tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-76626673266881724002024-02-20T04:42:19.698-05:00tim's blogTimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06498113118599691994noreply@blogger.comBlogger384125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7662667326688172400.post-74009323809142715212010-08-09T08:55:00.003-05:002010-08-09T09:24:49.660-05:00Jesus stoodThere is only one time - that we can read about - when Jesus stood beside His Father's throne: when Stephen was stoned to death for his faith.<div><br /></div><div>Last week, 10 Christians were summarily executed in Afghanistan after spending several weeks in remote Afghan villages providing medical care to the people there...</div><div><br /></div><div>The Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack as international reaction ranged from disgust at the abject barbarism to anguish for these saints and their families.</div><div><br /></div><div>One of the members of the team was Tom Little, an optometrist from New York who has lived in Afghanistan for 30 years... he raised his family there, and has been providing free eye care and organizing medical missions since he moved there in the late 70s...</div><div><br /></div><div>As I think about these precious brothers and sisters who literally gave their life to serve others, I wonder if Jesus is standing now...</div><div><br /></div><div>May God grant peace and comfort to the family members left behind... and may the angels welcome these 10 new residents with a grand bash worthy of royalty!</div>Timhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06498113118599691994noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7662667326688172400.post-31734409635724059332010-07-20T08:41:00.002-05:002010-07-20T08:47:39.859-05:00San Franciscojust got back from a whirlwind tour of San Francisco! a B E A U tiful city!<div><br /></div><div>Truly enjoyed the culture, the people, the geography and the iconic landmarks... we walked across the Golden Gate, had a piece of Pizza in the Haight Ashbury district, took in a Giants game at AT&T (Candlestick) Park and saw the 'Full House' house! -even played in the park from the Full House opening credits! :-)</div><div><br /></div><div>First Day did a benefit concert for Agape Villages and led worship at Lake Merced Church of Christ... it was a really perfect weekend!</div><div><br /></div><div>Caitlin joined us for the trip.... and the only regret is that my other 3 girls couldn't be with me!</div><div><br /></div><div>blessed indeed!</div><div><br /></div><div>tm</div>Timhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06498113118599691994noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7662667326688172400.post-18063951036520448312010-06-28T07:15:00.002-05:002010-06-28T07:22:07.577-05:00amazing Panamathe people of Panama are what makes the country so amazing! My family and I traveled to the Western Province of Chiroqui in June of 07, and fell in love...<div><br /></div><div>but after just returning from a week which spanned 8 days and all but 2 provinces, I gotta say Panama is as diverse as any other country! </div><div><br /></div><div>Meeting precious people from several different Indian Tribes from Cocle to Darien reminded me how different people in the same country can be... </div><div><br /></div><div>It was a terrific trip, and I am a better, richer person for having gone... </div><div><br /></div><div>Thank you to all who prayed and supported. Without you, none of this happens...</div><div><br /></div><div>check out pics and comments:</div><div><a href="http://www.facebook.com/pages/First-Day/112759002083082?v=wall">http://www.facebook.com/pages/First-Day/112759002083082?v=wall</a></div><div><a href="http://www.riversideinpanama.blogspot.com/">http://www.riversideinpanama.blogspot.com/</a></div><div><br /></div><div>more later!</div><div><br /></div><div>Blessings!</div><div><br /></div>Timhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06498113118599691994noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7662667326688172400.post-42018805137576134832010-04-26T11:25:00.002-05:002010-04-26T12:46:26.517-05:00hedges and wallsThere is a lot of bad stuff going on in our world... I read about it in the news and see it on TV: foreign wars, gang-banging, murders... <div><br /></div><div>and I learn about stuff in my own little myopic world: families crumbling.... cancer progressing... moms leaving, daddies cheating...</div><div><br /></div><div>and it is hard to reconcile all this... it's difficult to understand... I want to apply a 'cause' to every 'effect', but it doesn't always add up.</div><div><br /></div><div>yeah, I suppose one could see (through 20/20 hindsight, of course) how this flirtation or that stray look or that 'what if' thought could lead to cheating and disappointment and hurt and separation. ...or how ignoring the family to climb one more ladder rung could lead to resentment and loss.</div><div><br /></div><div>but what do I do with a 17 yr old in a coma after a car accident which he couldn't avoid? or a dying momma succumbing to the ravages of cancer?</div><div><br /></div><div>I am not sure.</div><div><br /></div><div>But I pray every day that God continue to build a hedge around my family... and that His Spirit give me strength to fortify the wall around my heart with prayer and Bible study.</div><div><br /></div><div>At the end of the day, I just have to understand that I don't understand. So I have to fix my mind on Him and surround myself with His people and do everything in my power to stay vigilant and watchful... to avoid temptation when I see it and pray God's protection when I don't see it.</div><div><br /></div><div>and i have to believe He is in control. ....that the sovereign God of the universe who sent His only Son to die for me knows what I need. and provides it.</div><div><br /></div><div>Blessings!</div>Timhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06498113118599691994noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7662667326688172400.post-71020238600138983012010-03-15T10:12:00.002-06:002010-03-15T10:23:39.083-06:00Jonathan Richardson rememberedI met him only a couple times at family gatherings. <div><br /></div><div>Technically speaking, he was my step-nephew. My daddy married his grandma 12 years ago after we lost momma to lung cancer.</div><div><br /></div><div>Last Tuesday he was warming his hands by the fire at the Army Base in Khost, Afghanistan, when a Taliban suicide bomber dressed as an Afghan Police officer walked up and pulled the ripcord on his bomb vest, ending the lives of Jonathan and his best friend... two more American Soldiers in their mid twenties who joined the growing number of Americans killed in action in operation Enduring Freedom.</div><div><br /></div><div>Jonathan leaves behind a wife and a momma and brother. </div><div><br /></div><div>He was a decorated Soldier who died way to young in a place which is, by definition, God-forsaken.</div><div><br /></div><div>I am not politically active anymore. And this is not the time or place to rant about the 'why'...</div><div><br /></div><div>I simply want to honor Jonathan: another hero who came home from this war to be buried and remembered.</div><div><br /></div><div>You are missed here, my young friend. terribly missed.</div><div><br /></div><div>I know the angels are celebrating your arrival there. And from that we will gain peace.</div><div><br /></div><div>God Bless</div>Timhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06498113118599691994noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7662667326688172400.post-59055653330020138372010-03-01T07:35:00.003-06:002010-03-01T07:44:18.738-06:00what goodbye looks likeI saw what a 70 year goodbye looks like yesterday.<div><br /></div><div>After the mourners paid their respects and made their exit, it was just the family.</div><div><br /></div><div>and after the nieces and nephews and cousins and son and daughter said their farewell, it was Jimmy's turn.</div><div><br /></div><div>'til death do us part.</div><div><br /></div><div>it takes on a new meaning when you watch a broken man say goodbye to the only love he ever knew. </div><div><br /></div><div>The music had long since stopped playing... </div><div><br /></div><div>and finally it was just this frail old beautiful man... touching the face and hands of his beloved best friend. Sobbing openly and loudly... pouring out the contents of his heart. Bidding farewell to his bride of almost 70 years. </div><div><br /></div><div>It was a very sobering and lovely moment.