Atheist at Christmas

I read an article this morning in the Lawton Constitution that was titled with the same title as this blog post. I read it with intrigue. From the start, I am a Christian. I have been a devoted Christian from the age of 14, and was raised in a religious family. In other words I have been in and around church my whole life. To top it off, I am a full time pastor. My belief in God is very high. But if you are not a Christian please humor me and read on...

With that said, my heart was breaking as a I read the article. I have many friends that are not Christians and a few who are atheist. The article addressed the issues an atheist faces during the overtly Christian celebration of the holidays. It explained that there are support groups that help atheists deal with holiday depression, how to avoid awkward conversations with family, and how to survive the holidays in general. CS Lewis talked of the dangers at every turn an atheist must face to protect their belief system. He would know. He called himself one of the most reluctant converts to Christianity in all of England. He was an atheist for many years.

Christmas must be an especially hard time for atheists.

I hope that families, churches, and Christians can be sensitive to the needs of those who claim there is no God. I hope that they can feel welcome in the communities they belong. I believe that any community should be a place where they can search and question all their life beliefs about family, culture, work, religion, art, and music. The church community should be open to those atheists who are looking for meaning, purpose, and hope. I say that because I notice the language of atheists, especially in the article I read.

Some of the atheists in the article celebrated the holidays by decorating tree, which I admit traces back to both pagan and Christian belief systems. They celebrate the winter solstice, another pagan belief. The argument was that Christians had stolen the celebration from pagan religions. The solutions was that pagan religions where polytheistic and thus more appropriate for atheism than Christianity and Judaism, which are monotheistic. Yet simple logic has to recognize that all are practices of people who are believing in a higher power or being. Pure atheism cannot accept any of these beliefs or practices. They are not atheists, they are confused people who are still seeking for answers. Whether they recognize it or not.

One quote from a middle age atheist was, "Food we like. Presents we like. Seeing family we like." But when it came to prayer or the family attending a worship service, he did not participate. Yet another quote by the same guy explained, "Sacred trees are an ancient custom. It's pretty, it smells nice, and it's pagan." His reasoning doesn't line up. He loves community and family. He loves celebrating. But to find reasons to do so, he accepts it by covering Christianity with paganism and calls it good. This man is not an atheist. He is an agnostic. He himself used the word sacred in a spiritual way. Think about it.

Another middle aged man expressed that he took the good and left the bad of the holiday. The good was family and friends. The bad was anything that had to do with church. Why? Because his ex-wife used the atheist argument against him in their divorce litigation because she was a devout Christian. As I read I could understand his pain. For this man to come to God he will have to go through the family issues and pain that clouds his judgement. A real pain that he lives with daily. He's not a true atheist. He is a man who is hurting and using atheism to mask his pain. I know this is true because when the family leaves after dinner to attend a mass he stays behind. In other words his only community leaves him behind in his deepest pain. Or to put it another way, this man believes that the church is a place that cannot heal him. So I asked myself if my church, no better, if I would be the kind of person that would work through his pain and help him heal. Heal his view of life, family, relationships, and hopefully of God.

The last example that caught my attention was a retired man who came out and said he told his 92 year old mom to put her own Christmas lights up because, "she believes all this crap." This man was willing to ruin the few remaining Christmases his mother, a devout Christian, had left. A 92 year old women cannot put her lights up herself. And Christmas lights don't equate to Christian faith. This man must have hurts that go deep, deep down. Words like crap and actions that demonstrate disdain to help others enjoy the holidays are tale-tale signs of that truth.

What harm besets an atheist who attends a church service or hands Christmas lights? If there is no God then the church service poses no harm. It is another meeting during a week of meetings. Maybe, just maybe their is something else keeping this man from attending a church or enjoying the holidays. What that is I will not try to guess.

The take away from my musing today may just be for me, but they ran so deep I had to write something to help work through my feelings. What are my feelings? Heartbreak. Heartbreak that people desire community, family, and robust life...but apart from God. Stop and read Psalms 16:2. Heartbreak that some people hide behind a weak form of atheism to mask their pain. A pain that only something or someone greater than them can heal. For me that person is Jesus Christ; the Christ in the word Christ-mas. Now, don't discount me now after reading the whole article. I explained at the beginning I was a Christian. I simply want you, the reader, to think about the whole of the discuss.

