Saying More Than We Can Say, Carolyn Arends

Rick sent me an article that really stirred me.  It was written by singer/songwriter/Author Carolyn Arends and posted in Christianity Today.  You can read the article at the link below.

I thought Carolyn's words were quite powerful.  After reading the article and coupled with the time I had spent really reflecting on my love for God last week (remember?  to be 'tame' or to 'burst out' the seams!) I felt empowered as an artist, encouraged, challenged and inspired in a fresh way.  I'd love to know what you think about it.

http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2009/june/27.50.html 

Do you love God?

Seems like that question would have an obvious answer, right?  We'd all answer, "Yes, of course we love God!"

But that is the problem.  Frederick Buechner writes, "We have heard the words so often that we no longer hear them. They are too loud to hear, too big to take in.  We know the words so much by heart that we scarcely know them any longer as words spoken to the heart out of a mystery beyond all knowing."  In the book Serious Times, our own Pastor Jim White goes on to write, "But it runs deeper - we have made love for God tame.  An intimate relationship with God has become something subtly woven into the deepest recesses of our private life instead of a reckless love bursting out of the seams of our soul, exploding into the world around us."

After the week we spent in the UK there have been a lot of things...thoughts...feelings...convictions... that I have not been able to escape and to be perfectly honest, I hope not to escape them any time soon.  One of the things I felt impressed to do while in the UK was again read Jim's book Serious Times.  It was easy to read and be challenged by it's words yet again when we were in a country that is only 7% churched.  It was easy to point to this book and it's words and the words of scripture to challenge church leaders and pastors to claim their country for Christ.  But then it hit me - my own country is lost and wandering in the dark too.  The religion of 'none' is one of the fastest growing in my own backyard and I have an opportunity to be the light in the darkness everywhere I turn...am I?   Is my love for God 'bursting out of the seams' and 'exploding into the world' around me?  Or is my love for God 'tame'? 

There is a haunting section in Jim's book...haunting in that it's too often true of me when I'm willing to be that honest. See if you can relate...

"The impact of most Christ followers on this world is minimal because the degree to which we seek intimacy with Christ is minimal.  When there is little that reflects a relationship with Christ in us, we have little of Christ to offer...

...We focus on religion instead of relationship.  Practice instead of passion.  Such a life - not rooted in an authentic relationship with God, full of rhetoric and posturing, form and mannerism - is all but empty.  We become people possessed with knowledge 'about' as opposed to an acquaintance 'with.'  But only intimate relationship with the living God leads to true spirituality.  And only true spirituality can affect the world."

Do you want to change the world friends?  As Christ followers we don't have a choice - those are our marching orders from Christ himself.

So - the opening question again...

Friends, do you love God?     

Reflecting on the UK, by RH

By the time you read this, a group will have already come back from the UK, taking part in a Mission 2.0 outreach to pastors in Scotland and England. I love European history, the traditions, and the culture, so I was very eager to go and step foot onto the land that I have read so much about. But I am also genuinely grieved about the spiritual decay taking place there.

According to an article from the London Times last May, research based on a 2005 church census indicates a steady and alarming downward trend in church attendance. Concerning the study’s results, David Yoas, a professor of population studies at the Institute for Social Change at the University of Manchester, says:

“So long as churchgoing is something that gets you laughed at, so long as there is a social stigma attached to being a church going young person, it will be difficult to reverse the trend.” (“Churchgoing On Its Knees as Christianity Falls Out of Favor,” timesonline.co.uk, May 8, 2008)

The report made it clear that Christianity is becoming a minority religion. Our first hand discussions with the actual men and women who pastor and lead ministries across the UK confirm the decline: there is a steady spiritual “leak” as people are abandoning their churches. Much of what they are able to do is set against a constant struggle against apathy and downright antagonism toward the church and Christianity.

The Missions 2.0 trip to the UK was an opportunity to serve pastors and churches across Scotland and England who are on the front lines of the battle for the soul of the UK. Though our discussions centered around innovative ministry in the 21st century, perhaps the greater good was in bringing a word of encouragement. It is hard to preach the truth of Good News when the good in the news gets swept away in the battles of life.

When it appears that in the battle of light vs dark, the dark may be winning.

