Greatest. Muppet. Parody. Ever.
Enjoy the video and Happy Thanksgiving!
Monthly Archives: November 2009
3 More: Books I’m Reading
Yesterday I posted about my desire to finish up before the end of the year the 10 or so open books that I have been reading. To continue with that post here are 3 more books that I’d like to finish before 2010.
ReJesus: A Wild Messiah for a Missional Church by Michael Frost and Alan Hirsch
Alan Hirsh wrote a great book called The Forgotten Ways a few years ago. That book was a call for Christians to bring the power and community found in the first century church to the here and now in order to make a great impact for the kingdom. ReJesus is about the source of that power and community: Jesus Christ. I have had this book waiting in the queue for most of the year and I am very much looking forward to getting into it.
So what’s this book all about? It’s all about Jesus, with direct implications for our discipleship, some radical challenges for our churches, and some suggested reformulations for our spirituality. In short, it’s about reJesusing the church. So this book is dedicated to the recovery of the absolute centrality of the person of Jesus in defining who we are as well as what we do. As hard as it is to truly follow him, we assert that we must constantly return to Jesus to authenticate as well as legitimize ourselves as his people. We have no other Archimedean point by which to set our coordinates or any other touchstone by which we can assess the abiding validity of our faith and to see if we are authentically Christian. The love of Jesus, and our commitment to live in conformity to him, is in effect an inbuilt spiritual mechanism at the heart of the church’s theology and experience that provides an instrument for our ongoing renewal. It seems to us that a constant, and continual, return to Jesus is absolutely essential for any movement that wishes to call itself by his name.
Fresh Start: God’s Invitation to a Great Life by Doug Fields
I’m not even going to deny it. I am a Doug Fields fan. I picked up Fresh Start in order to adapt it for my winter retreat but have found myself connecting with its message on every level. The message Doug wants to get across is that through Jesus, we have all been given a fresh start free from sin. Although we are to be controlled by the Holy Spirit many of us struggle every day to live free. Doug is a great, practical writer and Fresh Start is one of his best.
Here’s my confession: although I’ve been a follower of Christ for many years, there are still areas in my life that feel stuck. I’m talking about being spiritually stuck—bad habits that I can’t seem to get under control, nagging sins that never seem to go fully away, positive character traits I should have developed by now but that are still not apparent in my life. I desperately want to go forward and find greater maturity in my relationship with Christ, but it seems as though something is always holding me back from a fresh start. As a pastor, I always acknowledge I’m just one bad decision away from being a front-page scandal. (I’m sure you’ve read about some of my colleagues.) So for me, one example of me being stuck is connected more with my ugly thoughts (the ones I know I shouldn’t be thinking after thirty years of following Jesus), or the thoughtless, stupid words that occasionally fly out of my mouth (I should know better!). In short, the person I want to be (really want to be), well, I’m just not quite there yet. I feel bogged down in some areas of my life. Can you relate? I’m guessing you can.
The Power of Persistence: Breakthroughs in Your Prayer Life by Michael Catt
If there were one spiritual discipline that I would want to stand in the power of every single day it would be prayer. The Power of Persistence is a great primer on how to pray according to the scriptures. This small book has been a great encouragement to me this season and I can see myself revisiting it over and over.
The ups and downs of church history can be written in the prayer life of God’s people. The strength of the church has never been in programs, numbers, or events, but in prayer and obedience. God is not interested in our innovative methods. He is not impressed with our twenty-first century technology. God is still moved by the prayers of simple saints who learn in the quiet place to lay hold of the throne of grace. Prayer is not incidental to the work of God—it is the work! When God’s people face godless times, that’s when they need to turn up the heat in prayer. Tough times are no time for God’s people to sit by, cold and indifferent. As you read 1 Kings, you will discover that before the showdown on Mount Carmel, God was preparing Elijah in prayer. Elijah was learning how to ask God for the impossible and believe God in desperate situations. Before he ever stood on Carmel and confronted the false prophets, Elijah was a man of prayer and faith in the promises of God. All of us must be tested as to whether we will take matters into our own hands or take them before the Lord.
