When the going gets tough…

Are we willing to deal with adversity today? Are we willing to do what it takes to survive and even thrive in hard times? Have we become soft?

Is our natural response to hard times a why me or is it who better than me? When we deal with difficulties is our first response to wonder if God has abandoned us or to believe God is strengthening or shaping us?

“Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last; but we do it to get a crown that will last forever. Therefore I do not run like a man running aimlessly; I do not fight like a man beating the air. No, I beat my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize.” 1 Corinthians 9:25-27

I love what Paul has to say. He says I beat my body. That is serious stuff. He goes into training and training is hard.

What can we do about it?

First, ask yourself if you are soft. Our culture has conditioned us to believe it is supposed to be easy and comfortable.

Second, get angry. Yes, get mad. Get mad that you have let yourself go. Recently I realized I have put on a lot of extra weight. Without some anger at what I was doing to myself there was no way I was going to change. Too many people look at their spiritual life and recognize it isn’t right but just shrug their shoulders as if somehow it will just get stronger on its own.

Finally, set a goal and hold yourself accountable. With my weight I weigh myself every morning. I know that last nights cheese fries were not good. Because of that I have to be more diligent today. Spiritually it is no different. If I have lost my seriousness for the cause of Christ I need to think about that before I have traveled to far from God. I know of to many people who are far from who say they don’t know how they got there. It was a gradual thing.

How about you? Would someone compare your spiritual journey to an intense physical workout or would they say it was more like watching TV?

Michael Jackson

Okay, he died. It is sad but what does it tell you about our culture when every front page and every news outlet and everyone can only seem to talk about Michael Jackson.

He was an entertainer. He sang some great songs but if you ask some 12 to 14 year old boys they might have a different take on his value.

Is it any surprise that our culture is in free fall?

He sang songs, he moonwalked, no kidding he MOONwalked.

How many people live and die in anonymity selflessly serving others? When they die do we stop the presses? Splash them on the front page?

What a strange day.

Defiance with Daniel Craig

We watched Defiance last night. For me it was an excellent movie. I loved so much of what the story was saying.

One scene really caught me when the two brothers Tuvia played by Daniel Craig and Zus played by Liev Schreiber discuss the Jews who have come to the forest for their protection. Zus points out that without the war none of these people would ever show them respect or even care about them.

Much of the movie made the point that many things change because of war. The way they lived, what they expected, and how the worked together changed because the stakes were so high. Things that were valued before like being an accountant or writer didn’t seem as important in the time of war. It was the Bielski’s with their knowledge of the forest and how to live outdoors that they needed.

In another scene Tuvia hands some documents to one of those who is educated because he can’t read.

Paul says we are at war. In Ephesians 6:12 he tells believers that, “our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.”

We do battle, we wage war. At one point Tuvia becomes ill and some men attempt to take control of the camp. They are selfish men only concerned with themselves. Their behavior is going to bring everyone down.

What values do we cherish today in the church? What sacrifices would we be willing to make to ensure the unity of the camp?

How different would it be if we lived as if we were at war?

HELP!

The LORD says,
“I was ready to respond, but no one asked for help.
I was ready to be found, but no one was looking for me.
I said, ‘Here I am, here I am!’
to a nation that did not call on my name.
Isaiah 65:1

I was reading in Isaiah this past week and this passage ran up and grabbed me. I think I live too much of my life not asking God for help. I do things FOR God but not WITH God.

I just don’t think I ask for help very often and that is going to change.

Copycat

I have heard a lot about vision over the past eight years in full time ministry. Every book I read on leadership at some point says you have to have vision. I do believe you need a God ordained mission which should give you vision. I do believe you need Holy Spirit inspired guidance. In the end I beleive you must have a vision from God of what he wants you to be about.

What I wonder about is if vision is so important why does so much of what churches do seem like impersonation? Why does it seem that one church simply copies another church? What is visionary about that? What is God inspired or Holy Spirit led?

What drives such a copycat mentality? Recently I have ran across several churches with identical web sites. Because I know some of the background information I know that they are coping a successful and growing church.

I wish we had more vision in the church today. I think we settle for copying way to often. I worry that God has a mission that we miss because we are trying to keep up with the bigger church down the street. I worry that denominations attempt to copy other groups without any understanding if it is God’s will. What if their brand of conservative small fellowships is exactly what is needed in God’s kingdom?

