What Macklemore Is Teaching The Church About Homosexuality
If you haven’t heard about Macklemore, it probably won’t be long before you do (if you have a teenager, ask them about the song Thrift Shop. They’ll know.).
His name is Ben Haggerty, he’s from Seattle, and he is one of the breakout musicians of 2012. Some would say he’s just another hack trying to get his name in the top ten. Others would say he’s redefining modern rap.
A friend shared his music with me when it released last October. I didn’t know who he was, but I thought he had talent.
Then I got to the fifth song on the album.
It’s called Same Love. It opens with the sound of a warm and inviting, yet distant organ that instantly conjures the image of a church in your head (I’m sure this was on purpose). The first line further caught my attention.
“When I was in the third grade, I thought that I was gay, cuz I could draw, my uncle was, and I kept my room straight.”
The rest of the song is nothing short of captivating. Musically, I really like it. Lyrically, it is telling of one of the major conflicts of our generation: rights for homosexuals in marriage. This has been a hot-button issue for a while, and I don’t intend to simplify it. I do, however, want us to listen to the words and the heart of this song.
I don’t even want to change what you believe. I just want to shine some light on the perception of the Christian community. If perception is reality, I think we’ve done a poor job of showing love.
With this post, I just want to look at 7 portions of Macklemore’s Same Love, with the hopes that we might learn something.
1. He brings us to the heart of the matter. Disagree with me if you like. The homosexual community is hurting and I’m afraid “the Jesus people” are the ones throwing the darts. The heart of that matter is not that homosexuals are going to Hell. Rather, it is that God loves us and He is pursuing us! Woe to those who step in the way of that Pursuit. Liars are going to Hell, too, by the way.
2. He shows us the perception of fear-based belief.
“And you can be cured with some treatment in religion. Man-made rewiring of a predisposition, playing God. Ah nah, here we go. America, the brave, still fears what we don’t know. And God loves all His children is somehow forgotten. But we paraphrase a book written 3500 years ago.”
There are times in the song that he seems to be talking to the church and nation interchangeably. I can only speak to what I believe, so I’ll say this: My strongly-held belief that God has a plan for us comes from the Bible. What I want to say is that my belief is not based on fear; its based on my Father’s plan. That’s it. The Bible is our written authority.
3. He reminds Christians that it has never been okay to use our words flippantly.
“Gay is synonymous with the lesser.”
First and foremost, I’m guilty of this. I don’t know many people who aren’t. What is inexcusable is that we throw these words around as if they don’t hurt people. And we don’t care. Maybe my frustration comes from the Christians who will call someone a fag, but get up-in-arms when someone says something ugly about them. At any rate, the central issue is not what Christians believe the Bible says; it’s that too many Christians mindlessly spit venom.
4. He’s calling the church out.
“When I was at church, they taught me something else. If you preach hate at the service, those words aren’t anointed. The holy water that you soak in has been poisoned.”
This is a true statement: I don’t know any pastors who intend to “preach hate.” This speaks to a couple issues. First, the perception of our Biblical belief is that its hateful. I can handle that. Second, our well-intentioned preaching is drifting into off-mission religious bullhorning. That, I’m not okay with. This is my plea to pastors: YOUR WORDS MATTER. Please preach the Truth. But please preach the truth the way the Truth told you to preach. Follow the example that Jesus set for us. If anyone deserves your bullhorn, it’s the people inside your walls.
5. He reminds us that our ungracious words hurt.
“A world so hateful some would rather die than be who they are.”
As a youth pastor, I have the honor of walking with students through their struggles. Unfortunately, this world crushes the heart of several of these precious students. The dangerous thought that enters their heart is that this life is just too hard for someone who struggles with homosexuality. Christian or not, they are taking their own life because of the hardship associated with their decisions. I don’t think “the gays” know where you stand on homosexuality. We need more grace. What if we actually became…friends with the people we preach to [gasp!]. Crazy things might happen. I know this: If you are actively involved in someone’s life, you’re not going to spit venomous words. In other words, our unbridled tongues show the nature of our nonmissional focus.
6. He appeals to unity.
“Whatever God you believe in, we come from the same one. Strip away the fear. Underneath its all the same love. About time that we raised up.”
I can’t help but picture Acts 2. I’m not after an interfaith movement. I’m not even after unity at the cost of Biblical authority. I just think that Jesus knew what He was doing when He prayed “that they would be one.” And the truth is this: there is one God. At the end of the day, He has spoken on this issue. Homosexuality is not God’s plan. But Jesus sure spent a lot of time with those who weren’t exercising God’s plan. And what’s more, when he “introduced God” to them, in the context of relationship, many of them changed! It’s not as if you can change them anyways. That’s God’s work. It’s our job to speak the truth in love.