• To be sensitive to those who believe differently.
• To be sensitive to those who find the holidays painful due to their life situations or confused beliefs.
• To be a healer of those who hide behind atheism or any system of belief to mask their pain.
• To be the family member that stays behind when all others go to church, to simply be with the one who is left behind at home alone. I think Jesus himself told a parable about leaving the 99 for the 1.
• To be bold about your faith, but without pushing others away. The goal is not conversion, that is between God and a person. The goal is conversation, relationship, and community. The rest will work itself out.

All of this is complicated, messy, and easier said then done. But if Christians will be open and atheist will be open, civilized talk can be fostered. Where the talk goes it up to each situation and individual involved.

Think about it...

Defining Goals - Creating Movement

I was flipping through my notes from the Leadership Summit 2007. I found some good stuff from the past hiding there.

Michael Porter did a talk on Strategy, Goals, and Planning. Here are four questions he said you must ask:

1. How do we define our goals clearly?

2. What set of community servcies and needs are we going to address?

3. How are we going to address them?

4. How do we create alignment?

Great questions to guide your strategic planning...think about it

13 Characteristics of an Effective Church Planter

This is a post from Dr. Charles Ridley of Indiana University (Bloomington, IN) that I believe is helpful for church leaders as well.

Take some time and think about it:

13 Characteristics of an Effective Church Planter
By Dr. Charles Ridley

What does it take to be an effective church planter? Dr. Charles Ridley conducted a study of church planters in the United States and Canada. Based upon his research and subsequent field testing, he developed a list of 13 church planter characteristics. For over a decade, these characteristics have been used to select church planters. Here is his list of characteristics and their definitions.

Visioning Capacity
· Being a person who projects into the future beyond the present.
· Developing a theme which highlights the vision and philosophy of ministry.
· Coping effectively with non-visioning elements.
· Not erecting artificial walls or limits either overtly or subconsciously.
· Establishing a clear church identity related to the theme and vision.
· Believing in God's capacity to do great things.

Intrinsically Motivated
· Having a desire to do well and a commitment to excellence.
· Stick-to-itiveness and persistence.
· Having initiative and aggressiveness without the negative connotations.
· Having a willingness to work long and hard.
· Being a self-starter with a willingness to build from nothing.
· Having a high energy and vitality level; physical stamina.

Creates Ownership of Ministry
· Helping people to feel responsible for the growth and success of the church.
· Gaining a commitment of the people to the vision.
· Establishing a congregational identity.
· Avoiding stereotyping of the congregation by imposing unrealistic goals.

Relates to the Unchurched
· Communicating in style that is understood by the unchurched.
· Understanding the psychology or mentality of the unchurched.
· Moving and functioning in the personal space of the unchurched without fear.
· Quickly getting to know the unchurched on a personal level.
· Breaking through the barriers erected by the unchurched.
· Handling crises faced by the unchurched.

Spousal Cooperation
· Having an explicit agreement regarding each partner's involvement in ministry.
· Having explicit rules regarding the use of home as an office.
· Evaluating the consequences of ministry demands upon the children.
· Functioning as a team through individual and collective action.
· Having a strategy for dealing with strangers.
· Modeling wholesome family life before church and community.
· Agreeing upon and sharing the ministry vision.
· Deliberately planning and protecting private family life.

Effectively Builds Relationships
· Responding with urgency to expressed needs and concerns of people.
· Displaying Godly love and compassion to people.
· Getting to know people on a personal basis.
· Making others feel secure and comfortable in one's presence.
· Not responding judgmentally or prejudicially to new people.
· Appreciating and accepting a variety of persons.
· Spends time with present parishioners without ignoring them for new people.
Committed to Church Growth
· Believing in church growth as a theological principle.
· Appreciating steady growth without preoccupation with quick success .
· Committing to numerical growth within the context of spiritual and relational growth.
· Recognizing that non-growth is threatening and self-defeating.
· Establishing the goal of quickly becoming a financially self-supporting church.
· Not prematurely falling into a ministry of maintenance.
· Seeing the church project within the larger context of God's kingdom.

