Book Review

I recently finished Building Leaders the West Point Way by Retired Major General Joseph P. Franklin. I will just come out and say it: it is hard to get past the fact that the guy is full of himself.  But if you can look past the lapses of humility, you just might go through an entire highlighter... I know I did.  There are some real pearls in this volume, no question about it.  In fact, the chapter on honor is worth the price of the book alone.

 

Talking about honor Franklin write: "Think about it: in order to live a life with meaning and purpose... you have to acknowledge and accept that you are not the center of the universe." (p 39)

 

In his masterful chapter on duty, the author states: "Warfare changed, people changed, the world changed, and culture changed.  But [West Point] didn't.  That was a huge mistake."

 

Though not his intent, Franklin offers the church a well thought out rational for discipleship in his chapter on courage: "War is terrifying, gruesome business, and no one walks through it unscathed.  But I found that the training I had received gave me the tools to act when and how I needed to."

 

All in all, this is an outstanding work.  Franklin tackles ten characteristics / traits of an effective leader:

1. Duty
2. Honor
3. Faith
4. Courage
5. Perseverance
6. Confidence
7. Approachability
8. Adaptability
9. Compassion
10. Vision

I would not be doing you justice if I did not bring to your attention what Franklin constantly reinforces... these ten characteristics are not independent.  They, much like the military he serves, are very much INTERDEPENDENT. 

 

Having said all that, I would recommend this book to anyone who has any influence over people.  You might be thinking, "I have influence over people...".  Great!  I'll see you at the bookstore.

 

 

Attention

Not all days are the same. (obviously)  Almost every day of the week I leave the house before my family wakes up.  Today was no exception.

 

After a great early meeting I stayed at the office.  I decided to take a break and head on over to the house for a cup of coffee and some family time.  

 

As I was walking out the door I said, "Bye." in my normal inside voice, which as many of you know is not that different from my outside voice.  What I heard coming back at me was a barrage of "bye daddy"s.  As I walked back to the office I couldn't but help think of the millions of people at any given moment talking to God the Father.

 

It should bring you great comfort in knowing that He always has the time.

 

Shalom.

 

A bigger plate?

There is a saying that you might have heard.  It goes something like this:

 

"God will never put more on your plate than you can eat."

 

If I were to take a guess, I'd have to say that this comes from 1 Corinthians 10:13, which says:

 

"No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it."

 

I challenge you to consider what the text actually says... God will not allow you to be TEMPTED beyond what you can endure. 

 

He will allow circumstances to weigh on you... He allowed the stoning of Stephen.  And what did we see result?  The spread of the Gospel and the advancement of the glory of God through His church.  Paul suffered from his "thorn in the flesh" which proved to be the means God used to drive Paul into a deeper relationship with Himself.

 

I think a contemporary of mine was right on target when he wrote:

 

It does not imply that God won't let you be stressed beyond what you can bear. Or challenged beyond your ability. Or pushed beyond your threshold. In reality, God gives you more than you can bear all the time. On purpose. It's only when you can't bear the load that the strength of Christ kicks in…and He becomes everything you need and more.

 

He's got it.

 

Brethren there is so much we can say about tempting and trials but remember that the trials you go through are temporary, but the goal is to refine you and produce in you Godly and permanent change.

 

Stand your ground

As a man, I have an innate desire to create... or tackle a bear... or scale a mountain.... Ok, maybe not mountain climbing.  (He says knowing perfectly well that he's afraid heights)

 

The truth is that everyone I know wants to be known for something. A great dad. A missionary to their community. An employee that honors Jesus by honoring her boss. These are all good things and I certainly do not want to diminish the importance of them. But if you are like me there is something inside you that says, "I must he different. I must stand out in a crowd."  But the gospel compels us, however, to look at ourselves differently.

 

We must come to the point where we say, along with John the Baptist, "He must increase, but I must decrease." (John 3:30)

 

This does not mean that we cower down when we need to stand up.  It means that the world needs to see less of us and more of Jesus in us.

