Jason Matters

One Small Book- One Big Lump In My Throat

2012-01-17T21:41:00.001-06:00

Having heard so many good things about this book, and needing some great material for a teaching series in our church, I checked out Randy Alcorn's The Treasure Principle. With only 90 pages of text, I figured it would be an easy read. But those ninety pages were full of difficult truth.

Although the principles suggested by Alcorn are difficult to hear, he writes with sensitivity and from a position of integrity. He readily shares his own journey and the lessons he learned about his own attachment to money as he endured some difficult times. It is difficult to argue with someone who has fought a tough battle and emerged with scars and lessons learned.

The book centers around six "Treasure Principle Keys." The first key is "God owns everything. I'm his money manager." Each key is illustrated with Biblical teaching, quotes, and stories from real life. Randy readily shares his own stories and those of others. You will not want to miss the story of William Borden. And when you read it, you won't easily forget it.

As a pastor, I am often anxious and yet intrigued to see how authors interpret various Scripture passages. Alcorn never pushes a passage to say more than it was intended to say. He does, however, offer fresh but challenging insights into various Scriptures.

I know I will never read Jesus' one-sentence parable of the buried treasure the same again. And I will never be the same because I read this book. And if you tend to worry about your bills, think often about money, or usually send the offering plate on by, you will want to read this book also.

I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review.

If you enjoyed this review and are intrigued by this book, rank my review here:

Timing Is Everything

2011-12-05T13:34:00.005-06:00

The Byrds sang that, "There is a season - turn, turn, turn. And a time for every purpose under heaven." The Bible affirms it in Ecclesiastes 3:1, "There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens."(although this passage is often misquoted to proclaim a time for even ungodly things.) Leadership experts affirm that even bad timing can ruin the best idea. This week I experienced one of those "timing" events.

But in order to understand the "timing," let me take you back to approximately 1994. I was 17 with an entrepreneurial spirit. I had attended a seminar where some millionaire was selling his instructional books and, yes, cassette tape series teaching greedy suckers like me how to buy stuff at public auctions and re-sell it all for huge profits. So after seeing an advertisement in the newspaper for a US Postal Service surplus auction, I attended. There were tables full of old computers, to which the geeky part of me was instantly drawn. By the end of the auction I had purchased 4 old laptops, each weighing about fifteen pounds, for about $17.50 each. I took them home and was able to get a few of them to boot up. But then I had to sell them. A classified ad in the newspaper would cost as much as the laptops. Plus, they were already very old. Why would anyone buy my laptops when they could buy a smoking-fast 386 processor running Windows 3.1? I found a store that allowed me to sell a couple of them on a consignment basis. But they never sold, the store went out of business, and I never got my laptops back.

I lost interest, moved away to college, and plowed into the future with the remaining laptops sitting in my old bedroom closet.

I went home for Thanksgiving and my mom gently asked me to do something with "those old laptops." I checked ebay for "Grid computer" and found a few over-priced listings, but no completed auctions. I took them home, cleaned them up, booted them up again, and decided to test the waters with a 10 day listing starting at $25. And just for kicks, I set a $100 Buy-It-Now price for some gullible or just plain old impulsive buyer. The next morning I discovered that someone had indeed purchased it during the night! Just today I sold the other 2 for even more!

Seventeen years ago these laptops weren't worth anything. Or maybe it was because ebay was not around yet, bringing a global marketplace of buyers to the stuff in my basement.

Timing. What a huge factor. In business, in life, and even faith.

There Is Always More To The Story

2011-09-08T14:22:00.003-05:00

"Leadership is lonely." No kidding. And that sentiment has been repeated so many times, we don't know who to credit with the quote. A few months ago I read an article in Newsweek that helped illustrate the lesson. (Read it here) Let me summarize:

The article described the the leadership of George H. Bush. Dubyah's daddy. He was often described as a wimpy leader. The article attempted to refute such an accusation. One often recounted story of H's wimpy leadership surrounded the falling of the the Berlin wall and the subsequent fall of communism in Eastern Europe and eventually the Soviet Union. When the wall fell, many thought that the President of the free world should lead the celebration with the first dance in the street. He should have given a long-distance pep talk to the wall-whackers and a harsh scolding to the communist leaders. But he seemed to do nothing. The judgment of his leadership: wimpiness. However, the author explained that according to many sources close to the President, Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev had sent a message asking that the United States, "not to take provocative action that might instigate a Tiananmen Square-like military crackdown in East Germany." President Bush complied with the request. And the communication remains classified, even to this day. Maybe Gorbachev sensed that the days of communism were numbered?

If I were a conspiracy theorist, I might question whether or not such a message was ever sent. But I'm not, and that is not really the point of this writing, so I'll just go with it. Assuming it was true, it seems that Bush took a hit, knowing that his actions might allow communism to fall, but at the expense of his perceived leadership.

I have learned at least this in leadership: there is always more to the story than anyone knows. It is always more complex that you think or I think it is. It is only a simple issue when viewed from one perspective. Add another perspective, and now it gets complex. Of course, most of us see life only from our perspective. The job of a leader is to see as many perspectives as possible and then make a decision, knowing that someone, if not everyone, will be disappointed.

Why not tell me the rest of the story then? Well, for starters, we are often asked not to share one or more sides to the story. Sometimes the other perspectives involve deeply personal, private, and sensitive information that you wouldn't want me telling others and so they probably don't want me to tell you. So sometimes leaders are not allowed to share the "more" to the story. But don't fret- you will appreciate it when it is your "more" that is not shared.

So if you are struggling with the leadership of your pastor, your boss, or your parent, remember this- there is more to the story than what you see or know. Whether Presidents or Pastors.

Praying, Not Criticizing

2011-09-05T17:04:00.002-05:00

The headline caught me, so I hovered over the newspaper stand at Wal-Mart, and read the first few lines of the article, while holding a replacement mum in each hand. First Family Church, in Overland Park is losing its 15 million dollar campus to foreclosure. Wow! Another mega-church bites the dust.

After planting my new mums, and doing a few other things, I grabbed my own newspaper and read the rest of the article. After a year of intense negotiations and refinancing rejections, the bank has requested that the property and everything in it be sold.

I am fairly familiar with First Family. I drive past it whenever I take the "back road" to Olathe. I attended one of their first launch services while I was in college. I sat on a blanket on their then-new property and listened to the testimony of a father of one of the Columbine victims. I listened to the frustration of two of my seminary friends who were re-starting a church in the area, grieving the loss of church members to First Family Church and another giant church nearby, churches that had "more to offer."

I have also heard the rumors of political upheaval and the accusations of financial mismanagement by the pastor at First Family. The newspaper article mentioned them, and noted the significant decrease in attendance.

It is easy to criticize from a distance. It is easy to become jealous, even for, no especially for, pastors. I disagree with Pastor Jerry in a lot of ways. Theologically, strategically, financially, etc. I am guessing some might say, "he got what was coming to him." Okay, maybe not out loud, but I am guessing that the thought has careened through the minds of not a few newspaper readers today.

But I am not going to criticize. I am guessing that Pastor Jerry and his team are hurting right now. He is my brother. He needs a hug and not a fist. So I am going to pray for Jerry and the church formerly known as "First Family." In fact, I am going to pray for them before I pray for my own church. Every day this week.

And if any of my brothers and sisters in Christ might read this, I ask you to do the same.

Faith and Trust

2011-08-19T09:26:00.005-05:00

Last week we put our oldest child on a big yellow bus and waved goodbye as she rode to her first day of Kindergarten. Our little girl gone for eight hours, under the care of strangers. Would she be okay? What if she lost her way in the maze of school hallways? I imagined her wandering the halls for hours, crying and feeling all alone. It was a bit difficult to bear.

Faith is not easy for me. Trust does not come naturally. And that makes sense, since faith and trust are the same. The popular concept of faith often shows a blindfolded man, standing in the dark, preparing to leap from a cliff into the darkened depths. We often talk about "blind faith." But that is not how I understand my faith.

Sending my first-born to school was an indeed an act of trust. Much of it was blind. I did not know where she was and what she was doing every minute. I couldn't be sure that she made it to her class or onto bus 21 at the end of the day. Blindness, indeed. But I was informed. We toured the school on Monday night and discovered the gymnasium, the cafeteria, and Olivia’s classroom. She found her name tag taped to the table. We met her teacher and reviewed her daily classroom schedule. We double-checked her bus number. We asked, and learned that if she does not make it to class, the school would notify us early in the morning. I know that the school follows strict policies regarding teacher qualifications, credentials, and background checks. Finally, I have heard from the experiences of others that the school has a good reputation for caring for our kids. While I cannot know the future, I do believe that the best indicator of future behavior is past performance. I feel like I have enough information to form a solid foundation for trust.

And for me, that is faith. Faith in schools and teachers. Faith in others. Faith in God. Faith is rarely a blind leap. But neither is it a crystal-clear path. I don't have all the answers. But I have done some research. I have information. I have informed faith.

At 4:30 that afternoon, the doors opened and Olivia climbed down the giant bus stairs with a giant smile on her face, ready to tell us about her day.

Monet and the Bible

2011-08-01T13:36:00.002-05:00

Yesterday afternoon Erica and I visited the Nelson-Atkins Art Museum here in Kansas City. The museum owns one large panel of Monet's famed water lillies paintings. The panel, however, is only one third of the complete paintings, with the other 2 panels owned and displayed at other museums around the country. This summer, the museum arranged for all 3 panels to be displayed together in one gigantic forty-two foot wide painting.

Like so many other people in Kansas City, I waited until the second-to-last weekend of the exhibit to visit. So, of course, there were tons of people. We stood in a long line waiting to enter the special exhibit. I stood back for a moment and gazed at the entire painting, but I saw more hairlines than brush strokes. We took a moment to look up close. I didn't want to stand in front of too many other art-admirers, so I made t quick. I stared at the brightest part of the painting- the red and yellow flowering Lillies at the bottom of the painting.

It was neat. I felt like I was able to get close to a piece of significant history. But there wasn't much detail, at least that I noticed. And the drab purples and greens looked very similar to the flowers my five year old daughter creates with her eight-color Crayola watercolor set. I didn't really get it. Honestly, not much wonder and not very inspiring to me. But I bet a friend of mine, the art history doctoral student, would have a different opinion.

I wonder if that is how it is for many people who open a Bible for the first time, looking for some great inspiration, having heard from friends, relatives and television preachers that God speaks through the Bible. So they crack it open and wait for the angels to sing. Or maybe they are long-time churchgoers who wonder how it is that their pastor gets so much out of a simple Bible story. They try it for themselves and are confused, bored and uninspired.

When it comes to art, I am ignorant. I really have no education or experience in art appreciation. I satisfied my fine arts credit requirements in college by singing in the choir for three semesters. But I know one thing. I didn't look at that forty-two foot painting very long. Maybe only five minutes. (That comes out to only seven seconds per linear foot). Had I sat on the couch in the back of the gallery and gazed at it for an hour I would have seen so much more. Had I crawled as close as the guard allowed and sat for 10 minutes, I might have been inspired.

After viewing the triptych, we walked through the accompanying display and learned about cross-section analysis and x-ray analysis. I discovered that Monet originally painted a detailed leafy lillie in one corner, and then covered it over with those mixed up purples and greens. Later in the day I learned about the history and theory of impressionist art. With this knowledge and background, a second look at the painting would yield more insight and appreciation. Of course, the ultimate would be to travel back in time and talk with Claude himself as he painted.

