DoxA

Caption Please

HT:Tim Hosman

Imagine

Passed along by fellow shepherd and friend, Bill Jenkins, I wanted to pass it on to you in light (no pun intended) of the more serious conversations lately about church business on this blog... So, if you haven't seen it by now, get ready to see how this unique marketing concept for Samsung's LED TVs gives another meaning to the words, "Extreme Shepherding!" Just think, if we could get our sheep to respond like this, imagine what the church could do... I know, instead of deacons; we need dogs!

Have You Seen This?

Occasionally, I'll get and email to a video link or a newspaper article asking me if I've seen this? "This" is always the story of Dick and Rick Hoyt. My answer is always, "Yes." I had the pleasure of meeting them in Kona a few years back and shared my appreciation for their inspiration and message of, "You can do it!" So, in case you've never seen this... take a look!

A Conference Does Not a Church Make

I noticed after clearing my desk yesterday, I tossed five brochures on conferences designed to help churches be better churches. I've notice many of them have the same speakers, the same themes, the same styles. All but one were put on by a church... which lead me to believe; While a conference does not a church make, A church does make a conference!

I've attended many conferences and they have been and will continue to be helpful in networking, idea gleaning and resourcing. Yet, with all the positive I've begun to see a negative side to "church" conferences. First, these conferences promote a formula to "Do" church. While many of them will state, up front, some caveat about "this is what works for us and may need to be adjusted for your environment," it still promotes... this is how we do it, baby! And why not? People come for that purpose... Tell me how you do it so WE can do it too!

A second danger in attending these conferences is the discouragement factor. This can be anything from watching the well produced worship performances and looking over your shoulder going, "Why can't we do that?" (I've actually heard that from an elder) to coveting facilities and technology to being so completely overwhelmed with the excellence and exhaustiveness required to do the formula, you just shake your head going, "How am I going to pull this off? I can't even get my preschool volunteers to show up."

 Although these thoughts are real, the experience is valued, hope enters the heart when everyone agrees something has to be done to get the church to the next "level." So, when the conference ends, it usually leaves the attender with a rush of adrenaline which, tends to wear off by the time they pull in the parking lot of their church as the reality of what it's going to take to implement the formula... consequently little is done to actually change the church and all that was accomplished was a drain on the church budget, providing a getaway for the church staff which was intended to encourage but now has left them with a bit of doubt and frustration.
 
So, what's the solution? Ignore conferences and discourage participation? I hope not! We need ideas, we need collaboration, we need networking, we need encouragement, we need to see a high level of excellence, we need formulas! Coca Cola has a formula but not everyone likes Coke... some like Pepsi (not me. I'm a coke guy!). But imagine every time you opened a Coke you didn't know what you were going to drink... Sour today, sweet yesterday; people would stop drinking Coke. So, why is the formula a bad thing?

Before we continue to advocate more and more conferences for the church maybe we should identify what different types of conferences would be good for the church. Maybe we're already doing this by selecting which conferences we attend by the flavor of the church which hosts it. Maybe, we'll see the popularity of conferences which have little to do with Church development and more to do with people development and maybe we'll see churches actually hold conferences for their own people so they'll know how to build a better church... after all; isn't the church really it's people?

Jesus Asks... Part 1

I've been thinking... What will Jesus will ask me when I am finally able to converse with Him face to face?

Based on Matthew 7:21-23 "Not everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be known by God." This in context of those who made the right choice and did the hard things to follow Him. 

So, occasionally on this blog I'll ask you the question that I think Jesus is asking me now and hopefully you'll share your answers below in the comment section. So, here's the first question Jesus is asking...

"Are you putting me on?"

It's easy to think we are living the good Christian life, struggling through relationships, jobs, family while much of the time we are seeking pleasure, comfort and autonomy. Because of this, I wouldn't be surprised to hear Jesus say, "Come on! Are you putting me on?" When, in fact that is exactly what we are called to do... "Put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires." Romans 13:14 (ESV). Yet it is the very fact that we are constantly pursuing a Club Med faith, which reveals our inability to make the right choices and do the hard things.

So what does that look like? How do we put on Jesus? It may seem like a simple question but really think about it.

