Archive for May, 2010
Hostage: Worry Thoughts
Another great weekend. I was pleasantly surprised with our crowd given this was Memorial Day weekend and the first real weekend of good weather around here. I remember last year, church felt like a ghost town. Not at all this year.
I was also totally surprised by how few people knew who Bear Grylls was. He is the patron saint of worrying about things that will probably never happen. I love his shows, his accent, his charitable works, and I think I’d like to hang with him — as long as I didn’t have to eat like him. I’m glad I showed the two clips of his shows because if I hadn’t – the joke/illustration would have completely been lost. Plus now our congregation knows the awesomeness that is Bear Grylls. Thank God for technology, huh?
Worry is sneaky because many of us don’t see it as a sin AND because it tricks us into thinking we have control over more than what we really do.
Worry is saying to God “I don’t think You are big enough to handle my problem.” Worry is the loss of perspective of big God is.
The weapon against worry – Matthew 6:33-34 — Seek first the Kingdom of God. Let God consume us and that will put in proper perspective our problems. God has given us a spirit of power, love, and a sound mind.
A sound mind is one that does what God asks me to do, gives to God what I cannot do, and trusts God no matter what happens.
I do think the ‘sound mind’ piece can often be missed. I have this conversation over and over and over again in all my years as a pastor — if you’ll do what you KNOW God wants you to do (His Word, serve, worship, give) it will be easier to recognize His voice when He speaks. If you NEVER do what is CLEAR that God wants us to do, you’ll NEVER recognize His voice in the more subtle ways.
Next week in Hostage is ANGER.
Don’t Blink, Summer Is Upon Us
Today I will grill hamburgers and hot dogs at a local elementary school to celebrate the last day of school. And the peasants will rejoice.
Do you remember the joy the last day of school brought? Or where you one of those kids that loved school and instead dreaded the long days ahead to do nothing? I remember dumping all the scrap paper and homework that I didn’t show my parents in the trash can on that last day….ahhhhh.
Summer is awesome. We use it to reconnect and recharge as a family. We’ll do some quick trips, some cool pool days, lots of grilling and lots of Wipeout. Coop and I may actually try to put a Wipeout course in the field behind the church. Anyone else interested? I think it would be awesome.
I do a lot of reading in the summer as well. I want to finish the Bourne books this summer as well as The Flyboys.
One thing that we’ll be doing this summer as a family is serving together. We’ll go to Brazil but you don’t have to travel across the globe to serve together as a family. Every month, we still serve at Topeka Rescue Mission. We’ll serve at the Pow Wow again as well as VBS (you can sign up for these in the church lobby, by the way.)
There’s just not a better way to connect and make a memory together as a family than serving together. So make time this summer and serve as a family.
And I’m serious about the Wipeout course…if you’re interested.
I’m Looking for a RAFT
This is part of the Beyond The Starting 5 project. A writing safari where I explore the idea of what people-development looks like in the local church. I have no idea what I’m doing, mileage may vary.
“What exactly are you looking for when you look for a great volunteer?”
I think a lot of people set themselves up for failure right out of the gate because they don’t have a good answer to this question. They either expect too little or too much. Both errors are costly.
I just need a warm body. Wrong answer. If you get the wrong person with the wrong gifting with the wrong passion in the wrong place, it is just going to make everyone involved miserable. The worker, the leader, the participants — it will be like poison. Plus, if they don’t know they are the wrong person with the wrong gifting and the wrong passion, it may take years to fix that problem and all of the sudden the collateral damage will be huge. A warm body is expecting WAY too little.
We need Jesus, we’ll settle for Paul. Then there is the other extreme – expecting new volunteers to be mature, gifted, and skilled in leading a bible study with middle school boys their first night. Or being able to deal with a difficult topic the first Life Group. This is the “God knows I need this particular person and He will bring that person to me” mindset. It’s dangerous because disciples are made, leaders are developed. They don’t hatch and miraculously show up.
So what’s the baseline? This is where the RAFT comes in. Responsive (gets things done), Available, Faithful (dedicated), and Teachable.
If a person has those 4 key traits, I’m willing to roll the dice with them. Being teachable is probably the biggest one. If the person can’t or won’t listen to coaching, God will have to break them some more before they are ready for leadership.
I was talking with a bunch of other pastors in town about the baseline of leadership development and the question was asked if the person had to be a believer. For example – could a non-Christian guitarist play on the worship team? For most of the guys, the answer was no. Part of their baseline for serving and being developed — they already had to have a relationship with Jesus Christ. In other words, one would have to belong before they could be invested in and developed.
