, lose respect and to become ineffective in leading people to jesus.
would jesus or paul have said "well, that's not central and i'm not sure if what i believe is right or not.... there have been so many perspectives over the years." part of me doubts that.
at the same time, humility and a biblical understanding of the human condition, even after jesus changes a person, would seem to include some doubt at all times of our own ability to get it right. i just can't believe that having an attitude of absolute correctness would be something jesus would want.
Sunday, July 23, 2006
greener grass
i've been thinking about starting a blog for awhile. so here's my first post.
so i'm the kind of guy who's always trying to make something better. that has it's good and it's bad. i like to download talks by mark driscoll. my brother in law got me listening to him. (thanks scott!). mark has a great talk on masculinity. check it out. one of his thoughts is that God has made men to be cultivators....we like to fix things and make them better and better. of course that's a generalization, but i think there's truth in it.
that's me. i can be obsessed with it. take my grass for instance. i don't think that i'm obsessed with it, but my wife says that i talk about it a lot. i just want nice grass...i want to be able to lay in the grass face-up without getting my butt dirty. it's nowhere near that yet. but i keep working on it. i don't work on it like the lady down the street...she mowes her grass like 3 times a week and hand pulls out every weed. that's cool....i just don't have that kind of time.
for me, lots of things are like my grass...i spend a lot of mental energy thinking up new ways to make things better.
i know the saying, "the grass is always greener on the other side." i think that the grass is greener about a lot of things. i'm working on striking the balance between helpful cultivation and perfectionism. i definitely still fall on the perfectionism side. one day i'll get it that jesus doesn't care about perfectionism like i sometimes do. but i don't want to miss out on something as simple as better grass or something as huge as people making a decision to follow jesus
so until i get there, i still like to work on greener grass.
so i'm the kind of guy who's always trying to make something better. that has it's good and it's bad. i like to download talks by mark driscoll. my brother in law got me listening to him. (thanks scott!). mark has a great talk on masculinity. check it out. one of his thoughts is that God has made men to be cultivators....we like to fix things and make them better and better. of course that's a generalization, but i think there's truth in it.
that's me. i can be obsessed with it. take my grass for instance. i don't think that i'm obsessed with it, but my wife says that i talk about it a lot. i just want nice grass...i want to be able to lay in the grass face-up without getting my butt dirty. it's nowhere near that yet. but i keep working on it. i don't work on it like the lady down the street...she mowes her grass like 3 times a week and hand pulls out every weed. that's cool....i just don't have that kind of time.
for me, lots of things are like my grass...i spend a lot of mental energy thinking up new ways to make things better.
i know the saying, "the grass is always greener on the other side." i think that the grass is greener about a lot of things. i'm working on striking the balance between helpful cultivation and perfectionism. i definitely still fall on the perfectionism side. one day i'll get it that jesus doesn't care about perfectionism like i sometimes do. but i don't want to miss out on something as simple as better grass or something as huge as people making a decision to follow jesus
so until i get there, i still like to work on greener grass.
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