I think it is the same with the Bible. It is not easy for the first-time reader. There is a lot there and much of it is very confusing, even for theology doctoral students. You can't crack it open, read it for a few minutes and expect complete understanding, appreciation and grand inspiration (at least not every time). Some passages need to be gazed at for minutes and even hours. Education, training and tutoring will go a long way. The preacher who sees so much in one little story most likely has spent years reading, studying and talking with the author. If you really want to "get it" you will have to give your time, attention and your entire self to the Bible and, more importantly, to the God who inspired it.

Blue's Clues Handy Dandy Notebook

2011-07-25T21:54:00.005-05:00

This is a rather random post. It has nothing to do with church, theology, the Bible, or anything of interest in my life other than my kids. And my desire to help others like me. So Easton is into Blue's Clues. I know, it is a 10 year old show that is no longer on television. But somehow he found one of our vhs tapes (we call them our DVR tapes just to make ourselves feel cool) and he discovered Blues Clues. His second birthday is coming up and we are doing a Blues Clues theme. By the way, put your leftover Wonder Pets cups, napkins and party favors in a big box, and write on it, "sell on ebay in 2021." Seriously, some crazy parent of an about-to-be-two year old will pay big money for it. No, seriously . . . I know they will. (At least I don't think I am that weird).

So anyways, my contribution to the Blues Clues themed birthday party is to buy or create the Handy Dandy notebooks for each partygoer. Since I am not into paying $10 each on ebay, I figured I would create my own. The cover is the hardest part. Image searches on Google produced nothing much, so I had to create one the hard way. So I figured I would share them. And this is the only way I know how to do it.

So if you are a dad who does not own photoshop and you find Microsoft Paint incredibly difficult to use, join the club! And enjoy. (And if you feel like it, send a few dollars via paypal to jmatters@juno.com) No just kidding, unless you really want to, in which case I am not kidding at all.

A Ridiculously Good Life

2011-07-07T22:07:00.003-05:00

I tend to complain. Usually not about big things, but just little things. Lights not turned off. Slow drivers in front of me. Early mornings. But I have never complained about not having arms or legs. And now that I have read his story, I am not sure Nick Vujicic has either. By the way, his name is pronounced Voy-a-chich. Nick has reason to complain- he has no arms or legs. Yet he has surfed in the ocean, scuba dived a reef, beat up the school bully, and toured South Africa. I haven't even tried.

Nick's story and encouragement is found in his book, Life Without Limits: Inspiration For a Ridiculously Good Life. Nick was born without arms or legs, yet worked hard to keep up with his friends. He is an entrepreneur, motivational speaker, and evangelist. And motivational he is. He mixes his thoughts and inspiration with his life story.

I really enjoyed his chapter on fear. He describes Chucky, the biggest bully in his grade school, and tells about the day he took on Chucky on the schoolyard during lunch. He describes the fight, including his post-fight apology, and then talks about fear. Nick relates the acronym, False Evidence Appearing Real, and talks about how when we focus on our fears, they become real and then control us. His solution: rather than denying or discounting fears, we should let them motivate us. This is good stuff.

I tend to be a complainer. I think I need to read one chapter of this book every day. I could read it twice in one month. And I would be better for it.

Required Disclaimer: I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review.

If you enjoyed this book review, rank it here:

The Boy Who Cried Wolf, (The remix)

2011-05-27T05:56:00.003-05:00

So I have been thinking about my post from the other day. We usually hear that fable from the perspective of the other shepherds. But how about it from this angle:

Once there was a young boy who was watching his father's sheep. The long and lonely days became too much for the boy, and on one particularly-long Monday, he decided to have some fun. The boy began to shout, "Wolf, wolf, wolf!" The sheep heard the call and began to run, hide, and try to escape the impending doom. After all, their short legs could only run so fast.

Other shepherds came running to help chase the wolf, but found the shepherd laughing hysterically. The scattered sheep were gathered, and the other shepherds returned to their own flocks, muttering something under their breath.

On Tuesday, the sheep again heard their shepherd shouting, "Wolf, wolf, wolf!" And again, wanting to protect themselves, tried to gain a head-start and protect themselves. But alas, no wolf.

On Wednesday, they heard the call, turned, scanned the horizon, peered into the bushes watching for movement, saw nothing and returned to eating, appointing one of the flock to serve as watch-guard.

On Thursday, the "wolf" call came while the sheep were napping in the valley. They heard the call, looked at each other, rolled their eyes, and went back to sleep.

On Friday, somewhere the call was sounded, but no one remembers hearing it. And then it was too late. A hungry wolf devoured the flock.

"Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come. But understand this: If the owner of the house had known at what time of night the thief was coming, he would have kept watch and would not have let his house be broken into. So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him." (Matthew 24:42-44)

The Boy Who Cried Wolf (translated, "The World Is Ending"

2011-05-22T21:41:00.004-05:00

According to broadcaster/preacher Harold Camping, yesterday was supposed to feature an earthquake and the rapture, leading up to a fireball finale this October. 24 hours later, I have yet to hear of a massive earthquake. Neither Billy Graham nor Pope Benedict disappeared. I think it is safe to say Mr. Camping was wrong.

I wonder how many preachers talked about Mr. Camping's prediction today? I wonder how many preachers cracked jokes and poked fun at the predictions. (Yes, I was one who participated in the latter.)

I think it was foolish of Mr. Camping to make the prediction. Unfortunately, too many people were fooled by him and are wondering how they will replenish their savings accounts. Too many people now feel justified in their distaste for Christians and organized religion in general. But here is what I am concerned about: too many people, Christians included, will scoff at any mention of the return of Christ, judgment, and all things apocalyptic.

You have undoubtedly heard the story of the shepherd boy who cried wolf? He became bored and lonely and cried out, "Wolf!!!!" Neighboring shepherds abandoned their flocks and ran to the rescue, only to discover they had been tricked. The boy laughed and enjoyed the prank. The next day the boy pulled the prank again, the shepherds again fell for it, and the boy laughed even harder. On the third day, when the shepherds heard the cry, they ignored it and refused to play the fool. Unfortunately, there really was a wolf this time. I don't think any storybook illustrator ever illustrated the final illustration: wool and sheep bones everywhere, a wolf licking his chops with an enlarged belly (and the shepherd boy probably didn't make it either).

I wonder how many people, refusing to be fooled again, will now listen to nothing about the return of Christ and the day of judgment. In the book of Matthew, chapters 24-25, Jesus speaks about his return. His essential message: KEEP WATCH and BE READY! (Matthew 24:42 & 44) Concerning the servant who is wicked and not ready, Jesus says that his master, "will cut him to pieces and assign him a place with the hypocrites, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth." (Matthew 24:51 (NIV)) Ouch, Jesus! But that is the reality of the return of Christ.

Read all of Jesus' words and you will find that the return of Christ is not something to be taken lightly! We cannot discount the day just because we do not know the date!

Some preacher cried wolf. He was either innocently misinformed or pulling a mean prank. We are still here: no earthquakes, no apparent rapture. But just like the fable, the return of Christ is real, and will occur some day. (But Jesus probably won't gobble up the sheep and shepherd boy.) Don't let some preacher cause you to discount the words of Jesus: keep watch and be ready.

Make Your Choice . . . but choose wisely

2011-04-01T21:14:00.002-05:00

I am still thinking about values. If someone said, "Jason, do you value physical health?" I would say, "yes!" But how would I defend myself? Well, I don't smoke; I am not overweight; I don't eat too much junk food nor drink too much pop; I am not experiencing any pain or other symptoms of disease. Isn't that an interesting way of defending my supposed value? The evidence of what I value is found in what I don't do. You know why? Because when I look at what I do, I am not sure I truly value physical health. I think that if I truly valued physical health I would exercise or do something active. Mowing the lawn is the only extended physical activity in which I engage. And that is once per week for 7 months- not exactly an exercise regimen.

You know, I regularly think to myself, "I should go downstairs and exercise." I have a great exercise machine in the basement, and it sits in front of a big television. But I don't. In the moment, instead of choosing exercise, I choose rest, vegging out, or, to be really honest, comfort!

So here is what I am learning about values: I can make a list a mile long of my values. But then comes the hard part: putting that list in order. Every decision is a choice between two (or more) values. One will win. How often does that value beat out the other values? I have to be honest; I value comfort more than I value exercise. Ouch. Saying it out loud and typing it for the whole world to see is not easy. But it is true. So for every value I claim to live by, I have to ask myself if there is something I value more than that.

So what do you really value? Which values are at the top of the list? Stop talking about what you value. Talk about what you value more.

Your life is the result of your choices, which are values-choices; so your life is the result of your values.

No More Dreaded Mondays - a Review

2011-03-17T20:33:00.007-05:00

If you are looking for work, and no one seems to be responding to your resumes, you need to read this book. If you hate your job, but feel stuck because why would anyone leave a secure job these days, you need to read this book. If you are thinking it might be time for a career transition, you need to read this book. If you think you will never make more money until you get your degree, you need to read this book. I fit none of those categories, and I loved it!

What do you love to do? Dan will spur you on to think of creative ways to make money doing what you love. From guys who traded in corporate life for chainsaw art to the guy who made a million dollars selling the "pet rock," this book of full of stories. Did you know that Steven Spielberg's application to film school was denied- 3 times? Of course, after he was successful, one of those schools awarded him an honorary degree. Did you know that 69% of business start-ups required less than $10,000? Of course, if you have nothing, that is a problem- until you read that 26% of startups required NO MONEY!

Dan Miller is a creative thinker, a therapist, life coach and career coach. He is also a successful businessman. He is a decent author, too. In this book, Dan takes a look at the reasons we give for working jobs we hate. He then successfully deconstructs all of those reasons. But I love Dan because he doesn't leave his readers in a pool of despair. He shares story after story of people who made lots of money doing what they love.

If you read this book, two things will happen. First, you will be offended in every area of your life ruled by laziness and complacency. Second, you will be motivated, inspired, and given guidance in the areas of your life where you are open to change and experience success!

I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review. And if you are a personal friend of mine, I will let you borrow it- but you have to give it back because this one is staying on my shelves.

If you enjoyed this review, rank it here!

My Life is the result of my values

2011-03-16T23:11:00.004-05:00

So I have been thinking a lot about values recently. After Easter I am planning on a teaching series at New Vision that will draw heavily from this concept. I find myself constantly asking, "what do I really value?" Or I can ask, "what do I really believe in?" Obviously I don't really believe in physical exercise. I am afraid to make such a claim- for my elliptical machine might sprout legs, hunt me down, and expose my lies!

Organizations talk a lot about core values. We talk about aspired core values (the values we want to be present) and actual core values (the values we truly value- as evidenced by how we spend our time, money, and other resources). It is an important exercise, based in honesty, to determine what I truly value versus what I want to truly value. The same is true personally. Since we as humans are really good at lying to ourselves, we often tell ourselves that we value something, but our actions betray us, and our lifestyles point out what we truly value. In other words, I might think that I value family, but if I work 80 hours every week and play golf twice every weekend, I really don't value family.

So how do I know what my true values are? Well, I start by looking at how I use my time. Then my money. What do I talk about the most? An honest evaluation will reveal my true values.

