Archive for April, 2009
April 29, 2009
There’s a lot of hype and hysteria about the swine flu. The next few weeks will tell how serious or not serious this thing might be. But for now there’s not a lot that we can do but pray for health, hope for the best, wash our hands, and keep our eyes open.
When I heard that a Chicagoland school had closed I must confess that I had second thoughts about sending my sons to school—but at this point it seems best just to be vigilant.
I talked to my wife (who is an RN) and my neighbor (who is also an RN) and was reminded that tens of thousands of people die every year in the US with influenza, without hype or hysteria. We have to remember that bad news sells newspapers and, honestly, the modern media can’t be trusted anyway.
Our trust has to be in God. He is sovereign over everything that happens and nothing takes place outside of His will—good or bad. We have to believe that He has our best interests in mind and that He does not promise to deliver us from all the troubles of this life, but to help us to navigate them successfully and with a servant’s heart. Whatever we face will simply be an opportunity to grow in our faith and to serve those in need.
Besides, I’m not about to live my life in fear—not even for one moment! In Matthew 6 Jesus says, “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life…, who of you by worring can add a singly hour to his life…!“
Posted in Family, Politics, church, culture, religion | 7 Comments »
April 28, 2009
In each of my friends there is something that only some other friend can fully bring out. By myself I am not large enough to call the whole man into activity; I want other lights than my own to show all his facets. Now that Charles [a good friend to Lewis and Tolkien] is dead, I shall never again see Ronald’s [Tolkien] reaction to a specifically Charles joke. For from having more of Ronald, having him “to myself” now that Charles is away, I have less of Ronald… In this, Friendship exhibits a glorious “nearness by resemblance” to heaven itself where the very multitude of the blessed (which no man can number) increases the fruition which each of us has of God. For every soul, seeing Him in her own way, doubtless communicates that unique vision to all the rest. (from CS Lewis’ essay entitled “Friendship.”)
CS Lewis is saying that one cannot know themselves without properly knowing others. In other words, we are not complete people without community—without friends.
In Philippians 1:3ff the Apostle Paul writes, “I thank my God every time I remember you. In all my prayers for all of you I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the Gospel.”
I am truly grateful for those friends who help me to be “me,” who are strong where I am weak, who lift me up when I am down; those friends for whom I grieve when we are apart, who are indeed closer than family and have thus become family. Such friends bring joy that is unexpressible and partnership that is unbreakable. Such friends are a rare treasure, a pearl of great price, and one of my great hopes for Heaven.
Posted in Family, church, culture, religion | Tagged CS Lewis, Essay on Friendship, friendship, Philippians 1:3 | 2 Comments »
April 26, 2009
You’ve heard the phrase “shell-shocked?” It’s a combat term used to describe the delirium that sometimes plagues soldiers in the battlefield when they have been hit hard by tough or challenging circumstances—normally after an enemy attack.
I’m not shell-shocked, but I am “soul-shocked.” I’m using this term to describe the spiritual delirium that I’ve been facing since returning from the Exponential Conference (www.exponentialconference.org) in Orlando, Florida on Friday. I think it was the best Christian conference I’ve ever experienced—much better than last year (and last year was decent). But since my return I’ve been hit hard by a haunting spiritual reality.
You see, up until now I’ve been pretty content with planting and leading Crossroads Christian Church (www.crossroadsofjoliet.org) to viability—and I’ve hoped that Crossroads would become healthy enough to mother more new churches. And so I’ve had this dream of planting more than one new church in our town for the past couple of years.
This week I was at the Conference asking myself: “What if we planted two more new churches in our town by 2015 and reached 1000+ people for Christ?” And I sensed a voice saying: “If you reach 1000+ people for Christ by 2015 there will still be 119,000 people in your town who don’t know Jesus Christ.” And that’s when I realized that 1000 new Christians worshipping at churches we have started would only be a drop in the bucket—and really wouldn’t change the spirit and culture of our town at all. That vision is simply too small.
You see, if we’re going to turn the tide of the fading church in the US then we’re going to have to do more than plant churches. We’re going to have to plant whole movements of churches that grow exponentially. So I’m no longer thinking “two more churches by 2015;” I’m now thinking something more like 30 new churches in and around Joliet by 2025 with 500+ new Christians at each new church. That would be 15,000 new believers in Christ in our community (which by the way would be only 10% of our community).
That might sound like a lot, but frankly, it’s just the beginning. And for now that vision has me a bit delirious. No way I can do that. But maybe “we” can. In Ephesians 3:20 we learn that God is “able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work in us.” Anybody can plant 3 churches and reach 1000+ people for Christ in the span of 8 years. But only God can reach 15,000+ in just a few decades. Just the prospect of this has me “soul-shocked.”
I look forward to seeing what the Lord brings about.
Posted in church, culture, religion | Tagged Chicago District Evangelistic Association, Church Planting, Exponential Conference, Exponential Movements, Joliet, New Thing Network, Orlando | 7 Comments »
April 23, 2009
Yesterday, while driving past“The Holy Land Experience,” we spotted a minivan with four Jesus Fishies plastered to it’s rear (the Holy Land Experience is a religious Disney World of sorts). And we wondered what, if anything, the driver of the minivan was trying to do and/or accomplish with the Jesus fishes.
Was it a sign of testimony? Was it a mark of spirituality? Was it a statement of faith? Were they going to the Holy Land Experience? Without knowing the driver, we can’t know the motive. But we think it dangerous to make such outward displays of faith. Not dangerous to others but dangerous to the one making the display.
The temptation is to see such things as symbols of “true” religion. As notches on our spiritual belts. As tangible demonstrations of authentic faithfulness. But the temptation doesn’t square with biblical Christianity.
