Perspective
November 24, 2008
As you celebrate Thanksgiving this week, your perspective will determine the level of your gratitude. When I am discouraged, it’s usually because I have lost my focus. For example, when I think about the financial challenges we face – personally and corporately – it’s easy to gripe because we never seem to have enough. Then I think about the millions of Christians on earth who have less than we do and it changes my attitude. Actually, most western Christians and ministries are the wealthiest on earth. We have more than we need and far more than we deserve. Remembering that changes my perspective.
Besides finances, changing your perspective works in other areas as well. When I feel oppressed or attacked, I think about Chinese pastors who wake up every day wondering if it will be their last to preach to gospel. When I feel sick (and who has the time for that!), I think about handicapped friends who would like to get up out of their wheelchairs, just once, and walk across a room. When Ann and I have cross words, I think about widows who would give anything for one more conversation with their deceased partner. You get the idea!
When you focus on yourself, you will usually drift toward frustration. It’s human nature for us to compare our weaknesses with other people’s strengths – not the other way around. This leads to anger or depression. Taking this path is a road to nowhere.
So between the turkey and football this week, ask God to give you fresh perspective. Ask him to help you see your situation from his perspective, in light of the needs and status of believers around the world. Change your focus from yourself – from what you need or don’t have – and see the abundance you enjoy. As your focus changes, gratitude will replace frustration.
Happy Thanksgiving!
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What do you wear to church?
November 17, 2008
Getting the dress code right for church is a challenge these days. One of the questions my assistant asks to finalize speaking engagements on my behalf is, “What is the dress code?” Showing up in a suit when everyone else is wearing jeans is a bit awkward! In most places, the recent trend has been toward a more casual approach. This is particularly true in the western U.S., not as much when I travel to preach in the south or east.
Because of this, a recent exchange with a church planter caught me off guard. This particular pastor leads a church that is about four years old. It meets in a public middle school. The church is growing. I was a guest in their services the day they baptized their 100th convert, when the church was only 18 months old. This pastor is connecting well with younger adults, as well as with all ages that are coming to his church. He is the kind of guy who has a “second office” at Starbucks, connecting with church and community members alike. He is, for me a model church planting pastor.
So, with this background, it surprised me to run into him wearing a suit at a pastor’s conference! I jokingly asked, “Got a funeral to do later?” He replied, “Nope. Just dressing like a pastor.” What?! Then he told me this story.
He was wearing a suit for a special Sunday event, something he never did on Sunday, and sitting in Starbucks reading his Bible. A young woman he had never met before stopped at his table and asked, “Excuse me, are you a pastor?” My friend said, “Yes.” The woman then said, “I thought so. It’s nice to see you dressed like a pastor. I have tried a few churches and most of the pastors looked like they were dressed to go to the beach. It was hard to take them seriously. Where is your church?”
So, this pastor decided to start wearing a coat and tie on Sundays as an experiment. And, to his surprise, it was widely applauded by both his church members and the guests they bring with them. That is an interesting perspective and response. Even Rick Warren, in a recent interview in Christianity Today, confirmed he had thrown out all his Hawaiian shirts!
Don’t get me wrong; what a person wears to church doesn’t define their spirituality or determine their effectiveness. There is nothing magical or spiritual about any certain clothing. Dress is, however, a reflection of culture and values. Pastors and other ministry leaders should dress to accentuate their message and method. As long as what you wear isn’t a distraction and actually adds to your message or ministry, it’s appropriate. This column isn’t about dressing up, wearing more ties, or wearing suits.
So what is the point? The point is ministry is serious work, done by serious-minded people, and people (believers and unbelievers) expect ministry leaders to communicate the gravity and depth of their work by more than their words. So think about it. What are you communicating about your work by the way your present yourself to your community? At least for one, hip, contemporary church planter – a surprising adjustment has increased his credibility and enhanced his message. Think about it!