But how about this. We are often told that our lives are a reflection of our values. I think we need to go deeper. My life is the RESULT of my values. This life I have built for myself I built from my values. The car I drive, the food in my fridge, the color of my fridge, the color of my hair, why I am typing this blog at 11:31 PM, everything is a result of my values.

"Wait a second," you say, "your hair color?" Yes. While I had no control over the DNA sequence that controls my natural hair color, I could choose to change it. I have always wanted to have blond hair. Why don't I change it? Because I value thriftiness over physical appearance and I won't pay to change my hair color. I also value sleeping-in over salon-chair-sitting, so I don't spend my time getting my hair colored. You see, my values influence what I do as well as what I don't do.

What do you think? Your life is more than a reflection of your values. Your life is the result of your values. So take a look at the details of your life- what do you truly, honestly value? Are you surprised?

The Dark Side of Baptism

2011-03-09T14:42:00.002-06:00

Baptisms are one of my favorite ministry privileges. Helping a person demonstrate their inner faith with an outward sign, dunking them under water, looking out at the sea of family and friends gathered to celebrate the day with them- it is just fun. I don't take baptism lightly. I tell everyone who wants to be baptized that, "anyone can put a gold ring on their left hand- but that doesn't make them married. And so it is with baptism. Baptism is a sign of nothing if there is no inner faith preceeding it." Here at New Vision Church, we also create video testimonies of each of our baptizands. It is good for all of our members to hear a story of faith. It is good for their family and friends to hear their story. And it is a good exercise to verbalize your own story of grace.

So where is the dark side to all of this? Well, it came a couple of months ago, when, after watching two baptisms at our Christmas Eve service, our daughter told us that she wanted to be baptized. Erica carefully explained the story of salvation and drew an excellent bridge illustration. Olivia understood it, but it was evident that she was more interested in the act of baptism. And I don't blame her- it looks like fun- the attention, getting dunked in the church hot tub- I would probably want it, too. But therein lies the dark side of the sacraments. They are physical, doable, and intriguing. It is possible to participate without the accompanying faith. And baptism is supposed to be a one-time deal.

So right now we are trying to figure out how to perceive the faith of a five year old. I know that even the smartest among us do not fully understand salvation, but I want her to have true faith. I want her to remember her baptism, and know that it was a meaningful symbol of inner faith. But I don't want to put down her faith and make her wait too long.

Lord, Teach Us To Number Our (Mon)days

2010-12-15T12:16:00.002-06:00

I hate Mondays. Most people do. We despise the Monday morning alarm that propels us into another week of work. I, on the other hand, am at home on Mondays. Sunday is my biggest day of the week, with lots of stress, people, responsibilities, etc. And being the introvert that I am, I am drained and useless by bedtime on Sunday night. On Monday morning I really would like to have some free, quiet, relaxing time. But I don't get it. At 7:00 AM I hear the pitter-patter of little feet descending the stairs. And here goes another day. Get Easton out of bed. Feed 2 kids breakfast. Fit in a bath for the kids. Take a quick shower during Easton's morning nap. Try to wash, dry and fold 6 loads of laundry. Maybe do something fun with the kids so we don't go crazy. Make dinner. Bed time. Pay some bills and balance the checkbook. Then get ready for my work week. Ugh.

So yesterday morning I was brushing my teeth, feeling grumpy, and thinking about how when Olivia goes to school we will have to get up even earlier. Every day. Great. Less sleep is just what I need.

And then it hit me. She goes to kindergarten next August. And while it will be nice in many ways, our carefree, have fun, playing paper dolls, painting, watching cartoons in our pajamas until 10 AM days will be gone . . . forever. We will only have summer breaks and a few hours after school. And the free time in those hours will continue to diminish.

While the selfish part of me really wants Mondays all to myself, when I think about it, Mondays have allowed for some great memories- lots of trips to the park, Deanna Rose farm, the library, etc.

So I looked at my calendar today. I have 35 more Mondays until life with Olivia changes forever and she climbs into a big yellow bus. My New Year's resolution? 35 great, fun-filled memories with no complaints and no regrets.

"Lord, teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom." (Psalm 90:12)

Jesus on the top shelf

2010-12-07T16:20:00.002-06:00

I don't have cable or satellite television, so I have to go on vacation to watch cool shows like Pawnstars or American Pickers. But sometimes when I am at home and the kids are not pleading for some animated flick, I catch an episode of Antiques Roadshow. The episode I saw a few weeks ago must have been a special one, because all of the items shown featured the appraiser saying, "this is the nicest one of these that I have ever seen." I remember one item in particular. The guy lived in Texas and brought in a pair of matching black pottery bowls. The appraiser oohed and aahed over their condition, quality, and the really cool glazing technique used. It seems that they were made by Native Americans living in southwest area of the United States. The owner mentioned that he hoped to one day hand them down to his girls- one bowl for each of them. The appraiser said that their real value came from their being a matched set- something he had never seen. Their value as a set? $45,000! The owner was blown away.

Then came the real kicker. The appraiser asked the man where he kept this treasure. "Oh, sitting on top of the china cabinet. We thought they looked nice there."

I am guessing he no longer keeps the bowls sitting out on top of a cabinet. Having learned their true value, they are no longer mere decorations.

I think we do the same thing with the most valuable, irreplaceable items in our lives. We place our kids on the top shelf while we build our careers. We let our friends sit on shelves, and then give our real attention to our favorite friends on television. Sadly, we also let Jesus decorate our lives. If we only could realize his inestimable value . . .

I used to sing a song about this:
Lord You are more precious than silver
Lord You are more costly than gold
Lord You are more beautiful than diamonds
And nothing I desire compares to you.

Knowing Christ & Pen pals

2010-12-01T15:29:00.003-06:00

Last Sunday I preached from Philippians 3:10, "I want to know Christ . . ." The power of this verse is in what it affirms- we can know the person of Christ and we do not have to settle for knowledge about Christ. Therein lies the basis for a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. This also defeats the idea that Christianity is just a bunch of religious activity. I love this verse. But it is also difficult.

When I preach I try to imagine the objections. You know, the "yeah, but what about . . ." kind of comments. And I try to deal with them. There is a huge objection or roadblock with this verse and the grand idea behind it. We usually think of personal relationships in terms of our face-to-face encounters. Relationships are built through time together in which we talk to each other. So . . . a relationship with God should equal face time and talking, right? Except that Jesus no longer walks on earth, and neither his Father nor the Spirit have visible bodies. Next, few people have heard the audible voice of God pulsing through their eardrums. And lots of people claim to have heard God's "voice," and many of them are crazy. So "hearing" from God is difficult. So how can I have a relationship with an invisible who tends not to speak very often? My fear is that most people give up before trying.

I tried to address this very quickly in my message, but I am not sure I really "nailed it." So let me try it this way. Somewhere I read a story about a young woman who began writing letters to a sailor, maybe through a military pen pal program. He wrote back, and the two of them exchanged lots of letters. The sailor became enamored with this woman who wrote so beautifully, and when his tour was finally over they arranged a meet-up. But how would they recognize each other? She told him that she would meet him at the dock and she would be wearing a red silk scarf. On the long-awaited day, the sailor disembarked and began looking for his friend. He saw a woman with red silk scarf, but she did not look anything like he imagined. She was rather unattractive. Nevertheless he approached the woman and introduced himself. She replied, "I don't know who you are, but the young woman standing over there by the lamp asked me to stand here wearing her scarf, and if a sailor approached I should direct him to her." She gave him the scarf and he walked to the woman near the lamp, who was as beautiful as he had imagined. Yes, it had been a test and he had passed. They spent time together, married, and lived happily ever after.

Now the story has many levels of meaning, but here is how it applies to knowing Christ. Here is merely one example of thousands of long-distance relationships that develop with no face time and without ever hearing the person's voice. But they are relationships indeed. And the depth of the relationship developed by mere letters increases the anticipation and joy of the eventual meet-up.

Can we do this with God? I can take a journal and write a letter to God. Then I can open my Bible and find hundreds of pages of his "letters" to me- ready for me to read and enjoy as he reveals himself and his thoughts, his likes and dislikes. Then I can write back. And back and forth we go, a kind of pen pal relationship with the God of the universe. In fact, for those saints whom we admire because they seem to really know God and enjoy him, I believe this is how it happened for them. Which helps me understand why they are so excited for heaven, the ultimate meet-up.

How To Choose a New Church

2010-11-19T15:26:00.002-06:00

So, you are church shopping? Cash, check, or charge? By the way, in some churches, its "no shirt, no shoes, no service." Okay, seriously now, I am writing this after visiting 6 churches in the last 2 months. No, I was not looking for a new church. I was on sabbatical from New Vision Church and I wanted to see what other churches were doing. So I went to some of the biggest and most popular. Having been on the other side of the pulpit for a few weeks I thought I would offer a few suggestions for you who are looking for a new church. (Plus, I promised I would do this, so here it is . . .)

First, let me ask you a question. Why do you think you need a new church? You moved to a new area and your former church is too far away? You haven't been going to any church, but you want to start? Okay, those are good reasons. Keep reading. Maybe you don't like the music, Bible translation, or carpet color and you think a change would do you good. Maybe you had a run-in with the pastor or someone else. Or maybe you are just not "getting fed." (By the way, even the tastiest morsels require chewing.) If your reason is similar to this second list, there are some things you need to do before you head out and start shopping.

First, check your heart. Are you motivated by selfishness, pride, or hurt pride? Are you running from conflict? (Chances are, you will run into it again at the new church). Have you talked to the pastor, church leaders, and/or the person who hurt you, doing absolutely everything you can to resolve the situation? If you don't you will bring all that baggage with you on your new church hunt and that baggage will taint what you see and you might make a bad decision. For instance, if you don't like the music at the old church, you might jump right into a new church that has the music you prefer. In your desire for your kind of music you might ignore the fact that the pastor preaches things you don't believe and other important elements. one year from now you will be doing it all over again. Also, get some counsel from a few trusted, mature friends. You better know that you know that you know that leaving your current church is the right thing to do.

Okay, so you are looking for churches for all the right reasons. Now what? First of all, what is really important to you? I am not talking preferences. I am talking values. What are the make-or-break issues for you? This is important because you will never find the perfect church. No church will do everything just like you want it done. You will have to settle in some areas. And again, examine your heart. I love music, but music should never be a deciding factor. Now start looking for some churches that value what you value. Ask your friends, coworkers, and neighbors. Spend some time online.

Then start visiting. When I visited 6 churches, I was awestruck with how similar their worship services were. They all sang songs, preached messages, prayed prayers, and gave offerings. Most had coffee. Some had donuts. This means that if you like a church, you will need to dig a little deeper. Drop in on a few advertised events. Ask people there what they like about the church. Then make an appointment with the pastor. Ask him every question you can think of about the things you truly value.

Your church shopping experience should take some time. Too often I see people jump in headfirst only later to find that this church is just not for them. If you have kids, this can be devastating!!!!! Take your time. Pray hard- God really will lead you.

Then, when you know where you are supposed to be, make a commitment, take the vows, and put on the wedding ring- this is a long-term relationship. Invest. Engage. Give. Encourage. Grow. Chew on every bite of food thrown your way and you will be fed.

