No more daydreaming

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No more daydreaming

benlreed — October 24, 2011 — 9 Comments

They said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking up into heaven? This Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come in the same way that you have seen Him going into heaven.” – Acts 1:11

photo credit: Creation Swap user Jared Rarick

I don’t know what your situation looks like right now. Maybe it’s bleak. Maybe it’s tough. Maybe there’s no hope, and you don’t know what your next step needs to be. Maybe your plans, and where you want to be in life, haven’t panned out.

Maybe you are undervalued, overworked, and underpaid. Maybe you aren’t appreciated at home. Maybe your “best” still isn’t good enough.

In these moments, it’s easy to wish our life away. It’s easy to complain, sulk, and be angry that life’s not how we want it to be.

And if you find yourself wishing your life away, do you know what’ll happen? You’ll wish it away. Life will pass you by, and you’ll be caught for years just staring into outer space, going nowhere.

That’s what the men in Acts 1:11 were doing. They were staring up into the sky, frozen and ready to wait right there until Jesus returned. They were completely unproductive and unmotivated. They had watched Jesus teach and heal, then be crucified on a cross. He died, was buried, then resurrected and ascended to heaven. They had placed their hopes on Jesus, and he’d left them. I can expect that they were frustrated, confused, and worried. Their Hope and their Promise was gone.

And the problem was that before Jesus would return there was still work to do.

Don’t get caught daydreaming your way out of where you are. Don’t want things to just be over. God’s got work for you to do now. People to invest in and gifts to give. Missions to fulfill and communities to transform. Relationships to heal and hope to give.

There Ain’t No Easy Way Out

Quit looking for the easy way out. Maybe there’s not one. Maybe God’s not going to swoop in and supernaturally make life easy for you. Maybe His plan isn’t to heal you of that disease. Maybe His plan isn’t to reconcile that relationship. Maybe His plan isn’t to make you financially secure.

Maybe, though, just maybe…His plan is to comfort you through it. And give you hope and mercy and grace. And use you to breath life and hope into someone else. (2 Corinthians 1:3-7)

Question: Ever been caught daydreaming?

*Photo credit: Creation Swap user Jared Rarick

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In Theology bible, daydreaming, God, grace, hope, mercy

Defined by Grace

benlreed — October 19, 2011 — 2 Comments

Photo Credit: Jon Ashcroft

There are many words that people can use to define you.

Young
Haughty
Mean
Depressed
Lost
Dumb
Bi-Polar
Driven
Angry
Obsessed
Liar
Cheater
Hyper
Boring
Addict
Divorced
Widowed
Scorned
Lazy
Thief
Loser
Used-to-be
Worn out
Beggar
Dreamer
Old
Out-of-shape
Bitter
Aloof

But did you know that you can choose how you’ll be defined? You don’t have to continue to wear the label you’ve been pinned. You don’t have to wear the hat that’s been forced on your head.

Those things don’t define you unless you let them.

I’m choosing my label. And my choice is “graced.”

Despite my past. Despite my failures. Despite my weaknesses. Despite my challenges and frustrations and “personality.”

I am defined by grace.

For I am the least of the apostles, unworthy to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. But by God’s grace I am what I am, and His grace toward me was not ineffective. – Paul, 1 Corinthians 15:9-10

*photo credit: John Ashcroft via Creation Swap

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In Theology gospel, grace, jesus, label

Love & Fire

benlreed — September 6, 2011 — 2 Comments

Creative Commons: Will G

Love is a lot like fire.

The more you give, the more it grows.

Come to think of it, so is

grace
hope
mercy
generosity
acceptance
joy
peace
truth

Try to hoard any of these, and the flame goes out. For you and for others.

Share them copiously, and you’ll see the blaze take over your life.

What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save him? – James 2:14

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In Theology fire, grace, hope, love, mercy

The sound of hope

benlreed — May 20, 2011 — Leave a comment

What does hope sound like?

I love what Jason Roy, of Building 429 (and of Grace Community Church…Jason’s one of the worship leaders at my church) has to say.

‘”I forgive you. Daddy, I love you!” Isn’t that the sound of hope?’

‘We have this huge God who loves us, who says over and over to us, in the moment of our sin, where we need Him most desperately, He says, ‘I love you! You’re forgiven!’ That’s the sound of hope to me.”

We all need hope. We’re sinners living in a broken world.

Thankfully, God’s grace and forgiveness is free.

but where sin increased, grace abounded all the more – Romans 5:20

* While you’re at it, pick up Jason’s new album on iTunes HERE.

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In Theology building 429, forgiveness, grace, hope, jason roy, listen to the sound, mercy, video

Don’t be “too good” for me

benlreed — March 27, 2011 — 7 Comments

I am a learner. And as such, I actually enjoy learning.

And when I started out as small groups pastor at Grace Community Church, I had no idea what I was doing. Some days, I still feel like that.

