Optical Illusions

Hey, the brown leaves in this picture are NOT moving.

 

It’s just an optical illusion, but let that be a lesson to us. Unless we have the wisdom to know better, our eyes often fool us into believing something that simply isn’t true.

There is probably at least one brown leaf situation in your life. You’re hurt or upset because of the way the things seem to be playing out. You’ve seen it with your own eyes! The leaves keep moving no matter how hard bad you want them to stop.

Take a step back and make sure it’s not all in your head.

“Buy the truth and do not sell it. Get wisdom, discipline, and understanding.” –Proverbs 23:23

My 10 Favorite Ben Franklin Quotes

I was chatting with a friend today. In the course of our conversation, I heard myself tell him, “Ben Franklin said, ‘alcohol does not drown sorrows, but waters them, and helps them grow.’” He said Franklin was a genius.

Of course he was a genius. They don’t put you on the hundred-dollar bill for being average.

"...on the low from the Jake in the Taurus..."

Without Franklin’s life and contributions,  the United States would not be as great a nation as it has been and is. I can’t think of another individual for whom that statement is more true. Here are 10 of my favorite BF quotes:

1. He that is good for making excuses is seldom good for anything else.

2. He that would live in peace and at ease, must not speak all he knows nor judge all he sees.

3. How many observe Christ’s birthday! How few, his precepts! O! ’tis easier to keep Holidays than Commandments.

4. If you would not be forgotten as soon as you are dead and rotten, either write something worth reading or do things worth the writing.

5. Three may keep a secret, if two of them are dead.

6. To lengthen thy life, lessen thy meals.

7. Force shites on reason’s back.

8. To find out a girl’s faults, praise her to her girl friends.

9. When in doubt, don’t.

10. We are all born ignorant, but one must work hard to remain stupid.

My man.

Read “Blue Shoe” by Anne Lamott

This is about the 10th book I’ve read this year. Not bad, except that I made a New Year’s resolution to read 25 new books in 2009. I guess between moving across country, starting a new job, having another kid, and taking time to make a bunch of excuses, I’ll probably only get about halfway to my goal.

Still with all of my shortcomings, I still know that I am lovable and worthy, and that was one of the lessons that the main character in “Blue Shoe,” Mattie, came to learn.

This is the only novel I’ve read this year so far. Most of my reading is Christian/New Age/Self-Help type of stuff. It was like a vacation to step into this fictional world that is so much like our own.

I really love Anne Lamott’s writing, mostly because of her knack for dealing with the dark aspects of human nature with humor.

Mattie, the main character, is divorced, a mother of 2, all but struggling financially, has issues with her mother, and most interestingly of all, has a strong desire to be a good Christian. That may not sound like the most interesting aspect of her struggle, but it is, because she fails so miserably at it so often, just like the rest of us.

She has a healthy prayer life, yet fantasizes about poisoning her children. She knows her ex-husband is a lowdown dog, yet sleeps with him regularly even after he remarries.

Also like many of us, she is being eaten up by family secrets that she’s scared to share. She feels like she’s the only one with dysfunction; the only one who prays without seeing immediate results; the only one who feels desperate and dirty as a result of sharing a house with children.

In addition to several lines that made me laugh out loud, the novel is full of wisdom (“expectations are premeditated resentments”), and unapologetic imagery (“she looked almost to the ceiling of the church, where the notes hung above the singers like moths.”) Soaking this stuff up reminded me that reading good literature makes you a better writer, too.

The more I think about the lessons of the novel, the less bad I feel about about not reading 25 books in 2009. I’m grateful for the ones I have read, and for a few more tomorrows to read some more.

Playing Church

“Is this the kind of fast I have chosen, only a day for to humble oneself? Is that what you call a day acceptable to the LORD?” Isaiah 58:5

One of the best parts about being a kid is that you can play all sorts of make-believe games. You can play army, play doctor, play house…you can even play church.