I disagree. I went back to the RAFT. If a person has those 4 key characteristics and they are willing to take the journey — I am too. Serving and people development then becomes another avenue for people to connect with Jesus and His church. Now, I’m not going to set this person up as a Life Group Leader or a teacher. BUT – not having a relationship with Jesus is not going to be the excluder for being invested in and developed.
I got a little push back on this and I told the guys — In your scenario, the person leaves the church and probably doesn’t come back. In my scenario, they have to spend 1.5 hour ‘band’ practice a week playing songs about Jesus. They have to sit through 2 services on Sunday morning. They have to research and listen to music they probably don’t normally listen to — which will be about Jesus. Then they are going to develop relationships with members of our worship team and figure out they all aren’t crazy. I’ll take my chances that my person is going to meet Jesus before your person does.
But — RAFT will only go so far. Can’t just stay there and that be considered development. More on that later.
First Thoughts On New Series: Hostage
Wow. What a start to a series.
Yesterday we dealt with bitterness and I’m already hearing God-stories. The highlights for me:
The only solution to bitterness is forgiveness. Only those who’ve been forgiven can really give forgiveness.
And forgiveness is NOT about justifying the hurt. It’s about moving us to a place to be healed. Without this healing, we’ll end up poisoning ourselves as well as those around us.
Had the opportunity to pray with people for forgiveness and a new start.
Going to be a great series….going to see a lot of healing over the next few weeks.
HOSTAGE Series starts this weekend
I am super excited about our next series – HOSTAGE. We are asking the question – what holds you captive? Bitterness? addiction? worry? anger? lies? It’s time to break free.
This is one of those series that many of your friends need to hear and experience. The teaching is going to focus on God’s solution and healing for these issues. In other words, we’re going to focus on practical help. There are going to be some people who find freedom in Christ for the first time during this series — and that is why I’m amped about it.
Couple of things we will be doing a bit differently during this series. First, it’s designed for ages 12 and up. Most of our series are fairly kid friendly. This one is going to deal with some issues that younger children could find disturbing. If you are a parent of a 5th grader or older, there will be some uncomfortable topics talked about but they are issues that your student will (or already has) face as they enter middle school and high school. And I honestly can’t think of a better way to talk about some of these issues than first talking about God’s plan.
Secondly, we will have a response room available after every service. For those people who need someone to pray with them or talk with them, or maybe just ask questions about God, we will have a room ready with some of our ministry leaders who can help. After every message, an opportunity will be given to go into that room and find help from someone.
Lastly, we are asking all of our small groups to walk through this material with their people. A study guide DVD with intro videos is available for every Life Group at the information desk. Or you can visit www.whillschurch.org for more info. We think this series can and will have such a healing impact on people.
See ya’ Sunday as we look at bitterness.
A special thank you to Lifechurch.tv who originally did this series. They have been SUPER gracious in giving us their outlines, small group questions, trailer videos, and discussion starters for the series.
Brazil Tour – Summer 2010
This summer, I get to return to my second home – Porto Allegra, Rio Grande du Sul, Brazil and my awesome friend at Word of Life. If you are curious exactly what goes on when students invade Brazil?
Take a gander at our 2005 trip. It is a pretty awesome trip. This year we are not only taking students but we are taking our own kids (Cooper, Camber, and Cayden).
My first trip to Brazil was back in 2001. I met Thomas and Agnes for the first time as well as their missionary team. Over the last 9 years we’ve watched the ministry grow and grow. I’ve been down there 6 times. Thomas and Agnes have been stateside probably that many times as well. There hasn’t been a year go by when we didn’t connect with this ministry in some way.
They minister in the region of Brazil called “The Missionaries Graveyard.” Average lifespan of a missionary there is around 18 months. The occult and a mix of Catholicism and Voodoo are the major religions. Public and private schools shut out any kind of ministry.
Thomas & Agnes have been there 18 years and are from that region. Thomas had a simple plan for the work.
First, create an outdoor educational experience that no schools could afford – soccer camps, adventure camps – and make it ridiculously cheap for schools to experience it. Zip lines, climbing adventures, sport camps, ropes course, nature education, English camps – all part of the ministry. And because they are supported by US churches, they can offer these opportunities for next to nothing. Schools are lining up to experience what WOL offers. Thomas makes it a point to have poor schools come on his dime as well.
Second, be clear and consistent with the Gospel. Always. When schools sign up, Thomas is very clear with the administration – “You know why we are doing this, right? We want to make sure you understand the reason because we aren’t the real Hero, Jesus is. Let me tell you about Him.” Then every kid that hits the campus gets to hear the reason why they were able to enjoy that experience – because of Jesus. A couple of professional soccer players have heard about WOL and now they show up and tell students about Jesus as well.
