By now you've probably seen the viral video of the Weather Channel reporter fighting the winds and water while giving his report while two teenagers are seen calmly walking behind him. It's a wonderful example of how the news, including the weather, is presented in a way that is not necessarily accurate. The Weather Channel has claimed that their reporter was trying to maintain his footing on wet grass while the teens are walking on concrete. So, was the reporter not smart enough to leave the wet grass for the solid footing the concrete obviously provided? It's a hilarious clip that won't soon be forgotten.
But, it does offer insight into a much bigger issue. How many of us are fighting temptations that threaten to overwhelm us rather than fleeing from them? Numerous times in Scripture the apostle Paul tells us to flee from temptations. Fighting temptations can result in our losing the battle, and many of us often experience those losses. Fleeing from them gives us a much better chance of being victorious over them.
An alcoholic should not go into a bar but should avoid places where he will be tempted to drink. Recovering drug addicts need to find new friends and avoid the old ones who will provide fresh temptations. Many marriages have been destroyed in recent years due to old flames reconnecting on social media. Just because someone gives you a friend request doesn't mean you have to accept it. There are people you don't need to have contact with on social media.
Speaking of social media, it seems many Christians are unable to resist commenting on posts with which they disagree. It does the Kingdom of God no good for Christians to engage in battles with unbelievers and other Christians on social media. A few times I've wanted to challenge something I read but refrained because I knew it would only result in an online argument that would accomplish nothing. For those of you who don't know, it's OK to read something online with which you disagree and not comment on it.
Fighting temptations is often like trying to walk on wet, slick grass in 90 MPH winds. Life is much easier if you just walk away to the more solid footing of the concrete.
Monday, September 17, 2018
Friday, September 14, 2018
Pastoral libraries
I am currently facing a problem that all retiring ministers face towards the end of their ministries. What do I do with my library?
Numerous times in this blog I've posted articles about how much my library means to me. I've spent the past 35 years adding books to the library that I thought would be helpful in my pastoral and writing ministries. Having recently celebrated my 70th birthday I realize that decisions need to be made regarding my books. I don't want to leave them for my wife to deal with.
I posted some online and sold a few, but not nearly enough to justify the amount of time it took me to list them. I've boxed some up and sold them at auction, but not many people who attend auctions are interested in buying ministerial and theological books. The boxes that did sell only brought a couple of dollars for the entire box. I also realize that many of them are so marked up with highlighting and underlining that they have little value. (Let's just say I'm an active reader!)
At different times I've considered donating them to a church for its library, but I'm realistic enough to know how much many church libraries are used.
Of course, every time I think about getting rid of my library I begin to fear that I might need these books. I just completed a two-year stint as a Transitional Pastor, and my commentaries and theological books were invaluable as I returned to preparing sermons and Bible studies. My books on leadership and ministry were consulted as I was once again confronted with some of the leadership challenges of pastoral ministry. What if I get rid of my books and then am called to another interim position?
Then I hear the story from a retired pastor's wife who boxed up his library when they moved into a smaller house and no longer had a church office. His library is stacked in boxes sitting in a corner of their garage! I don't want that to happen to my library.
I would be interested in hearing from some of my retired readers to learn what you did with your pastoral library.
Numerous times in this blog I've posted articles about how much my library means to me. I've spent the past 35 years adding books to the library that I thought would be helpful in my pastoral and writing ministries. Having recently celebrated my 70th birthday I realize that decisions need to be made regarding my books. I don't want to leave them for my wife to deal with.
I posted some online and sold a few, but not nearly enough to justify the amount of time it took me to list them. I've boxed some up and sold them at auction, but not many people who attend auctions are interested in buying ministerial and theological books. The boxes that did sell only brought a couple of dollars for the entire box. I also realize that many of them are so marked up with highlighting and underlining that they have little value. (Let's just say I'm an active reader!)
At different times I've considered donating them to a church for its library, but I'm realistic enough to know how much many church libraries are used.
Of course, every time I think about getting rid of my library I begin to fear that I might need these books. I just completed a two-year stint as a Transitional Pastor, and my commentaries and theological books were invaluable as I returned to preparing sermons and Bible studies. My books on leadership and ministry were consulted as I was once again confronted with some of the leadership challenges of pastoral ministry. What if I get rid of my books and then am called to another interim position?
Then I hear the story from a retired pastor's wife who boxed up his library when they moved into a smaller house and no longer had a church office. His library is stacked in boxes sitting in a corner of their garage! I don't want that to happen to my library.