I'd rather hear Jesus asking me now than later... The meaning completely changes, if you know what I mean!

Moonlighting On Another Blog

Well over a year ago, my friend and blogfather, Randy Elrod, whose blog Ethos has been a standard and inspiration for dozens of blogs (look at the blog roll on this page and see "Randy Elrod Inspired") asked me if I would consider guest blogging on another blog he started called Wine for Novices.

Although, never really stated specifically on this blog, many have picked up on my knowledge and passion for wine. Albeit, a bit unusual for a pastor to have such a hobby, this goes back to my days in the food and beverage industry. Over the years I have had the privilege of getting to know several top California wine makers, create and lead tours for people who've never been to the wine country and compete in wine competitions. Today, triathlon takes up most of my extra time while wine has been reduced to simply a shared pleasure with good food and friends. And like wine itself, the knowledge I've gained over the years is something also to be shared. So, when Randy asked I quickly agreed.

Recently, while in Nashville, Randy and I were talking about Wine for Novices, or WFN for short, he asked me if I would consider writing something more consistently as he was devoting more time to other projects. Again, I agreed. So, beginning today and hopefully most Fridays I'll be putting a few thoughts together over at WFN. These posts may include helpful information, etiquette, inexpensive wine finds, travel ideas to the wine country, interviews with industry professionals and trivia just to name a few.

I'll leave you with this quote:

"We hear of the conversion of water into wine at the marriage in Cana as of a miracle. But this conversion is, through the goodness of God, made every day before our eyes. Behold the rain which descends from heaven upon our vineyards, and which incorporates itself with the grapes, to be changed into wine; a constant proof that God loves us, and loves to see us happy." -- Benjamin Franklin

The Little Things Make the Difference

So, a couple of days ago, the sun finally warmed the earth and I was able to sport just a pair of bike shorts and jersey for a late afternoon ride. As I headed down the Monterey corridor the wind was stiff and giving me a nice little push from behind. While keeping a steady pace at about 28mph and relatively low heart rate, suddenly I felt a sharp burning sensation on the inside of my right thigh. I knew instantly what just happened. I stopped pedaling, looked down at my leg and saw, not one but, two bees (who knows what they were doing), I suppose you could say, literally pinned to my leg! After brushing them off, the stinger of one still lodged in my thigh, required me to pull over to remove the tiny, sharp, pulsating thingy!

It HURT like the dickens! (BTW "dickens" is an old-world euphemism for devil. Just in case you were wondering.)

Here it is now, two days later and the inside of my thigh is swollen, tender and itches like the di... you get the idea. Several times last night I was forced out of a sound sleep to the rawing of my own flesh. If I subconsciously continue to itch my leg, I may have to go into the burn-ward for tissue repair! Yesterday, during a meeting, I caught myself constantly rubbing the inside of my thigh. Yeah... awkward. This morning I rubbed an anti-itch cream onto the donut sized reddened area of my leg and the skin is so leathery the cream wouldn't absorb into the skin! Which brings me to my point... yes, there's a point to all of this!

How could something so small have such a huge impact?

Fortunately, that thought led to many others which I believe are important to consider when faced with challenges, obstacles or set backs.

First, if something so small can have such and impact negatively, things equally small can have an equal effect positively! Take science and medicine for example... many failures over minute calculations or changes in experiments also led to profound discoveries!

Second, because we most often desire "instant gratification," when something bad occurs from a seemingly insignificant incident, resulting in a long recovery, we basically think it requires an exponentially significant remedy. Unfortunately, regardless of our hope, most often the recovery must run it's course. Therefore, the smaller, less grandiose options are generally best!

Third, we too quickly associate the small incident as part of the whole experience! Yes, generally sometime during the year I get stung by a bee but not every time! In fact, it's pretty rare when I consider how often I'm on my bike and just how many miles I put in during a year. Yet, people tend to say, "I've decided not to..." because of one small, out of the ordinary, I doubt lightning-will-strike-twice, experience.

Finally, other than those who win the lottery or undergo liposuction, dramatic change does not, better yet, WILL NOT happen because of the big things. It takes consistent dedication to the small things that will make the change. And the good news... because they're little things, we can usually handle them. If we try to take on the big things, they most often overwhelm us and we quit. But a little diet change, a little exercise, a little less on the schedule a little more quite time can make a really big difference!

