Transforming Church in Rural America

And we're off with book review #2.

As a pastor I'm interested in anything that will help foster growth in the church. And as a pastor of a church in a rural area, the title of this book was intriguing. The content was even better. I honestly can't remember the last time I read a better church-growth book. And the reason is that this isn't a typical church growth book. It isn't full of flow charts and diagrams (nothing wrong with those things-they can be useful tools); and it isn't just a rah-rah time for the author to pat himself on the back. This book is a challenge to pastors everywhere-a challenge to believe that God can use your church, in your community to do great things for His glory.

The book begins with the author's story, which is a fascinating, compelling account of how he was led from large church in an urban area to a much smaller church in a not-at-all urban area. And in a conversational style, he explains the things he did as pastor of his church-the things that worked great and the things that were spectacular failures. It's as though you were sitting down for a nice conversation with a friend who says, "This is what we've done; this is what worked for us. Take and use whatever works for you."

The author includes many specific ideas (always careful to state that he isn't recommending you do exactly what he did, but that you find what will work in your area), and several links to videos and documents that can offer further assistance.

There's tons of good stuff in this book and I would recommend it to anyone.

Disclosure: I received this book free from the publisher through the www.booksneeze.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. I did so because I liked the book!

Outlive Your Life by Max Lucado

So the other day I signed up at booksneeze.com. They send me books, I review them. Pretty sweet deal. Here's my first review.

"These are devastating times: 1.75 billion people are desperately poor, one billion are hungry." So begins Max Lucado's latest offering, "Outlive Your Life." If you're familiar with Lucado's work, the subject matter might be a bit of a shock. In books like “A Gentle Thunder” and “When God Whispers Your Name”, Lucado primarily encourages his readers. In this book he seeks to challenge them. In his warm, gentle style, Lucado helps open the eyes of Christians who are far too often blind to how the rest of the world lives. Using the early church as his reference point, Lucado helps us see just what an impact these 1st century Christians made on the world around them-not just from a spiritual viewpoint, but from a physical viewpoint as well.

Unfortunately, when you discuss how the church can minister to the physical needs of the world, objections are often raised; usually they sound something like, "The most important thing we can do is preach the gospel!" And on this point, Lucado is very plain; the most important thing the church can offer the world is the gospel of Jesus Christ. But at the same time, when we have opportunity to minister to the physical needs of those around us, we should.

Lucado's book reads quickly and his point is simple; if God created us to make a difference, shouldn't we be making that difference? He skillfully handles this potentially thorny topic without lecturing or condescending. He simply points his readers to the truth of God's word and lets them choose for themselves. This is a challenging book, but a highly recommended one as well.

Disclaimer: In accordance with new regulations introduced by the Federal Trade Commission,I am required to mention that Thomas Nelson Publishers, Inc. has provided me with a complimentary copy of this book for the purpose of writing a review. Sending me a free copy in no way is compensation for, or a guarantee of, a positive review.

Of old razors and other things that shouldn't be forgotten

So the other day I stumbled across a website that trumpeted the values of shaving like a man. Not with disposable, fancy pants razors like some people use. And not even with the cartridge refills. No, this author was a proponent of old school razors. And considering how expensive cartridges are, and how badly disposables irritate, I decided to give it a try. I remembered that my grandfather used to have a really cool razor (not pictured above-but the one I have is just like it; only way better, because it was my grandfather's), so I called mom. She found it and brought it to me.

Now the website had also warned about the dangers of using such a razor, especially if you're used to disposables. So I carefully lathered up with shaving cream (yes, I used a brush for that-I'm old school all the way, baby) and gave it a go. And you know what? I think I got the best shave of my life. My face was about 16 kinds of smooth-and I didn't even nick myself. I can't tell you how happy I was with the results, and how proud I was at myself for not severing my carotid artery in one, clean stroke.

But the point of this post isn't to brag on myself for avoiding self-mutilation. Using the old razor actually got me thinking about how sometimes, older is better. Gramps' old razor is way better than any of the new stuff I've used; and believe me, I've just about used it all. His razor is better for the environment-rather than buying new cartridges each month, or using disposable razors that will pretty much never go away, all I waste is a small blade. In fact, I could even recycle it if I really gave a hoot about the environment. Point is, sometimes older is better. That's true with razors and it's also true in our walk with God.

Jeremiah 6:16 says, "Thus says the LORD: “ Stand in the ways and see, and ask for the old paths, where the good way is, and walk in it; then you will find rest for your souls." God instructs His people to ask for the 'old ways', i.e., the ways of obedience to Him. We live in a world that is always looking for the next new thing, the next great thing. And to be fair, I suppose that's always been the case. But we're always on the lookout for the next new thing; especially in the church. Go to the bookstore and see how many books you can find that all seem to have the next big idea, the next new thing to try. People snatch those books up as quickly as they can, try some of the ideas; and a few months later are hungry for the next new thing.