I would be interested in hearing from some of my retired readers to learn what you did with your pastoral library.
Wednesday, September 12, 2018
Prayers for those impacted by the hurricane
Hurricane Florence is predicted to cause great damage over the next few days and impact millions of people in the southeastern United States. Interstates are full of people leaving their homes to avoid this category 4 hurricane not knowing what they will find when they return. The military is flying their aircraft stationed in the area and taking them to other air bases. Navy ships are leaving the Hampton Roads area in Virginia to avoid the hurricane.
At a time when our nation is so bitterly divided, surely we can come together to pray for those whose lives are going to be impacted by this hurricane. Although there is a mandatory evacuation in the areas most likely to be hit, some will not leave which might lead to loss of life. Certainly, homes are going to be destroyed. First responders are going to be at risk. We've seen in recent years the impact these hurricanes can have. Can we put aside our differences long enough to pray for those in the path of the hurricane?
Can we spend the next few days supporting those who will be responding to the crisis caused by the storm instead of looking for ways to criticize? I'm sure mistakes will be made. Things will be missed. The potential area that will be affected is huge, and not everything can be addressed at once.
I remember 17 years ago after the planes crashed into the World Trade Center twin towers there was a call for the nation to unite. The unity lasted a few days at most before political pundits began criticizing President Bush and others for their actions that day and the days following. Even today, rather than honoring those who who lost their lives and the ones who responded so heroically, there are some who want to use the anniversary of this horrible event to continue to divide our nation and attack our current leadership.
As this storm nears our coast line let's determine now to respond to the aftermath with unity and compassion for those directly impacted. Disaster relief organizations will need our dollars to help people rebuild their lives. Many denominations are gearing up to minister to the people in the path of the storm, and they need our financial support as well. Our prayers are greatly needed, and surely we can agree to pray for those who live in the areas that will be hit by the hurricane.
For once, can we just stop the political rhetoric and come together as a nation to serve those who are going to need our help?
At a time when our nation is so bitterly divided, surely we can come together to pray for those whose lives are going to be impacted by this hurricane. Although there is a mandatory evacuation in the areas most likely to be hit, some will not leave which might lead to loss of life. Certainly, homes are going to be destroyed. First responders are going to be at risk. We've seen in recent years the impact these hurricanes can have. Can we put aside our differences long enough to pray for those in the path of the hurricane?
Can we spend the next few days supporting those who will be responding to the crisis caused by the storm instead of looking for ways to criticize? I'm sure mistakes will be made. Things will be missed. The potential area that will be affected is huge, and not everything can be addressed at once.
I remember 17 years ago after the planes crashed into the World Trade Center twin towers there was a call for the nation to unite. The unity lasted a few days at most before political pundits began criticizing President Bush and others for their actions that day and the days following. Even today, rather than honoring those who who lost their lives and the ones who responded so heroically, there are some who want to use the anniversary of this horrible event to continue to divide our nation and attack our current leadership.
As this storm nears our coast line let's determine now to respond to the aftermath with unity and compassion for those directly impacted. Disaster relief organizations will need our dollars to help people rebuild their lives. Many denominations are gearing up to minister to the people in the path of the storm, and they need our financial support as well. Our prayers are greatly needed, and surely we can agree to pray for those who live in the areas that will be hit by the hurricane.
For once, can we just stop the political rhetoric and come together as a nation to serve those who are going to need our help?
Tuesday, September 11, 2018
What do leaders do?
The answer to the question of what do leaders do is simple. They lead. They don't stand in the way of progress. They don't play to a particular constituency. They are not influenced by polls. They don't check to see which the way the wind is blowing. They lead.
There is a serious lack of leadership in our nation today. Any thinking American has to be appalled at our elected officials who long ago gave up even appearing to represent those who elected them to office. There are few incumbents who should be returned to office, but the majority of them keep getting re-elected despite their abysmal failure to lead. We keep hearing people tell President Trump to "drain the swamp." The fact is, we can drain the swamp by putting new people in office and holding them accountable. If they don't produce, if they don't lead, we vote them out until we find people who will lead.
Unfortunately, the situation is not much better in many of our churches. We have lay people in leadership roles who spend more time protecting their sacred cows and traditions than in leading their churches towards a better future. During the years I've spent in ministry, especially in denominational ministry, I saw many church controllers who did everything possible to keep the church stuck. People walked around them like they were walking on eggshells.
A leadership team in one church called me in to discuss a problem they had with two families in the church. Although the church attracted new people it was not growing. The reason it wasn't growing is that the new people usually left within a few months because of things members of these two families would say or do to them. When I asked the "leadership" what they were going to do about it they responded there wasn't anything they could do. I then told them to learn to live with their problem.
