Asking the Questions

I recently read a very interesting book, entitled "Humble Inquiry: The Gentle Art of Asking Instead of Telling", by Edgar H. Schein.  No, this isn't a theology book.  If we classified it, it might be more of a business management style book at heart.  However, the author does indeed raise some very intriguing points that I believe we are wise to think about as Christians.

Basically, Dr. Schein writes about how we live in a "tell" society.  Think about your conversations.  Don't we spend more time telling others what we think, what we have seen, what our thoughts are, and the like, rather than asking what others think, or how others percieve things?  Truth be told, I have even seen this in myself, where I am part of a conversation, and as someone else is talking, I'm already thinking about the next thing I want to say rather than listening to what they are saying.  I really do believe this is one of the signs of being raised in a "tell" culture.

Instead, what Dr. Schein proposes is to be more inquiring when it comes to conversations in any and all situations.  Instead of a "tell" culture, he calls for developing an "ask" culture.  Okay, so what does that look like.  Imagine having a conversation where the other person genuinely is interested in what you are saying, is asking questions that show that they are truly paying attention, and aren't interested in telling you what they think or what their experiences are.  That would be something like what Dr. Schein would propose.

Sounds good, right?  Who doesn't want others to have a genuine interest in what they say or think?  And here is where I think this connects with our Christian faith.  Instead of "telling" others what we have that they are missing, or "telling" them where they are straying from God's will and design, what if we asked questions with a genuine interest in discovering what led them to the place in life that they happen to be in?  We might discover a lot of connection points with our God and our Christian faith.  We might discover that they aren't as far "out there" as we might think.  We may even discover that, since we have shown a genuine interest in them, they may also return the favor and show interest in us.  What possibilities might that hold for us to speak of our Savior, our God, and our faith?

As I read through the Gospels, I find Jesus asking a lot of questions and listening intently to the people He conversed with.  In this instance, I would suggest that scientific study and research has done nothing more than uncovered what God has shown us all along.  Listening and building the relationship will go much further than pretty much any form of us "telling" them what they are missing.  And who knows?  That just might create a new relationship between that person and their Savior, Jesus, as we open our ears and show genuine interest in others more.

The Three "C"s

Building off of yesterday's post, I started thinking about how those things I wrote yesterday apply to leadership, especially in a setting of God's people.  In case you missed yesterday's, here is the link to it.  http://pastorscott25.blogspot.com/2015/05/enduring-fire.html

When you look for people to lead God's people, you want to have people who have been through the fire, and who have shown themselves able to endure, and to lead others through the fire.  When you think about it, that makes sense.  You'd rather have someone who can lead the way through in a position of leadership, rather than someone who cannot endure through the fire.  We can only lead as far as we are able to go, after all. 

That leads to a phrase I heard a few years back about those who would lead in positions within the body of God's people.  The man who shared it said he would look for three things, each of which begin with C.  Character, chemistry, and competence.  Just a few words on each as to how they apply, especially in leadership of God's people.

I'll start with character, which I would suggest is the highest priority.  Especially in a situation where leaders of God's people are called to be standards to which others can look and imitate, character is of utmost importance.  Character calls for doing the right thing, even when it's not the popular thing to do.  Character calls for a life of integrity, where you are not one person in one situation, and then someone else in a different situation.  Character calls for humilty, in looking for the good of God's people, even if it calls for demands and sacrifices on your part.  Character means that you will abide within what God says, so much as you are able, regardless of the outcome.

You also need some level of competence.  If you are untrained, say, at working with children, you might not be the best one to work with the nursery class.  While formal training in the areas is nice, really, it amounts to you having experience in what you seek to do.  Yes, there is a time and place to learn if you have never been in that situation before, but at that point, you should not be expected to be a leader, then.  You're a student, learning the ropes, and not a leader, calling for others to follow you, if you have never been there before.

Chemistry is also vitally important.  You could have a great level of competence, but if your character has not permitted you to work well with others, you could end up doing more damage than good.  Character and chemistry have some level of interaction here.  However, you could be the most upstanding person, but yet have difficulty working with superiors or those who would report to you.  After all, the hand simply cannot say "I don't need you" to the rest of the body and still remain part of the body.

Character, competence, and chemistry.  Three necessary ingredients, especially as it applies to those who would be leaders in God's church.

Enduring the Fire

"More than that, we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit  who has been given to us."  Romans 5:3-5

As a young college student, I briefly worked at a grocery store.  I started out as the kid who would bag up your groceries and carry them out, but just a couple of weeks into the job, the manager had me trained to run the register.  I had two brief sessions of observing another clerk, and then, the next day, he told me it was time for me to undergo the trial by fire.  I was put in the register by myself to learn how it worked.  A frightening thought at first, but one that I learned to pick up quickly.

Thrown into the fire.  Sink or swim.  We have a lot of different phrases to describe this kind of thing.  Basically, we are tested to see if we will succeed, or if we will fail.  And that is the same kind of thing that Paul is describing in the verses above.  When you get tested, are you going to see good fruit borne from it, or not?

