How Many Missionaries Have You

November 6, 2014

A pastor was asked, “How many missionaries does your church have?”

He replied, “Fifteen hundred.”

The questioner was amazed. “Where are they?” The reply was something like the coffee shop, a law firm, and so on. It led him to map where his congregation’s members worked and lived.

I don’t know if he included outreach missionaries scattered around the nation and world. But his point was, if you are a Jesus-follower, then you are a missionary. “And you will be my witnesses …to the ends of the earth.”

It used to be, and many may still live this way, that we hire a pastor and he (in the old days, always “he”) does the work of the church. The members come on Sunday to hear the choir and pastor give a performance. Then they leave to go to their jobs and homes.

I guess I know many of those people even today.

But Jesus never talked about a special class of people to do his work. He had a core group of disciples we call apostles. They were to make disciples, with the expectation that those disciples would make disciples, and over again.

And he said we would be witnesses. That means we must experience something. And then we tell others about our experience. We don’t go around talking theory. That’s OK in its place. But that’s not the point. The point really is telling people, “This is what I’ve experienced in my life, and you could experience this, too.”

So, after we have experienced God’s blessings, then we are called to be missionaries. It may be in the home, where we work, within the church to seekers who come in, or maybe to the ends of the earth. It all counts.

We do have to take care that we are not all talk. Unlike being a witness in a court case, being a witness to the power of Jesus in our lives means that people can see the whole life. That how we behave is congruent with what we say.

Go, and be a missionary.

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Listen to Wisdom

November 5, 2014

32 For waywardness kills the simple,
and the complacency of fools destroys them;
33 but those who listen to me will be secure
and will live at ease, without dread of disaster.

–from Proverbs 1.

Wisdom embodied as a person is talking to us. She pulls no punches. She calls out the fools and the simple–and the wise.

Those who go their own way, who live only for themselves and their pleasure, who know no rules, those are killed. Killed in the soul. Probably killed prematurely in the body.

But the complacent are destroyed. Those who have settled into a life that is “all about me.” The Baby Boomer generation were characterized that way by the early 1970s. Studies have been done and books written about the narcissism of the generation today.

I see it in society, politics and the church. Maybe I’ll give a little money to assuage my guilty conscience. Or maybe I don’t even have that little voice nagging in me anymore and I may donate a little out of habit. And I just live a life of comfort. Seeking nothing. It’s all around us.

The way of Wisdom

Those who follow the ways of Wisdom, those who are wise, are promised security. The ability to live at ease–without a nagging voice within us whispering we’re on the wrong path.

The wise are diligent, hard working, living in the Spirit of God, generous.

The fool mocks that life. In a sense, I did intellectually in my youth. But we learn the truth of Wisdom.

If you are lost in the travel of your life. Can’t find a path. Thinking that somewhere there is more than just living for yourself. Then find and practice the path of Wisdom. Find the joy of living for other people. Find the peace and joy of living the with-God life.

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Meditate in Nature

November 3, 2014

Quiet and meditation are important spiritual disciplines. Meditation does not require a cushion, incense, quiet music.

Walking is a great physical posture for meditation. Walking around the block when I need a break from writing is refreshing. I can meditate on the problem I’m pondering and solutions just come to me.

Walking in the woods is even better.

We had the first hard freeze last night in western Ohio. We’ve had a beautiful autumn notwithstanding not having a hard frost early. Today Bev and I walked through the woods and hills of Bruckner Nature Center in nearby Troy. After a freeze, the air is clear. Breathing the fall air is a delight–cool, dry, full of the smells of fallen leaves. The underbrush is dead, so you can see through the woods and spot the white-tailed deer (we saw a few).

Meditating on nature, gratitude for God’s creation, it is refreshing to the soul to be out in God’s creation.

Psalm 104 sings gratitude and awe at God’s creation:

O Lord, how manifold are your works!

In wisdom you have made them all;

the earth is full of your creatures.

…These all look to you

to give them their food in due season.

Once again science verifies Bible teachings when it studies people’s well being and discovers that it is healthy for the body and the spirit to be in nature and aware of the beauty.

Happy November. (And to my friends in South America and Australia, I guess it’s happy Spring.)

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When Do You Think About Jesus

October 31, 2014

Computers, networking devices, software, how to use all of this to make manufacturing more efficient and effective. That’s where most of my attention is during the day.

Many, or most, of you face the same challenge. Most of your attention is on where you earn a living.

I thought about this while reading some interesting thoughts from a guy who is on the pastoral staff of a large church. Gosh, most of his thoughts must be on Jesus. Right? Or maybe not.

So where does Jesus fit in? When do you think of God?

Jesus had to have spent much time thinking about God. He always had an answer. He couldn’t have spent all day talking about the weather with his followers. We know that sometimes his attention was diverted–a woman touching him to be healed, people with diseases coming to him asking for healing, rich guys asking for advice, teachers asking him trick questions (just like they do yet today in school).

