Been Reed - Life and Theology. The musings of a young pastor.

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George Washington on Courage

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?

The future of magazines?

February 15, 2011 / Ben Reed / 3 Comments

I made fun of myself in my last promotion (HERE) of the Small Groups Digizine. I’ll not do that again, thank you very much.

But I will heartily recommend the new edition! Partly because it’s free (you can snag your copy HERE)…mainly because it’s awesome.

Sam O’Neal and the SmallGroups.com team have done a phenomenal job compiling a great resource for small group leaders and pastors. I really think that this format (the digital magazine, a.k.a. the ‘digizine’) could be the future for many magazines, because of the speed of distribution and the low cost of production. In addition, the interactivity is so much greater than reading a traditional magazine. Instead of reading Sam’s editorial intro…you can watch it. Instead of a mere reference to worship songs…you can listen to them right there in your browser while reading the rest of the content. It’s heaven for a multi-tasking, multi-sensory generation.

But I’d like to offer a couple of suggestions for improving the digizine in the future.

Room for improvement

1. Social media – give me a chance to interact with my online community while I’m reading. I’d love the chance to link to direct

2. iPhone/iPad app – I tried viewing this on my phone, and, yes you can pull it up…but it’s tiny. If you try to zoom in, things get wonky. If you try to view it in landscape mode, it shows 2 micropages at once. I’d love to be able to read this more easily on my iPhone…maybe even in an app (I don’t think there’s another small groups app out there). And I could definitely see something like that driving the reader count through the roof, even for archived content on SmallGroups.com, as the app links to “suggested resources.”

3. Publish it more often! You guys are onto something big here…capitalize on it! Twice/year isn’t enough.

4. Add more hyperlinks. Make this digizine even more interactive, providing links back to SmallGroups.com and outside sites. You’re being incredibly generous in offering this resource for free…but providing links for other resources, sites, and ideas is a way to take generosity to the next level.

Have you grabbed your free copy yet?

An open letter to older leaders

February 14, 2011 / Ben Reed / 4 Comments

I’m a young leader. I’ve not been at this game very long.

I’m still trying to figure out the ropes. Understand how my giftings fit on a team. Making mistakes. Growing. Changing. Stumbling. And figuring out how to do it all better the next time around.

Working with leaders who are older, more established, and wiser can be incredibly difficult. Thankfully, the leaders who are older than me on staff at Grace Community Church make things incredibly easy.* And it’s from their leadership of me that I’ve seen some principles emerge that could be helpful to other older leaders who have young folks on their staff.

Older leaders,

Thanks for paving the way for us. You’ve worked incredibly hard. You’ve poured your heart into this organization, and you’ve helped to establish a healthy, vibrant, growing system. And thanks for hiring us, the younger leaders! But if you want to lead us well, you’ve got to work on a few things:

Believe in us. You did hire us, right? Then continue to believe that we can do our job well! Believe that God is going to continue to mold us and grow us and, some day, make us into better leaders. Believe that we have something valuable to contribute. Believe that we really are a vital part of the organization…and not just a hired, expendable hand.
Encourage us. We may seem completely self-confident…but we need encouragement from someone like you. We don’t just need you to blow smoke at us. If we do a poor job, tell us! But when we do something right, when our gut-decision is the right one, when our project takes off, when we speak up in staff meeting with a new idea and it’s right on point, when you feel like we’re moving in the right direction…encourage us! We trust you, because you’ve been doing for many, many years (or even decades) what we’ve been doing for much less time. And if you tell us that we’re pointing in the right direction, it carries a lot of weight.
Give us ample freedom within your structure. We understand that we can’t just come in and wreck everything. But if you want us to grow and develop, you’ve got to give us freedom to experiment, dream, do things differently, and be discontent with the status quo. We’re more than willing to do exceptional work…but we’ve got to have the freedom to think outside of your box. And giving us freedom may mean you’ve got to release some of your control on the system. If that scares you, then maybe you have too tight a grip.

With much respect,

Younger leaders

Younger leaders, did I leave anything out that I should’ve included?