When it comes to our lives as Christians, we also find this same work going on.  The Spirit resides within us, to give us God's strength.  Yet, His presence doesn't mean that we will all come through with flying colors.  Because of our sinful human nature, we will have times where we look to blame others for our lack of success.  We will have times where we excuse our behavior because we want to think that someone else engaged in worse behavior.  And as we do that, instead of having character produced, which leads to hope, we instead sow discord, and feed the selfish ego.

God has us endure the fire to test us, to see how our character is being shaped by God's Spirit into the likeness of Jesus.  We could think of it along these lines.  As we are shaped by God's Spirit, we don't look to what is best for ourselves, but best for our neighbor.  We may look for justice, but not at the expense of compassion.  We look at our actions to see if they build up, or if they destroy.  We examine the words we use to see if they serve God and His people, or if they serve us.

Sadly, there are many who find themselves in the flames (or in the water, if you like the sink and swim one better), and who simply do not stand up to the test.  Those are the ones who need our care and compassion, even as we work with them to teach them how to endure, so that, next time they face the fire or the lake, they are better able to stand with the Spirit and endure.

Good News Communication

Just a little bit of thinking out loud on a Tuesday morning today.

I've been giving some thought to the different kinds of communication that we rely upon in our world these days.  As I've thought about this, I've created a kind of "chart" of different kinds that are commonly used within churches.  I'll put it together here for you, and then share a few thoughts on it underneath.

                           Infrequent                                                      Frequent
                    Newsletter

Impersonal
                                                 Bulletin                                          Facebook/Social Media
                                                                                                                      Blog
                                                                                                                Mass Email
Personal
                                           Announcements                                          Text Messaging
                                                                                                              Phone Calls
                                                                                                             Word of Mouth
                                                                                                              Personal Visits

Okay, so brief explanation. Upper right hand corner has the types of communication that are infrequent and impersonal.  As you move downward, the communication gets more personal.  As you move from left to right, the frequency of communication increases.  The items listed are supposed to demonstrate some level of that (Yes, chartmaking is not a strength of mine!).

A couple of observations: The ways we tend to rely upon to convey information are more effective as they get more frequent and more personal.  You shouldn't be surprised to see that the most effective types of communication are those that are frequent and personal.  That is the best way to communicate and connect with others.

In general, churches tend to have some level of reliance on more impersonal types of communication.  These are also the least effective.  The more personal and frequent you can communicate your information, the better.  (Think of the implications of that when you think about matters such as evangelism and the like.)  If you want to have something communicated, the most effective way is also the least "efficient" way (yes, let's face it, it is more efficient to run off a bunch of papers and hand them out, but they are also among the least effective.), that of personal connections.

As you think about life where you attend to hear God's Word, how personal or frequent is the communication?  What is communicated impersonally and what is communicated personally?  With what frequency do you communicate?  These will all have an impact on how much God's message gets conveyed, as well as the information you wish to share with others. 
 

"Real Life" and Faith

There are times in life where "real life" gets in the way of what we hope to accomplish or achieve.  In recent months, the birth of a baby has truly impacted what I would like to accomplish in my professional and occupational life.  Transitions involving naps, tantrums, and adjustments to the regular routine cause that part of my life to be impacted as I deal with "real life" at home.

Believe, this isn't something I am complaining about.  The fact that I have an occupation and situation where I can spend that extra time with my family is something that is truly a blessing.  Even when my shoulder is wet with spitup (yet again), I find very little to complain about.  Okay, lack of sleep can be something to complain about, but thankfully, inroads are being made to resolve that issue!

Okay, rambling man, so what's the point?  "Real Life" often has an impact on our lives outside our home.  The thing is, it also has an impact on faith.  What do you do with the tempermental teen who doesn't want to go worship on Sunday morning?  How do you have a discussion with your child about God's commandment against stealing when their "real life" friends are involved in breaking the commandment?  What do you do when "real life" leaves you tired, depressed, and struggling, and your faith may seem to have relatively few immediate answers?

One thing I would suggest when "real life" happens and faith gets impacted.  Don't stop talking about it.  In fact, far too often, real life situations arise because we haven't talked about faith matters and what they have to do with real life.  Why is God so adamant about stealing?  That discussion could lead to a greater appreciation for how God distributes His gifts, and what that means in terms of ownership.  Talking about what coveting is may actually lead to discussion about contentment, and may actually have an impact on spending habits and envy toward friends and their possessions.

Basically, the more we can talk about faith (not just church, but faith, a distinction I intend to make in a coming post), the more we open up to talking about the role our faith plays in our real life.  That's when we start to see how faith can impact "real life" rather than having "real life" impact our faith.

Who is God, and Why is the Question Important?

Who is God?  That might not be the question on the mind of many people, at least not on any kind of regular basis.  Sure, when significant things happen in life, they might wonder about some entity bigger than they are, but in the day to day runnings of life, most probably don't give a great deal of thought to the question. 

