The Problem and the Problem

A couple of weeks ago I got the chance to go fishing with my father and brother-in-law. We do that about once a year, and it's always a time I look forward to. Joe and Michael are guys I respect immensely for a lot of reasons, one of which is their business acuity. They've both run successful businesses and have an ability to think critically about complex business issues that I don't have. I don't have the experience or wisdom they do so one of my goals whenever we're together is to get them talking and try to remember as much as I can.

Last week Joe was telling some stories about hard times he had early in the banking industry. He had a staff member that was under-performing but who was trying as hard as she could. He didn't want to fire her because she was improving but he couldn't keep her around because she was under-performing and killing the bank. Then one day a business professor made this statement:

"The problem is not the problem. The problem is your inability or unwillingness to do something about the problem."

The big problem wasn't the lady, it was Joe. He was unable to help her get better at the pace she needed to improve in order to help the bank, so he had to let her go. But he bore the brunt of the responsibility.

A lot of times when we face problems with others that we can't put our finger on, it may be because we've failed to glance in the mirror.

Elephants

From time to time I get to talk with people who try to convince me that all religions are equally valid. That is, all religions point in the same direction, and each has a different piece of the puzzle.

The parable most often used to illustrate the point is one of several blind men who encounter an elephant. One grabs its tail and describes something thin and flexible. A second man grabs the trunk and can't agree with the "thin" part, but also describes something flexible. Another grabs the elephant's leg and argues that the "something" isn't flexible at all.

The story goes on, but you get the point. The person sitting at Starbucks will argue that mankind's view of the supernatural is like trying to describe that elephant. Each religion describes a different piece.

I recently ran across a quote by Lesslie Newbigin that was new to me though after some more reading it seems to be a fairly popular critique. It's from his book "The Gospel in a Pluralistic Society."

"In the famous story of the blind men and the elephant. . . the real point of the story is constantly overlooked. The story is told from the point of view of the king and his courtiers, who are not blind but can see that the blind men are unable to grasp the full reality of the elephant and are only able to get hold of part of it. The story is constantly told in order to neutralize the affirmations of the great religions, to suggest that they learn humility and recognize that none of them can have more than one aspect of the truth. But, of course, the real point of the story is exactly the opposite. If the king were also blind, there would be no story."

In order to make any Truth claim (either for it, or against it), someone has to be able to see the whole elephant.

Strength/Bulk Training

I just had a conversation with our worship leader about muscle training. Neither of us is working out, mind you, we were just talking about it.

He was explaining that there's a difference between bulk training and strength training. Body Builders who are consumed with getting big muscles train one way; athletes who are concerned more with strength than physique train another way. As a result, some of the most scrawny baseball players could mop the floor with body builders in an arm-wrestling competition.

Strength training relies on tearing down the muscle - doing repetitions until you are physically exhausted and then letting the muscle rest. Bulk training is more concerned with the amount of weight a person lifts at one time than the endurance and actual strength of the muscle.

I meet a lot of bulky Christians. Their goal is to carry as much spiritual weight as they can - to put as many religious activities on their back as possible, and they're generally pretty proud of how they look. As a result, they're bulky, but they're not strong. When the "muscle" is tested, they cannot endure.

How is your fitness level? Are you strong, or just bulky?

Christ-Centered

We're doing a lot of talking these days as a church staff about what it looks like to develop Christ-centered people. It's actually a tough conversation because it's so easy to fall into legalism by prescribing things the Scripture doesn't require. When I think of a Christ-centered person, most of us naturally think of:

1. Someone who reads their Bible every day.

2. Someone who goes to church each week.

3. Someone who is involved in (perhaps leading) a small group.

4. Someone who gives 10 percent of their income to ministry.

5. Someone who goes on mission trips.

Those five things are good things to be sure, but reflect a limited (and probably legalistic) perspective on Christ-centeredness.

Could a person without access to a copy of the Scriptures in their language be Christ-centered? If so, #1 cannot be criteria for Christ-centerdness.

Could a person in a remote village in Zambia without a church in their village or adequate transportation be Christ-centered? If so, #2 and #5 cannot be criteria.

Could a person in the twelfth century, prior to the small group model of ministry, be Christ-centered? If so, we should not make #3 criteria for Christ-centeredness.

Could a person with zero monthly income be Christ-centered? If they could, we don't want to leave them out. #4 must not be a true criteria for distinguishing Christ-centeredness.

If Christ-centeredness is the goal, and the goal is realistic for all Christians in all places at all times, we might need to re-evaluate what that looks like in light of the Scriptures.

So what do you think? Are there biblical traits within a person we could examine to measure Christ-centeredness? When you think of your own desire to be Christ-centeredness, how do you measure your progress? Are you using a biblical or cultural standard?

Praying for Troops and Enemies

I have a friend whose brother left last month for Afghanistan. A couple of weeks ago he sent me an email talking about some advice he received from our senior pastor with regard to praying for our enemies (Matthew 5:44), and I thought it was advice worth sharing and have changed the brother's name just in case:

I got a chance today to borrow five minutes from my senior pastor and go over something that's been on my heart. I've known for a long time that we're commanded to be praying for our enemies, but that becomes a whole lot more real when your "enemy" isn't a jerk at school but someone who's shooting at your brother. Ken spent much of his 20s in the Air Force, so I knew his answer would come not only from a sound understanding of Scripture but also from practical experience.

He explained that, beneath all the politics and strategy, Tim and his fellow Marines are in Afghanistan to suppress evil, and that God is in the business of defending the defenseless. So we can pray that God would change the hearts of the Taliban fighters or that He would take away their capacity to do evil (for instance, defeat in battle). This is a biblical way of praying for our enemies.

We touched on Nehemiah, too, which is the sermon series we're in, and there's an appropriate parallel - just as the Israelites rebuilding Jerusalem had a trowel in one hand and a sword in the other (Nehemiah 4:17), so does Tim have his camera in one hand and his rifle in the other.

So, in addition to praying that God would protect Tim and his unit and that He'd draw him closer to Himself in this experience, we can also be praying for the Taliban fighters on the other side. Easier said than done, I know, but I know that God does work when we pray, even when we don't fully understand it.

I think that's pretty great advice.

Ripple

I don't know if you heard or not, but Michael Jackson passed away last week.

Oh, you did hear?

Michael Jackson was known all over this planet, so the news coverage for the last 4 days has been non-stop King of Pop. Radio Stations are wearing out their copy of Thriller, and the Jackson Five are getting so much airtime their clothes may come back in style.

But here in about 3 days there will be a funeral and the world will move on. Michael Jackson will be remembered once a year when Barbara Walters does a "Where are they now" interest story on the anniversary of his death to remind us his body is still in the ground.

No disrespect, but Michael Jackson - as wildly popular as he was - will be forgotten.

Most of us cannot moonwalk. We'll never be able to to rock "I Want You Back" like little MJ. But we have the potential to make an impact that will ripple far longer than the King of Pop's.

Scripture is clear that the life lived well before God and his people will be "remembered forever" (Psalm 112:5-6).

The lives we live and investments we make today in what God is doing in the world will echo forever.

That's quite a ripple.

Book Review: Just Do Something

I mentioned this last week, but Kevin DeYoung is fast becoming one of my favorite new authors. He co-authored "Why We're Not Emergent, by Two Guys Who Should Be" and has written a new book called "Just Do Something, a Liberating Approach to Finding God's Will."

I first saw this book written-up by one of my uncle's compadres on Pyromaniacs. It got a glowing review over there, and let's just say those guys don't have a reputation for handing out glowing reviews of anything very often. So, I picked the book up.

If you're familiar with the old standard "Decision Making and the Will of God" by Gary Friesen, you're familiar with the general principles Kevin DeYoung points to in "Just Do Something." Friesen's book is good, but reads a bit more like a textbook. DeYoung's book is not nearly as thorough, but is just as helpful. He writes in a clear, easy style that is brief and to the point, but presents enough information and support to help the reader understand his argument.

