Restatement

I've mentioned before that one of my favorite people to listen to is Andy Stanley. Strictly from a communication standpoint, I can't think of many people in America that I would rather hear. I love his style, and his ability to communicate wisdom in a transferable, memorable way.

If you're looking for some good insight on leadership, Stanley's Leadership Podcast is a great resource.     

One of the things I love about Andy is that he seems to be absolutely unable to communicate a big point just once. Ever. He always restates his main point multiple times. I think it's compulsive for him.    

Last week I was listening to the Leadership Podcast at the gym, and Andy was giving a talk about communication to a group of several leaders. One of his main points about communication was that communicators need to be sure to always ask the question, "What do they need to know?" (And he repeated the question three times). 

He encouraged teachers to hone down their lesson to be able to answer this question in one sentence; this is the one thing, the big idea, the main point. Then he gave several examples of "main things" from sermons he had preached in the past. And as he said each one of those main points, he repeated them at least twice. And they were just illustrations. They were "main points" from the past - not even from this particular talk - but he was so disciplined in restating the point that he repeated them instinctively.    

As a leader, you know the main point. It oozes out of you. You've lived with it for 52 hours during the week. You've thought about it, you've created it, you've dreamed about it, you've tweaked it, and coddled it, and illustrated it, and applied it, and you could say it backwards and upside down.  And you will take it for granted that the audience will know it too, if you don't become like Pavlov's dog; every time you say the main point, say it twice. At least.    

Every time you say the main point, say it twice. At least.    

See how that works?   When you repeat a statement back-to-back you force your audience to focus on it. You attach little flashing red lights to the statement that let them know they need to remember it; that every thing in your message is tied to that point, and if they miss it, they'll miss the point. It gives them a chance to write it down, commit it to memory, or question whether or not it's really true. Once they've done that, you have them.    

Every time you say the main point, say it twice. At least. 

Madness!

If I were President Obama, my first item of business would be to declare today and tomorrow national holidays. What recession? What bailout? Iran has nuclear weapons? Who cares? March Madness starts today. 

These are, hands down, my favorite two days of the year. Beginning in 2 hours, 3 minutes, and 42 seconds, we will have nonstop college basketball for the better part of 4 days. 

I finalized my bracket this morning. We're doing a staff bracket contest together, so I can't tell you my final four until the games begin and the ability to change picks has passed - there are several cheaters on our staff who would love to peek over my shoulder to try to gain an advantage. 

Last year, I was narrowly edged out by the Canadian, whose method of picking is to go with the team who has the most cuddly mascot. 

It took me months to recover from being beat by a guy who waxes his eyebrows. 

But I'm back, better than ever, and ready to win it all. 

The way I see it, I've got about 2 hours worth of work left in me today. After that, I'll have to take a mental health day. If only "March Madness" was a legitimate excuse...

When I'm President, it will be. 

Corruption

Watching the news these days reminds me of something I heard Dr. John Hannah say during my time at Dallas Seminary: 

"Guys, corruption is stupid. Don't be a fool. You can get away with it for a while, but not forever. You can safely walk across the interstate wearing a blindfold too... once or twice."

Apply

One of the things I'm constantly thinking through is how to make my sermons stay on the forefront of peoples' minds throughout the week. This past week I preached about "All-in Availability" from Acts 28 where we saw Paul's example of availability to what God was doing through Paul's circumstances, and through Paul's communication. 

Obviously, one of my goals for that sermon is that people in the congregation would still be considering how to be "all-in available" on Wednesday and Thursday. That's an uphill battle. 

Sunday we tried to do something unique; to cast people out of their comfort zone and encourage them to respond in a physical way that isn't typical "McKinney." The goal wasn't to gauge a response, but to sear the commitment in our minds so that we couldn't forget before lunch. 

Reality: by lunchtime on Sunday, some of our friends had a chance to be all-in available in a specific situation, and they completely missed it. It's not their fault - they're just representative of a challenge we all face. We hear and see thousands of messages every day encouraging us to take action in a specific area; from following hard after Christ to changing the brand of toilet paper we use.  It is only natural that some of those get lost in the shuffle. 

So I have an assignment for you to comment on: Think back to a sermon that truly made an impact on your life; one that was still in your mind on Wednesday or Thursday. What was it about that message that was memorable for you? What helped it connect with you in such a unique way? 

Worship Venues

A fairly common trend in churches these days is to offer several different worship venues/services to allow people with different musical tastes to be in an environment where they feel comfortable. Churches like the Baptist church down the road offer a traditional service with choir, organ, and hymn books, followed by a contemporary service with a band, screens, and worship team. Other churches are even more specialized - they have a funk service, an alternative service, and an acoustic service. 

We currently have two services with a moderately contemporary feel - we'll never be confused as being "cutting edge," but we're not stuck in the seventies either.  I'm not saying our church will never go there but for right now, not having multiple worship venues is important to me. I like the discipline of it. 

On any given Sunday, there are two or three songs that I just don't like; only one or two that I do. At any church, not just ours. That's not abnormal. A "great" CD is one with 3 or 4 hits out of 10 songs - that's why iTunes is so popular.

Even when I served as a worship leader, there were only ever about two songs per service that I really connected with. I'm okay with that, because I've been around long enough to know that the songs that don't connect with me are meaningful to someone else, and help them respond to God more than my favorites. 

There is a selflessness involved in worship, and our music preference reinforces that. By creating many different music venues for a congregation, I worry that we're reinforcing selfishness and creating intentional disunity, which only serves to hamper spiritual maturity. 

A spiritually mature person doesn't worship better because of the style of music - he worships better because of what God is doing in his life.  

Illustrations

One of the real challenges for a teacher/preacher/communicator is finding illustrations that actually illustrate. 

My first sermon at McKinney Church included an illustration about me standing at the top of a high dive, trembling with fear. I told the story well, engaged the congregation well, and transitioned away from the illustration well, but the illustration failed miserably. 

How do I know? Everyone remembers the illustration; nobody remembers the point. 

If people remember the illustration but not the point, you have the relationship of the two backward: the point becomes the illustration and the illustration becomes the point. 

Confusing? That's the point... 

You want people to remember your point, and you want the illustration to help them do that. Sometimes stories are too good to tell. They're so good they distract from the point you're trying to make. 

A good illustration helps your point be more memorable. The best illustrations become forever connected with the point you were trying to make. For example: Ask any of the teenagers from my youth ministry years what they think of when they think of "crocodiles." I have forever ruined going to the zoo for them...

Storytelling is probably my biggest strength as a communicator, but is also the area that can crater my effectiveness more quickly than anything else because it so easily steals the focus from what I'm really trying to say.  

Organization

I'm not by nature an organized person. The people who work with me are always shocked when I tell them that, because I routinely keep my desk clear of clutter and excess piles. Even though I'm disorganized by nature, I can't function when my desk is messy. It's a nasty paradox that is just part of the burden of living as me...

Because I'm not an organized person, I don't even do good at organizing my organizational systems. I currently have a filing system for Bible Study, a filing system for meeting notes, and a filing system for articles. That is okay, until I get a magazine article in a staff meeting, and then I'm toast. I could streamline those filing systems, but that would take organization and I'm not by nature an organized person. Did I mention that already?

 

Enter: My two new best friends. 

About a month ago, the student ministry guys turned me on to Microsoft OneNote. I don't know which rock I was sleeping under when people started using this, but it has made my life a billion times easier. 

OneNote performs the functions of Word, Excel, and several other programs, and interfaces with Outlook, Power Point, and your web browser. It allows you to type, file, and copy information just like Word, but files your information in a notebook form. You can have as many notebooks as you want, and it will automatically file them for you according to grouping. Now I have a "work" notebook with separate sections for personnel, meetings, and general stuff. Within each of those sections I have separate tabs for various things pertaining to that section. 