That often leads to the question getting relegated, as I mentioned, to those significant moments of life.  The problem is, those moments are most often tragic, or moments of pain and hurt.  A loved family member dies unexpectedly.  A relationship is painfully broken.  Then, the question comes out, why would God let/cause this to happen? 

I would suggest that the question of "Who is God" is most difficult to answer in those cases if one hasn't been asking the question throughout one's life.  If you start off each day asking who God is, and you see the sunshine, or the needed rain, or you hear the birds singing, or you see the fall colors, or new growth in the spring, you start to see God as much more involved in this life and world, than if you only focus on those significant moments.  And then, if you see God's hand working in these kind of ways, then you start to see that the supposed absence of God in those tough moments actually show that God's goodness is far more prevelant than the times of His supposed absence.

That's why this question is important, not just at those significant moments of life, but daily.  God created and designed this world to run in a particular way, a way that is truly fascinating to behold.  I've had the joy of living in places where you can see His hand at work in creation, and it truly is amazing to see.  I've had the joy of seeing God working in the lives of many people, and see how their recognition of His daily presence gives them far greater strength when the tough times inevitably hit.  When we relegate the question only to the big moments of life, we're going to be far more disappointed, because we fail to see how God is concerned with everything that happens each day.  We expect the miraculous, which God only seems to do on occasion, and then we are disappointed that God didn't throw a miracle our way to stop our pain. 

How does that question invade your daily life?  As it does, what do you see about who God is? 

When Dark Is The Road Ahead

I recently read an interesting take on that most popular of Psalms, Psalm 23.  Many of you may know it, but it would be worth reading again before you read on in this entry.

Notice, as you work through the Psalm, about the relationship that David describes between himself and God.  At the first, things are good.  God is leading David to green pastures and still waters, and he speaks of God in the third person.  "He leads me...He makes me."  When life is good, so often God becomes third person to us.  He's out there.  He's doing things, but it isn't quite as personal.

But notice how the language changes as the valley of the shadow of death appears.  Though I walk through the valley, YOU are with me.  YOUR rod and YOUR staff, they comfort me.  When life was good, God was third person.  But then, when life gets challenging, when threats appear, suddenly the move is made to God in the second person.  YOU.  As though talking to someone walking along beside, not up there merely watching from above.

It's amazing how dark and difficult times bring out a much closer relationship between God and His people.  And it almost makes you think, especially when you read through much of what God, of what Jesus, tells us about life in this world.  You will have trouble.  Life will not always be good.  And you almost have to wonder if that's not actually some part of God's grand design.

If the dark times draw us closer to God, don't you think He might put them before us so that we become closer to Him?  What more fervent prayer is there than the one Jesus prayed mere hours before He was crucified?  It's hard to be closer to God than when you are walking down the dark road and all you have is Him to lean.

I face occasional dark times in my life and ministry.  What I have found is that they usually end up strengthening my relationship with God in Jesus even more.  I hate going through them.  They are wrenching to the stomach, they lead to sleepless nights, and the like.  However, more often than not, I find myself talking to God at those times even more.  Could it possibly be that He would actually want something like that, so that I would be closer to Him?

Maybe David was on to something.  Maybe the dark times pull us closer to Jesus, and that's where we find ourselves relating to Him even more.  Or, maybe, that's where He reminds us that the price was high that He paid for us, but He sees that price as one well worth paying.

The Art of Training

Proverbs 22:6--Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old, he will not depart from it.

It's likely that you have read this verse before.  So many Christians have looked at this verse over the ages and thought it a worthwhile one to pursue.  And so, many programs have developed around the idea.  Teach children about God, about the Bible, about their faith, and it should "stick". 

In a sense, this kind of approach is a very "modern" approach.  Now, when I use the word "modern", I don't mean a current, up to date approach.  I mean an approach that is typical of the period of time that has been called "modern" in recent years.  And the reason I suggest that this is a "modern" approach is because of the presumptions that go into the approach are ones that came to highlight the "modern" era.

So what are those presumptions?  Well, one of them presumes that, if you fill a child's mind with good things, then good things should come out of the child.  If we apply the proper knowledge and information to the child, then the child should come out right.  And yet, every single one of us can likely name a child who went through a program like Sunday School, confirmation, or some other teaching of the Christian faith, and then failed to live up to the second part of the verse above.  They departed from it.  While their heads may have been filled with good things, the good that was hoped for did not emerge.

That's why I really like the first word of the verse.  "Train."  Training is not merely learning.  Training involves far more than knowledge.  Training aims to penetrate into the entire life.  It involves what we know, as well as how we think, how we act, how we discipline ourselves, and how we actually live out what we think and believe.  Training doesn't presume that, if you put good in, good will come out.  Training presumes that you will have to actively work to bring that good to life.

One of the downsides of traditional "modern" education is that it focuses primarily on the knowledge component of learning.  In recent years, the thought of actually getting out and experiencing what we learn has started to gain much traction.  I'm actually very much in favor of such an approach.  As we actively engage our world with the teachings of our Christian faith, we'll start to see how God's wisdom applies and works within the world.  We'll see the obstacles that we have to learn to deal with, such as inherited sin, greed, selfishness, and alternative worldviews.  And as we encounter those, we then come back together to share those experiences, see what God says about them, and learn and grow with one another.

