Picture how beautiful this is: "As the rain and the snow come down from heaven and do not return to it without watering the earth and making it bud and flourish, so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater, so is my word that goes out from my mouth. It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it." This is one of the reasons why I appreciate Isiah so much. He packs the largest concepts in the smallest statement and with such beauty.
Am I a sower? Is His Word producing seeds that I will plant? Or am I the consumer, the one who eats the product of the seed - the bread eater? Or am I a little of both? Notice, the metaphor only talks about the seed or the end-product, not the plant or the crop. Why is that?
Or, maybe I am the earth? Maybe I bud and flourish at having the Word sink into me. Maybe I have seeds for my descendants, and bread for my current relationships. What do you think?
Then there's the rain versus the snow. Isn't it true that some of the things you read in the Bible are like that? Some things sink in immediately and super-charge me just like water immediately sinks into dry potting soil; while other passages I read take a while. They rest on the surface of my being like snow rests on the ground --slowly melting--slowly feeding.
And don't the most beautiful plants emerge from the snow? Especially after the ground has been covered for a while. To see that first bud pop through the surface is like nothing else. Because of the contrast of color breaking through frozen barren white; it marks that life is underneath and that what's to come will be lush and rich. It's hope. Even though I don't understand a lot of what I read in the Bible, because of this, I think of all those words that roll past my eyes, and rest on the outside of my understanding in the same way I think of snow covering the ground, that will eventually give way to am amazing lush landscape.
I have great hope for the things that don't sink in right away, like snow; and great gratitude for that which I can soak up in the moment - like rain.
Thursday, September 18, 2008
Tuesday, September 16, 2008
Fantasy No.1
To my friend...enjoy, savor, immerse!
Picture this:
You are with your husband in front of his parent's house. He takes your hand and you walk together up the steps to the front door. You stand on the porch. It's cool in the shade. A distant wind chime sprays the silence with a cascade of melodious rings, then falls silent with the wane of the soft breeze.
You don't enter the house. Rather, your husband reaches out and touches the doorbell lightly. He squeezes your hand. You feel the moisture from his palm against yours. His hand is warm...a snug blanket over yours.
The door opens. His father surprised, opens the door wider. His mother comes up from behind, motioning you in. Your husband holds up his other hand as if to say, "no, thanks," like one who refuses a piece of cake.
He says, "Dad, mom, I have something to say. This is my wife whom I love. We are one body, one person. She is flawless. Anything you say against her, you say against me. Any praise you have for me, is shared with her. And there's something else I want you to know. I have enough love for all of you. You are my parents and I will never stop loving you, no matter what you think of me or my wife."
Then your husband lets go of your hand, steps halfway into the door and gives each of his parents a long tight embrace. Your father-in-law's thick fingers pinch tears away from his eyes, and he looks up using gravity to hold back the rest. Your mother-in-law lets go of your husband's shoulders and dabs her nose with a tissue produced from her pocket.
Your husband turns back to you, seems taller somehow, takes your hand, and you walk back down the steps.
"...a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and they will become one flesh." Gn. 2:24
If there are any other women who benefit from swimming in this, sinking your teeth into it, savoring it, becoming intoxicated with it, please enjoy...and let me hear from you!
P.S. To my own husband (and all his parents): Please know this is NOT written in relation to, nor about you - - this is written for a friend. That's all.
Picture this:
You are with your husband in front of his parent's house. He takes your hand and you walk together up the steps to the front door. You stand on the porch. It's cool in the shade. A distant wind chime sprays the silence with a cascade of melodious rings, then falls silent with the wane of the soft breeze.
You don't enter the house. Rather, your husband reaches out and touches the doorbell lightly. He squeezes your hand. You feel the moisture from his palm against yours. His hand is warm...a snug blanket over yours.
The door opens. His father surprised, opens the door wider. His mother comes up from behind, motioning you in. Your husband holds up his other hand as if to say, "no, thanks," like one who refuses a piece of cake.