Third, grow our own staff. Thomas is a people-developer person. The staff at WOL all have grown up inside the ministry. They are both products and producers of the vision. Listening to Thomas talk about discipleship (with his Brazilian accent) is like getting a drink of water from a fire hydrant. Read this here — you’ll be blown away. It’s pretty simple (not easy) – win the lost, grow them up, train them to lead others to Jesus, release them back to the wild.
Fourth, take this vision and training to local churches throughout the region. Thomas knows that his organization can’t do all the work. It’s crucial that local churches grow and embrace students so that the gospel can take root in the culture. And to that end, he and his team are investing in churches by training them how to do student ministry, how to do a small group Bible study and disciple teens.
In fact, this last piece of the puzzle is the center of Thomas’ latest push. He is building a dorm and some classrooms to establish a ‘seminary’ for student workers in southern Brazil. It would be the only theological training center located within thousands of miles. That’s part of the reason we’re going down this time. To figure out how we can help, what we can do.
We take off in late June, I’ll be bringing more updates the closer we get.
Losing Control of a Service
Sunday may have been the most significant service we’ve had at WH since I’ve been here. We put our graduating seniors on stage and then let the church loose. For the next 90 minutes, these students heard how we have seen God work in them and through them. No agenda, no music, just God-stories all morning long.
And it was awesome.
When we started planning the service months ago, there was some hesitation. Sure, it could be an awesome spiritual marker, but what about those who hadn’t made their faith a priority? What about those who came only to the midweek life group? The rest of the church wouldn’t know who they were. What about those students whose families weren’t believers? Would they even show up? What if nobody said anything?
Is the reward of having a spiritual marker for our graduates, our student ministry, and the church as a whole worth the risk? That’s the question that ultimately we had to deal with and I’m proud of our Creative and Student Ministry Teams in their answer – YES.
Losing Control Of A Service
We had in our minds the service lasting about an hour. There were a couple of times when I tried to ‘wind down’ the sharing. Wasn’t going to happen. People kept getting up telling stories of how this student coached their kid in Upward. This student babysat and the kids wanted to grow up to be like them. A couple of students were now followers of Jesus this past year because of these students. Life change story after life change story.
Every time there was a lull, I’d stand up to close the service but someone else would stand up. Finally the seniors just took the microphone from me and said – “Just sit down.”
But what a marker it was for our seniors. What a marker it was for the rest of our student ministry. What a marker for our church.
The Starting Blocks of Beyond the Starting 5
This is part of the Beyond The Starting 5 project. A writing safari where I explore the idea of what people-development looks like in the local church. I have no idea what I’m doing, mileage may vary.
My first attempt in trying to ‘institute’ this idea of people-development was with a team of youth volunteers. We were all eager and excited but we quickly realized we had one major problem. None of us really knew where to start. Part of the problem (and maybe I should have listed this as another obstacle) was that so few of us were really developed (discipled) in the first place. And those of us who were had two opposite extreme experiences.
The Navigators/Crusade/Para-church Method
There is a point A and a point B. There is a mentor and a mentee. There is a definite path to take and way to do it. And we will ONLY do it that way. Learn this tract, this subject, this method. When we get the checklist done, you are ‘discipled’ and ready to lead.
There is a lot to like in this method. It covers the basics. It’s easy to understand. It’s focused. It’s structured. Some would argue TOO STRUCTURED.
However, there are some limitations to it. It’s often times more focused on getting a person enough KNOWLEDGE to perform a certain task than it is developing them as a person. The goal is to either get that person to lead a small group Bible study or share their faith. Both tasks are awesome things but it’s not necessarily developing the person. It still functions like “we train to run the program” instead of developing the person. When this kind of method runs into someone who doesn’t fit, the job is no longer trying to develop that person but to find someone else who does fit.
I’m not saying it’s incorrect. It’s just incomplete. And while this method rubs us visionary/abstract random people the wrong way, let’s face it — for years (decades?) it was still better than anything the local church or denominations were putting out. Which could probably be best summarized by this…
The Osmosis/If You Throw Enough Stuff On The Wall It Will Stick Method
Get a little Old Testament, a lot of Gospel, a little Revelation, a dash of the Letters. We’ll sprinkle in some current events and hot button issues that really aren’t hot button issues for those outside the church walls (worship style, dress codes, women in ministry, denomination politics). We’ll meet once a week and ask questions like “have you just lied to me” which puts us in this “Spiritual Police” mentality. Just hang around people who look like they know what they are doing and eventually you will catch “it.”
