LifeVesting

Help! I Don’t Like My Pastor!

Andy Wood — Tue, 07 Sep 2010 16:18:13 +0000

It’s a universal problem, I suppose. In more than 30 years of church work, one of the most common refrains I have heard (and generated, I’m sure) is, “I don’t like my pastor.”

I’ve heard it from every conceivable angle. Staff members who feel like they’re working for an isolated jerk. Church members who miss – or are tired of – the old guy. People who can’t stand the new guy. Heck, I’ve even met pastors who didn’t like themselves.

Little did I know there is a counseling hotline available for people to call for advice or to vent their frustrations. It’s called, appropriately enough, the “I Don’t Like My Pastor Hotline” – or “Idle Miff” for short.

Idle Miff is run by a guy named Big Al, who will only give his first name. His only other known credential: he was once a pastor himself. Rumor has it that Big Al has a gift for cutting to the issue… and cutting to the quick if he has to.

And for the first time ever, Big Al has agreed to an exclusive interview. Be amazed, friends.

Be amazed, too, that Big Al probably weighs about 130 pounds dripping wet.

It’s a busy day at Idle Miff, and Big Al, as always, is working the phones alone. Mondays are always his busiest day, he says, “for obvious reasons.” So we’ll just have to be OK to catch him between hotline calls.

Not a problem, says I. It’ll be fun to see him in operation.

AW: So how long has Idle Miff been around?

BA: Almost 12 years (phone ringing). Hang on a sec…

Thanks for calling Idle Miff, how can I help? Uh huh. I see. So how long have the weeds been growing in his alley? I see. Well, here’s a thought – it’s obviously bugging you more than him, or he’s too covered up with work to notice them. Why don’t you cut them down yourself? Can you hold?

Thanks for calling Idle Miff, how can I help? Really? Amazing. Well, I can understand why you’d be upset, but look on the bright side. Now you know for SURE there is no book of Hezekiah in the Bible! Can you hold?

Thanks for calling Idle Miff, how can I help? Yes ma’am. Yes ma’am. Yes ma’am. No ma’am, you can’t change churches… you’re the pastor’s wife, that’s why. Can you hold?

BA: I mentioned that Mondays are always busy, didn’t I?

AW: You did, but I had no idea…

BA: Thanks for calling Idle Miff, how can I help? Well, he probably doesn’t like you, either. You’re welcome!

Thanks for calling Idle Miff, how can I help? Oh, Hi John. Uh huh. Wow. I’m sorry. Yeah, maybe it IS time for the nuclear option. Sure will.

Thanks for calling Idle Miff, how can I help? Really? How much does he make? Wow. Amazing. NO… it’s amazing that he would want to stick around in a place that pays him $6.50 an hour.

Okay, sorry. Where were we?

AW: So where’d you get the idea to open up this hot line?

BA: My therapist. He said it would help me to find a way to serve without being a pastor myself and without committing homicide or suicide.

AW: So what kinds of issues do you deal with?

BA: Oh, I’ve seen a little bit of everything. There is the classic double standard, where church people want their pastor to live under circumstances they wouldn’t accept themselves.

AW: I’ve seen that.

BA: There’s the hypersensitive… you know, the one he walked right past on Sunday without speaking.

AW: Ouch.

BA: Of course, the power struggler, who spends six days a week telling other people what to do, and by God, isn’t going to let some preacher tell him how to live!

AW: And they call a hotline?

BA: Yeah, to try to tell me how to straighten up the pastor. Like the one I just told “he doesn’t like you either” – she calls every Monday.

AW: And you tell her the same thing?

BA: Pretty much. It seems to give her the perspective she needs.

Thanks for calling Idle Miff, how can I help? Oh hi, Louise. Okay… uh huh… so define “arrogant.” I see. Well, we may just have to disagree on this one. Rescheduling a meeting so he can take in his son’s football game isn’t arrogant. It just means his family is a higher priority than the picnic planning committee. Yes ma’am. I understand that the picnic only takes place once a year. But he only has this son once in a lifetime. You too, honey. Bye.

AW: So apparently you have some regulars.

BA: Oh yeah. Louise calls about once a month. Just needs some reality checks every once in a while. She’s a classic case of somebody who wants to like her pastor, but just needs help occasionally.

Thanks for calling Idle Miff, how can I help? Uh huh. Sure, whatever. Just one thing… when you join that new church, make SURE the pastor knows you’re not church hoppers. I mean, four churches in two years? Yeah, that’s pretty average.

AW: So was that a reality check?

BA: (smiling) Something like that. Just exercising my gift of sarcasm.

AW: So is that mostly all you get? Negative, griping church people?

BA: Oh, no. That’s just what I typically get on Monday mornings. There are some people who are really struggling because their pastor is a jackass.

AW: I don’t doubt that.

BA: Last week, a youth pastor called me from Birmingham, Alabama. He told me that the day before, 15 youth pastors in the city got together for prayer and fellowship. One of them asked for prayer because he and his pastor weren’t getting along. The moderator asked, “How many of you here could say the same thing?” All 15 youth pastors raised their hand!

AW: Unbelievable.

BA: Fact is, if you polled staff members across America, I believe the majority of them would tell you they are frustrated, scared, hurt, or shackled by the one in charge.

