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Every
tear,
laugh,
relationship,
dream,
failure
step
is valuable.
Treasure them.
(See James 1:17)
Category: Theology (page 14 of 21)
____________________________________________…
Because sometimes listening and weeping is more valuable than words you can muster up.
(see Job 2:11-13)
Michael McKinley wrote this on the 9Marks Blog:
So in our church, non-members are welcome to attend and participate in the public services of the church. We are happy to have them in our Sunday morning gathering, our Sunday evening gathering, and our fellowship meals.
But we don’t let people attend small groups…until they are members.
This statement shocks me, and runs countercultural to what we, as a church are trying to accomplish. We never want to exclude new folks from being a part of our small groups, because we believe that the best way to get connected, grow in your faith, and become a disciple of Christ is in the context of small groups.
If we were to exclude visitors from linking up with small groups, we would, in effect, be saying that we value church membership over discipleship.
I’m not ready to make a statement like that.
Discipleship doesn’t start when you become a church member.
But maybe I’m wrong.
What do you think?
Should visitors be excluded from small groups, until they become members?
I remember the day my son started walking.
He had been pulling up and cruising for a few weeks prior, so we knew he was just about ready to start letting go and walking on his own. My wife and I were sitting across from each other in the middle of the living room floor, and I stood Rex up in between us. He could barely get his balance. In fact, he was so wobbly he fell down before he even got started. So I stood him back up.
Then it happened.
He took a small step, then started to fall forward. Just before he reached the point of no return (where he would fall flat on his face), he stuck his other foot out in front of himself. His momentum carried him forward, and he forgot to put his other foot out in front, so he fell face first into my wife, who, along with me, clapped and cheered for our son. He had started to walk!
So we stood him up again, and he tried once more. Then he fell. And smiled.
So we stood him up again, and he tried once more. Then he fell. And smiled.
So we stood him up again, and he tried once more. Then he fell. And smiled.
Then he got tired, so we quit for the day.
Notice this: he wasn’t so hard on himself that he wouldn’t try again.
Part of the hindrance to our spiritual growth is that we’re too hard on ourselves. We beat ourselves up over and over again, when we’ve got a Father who, while we’re still a long way off, is filled with compassion for us, and is running towards us so He can throw His arms around us and kiss us. (Luke 15:20-21)
We, like the Prodigal Son, still beat ourselves up. We respond, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.” (Luke 15:20)
To which our Father says, “Let’s celebrate!” (Luke 15:23)
I’m not saying that we should act like we’re perfect, and can do nothing wrong. But I am saying that we should not be so paralyzed in our sin that we don’t take another step forwards, towards our Father who’s running our way. We could live in the reality that we’re sinners who are “no longer worthy to be called your son.” But wallowing in our guilt and shame doesn’t help us move towards God.
Maybe we should start reminding ourselves that our Father is cranking up the music, getting His dancing on, and grilling up a feast for us. Because He loves us that much.
Do you ever find that you’re too hard on yourself?
Is it time to give yourself a break, and celebrate even a small step in the right direction?
Do you know someone who needs to be reminded of this truth?
Maybe it’s about time you failed.
(image by ArtMoth.com)
I remember when I didn’t make the varsity baseball team in high school. I was crushed. But through that, I ended up quitting baseball to pursue golf, a sport I turned out to be pretty good at.
In seminary, I absolutely bombed a paper that I thought was one of my better projects. Through that, I worked hard to refine my writing, and in the process, found a great love of writing.
The first small group my wife and I were a part of (in Louisville, KY) was an abysmal failure. I didn’t want that to happen to us, or anyone else, again. Now I’m a small groups pastor.
The New Testament Church was led by a guy named Peter. Don’t forget that he had an epic fail, where his pride was kicked in the teeth. He thought he was ready to die for Jesus. He wasn’t (John 13:37-38). His pride would even need to be kicked again a little later. (Galatians 2:11-21) And it needed to be in order for God to use Peter.
Why you need to fail
It’s through failure that we learn what we’re not that great at. Here’s a shocker: you’re not great at everything. God’s gifted each person uniquely…you included. We may not always find that gifting on our first shot. Be open to other ideas than what you’ve always thought or been told. Maybe your failure is a good indication that you need to try something else.