In short, "Just Do Something" says this: The Bible talks about "God's Will" in two primary ways: the "decreed will" of God and the "desired will" of God. Those terms are not unique to DeYoung, but are the terms he uses.

The "decreed will" of God is God's ultimate plan for the Universe that cannot change and is not revealed. We cannot get out of the decreed will of God - God will have His way. The "desired will" of God is God's moral plan for His creation that is revealed through Scripture. If we make decisions that have moral implications, we can look directly to Scripture to guide our decision making. I don't have to pray about whether or not to cheat on my wife; God has already made the answer pretty clear.

But most of our decisions are not moral decisions. From the biggest decisions we make (should I marry this person, take this job, move to this city) to the smallest decisions we make (should I wear the orange shirt or the black shirt), most decisions we make every day have no moral implications. Because we want to please God, we often go seeking His directional will in those decisions as well. We wait for a voice to tell us what to do, look for open doors, and lay out proverbial fleeces for God (If she calls tonight I'll know you want me to date her).

DeYoung points out, I think rightly, that God is not a fortune teller or consultant. He has given us a brain for a reason and promises to give us wisdom when we ask (James 1:5). In non-moral decisions we should pray diligently for wisdom, seek wise counsel, seek to honor God in our decision, and make the decision we want to make. God doesn't want us to know the future in every situation; He wants us to move forward with confidence while trusting Him. When we delight ourselves in the Lord, He works through our desires to honor Himself (Psalm 37:4).

"Just Do Something" is a great book. I bought several copies for decision-makers in our church, and think I may start giving it as a graduation present as well.

Performance-Based Me

I had a breakfast with a guy this morning that I've been looking forward to for a while now. He and his wife have become some of our really good friends, and have a kiddo who is a few months younger than Casen. He and I are going to start going through some mentoring/discipleship material I've been going through with several guys, and I've been excited about it. He and I come from two very different backgrounds and I think we will really be able to help each other stretch and grow.

This morning, though, I felt like I was really scattered. I've got a lot going on right now and haven't been sleeping well. Add that to the fact that we met at 6am, and you understand that my mind felt like oatmeal with raisins and brown sugar. He had some really great questions that I could have answered so much more articulately than I did. Instead I handled them about as awkwardly as a drunk blind nun trying to hit a curve ball.

It's easy for opportunities like that to get me down. I put pressure on myself that says if I'm not at my best, God can't work. If I don't "perform" well, God can't use me.

I have a routine on days that start like today: When performance-based me shows up, I sit down and re-read 1 Corinthians 4 and 2 Corinthians 4.

God doesn't need me to perform in order for Him to work. God is not sitting in heaven wringing His hands over my incoherent rambling this morning. He lets me be faithful (1 Corinthians 4:2), and uses my fragile intellect, emotions, words, and answers to demonstrate that the "power is of God, and not from us" (2 Corinthians 4:7). God will judge success according to a more vast timetable than my limited view, so I don't need to beat myself up for it before the time (1 Corinthians 4:5). I just keep on being as faithful as I can be, and trust in a sovereign, all-powerful God who can make sense out of botched opportunities.

Jon and Kate

Kari and I haven't ever watched "Jon and Kate Plus Eight" but last night as I was forcing my wife to watch college baseball, I started seeing all my friends' facebook statuses talking about the show. We flipped over to the show and watched about 3/4 of the episode yesterday evening - enough that I didn't sleep most of the night.

I don't know why it bothered me so much. As a pastor, I have conversations with couples on a way-too-regular basis who are contemplating divorce. But to hear a couple sit on national television and justify their selfishness so boldly while eight beautiful children played in the background really messed me up.

It is not "best for your children" to leave their mother unless there is some kind of abuse involved. Period. The fact that Mom and Dad are fighting does not mean you have to get divorced for the sake of your children; it means you need to suck it up and figure out how to get along like adults.

Instead of doing what's best for their kids, Jon and Kate are showing their eight children that you don't have to solve disagreements - you just have to walk away. You don't have to keep your promises to people - just walk away when they're too hard to keep. They are teaching their kids that "Mom" and "Dad" are titles, not roles, and that love is a feeling, not a commitment.

Jon and Kate are making a selfish, egocentric, immature decision that seems best for them in the moment. But in doing so they are demonstrating a model of marriage that will negatively impact eight children for the rest of those kids' lives. My heart breaks for their marriage, and for those sweet innocent lives that will carry baggage they didn't choose for the rest of their lives.

Different/Same

Sometimes I am a little slow on the uptake. I'm just now getting around to listening to some of the sermons from the Resurgence Conference 2006. Actually, in 2006 that conference wasn't even on my radar. But one of my friends recently sent me a link to a couple of messages from that year and I listened to one while I mowed the yard yesterday.

The message was titled "Being the Church in Our Culture," by Tim Keller. If you've got an hour in the car or at the gym, it's absolutely worth a listen.

Among other things, Keller talks about how the challenge of the Christian life is to be radically different from the world while being radically the same.

The idea he comes up with is this: people need to be able to look at our lives and picture how they might look if they were Christians. If we don't inhabit the same world, think about the same things or fight some of the same battles as unbelievers, our witness is lost. On the other hand, if our lives are not radically different from theirs, they have no perceived need to turn to Christ.

Keller bases his sermon on an eschatology (theology of where everything is headed in the future) which is different from mine, but you can get to the same conclusions from a different starting point. I really love the things he says in this message and think it's worth checking out.

Safety

We're sending out two mission teams of young adults from McKinney today. One team is going to Florence, Italy to conduct a Vacation Bible School alongside a church plant there. The other team is going to Zambia to do a Vacation Bible School with an AIDS orphanage as well as some medical work alongside a hospital there. Join me in praying for both teams over the next 10 days.

I recently read something that has changed the way I am praying for these teams. I'll review "Just Do Something" at some point in the future, but Kevin DeYoung has quickly become one of my favorite new authors. In his book he writes, "... most of our prayers fall into one of two categories. Either we ask that everything will be fine or we ask to know that everything will be fine. We pray for health, travel, jobs - and we should pray for these things. But a lot of prayers boil down to, "God, don't let anything unpleasant happen to anyone. Make the world nice for everyone..."

DeYoung goes on to show that those are cowardly prayers. God's will for our life is not for us to be safe - it's that we are available to be used, trusting Him with the outcome. Such a realization sets us up to take wise risks.

Pray for teams Italy and Zambia teams. Pray for their safety and for provision, but ultimately, pray that God will use them.

Free or Costly?

Random thought today:

I think the perception that people like free stuff is a false perception.

People equate cost with value. If something is free, many people perceive it as having little value.

My experience is that people want expensive things... they just don't want to have to pay for them.

Case in point: A few weeks ago we gave away some CDs from SEARCH Ministries called "The Search for Meaning." They're great CDs answering 12 apologetic questions that stand in the way of a person trusting Christ. We offered them "free" to a couple of thousand people and gave away less than fifty.

Instead of offering them "free," if we had made an announcement that a generous donor had paid for these CDs so that each person in the auditorium could have a copy of this CD, I guarantee we would have given away 500.

People don't want free things. They want costly things that don't cost them anything.

Providing and Caring

Last week, our staff spent some time at Union Gospel Mission here in Fort Worth. From time to time we take staff field trips to local ministry organizations with whom we partner. It helps us stay connected with them, encourages them, and gives us good ideas of new ways to partner with each organization.

Something that hit me during our time at UGM: There is a difference between providing for people and caring for people. Providing is product-oriented. Caring is people-oriented.

Many parachurch organizations and churches are providers of goods and services. Sometimes those products are tangible (food, diapers, clothes), and sometimes they are intangible (marriage help, parenting advice, Bible knowledge). We come up with programs and products to offer the people we serve. They partake of the product and come back when they "run out."

