mmmmm…..

six hours and counting…

Monday Morning Quarterback

here are some of my 20/20 hindsight observations from yesterday:

• i woke up feeling really crummy yesterday.  that almost never happens on a sunday.  i was exhausted.
• in spite of how i felt, it was good…it’s always good…to get to north point on sunday morning and begin anticipating how god is going to be honored and how his holy spirit is going to work in the lives of people.  yesterday was no different.
• the band was awesome, as usual.  the amount of time they are practicing for their holiday at the hall gig is really paying off on sundays!  
• i think that “this is the day” (the new song we’ve been doing for the past couple of months) is one of the best new worship songs i have heard in years.  we could sing it every sunday, as far as i’m concerned.
• yesterday, preaching was difficult.  i knew that i was only going to speak for fifteen minutes (because of the special missions presentation) and i really struggled with my preparation.  honestly, it’s much harder to prepare a 25 minute sermon than a 40 minute one…but our current format has really helped me study harder and prepare better.  narrowing down a message to fifteen minutes…and saying something of substance…is beyond tough!  it takes more time of preparation, not less.
• i have a love-hate affair with this time of the season.  the holidays are tremendous times for families to travel, spend time with each other and reconnect.  i believe that time is needed and healthy.  i also hate it when our sunday attendance goes down during this time.  just thought i’d be honest about it…
• even though our services lacked some of our usual energy, the rest of the day was stellar!
• the volleyball tournament was over-the-top fun.  we had ten teams…a little less than 50 players.  incredible turnout.  there were at least 25-30 others that came out to watch.  we should have just had “church” out there!
• does anyone else find it ironic that our sports-hating, anti-competition, tech-nerd youth pastor was playing in the championship game?  sweet.
• mark my words.  team romo (aka, the trash-talking longorias) will go down next time.
• thanks to eddie fieder for an awesome eagle scout project.  the volleyball court is incredible.  the payoff was huge. 
• 24: The Movie was cool.  we had about 40 people show up for the broadcast and nobody was disappointed.  bauer is back.  all is right with the world.  i think we need craig haney’s jalapeno cheese dip and chips every sunday.
• it was such a great day, not even another last-second, fire-norv, chargers-suck loss could spoil it.  this is gonna be a great week!

A pigeon by any other name

a few years ago, i started to become really aware of the need to become a better neighbor.  not just personally, but as a church.  this observation may not be an exact fit, but it’s close:

it seems like christians have this amazing ability to find and connect with their own kind…kind of like homing pigeons, which have this innate ability to find their way home…to the other other pigeons…to their own mate…even from extremely long distances.  

we homing christians will venture away from our nests to go to work, or to the store, or the ball field…any number of places…but we have a nose for home.  we have a nose for our kind. few of us pigeons are ever comfortable out there. 

we are thrilled when we find out that a new co-worker is a pigeon, er…christian.  we would much rather have a fellow believer in the cubicle next to us…or on the study group…or as a coach for our kid…or the new principle.  we are ecstatic when we find out that the new folks moving in next door are pigeons.   truth be told, most of us are happier when a fellow pigeon joins our nest, than when one of those pesky gackles find their way to the front door of our church building.  

we love to roll out the red carpet for “our kind”.  our eyes pop at the prospect of a new bible class teacher or a new youth worker or a faithful money giver.  we long to have new pigeons join our team and bring instant understanding and loyalty.  but those gackles…

don’t mistake my little bird metaphor as a negative judgment on the gackle.  it’s quite the opposite.  i think it’s about time we start to admit the kind of pigeons we really are.

be the church

my friend bill sent me a link to an email this afternoon.  it was inspiring.  you can read the whole thing right here.  there were some direct words of encouragement at the end of the article that really stuck with me:

Be the church. Set aside political battles and engage in spiritual warfare. Focus not on others, but on yourself. A light does not have to be forced to shine; simply allow yourself to be filled with God’s light, then release it.

be the church.  i love this.  we don’t go to church.  we are the church.  sometimes we just need to be told to straighten up and be what god has designed for us to be.  this is not about programs and meetings and music and traditions and religious behavior.  it’s about a life we live.  it’s about who we are.  it’s about meaning and purpose and calling.

engage in spiritual warfare.  not all battles are good battles.  christians are notorious for fighting.  i just wish we were known for fighting for the right things.  spiritual warfare is all about the hearts of people.  we don’t fight over behavior.  we fight for hearts.  when are we ever going to get this basic truth?