You ever seen kids play church? One gets to be the preacher, jumping up and down, shouting hellfire and damnation. He or she may even put a bathrobe on for effect. The congregation has their fans, their costume jewelry, they’re pretending to catch the Holy Ghost–just a bunch of immature kids horsing around.

Hate to say it, but in many of today’s churches, the commitment to discipleship and sincerity of worship isn’t much more sincere than it is for those kids playing church.

Like the Israelites in Isaiah, most churchgoers know God has been good to them, but we want to know why God hasn’t been great to us. Yes, the basic necessities are covered, but what about, the desires, the ambitions, the dreams, all of the great victory that is supposed to come with following Jesus? When do we get some of that? Many Christians wonder.

With anything, we get out what we put in. A lot of church folk serve our time on Sundays, then go about being their our true selves during the rest of the week. Sunday is only 14.3% of a week. If we’re spending that much time focusing on holiness, wisdom, love, and self-control, and the other 85.7% of our lives in darkness, is it any wonder why we are where we are.

This may not apply to everyone, but almost everyone who goes to church has “played church” at one time or another.

True worship, Isaiah teaches, is not about form. It’s about making a difference in people’s lives. Yes that means feeding the hungry and fighting for equal rights, but “freeing the oppressed” is also about letting go of grudges and hatred and resentment, because feeling those feelings towards others holds us back as well.

Some of us are looking up in the sky trying to figure out if God is for real. Meanwhile, God may be looking down on us trying to figure out if we’re for real.

Beating The “Hell” Out Of Ourselves

During yesterday’s sermon, I put this image up on the Jumbotron as I preached from I Corinthians 9:24-27 about “Beating the Hell Out of Ourselves.”

The scripture talks about the fact that in a race, many people run, but only one gets the prize. Christians should run their spiritual race in such a way as to win the prize.

Hate him or love him, Mr. Schwarzenegger is looking pretty impressive here. It’s no wonder he was Mr. Universe and a six-time Mr. Olympia. A few points worth considering:

-It takes work to see results. The more outstanding the results, the more difficult the work must have been to achieve them.

-We all have some hell inside of us. Weakness, jealously, addictions, anger, laziness….these things can rarely be talked out of us. They have to be beaten out with constant, 24/7 effort.

-You don’t achieve results of any kind just by standing still. If you don’t like where you are, there is at least one area in your life in which you could afford to pick up the pace.

-Ordinary people can accomplish extraordinary things. In fact, the goal of religion arguably is to attain a “spiritual body” that’s as inspiring and honed as Arnold’s physique. When he started lifting weights at age 16, he only weighed 98 pounds and couldn’t afford a gym membership, but look at him now.

-Athletes workout and train to win cash and medals and t-shirts and respect. Christians are “training” so that they can be fully used by God in the world, so that we can live up to our higher calling. Sometimes, we get cash and t-shirts as an after effect, but doing all that you were born to do is better.

-If you look like Schwarzenegger, the enemies and bullies out there will think twice about trying to mess with you–they’ll generally move on to an easier target.

-He’s the governor of California now, but in this picture, he was just another meat head. But he was such a committed, visionary meat head that he got a chance to be an actor. And he was such a driven, memorable actor that he got to run for office. There’s no ceiling on what you can accomplish, even if you have already accomplished something that you consider great, God may have new levels in store for you.

-You wouldn’t take advice on how to look like a champion bodybuilder from someone who’s out of shape. Imagine a flabby coach in a velour sweat suit, whistle around his neck, telling Arnold how to shape his body properly. Easy to be a coach, but hard to be an effective one unless you’ve been there yourself. Perhaps there are too many Christian Coaches standing around beating the hell out of everyone else and not enough Christian Competitors beating the hell out of themselves.

Get In The Social Networking Game

I think I was one of the last people in the world to get a cell phone.

