Maybe It's No Accident

Ever long for a different job in a different place with different people?

• I feel so different than the folks around me.
• Why can't I be around people who see the world like I do?
• This city, this church is so...(liberal, conservative, simple, backwards, leftist, etc)
• Oh to have friends that could talk about the deeper things of life

 If we were advising Saul who became Paul on his ministry career, it might look like this:

"Let's see. You have a quite a heritage as a Jew! Tribe of Benjamin, schooled by the noted teacher Gamaliel. So well-studied in the Torah. It's quite obvious to me. You should teach in Jerusalem. With such a resume as yours, I'm sure you'll be a great fit in the city where it all began. You have what it takes to reason with the great minds of the Saducees and the Pharisees. Saddle up, Paul. I see big things for you in your future right in the heart of Israel!"

But then God rarely looks at our pedigree like we do. "Then the Lord said to me, 'Go; I will send you far away to the Gentiles.'" Acts 22:21.

It's ironic. The man with one of the more brilliant minds in Israel. Where is he sent? To pagans who have little or no knowledge of what he's best at: reasoning and teaching from a Jewish perspective. To people who can't appreciate his expertise. I wonder if he ever had similar thoughts as those above:

• "Oh, to be free from pagans who have no clue!"
• "They are so...pagan!"
• "I miss the conversations and long nights discussing things like "Why were angels ascending Jacob's ladder?" and "Who was Melchizedek?"

But this is God. His ways are not ours. His career counseling sounds different. His motives are less to do with us and more to do with His big plan, His kingdom. 

So maybe your assignment today is no accident. Maybe you're where you are on purpose. 

WHY THEY QUIT

One of the big differences between church and the corporate world is that the majority of church MVP’s don’t get paid for their contribution to the wins we make for Jesus—at least on Earth that is. While we are compensated financially for what we do, for these others the tangible rewards will come from God Himself.

So the big question: how do we continue to motivate the troops if we can’t threaten them with getting fired? Who wants to fire volunteers? We can suggest another place of serving, give them a break, or possibly even better…fire them up. It’s a daunting task.

I remember as a Music Pastor it was one of the more exhausting responsibilities. I wanted musicians and singers who play every week to feel valued. And I also wanted them to show up on time…and preferable with joy! I tried all kinds of things and I still try them although my role is different. The truth is there’s no magic bullet.

But there are some common reasons why volunteers (or partners as we call them at Crosspoint) lose the fire or quit. And it’s why we, or even I, lose the fire. Here's one big reason: We forget the WHY. Call it vision, or purpose, or mission, or dream. But when we lose it, it’s really hard to keep fighting, keep running, keep praying, keep giving, or keep serving. Lose the WHY and you’ll lose the FIGHT. You just can’t fight under the pressure for very long when you can’t remember why you ever started. 

Here are some other good reasons from Dan Reiland1 (based on actual comments from church volunteers):

• "I never knew exactly what they wanted me to do."
• "No one provided leadership, so my questions never got answered."
• "There was no training."
• "There was no ongoing supervision or evaluation."
• "They forgot about me after they gave me the job."
• "No one ever said thanks."
• "They seem like they are continually disorganized."
• "There was a serious breakdown of communication."
• "They expected too much."
• "It seemed like it was all about achieving the pastor's personal goals."
• "I told them I didn't want the job, but they begged me."
• "I never received the tools and resources I needed."
• "It wasn't any fun." 

 Why do you think volunteers quit?

"If you want to build a ship, don't drum up the men to gather wood, divide the work and give orders. Instead, teach them to yearn for the vast and endless sea." - Antoine de Saint Exupery

1."Why Volunteers Quit" by Dan Reiland from The Pastor's Coach e-newsletter]

I Know it's Weird but Trust Me

When my wife and I travel, I like to have a plan. I'll either map it or iphone the route to/from the hotel, some cool restaurant or sight to see. Not always perfect in my planning but I try. As we're sometimes walking in some new city, my wife will sometimes wander, not watching where she's going. So I'm grabbing her hand or her shoulders, "This way, Babe!" She's really not addicted to wanderlust. She just says, "I know you know where I am so I don't worry! I trust you." I'm not sure she should trust me that much!

But when I'm in her hometown, it's the other way around. She grew up on those streets. I'll say, "I think we're supposed to turn left here?"
She'll say, "No, turn right."
"But if feels like we're supposed to turn left."
"No. Turn right. Trust me, I know!"

So I do the only smart thing: I trust her. Even though my feelings say something different.

God's ways don't always FEEL right. In fact, sometimes they are downright weird compared to cultural norms:
Giving generously doesn't seem normal. God says, "Trust Me." Leading my family in prayer feels weird. "Trust Me."
Using vacation to go on a mission trip isn't normal. "Trust Me."
Reading an ancient book like the Bible for direction is weird. "Trust Me."  

If we're going to walk with God, the directions will sometimes feel weird. But the question is, "Will you trust Him?"

Try Being Yourself

Playing to our strengths isn't just a good idea in sports. It's important to life. One of the keys to being a solid, healthy leader, parent, athlete, pastor, job-seeker is to be honest about our God-given capacity--both our strengths and our weaknesses.

In ministry in my 30's, the church had a couple hundred people. At one time, I was the worship leader, the youth director, the custodian and the groundskeeper all at the same time. But as the church has grown, I've had to give up many things that I wasn't great at to focus on a few that I was better at. It wasn't always easy to let go. It still isn't.