If I had had OneNote during seminary, it would have saved me hours. Set it up with a microphone, start recording in OneNote, and take notes in a folder for whichever class you're in. When you go back to look at your notes, and realize you wrote down an incomplete quote, just click on the note and it will playback the recording at the exact point you took the note. That's sick. Just download the free trial and give it a whirl... trust me. 

Best Friend #2 is Windows Search 4.0. Since sometimes my disorganized style gets the best of me, I misplace documents, emails, and calendar appointments I need to find. Windows Search lets me do a quick search of my computer using keyword to find exactly what I'm looking for. 

Windows Search works in a similar way to Google Desktop, but will search OneNote files. Google Desktop will not, and I didn't want to hurt the feelings of Best Friend #1. Both Windows Search and Google Desktop are free, so you're not costing yourself any money for this convenience. There is no excuse not to have it.

One of my New Years Resolutions was to go paperless in 2009. Because of my two new best friends, I'm well on my way. I'm scanning in old files, and not adding any new paper files to my disorganized system. Now, they're all at my fingertips. 

Try it... you'll like it. 

Gray

A lot of my counseling opportunities come when people struggle with how to live in the gray. They need to make a decision in an area that doesn't deal with a moral issue, or a principle that is clear from Scripture, and those are difficult decisions. 

Unfortunately, those types of decisions make up the majority of the decisions we make. I've already made several decisions since I woke up this morning at 5am. Most of them were not black and white decisions. The Bible didn't tell me whether to wear a green shirt, orange shirt, blue shirt, or red shirt (I opted for green so I could wear orange tomorrow). Cheerios vs. toast was not a moral decision. I could have taken a couple of routes to work this morning, and wouldn't have sinned in taking any of those routes, but I chose one and didn't think much about it. 

Other decisions aren't quite so cut and dry. Should we participate in an activity where some people might do something immoral, although we ourselves will abstain? Should I exercise my freedom in a specific area, even though others might be offended?

Although the Bible doesn't give clear principles for every situation we face it does give clear principles for being wise in the gray issues, and especially the gray issues that could become black and white. 

In 1 Corinthians 2:2, Paul reminded the Corinthians that their entire focus should revolve around one thing: "Jesus Christ and Him crucified." Then he spends the entire book helping them understand what that looks like. 

They should be careful when they fight in church, because divisions can be a distraction from Jesus Christ and Him crucified (1 Corinthians 1-4). However, they should be quick to distance themselves from people who violate the black and white because those violations are a distraction from Jesus Christ and Him crucified (1 Corinthians 5), though their distance should be handled internally so as not to cause a distraction from Jesus Christ and Him crucified (1 Corinthians 6). The Corinthians were to have marriages that pointed to Jesus Christ and Him crucified (1 Corinthians 7), and should avoid engaging their freedom in such a way that would confuse the message of Jesus Christ and Him crucified (1 Corinthians 8-9), realizing from history that although everything might be permissible, "not everything is beneficial" for pointing to Jesus Christ and Him crucified (1 Corinthians 10). Instead, public and private worship (1 Corinthians 11-14) should always point to our hope of resurrection (1 Corinthians 15) which has been made possible because of Jesus Christ and Him crucified. 

How do you decide in the gray? A pretty simple (and scriptural) place to start is by asking the question, "Will this distract myself or someone else from the message of Jesus Christ and Him crucified?" 

Purim

Tonight at sundown, our Jewish friends will begin their celebration of the feast of Purim. Purim celebrates the time when God protected the Israelites from Haman's evil plot to kill them, recorded in the book of Esther. 

As a part of this feast, the Megillah (Book of Esther) will be read tonight in synagogues all across the country in what amounts to a really cool tradition that you should experience at some point. 

In most places, the book is read, or more literally sung, in a traditional chant which adds drama to the story. But unlike many Jewish feasts which are celebrated in a sober, respectful, reverent way, Purim is a big party. Many people write Haman's name on their feet, and as the story is read they stomp their feet and boo at every mention of his name. They cheer, yell, and use noise makers to participate in the story. They play pranks on each other, and spend a lot of time laughing - all to celebrate God's rescue of their nation from an evil plot.

When was the last time you threw a party as a reminder of what God has done in your life? When was the last time you got so excited you stomped your feet or cheered at the reading of God's Word? As a Christian who has been rescued from even greater peril than the peril posed by Haman, when was the last time you celebrated? 

Just wondering...

Shepherding a Child's Heart

I might as well get this over with... Sorry for the long review.

I picked up "Shepherding a Child's Heart" because my sister-in-law suggested I read it. Honestly, I hadn't ever heard of the book before. But this week, it seemed like everywhere I went someone was talking about it. I had a couple stop me in Panda Express on Monday who spent 15 minutes raving about the book. Some of our other friends have mentioned it in several different conversations, and all the reviews were extremely positive. A lot of parents feel like this book has really helped them.

Here are the things I love about this book: (1) It is the first parenting book I have read that emphasizes heart-change above simple behavior-modification strategies for parents. Our job is not to get our kids to behave, it is to point them toward Jesus. Tripp says "It is impossible to get from preoccupation with behavior to the gospel," (p. 67) and I think he's absolutely right. (2) Tripp does a good job of emphasizing communication with our children from a young age. We have to understand, and help them understand why they do the things they do.

With that said, there are a couple of things that I don't love about this book. The first one I talked about on Tuesday. Trip has a tendency to characterize many things as "unbiblical" that don't find a black-and-white basis in Scripture, and I find that extremely troubling. It helps him make a stronger point - everyone wants to raise kids in a biblical manner - but I don't believe a parent who grounds their child, or pushes them to make good grades a goal are living in direct violation of a clear biblical command. Tripp says they are.

The second thing is an even touchier subject (no pun intended). But, before I comment on Tripp's chapter on "the rod," I need to make a disclaimer:

I am not against spanking. If it were not for God's grace and some good spankings, I would be in the federal penitentiary today. There will no doubt be times in my son's life where he commits an offense for which the best discipline will be a spanking, and I intend to give it.

However. I do not believe "the rod" is the only God-ordained method for disciplining our child. Tripp makes a strong inference in that direction. In fact, he infers that if we want to be "biblical," we must follow the passages that talk about "the rod" in a strictly literal sense. "The rod" does not simply refer to "discipline," but to "spanking."

In fact, one of the most troubling parts of the book for me was an illustration Tripp used on pages 29-30 recalling conversations with his child:

"Father: Do you remember what God says Daddy must do if you disobey?

Child: Spank me?

Father: That's right. I must spank you. If I don't, then I would be disobeying God. You and I would both be wrong..."

In my view, that kind of conversation raises a whole host of problems. First, if a child is old enough to truly follow the logic of that conversation, he is probably too old to spank. Second, even Tripp admits there are some times you would overlook an offense (p. 111). If some offenses are okay for a parent to overlook, doesn't the above conversation give the impression to the child that you are sinning against God by not spanking him for every offense? Finally, God hasn't specified that we have to spank our child for every act of disobedience. He simply said, "the rod" will save them from death (Prov 23:13-14), demonstrate love for our child (Prov 13:23), and will bring us peace and delight (Prov 29:17). God never specifies which offenses deserve a spanking. He never specifies how many spankings a child is supposed to receive. And before long, that child is going to read his Bible and understand God didn't say Daddy needed to spank him for every offense, and feel as though God was being used as a scapegoat to justify punishment for something that may or may not have deserved it. That is a huge problem.

God has certainly been creative in the way He has disciplined me (Hebrews 12:7-11). Thankfully, He doesn't apply the rod every time, or for every offense. And I think it is okay (and not unbiblical) for parents to feel the freedom to follow His lead in being creative as we discipline our children.

Overall, there are parts of this book that I loved, and parts of the book that I strongly disliked. I can certainly see why so many parents are passionate about Tripp's book in a positive way, but think the book should be read (and recommended) carefully, because I believe some of Tripp's dogma is misplaced.

