Category Archives: Ministry

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How to Start Almost Anything New with One Little Word

Although it’s only August, a new year is about to begin. Students and teachers everywhere are gearing up for a brand new season of learning and teaching.

New beginnings of any kind can be challenging, exhilarating, and nerve-racking all at the same time. There are hopes, fears, and expectations. Relationships are renewed. Goals are set. School supplies are purchased. Bulletin boards are created. Lesson plans are written down. School clothes are attained. Everything old is new again.

A new school year is a chance to start with a clean white board and a newly waxed floor. It’s a chance to choreograph the first steps of the years’ dance. It’s a chance to write the opening paragraph of the years’ novel with the best adjectives available.

Two biblical descriptions of the beginning of space and time surprisingly lack adjectives. They are simple and straight-forward:

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth (Genesis 1:1).

And…

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God (John 1:1).

They are begging for adjectives, but the Lord sees no need to provide them. Yet what flows out of Genesis 1:1 is one big description of God’s plan for His newly created universe. What flows out of John 1:1 is one big description of God’s plan for the salvation of fallen people.

The whole Bible is one big description of God’s love and grace for humankind. Amongst those pages are countless adjectives describing the God of the universe who lives to love and who is love.

It’s a great thought as you encounter any beginning: The God who is beyond description is present right from the start. With Him all things are new. Under Him all things are clean. Through Him all things are white as snow.

This year, as our school’s teachers come together for their first meeting, I’m going to encourage them to choose an adjective that describes God. They will use those adjectives to:

  • Create a piece of art using that word to display in her or his classroom
  • Use that word as a springboard for teaching the presence of God in the classroom
  • Evaluate the way God is working in the classroom, particularly under that adjectival attribute
  • Intentionally remember the work of God in and through His people each day
  • Begin the year new, clean, and white under a God who defies description…

…And yet was described perfectly in the person and work of the God-Man Jesus Christ who gave His life for the sins of the world.

What suggestion do you have for getting off to a great start?

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20 Things I Learned During 20 Years of Life as a Pastor

This summer I marked 20 years as a pastor. It’s been quite a ride. In some ways it flew by. In other ways the start of my ministry seems like it happened in another lifetime.

Here are 20 things I have learned, one for each year in the ministry:

  1. You can’t please all the people all the time. If you try, you will find yourself incredibly frustrated. I learned this within the first six months of being a pastor.
  2. Be true to yourself. Don’t try to be someone else. People want you to be you, and they will love you for who you are.
  3. After God, your family is #1, not your church. Your family was there before your church, and will still be there after your church. Give them the time, love, and care that they need.
  4. Make sure that you are involved in the selection of church leadership. You must be able to work with those who are chosen to be leaders in the church. If not, at best there will be ineffectiveness; at worst, there will be conflict.
  5. If possible, hand write a birthday card to every member of the congregation on her or his birthday. It’s a great way to show people you care, remind inactive members that they are missing church, and even people who have left the congregation remember it as a personal touch from their pastor.
  6. Some things just aren’t worth changing, or “choose your battles.” Some things, some people, some programs are not worth fighting with or about. Wait for the things that really matter, like doctrine or unity, then put your integrity on the line.
  7. When “change” is necessary, do it slowly and with love and care. It may not happen at the speed you would prefer, but it will be much more palatable for all involved.
  8. Visit with people at home or at work. Meet them in settings away from the church. You get a whole new perspective.
  9. Pray for your people and for your church. And let them know that you are. And ask them to pray for you.
  10. Hire support people and other staff members who share your vision, passion, and strategies. It will save you time, effort, energy, and even heartbreak.
  11. Create significant time and space in your schedule to study and write your sermon. Creative and engaging preaching is born out of solid study and significant time to engage the text and culture.
  12. Make your day off a day off. Make sure to take time for personal sabbath. Burnout is significant amongst pastors. If you don’t “come apart” for a while each week you will come apart.
  13. If your congregation doesn’t have a sabbatical policy, encourage them to put one in place. One of the most significant times I spent in my twenty years of ministry was a three-month sabbatical in my eighteenth year of ministry. It should have happened much sooner than that.
  14. Go to conferences and classes that stretch you. Be an avid learner. Don’t be afraid to go beyond your comfort zone. Attend conferences where you know no one else. Take classes that are outside of your areas of strength.
  15. Read, read, read. Read theology. Read classics. Read about leadership. Read about writing. Read about relationships. Read.
  16. Become adept at social media. Sorry, but it’s not going away.  It’s going to make you more effective in ministry not just tomorrow, but already today.
  17. Say “thank you.” Then say it again. People love to be appreciated, people need to be appreciated, and people will be much more willing to help and serve when they are appreciated.
  18. Find friends outside of the congregation. You need people in your life with whom you don’t always have to be “on.”
  19. Work on becoming a better speaker, teacher, and presenter. The Gospel deserves the best speaker, teacher, and presenter you can be.
  20. Take care of yourself. Exercise. Eat right. Care for yourself emotionally.
What things have you learned in your work that would be valuable for others to know?
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Do You Live in a Mansion or a Tent?

