The Kingdom in Nursing Homes

Over the next twenty years the population of nursing home residents ages 65 and over will nearly double. Aging Baby Boomers will further increase the strain on already crowded and understaffed care facilities. Sadly, many of the more that 72 million nursing home residents by the year 2030 will be very lonely and isolated--as are nursing home residents today. In fact, many of these residents will be disconnected from family, the church, and the Good News of Jesus Christ. Too many live that way right now.

What if local churches decided to do something about this? What if local churches resolved to make every area nursing home a satellite church?

The idea may not strike people as edgy and daring. It may not make missional headlines at the next church planting conference. You may not be able to publish a book, get your nose pierced, or celebrate your outreach with a new tattoo. But reaching the lost who are closer to heaven--actuarially speaking--than anyone else is not only worthy, it’s essential.

The weaknesses of this idea are: it is too easy, too inexpensive, and immediately implementable.

Yes, I said weaknesses. We Christians usually like things more complicated and expensive. That way, we don’t have to do anything right away. We can think, ponder, meet, talk, plan, and delay getting our hands dirty.

Meanwhile, the harvest is waiting. Here’s all you have to do:

1. Find one or two people (or families) with a heart for the elderly.

2. Ask them to lead the way by approaching an activities director at a nursing home and asking if a church group can come by weekly to visit with, get to know, worship with, and help residents.

3. Build a team--not just with church members, but with non-churched neighbors and friends who are yearning to make a difference in the world but don’t know how.

4. Start small and visit at least every week. Be dependable.

5. Make relationships, show love, discover needs, offer prayers, sing songs, read the Bible, have a snack, do a craft, play a game, hold a hand, keep it simple, and let it grow. You can even count the attendance in your weekly worship tally.

One woman told me about a group that visited her facility each week. “That’s my church,” she said.

What are you waiting for? Start your satellite. Then start the next one. You’ll have places where individuals and families can make Christ’s difference. You’ll be reaching into the community. You’ll be bringing salvation to lost and distant souls. You’ll be serving the least of these. You’ll be in the thick of real Kingdom work. And you won’t even have to build a building or make a budget.

For an older church like the LCMS, this is one way the church can reach out to the millions of people who need Jesus right now!

Why a Convention?

Around the LCMS, district conventions have taken place or will take place. The Texas District begins its convention on Thursday, June 21. Most comments I’ve heard about conventions recently haven’t been positive. I’ve heard it said that they’re “boring,” they’re “expensive” or “they don’t have any Kingdom significance.” Honestly, I’ve even thought similar things.

Years ago, as a new pastor, I visited with retired men who spoke much differently about church conventions. They commented about the wonderful fellowship, the joyful blessing of being together and worshipping together, and the unity of mission as decisions were made. Of course, not every convention was perfect, but these men who looked back to the 1950’s and earlier had a glimmer in their eyes as they remembered good days in the church.

Times have changed. Institutions and organizations are not very popular. Organic, grass-roots ministry is what people crave. But might we be forgetting something?

A number of years ago my family and I visited some missionary friends in a small village in West Africa. We didn’t go there to build a building. We didn’t go there to do a project. Our friends asked us to visit and just be there! We talked to people, met with village elders, prayed together, and hung out together. The result? A remarkable sense of mutual encouragement unfolded. I realized that I was in the middle of a remarkable ministry of “presence.” Being there meant so much to the people we met. Being there with the people we met meant so much to us. Genuine spiritual encouragement was happening. Undistracted by a list of tasks, the value of relationships took hold. A sense of the body of Christ became very real.

An African gentleman told me a while back that we Americans are terrible at relationships. That may mean that we are not reflecting the foundations of the early church when “They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer” (Acts 2:42). Maybe we need to be together a bit more--pulling our eyes away from screens (computer, cell phone, tablet, television), look into each other’s eyes, bear one another’s burdens, and lift up hands in prayer together.

Maybe that’s what the deeper value of a convention is. Please pray for the groups that gather this year, and for us in Texas. The powerful ministry of presence may advance God’s Kingdom more than we realize.

Are You Still Running?