That’s not really true, but I did resist it for a long time. At first it was easy to resist: Growing up, nobody had them, so we didn’t know we needed them. Around the time I was in college, the first nationwide PCS networks began to pop up. Suddenly, you could call any number in the nation for one flat rate, and it was often cheaper than a land line. Soon, many of my friends started getting cell phones. It was still very much a novelty. They used to refer to having a mobile phone as “being in the game.” In response,  I dug my heels in and resolved to never be a part of their silly game.

Now that I have a cell phone, I will probably never live without one again. A luxury is only a luxury until you get used to it, then it becomes a necessity.

There are millions of people out there who are reluctant to get into the “Facebook and Twitter game” for the same reason I didn’t want to get in the cell phone game ten years ago. Ironically, seeing other people enjoy something can sometimes make you want to do that thing even less. Freud called it a reaction formation.

People do it all the time. For example, I don’t have cable. Sure, part of me wants HBO and ESPN, but then the ego defense mechanism kicks in–”Who has time to watch all those channels? There’s never anything good on, anyway…. Remember when people used to actually read books and talk with their families? So glad I’m not like the rest of these idiots wasting their money on cable.”

I understand the resistance, and sure, you can technically live and breathe without Facebook or Twitter, but there are many reasons why the social networking game is something to consider.

The most obvious benefit I have found is being able to connect with people in a meaningful way. I’m getting the latest happenings on people I haven’t seen since middle school–pictures, videos, births, deaths, weddings. And it’s more than just random facts–people really help you out with specific questions if you ask.

Also, if you have something worth saying, an event worth attending, a video worth watching, or a product worth buying, it will gain momentum if it’s good. In the”Web 2.0″ world, it’s the quality of the content that matters more than the source. That’s why regular people get famous on YouTube everyday. When my daughter is born any day now, posting the news on Facebook and Twitter will get the word out to more people faster than any other medium available to me.

It’s good to be in touch with old friends, but Twitter in particular can also broaden your horizons. For example, Rick Warren first published “Purpose-Driven Church,” the go-to guide for pastors, back in 1995. It’s great, but what’s even better is getting his up-to-the-minute insights via Twitter. He even sent me a personal message yesterday, which was a nice surprise. Twitter allows this bestselling author and pastor of 20,000 members  a way to reach out to new jacks like me. Whatever industry you work in, there are people on Twitter who can’t wait to inspire, educate, and urge you on. And, you can do the same for others.

Just some food for thought for all the Twitter and Facebook resisters out there. Are you really against all the positives, or are you resisting because everyone else is doing it?

Don’t forget, it’s free. At least I’m saving $100 a month by not getting cable. What’s your excuse?

Flashes of Greatness

There’s a certain NBA player who is extremely skilled, but I just can’t bring myself to be his fan because I get the feeling he is an underachiever.

He has always had solid statistics, but one night early in his career, he exploded for 37 points, and also had highs in rebounds and steals, leading his team to a hard-fought victory. As soon as the game was over, he turned to his coach and told him: “Do NOT expect that kind of performance from me every night!”

We all have flashes of greatness from time to time. The unfortunate thing is that we are satisfied with the rare flash. “Even a broken clock is right twice a day,” we figure. Sometimes, we just get lucky, but those rare moments of excellence and genius can’t be duplicated regularly, can they?

“I’m glad you liked my article, but I couldn’t possibly write one every week.”

“Please don’t ask me to dance.”

“Last month’s sales were abnormally high, but now it’s back to normal.”

“Remember that poem I wrote back in `94. Talk about inspired!”

“Sure I did it once, but all the planets were aligned or something. Trust me, I suck, and everyone who knows me knows it’s true.”

Nelson Mandela says we are more afraid of success than we are of failure. The flash of greatness is not supposed to be a fleeting moment of satisfaction in an otherwise crappy existence. It comes to show you what you truly are capable of. 

The next time serendipity allows you to exceed your own expectations, do everything you can to keep the ball rolling.

Time Flies

The longer you live, the faster time goes by….

