When Did We Stray from Our Mission?

My wife told me yesterday that the Oxford English Dictionary (OED) online version has added several words including: "selfie" and "phablet" ...

I really didn't have words when she told me this. After all, wasn't the dictionary created to "standardize speech?" Now, rather than providing a guideline for the language, the dictionary is simply doing its best to keep up with popular culture.

However, in doing a little research for this blog post, I found that my initial premise was wrong, but I'm still going to push forward, because I think these thoughts need to be explored. It turns out, the OED's focus is on current English.

The dictionary content in ODO focuses on current English and includes modern meanings and uses of words," he told ABC News. "It's not telling you what the language should be. It's all about how [words] are used. (Christian Purdy, the director of publicity for the Oxford University Press-USA)

So, my premise was wrong for the OED, they are following their mission. But as I said, there is some relevance in my thoughts today.

It seems that the Church has lost its focus. Initially, the church was established as a launching point, a place to come and be refreshed before stepping back into the fray. Early Christ followers literally gave up everything to become disciples.

Peter, James, and John left their family businesses.

Matthew left his profitable business.

Paul left his high place in society.

Many were shunned by family and friends.

Many gave their lives.

So "the gathering" became a place of encouragement, instruction, and hope. Then you returned to your workplace (if you hadn't been fired), to your community (if you hadn't been shunned), to your routine; not simply to exist, but to share the love of God with those around you.

Church was a launching point. It was where the battle plans were drawn. It was a hospital for those who needed life change. And everyone had a part in the plan.

I recently read a quote attributed to Martin Luther King, Jr. while he was in Birmingham Jail that is relevant:

"The early Christians rejoiced when they were deemed worth to suffer for what they believed. In those days the Church was not merely a thermometer that recorded the ideas and principles of popular opinion; it was a thermostat that transformed the morals of society."

Today, it seems many churches have become just the opposite. They are intent on self perpetuation, not on an outward focus. They are still gathering places, but members only clubs; not a refuge for those who need the message of the gospel.

Fortunately, there are a growing number of churches who realize the need for change. It is like Jesus said in Revelation 2:4, "You have forsaken the love you had at first." (NIV)

Remember when you first came to salvation? You had so much joy, so much enthusiasm, and you couldn't contain yourself. You prayed and read your bible. You shared what God had done with anyone and everyone. You had been rescued, and the world needed to know of this saving grace.

We each need to return to our first love. We need to gather one day a week to celebrate the wins, to find encouragement despite the losses, and to be refreshed to step back into the fray.

We need to return to our mission: "Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. (Matthew 28:19-20 NIV)

When did you stray from your mission? And how are you going to get yourself back on track? Share your thoughts below and let's encourage each other today!

Jesus Didn't Condemn the World - Why Do I?

I've been wrestling with something for the past few months ... maybe even longer, but it has truly become front and center recently.

As Christians, we so often cast a condemning net over the whole world.

This is so far removed from what Jesus did.

John 3:17 says, "God didn't go to all the trouble of sending his Son merely to point an accusing finger, telling the world how bad it was. He came to help, to put the world right again." (The Message)

Take a closer look at Jesus' actions while he was in the world, and you will see he went to places church people would never go. He sat and ate with sinners. He touched the unclean. He let the poor, marginalized, and abandoned come into his inner circle.

Jesus chose the common people, not the high-society people, as his core. It was through God's power, not man's power, the gospel became a world-changing force.

Yet we forget that in the modern church, I think.

We have elevated celebrity above Christ.

We have turned our back on sinners for the pursuit of larger buildings and bigger numbers. Many churches today only pursue other "Christians" not those who need it most.

When was the last time your church went into the darkest places of your city to simply love people?

When was the last time your church generously offered of its resources to help those in need?

When was the last time you did any of those things?

If I want to be more like Christ, I need to do the things he did.

I can no longer boycott companies simply because they don't follow the "Christian" path, UNLESS they are proclaiming to be a Christian company.

So ABC company takes a stand on an issue that is in conflict with my position? Don't boycott them, that is how the world responds. If you want to respond like Jesus, start loving on the head of the company. Rather than sending them hate mail, send them letters of encouragement. Stand out and you will potentially be given the chance to influence them.