I Ain't Comin' Back

Last week I got the chance to have lunch with a man named Dolphus Weary. Dr. Weary is an African American pastor from Mississippi who does a lot of work in the area of rural renewal - helping people (particularly African Americans) in rural areas receive the education, healthcare, and other tools they need to thrive in society. Most importantly, he stands tall for the Gospel. 

Dr. Weary is also very knowledgeable in the area of racial reconciliation within the church. As a pasty white, mid-western born whippersnapper, I had almost nothing in common with this larger-than-life African American pastor from the South. But we had what I think was (for me) a paradigm-shifting conversation. 

Dolphus has written a book called "I Ain't Comin' Back," that chronicles his story growing up in rural Mississippi during a time of intense racial tension, and you need to read it. 

Our country has come a long way in the past 50 years. Regardless of my political feelings, I'm proud to be a part of the generation that was instrumental in electing this country's first African American president. But we still have a long way to go. This book will remind you why.

The wounds of the past run deep in a culture, but there are people on both sides of the race barrier that have begun the process of reaching out to one another. It's a much more delicate process than just inviting white people to come to your black church, or vice-versa. It is a process that will take time. But we are making progress at a rapid pace, and I am excited to be a part of it.

A-biblical or Unbiblical?

As Christians, we're not always very good at distinguishing between "Unbiblical" and "A-Biblical" things. 

Something is a-biblical if it is an issue not addressed in Scripture. The Internet, for example, is a-biblical. The Bible doesn't provide us black and white instructions regarding the use of the Internet. What we decide in a-biblical areas must depend on the principles we gain from Scripture that speaks in other areas. Ephesians 5:3 tells us that among us "there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality..." which certainly governs the ways we use the Internet. There are lots of passages in the Bible that give principles concerning our involvement in a-biblical things, but something is not unbiblical simply because it is not found in Scripture. 

Something is unbiblical if it directly contradicts the clear teaching of Scripture. Drunkenness is unbiblical. Adultery is unbiblical. Idolatry is unbiblical. 

I'm reading a book right now about parenting that speaks a lot about "unbiblical" approaches to parenting, like grounding your children. I respectfully disagree with that use of the term "unbiblical." Your specific disciplinary technique for raising children is an a-biblical practice. Failure to discipline your children would be unbiblical (Proverbs 22:6; Ephesians 6:4). The author believes grounding your children is an unwise practice, and I might be inclined to agree; but I reject the idea that a parent who grounds their child is doing something unbiblical. I do not believe it is a sin to ground your child.

We like black and white. We like a list of the rules. It is easier to declare something unbiblical and be done with it, but that isn't the way wise living works. There are many things in our lives today, whether in raising children or picking out a shirt to wear for work, which are decisions for which the Bible does not give us black and white answers. In those areas we have to apply Biblical principles, use the brain God gave us, and ask Him for His perspective (James 1:5) to guide us as we go. But we must also resist the urge to make blanket statements about "unbiblical" things which in reality the Bible says nothing about. 

Day with a Perfect Stranger

A Day with a Perfect Stranger, by David Gregory is the sequel to the fictional book "Dinner with a Perfect Stranger." "Dinner with a Perfect Stranger" is a book about a man named Nick who is struggling through a crisis of faith, and ends up at dinner with Jesus. It sounds like a far-fetched plot, but it works.

"A Day with a Perfect Stranger" is the story of Nick's wife Mattie. It seems the fact that Mattie's husband claims to have had dinner with Jesus has thrown their marriage into a bit of a tizzy. She leaves for a business trip to Tuscon, hoping to use the time to ponder her next step in the relationship which she is fairly certain will be a step out the door. But on the airplane, she meets the nicest Man...

"A Day with a Perfect Stranger" contains help with the problem of evil, instruction on ultimate fulfillment, the character and attributes of God, the difference between religion and Christianity, and the meaning and purpose for creation... all in a fictional book you will be able to read during a one-hour lunch. I'm not a crier by nature, but the way this book ends turned me into a blubbering idiot.

"Dinner with a Perfect Stranger" and "Day with a Perfect Stranger" are great reads for people who want a little encouragement in their Christian life. They are also great reads for friends who are pondering Christianity but aren't quite ready to trust Christ. Both books are fictional, and not philosophical, but would be perfect for someone who is interested in spiritual Truth presented in an easy-to-read way.

These books are The Shack without the theological potholes. If you like theological fiction, you really ought to pick these books up. Trust me.

Setback or Setup

I'm just finishing up a book my sister-in-law wanted me to read called "Grace Based Parenting," by Tim Kimmel. I may do a more thorough review of the book in the future, but wanted to capture a concept he surfaces in the book that I know has been huge in my life. 

Kimmel references 2 Corinthians 12:7-10, which talks about Paul's "thorn in the flesh," which was given to Paul as a constant reminder that we need to find our sufficiency in God's grace and power. Kimmel says this: "Often God puts these very things in [a child's] life as touch points for His grace... Your love and understanding can be the very things that help your children turn these setbacks into setups."

I love this concept, and think it's much bigger than just parent to child. One of the most life-giving things you can do for another person is to speak Truth into their life that says "God created you just as you are, and can use this setback as a setup for something extraordinary." 

When I was young, I matured physically much later than most of my peers. As a result, I lost some confidence because I wasn't able to excel in some of the areas my friends did. I loved playing baseball, but was only ever "average," because of my size and lack of confidence that went along with that. It was a setback. 

One year, I played baseball under a coach who helped me learn a valuable lesson. I wasn't ever going to be the fastest, strongest, or most talented kid on the team. But I could beat them in effort and in smarts. I could think harder than any other person on the team, and work harder than anyone else on the team, and beat many of the kids who were able to rely solely on talent. 

Though I didn't make a career out of baseball, that coach helped turn a setback into a setup in an area that serves me to this day. I don't have the most raw talent when it comes to preaching or leading. Many of my peers are much more talented than I. But through the influence of a baseball coach (and my parents as well) the "setback" of not being the most talented has actually become a "setup" for me.

Are you the kind of person who helps people see their setbacks as setups? When you look at your own life, which of the two do you see? 

Lent Mathematics

I've never been a Lent guy. Growing up, I thought it was for the Catholic kids. While they were eating fish sticks on Fridays, and giving up soda, I was enjoying my hamburger, drinking a Coke, and thanking God that my parents were Baptist.  

Although some people probably make too big a deal about Lent ( see Matthew 6:16-17), I think the idea of giving up something you enjoy to focus on your connection with Christ is a good thing. Using a personal sacrifice to remind you of His ultimate sacrifice can be meaningful - as long as it's not just a religious ritual. So, I'm going to try it this year. 

As I thought through what I would do, I read what Mark Batterson said about this yesterday. 

This year, for the first time, I'm going to try it. I'll be subtracting Facebook for 40 days. Facebook has been a really good way to connect with some of my friends and see what they're up to across the globe, but frankly, it has also become a distraction from my ability to meaningfully connect around more important things. 

When I'm studying here at work, and get "writer's block," it is too big a temptation to click over to facebook and check up on what my friends are doing. It's a temptation at stoplights to whip out my iPhone and read my notifications - a temptation my wife loves to make fun of (it has become a Pavlovian reflext: when the light turns red, I reach for my iPhone). 

So, I'm taking facebook off my phone, and resisting the urge to check in. That's what I'm subtracting. 

With the time I save, I'm going to do a different kind of social networking. I've started a "Bible in 90 days" plan, and am going to try to see if I can't even go faster than that. It turns out to be about 15 chapters a day, which is an investment of about 30 minutes. I easily spend that much time on facebook every day. 

See, there's a kudzu effect to things that really aren't that important. If you don't set good boundaries, they overgrow everything. Lent provides a good opportunity for me to trim back some kudzu. 

I'm actually looking forward to the challenge, and would love to have some people run with me, starting today. Honestly, I like the fact that the thing I'm going to sacrifice will burn a little; I think it will help me stay focused on some things that are more important to me. 