I explained that as the leaders in that church they decided who would stay and who would go. If they decided to keep toxic people in the church and not hold them accountable for their actions, they they should expect to see good people leave. The choice was theirs to make, but until they developed a backbone and confronted these controllers about their bad behavior nothing would change. To their credit, they did confront these individuals who then left the church, and the church began to grow.
It's not easy to say, but there's a lot of weak pastoral leadership as well. Many pastors don't want to lead. They've not been trained to lead. Some churches won't allow them to lead. As I've said many times in this blog, everything rises and falls on leadership. If the pastoral leadership is weak, the church is going to be weak.
If your church looks the same at the end of this year as it did last year, it has weak leaders. If your church has not developed new ministries in the past 12 months, it has weak leaders. If your church has the same problems it did a year ago, or five years ago, it has weak leaders. The church has been given one mission: to reach people for Jesus Christ. If that isn't happening, there is a problem with the leadership.
If you are a leader, lead.
There is a serious lack of leadership in our nation today. Any thinking American has to be appalled at our elected officials who long ago gave up even appearing to represent those who elected them to office. There are few incumbents who should be returned to office, but the majority of them keep getting re-elected despite their abysmal failure to lead. We keep hearing people tell President Trump to "drain the swamp." The fact is, we can drain the swamp by putting new people in office and holding them accountable. If they don't produce, if they don't lead, we vote them out until we find people who will lead.
Unfortunately, the situation is not much better in many of our churches. We have lay people in leadership roles who spend more time protecting their sacred cows and traditions than in leading their churches towards a better future. During the years I've spent in ministry, especially in denominational ministry, I saw many church controllers who did everything possible to keep the church stuck. People walked around them like they were walking on eggshells.
A leadership team in one church called me in to discuss a problem they had with two families in the church. Although the church attracted new people it was not growing. The reason it wasn't growing is that the new people usually left within a few months because of things members of these two families would say or do to them. When I asked the "leadership" what they were going to do about it they responded there wasn't anything they could do. I then told them to learn to live with their problem.
I explained that as the leaders in that church they decided who would stay and who would go. If they decided to keep toxic people in the church and not hold them accountable for their actions, they they should expect to see good people leave. The choice was theirs to make, but until they developed a backbone and confronted these controllers about their bad behavior nothing would change. To their credit, they did confront these individuals who then left the church, and the church began to grow.
It's not easy to say, but there's a lot of weak pastoral leadership as well. Many pastors don't want to lead. They've not been trained to lead. Some churches won't allow them to lead. As I've said many times in this blog, everything rises and falls on leadership. If the pastoral leadership is weak, the church is going to be weak.
If your church looks the same at the end of this year as it did last year, it has weak leaders. If your church has not developed new ministries in the past 12 months, it has weak leaders. If your church has the same problems it did a year ago, or five years ago, it has weak leaders. The church has been given one mission: to reach people for Jesus Christ. If that isn't happening, there is a problem with the leadership.
If you are a leader, lead.
Monday, September 10, 2018
Overcoming regrets
A few days ago I mentioned I was currently reading Your Best Year Ever: A 5-Step Plan for Achieving Your Most Important Goals by Michael Hyatt. Yesterday I read the chapter on regrets. Hyatt referred to a study that found the top six regrets people had concerned education, career, romance, parenting, self-improvement, and leisure. I have regrets in some of these areas, but my biggest regret is that I didn't have Jesus Christ earlier in my life.
I was in my late 20s when I accepted Christ as my Lord and Savior. How I wish I had done so sooner. I can tell you the last 40 years have been much better than the first 30, and it's because of how God has worked in my life and the opportunities He has given me.
There comes a time in all our lives when we look back and evaluate the various decisions we made. I would imagine most people regret some of their decisions made earlier in their lives. However, regret does not have to be a negative. The author points out some positives that can come from regrets. One of those positives is that our regrets can move us to do something about the decisions we regret having made.
Maybe you regret ignoring your family while trying to climb the corporate ladder. Although you cannot go back in time, you can commit to spending more time with your family now and throughout the remainder of your life. Perhaps you regret choosing a certain career when you would now rather be doing something else. A lot of people make new mid-life career choices. I know a former teacher who went back to school to earn a law degree and another individual who decided to go to medical school after spending several years in another career to become a medical doctor.