When Muslims go on the hajj (one of the five pillars of Islam, a pilgrimage to the city of Mecca), they dress all in white from head to toe. As millions from around the world carry out their rituals together, no one knows who is a king or who is a pauper. They are all dressed alike. No one is treated better than another.

I was reminded of that practice recently when our church conducted some focus groups. The purpose was to evaluate our communication, improve our connections, and enhance our outreach. One of the focus groups consisted of new members. It was an energetic group of women who are still getting to know our church, and, that day, had the opportunity to get to know each other.

As the session concluded, one woman made a comment that made me realize our church is becoming what I had once hoped it could become. She said, “At our church you don’t know who lives in a mansion and who lives in a tent.” The consultant who had asked the question was duly impressed.

In fact, sitting around that table were almost literally those who live in “mansions” and those who live in “tents.” It’s a wonderful statement about the family of God. It’s a great picture of the level ground in the Kingdom of God.

St. Paul said, “There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus” (Galatians 3:28). We don’t have to walk around all wearing white robes. We know that all sinners brought to faith in Christ are one with God and one with each other.

Through faith in Christ we figuratively wear the white robes of His righteousness. We have been made clean, brought to salvation, given eternal life…and it matters not where we live. In the end, we are living under the tent of God’s love and forgiveness through Jesus Christ.

Where have you seen evidence of Christian unity?

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A Modern Day Pentecost Opportunity

My wife and I went to Ikea the other day. Have you ever been there? It’s a landscape littered with furniture that needs an allen wrench to be put together, inexpensive household items, and even plants and food.

The closest location to our home is in suburban Chicago. Chicago is one of the largest cities in America, and certainly one of the most cosmopolitan cities in the world.

That was evident in Ikea’s aisles as we heard European, Asian, and Latin languages all within a matter of a couple of hours. It was exhilarating and fascinating. Here we all were under one roof from all corners of the globe.

I’m sure most of the people who spoke in other tongues could speak English. Otherwise, how could they manage to ask questions, directions, or check out? I was reminded that I am sadly mono-lingual. I would love to speak another language (Italian would be my choice so that when I go to Italy someday I would be able to ask for a specific type of pasta without even using a menu). Americans expect that English will be spoken everywhere, and are then surprised when it’s not. In that way we are selfish.

The thought occurred to me that Ikea is a sort of modern day Pentecost waiting to happen. “Now there were staying in Jerusalem God-fearing Jews from every nation under heaven. When they heard this sound (of the wind), a crowd came together in bewilderment, because each one heard their own language being spoken” (Acts 2:5-6).

The world has come to our country’s shores. Like on the first Pentecost, the nation’s have been brought to us. Even if only English is spoken there are opportunities for the Spirit to work in and through us to bring life and hope to an Ikea filled with foreign-language speakers.

The world today is small. It is connected by every new technology under the sun. It is increasingly easy to meet, and reach, and understand others, no matter their land of origin.

Ikea is a microcosm of our modern-day world. There are opportunities for Gospel-giving, Gospel-living, and Gospel-loving.

I wonder if the two Buddhist monks we saw would have been open to listening to the story of Jesus.

Where have you noticed unique opportunities for Gospel-giving?

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All Things (Yes, All Things) Work Together for Good

Where have you seen God at work this week? Was it in the nice thunderstorm the other day? Was it the unexpected check you got in the mail? Was it in the good report from the doctor? Did you see God working in the flowers and vegetables growing in your garden? Did you see Him working in love and forgiveness after a family fight?