Amalekite Evil

I'm a part of a theology class that our senior pastor leads on Tuesday mornings for guys who are interested in seeing growth in their ability to think theologically. It is pretty fun to walk through theological concepts with these guys, and see how easily they connect to our every-day lives. 

Today, a part of the conversation was the "Problem of Evil." Why do the innocent suffer? Why does God allow evil to exist without judgment? And one of the arguments that comes up in that discussion is with regard to the fact that in the Old Testament, it sometimes seems as though God is complicit in evil. In 1 Samuel 15:3-4, God orders Saul to destroy the Amalekites, including "men, and women, children and infants..." 

Those are really hard passages. But in one sense, what God does in both of those passages is exactly what we wish He would do in others. The Canaanites were evil, evil people. They sacrificed their children (Deuteronomy 12:31), and were engaged in all kinds of nasty sexual acts with children and against other nations. And, they had been warned by God of coming judgment for hundreds of years prior to these incidents. 

In dealing with the Amalekites, God dealt with the problem of evil - at least in one location. 

Why the infants and children? We don't know precisely. But we have a couple of hints. If you remember the story, Saul was supposed to destroy everyone and every thing, but left many of them (He said he only left King Agag, but just a couple of decades later there were enough of them to overpower David and his armies (1 Samuel 30:1-2)). Just a couple of hundred years later, a descendant of Agag named Haman nearly succeeded in exterminating the entire Israelite nation. 

The death of those children would have been the ultimate act of grace - protecting them from the evil of their parents, and from the ability to grow up into people who would continue the parents' evil. Meanwhile, the plan would have completely eradicated a people group notorious for perpetrating evil against innocent people. A loving, just God did exactly what we would hope He would do. 

The destruction of the Amalekites is a tough passage, and we certainly don't have all the answers. But it is also evidence that God is absolutely serious about dealing with evil and providing grace to people who are in a right relationship with Him. 

Confrontation

Yesterday's sermon was about Paul's courage in Acts 22:30-23:35. One of the things I mentioned was that character was at the heart of Paul's courage. His ability to stare down the Sanhedrin with a good conscience gave him the ability to confront, confess, and clarify in a difficult time. 

Confrontation is necessary, but is really tricky. I'm certainly not the world's best confronter. In fact, if you injected me with truth serum, I'd tell you I don't feel like I'm good at confrontation at all. But it is certainly an area in which I've seen some improvement over the past few years, having had to have my fair share of difficult conversations in that time. Here are some things I've learned:

1. You can only be direct with someone to the point they know you love them. The hardest work in confrontation should come before there is even a sin issue. People respond well to correction if they know you are "for" them. If they have their doubts, you're in for a tough ride. 

2. Clarity is key. Before I go into a difficult meeting where I know I will need to have a difficult conversation with someone, I spend quite a bit of time preparing. I write out exactly what I hope to say, and spend time praying through those words to make sure they are clear, honest, and to-the-point. You don't want to get into a difficult conversation and forget the issue. 

3. If you minimize the sin by kicking it under the rug, you betray the fact that you don't believe it's important. You have to have hard conversations when sin is in view. 

4. Remember: Good people do bad things for good reasons (and, for that matter, bad people do good things for bad reasons). Jesus makes it abundantly clear throughout His ministry(especially in Matthew 5-7) that He is concerned with the heart as much as the action. If we just confront actions, we miss the opportunity to speak to hearts. 

5. All sin is equally wrong, but not all sin is equally bad. All sin is equally wrong in the sense that it is an act of treason against God. But, all sin is not equally bad. You don't handle a person's bad language in the same way you handle adultery. Each circumstance is different and has to be treated carefully and in a discerning manner. 

So what about you? What are some lessons you've learned about dealing with situations that demand the courage to confront? What could you add to my list? 

Return

Ministry is often like the Tale of Two Cities. It can be the best of times, and the worst of times. You can't beat conversations like the one I had this morning; on the front lines of what God is doing in the lives of people. Yet many of the pastors I know struggle with deep bouts of discouragement and disillusionment, because ministry is extraordinarily difficult and very few people understand the weight pastors carry.  

Most of us do what we do because we love Jesus and love people, and because we want to see the people we love trusting the Jesus we love. Unfortunately, the return isn't usually great. 

A baseball player who got on base four times out of ten would win a batting title every year, and be a lock for the Hall of Fame. Most baseball players get on base less than twenty percent of the time. Believe it or not, the greatest pastors have a far lower rate of "success."

The Great Awakening affected around 8% of the population, and it was a monumental, unprecedented time. It's much more realistic that the greatest pastors will have a return in the 1% to 2% range, and that the rest of us will be less effective than that. That's hard for those of us who love Jesus and love people. It's discouraging. 

The reason it's discouraging is because we don't have a thought-system today that allows us to "fail" 9 times out of 10 and consider ourselves "successful." So we hide our faults and hate ourselves, and secretly wonder if God is working through us at all. 

The problem, though, isn't with us or our God. The problem is with our definition of success. God hasn't called us to "success" in the first place. He's called us to be faithful stewards of the opportunities and resources He gives us. That's true success that changes everything. And I can bat darn near 1000, if I'm willing to step up to the plate.  

The 10 Percent

A few years ago on this date, I was the guy sitting in a doctor's office as he delivered bad news. You can read more about that struggle here if you like. Suffice it to say, I spent the better half of a year thinking the right side of my face would be paralyzed for the rest of my life, which would cause me to lose half my eyesight and half my hearing. Today, I've regained somewhere around 90 percent of muscle function in the right side of my face. I have some hearing loss, but no blindness. God has been good to me. 

I find it amazing that despite the amazing thing God has done, I still struggle with only seeing the 10 percent. Any time someone hands me a picture, I'm disappointed. I used to have a great smile. Now it's crooked. One eye is bigger than the other. My forehead wrinkles just a little bit funny. I get frustrated with the hearing loss because it affects me in crowded restaurants, and makes it hard to pay attention to people I'm with. I notice the 10 percent, and it really bothers me sometimes. 

The thing is, nobody else notices the 10 percent. My wife doesn't notice the 10 percent. Friends who knew me prior to Ramsay Hunt don't notice the 10 percent, even when they haven't seen me in a decade. My self-perception is completely different from what other people see. 

Self-perception is that way in a lot of areas. We always feel like we look fatter or thinner than we actually are. We think we're more or less talented than we actually are. And we feel as though our shortcomings before God and before others are greater or lesser than they actually are.

We all need people in our life who will clarify reality for us, because we can't ever truly see it on our own. We need people to clear up our wrong perceptions of ourselves and our situations. We need people who can see us clearly, and who have the courage (and grace) to tell us what they see. We need people who will calm us down about the 10 percent we worry about, and refocus our mind on the 10 percent we should worry about. 

Do you have people like that in your life? If not, you need to find them - at least one. Reality is too important to miss. 

Manuscript

Tuesdays of weeks I preach in the main service are usually pretty brutal days for me. By Tuesday, I've done most of the study of the passage from which I'll preach. I've completed my language work, and have a basic outline of the passage that I'll preach from and the "Big Idea" of the passage I hope to convey. 

But as soon as I publish this blog today, I'll hole up in my office and complete the most tedious piece of the process. By the time I leave to office today, Lord willing, I'll have a 13 page manuscript of the exact words I'll say on Sunday. The rest of the week will be devoted to reading through and tweaking the manuscript as I continue to think and pray through the passage I'll be teaching. 

This is my least favorite part of the process. I love the study, and love the delivery, but hate the process of actually putting flesh on the structure of my message. It's hard for me - feels like busy-work.

I never preach from a manuscript - I throw the thing in the garbage on Sunday morning. But it's important for me to have it written out for several reasons. 

1. The Message is too important not to think through every single word. 

2. Transitions are as important as main points. If you bungle a transition, people will miss the main point. My manuscript forces me to think not only about where I'll go, but how I'll get there.

 

3. Timing is everything. By manuscripting what I'll say, I ensure that I say what I need to say in the time I've been given. There is nothing more frustrating than listening to a preacher who can't find the end of his message while your lunch is burning at home. I expect others to respect my time, so I want to respect theirs. 