Yes, Sara... it's a triathlon post! But some of the greatest lessons in life have come from really small things. Remember... every child who eventually learns to read Bronte, Steinbeck and Dylan started with their A,Bee,C's!

Heaven Help Me

Continuing to address the issues of heaven, here are the thoughts on the next two questions on my "Top 10 Questions about Heaven" list... Will everyone go to heaven? If someone I love on earth doesn't go to heaven then how can I be happy?

Like many paradoxes, this one is difficult to answer. Because the scriptures are clear, there is a place for eternal separation from God, which is reserved for those whose names are not written in the Lamb's book of Life (Rev. 21:27), even the most horrible person can and is often loved by someone. So, for example, say a godly woman, who loves Jesus has a son, who is a blasphemous god-hater who steals, cheats and murders; you and I would say, "Yeah, that scoundrel doesn't belong in heaven!" Yet mom would say, "I still love my son and want to see him come to heaven with me and have his heart changed in the presence of God." But we all know, as does mom herself, such as these do not inherit the Kingdom of God (see Matt. 25:31ff). Therefore, we must conclude, first, not everyone will be in heaven.

But wait... how can mom be happy if the son is not with her and she is promised that every sorrow will be removed once she's there (Rev. 21:4)? Well, this is where it gets a little sticky... First, let's go back to that Book of Life. We are told those whose names are written within, were put there before the world was ever made. Huh? God already wrote the names down, you say? Before I was ever born? Easy answer, Yes... much harder question, Why? We must do our best to understand this the way God must understand it; unlimited by time and space, as God "foreknew" those whom He had chosen (Rom. 8:29) we then must ask God to grant this same "foreknowledge" on behalf of those we love... it is the reason we also get the words of Christ to go... and make disciples! Why we're challenged to share the good news.

So, the theory goes, when someone is dismissed from eternal presence with God the knowledge of that person ever existing is erased... It is why perhaps Jesus, tells the story of those who thought they faithfully loved and served God but is later told at the judgment... "Depart... for I never knew you." (Matt. 7:23)... I mean how could he not? Here another paradox: Doesn't Jesus KNOW everything... well, he can't know something that doesn't exist! and so, the theologians debate! However, one thing is certain, the promise is made...  And he who sits on the throne will give them shelter. They will never again be hungry or thirsty; they will never be scorched by the heat of the sun. For the Lamb on the throne​ will be their Shepherd. He will lead them to springs of life-giving water. And God will wipe every tear from their eyes.” Revelation 7:15b-17

Does this help answer the questions? I'm not sure but I do know today we see dimly through murky glass... but then it will be clear and we'll be doing a lot of, "ahhhh" and "ohhhhhkaaaaaay." It's just my guess. Oh, heaven help me!

Is It Really THAT Bad?

When mentioning just how prevalent the issue of internet pornography is among men some were shocked that hear that nearly 90 percent who have access to the world wide web have been affected in one way or another. Whether through unwanted spam or an accidental internet search or the clear intent to find on line content; once those images are viewed its hard to to erase them. Yet it seems these images are are about as visible as camouflaged special ops agents in the night. Is it because we are simply ignorant or because we're unwilling to shine the light on what may be our culture's most destructive force? "Ha!" you say... "That's your opinion. Pornography doesn't really hurt anyone. You're just a prude." While some will argue what is one man's pornography is another man's art, I'm not willing to go down the road of semantics and justification. Bluntly, you know it when you see it! And from the women, to the children, the broken marriages, employers who've lost revenue due to distracted employees to the employees who've lost their jobs; here are a few things I read this past week...

According to a poll reported in Time Magazine, "While Americans may be uneasy about pornography, many are familiar with it. The percentage of men and women who had read or seen each of the examples at least once:

Female nudity in a movie (this past year) 54%  (Ever) 81%

Nude men or women in a magazine 43% / 84%

Topless nightclubs or bars 11% / 38%

Books describing sex acts 37% / 69%

X-rated movies 38% / 62%

Heterosexual intercourse in magazines 23% / 58%

Homosexual acts in magazines 25% / 46%

Whether or not they consider some forms of pornography to be harmful, 78% of the respondents agree either strongly or in part that people should have a right to buy it. A solid 66% agree with the statement that "pornography is a fact of life. Most people like to look at pornography at least occasionally." They split equally on whether "most pornography is acceptable to me" (49% agree, 49% disagree).