I ran across some friends at the store the other day. I haven’t seen them in a while, so we spent some time getting caught up. They asked me a question almost everyone who hasn’t seen me in a while asks: “Are you still running?” It’s a question that contains these thoughts: “Are you really crazy enough to keep doing that?” “Haven’t you broken down yet after all those miles?” “Is this a short phase or long phase you’re going through in your life?” I’ve been running since 1977. It used to be a warm weather pastime for me, but in 1990, as I settled into lots of desk sitting, long meetings, and stressful situations, I knew I had to have regular cardiovascular activity in my life. In January 1991 I resolved never to miss a week of running. To this day I haven’t. I call it my “week streak.” I take rest days, but I never miss a week. So, when people ask me if I’m still running, it’s like asking if I’m still breathing or eating. I wonder if our perspective about being a disciple of Jesus is similar to the “Are you still running?” question. When I was growing up, discipleship had a cognitive emphasis. It was like math class: learn the facts, perform well on the academic exams, but don’t ask too much about how you’ll use this in real life. Discipleship, however, is not just a cognitive pursuit. Following Jesus is like breathing and eating; it’s every day, every moment, life. It’s a part of you. In relationship with Jesus and others, you are on mission together. Everything becomes saturated with the importance of knowing and showing Christ and the life He gives. It’s not just a “church” thing or a “Sunday School” thing; it is a life thing. This is something the world craves. People yearn to make a meaningful difference, and people need hope. That’s what Jesus gives. People aren’t craving cognitive discipleship; they crave action and meaning. What “life things” have become nonnegotiable components of your day-to-day existence? Is being a disciple one of them? Are you finding more people who will join you in the discipleship boom?

Will You Hear?

I used to think I lived in a quiet neighborhood. When we started taking care of my granddaughter I realized I was completely mistaken. We live in a cacophony of chaotic commotion! Trucks roar, weed-whackers whack, edgers whine, mowers growl, airplanes rumble, and sirens wail. Murphy’s Law made sure that all the sounds came together at just the right time to awaken my granddaughter from her nap. How did I miss the noise? It may be the same way I tune out the noise of life going on around me. Busyness and self-interest, my agenda and my ambition, lead me to miss the important noise of life around me. I can so easily resemble Jesus’ description of hardheaded sinners who tune God out: “Though seeing, they do not see; though hearing, they do not hear or understand” (Matthew 13:13). What awakens me to hear, to really hear again? New life. The cry from the cross, the rumble of the opening tomb, the words: “Broken and shed for you for the forgiveness of sins,” rouse me to life and show me that God treasures His children. With ears unstopped by the touch of Jesus, His mandate: “Go into all the world and preach the Gospel to all creation” roars into my soul and enlivens me to hear God’s people and share His concern for them. In a span of only nine verses, Jesus uses the word “world” eleven times in John 17. The Greek word is “cosmos.” This term began as a word meaning “that which has been put into order, that which was adorned.” We translate it “world.” God sees it as his precious and beautiful handiwork of humanity. His concern is for the world. He hears His people and He cares. Will I? Will I live insulated in my own pursuits or will I hear people and respond to them? Will the church? Will we hear only our own internal “business” or will we hear the cries of the “cosmos” and respond? The “cosmos” begins in your home. In your life. In your community. Will you hear?

Bubba Mission

When Bubba Watson won the Masters golf tournament, he made Bubbaugusta history. Commentators gushed about how an ordinary guy, a person who never took a golf lesson, a professional who didn’t have a cadre of coaches around him, proved that an ordinary man can win a major. His improvised hook shot off the pine needles was lauded as Bubba creativity. What carefully trained, meticulously coached, PGA groomed, institutionally produced golfer could even think of such a shot, let alone pull it off?

It’s a new era of ordinary winners. Or, maybe it’s an era of remembering that golf is meant to be played by ordinary people.

Might the same be true of mission?

We’ve come through a generation and a half of carefully trained, meticulously coached, church-system groomed, institutionally produced ecclesiastical professionals. What’s happened to the church? The culture is losing faith in it. The professionals are falling to the wayside in scandals--ala Tiger Woods. The institutional prototype is turning people off. People are leaving the church.

But there are some Bubba’s out there. Ordinary women and men, people both young and old, are getting creative with the Gospel. They’re meeting people where they live. They’re personifying Jesus in their communities. They’re inviting people into making Christ’s difference. They’re looking outward and giving the genuine love and care of Jesus to people around them. They’re meeting in homes, apartments, and coffee shops. They’re sacrificing, starting non-profits, and traveling both near and far because they believe Jesus is the most important person for everyone to know.

And people are coming to faith in Him. Around the world, the actions of ordinary people--of Bubba’s--are making Christianity the fastest growing faith movement on the planet.

