Is God at work?

this morning i read about a church that had 8,200 people come to their church services yesterday...they also had 214 decisions to follow Christ. the author of the article was telling of the amazing things that God is doing in this church. he then wrote about the "four point strategy" that this church uses that other churches need to use...i assume in order to see God work in their church the same way.

i have nothing against the "four point strategy". it seems pretty logical to me. i'm certainly not against having 8,200 in church on sunday. i think i understand why those kind of churches don't serve communion every sunday, tho... some would probably accuse me of being jealous of the success of large churches. i can't say i'm totally immune from those feelings. we live in a "bigger means better" kind of culture. when i meet people and they find out that i'm a pastor, the first question they ask is almost always, "what denomination?" that question is usually chased with the ever-popular "how big is it?" inquiry...always one of my favorites.

is size evidence of God's blessing? can we safely assume that if we are getting bigger, God is at work? if we follow a proven "four point strategy", should we expect to have the kind of explosive growth that the early church saw in the book of acts?

does God like big churches better?

what do you think?

You need to read this...

i read this quote this morning by pastor and cultural interpreter, steve sjogren:

"One of Mahatma Gandhi's more famous quotes was supposedly spoken to a group of British journalists as they rode on a train through English-held India. He was asked, "Why is it that you speak so highly of Jesus yet you are not a Christian?" He quickly responded, "I would become a Christian... if I could just find one..." Since reading those words a couple of decades ago, I have been haunted by the cutting truth behind the observant eye of this Hindu world changer. There are many billions through the ages who have dared to glibly call themselves Christians - as there are many today who take on that descriptor. That term means literally "little Christ." If you stop to think about it, it's a pretty audacious thing to call oneself a "Christian" in light of the literal meaning of the term. As I write this I wonder if I have ever met a bona fide Christian in all of my thirty-plus years of seeking to follow Jesus. To say that this is disappointing doesn't begin to capture my feelings about this generation of the Church."

wow. i'll comment on this later. i'm a little overwhelmed by the thought of it right now.

Don't

here's another quote from walt mueller about dealing with young people in a post-modern culture:

"Be in but not of the world. We must avoid the extreme of pulling ourselves out of the culture, and the opposite extreme of becoming so closely aligned to the world that we uncritically assume values and behaviors that are contrary to God’s will. The church has been guilty of both for far too long. We must learn to walk the tightrope of living for God in the context of the postmodern culture. By maintaining the proper balance, we are maintaining a transforming and redemptive presence in their culture and modeling true, biblical discipleship for all those young people who come to faith."

i grew up in an era and a church culture that preached "...be in the world, but not of it" regularly. all that meant to me was "don't do what you're friends do"... don't, don't, don't. so that's what i did...or didn't. i stayed as far away as i could. there is no question that my life as a christian was defined waaay more by the things i didn't do, rather than by the things i did do. where i didn't go. what i didn't say. what i didn't see. who i didn't go around.

i know it's a dangerous proposition to encourage our young adults to get out, into the world. it's scary out there. bad things happen out there. there's ugliness and perversion and darkness. but light has got to be in the darkness to illuminate the darkness.

if redemption is ever going to become a reality to those that are lost, somebody's got to find them. that's going to be pretty hard to do if your existence is defined by "don't".

All ministry

walt meuller is a writer, speaker, pastor and a guy that probably knows more about today's youth culture than anyone i know...my next few posts are going to be some observations about some things he wrote recently in his brand new book about how to reach young people with the message of Jesus.

"Approach teenagers as a cross-cultural mission field. To effectively engage the emerging generations you must remember that there is a cultural gap that you are responsible to span. Their world is not your world. Consequently, you are a cross-cultural missionary who must employ the incarnational approach God used when he sent his Son into the world. God came to us as one of us. He entered into human culture, living and using human language and customs. Knowing their language, culture, and lifestyles helps us contextualize the unchanging message in forms that are familiar to youth."

all of ministry is supposed to be cross-cultural ministry. all of ministry is supposed to be incarnational ministry. the more i am at this ministry thing, the more i am coming to realize that we have to be able to know the language that everyone speaks, know the culture and background that everyone has been formed in, know the lifestyles, values, ethics, priorities, hopes, dreams, beliefs, worries, fears, preconceptions, and assumptions that people have so that we can interact with them in a way that makes sense, shows sensitivity, affirms dignity, and opens the door to relationship.

for anybody. for everybody.