Or maybe it was much more difficult for you to see God at work this week. Maybe that thunderstorm brought water into your basement. Maybe there was an unexpected bill that came in the mail. Maybe the doctor’s report was not at all what you were hoping and praying for. Maybe the heat wilted your flowers and stunted the growth of your vegetables. Maybe there are grudges still being held in your family, and you’re holding onto them right this very moment.

You know where I’m going, because you know Romans 8:28: “We know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.” God was and is working “good” in the water in the house, the extra bill, the difficult diagnosis, the wilted flowers, and even the family fight.

St. Paul assures us that God works all things together for good, and here’s how: God accomplished everything needed for our salvation and it is given to us as a gift. It is complete. It is past tense. Or, in the words of Jesus, “It is finished.”

All things work together for good for those who are called according to His purpose because:

  • God knew you ahead of time, not just before you were born, but even before the world began. He looked into His looking glass far into the future and saw you, and knew you. He loved you intimately even then. (Romans 8:29)
  • God predestined you to be His own. He has loved you with an everlasting love. He made sure that you had your salvation from time immemorial. His plan was to adopt you into His family long before time started. (Romans 8:29)
  • God conformed you to the image of Jesus. When you were baptized into the death and resurrection of Jesus you became like Jesus. In Jesus you are now perfect, obedient, in full fellowship with your Heavenly Father, and brought to an elevated place next to your Heavenly Father. It’s an accomplished fact. (Romans 8:29)

Jesus died and rose again so that all things work together for good. You may find out tomorrow that the water in your basement leads you to discover an old treasure. You may find out next week that the unexpected bill provides a chance for God to show His providing nature in a way you never expected. You may see that the family fight leads to a renewed sense of love and forgiveness.

But, then again, you may never see until the Last Day the good that is worked in these situations. Never fear. God has made His people more than conquerors over all the evils and ills of this world through the gifts of His love, forgiveness, and Heavenly eternal life. No matter what, in the end, all things work together for good because we have a good God who grants the one gift that not even sin, or death, or the devil can take away…and that is the gift of eternal life.

In the end, all things work together for good because of the intimate presence of a crucified and risen Savior who is, Himself, good. And even today, even in the midst of bills, break-ups, and bad news, He intercedes for you before the Heavenly Father. And because of the blood the Father hears and helps.

So does God work together for good in:

  • Tribulation?
  • Distress?
  • Persecution?
  • Famine?
  • Nakedness?
  • Danger?
  • Sword? (Romans 8:35)

Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, and yes.

And here’s why: Because of Jesus Christ and Him crucified, “neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 8:38-39).

All things work together for good. Yes, all things.

How have you seen God “working together for good”?

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How Failure Led to Twitter Success

Have you ever heard of ODEO? Neither had I, until I saw a story about the other night on a show about technology and social media. While the stories vary, most agree that in one way or another, the end of ODEO was the start of Twitter.

ODEO was meant to be a platform for podcasting. But when apple came out with iTunes, it destroyed any hope ODEO had of gaining a mass market. Read more about it here.

Instead of giving up, the developers of ODEO decided to try something different. Out of failure came Twitter. It’s an understatement to say that the 140 character platform for social media is a success.

When I started this blog  I failed any number of times to get it up and running. But I kept on reading, learning, trying, and refining until this site was ready for public consumption. It can still use some tweaking, so I’m still “failing” as I try and make things better.

There is no manual for urban ministry, so my church and I are willing to try, and fail, so that in the end we are used as instruments to bring about Kingdom growth. Amongst many other things, we’ve overhauled our church governance, started a new service, and brought outsiders in to help and evaluate. Some of it has “worked.” Other things have not. When we fail we learn from it, get up, dust ourselves off, and try again.

Ask any artist, writer, or creative how many times they failed before they achieved any “art” or “success.” Please don’t be afraid to fail. You will learn. You will grow. You will find creative solutions.

You may even create the next Twitter.

What failure has led to success for you?

 

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How Canine Capers Demonstrate Great Grace

Your family either is a “dog family” or is not a “dog family.” Ours is not. So doesn’t it figure that our son, Ben, has had to “dog sit” twice already this summer?