AW: Seriously?

BA: I think so.

AW: Why is that?

BA: Lots of reasons. Pride. Pressure from church members. Control freaks. No time to encourage or supervise because they’re so covered up. Clueless as to how to lead.

AW: But didn’t these guys go to seminary to learn how to lead churches?

BA: (laughing) Not hardly. Most seminaries train people for jobs that don’t exist.

AW: So how do you help people who are trapped in a situation like that? They don’t want to leave their church or their ministry, but they’re being led by someone who is incompetent, or arrogant, or whatever?

BA: I talk to them about the one solution I have found that ever works. Sorry, can you hang on a minute?

Thanks for calling Idle Miff, how can I help? Hi Tina. He did WHAT? Wow. I’m sorry. Now we did talk about the nuclear option, didn’t we? Okay. So you think you’re ready for that? Okay. Here’s what I want you to do. Do you have a Bible nearby? Good. Read Colossians 3:1-15. Then, once you put this into practice for yourself, ask God to kill him. Call me back and let me know how it’s working out. You too. Bye-bye.

AW: Did I just hear you right? Did you just tell her to ask God to kill somebody?

BA: Yeah, it’s the only thing that ever really works. I call it the nuclear option.

AW: So you ask God to nuke the pastor?

BA: In a manner of speaking. God says there are certain things we are to put to death – sexual immorality, lust, evil desires, greed… anger, rage, slander, potty mouth, lying. And then we are to clothe ourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, patience, forgiveness, love, and peace.

AW: Okay…?

BA: Well sometimes, even pastors get in a season where they aren’t doing that. So we teach people to pray in his place – that’s what it means to be an intercessor, anyway.

AW: So you’re saying to pray for pastors that God will kill the crud and raise up the good stuff? Or should I say, the “God stuff?”

BA: Yes. But only after they have the courage to ask the Lord to put those things out of our own lives.

AW: Wow. That’s something to think about. Hey, I know you’re busy… just one more question.

BA: OK, shoot.

AW: You’ve been doing this for 12 years. How are you funded?

BA: Oh, I have a support team, and I’m very well taken care of.

AW: Um… they’re all pastors, aren’t they?

BA: (smiling) It is not for me to disclose such sensitive information.

Thanks for calling Idle Miff, how can I help? Uh huh. Yes, I think I do… you can ask God to kill him…

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Opporknockity Only Tunes Once

Andy Wood — Fri, 03 Sep 2010 13:26:16 +0000

What would you do if you were Jimmy? You’re caught in a dilemma because your best friend is a hood. Riff-raff. Wrong side of the tracks. Your parents say you can’t visit him. And he’d do just as well to stay on his side of town, too. But there’s something special about him; that’s why he’s your best friend. He doesn’t have much, but he does have heart and passion.

And a cheap, second-hand guitar he doesn’t even know how to tune.

You come from a good family, with something of a pedigree. You live in one of the music capitals of America, and your cousin is a famous country musician.

Maybe you can still be his friend - this kid some people called “white trash.”

Maybe you can introduce your friend to your cousin. Maybe your cousin can cross the tracks in your place.

That’s what Jimmy did. He asked the cousin to meet with the boy, and the cousin agreed. There on a lane near the house, the singer showed the dreamer how to tune the instrument, then showed him a few basic chords. It wasn’t much. But the kid wasn’t looking for much. Just an opportunity, a chance.

What did you do if you were Jimmy? And you just introduced your cousin to the best friend your parents forbade you to visit?

You just played a role – a bit part – in the transformation of a culture.

You just made a difference in the life of Elvis Presley.

What if You Were the Hood?

Shift gears a minute. What if you were Jimmy, and you were the hood? What if you were minding your own business, on your side of the tracks, and you found your friend’s parents – mugged, robbed, injured? For all you know, they could blame you. God knows, they’ve certainly blamed plenty else on you.

It’s your moment of opportunity.

What would you do?

Did I mention that they are racists, and you’re, well, a race?

What would you do now?

Did I mention that if they weren’t beaten unconscious and left for dead, they’d just as soon die as take help from you?

How about now? Is that your final answer, Regis?

Want a little more drama? What if I were to tell you there’s a pretty good likelihood that the muggers are still in the ‘hood, watching you? Or that the cops are probably on the way, and that if they catch you kneeling in that pool of blood, you’ll do the time? Come on, Jimbo. Walk away. You don’t owe them anything.

Except to love them.

To invest in them.

To introduce them to Somebody you know, who can help them.

Where to Find Your Investments

Being a LifeVestor means learning to spot opportunities. I once heard of a sculptor who had created a unique human-like figure called “Opportunity.” The artist had chiseled a covering of hair where the statue’s face normally would have been. On both feet were wings. He explained that its face was hidden because we seldom know opportunity when he comes to us. The wings on his feet represent the sad truth that opportunity is soon gone, and once gone, cannot be overtaken.

The worst time to talk about opportunities is after they happen. The problem is, many of our opportunities come disguised as something else. I wonder how many opportunities you have encountered lately that came disguised as problems. Or people. Or difficult decisions. Or disappointments. Or delays. Or disease. How many of those opportunities did you seize?

