The 3 Angles
I’ve been reading through Eugene Peterson’s Working the Angles: The Shape of Pastoral Integrity this summer. What drew me to this book was that it wasn’t about ministering to others but that it was more about soul care for individuals/ministers. For Peterson, the shape that Pastoral Integrity takes is that of a triangle. A triangle is made up of 3 lines and 3 angles. As you can see by the title, the angles are what Peterson is most concerned with.
Peterson is challenging/calling those of us privileged enough to lead others into God’s presence to do so out of a life that is constantly connected to the Source. His premise is that we spend so much focus and effort on the lines of ministry- preaching, teaching, administration. To be honest these are the acts of ministry that we get grades for. They are the visible (most visible) aspects of our jobs. What Peterson says is that we should be more concerned with the angles of ministry because these angles feed, inform, develop, and connect our inner life with our “professional” life.
Here are a few choice excerpts:
Three pastoral acts are so basic, so critical, that they determine the shape of everything else. The acts are praying, reading Scripture, and giving spiritual direction. Besides being basic, these three acts are quiet. They do not call attention to themselves and so are often not attended to. In the clamorous world of pastoral work nobody yells at us to engage in these acts. It is possible to do pastoral work to the satisfaction of the people who judge our competence and pay our salaries without being either diligent or skilled in them. Since almost never does anyone notice whether we do these things or not, and only occasionally does someone ask that we do them, these three acts of ministry suffer widespread neglect.
The three areas constitute acts of attention: prayer is an act in which I bring myself to attention before God; reading Scripture is an act of attending to God in his speech and action across two millennia in Israel and Christ; spiritual direction is an act of giving attention to what God is doing in the person who happens to be before me at any given moment.
None of these acts is public, which means that no one knows for sure whether or not we are doing any of them. People hear us pray in worship, they listen to us preach and teach from the Scriptures, they notice when we are listening to them in a conversation, but they can never know if we are attending to God in any of this. It doesn’t take many years in this business to realize that we can conduct a fairly respectable pastoral ministry without giving much more than ceremonial attention to God. Since we can omit these acts of attention without anybody noticing, and because each of the acts involves a great deal of rigor, it is easy and common to slight them.
Wow. What a convicting premise! I couldn’t agree more with what Peterson has said. This summer it is my goal to make sure that I’m working the angles in a greater and more deliberate way. As the pressures of my life grow- new baby, summer expectations, fall planning, leading up-out-and-about- so must my reliance on my Father.
To paraphrase the words of that rock band from the Great White North, RUSH-
I’ll be working them ANGLES overtime! (That was for you Kratzer)
Give It Away
Some have asked me how I take notes or how I can remember specifics from things that I have read long after the book has been retired to the shelf. Well wonder no more!
I got this from Tim Sanders’ book, Love Is The Killer App a few years ago so I can’t take any credit for this. I implemented this approach since then and began seeing the benefits almost immediately. Maybe this approach will help you as well. Using the last book I finished I’ll show you pictures of what works best for me.
First I jot down notes and references on the inside of the front cover (see picture below). I make sure to write the page number first and then follow it up with the main point, thought, or summation of the idea that I find interesting. Sanders recommends allowing only one line per note but that doesn’t work for me. When finished this becomes an index for all the takeaways and information that you have found helpful, insightful, or just plain interesting. It will serve you as a pretty good roadmap next time you’re tying to remember something you read. Best of all this info isn’t stored on your computer or on a some ratty piece of paper shoved between the pages. These notes will be forever with the book. Pretty handy indeed!
After I’ve taken notes on the front cover I then write down quotes and definitions in the back of the book (see pic below). I am not as diligent about writing down full quotes in the back as I am with jotting notes in the front. Typically, if there is a great quote more than likely I’ve highlighted it. Regardless, writing down full quotes helps you internalize the message and aids you in remembering what you found important or interesting.
So there you go! Maybe this method of note taking will help you become a better reader or maybe even a better leader.
What do you do to help yourself better understand or retain what you’re reading? Leave your solutions or ideas in the comment section. Let’s help each other learn and lead with greater understanding.
The Best of How the Mighty Fall
I finished How the Mighty Fall by Jim Collins last night. What a fantastic read! I took a ton of notes and almost went through an entire highlighter. Collins builds upon his previous two masterworks, Built to Last & Good to Great, to paint a compelling and relevant picture of once great companies who at the crossroads chose poorly, lead unwisely, and with foolhardy ambition allowed their organizations to fail.
