Posts Tagged ‘lifestyle’

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Every Spiritual Blessing

October 10, 2009

In the first chapter of Ephesians, Paul says God gives every spiritual blessing. While pondering this passage, I heard a talk by Kevin Kim at the Menlo Park Presbyterian Church. He talked about the story of Adam and Eve living in the Garden. They lived in a state of grace–their lives were a relationship with God, they walked with God, had no shame and there were no rules. Well, except one. They were not to pursue the knowledge of good and evil. God decided what was good.

Eve one day ponders “why does God  get to decide what’s good for us?” So they decide to “eat the fruit” that is decide for themselves what’s good for them. The result was loss of intimate relationship with God, shame and sin. Jesus came to restore that natural order of God–relationship with God and life in grace. That would be every spiritual blessing

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Believing is Seeing

September 8, 2009

Well, actually, I should say “believing leads to seeing.” Steve Leveen, founder and owner of the mail-order “tools for readers” company Levenger, tells a story of not being able to see something because “we see what we look for.” I have a T-shirt from a conference with the quote “some things must be believed to be seen.”

Have you seen God alive and at work in the world? Have you looked for it? I was talking with someone this weekend who has come to the conclusion that there is nothing wrong with his hearing–it’s his focus. I think that this affliction hits all of us at times. Where is your attention? Your focus? Are you looking for God? Careful, you might just experience Him.

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Where do you lead from

August 25, 2009

More from the Willow Creek Leadership Summit. Tim Keller (“The Prodigal God”) added more insights about the lack of spiritual vitality that rests in so many churches. His telling of the parable of the Prodigal Son is that both brothers were alienated from their Father, and that both brothers wanted his money. But one eventually was saved through his badness; the other was lost through his “goodness.”

His takeaways–get it in your heart that you don’t do ministry to save yourself; when you teach or preach, move beyond Biblical principles to teach the Gospel.

David Gibbons leads a “Third Culture” (that is, multi-cultural) church. One of his teachings is that it’s the people. Not their skills, ambition, but their story. Do you take the time to know a person’s story? We all have a story of our life, and we all want to share it. Listen to the people. Therefore, it’s all about relationships. “We don’t need more visionaries. We need more relaters,” he said. He now spend 70% of his time on leadership development (equipping leaders) where he used to spend at least that amount of time on sermon and Sunday morning program development.

Where do you go to develop spiritual vitality within yourself? Can it be developed in your church? Are you equipping people for the journey–or loading them down with rules?

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Make a list

July 16, 2009

I was doing some quick browsing through some of Paul’s letters looking for something when I noticed a pattern. Much as Paul preaches the gospel of God’s grace and living in the Spirit, he also gets trapped into making lists. Much of the first letter to the Corinthians is in that vein. Even the first Christians said, “It’s great to talk about living in relationship to Jesus, but just give me a list–a  check-off guide. In that way I know what to do and can measure how good I am versus others.” And Paul would play that game. I know he was just trying to be helpful, but his writings in that regard have led to endless speculation and argument.

This leads to another game that too many Christians love playing–arguing about the small points in Paul’s lists. There’s an old English saying, “Penny wise, pound foolish.” Some pay close attention to little things in life (for example the speck of sawdust in other people’s eyes) and miss the big picture (that is, living in relationship with Jesus).

There was a time when I lived to argue. Then one day I saw that arguing gets you nowhere. I just try hard (and often fail) to live in relationship with God and let the arguers argue. That’s the truth of simplicity. Live in relationship with God and serve others.

Gary Mintchell

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How do you know you’ve sinned

July 5, 2009

Why didn’t God make it easy for us to know everything? This question from my wife as we discussed some contentious issues that people in the church love to fight over sounds like the makings of a series.

I’ve been studying sin–and God’s response–while my Bible study group reads Romans. So first, what is sin? Well, Paul gives us one of his many lists in the introduction to the letter. People love lists. We can take these as a checklist. Hmm, I don’t do that one, or that one, oh, let’s skip that one, I don’t do that one–and so on. Meanwhile what we’re really thinking is — other people do that one, she does the next one, he does that one — so I must be better than they.

I think that the real question lies not in looking at others (remember Jesus’ story about checking out the piece of sawdust in someone else’s eye when we have a plank in ours?), the real question as we read Romans and the rest of the New Testament is “Really, no dodging the issue, what sins have I done lately, the last hour, the last day, the last week?” My new crusade is to get people away from the theoretical, from looking at others. The real issue is within me, and you.

If I come to realistic grips with my sins, my straying from a relationship with God, then perhaps my life and witness will help others look at the mess they’ve made with their lives and also seek a relationship with God. Note, I didn’t say the observance of a list of rules–I said a relationship. Living with Jesus is the key. How can I worry about others when I’m such a mess? That’s the issue.

Gary Mintchell

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Sinful

June 10, 2009

Reading in Romans to prepare for a new series has been reinforcing some of my meditations lately. It is so exceedingly easy to see the sin in others. I’ve had a lifetime (long one) to see the bigger picture, yet I still sometimes find it easy to see the sin in someone else and become critical.

