Write to Think

Cause or Christ

2009-11-23T15:44:00.001-06:00

I don't think you can "Re-Blog" like you can "Re-Tweet" on Twitter, but if I could I would ReTweet this great post by Heather Zempel on whether we are motivated by cause or by Christ. You need to read it.

And just in case you missed the buried link I'll give it to you once again...

Read it here.

Be a Student of Your Specialty

2009-11-20T08:15:00.001-06:00

They say that the best players in a game make the worst coaches. They can't teach it because it comes so naturally to them that they have a hard time putting it into words, let alone grasping the fact that someone else can't do what they do.

But one of the greatest dangers for a great player is that its easy to be lazy. Because things come easily, they don't have to try as hard. They can rely on raw talent and still succeed while others have to work and study the game without any guarantee of success. Consequently, the greatest challenge for a great player is learning to become a great student as well.

And the same is true for you. Chances are there's something you do amazingly well. So well, in fact, you hardly think about it. You just do it. And there lies the danger. You don't think about it enough. In fact, the only time you think about it is when you aren't given the chance to do it - but you don't spend enough time learning to do what you do best, better.

Don't settle for being a great player. Be a great student too. Learn what you do best and then learn how to do it better.

Be a student of your specialty.

Just for a Season

2009-11-18T10:03:00.003-06:00

"We are left for a season among men, let us faithfully represent Him here."

-- A. W. Tozer

Spending

2009-11-17T07:00:00.002-06:00

We talked about power this weekend at Chase Oaks, the power that we have simply because we have while many in the world have not. As a part of the conversation Nathan George, founder of Trade As One, was with us and he said something that hit deep:

"Everyone in the church talks about giving the 10%, but no one ever talks about what we do with the other 90%. Isn't the way we spend a discipleship issue?"

It should be. But never before had I considered it. The truth of the matter is that God holds those of us who have (plenty) responsible for those who have not - and He calls us to be generous not just with the 10% of what we give but also the 90% that we often keep.

The truth of the matter is how you and I spend "our" money is a discipleship issue. It isn't enough just to be frugal and drive a used car and think that somehow that is what "stewardship" is all about. True stewardship fights for equity (2 Cor. 8:13-15). True stewardship is fair and considers what others make because God calls His people to care when laborers and wages are abused (Isaiah 58:3, 5; Malachi 3:5).

For too long the church has operated as though the test of our stewardship is in our giving when in fact the real test of our stewardship may just lie in our spending.

Christ Didn't Come to Give Us Something

2009-11-16T07:17:00.001-06:00

Too many Christians are walking around with the notion that Christ came to give them something. It's a very me-centric theology.

And it's dead wrong.

Christ didn't come to give us something, He came to give God something. Christ came to return to God what was rightfully His... creation. Christ's goal wasn't to please us, it was to please the Father. His goal wasn't to bring us glory, His goal was to bring the Father glory. Consequently, He wasn't really interested in securing something for us as much as He was for the Father.

Sure, we get a great bit out of this deal. Forgiveness. Restoration. Eternity. But that's a byproduct... we're beneficiaries of something done primarily for God.

The Christian religion has to do with God and man, but its focal point is God, not man. -- A.W. Tozer

A Year Long Journey Now Over

2009-11-13T08:03:00.001-06:00

On Wednesday night I concluded a year long journey with a group of 6 men. For one year we committed to seek the Father together; to drink more deeply in order to walk more closely with Him. It was profound. I thought I would summarize a few of my learning's here:

I fully believe that the process itself was by far the most important component to our "success." Yes, the book we chose was significantly helpful (A.W. Tozer's The Knowledge of the Holy), but frequency and proximity are hands down the biggest influences on discipleship. Anyone can read in isolation. Surround yourself with men committed to transparency and accountability and add to that Scripture and you have a deadly combination.
Too many people get hung up on the what and how instead of focusing on the who and the when.
Whatever you read must draw you back to God. Growth in character comes best when the standard you're using is the standard of character. Don't start a discipleship process with a leadership book; that's like trying to learn to play basketball without ever learning to dribble. Fundamentals are the essentials.
Don't get too hung up on those who don't make it or you'll miss the opportunity to engage deeply with those who do. Spend the bulk of your time pursuing the faithful, its a far better investment that always pays higher dividends.
Don't be afraid to pray at a Starbucks, you'll meet people you never would have otherwise by simply bowing your head with the boys. People are fascinated by prayer.