Older leaders, how does this sit with you?

* These principles are not a reaction to poor leadership at Grace Community Church, but are drawn from the amazing ways that Ron, Chad, and the rest of the team have shepherded me and the other younger leaders.

February 11, 2011 / Ben Reed / 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.

How to use Social Media to drive Blog Traffic

February 10, 2011 / Ben Reed / 5 Comments

Ever wondered how you can use Facebook or Twitter to drive traffic back to your blog or website?

If this is the question you’re asking, then I hate to burst your bubble, but you’re asking the wrong question. You’re starting off on the wrong foot with your approach to social media. Because social media is about giving, not getting. And when you approach an outpost (Twitter, Facebook, etc.) as a means to an end, social media folks can sniff you out a mile away. And they’ll quit following you.

But I do think that, utilized well, social media outposts can help drive traffic to your blog. And providing potential readers/customers (depending on the goal of your site) with information on how to better reach your site can be a great form of customer service. But how do you use them to effectively drive traffic to your site?

What you should do

Remember: social media is about giving, not getting. Be generous with ideas, quotes, stories, and praise of others. If you’re using outposts as a means to simply drive traffic flow to your blog or website, your voice becomes a noise that people will tune out.
Post about other things. It’s okay to alert people that you have a new post…but make sure you don’t do that twice (or more) before you update with something other-than your own site. Don’t be a social media robot, only telling people about your awesome site. Let us know you’re a real person.
Alert potential readers whether this is a new post or a re-post. Most people don’t mind clicking on a re-post, especially if they haven’t read it already. But it’s common courtesy to let people know that this post isn’t hot off the press.
Follow-up: if it’s more than 1 day old, it’s not a new post. Social media is rapidly changing and growing. And if something is more than a day old, it’s hardly considered new.
Use a leading question or statement. Make it a bit provocative. If all you say is, “New post! Check it out! http://…” then I’m less inclined to click through. Give me a reason to click the link.
Use a link shortener. It allows you to add in that leading, provocative question, because you’ll have more characters to use.
Read and respond to your followers. Everywhere you post updates, comments, thoughts, and replies, you’re branding yourself. Because everywhere you do this, you have to login. And when you leave quality responses, it encourages others to read your posts.
Share. Share. Share. Have I mentioned that social media is more about giving than getting? Your generosity and encouragement encourages the same in others.

What you should not do

Don’t just talk about your site. If all of your updates are links back to your site, it feels like you’re not entering the conversation, but that all you care about is padding your own site’s stats. It smacks of self-centeredness. And, like I said above, nobody likes a social media robot.
Don’t post an outpost update more than twice, linking back to the same blog post. It may sound confusing, I know. But all I mean is that if you post the same link on Facebook or Twitter more than twice, you’re going to drive traffic away from your site. At least in the long-run. I think it’s fine to post twice, but if you do it more, you seem to be reaching.
Don’t be a sneaky ninja. Posting two completely different thoughts on Twitter that each link back to the same blog post, causing me to click through twice…not cool, my friend. Nobody likes being duped.

Have you found that social media outposts drive traffic to your site?

Have you found yourself frustrated by those who publicize their site too much?

An Open Letter to Church Visitors

February 9, 2011 / Ben Reed / 4 Comments

Church visitor,

We’re so glad you’re here! We’re absolutely honored you’d worship with us. You need to know that we love Jesus. We’re not perfect, but we’re taking steps of faith regularly. So it’s okay that you’re not perfect either. You’re welcomed just as you are, and we want to serve you in any way that we can.

But instead of just waiting for us to make the move to get you more involved, find you a small group, ask you to serve, and tell you about who we are…I give you permission to approach us. Don’t hang back and expect that we have to make the first move.

Maybe we didn’t see you. Maybe you just slipped out too quickly. Maybe we were working to serve someone else. Maybe we thought someone else had already connected with you. Maybe we wanted to give you space we thought you needed.