</div><div><br /></div><div>And if I live to be 120 years old, I will never forget it.</div>Timhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06498113118599691994noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7662667326688172400.post-64476033561282874132009-12-23T07:55:00.002-06:002009-12-23T08:15:05.276-06:00compromised immune systemWhen I was a boy, mom and dad smoked. A lot. When you walked from room to room, you could actually see the 'clouds' part as you cut through them... sorta like a jet airplane leaving those cool swirly contrails as it knifes through fog...<div><br /></div><div>Most <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">everyone's</span> parents smoked. It was the thing to do... I mean, think of how popular a gift the ashtray was... How would you like to own an ashtray company today?</div><div><br /></div><div>Anyhow, a few weeks ago, my family was passing around a winter <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">headcold</span>... they're very thoughtful that way. and, of course, I caught it.</div><div><br /></div><div>But because my momma and daddy smoked for all 18 of my years at home, a simple head cold descended into my compromised lungs and became bronchitis, heading toward pneumonia. And I did what I have done at least once a year for most of my adult life: I went to the doctor, got a steroid shot, started on a high-powered antibiotic and a codeine-laced cough syrup and laid in bed for a couple days while God and the medicine did their work.</div><div><br /></div><div>It's miserable. It's not end-of-the-world miserable (though my wife will tell you I am the BIGGEST BABY on the planet... and she's right!), but it is very very unpleasant.</div><div><br /></div><div>and it got me to thinking... how many of my peers and fellow adults are smoking around their kids and grand kids. I think I will start preaching my message to every idiot who lights up in a confined space - like a car - with a child inside... yeah, I think I will...</div><div><br /></div><div>but it also got me to thinking something else... when we are 'surrounded' and daily bombarded with spiritual pollution, what long-term affects might that have?</div><div><br /></div><div>I mean, if my lungs are indeed unable to defend themselves against a common head cold - like most peoples' lungs can easily do - how bout my soul? How is THAT affected by all the 'smoke' I have inhaled (wittingly or not) over the years?</div><div><br /></div><div>That's the thing with sin. You may think you are maintaining a perfectly healthy defense system... but all the while you are letting junk into your mind that erodes and corrupts your spiritual immune system.</div><div><br /></div><div>'minor' temptations then become not so minor. and falling into habitual sin becomes much more possible...</div><div><br /></div><div>what antibiotic do you take then? what shot do you get? How do you undo the damage from all the garbage you have allowed to enter your soul?</div><div><br /></div><div>here's the deal with my lungs... I asked the doc if there was anything I could do to repair whatever damage has been done. I was a little bit scared to learn that there is not. I will always have a compromised respiratory system because of what I was exposed to when I was a boy. Period.</div><div><br /></div><div>thankfully, God does give us a salve that can heal. I pray daily that God will remove the bad things from my '<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">soulmemory</span>' that I have exposed my heart to over the years... and His Word is a healing balm that WILL undo what damage we have done.</div><div><br /></div><div>Thank God!</div>Timhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06498113118599691994noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7662667326688172400.post-23591827865321390882009-12-06T07:50:00.000-06:002009-12-06T08:06:34.371-06:00From Eternity to Here<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; ">My First Frank Viola book was Pagan Christianity, and it gave me a voracious appetite to read whatever else Mr Viola had to say on the subject of 'church'.<br /><br />and I have not been disappointed! His books speak to my heart in a way that no other writings on the subject ever have... and I suspect I am not alone. I am 47 years old and, like most of my friends, woke up a decade or so ago to ask "is this it?"<br /><br />I was 'raised in the church' like most of my peer group... but always felt like what I was 'doing' - which consisted of spending an inordinate amount of time deciding and executing what was done at a building 2 hours a week - was empty and relatively meaningless.<br /><br />Mr Viola hits me right between the eyes with each of the books I have read... and 'from eternity to here' (like his other books) does not simply sit back and take potshots at organized religion, it gives terrific, real, relevant, Biblical insight to the burning question of my day: "what IS church?"<br /><br />I highly recommend this book to any serious seeker of the Way!</span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Blessings!</span></span></div>Timhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06498113118599691994noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7662667326688172400.post-89166307773105872082009-11-30T08:25:00.006-06:002009-11-30T09:16:55.412-06:00the MessageSo my friend <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_0" class="blsp-spelling-error">Doyne</span> introduced me to a new (to me) version of the Word... it is called the Message... many of you have heard of it.... I had.<br /><br />But I hadn't read it until a few weeks ago... and I gotta admit I am hooked!<br /><br />Some will argue that it is a watered down version... others, no doubt, will call it a per-version (instead of a 'version'... cute play on words, don't you think?) The latter group are the same ilk who once stated that '<span id="SPELLING_ERROR_1" class="blsp-spelling-error">NIV</span>' would be more aptly titled the 'HIV' because it is a virus... (yeah, I know... sorta blasphemous, huh?)<br /><br />anyhow, it <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_2" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">occurred</span> to me yesterday - during a sermon which culminated with the 'fruit of the spirit' in Galatians 5 - why this version may be so good. It certainly speaks to the heart of most seekers.... it is in plain language and is very easy to read and simple to understand (sorta like the Gospel, right?)<br /><br />but the one piece of it which I believe makes 'the Message' very important is this:<br /><br /><div align="center">it speaks about concepts instead of lists</div><br />which drives the anal retentive (like me) absolutely nuts!<br /><br />I like lists! I crave them!<br /><br />and my old <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_3" class="blsp-spelling-error">KJV</span> (and even, to a lesser extent, my <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_4" class="blsp-spelling-error">NIV</span>) really does an incredible job of satisfying my 'list hunger'...<br /><br />but yesterday, while I was listening to the preacher - who read from the <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_5" class="blsp-spelling-error">NIV</span> while I followed in my 'message' - it hit me! Here is the difference:<br /><br /><span id="SPELLING_ERROR_6" class="blsp-spelling-error">NIV</span>:<br /><strong><em>"The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery, idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage; selfish ambitions, <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_7" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">dissensions</span>, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies and the like. I warn you, as I did before, those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_8" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">faithfulness</span>, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law."</em></strong><br /><br />now <strong><em>there</em></strong> are some GREAT LISTS! and pretty easy to understand, no doubt.... but we like lists SO MUCH that we memorize the list... we write tunes to go with them so we can sing them in Children's Church! (and there is nothing wrong with that....) but...