Training.  It means intentional work.  When St. Paul says to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, I have a suspicion that this is something of what he means.  Not that we have to work to be right with God.  God has done that completely through Jesus, the cross, and the resurrection.  But as we see just how deeply that impacts every aspect of our lives, we recognize the need for training to live that faith out daily.

Taking Time To Learn

I remember the situation.  A young man had gone through a number of sessions with me.  He had been so excited as he learned about the Christian faith.  He wanted to be involved in the life of God's people.  Word had gotten around that he wanted to be involved, and the church, always in need of people to fill the different roles, asked him if he would take on one of those roles.  He enthusiastically said yes.  He was elected, installed, and hit the ground with his feet spinning like crazy.

However, that burning fire quickly started to get doused.  It became apparent rather quickly that there were just some situations that he was unprepared for in his role.  On top of that, while he knew a few people, he hadn't been part of the group long enough to work his way into their trust circle.  His enthusiasm began to wan.  He started to complain about the lack of encouragement he was receiving.  He felt overwhelmed.

It finally got to the point that the end of his term came up, and he happily relinquished his role.  He became yet another in the countless throng who were part of God's people, but weren't really interested in the different roles which the organization needs filled.  And that was one of my first lessons in "Taking Time To Learn."

One thing I often stress to people who are new to the Christian faith or to a particular congregation is to take a period of at least 6 months to get adjusted and acquainted with God's people, with the way that we do things, and to spend that time really connecting with people.  I have seen it happen far too frequently where someone came in, was very enthusiastic, and either didn't know the needs of God's people at that time, or simply were frustrated when others didn't share their same enthusiasm.  The problem is, the congregation is often far to willing to play along with it.  "We need someone, and they were so excited to do it" is often the rallying cry.  So the congregation plays along in the very thing that ends up hurting.

That's why I often encourage people to take the 6 months or more prior to getting involved.  It allows them to connect with God's people.  They start to learn which things are important, and why they are important.  When they indicate a willingness to participate, it allows for some training, when necessary, and also allows them to be included, to learn the purpose behind the various things that they may be involved in, as well as learning the expectations that come along with those.  And in the end, those are always good things to learn.

I realize that there are those who don't agree with such an approach.  But I would dare argue that, for every person whose fire of enthusiasm burned out by waiting, there were many more who benefited even more from learning God's people, what was happening, and how to be part of what was going on, and they became more deeply involved.  They understood what they were getting into.  As Jesus instructs us, they learned to count the cost of what they were becoming part of, and were able to have a clearer picture of what that cost was.  And in the end, it benefited them, the congregation, but most importantly, God's enduring kingdom in great ways.

Evil for Good?

"And why not do evil that good may come?"  Romans 3:8

I've heard the argument from many different angles over the years.  "Christians aren't supposed to be perfect", spoken to give excuse to a particular sin someone enjoyed.  "I want God's grace to shine", as though the more sin one was involved in, the more grace God would provide.  "It's only about God and His grace and forgiveness in Jesus", given as the reason to continue in some sin that that person really didn't want to battle or resist.

Each of these arguments comes back to one thing.  I don't want to give up my sin, even though I know it's sin, so I'll convince myself that God will continually pour out good upon my evil, even if I don't intend to change, to repent of it, or even to consider it as bad.  In other words, why not do evil that good may come? 

Now, there are some things that we should consider.  While God's law calls for complete perfection, God realizes that we are sinful sinners.  We won't be able to be perfect, no matter how hard we try.  However, we also don't admit our inability to do what God says, and then just stop trying to battle against it.  While the sinful nature wants to indulge repeatedly in sin, the new creation wants to do what God says.  In a sense, doing evil that good may come is to continually indulge the sinful nature in the hope that God will simply overlook my intentional sin.

The thing is, God looks much differently at intentional sin than in unintentional sin.  Are both paid for by Jesus on the cross?  Undoubtedly, since that sacrifice covered every sin.  However, does God look at the intentional sin as us choosing sin rather than God?  I have a difficult time thinking otherwise.  After all, if we choose anything other than God, aren't we breaking the commandment against having other gods?  And isn't that the most dire sin of all?

We can never fully do what God says while the sinful nature still exists.  However, as God's Spirit brings Christ's forgiveness to us, the new creation strives to grow in keeping what God says.  Our indulgence of our sin has us basically choosing to side with sin, death, and Satan, the unholy trinity, rather than the Father, Son, and Spirit, the holy Trinity.  And that's where I think Paul's rhetorical question speaks much deeper to us than what we might really want or desire.

Learning How You Learn

It seems so easy.  You pick up a ball and throw it to another person squatting about 63 feet away.  Your goal is to throw it in such a way that a guy standing there with a piece of wood can't hit it.  To aid you in this, there are several different ways that you can grip the ball before you throw it, which will affect how it twists and turns on the way to the glove.  If you just look at the grips, you also should be able to throw the ball so that the guy with the wooden stick misses it, right?