A caring organization makes the starting point the people. It doesn't stop providing once the initial felt need is met but continues searching for ways to serve and love people beyond even what they realize they need.

Many homeless shelters are providers. Union Gospel Mission cares for the homeless. Here's an example: Most homeless shelters provide a hot meal and place to sleep for the homeless; a significant thing. But when a homeless person comes to Union Gospel Mission for the night they are given clean scrubs to wear and their street clothes are checked. While they sleep, their clothes are laundered and folded s0 that they leave the next morning wearing clean clothes.

Union Gospel Mission has taken the step beyond just providing; they're caring for people. By making people the starting point moving beyond just the felt need, Union Gospel Mission is seeing amazing fruit in sharing the Gospel.

Why? They're living it out. Jesus' death and resurrection was not just provision. He saw and met a need we hadn't even begun to think of yet (Romans 5:8).

Prodigal

I mentioned last week that I taught Luke 15:25-32 as a part of our 4-week Eikon worship time. When we think about the story of the "Prodigal Son," we normally think the moral of the story is, "Don't be bad; but if you are, God will take you back."

Today, there is a trend of churches who are focused on people like the younger son. Most of the newer books I read, blogs I read, and "cutting edge" churches I follow are seeking the wayward son. Their mission statements talk about turning "irreligious people into passionate followers of Christ."

Many of those churches, pastors, and books are making a significant contribution to the Church as a whole. They stretch our categories and force us to think more clearly about what is really important. But they aren't complete. They only address one of the brothers.

I'm increasingly convinced that we need more churches devoted to turning "religious people into passionate followers of Christ."

Fort Worth, Texas is not known for its party scene. This isn't the place prodigal high schoolers line up to visit on Spring Break. By and large, Fort Worth is a place full of socially conservative, moral, middle-class, religious, lost people who show up to church every Sunday. Most of my conversations are not with people who have knowingly squandered everything they had on a licentious lifestyle; they are with people who have a robust 401k, responsible job, good looking family, and no relationship with Christ. I have to convince people they're separated from the Father before they can ever be found - you can't be found if you don't know you're lost.

It's important to provide a place for younger brothers out there, but also important to remember that the Father cares for both of his sons.

Green

Over the past year or so, the elders at McKinney Church have been thinking a bit more intentionally from an environmentally friendly standpoint about some of the products we use throughout the week. About a year ago we began switching out a majority of the lights to a lower wattage bulb. Somewhere around 90 percent of the cleaning chemicals we use are currently "green." Last month we switched to a line of restroom soap that is certified "green." And at their last meeting our elders decided to begin purchasing compostable table goods which will mean doing away with our Styrofoam coffee cups for Sundays.

I've done some reading about the "Global Warming" crisis and personally think it's a bunch of malarkey. But I still think it's a really important decision for our church to make for two reasons:

First, many people, especially those in my age demographic are absolutely convinced that our poor habits are affecting the climate of the earth. Those people come into our church, see us as a part of the problem and walk back out the door. We've put a potential stumbling block between them and Christ, and Styrofoam cups are not worth that. Read Romans 14:20 and substitute the words "Styrofoam cups" for "meat," and you get the picture.

Second, the fact that I believe man-made climate change is a myth does not give us the prerogative to be irresponsible. We are stewards of Creation. If we know (and we do) that certain chemicals and products are pollutants, and we have the ability to make more environmentally friendly choices while staying financially responsible, why would we not? Going "green" doesn't mean buying the whole environmental agenda lock, stock, and barrel. Sometimes it just means being responsible.

Uggh Part 2

Yesterday I referenced Geoff Surratt's open letter to pastors regarding the temptation of sexual sin. I know way too many guys personally who have fallen in this area, and am absolutely determined not to be one of them. While I have a keen sense that the heart (including my own) is deceitful above all things and desperately sick (Jeremiah 17:9), I feel confident you'll never read my name in the newspaper so long as I continue the following practices:

1. I am never alone in a privately with a woman who is not my wife. Not in a car, not in a house, not in an apartment, not at a park or a hotel or any other place where people are not around. Never after hours at the church office. Never before hours at the church office. If you keep this rule alone, you're in good shape. Most people don't have sex in public places, especially with people who aren't their spouse.

2. I am never alone in public with a woman who is not my wife. I don't have lunch appointments with women alone. That's stupid. I don't run errands with a woman who is not my wife. Forget the temptation; I don't need the perception.

3. I over-communicate any perceived exceptions with my spouse and boss. Don't get me wrong, there are no exceptions to the above rules. However, twice in my ministry I have shown up early for appointments with multiple women to find that all but one were running late. In both cases, I put my stuff down, excused myself from the table, walked outside and called my wife and boss to let them know the situation. I don't have to have an affair to ruin my marriage and ministry; I just have to be accused of having an affair to chisel away at the trust of my wife and boss. They need to know about any perceived exceptions to the above so that they don't ever have to worry.

4. Someone knows where I am at all times. I never "sneak away" during the day. My administrative assistant, or someone at the office always knows where I am going and with whom. Though I may simply announce "I'm off to lunch" to most people, at least one person in the office always knows where I am going and with whom. If I am working somewhere other than my office, someone knows. Yeah, it's a pain. But it doesn't touch the pain Gary Lamb's family is feeling right now.

5. I have tough friends. I don't ever get offended by people asking me if I am being faithful to my wife. I don't ever get offended by friends who ask me the tough questions about what I'm thinking or doing. I've got a couple of friends both inside and outside my church who know me well enough to know when I'm lying, and don't shy away from the tough questions. If you don't have friends who know you well enough to know when you are lying, you need to find those people and teach them how to tell when you aren't being honest. Poker players say "everyone has a tell." You do too, and you need friends who can spot it.

Again, don't get me wrong. I'm a guy, and I'm susceptible to temptation. I'm not immune. But I also love my wife. More importantly, I love Jesus and don't want to do anything that would cause people to think I can't be trusted in anything including what I've said about Him. The above 5 steps haven't made me invincible; they've just put enough guard rails up to keep me from "falling" into sin. If I go there, I'm going to have to walk there willingly or jump; I've tried to make it impossible to "fall."

Uggh

Sunday was a really special day at McKinney Church. I'll post more about it at some point in the future, but we had a surprise celebration for our senior pastor and his family who are celebrating their 25th year of ministry at McKinney.

Part of the surprise was that Jon Sherman, a former McKinney staffer and current senior pastor of Trinity Bible Church in Willow Park, TX continued our sermon in Nehemiah 3 instead of me. He did a phenomenal job of preaching from the Scriptures while honoring Ken.

Sherman illustrated one of his points about integrity by recalling a conversation he had with an older lady at McKinney many years ago. She said, "One of the things I love most about our pastor is that I have never once had to worry that I would open the newspaper and see his picture on the front page."

I'm not sure I can think of a better compliment for a pastor.

This morning Geoff Surratt has an open letter to pastors posted on his blog. This past Sunday a fairly popular pastor in the blogging world resigned from his church because of an inappropriate relationship with his administrative assistant. Gary Lamb was the pastor of Revolution Church in Canton, GA.

Obviously we should be in prayer for the Lamb family and for the family of the administrative assistant he names in his letter of resignation. And we should be on our guard lest we think we stand and fall (1 Corinthians 10:12). But dang it, if you're in a position of spiritual leadership and are not following Geoff's advice you are a fool.

I read back through Gary's blog entries over the past 6 weeks of his affair just to see if there were any clues. The duplicitous life it reveals made me nauseous. He brags on his wife, brags on his administrative assistant, and talks about his kids. How could he?

Pastors, the stakes are too high for a moment of indiscretion. The task is too great for a even a second of lost focus. And the future is too bright to risk it on a few minutes of pleasure. Nothing is worth that. You need to take steps in your life to make it virtually impossible for you to go down that road. Geoff has some great advice. I'll try to elaborate on a couple of steps I think are important tomorrow.