Sometimes I forget that one of the greatest gifts I can give someone is some hope. Every weekend we have hundreds of people coming through the doors of our church. They don’t need me to solve their problems. They don’t need advice. They need someone to hold out a lighted candle to chase away some of the darkness they brought through the door.

So that the good of the Good News can be found.

...Dear brothers and sisters, never get tired of doing good. (2 Thessalonians 3:13)

The "H" Word

Humility.

This simple eight letter word stirs something in me...and it's not always good. It's hard to admit when you lack it...and when you feel like you're really making strides in this area, it makes you question your humility for thinking so much of yourself! Are you with me? Can you relate?

In this post I'm going to share some thoughts - not my own but from authors who were able to capture and communicate our struggles, challenges and perhaps even a little focus on humility much better than I could ever attempt to do. Assume all of the italics and bolded words were added by me for emphasis for this journey we are on together. I did not note every page/book/blog that these writings came from else this entry would be far to long to keep your attention and not read as fluidly. If you would like all that information, email me and I'll send it to you but the books are noted at the bottom as resources.

Here we go...

To be like Jesus, to lead like Jesus... Ken Blanchard writes, "means leading with humility, which requires knowing whose you are and who you are. You are called to be a good steward of your season of influence in service to a plan that was set in motion before you came on the scene. Your influence will extend beyond your exit in the hearts and minds of those entrusted to your care. It means seeing yourself not "more highly than you ought, but rather (thinking) of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the measure of faith God has given you" (Romans 12:3).

...Humility is a heart attitude that reflects a keen of understanding of your limitations to accomplish something on your own. It gives credit to forces other than your own knowledge or effort when a victory is won or an obstacle overcome. According to Jim Collins in his book Good to Great, a leader with a humble heart looks out the window to find and applaud the true causes of success and in the mirror to find and accept responsibility for failure. ...this isn't low self-esteem. In fact, people with humility don't think less of themselves; they just think of themselves less.

There is a difference between putting on the appearance of humility before others and being truly humble in the presence and purposes of God. You are not to be piously humble about what He has given you or what you have done. Author Fred Smith writes, "People with humility don't deny their power; they just recognize it passes through them, not from them."

The humility that Jesus demonstrated came from the fact that He knew who He was, where He came from, where He was going, and whose He was. Humility is realizing and emphasizing the importance of others. It is not putting yourself down; it is lifting others up. It is saying to yourself and others, 'I am precious in God's sight - and so are you!'"

Thoughts for reflection and prayer:

*Do you know 'who' you are? Where you came from? Where you're going? WHOSE you are?

*Read this statement again, "You are called to be a good steward of your season of influence in service to a plan that was set in motion before you came on the scene."

Gut check: are you being a good steward to this 'season' of influence? Are you in touch with 'what' this season is and that it is in fact a season? Are you making the most of it? Are you holding anything back?

Resources:

Bible - specifically Romans and John 15

Lead Like Jesus - Ken Blanchard

Good to Great - Jim Collins

Don't Miss It

Darkness...to light

Lost...and then found

I never knew...and now I know

Three phrases.  Three phrases that I heard in some form another 52 times,

by 52 different people who were baptized on Meck's campus this past Sunday.  

Over 60 people were baptized just a few months ago.  

Now stop reading this post and take a moment to just take that in.   It's awe inspiring and if you haven't quite grasped that - don't read any further until you do.  Yes, it's that important to get this one.

This is not normal friends....but it's 'our' normal.  It's our normal - Meck's normal - because we believe that reaching out to those who don't know Christ isn't optional but a direct command from Christ himself.  It's called the Great Commission (Matthew 28:16-20).  It's why we care about cultivating our hearts for Christ.  It's why we develop the gifts and abilities God has blessed us with so that when He calls - we're ready.   

So whether you're serving this weekend, have the opportunity to attend with your family/friends, or will be traveling and away from Meck altogether - you will have countless opportunities between the reading of this blog and the weekend to be Christ in someone's life.  There will be opportunities in your home, your workplace, the grocery store, the gym...please friends, don't miss them. 

Could our prayer this week be that God will help us be aware of the moments He's giving us

...to be light in a dark place

...give sight where there was none

...and maybe just maybe, plant a seed in someone's life that results in a day when we stand again around a pool and hear the words,

 'I once was lost but now I'm found.'

Amen.