This next series is about division:  Division in marriages, families, work environments, teams/groups, and churches.  As I finish the research today for the first message in the series I am struck by the reality that division is as much a staple in our daily lives as food.  It’s become “tradition” in our culture.   How much of our time is spent “venting” about all that’s wrong with this or that?  I’m discovering that the hard truth is division is at the heart of what keeps our marriages, families, sports teams, churches, etc. from really fulfilling what God has designed them to fulfill.

This is a sobering truth.  It’s everywhere and, in some form, is in me as well.  And while none of what I just said is earth shattering in and of itself the cure is.  Imagine the unity that could be experienced if division wasn’t being stirred.  Imagine what could happen in our marriages, families, work environments, teams/groups, and churches.  I guess I want to dare to imagine!

Recently I have been drawn to pray and process the concept of UNITY.  What is it?  Well I’m sure I can look it up in Webster’s Dictionary and find the definition.  I guess I’m more interested in what it looks like.  How is unity experienced in a family or a marriage or a city or a Church?  Is it something that we have to keep working at or does it take care of itself?  What’s the opposite of Unity?  Do we experience more of the opposite and assume that’s “just the way it is?”

Historically it seems that unity happens when we have a common enemy/threat.  People who would normally not cooperate with one another seem to be more willing to lay down their differences when faced with a common threat.  At first take I would say that it seems the common threat has more traction to unify than a common purpose/vision.  Although, I also believe that unity based on a common enemy/threat will not last but I’m pretty sure that unity rooted in a shared vision will.

Any thoughts?

2.18.11

I’ve been thinking a lot about the Church lately.  Not just my Church but The Church.  Add to that the fact that I’ve been doing a lot of reading, attending conferences, and researching about The Church for over 16 years.  I also have been around pastors and others who have talked about the good, bad and ugly concerning the Churches they are or have been a part of.  I guess I’m coming to the realization that a good portion of my adult life has been spent focused on learning how to be a more effective Church which entailed a lot of time evaluating.

I guess I’m coming to the realization that I also have a great affinity for the Church.  Who would spend all this time on something they didn’t care deeply about?  All Churches by the way.  I find myself at a place of brutal honesty about the state of the Church, though, which includes my own part in it.  I think, too, that when it comes to evaluating the effectiveness of Church for the Kingdom of God it’s healthy to be honest and not have my head in the sand.  And if I didn’t love Churches I wouldn’t care.

What would somebody expect my reaction to be if I saw my daughter crossing the street and an oncoming car is bearing down on her?  She’s in immediate danger and this immediate danger demands a strong response on my part because I love her.  My motivation isn’t that I think I’m better than her (or I think my Church is better than any other Church) but my motivation is that I love her enough to do whatever I need to keep her from a hurtful future…precisely because she has an amazing future ahead.

Andy Stanley wrote, “Faith is the confidence that God is Who He says He is and will do what He promised to do.”  I’m praying for the faith to continue to go deep and to go deep as a Church.  There is an amazing future for the bride of Christ!

2.12.11

What makes a life significant?  We may not spend a lot of time asking this question but we sure do spend a lot of time looking for it.  Where do we find it?  Most of us find it where the culture finds it.  Our jobs, our accomplishments, our kid’s accomplishments, the amount in our checking accounts, etc.  Many bring this mindset into the church.  It’s the drive for the “next thing.”  It’s the next big ticket event, the next ministry accomplishment, or the ministry position that I think I deserve.

My view is that I will experience significance to the extent that I am willing to live a surrendered life.  “Not my will but Your will be done.”  “I want what you (God) want more than I want what I want.”  God doesn’t really need me to tell Him how to do things.  God doesn’t need me to do a bunch of stuff for Him that He never told me to do in the first place.  The truth is we go around doing a bunch of stuff “for God” in our attempt to feel significant.

Surrender reminds us of giving up or waving the white flag.  Surrender reminds us of people who are weak.  Yet, when we come to this place of surrender we experience true significance.  What would it take to get to this place of surrender?  I believe Jesus’ Gethsemane experience (Luke 22.39-46) is one of the most amazing examples of surrender.  Jesus’ surrender led Him to the cross where His death and subsequent resurrection was the most significant event in history.  The culture saw this as defeat but God saw this as significant.

Surrender…Deep Significance.

2.3.11

Reaching out to people needs to be one of the most amazing and intentional things we do as followers of Jesus.  It seems, too, that there are as many opinions of what this needs to look like as there are Churches in the world.  No wonder everybody is so confused.  So how did Jesus do it?

Jesus creates community…for the seeker and follower.  It is a type of community where, as Brian McClaren says, “we can belong before we believe” but one where Jesus challenges us to know whether or not we are really following Him.  Jesus expects that we will embrace His mission with our lives.  This looks like denying self, taking up our cross daily, and following Him.  It’s not one or the other but both/and.

Am I creating community with those seeking truth?  Am I allowing them to ask their questions and do their seeking in community without me needing to fix them or their theology?  Am I intentionally positioning those I am in community with to come to a place of decision to follow Jesus with their lives?  This begs another question.  Have we experienced this transformation ourselves?  Have we moved from community to follower?  A follower puts their life behind Jesus’ Kingdom, His Kingship and His death and resurrection.

I don’t know where I heard this from but I know it wasn’t me.  “You can’t lead where you aren’t personally going.”

Enough said…