Now don't misunderstand, there are times when churches need to make changes. If you think the only music that honors God comes from a piano, you're wrong. If you think the King James Version is the only Bible worth reading, you're wrong. If you think "the blacks" ought to stay in "their" churches and not bother us in ours, you're wrong. Some things need to change. But some things need to stay the same. There are some old paths that we ought to never turn away from: paths of obedience and holiness and prayer and personal times of devotion with God's word. Those are old paths-but they are good paths. God's word promises that when we walk in these old paths, we find rest for our souls.

Could it be that the gnawing hunger in our souls, the craving that we interpret as a desire for something new could actually be filled by something old? Could it be that, rather than calling out for something new, our souls are calling our for something as old as our faith itself? Let's don't turn away from the old paths. Again, I'm not suggesting churches and Christians should never change-of course we should. But there are some things we ought never change; our commitment to God's word, our commitment to sharing the gospel through our words and our actions, and our commitment to personal holiness. Seek the old paths.

Father, thank You for loving us and saving us. Thank You for laying out the path for us to walk. Help us never deviate from it. Help us to commit ourselves, with all that we have, to staying on the paths that you've set for us. Help us to be flexible in our desire to reach others, but help us to be rigid in our commitment to not turn from what You've called us do, and who You've called us to be. Amen.

Love for the Law?

When I was a kid there were things about my parents that I absolutely loved. I loved that we spent time together, that dad would take me hunting and fishing, that they were both so encouraging and loving to me-so many things to be thankful for. But there were other things that I wasn't so thankful for-specifically, the rules they laid down for my brother and I. Seriously, what kid is grateful for the boundaries parents set? As a parent myself, it's interesting to see that tension again; and it's strange to be on the other side of it. Once I was the one grousing about the rules, now I'm the one making the rules. And needless to say, the kids aren't exactly thrilled about it. In fact, when Lily had reached the wise age of 5 she once told me, and I quote, "This house is like a jail." I swear I'm not making that up. Kids don't like the rules mom and dad lay down, do they?

And kids aren't the only ones. Adults have just as much disdain for rules as kids. For example, who is thrilled about the speed limit? Who gets a tingly feeling in their leg when they have to yield to oncoming traffic? Who gets all giggly when they are paying personal property taxes? We don't like rules.

All of which brings me to the point of today's post. In Psalm 119:47-48 David says something peculiar; "And I will delight myself in Your commandments, which I love. My hands also will I lift up to Your commandments, which I love, and I will meditate on Your statutes." See what he said? Look at the last part of each sentence again. David says that he loves God's commandments. Twice, in fact, he declares his love for the commands of God.

What's so radical about this is that he doesn't declare his love for God's word-many of us would gladly make that same profession. Richard Holdsworth said, "There are some parts of the will and word of God that even ungodly men will be content to love...all men gather and catch at the promises, and show love to these." That's not really out of the ordinary. Everybody loves to take hold of God's blessings. But David is declaring a love for God's commands; and as I read that I couldn't help but wonder, "Do I love God's law?" Do I love God's law so much that I worship Him for it? Do I worship Him for His commands in my life, the rules that He demands I live by? And I know that the answer is 'no.' I want to worship Him for the blessings He gives me, and rightfully so. But I ought to be able to worship Him for His commands as well. Anyone can worship God for the 'things' He gives us. But only as we grow and mature in our faith can we worship Him, can we 'lift our hands' to Him for the law He has given us. And I think the key to doing this is that we have to change our perspective regarding God's law; we have to look at it differently. Let me share with you some reasons we ought to worship God for His law.

First, it shows us our need of a savior. In Galatians 3:24, Paul says that the law was a tutor that brought us to Christ, i.e., the law shined the light of God's holiness on our lives and opened our sin-blinded eyes to our need. We wouldn't know the standard God has for us had He not revealed that standard to us-and that standard is His perfect law. We ought to worship Him for Hi's law because it shows us our need; it drives us to our knees, breaks our pride and our self-worth and causes us to call on the name of the Lord-and whoever calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.

Second, it teaches us about God. The 10 commandments are essentially God's self-portrait. It shows how we are to live by showing us who God is. We are to avoid taking murder and theft because God doesn't murder or steal. We are to abstain from bearing false witness because God doesn't bear false witness. We are have no other gods before us because there is no other god before our Great King. The law of God teaches us about the nature of God; that He is holy and righteous and just and loving and merciful and absolutely perfect. God wants us to worship Him in truth-the law demonstrates for us the truth by which we are to worship Him.

