Spiritually Lactose-Intolerant

There is a great story about Martin Luther, which I love to remember.  He was the pastor of a certain church, and all the people began to complain.  Martin Luther had been preaching "the gospel" every single week at church.

I suspect much like Christians today, his congregation was frustrated.  So they went to him with their frustration (likely after several weeks of bickering behind his back).

"Pastor Luther?" they said.

"Please!  Call me Martin."

"Okay! Martin?  We're pretty frustrated with this week after week presentation of the gospel you got going on here.  We already know this stuff.  Can we move on please?"

"Nope!"

"For crying out loud, Martin!  Why do you have to preach the gospel to us week in and week out?"

Martin, having probably practiced his response for weeks in his bathroom mirror, says,

"BECAUSE DAY IN AND DAY OUT YOU FORGET IT!"

I love that story!

The 3rd Chapter of 1 Corinthians reminded me of that story today.  Paul had to do the same thing for the Corinthian believers.

1 Corinthians 3:1-2 reads: "And so, brothers and sisters, I could not speak to you as spiritual people, but rather as people of the flesh, as infants in Christ.  I fed you with milk, not solid food, for you were not ready for solid food.  Even now you are still not ready..."

There is no such thing as a spiritually lactose-intolerant person.  I think we all need milk from time to time, if not every single day.  I, for one, could use a daily reminder of the gospel, because I certainly forget day in and day out.  I need to be like an elementary school lunch.  Every lunch comes with milk.  Yes, of course give me the meat and let me chew on it, but always make sure I have my little carton of milk to go along with it.

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4 Encouragements for Discouraged Leaders

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A few days ago I spoke with my old intern about leadership and ministry. One of the things I told him, as he is on the forefront of full-time professional ministry, is to not only recognize the small encouraging moments, but to save them and hold on to them. They do not come your way very often.

As a leader of people, you are almost never going to get encouragement or praise from those you lead. In fact, you will always hear the things people are angry or frustrated with you over.

Here are 4 things I have learned (or am learning) to keep in mind as you navigate the discouraging weight of leadership:

1. The minority is louder than the majority Resist the strong temptation to believe the opinion of that person who dislikes what you are doing and who you are is the opinion of everyone. Remember that most people are never going to tell you that they love what you are doing, but the few who do not like what you are doing will almost ALWAYS tell you. Remember that THIS person does not like what is happening, but everyone else is good with you. IF there is not all-out anarchy, start assuming most people are on-board.

2. Save the good stuff somewhere A good ministry friend of mine once posted about a special box he has where he saves any encouraging letter, note, or comment he gets. Have a place to save those little things for a couple reasons. First, you do not get them very often. Second, those days when you are getting very discouraged and wondering if anything you are doing is making a difference or even working, pull out that box and read through those reflections from real people you are leading and caring for.

3. Surround yourself well I try (though right now not completely) to surround myself with a few different types of people, because otherwise, I will suffocate in ministry and leadership. First, I need to have friends who are not involved in my or any ministry. I need people don't know Pastor PC. They know relaxed, laughs a lot, homebrews, watches SNL and SYTYCD, drinks beer and wine, wears shorts sometimes, watches A LOT of college football PC. Second, I need friends in my specific ministry area. I meet once a month with nearly ALL of the college and young adult pastors and ministry directors in the Sacramento area. It is important for me to chat and sometimes vent with people who know exactly what I am talking about or up against in my area of leadership. It is more than networking; it is a monthly injection of keep-at-it. Lastly, I need wise people. I need someone who has been engaged in ministry for longer and at a different level than I have. I need them to challenge my attitude, my growth, and my actual actions. We all need a mentor, a counselor, a discipler (this is where I STILL lack right now as my mentor moved to another state).

4. Your obligation remains (remember your why) I was reading in Numbers 16 an incredible story about a large group of people complaining about their leader (Moses). Just read the chapter; a CRAZY story! In reflection, I read this by Matthew Henry: "If others fail in their duty to us, that does not take away the obligation we are under to seek their welfare." Do not forget WHY you do what you do. Do not forget WHY you started doing this in the first place. That obligation, that passion, that heart still remains; its just been knocked around a bit.

A pastor of mine once said, "Ministry would be great if it weren't for all the people." Leadership is always going to be difficult and messy, because we are working with PEOPLE. But be encouraged! You are doing a great job. Let me be one to tell you!

Starving Spirit

“When a man is born from above, the life of the Son of God is born in him, and he can either starve that life or nourish it.”

Ozzie Chambers has me chewing on his words today.  These words of Ozzie’s are a gristly answer to the question, “Why do we pray?”

As Christians, we have accepted Jesus into our hearts.  Cliché aside, the Spirit of Jesus now resides within us.  That Spirit is now a part of our spirit.  The Son always desires a connection with the Father.  This is the part of us, which desires a huge connection with the Spirit of Abba.  Prayer brings the connection the Son pangs for.