Found over at BlazingGrace... (read the whole article HERE)

* April 6, 2007: 70% of Christians admitted to struggling with porn in their daily lives. From a non-scientific poll taken by XXXChurch, as reported by CNN.

* August 7,2006: 50% of all Christian men and 20% of all Christian women are addicted to pornography. 60% of the women who answered the survey admitted to having significant struggles with lust; 40% admitted to being involved in sexual sin in the past year; and 20% of the church-going female participants struggle with looking at pornography on an ongoing basis.
From the results of a ChristiaNet poll reported by Marketwire.com

* In December of 2000, the National Coalition to Protect Children and Families surveyed 5 Christian Campuses to see how the next generation of believers was doing with sexual purity:
48% of males admitted to current porn use
68% of males said they intentionally viewed a sexually explicit site at the school

 * Roger Charman of Focus on the Family's Pastoral Ministries reports that approximately 20 percent of the calls received on their Pastoral Care Line are for help with issues such as pornography and compulsive sexual behavior.

* A 1996 Promise Keepers survey at one of their stadium events revealed that over 50% of the men in attendance were involved with pornography within one week of attending the event. 

* In 2000 Christianity Today survey, 33% of clergy admitted to having visited a sexually explicit Web site. Of those who had visited a porn site, 53% had visited such sites “a few times” in the past year, and 18% visit sexually explicit sites between a couple of times a month and more than once a week.

 * Out of 81 pastors surveyed (74 males 7 female), 98% had been exposed to porn; 43% intentionally accessed a sexually explicit website
National Coalition survey of pastors.  Seattle.  April 2000.

To finally answer the question, "Is pornography really that bad?" read the testimony of Daniel Weiss, Senior Analyst for Media and Sexuality, Focus on the Family, at the May 19, 2005, Summit on Pornography: Obscenity Enforcement, Corporate Participation and Violence against Women and Children HERE.

While pornography may be gaining ground as "hip and mainstream" with porn stars crossing over into "legit" media we are also now seeing the confluence of the seedy with the needy. I wasn't surprised to hear of a Japanese pornographic film maker who went to an African village to film the natives by offering the village eleven thousand dollars and proceed to tell their customers, $10 of each DVD sold would go to help the village in Africa. It has become enough of a concern religious communities are having to debate the virtue of receiving donations from the porn industry (see this article).

Okay, have I painted a bad enough picture yet?

Whether you think so or not, the Word of God is specific on issues of sexual impurity. We like to justify our condition to the situation and tell ourselves, "It's not that bad." But we are told to "Put to death!" (Col. 3:5) "Remove like dirty cloths" (Rom. 13:12) "throw off our old sinful nature" (Eph. 4:22) Seeing that; "When you follow the desires of your sinful nature, the results are very clear: sexual immorality, impurity, lustful pleasures..." (Gal. 5:19). This must be taken seriously. God anger will not stand idle... And for those of us who are the children of God, let us adhere to these words, "God’s will is for you to be holy, so stay away from all sexual sin. Then each of you will control his own body​ and live in holiness and honor— not in lustful passion like the pagans who do not know God and his ways. Never harm or cheat a Christian brother in this matter by violating his wife,​​ for the Lord avenges all such sins, as we have solemnly warned you before. God has called us to live holy lives, not impure lives. Therefore, anyone who refuses to live by these rules is not disobeying human teaching but is rejecting God, who gives his Holy Spirit to you." 1 Thessalonians 4:3-8 (NLT)

So, yeah... it's that bad. For many it's so bad and consuming they feel trapped, hopeless of ever getting out of the downward spiral which seems to pull them against will and desire to be "good." The problem is if you're trying this on your own you'll never get out. It's more powerful than the strength of one man but the strength of many can keep you out!