Finally, the law shows me how to please God. We understand that we are saved by grace through faith; not because we keep the law so well, but because we are unable to keep it and in repentance and faith we cry out for mercy. But after the divine transaction takes place God expects us to keep His law. Not to maintain our salvation, but to give evidence of our salvation, to bear the fruits worthy of repentance. The law is our guide-it shows us how God expects us to behave, how we are to interact with others, how we are to think and talk and move and live. And as we keep this law, we are become progressively more like Jesus. Charles Spurgeon said, "Where holy hands and holy hearts go, the whole man will one day follow." As we discipline ourselves, and surrender ourselves to obedience to God's law, we are made more like Jesus.

What an incredible blessing it is to have the law of God-we ought to thank Him for it, we ought to worship Him for it. And we ought to commit ourselves to being obedient to it.

Father, thank You for the perfect, eternal law You have given us. We acknowledge our inability to faithfully keep it; we admit to you that we fail daily. But we also know that You promise forgiveness when we confess our sins to You. And we confess that we are sinners and unable to walk in perfect obedience. But Father, our inability to perfectly obey doesn't indicate that we don't love Your law. Rather, we worship You for it. We thank You for revealing it to us. And we pray that You'll strengthen us to more faithfully obey Your perfect law-not because we want to earn salvation, not because we want to earn Your favor-but because we want to be like You. Continue to remake us into Your perfect image. Amen.

Finish Well

So according to news reports coming out today, Brett Favre is going to retire. Again. But this time it's for good. Or maybe not. But one thing we can be sure of is that he's possibly telling his teammates in Minnesota, and the Vikings ownership, that he's done. Maybe.

The Brett Favre saga has become something of a summer ritual over the last few years. And whether or not he'll return this year is unknown. But one thing that is known about him is that when he finally hangs up the cleats for good, he'll go down in history as one of the greatest quarterbacks to play the game. Love him or hate him, he was always fun to watch. And when he leaves, he'll take some impressive records with him. Brett Favre has thrown more touchdown passes than any other quarterback. He has won more games as a starting quarterback, and started in more consecutive games than any other player at his position-285. To put that into perspective, Favre hasn't missed a day of work in 18 years. In addition, he's thrown for more yards and completed more passes than any other quarterback.

All impressive stats, right? But you wouldn't have figured he would have turned out this way based on how he began. Favre was drafted in the second round by the Atlanta Falcons, a pick that the coach at the time didn't want made on Favre. And his first year stats were less than dismal. His first pass in the NFL was intercepted and returned for a touchdown. And his stats for the entire year were just sad; 5 attempts, no completions, 2 interceptions. But obviously, Favre bounced back from this start and went on to become one of the great ones.

What's the point of all this? It reminds us that how we start isn't nearly as important as how we finish. I know that's a cliche, but guess what? It's true. It's true for football, it's true for business, and most of all, it's true for our faith. What matters most as we follow Jesus isn't how we start, it's how we finish.

In Matthew 24:13, Jesus said these remarkable words: "He who endures to the end will be saved." Now don't read over that too quickly. Read it again, and consider what He's saying. Jesus doesn't say, "He who is a member of the right church will be saved. He who gives the most money, or lives the most morally upright life, or has the most dramatic testimony will be saved." He simply says that those who endure will be saved. What does that mean? We have to finish well.

The most important thing in following Jesus is following Jesus. Everyday we have to get up, deny ourselves, take up our crosses, and follow Jesus. Nothing flashy, nothing fancy. Just a daily death to ourselves. A daily surrender to the Lordship of King Jesus. He who endures will be saved.

I've heard many preachers say something like, "If you can go back to a time when you trusted in Jesus, you are saved." Friends, that's not what Jesus says. He isn't interested in a time in the past. He says, "He who endures to the end will be saved." If you trusted Jesus before, you'll be trusting Him now. If you gave Him your heart in the past, He'll have your heart in the present, and in the future. Doesn't mean we won't have times when we stumble into sin or turn away for a moment. But true followers of Jesus will always return to Him. And the promise is that all who endure will be saved. As followers of Jesus, we must finish well. Did you have a rocky start in your walk with Christ? Don't worry about it. Jesus is much more interested in how we finish than how we started. At the end of the day, when we're in the presence of Jesus, it won't really matter how we started, will it? All that will matter is that we finished the race, that we fought the good fight-not perfectly, but consistently. And when we bow before our Great King, when we fall before Him in adoration, basking in the glory of His splendor, all that will matter is that we endured to the end. My friends, let's finish well.