Maybe we need a post-it note on our computer screen to remind us to stop and think of Jesus? Or maybe an alert on our calendar that pops up to remind us to pray.

The reason I like Daniel so much, you know, the guy who administered the Babylonian empire and who was so good that when the Persians conquered them they kept him as top administrator, the reason I like him is that he withdrew from his office three times a day to go to his room and pray.

It is that intentional habit to stop what he’s doing and pray. Did he have an alert? Without a computer to popup an alert on the screen, did he have an assistant look in his office and alert him? Was it just built into his brain that it was time o pray?

How can I divert my attention to Jesus during the day to remember my source of inspiration?

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To Find Beauty Look At The Heart

October 30, 2014

Ever look at someone and judge beauty?

Notice the question is not gender specific? I’m a man, so I’m pretty familiar with what men do. But I’ve had enough conversations (or I’ve listened to others in places where I’m alone) to know that women do that, too. Maybe just differently.

Even just asking that question makes many people feel insecure.

It gets translated into thoughts such as “Am I beautiful enough” or “Why was I born this way” or “I need to lose x pounds”.

I work many days at a Starbucks that is embedded in a Kroger grocery store. Many people walk by. Years of refereeing has made me observant. I see a lot.

Yesterday I saw a woman who was quite attractive. But she’d never have a photo grace the cover of a women’s (or men’s) magazine. But you could just tell.

I thought, this is a little like Jesus. He was very observant. But he looked at hearts. He wanted to know the status of your heart. And there he found beauty.

Two questions:

What do you see when you observe people?

What is the status of your your heart?

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Optimum Communication

October 29, 2014

My daughter recommended the book “Crucial Conversations” the other day. I now recommend it to you. It is a useful guide for both personal conversations (say, with a spouse) as well as for business settings whether for an individual situation or for meetings.

Achieving dialog forms the platform of the teaching. But perhaps we wonder what true dialog is.

Reading about Socrates as a youth, both through Plato’s writing and through a magazine series on the subject that I’ve long since lost and forgotten the title, bred my ideal of dialog.

A dialog is a conversation among two or more human beings on a topic that:

  • treats each person as an adult
  • moves the idea(s) forward to greater depth and understanding
  • is focused on the topic not the self

Accomplishing dialog requires focus on the other–what is said, not said, emotion, gestures. It allows for pauses as the conversation shifts from person to person. The reason for pauses is to give time to think rather than thinking while the other is talking.

It requires respect, in yourself as well as the others.

I have had great dialogs during business dinners (we don’t talk “business” the whole time, if at all) about life in the Spirit. I long for more dialogs about Jesus and the Spirit. They bring such joy.

There is much more to the book. I’ll share later. If you are about to have an important conversation with spouse, co-worker or boss, grab this book quickly.

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Statistics Don’t Tell The Whole Story

October 27, 2014

People are always searching for their identity. Check out Facebook–what comic book character are you, what soap opera character are you, and so on. Or they look at statistics to determine their character or future.

I picked this up from the original blog–slashdot. “HughPickens.com writes Randy Olson, a Computer Science grad student who works with data visualizations, writes about seven of the biggest factors that predict what makes for a long term stable marriage in America. Olson took the results of a study that polled thousands of recently married and divorced Americans and and asked them dozens of questions about their marriage (PDF): How long they were dating, how long they were engaged, etc. After running this data through a multivariate model, the authors were able to calculate the factors that best predicted whether a marriage would end in divorce.”

“What struck me about this study is that it basically laid out what makes for a stable marriage in the US,” writes Olson.

  • How long you were dating (Couples who dated 1-2 years before their engagement were 20% less likely to end up divorced than couples who dated less than a year before getting engaged. Couples who dated 3 years or more are 39% less likely to get divorced.);
  • How much money you make (The more money you and your partner make, the less likely you are to ultimately file for divorce. Couples who earn $125K per year are 51% less likely to divorce than couples making 0 — 25k);
  • How often you go to church (Couples who never go to church are 2x more likely to divorce than regular churchgoers.);
  • Your attitude toward your partner (Men are 1.5x more likely to end up divorced when they care more about their partner’s looks, and women are 1.6x more likely to end up divorced when they care more about their partner’s wealth.);
  • How many people attended the wedding (“Crazy enough, your wedding ceremony has a huge impact on the long-term stability of your marriage. Perhaps the biggest factor is how many people attend your wedding: Couples who elope are 12.5x more likely to end up divorced than couples who get married at a wedding with 200+ people.”);
  • How much you spent on the wedding (The more you spend on your wedding, the more likely you’ll end up divorced.);
  • Whether you had a honeymoon (Couples who had a honeymoon are 41% less likely to divorce than those who had no honeymoon).

Well, my wife and I are just over 50/50 on this. Our income has been adequate for most of our marriage. We have always attended church weekly (at least). As far as I know, the attitude one is not applicable. We did take a honeymoon.