Meanwhile, what steps have you taken to make sure this doesn't happen to you? What have you noticed your pastor doing to protect himself in this area?

The Prodigal God

I've been on something of a dry spell recently as far as great books are concerned. I've read a couple of decent books and several bad books but haven't read many great books worth writing about.

Last week I got the opportunity to teach the Young Singles at our church on Luke 15:25-32. As a part of my study I read "The Prodigal God" by Tim Keller.

Keller is the pastor of Redeemer Presbyterian Church in New York City, and seems to be something of a mentor to the New Reformed Movement of younger pastors. I've only recently become acquainted with him, but love virtually everything I've heard and read.

The Prodigal God is an exposition of Jesus' parable in Luke 15:11-32. I grew up thinking of this parable as the parable of the "Prodigal Son," in which a son goes out, squanders his inheritance, eats with the pigs, comes to his senses, and is embraced by a loving father. The moral of the story was always "don't be bad, but if you are, God is willing to take you back with open arms."

Keller points out that the story is actually about two sons. The older son is as separated from the father - as lost as the younger son even though the older son never left home. We just don't think about the older son because most of us resemble him too closely.

This book will take you an afternoon to read, and it will be the best afternoon of your week. Pick it up, and then comment after you've read it to let me know what you thought.

Studies and Devotion

If I really wanted to develop a "readership" of this blog, I would spend time thinking through a specific audience and only write entries that applied to that specific group of people. But because I don't care a great deal who (if anyone) reads my blog I tend to write about whatever is on my mind - and from time to time what I write won't appeal or apply to you. For those of you who aren't seminary students or pastors, today is going to be one of those days. 

Sorry. 

I had a conversation a couple of weeks ago with a friend's son who is going to Dallas Seminary this fall. He asked some advice about professors and classes and had some general questions about seminary life. One of the questions he asked is one that relates to advice I hear from pastors and professors all the time. He asked, "How do you keep your 'quiet time' separate from your studies?"

Lots of people advise pastors and seminary students to have a time of personal devotion which is entirely separate from their Bible study time as it relates to a class or a sermon. 

I think that's a bunch of hooey. 

I'll go a step further: I think it's extremely dangerous advice. 

If you treat your sermon study or seminary study as an academic exercise which is separate from your worship and devotional life, you are treading dangerous ground. In fact, a lot of pastors and seminary students lose their faith at some point in their studies or ministries because they forget that God is a God who should be worshiped, not just studied. If we ever approach Scripture without a heart of worship and devotion or without a desire toward obedience, we miss the point of Scripture altogether.

All Bible study should draw us closer to God. It should all be an act of devotion and worship whether you are reading it for the sheer enjoyment of being with God or to better understand a specific branch of theological thought. 

If pastors and seminary students want to set apart a time of reading Scripture for personal enjoyment apart from the need presented by an upcoming paper deadline or Sunday morning sermon, so be it. But let that be in addition to the time of personal devotion they enjoy while writing the paper or sermon. Academics and worship should never be separated. 

Book Review: Leadership and Self-Deception

Leadership and Self-Deception is written by The Arbinger Institute, a group of scholars and philosophers that are working to bring positive change to the ways leaders lead. This book is written like a fictional story about a man named Tom who starts work at a new organization. Part of the training ritual at the new company includes a day-long meeting with the executive vice-president where the vice-president explains some of the things that make the company distinctive, and helps the new employee discover things within himself which might be holding him back as a leader.

The thesis of "Leadership and Self-Deception" is that all leaders are held back from leading well in their families, workplaces and in other arenas by self-deception. Self-deception begins when the leader behaves in a way contrary to what he feels he should do for another person. That act of self-betrayal begins a cycle that skews the leader's perspective in such a way that justifies his self-betrayal to the point that he needs others to under-perform so that his feelings of self-betrayal can be justified. In that way, we live life in a box of self-deception that severely limits our capacity to lead.

The powerful thing about self-deception is that it does not limit itself to the workplace. Self-deceived leaders in the workplace are self-deceived with their spouses and children, and vice-versa. In fact, sometimes our distortions of reality become so commonplace for us we have a hard time recognizing reality anymore. Since people always know how you truly feel about them, self-deception can absolutely crater a leader's ability to lead people.

"Leadership and Self-Deception" is profound. It is an easy read that teaches a hard lesson. Yet I'm not sure I remember ever reading a leadership book with the capacity to make me a better leader to the degree of this book. If you are a leader in your business, church, home, or in another organization, this book needs to be on your "Must Read" list.

Music or Preaching?

I'm currently reading Al Mohler's new book on preaching called "He is Not Silent." I'll do a review later on, because I think I am going to really like the book. Dr. Mohler is the President of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, KY. I have followed his blog for a while and respect him a great deal, but want to push back on something he says early in the book. 

Here is Dr. Mohler's quote, talking about authentic worship within the Church: "Music is one of God's most precious gifts to His people, and it is a language by which we may worship God in spirit and in truth... But music is not the central act of Christian worship - nor is evangelism, nor even the ordinances. The heart of Christian worship is the authentic preaching of the Word of God."  

Dr. Mohler is reacting to the millions of dollars which are spent on music ministries within churches. He laments the fact that music now provides the energy and excitement in worship services, and insinuates that the American Church has over-valued worship music over and against the preaching of the word. 

I absolutely agree with Dr. Mohler that many churches have lopsided priorities when it comes to their worship services. I whole-heartedly agree that many churches have music ministries and philosophies of worship which distract from the Gospel. But the problem is not that people have over-valued worship music; it is that we have under-valued it and set it against preaching. 

When we see music as the warm up act to the preacher, we distort its value as much as we do when we depend on music for all the energy and excitement in the worship service. Paul holds up music as a part of the teaching ministry of the church (Colossians 3:16-18). It should not be set against preaching, it should go hand-in-hand. Both are vital.

If music is simply a way to connect with God in our worship services or the opening act for the preacher, we miss its power. We also grease the slippery slope into songs which are written and/or chosen for reasons other than their theology and glorification of Christ.  

The teaching of the Word of God is the heart of Christian worship. Preaching and music (as well as the ordinances) fall under that umbrella as avenues through which the Word of God can be taught and applied in the lives of Christ-centered people. 

Unknown Places

One of the hats a leader wears is the hat of "trailblazer." Leaders take people to places those people have not been; we do not need a leader to take us someplace we have been before.  Often the leader himself has not been down a path before. He may have traveled a similar path to the same destination with a different group of people, but each trip is different. Every time the leader leads he is cutting a new path.  

When you travel through uncharted territory, there are no road signs. Highways and bridges are not built in places no one has visited. Unanticipated obstacles and terrain should be expected but cannot be known. The only thing the leader can know with certainty about the journey is the people who are going, and most importantly, the leader himself. 

A leader who does not intimately know the people she is leading cannot know the tendencies, gifts, or baggage that might help or hinder the journey. A leader who does not clearly understand the same things about herself will be dangerous to her team because. 

It is a temptation for strategic leaders especially to get wrapped up in the details of the destination, many of which cannot be known. You can know more about yourself and your people than you can the specifics of your journey, so make sure you invest in them as well. 

What gifts and talents do you possess which will help your team as you blaze a path? What liabilities do you need to recognize within yourself so you can protect your team from you? How have you as a leader gone about investing in the people you lead?

Worth It

Kari and I spent Tuesday and Wednesday in Colorado Springs to watch one of the students from our youth ministry graduate from the United States Air Force Academy. If you have never experienced a military academy graduation, it is a pretty cool experience. The military band plays, the cadets march into the stadium with perfect precision, and at the end of the ceremony at the very second the emcee says "you are dismissed," the graduating class hurls their caps in the air as the Thunderbirds buzz the stadium at about 200 feet. It was an awe inspiring event. 