 

Think on these things.

 

Shalom

 

Our will be done?

During this morning's devotions I was struck with the notion that so many times I want my will to be done. That is, unfortunately,
natural. But what does God want? I think anyone who is honest with the Biblical record will come to the conclusion that God is in charge.

Jesus taught us how to pray in Mathew 6:9 - 15. The centerpiece of the lesson is in verse 10: "Your will be done." Jesus said in John 6:38 that His will it to do the will of the Father who sent Him.

But there's the issue... there is the problem. I want to compromise... I want to barter with God. I want there to be some give and take in this whole, "Whose will will be done?" But that is not on the table is it?

You see friends, the simple truth of the matter is this:

God doesn't have to use any of us.

That He does work in and through His people is an act of grace and should be greeted with a sense of awe on ours.

I came across this quote today:

Take your life in your own hands, and what happens? A terrible thing: no one to blame. (Erica Jong)

I hope, like Jesus, we can all say from a heart that yearns for God:

Thy will be done.

Book Review

I have a confession.  I go through cycles of devouring books for weeks and then spending several weeks reading practically nothing outside of the Bible.  Confessions of a Reformissional Rev. by Mark Driscoll is rather on the shortish side (just under 200 pages).  But do not let its brevity fool you, Driscoll packs a lot of content into such a short volume. 

 

I'm just going to come out and say this:  I am not only a fan of Marshill Church in Seattle, but as a young passionate pastor-teacher, I was jealous of their success for a long time.  I repented of this a long time ago but the fact remains… God uses cracked vessels (and praise His Name for that!)

 

One of the reasons the Lord has seen fit to bless the work at Marshill is their senior leader.  God is allowing Mark Driscoll to lead and influence an entire generation of conservative and passionate evangelical Christians.  The reason is simple:  Mark is a broken record.  He honestly believes in the Jesus of the Bible and is both passionately in love with his Savior and, at the same time, scared of offending his God and King.  Here is a short except from page 144:

 

In the end, I realized that every person, every dollar, and every other resource belonged to Jesus and that he did not give us those treasures to bury them.

 

This book, though peppered with less than appropriate jesting, details the short history of one of the fastest and influential churches in America.  Mark really lays his heart out for the world to see and I honestly believe that the church at large is better for it.  If you are a church planter, you need to read this book.  If you are an experienced pastor in an established church, you need to read this book.  If you find yourself somewhere in the middle… do yourself a favor and read this book.

 

As in normally the case with well written prose that honors the Lord, I am sorry to say that I only have two thumbs to put up in favor of this book.  But once you read it, there will be two more.

 

Shalom.

Book Review

I just finished 7 Practices of Effective Ministry by Andy Stanley and let me say this upfront: The guys at North Point Ministries really have their act together.

 

To be frank, I put off reading this book after reading the table of contents. The long narrative section was a real turn off for me and delayed my reading for months.  I am so glad i decided to revisit this book!  If you decide to pick it up, you will share my gladness.  Here are the 7 Practices... just in case you were wondering:

 

1.  Clarify the Win

 

2.  Think Steps, Not Programs

 

3.  Narrow the Focus

 

4.  Teach Less for More

 

5.  Listen to Outsiders

 

6.  Replace Yourself

 

7.  Work On It

 

Now, I have to warn you... this book is LOADED with baseball analogies, but don;t let that frighten you if you are not a baseball fan.  The content is explained and non-baseballic illustrations are plentiful.

 

I think the opening words of Andy's epilogue not only capture the essence of this short work, but say everything I want to say about it:

 

Your ministry is perfectly designed to achieve the results you are currently getting.

 

I highly recommend this book to anyone who takes ministry seriously.  And anyone who does not take ministry seriously needs to read this book twice.

 

 

Too busy to blog?

Have you ever felt like you were too busy to do the things you
normally do... and some of the things you take pleasure in doing?