I loved this book! To be honest I have loved just about everything I’ve heard from Collins.
</div>The man knows his stuff and is an amazing storyteller. It is hard to argue with his methods and even harder to ignore his findings.<p> </p> <p>The main idea behind the book is that companies/organizations move through <strong>5 stages of decline</strong>: arrogance, undisciplined pursuit of more, denial of risk, grasping for the silver bullet salvation, and capitulation to irrelevance or death. Collins argues that decline can be avoided or reversed but only when organizations get back to basic principles and values.</p> <p><strong>I think this book can speak truth into the life of any leader or organization that seeks not just to avoid failure but who truly desires to make a difference in the lives of those they serve.</strong></p> <p><strong>Here are some of my favorite takeaways from <a mce_href=”http://www.amazon.com/How-Mighty-Fall-Companies-Never/dp/0977326411/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1244219257&sr=8-1″ target=”new” xhref=”http://www.amazon.com/How-Mighty-Fall-Companies-Never/dp/0977326411/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1244219257&sr=8-1″>How the Mighty Fall</a></strong>:</p> <p><em>A core business that meets a fundamental human need- and one at which you’ve become best in the world- rarely becomes obsolete.</em></p> <p><em>The best corporate leaders we’ve researched remain students of their work, relentlessly asking questions- why, why, why?- and <strong>have an incurable compulsion to vacuum the brains of people they meet</strong>.</em></p> <p><em>Innovation can fuel growth, but frenetic innovation- growth that erodes consistent tactical excellence- can just as easily send a company (organization) through the stages of decline. </em></p> <p><em>The greatest leaders do seek growth- <strong>growth in performance, growth in distinctive impact, growth in creativity, growth in people</strong>- but they do not succumb to growth that undermines long-term value. And they certainly do not confuse growth with excellence. Big does not equal great, and <strong>great does not equal big</strong>.</em></p> <p><em>Any exceptional enterprise depends first and foremost upon having <strong>self-managed and self-motivated people</strong>- the number one ingredient for a <strong>culture of discipline</strong>.</em></p> <p><em>Audacious goals stimulate progress, but big bets without empirical validation, or that fly in the face of mounting evidence can bring companies down…</em></p> <p><em>The greatest danger comes not in ignoring clear and unassailable facts, but in misinterpreting ambiguous data in situations when you face severe or catastrophic consequences if the ambiguity resolves itself in a way that’s not in your favor.</em> (Collins powerfully discusses the lead up and failures surrounding the Challenger explosion- the fateful decisions to proceed with the launch- to illustrate this point)</p> <p><em>When making risky bets and decisions in the face of ambiguous or conflicting data, ask three questions: <strong>1) What’s the upside, if events turn out well? 2) What’s the downside, if events go very badly? 3) Can you live with the downside?</strong> Truly?</em></p> <p><em>You can be profitable and bankrupt</em></p> <p><em>Institutional self-perpetuation holds no legitimate place in a world of scarce resources; <strong>institutional mediocrity should be terminated</strong>, or transformed into excellence.</em></p> <p><em>If you cannot marshal a compelling answer to the question, “What would be lost, and how would the world be worse off, if we ceased to exist?” then perhaps capitulation is the wise path. But if you have a <strong>clear</strong> and <strong>inspired purpose</strong> built upon <strong>solid core values</strong>, then the noble course may be to <strong>fight on</strong>, to <strong>reverse decline</strong>, and try to <strong>rekindle greatness</strong>.</em></p> <p><em><strong>The point of the struggle is</strong> not just to survive, but <strong>to build an enterprise that makes such a distinctive impact on the world it touches, and does so with such superior performance, that it would leave a gaping hole- a hole that could not be easily filled by any other institution- if it ceased to exist.</strong></em></p> <p><em>To accomplish this requires leaders who retain faith that they can find a way to prevail in pursuit of a cause larger than mere survival (and larger than themselves), while also maintaining the stoic will needed to <strong>take whatever actions must be taken</strong>, however excruciating for the sake of that cause.</em></p> <p><em>Lack of management discipline correlates with decline, and passionate adherence to management discipline correlates with recovery and ascent.</em></p> <p><em>If you’ve fallen into decline, get back to solid… disciplines- NOW!</em></p> <p><em>We all need <strong>beacons of light</strong> as we struggle with the inevitable setbacks of life and work.</em></p> <p><em>“This is the lesson: never give in, never give in, never, never, never, never- in nothing, great or small, large or petty- <strong>never give in except to convictions of honour and good sense</strong>. Never yield to force; never yield to the apparently overwhelming might of the enemy.” -Winston Churchill </em></p> <p><em>Failure is not so much a physical state as a state of mind; success is falling down, and getting up one more time, without end.</em></p>
5 Ways to Avoid Graduating from Your Faith
We celebrated Senior Sunday yesterday as we honored and blessed the class of 2009. The point of my message was to challenge these teens to not graduate from their faith when they graduate from High School.