Don't give up. Don't quit your searching and talk yourself into television-church. Put down the remote, get dressed and go to church. And remember, there is no such thing as a church of one. Still not convinced, pick up your Bible, read Hebrews 10:25, brush your teeth, and go to church. It will be worth it.

My Sabbatical Report

2010-11-14T09:13:00.003-06:00

Below is the report I shared with our church board after returning from Sabbatical. Enjoy!

Sabbatical Report

Jason Matters

November 11, 2010

First of all, I want to say thank you to the Church Board and everyone at New Vision Church for granting me a seven week sabbatical. There have been points in the last few years when I felt worn out and discouraged and was reminded that I have seven weeks of rest and renewal coming up- and at times this hope kept me going. Thank you to the sabbatical committee for working so hard over the last few months to prepare for this. Thank you to everyone who accepted additional responsibilities while I was gone.

Did We Meet Our Goals?

Disengagement from regular ministry responsibilities to allow for rest and renewal – Ministry is difficult because it involves significant emotional and mental energy, and physical energy in terms of the number of hours required to do the job well. I believe I was able to completely disengage by only receiving personal email, by not reading my Facebook “home” page, by not receiving calls from church members, and by not having meetings to prepare for or lead. I truly unplugged and rested my mind and emotions.

Extended time to spend with family – Near the end of my sabbatical Erica mentioned how nice it was to have me around for seven weeks without any distractions or meetings, and to have me around on Sunday mornings to help with the kids. I spent a lot of time with my kids. Our plans for our week in Cincinatti changed repeatedly and Erica and I were only able to spend one night at Inkeeper’s Ministry, but we enjoyed that one night. The final week in San Diego with no kids was absolutely wonderful. I am so glad Erica was able to join me. It was the best week of the entire sabbatical! Parenting continues to be a huge challenge for me. As I reflected about my own strengths and weaknesses, I recognized that I am a strong introvert and I cherish alone time. However, alone time often does not exist when you have a toddler and preschooler at home. I underestimated how difficult it would be to rest at home. Erica and I should have communicated more about how I would spend my days.

The Opportunity to visit other churches – I visited 6 churches. Most of them are growing and effectively reaching their communities. Most of them are large to super-large. I enjoyed worshipping without having to lead anything or be in charge of anything. I enjoyed experiencing new environments and experiencing churches from the perspective of the first time visitor. I felt very affirmed- I believe that we offer a very high quality worship experience for our size. And hey, I got to meet my hero, Rick Warren!

Time to reflect on my first seven years in ministry and to discover how to maximize my strengths and address my weaknesses. - I did a lot of thinking. I kept a journal nearby to record thoughts and insights. I participated in one three hour coaching session with Dr. Sondra Cave, a certified strengths consultant and pastor’s wife, and she helped me to see how my strengths can help overcome some of my weaknesses. I am planning to meet with her again in 6 months for follow-up. I also spent a lot of time meditating on 1^st Timothy. God regularly gave me new insights about ministry and myself.

Time to pray and dream about the future ministry at New Vision – In addition to my role as pastor, I thought and prayed a lot about the future of our ministry at New Vision. I believe we need to make some immediate changes. I also have some ideas that I would like to discuss with our church board concerning a revised outreach and growth strategy.

I believe I met the goals for the sabbatical, and I believe that I will be a better pastor because of my experience. I feel refreshed and energized and ready to lead New Vision into the future.

Books I Read

The Strategically Small Church – This book talks about the value of small churches. The author encourages small churches to not see their size as a liability but as a strength, and to make the most of it. Small churches can be: intimate, authentic, nimble, and effective. I read this book because I believe people in Raymore prefer smaller churches and we need to include this in our future growth strategy.

Simple Church – This book talks about the need for churches to simplify their ministries. Churches are tempted to have to many programs to meet every need and demand. However, the authors interviewed hundreds of churches and found that churches with fewer, but more effective programs, produce stronger disciples of Jesus. If we want, we can take the survey to help determine if New Vision is simple or cluttered.

Organic Church – This book really rocked my mind. I love and I hate it. The author presents what I believe is an extreme position on how church should be done. But I believe his basic critique of modern churches is correct: we spend too much time and energy creating high quality, entertaining worship services, and not enough time disclipling those who really love Jesus. He also advocates taking church out of our buildings to places where non-Christians gather- coffeeshops, parks, etc. I think we can gain from his model of doing small groups.

Leading On Empty – This book is about how leaders, especially pastors, need to guard against burn out, and includes some helpful suggestions for how to prevent burnout, including prioritizing your life and ministry objectives, taking Sabbaths and sabbaticals, etc. The author suggests being aware of what activities drain you and what activities energize you. I spent a lot of time reflecting on this for me.

Living Your Strengths – This book is about ministering through your strengths. I completed the Strengthsfinder inventory and attended 2 workshops earlier this summer, then I read this book before undergoing some individual strengths coaching while on sabbatical. This book helped me to understand the strengths-based approach, and it helped me understand my top 5 strengths. Just in case you care, my top 5 strengths are: Learner, Intellection, Analyzer, Input, & Context. This puts me in the “strategic thinking” category, versus the relating, executing or influencing category.

Getting Things Done – This book presents a time management/personal management program to help a person handle multiple projects, tasks, appointments in both work and personal life. The read the first half of the book, which explained the process and tips for preparing to use the system. The second half will instruct me how to implement the system. I will implement the system now that I am back working full-time.

Action Points

During the last two weeks of the sabbatical, I began to compile a list of items that I would like to address as a result of what I have experienced while on sabbatical.

1. I need to NOT lead a L.I.F.E. Group – It was not wise for me to lead 2 groups. I have come to the conclusion that I should not lead any group. When I lead a group, it implies that leading a LIFE group is a pastor-thing. But it is not that complicated. It also takes away another evening, and I only have a few, that I need to spend meeting with people, visiting new families, etc.

2. I will give more time to preaching and teaching – since this is an area of strength, I need to give it the time it deserves. I will schedule times away for advance planning, and I will work to include the input and ideas of others. I also want to work with Beth and the worship team to craft our entire worship services around the themes of the message series.

3. I will schedule regular one-day personal retreats – This comes from the book, Leading On Empty. When I get busy and stressed, I fall into the rut of just getting through the day and through the week. At that point, my creativity as well as my productivity falls. These one day retreats are opportunities for focused reflection, prayer, renewal, and dreaming.

4. I want to read more books – Books are a good source of ideas, challenges, sermon material. This will help me stay fresh and on the cutting edge of ministry.

5. I will implement the Getting Things Done (GTD) personal management system to help me stay focused, relaxed, but productive.

6. As a church, we need to create a Facebook page – One pastor/workshop presenter said that every church should double what they are doing on Facebook, as it is so effective. We need to encourage our people to interact with each other on Facebook, share prayer requests, sermon ideas, pictures, etc.

7. I will learn more about Twitter and examine its possibilities for ministry, connection, and church marketing.

8. I will learn to slow down my thinking, share my thoughts with others in order to gain their valuable input, and not get too far ahead of others with my ideas. This is from the coaching session. I get ideas, think about them and land on my conclusions. Then I get stubborn in thinking I am right. I struggle with bringing people along with me. I am learning to see others’ input as additional sources of information to analyze, thereby producing a better conclusion!

9. I must lead the way in evangelism. We can wait for people to walk through our doors- we have to proactively build relationships with our unsaved friends and neighbors. I must lead by example.

10. I need to start my day with some alone time. When I start my day by rolling out of a warm bed in order to get 1 or 2 kids up for the morning, I set up my family for a bad day. When I get up early and enjoy some alone time, and then get the kids up, I am in a much better mood and I set a better tone for everyone’s day.

11. I will work with Beth and others to keep our worship services 1 hour and 15 minutes. When I visited other churches, I was ready to be done before an hour and a half. Services usually felt too long because of lengthy sermons (Rick Warren preached for an hour and 15 minutes). I think that if we mange our time well, and if I give more time to preaching better messages, we can dismiss by 11:45 and people will not go home worn out, but maybe will want more and feel motivated to get more through participating in other ministries.

12. I will learn more about Life Transformation Groups (LTV’s) and pray about implementing them at New Vision as supplements to our LIFE Groups. This is from the Organic Church book. I believe this will aid in leadership development, deep discipleship, and involvement of more people in groups.

13. I will pray more, read more, and begin to discuss with the board and other leaders an idea I have for how we can effectively reach our city, but in a different way than we have done before. (If I told you any more right now, I would be getting ahead of myself, breaking action point 8)

14. Our city is filled with hurting, broken and lost people who are headed for hell and we all must continue to sacrifice and serve in order to reach them!

Thank you again for the opportunity to enjoy the past seven weeks. I pray that it has been beneficial for New Vision Church, all of our members, and for me and my family.

Let’s continue to talk about our experiences!

My Tribute to Rick Warren

2010-11-07T00:58:00.002-05:00

Fifteen years ago this fall I took my first ministry class as a college sophomore. I walked into "Evangelism & Church Growth" and the professor told us that he had recently attended a seminar at a growing church in California and wanted to share it with us. For eight weeks, every Tuesday and Thursday we listened to cassette tapes of the Purpose-Driven Church seminar taught by Rick Warren, filled in the blanks of the photocopied workbook, and read the hardback as the primary text of the class.

Rick, fifteen years ago you came into my life and radically changed the way I approach evangelism and church ministry.

I was hooked before the end of the first tape. I thought, "This makes sense and it is doable." Rick, when you said, "don't copy me," I listened even closer. When you presented the five purposes, I said, "that is very simple." Then when you talked about the need to keep all five purposes in balance and the dangers of imbalance, I said, "yeah, that's right." Then you convinced me that Sunday mornings are the best times to reach the unsaved. The five circles of commitment and the goal of consistent movement to deeper levels of commitment. It all made so much sense, was simple, and seemed easily transferable. You gave me an effective strategy to fulfill my heart's desire, namely to lead others to Christ and help them grow into lifelong disciples.

I talked about you so much that my friends got tired of hearing your name and told me to shut up. (Sorry about that) Then they wrapped aluminum foil around the dust jacket of my PDC book in order to give it the honor it deserved. (They may even have bowed down to it.) I just couldn't understand why they weren't as convinced!

While I was in seminary, I attended and served in a church with a pastor who lead with the purpose-driven principles. After graduation I was called to serve as pastor there and have developed our ministries through the purpose-driven strategy.

Rick, your passion for lost and broken people inspires me to keep reaching out. Your commitment to a clear and simple strategy pushes me to reduce complexity. Your use of acronyms and alliteration makes me laugh. Your humility and down-to-earthness impresses me. You are the real deal and I have talked to several people who affirm that.

Tomorrow morning I will attend the 11:15 service at Saddleback. I have looked forward to visiting for years, but it is a bit of a drive from Kansas City. This week I attended the National Outreach Convention in San Diego, so the visit is now feasible. I am so excited to have the chance to experience Saddleback. I will have by PDC book with me just in case I bump into you and maybe you can sign it for me? (Just think of what those old roommates will say then).

Rick, thank you for your ministry, not only to Saddleback Sam, but to a college kid in Kansas City, and to the world. Thank you for allowing God to use you to help grow his kingdom!