However, we dated almost 2 months before we were engaged and only knew each other about 9 months when we were married–with 11 people plus us at the wedding with the wedding dinner at the local family-style restaurant.

So we had about equal odds of being married the 44 years that we have.

I bet there are many others. But for an unfortunate many, these factors played out negatively. It’s probably luck and hard work. But consider these factors as you consider marriage. But don’t just blow everything on a wedding reception and start marriage in a financial hole ;-)f

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Change Your Mood By Taking a Walk

October 24, 2014

Did you know that your walk reflects your mood? Trudge along slump-shouldered and you appear depressed. Put a little pep in your step and you look happy. Interestingly, it appears the reverse may be true as well. Changing your walking style can affect your mood for better or worse, according to new research from Canada’s Queen’s University.

The quote comes from the Website of Dr. Andrew Weil, a place I often visit for medical or health information.

My normal pace when walking is fast. I hate slow. I hate shopping, because my wife is slowly going through racks or through the store looking at things. I’m only interested in needs, not wants. If I need something, I know where it is. I go, pick it up, and get out.

Sometimes, I notice I’m walking more slowly, head down, no energy. Then I’ll think that I should be more energetic. I’ll need the energy to everything done that needs to get done that day. So, I pick up the pace.

Change my mood by changing my walk.

But, sometimes I’m thinking. I go out to walk around the block. I’m solving a problem or trying to conceptualize a lot of data into a bigger picture. It helps to be outside and take a walk. Or sometimes I am simply meditating. These time, I have no idea how fast I’m walking, because I’m deep in thought. Pace doesn’t matter. Being outside is what counts.

Watch how people walk. See if they are depressed or energetic. Check out how you are walking. Are their heads down, slumped posture, slow walk? Then consider yourself. Get your head up, shoulders erect, pace quicker and feel more positive and have more energy.

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Theoretical Christians Not Wanted

October 23, 2014

It was a wide-ranging conversation with a friend over a plain doughnut and tea at Tim Horton’s. We covered an upcoming men’s conference we’re working on, leadership in the church, Acts 2 churches.

We talked about Christ-followers actually doing something with their faith. “Jesus doesn’t want people for whom this is all theoretical,” he said.

Yes, it’s not theory. It’s doing. There’s a song I learned in the early 70s, “Love Is Something You Do.” Not always something that you feel, but it’s real.

Sitting around and arguing about whether you believe this idea or that idea and opining that anyone who “believes” the other thing is an idiot–those people are not found in the New Testament as people we should associate with.

Acts 2 churches were about teaching, worshiping–and living a life so attractive that others said (like in the movie), “I’ll have what she’s having.” It was how they lived more than what they said. I just had a great conversation with a woman who is 92. She asked how she could get involved in some of my ministries. Faith isn’t theory for her. It’s acting on her faith. Wow, if only others were like her!

As much as I love philosophy and theology, if it doesn’t help me grow and become a better teacher, then it is wasted. But if it provides that solid foundation for teaching and witnessing, then I’ll pursue it.

Anyone want to go on an international mission trip with me? 😉

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The Non-Religion of Jesus Followers

October 22, 2014

The social and religious environment of first century Mediterranean peoples had expectations of what constituted a religion.

Religions sacrificed animals as part of high worship. The priest killed an animal and prayed to his god for atonement or crops or whatever. The Jewish religion was recognized as a religion because it looked like a religion.

Then along came Jesus. He appointed apostles, not priests. He didn’t make a big deal out of ritual sacrifices.

The movement grew and people gathered mostly in small groups for teaching, worship, and fellowship meals. No killing animals. Part of the teaching was that there was one sacrifice that ended the necessity for endless sacrifices.

The Romans didn’t know what to think. This new movement wasn’t a religion. So, what was it?

There was a small group that met over the course of several years. We met at a woman’s house. She had coffee made. We sang worship songs, studied from the Bible, prayed.

There was another small group we were part of that met after worship to share a meal. We did this for a year or two.

Both experiences were similar to the Acts ekklesia gatherings.

Then the idea came to go back to Acts. To worship with song and prayer and listen to a teacher. These grew to “mega-churches.” But the mega-churches are nothing without their small groups that meet for worship, study and prayer. Just like the old days.

The other thing that the early organization (sort of) did was appoint deacons to look after the physical welfare of the people. Later, Christ-followers in Rome took that tradition and served as nurses and healers during an immense plague that hit Rome. The church grew tremendously because of that witness.

Perhaps today we should add to our adoption of the Acts 2 church by doing more than the monthly canned food drive. We could minister to our neighbors like those Roman spiritual ancestors. It would make a huge difference in the way “welfare” is done. It would make a huge difference in the spiritual life of the church. It could eliminate at least one of the contentious political debates that pollute our minds.

How do we reach out with teaching, worship, praying, and also meeting physical needs?

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