Could your life use some Bubba mission? Could your church?

Go for it, Bubba!

C & E No More

My daughter commented on Easter that it looked like even the Christmas and Easter attenders weren’t showing up for worship. I looked around and agreed.

Times have changed. I asked a young acquaintance of mine what she was doing for Easter. Church was not in the plan. Their families don’t attend church. It isn’t a part of their lives.

The same is true of a good number of people in our culture, both young and old. The church habit is slipping away.

The big question this presents believers with is: How will people hear about the hope we have in the risen Savior, Jesus?

If Christmas and Easter attenders are dwindling, if overall church attendance is declining, if the attractional, institutional church is losing its appeal, how will the Gospel invade the lives of the hopeless?

This is the question each believer and every church must wrestle with. My thoughts? Here they are:

1. The risen Christ isn’t boring or routine. Christians need to be reminded about this in creative and compelling ways.

2. If the risen Christ is the source of true hope, Christians need to be ready to offer this hope in caring and appropriate ways within everyday relationships and encounters. The church must exert new energy for the formation of every believer as a disciple in the trenches.

3. If the institutional church is no longer the center of the culture’s spiritual quest, the church must deploy to venues that allow believers to speak into the god conversation of the culture. This will require great patience, strategic thinking, courageous action, and some radical retooling of budgets.

4. The church must trust that God really desires all to be saved. As the paradigm of outreach shifts, Christians need to remember that the gates of hell will not prevail against the Lord’s Church. Times and methods may change, but Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever!

Ready, Set, Fail!

I was watching an episode of Survivor recently. It’s the reality show that “strands” people on an island and observes them as they survive both physically and socially. At the end of the episode, a young contestant was in tears because she failed during one of the challenges.

Jeff Probst, the host, asked her, “Haven’t you ever failed before?”

She responded, “I never allowed myself to be in a position to fail.”

That statement hit me like a cultural smack upside the head. This is a day and age in which we value the appearance of success. Everyone gets a trophy in pee-wee football. Hardly anyone gets a “C” in school and many students earn over 100% on tests and quizzes. Loads of students are in talented and gifted programs. Failure is not really an option.

With our hyper-consciousness of feeling successful and good, we can become risk-averse. We’re supposed to be good at everything immediately, earn A’s all the time, and show ourselves to be prodigies from the get-go. If something threatens that--like real-world challenges and questions, we may back off from the challenge rather than risk failure.

This anemic, risk-nothing spirit may even infiltrate our service for Christ and His Church. What’s the last ministry failure you’ve had? When is the last time you tried something for Kingdom expansion, but it just didn’t work?

I’m not talking about thoughtlessly lapsing into moral failure or carelessly setting aside sound planning and wasting God’s resources of people, time, and money. I’m talking about taking chances for the Kingdom personally and as a church. Will you risk having someone you care about say “no” over and over again as you invite them to experience Christ? Will you risk trying something new to engage an unreached group in your community? Will you risk changing something to ratchet up your mission impact? Will you put yourself in the position to fail?

The Bible is filled with failure. Even Jesus’ handpicked disciples failed. But with every risk, God was glorified and He worked good in all things for those who loved Him and were called according to His purpose. Let’s not bury the talent God entrusts to us. Let’s put it all on the line and risk failure for the One Who risked it all for us.

How to Get Into a Relationship

During a recent visit to a seminary, a student raised his hand with a question as we discussed the relational focus of ethnic culture and ministry. He asked, “How do you get into a relationship?”

I suspect that many people of our generation are asking the same question. Somehow, as life has become overloaded, techno-laden, material-focused, and self-centered, we’ve become relationally challenged. We know about things and we know about knowledge, but we have no clue about people--and what it is to be one.

How do you get into a relationship?

1. Be present. Instead of always doing, be aware and available where you’re at.

2. Watch and listen. You’ll be surprised how many people need to be heard and need someone to value them.

3. Learn how you can bless others. Instead of being all about you, find out how you can bless the people you encounter.

4. Take time. A relationship means you’re committing to the long haul. Don’t give up on the people God places in your life. Time is grace--it is always on God’s side.

What if Christians and churches focused on lasting relationships instead of the latest fad programs? What if Christians and churches were patient in the Word, in prayer, and with people to see how God might effect Kingdom growth?