7. He’s telling a story about pain.
“Love is patient. Love is kind. Not cryin’ on Sundays.”
You can believe what you want. The hurt and pain is evident. Please understand that I am not fighting for a faith community that repels pain. It’s inevitable. I’m simply afraid that some of the pain that people feel comes from our unbridled tongues. This lyric haunts me.
If I sound like I’m supporting the agenda for homosexual marriage rights, I’m not.
If I sound like I’m supporting the agenda against homosexual marriage rights, I’m not.
I will unapologetically declare that I think there’s a better way to introduce people to Jesus. And I’m afraid that our “preaching to the gays” has way more to do with impressing the people in the seats than it does with loving people. In fact, if we had the blessing of seeing Jesus, in human form, speak/act to this issue today, I’m betting all my chips that He would redirect our angst for justice into love.
Let us use our hands to point people to Jesus, rather than to hurl stones at the ungodly.
Why Your Good Ideas Aren't Working
If you find yourself in a fog of a lack of progress, this post might be for you. Incidentally, it’s for me, too.
We all have people we admire. Some of us admire those who are leading the charge in their field. What I mean by that is that they are pioneering a new trail. When they talk, we listen. Because they’ve stumbled onto something.
If we’re not careful, we’ll start to think that the “something” is what excites us, and not that person’s ability to process the idea in the first place.
You see, there’s a reason your good ideas aren’t gaining traction. I’m not here to diagnose that reason, but I’m going to take a wild stab that a lot of you have the same problem: execution.
Your brain is like a meth lab cooking up new ideas all the time (OK, bad example).
Your brain is like a factory, constantly pushing out new, creative ideas all the time. Better?
My guess is that you even have a place that those ideas happen. I have two of those: Starbucks and the Shower (true story). These bright, life-giving ideas light you up. Maybe they bring you to life inside; providing clarity to your life’s path.
Here’s the problem…
If you never chase your great ideas down, it doesn’t matter that you had them in the first place.
That may come off as harsh, but I’ll risk that in an effort to jump start us out of our paralysis of idea execution. We desperately need you to chase down your ideas. We need you to start that new thing. We need you to dream up that event. We need you to take that person to lunch and invite them into the madness inside your head.
We need you to take the risk. Because that person you admire took the risk. If your brilliant ideas never see the light of day, your impact will be less than your potential. And I’m in the school of thought that that is just not OK. Because your Creator has created you to bear His Image. He gave you a brilliant, mind-bending brain, with the capacity to dream big dreams!
So take the risk. Chase down those crazy ideas. Who knows? You might just change the world.
Recommended Reading: “Making Ideas Happen” by Scott Belsky
5 Overly Honest Confessions Of A Youth Pastor
I’m gonna break some rules today.
If you know anything about ministry, you know that transparency isn’t a strong suit of most Christians; especially Christian leaders. I’m no different.
But sometimes, it helps if we know that other leaders are dealing with the same issues we deal with. That’s the intention for this post. If it’s a success, it might be the beginning of a series. Here goes nothin’!
1. Often, I try to do ministry in my own strengths. I feel like I can push things through. This is nothing short of sin. It’s what Craig Groeschel calls, “Practical Atheism.” It’s when you believe that God exists, but you do ministry as if it’s all up to you. It’s funny how our actions expose our true beliefs. We’d never say it out loud, but our beliefs are manifested in our actions.
2. Sometimes, I want to hide in a corner. I’m not a natural leader by any stretch of the imagination. Every single piece of leadership ability in me is learned. That means that I can easily crumble in uncertain times. My default is fear. I have to find strength in God every day. I’m not naturally fearless. I have to talk myself into following God most times.
3. I’m an introverted leader. Most days, I feel like that’s a weakness, even though studies are showing that introverts can lead just as well as extroverts. It doesn’t matter. I still question my leadership ability in the shadow of extroverted leaders who thrive in a crowd. That’s something I battle often.
4. The most painful moment in my day is when a student goes out of their way to avoid me. It doesn’t matter why. Most times, it happens because the student hasn’t been in church in a long time. Sometimes, it’s because the student has been into stuff they shouldn’t be. I’m sure there are a lot of times that students don’t like something I said or did. Whatever the case, I hate it. I wish I could somehow explain that I’d LOVE for them talk to me through their struggles, rather than run in the fear that I’ll be upset.