“But I don’t have many opportunities,” you say, “only obstacles.” Did it ever occur to you that opportunities and obstacles are two sides of the same coin? As that coin turns, sometimes the opportunity lands face-up, and sometimes the obstacle does. But it’s rare that you will have one without the other. Every opportunity has its obstacles, and every obstacle has an opportunity sitting close by.

Go back to that thinly-veiled modernization of the Good Samaritan story. It’s filled with clues about where you can find your opportunities to invest in eternity. But to find them, you’ll have to look where even the pros in religious life don’t notice, or don’t care.

Interruptions

Start with one of my favorites – interruptions. The priest and the Levite in Jesus’ story no doubt had good reasons for not stopping. But so did the Samaritan. He had a family too! He was busy too! Probably a little afraid, too! But he was willing to be interrupted – to have his own agenda suspended for a greater need or opportunity.

Needs

The needs of others. There you’ll find opportunities galore. Those whining little kids of yours? When they see in you a willingness to care for their little troubles today, then they’ll bring their really big troubles to you when they’re teenagers or adults.

Born out of compassion (which means “to suffer with”), the Samaritan did what was necessary to heal the hurt. In this case, it was a physical wound; sometimes LifeVestors heal emotional wounds, sometimes the wounds are spiritual. Sometimes they act or speak up for those who have no voice of their own, who have suffered injustice. Sometimes they just meet needs, however servile or unbecoming the task may appear.

Believe me, nobody thinks it’s glamorous to clean up someone else’s vomit, or someone else’s broken heart. But you’ll find opportunities anywhere you find a need. And in the process of serving the need, you’ll have the opportunity to introduce them to your famous Relative – and I’m not talking about a country musician.

Forgiveness

Did I mention the ultimate opportunity to touch a life? Did I mention forgiveness?

We’ve whitewashed the word “Samaritan” today. In the first century, people said it through their teeth. To be Samaritan was to be hated by any self-respecting Jew. You were a half-breed – a nobody at best, loathed and hated at worst. You were a first-century hood. So you learned from birth to hate back. To invent your own religion, theology, morality, and sense out of life. Who needed Jews anyway?

But what happens when the people who have hurt you now lie hurt? Doesn’t it serve them right? Aren’t they getting something they somehow deserve? Doesn’t God want somebody else to help them – somebody with the same skin color, pedigree, theology, or language? Somebody who actually likes them?

No, he wants you. Hurt feelings, wounded pride and all. He wants you to bridge the gap, to meet the need, to give the money, to finish the job. Not for somebody who deserves it. But precisely because they don’t deserve it.

Otherwise, it wouldn’t be forgiveness.

Where’s Your Focus?

Some people only see the obstacles. Like the children of Israel on the edge of Canaan, they live as though God has only told them part of the story. I guess they’ve been burned, disappointed, or lied to by the world just one time too many. They can see a rainbow and be sure it’s raining somewhere! They don’t need the devil, the world, or even the Lord to make them miserable. They’ve already done a pretty good job of it themselves.

Others only see the opportunities. These likable but naive folks would charge hell armed only with a water pistol and a smile. They are often unprepared for the battle or the disappointments that lie ahead, and the results are devastating.

Here’s how Paul approached it: “a wide door for effective service has opened to me, and there are many adversaries”(1 Corinthians 16:9).

He saw both. Soberly but faith-fully. Decisiveness guided by alertness.

Keep your eyes open. Really open. The opportunities are everywhere.

But they don’t stay around long.

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All Loves Excelling

Andy Wood — Thu, 02 Sep 2010 13:43:12 +0000

The morning sun comes calling a bit later here because of where we sit in the time zone. But even here in a West Texas version of suburbia, it can be a glorious reminder of the comfort and love of its Creator.

I realize that most of us, Christians included, live in awe of the Grand Gesture – those spectacular moments in time that define a life, a love, a generation. After all, nobody ever made a movie about taking out the trash. And we don’t have to look very far to find that in the Lord. The cross of Jesus will forever stand as God’s Grand Gesture.

But it’s in the daily expressions of faithfulness and regular reminders of His care that God’s love is most personally experienced. If, of course, we take the time to notice. To listen. To watch.

And so this morning, like most mornings, that’s what I’m doing. With the quiet hum of tires on the streets in the background as people make their way to work or school (and an occasional rude interruption from a motorcycle), I’m watching today’s billboard for the love of God come rising over the rooftops.

It will be a busy day today; that’s nothing new. There are classes to teach, papers to grade, a book to write, an office to lease, a lunch appointment.

But first, this. The quiet, faithful reminder that in the flurry of activity, I am loved with an everlasting love.

This, to me, is love for the long haul – not just from God, but between people as well. The grand gestures are, well, grand. But to me it’s the little things – the faithful daily reminders, built up over time – that reflect a “love divine, all loves excelling.”

It’s in the laughter shared with people you love – laughter that has its own unique rhythm and language.

It’s in the gladness of reunion with people who enrich your lives, even if you just saw them yesterday.

It’s in the sharing of burdens as we slog through the tough times together, looking for ways to ease one another’s troubles or multiply one another’s joy just a bit.

It’s in the daily magic of words like “thank you,” “I’m sorry,” or “I’m praying for you.”

It’s in the willingness to be interrupted by a phone call or drop-in visit, to talk about really important things like sports or the sale they’re (always) having at Kirkland’s.