Fad Resistance

My daughter was telling me the other day how she was sick of Tim Tebow. It wasn’t him, so much, but the constant media blitz about him. For a while he was counter-cultural, the hope of the grass roots and the outsider. Now he was mainstream, overplayed, imitated, the spokesperson for companies trying to make a profit.

This is what happens when something becomes too common, too hyped, too much a part of the established cultural flow. People start to resist. New and alternative movements cause a buzz of excitement. A mainstream fad causes resistance.

The tendency to bash the church is moving into fad territory. I watched the popular YouTube video “Jesus>Religion.” While it reflects today’s prevalent anti-institutionalism and this generation’s movement toward deconstruction of established systems, its slick and commercial appearance, along with a its faux alternative tone, show that church/religion-bashing has gone mainstream. In other words, the church is trying to lure people in by bashing itself. This has become a fad. And people see through fads. They don’t like them. They resist them.

So, as the church resists itself so people who really resist it will be attracted, the resistors of the church will resist the resisting. Got that?

What’s the answer? Ephesians 3:10 says that God’s intent was that “now, through the church, [His] manifold wisdom should be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms.” The answer is for the church to be the church. Not to resist itself or bash itself or destroy itself, but to BE itself. That, because of the very nature of the church, IS alternative. The answer is to go back to the Savior Jesus who is the same yesterday, today, and forever, but shakes every generation from sin and complacency with His counter-cultural Word.

A church that has strayed from being the church need not jump on the bandwagon of bashing the church. There is no need to try to find self-righteousness in self-flagellation. On the other hand, a church that has strayed from being the church can’t sit tight in complacent inaction. Self-righteousness through self-satisfaction is off the mark, too. The church needs only to hear His call back to its first love, back to the Savior, back to being Christ’s church. The church is the always-new movement created by God to transform the world. It never was and never will be a fad.

Grace and Diapers

Yes, I’m back in the diaper realm. Very deeply into the diaper realm.

My daughter has given my wife and I a precious granddaughter. She’s almost nine-months-old and is the most beautiful and precious granddaughter in the world (unbiased opinion based on a random sampling of neutral grandchild observers, of course).

Well, to get a little personal, she switched formulas and her gastrointestinal system did not agree well with the change. Things got--how shall I say it--clogged up. This was not a pleasant situation. It caused a good deal of angst for grandma and grandpa and even more angst for granddaughter. I can say with confidence that this has been the low point in her entire life so far.

She’s flowing much better now after much prayer, a formula readjustment, and a few helpings of pears, blueberries, and oatmeal, thank you very much. But the whole episode got me thinking (dangerous territory!): Our existence is hanging in a very delicate balance. One tweak in the digestive area and agony results. It’s amazing that so many of us are humming along with all systems go. We truly live by grace--all the way down to the, uh, downward parts. We live by grace.

So many who are suffering understand this. Rainfall is a few inches off and nations can starve. Cells split too aggressively and cancer can attack the body. Be found in the wrong place at the wrong time and a violent person can bring life to an end. It’s the tragic groaning of a broken world. It’s the tragedy and pain of sin. It’s God’s creation out of balance.

What a blessing that at the right time, God sent His Son. What a blessing that Jesus hung on the cross to counterbalance the crushing power of death. What a blessing that Jesus sends you into this broken world to bring the balance of hope and life to a culture clogged with hopelessness and despair.

Yes, all of this from diapers. Actually, all of this from a sweet little girl who is beginning to understand the blessing of God’s grace.

And I didn’t even mention the word “poop” in the entire article!

You Do Make A Difference

On the Friday night before Thanksgiving week, a friend of mine, his wife, and his mother were killed in a fiery crash when a semi tractor and trailer plowed into their car on the interstate. They were traveling home from his daughter’s wedding. He just walked her down the aisle and whispered “I love you” in her ear. The highway patrol had to find where the young couple was honeymooning in a mountain cabin to break the tragic news to the new bride and groom at 5:00 a.m. on Saturday.

These are the kinds of events that take your breath away and cause you to look up to the heavens and ask God, “What are you doing?” and “Where are you?”

My friend’s brother suddenly went from planning Thanksgiving dinner for the family to helping to plan three funerals. After I sent him a message of sympathy in which I could barely find the words to express my sorrow to him, he replied with steady words of faith and hope. He said:

“On Friday night, God said ‘Well done, thou good and faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord.’ Jesus sacrificed everything so that we could have the promise of eternal life with our Heavenly Father. I KNOW that my redeemer lives!”