Another church that just wasn't for me

2010-11-03T00:04:00.004-05:00

Have you ever seen Norman Rockwell's painting, The Connoisseur? You can see it here. The scene shows a well-dressed man, possibly a businessman, staring at a large abstract painting. I imagine him saying to himself, "I don't get it." If I am standing in his shoes, that is what I am thinking. It is the same with poetry. I don't get it-unless it rhymes. I prefer clear, precise sentences. I tried writing songs- I can't do it. I am too concrete (which, in the world of art, translates to boring. My conclusion: I am not an artist- I am more of an engineer. I am not a poet- I'm so bad with words I can't even think of one right to to contrast poet.

Last Sunday Erica and I visited another thriving church near Westport. (If you are not familiar with Kansas City, Westport features night clubs, artists, and young people who prefer urban bungalows and lofts over suburban split-levels.) This church is not a Nazarene church, but there are tons of Nazarenes who attend. I have heard so much about it I just had to check it out. It is regarded by many as a model emergent/postmodern church. My conclusion? I didn't like it. I know that worship is not about me, and I wrote about that in my last post, but I just couldn't do it this time. I just couldn't connect with God in worship. I loved the architecture of the old building. The candles were cool. The worship band was good. But I didn't know any of the songs and the melodies were impossible to pick up. Erica mentioned that it had the feel of a coffeehouse alt-rock band. It was also a special Sunday for the church- one of their bi-yearly "all-worship" Sunday featuring lots of music and a devotional lead by the worship pastor, so I didn't have the opportunity to experience their preaching.

But still, I just didn't get it. And I think it is because it is a church by and for artists and poets-those who appreciate artistic expression in all forms. And the church is doing a spectacular job reaching this community which is largely ignored by many churches. I applaud their ministry. It is just not me.

Unfortunately, I haven't heard many leaders in the emergent/postmodern discussion address this. Could it be that the artists and poets are comfortable with and even prefer the abstract, the conceptual, diversity of opinion, and paradox. But there is still a large portion of the supposedly postmodern generation who prefer the concrete and practical? I think so.

And if that is so, ministry to Generations X and Y is a lot like ministry to Baby Boomers: It takes different kinds of churches to reach different kinds of people.

I didn't Like This Church

2010-10-19T13:42:00.004-05:00

Last Sunday we visited a thriving church in Westport. While it wasn't one of the churches I planned to visit during Sabbatical, I have been there for a few pastors meetings, have talked to several people who worship there and love it, and was invited by a friend who has been attending recently. The lead pastor is an amazing guy in his mid thirties- deep, strategic, and very down to earth. This church is reaching twenty and thirty-somethings by the droves. And they don't hold back- the sermon focused on a passage of Scripture where Paul tells wives to submit to their husbands. The preacher was sensitive to the tension produced by the subject, and he acknowledged the historical and cultural abuses of the text, but preached the text faithfully, practically, and with passion.

While driving home, Erica asked me what I thought. My only response: "I didn't like it." Why? The style of worship just wasn't my thing. Now I am not talking about music, but music is an element of worship. I struggle to genuinely connect with God through a service of worship that might be labeled "formal," "traditional," "Word and Table," "liturgical," "worship renewal," etc. (I am well aware of the multiple meanings and applications of each of these terms, so just imagine a composite of them.) The music featured mostly old and new hymns with only a piano and cello accompaniment. (I am told that the music changes each week, though). Communion followed the preaching. The mood was quiet with low energy. I guess when it comes to worship, I prefer energy and emotion and simplicity. When I have to think hard about the words and phrases I am using to speak to God, I get lost in the words and lose focus on the object of those words, God himself.

But even as I shared my thoughts with Erica, and even now as I write this 3 days later, I feel checked in my spirit. I am talking about worship (a God-centered thing), yet most of my thoughts are me-centered. Isn't that kind of backwards? Yes, it is. It also reveals some selfishness. Worship: it is not about me!

So which is better? Worship that suites me or worship that doesn't? I guess the real question is, what kind of worship does God prefer? Jesus talked about God's desire for worshipers to worship in Spirit and in truth. (John 4) How about an analogy. Worship is often described as an offering given to God- a gift. So when Christmas rolls around, what kind of gifts do I prefer to receive? I like to receive the gifts that are on my list. I feel special when Erica gives me special coffee beans, even though she detests the taste and even smell of coffee (there is just something special about a gift given out of love when the content of the gift is disliked by the giver.) I also really like it when Erica shops for a shirt that she likes but that she knows that I like, too. I think worship is similar. After all, God is a person therefore we are connected to him through a personal relationship, where both parties needs and preferences are important. Granted, he is the master and I am the servant.

Okay, so back to my church visit. Yes, I genuinely worshiped God. Could I do it that way every week? Yes. Should I? I am not so sure. In the end, I still think that God provides different kinds of churches for different kinds of people-all imperfect - and none of them customized around my preferences - but all churches that should help me grow out of my selfishness.

And no, I am not going to tell you what the name of the church was because they are doing such great things for God that I wouldn't want my opinion and experience to sway you.

Note: I think after my final church visit on November 7 I will write a blog entry on how to choose a church- based on my experiences at all of these churches.

Confrontation (1 Timothy 1:5)

2010-10-12T05:42:00.004-05:00

I am four weeks into my sabbatical and I just made it past the first chapter of 1 Timothy. There is just so much there. This time I can't get past verse 5. I have worked on it a lot, so here are my thoughts. (I am hoping that blogging my thoughts will help me move on.) Paul left Timothy in Ephesus while he moved on to another region. Evidently, there were some Christians in Ephesus teaching false doctrines, clinging to old myths, and other law-related issues contrary to the gospel. Timothy's job was to teach the truth and to command those men out of their error. Now if you read my previous post, this isn't the same word used in verse 1 when Paul described his calling/command to ministry. But it is still strong. Paul isn't telling Timothy to mildly suggest to these men that they reflect on the possibility of a conversation regarding their potentially erroneous teachings. No. Basically he tells Timothy to order the men to cease and desist. It is a very strong word.

"Thanks, Paul. I'll get right on that. Easy for you to say, Paul. You aren't here to take the beating. They might listen to you, the former Pharisee and law-expert yourself, famed preacher, missionary and elder in the church. I'm just a young buck."

I hate confrontation. It makes me want to vomit just thinking about it. I tend to be a people-pleaser. I want everyone to be happy and I really don't want to make waves. What if they get mad at me and reject me? But sometimes you have to confront. A mentor once told me that if I am not willing to confront when confrontation is needed, I am putting my own desires ahead of what is best for the church. Ouch. So I confront. And then throw up.

What I think is most important for Timothy is Paul's insight into the need for this confrontation. Timothy is working with several wannabe teachers who have lots of words and knowledge, but they are wrong AND are not loving. Their arrogant heresy produces anti-love. So, in verse 5 Paul says, "The goal of this command (the confrontation) is love . . ." He is describing the desired outcome. If these guys take Timothy's command to heart, they will become more loving. Notice that the desired outcome is not just the teaching of truth for the sake of truth. While truth is essential, Paul really wants love. Evidently their teachings were producing controversy within the community of Christ-followers.

So here is my thought: when I confront someone, is my desire for them to be more loving? It is a focus on their future goodness, not their present error. It is a focus on their best interests, not mine. And if they are going to change and become more loving (the result), then the process of the confrontation must also be infused with love. In other words, in the act of confronting and commanding, I must confront and command in love. And if I do that and they reject me, I guess it really is their issue. In the end, it is not about me or for me. Love isn't.

My experience at two very different churches

2010-10-10T22:08:00.004-05:00

This weekend I worshiped at 2 different churches. On Saturday night, Erica and I attended Church of the Resurrection, a United Methodist mega-church in neighboring Leawood, Kansas. The music was excellent, the atmosphere was Spirit-filled and relaxed and a bit subdued. Adam Hamilton preached a clear evangelistic message in which he shared his reasons for why he believes in God- it was intellectual (lots of Stephen Hawking references) but also emotional and personal.

On Sunday morning I attended LifeQuest Church, a thriving multi-service, multi-site church in neighboring Belton, Missouri lead by a friend of mine, Chris Pinion. They worship in a remodeled Harley Davidson dealership (what a perfect fit for a church in Belton). The music was energetic and loud and the crowd was not subdued. Pastor Chris preached the first message in a series aimed at speaking specifically to men. The service included arm wrestling, straight talk, and a clear call to follow Christ.

On the surface, these 2 churches are very different. COR ministers to five to ten thousand a weekend (there were probably 800 people at the Saturday night service with us). LQ ministers to maybe 500 per weekend (there were 120 chairs in the worship space). COR's sanctuary is big, bright, kind of quiet, with no food or drink allowed (I had to finish my $1-suggested-donation-coffee in the lobby). LQ is smaller, dark, loud, and coffee-friendly (& free). The sermons were very different in content and delivery, but both perfectly fit the crowd and the message. Both preachers were heard by their audiences. And both were explicitly evangelistic. These pastors are both doing a great job of reaching the people they are intending to reach.

Which did I like better? I can't really say. Personally, I would take my friends at New Vision any day. They are just the best. But I guess I am a little biased.

"But Jason, what if . . ." Okay, okay. I liked the rockin' music at LifeQuest. I liked the intimate feel- and the passion, friendship, and excitement. But the production and flow was better at the Resurrection. I struggled often to sing at both churches. I would have preferred more Bible content teaching at both. So I can't really say which I would prefer . . . I liked them both.

Listen to me- these are the things I liked and didn't like. In the end, who cares about what I like. I don't God does. But these 2 pastors and their churches are reaching people and working hard to lead their people to be 24-7 Christ-followers. Adam and Chris- you guys rock! Thanks for what you do for the kingdom. Sometimes it feels like you are the competition, but I am glad the three of us know we are all on the same team.

Commanded to Minister (1 Timothy 1:1)

2010-09-30T15:02:00.002-05:00

During my sabbatical I am looking at Paul's writings to his student and friend, Timothy. Paul acts as a long-distance mentor to his young protege, giving him guidance on the practice of ministry and the health of the minister. I thought it might be a good starting point for reflection during this time away.

I spent most of last week examining the first verse of 1 Timothy. In the NIV, Paul introduces himself as an apostle. Then he shares the source of his apostleship: the command of God. That word "command" stuck in my mind. So I dug a little deeper. I expected to find the common word for command in my Greek New Testament: entole. Nope. He used epitage. Now don't stop reading just because you are not a Greek geek like me. Here is the significance. Paul didn't really need another word. An apostle literally means, "a person who is sent" and you can't be sent unless someone sends you and apostles believed they were sent by God. But Paul tosses in this additional word. And there are two shades of meaning that are important.

First, epitage is a very strong authoritarian word. I hear forced words and see furrowed eyebrows on the face of the command-er. God didn't just suggest an apostolistic ministry as one good career option among others for Paul. God commanded Paul to minister. His options are: minister or disobey. In our culture we bristle at such words. We resist commands and welcome suggestions. And when it comes to God we understandably would rather freely love God than obey him out of obligation and fear. But could it be that Paul wanted Timothy to remember that a call to ministry is not a career suggestion but a command? Then whenever it seemed easier to just give up and quit and sell insurance, he might need to remember that he/we are commanded to minister and to quit is to disobey?

I know that first meaning has a negative slant. But the second half is better. Epitage is a God thing. It is very direct. Paul has been commanded by God himself to minister. It is as if he was called to the general's tent and given special orders directly from the mouth of the general himself. I can hear the words now, "Son, I have chosen you for a mission-critical assignment. . ." Orders directly from the top.