It’s in shared meals, emailed photos, or taking your grandson with you to shop for couches.

It’s in the days of anticipation, washed in wonder and overflowing in praise, knowing that the end of the story is always greater than the beginning.

And it’s in the daily encounters that define your life and world.

If there is anything more spectacular than a West Texas sunrise, it’s the sunsets. There the Sky Painter once again quietly makes a statement. Not the Ultimate Declaration – there’ll probably another one tomorrow like today’s. But as He draws the curtain on this day, He will find a way to quietly say to you and me once again: “Nobody can love you like I do.

And you don’t have to live in the land of Texas Tech and tumbleweeds to experience that.

Has anyone told you lately how loved you are?

I just did.

But He can do it so much better, if you’ll take the time to read the signs.

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Call Him Benjamin

Andy Wood — Wed, 01 Sep 2010 15:59:29 +0000

Call him Benjamin.

Nice Hebrew name for this fictional, but oh-so-real young man who lived outside of Jerusalem in the first century. Benjamin is 20 years old, and his family raised him in a typical Jewish home.

Until that day.

Following the Feast at Pentecost, Benjamin’s family had experienced a radical transformation. They had heard the preaching of this fisherman-turned-prophet named Peter about a resurrected Christ who was the awaited Messiah. They heard that God had made Him both Lord (a Greek term) and Christ (a Hebrew term).

And they believed. Oh, did they believe. And oh, how their lives were awakened by this discovery.

Then… came… the other day. The day the unspeakable news came. They had killed James, John’s brother. And we could be next.

Together with new Jewish believers everywhere, Benjamin’s family fled. They left their homes, their possessions, except the things they could personally carry, and in many cases, family and friends.

And they ran for their lives.

Relocating in Asia Minor (modern-day Turkey), young Benjamin has the opportunity to take stock of his life, and it isn’t pretty.

Defeat. He has experienced great loss and harsh judgment from the world.
Death. He has seen people, including friends and distant family, lose their lives because of the gospel.
Despair. All his hopes for the future have been taken from him.
Displacement. He has lost everything he once was told he would have in terms of a home and an inheritance.

Pause here. Can you relate? Do you know what it’s like to suffer defeat at the hands of a formidable foe? To experience great loss or harsh judgment from people in the world?

Do you know what it’s like to lose people you love dearly – either to death, or some other form of painful separation?

Can you relate to having your hopes dashed on the rocks of circumstance, and have nothing but disappointment and heartache to guide you as to what to expect in your future?

Do you know what it’s like to lose something you thought was yours by right? To have a position or an identity taken from you against your will and be powerless to stop it?

My guess is, you’re still with me.

Meanwhile, Back in Alienville

Imagine Benjamin’s surprise when he comes home after a very long day at work, and hears his father say that a letter has arrived. And he’ll never guess from whom!

It was him… The same man who proclaimed those powerful words about the resurrection of Jesus. The same man who had led the early church and had become the family’s friend and spiritual mentor. The man whose leadership they adored, and whose testimony of shame-to-grace they greatly respected.

There was a letter from Peter. And past the typical greetings, and the reference to the fact that they were “aliens… chosen by God,” Peter said something that may have run cold to Benjamin:

“Yay, God!”

Seriously?

Well, technically, what Peter said was, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

Again… seriously?

Doesn’t God know we’re homeless? Hopeless? Helpless to do anything about it?

Yes. He does.

Doesn’t God know we have been rejected by people in authority and forced to redefine our lives?

Yes. He does.

Doesn’t God know that everything by which we gained our identity has been lost – perhaps forever?

Yes. He does.

And to that, Peter responds with an exultant celebration.

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade—kept in heaven for you, who through faith are shielded by God’s power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time.

Benjamin is floored. What does his relationship with the risen Christ have to do with the fact that he is consumed by defeat, grief, hopelessness, and displacement?

Turns out, it has everything to do with it.

Peter understood something that every believer needs to be reminded of from time to time. Your faith in a living Christ gives you benefits that no one or nothing can take from you. Ever.

Out of defeat, we have received the great mercy of God.

Out of death, we have been born again.

Out of despair, we now have a living hope, alive with the same life that raised Jesus from the dead.

And out of displacement, we have an inheritance that neither death, sin, nor time can touch.

There is nothing the world or this life can rob from us that our God has not abundantly provided for us in much greater measure.

No wonder Peter breaks forth in praise!

And so should we.

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The Frailty of the Human Heart

Andy Wood — Fri, 27 Aug 2010 13:56:52 +0000

The life you invest in is often as close as your own son or daughter…

Click here to view the embedded video.

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What it Takes to Be a Servant Leader

Andy Wood — Wed, 25 Aug 2010 16:23:54 +0000

Ask most any Christ follower who or what the ultimate model for leadership is, and they’ll point you to Jesus Christ.

Ask that same Christ follower what the ultimate standard for leadership is, and they’ll probably land on servanthood. “Jesus was a servant leader,” they will opine, “and He called His followers to lead by serving.”

Okay, so far, so good. One more question.

Ask that same believer to name somebody from among the most successful ministries or institutions who actually practices servant leadership across the board…

…and watch their pupils widen. The headlights just caught the deer.