Then he went on to say that the main reason his faith is so strong is because of the pastor he had throughout his childhood and young adult years. He said that his pastor never wavered in his faith. This faithful pastor was a rock for him as he grew up. Through some of the toughest times, this pastor helped him. In fact, he said that he asks himself even today: “What would pastor think of this?” Besides his parents, his pastor continues to be one of the most influential people in his life--even though his pastor retired years ago and lives far away.
 
What does all this mean? Pastors, servants of Jesus, you who invest yourselves in the lives of others for the sake of Jesus Christ: YOU DO MAKE A DIFFERENCE. During this season of reflection, don’t give up. Keep going. Trust the Lord of the church. You do make a difference!

The Rise of Networks

The Holy Spirit has been up to something in Texas. Local churches and ministry agencies have been thinking more about seeing the Gospel spread exponentially. Multiplying quality and faithful ministry to reach the lost has become the laser focus all around the state. This focus has been manifested in the growth of regional church planting networks.

A church-planting network is a “church planting machine”--a ministry dedicated to and accomplishing the recruitment, training, and deployment of new workers for network generated new ministry starts.

Currently in Texas, a dozen networks have sprung up. These include:

LINC Houston, LINC North Texas, LINC San Antonio, POBLO Texas, The FiveTwo Network based out of Crosspoint in Katy, The SoulThirst Network in the greater Dallas area, the OnThisRock Network forming at St. Peter in Roanoke, The Summit Network out of St. Paul in Fort Worth, The ACTS Network emerging in the northwest Austin area, the ULC Network emerging at University Lutheran Church in Austin, the Great Commission Ministry Network developing out of Cristo El Salvador in Del Rio, and the Missional Worker Training and RioMAC network developing in the Rio Grande Valley. Other networks are emerging around the state.

In fact, from only eight of these networks, 80 new churches are expected to emerge between now and 2017!

The strength of networks involves local passion for the Gospel, local relationships, local opportunities, and local innovation. The Texas District is proud to partner with networks to fuel the expansion of God’s Kingdom.

Could your church or your circuit enter into network activity for the sake of the Gospel?

Casual Church

A Christian in India said to Francis Chan: “How can you be casual about something you’ll lose everything for?”

This Christian was asked why his faith in Christ spilled over into every area of his life and conversation.

In China, Chan described a uniquely Western phenomenon: “Where I come from people go to services in buildings and switch if they want a better speaker or better childcare or better music.”

The underground church participants laughed hysterically. Impossible, they thought.

In our Western bubble, we sometimes believe that the United States’ expression of the Christian Church is the norm around the world. We think that because of the freedom of Christian development, we represent what the world should conform and aspire to. Organization, education, strategy, you name it: we can begin to believe that we’re doing everything the way it should be done.

But the facts are much different. The United States comprises only 4% of the world’s population. The way “we” do it is, in fact, a minority expression of the Church of Jesus Christ.

Of course, Biblical principles are to remain consistent in the body of Christ. But a number of non-biblical attitudes and practices have taken hold in the cultural development of Western Christianity. These attitudes and practices are not necessarily all bad, but they may skew Western Christianity’s congruence with what the Scriptures show the Church is to be.

One skewed reality is casual and compartmentalized Christianity. As one Asian believer stated: “To have people come into a room who do not want to be disciple-makers doesn't make sense.”

Will we as Western believers defend all we’re doing and vehemently declare that in the area of Church we have no sin? Or will we humbly and repentantly consider the question we started with: “How can you be casual about something you’ll lose everything for?”

This is Hard

I received a note from a friend of mine who has served as a missionary in Burkina Faso, West Africa for twenty years. He shared the news that for the very first time in history, the local people who are now believers will be praying for their people. Most of the Koromba people are either animist or Muslim. A small band of about 30 believers in an area of over 100,000 people will be lifting them up in prayer that all may know Jesus and the life He gives.

This is a big deal. It’s taken decades to get to this point. It’s been a challenging, stretching, high-effort, persistent, relational outreach. Little by little fruit is being borne.

When we in the U.S. hear about the growth of Christianity in Africa or Asia, we rejoice, but we also may veer off in two directions.

First, we may think it’s easy. We think the Western cultural barriers don’t lend themselves to a movement of Kingdom expansion. We imagine that our lives are much more complex, fragmented, technical and advanced. People in our culture, we conjecture, aren’t as amenable to the Gospel. But in Asia and Africa--well, life is simpler, more networked and, therefore, “easy pickings” for the spread of the Gospel.

