You ever have one of those moments when something you have heard your entire life breaks through in a new light? That happened to me this morning on my run. Reflections on a familiar Psalm, one I can recall from memory, led me to a new light. A light I truly need to hear. It was gift from a Shepherd.
I guess the time I hear and use this Psalm the most is at funerals. I feel about the use of Psalm 23 at a funeral as I do 1 Corinthians 13 at weddings. I am not sure either event is the correct application of the passage. But we do it and God gets glory.
I was thinking about Psalm 23 and wonder if relegating this passage to the funeral sermon notes hasn’t robbed us of its true meaning and power. We tend to focus on verse 4.
Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff they comfort me. (NIV)
Maybe this passage isn’t about how we are to see death; maybe it is about how we are to live! Verse 4 is just one of 6 verses. And the focus of these six verses is not death and dying. I would suggest the focus is a lifestyle. David presents a way for us to do life, not death. To get the intention of the Psalm, we have to start at the beginning and here is the context for everything that follows. So here are some thoughts on the first two verses of Psalm 23. This is a way to do life.
Psalm 23:1 “The Lord is my shepherd”
We have an option when it comes to this life and how we live it. In one way of life I am cared for, I am protected. I am not alone. I have a Shepherd. I follow the Shepherd. I trust the Shepherd to care for me. He is my guide. My protector. My caregiver. I am shepherded.
But the other option we know so well. Proverbs mentions this option, not once, but twice.
Proverbs 14:12 (NIV) 12 There is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end it leads to death.
In this other way of life, I am the one caring for, protecting, accompanying. I am the shepherd. In this option life is about hurry, worry and fear. Life is about achievement, avoiding failure at all costs, perfection and performance. This way leads to distress and anxiety, to fear and tightness of the mind. This is the way of a person who chooses to live under the myth that they have control. I say a myth because the day will come when this person discovers they were never in control. Despite vain attempts at controlling health, finances, relationships and the future, eventually reality teaches we all have a Shepherd.
And we all have a choice. Live with a shepherd or pretend to be one. So in the way I live my life, which is my choice? Do I have a Shepherd or do I choose to live as if I am the shepherd?
Second lifestyle choice: “I shall not want.”
Now there is a stunning piece of scripture. Who lives today and does not want? According to David, there is a way to live where we no longer want. We are content. We have what we need and do not stress over what we lack. This is a way of life that is available to me.
But you know as well as I do the bombardment of marketing messages trying to convince us we do not have what we want. We need more. Consumerism is based on someone’s ability to convince us we need more than we have. So there is a way to do life never satisfied. Always looking for the quick, easy way to get more. But this way of life is based on an illusion, like the one to control mentioned above. This illusion says, “If I have more, I will have rest, contentment.” And yet we all know this doesn’t work. The more breaks. The more gets updated. The more goes out of style. The more no longer satisfies. Jesus said it this way,
Matthew 6:19-21 (NIV) 19 "Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. 20 But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
Those who are cared for by a shepherd do not want. They trust. The Shepherd provides all they need. They are not the ones providing; they are the ones receiving what has been provided. They are content because of the Shepherd, not because of the quality of the pasture. They do not want because they have his presence, not because they have purchased more presents.
There is a way of life that is open to me. I have a Shepherd. I am not the Shepherd. I am content in his presence or I am in pursuit of more.
And one more quick observation found in the next verse.
Psalm 23:2-3 (NIV) 2 He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, 3 he restores my soul.
The Psalmist seems to indicate the Shepherd leads to places of calmness and rejuvenation. Green pastures. Quiet waters. Apparently this is a way of life that is open to me. I can rest in the places the shepherd leads. I can relax. I can unwind. I can release, but only as I follow the Shepherd.
I know the other way of life. I can toil. I can wind up. I can latch on. I can carry heavy loads. I can stop my body and yet not stop my mind. I can fret. We know this way well, and none of us embrace it. In fact who would say this is the way one should live? Who would say, this way of unrest has benefited them greatly and all should follow them? Who would wish this on their children as a way to live?
I heard a saying but do not know the author. At first it struck me as corny until I realized I struggle with living this way.