He says, "Dad, mom, I have something to say. This is my wife whom I love. We are one body, one person. She is flawless. Anything you say against her, you say against me. Any praise you have for me, is shared with her. And there's something else I want you to know. I have enough love for all of you. You are my parents and I will never stop loving you, no matter what you think of me or my wife."
Then your husband lets go of your hand, steps halfway into the door and gives each of his parents a long tight embrace. Your father-in-law's thick fingers pinch tears away from his eyes, and he looks up using gravity to hold back the rest. Your mother-in-law lets go of your husband's shoulders and dabs her nose with a tissue produced from her pocket.
Your husband turns back to you, seems taller somehow, takes your hand, and you walk back down the steps.
"...a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and they will become one flesh." Gn. 2:24
If there are any other women who benefit from swimming in this, sinking your teeth into it, savoring it, becoming intoxicated with it, please enjoy...and let me hear from you!
P.S. To my own husband (and all his parents): Please know this is NOT written in relation to, nor about you - - this is written for a friend. That's all.
Thursday, September 11, 2008
Hiring Church Leaders or Breeding Sychphants?
I am a big fan of Granger Church. Look at their website, their mailings, all their communication is very well planned and intentional. It is by far the only church right now in the US who knows how to communicate, and they do it with consistency, conviction, and clarity. They preserve and extend their brand/identity very well. In fact, I would go so far to say that it is the first church that presents itself better in media (on paper, web, mailings, post cards, workshops) than in their messages. Usually, the worship message is great but the church's other touch points (i.e. signage, newsletters, and posters, etc.) are all homemade, mis-matching, Xeroxed, and/or unprofessional…But not at Granger. Because of that I am a big fan of their Communications Director, Kem Meyer. She is a leader and pioneer of the church communication industry, a real hero. And she is cool, too.
Because she’s so cool, I figured that all the leaders of Granger might just be the real deal ~bold Christians able to run the church without fear and truly according to Jesus' teachings. But I read the article, Hiring Criteria[1] by Tim Stevens, another Pastor at Granger and author of many books including, Pop Goes the Church. And I got the unfortunate sense that he is just like all the other church leaders who are sanctioned to do what they think is right-minded to lead the church, rather than doing what Jesus teaches the church.
In the article, Stevens says that churches should only hire from within the body of the congregation...only hire people who have been working in ministry for a while, basically, only people who ‘fit in’. When asked about job openings he says, “[I tell candidates], move your family to Granger, get a job, jump into a volunteer role and we’ll talk in two or three years.”
It sounds good and it seems to be successful for Granger, but I totally must disagree with this. I believe when church leaders have this myopic attitude, especially towards hiring practices, the structure of the organizational team morphs into a clique, and whoever has the strongest opinion, or the Senior Pastor’s ear, is typically the one who calls the shots, regardless of what the org chart would indicate.
John 13:20 says, “Whoever accepts the one I send, accepts me, and whoever accepts me accepts the one who sent me.” This is when Jesus is instructing his disciples at the last supper. And he is teaching them a lesson about not getting too big for their britches (essentially). It’s right after he washed their feet. It seems to me Jesus is instructing his disciples that they need to stay focused on serving – not on themselves – in so many words – I’m paraphrasing - he says, I know all of you. I have chosen you, yet I will still be betrayed by one of you – someone I know. Then without explanation he tells them to accept “whoever I send”.
For today’s translation, I believe Jesus instructs church leaders to be open to new faces and new talent..because as in this Biblical example, you generally are sunk by someone you know, not new...and also, and more importantly, Jesus will send people of His choosing to a church that is willing. Churches that inbreed executives from long-standing volunteer positions like Stevens suggests, can get caught in a trap of hiring yes-men (or yes-women) because that is the foundation of the relationship. It can mark the beginning of the end of a church's innovation and Kingdom advancement... and over time the staff will get dysfunctional results in their communication and decisions.