Both Tuesday and Wednesday, through all the pomp and circumstance, I found myself a little jealous of Ben. He's graduating near the top of his class and headed to Shepherd Air Force Base to fly jets. He will forever be known as an "Academy Graduate," which is a distinction very few people are fortunate enough (and smart enough) to have. And there was a part deep inside of me that wished I had gone to the Air Force Academy; that I was flying jets and being heralded as one of the "future leaders of our great nation." 

Then I remembered the letters. 

Somewhere I still have letters Ben sent me his first year at the USAFA. They would arrive with tear stains on them, begging anyone who would read the letter to pick him up and take him home. He was exhausted, demoralized, emotionally ragged, and would have quit in a heartbeat if someone would have driven the 700 miles to get him. 

When we see the pomp and circumstance, it's easy to wish it was us being celebrated. But when we count the cost, we tend to be glad it was someone else.  

I asked Ben yesterday if it was all worth it, and he didn't even bat an eye. He would do it again in a heartbeat in order to experience what he got to experience this week and for the rest of his life. 

The prize was in accordance with the cost. 

I won't ever graduate from a prestigious military academy (I am a proud graduate of the "Princeton of the Plains"). I won't ever fly jets for a living. The Vice President of the United States won't ever laud me as the future of this great country. 

I'm anticipating something greater. 

Some days I'm exhausted, tired, sleep-deprived, and would quit if only someone would come pick me up. I've written some tear-stained letters myself. But I'm confident the prize will be worth the cost (1 Corinthians 9:24-25; Hebrews 12:11). 

Encouragement - Part 2

Yesterday I mentioned my view that encouragement is one of the most powerful tools in the leader's toolbox. In fact, the power of encouragement can cause some leaders to pervert it and use it as a manipulation tactic. When this happens,  it causes people to become cynical and suspect of any encouragement which actually discourages them.

In order for your encouragement to be as well-received as you intend it, it should have at least three characteristics: 

First it has to be specific. Nobody likes receiving the thank you note for a gift that simply says "Thanks for the gift. I enjoyed it a lot." Similarly, encouragement from a leader needs to be specific. Tell a person exactly what it is that you noticed, and what it was about that thing that was so significant to you. 

Second, encouragement should be spontaneous. It is one thing to send a thank you note after someone does something nice for you. Those notes are the obligation of a leader, and aren't extraordinarily encouraging. Encouragement that gets mileage is encouragement out of the blue, when someone doesn't realize you noticed or doesn't feel like their actions necessarily deserve a thank you note. 

Finally, encouragement has to be sincere. As important as it is, it should not come out of duty. This is tricky, but vital. If you lead off staff meeting "encouraging" someone, but everyone knows you don't mean it, you aren't helping anyone. People know how you really feel about them, and can generally sense your sincerety (or lack thereof) regardless of what form your encouragement takes. 

Anything you would add to the list? What was the most encouraging thing a leader ever did for you? 

Encouragement

Encouragement doesn't come naturally for me. In fact, I don't know many people who are "natural" encouragers; we tend to all be so wrapped up in our own stuff we miss the "stuff" of others. But, I'm convinced that being an encourager is one of the most important traits in a leader. It's one thing to cast a vision - another thing to notice and appreciate the things others do towards that vision. 

A hand-written note goes further than almost anything else I know of when it comes to encouraging others or saying "thanks." I try to write a note or two every day just to keep me in the habit. 

With that said, a quick email goes further than a forgotten hand-written note. If someone in your organization does something worth recognizing, sit down and write them a note immediately. If you can't write them a note immediately, fire off an email. If you're away from the computer, send a text message. It is too important a task to risk forgetting. 

Happy Memorial Day

We have a lot to be thankful for.

Hero - Becoming the Man She Desires

Waterbrook Press sent me "Hero, Becoming the Man She Desires" by Fred and Jasen Stoeker a few weeks ago to review. It's a book written with a younger audience in mind, and has good solid advice for what a true hero looks like. You may not agree with the intricasies of every point (Kari and I kissed before our wedding day, and don't regret that), but it is a great book challenging young men to lead in the area of sexual purity.

The book is not dumbed down like a lot of student material. In fact, in a couple of places the book may soar over a younger high schooler's head. However, it is a book worth reading.


One of the unique things about "Hero" is that it is written by a father and son. The father's struggle with pornography was well covered in his best-selling book "Every Man's Battle," and a portion of the book is dedicated to talking about how he steered his son clear of the addiction. It also talks about the father's secret fears and doubts about encouraging his son toward purity as the son neared college without finding a bride.


This isn't the book to gift-wrap and hand to your son for Christmas. This is the book for a father to buy his son and read with him. Meet on a regular basis and have honest heart conversations about the stuff the book covers. What should he expect as a young man? How should he deal with temptation? What lies should he be on the lookout to avoid? How can he think appropriately about women and sex - not devaluing or obsessing over either? Read this book with him while he is young. Talk about it as honestly as you can. Sure it may be awkward, but his future wife will thank you.

Singles

Yesterday I read something really helpful by Wayne Cordiero (HT: Ben Arment). Cordiero encouraged pastors to strive for the consistent base hit rather than the home run. No preacher, regardless of how gifted he is, can truly knock it out of the park every time he's up to bat. In fact in baseball, the higher your home run total the higher your strikeout average.

As a "Teaching Pastor" I get to preach about once a month. A lot of times I feel a strong (self-imposed) pressure to hit a home run every time I preach. If I don't "go long" this week, I have to think about it for a whole month. The problem is: that isn't sustainable. 

Cordiero has a much better way to think about preaching. Both singles and home runs move people around the bases. Strikeouts and pop-ups do not. Try too hard, and you will leave more people on base than you want. Hit consistent singles and doubles and you will feel less pressure, strike out less, and score more runs. 

Know the Judge

I meet with one of our non-staff church leaders once a week to talk through some discipleship materials. He's an attorney in the area who is the kind of guy I would want on my side if I was a business going into the courtroom. He is sharp as a tack. I'm learning more about thinking from him as he is learning about the Bible from me. 

The other day he made a passing comment that struck me for some reason. We were talking about a group he's representing in a smaller town, and he made the comment that he wouldn't go near the courtroom in the case for fear of losing the case for the business. Now, he's a successful attorney who has tried cases in significant courts. You would think he could ride into a small town courtroom and win the case without thinking much about it. But, he said he wouldn't touch it. Here's why: 

He said, "A good attorney knows the law. A great attorney knows the judge." 

There just has to be a good spiritual application there somewhere... (Acts 10:42-43)

Descent

Kari and I spent last Wednesday through Sunday participating in the LEAD program with Dallas Seminary. It is a four-day intensive Leadership Evaluation And Development (hence the name) program to help ministry leaders and their spouses be even more effective. 

I'm sure I'll unpack more of what we learned once I have had time to process it, but I can tell you it was a really great experience for both Kari and I. If you really want to serve your pastor or a mission partner in your church, talk your elders into forking over the $3500 to allow he and his wife to participate. Or, pay for it yourself. It is worth the investment. 

One of my "coaches" this past week articulated something extremely well that I want to pass along. George Hillman worked with Kari and I in the area of developing a "Life Dream." As we talked about leadership and the necessity of adding continued depth and character to our leadership, George said "What you really want to do is descend into greatness." 

Don't you love that image? 

The most majestic trees in the forest have the deepest roots. The most magnificent icebergs are even more majestic below the surface. And the greatest leaders are those who descend to get there. 

Most leadership books focus on characteristics and traits that are observable to others. Few focus on the traits and characteristics  which no one can see. But those are the ones that separate the influential leaders from the powerful leaders. Henri Nouwen says it this way: "The way of the Christian leader is not the way of upward mobility in which our world has invested so much, but the way of downward mobility ending on the cross" (In the Name of Jesus, 81-82). 

A descent into greatness; that's what I'm after. How about you? 

Bible Idol

Quick question this morning:

If you had to do without either the Bible or the Holy Spirit, which one could you not do without?