How many of us think that we could throw a baseball with the many different pitch options that there are, and do so effectively, just by looking at pictures of the different grips?  I remember, when I was young, that I would go out to the side of our garage and try the different grips to see if I could make the ball spin like it should.  Unfortunately for me, I could really never get the ball to do what I wanted it to do.  But it sure wasn't for lack of trying!

What I'm describing here is something that I call experiential learning.  You learn to do something by actually doing it.  If you want to learn to throw a baseball pitch, you actually go out there and throw the pitch, as least, to the best of your ability.  If you want to learn to become a more conversational person, you don't do it by reading a book; you do it by going out and talking to people.  Sure, the first few conversations may be a bit awkward, but as you learn the give and take of conversation, you learn how to talk with people that you may not know well.

I would argue that the Christian Church has not always focused properly on experiential learning.  So often, we simply teach what God says is right or wrong, but leave it at that.  There's a time and place for this kind of teaching.  It's the first step in our Christian lives.  But so often, that's where Christian instruction stops (and yes, I'm guilty of this too).  We teach the head knowledge, but fail to carry it through to the life knowledge and experience.

Take, for example, God's gift of forgiveness.  We hear that God has forgiven us in Jesus, and that we then become forgiving people.  But so often, that's where the lesson stops.  We don't actually send people out, tell them to find someone to forgive that week, and then talk about their experiences the following time when we get together.  We simply teach it as head knowledge, but the experience of living out forgiveness happens far too infrequently, and in part, I believe that's because we fail to have people experience it and then talk about it.

For those who are part of the place where I minister, you can expect to see much about experiential learning in the future.  And don't be surprised when I actually have you go out and practice some of the things that we believe as Christians!

History's Influence

Okay, it's time to face a fact that we don't often want to admit, but the sentiment tends to be there nevertheless.  There are parts of the Bible that are more fun to read than others.  I've talked to several people who decided to start reading the Bible from front cover to the end.  They usually get through Genesis and the early parts of Exodus before getting bogged down.  And by the time they hit Leviticus, well, let's just say that they start looking forward to stories rather than lists of "do's" and "don't's".

I can also remember a brief skit I did a number of years ago.  It was poking a little fun at how we maintain our interest in our times of worship.  One of the characters in the skit was a lady who had a tendency to fall asleep.  The evidence?  She was discovered with her Bible open to the book of 1 Chronicles!  Yes, that really exciting book about the lists of kings.  Who wouldn't want to read that with a great deal of fascination, right?

Yes, there are some aspects of history that are less, shall we say, enjoyable than others.  And yes, that seems to go for the Bible as well.  It also goes for our own personal and corporate lives of faith.  There are parts of our faith lives that we'd rather ignore or forget about.  And then, there are those times that really stand out to us.  We live to retell them.  We love to share those stories.

Knowing our history can indeed be a powerful thing.  One of the things that God told His people after He had freed them from Egypt was to teach the story of the history of the exodus to each generation.  They were take the dedicated time each year and retell the story.  Their history defined much about who they were as God's people.  They were not to forget what God had done for them through their ancestors.

Now, I could easily cause us to feel guilty about the lack of our knowledge of the history of our faith, and that's not what I'm driving at.  Instead, I'd rather point out that there is a great benefit to making an intentional effort to know our history.  It tells us about what God has done for us.  It helps us see how God has chosen to work in the past, and may give us some guidance into where He continues to lead us.  And it can help us understand some of the relationships that exist between us and others of God's people, and how they came to be what they are.

History influences us, often in ways we don't fully know or understand.  That's part of the reason why I think it's important for us to know about our history.  When we see where we have been, it can give us reassurance in our faith.  It can give us clues as to where God's Spirit is guiding us.  And it can remind us of God's faithfulness to us at all times.  All great things, if you ask me.

Dealing with Expectations

I've become convinced in the course of my ministry that one of the greatest challenges comes in the area of expectations.  To be very blunt about it, everyone has them, but they aren't often expressed very directly.  Usually, you only discover what someone else's expectation is when you have failed to live up to it, and that's when you face the consequences.  The difficult thing is, it's really hard to live up to expectations when you don't really know what is expected of you.

Individuals have expectations, and in congregational life together, congregations have expectations.  If you listen closely, you can sometimes figure out what those expectations are.  For example, if you go to a church, and they talk about how great their particular style of worship is, you can probably read into that kind of statement that changes to their worship aren't going to be easily undertaken.  The expectation is that they like what they are doing, and that it will remain as it is.

Now, as a minister, I would dearly love it if everyone had a true Gospel expectation to everything that we do as Christians.   But I also know human nature enough to know that the sinful nature is also at work when it comes to our expectations.  Sure, we may try to make it sound all nice and godly, but quite often, what we expect is guided by our sinful nature.  And then, when that expectation isn't met, we often convey that fact in rather ungodly ways, especially if we choose to berate the person who broke our expectation, or if we choose to tarnish their reputation without actually talking to them about it.