Second, we may miss the point. Instead of marveling at the work of the Holy Spirit in the Southern Hemisphere, we may start to worship the movement. We may become enamored with the numbers and lust after the phenomenon as an idol. Crying out “We want a movement, too!” may be more about possessing success than seeing God succeed in people’s hearts and souls.

Two truths need reinforcement among us in the West. First, the movement of the Gospel in Africa and Asia is hard work. It’s a difficult journey. The blood of many believers cries out from the ground of those nations and forms a foundation for what is happening today. The living Word continues to pound against spiritual and cultural barriers that we can’t even imagine.

Second, a primary weakness in our lives is the production of idols. The book of Deuteronomy opens with a dissection of our souls, making us aware of the fact that we always lean toward idol development and worship. As the Church expands around the world, we need to keep our eye on the ball--the cause of the Gospel, and not lapse into competing for the best world mission movement.

Around the world, every believer in the East, West, South or North has been called by Jesus to deny himself and take up his cross and follow. It’s hard. And it’s all about Jesus, not about us.

Reaching the Uncomfortable

What if 80% of the population had claustrophobia? You know, complete fear and discomfort of small spaces.

What if you were head of a WiFi company and decided to build tiny cubicles in which the public could access the WiFi connection it needed in a fast, affordable, and convenient way? But in a very tiny space.

20% of the population would amble into your miniature WiFi cubicles and rejoice. At last! Cheap, affordable and convenient WiFi access, with charging stations for all my gizmos, to boot!

80% of the population would sweat, shuffle, hesitate, think long and hard--and head to a spacious Starbucks. There is no way they would step into that cubicle no matter how pretty it was, no matter how nicely they were invited, and no matter how badly they needed WiFi. It just wouldn’t happen.

The church faces this issue today. 20% of the population is comfortable stepping into church. They feel it is important and they follow through. 80% of the population thinks the roof would cave in on them if they walked through the church doors. They hesitate, sweat, or write off the need for what the church provides. They’re not coming inside.

How do we reach people with the Gospel who have written the church off? How do we communicate the Good News so it looks and sounds like good news to them?

Some churches are going to the uncomfortable. Moving outside of claustrophobic cubicles, believers are thinking creatively about what the church looks like in the community. They are inviting the uncomfortable into the wide and open spaces of serving others in the name of Jesus. They are entering into relationships with the 80% and are praying and watching for Jesus to show up.

Believers need to remember that inviting people to church, while very worthy and important, will only resonate with two out ten people. But inviting people to make a difference in the lives of others, to dedicate their lives to a worthy pursuit, will resonate with nine out of ten people. Statistics show that, while only 20% of the population wakes up in the morning with a desire to attend a church service, 90% of the population wants desperately to make a difference in the world. Isn’t Christ’s Church the biggest difference maker in history?

What if the uncomfortable became gripped with Jesus’ grace while participating in a Gospel act? What if that new blessing led them to worship the One who shows such love?

How are you rethinking your company strategy so that 100% of the people have access to eternal life?

Recalibration, Part 3

Resistance vs. Repentance.

“It was very hard for me to see clearly, and though I never spoke about hell or only jokingly so, I woke up one day with the realization that I was living in a very dark place and that the term ‘burnout’ was a convenient psychological translation for a spiritual death” (Henri Nouwen, “In the Name of Jesus,” p. 11).

The Apostle John said, “If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us” (1:8). But as Henri Nouwen commented above, there are times in life when it is very hard for us to see clearly. Sometimes we work so hard to get good at what we’re doing, to accomplish all the tasks before us, and to justify our existence and worthiness, we do not see where we are faltering. In our efforts to please God, others, and ourselves, we may end up living a life without genuine repentance.

This can happen to me personally when I become so occupied with tending to other people’s lives that I can no longer see myself accurately or confess my own failings with accuracy and sincerity. This can happen to the church when it becomes focused on its own agenda so completely that it never asks the questions, “Of what do we need to repent? How are we failing?”

If we ever think we have everything completely right, we are, in effect, saying we have no sin. That means we’re in serious trouble. The truth is not in us. We have lost the Spirit of Jesus Christ.

This, as Nouwen said, is a very dark place.