Lacking prayer does not affect us nearly as much as it does the Spirit of Jesus within us.  It feels horribly disconnecting to us, but that is only because the Spirit of Jesus is so overwhelming within our heart.  The Spirit of Jesus has overwhelmed our spirit, and when the Son has disconnection with Abba, it pangs and twinges for the reconnection…for the intimacy.  And since the Spirit of the Son has so overwhelmed us, we also feel that pang.  This is why we pray!

Prayer nourishes the relationship of Son to Abba and Abba to Son.  This is why we pray!  We understand that relationship is alive within our spirit, and we can either nourish it or allow it to slowly die away.  What is our choice?  This is why we pray; that the life of the Son within us may be nourished in intimacy with Daddy.  When we nourish that connection within us, we know intimacy because the Spirit of the Son has so overwhelmed our spirit that the web grows more intertwined...and strong.  This is why we pray!

“Prayer is the way the life of God is nourished.”

Graveclothes

As soon as Jesus calls Lazarus from the dead, Lazarus is still not free.  He is still bound by the grave clothes. Jesus does not unwrap him.  No, the very Jesus who just breathed life into a man did not unwrap the binding grave clothes. He has some other guys do it.  Why would he do that?  He is perfectly capable of unbinding him with a snap of a finger or a word of his mouth.

Jesus knew the very people who wrapped him will unwrap him.  Now, many of us are Christians. Many of us have been a Christian for a long time, but are we still free?  DO we still feel free?  There are still grave clothes.

I need the reminder, the gospel, every single day.  Without it, I forget the gospel and its efforts to change me each day.

I need the people around me.  I need the accountability of my gift of grace.  I need the accountability of my good friends.  I need that challenge to always get back to the gospel, the milk, the simple identity of Abba's Child.  I need those around me to help unwrap me.  Yes, God is capable of unwrapping me myself.  He is perfectly capable of doing it with just a word, but I need to have my brothers as well to unwrap the grave clothes that bind me.  It is God's design.

Meat out your nostrils

"but a whole month [you will eat meat] until it comes out your nostrils and becomes loathsome to you; because you have rejected the LORD who is among you." (Numbers 11:20)

These people were complaining that what God had provided for them was not enough. They complained so much they became a burden to their leader and drove him to complain to God about how much of a burden their complaining had become. They all asked for meat because the manna was not enough.

So God, tired and angry at all the complaining, gives them the meat they asked for. He gives them so much meat it is going to come out of their nose. Getting more than we actually need will hurt our bodies. God is giving them what they asked for, but so much that it is going to hurt.

This is a punishment for rejecting Him as all they really needed.

Be careful what your heart and mind greedily wants. When is enough not enough for you? When is God and his love and his provisions not enough for you?

Our greed reveals how little we trust God, and I fear I trust God far too little.

What Moses dreamed of

"would that all the LORD's people were prophets, that the LORD would put His Spirit upon them." (Numbers 11:29)

What Moses basically dreamed of IS our reality today. ALL followers of Jesus have his Spirit in them and upon them. This is absolutely incredible and we rarely tap into it, use it, or listen to what Moses only dreamed of.

Just a thought...

Jesus says to us that if two or more are gathered in his name, he is there.  Now, if I come in Jesus' name, would not Jesus come in his own name?  And if so, does that not mean that if I come in Jesus' name, and Jesus comes in his own name, we are already 2 or more?

Not like Jesus

The best part about artists and non-believers in general is their honesty.  Artists are specifically honest as you listen to their music...at least most of them are.  You listen and hear the honest struggle within each artist.  Those are the sorts of artists I love to listen to; the raw and exposed lyrics of honest writers.  This is a quality lost in most Christian music, which is a main reason I don't like it or listen to much of it.  These secular artists leave their reputations to the wind and write with ceaseless honesty about what goes on inside themselves.

Christians often lack this kind of honesty.  In most cases, our reputation is king.  So because of this, every piece of humanity or struggle that leaks out the holes in the mask are shocking and scandalous mostly because we never saw it coming.

As Derek Webb said in an interview, "We are all wrapped up in trying to look like Jesus instead of people who need Jesus."

We are so fearful that people will see us as we really are.  I want to live a life where I am not afraid of letting people see me as I really am.  Because truth of the matter is I'm NOT like Jesus...I don't look like Jesus...but I DO need him.

Without Jesus, I am absolutely lost and in the dark.  Alone, I am a man prone to being lost.  I have huge potential for being lost, but honestly I would rather people consistently see my potential lostness...my potential for being alone and broken...I would rather people see all of this instead of a pretty and shiny self-righteousness which I have a whole wardrobe full of to draw upon.  I would rather people see my brokenness and potential for straying because if all I ever show them is my righteous and confident garb they're going to be shocked when they find out I really am a ragamuffin, beat up, broken and bedraggled.

That's who I really am, Daddy's little boy who likes to get into everything (especially dirt), who is a little ragged but still looks to his Daddy with phenomenal awe.  That's who I really am, and I'd rather people just know that.

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Passover Prodigal

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The older brother in me is frustrated I never did the things the younger one did while I was doing the right thing

The Passover in me is thankful God has brought me out and rescued me from ever having to experience the pain of the far off land