The thing is, I've also come to another conclusion.  A lot of us don't really even know what our expectations really are.  In a sense, we don't know ourselves well enough to know what it is that we are actually looking for.  And that creates a dangerous mix.  If we don't know what our own expectations are, we really can't expect others to know them, and then, if others happen to break our expectations (that we aren't fully aware of in the first place), we more often than not resort to sinful expressions of our anger.

As a minister, I frequently remind myself that I am dealing with sinful people on a daily basis.  I also remind myself that God has dealt with far worse expectations than what anyone will every expect of me.  That's why I'm so thankful that God can forgive in such great ways, and am thankful for the new creation that He is constantly working in me (and all Christians) on a daily basis in our baptism.  Thanks be to God in Christ Jesus.

The Role of Ritual

I often find myself going back and forth between two somewhat 'competing' viewpoints.  This inner conflict comes to light especially when I think about the role of rituals in our Christian lives.  On the one hand, I tend to love ritual.  You know what's coming.  You know the proper response.  It's kind of like when I leave my keys and my wallet in the same place each night.  I know where they are, so when I get ready in the morning, I don't have to look over the whole house, wondering where I put them.  The ritual keeps things familiar and comfortable.

On the other hand, there also seems to be a role for creativity.  Ritual can lend itself somewhat to stagnation.  When you are always doing the same thing, it can get somewhat stale.  I have my routine when I take my shower in the morning.  But every once in a while, I like to do things in a different order.  What if I wash my hair before I shave?  Radical, I know!

Ritual helps ground our lives.  Nowhere is this more true than in our worship of God and the rituals we attend to as God's Church.  We have a number of rituals that we attend to.  Baptism.  Confirmation.  Our order of worship.  All of these have a particular pattern or order to them.  In many cases, it isn't just the pattern, but even the very words that we speak that are the same.  They become a source of comfort.  We know what's coming, and there is comfort in the familiar.

However, there is also a danger with the ritual.  The danger is that we fail to recognize what is actually happening as we venture through the ritual.  We fall into the habit, and it starts to lose some of the meaning behind it.  For example, so many of us likely know the Lord's Prayer by heart, so much so that we may not even think about the words that we are saying.  And when we don't think about what we are saying or doing, we start to take the ritual lightly.

Notice, though, that I didn't say that God takes it lightly.  God will still do what He does through the ritual, even if we don't happen to recognize His action and meaning.  It's more of our problem than God's problem.  And that's where the role of creativity comes in.  Every once in a while, it's good for us to have something a little different or new entered into the ritual.  Not to simply be doing something different, but to jog our minds and to make us think about what we are doing, and why we are doing it, and what God is doing through it.  Then we grow in appreciation for what is happening in the ritual and its meaning.  And, in the end, that's a pretty good thing.

What motivates you?

In life, there are many different things that motivate us.  Let's take, for example, me and my garage.  It needs to be cleaned out a bit.  There are quite a few boxes in there that could be stacked up better, and a few odds and ends that need to have some permanent places found for them.  There are times when I am motivated to go out there and do something about it, but you probably would expect that my motivations differ from time to time.

For instance, last week we had some severe weather moving through.  My motivation for cleaning the garage up was to get my car in there in case of bad weather.  I wanted to protect my car.  But there was another time, earlier in the week, where my wife had said she wanted me to work on it.  So I went out there to take care of some boxes and bins, not so much because I wanted to, but because she wanted it done.  And then, there have been times where I just wanted something to do, so I found myself in the garage.  And yet, another time where I just got tired of having all those boxes sitting out there unorganized.

Different motivations for the same activity.  And now, I want to pull this into the realm of our Christian worship times together (yes, a rather narrow focus, but it's where I want to start).  Different people are motivated to be there when we worship together for different reasons.  When I first became a pastor, I had this idea that everyone came together because we had the right theology, and that was the most important thing to them.  I have since learned that not everyone attends a particular church merely because of the theology that is taught there.  Some people come because it's the church of their childhood.  Others attend because they like the particular structure or style, or it's what they are used to.  Others attend because they like the person who is the pastor.  Others attend because they have friends in the congregation that they like to see, and yet others see it as their duty to God.  And still others come because of some of the programs that the church offers that happen to fit their particular stations and roles in life.

Of course, none of these are the sole motivation for gathering for worship.  People are rarely that one-dimensional.  I would suggest that we find ourselves attending our local gatherings for worship for a mixture of these and other reasons.  Some of them are more "correct" than others.  And yet, if we simply assume that someone is going to attend our congregation only because we have the correct theology, we're either going to be surprised to find that they don't necessarily think that way, or we're going to have a fairly small group that not only believes the right things about God, but gathers for the correct motivations as well.