There is a lot that goes wrong with this method. Those people who look like they have it together really don’t. Ends up they are more focused on keeping the mask on. If people found out how messed up they (I) were, they’d be kicked off the team, out of the church. Besides that piety is easier than messy spirituality.
BUT – the one true nugget of this method that shouldn’t be missed is that true people development is going to mean hanging around people and getting involved in their TRUE story BEFORE we figure out the destination.
Every time I get a chance to sit down with another ministry leader, I’ll ask this question:
“When you start to develop and invest in person, what are the markers you want to hit? How do you know that your discipleship/people development process is working?”
And that’s the question I’ll tackle next. Unless something else comes up.
I Can’t Believe I’m Raising 2 Girls
I honestly believe that the Disney Corporation has it out to ruin my daughters. I’ve already ranted about Tinkerbell and the disaster she is. Now Miley Cyrus comes out with her new video – You Can’t Tame Me – and I was saying to myself — “Self, haven’t I seen this somewhere before?” when I stumbled on Walt Mueller’s wonderful piece about the metamorphosis of teen pop stars to adults and how Miley is just following in the footsteps of past Disney stars of Simpson, Spears, Lohan, and Aguilera. The article is worth a read, in fact, Walt is a great read for any parent of teenagers. He’s one sharp cookie when it comes to culture and God.
I’ll be the first to admit that the ‘system’ isn’t helping. The industry makes this huge push to ‘grow up’ and then defines ‘growing up’ with sexuality instead of character and maturity.
But maybe I need to take a step back. It can’t all be Disney’s fault, right? I mean, at some point it’s on me. They aren’t holding a gun to my head making me buy the stuff or keep the TV on that channel. I’m ultimately responsible (to some degree) as to what images and models of maturity I put in front of my girls, right?
I get that the culture has this momentum of sin and sexuality to it. I get that it’s getting next to impossible to even watch sports and get away from it (thank you Tiger, Roethlisberger). It’s crazier than it’s ever been. Agreed.
But we fed the beast, now the beast is ready to feed.
We fed the beast by becoming the first generation in history to be completely kid-centric. I wonder in the pursuit of wanting things bigger and better for our kids, we instead made them worse? Do we dare ask how many family calendars are dominated and driven by the kids? Their sports, activities, hobbies, and entertainment have become the drivers of the family agenda.
And I wonder in so doing, we’ve modeled and taught them that they are the center of their own universe. Have we lied to them in allowing them to believe that, like Miley, they are the main character in the story of life which is about them? I think we created some of this mess by not saying “No.”
“No – you can’t watch that. You can’t listen to that. You can’t play that video game. You can’t watch that movie. Because I love you and you deserve better than to put that junk in your head and fool yourself that is reality.”
And my girls are old enough now that saying “no” isn’t enough. They need more than that. They need to know that a truly beautiful woman is one who loves God deeply and cares for other people, a woman that can laugh at herself and knows she’s valuable not because she is pretty but rather she is pretty because she is so valuable – in character and spirit.
And yes, there are times I feel like I am fighting a losing battle against the world and Disney isn’t helping. Fortunately, I worship a God that’s got a larger imagination and larger arsenal than that.
Obstacles and Developing People In The Church
This is part of the Beyond The Starting 5 project. A writing safari where I explore the idea of what people-development looks like in the local church. I have no idea what I’m doing, mileage may vary.
I don’t like talking about obstacles. I think it’s counter-productive. Especially if you spend more time focusing on the obstacle instead of just doing the mission. However, the reality is there are obstacles to any movement or change and sometimes it’s nice to know what you’re facing. (And no, this list isn’t exhaustive but I think these are the “big ones.”)
Not all obstacles are really obstacles. Not everything that slows us down is an obstacle. Sometimes they keep us from hitting landmines and running off a cliff. I remember moving into a new ministry and immediately was told to avoid this particular guy. He was a trouble maker, questioned everything. He was a bit of a hot-head, spoke first, thought later.
Then I met him. And worked with him. And loved him. His name? Steve Boehm. Steve is still one of my best friends in the world. And the warnings on him were partially right – he was a trouble maker and questioned everything. That’s why he was an outstanding leader. He wasn’t an obstacle, he was a difference maker because he thought deeply about student ministry and missions. He was willing to take risks and shake things up. He made me and all of us that served with him better leaders and followers of Jesus.
Point is this – not everyone who initially questions or challenges you is your enemy or an obstacle. They may be slow adopters or process people. They may see something you don’t. Take the time to figure that out before labeling something or someone an obstacle.