Yesterday is history. Tomorrow is a mystery. Today is a gift, this is why they call it the present.
There is way to live that notices the present more than worries of the future. There is a way to live that embraces the moment instead of living in the past. There is a way to live that notices, celebrates and worships the one who gave the present and all the gifts it holds: from the beauty of nature, to the smiles of a friend; from the kind words just uttered, to the song on the radio; from the smells of home made bread to the unique smell of a tomato plant.
There is so much more in this passage on how to live. This is only the introduction. But there is a lifestyle there I want. I need. So let me summarize by editing that Proverbs verse.
There is way to live that is right, according to the Shepherd. And in the end it leads to true life!
Monday, June 7, 2010
Tuesday, March 2, 2010
Discipleship for Church geeks
I was interviewed today about discipleship. A local pastor is working on his masters with an emphasis on church leadership. My contribution was related to church discipleship. He asked me for a definition of discipleship. Mine was pretty unoriginal and definitely lacked the "wow" factor I think he was fishing for. I like to think of it as simple but elegant. Discipleship is the process of growing to be like Christ. I am glad he didn't push too hard because I probably would have changed it if he had asked me again.
It was a fun interview and I felt honored to contribute. As he closed the interview he asked me a final question that got my brain stirring (no easy task for me). He asked what advice I would give an emerging (young was what he meant after asking for clarification) regarding discipleship. After thinking for only a moment I thought of three words of advice.
So to you YOUNG pastors (of which I use to be one but apparently am no longer--I'm not bitter), here is some advice from a SEASONED pastor now. Take it for what its worth.
1. Don't assume your church is making disciples.
Most churches I have had the honor to be associated with would never say their weakest area is discipleship. In their evaluation, discipleship is one of the strongest areas and the weakest is almost always outreach or evangelism. They have what they would evaluate as great Sunday School classes. And most of the time they are great because they have withstood the test of time or a teacher has been at it since Jesus walked the earth. There seems to be little concern as to whether the people in that class are world changers or sacrificial in their lifestyle or passionate about the things of God. Longevity breeds greatness for some. And yet there is an obvious disconnect to me. If we are so great at discipleship in our church, why aren't we producing any new ones?! Why aren't people drawn to the disciples anymore? Why were people so attracted to Jesus and so not attracted to me? Are we really producing disciples or do we have a comfortable system in which we feel spiritually grown up?
2. Define discipleship from God's word not some church product made by Zondervan.
I guess each church has to define discipleship for itself and I suspect all of our definitions will be quite similar. I am not qualified to be able to write a complete definition here (you saw my stab at it above)! So let me provide some probing questions. What do disciples of Jesus look like, what would our characteristics be? What do we read in the New Testament that is absent in the post-Pentecost era of the church? I am concerned about the absences in me compared to what I see in the New Testament disciples. Where is faith? Where is sacrifice? Where is radical obedience? Where is the evangelistic component that characterized the New Testament disciples?
What a great thing to discuss with your church leadership! I see it going something like this--call the board together and ask three questions: What is discipleship? Are we accomplishing it? What should we as a church be doing differently?
3. Create systems that produce what you intend.
Every church has a system in place to disciple their people. Most people have no idea as to whether or not it works and some might even struggle to define the system. Don't neglect this! If it is broken, this cannot be ignored. Create a system that accomplishes how you define discipleship. The system is organized and organic; it is structured and alive. But you must change the system to get different results.
At the church I pastor, our system is pretty simple (and still quite new). It is all about connecting people and is illustrated with three circles. We want people to connect to God, circle 1. We want people to connect to each other, circle 2. We want people to connect to the greater community, circle 3. So the dashboard indicators I want as the pastor/leader of our church is how many people are we moving through these stages or circles as we call them? If our numbers are increasing in these three stages then we believe we are doing discipleship well. If not, we have work to do.
So now we are tweaking curriculum and venues to fit all three stages of our discipleship process. We are designing curriculum that will meet different needs of disciples. Sunday morning is a strong focus for the first one, connecting people to God. Our Sunday school and small groups are the main thrust for stage 2, connecting people to each other. And stage 3, connecting people to the greater community is expressed through celebrate recovery and other outreach oriented programs. It is not a perfect system but it is one we have all bought into and are trying.