Don't get me wrong.  I would love for everyone to be motivated purely by the correct theology and the proper understanding of God and His grace.  But I recognize that the motivation for gathering for worship will hardly ever be that cut and dried.  But here's what I see that I can do.  I can properly teach and preach about God.  I can make sure that the words that I say, and the order of worship that is followed, is one that teaches accurately about God and His grace and will.  I may not be able to change people's motivations, but I can make sure that they hear what God says loudly and clearly.  Sure, a few of them may not like what that has to say, and others may embrace it wholeheartedly.  But as I think about the things that I can do which pertain to people's motivation for worshiping together, I know that the only part of that which I have any control over is the words that I speak from God.  And that is no small factor in how I approach my chosen career.

A "Prophetic" View

One thing we must acknowledge right at the beginning of this post: the Bible is a really large book.  I really feel for the person who doesn't have any experience with the Bible who decides to read it one day, and then starts to do so in typical book fashion.  That is, start at the beginning and work your way through to the end.  Sure, the first part is pretty exciting, as Genesis and even Exodus have some exciting stories.  But then, once you get part way through Exodus, things can really start to bog down on you.  Lists of "do's" and "don'ts" fill the pages, and even the most devoted reader may start to find excuses not to read.

One thing that the size of the Bible has led to is an overlooked view of the books toward the end of the Old Testament, those books known as the prophets.  The things that people find most familiar about them are the little quotations that we come across in the New Testament.  We hear of their foreviews of Jesus, but really don't know much more about them than that they spoke those words.  As for the time in which they lived, or the reason for the words they spoke, or even the general theme of their messages, these are mostly unknown.

I've asked around a bit over the past few weeks about what people know about the prophets, and have found that most people seem to have what I am calling a "romanticized" view of the prophets.  That is, they think that the prophets were wise, well-respected men who spoke as though they had most of their attention on the future in Jesus.  In general, people seem to think that they were liked, almost to the point that the people of their day would be waiting breathlessly for their next words.

That is hardly the case for most of the Old Testament prophets.  To put it bluntly, the life of a prophet, while blessed in the eyes of God, was not an easy one to live.  Most prophets were not liked, and even had attempts on their lives.  Tradition has several of them dying in rather harsh ways, such as Isaiah being sawn in half.  People like Jeremiah were despised, imprisoned, called traitors to the country, and even seen as blasphemous to the people.  They lived on the edge of society, proclaiming God's justice and wrath, as well as God's grace and favor.

For anyone who wants to get an idea of what some of the prophets went through, I would always suggest reading through Jeremiah.  If his story doesn't give you a clearer picture about what it means to speak God's Word to people, then I don't know what will.

Reading the Bible and Being Christian

As a pastor, one of the things that I regularly encourage people to be doing is reading the Bible.  We live in a day and age where access to the Bible is really not that big of an issue.  I've downloaded a few versions on my Kindle, and can pretty much access any translation from the internet.  So it's not that access is an issue as it has been in centuries past, where literacy was low and books were practically non-existent.

But over the past few years, I've given a lot of thought to this issue.  Why do we encourage people to read their Bibles so much?  In part, we really do want people to know what God says.  It's far easier to interact with people in their spiritual needs when they have an idea of what God has really said on the pages of the Bible.  Sure, they may not like what it says, or disagree with what it says, but it's known, and that makes the discussion at least a little bit easier.

However, I have found that this emphasis has also had an unanticipated effect.  On occasion, there have been those who would say that such an emphasis actually served to create a greater sense of guilt, since it wasn't their habit.  And some of these are long standing church people.  As I have encountered that on occasion, it also makes me wonder if an emphasis on reading the Bible is a good thing if it only serves to grow people's guilt.

On top of that, we also face the reality that there are many things in the Bible that are not easily explained, and that the Bible itself is structured in such a way that a straight-through reading likely won't make the most sense to someone who doesn't know it well.  (Plus, it's a big book, which makes it a challenge to read through the whole thing anyway.)  A guide often proves to be a helpful thing, but still fails to paint a complete picture of everything that God says, and often doesn't give answers to the questions that people have as they read through it.

Finally, I wonder if such an emphasis is mostly a modern "problem" that hasn't had to be addressed by God's people over the course of time.  I say it's a modern problem because most of the time between the writing of the Bible and now has been marked by illiteracy.  People knew what they heard read to them during worship times.  Very few individuals had the ability to read, much less access to books or scrolls.  Would we say that those people were "less" Christian because they didn't have the ability to read the Bible?  I would hardly say so.

In my mind, that's why it is appropriate to encourage people to read their Bibles, but to understand that the vast majority of learning God's word is still going to take place in what is read during worship times together, and in the preaching that takes place.  God's Word was given as a spoken word, and only after it was spoken did it become a written word.  The "spoken-ness" of God's Word should always have priority.  That places a great deal of emphasis on what is preached, and so a well-constructed sermon will always be the best vehicle for the Spirit to do His work as God's Word is preached and expanded upon for God's people.  It's not wrong to encourage people to read, but overall, we face the reality that the preached and spoken word will continue to have more far-reaching impact than any amount of encouragement to read on their own.