So I started looking for a tribe. I read books. Blogs. Twitter accounts. I went to conferences. Sent emails. Made phone calls. I just knew there had to be a tribe out there.

And I grew a ton through this process. But I got a myriad of no-responses. Or responses that went something like,

Well, I will be at this conference, and we can talk there…if you’re able to get to Dallas…tomorrow by 6 am.

I was just trying to build some relationships and learn from guys who had been blazing the path I was peering down.

The problem was that these guys were ‘too big’ for me. They were a bit too important to talk with a rookie in Tennessee. (although rock stars Heather Zempel, Alan Danielson, Mark Howell, and Rick Howerton (just to name a few) actually did take time to answer emails and phone calls…thanks guys!).

I never want to get so important that I can’t schedule time to talk with another person who wants to learn from my mistakes. I never want to be the big shot that can’t walk someone else through principles that have helped me grow as a young pastor.

If I ever get that ‘important’ I have done something wrong. The day that happens, please unfollow me on Twitter, block me on Facebook, and unsubscribe to my blog. I’m not worth following at that point.*

Pride goes before destruction,
and haughtiness before a fall.

Better to live humbly with the poor
than to share plunder with the proud. – Proverbs 16:18-19

Will you give up the plunder with me?

*Note to future self: you’re not as awesome as you think you are.

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In Leadership, SmallGroups, Theology Alan Danielson, grace, heather zempel, help, humility, mark howell, pride, rick howerton, Small Groups, theology, tribe

benlreed — February 11, 2011 — 6 Comments

If you’d like to catch up on this 11-word series, click HERE.

Grace and Forgiveness

Grace is the fertile soil through which forgiveness roots and grows.

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In 11s on the 1s, Theology forgiveness, grace

When the service is poor

benlreed — December 29, 2010 — 3 Comments

When the service is poor, I ________

a. Tip the full amount anyway. Hopefully, that’ll turn things around for them and they’ll serve better for the rest of their customers that day.

b. Tip less. They need to understand that they didn’t earn the full amount.

c. Don’t tip. Tipping is based on performance, and since they didn’t perform, they don’t get the tip.

d. Consult with the manager on duty. Poor service is unacceptable.

e. Let the sever know that you are the reason they have a job.

f. …have got a different kind of tip for this server…

f. Never go back to that restaurant again.

Do you think we, as followers of Christ, have a responsibility to offer grace, even to servers?

Do you think we, as followers of Christ, have a responsibility to offer love and mercy, even to servers?

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In Church, Theology food server, grace, love, mercy, no tip, poor, restaurant, service, tip

A Healthy Small Group…

benlreed — March 30, 2010 — 4 Comments

I recently said this on Twitter:

So many problems in life could be solved by a healthy small group.

The responses I received really made me think about what components go into producing a “healthy” small group.

A “healthy” small group is one that accomplishes “the win” for your system. Which means that a healthy group at our church may look a little different than the one at your church. And that’s ok. Step 1 is defining “the win.”

But there are certain things that “winning groups” do, right? Do you encourage those things?

Here are a few that I’ve come up with for our system.

A healthy small group…

…stirs your heart to action.

…helps remind you who you are in Christ.

…helps you realize the all-encompassing nature of the Gospel.

…pursues unity.

…is full of people taking steps of faith…together.

…helps you realize the fullness of Grace.

…helps remind you that the troubles in this life will one day be over.

…doesn’t wait until the group meeting to speak encouragement to one another.

…shares group responsibilities with each other.

…relies on each other when needs arise.

…isn’t satisfied with surface-level prayer requests.

…serves others.

…serves each other.

…has fun together.

…laughs together.

…gives people safe space to explore their faith.

…is a safe space for non-believers.

What would you add to the list?

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In Leadership, SmallGroups faith, fun, grace, health, others, serve, share, small group, unity

Hindering the work of God

benlreed — March 13, 2010 — 11 Comments

Would you ever ban somebody from being a part of your small group?

That question has been going through my mind after I read an article about some American pastors who went to Uganda to speak against homosexuality. They preached in support of a bill that

…creates a new category of crime called “Aggravated Homosexuality,” which calls for death by hanging for gays or lesbians who have sex with anyone under 18 and for so-called “serial offenders.”

The bill also calls for seven years in prison for “attempt to commit homosexuality,” five years for landlords who knowingly house gays, three years for anyone, including parents, who fail to hand gay children over to the police within 24 hours and the extradition of gay Ugandans living abroad. ABC News article

So these American pastors are encouraging people to hunt down homosexuals because homosexuality is wrong and destroys the family. They have also met with the Ugandan government and preached their message to them.

Is this the way the church should treat lost and broken people?

NO!

Even if you agree that homosexuality is a sin, and destroys the family, inciting a manhunt is not what God would have us do.