When Peter decided to go off on his own and rebuke Jesus for talking about the cross, Jesus said to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan. You do not have in mind the things of God but the things of men” (Matthew 16:23). “Get behind me” means to get in line, to follow behind Jesus (opiso mou). Instead of running on ahead by ourselves with our own twisted GPS, we are called to follow in the steps of the One who is the Way and the Truth and the Life. Instead of resisting the Truth, we submit ourselves to Him and follow where He leads--even if it does not square with our agenda.

In Revelation 11:3, the Church is portrayed as a prophetic body, always wearing the sackcloth of repentance. How do you need to stop and examine your own failings? How can we as a church face in an honest way where we fall short and, instead, follow in the footsteps of Jesus for the answers?

Will we resist the redeeming call of Christ and end up as spiritual wreckage or will we live a life of repentance?

Recalibration, Part 2

In his book, “In the Name of Jesus,” Henri Nouwen did some self-assessment as he entered the second half of his life and ministry. One area he highlighted was the tension between coasting and character development. Nouwen commented:

“Everyone was saying that I was doing really well, but something inside was telling me that my own success was putting my own soul in danger. I began to ask myself whether my lack of contemplative prayer, my loneliness, and my constantly changing involvement in what seemed most urgent were signs that the Spirit was gradually being suppressed” (p.10).

Sometimes what everyone says is completely inaccurate. Typically, “everyone” will let you coast. They will not insist on accountability. They will not sharpen you as a servant of God. They will not thoughtfully speak the truth to you with love. It is very difficult to get genuine feedback as you progress in years. If you accept what “everyone” says and coast easily down the path of no recalibration, you may end up in a place where the Spirit is being suppressed.

If you are caught up in the flow of hurried prayer, an isolated life, and constantly shifting urgency, you may need to pause and be attentive to Jesus’ words, “Come away with me to a quiet place and get some rest” (Mark 6:31). Is there margin in your life for stillness and authentic conversation with God? Do you have someone in your life who can speak hard truths to you? Are you growing into new and fresh learning from God’s Spirit or are you recycling the old standbys of your past?

Summer is a time to recalibrate. Your Savior leads you to paths of living water and soul restoration. Are you coasting or are you positioned for character development? What recalibration needs to happen in your life?

Recalibration, Part 1

Years ago my wife and I established the habit of getting away for two weeks as a family to a quiet place. Part of this vacation was recalibration. We evaluated life together and talked about what changes might be needed. We settled down, got some perspective, bonded as a family in an unplugged environment, and sought God’s guidance for our lives in the coming year. The results were as small as agreeing to stop watching the television news in the evenings as part of our routine and as large as working through major changes in the flow of life. The time to reflect and to evaluate was a lifeline for us.

In his book “In the Name of Jesus,” Pastor and teacher Henri Nouwen offered an evaluation of his own life as he passed fifty years of age. Having just turned the big 5-0, I resonate to his reflections and believe that his words can help lead all of us into some healthy recalibration. Allow me to highlight three areas of personal evaluation:

Performance vs. Personhood.

Nouwen said, “As I entered into my fifties and was able to realize the unlikelihood of doubling my years, I came face to face with the simple question, ‘Did becoming older bring me closer to Jesus?’ After twenty-five years of priesthood, I found myself praying poorly, living somewhat isolated from other people, and very much preoccupied with burning issues” (pp. 9-10).

Isn’t it strange how life can become all about “proving something” instead of developing into a better person? A focus on activities and achievements can supplant the focus on character and faith development. Religious know-how and busyness can become substitutes for a genuine and meaningful relationship with God the Father. As a good Father, He doesn’t look to you for a list of personal accomplishments. He looks to see signs of reciprocated love and indications of a life lived as His redeemed and grateful child.

How can you rediscover your life as a child of God and be rid of the burden of striving for worthiness in the eyes of the world? As you’ve grown older, have you also grown closer to Jesus?

In parts two and three of this blog post, I’ll continue Nouwen’s self-evaluation and look at the areas of Coasting vs. Character development and Resistance vs. Repentance.

Doing Nothing

Former Hootie and the Blowfish lead singer, now country artist, Darius Rucker has a new song out called "Got Nothin'." In the song he details how he has nothing left to offer as a relationship falls apart. It's a sad song, but it reflects an important reality in our relationship with God. We've got nothin'; He's got everything. We're dead in our sins; He makes us alive with Christ (Ephesians 2). We sit around and do nothing; He gives growth to the church.