[1] Specific and Practical. 2008. A publication of Granger Church.
Because she’s so cool, I figured that all the leaders of Granger might just be the real deal ~bold Christians able to run the church without fear and truly according to Jesus' teachings. But I read the article, Hiring Criteria[1] by Tim Stevens, another Pastor at Granger and author of many books including, Pop Goes the Church. And I got the unfortunate sense that he is just like all the other church leaders who are sanctioned to do what they think is right-minded to lead the church, rather than doing what Jesus teaches the church.
In the article, Stevens says that churches should only hire from within the body of the congregation...only hire people who have been working in ministry for a while, basically, only people who ‘fit in’. When asked about job openings he says, “[I tell candidates], move your family to Granger, get a job, jump into a volunteer role and we’ll talk in two or three years.”
It sounds good and it seems to be successful for Granger, but I totally must disagree with this. I believe when church leaders have this myopic attitude, especially towards hiring practices, the structure of the organizational team morphs into a clique, and whoever has the strongest opinion, or the Senior Pastor’s ear, is typically the one who calls the shots, regardless of what the org chart would indicate.
John 13:20 says, “Whoever accepts the one I send, accepts me, and whoever accepts me accepts the one who sent me.” This is when Jesus is instructing his disciples at the last supper. And he is teaching them a lesson about not getting too big for their britches (essentially). It’s right after he washed their feet. It seems to me Jesus is instructing his disciples that they need to stay focused on serving – not on themselves – in so many words – I’m paraphrasing - he says, I know all of you. I have chosen you, yet I will still be betrayed by one of you – someone I know. Then without explanation he tells them to accept “whoever I send”.
For today’s translation, I believe Jesus instructs church leaders to be open to new faces and new talent..because as in this Biblical example, you generally are sunk by someone you know, not new...and also, and more importantly, Jesus will send people of His choosing to a church that is willing. Churches that inbreed executives from long-standing volunteer positions like Stevens suggests, can get caught in a trap of hiring yes-men (or yes-women) because that is the foundation of the relationship. It can mark the beginning of the end of a church's innovation and Kingdom advancement... and over time the staff will get dysfunctional results in their communication and decisions.
The strategy of hiring longstanding volunteers on the surface is successful...and it works for Granger. But I contend that 'circling the wagons' in hiring practices is a slow cancer. Eventually, the church's growth will slow, the fire in the belly of the congregation will wane, and the core staff (of bred sychphants) will all throw up their hands in bewilderment. The practice is comfortable and cost-effective. But it is one of this world. Pray then for church leaders to take the uncomfortable route, to take risks, to trust the teaching of Jesus, to open their hearts, and keep an eye out for who He chooses to run His church.
[1] Specific and Practical. 2008. A publication of Granger Church.
Pop Quiz For Church Leaders
Church leaders: What principles do you use in managing the ‘business’ of the church? Secular best-practices, personal inclination (gut feeling), or Biblical teachings? Give it a whirl.
First, match the following (true) modern-day scenario with the parable that it best fits. Then, see if you would take the same action that Jesus recommends to church leaders:
(By the way, in the scenario below, please don't pass judgement on the particular church. All the people involved in the story are genuine Christians, great at their jobs, good people, and great leaders. They are not alone. Stories like this are being shared all across the country and in all churches.)
In a medium-sized church, the Executive Pastor hires a Director for Communications and Marketing. At the council meeting, the salary of the new Director was discussed and approved. The next day, the Director of Children’s Ministry reads the published minutes of the council meeting, only to discover that the new Marketing Director makes more money than the other tenured Directors. As someone who has worked for the church many years, and who has built the programs that support the foundation of the church, the Director of Children’s Ministry was angry and hurt that a new person (whose position seems like fluff) would make more. She storms into the Senior Pastor’s office and demands the salary of the new person be reduced and that other salaries of tenured directors be adjusted higher.
