Fading Leaves or Tree for All Seasons

I love the fall and the harvest of ripened fruit from a summer of growth. I especially enjoy Honey Crisp apples. We shared a plate of them last night at small group. The fall is a beautiful time in Minnesota, but I know that the fading leaves on the ground are a sign that the depths of the barren and cold winter is coming and the delight of fresh fruit and veggies will give way to imported or artificially induced ripening. They just don't taste the same. Oh what a joy it would be to have fresh fruit all seasons long.

I was struck today by the contrast found in these two passages.

Isaiah 1:30–31 (NIV) You [rebels and sinners] will be like an oak with fading leaves, like a garden without water. ³¹ The mighty man will become tinder and his work a spark; both will burn together, with no one to quench the fire.”

Psalm 1:3 (NIV) That person [the one whose delight is in the law of the LORD] is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither— whatever they do prospers.

My life and all my efforts can either amount to nothing more than a spark for a quenching fire, gone in a moment, or, I can live a life that bears fruit for all seasons. Life can be spent withering and fading - or thriving and producing. The difference is in the soil - in our case, the heart.

We may not think ourselves "rebellious or sinners" - but I'm humbled by the simple questions this morning; "From what or whom does my heart find delight?" In the answer, we find the true object of our affection, that is, the true object of our worship. And if anything but God be at the center of my affections - how can that be anything less idolatry, and is that not perhaps the most grievous sin of all?

May my resolve be same as the Apostle Paul's: Philippians 3:8 (NIV) What is more, I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them garbage, that I may gain Christ.

May I be a man whose limbs do not wither and whose leaves not fade, but rather a man whose roots are increasingly strengthened and bear abundant fruit to give and share with all those I encounter in this life.

What's Missing? Reflections from message by Francis Chan

What's missing in the service to the poor these days? A great question posed by Francis Chan at the teaching I went to a couple of days ago. It's a great question and I'll get to his answer below.

Permission to speak freely?

Ministry to the poor has been a difficult road for me to navigate, both personally and for the church. I've experienced and seen our church experience both the blessings and the frustrations of being involved with serving the needy. Sometimes, it seems we have a profound impact, other times it feels like we have just been duped and used. Despite the ups and downs, it's worth it.

A few perspectives about serving the poor.

1. We should realize we are all poor. Whenever we fall into "us" and "them" we have lost our footing, or perhaps we have put our footing somewhere it doesn't belong. Before God, none of us stands righteous on our own, none of us is able to accomplish anything of any good without Him. Whether we realize it or not, we are all poor in the presence of God. This should give us a great sense of humility. We are not the ones to bestow anything, God has and does all the bestowing. If we are involved in giving, we are merely passing on a gift that has already been given. Proverbs 22:2 (NIV) Rich and poor have this in common: The Lord is the Maker of them all.
   
2. We should realize we are all rich. Nearly all Americans live better than about 95% of the rest of the world's population. If we think we have nothing to give, we couldn't be more wrong. Luke 21:3-4 (NIV) “I tell you the truth,” he said, “this poor widow has put in more than all the others. All these people gave their gifts out of their wealth; but she out of her poverty put in all she had to live on.”
   
3. We should realize everyone has something to give. When you enter into a relationship assuming you are the giver and the other is the receiver, a number of unfortunate results may happen from this well intended, but ill advised approach. First, you become unknowingly arrogant and people feel it. It feels to them as though you are making yourself superior, perceiving them as having nothing to offer. The relationship becomes paternalistic and it will often cause resentment and may cause dependence. Proverbs 28:11 (NIV) A rich man may be wise in his own eyes, but a poor man who has discernment sees through him. A pastor friend of mine said one time "Love is a two way street with a one way ethic." Our love should be Christ-like, no matter how we are treated, that's the "one way part." But a relationship is always a two way street, we must anticipate receiving in the process. Acts 20:35 (NIV) The Lord Jesus himself said: ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’ ” Yes, it's more blessed to give, but it is still a blessing to receive. Be ready to receive and learn from anyone you are serving.
   