<br /><br />I believe with all that is in me that Paul is NOT trying to provide us with an exhaustive list of 'bad things' that we must avoid... he is drawing a character sketch, describing for us the types of things <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_9" class="blsp-spelling-error">unGodly</span> people habitually DO which makes them WHO they ARE! (obviously we want to avoid becoming THAT way, so we will run away from everything on the 'list'...)<br /><br />nor is he trying to give us a complete list of all good things... he is painting a masterpiece of what a Godly person looks like by listing a sampling of what Godly people DO which makes them WHO they ARE!<br /><br />here is the Message's "take" on Galatians 5:19-23:<br /><strong><em>"It is obvious what kind of life develops from trying to get your own way all the time: repetitive, loveless, cheap sex; a stinking accumulation of mental and emotional garbage; frenzied and joyless grabs for happiness; trinket gods, magic-show religion; paranoid loneliness, cut-throat competition; all-consuming-yet-never-satisfied-wants; a brutal temper; an impotence to love or be loved; divided homes and divided lives; small-minded and lopsided pursuits, the <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_10" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">vicious</span> habit of depersonalizing everyone into a rival; uncontrolled and uncontrollable addictions; ugly parodies of community; I could go on. This isn't the first time I've warned you, you know... If you use your freedom in this way, you will not inherit God's Kingdom.</em></strong><br /><strong><em>But what happens when we live God's way? He brings gifts into our lives, much the same way that fruit appears in an orchard - things like affection for others, exuberance about life, serenity. We develop a willingness to stick with things, a sense of compassion in the heart, and a conviction that a basic holiness permeates things and people. We find ourselves involved in loyal commitments, not needing to force our way in life, able to marshal and direct our energies wisely. Legalism is helpless in bringing this about."</em></strong><br /><br />Harder to make a song out of that, I know.... but I believe it paints an accurate picture of a Godly person versus an <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_11" class="blsp-spelling-error">unGodly</span> one.<br /><br />I am certain that Bible Scholars will not agree with my assessment of 'the Message'. I wouldn't expect them to.... they are paid to make lists and test students on those lists...<br /><br />I am no longer certain that any of THAT matters.<br /><br />I am fearful that we have replaced the Bible command to '<span id="SPELLING_ERROR_12" class="blsp-spelling-error">engraft</span>' the word in our hearts (James 1:21) with the rote memorization of lists from a particular Bible translation... we have become those Pharisees Jesus talks about in harsh tones who 'pray to be seen by men' and 'wear their <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_13" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">phylacteries</span> (scripture boxes) on their heads for all to see....'<br /><br />I don't know that 'the Message' will change any of that.... but this version speaks to my heart... it reads like a novel, and I cannot put it down!<br /><br />Blessings!Timhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06498113118599691994noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7662667326688172400.post-5183597280250241212009-11-15T12:27:00.002-06:002009-11-16T09:53:35.015-06:00grace growerswe've all got em'.<br /><br />grace growers... you may not know it, but you've got 'em...<br /><br />don't believe me?<br /><br />take this test:<br /><ul><li>Is there someone in my life that make my life more difficult?</li><li>Does it seem like no matter where I go or what I do, THAT person is there, testing my patience?</li></ul><p>yeah, me too....</p><p>and until last week, I looked at that person with.... well.... let's say my attitude toward that person was less than great. (OK, I wished they would move away from here and that I would NEVER have to see them again!) sorry. that's how I felt.</p><p>but last week a friend was describing a person in her life that was an absolute thorn in her side... consistently and continually.</p><p>but she did not describe this person as her nemesis or as an enemy or as the devil (all descriptions which I have used for MY thorn)... she described HER thorn as a grace grower.</p><p>yep, a grace grower.... someone who God places (and keeps) in your life to teach you grace.</p><p>wow. grace growers...</p><p>we've all got 'em... and God is using them to teach us. He's using mine to teach me... to be merciful and gracious and forgiving. and less judgemental and less harsh... </p><p>James says we should count it as pure joy when we are tried. I never made the connection between THAT and my grace grower..... til now.</p><p>it doesn't make it any more pleasant for me.... but maybe pleasant is not exactly what God has for me... perhaps pleasant is not what I need.</p><p>(you see 'em differently now, don't you? maybe you see them a little more like God does....)</p><p>blessings!</p>Timhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06498113118599691994noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7662667326688172400.post-57636718960945024222009-11-10T15:21:00.003-06:002009-11-10T15:47:02.559-06:00your problems may not be that bigSo... while I travel along my selfish path, I become convinced that I am the center of my world. <br /><br />and that everyone else is somehow orbiting me, the center... the sun.<br /><br />Before long, I am certain that anyone who is not completely in tune with my vibe and in agreement with my idea is my enemy... or at the very least, ignorant and unenlightened.<br /><br />how can I be so self-absorbed?<br /><br />If I will look up from my arrogance for a second, it may be that I discover that people have their own lives. and their own tragedies... and their own stuff do deal with.<br /><br />is it possible that when someone walks past me without saying hello, they are not being hateful, they are just burdened with their own set of circumstances?<br /><br />is it possible that my ideas are not the only ideas worth considering?<br /><br />Could it be that the reason some folks don't place the same importance on my important junk is that they have more important important junk of their own?<br /><br />Maybe they have more on their plate than me. and maybe my important stuff just isn't.<br /><br />yep, <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_0" class="blsp-spelling-error">i'm</span> pretty sure of it.<br /><br />may God bless us as we elevate others above ourselves and listen... for the chance to help.<br /><br /><br />Blessings!Timhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06498113118599691994noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7662667326688172400.post-44253290985312362572009-11-04T06:00:00.005-06:002009-11-04T07:08:30.152-06:00clouds of doubtFor the Believer, faith is vital.<br /><br />"being sure of our hope and certain of the unseen"... that's what the Spirit breathed into the Hebrew writer's pen...<br /><br />and here's the piece of it I am finally beginning to learn: faith not only improves our 'future vision', it brings into 20/20 focus the things that happened before! as a matter of fact, the latter is necessary to the former!<br /><br />After opening the chapter with faith's definition, the writer spends a LOT of time giving examples from the past... so we can believe. So we don't forget..<br /><br />But more and more, doubt clouds our faith vision. and we become less sure of anything, and suspicious of His leading. We explain away God's daily miracles... we sanitize His present activeness and rationalize His awesome power.<br /><br />We use words like fate and coincidence to explain away the things God does for us every minute of every day...<br /><br />and here's the devil's insidious tactic: he convinces us that what we saw - what we lived through - wasn't REALLY a miracle. he whispers to us that what we read about is a fairy tale... he leads us to find scientific explanations for the divine...<br /><br />"that parting of the Sea" says the Israelite who JUST LIVED THROUGH THE MOST HARROWING CLOSE CALL IN HUMAN HISTORY!, "that was just a freakish wind pattern that caused the waters to part and allow us to walk across dry land...."