James 1says that “true religion” is to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world. Psalm 1 says the “blessed man” is the one who “delights in the law of the Lord and meditates on it day and night.” And Ecclesiastes 12: 13 says that the “whole duty” of man is to “fear God” and “obey His commands.”
Our point is that it’s easy to put Jesus Fishies on our cars, and it’s easy to boycott Disney and go to the Holy Land Experience (although we think it’s stupid), but it’s not so easy to “look after orphans and widows” and it’s not easy to “fear the Lord and keep His commandments” and it’s not easy to “meditate on God’s Law day and night.” A Jesus Fish might look spiritual to some, but God is looking for something deeper.
Posted in Family, church, culture, religion | Tagged Authentic Christianity, Christianity, Christianity in Orlando, Disney World, Holy Land Experience, Ixthus, Jesus Fish, true religion | 2 Comments »
April 20, 2009
Today I stood on the banks of the Atlantic Ocean and started out at the vast expanse. As the waves crested and crashed into the banks of sand, I momentarily paused to think of the magnitude and power of the One who created it all. I was impressed by His power, His glory, and His creative abilities. It was a brief but awe-inspiring moment (this was only my third trip to the ocean and it still hasn’t lost it’s luster).
So tonight as I lay in my hotel bed, I began to journal about the majesty of the ocean and about it’s ability to bring glory to the God. And as I finished with my thoughts I randomly opened my Bible to an obsecure chapter, Psalm 93, which says:
“The Lord reigns, He is clothed with majesty; the Lord is clothed. He has girded Himself with strength. Surely the world is established so that it cannot be moved. Your throne is established from of old; You are from everlasting. The floods have lifted up, O Lord, the floods have lifted up their voice; the floods lift up their waves. The Lord on high is mightier than the noise of many waters, than the mighty waves of the sea.”
Posted in Family, church | Tagged awe-inspiring, ocean, Psalm 93, worship | 3 Comments »
April 15, 2009
I have come to the conclusion that people who believe in God, do so because the want to believe.
For the past couple of hours I’ve been sitting at Starbucks drinking a Grande Cafe Americano working on my sermon for this coming Sunday—and eves dropping on the conversation between a couple at the next table (yes, I am bad).
Apparently they saw my Bible and began to discuss the issue of faith. He’s a believer of sorts and she’s an agnostic—or maybe I should say an antagonist. In essence, he’s trying to convince her to believe in God while she’s making every excuse as to why she doesn’t believe. And she’s being rather antagonistic about it (maybe she thinks he’s being antagonistic).
Anyway, he’s made some basic but good arguments for belief in God, and she’s made some of the standard arguments for not believing in God (doesn’t believe in one way, doesn’t believe a loving god would send people to hell, doesn’t believe a loving god would allow so much evil, etc.). She’s arguing but not listening—playing the Devil’s Advocate—more interested in the argument than the conclusion.
I believe that I can prove the existence of God beyond a “reasonable” doubt using philosophy, logic, and rationalism. Yet none of the people I have led to Christ have been led through “convincing” but through “conviction.” In other words, those who wanted to believe accepted and those who did not want to believe did not accept.
All the philosophic arguments in the world will rarely convince, instead they just create arguments.
That doesn’t mean we shouldn’t argue for the authenticity of our faith and for the rational belief in God. But it does mean that such arguments do more to reinforce those who believe than to convince those who do not. More and more I find myself begging out of “arguments” with non-believers, yielding instead to the Holy Spirit’s role in bringing about conviction in their life. I can plant seeds of faith, but I can’t save anybody.
Ultimately they have to want to believe.
Posted in church, culture, religion | Tagged Apologetics, Belief in God, Logic, Philosophy, Reason, Starbucks, Wanting to Believe | 18 Comments »
April 13, 2009
Currently the staff of our church is reading a book by Oswald Sanders called Spiritual Leadership. It’s probably the fourth time i’ve read it and it is the single best work on Leadership I’ve ever read—that’s why I keep returning to the “Well.” As a church leader (and defacto community leader) the principle topic is of great interest. I’m always trying to learn something about Leadership.
In my reading, as well as in my experience, I’ve discovered that real leadership means accepting responsibility rather than laying blame. Placing blame does have it’s merits, but it’s more the work of analysts than of leaders.
For instance, I lead a church that was born from the ashes of one that died. The original church had a season of growth and development, a season of health and stability, and a season of decline and death. There are a plethora of reasons (and opinions) as to why the original church entered into a season of decline and ultimately death. Certainly it’s important to understand some of those reasons (as they say: “those who don’t know history are doomed to repeat it”), but it’s more important to lead the new church into the future than to ruminate on the past.
That being said, I tire of all the “leaders” in our world who continue to place blame rather than to accept responsibility. I’m weary of all the politicians, private citizens, and public voices who blame previous administrations (and/or current administrations) for our present problems but fail to take adequate measures to improve the present and future.
Every ounce of energy (and time) spent dwelling on the past, robs the present and the future of helpful solutions. I’m looking for real, world-class leaders offering helpful solutions. And frankly I’m having a hard time finding any.
Posted in Politics, church, culture, religion | Tagged Accepting Responsibility, J. Oswald Sanders, Obama v. Bush, Placing Blame, solutions, Spiritual Leadership, True Leadership | 2 Comments »
April 8, 2009
I just read an excellent article on the Newsweek website by Jon Meacham. It’s long but it is worth your time. You can check it out at http://www.newsweek.com/id/192583/page/1 . There’s not a lot I disagree with in this article. I hope you’ll read it, consider it, and post some comments on my Blog. It should create some good dialogue. Blessings.
Posted in Politics, church, culture, religion | Tagged American Religious Identification Survey, Jon Meacham, Newsweek, The End of Christian America | 1 Comment »