I highly encourage you; if you're struggling with internet pornography, movies or other sexual issues find help. There are confidential ways of connecting with others who are can guide you out... I recommend AVENUE where confidential groups are formed and a guided process of accountability and learning can make a significant difference in your life. At AVENUE you can call someone in confidentiality and get started 877.326.7000. If there are no AVENUE chapters in your area many churches have begun Celebrate Recovery programs where you can find help. Also check out 3Xpure for a 30 day on-line program. Also connected with 3Xpure I recommend an internet accountability programs such as 3Xwatch a free on-line program or the one I use Covenant Eyes, which does cost a fee but is very thorough, detailed and hard to manipulate.

Finally, begin to ask God to reveal that secrete hidden thing that you may not realize is causing this problem in you.

Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. Point out anything in me that offends you, and lead me along the path of everlasting life. Psalm 139:23,24 (NLT)

Get honest, get real and get help!

Ho Hum Heaven

The image of a cloud hung upon the blue backdrop of sterility... I mean serenity, is not the image of a place I want to go. In fact walking around streets made of gold doesn't quite raise my heart rate either. However this is often the picture we're given of our eternal destination. So, if we insist it's a much better place than what we have here on earth... I'll choose Bermuda please!

When I've asked people WHAT they want heaven to be like, I generally hear answers that equal the location of their greatest adventure, most romantic rendezvous or stunning vista; hardly is there an answer about being in the presence of God. Perhaps this is due, as well, to the harp-hugging, white-wearing, cloud-sitting image so familiar to us, which is generally devoid of the old man in the long, white beard.

Heaven is not a place away from earth. Heaven is a place with God. Therefore, I can only imagine a place in God's presence as more exquisite than anything known to man or experienced on earth. To imagine a place in the likeness of God's creation, known as earth and sky, limits his creativity and power. Similarly, since the bible tells us we are made in God's image, although throughout history we have done much to make God in ours, we form the same idol regarding His abiding place through the limits of our knowledge and experience? We would do well to put aside our puny thoughts of heaven as a location and focus our attention on the center of heaven which we are told is the Son himself...

I saw no temple in the city, for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple.  And the city has no need of sun or moon, for the glory of God illuminates the city, and the Lamb is its light. Revelation 21:22,23 (NLT)

So, will we be board? And if not, what will we do? By addressing this question I will actually answer another on the top 10 questions about heaven; "Will we know everything?"

We will LEARN. Because we are still God's creation and can never achieve the same attributes of God we have no other choice but to deduce we will gain knowledge in heaven... to understand why this is important, think of what currently keeps you from boredom. When we gain knowledge of "things" we come to a limit of knowledge... there's only so much you can know about a widget because the widget is limited by the design of the creator. Once you know how it works and what it's made of, you too can acquire the materials and create one. BUT something that is created by an eternal creator with living, unlimited design means you will never cease to gain knowledge of "beings"... of yourself, others and God! Which leads to the next thing we'll do in heaven...

We will relate. God created us for relationship. We will have personal and intimate relationship with God. I can only speculate but based on my own experience through intimacy with those I love in this life, this itself will bring much joy. This relationship is shared, meaning we will have relationship with others in heaven too.

We will work. In context of the millennial reign of Christ (Rev.20) and Paul's admonition in our role to manage our differences because we will judge the world (1 Cor. 6), it is clear there will be things for us to do other than strumming a lap harp!

We will worship! Now depending on what your experience is with worship, this can be a thing of great anticipation or unemotional ambivalence. Again, thinking if our only job, in heaven, is to cast our crowns before the throne of God; wouldn't that get a little old? Maybe it's just me, but I would get frustrated having to constantly chase after it, work out the dents and put the jewels back on only do it all over again. Something tells me worship in God's presence is so compelling this kind of stuff would not matter. The type of elation seen in this worship is not unlike watching your favorite team win the world championship and going berserk! In other words... it feels so good, you don't care what you do or how you sound or what it looks like; you're just way too happy!

Now please understand this still doesn't tell us specifically what heaven will be like and I realize for some, you're still not convinced any of this sounds like a great deal... so for that; I'm sorry.  For you... I'm sure there will be a diamond run, on fresh powder that never ends and where your quads never burn!