<br /><br />"That pillar of fire..." says the one who has been miraculously led by said pillar for months!, "really just a low-hanging constellation..."<br /><br />and we have big fun at the Israelite's expense.... "oh those silly Jews... how could they NOT see something so obvious" says us...<br /><br />"now if God only did THAT sorta stuff TODAY, well, THEN I would be able to really get into this faith and belief business..." says me, as I sit in the church pew beside Dawson, a perfectly beautiful and smart 6 year old little boy who I held - literally - in the palm of my hand at Children's Hospital when he was first born. 18 weeks early. the miracle. the surviving twin of an extremely premature birth.<br /><br /><span id="SPELLING_ERROR_0" class="blsp-spelling-error">satan</span> is a filthy liar spewing clouds of doubt... and we - if we are not extremely careful - buy it! Hook, line and sinker! We cannot be sure of anything...<br /><br />no wonder we can't trust the future..... we refuse to see the past clearly...<br /><br />and the worst part, perhaps? The doubt that clouds our vision? doesn't come from CNN or Fox or <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_1" class="blsp-spelling-error">MSNBC</span> (I mean, they are the worst enemies of faith and belief, but I have long since tuned out that white noise)... MY clouds of doubt come from folks who purport to be believers!<br /><br />Let's remember. Let us remember God. let's resolve not to make mundane the divine... and let's decide to believe... and to surround ourselves with believers.... and to encourage belief and faith in all those we touch every day.<br /><br />I know He is in control because I have lived it. So I trust that He will continue to do His miracles in my life.<br /><br />All I gotta do is clear away the clouds of doubt.Timhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06498113118599691994noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7662667326688172400.post-30386733594484344102009-10-31T12:20:00.003-06:002009-10-31T12:29:48.585-06:00when things go wrongI really like it when things go just like I planned.<br /><br />and I really do not like it when they don't.<br /><br />I mean, I <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_0" class="blsp-spelling-error">reeeeeaaaallly</span> don't like it.<br /><br />but, from all I can read... in history, in the Bible, even in novels... and from all I know from 47 years of living...<br /><br />it is clear that we simply don't grow without challenges.... we just can't learn unless we encounter hardship... and we absolutely won't deepen our faith in the absence of conflict.<br /><br />When James exhorts us to 'count it pure joy when we face all kinds of trials', what do we think that entails?<br /><br />I guess I always sorta hope it doesn't apply to me, or that I am immune somehow to the immutable rules of natural growth and education...<br /><br />The only thing I know is this: God has brought me and my family through some difficult times. and He will again....<br /><br />and my faith will grow and I will be a stronger witness for His Glory.<br /><br />but, dang, it is really hard for me to embrace the concept...<br /><br />you?<br /><br />blessings!Timhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06498113118599691994noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7662667326688172400.post-80476917881885731752009-10-28T06:58:00.002-06:002009-10-28T07:26:37.142-06:00facebooklessI deactivated my <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_0" class="blsp-spelling-error">Facebook</span> yesterday.<br /><br />I have struggled with what exactly this thing called <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_1" class="blsp-spelling-error">Facebook</span> is.... and finally decided that, for me, it is an unhealthy <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_2" class="blsp-spelling-error">timewaster</span>. at least.... (at most it feels a little like voyeurism...) sorry to all you <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_3" class="blsp-spelling-error">Facebookers</span>... if it is not that for you, then cool! ...if you love your <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_4" class="blsp-spelling-error">Facebook</span>, God bless ya'!<br /><br />The questions I had to ask myself surrounded the old cost/benefit analysis...<br /><br />what does <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_5" class="blsp-spelling-error">Facebook</span> cost me and what does it give me?<br /><br />yeah, I know it's 'free'... I mean what does it cost me in time and mental energy and, well, what does it do to me spiritually and emotionally?<br /><br />and what does it benefit me?<br /><br />"Oh, I can keep in touch with ALL my friends!!!" <br /><br />really?<br /><br />at least half my 'friends' on <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_6" class="blsp-spelling-error">Facebook</span> are people I barely know! My real life friends have my email and my cell phone number... they know where I live.<br /><br />old-fashioned? maybe... but I don't think so... I am a gadget-technology freak! <br /><br />OK, I'll stop preaching... every one has to do what they gotta do...<br /><br />I know <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_7" class="blsp-spelling-error">Facebook</span> is not some evil communist godless plot! I understand that it, like many things on the 'net, are morally neutral... <br /><br />I am just explaining that I am <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_8" class="blsp-spelling-error">facebookless</span> now....<br /><br />nothing horrible happened... I wasn't abducted by kidnappers or aliens.... I didn't get my identity stolen.... and, please stop asking me why I '<span id="SPELLING_ERROR_9" class="blsp-spelling-error">de</span>-<span id="SPELLING_ERROR_10" class="blsp-spelling-error">friended</span>' you! I didn't!<br /><br />I just deactivated my <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_11" class="blsp-spelling-error">Facebook</span> account....<br /><br />if, for you, it is not a <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_12" class="blsp-spelling-error">timewaster</span>.... if it is not a negative influence for you... go for it!<br /><br />If you need to talk to me, call or text or email or, for crying out loud, stop by the house!!!<br /><br />Blessings!Timhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06498113118599691994noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7662667326688172400.post-17167365340156049562009-10-19T06:52:00.004-05:002009-10-19T07:18:30.787-05:00paralyzing fearthere are a lot of things fear will do for you.<br /><br />God wired your body so that fear (or more specifically, immediate danger) triggers a response in your adrenal gland that we have come to call the 'fight or flight' hormone.<br /><br />action is required, so your body is flooded with adrenaline to equip you to run away fast or vanquish the attacker.<br /><br />But sometimes we neither fight nor flee. we freeze. I have read accounts of this phenomenon... in battle and in the wild... and in every case, the attacked becomes the victim. and usually dies.<br /><br />within organizations, I have rarely seen fight or flight... I sometimes wish that were not the case...<br /><br />instead, when we are afraid as a group, we become paralyzed. We do nothing.<br /><br />too fearful to make a wrong move, we simply stand still.<br /><br />and when churches are paralyzed by fear, they die.<br /><br />I suppose I am not advocating that we be in a constant state of flux... and I don't guess I would want for us to always have adrenaline pumping through our collective veins...<br /><br />but I am quite convinced that God does not wish for us to settle into rote and habit and routine, and I believe that He wants us to be unafraid... I am <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_0" class="blsp-spelling-error">Biblically</span> Certain that He did NOT give us a spirit of fear. (Rom 8:15)<br /><br />God Bless us as we Claim His Promise and live up to His Expectation!Timhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06498113118599691994noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7662667326688172400.post-10092201641061946462009-10-12T10:05:00.002-05:002009-10-12T10:33:38.525-05:00the mission?"Actions speak louder than words"....<br /><br />ya know, cliches don't become cliches without some merit. and this cliche definitely has merit....