Here are a couple of tips on dealing with the lost and broken when they’re in our small group. Though the sin of homosexuality may make you uncomfortable to talk about, I encourage you, for the sake of those who need your grace and love, to consider the following:

1. Remember that Christ didn’t die for you because you were good. He died for you while you were still his enemy.

You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Romans 5:6-8

2. Remember that sanctification doesn’t happen overnight. It’s a process. And processes take a lot of time to finish. In fact, the process of sanctification won’t be complete in this lifetime.

3. Remember that God hates your sin. He hates it so much that He would deny you a relationship with Him, if it weren’t for Christ.

4. Listen. People appreciate when you ask them to share their story. But they feel loved and valued when you actually listen and engage them while they’re sharing.

5. Speak the truth in love. Speaking the truth is good. But truth without love is abrasive. And hurtful. And unhelpful. It doesn’t have the other’s best interest at heart. It’s self-serving and self-focused. It’s un-Godlike.

6. Be open and honest about your own struggles. This helps you to fight against pride, and makes others feel more comfortable in being honest about their struggles.

7. Invite an open dialog. Instead of condemning the lost and broken, ask if they’d be open to thinking through what the Bible has to say. And don’t let the conversation drift into a discussion that slams one sin, and minimizes another. It’s easy to condemn the sins that we don’t struggle with. It makes us feel better about the sins we constantly have to battle. Don’t fall into that trap.

8. Be quick to forgive. Those quick to forgive understand the true nature of their sin against God. Those not quick to forgive don’t truly understand the nature of their own sin, and the loving mercy of God.

9. Offer prayer and further pastoral care and counseling to those open to it.

Notice that I didn’t say, “Ask them to leave.” OR, “Point out every passage in the Bible that condemns their sin.” OR, “Petition the government to hang them.” (see article above that does just that)

Those who are broken and lost don’t need our heaping condemnation. They need our pursuing, relentless love. Jesus, to an adulterous woman, said these words:

At this, those who heard began to go away one at a time, the older ones first, until only Jesus was left, with the woman still standing there. Jesus straightened up and asked her, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?”

“No one, sir,” she said.
“Then neither do I condemn you,” Jesus declared. “Go now and leave your life of sin.”John 8:9-11

A sin is a sin, no matter how small.

Do you treat some sins as worse (in God’s eyes) than others?

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In Leadership, Life theology, SmallGroups abc news, broken, forgiveness, grace, homosexuality, lost, love, sin, Small Groups

Tiger Shanks it in the Woods

benlreed — December 14, 2009 — 8 Comments

I recently wrote a sports editorial piece for a local paper here in middle Tennessee, the I-24 Exchange. For your convenience, I thought I’d re-post it here on my blog, though you can also find it HERE. Keep in mind…this was written last Thursday, before the news of Tiger’s indefinite leave from the game of golf.

Tiger Shanks it in the Woods

Unless you live in a hole, you’ve heard the news about “the greatest golfer of all time.” Tiger Woods was taken to the hospital for an accident he had in his SUV just outside of his Ocoee, FL, home, at 2:25 AM on Friday, December 2^nd (momma always said that nothing good happens after midnight).

It was suspected that Tiger was driving under the influence that night. Rumors of marital troubles between he and his wife, Elin, only led to confirmation of years of infidelity on Tiger’s part. Elin, at this point seems to be sticking around…for the kids. His sponsors are sticking with him (though who knows for how long).

Tiger’s life is spinning out of control. To say that more accurately, Tiger’s life has already spun out of control. He’s reaping the fruit of years of poor decisions.

Why are we as a society drawn to stories where people’s lives seem to be spiraling into an absolute dumpster fire? Maybe it helps us to feel better about our own life. Maybe we see ourselves somewhere in the story. Maybe it’s because we have a morbid fascination with the failure of others. Maybe we’re just thankful it’s not us.

Tiger messed up. But so have I. And so have you. None of us have lived a life immune from bad decisions and moral failures. Tiger, on his website, says, “I have not been true to my values and the behavior my family deserves. I am not without faults and I am far short of perfect.” You may, or may not, have cheated on your spouse, but you’re not perfect either. I’d venture to guess that, at least one point in your life, you’ve been in need of someone’s forgiveness. You were guilty, and there was no denying it.

There’s hardly a greater feeling in life than being forgiven. To be granted a fresh start. To have your slate wiped clean. It’s as if a heavy, unbearable burden has been lifted off of you.

Is Tiger’s career over? Is he going to be counted as “the greatest golfer of all time?” Or has this exposure marred his fame and fortune forever? Only time can tell.

But instead of our eyes and hearts that are quick to judge, and quick to thirst for more and more dirt, maybe we would be better off extending grace and forgiveness. Tiger doesn’t deserve that. But by very definition grace is not deserved. It is not earned. It’s granted by the one who has been wronged.

I vote to give him a second chance. And I’m thankful that others have done the same for me.

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In Life theology adultery, forgiveness, golf, grace, leave from golf, Tiger Woods

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