There's no "one way" to do discipleship. In fact, discipleship often works best when you switch gears from time to time - just like the theory of interval training and muscle confusion helps muscle grow. Next year will probably look different for this group... and it should. What shouldn't change is our commitment to each other and to God. That's the only thing that is sacred.

Absent Father Syndrome

2009-11-12T10:01:00.001-06:00

I'm not one to buy into many of the labels that are placed on kids these days. There are more disorders and syndrome's out there than I can count, but the Absent Father Syndrome is one we dare not question. I won't quote the statistics here, but kids growing up without a father - and especially those abandoned by a father figure - are faced with incredible emotional and spiritual challenges.

Honestly, I think the church is facing a similar epidemic - the church today has every appearance of the Absent Father Syndrome - but the problem isn't an absent father, it's an absent church.

If behavioral, emotional and spiritual issues in the life of a child are the result of an absent father figure, the church certainly has every appearance of the same issue; but unlike the case of abandonment by a Father the church today is dealing with the byproduct of a failure to engage the Father. Too many "Christians" today simply don't know the Father. Consequently, without developing a strong relationship with the Father we've developed behavioral issues. We fail to maintain relationships because we haven't learned to be in a committed relationship with the Father. We are immature, distant and adolescent.

A.W. Tozer once said that,

"We can never know who or what we are till we know at least something of what God is."

I think many Christians struggle to understand who they are, who they are called to be and what they are called to do - and they struggle for one simple reason: They know little of their Father.

As leaders then we must ever lead people to the Father. Our chief duty is not visionary or strategic, it is relational - we must show people what it means to walk in relationship with Him because God is not absent, we are.

Spiritual Habits for your Heart, Pt. 5

2009-10-01T10:26:00.001-05:00

[Part 5 of a series of posts on keeping your heart healthy. If you haven't already, read the introduction to this series of posts here...]

Habit Number 4: Rest

As important as it is to our physical health to physically get away from the office, it is equally important for my spiritual health to unplug as well. To escape the office isn't just a practice that will keep your body from breaking down - it will keep your soul from breaking down as well. When I seize moments to be quiet and still before God it quiet’s my soul. When I unplug the TV and spend an evening with God it fills my cup. When I stop listening to all the noise and all the other voices I so often tune in to and give careful attention to God’s voice I find that I come away refreshed. Truth is, I rarely her God speak unless I shut everything else off.

There is a reason that God commanded us to keep the Sabbath; it is a discipline for our own spiritual health every bit as much as it is for our physical health; but it won't do my heart any good unless I seek it out. As a leader, I've learned that no one is readily offering that time to me. No one else is protecting my Sabbath. No one else is pushing me to take a day off to be alone with God. That is something only I can do. Unless I fight for a day away, my schedule will demand that I keep going.

So how do you effectively take a day of rest when everything and everyone is asking you for more? Here are a few practices I've embraced:

Schedule a quarterly "white day" out of the office. A "white day" is a day dedicated to thinking, praying, looking forward and taking stock of where you've been. No cell phone. No laptop. No intrusions. Schedule it early or it won't happen - something will come up that you feel you 'just have to be at.'
Turn off your email. You don't need to check your mail every 5 minutes on the weekend. If you've committed to be with your family, be with your family. It is completely possible to be present and absent all at the same time. Don't do that to them. If you need to stay connected, schedule 1 time a day to look through your inbox on the weekends.
Drive noise free. From time to time I need just to sit with God. Often times the car is the only place I can't be touched, but so often I spend that time listening to junk. Use your commute to reflect and pray. Fast from the radio for a week and ask God to meet you in those moments.
Seize your best moment. I'm not a morning person, I'm a night owl. I think best at night. Often times, just to be with God or address some nagging issue or thought I'll tuck everyone in for bed and then go pray, read and reflect. The stillness of my home at midnight is beautiful. For you it may be the morning. Whatever it is, seize it and use it to be still.

So what are you doing to keep your heart healthy? There are countless opportunities to be coached, fed and encouraged but ultimately keeping your heart healthy depends on you. Perhaps its time to make a change, start a habit or even kill an old one in order to get yourself healthy.

I'm certainly not there yet, so please seize this moment to let me know what you do to keep you healthy.