<br /><br />"don't do what I do, do what I say" is a close second cousin...<br /><br />If you pay attention to how we (religious folks) act, you may come up with a different mission than the one we articulate with our words.<br /><br />In the realm of walking the walk as well as talking the talk, we have failed miserably... and the saddest part of THAT is this: the mission is really really vitally important!<br /><br />If you listen to the words of preachers and proselytes, you hear something like this (with regard to mission statement):<br /><ul><li>we are to be seed-spreaders</li><li>'to seek and save the lost'</li><li>we must preach Jesus</li><li>to help each other here on earth to get to heaven</li><li>we need to Unify the body</li><li>to speak where the Bible speaks and to be silent where it is silent</li><li>to be about restoring the 1st century church</li></ul><p>and on and on and on it goes.</p><p>If, however, you listen to the actions of religious leaders and their followers, you may get a different message.... I fear that our actions (which, yes, always speak louder than our words, no matter how loud we shout) may betray us. yep, the casual observer may infer something more like:</p><ul><li>we gotta keep score (saved and lost)</li><li>we need to correct (usually through printed or online rags)</li><li>we must be right and prove it</li><li>we have to do our Sunday morning ritual correctly</li></ul><p>what if we were at least honest about our mission? what if what others heard from us was exactly what they <strong><em>saw</em></strong> from us?</p><p>how would that smell?</p><p>My guess is it would smell a lot more real. I have a hunch it would be a lot more attractive - or at least less repulsive - to those we are trying to reach.</p><p>What if we actually spent more time preaching the unifying message of Jesus Christ than picketing and blogging and slamming other religious (or non-religious, for that matter) folks?</p><p>We fall so deeply in love with being right - and proving it at all costs by any manner - that we cannot possibly be heard about the really important things.</p><p>and we are irrelevant.</p><p>and nobody is listening.</p><p>because we are the know-it-all Pharisees. </p><p>remember them?</p><p>read the 4 gospel accounts of Jesus' dealing with these religious leaders (Matthew 23 is my personal favorite) ...and then honestly compare them to your religious group.</p><p>If we are not too scared to honestly compare us - religious people of today - to them (yeah, the group which He routinely blasted and challenged), I believe we (you, me) will earnestly repent and set about to try to act out our words...</p><p>because, let's face it: until your stated mission is supported by your overt actions, your mission is worthless.</p><p>God Bless us as we dwell in the center of His will, and truly live out His mission in our lives.</p>Timhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06498113118599691994noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7662667326688172400.post-16455658054932853332009-10-10T07:56:00.003-05:002009-10-10T08:00:04.008-05:00fall has fell (or is it fallen?)don't you just love this time of year! I do... really it may be my favorite... right up there with Spring and Summer and Winter...<br /><br />leaves are turning and the air is less thick... the grass has slowed down its growing - finally! football is in full swing and basketball is just around the corner!<br /><br />I am blessed indeed!<br /><br />get out and enjoy the beautiful <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_0" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">Ozarks</span> in the fall!<br /><br />God Bless!Timhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06498113118599691994noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7662667326688172400.post-40326106772896730512009-10-02T08:32:00.005-05:002009-10-02T09:09:11.800-05:00penance?Guilt is an interesting emotion.... it is at once a dirty feeling and a great motivator... but it usually misses the point.<br /><br />We love to beat ourselves up because of our failures... society almost demands it! as if self-flagellation is the path to absolution...<br /><br />Dusty Rush preached a sermon a few weeks ago about Old Temple vs New Temple theology, and in it he told the story of fictional character Rodrigo Mendoza (played by Robert De <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_0" class="blsp-spelling-error">Niro</span>) in 'the Mission', a movie about 18<span id="SPELLING_ERROR_1" class="blsp-spelling-error">th</span> century slave trade in South America...<br /><br />Mendoza is a ruthless mercenary slave trader who wants to turn from his evil ways, and ultimately seeks redemption from a Jesuit priest after killing his beloved brother in a duel over a woman. For his penance, Mendoza drags the heavy weapons of his former trade in a sack on a journey to accompany the Jesuits to visit the tribe which Mendoza has terrorized during his former life.<br /><br />Upon meeting the son of one of the men he kidnapped and delivered to a plantation owner, Mendoza expects the native Guarani <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_2" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">Indian</span> to kill him. Instead, he cuts the pack of weapons off of Mendoza, effectively freeing him of the heavy burden he has carried for so long and absolving him of his sin.<br /><br />To some, this is a beautiful story... many Christians believe this is an <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_3" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">accurate</span> picture of God and man.<br /><br />To me, this is a horrible, misguided, ugly tale of man's attempt to assuage the wrath of the Living God. The reason it is so horrible is that the sacrifice has already been made, the absolution has already been granted and<br /><br />the PENANCE HAS ALREADY BEEN PAID!<br /><br />the longer Christians hold on to some twisted man-made model of forgiveness and penance and penalty, the further we stray from the truth!<br /><br />Hallelujah! Christ paid your debt!<br /><br />Praise God! you are free!<br /><br />act like it!<br /><br />'til the whole world hears'Timhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06498113118599691994noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7662667326688172400.post-15839030240780384882009-09-28T10:46:00.003-05:002009-09-28T13:47:56.037-05:00another perspectiverestoration movement.... what does that phrase mean to you?<br /><br />well, I have harped and ranted that it certainly cannot mean restoring the church of the 1950s...<br /><br />if it is a grand enough vision to aspire to a restoration plea, it's gotta be that we try to restore the church of the 0050s...<br /><br />but a good friend and partner in the Way recently shared his perspective with me, and I gotta say it made sense. At the very least, it made me rethink the whole idea.<br /><br />If the restoration plea is one which purports to re-establish the early 1st century church, there is a problem or two with that.<br /><br />as an example, my friend revealed to me that - in order to return to that Acts 2:42-47 model, we would have to live in that time. and, simply stated, we just don't.<br /><br />we wanna say that a strong sense of community is what we need, what we want. But honestly, when was the last time someone was dragged away from your small group and thrown in jail?<br /><br />When was the last time you were meeting in your home church and had to get quiet all of a sudden so that you wouldn't be heard talking or singing about Jesus?<br /><br />Has anyone ever asked the question 'Hey, I wonder where Jim has been... he hasn't been with us in a while?' only to find out that Jim was taken from his home in the middle of the night and tortured to death for his faith?<br /><br />my friend's point is simple and powerful: unless we are pressed like the first century churches, we cannot possibly understand what 'community' meant to them.<br /><br />I have friends who have lived in tough places... places where it was forbidden to worship God or talk about Jesus... but most of them come home after their relatively short, temporary visits to places like China and other hostile environs.<br /><br />(this is not about missionaries or foreign travel... this is about whether we can really model that first century church. here. today.)