Tossing tables, helping people
March 29, 2010
During preparations for Palm Sunday, a juxtaposition of verses caught my eye. In Matthew’s account of the incidents surrounding the crowd greeting Jesus with palm fronds, hence Palm Sunday, the clearing of the Temple is followed by an immediate reminder the blind and lame were attracted to Jesus.
That is a striking contrast! Jesus clears the Temple – angrily and violently – demanding it be returned to a place for prayer and spiritual devotion. Then, in the next verse, hurting people are approaching Jesus. When someone in our family has an angry moment we usually steer clear of them for a while. We let them calm down before we approach them about anything. Jesus was tossing tables one minute, and welcoming hurting people into his presence the next. That reveals so much about his character.
The underlying theme of Palm Sunday is Jesus is a King. He entered Jerusalem to accolades, like a triumphant monarch parading through the streets. But unlike so many kings, Jesus is no despot. He doesn’t use people for his purposes or manipulate situations to his advantage. Yes, Jesus is a King. But he is a King who cares for hurting people and invites them into his presence.
It embarrasses me when American Christians associate Jesus and his movement with material success or good health as evidence of His presence and blessing. Seems the opposite was often the case when Jesus was on earth. He attracted hurting people and cared for the poor. My questions for all of us are twofold. First, do we represent Jesus as an inviting, compassionate, forgiving Savior? Second, are we as inviting, compassionate, and forgiving as the Savior we represent?
In the current national debate, health care is usually described as an industry – and it certainly has become one. There was a day however, in the not too distant past, when health care was the purview of the Church. My first child was born in Methodist Hospital. By the time my second child came along, the hospital had changed names after being purchased by a health care company. Our third child was born in the same hospital, under yet another name and conglomerate owner. Within a few years, health care in our community went from being indentified with the Church to just another national industry.
Those changes weren’t all bad and reflected changing times across our country. But what was lost was the reminder that health care – as an expression of Jesus’ care for hurting people – was once a ministry of the Church. Many hospitals had Baptist, Methodist, or Catholic in their name for a reason. They were started as an expression of faith, in an attempt to incarnate Jesus’ compassion. While the day of controlling the health care industry is gone forever, may God give us fresh vision during Easter week to find ways to represent Jesus to the weakest among us and connect the Church to that great cause.
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Praying and Personal Evangelism
March 22, 2010
In the first chapel service of this semester, I preached a message on “Prayer and Personal Evangelism” (available on this website for a free download). There are at least five specific instructions or recorded prayers in the New Testament directly related to personal evangelism or evangelistic effectiveness. Those passages lead us to the following five prayer requests related to personal evangelism.
1. Pray for people to be saved.
2. Pray for boldness in witnessing.
3. Pray for insight in sharing the gospel.
4. Pray for rapid expansion of the gospel’s influence.
5. Pray for more people to share their faith.
At the conclusion of that first chapel service, I asked the seminary community to commit to praying one or more of these prayers throughout the semester. Since then, we have taken time in most chapel services for participants to share how God is answering prayers. Here is some of what we have heard.
A student reported baptizing 14 teenagers since January 1, with 5 more awaiting baptism. An employee reported leading a person to confess Jesus as Savior and Lord after a recent Sunday service. Another person reported a lost man, previously disinterested in the gospel, has started asking questions about developing a relationship with God. Another student, who plays in a community orchestra, reported 5 friends had inquired about the gospel in conversations the previous two weeks.
God is answering our prayers! He wants people to be saved – much more than we do! He delights in hearing people pray according to his will and in answering those prayers. The five prayers mentioned above are directly drawn from the Bible. They are God’s will. Pray them with confidence God hears and will answer.
Join us in praying these prayers. As God answers, send me the results and we will share them in chapel. At Golden Gate, we are committed to making an eternal difference in our world. Join us and let us know how God is working through you and around you. We will delight in the progress of the gospel and encouragement a good report brings to us.
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The Importance of Friendships
March 15, 2010
In my book
The Painful Side of Leadership, one of the strategies outlined for handling loneliness in leadership is developing friendships with everyday people. The phrase “everyday people” is a bit unusual. I tried “regular people,” “normal people,” and a few other options before settling on “everyday people.” What I was trying to communicate is the importance of ministry leaders maintaining friendships with people who are
not ministry leaders.
This past weekend, I spent three days with one of my best friends. It was one of the most enjoyable times I have had with anyone in a long time. We watched a lot of baseball (including several hours of practice – only loved by diehards). We also ate, laughed, saw some sights (new baseball fields), and even took in part of a coach-pitch game with a bunch of five year olds! We told stories, caught up on our families, and talked about our plans - short and long-term - for retirement (he gets to go first!).
Mostly we enjoyed the comfortable feeling of shared values, shared experiences (including a few painful ones), and our mutual relationship with God. He taught me some fresh insight into family life, in response to some of my questions about how his family has overcome some challenges. We have almost thirty years of knowing each other so the trust level is high. We are relaxed together – no stress about what to eat, how to dress, or any other details that put people on edge. We’re friends in the truest sense of the word.