Responsive to Community
· Understanding the culture of the community.
· Identifying and assessing community needs.
· Responding to community needs on a priority basis.
· Determining successes and failures of other attempts to respond to the community.
· Not confusing what the community needs with what the church wants to offer.
· Acquiring and understanding of the character and pulse of the community.
· Adapting the philosophy of ministry to the character of the community.

Utilizes Giftedness of Others
· Understanding the culture of the community.
· Releasing and equipping people to do the task of ministry.
· Discerning of spiritual gifts in others.
· Matching the gifts of people with ministry needs and opportunities.
· Delegating effectively in areas of personal limitation.
· Avoiding personal overload by delegating effectively.
· Not prematurely assigning ministry positions before people are equipped.
· Not placing unwarranted restrictions on other's spiritual giftedness.

Flexible and Adaptable
· Coping effectively with ambiguity.
· Coping effectively with constant and abrupt change.
· Adapting oneself to the uniqueness of the particular church planting project.
· Shifting priorities and emphasis during various stages of church growth.
· Doing whatever is necessary whenever necessary.

Builds Group Cohesiveness
· Developing a nucleus group or groups as a foundation.
· Quickly incorporating newcomers into a network of relationships.
· Engaging others in meaningful church activity.
· Monitoring the morale of people.
· Utilizing groups effectively.
· Dealing with conflict assertively, constructively and tactfully.

Resilience
· Experiencing setbacks without defeat.
· Riding the ups and downs (i.e. attendance).
· Expecting the unexpected.
· Rebounding from loss, disappointments and failure.

Exercises Faith
· Possessing a conviction regarding one's call to church planting ministry.
· Believing in God's action.
· Having expectation and hope.
· Having a willingness to wait for answers to specific prayer requests.

Dr. Charles Ridley, A leading pioneer in church planting assessment, Indiana University, Bloomington, Indiana

NEW ORU Academic Video 2009

This is an excellent overview of the outstanding programs offered by the one and only Oral Roberts University. Check out http://www.oru.edu for an HD quality video.

Enjoy...

Misdressed Warriors

In the later part of Ephesians 6, Paul begins to describe the parts of the Armor of the Christian warrior. As a kid we learn these pieces of armor and sometimes we get a gold star for all the ones we get right. Now that I am older, I am wondering if God gives us a star for each one or if he gives us a star for wearing the complete armor and using it as it was intended to be used.

What I mean by that is that we hear quite a bit about the helmet of salvation or the breastplate of righteousness and especially the sword, which is the truth. But is not the last piece the most vital of all?

What is the last piece? The piece we emphasize less? That is the shoes of the readiness of the Gospel of peace. The final part of the armor is the shoes. It is the metaphor for 1 Peter 3:15; to be ready to give a reason for the hope that you have for anyone that asks you.

Stop. Think. Ask yourself, “Am I a misdressed warrior?”

Or do I look ridiculous with this massive cool armor, sword and shield and yet I am in bare feet? I don’t think a soldier would last long without good foot wear. Watch the movie Glory and you will see what a difference adequate foot wear can do for a group of soldiers.

“How then will they call on Him in whom they have not believed? How will they believe in Him whom they have not heard? And how will they hear without a preacher? How will they preach unless they are sent? Just as it is written, "HOW BEAUTIFUL ARE THE FEET OF THOSE WHO BRING GOOD NEWS OF GOOD THINGS!" (Romans 10:14-15)

You can boast about all the other pieces as much as you want, but be reminded to put on the last piece. Shoes matter. How beautiful are the feet!

Think about it…

Thoughts on Loving People from my friend, Trinity Jordan

In the Name of Love
Trinity Jordan, pastor, Elevation Church, Layton, Utah

The two young Mormon missionaries stood there in my living room, wide eyed, pondering what they had just heard.

I decided to repeat myself to make sure they heard me correctly, “Yes, I would like very much to go through the missionary discussions. But, before we do, can we hang out three times without talking about your beliefs or my beliefs. Tonight we will order pizza, make some lemonade, and just chat.” They nodded as if they really didn’t speak my language.