Father, thank You for loving us. Thank You for saving us. Thank You for Your infinite patience with us. Even though we stumble and fall, you continue to lift us up, to give us strength to endure. Help us to finish well. Help us to serve You consistently. Your word is clear-if we endure, we are saved. Give us the strength to endure; and when we can't walk, carry us into Your presence-for Your honor, and for Your glory. Amen.

Thoughts on holiness and socks

So the other day I had to buy some new socks. And I really don't like buying new socks-not that I'm opposed to wearing new socks or anything, it's just that when I think about buying something new, I want it to be something cool, something that I really, really want. And when I think of things that are cool, socks rarely come to mind. But I needed socks, so socks it was. And as I was putting my socks away the other night, I noticed something remarkable. My old socks were incredibly dingy. Now I knew already that they weren't as bright as they were when I bought them; but compared to the new socks, they looked pretty bad. So bad, in fact, that I'm considering buying more new socks-and as you might have heard, I don't like buying new socks.

But that's not the point. The point is, new socks can teach us something about holiness. I know, you don't expect to learn anything about holiness by looking at new socks. But I did. My old socks looked OK to me-until I compared them to a different standard, a higher standard than my own opinion. And compared to that different standard, compared to that higher standard, my old socks didn't measure up. I saw things wrong with them, things that I hadn't noticed before. Compared to new socks, my old socks didn't look very nice anymore.

And in the very same way, you and I can look at our lives and think that we're pretty good. When our only standard is our own opinion, we can come out looking pretty well. But the standard by which we must be judged isn't our own standard, isn't our own opinion or anything like that. The standard is God. And His standard is remarkably higher than our own. I Peter 1:15-16 says, "...but as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, because it is written, “Be holy, for I am holy.”

My life is like my old socks. When looked at based on my own opinions and my own judgments I can come out looking pretty good. I go to church regularly, I try to serve the Lord; or, as I've heard it said before, "I don't smoke, I don't chew, and I don't go with girls who do." I'm a pretty good person. But God's standard isn't goodness; it isn't morality or any of that. God's standard is holiness, absolute perfection. He says, "Be holy because I am holy." Holiness is what God demands because holiness is Who He is. And there is no debate, no wavering on this point. Spurgeon said, "As the God who must do right, the Lord cannot shut his eyes to the iniquities of man; he must visit transgression with its punishment." God demands holiness-and the standard by which we are judged is Himself. And when I judge myself against the glorious holiness of God, I know begin to see things that I didn't see before. When judged against the perfect holiness of the LORD, all my church attendance doesn't seem as impressive as it did before; my feeble, inconsistent attempts at obedience begin to look less like garments of righteousness and more like the tattered rags of a spiritual beggar. I am lost and undone compared to the holiness and righteousness of a great and holy Judge.

Sounds pretty hopeless, doesn't it? Here's the good news-God wants to give you new socks. Isaiah 61:10, "I will greatly rejoice in the LORD; my soul shall exult in my God, for he has clothed me with the garments of salvation; he has covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decks himself like a priest with a beautiful headdress, and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels." See that? God wants to clothe us the righteousness of Jesus Christ. When we see our own goodness as insufficient, when we see that we are unable to be holy we cry out for mercy. And that mercy comes in the form of righteousness-not our own righteousness, but the righteousness of Jesus Christ. God grants to us the righteousness of Jesus. And so even though we couldn't live a holy life on our own, we are treated as though we lived the perfect life that Jesus lived. All this happens when we come to God in faith and repentance-we trade our old, dirty socks for the perfect righteousness of King Jesus. All in all, not a bad deal is it? So rejoice in the righteousness that is yours through Jesus Christ. Exult in your good standing with God; and worship the One who made that standing possible-Jesus Christ. And check your sock drawer for dingy socks.

Father, thank You for mercy and grace. Thank You for being such a gloriously holy God. Thank You for revealing Yourself to us-though we were dead in trespasses and sins, You have called us to Yourself and have clothed us in the perfect righteousness of Jesus. And now we are a part of Your family-not because of any good works we have done, but because of the good works that Jesus did. Thank You for the gospel, and for appropriating it in our lives. Amen.

The one about politics

OK, so this one is going to be a little about politics. You've been warned. If you don't want to read it I'll harbor no ill feelings; scroll down and find the Punky Brewster pic-you'll like that one, I'm sure. Last chance to go...still there? OK, I'm officially climbing on my soapbox now.