Monday Night Football

ok, i'll admit it...it's nearly midnight and i'm still up watching my beloved chargers do battle against the hated raiders in the opening game of this year's football season. i love the start of the season. there's no question that i'm a fan. but every year, i am amazed at the level of wackiness that raider fans reach. i sit in absolute shock at the passion, dedication, sold-out craziness that these weirdos have...their costumes, their intimidation, their loyalty, their lunacy.

as i watch them tonight, dressed up like criminals posing as rock star groupies lost on their way to a kiss reunion concert, i found myself saying, "why don't you people get a life?!" and then it hit me.

they have a life. they have a cause. they have fully committed themselves to be fiercely loyal, fearless, reckless disciples. they don't care about what people think of them. they are totally single minded. their obsession with the raiders is scary. really scary. and make no mistake about it...they have a life.

followers of Christ could learn a thing or two from these outrageous bizarros. what would the kingdom on earth be like if it's citizens were as openly devoted to the things of God as our creepy neighbors from nocal...? maybe it's time for us to get a life.

monday night postscript: i'll take the win, but i hate "marty ball".

The lightbulb

there is no question that the most amazing part about being a discipler is seeing the light bulb go on in the heart and mind of another person. when the message of the kingdom becomes more than a good idea and it becomes a clear call to a revolutionary life of obedience...that is the moment that makes everything worth it!

i am grateful for those moments.

Thinking...really.

one of my favorite authors and heroes of the faith is gordon macdonald. he is a pastor, author, educator, philosopher, husband, dad, and all-around amazing guy. i highly recommend his books. he wrote recently of a bumper sticker he saw... "don't believe everything you think." man, is that true for me! if i believed everything that floated through my thought processes, i'd hate to think where i'd be...

the reason for this is that the older i get, the more i am thinking. i've never been one to just sit mindlessly, but these days, it seems like i am constantly rethinking what i've always believed and being challenged to look deeper into God's word more than i ever have. on top of that, God's word, being the grid by which we view culture, history, relationships, philosophy, morality, and more, is daily drawing me to analyze the world around me with a new-found passion.

sometimes its confusing. sometimes it hurts. sometimes it makes me question the most fundamental pillars of my belief system. sometimes it sows seeds of cynicism. sometimes it creates the most crystal clear mirror i have ever looked at myself in. sometimes there is beauty like none other. sometimes there is such a horrible picture of life i can barely keep looking, let alone, think about it. but i do. think about it. seriously. curiously. honestly, i hope.

i don't always believe what i think. but what i believe is tied intimately to what i think. taking those thoughts captive is a full-time job!

We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ. 2 Corinthians 10:5

Unsafety part three

the church is not a safe place because Jesus is not a safe leader.

he summons us to die. he commands us to leave behind those things that are comfortable, reliable, trustworthy, and secure, in order to follow his lead. family, friends, education, occupation, savings accounts, reputation, and possessions are all seen as negotiable baggage and potential hindrances to lives of faith.

risk is a necessary component to a life of full surrender. for faith to run its full course in our lives, something must be at stake. there needs to be a cost. if nothing is on the line, then...nothing is really on the line!

we are called to run the race of faith with the reckless abandon of a crazed football player running down the field on the opening kickoff to plunge headfirst into a wall of 280 lb. linemen. fearless. no regard for self preservation. single-minded passion.

we have been recruited into a battle where the enemy is more hidden than osama. more crafty than a thief in the night. more demented than a serial killer. more evil than hitler. more perverted than a child molester. more real than we know.

Jesus lovingly demands that his followers give up everthing, hold tightly to nothing, go anywhere, and expect nothing in return except the words "well done".

the church is not a safe place.