I have to repent sometimes of trying to be someone else who has talents and abilities I don't have. Some well-meaning people have given me teaching DVD's with the unspoken request, "Maybe if you watch these you could teach more like _________." Even when I do watch and perhaps learn something, I have to choose to be me when I turn it off. Otherwise, I won't be authentic and true to my unique talents.

It's unfair to ourselves and others to say that if we try hard enough we can be great at anything. It's simply not true.  We've all...

• heard people struggling to sing high that should sing low
• heard people speaking that should stick to singing
• watched people agonize over teaching who would make a great counselor
• read articles from accountants who should stick to numbers, not journalism

There are some things that God has wired you to do that only you can do. Consider Matthew 25:14-15. And also Dr. Suess' wisdom: "Today you are You, that is truer than true. There is no one alive who is Youer than You!"

Christianity Rises and Falls on Teamwork

In a couple of weeks the All-Star Game will take place. It's the game where supposedly the best players from the NFL, as voted on by fans, play in one game. You'd think with all that star appeal that you wouldn't be able to get a ticket. And if you did it would certainly cost more than the Super Bowl, right? Wrong. My quick check on stubhub showed tickets for under $50 for the All-Star game. For the Super Bowl? They start at $2,000+. Why? Because we all know the All-Stars aren't really playing their best in that game. An injury might "mess up their contract." After the game, they go back to play for their "real team."

 And like one preacher said, "Christians ought not play like All-Stars."i 

In an all-star game, the players wear a temporary jersey for the game but they wear their home-team helmet. Christians can be like that. I've got the jersey that says, "Christian" but the helmet that says, "Hipster Church," "Conservative Republican," "Calvinist," or "Cool Multicultural Java-drinking Tatt-wearing Twenty-Something." We might be a Jesus-follower but after Sunday is over, we go back and play on our real team.

But it’s not supposed to be like that. Those who are truly impacted by the gospel wear the same helmet: the helmet of salvation. And our theme song? “Amazing Grace.” Christians have all received the same grace that not one of us deserves! Ephesians 4 tells us we have the one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all! That's what makes us all one team.

Christianity is not a solo sport. It thrives in the context of team. Who's on yours? Does anybody have your blind side? Your back? Don't be an all-star.

iThis quote is attributed to Thabiti Anyabwile from a Together for the Gospel Conference. I've tried to find the quote and give him proper credit but so far I haven't found it.

Quiet Love

It seems kind of odd to talk about quiet. Sort of like writing an article on health in between slurps of mega-size Dr. Pepper. But here goes.

It's hard to believe that it's been 20 years since these words were first played on the radio,

What would you do if my heart was torn in two
More than words to show you feel
That your love for me is real
What would you say
If I took those words away? 

(From "More than Words" by Extreme)


But it still applies--sometimes words are a nuisance and simply aren't helpful. Words are not always the best language of love. Like,

At a funeral -- "Well at least he's in a better place"
When a baby dies -- "Maybe you'll have another one"
When your dog of 15 years dies -- "You need to get another puppy."
When your Mom and Dad divorce -- "Well, an unhappy marriage is worse than divorce."

Or feeling like we must respond to every question in the shadow of Newtown, CT. Like these responses:
"I'll tell you where God was. He left the building in 1963 when we took prayer out of the schools."
"I wonder what was wrong in that home."
"There needs to be a filter for sick people."
"Another reason for gun-control."

There may be a time for discussing these things. But not now. We need the love that is expressed with fewer words. Now is not the time to explain. Now is the time for the ministry of presence. To quote another old song, sometimes "my words get in the way." Silence is golden. Not the kind that sits in coldness but warm, loving silence with actions of loving kindness.

Think about the darkest moments of your life. What do you remember? What someone said? Or who was there? It's rare we remember what was said. But we always remember who sat with us, held us and cried. 

Yeah, I know. I've just proved my point. So much for quiet. I've already said too much.

Red and Green

Red and green is everywhere. It's Christmas. And it reminds me of how long it will be until I taste a real vine-ripened tomato again! The fake ones in the store just aren't the same. It also reminds me of what I call the ripe fruit principle.

Imagine you have two patches of tomatoes. The first patch was planted 15 days earlier than the second. Now anyone who has ever grown them knows when it's June it seems like the tomatoes will never turn red. You want that first ripe tomato so everyday you go and poke around in the second patch. But everything is still green. No matter how much you dig around the plant and provide the right conditions, it's still going to take anywhere from 60-90 days until harvest. You can fret over the green tomatoes but there are laws of the harvest and no amount of fretting will make a difference. You need to go where the tomatoes are ripe.

Sometimes I spend too much time fretting over someone who just needs more time on the vine. I can pray, hope and worry. I can make it about me: "What am I doing wrong? What's wrong with my leadership?" When sometimes, it's not about me at all. It's about them.

My time would be better spent looking for the ripe tomatoes.

• "But they have so much talent!" Yes, but they aren't ready.
• "But I love them!" Yes, but they aren't ready to receive your love.
• "But they have money and that could help the cause here." Yes, but they aren't ready to turn lose of it.
• "But I know I could help them!" Yes, but they aren't ripe enough to hear it.

There's someone who is ready to say yes, ready to hear the gospel; someone who is hungry for wisdom...now. Around you, there is someone who is ripe for harvest, for leadership or even for friendship. They may not be as pretty, as smart, as talented or as likeable. But don't fret over the green tomatoes. Just go for the ripe ones today.