I really enjoy writing and blogging. This week has proved to be busier
than I anticipated. I haven't had the time to write very much... in
fact, I am writing this while riding my stationary bike in my living
room.

It's easyto say "I haven't had the time to write to you." but what
about your prayer life? Do you find yourself thinking "I am too busy
to pray?" !!!

Something to think about.

Your never too busy to stop and seek the Lord's leadership, humble
yourself in repentance, or praise Him in prayer.

Shalom

(Sent from a mobile device... sorry about the spelling.)

I got one...

Well...

Looks like I got virus on my laptop. It was only a matter of time
before it happened. The Lord has blessed me with pc health for many
years.

But I was thinking about something. But before I tell you what I was
thinking, I need to tell you where I was thinking it.

This week is VBS week at Bethany Baptist and much of our campus looks
like 1st century Rome. Because I couldn't do my normal studing on my
computer, I decided to head over to the church library. As I passed
the Roman handywork, I could not but help feel overjoyed!

"but you computer, the one you use all day everyday, is messed up."

Yes, it is. But not only is God still on the throne, He has chosen to
bless His people. I am a very blessed man.

There is an old hymn that came to mind not that long ago:

Count your blessings name them one by one. . .

Why not try to count them an, as the hymn writer says, see what the
Lord has done.

(Sent from a mobile device... sorry about the spelling.)

The Gospel driven Church

Yesterday I spent some time engaged in a discussion about worship.
What it is and what it most certainly is not. Worship is not ONLY
singing when the church is gathered.

We worship when we glorify God at work.
We worship when we exalt the Name of Jesus in our lives.
We worship the Lord when we pray and study the Word.
We worship when we witness.

Brethren, if your worship of the almighty only takes place in the
chapel (church building) then you need to spend some time at the
Master's feet.

Shalom.

(Sent from a mobile device... sorry about the spelling.)

No news is . . .

There is a saying, "no news is good news." That is now always true.  When you take your car to the mechanic, no news can be good news. When you go to the doctor, no news can be good news. 

But when it comes to the gospel... No News Is Not Good News. 

That is why Paul was chained in Rome. 

That is why the underground churches around the world face the pursecution they do. 

That is why Jesus came to the world... for the Gospel.

Paul said:

 ¹⁷For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel—not with words of human wisdom, lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power. ¹⁸For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. (1 Corinthians 1:17-18) 

Who are you going to share the Gospel with today?

Shalom. 

(Sent from a mobile device... sorry about the spelling.)

How to climb a staircase in three easy steps.

There are three simple steps to climbing a staircase…

 

1. Arrive at the base of the stairs.
2. Remembering that climbing up is the goal… starts climbing up.
3. Do not look down.

Now, a flight of stairs may not seem like a huge obstacle to most adults but imagine for a moment that you are 2 feet tall.  Imagine you are a small child with no real concept of, "It's just a flight of stairs."  What do you see?  A MOUNTAIN!

 

I noticed that when my kids started climbing stairs they were extremely timid to climb up.  Understandable.  But the fact of the matter is that if they do not conquer this task, life will prove to be really interesting for them.  There are stairs everywhere!

 

Now… these steps might seem rather silly, but let's look at them again.

 

1. Arrive at the base of the stairs. (Avoiding the problem will NEVER result in victory.)
2. Remembering that climbing up is the goal… up! (If you know where your goal is, it is easier to stay focused.)
3. Do not look down.  (A slight variation of the second step, but more than a call to stay focused.  This is a plea not to retreat.)

 

Now… maybe we understand Paul's words a little better?

 

Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus. Philippians 3:13-14

 

Remember… press on.

A PLANE CAR DADDY?

Yesterday my son and I took a walk to the local library.  It’s only .33 miles away so it was long enough to enjoy the sun and not tire my 2 year old too much.  