In spite of all our claims to servant leadership, the honest truth is that leadership on a grand scale means knowing what to do with opportunity, influence, power, and public image. Can a leader have all of that and remain a servant?

Yes.

But will he?

Camels and the eye of the needle come to mind.

The dirty little secret, even of well-loved and highly-respected organizations, is that in many of the hallowed halls and sacred spaces of leadership rests a CEO, a president, a pastor, or a board whose will is law, and whose immediate impact on subordinates is fear. Their lives, once laid bare, are often characterized by material comfort, ego management, and pleasure.

Is that completely wrong? As a fruit of labor… not necessarily. As an ambition… oh yes.

Christians – particularly Christian leaders – have a goofy relationship with ambition. We live in a world that rewards it. We can even find a few Bible verses that suggest having it. But we can also become intoxicated by the results of it. So what are we to do with ambition?

Try washing some feet.

Peter’s Pedicure

It’s one of the most familiar episodes in the ministry of Jesus. Not long before His crucifixion, after enjoying a fine evening meal, Jesus strapped on a towel, grabbed a basin of water, and began washing the disciples’ feet.

A gripping scene. Peter protested, but wisely backed down when Jesus said, “Unless I wash you, you have no part in Me.”

Later, Jesus explained that He did that as an example of the kind of attitude they should have toward one another. But what often goes unnoticed is how John sets up this scene. Something took place in the “inner-leader world” of Jesus that prompted all this.

Now before the Feast of the Passover, Jesus knowing that His hour had come that He would depart out of this world to the Father… knowing that the Father had given all things into His hands, and that He had come forth from God and was going back to God, got up from supper, and laid aside His garments; and taking a towel, He girded Himself (John 13:1-4).

John mentions four things Jesus knew:

1. Opportunity: He knew His hour had come (v. 1). Jesus knew that He soon would be, in John’s words, “glorified.” But that glorification involved death on a cross as the ultimate expression of love for the world. Knowing that His hour had come, this was no time for business as usual. The lessons had to be memorable, and first priorities had to be on the table.

2. Influence: He knew He would depart out of this world to the Father, having loved His own who were in the world (v. 1). Jesus knew He would be doing more than just saying good-bye. He would leave this bunch in charge. This was a critical moment for leaving them with both a precept and an example.

3. Power: He knew that the Father had given all things into His hands (v. 3). He knew the victory was secured, and His authority was undisputed. He had full control of the destiny of the world and the people in it.

4. Identity: He knew that He had come from God, and would be returning to God (v. 3). He had nothing to prove to anybody. Not the disciples, nor the Jews.

Here’s the point of all this: Washing the disciples’ feet was the outward expression and decision of what Jesus knew about His opportunities, His world, His identity, and His authority.

What do you do when your moment of crisis and opportunity has come? Serve.

What do you do when you know your time is short on this earth, and you have an appointment with the Father? Serve.

What do you do when you are given unlimited authority and power? Serve.

What do you do when you know who you are, and have nothing to prove to anybody? Serve.

So You Want to Be a Servant Leader

In the world of men, power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely. But in the Kingdom of God, there is a completely different standard, and the promise of a completely different experience.

Do you want to lead people to greatness? Lead an organization to fulfill its greatest potential? Do you long to make a difference, both in the kingdoms of this world and the Kingdom of our God?

You can. But you’re going to have to get ambitious. Not toward the external trappings of pride and prosperity. In this Kingdom, it’s the inner world where we keep score. Target your ambitions toward the inner world that Jesus demonstrated, and the outer world will take care of itself.

What does it take to be a Servant Leader? Make this your ambition:

1. To seize opportunity – To know that life is built around purposeful moments (hours) of opportunity, and that those are by nature limited in duration. In other words, they don’t last forever, and don’t always return. Just as something fired off in the mind of Jesus and said, “It’s time,” you, too must be ready when choice, memorable opportunities for service present themselves.

2. To maximize influence – To know that life is short, and you will be leaving people behind to take your life, influence and power further… or to forget you. Jesus knew He was looking at the ongoing future of His ministry. He also knew they were most moved by object lessons. So He maximized His influence by modeling what He wanted them to do.

3. To exercise authority – To know that in God’s economy you have authority and power, both of which are gloriously dangerous… and to pursue the use of power and authority in a way that serves, ennobles and meets the needs of others. The whole ministry of Jesus, from both a cosmic and an earthly level, was characterized by not selfishly clutching authority and power for Himself. He knew what we constantly need to rediscover: The greatest assets in the world are those that grow as we give them away.

4. To demonstrate identity – To know who you are, and to reach the place where you don’t have to prove yourself, defend yourself, compare yourself to others, or beat yourself up because of performance or rejection by people. From this time forward in the ministry of Jesus, He never argued with anybody again about who He was or why He came. He didn’t have to. He had nothing to prove, except that which would take Him to the cross. There is no place in Kingdom leadership for insecurity, inadequacy, or inferiority. Jesus could serve freely, love deeply, and influence powerfully because He knew who He was and acted on it.

Go thou and do likewise.

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The Buoyant Heart

Andy Wood — Mon, 23 Aug 2010 16:37:04 +0000

“Sure I may be tuckered, and I may give out, but I won’t give IN!” (Molly Brown, from “The Unsinkable Molly Brown”)

We spend a lot of time thinking about sinking.

