February 25, 2009
LOVE NOT THE WORLD
“Lord,
by your Apostle John you have told us,
love not the world,
nor the things that are in the world,
for it is the heart that you require.
Enable me to fix my affections not on sensual pleasures,
riches, or honours,
for if I allow my heart–my affections–
to centre on anything but you,
I actually make that thing my god,
and in so doing forfeit my title and pretensions
to eternal happiness.”
–Susanna Wesley
February 10, 2009
Here are some more links on developing an assimilation plan for your guests:
February 10, 2009
I’m sitting here in class and the prof. is gone, so we’re watching a video. You know what that means…I’m playing on the internet and reading blogs. So, here’s another link for your viewing pleasure–an opportunity this summer for service in NYC.
Check it suckaz.
February 10, 2009
The Rev. Allen sent me some links that might help one in thinking through an assimilation plan for their local church. LifeConnection wants to see guests become fully engaged members of the church who are pursuing Jesus. So, if you find yourself with the same kind of goal you might want to check these out.
Feedback? Thoughts?
November 19, 2008
Here is some free reading from Resurgence that you may want to check out.
November 18, 2008
1 Samuel 12:23-25
“Moreover, as for me, far be it from me that I should sin against the Lord by ceasing to pray for you, and I will instruct you in the good and right way. Only fear the Lord and serve him faithfully with all your heart. For consider what great things he has done for you. But if you still do wickedly, you shall be swept away, both you and your king.”
–That whole sinning by not praying kind of got my attention…
October 26, 2008
I’ve really been lazy on posting my notes from Catalyst. I know some are way ahead of me in getting theirs up, check it.
My memory on this one isn’t quite as sharp as Andy Stanley’s first session, so I hope this makes some sort of sense:
“Not all time in life is equal.” If only great companies are developed, we’ll simply be a prosperous nation, not a great nation. “Good is the enemy of the great.” What separates the good and the great? Greatness is not a function of circumstance, but of conscious choice. It’s the wrong direction for a church or non-profit to simply seek to become like a business in its efforts to become greater because most businesses are average. The real issue, of moving from a good organization to great one, concerns discipline. We should work to form a culture of discipline within our organization.
Flywheel: There are very few overnight success stories. Most start by pushing the flywheel which slowly gains momentum as it is continually pushed. It took Sam Walton 7 years to open his second store. “Beware of going too fast.” How does something great fall? The undisciplined pursuit of more is how the great fall, jumping from 100 to 10,000 turns on the flywheel is the fall, which is true hubris. So how does an organization determine if they are reaching too far?
1. The sign is when the organization is growing beyond its ability to fill its key positions with the right people. We should be concerned with Who and then What. The right “who” will bring about the right “what.” The ultimate preparation for what cannot be predicted? It is who one places himself with. In Collins’ research he found that there are several levels of leaders, 5 being the most effective. He found that the component shared by all level 5 leaders who led great companies was…Humility. It is seen in the passion for the well-being of the company (rather than themselves) combined with the will to do what it takes for the company to succeed.
2. The rest of my notes are kind of choppy, my apologies: We need a TO DO list but also a STOP DOING list. Sometimes the critical question to see an organization become great is what should we NOT do anymore?
Here was Jim’s TO DO list:
October 14, 2008
As I was feverishly studying for my Old Testament Midterm that doesn’t actually take place until next week (glad I lost sleep over that one), I came across a great quote from Bruce Metzger on the Old Testament:
Let it be clear at the outset that of all the “helps” which assist the reader to understand the New Testament, the Old Testament is by far the most important. In that collection of 39 books one finds the religious presuppositions and historical background without which the thinking and experiences of the New Testament writers cannot be understood.
–You’re welcome.
October 13, 2008
I found some YouTube video of the musical worship from Catalyst. Check er’ out.
October 12, 2008
Well, in my last post I said I would update after each day at Catalyst since I had free Wifi in my hotel room. The funny thing about that…that was the last time I was actually able to connect in my room for some reason, so I guess I’ll just update now.
This was a great first experience. It was quite the event–lots of technology, my goodness. They brought in dynamic and influential leaders, communicators, and authors to speak on issues of leadership. The main idea of the entire conference, which every speaker involved in their talk, was that of working Together. Ultimately, a united movement of Christian leaders with is the only way to truly engage and transform culture. I’m sure lots of this will be on YouTube soon if it’s not already.
Session 1: Andy Stanley
Louder Than Words (Nehemiah 5:6-18)
Having set up the context of the above passage and explaining that the situation economically in Jerusalem was somewhat similar to the one we find ourselves in, i.e. struggling, debt, chaotic political structure, etc., he went on to describe Nehemiah as wielding so much influence because of his moral authority.
As governor there were certain rights and privileges he was entitled to, but did not engage in. The passage reads:
…But the governors–those preceding me–placed a heavy burden on the people and took forty shekels of silver from them in addition to food and wine. Their assistants also lorded it over the people. But out of reverence for God I did not act like that. Instead, I devoted myself to the work on this wall. All my men were assembled there for the work; we did not acquire any land…(vv.15-16).
Since Nehemiah’s actions were so upright, he was able to successfully call on those who were taking advantage of their own people–lending money with enormous interests rates–to repent of their actions. Stanley said that Nehemiah’s creed aligned with his deed giving him great authority. He also said that this takes a long time to attain and very little time to lose and that Americans expect this alignment of creed and deed from their political and religious leaders.
How does this further relate to the Church? Stanley suggest 3 main ways…
1. Forgiveness: The Christian message IS forgiveness. We’re forgiven because of Jesus so we ought to forgive. Every leader has a sad story of some kind of how they’ve been burned, wronged, or overlooked. And this should be expected, for this is exactly the sort of thing that the ultimate leader, Jesus, experienced. Yet, Jesus Christ forgave those who wronged him as he hung from a miserable Roman cross! So then, there is no excuse for an angry, bitter, revengeful church leader. Those who hold on to their hurt and anger, withholding forgiveness, forfeit their moral authority because they can’t even preach their own message, which has forgiveness at its core.
2. Family: The Christian ought to have their priorities aligned as such and in this order: God, family, and then church. Stanley made a powerful statement right at the outset. He said that for some, the most spiritual thing they could have done at that moment was to leave and go home. For some, their family has been neglected for the sake of ministry and priorities need to be re-aligned. He said that our American culture desperately needs to see Christian leaders loving their families because Americans are in a terrible state of affairs when it comes to this. We must lead the way in this, for we cannot be agents of change in our culture when we are failing at the level of our own families. One of the other powerful statements he made concerning this, was that Christian leaders must prioritize the role only they can play (as a parent and spouse) over the role that many can play (as a Christian minister).
3. Finances: The final point Stanley made concerned how leaders spend their dough. Since most in the room were working in churches or non-profits, he said that this area of life is huge. He reminded us all that every dollar we earn as ministers and non-profit workers is given by our supporters or congregations. So, we must beware of hypocrisy at the fundamental level of finances. He said, “To lead generous people, we must be generous.” He suggested that of every $10 we make, we at least give $1 back to the work of God’s kingdom, another to savings, and then live on the rest. He suggested that if Americans had practiced this, they wouldn’t have quite the fear that they currently have. The best decision Nehemiah made in the above passage was NOT to take his fair share.
Ultimately, the biggest idea that stuck with me, having heard Andy Stanley, was the great importance of having and keeping my moral authority. Not only because a life of integrity is honoring to God, but because I can never wield the influence that is necessary in my culture without it. It is hard to earn and easy to lose. Man o man. So, what are your thoughts?