 

On the way, Sam pointed out every single car, truck, motorcycle, van, and bicycle he saw.  He knows that a truck looks like a truck and a van looks like a van.  Cars are his weak spot.  Some cars look like vans and some look like… well… they just look silly.  Sam pointed out a van, that was actually a car (Nissan makes some interesting van-car look a likes).  I told him, “No Sam.  That is just a plain car.”  I looked at him as he looked at the plain car.  He was clearly puzzled.

 

It took me a while but I finally figured out what he was thinking.  He has no comprehension of the word “plain”.  So naturally he thought I called that Nissan a “plane car”.  While Hollywood has produced a few of these, I have yet to see any auto manufacturer produce a consumer version of the, often times coveted, plane car.

 

I am so thankful that God the Father does not use words that we can not understand.  That though He is God, He chose to reveal much about Himself and did so in ways we can comprehend.

 

As you go throughout the day, think of all that the Lord has taught you about Him.

 

Shalom.

 

The Cost

"By trying we can easily learn to endure adversity. Another man's, I mean."

-- Mark Twain, Following the Equator (1897)

You gotta love Mark Twain.  The guy was a genius.  (I know, I know… his real name was Samuel Langhorne Clemens.  I use Google too.)

 

Praise the Lord that Jesus not only endured what was rightfully ours, but offers spiritual riches for those who trust Him.

 

As you go through the rest of the day, think of all that things that Jesus has done for you and give Him the praise.

Praise God for His Grace

I once worked at a credit union in South West Miami. People are interesting, especially when they are trying to make small talk. One day a member came to my window and we exchanged the standard pleasantries… "Hello."… "It sure is hot." I began to do the deposit or withdrawal he asked me to do. (I can't remember what the action was… but I know he was talking to me the whole time.) The conversation soon took a different turn when he noticed my Bible. So we talked… and talked… and talked… which was not a problem because it was a slow business day. He talked about religion and I talked about Jesus. The last thing I ever heard this man say was:

Religion is like a sense of humor… some people just don't get it.

He was honestly asking honest questions about who I thought Jesus was (is).

Several years later the Lord moved my family to Columbus, GA, a town nestled in the buckle of the "Bible Belt" where we first faced extremely legalistic churches. Legalism is the natural tendency to become religious. There are two main types of legalism:

1. Those who say you must look and act and do things a certain way BEFORE you can be saved. People who believe this believe solely in a works based salvation.

2. Those who say that a Christian dresses and acts a certain way. This is a far more common form. It was this second type that Paul combats in the Book of Galatians and was the catalyst for the The Council at Jerusalem in Acts 15.

Now to be fair, everyone struggles with legalism to some degree. I found myself falling into that trap… "a Christian should be ________". Then the Lord brought Romans 14 to my mind along with a variation of what an acquaintance of mine said in Miami:

"Grace is a lot like a sense of humor... some people just don't get it."

Jesus died to free us from everything that would hinder a thriving relationship with Him. He is the way, the truth, and the life. If you have Him, you have all you need.

Shalom.

He holds the future

"I like the dreams of the future better than the history of the past." ~Thomas Jefferson

I am a dreamer.  One day after reading a book on being a supportive wife (Created to Be His Helpmeet by Debi Pearl) my wife came to me and apologized for not supporting some of my dreams.  That's ok.  Some of them would have sent us to the poorhouse at light speed.  But truth be known, I am somewhat of a dreamer.

 

But you know what, I very rarely dream of what could have happened if such and such happened.  Often times when Daniela catches me wondering off into dream world it is visions of tomorrow or the year after that. 

 

It is so comforting to me to know that God has all things under His control.  He is just as sovereign over history as He is the future.  That is something we can all rejoice in: God's will shall be accomplished.

 

Until next time… shalom.

Communication Part 6

This week we have looked at five reasons people will not come to us as leaders.  The first two are perception the last three, more than the others, are matters of the heart.