Just this past week he had to tend to a golden retriever who’s family was on vacation. He had to go over to the house every morning and every evening to let the dog out and make sure it had food and water.

Every time he went over to the house the dog had made a mess on the floor, or had torn up a pillow, or had created havoc of some kind. And every time Ben went over there the dog did its best to make things difficult. All he wanted to do was feed and care for the dog, and the dog jumped on him, ran away, and even tried to bite him.

But that dog would have been lost without Ben. It would be stuck in its own filth.It would be hungry and thirsty. And eventually it would die from all of the above.

We are like the dog. Without a Provider, a Savior, a Sanctifier, we make a mess out of our lives; we live in the filth of our sin; we hurt God with our thoughts and actions; eventually we die in our sin, only to die again a certain and eternal death.

But we have a God who provides for us, saves us through His blood, and gives us the grace to recognize and realize that we are nothing but beggars. With His authority, the authority He has over all creation, Jesus calls on the Father to create in us a new creation, He Himself proclaims and declares the forgiveness of all of our sins, and His Holy Spirit takes our faith that is weak and wobbly and, by His teaching, makes it stout and strong.

There once was a woman who came to Jesus because her daughter was possessed by an evil spirit:

The woman was a Greek, born in Syrian Phoenicia. She begged Jesus to drive the demon out of her daughter. “First let the children eat all they want,” he told her, “for it is not right to take the children’s bread and toss it to their dogs.” “Yes, Lord,” she replied, “but even the dogs under the table eat the children’s crumbs.” Then he told her, “For such a reply, you may go; the demon has left your daughter.”

It is said that, upon his death, a piece of paper was found in Martin Luther’s pocket. It was his own writing. The last sentence on the page said, “We are all beggars before God.”

There is great grace for beggarly dogs.

How have you seen God’s great grace in your life?

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How Social Media Has Helped Me Frame the Human Condition

Maybe I was naive, but I was a bit shocked. I’ll never forget the first time that a young, college-aged member of my congregation, who had “friended” me on Facebook, openly bragged and posted pictures of he and his friends participating in underaged drinking. Certainly he wouldn’t be that open about it, would he?

  1. It’s against the law.
  2. It could get one kicked out of school.
  3. Mom and dad could easily find out.
  4. My pastor is one of my friends on Facebook, and doing this would show that I’m not acting in a way  in which I was trained up and taught to act.

Ever since then I have stared in awe at the things people will reveal about themselves in open forums like Facebook and Twitter. You’ve seen and read plenty about privacy. But, in fact, there isn’t much privacy any more. We might as well get used to it. There are eyes, and ears, and cameras, and recording devices everywhere.

This post isn’t about how stupid it is to put illegal, unflattering, or embarrassing data and media on Facebook (although it could be). It’s not about ways in which these situations could be dealt with from a ministry perspective (although it could be). It’s not about protecting privacy or teaching our children to be awfully, awfully careful (although it could be).

As a pastor, artist, and creative, the thing that has interested and intrigued me about the things that people will make public, is the way in which they give us such a complete picture of the human condition. Social media offers unfiltered conversations, reactions, and opinions. It is fodder for art, for commentary, and yes for preaching Law and Gospel in Sunday sermons.

Here are some of the ways observing the human condition in and through social media can be helpful to creatives, artists, and pastors:

  1. It helps me to see my own flaws so that I can dig deep down and write things with which others will readily identify.
  2. It helps me address, from an eternal perspective, things that really matter in my writing and my preaching.
  3. It helps me to be more specific in writing about, preaching, and teaching Law.
  4. It helps me to apply Gospel comfort in a way that has the potential to be more broadly comforting to those reading or listening.
  5. It keeps my art down to earth and not “pie-in-the sky.”
  6. It fuels my empathy for those who are spiritually lost (…or at least “losing”). Empathetic artists are better artists.
  7. It reminds me that, literally, “there but by the grace of God go I.” When I apply grace to myself, I can be certain that it will be applied to others as well.

How does observing the human condition enhance your art or creativity?

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Easing the Effects of Heart-Stopping, Stomach-Dropping Emotions

It’s been an emotional week. Between difficult decisions at work, unsettling phone conversations with far-away offspring, and exhilarating weekend worship and leisure activities, my psyche feels drained and my head feels a little heavy.