We could list about a thousand things in this space but I’m only going to hammer on three because I’m finding that these three tend to poison everything else.
Programs are easier to run, look better in the brochure
I don’t think much explanation is needed on this one. People develop is messy. And time consuming.
Time and Priorities
Families are out of control with their schedules. Sports, school activities, hobbies, entertainment and a kid-centric calendar inside the family unit is building a huge sense of entitlement in our kids that is not healthy and is not conducive to helping other people.
I could rant on this forever but there is no price tag on how important it is for my kids to see Amy praying and studying the Bible with teenagers. Or the impact my kids seeing me get up every Wednesday morning, reading books that challenge my faith. We’re not perfect parents – far from it. I say things I shouldn’t say when I hit my hand with a hammer just like you. We don’t do the Bible story every night complete with sermon illustrations and prayer and hymn sing.
BUT Amy and I want our kids to understand the value of investing in people, in serving them and that is something that has to be modeled and ‘caught’, not just taught. And our kids know that we love them but they aren’t the center of anyone’s universe.
Cruise Ship versus Battleship Mentality
Did you know that kids grow up? To be adults. Just saying. If they saw their parents pick a church based on what it does for them or meets their needs, guess how they will probably pick a church?
The first question I ask in our new members class is “why do you want to join Western Hills?” I listen to the answers. If the answers are because of a great children’s/youth/women’s/men’s program or the music is kicking or the teaching is awesome – I just smile and say “I hope not.”
That’s a cruise ship mentality. Meaning – we come to church for the services that are provided, the staff is nice and friendly and exist to meet my needs and to make sure that I have a pleasant ‘cruise.’
I hope we join a church because we find one that is going to help us in our journey to look more like Jesus. We call that spiritual transformation. That’s a “Battleship” church, a church with a mission larger than just herself, part of a larger fleet with a higher command structure. A church that exists to serve those outside their walls and not yet going to church there. A church that serves her community in Jesus’ name. A church that develops people and then unleashes them into the community.
There are probably more I could list but these three are the big ones. And these just aren’t obstacles for the organization but for me personally as well. I’m not sure if there are any “magic” solutions to these obstacle other than the stuff we’ve already talked about.
The bottom line is that we are always going to face obstacles. At some point you just have to do the work of investing in people. Just do it. It will get messy and unorganized and you’ll never have enough resources. So since all of that is true and will always be true — start doing it.
More later.
I Can See Clearly Now…
This is part of the Beyond The Starting 5 project. A writing safari where I explore the idea of what people-development looks like in the local church. I have no idea what I’m doing, mileage may vary.
The rain is gone. (You can thank me later for getting that song stuck in your head. And it is stuck. Don’t lie to me.)
Here’s the million dollar question this morning. How do you create a culture where people development is priority, not so much the ‘running of the beast?’ How do you become a people-developing kind of church?
Empower and celebrate leaders who are people-developing kind of people. These are people who invest in other people for their betterment. Their homes and lives are accessible to those on the journey with them. These may OR may not be people who are great at running a program.
We’ve got a bunch of ladies that invade our church every Thursday morning. I’ve watched this group morph from being a Ladie’s Bible Study to a nap-mat sewing group for kindergartners at McCarter to Prayer Walkers for our missionaries in China. Almost every month there is some sort of outward, serve other activity they are doing. And just show up one morning and act like you don’t know how to sew or whatever it is they are doing. They will have you in there learning before you know what hit you. The leaders of this group are people-developing kinds of people.
Model people-development from the “top” down.
In our particular structure, the pastoral staff and council are the ‘top’ level of leadership. And we are starting to ask each other this question – who are you discipling? Who is discipling you? We can’t lead where we’re not willing to go. We can’t do what we’re not doing or at least willing to do. And no organization is immune to this – the organization will only rise to the level of leadership that is modeled at the top.
This is how leaders are made – in the messiness of life on life discipleship. And there is only two ways churches get leaders like this – they either make them OR they steal them from other churches. Want to have a scary, sleepless night? Look at your church’s roster of leaders and then ask where were they discipled.
Measure success in life-change stories, not offering and attendance.
When evaluating systems and programs, start asking about what potential leaders are we developing, what life-change stories are happening.
Don’t start a life group or program without 3 layers of leadership – a Coach, a “leader”, and an apprentice.
A Coach is someone who has been there, done that. Think Yoda. A first line reference guide and source of encouragement for both the leader and the intern. A leader is that catalytic person who makes things happen. The apprentice/intern is the sponge, getting ready to lead, a learner.
Embrace the messiness.