This morning, I was fondly remembering a conversation I had nearly five years ago. “Was that really 5 years ago?” I thought. Seems like 2 or 3 years maybe, but not 5.

My time is starting to fly. It takes a 5 year old a year to turn 6, and it takes a 50 year old a year to turn 51. Even though it’s the same amount of time, the difference is that when you’re 5, a year represents 20% of your life. By the time you’re 50, a year is only 2% of your life. I’ve heard many older adults talk about how quickly 20 or 30 years can pass, and I’m starting to believe them. But good luck convincing a 6 year old that 20 years can go by in the blink of an eye.

Yep. Still got it.

Not trying to get too far into theories of relativity or time travel, because frankly, I’m not that deep. Just saying that we need to make the most of the time we are given, because it will be gone before we know it.

Nine Nine Oh Nine

Well, today is September 9, 2009, 9/9/09. I haven’t heard much talk about it. Interesting, because we know that if 9 was considered an “unlucky” number, it would be all over the news.

What does a good Christian like me care about numerology, anyway? The fact is, numbers carry a lot of signficance in the Bible. You don’t get far in your Christian journey before learning that numbers like 3, 7, and 40 have a great deal of significnce. They are more than just numbers.

Well, if those numbers have symbolic meaning, it stands to reason that all the others mean something, too.

Many of the same people who teach us that  the number 7 represents perfection or completeness say that the number 9 stands for compassion, wisdom, and forgiveness.

The day seems pretty harmless to me. It’s just as silly to get all holy-roller dogmatic and bent out of shape over numerology as it is to buy into it too much. But don’t front like you don’t believe in it if on some level, you really do.

“Like a scarecrow in a melon patch, their idols cannot speak; they must be carried because they cannot walk. Do not fear them; they can do no harm nor can they do any good.” –Jeremiah 10:5

Read 10 Stupid Things by Geoff Surratt

Pastoring a church is a lot like running any business. It’s all too easy to get caught up in the day to day details and lose sight of the big picture.

In any given week, I’m writing a sermon, preparing a Bible study lesson, planning Sunday’s worship, going to meetings, resolving disputes, calling and visiting sick people, and generally maintaining an open-door policy to whoever needs to be listened to, and I love it all. That’s not to mention the hours I spend on the Net, some productive, some not so much. And before I carve out time to do any of those things, I’m working full time to be a good husband and father.

By the time church ends on Sunday afternoon, it’s time to start doing it all again in preparation for the next week. I know that I miss a lot with my nose to the grindstone. In order to be effective, sometimes you have to step back from what you’re doing and look at what’s really going on.

That’s why I enjoyed this book, ”Ten Stupid Things That Keep Churches From Growing: How Leaders Can Overcome Costly Mistakes.” It was pretty funny and practical. If the advice in the book could be boiled down to one sentence, it might be, “don’t try to do it all yourself.” It takes a good deal of humility for me to accept that, but it is great advice.

For example, the author’s pastor’s job description is simple: Cast vision, connect with other leaders, teach the congregation. Period. No hauling folding chairs from room to room. No waiting around late to lock the door. No picking up tablecloths from the dry cleaner. Most pastors are willing to do a lot of these tasks. In fact, I think that showing people that I’m not above physical labor is part of teaching them about service and discipleship. But anything outside of those 3 duties really shouldn’t be expected of me as a pastor.

What should be expected of me is that I work to make God famous. That’s what I’m here for, and there are many ways to do that. Church should feel warm and inviting, even to outsiders. Especially to outsiders.

There was some other great advice, too. Spend a large chunk of your budget on youth, because they are the future of the church. Serve food. Make sure the music is jamming. Don’t be afraid of technology. Train leaders and build strong teams.

By the time I finished the book, I was in a very reflective place. I realized that no matter how busy I am, I should spend some time alone with God to get an idea of which direction this church should be going in.

If nothing was impossible, where would I like us to be in 3 years?

This book was written for church leaders, but I think that’s a good question for anyone to ask themselves.