<br /><br />So we would have to move our family to the far east to duplicate the kind of persecution which forged their specific bond and community.... and that sounds kinda ridiculous, right?<br /><br />I don't think it excuses us. I believe we are called to be His Hands and His Feet.... I just wonder how realistic our restoration plea really is...<br /><br />it's worth rethinking.<br /><br />Blessings!Timhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06498113118599691994noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7662667326688172400.post-48532234489775406782009-09-22T15:00:00.001-05:002009-09-22T15:01:25.332-05:00the God of YES!Friends, consider this:<br /><br /><strong><em>But as surely as God is faithful, our message to you is not "Yes" and "No." </em></strong><br /><strong><em></em></strong><br /><strong><em>For the Son of God, Jesus Christ, who was preached among you by me and Silas and Timothy, was not "Yes" and "No," but in him it has always been "Yes." </em></strong><br /><strong><em></em></strong><br /><strong><em>For no matter how many promises God has made, they are "Yes" in Christ. </em></strong><br /><strong><em></em></strong><br /><strong><em>And so through him the "Amen" is spoken by us to the glory of God. </em></strong><br /><strong><em></em></strong><br /><strong><em>Now it is God who makes both us and you stand firm in Christ. He anointed us, set his seal of ownership on us, and put his Spirit in our hearts as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come.<br /></em></strong><br /><div align="right">- Paul's 2nd letter to his friends in Corinth....<br /></div><br />don't you absolutely LOVE that?!!???<br /><br />yeah, me too!<br /><br />Blessings!Timhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06498113118599691994noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7662667326688172400.post-13039737503326242452009-09-20T07:43:00.005-05:002009-09-20T07:51:14.793-05:00routine is evil<div>I am a creature of habit. I love routine. I like sameness.</div><div><br /></div><div>and that is anathema to spiritual growth and development...</div><div><br /></div><div>simply put, routine is the antithesis of adventure.</div><div><br /></div><div>and habit is the opposite of excitement.</div><div><br /></div><div>and sameness is a spirit killer.</div><div><br /></div><div>God calls you to a faith adventure, while routine calls you to comfortableness, rote memorization, liturgy and boredom... more often than not, I answer routine's call... and ignore God's.</div><div><br /></div><div>and all of that leads me away from genuine, alive, 'Christ-community' living.</div><div><br /></div><div>and THAT'S why so many of our worship assemblies are lifeless.... and our churches are dead or dying. because they are populated by people who are not on any type of faith adventure... instead they are filled with folks who, like me, are routine addicts. So we 'go to church' instead of 'being the church'. and, for a couple hours a week we act holy and sing the right words and recite the correct verses.... and punch the clock. and God is not glorified... He is sickened (see Amos 5) ...and we get emptier instead of filled.</div><div></div><br /><div align="center">our allergy to change will be our undoing.</div><br /><div align="center">our addiction to routine is the salve </div><div align="center">that soothes while hiding the real illness.</div><div><br /></div><div>and no, it's not about entertainment value. it's about challenge. it's about growth. it's about authentic Christ life. it's about letting God be in control and it's about letting His Spirit lead us...</div><div><br /></div><div>and we are missing it. badly.</div><div><br /></div><div>Every worship experience (public or private) should be alive, because it is supposed to be our response to the Giver of Life!</div><div><br /></div><div>So how can we 'get out of the way' and let the Spirit lead? How can we remove ourselves and our habits so Jesus can work? What can we do to make sure God is glorified and Jesus is lifted up, and truly LIVE out our Faith Adventure?</div><div><br /></div><div>surely there is a clue in our addiction to routine and allergy to change. for my part, I intend to run from routine and embrace 'newness' and change... maybe that's a step in the right direction...</div><div><br /></div><div>Blessings!</div>Timhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06498113118599691994noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7662667326688172400.post-67842312440488738672009-09-18T12:14:00.010-05:002009-09-18T12:31:27.352-05:00portrait of authentic churchIf we take all we can glean from the Bible picture of 1st century church, it wouldn't resemble our modern day church.<br /><br />at all.<br /><br />Specifically with respect to the account Dr Luke provides in the very last part of Acts 2, we don't even pretend to imitate most of his description:<br /><br /><strong><em>"They devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. Everyone was filled with awe, and many wonders and miraculous signs were done by the apostles. All the believers were together and had everything in common. Selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as he had need. Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved"</em></strong><br /><br />So.... how am I doin' with that? how 'bout your 'church'... let's see:<br /><br /><ul><li>devoted to apostles doctrine and fellowship - not devoted, really </li><li>communal living - no</li><li>meeting and eating in each other's homes - occasionally</li><li>outward focus, helping others - somewhat</li><li>meeting daily for praise - no</li><li>favorably viewed by the people - a little bit, maybe </li><li>daily numerical growth - no</li><li>'turned the world upside down' (Acts 17:6) - hardly<br /></li></ul><p>so what do we do with that? is it important?</p><p>Maybe we could say that today's church is our 21st century version of that. </p><p>maybe... but even if we scrape away what we deem to be 'cultural' or completely unreasonable for us today, there is a LOT in the last half dozen verses of Acts 2 which we better pay attention to, right?</p><p>I mean, we gotta be more devoted and committed to the Jesus story (apostles doctrine)...</p><p>and we must have an outward focus (give to those in need)...</p><p>our addiction to our church buildings probably won't let us, but we might wanna consider the meeting in homes deal, right? (probably THE most important aspect of this whole 'authentic' thing, since building-based-religion is the antithesis of authentic 'church')</p><p>When we ask ourselves why God isn't blessing our church with the 'daily numerical growth' we read about here, don't we have to consider it's because we are not doing it right?</p><p>Does anyone have the courage to truly imitate this model? Obviously I don't. Otherwise I would stop writing and start doing!</p><p>Authentic Community is real and organic and natural. It is probably best depicted by the planting of a tree or shrub. think about it... how do we do that: I mean, how do we plant a tree or shrub or flower or squash plant? well, we cultivate the ground and place a seed in that tilled soil. we water it (or God does, if you live in Northern Arkansas during the past few days!). then... well, there's a lot of waiting... God provides the sunshine. And -remember this part - God has put in place tons of natural 'plant-growing' laws which most of us don't understand.... <strong><em>naturally </em></strong>occurring events which we have NOTHING to do with... we will do a lot cultivating... and we might clear away the weeds and keep away the critters... but God does everything else! naturally! and the plant grows. </p><p>beautiful!</p><p>Our model of 'planting' a church is so foreign to the organic 'planting' of a tree or shrub, it is unrecognizable as anything approaching 'natural'.</p><p>instead, we build a building, put our sign out, hire a preacher and, like Kevin Costner in 'Field of Dreams', we wait for them to come.</p><p>but sadly, this is not a movie... and though they do come (mostly in Pavlovian response to cultural norms, and sometimes in sincere response to the Spirit's tug to seek out 'something more'), the authentic nature of true Christian Community is never realized. ...and before long we are wringing our hands over those who have disappeared from our 'attendance roles'... we form visitation teams to visit those who have stopped coming to 'church'! And we wonder why their interest and excitement waned. (or, in an evil twist, we blame them for lack of commitment!) </p><p>and all along, we have no one to blame but ourselves... because these 'disappearers' were plugged in to religion and not to Jesus; we assimilated them into our denomination but not into authentic Christian community! We completely ignore the Acts 2 example of organic church.