Many Christians look back over their lives and regret not having spent more time studying the Scriptures or being more involved in ministry. Some regret the lives they've lived knowing their life choices were not pleasing to the Lord. Again, you can't undo the past, but you can determine that things will be different from this time forward.
Regrets can point the way to a better life if they force you to commit to better choices, and this is how you overcome your regrets. The author points out two other positives that can come from your regrets, so I continue to highly recommend the book to you.
I was in my late 20s when I accepted Christ as my Lord and Savior. How I wish I had done so sooner. I can tell you the last 40 years have been much better than the first 30, and it's because of how God has worked in my life and the opportunities He has given me.
There comes a time in all our lives when we look back and evaluate the various decisions we made. I would imagine most people regret some of their decisions made earlier in their lives. However, regret does not have to be a negative. The author points out some positives that can come from regrets. One of those positives is that our regrets can move us to do something about the decisions we regret having made.
Maybe you regret ignoring your family while trying to climb the corporate ladder. Although you cannot go back in time, you can commit to spending more time with your family now and throughout the remainder of your life. Perhaps you regret choosing a certain career when you would now rather be doing something else. A lot of people make new mid-life career choices. I know a former teacher who went back to school to earn a law degree and another individual who decided to go to medical school after spending several years in another career to become a medical doctor.
Many Christians look back over their lives and regret not having spent more time studying the Scriptures or being more involved in ministry. Some regret the lives they've lived knowing their life choices were not pleasing to the Lord. Again, you can't undo the past, but you can determine that things will be different from this time forward.
Regrets can point the way to a better life if they force you to commit to better choices, and this is how you overcome your regrets. The author points out two other positives that can come from your regrets, so I continue to highly recommend the book to you.
Friday, September 7, 2018
Treasures that aren't
I was recently asked by a couple if I would sell some items for them at auction. When I asked what they had they told me they had a little bit of everything: antiques, glassware, a lot of old stuff. I had them give me their address and made arrangements to meet the next day. It wasn't until I checked out the address that I learned they lived over an hour away from my house.
The next day I drove to their home to look at the items they wanted to sell. Unfortunately, what they had were inexpensive items that would not bring much at auction. It's always hard for me to tell people that, but as I explained to the couple I would rather tell them upfront rather than explain it as I hand them a disappointing check. They would get far more for their items by having yard sales than trying to sell them at auction.
Driving back I thought about how this would have made a great illustration for the last sermon I preached at the church I served as Transitional Pastor. My message looked at the Pearl of Great Price and dealt with how many people are willing to settle for things of lesser value rather than seeking the truly valuable.
A relationship with God through Jesus Christ is the Pearl of Great Price. Like the pearl merchant in the parable, we have to be willing to trade everything we have in order to enjoy this relationship, but it is well worth it. Nothing is more valuable in this life than a personal relationship with God, and nothing else prepares us for an eternity with Him when this life ends.
Yet, many people want to hold on to lesser things than to possess the greatest relationship they could ever know. They tightly cling to their material possessions, their dreams, their addictions, even their heartaches. They work their entire lives for pebbles when the Pearl of Great Price is available to them.
Since becoming an auctioneer I have been surprised by what people seek and cling to, and I've been even more surprised by the value they place on those things. Whether you amass gold bars or trinkets, it's all just stuff that you'll leave behind when you die. You won't find a hearse pulling a U-Haul. It will all be left for people to either fight over or throw out. The only thing that really matters in one's personal relationship with God through Jesus Christ. Without that you face a godless eternity when your life here ends, but with that relationship you are assured of eternity in heaven.
What are you seeking? What do you value more than anything else? If you want to know more about having a relationship with God please DM me. I would love to talk to you about it.
The next day I drove to their home to look at the items they wanted to sell. Unfortunately, what they had were inexpensive items that would not bring much at auction. It's always hard for me to tell people that, but as I explained to the couple I would rather tell them upfront rather than explain it as I hand them a disappointing check. They would get far more for their items by having yard sales than trying to sell them at auction.
Driving back I thought about how this would have made a great illustration for the last sermon I preached at the church I served as Transitional Pastor. My message looked at the Pearl of Great Price and dealt with how many people are willing to settle for things of lesser value rather than seeking the truly valuable.
A relationship with God through Jesus Christ is the Pearl of Great Price. Like the pearl merchant in the parable, we have to be willing to trade everything we have in order to enjoy this relationship, but it is well worth it. Nothing is more valuable in this life than a personal relationship with God, and nothing else prepares us for an eternity with Him when this life ends.