5. I hate teenage relationships. Yeah, I was in them and no, I don’t expect my students to be perfect. But I can’t help but hate to see when a bad breakup happens. It’s especially bad when two students in the same student ministry date, break up, and then engage in the awkward, “Who stays and who goes” thing. I don’t have a solution for this yet.
Don't Quit After One Bad Day
If you’ve been in ministry longer than six months, you know that a bad day can tank your confidence and make you question your call. You know that one unfortunate event can distract you completely and that one piece of criticism can drain you until you start to believe the lie that you aren’t worth squat.
You know, like I do, that when something doesn’t go right, you can begin to question your effectiveness. And in those moments, even the best of us are tempted to throw in the towel.
Some of my best friends are going through paralyzing struggles right now. Some of the most faithful men I know are up against pressures that would drive most men to cry in a corner in fetal position.
I know what its like to want to quit after a bad day.
But don’t you ever forget that the great cloud of witnesses that are cheering you on didn’t quit. The faithful men and women who have gone before you fought tirelessly for years.
The Bible can be tough to read sometimes. We see stories of struggle just a couple verses away from stories of triumph. Our culture points us to immediate results. And if we’re not careful, we can read the Bible as a book of stories of people who saw results immediately.
But the Bible doesn’t record every day of every person’s journey. Some seasons were summed up in a couple verses. Some people had their whole lives summed up in a single sentence.
Decades. In one sentence.
Surely, there must have been days that nothing happened. Yet, they didn’t throw in the towel.
So, don’t think that you deserve your results today. Don’t expect them tomorrow. Stay grinding until God brings those results to pass. And let us never forget that Hebrews 11 ends with a phenomenally striking verse:
“And all these [faithful men and women], though commended through their faith, did not receive what was promised, since God had provided something better for us, that apart from us they should not be made perfect.”
Hebrews 11:39-40
Don’t quit after one bad day. Don’t let that one person get under your skin. Don’t let that one unfortunate result kill your passion. Persevere. See it through. God is the Author and Perfecter of your faith and He isstill the One equipping you!
“But we are not of those who shrink back and are destroyed, but of those who have faith and preserve their souls.”
Hebrews 10:39
To Be A Hero
This post is not what you think.
This is not a “how to.” Rather, it’s a “how NOT to.”
Youth ministry is a funny thing. It used to be the red-headed stepchild of church…
…until people started doing it well.
…until people saw the potential in teenagers.
…until they realized that teenagers can be phenomenal leaders.
There were plenty of youth ministry heroes in the stepchild age. At the very least, if you did youth ministry when it wasn’t popular, it was noble. It wasn’t glamorous.
You were a hero to so many. In fact, my youth pastor was and is my hero. I’m so thankful for him!
But, it is what happened next that is so dangerous.
The students who had hero youth pastors started to become youth pastors. They got in a church, started working in the trenches, and followed in the footsteps of their hero. And somewhere along the line, they weren’t doing youth ministry to glorify God anymore.
They were in it to be the hero.
All of the work this person does is built toward one main goal: that one day, those kids will turn around and say “thank you.” Maybe one day, you’ll be introduced as their hero.
You’ll wear the cape.
You’ll save the day.
Your name will be in the newspapers of their heart.
I’ve fallen into this trap before, and I want to help you if you have to. One of the main reasons that this is such a problem is that it is the antithesis of youth ministry. Our calling, as youth pastors, is to point students to Jesus. Period. We are to make much of Jesus; not to make much of US making much of Jesus. We aren’t the target. Jesus is.
This is a lose-lose situation:
1. When someone else is the hero, you’ll be jealous. You lose.
2. When you’re the hero, you’ve made your heroism an idol. You lose.
You might become a hero. And if you are a hero in someone’s life because of the God-honoring work you do, that’s awesome.
But don’t chase the wrong thing. Chase after the God-honoring work.That way, when it’s thankless, it’s worth it. Because you honored God!
When The Pressure Is Too Much To Handle
I didn’t know it would be this hard.
When my parents told me that I would need to prepare for harder days.
When my youth pastor told me it wouldn’t be easy following Christ; much less, being a pastor.
When Jerry Falwell repeatedly encouraged us to “never, never quit.”
And that’s the nature of life. You can’t know something intimately until you experience it.
So, what’s “it”?
It’s the feeling that I’m not being the best husband I can be.
It’s the sense that I could have spent a couple more quality minutes with my boys.
It’s that nagging critical comment that won’t get out of my head.
It’s the worry that my hard work is in vain.
It’s the weight of the fact that I still haven’t paid that debt down.
It’s the paralyzing fear that my life is a joke.
