Who are the greatest heretics of the church?

Who are the greatest heretics of the Christian faith?  My first three choices are Jesus, Martin Luther and John Amos Comenius.  These people all were considered heretics by the religious institution of their day, but did huge things to form the Christian faith.

Any others?

My favorites

Here's a quick list of my favorite blogs (as of today 'cause it changes).

Stef is getting to be a great blogger... 
                               http://becauseipause.blogspot.com/

Shaun Groves writes some thought provoking things and is connect with one of my favorite ministries, Compassion International...
                          http://www.shaungroves.com/shlog/

 Seth Godin challenges me to think big and to create...
                              http://sethgodin.typepad.com/seths_blog/

Out of Ur looks at church leadership issues in a new light...
                           http://blog.christianitytoday.com/outofur/

Is Effort lost in Christian busyness?

Seth Godin is an incredibly brilliant marketer.  Being on who doesn't like the materialistic world we find ourselves in, it may seem odd that I would read a blog by someone who made it big helping people sell things.  The truth is, recently, I've learned that we are all selling something and marketing is more about selling ideas than products.  Being a pastor is about selling ideas in many ways.

I really liked Seth's entry on Is effort a myth.  Take a moment to read the blog. There are two thoughts that I'd like to add.

My first thought is that Christians often down play effort giving preference to Grace or the Will of God.  It becomes a Christian version of luck.  Certainly, God's will cannot be undone.  Still, we are admonished in Scripture to put effort toward our work in Christ.  (1 Corinthians 9:24, Hebrews 12:1)

My second thought is that I love the exercises Seth gives.  How about adding a Bible reading plan and prayer to the 120 minutes each day.  Notice also that a day of doing nothing is a part of greater effort.  Counter intuitive, but also part of God's plan.

What is our most important task at hand?

My new Children's director asked me a question that brought this question to my mind.  How much of our time should be used making healthy the people inside the church and how much should we use reaching out to the community. 

I'm pretty sure that a paradigm of sitting around reading the Bible to one another until the world realizes they need Jesus won't ever work.

But I'm also questioning the paradigm that we should have most of our energy outward bringing new people into the church.  Can we actually make disciples when the house that we bring people into is out of order?

So, what is the City on the Hill's most important task and how do we ballance the tasks at hand?

Dad's braggin's

Once I told Elie that I'd give her a quart of Rita's Water Ice (if you don't know what that is come visit PA and I'll treat) if she made a goal with her head.  Anticipating a strong redirection to the upper 90, I was not sure what to do last weekend when Elie came to claim her quart.  You see, she and the keeper both went down in front of the goal.  Rather than running the risk of being too slow by getting up to kick the ball in, Elie, on all four, used her head to push it over the line.  It looked like the old party game when the person would roll a peanut with their nose. Not a great athletic feat, but creative.  Go Elie!

Today, the second surprise.  Looking back 12 years ago, Moriah was in a church Christmas program that took some Nutcracker songs and set Jesus lyrics to them.  The performance was an embarrasment.  She stood in the very front row and didn't sing a note.  I promised her I wouldn't tell what she did instead, but it had something to do with a finger and a feature in the center of her face.

Today, however, she learned that she as made the chorus at her school that will be singing in the Pennsylvania Ballet's preformance of the Nutcracker.  What an honor. She promises she'll sing this time.  Go Moriah!

Does choice equal relevance?

Does more choice bring more relevance?  It might seem so since what is relevant to me might not be so to you.  Still Tim Manners, the author of Relevance: Making Stuff That Matters doesn't seem to think that's always the case.  He points out that Stew Leonard’s, a grocer in Connecticut and New York, has found a niche by eleminating choice.  

One of the many things that makes Stew Leonard’s so innovative is that it only carries something like 800 items, compared to tens of thousands at the typical supermarket. They took the time to figure out which products were most relevant to their shoppers and got rid of everything else. As a result, their profits per square foot completely eclipse those of traditional supermarkets.  "Elements of Relevance" in the Sept/Oct edition of the online magizine The Hub

I can understand that. Last week I was in the local Acme and found myself stairing at walls and walls of product.  So many choices that, even though I could have used a few items, I was so overwhelmed that I shot in, grabbed the two things I needed and left.  Even picking out the two items was difficult because of the choices.  Good thing the tag "sale items" because I bought those.

It seems to me that church try to be relevant to more and more people by offering more and more choices?  So here's my question, is that making us more relevant or just busier? Does it improve community or just flood us with community choices?  If it is making things too busy, how do we go about limitting or cutting the overstock?