Yet, many people want to hold on to lesser things than to possess the greatest relationship they could ever know. They tightly cling to their material possessions, their dreams, their addictions, even their heartaches. They work their entire lives for pebbles when the Pearl of Great Price is available to them.
Since becoming an auctioneer I have been surprised by what people seek and cling to, and I've been even more surprised by the value they place on those things. Whether you amass gold bars or trinkets, it's all just stuff that you'll leave behind when you die. You won't find a hearse pulling a U-Haul. It will all be left for people to either fight over or throw out. The only thing that really matters in one's personal relationship with God through Jesus Christ. Without that you face a godless eternity when your life here ends, but with that relationship you are assured of eternity in heaven.
What are you seeking? What do you value more than anything else? If you want to know more about having a relationship with God please DM me. I would love to talk to you about it.
Tuesday, September 4, 2018
Important by-products of personal growth
This past week I picked up Michael Hyatt's new book Your Best Year Ever: A 5-Step Plan for Achieving Your Most Important Goals. As I began reading I came across a comment that caught my eye. He wrote, "Confidence, happiness, and life satisfaction are byproducts of personal growth." It is such a simple statement, but it is one packed with meaning. I haven't read enough of the book to know where he is going with this statement, but let me share some thoughts I had as I read it.
When we are growing personally we are able to identify our strengths and weaknesses. That tells us both the areas in our lives in which we should concentrate much of our time and energy and which areas we should try to delegate to someone else. When we know our areas of strength we can look for opportunities to grow even stronger in those areas. Likewise, we can avoid spending much time, if any, trying to improve the areas of our weaknesses.
I learned a long time ago my primary spiritual gifts are preaching, teaching, and leadership. Over the years I have read much in those three areas. My master's degree included a concentration in leadership requiring five courses in the subject. My doctorate included courses that contained a lot of leadership material. I know I am a better leader today than I was even five years ago.
Because I spend much of my time working in these three areas it stands to reason that I am going to be more confident, happier, and more satisfied with life. I am operating in my areas of strength.
On the other hand, suppose I am one of those persons who is not very self-aware. I don't know my strengths and weaknesses and spend about as much time operating in the areas of my weaknesses as I do in my strengths. How confident am I going to be in my work? How happy and satisfied with life will I be? The more time a person spends working in their weaknesses the less enjoyable their work and life will be, and the less that person will accomplish.
Especially in smaller churches pastors have to be generalists and willing to do a variety of things. But, we often have the opportunity to delegate some of those things to other people. One important lesson I learned is that just as God wired me to do better in certain areas, He has also wired others to do well in other areas. Part of my role as a leader is to identify those persons who are gifted in areas in which I am not and allow them to use their gifts for ministry. This recognizes God's call on their lives and allows them the opportunity to grow as a disciple. Plus, it allows me more time to work in my own areas of giftedness. This is a win-win for everyone.
I've only started reading this book, but it looks like it's going to be a good one.
When we are growing personally we are able to identify our strengths and weaknesses. That tells us both the areas in our lives in which we should concentrate much of our time and energy and which areas we should try to delegate to someone else. When we know our areas of strength we can look for opportunities to grow even stronger in those areas. Likewise, we can avoid spending much time, if any, trying to improve the areas of our weaknesses.
I learned a long time ago my primary spiritual gifts are preaching, teaching, and leadership. Over the years I have read much in those three areas. My master's degree included a concentration in leadership requiring five courses in the subject. My doctorate included courses that contained a lot of leadership material. I know I am a better leader today than I was even five years ago.
Because I spend much of my time working in these three areas it stands to reason that I am going to be more confident, happier, and more satisfied with life. I am operating in my areas of strength.
On the other hand, suppose I am one of those persons who is not very self-aware. I don't know my strengths and weaknesses and spend about as much time operating in the areas of my weaknesses as I do in my strengths. How confident am I going to be in my work? How happy and satisfied with life will I be? The more time a person spends working in their weaknesses the less enjoyable their work and life will be, and the less that person will accomplish.
Especially in smaller churches pastors have to be generalists and willing to do a variety of things. But, we often have the opportunity to delegate some of those things to other people. One important lesson I learned is that just as God wired me to do better in certain areas, He has also wired others to do well in other areas. Part of my role as a leader is to identify those persons who are gifted in areas in which I am not and allow them to use their gifts for ministry. This recognizes God's call on their lives and allows them the opportunity to grow as a disciple. Plus, it allows me more time to work in my own areas of giftedness. This is a win-win for everyone.
I've only started reading this book, but it looks like it's going to be a good one.
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