Have you been there? I have. Pastors aren’t immune to these feelings by any stretch of the imagination!
Jesus promised us this in Matthew 16:13-20:
“And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. I will give you the keysof the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth shall be bond in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.”
What’s beautiful about Jesus’ promise here is that it’s not up to Peter to build God’s church. Jesus wasn’t saying that He would build His church on Peter…or even a literal rock. He was speaking about the confession Peter made moments earlier in verse 16:
“You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”
Jesus will build His church. I happen to believe that He will use His faithful servants to do so. What’s even more interesting is that, in the Bible, we have numerous examples of common, uneducated men doing the work of ministry. They didn’t always get it right, but they stuck close to God.
Let me speak clearly to you church leaders for a minute. Don’t fall into the trap that I’ve fallen into many times; that it’s up to you to do the work of the ministry.
If you have been called, then you have been equipped. If you have been equipped, then you have everything you need to do what God wants you to do! It’s not up to you anyways! You have the Holy Spirit living inside of you!
Let the Divine Guider guide you. Let the Divine Comforter comfort you. Let Him empower you and convict you.
Whatever you do, don’t attempt the work without his power, direction, favor, or blessing. It will crumble.
But God’s work…God’s work will stand! The gates of hell will not prevail against it. Nothing will prevail against you. YOU ARE THE CHURCH!
“Nothing of eternal significance is ever accomplished apart from prayer.”
– Jerry Falwell
Fortune Cookie Prophecy
A couple weeks ago, my wife and I went on a double date with some friends of ours, Jared and Katie Clifton (during which we were blessed with a free babysitter…THANK YOU TAYLOR!).
As we were catching up at dinner, I had mentioned that I felt something brewing in me; a new project that had been stirring for the last several months.
I told our friends that I would be taking a week of vacation to write a book.
We talked a little bit about the publishing process and what the book would be about and moved on.
And then I cracked open a fortune cookie. Like any self-respecting man, I was excited about adding “in bed” to my fortune after I read it out loud. The guys would laugh. The girls would glare. And everything would be right in the world.
Then I read my fortune. In fact, I took a picture to prove it. Because I wouldn’t have believed it either.
Are you serious?! This moment could have only been more exciting if my lucky numbers were 4, 8, 15, 16, 23 and 42 (you’re welcome LOST fans).
But seriously, I’ve never gotten a fortune cookie that was that specific. Am I putting stock in it? No. Is it wicked cool that it happened? Yes.
So, I’m writing a book. What’s it about? You’ll have to wait and see. I have a title and about a third of the book done. I’m hoping to finish the rest of the book next week. I’m not one to take vacation days, so I have plenty of time to work on it. Not to mention, I’m pretty excited to camp out in a coffee shop next week and knock it out.
That’s my big announcement for the time being. In the next few weeks, I might showcase a couple of the ideas for the cover art. If you’re nice, I might even let you pick what it looks like!
I’m excited. Here’s to a new hobby!
NHS Induction Speech
I had the honor of speaking to the new class of National Honor Society inductees and parents on Sunday at Bryant High School (Bryant, Arkansas). I really love opportunities to speak at events such as this, so I jumped at the opportunity when I was invited. Here’s the speech I was honored to give:
Congratulations to the newest members of the Bryant High School National Honor Society. You’ve worked hard to earn it. We’re very proud of you and your accomplishments.
Congratulations are also in order for you families, friends, and teachers who play a greater role in all this than you probably realize now.
I’m going to assume something about this group of students. If you’re a NHS inductee, I think it’s a safe bet to assume that you, on some level, hope to make a difference with your life.
As a youth pastor, I get to work with students on a daily basis. After a while, it becomes easy to see the descriptors of an entire generation. As I talk with youth pastors in other cities across our country, they see the same descriptors.
You are a change-oriented group of students. You want to make a difference and that is evident in the efforts of your generation.
– Toms Shoes exists for one purpose: to give a pair of shoes to a child in need for every pair bought. By October 2011, they gave 2 million pairs of shoes away.
– Charity: Water exists for one purpose: to solve the water crisis. By the end of 2011, they served 2 million people by giving them clean water.
Students are rising up all over the nation who want to make a significant change. They feel empowered because they see other young people making a difference.
However, many people want to make a difference, but people rarely do.
What is it that stops them?
Unfortunately, this generation also leans toward entitlement. Everyone feels like the world owes them a title, immediate influence, and a position of leadership without responsibility. Now, I’m not saying that the whole generation is lost; absolutely not.