A Message to my daughters (and the rest of the children)

I was listening to U2 on my way to the church this morning.  The song The Original of the was on my stereo.  What a beautiful song.  

Bono's lyrics are almost always artistic and complex, but I think I hear in this song a message to young people.  It is a message that I fully embrace and would like to pass along to my daughters.  Here are the lyrics found at http://www.u2.com/music/lyrics_pop.php?mode=view&scope=snid&snid=184&album_id=68&type=lp:

Baby slow down
The end is not as fun as the start
Please stay a child somewhere in your heart

I’ll give you everything you want
Except the thing that you want
You are the first one of your kind

And you feel like no-one before
You steal right under my door
And I kneel ‘cos I want you some more
I want the lot of what you got 
And I want nothing that you’re not

Everywhere you go you shout it
You don’t have to be shy about it

Some things you shouldn’t get too good at
Like smiling, crying and celebrity
Some people got way too much confidence baby

I’ll give you everything you want
Except the thing that you want
You are the first one of your kind

And you feel like no-one before
You steal right under my door
I kneel ‘cos I want you some more
I want the lot of what you got 
And I want nothing that you’re not

Everywhere you go you shout it
You don’t have to be shy about it, no
And you’ll never be alone
Come on now show your soul
You’ve been keeping your love under control

Everywhere you go you shout it
You don’t have to be shy about it

Everywhere you go you shout it
Oh my my

And you feel like no-one before
You steal right under my door
I kneel ‘cos I want you some more
I want you some more, I want you some more…

The origin of the species goes back to Adam and Eve in the Genesis account.  In that passage, God offered the whole of the Garden to His children, except the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil.  The result when Adam and Eve ate the forbidden fruit was shame, particularly shame of nakedness.  

To be naked is to be vulnerable so Adam and Eve clothed themselves.  

Youth is a difficult time of moving from one vulnerability to the next.  To hide insecurities, many youth weave a clothing of another sort.  That is they create a disingenuous or false personality.  Bono is warning his children of this trap.

Everywhere you go you shout it
You don’t have to be shy about it, no
And you’ll never be alone
Come on now show your soul
You’ve been keeping your love under control

Rather than hiding who you are because you don't think it is good enough, be confident in who God made you to be.  Don't be shy about that.  God will not leave you alone to deal with it.

When you know and trust who you are; When you are confident in the personality God gave you; When you allow your soul to be alive and free; then you can demonstrate real love.  I think God wants us to be free in that way.  

Teen years are the most difficult.  Don't use them to learn to be false.  Use them to learn to be the best you that God intended you to be.  Each of you is an original of the species.

The video for this song is wacky, but cool...http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xa8mFeWbLX8.

Why contentment isn't a goal.

I was reading a post on Roger von Oech's Creative Think blog.  In the post he asks "Why happiness is the absence of striving for happiness?" I'm trying to answer that question and here is the best thing I can come up with...

If your goal is contentment, you will always be shy of that goal.  To not be content is to be discontent.

Prehaps a better goal for acheiving personal happiness is to realize that it's not about you.  Then spend time working to acheive the well being of others.

Why evangelicals should be more careful with politics

He has showed you, O man, what is good.
And what does the LORD require of you?
To act justly and to love mercy
and to walk humbly with your God.

Micah 6:8

Obviously, when McCain picked Sarah Palin for his VP running mate, his choice help opened the door to an exciting general election. I think it is the most exciting of my life (not counting the post-vote excitement of 2000).

Many Christian Republican have had a renewed excitement with the addition of a young, conservative, eloquent Palin. And with good reason.

However, I' don't share the majority opinion about the strength of her speech. While watching on Wednesday evening, I became disquieted be her tactics and the responses she solicited.

Did she demonstrate that she could be a strong candidate? Of course. Was her speech energizing to the base? Absolutely. Was is giving in a manner that is worthy of a Christian speaker? That's the part that troubles me. Or more so, I'm bothered that so many Christian I have spoken to haven't been bothered by the same things that I troubled me.

What bothered me about her discourse? I just don't think the image of the pit-bull Christian is one that our God would be please with. One person I talked to about this issue agreed with me to a point, but then said, "this is politics. It is necessary to cut the other people down to make you point."

What does the Bible say about that kind of politics? I think Micah 6:8 gives us good guidance here as it says that God's will is that we act justly, love mercy and walk humbly with him.

Often I hear justice lifted up as reason we have to defeat liberalism. Maybe there is truth in that. But I wonder if we should re-read Micah to discover the kind of justice that we are to have.