Life is messy. People are messy. Spiritual growth is one messy, sporadic roller coaster ride. Embrace it. If a life group is going through stress or crisis — embrace it. When the wheels fall off the wagon, keep looking for what God is going to do next. Don’t fall in love with easy, neat, organized, and planned.
But this isn’t fiction we are talking about. There are going to be some obstacles. Talk about that later.
Your thoughts? Comments?
Reflecting on the Broken Dreams series
Today we wrapped up Broken Dreams and the series turned out to be much ‘heavier’ than any of us anticipated. I don’t think that is a bad thing, just an observation.
Abraham’s life is a study in 2 steps forward, 1 step back (sometimes more than 1 step) kind of faith. And God is both ruthless and patient with him. He’s patient in that He doesn’t choose to take away the promise. He’s ruthless in that He allows Abraham to deal with the full measure of his choices, Lot as well.
I think more of us can relate better to Abraham than any other character in the Bible for this reason. Most of our walks look exactly like this – trust, trust, not trust. Hear the voice of God then run ahead of Him to ‘help him out’ and end up messing the whole thing up worse than it was in the beginning. Having pockets in our life where we feel this huge sense of entitlement – I deserve this – only to later realize how immature and foolish that line of thinking is.
The thing about Abraham is that he finished well. The last few years of his life — from the birth of Isaac forward, we see a man who for the most part walks by faith with God. It may have took him over 100 years to get to that point – but he did.
We (Creative Team) picked up on the theme of Broken Dreams because the more we looked at Abraham’s life, we saw all these fragments of decisions in his life – Lot, his dad, his relationship with Sarah, Ishmael. These fragments were once whole pieces of a dream of a life that he and perhaps Sarah had envisioned for themselves. And like all of us – life happens and these dreams began to break.
Yet we noticed that when God was seen as a resource – the Source – something different happened. Redemption. Healing. Refocus. When they tried to fix the brokenness on their own with their own schemes, it always ended worse than when they started.
Until Isaac. By the time God asked Abraham to sacrifice Isaac, all of that had changed. Abraham now trusted God no matter what the outcome or directive. He knew better. He had the scars to prove God’s character. So now what normal people would call broken dreams, Abraham would call opportunity for the holy.
It was a good series and one that I hope gave our congregation some insight in how to deal with the broken dreams in the own life.
Ray Lewis Can Eat It
So Ray Lewis, linebacker from the Ravens – you know the one with the criminal record and had something to do with the death of another human being? That one?
He goes on Colin Cowherd this morning and says this:
The thing I was more shocked by, is you see all the people who were willing to help him (Tim Tebow). I don’t know many people who were willing to help other athletes like that. Jon Gruden loved him to death. You see all these people who took out their personal time to really work with him and make this big issue, big issue, big issue. I don’t know why he was any different than anyone else. Every young child has that dream, that same dream that Tebow had. So I don’t know why he was bigger … than any of the other guys.
Well Ray, since you asked, here are some reasons why. They wanted to invest in a person that they knew wouldn’t let them down. Gruden worked with the other quarterbacks as well but they didn’t want or respond to his coaching like Tebow did. I’m figuring that’s why Gruden spent more time with him. Because coaches love to coach guys who are coach-able.
Or maybe because coaches and league officials are sick of reading about guys like LT, Rothlesburger, and yes, you in the news about things other than football. Truth of the matter is that every rookie drafted now has a coach of some sort helping him transition. Rolando McClain (Alabama LB, drafted by the Raiders) had the same mentoring. Then he called Oakland after the draft and had them FedEx the playbook to him so he could start learning it.
I would have thought players like this would be a breath of fresh air in light of the past few years of spoiled rotten athletes with a sense of entitlement and a police record to match their paternity suits. How incredibly ironic to have this conversation on the day JaMarcus Russell was released.
Summer Sermon Series
We’ve got a full slate this summer. First up is Hostage. LifeChurch.tv originally ran this series and they have been super generous to let us some of their resources for this series. BREAK FREE from what keeps you hostage.
Starting July 11, The Truth About series will start. Ever wonder about the truth of the Bible? God? Jesus? Eternity? So have we.
Tinkerbell Is Evil
guess no one here likes puppies..you are some sick sick twisted people! I bet you didn’t clap for Tinkerbell.
– @RC2k (via Twitter)
I responded –
Tink stands for everything evil in women – to tiny, dresses skanky yet ‘pure’, drama queen, in love with boy who cares less – @thegsides (via Twitter)
As a sidebar, RC2k is “Ray” and he has a cool blog. Not as cool as mine. Okay, it’s better than mine but don’t tell him I said that.
The point is Tinkerbell really does stand for everything we don’t want our daughters to grow up to be like.