I remember that day myself. Sitting on the wide railing of a porch, rain dripping off the roof above me, in the middle of Big Sandy Camp, when God said, "Jason, I want you to be a pastor. Jason, I want you to be a pastor." Commanded. Orders from the top. epitage.

Addicted to Email

2010-09-28T22:41:00.003-05:00

I am one week into my 7 week sabbatical. Last Monday was day one. A crazy day, but a normal Monday for me: Erica works, so I watch the kids all day, do laundry, meals, baths, etc. It didn't feel much like a break from anything. But there were a few sabbatical-like plans already kicking in. In my desire to really step away from ministry for 7 weeks and really rest and re-charge, I knew that I needed to avoid my email. I get several church/work email messages every day- and not just from church members, but from other businesses and organizations. And I knew that seeing the subject line of an email would push my mind to engage, so I asked a trusted friend to check my email for me and then forward only personal emails to me to another account that I rarely use. On Sunday night I changed the settings in Outlook to check only the other account. Goodbye jmatters@juno.com See you in 7 weeks.

So it was Monday morning, right after transferring a load from the washer to the dryer, and I sat down to check my email. Nothing. Right after lunch: nothing. Okay, now the kids are down for their naps: No new mail. After bedtime? Nothing all day. I felt bored . . . unneeded . . . unimportant . . . uninformed . . . lightheaded. I craved an electronic message that might boost my sense of self-importance. Yes, I am addicted. (As it turns out, at least I am not alone. Check out this article in Psychology Today. Wow- I bet I spend a ton of time every day just checking email- even though most of it is junk, spam, or ads for products I won't purchase. And now I discover that I am also investing emotional energy in email. Seems kind of like a waste. I need to get a hold on that and make a change when I get back to regular duty in 6 weeks.

So now it is one week later. We went out of town for the weekend, and because I don't have Internet Explorer installed on my new laptop, I was unable to get online from the hotel. And I didn't even care. Tonight I got online for the first time in days . . . and it feels pretty good.

Sunday Night Reflections

2010-06-27T20:55:00.002-05:00

So, we finally made the big announcement: I am going on a 7 week sabbatical this fall! No, it is not a vacation, but I am looking forward to the rest and renewal. If you weren't at church today, I will email everyone the Sabbatical FAQs as well as the proposed schedule. Feel free to ask any questions you might have. Our Sabbatical Committee has worked very hard over the last few months to get everything planned so that we can all have plenty of time to be ready.

Okay, here are a few thoughts on today's message. Are you ready to seriously consider that God lead you to your current place of employment? If that is true, then what are the implications of your attitude at work, your work ethic, and how you treat coworkers and supervisors? Hmmmm- that truth might change a few things, right? So let's think about God a whole lot more this week.

Now I want you to think deeply about something. Take a long look at Ruth 2:20-21. When Naomi says, "He has not stopped showing his kindness . . ." who is she talking about? God or Boaz? What do you think, and why? Share your thoughts in the comment box below.

Have a great week- think about God!

Monday Reflections (a few thoughts on Sunday)

2010-06-21T21:07:00.007-05:00

Yesterday's topic was faithfulness. Several of you asked about the movie clip I used to intro the message. It was the opening scene in Hope Floats (from about 1998). Yes, that is the movie with Harry Connick Jr.

Before you run out and rent it or download from Netflix, please hear me out. What you will find throughout the movie is unfaithfulness and a whole series of bad decisions that will inevitably lead to further pain. Movies do a great job of illustrating the pain and hurt resulting from the decisions of others, as well as from our our choices. Rarely, however, does a movie provide the solution- for the solutions is always and ultimately found in Jesus Christ. In the movie, (warning- spoiler ahead) Berttie (Sandra Bullock's character) living with her mom in her old hometown, crosses paths with a former boyfriend, Justin (Harry Connick Jr.'s). Within a few scenes they spend the night together- while she is still married to her cheating husband. Not exactly God's plan. Not exactly the way to start a relationship that will be based on trust, respect, and faithfulness.

If you want to see real faithfulness- a true tear-jerker, you need to watch this video. This is the real thing. This is true faithfulness- the kind you have been looking for your entire life. And if you have 2 hours to watch Hope Floats- surely you can find 5 minutes to watch this.

The Robertson McQuilkin story of true faithfulness: http://www.tangle.com/view_video?viewkey=228dd8d3ebb664623220

"Black" "Red" and "White" by Ted Dekker- my review

2010-02-22T12:59:00.003-06:00

If you enjoy quality Christian fiction featuring action, suspense, and maybe even a bit of fantasy (well, okay more than a bit), this is the book and series for you. I just finished reading all three books within "The Circle Trilogy" series by Ted Dekker. What can I say? Action. Adventure. Suspense. Some politics. Lots of theology. And then, true to Ted Dekker, a Christ-character who will impress and offend you.

I will admit that I am not a fan of fantasy books. I enjoyed the Lord of the Rings series, but then I was ready for something else. I guess I need a little more of this world to keep my mind from wandering too much. Dekker's series features a lot of our present-day, earthly world. But he also portrays another world.

The main character is a struggling twentysomething named Thomas Hunter. While running from men with guns who want him to settle his debts, he hits his head and begins to "dream" and then doesn't stop. His "dreams" take him back and forth between this world and another, where metaphor is reality.

Ted's purpose seems to be to always tell God's story in a new and fresh way while staying true to the story of Scripture of creation, the fall, redemption in Christ, and the mission of the church. I have to admit, the character of Justin totally threw me for a loop! Ted has a way of making me think. At times I wonder about the source of his incredible and sometimes twisted imagination, but his story is true to the heart of God!

Not much into reading? Well turn off your television, get a copy of "Black" (the first book) and give yourself about an hour or so to really get into the book. Trust me, this is way better than any episode of CSI. Horatio Cain's got nothing on Thomas Hunter. And no cheesy one-liners either!

R.I.P dear church

2009-10-24T06:41:00.003-05:00

On Thursday morning I walked through an estate sale at the Ruskin Heights Presbyterian church. When I first saw the ad, I thought to myself, "So did the church die?" And as I walked through the building and perused the tables of merchandise, I concluded- yes & no.

From what I found online, the church held its last worship service on August 30, 2009, after voting the close the church. The reasons given: decline in attendance and giving, cost of operations- but the saddest one: "lack of a vision for the church over the next 5-10 years." (You can read the report here: Comssion Report) Did the church die? The head of the church, Jesus Christ, is alive and well. His church (his body) is alive and in some places, well. But this local church died. Proverbs 29:18 says, "Where there is no vision, the people perish." I am sure that August 30 was a sad day for the remaining members of this church. The reality, though, is that this was the result of a long and slow decline. I overheard two ladies, one of whom still lived in the neighborhood, but really wanted to move away, say, "I wish the neighborhood would change back to what it was." The reality is that the Ruskin Heights neighborhood has changed drastically. Crime has increased and the socio-economic culture has changed. Unfortunately, the church probably never changed with it. I wonder- did the remaining members view their church as a mission outpost from which they would reach their neighborhood, or as a protective sanctuary in which members could find safe haven from the big bad world and the unsafe neighborhood? When churches move into self-protection- watch out. The end is near. You might as well call the estate sale company. I felt sad as I walked the halls looking for good deals on used church furnishings.

In all fairness, I don't really know the situation- but what I described above is what happens in many churches. Hopefully another ministry, which fits the culture of the neighborhood, will buy the building and begin ministering in and to the neighborhood.

Here are a few other random thoughts: churches have a lot of junk!!!! There must have been 27 bookcases in that place. Anybody need a luncheon set? They are selling everythign that is left for 50% off today- and there were about 19 luncheon sets still in the boxes they came in when they were purchased in 1963. I was able to purchase 10 folding tables for New Vision Church- and I picked them up at a great price!

I am seeing stars

2009-09-23T22:53:00.003-05:00

Tonight at LIFE group we were looking at Isaiah 40:18-31. If you aren't in a LIFE group or haven't looked at this passage recently, Isaiah is preaching to the Israelites and is encouraging them to compare God to idols, kings, and anything else we tend to trust. In verse 26 Isaiah says, "Lift your eyes and look to the heavens: Who created all these? He who brings out the starry host one by one, and calls them each by name. . ." As I read that I imagined God, sitting on his throne, calling out the stars from their daytime slumber, and commanding them to take their place in the night sky. I can just hear God saying, "Orion- let's go! Grab your sword, wash your armpit and get out there!" "Twin dippers- to your places!"

But then this crazy thought hit me- that took my breath away for a moment. As Isaiah was preparing this message, he may have been sitting on a hill in the middle of the night visualizing these events. And he no doubt looked at the big dipper, Pleiades, and even Betelgeuse (the armpit), and imagined God calling them to their posts. Isaiah looked at the very same stars that I see 2,800 years later! I can barely imagine Mr. Isaiah, the temple and the idols fashioned by silversmiths. But I can walk outside right now, look up and see the very same stars that inspired Isaiah to write his words of rebuke and encouragement.

Wow- our creator God is awesome and awe-inspiring!

God Helps Those Who Help Themselves- Additional Thoughts

2009-09-02T21:56:00.002-05:00

A few years ago I attended a seminar taught by a well-respected pastor and church leader. During a lecture on preaching, he stated that every sermon should answer 2 questions: So What? and Now What?

So this week I was thinking about last Sunday's message, and I realized that a person might well walk away asking himself, "now what?" Such a question might include the following inner dialogue: "That was a great message preached by a truly astounding a extremely good-looking preacher. And the idea that God has blessings waiting for me if I will only allow him respond to his grace and leading- well that sounds great and I want in on the blessings. But how? And how do I involve God in the process on a regular basis?" I mean, if a guy spends his workdays hanging sheetrock, how does he allow God in on the process in order to experience the blessings that come from living God's way?

Maybe I am just inexperienced and extremely shallow or naive, but I think it comes down to 2 practices: prayer and the Word. Before I embark on a project, I ought to talk with God and verbally invite him to join me and help me. Before I make a decision I must stop and ask God for guidance- and then give him enough time to say the answer enough times for me to finally listen. The funny thing about prayer is that we have no idea how it works, but we know that it works. When we pray, good things happen, we tend to make better decisions, and life works better. When we don't pray, the opposite happens. Then, when we try to explain why, we become confused and frustrated- and sometimes quit praying. (I find it interesting, though that we keep driving our cars even though most of us have no idea how they work). So the first part is pray- pray early and pray often. Trust me, it will work. You will soon see God taking a more visible role in your life- and you will see the blessings.

Second, I must stay in the Word. I cannot faithfully follow Christ and obey his commands if I don't know where he is going or what he wants me to do. Listen to the Word at church, read it daily, study it with a LIFE group- just get into God's Word, the Bible.

So there is the simple but not easy answer for what now: prayer and the Word.

I Should Have Parked Closer To the Exit

2009-08-20T23:19:00.004-05:00

Yesterday afternoon I stopped at Lowe's to pick up some batteries and a replacement ballast. At the Raymore Lowe's one enters the parking lot from the side of the store, driving past the nursery and live goods first and then towards the main entrance doors. There are two sets of doors at this particular store. The first set are the entrance doors and then farther down there is a set of exit doors. And it always seems like the two sets of doors are miles apart. As I scanned the lot to find a parking space I noticed that there were several great and close spaces available near the exit doors. But parking in them meant walking the distance back to the entrance doors. The parking spaces in front of the entrance doors were closer to the doors but were farther into the lot.