The night passed as we dove into casual conversation of where we were from, what our interests were, and where we had been in life. The next meeting brought with it a trip to a local ice cream shop to continue our conversation. As we ate our ice cream and laughed at each other’s stories, I looked down at one of the Mormon missionaries’ shoes. They were completely ripped apart.

“What is up with your shoes, bro?”

“Well, I’ve been on my mission for 10 months now and I only brought with me one pair of shoes.”

“What size do you wear? I’m sure I’ve got an old pair of shoes in my closet that are better than those.”

I was secretly plotting at this point. I had learned from the previous week that his birthday was coming up. I could make our third meeting a birthday party, complete with a gift of shoes that he desperately needed.

The balloons were in place. The cake was made. The streamers hung from the ceiling. Friends of mine that I knew would be nice to these young missionaries were hiding all over my house. The doorbell rang. I answered the door.

Surprise!

As they walked into my house like two deer in headlights. I held out my present to my new Mormon missionary friend. He slowly opened the present. He stopped as he lifted the lid of the shoebox and stared at the new pair of shoes. “Why did you do this?”

“Cause I love you, man. You are my friend.”

“No, really, why did you do this?”

“Mama said you can learn a lot about a man by the shoes he wears, bro. I’m serious; I love you.”

The gospel story is a story of love. God’s love for us. God’s love in us. God’s love changing us and God’s love flowing out of us to transform the world.

John tells us that God is love. Paul says we have died to Christ and we no longer live, but Christ lives in us.

This means we have the most amazing love in the world living in us. A love that changes lives. A love unlike what anyone in the world can offer. A selfless, gracious love.

My job as a follower of Jesus is to love. This is the characteristic that defines me as a disciple. My love for others. My job isn’t to save anyone. But, rather to be a living witness for Jesus. The job of Savior of the World is filled and He is doing a great job. I’m terrible at it.

This is why people walk away hurt from our churches. We are doing jobs that are not ours to do and we neglect what we are supposed to do. Love people. People need to feel like they belong with us before they believe like us. By loving them we let the good news of the gospel penetrate their hearts. The good news is that Jesus gives us life and hope through what He did for us on the cross. This will lead to spiritual conversations of Jesus and the life that He offers to all.

I believe in the local church. Can you imagine what we could do if we always did our job of loving people we come into contact with? Pharisees would call us friends of sinners. The drunks and prostitutes would be welcomed into our church services feeling welcomed and ready to receive Christ’s offer of redemption.

We have gotten so disconnected from a dying world around us, we are trying to perfect methods of salvation instead of working on truly loving the people we come in contact with everyday. We harm those around us when we don’t do our job and try to do God’s job. You and I are not charged with convicting the world of sin—that’s the work of the Holy Spirit. Our task is to unconditionally love people.

Kathryn wants to be like Mommy!

Here is a glimpse into the awesome world of my baby girl. Oh, and Mommy, WE LOVE YOU! Enjoy...

Contextual Theology and Being Missional

Being missional is the buzz word that is replacing all things emerging, so I believe it is a good idea to dialog about what it means to contextualize theology. This is not only the work of a missionary in a foreign land anymore; it is now the work of local pastors and leaders in the churches of America.

Paul G. Hiebert in his book, Anthroplogical Insights for Missionaries (Baker, 1986), suggests that critical contextualization is a proactive to balance effectively the development of contextual theology. His four step concept was developed by missionaries ministering in a foreign culture to help in making sure that the development of a contextual theology remains properly balanced. Hiebert's critical contextualization encourages the participation of all the members within a church.

1. The first step is to recognize the need to deal biblically with all areas of life.


2. Step two is for the congregation to meet and analyze the cultural issues they confront from an uncritical perspective.


3. The third step is to conduct a Bible study that is relevant to the particular cultural issue being considered.


4. Finally, the congregation needs to evaluate critically their own past customs in the light of their new biblical understandings and to make a decision regarding thier use.

Although this process can be tedious, it is the new work of the local church as they seek to understand, engage, and influence today's culture with the timeless message of hope that the local church champions. Think about it...