Having friends like this helps ministry leaders maintain emotional balance. They shift our focus from only thinking about ministry. They help us regain perspective. They also help us rediscover fun – an uncommon commodity in our serious work, so often with troubled people. These friendships give us a context to be ourselves, enjoying our interests (even the frivolous ones like baseball). Everyday people help us think about everyday issues from a fresh perspective.
These friendships require nurturing but it’s worth the effort. The more driven we are, the more consuming our ministries, and the more narrow our focus – the more we need these friendships and the more challenging they are to maintain. Devoting time to these relationships isn’t a waste, it’s an investment. So, find yourself a golfing buddy, a hunting partner, or someone who likes to scavenge garage sales. Make time to connect, to laugh, to revive, and to laugh! You will be glad you did.
And, over time, hold on to the best of these relationships. One of life’s greatest blessings is living long enough to have old friends. If you are younger leader reading this, find some really sharp peers and grow old with them. It’s one of the best ways to guarantee success in life and genuine fulfillment along the way.
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Montana Pastors
March 8, 2010
More than 20 years ago, our family moved west to plant a new church near Portland, Oregon. We thought that church would be our life’s work. But God had other plans. He allowed me to serve the Northwest Baptist Convention and now Golden Gate Seminary. In both those roles, my ministry has expanded from planting one church to connecting with and encouraging church leaders across the Western United States. I have spoken multiple times in every Western state convention at various conferences, conventions, and training opportunities. While I hope I have helped, the honest truth is Western leaders have continually done more for me than I have done for them. They inspire me.
Last week I was with Montana pastors, their wives, and other ministry leaders from across that state. They are awesome people. Many of them are bi-vocational and the ones who are solely employed in ministry often sacrifice financially to serve. They are salt-of-the-earth type people who work hard in challenging, often lonely settings. Their perseverance is admirable. But, if you ask them, they would say something like, “No big deal. Just doing what the Lord told us to do.”
That attitude is a big part of what inspires me. The men and women at our meeting this past weekend don’t see themselves as sacrificing all that much. They are glad to serve and puzzled why everyone wouldn’t want to be there! After all, doesn’t everyone want to drive 200 miles to have lunch with the closest Southern Baptist pastor? Having lived in a city most of my adult life, it is hard for me to fathom the isolation of these stalwart leaders.
While talking with various leaders during my two days with them, my most striking observation was the absence of whining. There was none. Not just a little bit, none! They came to the meeting to retool and re-vision for their ministries. They expect God to use them, have no doubt he wants his kingdom to expand rapidly across their state, and are committed to getting the job done.
So, I’m home now – back at the task of leading a seminary. I came home inspired to work harder, sacrifice more, and whine less. Thanks Montana Baptists for your ministry to me!
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GCR Task Force Report
March 1, 2010
Last week, the Great Commission Task Force of the Southern Baptist Convention issued their preliminary report. The recommendations were bold, innovative, and will (if adopted) produce dramatic change in the administration of our North American Mission program and the patterns of giving to missions used by Southern Baptists.
When something new is proposed in any context, the responses are predictable. Some people embrace the changes, some oppose them, and others want to adjust them. Southern Baptists are no different than the general population in how we respond to proposed change. Here are some thoughts on how we should move forward.
First, the GCR Task Force should be commended for rolling out their ideas so many months before the SBC annual meeting in June. The Task Force has given us time to discuss, consider, and decide these issues in a deliberate manner. That’s a good thing! They labeled their presentation a “progress report” which indicates they intend to consider the response to their initial report before making their final recommendations.
Second, all of us need to consider the recommendations as objectively as possible – not just asking how they affect us or our work, but asking how useful they might be in improving our focus on fulfilling the Great Commission. The objective is effectiveness, not preserving aspects of our current systems we find familiar or comfortable.
Third, all of us need to avoid the devilish temptation of demonizing those who might not see these issues the way we do. Southern Baptists leaders are ALL committed to fulfilling the Great Commission. This isn’t a mandate on our passion for that biblical imperative. The report proposes changes to denominational funding and structure, that’s all. While those issues are important, they aren’t issues deserving vitriolic attacks on other believers.
Fourth, all of us must embrace the possibility of some change we find challenging. It was my privilege to meet with the GCR some months ago and give input to the process. Some of what I advocated, they did not follow in their report. I can live with that. I still value the people on the task force, the work that was done, and trust the process we are currently using to reconsider how our denomination works.
Finally, all of us should participate in the process leading to the final decisions. You have a voice, use it but use it appropriately. No whining, no threats, and no rushing to judgment! Let’s speak passionately to the issues, make recommendations to increase our effectiveness, and trust God and the messengers this summer to make wise decisions.
The timing of this report and the selection of new presidents for the International Mission Board, North American Mission Board, and the Executive Committee will make this a momentous year for Southern Baptists. Pray for God’s blessing and direction on Southern Baptists, particularly those most directly involved in making these historic decisions, as we move forward together this year.
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