In the mental and spiritual circles I travel in, we focus a lot on discouragement, sadness, grief and such. The most-read article I have written this year is titled, “The Sinking Soul.”

And for good reason. We live in a broken world. Jesus came to heal the brokenhearted. A significant part of the New Testament was written to people who face severe, mind-numbing hostility and pain. And left to our own devices, the devil has sinking souls for breakfast.

But maybe it’s time for a different look. Instead of doing a post-mortem on a discouraged heart, maybe we should take a look at the ones that refuse to sink. Maybe it’s time for a closer look at an unsinkable, buoyant heart.

Active Imagination

Buoyant hearts have an active imagination. Call it vision, call it dreams, they have the capacity to see beyond the misery of what their senses tell them.

Not that they live in denial! Anything but. The people that James and Peter wrote to had seen their faces rubbed in reality as they had lost their homes, many of their friends and family members due to persecution. And now they were living as resident aliens in somebody else’s town. Yet they clung to a tenacious vision of a soon-coming King and a life-changing message of grace. Spaces and distance, losses and longing couldn’t mask the relentless capacity to define reality in terms of hope and vision.

Show me somebody who is unsinkable, and I’ll show you somebody who actively nourishes their capacity to dream and hope.

Courageous Faith

Buoyant hearts have courageous – and contagious – faith. I don’t mean souped-up positive thinking or “faith in faith.” I mean a belief that shapes their willingness to take action. I’m talking about the kind of faith in God that is tested through the years, and only gets purer.

“But my faith is a private, personal thing.” Uh huh. And if you aren’t acting on it, your “faith” is a dead thing. You’ll be sinking soon enough.

“But my faith has been shaken.” I understand. So maybe you don’t have the faith to get you to next month, or even tomorrow. But maybe if you focused on what you still believe instead of what you are questioning, you may find faith enough to check back in an hour.

Show me somebody who is unsinkable, and I’ll show you somebody with faith enough to move the biggest mountain they will ever face – their own hearts.

Compelled by Love

Buoyant hearts have a deep capacity to be compelled by love. Sometimes when hope sees dimly and faith has given in to fear, the one thing that keeps the heart from sinking is tenacious love.

This isn’t the stuff of sentimental drivel or infatuation. This is a love that endures past mere feelings. It’s steadfastly patient. Ruthlessly kind. Jealousy-free and humble, and relentlessly forgiving. Yes, it “bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.”

This love never fails.

There is precious little that’s sexy about that. But there’s a lot that supernatural about it. This is love for the long haul. Anchored in truth (or should I say, THE Truth?), this kind of love continues to reach out, continues to wait, and refuses to let go.

Show me somebody who is unsinkable, and I’ll show you somebody who can love beyond betrayal or rejection, and who will continue to reach out, even when they’re pushed away.

Living in the Tension

If you and I could talk about your life right now, I have no idea how you would describe it. Maybe you’re cruising along on the S.S. Lollipop, racing on a speedboat, or sailing off into the sunset.

Maybe you’ve sprung an irritating leak, run out of fuel, or lost the wind in your sails.

Maybe you’ve hit an iceberg, and you’re going down.

When Peter wrote to a group of believers who had collided with a hostile world and a painful life, he described the tension every believer lives in. In 1 Peter 1:1, he described them as aliens, and as chosen. And therein lies the tension. We are aliens – homeless, rootless, and strangers in this world – who have also been chosen by God. (Have you ever thought… “Lord, can’t you pick somebody else?).

But in that hostile world, he has given us the capacity to walk in a living hope, a faith that is more precious than gold, and a love that drives us throughout time and eternity. It was the same hope, faith and love that drove Jesus past the cross and out of the tomb.

And it’s the same hope, faith and love that will keep you from sinking… even if everyone around you abandons you, or abandons their faith.

Dream. Believe. Love. You’re going to make it. One step at a time.

And if you’re just convinced you’re going down for the last time, may I point you to a Water-Walker who’s an expert at turning sinking souls into wave dancers. And He can do it with one word: “Come.”

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Thoughts on Being a One-Eyed Man in a World of Blind People

Andy Wood — Thu, 19 Aug 2010 14:51:29 +0000

The happiest man I ran into yesterday had a distinguishing feature. He only had one arm.

I don’t know is name, but I know his game; he’s a manager at one of the local fast-food Italian restaurants in town. In the short time we were there during the lunch rush, I saw him take orders at the register, manage those delicious breadsticks they’re famous for giving away, manage his team to make sure orders got out and the place stayed clean, and – most importantly – see to it that his customers were happy.

We sure were. And it started with him showing us that he was happy to be there. He has an infectious smile and a good-natured laugh that invites you to laugh along. Sure comes in handy when the lunch line is snaking out the door.

Hmmm. Maybe he’s the reason the line was so long. Just sayin.’

Meanwhile, Back in Hebrew Class

My old friend Randall has returned to the hallowed halls of seminary. Round 1 earned him a Master’s in Church Music; now he’s in theology school, and loving it.

Randall told me yesterday that he and a colleague have been asked to be a grader for one of the professors there.

The Hebrew professor. Ugh.