Trust me when I say that we want to serve you. We want to connect you. We want you to feel warm and welcomed. We want to help introduce you to Grace. And Hope. And Mercy. And Forgiveness.

But nowhere else in life do you expect someone to make a friend for you. You expect that you’ve got a role to play in building a relationship and reach out. There’s got to be a give-and-take in every relationship. Right?

We won’t bite. We’ll actually be happy. We’re delighted to plug you in. You make the move. Don’t wait on us. Move.

Sincerely,

–Church leaders everywhere

to view the flip side of this, the Church’s response to visitors, see my thoughts HERE.

Movers and shakers

February 8, 2011 / Ben Reed / 9 Comments

Every church has ‘movers and shakers.’ You know who I’m talking about.

They’re restless. Never content with the status quo. Always have a good idea. Ready to move, grow, and change. They want things shaken up.

They tend to frustrate people…at least the people who are comfortable and content with the way things are. They’ve been called unruly and out of line. Disrespectful and clueless. They’re the ones who ‘just can’t be content with anything.’ They challenge the effectiveness of programs, methods, and the well-worn path.

Church leaders have to do something with these folks. Because they don’t just slowly and quietly disappear if you ignore them.

What to do with Movers and Shakers

1. Ignore them. This will end up going badly for everybody. Church leaders will be frustrated because these folks just keep stirring the pot. The movers will be frustrated because nobody is moving with them. Nobody will be happy. Trust me.

2. Shut them down. This way, you maintain the status quo, get fewer feathers ruffled, and squeeze out the mover. You stifle change, and avoid risk.

3. Listen to their ideas. Give them a voice, and hear how God is stirring their hearts. Work to see how their thoughts fit within the culture of your people. And be willing to adapt your methods if these ideas can help further the Kingdom.

I’m convinced that God stirs discontentment in people’s hearts for a reason. It’s no accident. And if you believe that God is sovereign, you’ve got to affirm the same.

God loves His Church and wants to see her prosper. And, yes, God doesn’t change. But He’s perfect…we’re not. We should be continually evaluating our systems and methods to help more and more people come to a saving faith in Christ. Because if what we’re doing isn’t increasingly leading those who are far from Christ to take steps of faith towards him…then let’s change some things and reverse that trend. And if the ideas that are brought to the table by the movers and shakers doesn’t seem to fit who you are and what God’s calling you as a local church to do and be…then consider sending them out as church planters to do what God’s calling them to do. Not sending them out as heretics…but as people on mission.

Continue to tweak. Improve. Move and shake.

Have you ever been a part of a church that pushes ‘movers and shakers’ away?

Are you a ‘mover and shaker’? How has the Church served you well?

Building Biblical Community

February 7, 2011 / Ben Reed / 16 Comments

Congrats to Tiffany Malloy for winning this prize pack!

I review small group curriculum. A lot. Some of it’s good. Some of it I wish I had never wasted my time looking over.

But I’ve just stumbled on a great study from Lifway. Which, to be honest, is shocking to me. Lifeway has been putting out Sunday School curriculum for years in the form of quarterly material that you subscribe to. And I had no interest in figuring out how to fit Sunday School curricula into our small groups system. They’ve found a format that works for small groups, and brought together a couple of small group veterans (Steve Gladen and Bill Donahue) to help facilitate the DVD portion of the material.

If you want a chance to win a free copy of the material, keep reading!