It’s through failure that we find out which ideas aren’t the best. Failure becomes a way of culling out the ideas, projects, programs, and directions that needed to go.
It’s through failure that we are motivated. Who wants to fail twice? Failure pushes you to work harder, more efficiently, and lean more heavily on others. Failure is a great deterrent to future failure.
It’s through failure that God comforts us. It’s hard to experience comfort without some level of failure. (see Lamentations 3:16-23)
It’s through failure that our pride is sucker-punched. If you were as awesome as you thought you were, you’d not have failed. As John Ortberg says, “There is a God, and it is not you.”
As valuable as failure is, I still find myself consistently praying, “Lord, please help this _______ to go really well.” Or, “Lord, you want this __________ to succeed more than I do…” Or, “Lord, help this idea to not fall flat on its face.”
Maybe I should start praying, “Lord, maybe this needs to flop. You know best. Help me grow in the process. Chip away the parts of me that don’t look like You. Grow your Church. Knock down my pride. Renew my faith in Your plan.”
Is there an area of your leadership or your life that needs to fail?
Have you seen God grow you more through failure or through success?
Running, for me, is an epic battle, both emotionally and physically, every time.
Here’s how a typical run goes:
- I’m pumped to run.
- .5 mile in, I hate it.
- 1 mile in, I feel like I might be able to do this.
- 1.5 miles in, I hate it.
- 2 miles in, I start to hit my stride.
- 2.5 miles in, I start to hit the wall.
- 3 miles in, I really start cruising.
- 3.5 miles in, I feel like I might die.
- 4 miles in, I die.
- 4.5 miles in, still dead.
- Last .5 mile, I get a little more energy.
- I’m thrilled to be finished, and can’t wait to do it again.
Am I the only one that has these ups and downs…all in the same run?
See, if I’d quit any along the way, I would’ve kicked myself, because I wouldn’t have experienced that sweet taste of completion. Because there’s something awesome to be had at the end…the feeling that I did it, I completed what I set out to do, I’ve gotten a good workout in, and I feel tired and energized all at the same time.
We have the tendency, when things get tough, to tucker out. Give in. When a relationship is emotionally draining, we’ll give up on it…rather than pushing on through. When a project reaches that it’s-not-cool-anymore stage, it’s easier to quit than persevere. When life gets tough, and doing what God’s called you to do seems more than you can bear, it’s much easier to say, “God’s just closing that door” than to say, “God’s called me to it even though it’s unbearably difficult.”
It’s time to finish strong.
What project do you need to give a bit of endurance to?
What idea to you need to keep pressing in on?
What relationship do you need to pursue?
What “closed door” do you need to knock down?
Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last, but we do it to get a crown that will last forever. Therefore I do not run like someone running aimlessly; I do not fight like a boxer beating the air. No, I strike a blow to my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize. -1 Corinthians 9:24-27
The way I was brought up to share my faith doesn’t work.
I was told that, in order to rightly share your faith, all you needed to do was walk someone down the “Romans Road.” Ever heard of it?
The progression goes from Romans 3:23 to 6:23 to 5:8 to 10:13, and finally to 10:9-10.
I’m so thankful the book of Romans was written so that we would have a “road” to walk. Aren’t you? (*insert sarcastic smile*)
I mean, the road is “right” theologically. It’s an airtight, albeit brief, presentation of the Gospel. Methodologically, though, it is based on a superficial understanding of the Gospel, that the Gospel is really just about having the right knowledge. And that if you can clearly and succinctly communicate those points to a nonbeliever (without looking at your notes…because apparently nonbelievers hate notes. Unless, of course, you’re sharing the Truth via the EvangeCube, which gives you a slick prop to use), you’ve done your job. Check that off your spiritual to-do list for the day.
Frankly, I don’t think that could be further from the Truth.
We are often looking for a simplified, step-by-step plan to sharing our faith. But utilizing a plan that encourages you to parrot the “right” answer to random passersby doesn’t give you much hope of a positive response.
I think that you spell evangelism r-e-l-a-t-i-o-n-s-h-i-p-s.
To rip the relational side of evangelism out of sharing your faith makes the Truth that you share hollow and empty.