I actually believe that there are some difference-makers in this room. I believe that there are students in here that will make this world better in a significant way. However, it will only happen if you hold to the four pillars of the National Honor Society: scholarship, leadership, service, and character.
In scholarship, I would commend you to embrace the call of being a lifelong learner. Learning doesn’t stop when you graduate high school or college. If you think that, you’re in for a rude awakening. Be a lifelong learner.
In leadership, I would commend you to embrace a style of leadership that matters. Do work that matters. If you want to be a game-changer, it takes years of focused effort. Work hard. Back up your talk with action. That begins now.
In service, I would commend you to live a life of humility. When you serve, you remember that this life is less about achievement and more about people. Don’t you dare embrace a style of leadership that oppresses people. Jim Collins, author of Good To Great, says, “The X-factor of great leadership is humility combined with will.”
In character, I would commend you to build your life on values that reflect strong character. Decide who you’re going to be now, and your decisions become a lot easier. One misstep can derail you from accomplishing your dreams. In his book, Next Generation Leader, Andy Stanley says, “You can lead without character… But character is what makes you a leader worth following. To become a leader worth following, you must give time and attention to the inner man. To leave a legacy that goes beyond accomplishment alone, a leader must devote himself to matters of the heart.”
I rarely see students that embrace these qualities. But these are qualities of game-changers. These are the qualities of people who will shape the future.
You have it in you. Fight to stay focused. I believe in you. We need the next generation of leaders to be strong in character, humility, and integrity. Thank you very much!
Blank Canvas
A blank canvas is refreshing to me. I like the idea of having a fresh opportunity to make a difference.
Endless opportunities are at your fingertips.
So, as you set out to make your plans for 2012-2013, what do you want to see happen?
Because, in 10-12 months, your canvas will be filled with what you’ve accomplished over the last year. And the beauty of today is that you get to pick what you will see.
And that’s the haunting question I want you to wrestle with.
In 12 months, when you are another year older, what will your canvas be filled with? If you have any idea what you want, you’re going to have to be intentional about it.
Which is why we’re going to talk about how to reverse-engineer tomorrow.
Is Christian Music Dying?
A friend of mine (who happens to manage a band) asked me a question yesterday. I answered the question, but I also wanted to ask you. So here’s the question:
Do you promote Christian music? Do you encourage your students to listen to it? It seems, more and more, that the next generation doesn’t buy the CD’s, go to the shows, or follow the bands. Why is that?
I gave my answer. Now it’s time for you to give yours. And if you take time to answer, it will enter you into a contest to win some free music (fitting, right?).
Who can answer?
Originally, this question was designed for student pastors, because of their influence with the next generation. However, we’d like to hear from everyone (teenagers, parents, senior pastors, etc.). So fire away! Just make sure to tell us how old you are, so we know who’s talking.
How can you respond?
1. Comment below. Feel free to leave as detailed an answer as you’d like.
2. Tweet your reply. Although this won’t enter you in the contest, it will still help us.
3. Tell your friends. If you share this post on Facebook or Twitter, I’ll TRIPLE your chances of winning by throwing your name in the hat another two times, in addition to the one entry you get from commenting below. It might look like this:
Have 2 minutes to take a survey on Christian music? Your could win some free music! Head over to http://bit.ly/M0wTIg and be heard!
You have until noon on Friday, June 29 to answer. Thanks so much for helping out with this!
And for those wondering, the giveaway will include one free album from the band that’s asking the question. In addition, I’ll throw in a couple extras, including an iTunes card (in case you don’t trust my musical prowess). I promise it will be worth it!
5 Gut-Check Questions For Leaders
1. What do you really want to do in ministry? Are you doing that? Maybe it’s time to take some inventory. If it’s not happening, then what are you really doing? Don’t you dare come to the end of your leadership life and look back with regret!
2. Why are you letting your excuses holding you back? No, seriously. What are they? Because others are finding ways around their excuses. They’re finding new pathways. The next generation leader must exercise the courage to find a new way to move the ball forward.
3. Are you leading under God’s vision or the popular vote? The fear of man is a snare. Don’t ever forget that your fear should lie in the One who is King of our souls. Not in someone who said something ugly about you.
4. Where are you being lazy in leadership? Your enemy is at work 24/7. You can’t afford to be lazy!
5. If you keep leading like you’re leading right now, what will be the result? We all know the definition of insanity (continuing with the same methods, while expecting different results). As leaders, we tend to fall into a rut; leadership becomes a cold set of comfortable gestures.
Legacy: The Part You Play
This past weekend, I was excited to be able to take a couple students to check Liberty University out (which is where Christi and I went to school). It was a blast and we all had a really good time.