One more thing to keep the pot stirred. I get nervous when everyone in our discipleship system is at the same stage. I am uncomfortable with classes filled with gray heads that have been together forever. I get nervous when people seeking are not mixed in with those who claimed to have found. When discipleship becomes exclusive it becomes legalistic. When discipleship becomes exclusive we cease to have the community necessary to look at how we are doing.
Well if you have read this far, you are truly a church geek. Welcome to the fellowship! It feels good to get it out of me.
I think we need less emphasis on outreach programs and more emphasis on discipleship, but discipleship that works. We have outreach problems because we have a discipleship problem. Did the disciples of the New Testament ever have to discuss how to get more people to come their meetings? Are you kidding me? They were the star attraction. Transformation took place under their teaching. Love, grace and mercy were introduced to humanity. They were contagious, scary and comforting all at once! We don't need a change in methods unless we first have a change of heart.
It was a fun interview and I felt honored to contribute. As he closed the interview he asked me a final question that got my brain stirring (no easy task for me). He asked what advice I would give an emerging (young was what he meant after asking for clarification) regarding discipleship. After thinking for only a moment I thought of three words of advice.
So to you YOUNG pastors (of which I use to be one but apparently am no longer--I'm not bitter), here is some advice from a SEASONED pastor now. Take it for what its worth.
1. Don't assume your church is making disciples.
Most churches I have had the honor to be associated with would never say their weakest area is discipleship. In their evaluation, discipleship is one of the strongest areas and the weakest is almost always outreach or evangelism. They have what they would evaluate as great Sunday School classes. And most of the time they are great because they have withstood the test of time or a teacher has been at it since Jesus walked the earth. There seems to be little concern as to whether the people in that class are world changers or sacrificial in their lifestyle or passionate about the things of God. Longevity breeds greatness for some. And yet there is an obvious disconnect to me. If we are so great at discipleship in our church, why aren't we producing any new ones?! Why aren't people drawn to the disciples anymore? Why were people so attracted to Jesus and so not attracted to me? Are we really producing disciples or do we have a comfortable system in which we feel spiritually grown up?
2. Define discipleship from God's word not some church product made by Zondervan.
I guess each church has to define discipleship for itself and I suspect all of our definitions will be quite similar. I am not qualified to be able to write a complete definition here (you saw my stab at it above)! So let me provide some probing questions. What do disciples of Jesus look like, what would our characteristics be? What do we read in the New Testament that is absent in the post-Pentecost era of the church? I am concerned about the absences in me compared to what I see in the New Testament disciples. Where is faith? Where is sacrifice? Where is radical obedience? Where is the evangelistic component that characterized the New Testament disciples?
What a great thing to discuss with your church leadership! I see it going something like this--call the board together and ask three questions: What is discipleship? Are we accomplishing it? What should we as a church be doing differently?
3. Create systems that produce what you intend.
Every church has a system in place to disciple their people. Most people have no idea as to whether or not it works and some might even struggle to define the system. Don't neglect this! If it is broken, this cannot be ignored. Create a system that accomplishes how you define discipleship. The system is organized and organic; it is structured and alive. But you must change the system to get different results.
At the church I pastor, our system is pretty simple (and still quite new). It is all about connecting people and is illustrated with three circles. We want people to connect to God, circle 1. We want people to connect to each other, circle 2. We want people to connect to the greater community, circle 3. So the dashboard indicators I want as the pastor/leader of our church is how many people are we moving through these stages or circles as we call them? If our numbers are increasing in these three stages then we believe we are doing discipleship well. If not, we have work to do.
So now we are tweaking curriculum and venues to fit all three stages of our discipleship process. We are designing curriculum that will meet different needs of disciples. Sunday morning is a strong focus for the first one, connecting people to God. Our Sunday school and small groups are the main thrust for stage 2, connecting people to each other. And stage 3, connecting people to the greater community is expressed through celebrate recovery and other outreach oriented programs. It is not a perfect system but it is one we have all bought into and are trying.