She flies around half-dressed. Yet, she’s “innocent.” What kind of double-message is that? Is it really logical to dress like that and then be shocked when you’re treated like an object?
She sticks her nose in everyone’s business.
She’s gullible. She believes Captain Hook over Peter Pan? Nice discernment.
Her taste in men is questionable. Peter Pan never grows up. I don’t want my daughter following around any boy that doesn’t grow up. I don’t mean he has to be serious all the time but maturity is essential. Besides that, Pan could care less about Tink once Wendy shows up. Do you really want to be with someone who is only looking for the next best thing?
She’s easily made jealous. Which means she probably has some self-esteem issues but besides that – I want my daughters to be secure enough in who they are so that no one can make them feel inferior.
She’s a drama-queen. The whole bell ringing every time she is upset about something? Does any one really like this kind of life?
Her existence is dependent on the approval of others.
No. I am not a Tinkerbell fan. Let the comments begin!
Running The Program or Developing People
This is part of the Beyond The Starting 5 project. A writing safari where I explore the idea of what people-development looks like in the local church. I have no idea what I’m doing, mileage may vary.
It’s possible to run a great program and never make a disciple.
This is a subject I have first-hand experience with. Unfortunately. Danny Payne was the first person I remember asking me this question circa 1997. “So…what happens to your students once they graduate?” It was in that instance that I realized how much I hated Danny Payne. Not really. (His wife – Beth – reads my blog and I have to be nice.)
Never has one question caused so much chaos in my life. Because our program was growing and we had a lot of students coming and the calendar was full and no one was complaining – I don’t think it ever dawned on anyone to ask this question. We just assumed that because we were doing religious, Christian things – like studying scripture – that in and of itself was developing disciples.
When we started looking at the results, what we found was heartbreaking. Students left our safe cocoon of student ministry and weren’t serving in church. Most of them weren’t even going to church anymore. The idea of being a missionary or serving for a year somewhere was non-existent. Furthermore, it’s debatable if they were any more in love with Jesus when they graduated than when they started high school. It would be hard to pick out how their life was all that much different because they were “Christ-followers.”
It was like we were producing these massive consumers of the Christian sub-culture. And when that sub-culture didn’t deliver what they liked or wanted, it was very easy for them to punt it all and find it somewhere else. Guess what is happening in adult ministries now days? Sound familiar?
So what happened? How did we get there? I’m not sure I have the definitive answer but here are the highlights for me, 13 years later looking back.
I confused religious activity with people development.
Is study the Bible good? Yes. Is scripture memory good? Yes. Is being in a Bible Study/Sunday School Class/Life Group good? Again – yes. Are those activities developing people? Depends.
Does a wrench turn a nut? Only when it’s not being used for a hammer. Or a doorstop. Or a vise grip. In other words, I use the right tool the wrong way all the time (or the wrong tool the right way?). And it sort of works but not really.
I mean, at the end of the project it sort looks like its supposed to but not really because that nail didn’t quite go in straight. It would have if I had used a hammer but I didn’t. I used a wrench as a hammer. The nail didn’t quite go in right but good enough to hold it together for awhile. And the reason I used the wrench instead of the hammer was because it was too much work to find the hammer. Or I was too lazy to get up and get the hammer when the wrench was laying right next to me. Which leads me to this observation…
I chose convenience over messy.
What’s easier? To plan a calendar of events, to map out a year’s worth of lessons or discipling someone one on one, one on two?
All of those activities (programs) aren’t bad in and of themselves but the bigger question is HOW are they being used? If we never stop and ask other questions, chances are we better at running the program than we are developing people.
These are the messy questions – what is God doing in this person that I can join in and be a part of? Where is God taking this individual? For what character issues, hurt issues, skill issues is God working on in this person (that they may not even KNOW about) that He’s intersected my life with theirs for the purpose to help? What character, hurt, skill issues are going on in my life that God has intersected my life with this person for that same reason? Is what we are doing really helping? Is it developing this person to look more like Jesus?
I identified myself with the program instead of seeing the program as an expendable tool.
If the goal is people development and getting them further down the road God has them on, then it SHOULD be easier to see programs and systems as tools to that end, not the end itself. SHOULD.
Unfortunately, identity theft is common in ministry. We begin to define ourselves by what we do and how well it apparently is doing. I remember walking through changing our Wednesday night youth program with my senior pastor, then my volunteers, then the students and parents.
“We’ve got more kids coming to Wednesday night than we have ever had.” I know. But is it developing people?
“We’ve got more buzz in the community because of what we do.” I know. Is it developing students to look more like Jesus?