Using Big Words

As part of my doctoral studies, I have been required to read a lot of books.  During this time, I have come to notice something that I think is pretty vital about someone who wants to teach others.  Using really big words that are tough to understand really doesn't come across as teaching.  It comes across more as though you are trying to show off your education, or to prove how smart you are.  It's almost as though some authors like to prove to you that they are smarter than you, simply by the way they write.

Don't get me wrong.  There is a time and place for big words.  A lot of occupations and fields of study have specialized vocabulary, and that's completely appropriate.  There are even times when you need to use those big words when you are talking to people who may be unfamiliar with your field.  The key seems to be, don't talk to them as though you are trying to prove how smart you are.  Instead, talk to them with a genuine interest in teaching them why such vocabulary is important, and make sure to take the time to teach them what your big words mean.

When it comes to the Christian faith, we also have a lot of big, specialized words.  Words like justification, sanctification, and so forth are very descriptive of elements of the faith.  And yet, there have been many times when I have cringed when I heard those words being used in a conversation.  It's not because I think the words are wrong, but because they seem to be a way of the Christian sounding intelligent.  But what really seemed to happen is that the person who was listening went away from the conversation as though the Christian was simply trying to prove that he or she was more intelligent than them, and actually ended up leaving a bad taste in the mouth of that person.

Again, big words have their place.  I would argue that their place is NOT to make the Christian seem intelligent, nor are they to be used in a way that boosts up our egos while putting down those who may not know what the words mean. 

This brings to mind something that a very wise man once told me.  He said that he had a teacher who once gave them the assignment to take the various concepts and big words of the the faith, and to come up with 100 other ways of saying the same thing.  That exercise helped him to see that there are many ways to describe our big words without coming across as a know-it-all.  It also helped him to see that many parts of the Christian faith may have technical terminology, but can also be described in fairly simple ways.

So, please, be aware of your vocabulary.  Yes, it's okay to use the big words, but make sure you are using them to explain them to the person you are talking to, and not to boost up your own ego. 

Planning and Preparation for a Project

Many of you may know that the past few years have found me pursuing a degree known as the Doctor of Ministry.  I have been taking classes and am now approaching the last one, to be taken next summer.  Outside of that class, all that remains is the conducting of my project, the write-up of which serves as the basic elements of my dissertation.

Part of my plan for the project will begin to be enacted in the life of the congregation I serve.  My tentative plans are to begin some major parts of it this fall.  For those who may be curious, there are a couple of interesting facets to what I want to do with the project, and the impact that I want to see lived out in the life of the congregation.

A big component of the project has to do with utilizing Martin Luther's Small and Large Catechisms.  One of the basic assumptions I am making as I begin the project is that many people simply do not fully know or understand even the most basic teachings of the Christian faith.  As I have pointed out in previous posts, Martin Luther wrote the Small Catechism in a time which seems to be a fair comparison to this day and age, especially in terms of knowing even the basics of the Christian faith.  It seems that making use of such a resource may be completely appropriate.

Additionally, my focus area for my studies has been in the field of "Missional Leadership."  What exactly does this mean?  It means that my focus is on how I can lead and equip God's people in growing in their understanding of the teachings of the faith, and then guiding them in the living out of God's will in their lives.  A significant part of this involves teaching the different doctrines, as well as demonstrating how they apply to God's people as they live their lives.

I am currently in the process of putting together the different resources that I plan to utilize for enacting the project.  It will require some fairly significant commitments on my part, and I'm hoping that a decent number of people in the congregation will also commit to following through with it.  In future posts, you will be hearing about some of the components, as I plan to make use of my blog to help me clarify my thoughts and plans, as well as to seek feedback and input.

Thinking Deep Thoughts

Some of you may know that I am pursuing a higher education degree, one called a Doctor of Ministry.  This degree is intended to be a practical application of Lutheran Christian teaching and practice, consisting of things which I learn, which I then put into practice in the life of the congregation.  I've been at this for a few years now, and each time I've been engaged in my two week classes, I've always had something to work with.

It hasn't been all that often that I've felt overwhelmed by the depth of the things that I have to read and learn for the classes.  Sure, there are many authors that are not easy to read, but the basics of what they say make a great deal of sense.  However, for this go-round, I have been encountered with a class that has challenged me to read authors that attempt to get at the background of the reasons that people today think the way they do, and then to discern what that means for the Christian Church as we approach them with the good news of God in Christ Jesus.  Needless to say, this has been very challenging.

Have you ever really tried to understand someone who really thinks differently than you do?  Have you ever tried to engage someone whose whole life and existence is based upon something very different from your own?  I know I've heard it said many times, "I just don't understand X (X could be the younger generation, the fascination with some form of entertainment or music, or pretty much anything else.)"  Shoot, maybe you've thought that on a number of occasions, too.  That kind of statement shows just how big of a challenge this is.

I'm really looking forward to the two papers that I have to write afterward for this particular class.  I have no doubt that I will struggle to get them written, since I'll have to think about things that will sometimes lie beyond my way of thinking.  However, I see the benefit of such a challenge as this, and since I love to take up challenges, I'm looking forward to it quite a bit.

Explaining it to others, well, now you're talking a different kind of ballgame.