I wish we had more vision in the church today because much of what I see looks like copying.

Final Thoughts on Narcissism

The book The Narcissism Epidemic finally gets to the area of religion in chapter 15. The authors recount that most religions, and especially the Christian faith in America, have worked to keep people from becoming narcissistic. They note that with the decline of church involvement came a rise in narcissism.

They also note that the teaching of many churches has shifted with this rise of self-adoration and narcissism. It now plays into this me focused world by focusing on the individual. Joel Osteen comes up a lot in this section of the book. With titles like Your Best Life Now and Become a Better You you can probably understand why.

In the end the author notes that many churches try to get you in by playing to a persons narcissistic feelings while then attempting to turn this into altruism and selflessness.

What are your thoughts on this? I have struggled with this because I don’t believe it is very effective. I think few people make the transition because it is never really required. I also have a problem with it because as the book notes, narcissism isn’t good for the person who is narcissistic and it isn’t healthy for those around them. Of course this makes sense because Jesus preached against narcissism. That fact always gives me pause as well.

Is the only way to reach the culture today a focus on self-adoration? Certainly God loves us but if people already assume everyone loves them will this come across as it should? “No da God loves me, what isn’t to love.”

When someone is broken telling them God loves them and forgives them is like giving them a cup of cold water in the middle of the desert. Telling someone who is self absorbed that God loves them is just adding fuel to the fire.

I will continue to struggle with this in ministry because I think the greatest gift we can give is to let people know the story isn’t about them and life is best lived for others.

What do you think? I am still wrestling with how to approach this.

One Prayer Starts Sunday

We join with nearly 2000 churches from around the world this weekend for One Prayer. It is a great opportunity to unite and encourage the church universal. It is a wonderful statement to the lost around us. We are not in competition.

Please pray that this will be a powerful weekend to remember.

Thinking About Self

How much time do you spend thinking about yourself? We live in a culture that encourages self thought. We also spend a lot of time thinking about our emotions. The belief seems to be that if we focus on them enough we can fix them enough or make them right so that we will enjoy life.

This attitude has invaded the church. People rate a church by how it makes them feel. They rate the experience by what it does for them and recommend it to others based on what it can do for them.

The Narcissism Epidemic takes aim at this false belief head on. Take a look at this quote.

“We believe that it would be better for everyone not to concentrate on self-feelings – positive or negative – quite so much. Instead, focus on life: your relationships with others, your work, or the beauty of the natural world. Think about the deepest joy you experience in life – it doesn’t typically come from thinking about how great you are. Instead it comes from connecting with the world and getting away from yourself, as when you enjoy time with friends, family, and children, are engaged at work, or do all-absorbing tasks such as art, writing, crafts, athletics, or helping others.”

What has the churches answer been to self absorption? Have we explained to people the truth that the writers of this book understand? Or have we pandered to this belief system by attempting to satisfy every self focused idea that comes along? Have we interviewed the self focused to learn what they want only to make the church an extension of their self focus instead of teaching them to focus on others and Christ?

I think you know my opinion on this. What is yours?

Narcissisism Again

“In many cases, the suggested cure for narcissistic behavior is “feeling good about yourself.” After all, the thinking goes, fourteen-year-old Megan wouldn’t post revealing pictures of herself on MySpace if she had higher self-esteem. So parents redouble their efforts, telling Megan she’s special, beautiful, and great. This is like suggesting that an obese person would feel much better if she just ate more doughnuts. Megan wants everyone to see just how beautiful and special she is, and it’s not because she thinks she is ugly – it’s because she thinks she’s hot and, perhaps more importantly, because she lives in a narcissistic society where she might garner praise, status, and “friends” by displaying blatant sexuality.”

Some great thoughts to chew on and challenges for the church today. In many ways I would say the current way we “do” church often reinforces this behavior. Thoughts?

More Narcissism and Numbers

“1 out of 4 college students agreed with the majority of the items on a standard measure for narcisstic traits.” from The Narcissism Epidemic

How should this impact the church? When we ask people what they want, what can we do for you, how can we help you, are we not simply feeding this habit?

Thoughts?