 

1.  They don't think we can help. (Ability)

 

2.  They don't think we care. (Fellowship)

 

3.  They do not want to be challenged to change their thinking.  (Exhortation)

 

4.  They do not want to end the news feed. (Gossip)

 

5.  They do not want a solution or unity, only destruction. (Rebellion)

 

What should someone do if they are the "they" in the list above.

 

What should one do if they find themselves in the first category?  Well… I trust that you find someone who has a tried and proven relationship with the Lord and seek their counsel.

 

For those who may find themselves in the second category, Scripture commands us to seek reconciliation with our brothers and sisters in Christ.  If there is broken fellowship between you and another Christian seek to be restored.

 

Those who, after asking the Lord to search their hearts, find themselves to be one of those described in the third group need to honestly and humble repent of their pride.  The Lord wants to condition us to seek after godliness and this comes about through repentance and humility.

 

Gossip is destructive and Scripture commands us not only to abstain from participating in it, but to avoid it.  If the Lord reveals to the reader that this is a reality in their life (and we are all guilty to varying degrees) then the command is to repent of this sin and ask forgiveness from the offended.  Yes… even if they don't know they are the victims of gossip.

 

The fifth category of person is the most dangerous.  When someone has a desire to destroy and not to edify, to deconstruct what the Lord is building, this is a major issue.  If someone is reading this and the Holy Spirit indicates to them that this is indeed the motive behind what they say and do then nothing short of public repentance is called for. 

 

As you read through Scripture it becomes evident that God desired holiness from His people.  This was not written with anyone in mind, but if you feel like maybe I am writing about you, then the Spirit just might be telling you that it was intended for you.  Seek Jesus and His pleasure, and the rest will take care of itself. 

 

Shalom.

Communication Part 5

This week we have been looking at five reasons people do not come to leaders when they have a problem.  Maybe you are a leader at work, in the church you serve, or in your home.  All of us need to be approachable and trustworthy. So far in this short series we have seen four possibilities:

1.  They don't think we can help. (Ability)

2.  They don't think we care. (Fellowship)

3.  They do not want to be challenged to change their thinking.  (Exhortation)

4.  They do not want to end the news feed. (Gossip)

 

Finally, there are some men and women that have a demonic desire to cause division.  God calls this abominable in Proverbs 6:19.

 

5.  They do not want a solution or unity, only destruction. (Rebellion)

 

That is a tough pill to swallow, but it is none the less true.  Some people do not want reconciliation or unity.  They simply want, as someone has said, to build a house just to watch it burn.  Be careful around these people... you will get burned too.

 

Tomorrow we will look at the ins and outs of these five reasons and what to do if you find yourself, or someone else, is an example.

Communication Part 4

 

 

Next is a principle that runs through the book of Proverbs, the life of Jesus, and the writings of Paul and James. 

 

4.  They do not want to end the news feed. (Gossip)

 

Some people simply have a "need" to gossip.   We all do this to various degrees... but in the end; it is like a drug to some.  While it is a stretch to say that gossip is an addiction, the flesh feeds off it in much the same way.  The problem with gossip is, much like an addiction, the gossiper may not think they "have a problem". This is not to belittle real addictions, but gossip is not one of them.  It is a sin and must be stopped.  Fortunately, Jesus died for this sin as well.  It must be repented of and stopped as soon as possible, because gossip can be extremely contagious.

 

A perverse man stirs up dissension, and a gossip separates close friends.

Proverbs 16:28

Communication Part 3

We have seen that the first two reasons why someone may not approach us in a time of need have a lot to do with their perception of us. The last three deal more intimately with matters of the heart.

 

3.  They do not want to be challenged to change their thinking.  (Exhortation)

 

The Book of Proverbs (and elsewhere in Scripture) speaks of the bend inside everyone to resist being told that they are wrong.  Nobody likes that.  The foolish shun rebuke and the wise are wiser because of it. (Proverbs 9:7-9)  It is an attack against the prideful heart of man.  This is one of the reasons people look for sympathetic ears... because they know they will not (usually) be challenged to change their thinking or called to repentance.