It was only after people hung out with Jesus that they were changed.

That same relationship transformation continued in the early church. The people wanted to be in relationship; with each other, and with those who were still on the outside.

Today's church has turned the process upside down. Rather than going, so many churches simply invite others to come and see.

Come and see? People only come and see when they have a relationship.

The people of Samaria only came to see this man at the well (John 4) because the woman who he had spent time with invited them.

People want to see Jesus. People need to see Jesus. However, condemning the world for being the world won't work. We need to follow in Jesus' footsteps; we need to show love, compassion, and be willing to touch those who the church won't.

Jesus didn't come to the world to condemn the world, but to save the world (John 3:17). And because Jesus came to save, we are able to take his message of love and acceptance into a world that needs him desperately.

Jesus didn't condemn the world, why do I?

Where is Your Focus?

We focused on Philippians 4 this morning in staff meeting, and it was a gentle reminder of where we need to keep our focus in life.

What struck me this morning was from verse 6 and 7:

Don't worry about anything, instead pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God's peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:6-7 - NLT)

I like technology. Having the Bible available at my fingertips in several versions, has helped me understand things better in recent years. Being able to recall verses I memorized as a young kid (yes, I was THAT kid), but to now see them in a fresh light, helps me grow in my Christian walk.

I memorized this passage in the King James version of the Bible. I memorized most of the verses I know in the King James. It was the 1970's and most churches were still King James type churches. It amazes me how many still remain that way in the 20-teens ...

But reading this passage this morning in the New Living Translation made me take a closer look. While I'd memorized the passage, it had been some time since I'd focused on the passage.

Let's look at the end of verse 6: "Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done."

Nothing new here, it is after all important to thank God for all he has done. But it was what came next, verse 7, and how it tied to verse 6 that caught my attention this morning.

Verse 7 starts with, "THEN" ...

Then is an effect word. It denotes causality.

Causality (also referred to as causation) is the relation between an event (the cause) and a second event (the effect), where the second event is understood as a consequence of the first.

IF you (tell God what you need AND thank him for all he has done) - note this is a two part cause; THEN (you will experience God's peace).

Do you want peace in your life? To get peace, you need to tell God what you need (notice the word is NEED, not want) and thank him for all he has done.

Then, and only then, will you experience God's peace.

This isn't just any peace. This is "[peace] which exceeds anything we can understand."

I don't know about you, but I so often fall short in this category. I find my prayer time is telling God what I want, what I believe I need.

It is rarely telling him what I actually need (food, clothing, shelter, boldness in my faith).

And even more rare are the times I sit and thank him for everything he has done.

Sure, I'm grateful. I often utter "thank you Jesus" when something great happens. Especially if I prayed for it to happen.

But if I am honest here, I don't truly ask God daily for what I need and then thank him daily for his provisions.

I have a Twitter friend who frequently reminds people to make their gratitude list each night. I never have.

But I should close each day out thanking God for the things he has done that day.

And I should start each morning asking God for what I need and thanking him for all he has provided already.

Then, and only then, will I be able to daily live into the peace that is beyond anything I can imagine or understand.

Do you want that kind of peace?

Join me today in making sure each day starts and ends with time before God. And then come back here in a week, in a month, in a couple of months and share how you have found new peace!

Cleaned Up, or Broken

This has been a busy week for me. School started for my youngest son; he's a high school senior this year. While this wasn't officially the first week of school, it is still a new routine after the summer break, so that influenced my week.

Also, I had some gear issues at SoAcres (www.SoAcres.com) that had to be addressed this week. Additionally, we are gearing up for fall kickoff, so beyond the gear issues that occurred, I was also pretty much going through all of the systems to see what non obvious issues needed to be addressed.

And then I started college this week. Twenty-five years after first enrolling in college right out of high school, I've returned. This also added to my schedule.

If all that wasn't enough, I also did some integration work in the evenings three nights this week. After working at SoAcres all day, I went to another church here in town and helped install their new video and audio system.

All in all, a very busy week.