If you’ve finished college, left the city, and come back to visit, you’ve felt the feeling of overwhelming nostalgia that I felt.
I was describing it to a friend: “Everything is so different!”
He asked me to specify, but it was hard to describe everything. After thinking about it some more, I realized that my thoughts were centered around this one idea:
If I went to school here today, I would have a completely different experience, by virtue of the fact that this school is continually expanding into an even greater atmosphere.
And then, this next thought hit me like a ton of bricks:
This must be what it’s like to have a strong vision for something and not live long enough to see it grow beyond your wildest dreams.
All throughout Scripture, we see examples of people who were called by God to do amazing things. Every one of those people were playing their small part in God’s meta narrative.
1. Abraham was called to go to the place that God would show Him.
2. Joseph was called to a life of obedience among negative circumstances, resulting in major influence.
3. Moses was called to lead the nation of Israel out of slavery and into the promised land.
4. Joshua was called to build on Moses’ work.
5. David was called to be a king.
6. Nehemiah was called to build a wall.
7. John the Baptist was called to prepare the way for the coming Messiah.
8. Peter was called to help move God’s people to a new way.
9. Paul was called to spread the Gospel throughout the nations and to plant churches.
All of these people played big parts in God’s story. In their day, they were recognized for their many feats and displays of faith.
But for them (and for us), our “small” part in God’s big story is 100% of our entire life!
The connection point is this: Jerry Falwell never got to see the fullness of God’s vision for His life come to pass (because it is still coming to pass as each day passes!).
This should give us so much encouragement, in that our work is not done in vain! God will bring His work to pass. We are merely agents of His grace; wires through which His power flows.
We may not get to see the full outcome of our work here on earth, but that isn’t the purpose! Our purpose is to humbly serve Jesus.
Take comfort that your work is not in vain, if it is done in Jesus’ Name.
Take Heart. God Is With You.
Psalm 91 reads:
“He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will abide in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say to the LORD, ‘My refuge and my fortress, my God in whom I trust.’
For He will deliver you from the snare of the fowler and from the deadly pestilence. He will cover you with his pinions, and under his wings you will find refuge; His faithfulness is a shield and buckler. You will not fear the terror of the night, nor the arrow that flies by day, nor the pestilence that stalks in darkness, nor the destruction that wastes at noonday.
A thousand may fall at your side, ten thousand at your right hand, but it will not come near you. You will only look with your eyes and see the recompense of the wicked.
Because you have made the LORD your dwelling place — the most High, who is my refuge — no evil shall be allowed to befall you, no plague come near your tent.
For He will command His angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways. On their hands they will bear you up, lest you strike your foot against a stone. You will tread on the lion and the adder; the young lion and the serpent you will trample underfoot.
‘Because he holds fast to me in love, I will deliver him; I will protect him, because he knows my name. When he calls to me, I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble; I will rescue him and honor him. With long life I will satisfy him and show him my salvation.'”
Take heart. God is with you. Or is He?
This Psalm describes the protected as:
1. He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High.
2. Those who make God their refuge and fortress.
3. Those who trust in God.
4. Those who made God their dwelling place.
Don’t be discouraged. Don’t be afraid. Take courage in making our Heavenly Father your refuge. Let’s be done shaking our fists in the air. Let’s stop telling God what’s true. Let us find our refuge in Him alone!
Why I Stopped Blogging
I haven’t written a real blog post in almost four months. I used to post four times a week. At first, I needed a break. Not long after that, I felt the itch to start writing again, but couldn’t find the time to make it happen (mainly because this has been, without a doubt, the busiest and most stressful season of my entire life).
I blame Louie Giglio.
I attended Passion 2012with some of my students and friends. It was an unbelievable experience. I learned so much. God was speaking to me non-stop. One of the things that He made clear to me was that I needed to pull back from public writing (blogs, tweets, etc.) and get back to where it all started.Journaling.
So, I stopped. I have a few posts in the hopper that I had drafted. I’ll post those soon. But I really feel like God didn’t just want me to stop blogging.
1. He wants me to stop fueling my need for approval. I didn’t start checking stats for a long time. I didn’t care how many people were looking at it. And then, all of a sudden, I became friends with Google Analytics. And a little part of me sold out. Now, if something is on my heart and it won’t draw a big crowd, I trash it. Something about that isn’t right.
2. He wants me to put focus where it belongs. Right now, that’s not blogging. I’d love to tell you what that is, but I can’t. That shall come later.