Spiritual Habits for your Heart, Pt. 4

2009-09-17T08:00:00.003-05:00

[Part 4 of a series of posts on keeping your heart healthy. If you haven't already, read the introduction to this series of posts here...]

Habit Number 3: Exercise

Last time I talked about the necessity of eating right for your heart. I confess, I live in a land saturated with great restaurants and so I don't often eat well... uh, wait... was that a metaphor for great churches or actual restaurants? Okay, so the secret is out, I don't eat well physically or spiritually. But I digress.

In much the same way that I often fail to eat well, I also often fail to exercise adequately. Just as my physical heart needs to be pushed and stretched, so too does my spiritual heart. I need to wrestle with my faith; not simply to study and think and be challenged but also to exercise my faith through service and missional opportunities. It does me no good to sit on the couch (aka, the pew) and think that I am getting exercise simply because I'm surrounded by like-minded people. Getting up and going to church on a rainy Sunday morning doesn't count as 'spiritual exercise.' Don’t get me wrong, everyone needs to be coached and challenged by those more mature than we are; but when it comes right down to it we have to remember that even though coaches are important their job is not to do the work for us. We must embrace the disciplines personally and get out on the field ourselves.

Disciplines like:

Missions Excursions (get out of your bubble),
Justice (caring for the poor, the oppressed, and yes even the alien),
Service (washing feet and meeting needs),
Generosity (not just throwing something in the offering plate),
Confession (I consider it exercise because its hard; it stretches me),
Sacrifice (giving at great cost because He did)

I grow out when I eat. I grow up when I serve. Each of the two are necessary, but eating is often much more fun to do. We must be sure to work out our faith. Doing so will keep us healthy.

One last habit yet to come...

Spiritual Habits for your Heart, Pt. 3

2009-09-16T15:03:00.005-05:00

[Part 3 of a series of posts on keeping your heart healthy. If you haven't already, read the introduction to this series of posts here...]

Habit Number 2: Healthy Eating

Any heart doctor will tell you that how you eat and what you eat are key to keeping healthy, and the same is true spiritually. If you want spiritual health then it only makes sense to watch what you eat - and what you eat is extremely important to your heart.

I regret to say that my spiritual eating habits are often times no better than my physical ones. I too willingly settle for fast food. I eat cheaply instead of deeply. As a Christian there is no substitute for eating well. Getting into God's Word is critical. "Fast food" feedings and "drive through" devotions will not keep you spiritually healthy.

Snacking instead of feasting is also a problem. I know a lot of Christians who snack but never eat. The truth of the matter is that many times I sample snippets of Scripture or try to survive off of scraps that I collect from sermons or from books instead of digging into something solid. It's tempting to look to others to feed me instead of doing the work of getting into God’s Word myself. It's fast. It's easy. Sometimes it's more convenient for my schedule. But it's simply not healthy over the long haul.

When it comes to healthy eating for my spiritual health I live by a few simple "diet do's and dont's":

DO: Feed myself from the source each and every day. Eating once a week spiritually is about as smart as eating once a week physically.
DON'T: Rush a feeding. Not only do you feel better when you take the time to eat well, but you also get more nutrition out of the meal.
DO: Plan out your meals. Don't just open the Bible randomly and expect a steak dinner. Think about what you're doing. Read intentionally. Use a Bible reading plan or go choose a book of the Bible you will stick with for a season.
DON'T: Accept scraps from someone else's diet. Accountability groups are great; discussion groups are beneficial; and listening to what a friend is learning is awesome...but none of those things count as your personal time with God. Also on that note...
DON'T: Expect your pastor to feed you everything you need. Sermons are like eating out on the weekend: it's fun and really good but it can't and shouldn't carry you all week long. Again, nothing beats cooking for yourself... get into God's Word!
DO: Get the right cookware. Find a Bible you can read and get a journal or whatever else helps you study, understand or reflect on Scripture well. The right tools are essential to feeding yourself well.

These are just a few of the things I keep in mind to help me with my diet. They are by no means all of the things to consider, but the jist of it is this: Eat well. Watch what you eat. Don't compromise or skimp. Your heart needs the proper nourishment and without it you'll be more prone to getting run down.

I'd love to hear your additions to the diet do's and don'ts...