Pile Up: Books I’m Reading
It never fails, my reading schedule is clicking right along and then summer hits. It is a little hard to keep up with your reading when you’re driving a church van to camp or keeping tabs on all your teens while on mission trip. During the summer, cleaning out the church vehicle and running to Sonic on the way to an event take precedent over any book. Typically I catch up and finish most of the books that have languished unread on my nightstand or desk in October and November. I currently have about 10 open books right now that I would like to finish before the end of the year. 3 Books I’m currently reading and want to finish before the new year are:
Derailed: Five Lessons Learned from Catastrophic Failures of Leadership by Tim Irwin
Michael Hyatt, CEO of Thomas Nelson , wrote a great review/preview of this leadership book last week. I was immediately hooked. I downloaded it to my Kindle and actually began reading it this afternoon. The book profiles 6 well-known leaders and how they were eventually dismissed from their companies because of character flaws or lapses in integrity. The book has a Good to Great feel to it so I am very excited to dig into this one!
I chose to write about these particular leaders because they offered highly visible and compelling illustrations of individuals who derailed for the very reasons we can derail—a failure of character. I don’t mean failed character in the sense of dishonesty that results in fraudulent behavior, but rather compromised character in a broader sense—for example, hubris or being dismissive of others.This book has two primary objectives: first, to help us understand how derailment occurs—the real point of the six leader profiles; second, to help us avoid a cataclysmic train wreck in our own careers—the subject of the second half of the book.
Scouting the Divine: My Search for God in Wine, Wool, and Wild Honey by Margaret Feinberg
I love to read and when I can get a free copy of a book I was planning on purchasing that is good thing. At Catalyst Margaret Feinberg gave every attendee a copy of her latest book. Margaret previewed the book during her message at The 9s this fall and so I was very happy to find out we were getting the book for FREE! (I met Margaret on Thursday and she let the surprise slip).
What does it mean to know Jesus as the Good Shepherd when the only places I’ve encountered sheep are at petting zoos? How can I understand the promise of a land flowing with honey when I buy mine in a bear shape bottle? Is it possible to grasp the urgency of Jesus’ invitation to abide in the vine when I shop for grapes at a local grocery store?
Deep Church: A Third Way Beyond Emerging and Traditional by Jim Belcher
One of the ways I enjoy Twitter is following other ministers and reading about what they are reading. @MattChandler74 of the Village tweeted about Deep Church one afternoon telling me to make reading this book a “priority.” I took his advice and was drawn in to this deeply personal and challenging book. What has engaged me so much about this book is because I feel like I have one foot firmly planted in the traditional church and one foot placed in the emerging church. I have been shaped by both. These two movements are often at each other’s throats but Belcher is seeking a way to bring these two ideologies to a place were they can begin to trust each other. The book is all about discernment and understanding. Good times!
Seven years later, I remain an insider and an outsider to the emerging conversation. There are many areas of emerging theology and ministry which I wholeheartedly agree. They desire many of the things I embrace, and they dislike many of the things I don’t like about evangelicalism. But I also have deep misgivings about areas of thought and practice. I am caught in between, and am comfortable with this ambiguity. It allows me to learn from both the traditional church and the emerging church as I follow a different route the deep church.
I said I have ten open book right now. I’ll post about three more next. Until then…
Tear Down, Build Up
Our bodies are simply amazing. The wife and I have started a workout journey this week and I am fully aware of my body right now. My joints ache, my muscles quake, and I’m having a hard time doing anything without feeling a twinge all over. Today, especially, my hip flexors are on fire! I’m even uncomfortable sitting!
All joking aside, while I am sitting focusing on my aching body I know that I am in pain for two reasons:
1) All those hours sitting on my duff in front of the tv have put me way out of shape
2) The workouts have beat my muscles up but they are rebuilding themselves to be stronger, more flexible, and more powerful.