For many people in my tradition (the Bible Church tradition), the tendency is to say "The Bible" first without thinking about that. After all, we're not the "Holy Spirit Church tradition." But that answer - even a tendency towards that answer - is idolatry. The Bible is not divine - it is divinely inspired. The Bible is not God, it is the revelation of God. It is not indwelling, it is something to be hidden in our hearts. The Holy Spirit, is Divine, is God, and resides within us.

The second question this morning is, "Why do you think evangelical Christians tend towards idolatry in this area?"

Systems Check

One of the important tasks of a leader is the creation and maintenance of various systems and processes that help make sure things get done in as efficient and productive way possible. Organizations have systems for almost everything, even if those systems are not clearly defined. 

The church is no different. We have systems for discipleship, mission, evangelism, teaching, stewardship, worship, and service. We also have internal systems for our staff: organizational charts, job descriptions, and communications processes are all systems designed to help our staff function as efficiently and clearly as possible. 

Often, systems become complex and convoluted to the point that they're cumbersome and more trouble than they're worth. Leaders have to always be at work refining and re-evaluating systems and processes to make sure they aren't counterproductive. The easiest way to evaluate a system is to look at the primary leader's own response to a system. If he or she is working around the process, it probably isn't a good system. I'll give you an example: 

We are currently in the middle of re-evaluating our process for making communications requests (videos, bulletin announcements, artwork, etc...). We had a system in place that most people were working within. But it was a complex system that involved getting a rubber stamp by two or three people and working your way through several different lines of authority before a request could be processed. There were many benefits to the system, but I began to realize that I (and a couple of other key leaders) were regularly skipping the system and going directly to our communication department for our requests because the other process took too long. 

It was a bad system. Other people were working within it because we told them to and we sign their paycheck. However, if the system doesn't work for the key leaders, why would we think it would work for anyone else? 

If the system is too cumbersome for you to work within, it is too cumbersome for the people who work under you. Simplify your system, and your efficiency will go through the roof. 

Placebo Effect

I heard a great sermon by Tim Keller this past weekend as I was driving to Lake Texoma to do some fishing with a few buddies. The message was titled "Who is this Jesus?" and was originally preached on May 1, 1994. 

One of the things Keller addressed that I think is important has to do with the way we prove the validity of Jesus. He says that our defense validity of the Christian faith must demonstrate that it is both "intellectually credible and existentially satisfying." That is, it has to be True and it has to be relevant.

Modern society has a tendency to look at the second half - the relevant piece - before we examine the rational piece. For many of us, the sole proof we offer that Jesus is real comes from our experience: "Jesus changed my life." Pastors work hard to make sure their churches are full of people who live visibly different lives because "the most powerful evidence of the proof of Christianity is men and women whose lives are changed by the Gospel." I've preached that. 

Here's the problem: The Placebo Effect. 

If I'm dying of a terrible disease and take some "medicine" that I sincerely believe will make me better, some of my symptoms will go away. I will feel better, even if the "medicine" I take is not medicine designed to treat my disease at all. I change externally, leading others (and myself) to believe I am better even though the medicine has had no lasting effect at all. 

Every religion - even the most bizarre religion you can dream up - has adherents who can say "My life has meaning, I have true joy and peace that I never experienced before. It works for me." 

The thing that sets Christianity apart is not just that it works, it is that Christianity is True. It is intellectually credible and it changes lives because it is True. We have to point to both. 

Not Here To Win

One of the truly great things about McKinney is our current group of elders. We have a group of guys who "get" ministry and who exercise extraordinary wisdom as they lead our church. This morning I had breakfast with one of those guys who has been an Elder for 26 years and is still excited about what God is doing at McKinney. He has seen a lot change over the past 30 years, good and bad, but still gets fired up about seeing people trust Christ and engage in ministry. 

He made one comment in passing that stuck out to me, and was worth recording here because I think it is one of the things that sets McKinney apart as a unique church: 

"Chris," he said, "We aren't here to win. We're here to serve in such a way that Jesus wins." 

He's right. 

It sounds simple, but it isn't. We love to be winners. We love to receive credit. We love to be the best. But we're not called to be the best.  We're called to be servants who do everything we do to point to the Best. 

We're just working hard to be the best at that.

Heart Thinking

In Biblical times, the heart was spoken of as the processing center of the body. A man would "think" in his heart (Genesis 6:5; Proverbs 23:7; Luke 5:22), connect with God in His heart (Genesis 24:45; Deuteronomy 4:29), love a woman with his heart (Genesis 34:3), remember with his heart (Deuteronomy 4:9), and feel emotion in your heart (1 Samuel 4:13; 28:5; 2 Samuel 6:16; Luke 24:32; Acts 2:26; Acts 21:13)

A few hundred years ago as mankind gained more information about how the body functions, we made a distinction in our metaphors in order to be more precise. Now, we "think" with our heads, and "feel" with our hearts as if the two functions are radically different.

However, both science and life experience show that the Bible might have been onto something.

If you want to persuade people, you cannot just speak to their "heads;" nobody makes life-decisions based on facts and information alone. Neither can you just speak to a person's "heart;" people are way too rational for that.

Thinking and feeling are never divorced. Our most rational thoughts always contain an element of feeling, and our most impetuous decisions are connected to rational thought at some point down the line. If you want people to decide something, whether in a sermon, a sales pitch, or a discussion with your teenager, you will have to appeal to their head and their heart.

On Vacation!

Please don't forget: if you are in the Dallas/Fort Worth area and can at all swing it, this Sunday will be an extraordinary Sunday at McKinney Church. You really won't want to miss it. 

Shortly after the luncheon to follow the 10:30 service, Kari and I will hop in the car with Casen and drive to Hot Springs to meet our friends Drew and Dawn and Jason and Joy for a week of doing absolutely nothing, together. 

I'm going dark, and will be back sometime after our vacation and the Pastors Retreat on May 4th and 5th. 

See you then! 

Measurement

A couple of things about measurement left over from yesterday. 

As you measure spiritual growth as a church, I think you're best off if you measure corporately as opposed to individually. Jesus' stinging rebuke to the church at Laodicea (Revelation 3:14-16) did not indicate there was nobody who was either hot or cold, but that the church as a whole had lukewarm. When we attempt to measure our effectiveness as a church we have to think in terms of the group as a whole rather than looking at specific individuals. There will always be outliers on both sides of the equation. 

Secondly, our criteria has to be biblical. We ski down the slippery slope to legalism if we manufacture a test for maturity that is not prescribed by Scripture. If we measure how many of our people have a 30 minute quiet time every day we measure the wrong thing. The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control (Galatians 5:22-23). We have to flesh those out somehow, but need to leave enough room so as not to define "faithfulness," for example, too narrowly. 

Finally, we are measuring progress rather than static activities. I don't expect a person who is just growing in his faith to have completely mastered self-control, but I do expect him to have more self-control this year than he did last year. I don't expect my church to have arrived at goodness today, but I expect us  (as a whole) to be closer than we were yesterday.  

Measuring heart change is difficult because people are messy, and God does not complete a series of steps in the same order for each person when it comes to making us more like Him. It just doesn't work that way. 

How do you measure heart change?

I mentioned last week that our staff team did some brainstorming on how to measure heart change. We were realistic going in - many churches have attempted to measure their effectiveness, and to my knowledge nobody has stumbled on the magic bullet. 

In some senses, it is impossible to measure the heart because it is deceitful (Jeremiah 17:9) and only God truly knows it (Psalm 17:3; Acts 15:8). However, I'm convinced that there are ways we can measure our effectiveness. Paul knew the difference between a thriving church (Ephesians 1:15-16) and a dying church (Galatians 3:1; 1 Corinthians 4:21). So did Jesus (Revelation 3:7-13; Revelation 3:14-16). For them to evaluate various churches, there had to be some observable criteria. 

