Church
Strive To Be Relevent, Just Don't Be Relevent
by on Sep 27th, 2010 at 10:30 pm
Relevancy is sexy nowadays. Leaders, companies, churches, and ministries all seem to want to pride themselves in their ability to be relevant. Some churches have used the term, “relevant,” as the name of their organization. Others have proclaimed their relevancy in their marketing slogans and advertisements.
However, relevancy is a relative term and I fear that churches, and the men who serve within them, are seeking a relevancy that is, in the eyes of God, completely irrelevant.
Relevancy is defined by the World English Dictionary as, “having direct bearing on the matter in hand.” This definition provides easy requirements for someone to be relevant. As long as someone speaks to the “matter in hand,” they are being relevant. However, just because something is relevant to a culture, a trend, or a moment does not mean that it is relevant to reality. Holding a discussion on the combat strategies of Captain Kirk would be relevant at a Star Trek convention, but such use of time would be completely irrelevant to the reality of life.
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Leadership Library Spotlight
by on Oct 1st, 2010 at 4:10 am
Book: The Kingdom of the Cults
Author: Walter Martin
A couple of years ago, my wife and I visited some close friends at their apartment. As I was walking inside, I noticed, out of the corner of my eye, some men who were going door-to-door to the apartments across the street. Mormon missionaries.
My friend and I almost started drooling at the mouth when we thought of the reaction they would give when they came to our door and discovered that they had come to the home of a Bible professor and Bible teacher. Now, I have to admit that I have since been convicted by my prideful urges that surfaced on that afternoon, but I am also disappointed that they never crossed over to our side of the street. I enjoy talking with Mormon missionaries and am ready to both reveal the inconsistencies of the claims of Mormonism partnered with the consistencies of the claims of Jesus.
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The Idolatry Of Success: Confusing The Gifts For The Giver
by on Oct 25th, 2010 at 11:10 pm
I know of few people who would claim as their life’s goal a desire to fail at whatever they do. Most of us want to be effective with the use of our time, talents, passions, and responsibilities. Part of this universal desire, I think, is rooted in our humanity since God created male and female to rule over the earth and be productive. However, a subtle danger lurks closely behind these legitimate desires of being effective, and Jesus offers the true corrective to making sure that we do not slip into committing idolatry through the love of success, even ministry success.
In Luke 10:1-20, Jesus appoints 72 men for ministry. He sends them out with clear instructions of what to do in the surrounding communities. When the disciples return, they are ecstatic and full of stories that they can’t wait to tell of witnessing demons submit to them. They witnessed real power in ministry. In 21st century America, they would be tempted to quickly write a book about their encounters and launch a “Power Conference” for pastors who want to see such dynamism in their own ministries.
Jesus reservedly rejoices with them over their ministry success. Who wouldn’t want to rejoice? The sight of such spiritual movement in the lives of communities is what causes some spiritual leaders to wake up in the morning and get back to the grind of ministry! Yet, the Lord is going to refocus their rejoicing because it is based off of something cheaper than the greatest of rewards.
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Leadership Library Spotlight
by on Oct 29th, 2010 at 1:50 am
Book: Orthodoxy
Author: G. K. Chesterton
“Therefore the modern man in revolt has become practically useless for all purposes of revolt. By rebelling against everything he has lost his right to rebel against anything.” p. 37
“A strict rule is not only necessary for ruling; it is also necessary for rebelling.” p. 105
“To the orthodox there must always be a case for revoution; for in the hearts of men God has been put under the feet of Satan. In the upper world hell once rebelled against heaven. But in this world heaven is rebelling against hell.” p. 107
Douglas Wilson once wrote, “There are two ways to measure a man by his footnotes and bibliography. One is to measure his footnotes and bibliography. The other is to measure how many footnotes and bibliographies he is likely to wind up in.” G. K. Chesterton’s Orthodoxy can be measured as one of the great books in Christian literature according to the latter standard.