(Advice to first-year Hebrew students: Don’t skip the first day of class, assuming all you’ll get is the syllabus. Don’t ask me how I know.)

Anyway, Randall and his grading colleague were set to meet with the prof yesterday, and they got there first. Just in time for each to share his apprehension about grading others in a subject that they themselves were still learning, and had so far to go.

Mid-fear, in walked the professor, and they were caught – fears flying and red-faced. They admitted their concerns, and the new boss had some profound (and funny) wisdom:

Gentlemen, in a world of blind men, the one-eyed man is king!

I’m still laughing at that. And meditating

And listening.

Wisdom for the Challenged

Beyond being just too dang funny, this nothing-short-of-a-proverb is applicable in more ways than I can name.

It speaks to leadership – all you need to do is see past the blindness or short-sightedness of those who follow you.

It speaks to teaching – all you need to know is one lesson more than those you teach.

It speaks to parenting – your “one eye” will seem for the longest time to your children to be positioned in the back of your head. (“How does she know that?”)

Do you want to lead? Find the blind and point the way. Better still, show the way.

“But what about my limitations?”

Find somebody with fewer. There are plenty of prospects.

I love it, love it, love it!

You’d Be Amazed Who Responds to Your Strength

See, here’s the problem. We look at our one-eyed situation and assume it’s a liability because we compare ourselves with two-sighted people in a 20/20 world. In the first place, that assessment just isn’t true in most cases. In the second place, we’re comparing ourselves to the wrong crowd.

Here’s another thought. Maybe in leading the “blind” with our “good eye,” we can gain sight – or at least insight – in the areas we lack.

One more thought: Those “blind” people have other senses about them. And they can tell when someone else has what they lack. So as I gain, in whatever arena that is (confidence, finances, direction, wisdom, knowledge, whatever), they start asking for directions. Then they start sending out “blind people signals” to the other “blind” people – “There is somebody who can help you find your way!”

So What’s Your Excuse?

Okay, so life has thrown you a curve. You’re now limping along with limitations, wounded by letdowns, scarred by the evil of others, or just scared that you’re being asked to stand and deliver when you’d prefer to sit and think about it. Worse, sometimes your limitations are the result of colossal failures of your own making. (Don’t ask me how I know that, either.)

Get over it.

There is still someone willing and wanting to look to you as the greatest or nearest example they know. An example of knowledge. An example of experience. An example of wisdom. An example of redemption. An example of hope. (Are you getting this? I could go on and on.)

What I’m saying is that there is a beat up, ignorant, yearning, directionless world of people who desperately need to know what you know, go where you are going, or rise from the fall you just stood up from. So stop your whining, and take your one good eye and see for them. Stop your bellyaching about what you lack, and take your one good arm (with a big smile) and reach out to them.

Limitations are a construct only of the mind. Now what was your excuse?

Come Back to SEE Us

The happiest man I ran into yesterday had a distinguishing feature. He only had one smile. And yesterday, it seemed to be reserved just for me. (There was something else about him, but for the life of me, I can’t remember now what it was.)

The lunch rush had passed, and we finally decided to leave. Walking out the door, the manager looked up from his busyness and saw me leaving.

“Come back and see us,” he beamed.

Believe I will.

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To Feed the Hungry and Heal the Brokenhearted

Andy Wood — Wed, 18 Aug 2010 14:29:59 +0000

What turned my head was the sign for Aunt Beaut’s pan-fried chicken.

Why is it when God wants to get my attention, the easiest way to do it involves chicken? My belt really is a leather fence around a chicken graveyard.

Anyway, last week we were in downtown Charlotte on vacation. And there on the corner of West Trade and Tryon Street was the King’s Kitchen. Open for lunch or dinner, the restaurant trumpets “New Local Southern Cuisine.”

They had me at “Southern.”

True, I can get fried chicken anywhere. But when was the last time you went into a restaurant that had collard greens, cream corn, and butter beans all on the menu for lunch?

So I staked the place out, and the next day my wife and I walked the block from our hotel to sample the King’s Kitchen for lunch.

I immediately knew something was different about this place when I read the quotation on the wall just inside the door – one of the quotes from the Bible about feeding or being generous to the poor. And inside, another quote – this one from Mother Theresa.

It took a while to realize they were playing Christian music in the background over the Syrius Satellite Radio system. What we did notice was what we would expect in any nice restaurant: friendly service, good food, a wonderfully designed and sharply decorated dining room, and a busy-enough crowd to let us know we hadn’t made a mistake by coming.

This was no soup kitchen, friends.

The King’s Kitchen is a not-for-profit ministry established by award-winning Chef Jim Noble who was described by Martin Taylor in The New Southern Cook as “one of the best chefs in the South… whose insistence on the finest ingredients in his restaurants may well make him the closest thing we have to an East Coast Alice Waters.”

Chef Noble, who also operates a Christian ministry called Restoration Word Ministries, was well-known in Charlotte; he is the founder of Noble’s Restaurant, Noble’s Grille, and Rooster’s Wood-fired Kitchen.

The King’s Kitchen in one sense is more of the same – New Southern Cuisine, from local organic sources as much as possible, cooked in healthy ways.

But the King’s Kitchen is also very different. It declares right up front, “We’re here to fuel a city by feeding its people, one way or the other.”