I based my message on 2 Timothy because it is probably the last letter Paul sent the young minister. Paul’s life was coming to an end and in this letter he lays out the “non-negotiable” for Timothy. Paul’s final words to his young friend highlight the things that will help Timothy grow his faith long after his mentor moves on. I think this letter has a lot to say to you and me and our young graduates.
1) Don’t Be ASHAMED of Your Faith
“For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands. For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self–discipline. So do not be ashamed of the testimony about our Lord or of me his prisoner. But join with me in suffering for the gospel, by the power of God,” (2Timothy 1:6-8 TNIV)
This culture- especially the culture found on many college campuses- wants you to be ashamed of your faith in Jesus Christ. You will feel the need to apologize for being different or for having a different morality than those around you. It was much the same for young Timothy. The minute you begin to apologize for what you believe or the minute you begin to be embarrassed by the gospel is the minute you begin living on your own understanding and move away from living in the power of God.
2) PURSUE Righteousness
“Flee the evil desires of youth and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, along with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart. Don’t have anything to do with foolish and stupid arguments, because you know they produce quarrels. And the Lord’s servant must not be quarrelsome but must be kind to everyone, able to teach, not resentful. Opponents must be gently instructed, in the hope that God will grant them repentance leading them to a knowledge of the truth, and that they will come to their senses and escape from the trap of the devil, who has taken them captive to do his will.” (2Timothy 2:22-26 TNIV)
When you step foot on your college campus or when you start in the workforce you are going to see people in pursuit of many things in their lives.
People will be in pursuit of grades.
They will pursue power.
People pursue glory for themselves.
People will be pursuing what feels good.
They will pursue what’s easy or what they can get away with.
They will pursue all kinds of things but not necessarily what is Right or what honors/glorifies God.
3) ENDURE with God’s help and protection
“You, however, know all about my teaching, my way of life, my purpose, faith, patience, love, endurance, persecutions, sufferings—what kinds of things happened to me in Antioch, Iconium and Lystra, the persecutions I endured. Yet the Lord rescued me from all of them. In fact, everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted, while evildoers and impostors will go from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived. But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have become convinced of, because you know those from whom you learned it, and how from infancy you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.” (2Timothy 3:10-15 TNIV)
Keep on keeping on. Once you decide to not be ashamed of the gospel and set you heart/mind to pursue God’s ways with your whole being- ENDURE!
Find your pace and trust that God will carry you through.
4) Fall in Love with GOD’S WORD
“All Scripture is God–breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that all God’s people may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.” (2Timothy 3:16-17 TNIV)
How do you know the power of the Gospel- the truth of Jesus? How do you know what is right and how to follow it? Where can you find encouragement to endure? You find these things in God’s Word.
5) Intentionally RECOMMIT- Everyday/Every way
“In the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who will judge the living and the dead, and in view of his appearing and his kingdom, I give you this charge: Preach the word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage—with great patience and careful instruction. For the time will come when people will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths. But you, keep your head in all situations, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, discharge all the duties of your ministry.
For I am already being poured out like a drink offering, and the time for my departure is near.
I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.
Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day—and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing.” (2Timothy 4:1-8 TNIV)
Everyday and in every way you have to recommit in your heart to follow Jesus Christ. Living out and believing in the Gospel takes recommitment everyday.
Every one of us is just one day away from graduating from our faith. Each day brings its own troubles, challenges, & changes that jockey for 1st position in our hearts.
These graduates aren’t the only once susceptible to the world around them. Each one of us in here must pledge allegiance to the Gospel of Jesus Christ every single minute of every single hour of every single day.
Firsts and Lasts
Life seems to be a series of starts and stops; a series of firsts and lasts.
I am preparing my lesson for Sunday entitled Graduate From High School Not Your Faith so I’ve been thinking a lot about this curious aspect of life. Remember back to your school career.
For twelve years everything is your first: first day to school, first field trip, first time to read, first time to write in cursive, first test…
Then you become a Senior. Even if you contracted Senioritis your freshman year, everything you did that year had a sense of finality to it.