Unsafety part two

The church should be a place of extreme safety. A place were self image is protected and personal dignity is safeguarded. Fragile psyches can be nursed back to health and wounded emotions bandaged. The church should be a safety net for dreams and goals and ideas and visions. A place where unhealthy relationships are cared for and marriages have hedges of protection around them. A place where children run with confident wonder and young people can develop faith with reckless abandon. A place where all are welcome...All are affirmed...All are nurtured...

but unfortunately, the church is not always a safe place. Self images are torn down by sarcasm and thoughtless joking. Racism and prejudice and male chauvinism lurk just below the surface. caste systems that are at home in our culture, take up residence in our church family just as easy. gossip and slander tear gashes in unsuspecting victims. retaliation gives momentary satisfaction, but leaves everyone worse off. vengence is "ours, say us", rather than "mine, says the Lord." forgiveness is conditional and memories are deep and long. The church is not always a safe place.

the apostle paul says for us to put on the clothing of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, patience, forgiveness, love, peace, truth, wisdom, and surrender (colossians three). come on.

Unsafety part one

the church can be a very unsafe place to be.

• the church parking lot is full of 16 year old drivers and parents that are preoccupied with making their children look their "sunday best"...
• our church auditorium doubles as pro-level dodgeball court and a wicked indoor baseball stadium. you must watch out for roaming projectiles...
• the glass walls are prone to break when a slide tackle in a full-contact soccer match goes out of bounds...
• when the lead guitar player in the worship band leaps off the stage during one of his characteristically hot guitar licks...
• if you stare directly into one of the floodlights on the new church sign...
• if you get caught in the rush to sign up for lawn-mowing or nursery duties...
• the ceiling in the baptistry is pretty low. really low. the wearing of a hard hat would help...
• be careful of huggers...
• some would say our church vehicles are unsafe. this is entirely untrue. however, riders need to learn to duck to avoid squirting water. squirt bottles are our mobile evaporative coolers. cheap. easily replaced. no compressor belts. fun...

more to come.

The parable of the guitars

i went to guitar center last night to peruse the best they had to offer. i'm such a wannabe guitar hack... while i was there, i reminisced about some former guitars i've owned.

two different ovation custom balladeers, a vintage guild d4, a takamine eg series cutaway, and an olympia od5 made of white ash... the first ovation was stolen out of my car in the church parking lot before a sunday evening service 29 years ago. i replaced that ovation with an identical one (after saving up for six months!). at the same church building, that guitar was stolen right out of a classroom during a youth group "all-nighter"...some kids let a guy in the building during the middle of the night and he bagged it.

silly me, after saving up some more money (and some help from the youth group), i bought another ovation and kept better care of this one. in 1989, i traded it in on a vintage guild d4 from a little "hole-in-the-wall" guitar shop. i had watched it for nearly a year and finally saved up enough money to go with my trade in. favorite guitar i ever owned... the week before we moved to texas in 1995, it was stolen from the church we were serving in san diego. some kids we were working with stole it during a bible study and took it to a pawn shop for drug money. didn't have time to stick around to find it...

when we moved to texas, it took a little while to save up some more money, but after a few months, i purchased my takamine. six or seven years ago, a youth minister from another church group tried to steal it down on a mexico mission trip. no joke! thanks to some stealth undercover work by ol' buz, i got it back. a couple of years later, though, the guitar was fully submerged in water when the tip of a tornado touched down on our camping area during a summer junior camp. i still use that guitar, but it sounds like i'm playing in a fish bowl...

i bought my olympia guitar a few years ago, and, guess what? some local downtown lewisville hooligans broke into the north point church building and stole it! recently, i purchased another guitar...not a real expensive one...duh.

the moral of this story? church is not a safe place. definitely not for guitars. sometimes not for people. more on this in days ahead...

What destroys churches

jim cymbala is a pastor in new york city who has written some amazing books about how an amazing God has worked in his church. you ought to read some of them. i came across a story he had written in a leadership journal i read each week...

what destroys churches...

about 20 years ago, I said something impromptu to the new members (of my church) standing in a row across the front of the church. As we received them, the holy spirit prompted me to add, "and now, I charge you that if you ever hear another member speak an unkind word of criticism or slander against anyone--myself, an usher, a choir member, or anyone else--that you stop that person in mid-sentence and say, 'excuse me, who hurt you'? Was it pastor cymbala? Let's go to his office right now. He'll apologize to you and then we'll pray together so God can restore peace to this body. But we won't let you talk critically about people who aren't present to defend themselves.'

"I'm serious about this. I want you to help resolve this kind of thing immediately. And know this: if you are ever the one doing the loose talking, we'll confront you."

to this day, every time we receive new members, I say much the same thing. That's because I know what most easily destroys churches. It's not crack cocaine, government oppression, or even lack of funds. Rather, it's gossip and slander that grieves the holy spirit.