More importantly, this passage tell the believer how they should live in all circumstances. We are to live justly, love mercy and walk humbly.

Pit-bulls (at least as they are stereotyped) don't walk humbly. They attack violently and indiscriminately. They kind of sharp, sarcastic humor that Palin used to attack her opponent was not merciful, but divisive and destructive to the human soal.

Palin's comment claiming that Obama "is worried that someone won't read [a terrorist] their rights" was a ridiculous example of misplaced justice. If we are a just nation, particularly through the Christian leaders of this country, we will place the civil right of all people above convenience of our prosecution. We can't assume that everyone suspected of being an Al Qaeda terrorist is guilty of any crime. Just leaders wouldn't laugh at the fact that their opponents are for upholding justice through civil rights, even the rights of non-citizens.

I was uncomfortable with Palin's speech. She has great potential, and I'm hopeful that going forward she will put her responsibility to follow the will of our God ahead of her desire to get the Republican ticket elected. It isn't that she has to be the pit bull to win. Rather she should demonstrate and the voters recognize that our God is capable of bringing the right people into power. Christian voters should be looking for someone who in their campaign and in their lives are acting justly, loving mercy and walking humbly.

By the way, this is not an endorsement of Obama. Rather a call to Christian politicians and voters to act according to the will of God, not just toward particular ideology.

Needs vs. wants and desires

Dan Pink recently blogs about Charlie Rose's interview with Bob Lutz, General Motor's head of product development. The subject of the interview was the design of the Chevy Volt. The Volt is GM's hope for the future. A car that requires no gasoline (at least up to 40 miles).

I thought the interview was interesting from a design sense, but one comment caught my ear. Lutz talked a lot about car design being important for sales since car are often status symbols for the drivers. He went on to say that often people ask him how GM is going to meet the needs of the customers. His response the needs of the customers can be met by picking up a two year old coup at the used car dealer. To sell cars, GM needs to meet the wants and desires of the customer.

From a Christian standpoint, can we be throwing $30 to $50K at wants and desires? Just a thought.

Anyway, I think my needs are being met just find with my 10 year old Camry.

How to save a life

I might be behind the times a couple year, but I just heard the song "How to Save a Life" this week after downloading it to my Tivo (Music Choice). I think it is great. I don't know anything about The Fray, but I did find their page for this song, HOWTOSAVEALIFE.COM.

Whose life are we saving in this song? It seems to me we are saving our children (broadly all children). Isaac Slade's steps to saving a life seem 3 fold: (1) Talk and list; (2) be the parent and lead; and (3) be forgiving and allow room for them to seek repentance.

Watch the video. It's even more telling.

On Tony Dungy's book Quiet Strength

I just finished reading Quiet Strength with a group of men I meet with regularly. Here is my review as I posted it on my virtual bookshelf.

Nice story. Love his faith. I think he place a little too much of his on field success on the fact that he has faith and God wanted him to succeed. Not everyone with strong faith is going to see "success" at the same level. I'd hope no one would doubt their faith because they never get to that level.

One thing I've learned...

Over the last 20 years is begin creative is usually better than knowing the facts. OK, these things aren't mutually exclusive, and I know that fact-based people won't likely understand my point, but here's why it is important.

It took my about 17 or 18 years to learn one of the things I love most about Stef is that she is creative. It all came out in a couple photography classes she took, but I see it all over the place now.

On thing I've learned in the last couple years of my life is that too have a creative streak.

The problem--Both of us grew up in worlds where being factual, being accurate, and knowing how to do things right is what makes a good person. As people who want to be good we both focused on those things that were factual, accurate and done right.

When we focus on those things, I think we as a couple become boring and uptight.

I'm glad that we are both finding ways to exercise our creativity. I'm sure the next 20 years of marriage will be much more exciting as we loosen the grip of the cold hard facts of life.

Why I've lost interest in the MLS

A few years ago, if began watching soccer. It began with going to a couple of women's professional games back when the Philadelphia Charge were around. Then I began watching MLS games, mostly on the internet because they offered all the games for free. I liked the MLS back then and found it fun to watch the games. I liked some of the players on several teams: Jaime Moreno, Brian Chin, Taylor Twellman, etc. Since I used to live in Utah I began watching RSL when they joined the league.

Something has happened since then, and I'm loosing interest in the league.

First, Beckham happened. I don't dislike him, but it seems that they only show LA games since he moved to the US.

