Monthly Archives: December 2013

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Overlooking mundane missional opportunities while waiting for the spectacular

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A few months ago I learned a little about faith in the chair of the dentists office. I also learned a little about a what I perceive to be a common mistake among those who really do want to “make a difference” in this world. The hygenist commented that Pastor “Buddy” (I made that name up because as I pastor I know we can be understood) asked people to think about that “one thing,” that they could be passionate about and make a difference.

Nothing wrong necessarily with that. But the problem that I see sometimes in folks is that they search for something far off on the horizon where they can make a big, noticeable, tangible, and possibly immediate difference in the world. Or perhaps at worst find a reason to justify their existence.

This woman was a single mother. She had a job as a hygenist. Of course she “justified” her job to me, trying to be as spiritual as possible, “by witnessing” to people. It was as though she had to witness every now and then (talk about one way conversation!) for her job to be important.

Now I applaud her boldness, but was simply saddened that she didn’t realize the “spiritual” nature of her business.

My teeth needed to be cleaned. I for one, recognized the worth of what she did!

One of the benefits of having a Reformed worldview is that we don’t see life as a division of spiritual and sacred. A banker, hygenist, stay-at-home mom, a salesman is as “spiritual” as a pastor (provided both are honoring God through their labors) and should be considered as important by God’s people.

Much has been written on this subject so I don’t need to add any more. Here is one such excerpt

God is delighted when you work unto him and find pleasure in your vocation. You are merely doing what he does, after all—working and laboring and creating….As you think and analyze and make things better, you’re showing who you are: a being made in the very image of almighty God.

Instead I’ll simply reflect upon the affect such a division can have: in looking for something spectacular like building a well in Africa, you ignore the “mundane” missional and discipleship opportunities in front of you.

Some (not named Oprah) people will do amazing things like build wells in Africa. And if you feel that is your calling, do it. I’m not advocating ignoring wells in Africa or anywhere. Please don’t misunderstand that!  But you also have a calling as a parent, worker, church member as well. And sometimes in search for something “spectacular,” you miss the opportunities right in front of you. I feel that was the case with this gal.

And to be honest, isn’t working with integrity, friendliness, with excellence honoring to God? Isn’t He our primary audience (Col 3:23)? Isn’t that a way to follow the commandment, “Love your neighbor.” Mundane, I guess, but not all that ordinary. To love your work but not idolize it. That’s definitely not all that ordinary.

What about really discipling your kids and teaching them to live missionally, praying for and reaching out to their friends? What about playing sports for God’s glory and not theirs? What about saying no to sports when they intersect with church?

What about walking around your block and meeting neighbors in hopes that they would one day know Jesus? What about caring enough to bring lonely neighbors together or into your home?

I don’t think that any of those things are really all that ordinary.

As I often tell folks at Harbor Community Church, don’t add anything more to your schedule, just “look” intentionally wherever you live, work, and play. Opportunities abound even without finding that special unique opportunity. It is possible that some very mundane (but I would argue spectacular) things may be right in front of us. And while we are living and looking missionally, God may just share His heart for you to do something you never thought possible “way over there.” As you wait for your mission trip, fundraiser, or whatever, may you find joy as you share in the mundane missional work of God.

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Ambushed by a Santa Pharisee in Publix

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The other day my three year old Cade and I were going through the grocery store picking out stuff for our neighborhood Christmas party. He had already downed his expected free cookie from the bakery and was in an overall good and helpful mood. He picked up some bagels for me and put them in the cart. Nice work. Nice little helper.

All of a sudden we were ambushed by a “Santa Pharisee.” I heard, “Santa saw you helping Daddy, and I bet you he is going to get you something nice for Christmas! You know, he sees that!”

My first thought was she was stere0typing me. How did she know I wasn’t Jewish? Well not really. But I could have been Jewish, I guess.

What she didn’t know was that we don’t really “do” Santa in our house. Cade had no clue how to respond; in addition to him often even refusing to give a wave-that’s asking a lot! Sure we have a dancing Santa that we have neglected to put batteries in this year. We are not anti-Santa nor are we anti-people-who-are-pro-Santa. But we just don’t talk about him. Connar hears it from everyone else, “What is Santa going to bring you?” We only have so much time so try to ramp up Jesus’ birth as much as possible during Xmas.

But this went further then the normal what-are-you-asking-Santa for type interaction. This crossed into what will you demand/expect in return for your good work?

Cade didn’t know how to respond because he’s three. Connar doesn’t even know how to respond because he knows he’s not real. But guess what, he still loves Christmas. A lot.

Again, we’re not anti-Santa nor do we crusade against Santa. But the more I think about, the more Santa really is a religious figure.

He’s somehow omnipresent or at least omniscient. He rewards good deeds and punishes wickedness by withholding blessings. The only difference between him, Karma, and the standard (not Christian) understanding of God is that Santa dispenses all blessings and curses temporally instead of eternally. Do good and expect blessing. Do bad and expect curses.

Do I really want my kids to do something and then immediately think that they will get a good present? Then they deserve the gift, and it is no longer a gift, it is a wage. Doesn’t that create a sense of entitlement for doing what is simply a good thing to do?

I’m not saying that all parents should break the news to all kids. But making God’s grace a priority in the Christmas season instead of system of rewards-a system that honestly most people never really shake-might be a good place to start.

Perhaps simply talking more about Jesus than Santa would be a good place to start.

Do this and get something good. That’s Pharisaical legalism. Jesus did something good for you when you deserved something bad, so now lets follow him out of gratitude and the joy set before us. That’s grace and the joy lasts a lot longer. Even for little ones.

I’ll never stop being ambushed by people asking my kids about Santa. And that’s OK. I’m not offended. But it does seem like they are talking “religion” when they are talking Santa-at least in the way this lady was. Maybe it will open the door next time to share mine.