4. We should realize that "flash in the pan" service to the poor may make us feel good, but doesn't often result in transformation. This one is a little touchy. I will say that most any service is good service and that sometimes just pitching in to help the cause is intrinsically valuable on its own, even if you have no opportunity for relationship. But for real transformation to happen, it almost always takes an investment of relationship. What I've done myself and seen so many do, is to give in the moment, but not be willing to engage in relationship. I would walk away, puffed up and feeling good from doing a good deed. I grew tired of that though and realized that without love, which is primarily expressed in relationship, I could give all I have to the poor and it would be of no use (1 Cor 13:3). I decided it would be better to love a few deeply than to offer a few token trinkets of love to many. This has been a harder row to hoe. It's filled with hopes, frustration, victories, and disappointments, yet I remain convinced that this is the primary way transformation will happen. The Good Samaritan returned to the inn to further assist the broken man on the road (Luke 10:35). Who are you returning too? Who have you invited over for dinner? Proverbs 22:9 (NIV) A generous man will himself be blessed, for he shares his food with the poor. If you cannot or will not be involved with the poor relationally, then do all you can to support someone who is.

So, what's missing? Pastor Chan gave a great response: empowerment. You see, we too easily minimize the power of God to work in someone's life. When we work with addicts, we simply hope that they will stop drinking or using, this is half-way thinking. Why aren't we believing God for transformation, to turn the addict into a messenger of hope and healing? We have become too satisfied with "half-way" in the church across the board. We hope people stop nasty habits, show up most Sundays, tithe, and go to small group. Good things, but do we anticipate people that will fulfill the Great Commission, lead others to Christ, live as missionaries in their communities, become missionaries abroad, plant churches, become pastors. Think of what Jesus said to his disciples, said to us: John 14:12 (NIV) I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing. He will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father. When was the last time you served the poor and went in believing so much in God's power to transform and work through a life that you really thought "folks here are going to do more than I have ever done." Francis shared his perspective as though speaking to one such individual, "I will not always be here, so it's up to you. God has given you the power of the Holy Spirit to live an influential life. You are going to be able to reach the people of this community exponentially better than I ever could."

I think this is so true, we place too much value on what we see with our eyes (the limits of mankind), and not enough on what we ought to see with eyes of faith (the power of the Holy Spirit). This is a profound thought and will forever change how I approach situations, not only among the poor, but among those around my table every night, among the middle and upper class, among those in my church, among those in my neighborhood, among everyone I interact with in the future.

Anticipating what's missing,
Andy

"Francis, the system is set up for guys like us to fail" John Piper

Yesterday, I had the fortunate opportunity to listen to Pastor Francis Chan speak to a group of about 150 folks from churches in the city of Minneapolis. It was a rich time, the message was powerful and I felt like the Spirit revealed a number of personal things for me to hear. I have read Crazy Love, the book written by Francis Chan, and in fact taught part of a series on the book in our church as we went through the book together just this last fall. I'm a fan.

One of the things that stood out yesterday was his comments regarding fame and the Christian Pastor. I wish I could remember the precise words but he was conveying the unique thing that God has done with his life, he has become "famous." The title of this post was part of a conversation he spoke of between he and another famed pastor, John Piper, "the system is set up for guys like us to fail," and it reflects the dilemma that men like them get put into in this day and age of the Church.

I was surprisingly refreshed by his candor about the topic. One young lady asked "how will you stay humble in light of this fame," to which he initially replied "I don't know." He did go on to express that it must be by the grace of God and shared of a past failure, the lessons that it had taught him, and how he would hope that such pain would help him remain humble in the future. I believed him. While he acknowledged his struggles with pride, common to every man, I get the impression that he feels this was thrust upon him, far more than it has been pursued. His recent decision to walk away from a mega-church I believe was, in part, motivated by his heart-felt resistance to continue on a path where he becomes more and more famous.

Why was it so refreshing to me? Because he acknowledged something that is going on with him and the American church that is not healthy. We are making superstar Christians. I had a couple of questions I would have liked to ask him after the message, but did not seize the opportunity. Mostly because I was trying to compose myself after a number of things that "hit my emotional and spiritual grid" in such a way that I was deeply moved. I wondered if I would blubber my way through questions. One question was personal, the other was related to this unusual phenomenon of Christian fame.