QUESTION: What is your church or ministry doing to contextualize theology (i.e. being missional)? Is it effective? Is it worth it? Any suggestions?

The Hardest Word for Leaders: NO

Although I have learned to do this more as time goes on, I need to hear it again from time to time. In his blog today, Seth says:

"Saying no to loud people gives you the resources to say yes to important opportunities."

I have heard Craig Groeschel say that every time you say yes to something you say no to something else.

With that said, we must protect our no's as much as we give out our yes's which can be hard in a society of "yes men." Moving beyond being mediocre doesn't mean saying yes to eveything. It means saying no when it matters, so we can say yes when it does!

Tony Morgan on Faith

I am reading through Tony Morgan's Killing Cockroaches and finding somekind of challenge on every page. Here is what he says on faith in his chapter on "Churchiness is Easy":

"Real faith is dynamic. It's contriversal. It's dangerous. It's constantly growing. It asks challenging quesitons. It involves mystery. You can't put it in a box. You can't keep it quiet. You can't outgrow it. You can't out dream it. It's more focused on others than on itself. Real faith gives me peace but makes me discontent to let things stay the same." (Check out Tony's blog for more insights)

I find that my faith is sometimes not even status quo. I find that I sometimes wish faith wasn't even part of the process. For to me, faith says you aren't able to do this in and of yourself...it is the beyond that is within you that will do it. Faith is about doing great things that when done can only go back to the one who placed that faith in us...namely Jesus Christ! It about bending and stretching. It's about pain and growth and turning intellect into godly wisdom. Faith is one complex and messy idea!

Think about it...

Thoughts on a Radical Jesus

Looking in the face of our twenty first century culture, I think it is time to embrace the radical teachings of Jesus once again. There have been times in history when this has been done. And when I say radical, I mean all that he taught and embodied. We have made Jesus into a fun and enjoyable icon, when in all reality his message is so radical it is offensive.

For this post, let’s just take one example: Luke 16:14-15

“The Pharisees, who love money, heard all that Jesus was teaching and sneered at him. Jesus said to them, ‘You are the ones who justify yourselves in the eyes of others, but God knows your hearts. What people value highly is detestable in God’s sight.’”

All over the immediate context of this verse are issues that bring to light what “is detestable in God’s sight.” In chapter 14, Jesus speaks of places of honor at banquets. In chapter 15, he speaks on selfish piety of a rich, spoiled brat. In 16, he speaks of a shrewd business man and another story of the final fate of a rich man. In summary, they all deal with money and the cost of loving a lifestyle over a relationship with God.

Those values and lifestyles are detestable in God’s sight. And they are in stark contrast to what Jesus values most: the cost of a Christ-centered lifestyle and the love for seeing sinner reconciled to God.

“If anyone comes to me and does not hate father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters—yes, even life itself—such a person cannot be my disciple. And whoever does not carry their cross and follow me cannot be my disciple.” (14:26-27)

“I tell you in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over on sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous person who do not.” (15:7)

“In the same way, I tell you, there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.” (15:10)

“But we had to celebrate and be glad, because this brother of yours was dead and is alive again; he was lost and know is found.” (15:32)

In a later post, I will discuss 14:26-27, but notice the progression in chapter 15. Jesus is more concerned with a person who is truly repentant. That denies the normalcy and the culture to follow the radical message of Jesus…the message of the Kingdom of God. A kingdom that is at odds with the kingdoms of this present age.

For today, know this: We are all dead until we find Christ. We are all lost until Jesus comes and changes our status. Just as it costs big to live with the luxuries of this world, to have all the things that are in the end, “detestable to God.” The radical Jesus says that it cost much more to live out the radical-reversal message of the Kingdom of God. More on this to come. For now, think about it…

Is our Full Gospel...well...Full Gospel?

The odd thing about any movement is that eventually it changes from the original. Lutherans look very little like Luther. Wesleyans don’t look like Wesley. And Full Gospel believers have been morphing over the years. The one and only thing that can save us is reform.