The danger is, observable criteria can almost always be replicated by religious people whose heart is not changed. 

Unbelievers have quiet times. Religious people show up to church, and small group, and Bible Study, and mission projects. An agnostic can pray, or give money. If we quantify our quantification too much, we run the risk of patting ourselves on the backs while we create religious people whose hearts are far from God. 

So I want to ask you the question we have been asking ourselves: Are there specific things we could measure in a person to see whether or not he or she is growing as a follower of Jesus Christ which could not be replicated by hypocrites.

I think I have an answer, but I'd like to hear yours first. What do you think? 

Small Things

Kari is out of town this week visiting her parents and dropping off the dog so the mutt doesn't have to stay at the vet's for several nights. We should all be as pampered as that dog...

Even so, her vacation gave me the opportunity to play golf yesterday evening with a buddy. Actually, after not having played in a month or so, I have played twice in the last four days.

Saturday, I played pretty well. Yesterday, not so much. 

While I was chasing balls all over the course, I had plenty of time to think about how golf is a great metaphor for life, ministry, and leadership in a lot of ways. The one most on my mind yesterday was the difference between greatness and desperation. 

The difference between a great golf shot and a terrible golf shot is about one centimeter, and a degree or two. If I hit the ball in the sweet spot of the club at the right angle, the ball goes where I want and I have a good day. If I miss by a centimeter or less, or leave the club face a degree or two too open, I have a day like I had yesterday. The problem is: I'm swinging the club at a pretty high rate of speed, and those details are hard to control.

Same thing in life, ministry and leadership. Life happens, ministry happens, and leadership happens at a high rate of speed; but the real difference between greatness and desperation is extraordinarily small. 

Choose a great leader. If you start looking for similarities between him/her and us, you'll find that at our core we have a lot in common. The difference is, most leaders do the small things exceptionally and consistently well.  

Faithfulness

Not long ago I read this great quote by Phillip Yancey about a documentary he watched on WWII:

"The soldiers recalled how they spent a particular day. One sat in a foxhole all day; once or twice, a German tank drove by, and he shot at it. Others played cards and frittered away the time. A few got involved in furious firefights. Mostly, the day passed like any other day for an infantryman on the front. Later they learned they had just participated in one of the largest, most decisive engagements of the war, the Battle of the Bulge. It did not feel decisive to any of them at the time, because none had the big picture of what was happening elsewhere.   

Great victories are won when ordinary people execute their assigned tasks - and a faithful person does not debate each day whether he or she is in the mood to follow the sergeant's orders or show up at a boring job. We exercise faith by responding to the task that lies before us, for we have control only over our actions in the present moment."

Gut Science

I just finished reading "Transformational Architecture" by Ron Martoia. I didn't love the book, but really loved this concept:

"Cultural historian Morris Berman has made a strong case that in eras gone by we had strong somatic knowledge; that is, our bodies registered when we sensed danger, had a "gut feeling," sensed that "something just wasn't right." These were types of knowing not associated with the mind but held in equally high regard in previous eras. He argues that our inability to pay attention to our quite literally, full-bodied knowledge transmitters has led us to being a culture that is impoverished and numb to the deep visceral wiring in our very design" (171).

Ignoring the evolutionary roots of Berman's point, I love that there is a science of the "gut."

So much of what I do as a young leader relies on "somatic knowledge." I think we move more toward rationalized thought as we get older and more mature in leadership because we are able to put a finger on the things that tipped off our gut initially, and evaluate our decisions in light of those circumstances.

Even still, the gut is an important tool. It is neat to know there is a science behind it.

Planning

Our ministry staff is heading out of town this morning to do some planning. When we do planning we stay on-site or go to someones house for a change of scenery, but we reserve our retreats for playtime. As a result, our "retreats" have been tremendously scaled back this year for perception reasons. Although our church is in a pretty good place financially thanks to some of the most generous people in Fort Worth, it just doesn't seem right to spend a bunch of money on pampering when everyone is tightening their belt. 

Although we've scaled back our retreats, we have ramped-up our planning. For months we have been working on the communication of our clear, common purpose as a church. We found that most people can get close to communicating what makes McKinney Church unique, but are working to help focus our communication in such a way that it makes it simple to communicate why we exist. 

Today, we will be drilling down into two huge topics: roll-out and metrics. How do we get the most momentum behind new verbage, and how do we measure our success? 

The last topic is the most tricky. It is extraordinarily difficult to measure spiritual growth and impact without becoming legalistic. People grow in different ways at different rates. Plus, some people do all the right things for all the wrong reasons while others do all the wrong things for all the right reasons. We recognize that God is more concerned with the heart, and want to be concerned about what God is concerned about. 

So today, we will try to answer the simple question: "How do you measure heart-change?" 

I can't wait. 

Leadership Models

If you have been a part of many churches (or corporations for that matter), you recognize pretty quickly that there are many different models for church leadership. I'm not even talking about church governance... I'm talking about church leadership. Churches have various ways of "getting things done," and most of them find at least some anecdotal support in Scripture. Here are some of the ones I think are most popular: 

The Hero Model:

There is a primary leader that everyone within the organization looks to. He is the gatekeeper for vision, direction, and change management. He is also the "face" of the organization. It works well when the Hero is a godly leader, but can be catastrophic when he falls, dies, or retires.  James seems to have been this kind of key leader in the Jerusalem Church (Acts 15:13-21). Moses was certainly this kind of leader, at least initially (Exodus 18). 

The Team Model: 

Two or more leaders share responsibility as the leader of the organization, something like Siamese twins. They lead together, and are seen as co-equals although they may serve different specific functions. Without one of them, the church/organization would lose its heartbeat. This works well as long as the team works in complete unity and humility, and as long as the leaders complement each other. However, errors in communication, challenges in perception, and confusion from subordinates can cause this leadership style to falter. Paul seems to have been involved in the Team Model a lot; with Barnabas (Acts 13-15), and Silas (Acts 16-17). 

Bottom-Up Leadership: 

The leadership is done by those involved in the organization at the bottom levels as much as the top levels. This is more than just servant leadership; it reflects a more congregational approach where everyone has a say in major decisions. This works best in small organizations where people are able to be intimately involved and are therefore able to make decisions with the big picture in mind. It fails when the vision leaks, or when the organization gets so big the "average" person is unable to know the big picture. Certainly the apostles worked this approach in the early days immediately following Christ's ascension into heaven (Acts 1:12-26).

Those are just three models, but they seem to be the most prevalent. Two questions: (1) Are you aware of others?  (2) Which do you feel is most effective in leading a church overall? They all have biblical precedent; which one is the most practical? Again, not in overall governance - that is a discussion for another day. Which model is best for managing the day-to-day operation and execution within an organization or church? 

What Happens When You Take a Friend to Church?

I hope you had a great Easter yesterday. We had a great day. The church service was meaningful. We didn't have any technical nightmares or anything that would distract from worship, and that's an overall win. We also got to spend Easter with my parents, which was neat. 

One of the most exciting things for me was that our neighbors came to church with us yesterday morning. They're a really cool couple, and we get along extraordinarily well. Kari and I have talked with them about spiritual things on multiple occasions, but it is still difficult to tell where they are when it comes to their faith. Kari and I have been praying for them for around a year, so it was neat to have them show up at church yesterday. 

If you haven't ever invited someone you care about to your church, you really ought to try it; especially if you are on staff at the church. As soon as someone you care about shows up, especially when that person is far from God, you gain a heightened sensitivity to everything that goes on. 

As a pastor (or regular attender), it is almost impossible to see things with the eyes of a guest. Inviting a neighbor lets you experience your church with brand new eyes. The positive things that you normally would take for granted (the clarity of the Gospel, the friendliness of the people, the clarity of instruction to guests) get contrasted with the negative things you have repressed without realizing it (awkward service transitions, bathroom cleanliness,  weird door greeters), and allows you to see things about your church in a new light. 