After the session was over, there was an opportunity to go and ask my questions in a more one on one manner, but what I anticipated might happen, happened. People lined up to get their book signed and to take photos of themselves with Francis. I admitted I was a fan a few lines back, and humbly (or more accurately embarrassingly) admit that I was tempted to bring a camera to the event myself, but somehow thought the wiser of it. Based on a few things he said in his message, I couldn't help but wonder if it makes his stomach turn that people want his autograph or that they want their picture taken with him. He smiled and signed graciously, I think he's a very kind man, that loves God and loves people, and wouldn't want to be rude or seemingly arrogant by not signing and posing. I wonder though if his heart was screaming inside, "please don't, please don't, please don't treat me as anything but a fellow brother in Christ." I grieved for him, I grieved for us, I grieved for me. I don't think this is the way it's supposed to be.

A few things I appreciated that he touched on regarding this subject.

• He had recently visited a church with about 28 people in attendance outside of Oakland, CA. He gave props to that pastor, "he rocked the Word of God." He went on to express that he was convinced that this pastor would be able to articulate theology far better than he and that, should he ever be invited to the Desiring God conference or a setting like this, that all would be so blessed and inspired to hear him speak. I really liked that, because it shows the reality that many unsung heroes of the faith are pastors in small churches around the world, that no one outside of their church and community will ever hear from. Pastors of "big churches" get invited to conferences because they are "successful" - I think we have sadly fallen into a short-sited culturally driven view of what a successful church is. Sadder yet, the messages that God might give to men that are in the throws of struggling churches might be wonderfully redeeming for the Church, but will never be heard because they are not "successful enough" to be invited to the table.
  
• He spoke of being in San Francisco for the time being, and feeling the pressure to start something new citing an angst he feels (perhaps self-imposed) "Francis, what are you going to do, it's been 3 months since you've left Cornerstone Church for some ministry God has called you to, what is it, you better get something going or people might think..." He's resisting the urge to start something just to start something, making himself wait on God's leading to begin, but serving those in need during this time.
  
• He asked the crowd candidly, "What would happen if I started a church in San Francisco?" The answer was obvious, Christians from other churches would leave their congregations in droves to come to his church. I don't think he was arrogant by saying that, I think he was right. I think the idea repulsed him and that he honestly believes that most people should stay in the congregations they are already in. This happened to him at his church in the suburbs of LA, and that too, you could tell was disturbing to him. It seemed as though he felt anguished by our Christian culture's tendency to do this.
• He commented about how he had received complaints along the way from those in his own congregation, "You don't "feed me" like John Piper does or Mark Driscoll" to which he replied "duh..."" I'm sure I was selfishly satisfied by this comment because it has happened to me numerous times. One trouble with superstar status is that everyone begins to compare their own pastors with the superstars. It's not good. I liked his response. "My goal is to equip people to be disciples, and disciples are to be disciplers. That's the kind of people I want to work with , those that are about doing the work of discipling."

His book Crazy Love is all about really living the Christian life, living by faith in a real God who is knowable. It's a great book, it was great for our church to go through, and it was great to be challenged by what he had to say in it. He started yesterday by asking "Are we really growing in love with a personal God, or are we in love with ministry, are we in love with knowing the Bible, are we in love with the activities of church, etc..." I think that church has faltered into many of these areas and sadly, rather than making the church more effective at fulfilling her mission, it is making it increasingly impotent.

So what does one like Francis do, now that he is in the position he is? That's a great question, and I'm honestly delighted to see someone that is struggling with it rather than presuming he should go on amassing numbers, often by drawing people away from other churches and/or starting a radio ministry. This not a critique on those that have, it's a hearty thank you for acknowledging the realities that come along with being a famous Christian and the unintended harm it can do to the greater Body.

I appreciate and sense in Francis (from afar) a desire to be faithful with what he has been given, not only in his gifting (he really is a phenomenal communicator) but also in his unique position, as a famous Christian. I believe his heart is to serve the Body for the good of the Kingdom. I appreciate the recognition that, because of what has happened, he will be able to do things and go places that most people frankly could not. I wonder if at the same time, he feels saddened that there are now things he cannot do or places he cannot go that he otherwise could if he were not famous. I wonder at times if he wishes he could be anonymous to the masses and only known very well to the few that he is loving and serving with all his heart.