Some weeks provide more of an even keel than others. But it seems we can ride the wave of the easy-going life for just so long before the roller coaster takes a dip and we find our stomach dropping and our inner child screaming. It can be a bit disconcerting. It can be wearing, wearying, and just plain weakening.

We have been created by God to be emotional beings. We laugh, cry, empathize, sympathize, worry, weep, and rejoice. It makes life interesting. It makes life invigorating, breathtaking, and spine-tingling. And sometimes it makes for fireworks when our emotions intersect with someone else’s.

One comforting feature of Christianity is that the God who created us as emotional beings sent His Son into the flesh to sinlessly live an emotion-laden life. He knows what it’s like to laugh, cry, empathize, sympathize, weep, and rejoice. It is He who now sits at the right hand of the Father and reigns over the world and over our lives with care and compassion, grace and forgiveness.

In the midst of this emotional week I found myself using several different coping strategies to smooth out the twists and turns, dives and drops of my roller coaster emotions:

  1. Prayer. As I lay in bed rehashing the events of each day I reminded myself to place it all before the One who knew every detail of every decision, every conversation, and every emotion. It brought peace that put me to sleep.
  2. Conversation with people I trust. Emotions are emotions, which means that they are sometimes irrational. Getting an outside perspective helps bring a rational outlook and tempers the extremes of emotion.
  3. Exercise. I find that exercise either gets my mind off of my emotional state or provides an opportunity to process the things that are driving my emotions. I always feel better after a heart-pounding mountain bike ride or a slow jog around the neighborhood.
  4. Reading. I’m currently in the middle of a couple of books that fascinate me, stretch my mind, and challenge my thinking. It’s not just a diversion, it’s a productive way to reign in emotion.
  5. Writing. Writing is my hobby, an avocation, a form of art. I agree with uber-blogger Michael Hyatt when he says that writing his blog is, for him, like a painter working on a painting. There is something therapeutic about it. Thus, this post. It has helped me work through the emotions of this week.

Notice that the only one of the three “R’s” I didn’t mention here is ‘rithmetic. Math would only add to my stress. Sorry all you “math geeks.” Math never was one of my gifts.

How do you ease the effects of heart-stopping, stomach-dropping emotions?

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The Last Shall Be First

I don’t think it’s what Jesus had in mind, but I just finished reading Steven Pressfield’s Do the Work, and a major takeaway is that “the last shall be first.” Pressfield encourages the reader to determine where it is you want to end up with your project, weight loss, book…or whatever…and then plan how you are going to get there. Start at the end and then plot your journey. Set your goal. Get there. Do not pass go. Do not collect $100.


Resistance will get in the way, try to stop you, do everything It can to keep you from getting to the end goal. But it is your job to keep plowing through, don’t stop, don’t quit, don’t listen to the voices that will most certainly drag you down or keep you from crossing the finish line.

Seems to be to be a great way to start each day. Where do you want to be at the end of the day? What do you want to accomplish? Where do you want to be? Now go get there.

Start with the last and the first will be easy to determine. With the goal in mind the first steps are more obvious and easier to take. At the end of the day, the month, or the year you will find yourself right where you always knew you were headed.

The very One who said “the last will be first” is the One who already knew in eternity what the end goal was and had to be. In the manger  the end was already in sight. On the morning of Good Friday it was already known what the end would, could, and should be. With His eye on the only goal He came to accomplish, Jesus began with the end in mind and went ahead and accomplished it for the world. The First became last for you.

He was perfect and we, of course, are not. Our nature often keeps us from following through and making it all the way to the ends that are important for life and faith. But He promises to be with you always, even in seeming minutiae. He is there to help you plow through, keep going, and overcome the voices that would overtake. He wants what’s best for you. And what is often best for you is to follow through all the way to the end…to do what needs to be done for your own good, for the good of others, and for the good of the Kingdom.

I challenge you today to make the last first. Where do you want to be at the end of the day today? Get there. Where do you want to go this month? Get there. Where do you want find yourself at the end of this year? Write down the end, envision what the final scene will look like, and allow yourself to have a taste of the final feast. Now go take the first steps toward getting there.

How can putting the last first make a difference in your life?