4. If I'm deliberate, I can say more memorable things in less time than if I'm haphazard in my delivery.

5. I want a record of the gist of what I said. It's hard to estimate exactly how much time goes into preparation for a sermon because it's hard to get a sermon out of your head, even when you're not "on the clock." But I spend around 20 or 25 hours of clock time on every sermon, and want something to show for that time if the CD is lost and the video is broken. 

Pray for me today - I hate this part of the process. But, the end justifies the means. It's worth it. 

Now, into hiding I go...

Baby Dedication

Yesterday was Casen's baby dedication at church. It was a really special day. 

Kari's parents, my parents, and my grandfather were all able to be in town for the morning, and stood with Kari and I as we promised to do everything within our power to raise Casen as a godly young man. It was one of those rare moments where legacy was tangible. 

If you're a pastor of a church, you really ought to consider how your church does moments like these. The run-of-the-mill service needs to strive for excellence, because God deserves that. Special occasions (baby dedications, weddings, funerals, baptisms, special recognitions) need to go above and beyond, because they're the Sundays that will remain specifically burned into the memories of people for the rest of their lives. 

If the gospel isn't clear during those occasions, you miss a great opportunity to communicate the gospel in a context where it will be etched in the minds of people for many years to come. Pay special attention to what you communicate, because those special occasions are so important.

At McKinney, we take time to share the brief spiritual background of the parents, and introduce any family who is in church for the occasion. Each parent chooses a passage of Scripture that represents the parents' prayer for their child, and that passage is read. Then we invite the family, and small group connected with the family to come to the front and pray for the family together.  It was a really special time. 

If you're curious, for Casen, Kari and I are praying 2 Timothy 3:14-15:

"But as for you, continue in what you have learned and become convinced of, because you know those from whom you learned it, and how from infancy you have known the holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus."

It's our prayer that he will learn and become convinced of what Jesus did on his behalf, in part because of the long legacy of those who stood with him yesterday "from whom [he] learned it." 

The 40 Percent Rule

I had a really great visit with my buddy Jason this morning at breakfast. He's the Pastor of Small Groups at Chase Oaks Church in Plano, TX, and is one of the small number of guys in my life who is a true friend. He doesn't believe the best things I say because he knows I'm a liar. But he doesn't believe the worst things I say because he thinks better of me than that.    

We had a conversation about a subject I've talked about before, but don't think I've blogged about before.  So, while it's fresh I wanted to get it down. 

One of the unique challenges of servant-leadership is credibility. Unless you're holding something over their head (like a paycheck), people will only do what you do. They'll listen to the things you say, but will do the things you do. 

The thing is, I think the rate of return on the degree to which they follow is only about 40 percent. If you're trying to lead people toward being excited about something, the majority will only ever get about 40 percent as excited as you. If you're trying to get people to put in time towards something, the majority will only spend 40 percent as much time as you put into it. 

Obviously, there's no way to measure those things, so 40 is an abstract guess on my part. But I think it's pretty close. 

What does that mean? It means we as servant leaders need to carefully consider the degree to which we lead as much as we consider the direction in which we lead.  It's absolutely important to lead in the right direction, but it's also important to pave the way at a high level of commitment. Haphazard leadership will always produce even more haphazard followers.

Fifty Years from Today

One of the things I particularly enjoy reading about is current trends in ministry, and things that people are thinking about on the cutting edge. Most days, I read somewhere around 40 blog entries from people who are on the front-lines of thinking in a lot of different regards. I love to know what's happening today. 

But in a very real sense, it's absolutely impossible to know what's happening today. Truly, if you want to know what's happening today you'll have to ask in 50 years, because what is happening today is impossible to know without the perspective of time. 

Two years ago, it seemed like trends in the Emergent Church were "what's happening" today. It seemed as though those guys were attempting huge paradigm shifts in the Church, and were gaining momentum. Today, I think it's becoming clear that the Emergent Movement as a whole will be only a blip on the radar of history, and that their contributions (or detractions) will be seen only as a part of something bigger. 

What does that mean? As we think through today (and tomorrow), we have to do it with the wisdom and clarity of a big picture. We can't bet the farm on something just because it's new, but we also can't hold everything back in fear. Faithfulness to what we know is a much more important virtue than risk in the areas we don't. 

Fifty years from today, I'll tell you what was really happening today. Today, I'm looking toward the future with a desire to be faithful both where and when I am. 

Evaluation - Noticing

Over the past several weeks, we've been working really hard to improve the energy level in our worship services. They weren't in a bad place, but we felt that we could make improvements across the board, so we're working hard to get better. 

One of the primary ways we're doing that is a Monday morning debrief of the previous weekend's worship services. All of us who have a part in the worship service (worship leader, senior pastor, teaching pastor, audio visual director, as well as our student ministries pastor) are present for the meeting where we pick apart every aspect of the service. 

We spend some time talking about the things we can do better next week, but also spend a lot of time talking about the great moments we want to re-capture. I think the discussion of the positives is the real value of the meeting. 

I've noticed that if we don't have a planned evaluation meeting, it's really difficult for the small positives (the real difference makers) from the weekend to ever make it across our desk. We'll hear about every negative thing that happened, plus some that are imagined, but we rarely hear about the small things that went really well. We have to plan to surface those, or they won't make it into discussion.

The longer I lead, the more I see the value in noticing. There is a lot of mileage to be had from simply noticing something great someone has done and bringing it to their attention. Of course they noticed, but it means more than you'll ever imagine for them to know that you noticed. 

How or Why?

Not long ago I heard Andy Stanley talking about being a part of change in the organization. He was describing how the ideas of the future necessarily come from the people of the future. Older generations (with very rare exceptions) don't dream up the ideas implemented by younger generations.  

Andy was talking about it from the perspective of a man who is now in his mid-forties, now straddling the fence between younger generations and older generations. His talk was about how the older generation should respond to the younger generation's ideas, and he had some advice I think is key for all of us - young or old. 

Stanley said the key is to be "What" people rather than "How people. 

When a new idea comes across your desk (or kitchen table for that matter), the key question isn't "How?". You can "how" a great idea right into the ground: "How will we pay for it?" "How will we find people to volunteer?" "How will people respond?" 

If it's a great idea, the "how" questions will take care of themselves. If it's a great idea, people will pay for it, people will invest their time into it. And if it's a great idea, it doesn't matter how people respond. That's the task of leadership. 

The questions to ask are "What" questions. You want to understand the idea before you evaluate the idea. Become a student of new ideas, even if you're pretty sure they're lousy. Be able to be an idea's strongest advocate even if you end up it's largest critic.  You don't want to cast away the great idea of the future because of ignorance today. 

Obviously, this is great advice for older and younger leaders as we evaluate new ideas. Which ideas need a "what" from you today?

Family Friday - A Boy and His Dog

I was getting dinner ready last night and walked in to find Sutton and Casen playing together. It took me a while to get the video camera and start recording, so I missed the best part. Sutton was trying to kiss (lick) Casen and when she would, he would start giggling and jumping in his bouncy seat. She'd back away, and then start over again. At the very end of the video he was trying to get her to keep going, but I guess she was tired. 

They're great buddies. I can't wait until Casen is older and can really start playing with her. 

It's Because of Jesus

Something I've struggled with as long as I've been a Christian, is how to be a Christian without being weird. 

We all knew the guy in high school who only wore Christian T-Shirts, had a color-coordinating WWJD bracelet for each of those shirts, and who didn't have any plans on Friday night unless his church happened to be hosting a lock-in. His "spirituality" was actually a repellent for most people to ever respond to the Gospel. 

On the other hand, we know other people who are believers, but whose lives are no different from the lives of those who don't have a relationship with Christ. Their habits are the same, language is the same, values are the same; outwardly, for all intents and purposes, they're the same. 