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Good election results
November 10, 2008
The recent election had several good results which made me proud to be an American. The election of a non-Anglo candidate as president makes a huge statement about the state of race relations and the growing acceptance of ethnic diversity in our multi-cultural society. For those of us who lived through the 1960’s, the election of an African-American seems like a miracle.
Even though I was only a child, I remember thinking in 1968, “Something is terribly wrong” when Martin Luther King and Robert Kennedy were assassinated. I was too young to understand all that was happening, but even then I had a sense profound change was needed. Those changes have been evolving for almost 50 years but real progress has been made.
Another good result from the election was the response of the loser – John McCain. He graciously conceded and encouraged the entire country to unite behind President-elect Obama. In many other countries, when one party loses an election, they form a militia and start a civil war. Not so in America. Political parties spend billions promoting their candidates and agenda, but in the end patriotism trumps partisanship.
The election day process itself also made me proud. About 130 million people went to the polls. There were no riots, no SWAT team interventions, no widespread voter fraud, and no one was denied the right to vote for illegitimate reasons. Across the country, mostly senior adult volunteers manned the polls and made a smooth election possible. There is something very American about that!
While I privately predicted an Obama landslide, I admit I missed my prediction on Proposition 8, adding a definition of traditional marriage to the state constitution. I am happy to be wrong! It delighted me that Californians stood up for marriage, rejected the ridiculous claims about marriage being a civil right, and resisted the arbitrary past decisions of activist judges. At least for now, until the court fights resume, homosexual marriage is unconstitutional in California.
We have serious problems in this country. Pray for President-elect Obama to have wisdom as he begins his tenure. While I believe he will solve some problems effectively, I have my doubts about his social policies. Pray for him to make wise and righteous choices about ethical issues that ultimately define the kind of people we are. President-elect Obama claims to be a person of faith. As such, we pray God will work through him to implement decisions based on a biblical worldview.
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Just Walk Across the Room
November 3, 2008
Just Walk across the Room is the title of a new book by Bill Hybels, founding and senior pastor of Willow Creek Church near Chicago. Willow is well-known (along with Saddleback) as the leading seeker model churches of the last two decades. Both churches have reached tens of thousands of people with the gospel.
This book, however, isn’t about reaching people in large groups. It is about reaching people personally through relationships developed over time.
Just Walk across the Room is one of the most inspiring, practically helpful books I have read in a long time. Hybels strikes just the right balance between personal illustrations and practical instruction. His passion for sailing, expressed through creating a competitive sailing team composed (intentionally) of non-believers, is a powerful model for those of us in Christian leadership. The stories of the men on that team who have come to faith in Christ, and other people who are still in the process, are very encouraging. His other stories of friends he has made, and led to faith or is in the process of leading to faith, chronicle a lifelong commitment to relational evangelism.
Hybels is obviously a winsome person with charisma and leadership skills. Yet, his concepts don’t rest on his personality or any particular relational style. The lifestyle he describes in this book can be adopted by any believer.
While so much in the book encouraged me (probably because I share Hybels convictions but not yet his skill in reaching people through relationships), my slowness to “walk across the room” sometimes embarrasses me. Frankly, I’m not always as spiritually sensitive as I would like to be. The day after reading the book, a man on an airplane looked over my shoulder at a manuscript I was editing and asked, “Are you writing a book?” Rather than give a curt answer so I could get back to my work, I engaged him in conversation. Within 10 minutes he was telling me about his pending divorce, his love for his children, and other personal details. He shared his religious views. I shared my brief testimony and gave him my email address so we could stay in touch.
After the conversation ended over an hour later, I got off the plane and thought, “That was a short room to walk across!” Most are. People are willing to be engaged about the gospel if we will learn to do it with humility, grace, patience, and respect. We must also be willing to develop relationships and nurture them to facilitate our witness. I have been in conversation with some of my friends about the gospel for more than a decade. Maintaining my witness, while also maintaining my relationship while they reject the gospel, is a challenge. But it must be done!
So, get this book and sharpen your relational evangelism skills. You might also consider using the accompanying DVD to create a training course and support groups for small groups of believers who want to become more intentional in their witness to their friends.
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