But I was able to find a few minutes beyond my "required' reading to check out some of the blogs I follow regularly. And the following statement stood out on one blog:

"The church went from being a cleaned up, homeschooling kind of church to being a church with a lot of broken people" (Nicholas McDonald quoting Dr. Rosaria Butterfield).

Dr. Butterfield wasn't a Christ follower. She was however befriended by a pastor and his family while living in a lifestyle many in today's church not only condemn, they openly and aggressively attack those living in that lifestyle.

Unfortunately, the result has been many, many people who Jesus loves have been turned off by the Church.

It took time and a loving relationship, but Dr. Butterfield finally came to church. And the preceding comment was made after Dr. Butterfield developed a relationship with people inside the church.

People who admitted to Dr. Butterfield, "... it was easier for them to be disgusted with a person like me than to pray for me ..." (ibid.).

Isn't that the sad commentary on today's church? We find it so easy to attack and condemn people. To be disgusted with those with whom we don't agree.

We do it to those outside the church.

But we also do it to those inside the church; but those who are inside a different church than our church.

We have walked so far from the path Jesus demonstrated while here on earth. I believe that if Jesus came back to earth today, he would have the same things to say about many of the churches and people inside them he said about the Jewish religious leaders in his day.

"White washed tombs." (Matthew 23:27)

"Hypocrites." (Matthew 6;2, 5, 16)

"Brood of vipers." (Matthew 12:34)

Jesus only had harsh things to say to those who claimed to follow God. He had loving things to say to those who needed God.

Now, just because Jesus only said loving things, doesn't mean he didn't speak the truth. It also doesn't mean the things he said were easy to hear.

The rich young ruler walked away very sad because he could not do what Jesus said he needed to do in order to follow. (Mark 10:21, 22)

Contrast that to the woman who was living a sinful life, she anointed Jesus' feet with perfume. (Luke 7:36-38)

So the question for each of us today is are we cleaned up, the equivalent of white-washed tombs; or are we broken?

Broken people have had much forgiven, so they show gratefulness. They want others to know and feel this great forgiveness. The woman at the well, she immediately went back into the city full of people from whom she was hiding to share the good news. But she also invited them to come meet this man who, "told me everything I did." (John 4:39)

Truth, spoken in love, leads to forgiveness. Forgiveness leads to us wanting to share it with the world.

Let's remember that we have had much forgiven. We are all sinners saved by grace. As we live into that forgiveness, we will share love with others; others who need forgiveness too.

Through our brokenness, God is able to provide healing to the world.

Stop living a cleaned up lifestyle today and live into the redemption of a broken vessel now redeemed and filled with God's love.

God Doesn't Need Me

Like so many people today, I am on Twitter. You can follow me at Twitter.com/gtkconsulting. Today's post came from a Tweet I read recently.

A pastor of a mega-church Tweeted: "God doesn't need me. He wants me, He loves me. This is far better!"

It is humbling to consider the God of the universe wants to be in relationship with me. He loves me so much, no price was too great for my redemption.

From the beginning of the Bible, all the way through to the end, we read how God pursues people. Most of the people He pursues in the pages of the Bible wind up doing or witnessing great things.

God pursued Abram, while he still lived in Ur. Abram becomes Abraham, father of nations.

God pursued Moses while he was in the desert. Moses becomes the deliverer of Israel.

God pursued David while he was a young boy tending sheep. David becomes the greatest King of Israel.

God pursued Jonah as he ran the opposite direction. Jonah is the instrument God uses to save an entire city from destruction.

God, as Jesus, pursued 12 men and a handful of other people while on earth. Those men and women began a revolution that rages on today.

God pursued Saul as he marched to destroy the young church. Saul became Paul and took the gospel to the nations.

God still pursues people today.

God didn't need any of those people. Had any of them refused, God's plan would have continued, but in a different form. God wanted each of those people to be His partners. He loved them, and He loves us, so much, He brought them along into greatness.

I wonder how many times my fear and my pride get in the way of me experiencing the greatness God has intended for my life. How many times do I forget that because of His great love, God paid the ultimate price, His son, for my redemption.

Not because He needed me. It was because He wanted me.

And yes, that indeed is far better!