Jesus was radically different from the world, but people still sought Him out. He was completely above reproach, but found a way to be with people who were the definition of reproach. How did He do it? 

I'm not sure I've completely figured it out, but one thing I do know is this: We can't let people think we're different because we're spiritual, or because we go to church. We can't let people think we're different because of church camp, or our upbringing, or because we quit smoking. We have to make it absolutely clear that we're different because of Jesus. 

Gestures and Postures

Last week I finished a book by Andy Crouch called "Culture Making, Recovering Our Creative Calling." It's an interesting book about the Christian's role in culture. Its aim is to push Christians to be creaters of culture rather than simply rebuking or responding to culture. He points out that "evangelicalism... still produces better art critics than artists," to its detriment. 

One of the most helpful pieces in the book is a chapter on the difference between gestures and postures. Posture is "the position our body assumes when we aren't paying attention." Gestures are temporary movements made in response to specific situations; I gesture during conversation, stoop down to pick up something off the floor, or curl up on the couch with my wife. 

The trick is, over time our gestures can become habit - part of our posture. Tall teenagers slouch to minimize their height, which leads to long-term posture issues. You can almost always tell a person who was a wrestler in high school and college - they walk through life with a posture that gives them away. 

Crouch's point is this: The gestures of condemning culture, critiquing culture, consuming culture, or copying culture are all appropriate gestures from time to time. But they become damaging when we lean towards one gesture inparticular to the point that it becomes a part of our posture. If we are too often consumers of culture, we are handicapped in our ability to respond to culture that should rather be critiqued. 

Crouch says "With good posture, all gestures are available to us; over time, with poor posture, all we can do is a variation of what we have done before." 

As you respond to the culture and the world around you, how is your posture? Are you free to gesture appropriately in each different circumstance, or are you hampered in your ability to respond because you lean toward one gesture too much? 

Why Missions?

As Christians, we have a tendency to form God in our image. If we're a business executive, we love the passages in Scripture where God appears as the consumate CEO. If we're blue-collar workers, we remind people that Jesus was a carpenter. If we are impoverished, God is a revolutionary. As one author said, "The gods of the Persians always look like Persians." 

Involvment in foreign missions is vital because it forces us to expand our view of who God is. It expands our view of what God is doing in the world. 

Most of us need constant reminders that God is bigger than we think. The less exposed we are to what God is doing outside our own life, the smaller our view of God becomes. 

Not the Way It's Supposed to Be

If you're the type of person who judges a book by its cover or title, you might not ever pick up the book "Not the Way It's Supposed to Be, a Breviary of Sin." After all, what the heck is a "breviary?" 

If you're one of those people, and skipped over this one, you would miss out on a really great book. 

"Not the Way It's Supposed to Be" was written by Cornelius Plantinga Jr., and is a brief summary (breviary) on the topic of sin. Plantinga is the president of Calvin Theological Seminary, but writes with a simple style that is easy to understand. 

In "Not the Way It's Supposed To Be," Plantinga describes how all sin is an interference with the way things are supposed to be; God-ordained shalom. Sin is an offense to God not just because it assaults him directly, but also because it assaults what He has created and designed. Sin is described as a corruption, perversion, pollution, disintegration, as well as a parasite, masquerade, foolish attack against Who God is and What God has created. 

It isn't much fun to talk, think, or read about sin, because you and I are guilty. But without an honest understanding of what sin is, we can't come close to a true understanding of the Gospel. 

If you're looking for a book that has some meat on it, but is delivered in accessible language, this breviary would be a good one to pick up. 

Family Friday

Another "finishing well" post this morning...

Casen got his middle name from my grandmother, Donna Mae Knox Johnson. This morning at about 5:30, she left the Land of the Dying and entered the Land of the Living. 

Memaw struggled with health issues almost her entire adult life. She first got cancer back in 1968, and it almost took her life then... twice. She struggled with a neuromuscular condition called "Myasthenia Gravis" that affected her muscles and caused her to get extremely tired after any elevated amount of activity at all. For the past decade, the Myasthenia Gravis and other issues affected her ability to breath and forced her to be on oxygen constantly. 

But aside from the oxygen cord that followed her wherever she went, and a slow pace that earned her the nickname "Lightning," you would have never known of any of her conditions. She trekked all over the world with grandchildren in tow (They took us all on a trip when we turned 8 years old). She loved my grandfather well - they were fast approaching 60 years of marriage. On days she couldn't make it to church, she and my grandfather would sing along with hymns over the stereo and listen to one of their favorite sermons on tape. She loved her family, but especially loved her Savior. 

Pray for my Grandfather, my mom and her two brothers. They don't grieve as those who have no hope, but they still grieve. Yet this morning, as I opened my Bible to reflect, I couldn't help but have a little private worship service as I read Isaiah 40:31:

"Those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint."

This morning, as you read this blog post, at least one person is experiencing this metaphor in a very real sense, more alive than ever. 

Finishing Well

I was going to post something else about leadership economics today, but just had a nursing home visit that I have to tell you about instead. 

I went and visited a 90 year old member of our church who is in an assisted living center here in Fort Worth. It is always a treat to get to visit Mrs. Helm, and today was no different. Everything she says is profound, but one particular piece of the conversation today shook me to the core.

Mrs. Helm is struggling with her eyesight these days. She's fought glaucoma for a few years and the drops she puts in her eyes to hold off the disease have started to lose their effectiveness. And that's hard for her because she's a voracious reader. She reads through the Bible several times per year, and has a Bible Study plan that puts mine to shame. She's in a nursing home, but went on and on about how she's applying Scripture to her life.

Towards the end of the visit, I told Mrs. Helm I'd like to pray for her, and asked if there was anything specific I could pray for. Here's what she said: 

"It would be a real blessing if God would allow my eyesight to last as long as I do. My times in His Word are so sweet, I just can't imagine having to give them up. Then again, if God does choose to take my eyesight from me, I'm absolutely confident those times will be sweet as well. Pray that I'll have the perspective to keep my head up and finish well." 

Silly me, praying for her. She needs to be praying for me. 

Leadership Economics - Part 3

I had lunch yesterday with Jay Shellum. Jay is a CPA with a firm here in Fort Worth and a co-contributor to an extremely helpful blog written to help non-profit agencies think through financial issues. More than that, he's a really great guy. 

We got on the topic of the economics of leadership yesterday, and Jay made a strong point about making deposits to your credibility account. I'm paraphrasing what he said: 

"Leading people is a lot like raising kids. If you want your kids to talk to you about sex, dating, drugs, and other hard stuff, you have to be willing to invest the time talking with them about X-Men, sports, and the easy stuff. You have to lead people the same way. Care about the small stuff and they'll trust you with the hard stuff."

He's absolutely right. 

I worked for a guy at one point in my life who would only pay attention to me when he wanted me to do something hard for him. He would send me nice emails, make encouraging phone calls, and then within the same week would ask me to have a hard conversation with someone on his behalf. 

Today, that guy is leading no one. He's on the sidelines, because he has no credibility.

If you only make deposits when you need to make withdrawals, you aren't investing in your credibility account - just cashing checks. And when all you've ever done is cash checks, your credibility account balance is zero.

The great leader makes both deposits and withdrawals, but the two are almost never directly connected. He/she makes withdrawals and deposits, but rarely cashes checks.

Leadership Economics - Part 2

Yesterday I talked about how leadership is a lot like maintaining a bank account of credibility. Each leader makes investments and withdrawals throughout the course of their leadership. When the leader begins bouncing credibility checks, he normally gets the opportunity to find a new place to bank. 

There's another dynamic in this that I think is important:

Good leaders always know what is in their account. Great leaders are the ones who keep a steady low balance in their account (Assuming the leader is leading in the right direction). 

That is, the very best leaders are the ones who pace their leadership in such a way that they're constantly moving people toward a goal without either hoarding credibility or overdrawing their account. 

Leaders who hoard credibility are destined to lead organizations that go nowhere. Change and progress are impossible to implement because they always require an amount of discomfort and resistance - withdrawals from the credibility account the leader is unwilling to make. 