</p><p>all because we are trying to artificially create something that MUST happen organically! imagine trying to make the tree or plant grow faster... THAT'S what most of us are doing with 'church'. We add buildings and budgets and committees and programs... and rules to govern all that; we hire preachers and youth ministers and, oh yeah, it's time to add on or renovate the building, which affects the budget and requires more committees and rules... and probably more hiring of more people.... we argue over inane things like what songs to sing (or not sing) during our assemblies... we complain about the quality of 'preachin'... and we stagnate.... of course we do! after all, how 'organic' does any of that sound to you?</p><p>and before you know it, we are like every other 'church' in every other town in every other state in every other country in the world...</p><p>and the world remains unchanged. we are not turning anything upside down... how could we? we're doing it wrong. It's almost as if we got mixed up and decided to use the Old Testament 'church' model - Physical Temple Theology - instead of the New Testament model - Spiritual Temple Theology. </p><p>what would it look like if a dozen families committed to imitate this model for one year? if 12 courageous families devoted themselves to inviting friends (natural) into their home for food and prayer and study and fellowship.... </p><p>what if, each week, those 12 'home churches' attracted (organically) a few folks to their gathering on, say, a Sunday night (or Monday evening, the day doesn't matter!)...</p><p>what if those 12 'shepherd/planters' would commit to meet with each other at least once a week to discuss weighty things about how their particular gatherings were progressing?</p><p>and, what if those 12 'house churches' decided to all meet together on Sunday for their 1st-day-of-the-week gathering and worshipped and shared and broke bread (in communion AND then a meal)?</p><p>what would it be like?</p><p>(it might look like a church which began organically with small groups; it might look like our 1st Century counterparts...)</p><p>oh, well... just dreamin'</p><p>none of us (me at the top of the list) are likely to muster the courage to actually act on any of this.<br /></p><p>so.... see you Sunday at 'church'.</p>Timhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06498113118599691994noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7662667326688172400.post-20798482214290849412009-09-16T07:27:00.007-05:002009-09-18T12:28:26.747-05:00leadership (cont)...odd thing about the Bible picture of a church elder/pastor: it is an individual portrait and not a group photo... (I understand that Paul refers to appointing elders in the plural, and I happen to believe there is good reason to have several elders.....but a shepherd - by definition - is a one-man job)...<br /><br />maybe there's a reason for that: I mean do you ever read of elder's meetings in the Bible? Probably doesn't prove they didn't meet as a group, right? or does it? dunno...<br /><br />but if a church elder is to look like a shepherd, we gotta ask some obvious questions, right? like:<br /><br /><ul><li>where did we get the idea for 'elder meetings'? (think: 'shepherd meetings')</li><li>how did we ever begin to refer to it as the 'office of an elder'? - that sounds a lot like a political position to be 'held onto', right? (think: 'office of a shepherd') </li><li>when did we start calling the group an 'eldership'? and why? (think: shepherdship, as in a group meeting of herders of sheep) </li></ul><br /><p>OK, that was maybe a bit of a tangential stretch... but we gotta admit that, in today's world, we miss a lot of the meaning behind the shepherd example, right? (do you hang out with real live shepherds in your day-to-day? me neither!) </p><p>but the people who read these letters firsthand knew. they WERE shepherds, some of them... they knew actual herders of sheep! and they would likely find humor in the idea of a 'group' of shepherds leading a flock! because they KNOW shepherding is a lonely job of one.... </p><p>(again, I believe the Bible model calls for a plurality of elders, with good reason! We have all seen the negative results of SOME local pastor-led efforts... and this particular post is NOT a defense of a one-man-pastor-led congregation. But we have devolved this plurality idea into an unhealthy decision-making board of directors, which is DIAMETRICALLY OPPOSITE of the shepherd model) </p><p>Could it be that our secular backgrounds cause us to crave the safety of a 'board of directors' mentality? I know of one church (and have heard of several more) which actually has an elder 'boardroom' complete with leather wing back chairs and a massive, curved-edge, mahogany-looking table! I mean, you could not tell any difference between it and the one at the local bank! Could that be because one of these men also served as CEO of the local bank? </p><p>How can we expect THAT environment to produce ANYTHING REMOTELY RESEMBLING true shepherding? Of COURSE the group which meets in such an environment will necessarily act like a decision-making board of directors! </p><p>I challenge us all to challenge those leaders among us to aspire to a Bible model of true shepherding... one devoid of budgets and refereeing and building maintenance and decision-rendering and policy-making... one that looks, above all, to the Great Shepherd as THE model and example. </p><p>after all, authentic church will not survive without it. </p><p>leadership is not pretty. </p><p>may God Bless us as we find our way together and figure this thing out... with patience and love and understanding, yes! ...and with challenging and exhorting and Bible study.</p>Timhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06498113118599691994noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7662667326688172400.post-17952317803184167742009-09-15T10:54:00.010-05:002009-09-16T07:38:44.420-05:00leadership is not prettyit is a difficult thing, to lead. In my life, I have seen leadership modeled beautifully and I have seen leadership butchered.<br /><br />I have observed it from afar and been in the very thick of it.<br /><br />I have seen 'visionaries' and 'idea men' who understood strategy but had no ability to plan nor carry out their own ideas. I watch great tacticians and managers - they can execute a plan flawlessly - who have no vision whatsoever.... I see quiet leaders who command respect and deserve it...and I have seen precious few who are gifted with the 'leadership trifecta': vision, strategy and tactical skills...<br /><br />I have been a leader and I have been a follower.<br /><br />Admittedly, I find the latter more difficult than the former. I would like to think that's because I have some God-lent-giftedness toward leading... but it is more likely some huge character flaw - like being a control freak! - that makes me overestimate my worth and giftedness. I am likely a weaker leader than I perceive myself to be and a worse follower than I need to be...<br /><br />All that said, I believe I have a good idea what healthy leadership looks like. And with regard to leading a church, I have very strong feelings as to what a good leader is... most of my ideas in that vein derive from Peter's first letter, which paints a most beautiful portrait of what a church elder/pastor would look like (chap 5)... and, of course, from Paul's letters to Timothy and Titus (when taken in context instead of jerked out of it to create a man made checklist litmus test!)...<br /><br />Lynn Anderson also penned a book 'They Smell Like Sheep' which should be a prerequisite for any person aspiring to lead a church.<br /><br />I believe it was in this volume that I read something like this: "If you are leading and nobody is following, you're just taking a walk"<br /><br />It occurs to me that there are several styles or methods men and women use to lead (most modeled after secular example)... here are a few that come to mind:<br /><br /><ul><li>consensus leadership - this leader will always try to build consensus, to do what most people agree would be right and good... there is sometimes persuasion involved, as this leader has some feelings as to direction, and this leader model seems pretty good and logical.... but it may sometimes result in this leader agreeing to things they personally disagree with...