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Leadership Library Spotlight
by on Nov 12th, 2010 at 12:10 am
Book: The Good News We Almost Forgot: Rediscovering the Gospel in a 16th Catechism
Author: Kevin DeYoung
“No doubt, the church in the West has many new things to learn. But for the most part, everything we need to learn is what we’ve already forgotten. The chief theological task now facing the Western church is not to reinvent or to be relevant but to remember.
The word, catechism, to conservative Christians can cause one of two reactions. Those raised in churches where catechisms were employed might cringe from flashbacks of their strict training in these instructional documents. The other group, of which I am a part, has been trained to resist any hint of Roman Catholicism, and the term sounds so … well … Roman Catholic.
In both cases, we are cheating ourselves of a wonderful opportunity to learn about God and the gospel through a device that has been employed for centuries. Kevin DeYoung attempts to erase the stigmas that have attached themselves to one particular catechism, the Heidelberg Catechism, so that they beauty of its message can be understood and embraced.
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Leadership Library Spotlight
by on Dec 3rd, 2010 at 3:00 am
Book: The Leadership Ellipse: Shaping How We Lead by Who We Are
Author: Robert A. Fryling
The famous, and young, Scottish pastor, Robert Murray M’Cheyne once wrote to a fellow pastor, “What my people need most is my personal holiness.” He understood the critical role the leader’s inner life played in the health and progress of an organization.
Leaders live between constant tensions of organizational growth and personal development. Leading organizations can be taxing to the soul, and a neglect of the inner man can be fatal for the leader and the organization. So, with this reality in mind, how can a leader strengthen the inner man when he is not necessarily given the luxury of extended sabbaticals for such care? How is a leader to be spiritually fed when he is required to continually feed so many others?
Robert A. Fryling, publisher of InterVarsity Press and senior vice president of InterVarsity Christian Fellowship understands the demands that accompany leading organizations while trying to keep his own soul anchored to Christ. He has personally experienced the internal dryness that comes from the demands of leadership. He has also learned how to avoid the arid environment of personal neglect. His book, The Leadership Ellipse: Shaping How We Lead by Who We Are, provides us with insights to his own education in this aspect of life and leadership.
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The Four Habits Of A Happily Inefficient Person
by on Dec 7th, 2010 at 2:25 am
A few months ago, I turned thirty years of age, and I decided it was time to make some adjustments to my modus operandi in life. Some might call it an early mid-life crisis, but I’m not interested in reclaiming my youth. In fact, I’m making adjustments to slam the hatch shut on those unhealthy youthful aspects that keep trying to surface during my day.
Over the past couple of years, the level of responsibility on my shoulders has increased in almost every dimension of my life. I’m the “grizzled veteran” among my co-workers who share the same title. In five years, I transitioned from single to married to married with a child. My opportunities to teach in the church steadily increase and now I serve the church as a deacon, which brings its own important responsibilities. I needed to sharpen my discipline if I was to be ready for the weight that such responsibilities bring.
I have made four adjustments so far and all of them could be considered trite and symbolic. They are not biblical requirements or specifically spiritual disciplines. They are simply four ways to slow down because I have been living too fast without regard for my days. Just so you’re not left wondering what they are: 1) shaving with an “old school” safety razor, 2) wearing clothes that required ironing and polishing frequently, 3) waking up before sunrise even if my work day starts in the late morning, and 4) journaling by hand.
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Lessons Of Manhood From The Minor Prophets: Nahum
by on Dec 8th, 2010 at 1:10 am
Are you the kind of person who is relentless and dissatisfied with the state of things until the objective is met or victory is obtained? Do you refuse to enter into the emotional joy of a moment before that joy is captured for certain? I am.
I like to see things come to a joyful end, whether it is a win for my favorite team, a weight loss goal, a successful ministry event, or a safe and timely arrival at the desired destination. Until those goals are met, I have a hard time relaxing, celebrating, or even displaying gratefulness for the opportunity to even pursue such a goal. I think that I possess such a wary demeanor because I have read too many horror stories of defeats snatched from victories, weight rebounds, event disasters, traffic jams, or vehicular malfunctions. I even had a recurring nightmare when I was younger that involved dying before my wedding night.