Leaders who overdraw their credibility account by moving too quickly are destined to lead no one; even if they themselves are headed in the right direction. The graveyards of full-time ministry are littered with youth pastors who had brilliant cutting edge ideas, but lacked the patience to build a balance in their credibility account to make their ideas a reality. 

The very best leaders are the leaders who lead in such a way that that they always keep a balance in their account, but who move and change at a pace that ensures the balance doesn't get too high. 

Leadership Economics

I was never a math person. Half the reason I was a music major in college was that I didn't have to take any math classes. Unfortunately, Kari isn't much of a math person either, so when we distributed roles right after we got married we decided I would keep the finances managed, and she would do the laundry, cook dinner, do the dishes, and clean the house. Both of us felt like that was a fair trade - that's how bad it is. 

Recently, I'm realizing that leadership is all about math. There's an economics side to leadership that has everything to do with budgeting, but nothing to do with money. 

I think leadership is exactly like managing a bank account. Most leaders, often by virtue of his/her position, are given a starter sum of credibility capital when they assume a leadership role. With every decision the leader makes, he/she has to decide how to invest that capital. 

Regular investments in the people and organization you lead allows you to make bigger withdrawals, most often coming in the form of change.  You can withdraw as much as you wantor as little as you want, but when it's gone, you're done as a leader. 

I'm convinced that many young leaders don't understand the economics of leadership, which is why they so often fail. A young guy takes a leadership role, where he is given quite a bit of credibility capital up front, and spends it like a 5-year-old spends a weeks-worth of allowance. A few of those expenditures actually give the young leader more credibility capital, but also more confidence to spend more. And before he knows it, he's bouncing checks and the organization is looking for someone else. 

Good leaders have to keep a close eye on their credibility accounts to make sure they're investing wisely. 

In the Beginning...

We have a 4-week Thursday night worship service for young singles every quarter. It's a great chance for young singles to worship together, and to connect their friends with what God is doing in Fort Worth. It's also the time I've used to teach more topical lessons - over the past year we've been primarily expository in everything else we've done. 

We're starting a new series tonight called "Ultimate Questions," thinking through the 4 critical questions that every person answers throughout their life. And, the way we answer those questions will shape the course of our lives. So it should be fun. 

Want to know what the questions are? You'll have to show up tonight, or send a young single person in Fort Worth to spy it out for you. 

I will tell you that tonight I'm teaching from Genesis 1. 

Have you ever asked yourself why Genesis 1 is the first chapter in the Bible? Most of us probably assume it's there for chronological purposes. It makes sense to start the book at the very "beginning." 

That's partially the case, but I'm convinced that there's a lot more to it than that. The fact that God was "in the beginning," and "created the heavens and the earth" informs every single other letter throughout the rest of the Bible. Genesis 1 establishes God's sovreignty over the entire creation. The other several-hundred chapters in the Bible explain what is the appropriate response to Genesis 1:1. 

Bronze Snakes

The speaker for our Church Leader Retreat last week was Jim Rose. Jim serves on the board at Dallas Seminary, and has pastored all over the country. Over the weekend he led us through a discussion of two kings in Judah's history: King Asa (2 Chronicles 14-16), and King Hezekiah (2 Kings 18; 2 Chronicles 31, 32; Isaiah 37). Both were considered "good" kings, but both failed to finish well. 

One of my favorite stories in the Old Testament involves King Hezekiah in 2 Kings 18. He was a 25 year old kid when he became king, and immediately (it seems) took the bull by the horns in removing the Canaanite high places, smashing idols to false gods, and cutting down the phalic Asherah poles. But he didn't just clean up all the idols built to false gods - he tore up an idol that had once represented the True God. Look at the last part of 2 Kings 18:4. 

"He broke into pieces the bronze snake Moses had made, for up to that time the Israelites had been burning incense to it." (NIV)

Can't you just hear the voices of a different generation as this young king smashed their idol to pieces? 

"Wait just a second young man. My grandmother was healed by looking at that snake." 

"Moses' fingerprints are on that snake. How dare you dishonor his memory?" 

"This young king has no reverence for our nation's traditions." 

It wasn't just a problem with Israel - it's often a problem with us. We as humans have a propensity to take things that once directed our worship, and turn them into the things to which our worship is directed. Musical styles, specific programming, outreach methods... They were once tools to point us to God, but we tend to make they themselves into gods.

And it isn't just the older generation who has a tendency to do it. We're all guilty.

Thank God for leaders like Hezekiah with the courage to name those things and smash them to pieces, while in the process directing the focus of the people back to the One who should be the true object of our worship. 

What are the bronze snakes where you worship? What are the bronze snakes you worship yourself? Smash those things to pieces. Don't wait another day.   

Not an Evangelist

I overheard a fascinating conversation the other day that took place between one of our global ministry partners and an elder at our church. 

This particular missionary is serving in Cuba, and God is doing some pretty phenomenal things through his ministry. If only half the things he says are going on are really going on, this guy is to the Cubans what the apostle Paul was to the Ephesians. Thousands of people are coming to Christ every month, and are connecting with churches in a vast church planting movement this man is overseeing. A group of our guys followed Manny around for 4 days not long ago, and saw nearly 100 people trust Christ in just those 4 days. 

Well, not long ago one of our elders introduced Manny to another person in our church, and mentioned that Manny was a person with an exceptional gift of evangelism. 

Manny was really quick to correct him. "I don't think I have the gift of evangelism at all." He went on to say, "I'm not a great evangelist, I'm just a great listener. Lots of people are ready to trust Christ if you'll just listen and ask questions."

You know what? He's on to something. 

This guy has personally led thousands of people to Christ in his life, but doesn't think he is a gifted evangelist. He's just a guy who listens well to people, and asks questions of them.  And they are trusting Christ everywhere he goes. 

People all over the world want to be respected and valued. They also need Jesus. Fortunately, we are able to share Jesus by respecting and valuing the people around us. We don't have to be extraordinarily good evangelists - we have to be intentional conversation partners.

When was the last time you had a conversation with a person about spiritual things in which you focused solely on listening and asking questions in return? It's been a long time for me - I think I'll do it today. 

Forced Organic Conversation

Each year, our church leaders take a 2-day trip to New Braunfels, TX. We spend some time golfing, some time praying, some time in sessions with a guest speaker, and a lot of time eating. But ask any of those guys what their favorite part of the trip is, and they'll tell you "the bus ride." 

We drive 4 hours each way on a charter bus, and it's a great time to connect with other guys who are pulling in the same direction. There are some serious discussions, but a ton of laughter. 

I love the leadership at our church. These guys are serious about their faith, and are the epitome of servant leadership. But they're also just plain great guys who know how to have a great time. I love watching some of our 70-year-old elders pulling practical jokes on some of the younger guys. I love to listen to them tell stories about each other, just trying to see who gets embarrassed first. These guys are the real deal, and I love serving with them. 

We could "retreat" a lot of places closer to home. But that would cause us to miss the true value of the retreat. If we retreated only 1 hour away, connection with leaders would have to be forced or programmed. Otherwise, guys would be tempted to head to their cabins and sleep or read a book. The bus forces organic communication, which seems like an oxymoron but isn't. We provide a catalyst that we know will create the reaction we desire, and then we let it happen. And, it's the most critical part of our retreat. 

Church Unique - Review

I mentioned Church Unique in my post about the best books I read in 2008. One of my favorite genres of book is books on church strategy and philosophy. The clearest test of a pastor's true theology is its manifestation in the church he leads. So, these types of books stretch me in a lot of different ways.

Will Mancini is a former pastor (now a church consultant), who is still extremely young. So, I was cautious about reading his book at first, honestly wondering if he had enough time leading a church to be an informed consultant. But I decided to give it a shot.

I'm so glad I did. This book is easily in my top 3 within a genre of several extremely strong books.