A Watched Pot

2009-09-08T12:35:00.002-05:00

They say a watched pot never boils. I'm beginning to think that the same may be true of package delivery.

Ever since Amazon invented the "Track My Shipment" feature I've been hooked... especially when I'm waiting on a new toy. I recently ordered some new gear and I can't wait for it to get here. I check the delivery status every couple of hours. I know, I'm pathetic. Even more pathetic is that I also cross check it with the delivery service. I'm truly OCD.

But alas, just as a watched pot never boils, so too a watched package never delivers.

I'll check again in an hour.

Spiritual Habits for your Heart, Pt. 2

2009-09-05T07:05:00.002-05:00

[If you haven't already, read the introduction to this series of posts here...]

Habit Number 1: Prioritize

The truth of the matter is that many of the problems that led to my physical unhealth are the same problems the plague my spiritual life – and yet I continue to ignore them and fail to change how I live. One of my biggest problems? I work too much. This isn’t just a problem physically; it’s a problem spiritually. I find myself distracted from God because I’m so focused on what I’m doing here and now. I sacrifice time with Him and time in community because I allow my work schedule to interfere with my spiritual life. When I forfeit time with God in the morning because I “have” to get into the office early I sacrifice a discipline designed to keep my heart healthy.

For me, staying spiritually healthy demands staying focused on a few key priorities:

Face-Time with God. If you are a Christian, spending time with God isn't optional; it's foundational. No relationship can survive without face-time; time connecting, time communicating, time 'relating.' If face-time with God gets pushed aside then you will have heart issues. For me, this means time with God in the morning - yes, that's right, before work! There's no point putting your armor on after you get home from the battle.
Face-Time with Key People. Everyone needs a Paul in their life. (If you don't get that reference, you probably don't have one in yours.) We all need someone who knows us and can hold our feet to the fire when we need it. Having someone to speak truth to us is critical to staying healthy and mis-prioritizing this is dangerous.
Spiritual Community. You can't do it on your own. One of the biggest mistakes I see people make is taking Sunday off when things get busy or hard. If life is killing you, don't skip out on the one place designed to build you back up. (Oh, and if you don't have a place - call me.) My LifeGroup and my church are essential to my heart's health. I need these people and these moments of study, worship, and connection with them. Cutting back here is not an option.

It takes intentionality to let people in, to pursue conversations with others and to pursue time with God. If you don't plan it, it won't happen and if it doesn't happen it will come back to haunt you. Maybe not now. Maybe not next week. But it will hurt your heart. Do yourself a favor, do what I do and put these things on your calendar. Live and die by them. When you need to take a break, skip something else but not these - never these.

Next post, habit number 2...

Spiritual Habits for your Heart

2009-09-04T06:00:00.001-05:00

A little over a year ago I started experiencing chest pains. Work had become all-consuming, I was eating unhealthily, I wasn’t exercising and I never allowed myself to rest. It was a recipe for disaster, even for someone in their early 30’s. After a battery of tests the doctor was clear, I needed to embrace some personal disciplines if I wanted to keep my heart healthy.

It’s no surprise that I pushed the panic button when my heart began to tell me something was wrong. It would have been crazy not to; after all, heart issues aren’t something to ignore. Anyone in that situation would have realized that something was wrong and that something needed to be done because when your heart begins to have trouble, you listen.

I wish the same were true spiritually. I wish I had the same sense of urgency for my spiritual health that I do for my physical health, but the truth of the matter is that when my heart begins to tell me that something is wrong I often ignore it.

Over the next few days I'll share what I've been learning on this journey and I'll peel back some of the layers on some of the spiritual habits I've had to embrace to keep my heart healthy...

Good Thought

2009-08-03T10:56:00.002-05:00

I've been having a pretty hectic summer so far, more on that later, but the long and the short of it is that I'm just now getting around to catching up with the blog-o-sphere.

New(er) to the blog-o-sphere is my friend and boss, Glen Brechner, who wrote a great post last month on the issue of ideas vs. execution. When something fails is it because it was a bad idea? Not necessarily. As Glen argues, an average idea well executed is better than a great idea poorly executed. So what does that mean for your ministry? Check out the post and give it some thought - its definitely worth a few some dialogue:

http://churchstrategic.blogspot.com/2009/07/new-ideas-or-better-execution.html

And for the record, Glen's a great thinker and if you do anything in the church world his blog deserves attention...