I respect Francis Chan, I appreciate his heart, as I do for many other pastors that find themselves in this position, such as John Piper. I will pray for God to give them the wisdom to navigate the strange reality that they live in as humble servants of God. It would not be easy.

Do I have any advice? I'm not sure what I would say to Francis, or others that have been propped up by "the system," but I do have something to say to the Church that may be worth hearing. Though I understand how selfish this may sound in writing this as a pastor myself, I urge you love, respect, and honor your local pastors exceedingly more than the "famous" for your pastors are the ones that must give account to God himself as to how they have taught, led, and cared for you in their flock (Heb 13:17). Do not allow yourself to compare your pastor to another, especially one famed for an exceedingly strong gift from God, for that would be like comparing your spouse to another in only one dimension. Do not allow yourself to exalt God's messengers and servants beyond there rightful place - resist becoming a part of the system - bow to no one but our Lord himself, nether physically, nor internally with your affections. (1 Cor 1:10-17). Respect and honor those that God has given the larger Body as prophets and teachers by allowing the truth of God in their messages to teach you to become greater lovers of God and greater lovers of others, in the context of your local church. Do not elevate them more than the message from God they are trying to convey. This I believe is their heart, rather than to turn believers to "their teaching" they long to build the Body. I believe many have stepped out in faith with the hope of inspiring, challenging and/or encouraging the Church, with the unfortunate cultural response of elevating their voice above the message they are giving, which has been detrimental to their ministry's intention and worse yet, the Church they so love.

Bucking the system,
Andy

Living in the Crease

Well, it's been a minute, a bit, OK, a long while, since my last post. I'm hoping to keep up with things a little more. Not a New Year's thing, just happens to coincide with the timing.

This weekend, I taught on Psalm 119 (well, a few verses from it). If you'd like to give it a listen, you can go to the Urban Refuge and click on messages. It should be there sometime this afternoon.

Credit where credit is due... thanks to Pastor Tim Keller from New York for a number of stirring thoughts that helped me prepare this message. I really appreciate the many insights I get from listening to or reading this pastor's messages and books.

Psalm 119:130 (NIV) The unfolding of your words gives light; it gives understanding to the simple.

I love the picture that this verse so eloquently expresses about God's Word. Though we might think we grasp it on the first reading, there is always more. As you think, ponder, reread, meditate and pray over the Scripture, it unfolds, it reveals more about God, more about me, and more about life and how to live it.

Just when you think you're understanding is full, you realize the container you were holding it in is a thimble. Suddenly, you are made profoundly aware that you now have a bucket, with just a thimble full of understanding in it, with much more to learn.

I like that the Bible is understandable, and yet so beyond my understanding. There's always more to learn. It keeps me humble, and it should warn each of us to not think more highly of ourselves than we ought.

Though it's uncomfortable at times, I don't mind living in the crease, for it is there that the unfolding happens.

Hoping and praying for us all to see more in the pages this year and beyond,

Andy

How should we exist if God doesn't?

If one puts aside the existence of God and the survival after life as too doubtful...one has to make up one's mind as to the use of life. If death ends all, if I have neither to hope for good nor to fear evil, I must ask myself what I am here for, and how in these circumstances I must conduct myself. Now the answer is plain, but so unpalatable that most will not face it. There is no meaning for life, and [thus] life has no meaning. Somerset Maugham, The Summing Up

Basic Training

So, what do people learn in basic training in the armed forces? To stop being selfish right? A new soldier has to learn how to put the concerns of the whole in front of the concerns of himself, otherwise unity can never happen. A company cannot advance if everyone is going there own way.

In marriage too, the most basic training that's needed is to stop being selfish. Ephesians 5:21 says "Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ." Uh oh, the "s" word. We don't like to hear the word submit much - something about it just makes the hair on our neck stand up. But it's the key ingredient to being able to make any relationship really work well, especially a marriage. Submitting is essentially setting aside self for the sake of the other, the sake of the greater good of the whole.

How is it possible to be selfless? As I mentioned, it's not instinctive, so where does selflessness come from? Some insight comes from Ephesians 5:18 which says "Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit."