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What Coach Schiano teaches us about rest, behavior, and belief

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This past Sunday, the Bucs wiped the floor-or I guess you could say grass-with the backside of the Buffalo Bills, winning 27-6. Despite the  blowout, rookie Mike “Napoleon Quarteback” Glennon turned in another rather sub-par performance.

So the day after the game, he was back grinding away at the “office,” trying to learn how to be a better QB (keep his job, keep his coaches job, etc….). Coach Greg Schiano immediately sent him home from the facility to rest, or do whatever he would do, if he weren’t a football player.

Schiano claims Glennon has been so working hard that he simply needed a break. In the end, to rest, Schiano thinks, would be more beneficial in his development as a quarterback.

Football is everything for many of these athletes. Of course many wouldn’t say it is everything (“family comes first” or some cliché like that). But how can you tell that what you believe is really what you believe? Or perhaps better put, how do you know if you really believe something? Simple, look at your actions.

All religions call people to live differently and to demonstrate their beliefs by their actions. But those actions in turn do more than demonstrate belief-they garner some response of divine favor and promise of heaven, or at least something heavenly. Christianity views behavior differently. Actions and behaviors are the fruit of a changed heart (Gal 5:22), but that fruit produced by God’s Spirit, does not bring about divine approval or promise of heaven. Divine approval and promise of heaven precede, produce, and motivate actions and behaviors. That’s a HUGE difference. Behaviors indicate a changed heart and the presence of belief in salvation by grace alone.

So how do I know what I deeply believe? Look at my actions.

Now I can’t say Schiano is as deeply concerned about Glennon’s heart as he is with his arm, statistics, and victories (though Schiano was featured in the Christian Sports Magazine “Sports Spectrum”), but he obviously sees what Mike Glennon really believes: football is everything and its okay to be consumed by it. It is only by the action, in this case, resting and taking a break, that Glennon can demonstrate that he truly believes.

Here are some ways that I can know if I really believe the gospel

1.)  Jesus is my everything as opposed to church planting: I can focus on my relationship with Christ before considering what can I do to help this church start/grow.

2.)  Jesus will build this church. While I, and many others will play a role in planting seeds (networking, outreach, evangelism), watering (follow up, discipleship, strategizing), only God can make this thing grow. How do I know if I believe that? I will pray and ask God to do before I try to do. I will make time for prayer if I believe this truth. I will also be able to rest. I will take a day off. If I don’t take a day off, then what I’m really believing is “God doesn’t have this thing, I’ve got to make sure everything is taken care of.” Silly to believe that, but sometimes my actions can indicate that is what I really believe.

Behaviors and actions for the Christian are important, but not important in the same way they are for other religions. They are not meritorious but the fruit of, and indication of what and in whom you believe. Therefore we can use our behaviors and actions to self-diagnose what it is we really believe.

 

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Surprise? Trials and Traffic in Orlando

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The other day I headed to a fundraising seminar in Orlando. At 10 am. So the 2 and 1/2 hour trip from Bradenton had to start a bit early due to the lovely Orlando traffic. I did what I could to beat it, and I did for the most part. But there times when the proverbial Grandma with a walker could have passed me (a la Office Space).

Traffic is frustrating, but it is inevitable, particularly in Orlando. Because I left so early, preparing for the worst, it didn’t bother me nearly as much. But there was something else in my favor: it didn’t surprise me. It didn’t come out of nowhere. I-4 in the morning always has bad traffic. If I choose to drive through Orlando, I will hit traffic. The very expectation of traffic lessened my frustration. Could I really be mad that I was sitting in traffic on I-4 on a weekday morning?  Would that have made any sense? Should I have been surprised?

Dealing with trials, particularly when you are doing something good or right, becomes less difficult when not caught by surprise. When I’m caught by surprise, I get angry or begin despairing. Or I want to stop doing what I did (helping when helping gets me hurt).

Doesn’t God love me? Don’t I have enough to deal with now? God is giving me the shaft! What did I do wrong? Didn’t I love that person well now and he/she did this?

The health and wealth prosperity gospel preachers would have you believe that if God is pleased with you, it will show up in all kinds of blessings. Mostly physical or financial, but all now.

Sadly I think I believe those jokers more than I believe what God says through His apostle. I’m more often than not surprised by suffering. This isn’t supposed to be happening to me!  At least much more than I admit. But I Peter 4:12 reminds us

“12 Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you.”

Can I really be surprised, and filled with anger, when trials happen? Suffering and Orlando traffic shouldn’t surprise us.

Yet according to Peter, there’s really nothing morbid about driving through life, as though you are always on the lookout, trying to prepare yourself for every suffering. Kind of like the way you might think “accident” every time you see break-lights on the interstate. Instead of being surprised (and the concomitant anger or despair), we can rejoice. Rejoice?

13 But rejoice insofar as you share Christ’s sufferings, that you may also rejoice and be glad when his glory is revealed.

At Christmas time we enter a time of celebration (though not only celebration but also longing). God did not leave us to suffer alone, but instead came to suffer with us. But not only as an example of sympathy; it was much more than that. Jesus became our substitute for us. Suffering is temporary but His glory is forever, and we are part of that glory in Him. He loves his little brothers and sisters.

Sometimes we need to hear those angels singing a little louder “Glory to God in highest…”

His glory was revealed, continues to be revealed, and will fully be revealed one day. At that time we won’t need reminders to rejoice. Until then we do. May we all hear the angels a little louder this Christmas. And may we gladly join them even as we go through trials that our Savior has already walked through before us. And for us. And now we are in Him.

If this Christmas presents particular sadness, I pray the hope of Christ’s first and second comings will remind you that God cares about your suffering so much that He suffered for you that you may share in His glory.