Avoid Being an Idiot

I asked a friend in our college+twentysomethings ministry if he thought we were stagnant. He didn’t. He thought we were idle instead.

I agree.

Many churches and ministries are. Unfortunately, our C/20 ministry is no exception.

And I hate it. I hate sitting around and just talking about how we should live. About how things should be. How we should live missionally.

And then not really doing anything. Just being idle.

It’s the equivalent of this IMB commercial:

Idle-atry happens when we value the meeting over the mission. Our group over our God. Our comfort over our calling.

If a car sits idle for too long it eventually run out of gas. And then it not longer can fulfill its purpose in transportation. If I sit idle for too long then I will not fulfill the purposes that God has called me to.

God has been stirring some things inside of me lately. I will either go from zero to 60 in about 4.2 or just die inside. I pray for the former.

This week’s favorites from blog world…

• Jay reminded me that my wife is my greatest asset. (I love you, Shannon!)
• Perry gave us 15 signs that you lack vision.
• Aaron pointed us to Stuff Christians Like.
• Clayton began a series about The Plague.
• Gary gave his side of the Egg Drop disaster story in Canton, GA.

Enjoy and have a great weekend!

So we’ve switched insurance carriers at work. Again. It happens every year because the old people take too many drugs, see too many doctors, and have too many surgeries. Yesterday, we had our big annual meeting to meet the friendly new insurance company and go over the new policy. To borrow a line from Clayton, I’d rather set myself on fire, slowly, by rubbing sticks against my flesh than go to this meeting. Everyone hates it. The most exciting thing about the meeting was hearing Aaron explain why you can’t eat macaroni ‘n cheese and spaghetti at the same meal because you need meat, “chicken, beef, or somethin’.”
I couldn’t help but wonder if some people view our churches like I do this meeting. If Sundays are met with more dread than excitement.
I noticed a few takeaways for ministers:

• I was shocked that they presenters did not answer the most important question (nor did anyone ask): What does it cost? How much did the premiums go up? Church takeaway: Are you answering the most important question? Are you telling people to believe in the Gospel and repent of sin or are you just giving them five steps to having a better marriage/relationship with kids/financial situation/work life/etc.? (For the record, I think there are just two steps that work for all these issues: believe in the Gospel and repent of sin.)
• They told us that many people use the emergency room when it is unnecessary. As a precaution, we are given a nurse hot-line number or an online chat with a nurse to really diagnose whether it is an emergency or not. WHAT?!?!? If I think it might be an emergency, I’m not calling any 1-800 numbers or waiting for Internet Explorer to finally load. I’m going to the hospital. Church takeaway: Do you say or expect silly things that make normal people scratch their head and wonder exactly what type of crack you are smoking?
• The insurance lady explained that some prescription drugs, like Nexium, are no longer covered because there is an over-the-counter alternative. One guy explained that there is a chemical difference between Nexium and the over-the-counter version and that he had to spend three days in the hospital last year because he ran out of Nexium. She offered a forced look of concern and a “sorry.” And told him he could appeal. Church takeaway: People want to know you care. Genuinely. Faking it doesn’t work. Not caring doesn’t work.

Most of all, people hate this meeting because it is boring and they know it’s not going to change anything. Don’t let this be said of your church or ministry.

I’m announcing my newest blogroll addition with my first ever sketchcast. Take a few minutes to check out…

[UPDATE: I thought I would be able to embed the sketchcast here, but that didn't work because I'm not very smart. So to see this masterpiece of artwork, then you will need to click here.]

Jeff is a great friend and my accountability partner. He just began blogging this week. Jeff will write his thoughts on ministry and life. It will probably change your life. Or make you laugh. Either one.

The only thing wrong with Jeff is that he is a Clemson Tigers fan. So that part of him is more degenerate than regenerate.

But, alas, he is a great guy who will surely add value to the blogosphere by writing, and will be a blessing to the Kingdom. Welcome, Jeff.

…What I got was a rasslin’ match. And more questions. And a good punch in the gut. No, I didn’t visit WWE or even the DMV or any other initials you can think of.

I spent time with God.

In fact, I believe He woke me up early this morning. And rather do what I normally do–say “no He isn’t” and roll over and go back to sleep–I got up. Full of expectation. Ready to hear from God. Ready to receive clarity for my life and purpose and ministry.

Well, I heard from God. But, now I have even more questions. A bit more frustration. And I realized that I am conpletely incapable of leading the ministry that I currently lead.

But I think that was the point.

When I started leading the college+twentysomethings ministry I thought had a lot figured out. I knew if I could just start a C/20 service with a band and good graphics and relevant messages then we could grow a ministry. I knew if we did something other than traditional Sunday School, then we would grow more. I knew if we just did things like ___________ pastor/church/blogger/superstar minister, then we would just explode. Since that time, we have decreased in numbers. We’ve seen spiritual growth in some. In others, we’ve seen decrease.

Apparently, I don’t have much figured out. And I’m not very good. But that’s OK.

Jesus is.

Its His church. He is Faithful and True. 

Now, the challenge is moving from assenting intellectually to this knowledge to embracing it in reality and practice.

For some reason, I don’t think this was the answer to a question, but rather the beginning of a journey.

“Father, may I not try to live life or do ministry by my own skill or knowledge, but rather by the power of your Spirit as received through prayer and seeking You.”