Wait a minute! That's not what the Bible says. The Bible says that we plant and water (1 Cor. 3:6). The Bible says that we are God's fellow workers (1 Cor. 3:9). The Bible says that we're sent (Luke 10:2-3, Mark 16:15, etc.). The Bible says that we are to let our light shine (Matthew 5:16). The Bible says that we don't sit around and do nothing.

Recently I was told that challenging believers to action was doctrinally unacceptable. If that's the case, then the Bible is doctrinally unacceptable.

There's a message in the church that is confusing and immobilizing God's people. Instead of allowing grace and faith to flow into the works God prepared in advance for us to do (Ephesians 2:10; the book of James!), the message of grace is being used as an excuse for immobilizing the church. Justification is being used in place of sanctification. The message is: "You, dear people of God, are justified by grace alone! Therefore, you are justified by grace alone." The refrain goes on with the announcement of the free atoning work of Christ. But sanctification is neglected, omitted, and removed from the message. Walking in the newness of life, being a new creation in Christ--His ambassador, living in the power of the resurrection with the knowledge that our labor in the Lord is not in vain is excised from the proclamation of the Good News. Only half the news is given and the church sits on its hands, doing nothin'.

But as the redeemed people of God, we've got somethin'! We are called, gathered, enlightened and sanctified so that we can declare the praises of him who called us out of darkness into his marvelous light (1 Peter 2:9). By His grace, God shares His mission with us. He makes us fellow workers. He entrusts us with His Word and sacraments, not so we can sit in fear that Kingdom action might get messy, but so we can go out into the world with these tools and see the darkness shrink back and the gates of hell buckle in the wild and messy adventure of God's Kingdom action.

If we really stand for truth and purity of doctrine, let's take the gift of a sanctified life seriously. Let's give a voice to faith that works. Let's stop doing nothing.

Captain Bill's Appeal

I was at a friend's memorial service recently. He was a prominent figure in the community, so the funeral chapel was packed. In addition to fellow believers, the place was filled with people from virtually every conceivable walk of life. My friend's business and personality connected him with an amazing variety of people. Suits and ties sat next to tattoos and piercings. Conservative Evangelicals spoke words of sympathy alongside adherents of alternative lifestyles.

As someone who craves opportunities to share the Good News of Jesus with people, I felt my heart beating fast over the possibility of hearing words that could transform many lives.

After some preliminary levity, some words of introduction, and some kind words from the family, I wondered if the opportunity would be seized. That's when Captain Bill stepped to the microphone.

I wondered who this guy was. He was standing in the back. Clearly, he wasn't a family member. He wasn't the pastor, but he held a Bible and strode purposefully to the podium. He introduced himself as Bill, a charter captain and good friend of the family. Fishing trips for hire had morphed into a close bond between him and my friend.

Bill was a military veteran who suffered chemical poisoning in Vietnam. He almost died a few years ago. My deceased buddy sat by his side and drove him home from the hospital. They had a special bond. Bill went on to talk about the bedrock of that bond. This common man with skin made leathery by the sun and a body gaunt from illness so his suit hung baggily from his body, began to lift up the name of Jesus Christ.

This man had been through the ringer, and with the authority of someone who had been beaten up by the rigors of life, he urged the group to the only hope we have. His Scripture-saturated language carried love and truth without sounding pious or self-righteous. His call to trust in Jesus Christ came across as a testimony to his deceased friend, not as an attempt to put more souls on his scorecard. Captain Bill's appeal captured the moment for Jesus. It was authentic, moving, appropriate, and caring.

As I listened, I realized that two things had happened in this man's life. First, he was discipled very well. Someone had shown him the way to walk with Jesus and let the Word of Christ dwell in him richly. Second, someone had given him permission--perhaps a mandate--to go and share, to make disciples, to never let the Gospel stop with himself.

Captain Bill's appeal showed me that a serious effort to equip and send the saints is of utmost importance. Pastors and professionals will rarely be in the situation to reach people who are far outside the borders of the church. Pastors and professionals will not always be heard as attentively by those outside the borders, either. We need people like Captain Bill. The Kingdom of God needs people like Captain Bill. A lost world needs people like Captain Bill.

Do you think you are here to do it all yourself? Are you saving the great opportunities for you? Or are you letting go of your pride by respecting God's people, equipping them passionately, and sending them urgently to do what Captain Bill did?