3. He wants me to re-discover the purpose for writing/journaling/blogging. I wrote my very first blog post on Friday, February 2, 2007 (It was actually my second. The obligatory “I’m starting a blog” post doesn’t count). The original reason for starting a blog was to share what I was learning as I read through Scripture. Somewhere along the way, it became posting about cultural hot-button issues and leadership lessons. I have rarely posted about my learnings in Scripture. And I’m not a fan of that.
4. I’m tired of people (especially pastors) pimping themselves.Seriously. Stop it. You’re making the church look like a whore. I mean that in the most literal sense possible. You are taking money to please a crowd. Our job is to make much of Jesus, not make much of us making much of Jesus.
5. He wants me to focus on a broader audience. From the start of this blog, it has always been focused on church leaders. I’m going to break the rules and zoom out. This blog will probably just be for…wait for it…people (gasp!).
As it stands, I’m going to try to keep my posting to once a week. I’ll be working on some other projects on the side, which will be requiring the majority of my attention. But I also have a couple things to say. So the blogging sabbatical is over. But I’m not going to turn it on like a fire hydrant. More like a steady, flowing river. Doesn’t that sound nice? I thought so.
Tear It Down & Start Over
Every six months, I get away for a couple days, hide out in a coffee shop, and take a sledgehammer to our youth ministry.
Sounds excessive, right?
It might not be the way you process things, but it is absolutely necessary for me to abandon my office hours for a few hours, so that I can zoom out and look at what’s really happening. If you’re a fan of Andy Stanley’s writings, he talks about this principle in 7 Practices For Effective Ministry. It’s called, “Work On It, Not Just In It.”
Maybe it’s because, when I clean out a closet, I pull every single thing out, and then put it back where it needs to be, slowly throwing stuff away as I go.
Maybe it’s because I just don’t process things as quickly and efficiently as the rest. But there has to be a moment in your year, in which you sit back, evaluate the current system and its effectiveness. Sometimes, that’s scary, but it’s absolutely vital to the direction of your ministry and to the accomplishment of your goals.
Here’s what it helps me to do, though:
– Cut out the excess fat of the student ministry.
– Re-evaluate (outdated and obsolete) organizational assumptions that once governed our systems.
– Re-acquaint myself with the vision of the student ministry.
– Dream of more relevant and effective methods of accomplishing our vision.
– Set new goals.
I’ve found that if I never pause to re-evaluate, I’ll drift from the vision God has given us. If you want to keep a laser focus, tear it down and start over!
p.s. You HAVE to schedule time to do this, because you will never have time to!
The Problem With College Football Commentators
Every Saturday, I see the same tweets from hundreds of people:
– “Well, you can tell who the commentators are rooting for!”
– “Did the other team pay the commentators to say that?”
– “I bet the commentators are wearing the other team’s jersey!”
I understand that you have a vested interest in your team. When someone says something bad about your team, it’s like someone says something bad about your kid. You want to put up a fight.
But let’s be honest: Sometimes, your team plays like crap and you need to own up to it! At some point, you need to stop blaming the refs, commentators and the whole BCS system (even though it’s hard to call it a system).
If your team is going to be standout, then your coaching staff, offense, defense, playbook, and resolve has to be excellent.
Here’s the principle at work here:
If you want the “commentators” to praise “your team,” then your team needs to perform excellently!
I don’t care who you are:
If your team is undefeated, people notice.
If you are loaded with all-stars, people notice.
If you play well every time, people notice.
People don’t notice when:
…you play OK and get OK results..
…you have as many off days as on days.
…you give it your best and you don’t rank. (This isn’t kindergarten! You don’t get a gold star for effort!)
Hopefully, you’ve caught the transferable principle here. Only standout teams get noticed. Only teams that practice hard, perform well, and get results get noticed.
So which side is your team on? Don’t you dare get mad if the commentators are telling the truth.
Work hard.
Change the perspective.
Earn the right to be called number one.
Leading The Church Vs. Doing Church Things
A couple gut check questions for your Monday morning:
1. Do you want to “lead a church” or do the work of the ministry?
2. Are you obedient to the Holy Spirit or are you running a show, starring you?
If you do the things the church does, with the Holy Spirit inside of you, that’s church! Conversely, if you merely “lead a church,” but don’t do things the church does, what are you doing?
What’s the motivation? What’s the purpose? At the end of the day, what are you doing? It’s all in how you view people. Are they your machine? Or is your purpose truly serving people?
Brad Cooper, Student Pastor at Newspring Church said something a few years ago that has never left me:
“This is polluted Christianity. It is not OK, and it is never right, and our aim is not to make much of me making much of Jesus. That’s not Christianity. That’s called pride. The aim is to make His Name famous, and my name less.”