I was in a hurry, so I picked the space closest to the entrance door. I mean, I really needed to get in there quickly. Really, I did. I was in a hurry after all.

A few minutes later, while standing in the checkout line, I heard the rain begin to ping on the metal roof overhead. The pinging turned into a roar as the rain fell harder and harder. I had no umbrella, no rain coat, and no time to wait for the rain shower to pass. I paid for my batteries and ballast, walked out the exit doors, and realized that my car was parked in front of the entrance doors- a mile or so away!

Then the thought hit me: I should have parked closer to the exit. I didn't. I chose the option that was the quickest and easiest at the time. I got really wet.

In his bestselling book, Stephen Covey shares that one of the seven habits of highly successful people is that they plan and act with the end in mind. They might say to themselves, "The clouds are pretty dark. Even though it is not raining now, it might start before I complete my shopping. Maybe I should park closer to the exit doors and take the long walk now instead of later."

So I wonder- when will I learn? Will Olivia graduate from high school, drive off to college and leave me thinking, "I should have parked closer to the exit." Will I arrive at the end of my life, facing some incurable disease and think, "I should have parked closer to the exit."

I have some learning to do.

God Must Be Punishing Me - additonal thoughts

2009-08-10T10:03:00.002-05:00

As we sang the final song yesterday morning in church, I looked and noticed a few sad faces. As I reflected, I realized that they are the ones dealing with very difficult circumstances- whether it is broken relationships, financial hardships, etc. Then when I thought about my message that day, I realized that there wasn’t much “good news.” You know, I really try to balance every message with good news and bad news. The Bible is full of both challenge and comfort, conviction and compassion. I wonder if I didn’t explain things very well.

If you are going through a difficult time, it does not mean that God sent that difficulty to you. There is a difference between God sending and God allowing difficult times. If you lose your job, it is not necessarily because God prompted your boss to fire you. However, God may have allowed your boss to exercise his freedom to fire you. Just because God didn’t stop him doesn’t mean that God told him to do it. And this is the essential issue when people say, “God must be punishing me.” They assume that God sent this bad thing into your life. But remember, just because something bad has happened to you does not mean that God sent it. This includes the “discipline” that I talked about. God may not have sent this bad thing to discipline you or teach you a lesson. However, since you are experiencing it, he will use it to help you grow into greater maturity.

That leads me to the second thing to add to my message. Sometimes the consequences we deal with- natural, relational, and even legal, are the results of other’s actions. If someone else throws a rock at you, you are the victim of natural consequences of the laws of inertia and momentum.

Finally- when someone says, “God must be punishing me,” they often look for what they did wrong to deserve it. If God did not send the punishment or discipline, then you may not have done anything wrong. But don’t let yourself off the hood too easily. In every relationship, in every decision, there are things we could have done better- so there is always something to learn and somewhere to improve.

In the end, I would encourage anyone facing a difficult situation to put more energy into figuring out the “what” question, and less energy into figuring out the “why.” Ask yourself, “What should I do now? What can I learn from this? What can I do differently next time?” Don’t spin your wheels for very long by asking, “why did this happen.” Just wait until you get to heaven, and then you will have lots of time for him to explain why.

It's Personal- or should be

2009-06-30T09:17:00.002-05:00

I love trees! Thankfully our new house has three trees. The previous owners took care of them as they grew, so they even look good. (As opposed to my previous house where generations of previous owners failed to help their trees and therefore allowed them to grow into ugly, unhealthy mangled messes- so I cut them down).

So I was excited yesterday to see the sign in front of Ace Hardware advertising 75% off all live goods. I found two nice pin oaks without price tags. I offered $30 for one of them and the manager sold it to me for $20!!!!! I am going back today to buy the other. Sometime this week I will plant them in the yard, support them with stakes, and wait, wait, wait!

But I have some hesitation. You see, I have watched trees die. A few years ago, the local garden club purchased about 100 trees and donated them to the city. Their goal was to plant them along the main highway that runs through Raymore. I assume they envisioned a future that highlighted trunks and leaves rather than roofs and galvanized light poles. I watched the city employees plant the trees in groups of three along the well-traveled two-mile stretch of road. They placed supports around the trees spread mulch along their bases to maintain moisture. I even saw them water the trees a few times during the hot summer months. That was two years ago. A few days ago I looked for the trees and noticed only a few still growing. These poor trees experienced a 90% mortality rate. I imagine that the garden club is horrified.

No, I am not trying to blame anyone. I have no intention of criticizing city workers. They do a great job. They planted the trees they were told to plant. But how is it that the garden club trees are mostly dead? They died because no one took a personal interest in these trees. I imagine that garden club members spend hours every week maintaing their home landscaping, flowers, and lawns. They get personal with their plants, and therefore they maintain them with nurture and care. But in the case of the trees, they gave money and someone else got their hands dirty. The city employees did a job- plant and water some trees. Those trees were no different than any other tree growing on city-owned property. No one took a personal interest in those trees- so only the strongest survived.

My trees will be different. I paid for them. I will plant them myself. They will beautify or uglify my yard. I choose the beautify option, so I will take care of them. I will get personal!

Moving & Memories

2009-04-06T15:51:00.004-05:00

The last two weeks have been a whirlwind- mostly caused by the sale of our house. Yes, after 15 months on the market, our house finally sold. But despite the excitement surrounding a move to a new house, it was a lot of work crammed into a few short days.

In my idealistic mind, I imagined Erica and I packing the moving truck, locking up the house one last time, concluded by an emotional embrace and kiss as we drove away from the old house. Instead, we packed boxes for weeks, cleaned and painted some rooms in the new house, moved the furniture out of the old house in a freezing rain/snowstorm, and ended up needing 2 trips with the moving truck. There was no emotion- only choas.

Later that night I stopped by the old house one last time to walk through it, vacuum a little from the carpet, and leave my keys. Then the emotions arrived. I realized that I spent almost eight years of my life living there. We brought our first child home to that house. I was instantly flooded with a wave of memories all created within those walls. Laughter. Tears. Family. Arguments. Friends. Birthday parties. It had been a good home, a great place to live life. But now my voice echoed as the words bounced off bare walls and empty rooms. The place was cold, dry and lifeless. It was no longer a home, but just a house. And I realized: I would most likely never step foot in this place again. I would walk out the door and probably never return. I mourned that reality and wondered how I would recreate those memories in my mind while living in a different house? It was always so easy to remember Olivia climbing, bouncing, and laughing on her Bounce-and-Spin-Zebra when I could sit in front of the exact spot where it happened. So would I lose the impact of those memories? And then I think God spoke to me. I realized that my memories are special not because they are connected to a location, but because they involve people. And those people will go with me to wherever home might be. Erica, Olivia, other family members, and all of our friends are the best ingredients of our favorite memories. Houses come and go; people do not.

So I left my key on the counter, hit the garage door opener one last time, got in my car, and drove across town . . . to home.

No Excuses, No Explanations

2009-03-20T09:48:00.002-05:00

It has been a while since I have shared a few thoughts- sorry about that. And in honor of today's topic, I will just keep going without anything more about that.

I can't promise that this will be the last Tony Dungy post, but it might be. There is at least one more life lesson I picked up from coach Dungy in his book, Quiet Strength. He shares that he taught his players this lesson- which eventually became a mantra for his teams: "Whatever it takes. NO excuses. NO explanations." I believe he even created a poster and hung it above the entrance to the Colts' locker room at the RCA dome. In his book, Tony describes how we often deal with failure by offering excuses or explanations.

I have done it. You have done it. "Well, I just so tired. It was a long week. I just can't get it right." Funny how our excuses often start with, "Well . . ." or "I just . . ." It is almost like we are grasping for something rational to make ourselves and others feel better about our failure.

Now the explanation option is more difficult. Explanations are thought out, reasonable responses to failure. And when they make sense, we often feel justified. But what if we stopped offering explanations and just owned up to our failures? We might spend a lot more time looking toward the future.

I think people might like us more, too.

So here we go: Whatever it takes! No excuses! No explanations!

"Quiet Strength" - Will it make the situation better?

2009-02-06T09:59:00.007-06:00

As you now know, I learned a lot from coach Dungy in his book, Quiet Strength. I hope to acquire a copy of his next book, Uncommon very soon.

Another theme from the book that struck me personally was a lesson Tony learned from his dad and tries to follow in his own life. Whenever life was unfair or difficult, and Tony or one of his siblings was tempted to strike back in anger or frustration, his dad would reply, "Will it make the situation better?" As you can imagine, life in the NFL brings many opportunities to express frustration and anger.

Tony writes, "I don't often lose my cool with officials. Whenever I start, I usually hear my dad's voice asking me, "Will it make the situation better?" I've learned that while it may feel good to vent, it's better to listen to my dad's wisdom and rely on quiet strength instead."

I see two key ingredients in this difficult life lesson. First, it deals with the deception of feelings and emotions. Second, it encourages us to think less of ourselves and more of others. Let me expound on these for a minute.

The subject of emotions and feelings is a difficult one for me. I don't show much emotion. Unlike Chandler Bing, I am not dead inside; I feel emotion, but I don't often show them. I don't know if this is good or bad, but I think there must be a balance between epxressing some, but not all, of what I am feeling. Emotions are tricky little buggers because we can and we can't control them. Imagine this scenario: the phone rings and upon answering it, I receive some really bad news. Instantly I feel a random combination of sadness, disappointment, fear, and even anger. Those feelings rush through me and I can't not feel them. (And I believe that anyone who tells me that I can control how I feel is lying to me.) However, I can control what happens next. I might want to punch a wall as an expression of anger or cry as an exprssion of sadness. And at that point, I do have a choice. I can control how I respond to the emotions I am experiencing. I don't have to punch the wall!!! (And I believe that anyone who tells me that I can't control my reponses is really just deceiving themselves and excusing their own bad behavior.)

The tricky business of emotions is that the feeling of negative emotions is almost always followed by the temptation to respond in a bad way. Then I naturally assume that that since I can't control my feelings, I also can't control my reponse to these feeelings. However, as coach Dungy shares here- YES, I CAN CONTROL MY RESPONSE TO THE EMOTIONS I AM EXPERIENCING! (I wrote that in all caps for myself- not to preach to you)

The insight I gained from this lesson is that our normal response to difficult situations is to please ourselves. When I feel sad, I want to cry so that I feel better. When I am happy, it just feels good to smile. These examples are not bad, but let's be honest: these are self-pleasing actions. When I feel angry with someone- I am tempted to scream and yell back at them- but I am really doing it to make myself feel better. Coach Dungy's father encouraged him to step back, think less of himself, and look at the situation. Rather than exchanging tit for tat, jab for jab, and hurt for hurt (and essentially make the situation worse), Wil Dungy enouraged his children to forego their own need for relief and respond in a way to heal the relationship or at least push the situation in a better direction.

Wow- another life lesson for me. When I am in a difficult situation, experiencing some negative emotions, and feeling like adding to the negativity, the challenge is to stop and ask myself, "What can I do to make the situation better?"

So here we go. Maybe sometime I post an update of how that is going.

Polar Bear Plunge

2009-01-31T22:29:00.009-06:00

"Sure, I'll do it"

Nice Weather

hey, there's a guy with a plunger on his head!