Think about this, when a person gets drunk on alcohol, what happens? They lose their inhibition. I had a good friend who would never dance. But when he had a few drinks, look out Kevin Bacon, my buddy became the real Footloose. People lose all sort of inhibitions from alcohol - losing senses that restrain them. Someone holding back anger, gives vent to rage, another reserved by fear, throws caution to the wind, and others guided by wisdom, become all together foolish.

The likeness here is that when a person is filled with Spirit, they lose their inhibition. They become uninhibited to be generous. In it of ourselves, we gravitate towards self, but when we are filled with the Spirit of God, we lose our inhibition to give up self and are free to submit to others - to put their interests above our own, to think of their needs first, to think of what's better for the whole rather than what's best for self. We're filled with something that enables us to give beyond ourselves.

The likeness between alcohol and the Spirit ends there, and here's the contrast: getting drunk on alcohol leads to debauchery - it's the kind of losing inhibition that makes you less, not more. Getting drunk on the Spirit though, it's the kind of losing inhibition that leads to making your more instead of keeping you less.

So do yourself and your spouse a favor, "Become more, by becoming less." Sounds like a recruiting statement for the army doesn't it? The army's tactic to losing self is to brutally pound it out of you. Fortunately, that's not God's methodology. It can be brutal, but it doesn't have to be. The bottom line, James 4:6 "God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble."

Trying to be humble, so I can be filled, so I can be less, so we can be more.

Andy

The Number One Problem In Marriage

There’s a lot of speculation as to what causes the greatest troubles in marriage. Many say money is the main issue, others say sex, and I read a quote somewhere recently that Facebook is now cited as the instigating cause of divorce in some 40% of marriages. But what’s the real problem?
One philosophy of our day assesses the problem this way: “The problems in marriage are a result of what happen to us in life. If my spouse and I hadn’t been wounded in our childhoods, emotionally or otherwise, or if we didn’t have so much relational dysfunction that we brought into the marriage, we wouldn’t have the problems we do.”

While it’s very true that our environment impacts us significantly, I think this philosophy is problematic. Basically, it assumes that we all start out good – and then the things in life tarnish us and make us not so good. The theory is this: “If everything was just right growing up and just right through my young adult life, things would be just fine. I would be just fine. So you see, how I am, is really not my fault, and therefore, asking me to do be different is beyond my reach.”

But what if you had a wonderful childhood and a fine young adult life and you still run into snags or worse in your marriage all the time? What if you could strip away those hurts and pains? Would it be enough to make my marriage great? Here’s what I’ve found about me and I think it’s true for us all: The ability to put others first, to choose their joy over my joy, to put their concerns above my concerns, to get out of being absorbed by my own wants, my own needs, my own desires… is not instinctive.

Yep, it's true, putting others before myself does not come natural. Shocking isn’t it? Not really if you know me. I didn’t come out of the womb saying “here, you can freely have what I have.” I came out just like everyone else I know saying, “mine.” Did anyone have to teach your children how to say “mine”? Putting me first is what’s instinctive and “me first” is the number one problem in my marriage, or to put it directly “my selfishness is the number one problem.”

The bad things that happened to me along the way didn’t create my selfishness, they only aggravated it, making me more inclined to protect myself by putting myself first. Those hurts affected me, but they didn’t transform me from good to bad, they just added to it.

It’s interesting when you get married, you go from thinking this person could do no wrong to thinking this person does everything wrong. You wake up a few months into it, and think “wow, you’re really selfish, way more selfish than I am.” So instead of facing the fact that “I’m selfish” we assign our problems to “you’re selfish.”

But here’s the best advice I’ve learned for making my marriage better. Start with this premise: “the greatest problem in our marriage is not what happened to me long ago, it’s not what’s wrong with my spouse, it’s my selfishness.” When I do that our marriage gets better.

If you and your spouse can both do that, your marriage has amazing possibilities of truly becoming great. And even if only one of you does, your chances are still vastly improved. The first step to a good marriage is admitting our own selfishness is the biggest problem in our marriage.

How do you move from being selfish to unselfish? Stay tuned for a future post.