Next, the league began charging for me to watch games. I'm cheep. I'll admit it. I don't have money to spend so I can sit with my laptop trying to make sense of a game played on a 2.5" by 3" compressed video screen.

Finally, as many people told me back then, I found out that European soccer was better. I got Gol TV and the Fox Soccer Channel and found out that there is a huge quality of play difference. I wish those channels would show games that didn't involve Chelsea, ManU, Real Madrid and Barca, but if I watch long enough, I see all the teams I like.

I'm looking forward to seeing how Liverpool does this season. They've picked up some big names.

I used to watch the MLS, but I don't have much reason to do so anymore.

Exciting things to come

I'm starting today two count-downs.

The most important is that there are 10 days left until Stef and I celebrate our 20th anniversary. Stef has been posting some thoughts about our first 20 years together. When I feel clever, maybe I will too.

The second countdown is related...
In just 5 days my vacation starts. We're actually going away (sort of). We're going to level Moriah at home while Elie is in Maryland with a friend. We're going to Baltimore's Inner Harbor--something we've wanted to do for some time now. We actually only get one night there, but it is a night. :) I made reservations at the Inner Harbor Renaissance Hotel using priceline.com We got a good deal.

Full review of Intuitive Leadership

I just finished reading Intuitive Leadership by Tim Keel. I've hit on some point about this book before. In final analysis, I'd say that this may not have been the best book for me to have read. It's not a bad book, but it left me wanting some things that it didn't deliver and with a few things that I didn't really need.

I liked the fact that Keel poses a different kind of leadership book from those analytical, linear books that are so often published. The problem is it left me wanting something that I'm not so sure I can have: freedom within an established organization to create in the way Keel prescribes. There are some good principles that can be applied to established churches, and I'll address those later, but it will really be difficult to get away with pushing those principles beyond a basic level.

While those principles are there and as exciting as they may be, I also found myself frustrated that the creative church movement has to tie itself so closely to certain things that to me are negatives. How many times does Keel refer to the great value of the monastics and escaping to monastic communities? Monastics, to me, are a sign of failure in Church. Some monastics were running from a very broken church; others were running from a very broken world. One could argue that we have in North America both a broken church and a broken world. Still, I don't think escaping to an experiential community is at all the answer that the Bible gives us. I would instead love to hear creative people discovering God in creative ways among the broken piece of both church and world.

I like Keel's points of creativity that should be kindled in the church: in leadership, in worship, in theology. I love the thought of creative people taking leadership of the church. We are still stuck in a world were safe leadership is considered godly. Wouldn't God rather leaders push the envelope? Isn't he in control in the end?

I love the thought of the church living in paradox and theology being more a matter of "I don't know (yet)" than a fix system to never deviate from. I think our practices and services should highlight this paradox.

I also love Keel's desire to get rid of the old idols of the church. I know that I am tempted by the idol of ministry that he talks about. Many people use the church and symbols of God as idols just as the Keel point out that the Ark was used before the Israelites.

Unfortunately, I'm not so sure that Keel doesn't create some new idols along the way. To me monasticism is often an idol of experience and community. Similarly, I think if creativity for the sake of creativity is not kept in check, the thrill of doing something new can also become an idol.

In the end, I wonder if this is a book that should not have been written. Keel pronounces great frustration over other church movements that are successful and then copied because of there success. He says that he doesn't want people to copy him instead consider their own context. That's good, but I think human nature and the nature of leaders is to copy that which is written up as a success. Heck, didn't Hybels say in his book Rediscovering Church that people should try to copy the Willow Creek model? Still, copying Willow Creek seemed to me to be Keel's biggest struggle with the Evangelical Church, or at least its leaders.

I'm not sure how to get this message out, but when a leader writes a book describing how he found success, people are going to try to copy. Then again, maybe leadership is about causing success, and, after all, are there really that many intuitive leaders out there? I guess time will tell.

How bad is our economy?

The other day I had a conversation with a leader from another church. In the course of the conversation I suggested that the US hasn't done enough to help poverty worldwide. (I was particularly speaking of evangelicals in the US.) His response was that the US couldn't help others because our economy is too bad right now.

That raised 2 questions in my mind. First, how good would the economy have to be before we could help others around the world. I wasn't speaking specifically about the last couple years when talking about our history of poverty relief. If anything, it seems we've picked up our rate of contribution with efforts like 1000 Wells Project and Blood:water mission, two movements started by popular musicians.

The second question that I have to ask about our economy is How bad is it really? Sure, I can tell you stories of people I know loosing their jobs. Yes, homes are selling slowly and for less money that a couple years ago (still much more than say 5 years ago). But, if one movie can bring in $400-million in just 17 days, is our economy really that bad?