Your last first day in High School.
Your last pep rally in High School.
Your last ball game in High School.
Your last assembly in High School.
Your last dance in High School.
Your last day in High School.
I’ve been preparing my lesson with this idea in mind. There are some scary stats out there that say there is a 50-60% chance that once a student graduates from High School they graduate from their faith as well. Some believe that percent is even higher. Most churches will celebrate a Senior sunday- a day to honor and bless their graduates- this week.
For many Seniors this Sunday might be their last.
Scary indeed.
Book Review: Hero
Every man’s battle is not so much a fight for your purity as it is a fight for your manhood, a fight for who you are and who you intend to be. Sexual sin, then, is not your ticket into manhood after all- it’s your ticket out.
Fred Stroeker has co-authored some of the most well-received and challenging books on the market today. Along with Stephen Arterburn, the Every Man’s Battle series has been a game-changer and life saver for many men struggling for sexual purity in their relationships. Stroeker’s latest, Hero: Becoming the Man She Desires continues this challenge by focusing on single men and helping them take a stand for truth and purity in a world that makes it easy to compromise.
“You’re a greater man than I ever dreamed of being, Son.”
Hero is co-authored by Fred’s son, Jasen Stroeker. The opening chapters make it clear that Fred Stroeker is proud of his son – not because of anything Jasen has accomplished but because of the man he is. Jasen took a stand for his purity early in life and by the grace of God held on to it for dear life. How? Fred explains that the “secret” to living the pure life is that the true make of manhood is a “complete willingness to embrace social pain for a higher cause.”
Make no mistake this isn’t a call to martyrdom. This is the challenge for every aspect of being a disciple of Jesus Christ in every arena of life. We are to be different- no matter the cost, no matter the setting, no matter the issue. “Do not conform any longer to the patterns of this world but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is- his god pleasing and perfect will.” (Romans 12:2)
It’s Never Too Late To Demolish Your Strongholds
The Sroekers believe that there are a set of myths that the culture wants men to believe that lures them into sexual sin. These myths excuse behaviors and mindsets that lead to and trap men in sexual sin. They call them “Stronghold Myths” and the book features 9 of them. Some of these myths lead to chapters that seem right out of I Kissed Dating Goodbye. Others though are powerful and transformative. The strength of these myth-busting chapters lay in the fact that they are written from different perspectives. The chapter entitled “Her Desires” is co-written with the help of Jasen’s wife, Rose. Rather than have some dudes talk about women’s desires we get the perspective direct from a female source. I liked this aspect. The chapter “Sparks” finds Jasen and Rose listing ideas to help couples build chemistry together. Again, having chapters written from different perspectives was a nice touch that give the book a very personal feel.
Rethink What We’re Capable Of
So, who would benefit from reading Hero?
I think this would be a great book for a Father and Son reading. The back-and-forth between Fred and Jasen is a great feature of this book. I can see where Fred’s honesty about past mistakes could open a door of honesty between fathers and sons and Fred’s words of encouragement and admiration for his son could lead to that level of intimacy between fathers and sons. Fathers of teenage sons would definitely benefit from reading this with their boys.
Another group that could benefit from Hero would definitely be college age students. Whether a dorm room Bible study or a Sunday morning church group or a week night get together there is a ton of material to discuss and work through.
Hero is a great book and I would recommend it to any brother who wants to do the right thing- the heroic thing- and own his sexual purity for the glory of God.
Summary (from the publisher)
You already know it’s not easy being a single man in this culture today. But it is easy to be overwhelmed, to feel helpless and hopeless about living by God’s high standards for singles. It’s easy to cave in to the pressures of this sex-soaked world and accept defeat—blaming the media, the culture, even girlfriends who don’t know how tough it can be.
But many men have read books like Every Young Man’s Battle and Tactics and have committed themselves to stand strong and pure in the power of God, and to go on the offensive against the onslaught of negative stereotypes. Some have suffered. Some have fallen. But many have experienced victory—and you can be among them.
What makes those committed men so desirable to women? Be Her Hero is their motto. From best-selling author Fred Stoeker, along with his son Jasen, come the straightforward insight and real-life examples you’re looking for to help you take personal purity to its logical conclusion. Here’s straight truth with irrefutable evidence of what makes an ultimate hero to women who long for men of faith—men who stand by their convictions and make their world a safer and better place.
Are you ready to accept the challenge?
Buy HERO by Fred & Jasen Stoeker HERE