focus not on others, but on yourself.  this seems like the antithesis of christlikeness, but it is not.  we spend way too much time worried about what other people are doing…the choices they are making…the values they espouse…the lifestyle they opt for…instead of taking care of business in our own personal camp.  the world…your world…would be a better place if we took care of our own hearts first.

allow yourself to be filled with God’s light, then release it.  how about this week we get about the business of letting god fill us…and then walk outside our little christian cocoons and love…i mean really love…people who are far from god.  i think we will be amazed at what happens.

i hope this is your best week ever.

just thinking…

i was just thinking today that it’s been a few months since we used our baptistry.

what does that say about us?

what does that say about me?

what does that say about you?

just wondering…

lookers, helpers, or owners

i wrote about this a few years ago.  i thought i would revisit it today.  churches are full of all different kinds of people, but i have found that most church people fall into one of three categories: lookers, helpers, or owners. let me explain…

lookers are people that are seeking. they are looking for a place to belong. they are looking for friends. they are looking for meaning. they are looking for answers. they come to check things out and see if its worth it to keep coming back. lookers can stay lookers for a long time. months or even years. you can get to know them and they can get to know you. they join in. they come to events. they can even turn into regular attenders. but make no mistake, they are still lookers. they give a little money, a little time, a little effort. they show interest. sometimes, they even tease you into believing they are more then just lookers. but when all is said and done, they are still lookers. they can be members. they call the church their church. they might even bring more lookers with them. but they are still lookers.  i love lookers.

a second group of people are helpers. they are much more involved than lookers. these people can be counted on to assist. they don’t mind being asked to do things and are usually more than willing to help out. they are busy people. they have jobs and families and hobbies and homes and neighbors and vacations and associations and investments. they are busy people. they have to work hard to schedule “church time”, but they do it. they are people who will gladly give you their name and number and encourage you to give them a call when you have a need. they are friendly and helpful and will work hard to fit additional tasks into their busy schedules. the greater the need, the more willing these folks are to help. honestly, we couldn’t do the things we do without helpers. they are usually the largest group in a healthy church.

owners are the foundation of the church. they are the people who start things and finish them. they are the people who don’t need to be asked to do things. they are already doing them. owners are always thinking about their jobs. always planning. always strategizing. always wrestling with new ways to do the important things they are responsible for. owners are always there. owners are responsible…even when they are not there. they make sure the job gets done. they don’t call people at the last moment to fill in. you seldom have to call them because they already know what they should be doing. they are the people the helpers call.

they give the overwhelming majority of money in the offering plate. they give their own money (over and above their offering) to see tasks completed. they use their own stuff. their own homes are extensions of their church jobs. they make personal decisions in light of their ministries. they seldom get sick. they arrive early. they stay late. they make the biggest messes, but stay to clean up. they always have your back. they will climb the mountains with you. they will face the enemy with you. they are your team…your family…your brothers…your deepest friends.

are you a looker…a helper…or an owner? maybe it’s time to make a move…

Giving

wanda and i made a decision years ago (over 30 of them babies…) that we would live off of a salary that was provided by the money that people put in the offering plate each sunday.  i’m not incapable of earning a living doing something else.  i’m sure we wouldn’t have starved.  i have a highly marketable degree in recreation (a fancy word for play) from san diego state university, for crying out loud.  go aztecs!

but living by the plate was our chosen course.

i feel like i put in a good days work just like the next guy.  i have goals and expectations and a job description.  sometimes i work overtime.  i take days off periodically, though sundays are work days!  i study, i write, i lead, i counsel, i preach, i teach, i manage programs, i oversee teams, i train leaders, i marry, i do funerals, i unplug toilets, i change light bulbs, and chase down an occasional dead rat smell.  like i said, i’m just another working guy…doing my best to earn my paycheck.

doesn’t sound very spiritual, does it?  

honestly, there’s not a week that goes by that i am not humbly reminded that i get to do what god has called me to do…simply out of the gracious generosity of good people.  every week when the plates are passed around our church family, i am drawn deep into the realization that it is sacrifice that has made my life possible all these years.

there are loving people who do without so i might have my share.  