When you meditate deeply in God, you are given the experience (or opportunity) sometimes to see all the sins that you have done in life and those that you are capable of doing. When you experience intimately the evil that lies within you, next comes the experience of complete grace. This is the grace where God says, “It’s OK. I know what you’re capable of, but you still can have everlasting rest in me.”

If I have such grace, why do I want to rush to judge others? That’s just another sin. Lord, help me remember my grace–the grace that you offer to all.

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Pointing back at you

June 8, 2009

Recently there was a small group discussion. I should agree with the participants–at least most of the time. But sometimes I am uncomfortable. It’s a rush to judgement thing. And there are a couple of “bogeymen” that just raise their ire. Reading in the first chapter of Romans where Paul lists the many ways that people sin, they immediately jumped on the homosexual issue.  They stopped reading at the end of the first chapter. Too bad. The second chapter begins (by the way, Paul didn’t write in chapters, so he would have expected the discussion to proceed through this next thought):

Therefore, you have no excuse, whoever you are, when you judge others; for in passing judgment on another you condemn yourself, because you, the judge, are doing the very same things.

Have you ever taken the time to be quiet for periods of time every day and let God talk to you? Have you ever used this time to look into your heart and see all the hatred and evil things in there that you are capable of? Have you realized the grace of God that you have either overcome those impulses and desires or the grace that says, “you are forgiven, go and sin no more”?

When I was a kid, there was a saying “When you point a finger at another, three fingers are pointing back at you.” It is so easy to sit in judgment of others. Remember, someone is judging you. And it isn’t pretty. It is a better attitude in life to realize how thankful each of us should be for the grace of God–and to extend that grace in His name to everyone we meet. And how hard it is to live that thought.

Peace, Gary Mintchell

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Your Mission

May 26, 2009

What are you supposed to do with your life? I’m studying in Acts lately. Toward the end of Paul’s ministry, he was assaulted by “the Jews” at the Temple and hauled off on mistaken charges to be tried. Paul bounced around a little from one governmental authority to another and would up on the Mediterranean coast at the palace of the Roman chief administrator of the area. He could have been set free first if he would have slipped some coins to the one consul or just let the next one decide. But God told Paul that his next ministry was in Rome. Paul evidently figured the easiest way to Rome was to get a trip on the Roman government where he could appeal his case to the Caesar.

The meditation guide I’m using now has a series of meditations on figuring out what you (I) am to do with our lives. What’s your talent? Do you listen to the urgings of God who will guide you?

Mostly what I do both as a vocation and ministry is write and teach. So the proddings I get from the Spirit are to continually look for outlets for those things I do. Jesus was alway perceptive into the people he met. He picked people with strengths that sometimes they didn’t know they had and encouraged them to go and do those things. Some couldn’t make the commitment and went away sad.

Let’s not go away sad. What is it that you can do? What is it that God is calling you to do–or where is He calling you to go? Go and Do.

Gary Mintchell

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Servant Leadership

May 16, 2009

Last weekend I was involved with a youth soccer tournament. It’s the 14th. The last two weeks are always stressful for me, since I recruit and assign referees. Then during the weekend I have to make sure all the games are covered  when refs have to leave or get injured or something. But when things are going well and I don’t have to calm coaches or soothe irate parents, I have time for observation.

One thing I’ve noticed over the years of this and other summer projects is how normally nice people seem to get on little ego trips during these events. If they are on the committee or sometimes even just peripherally involved, some just need a status symbol. In these events, it’s a golf cart for riding around the site. I want exercise, so normally I’ll walk even though I have a cart at my disposal for getting to the scene of controversy quickly or ferrying referees from place to place. Some who have no responsibilities just seem to want to have one to ride around in.

This is not extreme, but it does remind me that Jesus’ example was washing feet. If you want to be a leader, then be a servant. When I watch others, I’m challenged to look at myself and ask whether I’m still fulfilling my roles as a servant leader or as a lord ruler. How about you?

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Compassion

April 16, 2009

— Gary Mintchell

OK, so referring to a blog called Zen Habits may seem strange in a Christian blog, but bear with me. I don’t think Leo is exactly a Buddhist, anyway. But his post yesterday about “Five Tiny Steps to Quit Being Such a Jerk” really resonnated with me. Wish I had read it earlier in my life 😉

Ever witness a situation where someone else (of course, not you or me) berates someone, yells at a sales clerk or airline ticket counter person, pushes through a line to get to the front? OK, ever done any of that yourself? Leo witnessed an occasion, then had an insight. More than likely that person wasn’t consciously trying to be a jerk. He/she was just only thinking of themself.

What can we do about it? Well, read the post for the full effect. To summarize–try a little compassion toward others. Put yourself in their shoes. Try five times a day to think of others before yourself. Try it and I think you’ll find yourself actually living more of a New Testament lifestyle.

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