...and I'm not just saying that because he's my boss.

Hanging It Up... For a While

2009-06-06T08:03:00.002-05:00

This week I took my quarterly white day. For those of you unfamiliar with the concept, a white day is when you retreat from all the noise in order to think, create, cast vision or - in my case - seek God's vision and God's voice. No e-mail. No cell phone. And most of all, no social media.

I do this periodically because my soul needs it. And so does my ministry. Other voices become more prominent than God's; so getting away affords me the opportunity to listen on a level I rarely do. You see, we rarely need to give God permission to speak. I find He often is... Instead, we need to give ourselves permission to listen to Him and no one else.

So this past Tuesday I shut it all down. I read. I studied. I prayed. I listened. I was still. And it was beautiful. I felt the return of a connection with Him that, honestly, had grown dim. And so I decided to stretch out that time a little longer and honestly, the experience has been so refreshing that I'm thinking of hanging up social media permanently. No Twitter. No Blog.

A multitude of counselors is great. Necessary, even. I get that. But I don't think social media qualifies in that regard. If I am truly desperate to hear from God, then I need to show Him I am willing to be still and listen...

Here's to listening... to Him.

Gun Show

2009-05-30T09:09:00.001-05:00

Hitting the gym on a nice Saturday morning... even Easy-E gets in on
the action!

Tozer Talk Tonight

2009-05-27T13:05:00.004-05:00

I look forward to it every time.

Along with a small group of guys from my LifeGroup we are, together, reading through Knowledge of the Holy by A.W. Tozer. If you've never read it, you should. Short chapters filled with profound thoughts on God. It's beautiful.

But this week Tozer left a nagging question on my mind. He said:

"...because we are the handiwork of God, it follows that all our problems and their solutions are theological."

All of our problems and all of their solutions are whaaaaaa...? Yes, theological. Which only begs the question, "How good is your theology?" If what Tozer believes is, in fact, true then it only stands to reason that the better your grasp on theology the better your ability to live rightly. So again I ask, "How good is your theology?"

I can't help but wonder how good a job I'm doing at leading people in this arena.

Not Too Sure About This Cake...

2009-05-27T11:17:00.004-05:00

I don't know if this is a selling point or a warning label; either way it created a brief awkward birthday moment...

Eat? Don't eat? Eat? Don't eat?

New (to me) Favorite Website

2009-05-27T09:33:00.002-05:00

If you are a photographer, you'll love this site. If you have ever been forced to take family photo's, you will love this site. If you have ever hoped that someone else's bad portraits would be posted online instead of yours, you will love this site.

Enjoy.

http://awkwardfamilyphotos.com/

[My personal favorite is the one on this page... http://awkwardfamilyphotos.com/?p=1253 I don't know who I feel worse for, the husband or the child being brought into that family.]

Help Me Preach

2009-05-26T15:44:00.003-05:00

Each July I preach a 4 week series while Jeff spends some quality time with God (2 weeks) and with his family (2 weeks). For the record, I've never seen anyone more energized and ready for ministry than Jeff in August. If you are a lead pastor and haven't given yourself the freedom to pursue God and family for several weeks straight then you are doing a dis-service to your church.

But I digress.

This summer I am contemplating doing a series on the minor prophets - you know, the books we never read. Over 4 weeks we will wrestle with issues of justice, faithfulness, complacency and 'robbing God' based on the messages of the minor prophets. Right now I'm leaning towards Micah, Amos, Hosea and Malachi... or maybe just spending the whole 4 weeks on Malachi.

That's just a working idea... what do you think? If you had four weeks, what would you preach?

How We Roll...

2009-05-25T19:03:00.001-05:00

Memorial Day, Leaver style. What did you grill for the long weekend?

First's...

2009-05-25T12:47:00.001-05:00

First freezer pop... Yeah, he's diggin' it.

My Kid is King...

2009-05-24T19:39:00.000-05:00

...of the Winnie the Pooh bounce house.

Oooh Boy!

2009-05-24T19:34:00.000-05:00

This has "good times" written all over it!!! (Memorial Day event at
Stone Bridge Ranch)

Little Lady

2009-05-22T19:25:00.001-05:00

No, she's not ours... but it sure does make me want another. Rylie is
a cutie; in fact, I think I caught Ethan staring. :)