But to build your evangelism on the foundation of relationships that you’re forming with your family, friends, coworkers, barista, small group member, mechanic, waitress, barber, tour guide, workout buddy, and neighbor…that’s where evangelism moves from mere cold, hollow words to a message of hope. From a message of judgment and condemnation to a pronouncement of freedom. From shallow platitudes to The Good News.
If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. – 1 Corinthians 13:2
Have you ever led someone to Christ?
Was a relationship involved?
(Rex on his 4-wheeler, 2-20-2011)
On Sunday, my son ran up and down the halls of our church building (a high school, in fact) yelling, “Pee pee!! Pee pee!!”
Obviously, we’re in the middle (well, that’s probably a stretch. We’re probably closer to the beginning of this stage) of potty training.
I could’ve gotten frustrated. Embarrassed. Angry. Or indifferent. But I was none of that.
I chose to laugh. Why?
Because it’s funny! My 2 year old son is telling the whole world that he just peed in the toilet, not his pants.
Was it embarrassing? Yep.
Was it frustrating, especially because he also peed in his diaper? Yep.
But in that moment, I chose not to focus on the growth that still needed to happen. I chose to celebrate with my son.
And we’d do well to remind ourselves that our Father rejoices over even a small step of faith. Good fathers don’t punish their children when they pee in their diaper, even though they’re learning not to. I don’t scold my son, even though I’ve told him countless times that he’s supposed to pee in the toilet.
Because I have the future in mind. I know that, at some point, the battle with this will be over. We’ll work through this. This is just a step in his journey towards maturity. He’ll mature out of this, and in the meantime, I’m going to celebrate small steps in the right direction.
And I can’t help but think that God has the future in mind with us, too. He has the bigger picture of our growth and maturity in mind at all times. And yes, at times, we need discipline. But He celebrates small steps in the right direction because He can see what we cannot. And while we’re sitting in our own guilt and shame, God’s seeing the future, and is ready to offer us grace if we’ll just step towards Him.
But we had to celebrate and be glad, because this brother of yours was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found. (Luke 15:32)
Do you need to remind yourself that a step in the right direction is worth celebrating?
Do you need to remind someone else of that?
George Washington was a courageous man.
I knew this to be true…you can’t go through the United States public school system without studying about our country’s first President. But I’ve recently been reminded of his heroism while reading 1776 by George McCullough.
In September of 1775, Boston was under siege by British troops. Washington was the commander of the American military forces (which were a mishmash of untrained and largely unorganized farmers and other Yankees), and he was ready to make a bold move to recapture Boston, ending the siege. However, there were two problems.
1. The British forces were powerful and abundant.
2. An attack on Boston, to remove the siege, could mean the destruction of the city.
But Washington wasn’t one to sit around and wait for something to happen. So he began petitioning Congress to move troops, and begin attacking the British at Boston, because he knew how strategic and valuable the city would continue to be for the future success of the Revolutionary War.
In a letter to the governor of Rhode Island, Washington said this:
No danger is to be considered when put in competition with the magnitude of the cause.
Washington was facing lots of dangers. Loss of significant lives. Loss of his power and authority. Loss of his reputation. Loss of the city of Boston. Loss of supplies. Loss of time. Loss of effort. Loss of the colonies to the British. But he was willing to not consider those dangers when he compared them to the magnitude of the cause…winning independence.
We could learn something from this, even today. Because far too often, when we count the cost, we show by our actions that we believe the task is too dangerous for us. We show fear when we don’t
- Share our faith
- Press in to know our own heart
- Have a tough conversation with a friend
- Take on that new project
- Stop and build a relationship with someone new
- Press in to know the heart of our children
- Give financially until it hurts
- Serve expecting nothing back
- Do what God’s clearly calling us to do
- Step out of our comfort zone
When we put the above in competition with the magnitude of the cause…they pale in comparison. They are still dangerous…highly dangerous. You could get burned, misunderstood, shamed, abandoned, discouraged, and broke. But, like Washington said, these dangers aren’t to be considered when we compare them with the magnitude of the cause. What is the cause that has such magnitude?
- The health of our family.
- The health of our heart. (living a life worthy of our call, Ephesians 4:1-2)
- Serving our King faithfully.
There’s nothing else greater.
For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline. – 1 Timothy 1:7
Have you ever felt yourself crippled by fear?
What was it that got you going again?
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