Here’s what they say about the mission of the restaurant and ministry:

With the mandate from the Word of God to feed the poor, The King’s Kitchen concept is designed to help those in need in a variety of ways. This is done by working together with businesses, ministries, non-profits and people of faith to employ, train and minister the gospel of Jesus Christ to troubled youth, rehab graduates, and other members of our community who are in need of employment.

We operate in the spirit of excellence by training, equipping, and sending out developed leaders into our community. We employ a segment of our community that is considered unemployable, from people who have come out of prison and rehab, to youths that are at high risk from dropping out of school. Once employed, they receive training to run a full service restaurant from the front of the house to the back. They also receive leadership and spiritual training as well in order to gain the life skills that are necessary to be successful in today’s job market. In this supportive environment, those once at risk for failure are posed for success.

Are you kidding me? Here’s a man – a company – who invests in his city and in the Kingdom by training his future competition.

Here’s a man – a ministry – who knows up front that some of the people he hires won’t make it, and that all are, in the traditional sense of the word, a risk. But he hires them anyway.

Here’s a man – a minister – who has already been crowned with many of the awards his industry has to offer, and for good reason. But he pursues a different kind of crown without apology.

Here’s a man – a team player – who recognizes that he is not the last word or the last hope for anybody, and has bought into the vision of partnership for the Kingdom.

Designed to operate profitably, profits from The King’s Kitchen are used to help feed the hungry here in Charlotte, surrounding areas and other parts of the world. We work with established feeding centers to provide funds and food so they may continue providing meals for those in need.

Sitting there, waiting on iced tea and reading over and over again the restaurant’s mission statement – “To Feed the Hungry & to Heal the Brokenhearted” – I was overcome with emotion. Had to take a trip to the little boys’ room just to keep from blubbering in front of Charity, our wonderful server. (By the way, the iced tea? Tasted just like my grandmother’s. I have no idea why.)

The food? Oh my. Aunt Beaut was a beaut! Collards, butter beans, pan seared cabbage? A-mazing. And you’ll just to ask Robin about the hot biscuits right out of the oven.

“So how’s the banana pudding?” I asked Charity, pressing my Southern Cuisine luck.

“It’s really good, sir,” she said. We make our own vanilla custard, and our own vanilla wafers.”

“Seriously? Who makes their own vanilla wafers?”

The King’s Kitchen, that’s who.

Oh. My…. Amazing. I think the next time I’m in Charlotte, I may just eat that first.

Jim Noble, along with his wife Karen and the King’s Kitchen team, are LifeVestors.

They don’t just give – they invest.

They don’t just feed the hungry – they teach the hungry to feed others.

They don’t just heal the brokenhearted – they send the healed back into a brokenhearted world to make a difference.

They sure made a difference in my life… and I’m not just talking about adding to the chicken graveyard.

The next time you’re in Charlotte, take a drive to 129 West Trade Street. Heck, fly or drive to Charlotte. Eat – and invest in – the ministry of the King’s Kitchen. Your appetite will thank you. So will a band of grateful employees, each of whom has his or her story.

I think the Lord will be pleased, too.

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What Would You Do If You Wuz the Devil?

Andy Wood — Thu, 12 Aug 2010 08:11:46 +0000

“What would you do if you wuz the devil?” Aunt Ruth asked.

“I’d retire and sue the movie industry for back pay,” I said.

Aunt Ruth was neither my aunt, nor was she named “Ruth.” Through a series of circumstances I don’t have space to tell, that’s what I wound up calling her. Crusty, funny, frank, and yes – godly – Aunt Ruth had eyes that danced long after her feet no longer could. Today her eyes were dancing.

“I’m serious,” she said. “What would you do?”

“Oh, the usual, I guess. Lust, greed, bitterness. Why are you asking?” (We’d been talking about how blessed we were as a church, and how excited I was about the future.)

“Come on, boy, he’s got more sense than that! Too bad you don’t.”

“I’m a lot more concerned about what God is doing,” I said in my best ministerial tone. “We’re growing, lives are being changed, people are getting saved. Relationships are being restored.”

“So what – would – you – do – now – if – you – wuz – the DEVIL?” she asked, more emphatically.

“I’d get mean old ladies to torment the pastor!” (There weren’t many people I could talk to like that. Aunt Ruth was one of ‘em.) “What would YOU do?”

“I been thinkin’ about that,” she said.

(I figured as much.)

“If I wuz the devil, and I couldn’t win as your enemy, I’d try to win as your friend!” Her eyes were really dancing now.

“Okaaaay.”

“What kind of things do you do with your friends?”

“I meet them for lunch, we do stuff together, we get away from the grind and come up for air. I encourage them, and they encourage me. And we watch each other’s backs. ” I said.

“Yep. That’s what I’d do if I was him.”

“Well I haven’t had any lunch invitations from the devil,” I said.

“Nope. But I bet you’ve had a few pats on the back tellin’ you what a great guy you are. Hmmph. And how you deserve a break. Uh hmmph. And how much better you are than ol’ so-and-so. And what some jerk said about you.”

I smiled silently. Guilty as charged.

Aunt Ruth was quiet, too. But those eyes were still dancing.

I guess if the devil always looked like the devil, he wouldn’t be the devil, now would he?