I'm blown away by his boldness. Could we do this?

A scary question

i've really been thinking a lot about some things i've read lately...nothing new, but it is pretty timely. some recent stats (from the barna group, as well as other church behavior tracking organizations) have suggested that as many 90% of the kids we have in our youth groups will leave the church during their college years. 90%...? you gotta be kidding me!

does this mean that we are doing something wrong in youth ministry? or does it mean that we are doing something wrong in our overall approach to church? or is it the inevitable outcome of walking the "narrow path"? i think all three may be true, at least to some degree...

there is no question that we are missing the mark in youth ministry. we try our hardest to make church fun and interesting, to make our youth programs exciting and relevant, to make Jesus look "cool"...you know, like a homeboy. the reality? kids of today have been shaped, influenced, molded, and otherwise manipulated into believing that if it's (whatever "it" happens to be at the moment) not making them laugh, making them feel good, making them smarter, making them more friends, or making them money, it's not really worth doing. the problem? we are trying to compete with an entertainment industry (sports, media, music, fashion, technology) in a game we don't stand a chance of winning.

we are also missing the mark in our overall approach to church. in spite of all our attempts to make our preaching, teaching, worship, and activities relevant, interesting, and culturally significant, our young people are still not connecting the dots. they are still bored. they are still disconnected from the adults and greater church life. they still see "church" as basically for those over 35. they go through the motions of our sunday morning rituals, enjoy seeing their friends, and can't wait to get to lunch after the worship hour. and we are not doing anything to help them! i realize there is much more to church than sunday mornings, but if we can't do a better job of drawing young people into our corporate gatherings and our larger life of service and fellowship, we should be ashamed.

i also think there is a lot of truth in the fact that Jesus said that many would "call" him Lord, but few would actually pass through the narrow gate. God has always worked through a remnant... a small group of faithful, radical, passionate rebels who live with reckless abandon, totally sold out to kingdom values, and willing to fly in the face of popular culture, political correctness, personal comfort, and financial security. the call to authentic discipleship is not easy. it never has been.

i love the church...warts and all. i want this generation of young people to love the church, also. what do we do?

A political insight

could you imagine what it would be like if our next presidential election offered a candidate who tried to appeal to the "religious right" with platform of anti-gossip, anti-anger, anti-greed, and anti-racism?

would he get the same kind of support as a candidate whose platform was anti-abortion and anti-homosexuality? sad to say, but i don't think so. it saddens me to think that so many people feel that christians are narrow-minded, intolerant, tunnel-visioned, and irrelevant. unfortunately, i think we earn that reputation more often than not.

i'm not suggesting that all sins are the same. clearly, the consequences of certain sins carry much greater outcomes, but i gotta tell you, i am growing weary of the "we're better than you" smugness of the church. we love to identify the sins of others while we turn a blind eye to our own. we draw attention to the gross and twisted lifestyle of others, but refuse to accept responsibility for the hurt and alienation our own sin causes. it is no wonder those people who are committing the "biggies" don't feel welcome around those of us who only commit the small ones...

My trip to the dump

i went to the dump tonight...er, the waste management landfill. sorry. it's an interesting experience. the smell. the view. the trash. the tractor moving all the trash. did i mention the smell? there are two different landfills right here in our little corner of paradise. one pile is for our neighbors down the road. the other is for those within lewisville city limits. not sure why both piles are in lewisville, tho... for the record, our neighbor's pile looks cooler than ours.

when we lived in san diego many years ago, my boys first experience playing baseball was in the chollas lake little league. the field was built on top of the old san diego dump. bad grass. gas release valves around the complex. strange odor. they couldn't ever get the field level. funny thing...the kids still loved playing there. it was their home turf. they ran and hit and slid and dodged the release valves. aren't kids great?

down in tijuana mexico (right across the border from san diego), there is a whole community built right in the tijuana dump. not near it. on it. years ago, when i first visited it, there was nothing more than old shacks and cardboard box homes and stacks of worn out tires and broken down pallets all piled up to make places for families to live. it was shocking. it was overwhelming. it was humbling.

good hearted people (including amor ministries, the organization we partner with on our spring break and men's missions trips) began to help. simple, but quality houses were built. small businesses sprang up. today, there are schools, shops, grocery stores, medical clinics, churches, and even some little baseball fields right there in the dump! i haven't been back there in years, but i am confident that the work that was begun a long time ago continues to make life totally different for the people in the dump. i know i am different because of it...

isn't amazing how God has a way of taking refuse and turning it into something beautiful? always has. always will.