Those of us who are Full Gospel believers need reformation of the fullness of Scripture. What I mean by that is to reform all the proof texting we do. That is taking so much of Scripture out of context to make our points to move the masses in the direction we want them to go. We must speak the truth of the Bible in the direction God want us and those who follow us to go.

For example, we often hear people make the comment for a personal salvation call like this, “The Bible paints a picture of Jesus standing at the door of our hearts and knocking.” And before I go further, I want to say that this can be a very deep and true statement, but it is not the full gospel context of the picture. This verse is actually found in the book of Revelation:

Chapter 3, verses 14-22
14 “To the angel of the church in Laodicea write: The Amen, the faithful and true Witness, the Beginning of the creation of God, says this: 15 ‘I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot; I wish that you were cold or hot. 16 ‘So because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of My mouth. 17 ‘Because you say, "I am rich, and have become wealthy, and have need of nothing," and you do not know that you are wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked, 18 I advise you to buy from Me gold refined by fire so that you may become rich, and white garments so that you may clothe yourself, and that the shame of your nakedness will not be revealed; and eye salve to anoint your eyes so that you may see. 19 ‘Those whom I love, I reprove and discipline; therefore be zealous and repent. 20 ‘Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and will dine with him, and he with Me. 21 ‘He who overcomes, I will grant to him to sit down with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne. 22 ‘He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.'"

The idea is not presented in a setting of a personal salvation call. It is presented to a church that has become lukewarm. A church that has lost its fire and Jesus is standing outside of this place asking to come in. Get this, Jesus is asking to come into church; the cornerstone is asking to be invited into His own dwelling. These verse when put back into a full gospel approach carry a power rebuke and recommendation to dying churches today. In essence, it explains that if you take the rebuke of Jesus and hear him knocking on the door of your church, he can come back in and move just the way he did when the church was once red hot.

May verse 22 guide our lives…he who has an ear let him hear what the Spirit is saying to his church. Let us come back to a full gospel approach and stop taking verses and stories out of context and letting God once again speak for himself. May our churches once again be red hot and refined by the fire of God! Amen.

Caged vs Uncaged, part 2

Breaking out of the cages that hold us down in life takes spiritual momentum. We must learn that the very things that are meant ti hold us back can actually be the catalyst to move us forward.

My devotional comes from Bill Hybel’s Holy Discontent:

“This (positive) energy causes you to act on the dissatisfactions that’s been brewing deep within your soul and compels you to say yes to joining forces with God so that the darkness and depravity around you gets pushed back. This supernatural energy allow you to move forward past all the natural human-nature responses and enter instead into a life viewed from God’s point of view.

In other words, your perspective shifts from that which your eyes can see to that which God tells you is true. And it is this reality that what is enslaved can still be set free, what is broken can still be mended, what is diseased can still be restored, what is hated can still be loved, what is dirty can still be made clean, and what is wrong can still be made right.” (bold words are my emphasis)

WOW!

In a nutshell, this means that God will take
our sin,
pain,
suffering,
frustrations
and dissatisfactions in life
and turn them into a powerful force to be used to expand our life and God’s kingdom!

CAGED vs UNCAGED, Part One

Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our Light, not our Darkness, that most frightens us. -Marianne Williamson

Sometimes we have lived in the dark so long; it feels normal. When a shimmer of light shines though we fear that which is not normal. Like a prisoner of war in solitary confinement; we fear the light and the presence behind the door. We know there is more but we chose to live in fear and darkness. These become common and normal. Yet the light was what we are created for; how we are to live.

Jesus Christ is the light. He is the light within us. The greatness of Christ is the greatness in us. We are more fearful of the greatness of God’s plan for our lives that we often chose to be bound. Some of the things that bind us are not all bad, but they keep us from the greatness of God. However, many things that bind us choke out the power and presence of Holy Spirit working in us. Christ has already freed us. He has called us to freedom (Gal 5:13). Yet, we allow our chains to cage us. Why are so many Christians living in cages today when they have been called out…they have been summoned…to freedom?

Christian, you are not inadequate and you are not powerless! You are more powerful and more blessed than you can imagine! Do not fear what is meant to free. Break the chains; live life UNCAGED! Live a life guided by the adventure of the Holy Spirit...think about it!!!