Oh, I get it.

dressing room (tent)

"How's the water?"

"Uh, cold."

"Group #26, here we go!"

Run, Larry

Bad DJ

"Insane in the membrane . . . insane in the brain"

memories . . . of high school

memories . . . in the making

"In this group, Chillin for the Lord"

Yeah, we're chillin all right

"I'll hold your towel"

"Three!"

Oh, we are starting.

"Two!"

No time to back out now

"One"

What did I get myself into?

Aaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhh!!!!!!

splashing

chilly

knee-deep

like, coldest water ever!

Dive now

all the way under!

Swim

Are you crazy?

Can't

Must get out of water

Just run the rest of the way

Crazy diving patrol guy- really wants a high-five

Keep running

Am I really breathing?

I am glad I'm not a fish
Keep running

high five

turn around

long way to the beach

Keep running

lots of shoes floating near shore

I didn't lose my shorts did I?

Would I know it if I did?

Can't feel my legs

Can you say cold?

land!!!!!

towel!

stabbing

knives in the calves

prickly pears

barely breathing
pins and needles all over

crazy kind of pain

Nice day- cold water

That was kind of fun!

morons

Wow- I am cold

dry clothes

hot coffee

Picture with the team

Ah, yeah- chillin!

Let's go home!

The Pastor/Coach- "Do What We Do"

2009-01-21T17:21:00.007-06:00

For Christmas, I received, a copy of "Quiet Strength," a memoir written by Tony Dungy, former head coach of the Indianapolis Colts. I liked the title, for I am also pretty quiet, and I liked the author- for whom I have a lot of respect. And in my quest to understand my job as pastor/coach, I thought I might learn something from coach Dungy.

One of the themes repeated in the book is Tony's mantra, "Do what we do!" When the Bucaneers were playing a championship-caliber team, he would encourage his guys to play their game, just as they had practiced, and "do what we do." Whether winning or losing, he encouraged them to "do what we do!" When the team lost, he showed them how they failed to "do what they do."

Dungy built the team with a few founding principles. First, they would play "no frills" football, doing ordinary tasks with extraordinary skill and consistency, rather than rely on big plays and superstar players. Second, they would build the team for long-term growth by making the most of their draft picks, picking up players who would work well within their offensive and defensive schemes, rather than trade for veterans who had played under other systems.

When Dungy and his team lost the NFC championship game in 1999 to the Rams, the Bucs owners made a few personnel changes. Tony was forced to fire Mike Shula, his offensive coordinator, even though he strongly objected. Tony felt like Mike had done an outstanding job of building a strong offense. Mike and Tony shared the same coaching philosophy. When Dungy let Mike go, he felt like he was breaking his philosophy and founding principles that had guided their team's growth. Reflecting back, he writes that letting Shula go was the decision he regrets the most in his coaching career.

Then the general manager acquired Keyshawn Johnson from the Jets in exchange for two first-round draft picks. Another major break from Dungy's founding principles. He writes on page 174, "But I believed we were moving away from some core beliefs as an organization by looking for the quick fix." In other words, the management team was failing to "do what we do."

The mantra, "do what we do" struck a chord with me. I am so often tempted to take shortcuts to make easy fixes. Probably because I am such a people-pleaser, I sometimes let the people around me push me into not "doing what we do."

One of the foundations for our church, which was put in place long before I became pastor, what that we wanted to create a casual and relaxed environment for worship. I played guitar for the worship team and would often refill my coffee before sitting down to listen to the pastor's message. I loved it! Another foundation for our church was that people take priority over programs and buildings. Buildings serve ministries and ministries serve people, and it is NEVER to be the other way around. Those principles were challenged in August of 2001 when we moved from leased space into our current facility. We also purchased brand new chairs to replace the stained and flimsy folding chairs we had used for years. At some point a decision was made to put the coffee and refreshments table in the lobby, accompanied by a sign asking people to keep all food outside of the sanctuary. The real reason? We wanted to keep our new chairs clean. We strayed from our philosophy of creating a casual and relaxed environment for worship. And we paid for it. This opened the door for other decisions to restrict and control the environment for worship.

After you have been around New Vision Church for a while, you probably begin to feel like I often repeat myself. Things like, "faith is personal, but it is not private." That is a foundation that affects our outreach and our personal growth. So I constanly encourage our folks to invite their friends. I constantly invite and encourage our members to join a LIFE group. I constantly remind our people to get to know their neighbors. I often say something like, "this is going to take all of us," and then proceed to invite our members to give of their time to some good cause. Why do I repeat myself? These are the things we do, and we need to constantly remember to "do what we do." When we introduce ourselves to visitors and new people and work to remember their names next time we see them, we are "doing what we do."

Coach Dungy tells his readers that it is okay to change our methods when they don't work, but we have to be careful when we tinker with our basic foundational principles. So if I come across as stubborn and unwilling to change in some area, it is probably because I believe we are dealing with a foundational principle that should not change, but merely needs to be executed better.

Let's "do what we do!"

The Job of the Pastor - Part 2

2009-01-21T17:20:00.005-06:00

In my last post, I asked you to describe the job of a pastor in one word. I shared a few popular options and the reasons I cannot accept them. The rejected options were: chaplain, teacher, counselor, shepherd and CEO. There are two basic problems with these options: first, they often view faith as purely an individualistic affair; second, they often lead to consumer-minded, self-centered spirituality.

Before I go on, I need to make a couple of disclaimers. In our culture, we need chaplains, counselors, teachers and CEO’s. Second, every pastor will occasionally teach, counsel, strategize and meet the needs of individuals. What I am suggesting is that none of these is sufficient to serve as the primary, over-arching picture of my job as pastor.

After thinking through the options, readings lots of books, and serving a local church for five years, I have found an image that fits. It fits our church, our community, my personality and my spiritual gifts. It encourages our members to be faithful to God’s plans for them. I believe the best way I can view my job as pastor is to be . . . coach.

First of all, a coach is an employee, not an owner of the team. In the world of professional athletics, the coach is hired by the owner to lead a team to win games - for the benefit of the owner. I am constantly faced with the temptation to believe that New Vision is my church. When things go well, I am tempted to take the credit and glory for myself. This first fact is a reminder to me that I, as pastor, am only here because God, the owner, has called me to this place for this time. This sobering reality also frees me from much worry. You see, if I am not the owner, then the ultimate survival of the church does not rest on my shoulders. I must be faithful to the owner, but in the end, the team is his responsibility.

Second, a good coach gets personal with every player, spending time with them, encouraging them, teaching them, holding them accountable, and giving them opportunities to play. Likewise, a good pastor will get to know his members by name, pray for them, counsel them, encourage them, and spend time with them in ministry and in recreation. A good pastor is never aloof and impersonal.

Third, and connected to the last point, a coach must not exhaust himself by trying to meet the whims and wishes of each player. In other words, the comfort and happiness of each player is not the first goal for the coach. The coach must lead the team. Did you know that church is a team sport? As a pastor, I must not allow the desires of a few individuals to control the church. As your pastor, I make decisions based on what is in the best interest of God, then of the team, then of the individual members. I try hard to make sure that my decisions are especially not based on my best interests.

What do you think? Does that work for you? God is the owner, I am the coach, you all are the players, and together we are the team. I will teach, counsel, meet needs, strategize and do anything else that needs to be done- but the goal is to lead the team to win, for the glory of the owner - God. And when a young man accepts Christ- we celebrate victory! When an elderly woman joins the team- we share high-fives! When a family serves dinner to the homeless at the Rescue Mission- the team wins and the owner is glorified!

Will you join the team and play? In my next installment, I will write about how if you accept this owner-coach-team view, it will drastically affect your spirituality- for the better!

Huddle Up! On Three, “GO TEAM!” One . . . two . . . three . . .

The Job of the Pastor - Part 1

2009-01-21T17:17:00.003-06:00

This last July I celebrated five years of serving as pastor at New Vision. I took a few minutes one day to make a list of all the different tasks that I might do at any given time in addition to preaching. Do you know how many I came up with? 78! Then I tried to condense it to a shorter list. So let me ask you. If you could only use one word, how would you describe the job of a pastor? Let’s try on a few options and see how they fit.

How about chaplain? You may have met one at the hospital- a nice fellow who visited with you, read some Scripture and prayed with you and made you feel better. How pleasant! However, I have found that when people view their pastor as their chaplain, they often view him as their personal servant, available whenever they need him and for whatever they need done. The pastor is easily viewed as, “they guy we pay to take care of us?” However, even if a pastor were able to give 24 hours every day to meeting his members’ needs, he would never be able to meet everyone’s needs. When a pastor views himself as a hired helper, burnout is often just around the corner.

How about teacher? Unfortunately, when a pastor is viewed as teacher, then faith is often viewed as a set of facts, members are viewed as students, the church as a school and the Bible as simply a textbook to be studied. And a person never graduates! I firmly believe that Christianity is not merely an intellectual pursuit, but it is a whole-life adventure! So teacher just doesn’t cover all the bases.

How about spiritual counselor? This option also has several problems. First of all, have you ever driven to your doctor’s office just to hang out with the other patients? No. That would be weird. As I have stated many times, Christianity is personal, but not private and individualistic. But let’s examine this option further. Counselors work with patients who have problems. If a pastor takes this option, ministry becomes very negative and problem-focused. So this is not a good option.

How about shepherd? After all, this option is even found in Scripture. I am sure it is a great option, but we city folks cannot adequately imagine the shepherding of Jesus’ time. We think of sheep who just walk around and eat and get into trouble, and lonely shepherds who feed them and pet them! But the Bible tells us in many other places that church members are to be active in ministry and service to others. When was the last time you saw a sheep helping another out of a bind?

Finally, some folks like the CEO option. This model is full of potholes, including the reality that the church is not a business and our bottom-line is not measured in dollars. Pastors are not to be power-hungry strategists who only hang out with the executives. Pastors must be wise, hardworking, and effective, but also personal and caring. So this option is a bust.
So what is the best option? “What,” you may say, “is your choice, Pastor Jason?” If you want to find out, find a whistle, and read The Job of the Pastor- Part 2

My First Post

2009-01-21T16:49:00.005-06:00

Donnie Miller, A friend from college who started in church in Gardner, Kansas, told me about an article he read, written by John Piper, entitled, "6 Reasons Pastors Should Blog." I read it and thought, "okay, I guess I should start a blog." But I have to admit that I doubted that more than a handful of people would ever read it. Okay, I still wonder if anyone will read it.

Then I exchanged a few emails with Jennifer, who sings and plays piano in our worship band. I noticed that her signature line included a link to her blog, so I checked it out, and discovered Jennifer's heart, passion, and questions! So maybe this blogging thing might be a worthwhile endeavor.

Then, I was talking about this idea to Shawna, on of our most faithful members, and she told me about her blog, and about how she has connected with so many people around the world through her blog, where she describes her struggle with infertility.

So thanks to Donnnie, Jennifer and Shawna, you get to hear my thoughts on just about anything that comes to mind.

Over the last year or so I have put a lot of thought into what it means to lead a church as pastor. I have landed on what I think is a good model for pastoring that also fits my personality. My first substantive posts will feature my thoughts on this, as presented to my church. Following, I hope to share any new thoughts and developments.

So here we go.... enjoy ..... feel free to comment!

Blessings.