What I like about Building Biblical Community

It starts by encouraging everybody to share their story. I believe that this is foundational to healthy, biblical community. Without knowing people’s stories, it takes much longer to build authentic relationships. Without sharing your own, it’s easy to hide. Sharing your story, and understanding what expectations you (and the group as a whole) are bringing to the table help launch the group on the right foot.
There’s real interaction with Scripture. There’s no question that this is truly a Bible study. Discussion is encouraged around the meaning of the text, both historically and practically. And there is a distinct push for you to incorporate Scripture into your everyday life, asking questions that prompt you to integrate the Gospel into the normal flow of your day. And I agree with Spence Shelton, that a Building Biblical Community, vol II focusing further on applying the Gospel to community life could be a great follow-up resource.
There are short, daily devotionals for in-between the week’s meetings. And these are built on the previous week’s discussions, which means that they’re not vital to the following week’s discussion. So the homework is important, but if you don’t get to finish it, you won’t be lost in the following week’s discussion.
It’s simple. It’s often easier to say more, citing more Scriptures, and asking more questions than it is to say less. Thankfully, Lifeway didn’t take the easy way out.
It’s short. It’s only 4 weeks. I’ve found that longer studies seem to grow stale because they take so long to finish. And, like I said HERE, change (even when it’s something as small as your group’s curriculum) feels like progress.
It’s a great overview of group life. It hits on each of the major areas of healthy small groups without spending too much time on any one category. Here are the 4 sessions: Becoming a Celebrating Community, Becoming a Learning Community, Becoming a Loving Community, Becoming a Serving Community.
The leader notes are in the back. It saves money from having to buy another book. Last time I checked…that was a good thing. And leader notes give the group facilitator hints on how to continue the discussion, helping them feel even more comfortable in the role God has called them to.

How I’m going to use the study

New small groups.
Small groups that are restarting.

I don’t quickly put a curriculum into our regular flow of recommended curricula at Grace Community Church, where I’m on staff. But this one’s going in the rotation immediately.

If you’d like a chance to win a free copy of this material (I’ll be giving it away on Friday, 2-11-2011), all you have to do is

1. ReTweet (or share on Facebook) this post.

2. Leave a comment below, telling us why you’d like to win.

The Shallow Small Group

February 3, 2011 / Ben Reed / 7 Comments

My good friends at Blue Fish TV put this video together. It’s awesome.

Enjoy!

Have you ever been a part of a shallow small group?

What are you doing to avoid your small group being shallow?

Theological laziness

February 2, 2011 / Ben Reed / 7 Comments

Image by Redeemer Fellowship

We tend to take the easy road. The one that’s quicker, easier, and microwaved. And that’s not all so bad with a lot of things. Emails are much faster than letters. Cell phones are much faster and more efficient than landlines. Buying a book on Kindle is faster and cheaper than buying a physical copy and paying for shipping.

But when it comes to theology, don’t do it. Becoming a parrot is much easier than becoming a theologian. But it’s not helpful for the Church. And in the long run, it will leave you intellectually and theologically paralyzed.

At points in my life, I’ve felt pigeonholed into giving the right answer, quoting the right author, and listening to the right preachers. Learn to think, talk, and write like the good guys. Sure, I was encouraged to read the other writers/pastors, but just so I would know their side of the argument.

But we need to think for ourselves. Read. Study. Listen. And arrive at our own conclusions…not just haphazardly arrive at the same conclusions as the popular conservative, conference-speaking, book-writing pastors of our day. Because we can read the Bible for ourselves. And we can think for ourselves. And we can develop theology ourselves.* We don’t have to consult other men and women when we are articulating our theology. And when we consult them in place of thinking for ourselves, we miss out on a great benefit of study: discovery.

God still speaks

Call me crazy, but I still think that God speaks today, and He’s not just speaking to the popular pastors. He’s speaking to me. And you. And all other believers.

Standing on the shoulders of giants is different than standing behind them yelling, “Yeah…what he said!” Standing on the shoulders of giants means that we learn and grow from those who have gone before us. Standing on their shoulders means we don’t simply lay hold of their conclusions…the ones it took them years to arrive at. That borders on intellectual thievery.

Most people tend to take the easy way out. When it comes to theology, don’t short-circuit the work on God in your heart.

Have you ever been lulled into taking the easy way out when it comes to understanding the things of God?

Disagree with me? Leave a comment below and let’s discuss it!

*Hear me correctly: I’m not trying to divorce myself from our church fathers. There’s a depth and richness to their writing that’s difficult to find today. And there’s great wisdom in learning from those who have gone before us, and who are continuing to presently pave the way. I’m just not linking myself so tightly with them that I can’t use the brain that God has given me to actually do what it was intended to do. Think!