“Grant, you started this, it’s working, why change it?” I did start it. It’s hard to kill it and do something different especially when convenience says don’t change, the numbers say don’t change. But God is asking – “Are you happy and pleased with the kind of Christ followers you are producing?” Or more pointed, is He pleased with what we are producing? Are we challenging and making students look more like Jesus – humble, gentle, servant hearts, loving, generous? Or are they great critics of Christian entertainment that know a lot of verses but uses them for their own ends and justifications?
I drank the poison.
Programs are designed to be user-friendly. That’s how they ‘sell’ in the local church – “anyone can do this.” And therein lies the subtle distraction that most of us have believed.
The focus then becomes on running the program – ‘anyone can do this.’ “Let me train you how to do this” and we confuse this training with people development. On some small scale it MAY be developing them but in reality it’s singular focus isn’t on DEVELOPING that person, it’s on SUSTAINING the ease of the program. It’s really about making sure the program perpetuates itself.
It’s a subtle difference but one that proves deadly in the long run. Training youth leaders how to teach a great lesson on Sunday morning didn’t necessarily make them better dads, moms, husbands, wives, students, siblings, or just a regular person in general. It only made them a better communicator on Sunday morning. And the chilling reality that hit me was that could be done without ever getting closer to Jesus or me looking more like Jesus.
So what’s the answer? What does people development look like? Still processing…more to come.
Beyond the Starting 5
This post is the start of a writing safari, an experiment. I want to explore the idea of what people-development looks like in the local church. Why is it important? What will it do? What does it mean? Please be warned, I have little to no idea what I’m doing, your mileage may vary.
Anyone who has ever played basketball knows the starting 5 will only get you so far. The long term success of a season and a program depends on those beyond the starting five. Attrition happens. “That is the sound of inevitability, Mr. Anderson.” (Yes — I had to get a Matrix quote in somewhere.) There will be injuries, ineligibility, sickness, lack of performance, and who knows what else that will knock people out of the starting positions.
Every coach knows this. What separates the great ones from the not-so-great ones is how they prepare for this reality. The great ones develop and invest in more than just those starters. They are relentless in the development of every one of their players. Systems, offenses, defenses, training programs may change from year to year but what doesn’t change is their non-compromising focus on developing players. They know that a culture like that takes years to develop. They also know that if they didn’t develop other players, their program could fade into mediocrity or worse – oblivion – in just one season.
Think about it…the teams that are historically good -Duke, Kansas, North Carolina – have coaches that have established a system that is totally focused on developing players. The wins come as a result of developing players. They are intentional about it. They eat, drink, and sleep player development.
It’s easy to see this same principle play out in the local church. Churches that ‘get it’ and are making a long-term impact on their community are churches that are relentless on developing people. They turn their whole organization upside down to help develop people. The programs are just tools, the focus is on developing people.
Every single aspect of a church’s vision depends on developing people. Every single goal and idea is dependent upon this concept.
Think I’m wrong? Think that’s an overstatement? Have you read the Great Commission lately? This concept should not be a huge shock to most of us. The collision of the Great Commission and the Great Commandment is exactly what I’m talking about – making disciples because we love them. Developing people because we love them. Because God loves them. I mean, seriously, this should NOT be this much of a stretch to understand.
Yet, it obviously is. How many churches wishes they had more leaders? More spiritually deep people? How many churches are running their programs with a great starting 5 but no bench whatsoever?
I’m in the same boat, so don’t read this like I’m the expert. Far from it. So for the next 30 days, I’m going to try to flesh out this idea, try to find some handles on this concept and maybe in the process figure out what are some practical steps that we can take to create a culture where we focus on developing people more than anything else.
This isn’t just a mental exercise for me either. I’m a pastor of a church that is in this boat. We have some of the most incredible volunteer leaders on the planet. The problem is there is no one really beyond the starters.
And it’s true that means we are in deep weeds if anything should happen to them. Or they get tired. Or God calls them to do something else. But that’s not really a good reason to develop people. That’s a self-focused kind of reason that ultimately fails. It ends up being guilt.
It’s important to start thinking about this and start doing something about it because to NOT to is to reject the Great Commission. To not start developing people is an utter failure in making disciples. And making disciples is different than running a great program.
It’s possible to run a great program and never make a disciple. It’s real easy to confuse the two…and I think that is where I’ll start tomorrow.
The Ongoing Safari of Beyond The Starting 5
Running the Program or Developing People
I Can See Clearly Now…
Obstacles and Developing People In The Church
The Starting Blocks of Beyond The Starting 5
I’m Looking For A Raft
RAFT, Part 2