i’m feeling a little overwhelmed right now…

10%…another look

i have almost a love-hate affair with the ten percent.  looking back, without being taught the discipline, i don’t know if i ever would have developed the habit of giving that i have in my life right now.  and without the regular pattern of giving, i don’t know if i would have ever experienced the grace to truly trust god to not only provide for every need, but also to live with the freedom to let go of money.

i guess the “hate” part comes from the inference that it is still a requirement from god.  and worse yet, a bar that all believers are to somehow shoot for.  giving ten percent is a time-honored tradition of the church and a sound financial practice (just ask your tax guy).  i’m not arguing this point.  it’s just that the tithe, according to scripture, is a little different than the tradition that has been passed down.

the children of israel were required to tithe.  in fact, they were required to give multiple tithes…as much as 23% percent and even beyond.  it was similar to our system of taxation.  it was not a matter of the heart, it wasn’t a matter of choice.  it was demanded and there was a consequence if the demand was not met.  

when jesus arrived on the scene, the jewish requirements for tithing were still in place.  but jesus brought a redefining of jewish legal requirement:

Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them.  Matthew 5:17

historically, the church has emphasized that jesus did not abolish the tithe.  my problem with this is how the church has gone about picking and choosing which of the laws we were still going to conveniently require and which of the laws we were going to let slide.  and if we’re going to require them, why aren’t we really requiring them?  ah, law…so much more to say.  i’ll save it for later.

let me make this clear.  if you believe the ultimate goal set before you is to give ten percent of your income to the local church, somebody has sold you a lemon!  if you think that god is somehow pleased when you let go of a percentage of your money, it’s time for a fresh perspective.  jesus did not come to abolish the law of tithing.  i think he came to explode it!

he came to give us all a brand new take on what it means to know that god is the creator and owner of everything, including every dime we think belongs to us…what it means to live underneath the his lordship…what it means to seek the kingdom of god first…what it means to put our money where we say our hearts are.

the real question is not what percentage i put in the offering plate, but what percentage stays in my bank account.

what do you think?

10% again

i suppose the primary reason i started giving ten percent to the general budget of my church family was out of legalism.  can’t say i’m real proud of that, but it’s probably the truth.  

i grew up in a church that always preached the “tithe” (more on that in a couple of days).  it was taught regularly and the inference was that god established it as a law in the old testament and jesus did nothing to abolish the old testament laws…so we should be expected to do at least as much as new testament disciples.  ten percent (the tithe) was the standard of excellence in discipleship!

hey.  it’s what i was taught and it was what i believed.  i come from an era that trusted authority and leadership in the church in a completely different way than we experience now.  i had a high respect for my parents and for the people who were in positions of influence…especially church influence…in my my life.  my parents modeled the giving of ten percent and taught me to do the same.  when i began to grow up, make money, get married, and live on my own, i followed their example.

now, honestly, i live such a completely different kind of life from my youth, it’s almost hard to remember.  my reasons for giving are much deeper, much stronger, much broader.  life is not as simple as it used to be.  i am not as simple as i used to be.  but frankly, the foundation is still there.  interesting…

it makes me think…not just about money, but about everything.  why is it so difficult to trust the judgment and direction of those older and wiser?  why is it so easy to dismiss the patterns and practices of our elders, when it comes to discipleship?  why do we trust our own impulses and logic when it comes to following jesus, instead of taking the baton from the previous leg of the relay and carefully pass it on to the future?

10%

somewhere back in the hard drive of my past, i learned that giving ten percent of my income in the offering plate each week was what i needed to do.  i’m glad i learned to do it.  i’m glad that wanda and i have always shared that same perspective.  

through the years, ten percent has never really been our goal.  it’s always been like a starting point.  a place where our giving begins and moves on from.  for the most part, ten percent has been what we have always given to the general budget for the ministry of our church family.  other giving has always been above and beyond that.

the ten percent starting point is never negotiated.  it is never questioned.  it’s never lowered.  it is never up for debate.  it just is.

do i think god requires it?  nope.  do i think we are under the same laws of the old testament?  no way.  do i think that jesus would want me to give ten percent?  i honestly don’t think he thinks about it.  does it make me better than others?  i wish.  is god pleased when i give it?  i suppose, but it doesn’t occur to me to think about it.  will i be punished if i don’t give it?  please…  

so why do i do it?  i think i’ll tell you over the next few days.  i hope you stay tuned.