I know that this pain, caused by tearing down my muscles, is actually building my body up.
Our spiritual muscles work in much the same way. It is never fun to confess a sin or change a habit. It hurts when we begin to turn around and repent of our past. Starting up spiritual habits can be just as much of a challenge as ending bad ones but we are promised that this discomfort will truly be for our gain.
One of my theme verses for life is 1 Corinthians 9:24-27. In this passage we hear from Coach Paul as he encourages us to get away from our old, sinful lives and to get into the new life offered to us by Jesus Christ.
“Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last; but we do it to get a crown that will last forever. Therefore I do not run like someone running aimlessly; I do not fight like a boxer beating the air. No, I strike a blow to my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize.”
Truth be told, my physical body needs to get it in gear, shed this weight, and get healthy. However, it would be a great tragedy if I ignored the one thing about me that will last forever- my soul.
My soul- our souls- get trapped in vicious cycles of sin and selfishness. Satan loves to whisper in our ears words of discouragement. He tells us, “You’re not good enough! God can’t change you and He does even want too. You might as well give up!” All lies! Satan’s native tongue is lying.
Don’t give up! Keep moving forward toward that which Christ has called us. He will heal you. He will change you. He does love you!
What are you doing today to connect with the Father? What is your workout plan with Jesus?
Spend some time in God’s gym today, shed the sin and the weight that keeps you apart from God, and press on!!!
Chase the Lion Week 3 Notes
This is the midway point in our Chase the Lion series. This week is all about reframing your problems. Each day brings it’s own set of problems, issues, and challenges. We can choose to view these problems through the world’s perspective and find ourselves crushed under the weight of life’s problems or… we can begin to see our problems through the frame of Scripture and find that God meets us and carries through anything that is thrown at us.
Chase the Lion Week 3: Reframing Problems
Reframe (verb): to recondition a mental attitude or outlook
Problem (noun): a source of perplexity, distress or vexation
In order for us to put our faith firmly in God we must learn to reframe problems. Life throws everything it has at us and we feel overwhelmed by the responsibilities, expectations, crisis, and problems facing us.
We shared stories though about people facing extreme situations- cancer, poverty, injustice, and death. The men and women, in the face of extreme problems, stood tall and proclaimed “God is Good!”
Have you ever wondered what it is that enables someone to overcome adversity? How can someone have that “God is Good” attitude in the midst of suffering? Their problems have been reframed. Rather than seeing a problem, they see an opportunity. An opportunity to worship.
“Who you are is not determined by your circumstances. The outcome of your life will be determined by your outlook on life.”
This isn’t some pithy, new-age, believe-and-achieve, feel-good statement. If you look at your problems through the frame of Almighty God and His Word- if he is bigger than your fears or problems- than you can begin to see as He sees. Your outlook will begin to be His outlook.
Scripture will reframe your perspective on everything:
It reframes your Identity (Who you are)
It reframes your Destination (Where you are going)
It reframes your Circumstances (What you’re going through)
It reframes your Legacy (What you leave behind)
“Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.” (Matthew 5:11–12 TNIV)
“Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.” (James 1:2–4 TNIV)
“For you have been given not only the privilege of trusting in Christ but also the privilege of suffering for him.” (Philippians 1:29 NLT-SE)
Charizomai– Greek word meaning to grant favor, in kindness.
Do we really see our suffering as a privilege gift from God? We should.
The ultimate key to reframing our problems is the act of worship. In the face of suffering, in the midst of trials the key to turning our pain over to the Lord is pure worship.
The best example of this is found in Acts 16.
Despite (in spite?) of their dire circumstances, Paul and Silas reacted with worship and actually witnessed to those around them.
“Worship reframes circumstances. The circumstances you complain about become the chains that imprison you.”
What about you?
1) Are there any circumstances that are currently imprisoning you? What are they?
2) What things have you complained about this past week? How can you turn those situations into opportunities for worship?
3) List 10 things you are thankful for