One stupid choice can change your life forever.

Today I made a really stupid choice. I decided it would be a good idea to send a text message to my sister while driving. Now, I don’t send many text messages. Actually I am quite adverse to the practice (why don’t you just call the person?), but she wasn’t answering her phone and I needed to give her a message. So I’m in the middle of the message when I look up…

Just in time to see that I have crossed the center line and am about one foot from hitting the blue mini-van coming the other way. We both swerved at just the right time to avoid a head-on collision. Thank you, Jesus!

Let’s say I didn’t look up in time. Or the mini-van driver didn’t see me. At best, it would have just damaged two vehicles. And been very, very expensive for me to fix both. At worst, a head-on wreck could have resulted in a loss of life. Or several lives–mine, the other driver’s, and, God forbid, the kids in the mini-van (there is never an acceptable time to drive a mini-van without kids).

If we would have wrecked, it would not have just affected me. The collateral damage would have extended to our families, our friends, our circles of influence, and our employers. the ripple effect would ruin many lives.

And the cost for a stupid mistake would be exorbitant, especially in comparison to the reward (a measly text message).

Recently, I have seen several lives fall apart due to a stupid mistake. A marriage destroyed because of a moral failure. It only takes one stupid mistake. And your family, marriage, ministry, and friendships are shot.

The collateral damage casts a wide net.

It was only by the grace of God that I looked up in time to avoid a wreck and survive texting while driving.

It will only be by the grace of God that my marriage, ministry, and life will survive the moral temptations of this age.

I tore my ACL playing football my senior year of high school. After receiving treatment and a brace from our athletic trainer, I distinctly remember walking (on crutches) past the weight room and saying joyfully to myself, “I’ll never have to go in there again!” You see, I hated lifting weights. I didn’t mind getting exercise playing sports and games, but I hated to work out. Probably because I wasn’t very strong to begin with.

Well, the pounds have accumulated since high school. So I’ve decided to change the way I eat and, hopefully, exercise. So I started using the perfect pushup some last week. Man was I sore. You see, I haven’t really done much exercise in about a year. Sure, I had eaten every single day. But no exercise. So the muscles of my youth (yeah right) got lazy. So they push back to strenuous activity now. To get throught he soreness, I must push through and work them.

Same thing happens spiritually as well. I consume a lot of information–reading Scripture, sermons, blogs, commentaries, articles, etc. All that is good. But if it does not lead to spiritual action, then it is in vain. I will have enjoyed all the sugar and sweets for Christianity without ever eating my vegetables.

Informational intake without missional outflow will always lead to spiritual obesity.

And I have learned recently that when you begin to exercise your missional muscles, there will be soreness and a temptation to quit. Its hard.

But, push through. For the glory of God.

Here are this week’s highlights from my bloglines reader:

• Jay Hardwick wrote a great post telling us to move on.
• Aaron  Earls added me to his blogroll in exciting top-ten fashion.
• Seth Godin shared a great thought on persistence.
• J.D. Greear and Steven Furtick both wrote about recent experiences with some older heroes in the faith here and here.
• Tony Morgan graciously linked to ABI as one of the winners of his flamboyant word gamefrom Unleash. Speaking of Unleash, the NewSpring crew rolled out a new website for the conference.

That’s it for this week. Go Blue Devils!

Let me introduce all you March Madness fans to something I call the Law of the Possession Arrow. Keep it in mind when watching tournament games over the next three weeks. Be sure to mention it to your friends during close games. They will be impressed. You will be amazed. Here it is:

If the score is within four points with less than a minute to play, the team that has the possession arrow will lose.

Its not quite scientific, but in my estimation this is true 75% of the time.

For what its worth, I picked UNC, Georgetown, UCLA, and Texas in the Final Four, with UNC beating UCLA 88-82 in the finals. As a Duke fan, it pains me to write that last sentence, but Tyler Hansbrough is just too good. And I like Roy Williams.

Let the madness begin!

Its easy for the young guns in the church to get upset with the “more seasoned in life” in our church. Its easy to point out the faults of the way things are done. The weaknesses. The irrelevance. And I’m all for honest evaluation and criticism.

But too many times in my life, my criticisms have not been fueled by worship of Jesus and passion to see lives changed by Him. Its been fueled by pride and self-righteousness in my heart.

I am active in a traditional church. Sure, there are things I wish were done differently. And, yes, I often get frustrated.

But then I see a man like Bill Smith. 

Mr. Smith is an older gentleman in our church. He remembered my name from early on when I became a part of Mountain Creek. He always says “hello,” and gives me a handshake. He always asks how I am doing.

He couldn’t have a more ordinary name. He couldn’t have more extraordinary qualities. 

He is full of grace. He is humble.

Not once have I heard him or heard of him saying anything negative about anything new or different than what he grew up with or prefers.

He always seeks to encourage.

Every time he stands before the church to say the offertory prayer, he prays for each Pastor in our church and for the “young people” (the students), and for the children. And you just know that Sunday mornings aren’t the only times he prays for them.

He is a man of prayer. He has been faithful to the church for many years. More importantly, he has been faithful to Jesus.

So next time I get a hankering for self-righteous indignation of the way things used to be, I need to think a moment about Mr. Smith.

Because then I will think about Jesus. And His grace. And His humility.

Who are the Mr. Smiths that you know? Thank them for their influence in your life. Humbly show them honor.