Being Intentionally More Like Jesus

Yesterday I had my "annual" review at work ... now, considering I've only worked there for just over 4 months, annual is a relative term.

However, our Executive Pastor wants to have everyone on a single rotation for annual reviews, so I was included. We did both comment that it is hard to call this an annual review in my case, especially since I've just recently completed my 90-day employment review. But we were able to discuss things, and today's blog post is a part of that conversation.

One of the areas discussed was personal weaknesses. Our leadership team had provided a list of areas in which many people often struggle, and we could pull our personal issues from that list or add some of our own.

One area I chose was having a stronger heart for lost people.

In my life, I really don't have anyplace where I intentionally encounter lost people. I spend my day inside a church, specifically inside the worship center of the church, building computer presentations, light shows, and working to improve gear and sets.

When I leave work, I head home and spend time with my family over dinner before we each head off to our evening events.

I simply don't make the opportunities to connect with those who need the message of salvation the most.

It is not because I adhere to the teaching of some denominations: don't [fill in the blank], don't [fill in the blank], don't [fill in the blank]; AND don't hang out with those who do!

I disagree with that philosophy completely. It certainly isn't what Jesus did. And, as Christians, shouldn't we strive daily to be more like Christ?

It is simply because I don't step out of my comfort zone.

I need to be more like Jesus. I need to open myself up to the opportunities to bless those who need blessing. Not simply by giving a few dollars from my wallet to the guy on the street corner. I need to stop and listen to his story. I need to share in his life for some time. Maybe that simple "touch" from another human being is what it takes for him to hold on one more day.

I need to hold more doors for moms pushing strollers, and offer to reach for the milk on their behalf when their hands are full with a baby and a toddler.

I need to drop a note of encouragement to the person who serves behind the scenes, often unnoticed, helping to show how appreciated their efforts are to the team.

I need to ...

It all comes down to a choice. I need to choose to be intentionally involved in the life of others. No more hiding behind the scenes, simply making a great environment for people to encounter Jesus. I need to step out of my comfort zone and touch lives.

Only then will I truly be able to say I am following in the steps of the Savior.

What area of your life needs an annual review today? Where can you push yourself in your daily activities to become more like Christ?

How to Avoid Burnout

I recently read that burnout doesn't happen because we work hard. Burnout happens because we work hard without results.

This was tied to an article about pastors, but I believe it applies across the board.

If you follow this blog, you know that for 5 years I toured the country installing audio, video, and lighting systems (AVL) in churches. While I am now employed full-time at SoAcres Church (www.SoAcres.com) here in Lexington, I have the freedom to periodically help some companies with AVL integration.

While I was employed full-time in the AVL integration field, we worked hard. Our days often averaged 10 - 12 hours on the job site. We would be onsite around 9 am, leave for lunch sometime mid afternoon, and then return to work until 9 pm each day.

Frequently, due to fulfillment issues, gear would arrive later than expected, causing us to have to work even longer hours at the end of the week to complete the project.

Most jobs we had a hard deadline. The church needed the room for Sunday services. Often, they needed them Saturday early afternoon for rehearsal and then the Saturday night service followed by the Sunday morning service.

Each job was unique, yet each job had similarities to other jobs.

But each job had long hours.

Despite those hours, even if I had to forego sleep to ensure the project was completed on time, I always found joy when I stood at the back of the room in the production booth and celebrated the "win" with the church team. The win? People worshiping in the house of God.

It was the weeks where we worked long hard hours and I didn't get to stick around for the Sunday experience that were the hardest.

Now that I'm employed full-time at a church, I have the same feelings. I work during the week to program lights and video for the service. When I am able to be there Sunday morning and experience the worship, it makes the work of the week, no matter how frustrating it can be at times, worth the effort.

It wasn't quite as fulfilling when I programmed everything and then left for vacation. Sure, the vacation and time with family was great, but not having seen the result of my work during the week as the church worshiped, took something from the experience.

What is your "win" at your job? What brings the fulfillment to you for all the effort you put into each and every day?

If you don't know, you need to find the answer. It is in knowing why you are working; though the tasks are difficult, despite the many long hours, that keeps you from experiencing burnout.

Find your "win" today, and find more joy in your work tomorrow.