Because I'm a pastor, I don't get to experience this real frequently because the majority of my world is lived in the Christian bubble. There are things that I do to intentionally get out of that bubble, but by and large the bubble is a reality for me. However, I need to take advantage of that opportunity every chance I get, because it gives me a glimpse into what the people in the seats are feeling every week. After all, I encourage them to be bringing friends and neighbors on a regular basis, right? 

My experience yesterday morning has given me a fire in my belly to send off a couple of notes of encouragement to people who were friendly to my friends. It has also given me some renewed passion to shore up a couple of areas that need help. That's a good thing. 

Help?

I'm on my 5th iPhone, and even this iPhone isn't working properly. I'm having significant sync issues that the "Mac Genius" told me was a result of the fact that "Steve and Bill don't play well together." Great.

Even still, I love the technology. The thousands of apps available to the iPhone are wicked cool, and worth a little bit of trouble. I love the YouVersion Bible app from the guys at Lifechurch.tv, and some of the other apps that allow you to do find your car in a parking lot, recognize a song and artist on the radio, or watch the weather radar in real time. Pretty cool.

Here's the deal: I'm looking for a flashcard app that will allow me to enter text on my computer, sync it with my iPhone, and have flashcards  on my iPhone. I want to use it for Bible memory, so it would be equally cool if it interfaced with YouVersion or another Bible app to copy verses onto flashcards on my iPhone. 

There are a couple of flashcard apps, but they require you to type the text onto the flashcard from the iPhone's typing pad, and that takes way too long. 

Any computer nerds out there who could help me out? 

One of my life goals is to memorize at least one verse from every chapter of the Bible. There are 1189 chapters, so if I do a verse a week I'm looking at around 22 years total to reach the goal. I'm already a few years into it, but am tired of keeping flashcards laying around. Flashcards are made out of paper, and I'm in the middle of a paper purge. Plus, I think the convenience would help me do more than a verse per week. 

Keep your eyes open. If you find something that would work, or can write an app that would work, I would be forever grateful. 

Polish

Churches everywhere walk a fine line on Easter Sunday. We're realistic and know that a lot of the people present on Easter Sunday will not be back for a year. So the temptation is to pull out all the stops on Sunday morning. The music is popping, the sermon is extra polished, the welcome team is extra friendly, and our people are dressed in their very best. We work hard for the extra level of excellence on Easter Sunday, because down deep (be honest) we think if we are extra polished on Easter Sunday, those once-a-yearers might come back. 

Maybe that's why they don't come back. 

Easter is a great chance to put hypocrisy on display. When we're over-polished for the sake of impressing people, we reinforce the stereotypes that keep them away the rest of the year. Most once-a-yearers think Christians are falsies who act differently on Sunday than we do the rest of the year. And let's be honest: if their experience is based on Easter Sunday, can you blame them? 

Obviously, Easter Sunday is the most significant holiday in the Christian calendar. We should celebrate. Easter Sunday should be special. We just have to be careful that we don't become hypocrites in the process. 

No Regrets

We had a great discussion this morning in a group I'm a part of about regrets. 

In 1 Corinthians 15:9, Paul remembers the dark time in his life, which could have caused him to be paralyzed by guilt and regret for the life he had lived. The very next paragraph in Paul's letter to the Corinthians is with regard to the resurrection. 

Because of the resurrection, Paul realized, we are no longer identified by our sin (1 Corinthians 15:17; 15:20). We don't have to live with regret and guilt, because the cross of Jesus Christ has paid that penalty. When we trust Him as Savior, He removes our guilt. We can live with no regrets. 

The other piece to that great news is that God will not waste the years you wasted. Because of Paul's experience as a Pharisee persecuting the Church, he had the platform to talk to a group many of us would not have been able to reach (Philippians 3:1-11). 

Many of you have pain from your past. But because Jesus has risen from the dead, you can live without regret, and make yourself available to Him to be used so that your past is not wasted. God has a way of redeeming our mistakes in such a way that He receives the ultimate glory. People who have been divorced often make great marriage counselors, when they make themselves available to God. Recovering addicts who are available for God to use them make the best sponsors and friends to people struggling through addiction. People who have wasted entire periods of their life can step in and help others who are headed down a similar path in a way I may not be able to. 

Because of the resurrection God can (and will) redeem your past if you make yourself available to Him. 

While Shepherds Watch Their Flocks

For Christmas, my father-in-law gave me the book "While Shepherds Watch Their Flocks," by Timothy S. Laniak. His church staff was reading it and he thought it might be something I would enjoy.

The book is a 40 day devotional, so I was fairly sure I wouldn't enjoy it. I never have been one for the daily devotional guide, because I tend to lose interest in the book long before the book comes to an end. Just a part of my personality.

But, my father-in-law is a good guy so I started into the book, more than anything so he and I could talk about it when we get together. I started it as a daily devotional, but got so excited about it I just decided to finish it (I'm not much for delayed gratification).

I don't think I'm over-exaggerating when I say this may be the best book I read all year.

I loved it. Not as a daily devotional book, but as a straight up book. It was really, really good.

Dr. Laniak spent his sabbatical from Gordon Conwell Theological Seminary living with shepherds in the middle-east, and wrote this book about his observations. Written mostly for those in Christian leadership, the book contains principles gleaned from shepherds that will help pastors, CEOs, and Sunday School teachers see leadership through a different lens.

This book is the 21st century equivalent of Phillip Keller's masterpiece on Psalm 23, though in some ways I would say it is even better. It contains just the right amounts of observation and application to be both informative and practical. The book is broken into three main sections: Provision, Protection, and Guidance - the three primary roles of a shepherd.

Please buy this book for your pastor. If you are a pastor, buy a copy for your elders and key staff. They will find it insightful, encouraging, and immensely helpful to their ministries.

Whew

If you haven't had a chance to look at some of the questions we received via text message on Sunday, look at the Living Hope blog. 

The text message experience was a great one, but I learned a couple of lessons:

1. Always have a back-up plan. The text messaging software we were using is web-based, and their server crashed about an hour before our first service. It didn't come back up until around 20 minutes before the service began, but our AV guys weren't sitting in a corner sucking their thumb. We were prepared for that kind of thing. 

2. You have to have someone screening the questions that wants to see the pastor succeed. Some of the questions we had come in were off topic, and obvious attempts to bait the "answerer" into a booby trap. I screened Ken's questions to make sure they were on-topic and answerable, without shielding him from the hard questions (question #1 was on Limited vs. Unlimited atonement). Unfortunately, I'm on the hot seat this weekend, and Ken is out of town. I'm not sure I trust anyone I can't pay back...

3. Promising to answer "all" the questions on a blog is not a good idea. We did that this week and when all is said and done I will have spent nearly 30 hours just answering questions. When you put something in writing, it needs to be abundantly clear and referenced because you can't get it back. So, I put a ton of work into answering about fifty questions, and that was way too much - especially when I have other responsibilities... like preaching on Sunday. This next week, I'll only promise to answer "a few" of the questions we don't get to in the service. If people don't get an answer in the service or on the blog, they can call me. 

All in all, this has been a really great experience for our church and a great exercise for me. I found I'm fairly good at coming up with answers to these questions, but need more work on remembering chapters and verses. "Somewhere in the Bible it says..." is not a sufficient answer! 

April 26th

If you live in the Dallas/Fort Worth area, you need to be at McKinney Church in Fort Worth on April 26th. I'm not trying to steal you from your church - you don't ever have to come back to McKinney after the 26th if you are plugged-in somewhere else; but if you can swing it you need to be here on April 26th. Plan to be at one of the two morning services, and at a lunch that will be provided afterward.  

Here's the catch: you're just going to have to trust me. 

For security reasons, I can't publish who will be here, or why it is so important for you to be here. You just need to trust me, and make plans to show up. And no, this isn't an April Fools joke. 

Curious? See you the 26th.