</li><li>majority leadership - a close cousin to the 'consensus' model, this one also wants to do what most people want... but depends less upon persuading people and more upon reflecting what the majority 'votes' for.... this leader has fewer strong convictions than the consensus leader, and usually wants hard data to support the hue and cry of the masses, in case he is challenged.</li><li>compass leadership - probably the most difficult model, and the least applied in most organizations today... it calls for the leader to have a strong compass which governs his heart and influences his decisions. This method requires a rare moral certitude and takes the most courage by far, because compass leading will always be offending someone - maybe large groups of someones... (I would note that history - Biblical and Secular - remembers these types of leaders as the very best ones!) </li><li>squeaky wheel leadership - this one is weakest, because it has no compass and depends upon the negative.... and it relies totally upon volume: and more often than not, much greater attention is given to the volume (loudness) of complaints than the volume (number) of complaints... it also potentially ignores a very large group of 'constituents' who are neither negative nor loud</li></ul><p>while there may be some good found in each of these models, they all smack of school boards and city councils and bank boards, and seem to completely miss the point of what true 'church leadership' is meant to be... at least with respect to the Bible picture of 'shepherd' leadership.<br /><br />That's because church leadership is different than corporate leadership...<br /><br />it is meant to be imitative of true shepherding, not bank boards. ...and I haven't seen this model very much, frankly. I have read about it, but it is rarely modeled in the church of today.<br /><br />the Shepherd is the perfect picture of what churches desperately need... I mean, think of what a herder of sheep actually does... </p><ul><li>cares for, guards and feeds the sheep</li><li>directs and leads and guides them</li><li>operates from a selfless stance, always considering what his flock needs</li></ul><p>and doesn't do:</p><ul><li>have you ever heard of a shepherd building consensus? Hardly</li><li>and what kind of attention would a herder of sheep give to a 'squeaky wheel'?</li><li>have you heard of a shepherd taking votes among his sheep about which pasture to visit or what food to eat?</li></ul><p>of the worldly models, it would seem that a true shepherd most closely resembles the 'compass' leader, right? (Frank Viola wrote this about that: "a true shepherd-leader knows what the next step is" ...pretty simple yet insightful.)<br /><br />but the most widely applied 'secular method' of 'eldering' that I have observed is the squeaky wheel model. …a terrible model for church leadership which guarantees terrible results.<br /><br />for the true shepherd, however, the Word is his compass. and he gives proper weight to both the LOUD VOICE and the DEAD SILENCE of scripture...<br /><br />and he spends more time tending the sheep than rendering decisions, doesn't he? </p><br /><br /><br /><br /><p>(to be continued...)</p>Timhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06498113118599691994noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7662667326688172400.post-89359677541353935832009-09-14T10:00:00.003-05:002009-09-14T11:06:14.443-05:00from the comfort of bondage to the blue jeans of chainsdon't you LOVE the feel of your favorite pair of bluejeans? <br /><br />You know the ones... they sorta fit you just right.... loose and tight in all the right places, but, above all, COMFORTABLE!<br /><br /><br />the children of Israel were held in torturous captivity in Egypt.<br /><br />against their will, they were enslaved. Their freedom was taken from them.<br /><br />they were forced to work long, hard, inhumane hours to make bricks for construction of whatever the Egyptian <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_0" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">Pharaohs</span> wanted to build.<br /><br />what they were forced to endure - for generations - is almost unimaginable.<br /><br />then they were liberated. By God through Moses. <br /><br />you saw the movie, right, the Ten Commandments? yeah, you remember, don't you, how Moses presented <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_1" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">Pharaoh</span> with several chances to 'let my people go' only to have <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_2" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">Pharaoh</span> obstinately refuse to free his slave work force? ....all the while enduring epic-sized plagues too horrible to even think about today. <br /><br />finally he relented, then <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_3" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">reneged</span>, then was thwarted by God when he attempted to recapture his slaves.<br /><br /><div align="center">THEY WERE FINALLY FREE!!!!! </div><br /><br />God uses this real-life story as a metaphor for us...I mean, the remainder of our Bible is replete with comparisons to our modern-day 'law-sin enslavement' and 'freedom in Christ'...<br /><br />but the metaphor doesn't end with that, right?<br /><br />because the real-life story doesn't end there....<br /><br />I mean, we read in abject astonishment of the ungrateful Israelites who complain about the conditions of their new found liberty... the degree to which they complain is capsulized in the account of their outright rebellion as they build a golden calf to worship...<br /><br />we scoff as Edward G Robinson portrays the chief complainer and incites people by saying things like 'at least we had a roof over our heads when we lived in Egypt'...<br /><br />The entire old testament seems to be dominated by the story of His people falling away and God reconciling them to Himself.... over and over and over again, His people fall for the lie that is always told, convincingly, by routine and status <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_4" class="blsp-spelling-error">quo</span>: that IT (routine) is the way! and that IT (status <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_5" class="blsp-spelling-error">quo</span>, the old way) is the truth!<br /><br />and, time and time again, God arrests His people's comfortableness to 'slap them back to their senses' and refocus them on His Way and His Will.<br /><br />and we smirk at their ignorance and point fingers at their almost pathological habit of self-destruction... "how?" we wonder "how can they so thoroughly miss it? why do they keep making the same mistakes, reverting to type and returning to enslavement?... how can they be so blind that they don't see the obvious result of their addiction to the their comfort zones?"<br /><br /><br /><div align="center">but how similar are we? </div><br />as we are freed from the tyranny of Legalism, the ink on our release papers is not even dry before we are complaining about the conditions of our liberty and wishing again for the 'safety' of the jail cell of legalism.<br /><br />so much so that we replicate the comfort of our old bondage by creating self-made chains of rules and laws which we bind on each other and everyone else... and we call it truth.<br /><br />and before long we are miserably 'happy' again; steeped in the 'routine' of traditional legalism and resting comfortably in the blue jeans of 'what-we-know'...<br /><br />and meanwhile God weeps for us as He sees what we could be. and He mounts plans to arrest our comfort to spur us on yet again to be His Church, His People.<br /><br />We LOVE routine. We crave status <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_6" class="blsp-spelling-error">quo</span>. We want comfort.<br /><br />and those things are the enemy of authentic Jesus life and real Christian community.<br /><br />Thank God that the He is not only the God of Imagination and Lord of Creativity, but the Supreme Exemplar of Patience! <br /><br />when will we learn?<br /><br />we are free! He expects us to act like it!Timhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06498113118599691994noreply@blogger.com0