One more thing to keep the pot stirred. I get nervous when everyone in our discipleship system is at the same stage. I am uncomfortable with classes filled with gray heads that have been together forever. I get nervous when people seeking are not mixed in with those who claimed to have found. When discipleship becomes exclusive it becomes legalistic. When discipleship becomes exclusive we cease to have the community necessary to look at how we are doing.
Well if you have read this far, you are truly a church geek. Welcome to the fellowship! It feels good to get it out of me.
I think we need less emphasis on outreach programs and more emphasis on discipleship, but discipleship that works. We have outreach problems because we have a discipleship problem. Did the disciples of the New Testament ever have to discuss how to get more people to come their meetings? Are you kidding me? They were the star attraction. Transformation took place under their teaching. Love, grace and mercy were introduced to humanity. They were contagious, scary and comforting all at once! We don't need a change in methods unless we first have a change of heart.
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
Yesterday was my 23rd anniversary! No, not of my marriage. That one is in June as best I remember and will be my 22nd! The anniversary I am speaking of is my calling into ministry. I guess people don't use that word calling much anymore. Ministry has almost become cool these days, although not me, as kids continue to affirm! People choose to go into ministry as a vocation. (Something those of us in the ministry kind of snicker at!)
No, mine was a calling. My oldest daughter asked me at dinner last night what a calling was. So here goes. On February 22, 1987 I was in a Sunday School class in Blacksburg Virginia. I was out of high school three years and working in the family business. Life was pretty predictable and yet somehow not fulfilling. I had no complaints, just a sense of incompleteness.
The Sunday school lesson was on joy. I remember the teacher saying "You will never be truly happy, truly content until you are in the center of God's will for your life." Sure, being raised in a Christian home, I had heard that a 100 times before. But this day, I didn't hear it from outside, I heard it from within. In that moment, for the first time in my life, I considered the ministry. It wasn't a mental consideration as much as an inner contemplation. There was a longing in me coupled with an urging, a prompting to a level of obedience I had not experienced.
I talked that afternoon with a few close friends. I talked with God a lot! Each friend affirmed the calling in some way. "I always thought you might end up in the ministry Tom." Thoughts I was totally unaware of and would have laughed out loud if they would have said it to me prior to this day. I don't recall laying awake at night wishing I could be a pastor. I kind of thought (and maybe think) of pastors as this society's leper class. You have them, but nobody really wants to hang out with them.
I often hear people talk about wrestling at this point. Not for me. From that moment in the Sunday School class there was no wrestling, just disbelief followed by surrender. Don't get me wrong, I am a wrestler and I wrestle with God a lot. But not that day. I signed my name to the bottom of a blank page. The inner prompting was too strong to be manufactured. There were very little emotions for me, although there were some. This was in me and yet not from me. It was familiar, yet alien. My response was easy and quick. "God, I don't know what you have in mind. But I want to be part of it. So if you can use my one and only life, I surrender to you."
I made it official that night. That was back in the day of Sunday evening services. I have no idea what the preacher spoke on but I responded to the altar call and said I was answering a call to ministry. Many of the elders of Blacksburg Wesleyan Church came forward and laid hands on me. I can't explain it but when I got up from the altar, I was different. I wrote the date and the calling in the front of my Bible.
I left the family business and went to the only Christian college I had ever heard talked about, Southern Wesleyan, at that time Central Wesleyan College. Took on debt and moved to South Carolina; the suffering for Jesus had already begun.
I have been reading E. Stanley Jones. I would make him required reading for anyone serious about faith. I am so challenged by his insights. I am reading The Unshakeable Kingdom and the Unchanging Person. Yesterday, on my anniversary God sent an affirmation once again from E. Stanley.
So Self surrender is the greatest emancipation that ever comes to a human being. Seek first the kingdom of God and all things will be added to you, including your self. You will no longer be an echo--you will be a voice. You will no longer merely copy, you will create.
If you ever swing by my office, I will be honored to show you that Bible that records my calling to be a voice, to create, to surrender. This is my calling. It is plain and clear and yes, incredibly challenging. At times I kick and scream. At times I wrestle. At times I weep. But in the end, I surrender.
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