Which parable best fits:
A) The Parable of the Weeds? (Mt.13:24)
B) The Workers in the Vineyard? (Mt. 20)
C) The Tenants? (Mt. 21:33)
If you guessed Workers in the Vineyard, you guessed correct!
When Paul says, "Serve wholeheartedly as though you were serving the Lord, not men." He means: it doesn't matter who you work for, or where you work, you need to do your job as though God is your boss. Do it to meet His expectations...which hopefully, would be above and beyond any written job description, right?
So, church leaders, what you would do if you were the Senior Pastor? Jesus teaches through the parable of the Workers in the Vineyard that the person in charge (the land owner) tells the worker who has been there all day working hard - -basically -- to buck up. The boss reminds the worker to stick to his own agreement and that, as the land owner, he has the right to do with his money what he wishes. In other words, 'mind your own business and do your own work' wholeheartedly.
In the case of the example above, the Senior Pastor felt bad. He had to choose between keeping peace with his tenured staff - super vital - or cutting the pay of just one newcomer (everyone upset, or just one?), and so he approved a pay cut for the new Director of Communications and a pay increase for the Directors with lower wages.
Was his corrective action good for the church? Why or why not? By his actions, who is the Senior Pastor accountable to? Think of your own church leadership team. Should they be accountable to the staff, or to Jesus? What do you think is the right thing to do? If you were the Senior Pastor in the above scenario, would be able to do what Jesus says is right? The future of the church relies on your answer.
First, match the following (true) modern-day scenario with the parable that it best fits. Then, see if you would take the same action that Jesus recommends to church leaders:
(By the way, in the scenario below, please don't pass judgement on the particular church. All the people involved in the story are genuine Christians, great at their jobs, good people, and great leaders. They are not alone. Stories like this are being shared all across the country and in all churches.)
In a medium-sized church, the Executive Pastor hires a Director for Communications and Marketing. At the council meeting, the salary of the new Director was discussed and approved. The next day, the Director of Children’s Ministry reads the published minutes of the council meeting, only to discover that the new Marketing Director makes more money than the other tenured Directors. As someone who has worked for the church many years, and who has built the programs that support the foundation of the church, the Director of Children’s Ministry was angry and hurt that a new person (whose position seems like fluff) would make more. She storms into the Senior Pastor’s office and demands the salary of the new person be reduced and that other salaries of tenured directors be adjusted higher.
Which parable best fits:
A) The Parable of the Weeds? (Mt.13:24)
B) The Workers in the Vineyard? (Mt. 20)
C) The Tenants? (Mt. 21:33)
If you guessed Workers in the Vineyard, you guessed correct!
When Paul says, "Serve wholeheartedly as though you were serving the Lord, not men." He means: it doesn't matter who you work for, or where you work, you need to do your job as though God is your boss. Do it to meet His expectations...which hopefully, would be above and beyond any written job description, right?
So, church leaders, what you would do if you were the Senior Pastor? Jesus teaches through the parable of the Workers in the Vineyard that the person in charge (the land owner) tells the worker who has been there all day working hard - -basically -- to buck up. The boss reminds the worker to stick to his own agreement and that, as the land owner, he has the right to do with his money what he wishes. In other words, 'mind your own business and do your own work' wholeheartedly.
In the case of the example above, the Senior Pastor felt bad. He had to choose between keeping peace with his tenured staff - super vital - or cutting the pay of just one newcomer (everyone upset, or just one?), and so he approved a pay cut for the new Director of Communications and a pay increase for the Directors with lower wages.
Was his corrective action good for the church? Why or why not? By his actions, who is the Senior Pastor accountable to? Think of your own church leadership team. Should they be accountable to the staff, or to Jesus? What do you think is the right thing to do? If you were the Senior Pastor in the above scenario, would be able to do what Jesus says is right? The future of the church relies on your answer.
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