The first thing this book does that I love is to blow up the old-school strategic planning method where church staffs develop comprehensive mission statements, vision statements, and core value descriptions, and then wonder why "the people" don't fall in line. Mancini rightly points out that "too much information shreds the big picture into so many small pieces the vision is hopelessly lost." The big picture never emerges out of complexity; it's gained through simplicity. That's the crux of Mancini's book.

It isn't that the old method was bad; it was simply incomplete. It stopped short of giving leaders the tool they need to help solidify a direction in the minds and hearts of the average churchgoer. Throughout "Church Unique," Mancini helps church leaders clarify their vision, and simplify the old-school strategic planning process by viewing it as the frame that holds (and points to) the big picture.

The big picture is the "organizational sweet spot" - the reason God has your church on the planet. People need language to understand what God is uniquely doing through their involvement, and why they should step-up their level of involvement.

Mancini gives handles through which to understand what your church is about, how it does what it does, why it does what it does, and how it knows when it's successful - all in an attempt to help leaders clarify the finish line for the people they serve - at a staff level and congregational level.

This book is outstanding. It's well-written, easy-to-read, and easy to implement. In fact, I'll go so far as to say if you are the primary strategic [human] leader of a ministry, I may come into your office someday. When I do, if I don't see "Church Unique" on the shelf, I'll ask you why you're not serious about maximizing your ministry's effectiveness. It's that good.

(In my best LeVar Burton voice) But don't take my word for it...

Cool Stuff

Thought I'd post about something cool that's happening at McKinney Church. 

Every month, on the second Tuesday of the month, we have a time of Churchwide Prayer. We encourage everyone to come pray together about the things going on in our church and in the world. We spend focused time on the missionaries we support, and the local ministries we partner with in Fort Worth. It's a really neat time. 

For the 2 years I've been at McKinney, Churchwide Prayer has been like prayer events at every other church with whom I'm familiar; sparsely attended. 

Actually, that's probably an understatement. You could fire a rubber playground ball out of a canon in the worship center, and never worry about hitting anyone. The elders, deacons, and pastors showed up, along with a handful of other people, but the turnout was somewhere around 1 percent of our congregation. 

Over the last few months, something has been happening.

Back in September, a teenage girls' discipleship group showed up to Churchwide Prayer because their leader was going following the group meeting and invited them to join her. In October, two teenage girls' discipleship groups showed up. In November, the guys figured out where the girls were, and they showed up. And in December, for the first time ever, teenagers outnumbered adults at Churchwide Prayer, and we were closer to 5 or 6 percent of our overall congregation at Churchwide Prayer.  Still not where we want to be, but getting there in a hurry. 

If you study church history, you know that many of the great movements of God in the past began with a small group of praying young people. I don't know what God is up to at McKinney, but I'm excited to be a part of it. 

10,000 Hours

I just finished "Outliers" by Malcolm Gladwell. I'm not sure if you would call Gladwell a sociologist, a statistician, or a strategist, but his books are always fascinating (he also wrote "The Tipping Point," and "Blink"). 

Outliers is subtitled "The Story of Success." In it, Gladwell tries to show why some people are successful, and why some people who have more raw skill, knowledge, or talent are unsuccessful. The book, much like Gladwell's other books, is an explanation; you have to pull your own application.  

Although there are several variables to success, one of the interesting notes Gladwell makes is the "Rule of 10,000 Hours." 

He says it takes 10,000 hours of focused investment to be an expert in something. He isn't aware of anyone, even child prodigies, for whom this is not true. 10,000 hours of investment in something is required before someone is able to truly excel. 

So, if you want to be an expert musician, you need to invest 10,000 hours in your instrument. If you want to be an expert Bible Student, you need to invest 10,000 hours in your Bible Study. If you want to be an expert swimmer, you had better start swimming. 

It's a staggering number, but it's also an attainable number. If you spend a 40 hour work week invested in growing in a specific area, with two weeks of vacation every year, you're looking at a 5 year investment before you can attain "expert" level. 

Most of us aren't able to be that focused. We, either by personality or necessity, tend to focus on a ton of things rather than one or two things. We spread our hours out, which makes 10,000 a difficult number to reach. 

Sure makes you want to reevaluate how you spend your time, doesn't it? 

Best Books of 2008

I'm moving offices this week, so it's likely my blogs will be a little disjointed. My apologies in advance.

One of my favorite things about a New Year is the year-in-review shows that everyone broadcasts. They evaluate everything from the top infomercials of the previous year to the top news stories of the previous year, and I love watching them. Well, in that spirit, here are the top 5 books I read this past year.

Church Unique - Will Mancini - This book barely made the list, but only because I just read it over Christmas. I'll write a proper review of it one of these days when/if I get it back - it was so good I loaned it out. It offers tremendous insight into the mistakes most churches make through the strategic planning process. Excellent, excellent book for anyone on the strategic planning side of ministry.

The Future of Justification - I wrote a review on this book fairly recently. It's not the easiest read of the year, but one of the more important. John Piper does a great job defending justification against the current writings of some popular theologians (N.T. Wright being foremost).

Vintage Jesus - I love the fact that Mark Driscoll is writing about significant theological issues. He and I aren't together on everything, but we're together on almost everything, and I really really liked this book. I'm praying that God will continue to raise up a younger group of guys who will think theologically, and preach biblically. Mark seems to be one of those guys. I hope to be one too, but a little less angry than Mark...

Why We're Not Emergent - I said much more about this book in a review earlier in the year. It's a well-written, easy-read, but is a very thorough (and fair) treatment of the "Emergent Church." These guys resist the urge to throw the baby out with the bathwater, but aren't afraid to throw out the bathwater.

Soul Revolution - This one was a weird one for me. I didn't love the book as much as I loved John Burke's former book, but I really love the concept of the 60/60 experiment - that our lives need to be more devoted than just a 30 minute "devotional" time in the morning. I'm doing the experiment with a group of guys in 2009, and think it's going to be a great thing for us.

I'm looking forward to some good reading in 2009. And I'm especially looking for some great books. How about you? Anything you read this past year that was particularly helpful to you?

New Years Resolutions

I realize most people aren't Resolution-minded, but I love them. I'm extremely goal-oriented, and love challenging myself to improve in the coming year with a clean slate. I think most of us overestimate what we can get done in a day, but underestimate what we can accomplish in a year. Resolutions help me be focused and intentional about the things I hope to accomplish in the coming year. 

So, here are a few I'm working toward this year: 

52 Books  - I posted about this a few weeks ago, so I won't go into a lot of detail. I try to read at least a chapter a day, and shoot for around a book a week. I'm always looking for recommendations... anything non-fiction. 

Paperless - By the end of 2009, with the exception of books, I won't have a shred of paper in my office except in the trashcan. Scanning technology combined with the convenience of Google Desktop and an amazing administrative assistant are going to help me put all my seminary notes, miscellaneous files, and paperwork a click away.  Al Gore will thank me. 

One year Bible - Kari and I did the NIV One-Year-Bible together this year, and that was good. This year, I'm going to do the NLT. YouVersion for my iPhone is going to make that a lot easier. Everyone should read through the Bible at least once every year. You're talking about an investment of about 15 minutes per day that is the best investment you could make.  

 

Re-Pimped Devotional Time - Several years I blogged about my Pimped Out Devotional Time. I got away from that this year to try something new, and wish I hadn't. I'm re-pimping and looking forward to it. (If you're interested, I'll be starting with Nehemiah). 

Focus Facebook  - One of the downfalls of going paperless is that everything is on my computer. Over the past couple of months, I've really struggled with maintaining my focus... especially when I'm studying. I get stuck, or need a quick brain-break, and find myself wasting time in places like Facebook, or reading other blogs. Those things are important, but can also be a distraction for me. I need to nip it in the bud, and plan to do better in 2009. 

I've got a couple of others that I'll probably post more about later - they demand more explanation than I'm able to do without making this post a marathon post. 

But, I'm curious. Any of you have Resolutions for 2009 that you plan to keep?