What You Do Vs. Who You Are
In most conversations, the first thing you start with is identification:
“What’s your name? What do you do?”
Be careful not to confuse the two. Your identity is not found in what you do! To get a glimpse of this concept in the Bible, let’s look to Peter.
First, Jesus met Peter at the sea to call him to be a disciple. As soon as Jesus performs the miracle, Peter falls to his knees in humility. Why did Jesus call Peter? Obviously, because He wanted to. But I think it had something to do with the fact that Peter, at the end of the day, was a humble man who would follow His Master.
Pretty positive, right?
Wait for it.
It’s all uphill from here.
Next, there’s the moment where Peter is invited to walk on water. He gets distracted when he sees the wind and the waves and begins to sink. Immediately, he cries out to Jesus to save him; and immediately Jesus reaches out, grabs him, and rebukes Peter for his lack of faith. Tough moment.
What about the time that Peter rebuked Jesus, right after Jesus gave the whole “You are Peter and on this rock” speech”?! Yep. Jesus responds, “Get behind me, Satan.” Not a good day.
Oh, and then there’s the “denying Jesus” bit.
Here’s the interesting point: Immediately after Jesus rises from the dead, He doesn’t head to the media to talk about His miracle. He doesn’t sign a book deal or try to grab a reality TV show. He makes a beeline for Peter. Why? Because Jesus was deeply invested in who Peter was becoming. If it were any one of us, we would have given up on Peter at the beginning.
And that’s the beautiful thing: Jesus should have given up on us long ago. But He didn’t. He is deeply invested in who we are becoming. What you do does not equal who you are!
If you pay attention to what Jesus wanted from His disciples, He was far more concerned with who they were becoming,
NOT what they were doing.
Let us not place our identity in the what. It has to be the who.
I Have 6-Pack Abs (And 9 Other Lies We Tell Ourselves)
1. I don’t make mistakes. Right. Becauseyou’re perfect. No one else is, but you are. Let’s stop kidding ourselves.
2. Everyone thinks I’m a big deal. Sure, we might deify Christian celebrities. We make them rock stars. That doesn’t mean it’s right. And it doesn’t mean that you should live as if you’re God’s gift to the church.
“Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the measure of faith God has given you.” (Romans 12:3)
3. My work doesn’t need improvement. Everyone’s work needs improvement. We never arrive. If you have arrived, you are further away from doing what God wants than you think.
4. I don’t need more discipline. Systems are great. Discipline to make those systems happen are great. But when you fail to discipline yourself, things fall apart. You can always amp up your discipline to the next level. Never stop pushing for that!
5. I don’t need a coach. Because you’ve got it all handled, right? I’ve listened to countless spirit-filled, successful pastors and one of the consistent things throughout all of them is that they all need a coach. Even in the midst of success! In fact, I would submit that you need a coach more after you’ve hit success! Who are you allowing to mentor you?
6. I don’t need to step up my game. I once thought this. When I was invited to lead the student ministry I currently lead, everything was great from the outside looking in. And I knew I had what it took to lead it. I came in with the mindset of management. “I’ll just manage the current process and it will grow.” I couldn’t have been more wrong. Stepping up your game means adapting, driving change, going the extra mile, stepping out of your comfort zone, working with new people, getting out of the box, etc. All of us need to continually step up our game.
7. Everything in my organization is good. Nothing needs improvement. I can just manage what exists. I just decided this one needs it’s own point. If you’ve hit a point in your leadership, in which you believe your best move is to manage what currently exists, the clock is ticking down to the eventual downfall of your ministry.
8. Everyone is on my team. This is a lie I’ve told myself to help me sleep at night. It’s just never going to be true. There will always be a Judas. There will always be someone who would not only prefer things were different; they would prefer that you weren’t in leadership! And you know what, that’s OK. That will always exist. The sooner you embrace it, the sooner you can move past it and start making educated decisions for your team (that are NEVER based on your approval rating, but the overall success of your team). There’s a good chance that the decisions that get criticized the most are the ones that aren’t
9. If I were in charge, everything would be better. Wherever you are on the org chart, you’ve thought this at one point. The truth is this: no one is perfect. Everyone will make mistakes, and everyone’s leadership style comes with a set of problems. Your style of leadership may solve one set of problems, but it introduces a new set of problems. So you have to be very careful about how you define “better.” Because you may be dead wrong. And when you stake a church or organization on your definition of “better,” other people are affected. Be very careful about that lie. Humility is key. You will always win with humility.