Sweat

I had a major "sweatfest" today. Three times, I had a full-on, soak-through-your-clothes, stick-to-your-seat, hold your nose, take a shower, change your underwear kind of sweat! In my 40-plus years in SoCal, my body never saw sweat like this...not in high school or college football, not on the hottest days at summer camp, not on my wedding day. I love summer in Texas...

A bunch of years ago, Tim Hansel wrote a book called "Holy Sweat". He wrote about the effort side of following Christ. The side where we work and serve and give and grind things out in a difficult world that is calling for obedient followers to step up and live the way Jesus did.It's an amazing thing that God can take our sweaty, smelly, imperfect little effort and turn it into a sanctified experience for the benefit of others. mmmm....anybody got a towel?

Quitting

After days of frustration, I finally figured out how to put my picture on this blog...not that anyone really cares what I look like (except for my wife). It's kind of typical of the journey I travel everyday. I've got a pretty good idea of where I want to go, but it is seldom easy and almost always a test of perseverence.

Somehow, God has used the events of my life to take a little boy who was a quitter and an excuse giver, and turn me into a wanderer who hates to give up...even if it is just with a stupid computer! I would like to think that in the big picture, tenacity is next to godliness. Cleanliness is not what it's cracked up to be...

Legalism...yuck.

the past couple of weeks we've been considering the reality of legalism in our journey through paul's letter to the colossians. i want to give you a final thought...

what's the difference between legalism and obedience? clearly, God cares about how we act. there are many commands in the bible that appear to be explicit, understandable, and undebateable. there is no question that our behavior is a measuring stick of the quality and breadth of our faith. so what is legalism? let me offer my two cents.

first of all, legalism is action or behavior that seeks to win God's approval or attempts to establish a list of rules or expectations that a person must adhere to, in order to have a right relationship with God or to be fully accepted into a christian circle.

here's the rub..a legalist would never admit to being a legalist. he just sees himself as "better" than others because of his (or her) choice to do, or not do, certain things. we tend to judge others by our own standards of what is acceptable and what isn’t. the other day, i read this quote and it has kind of captivated me..."in essence, we think our sins smell better than other people’s. it seems like we have very little tolerance for people who sin differently than we do!"

legalism can take a faith that is alive and make it dull and lifeless. it can shrink our vision to the size of a communion pellet, bring enthusiasm to a screeching halt, steal joy, reduce our spirituality to a shallow pool, and generally suck the life out of anybody or any group. instead of finding freedom through Christ, many believers become drained by the church and ultimately walk away…tired of rules and judgment and alienation.

legalism makes us petty and judgmental. the legalist insists that everyone live up to the standard they have adopted. they see themselves as spiritually superior and the benchmark others should aspire to be. in other words, we want others to just "be like Mike". when we think this way, we miss the incredible fun of living life in the midst of a bunch of different people. it's not always easy, but it's certainly the way God designed it!

i guess what it comes down to is legalism makes it impossible for people to see Jesus. i don't think there is anything that pushes a person away from Jesus faster than a list of rules and regulations. maybe it's time we stop making lists and rules and carrying around our private bag of expectations. maybe we can lay down our judgment and criticism and spiritual smugness and just get about the business of loving people and serving those around us in humble obedience.

maybe?

Better late, than never...

i'm hoping this will be the start of a new thing...

i've been "blogging" for a while, but most of you don't know anything about it. so i'm going to start doing one here for friends of north point and anyone else that might stop by for a visit.

this is my place to let you in on what i am thinking, what i'm learning, and most importantly, what God is doing in the space i live in...and sometimes waaay beyond. i hope we will dialogue together. maybe you'll disagree. i want to learn from you. maybe i can teach you a thing or two, also. either way, i just want another place to connect.

blogging is certainly not a new thing, but it may be for you. give it a try. stop by once in a while. i think you'll be glad you did.