It took $4 per gallon for Americans to begin to rethink driving habits, and still they're only down less than 5%. People are still eating out and kids are still playing in travel sports leagues that require packing the SUV a couple times per week to drive great distances to play a kid's game.

Our economy isn't as fat as it has been, but it is still fat enough. Most Americans still have more they could give. Most American church has room in their ministry to help those suffering with no food, no medicine around the world.

I'm afraid that I'm as much to blame for this, but I'm working on that. Join me?

Why jargon is dangerous

We all get caught up in the jargon of our particular communities. The Christian world is flooded with words that make sense to those inside the community, but are confusing to outsiders.

This morning while watching Good Morning America Weekend, Kate (whose last name was never given 'cause I guess you're supposed to know that she's one of the co-anchors on the show) was traveling Africa with former president Clinton.

In the course of the report, Kate actually said, "they wouldn't allow us to shoot the former president on the airplane."

I'm confused. Were they more open to shooting Clinton on the ground? I'd hope not. Sounds like it would be a case of a reporter becoming the story.

A lesson from Johnny Bunko (Part 3)

A lesson from Johnny Bunko (Part 1)

A lesson from Johnny Bunko (Part 2)


Of the last week I've been writing comments on the 6 lesson from the Adventures of Johnny Bunko: the Last Career Guide You'll Ever Need by Dan Pink. To reiterate, Pink doesn't specifically write from a world view reflecting the teachings of the Bible, but I think that his point correspond to some biblical principles. Today I will complete the final two lessons. Allow me to list all six again:

• There is no plan
• Think strengths, not weaknesses
• It's not about you
• Persistence trumps talent
• Make excellent mistakes
• Leave an imprint

Make excellent mistakes. Many Christians would challenge this point. We serve a perfect God; we aught not strive for anything less that perfection, or Mistakes are sins, they might say. I disagree with this perfectionistic thinking. God doesn't expect us to be without imperfection, rather he makes us perfect.

On the other hand, we see many examples of places in the scripture where God challenges people to be stretched beyond their abilities. In that, mistakes happen, but he is faithful to guide us through those mistakes. Job made mistakes of being frustrated, nearly giving up on God. God still held him up and honored him. Moses was weak at times, not wanting to represent Israel and challenging a Egyptian to his death. David made mistakes. Yet, God holds both David and Moses as great leaders. Peter, who was Jesus' right hand man, was always sticking his foot in his mouth as he tried to think beyond his capabilities. Yet, Jesus challenged him with leading the early church.

Sure God punished appropriately Moses, David and Peter for their sinful or faithless acts, but he strengthend them to continue forward. Mistakes came mostly as they were challenged to expand their leadership and their creativity. Think about it. When Peter stuck his foot in his mouth, he was the only disciple that was willing to speak at all. He was being a leader testing new ideas.

Leave and imprint. This one is clear to me. Leaving an imprint is a matter of your legacy. Obviously, as followers of Christ, we need to leave a legacy that points people back to Jesus. If you're a parent, the imprint you should leave is the life you live in Christ before your children. If you're a neighbor, the imprint is how you love your neighbor unconditionally. If you work in an office, it is your integrity and the way you put other's needs first. (See Lesson # 3.)

I guess you can leave an imprint by chasing money. Howard Hughes did. But wouldn't you rather leave on like Billy Graham, Mother Theresa, James Hudson Taylor (Overseas Missionary Fellowship), or Everett Swanson (Compassion International). Not everyone will have the opportunity to be on a stage as big as these folks, but you can make a similar impact by living your life for the poor or to help others know God grace personally.

Leaving an imprint is about having a goal. Lesson #1 was that we don't have a plan, that's something different. We don't plan the end, but we work to make the lives of others better that the world will be a better place for our being here. I think that's the kind of imprint that God would have us make.

I think the 6 Lessons of Johnny Bunko are excellent teaching points for people who want to know how to serve God better. My hope is that all people can learn to use the tools that they have to serve God and make the world a better place.

Play vs. Work | Accidental Creative

Play vs. Work | Accidental Creative

This is a good challenge to me to keep the right perspective in my work and to focus on the things God has prepared me to do. I think work looses its play when we are too busy trying to make others pleased with what we are doing rather than doing what we are driven to do. When we follow God in our vocation, I think we should find it so rewarding that it crosses the line from work to play.

I need to constantly re-discover that line in my ministry.