Psalm 20:7 says, "Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the LORD our God." Great, great verse of scripture. It draws a beautiful comparison, doesn't it? "There are those", says the Psalmist, "who hold to temporal things. These temporal things have the appearance of power, and compared to you and I they are powerful indeed. But compared to the Lord our God they are weak and impotent. And so rather than trust in these things that have only the shadow of power, our trust is in the One who is eternally powerful, Who is eternally good and will eternally save us." You could preach for weeks on that, right? But what I've noticed is that many of us Christians say we believe that verse, but our hope is actually in something else-namely, politics; specifically, our government.

Now depending on which side of the political aisle you sit you probably think that either we've got the brightest, most intelligent, articulate President in recent memory (if not in history), or we're headed to Hell in a communist basket that's being carried by Nazis and Fascists. Unfortunately, neither are true. Our President can give the heck out of a speech-but that doesn't make him a genius. And I disagree with many of his policies-but that doesn't make him the next Hitler. "What does any of this have to do with Psalm 20:7", you might ask. Here's the answer; I'm afraid that our passion for politics betrays our misplaced trust. Many of us have placed our trust in our government, in the political system of our nation. Nothing gets our dander up quite like politics. And there's nothing wrong with that, per se. But if our trust is really in the Lord, why so much fear and anxiety? I'm not being flip, and I'm certainly not suggesting that we don't stay in contact with our representatives and Senators, or that we somehow remove ourselves from the public square. What I am suggesting is that none of that really matters so much.

Before you get all huffy, consider the words of Jesus. Matthew 6:25, " “Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing?" Read that one more time, a little more slowly. I'll wait. Consider what Jesus is saying. We are told by Jesus, commanded by Jesus to not concern ourselves with food, drink, or clothing. But you want me to believe that I'm supposed to be worried about who sits in the Oval Office, or get all worked up over what laws Congress passes? Again, not saying we shouldn't vote our conscience, or that we shouldn't care about it-but we care as though we didn't care. Let me explain.

In I Cor. 7, Paul is encouraging the church to have an eternal, rather than a temporal focus. And he says that those who have wives should be as though they didn't have wives; those who weep as though they didn't weep, and those who rejoice as though they didn't rejoice. And his point is that our passion shouldn't be for the temporal-it should be for the eternal. An illustration might help-I love my wife. I'm nuts about her. Seriously, it's borderline disgusting how crazy I am about my wife. If my high school self could meet my present day self, high school Randy would mock old, married Randy (but old married Randy would go home to a lovely lady so who's laughing now, chief?). But as much as I love my wife, I love my Lord even more. And my greatest passion, my greatest satisfaction is not found in my wife; it's found in King Jesus. The gift of my wife doesn't remove my passion for my Lord; it reminds me of His goodness towards me, that He has given me such a priceless treasure. And so while I love her, and I'm crazy about her-my passion remains with King Jesus. In the very same way, I love my country. I'm so glad I'm an American, I'm so grateful for this land. But my highest passion isn't found in who sits in the Oval Office or what laws are passed. My highest passion is found in King Jesus; in knowing Him, serving Him, and fellowshipping with Him. And so while I'll make my voice heard, while I'll vote-I'll do so with my eyes on eternity, not on temporal things like governments and nations.

"Some trust in chariots and horses-we trust in the Lord", said the Psalmist. Is our trust in the Lord, or in our government? You might say, "Well I trust in the Lord, but I think we're supposed to stand up for what's right." I agree. But show me in the New Testament where the early church was commanded to act like the church in America does. Change is not supposed to come from the White House, it's supposed to come from the church house. Congress can't change unregenerate hearts. A government can't look at those who are spiritually dead and say, "Live!" Only Christ can do that. And for many of us, we have taken the mission of the church and given it to the government. And so we've transferred our trust from the One who is trustworthy to something that is temporal.

Now I'm sure that many will disagree with this, and that's OK. I don't mind you disagreeing with me if you don't mind being wrong :) But in my experience, this has been the case. If I make a post on Facebook about the Lord, or about the lost I'll get a few "likes", maybe a comment or two. But if I make a political comment, my page becomes a message board. Hasn't that been the case in your own life? Ask your fellow Christians about missions or the lost and you'll get a couple grunts. Ask them about politics and the fight is on. If we're so passionate about it, that must mean that we've transferred our trust to it. But our trust must be in the Lord.

Again, doesn't mean we remove ourselves from the political discussion. The Psalmist wasn't saying that he opposed the use of chariots or horses. His point was that his trust wasn't in these temporal things; apart from the Lord, it was useless. And so it is with us. Apart from a trust in the Lord Jesus, all our marching, and sign holding, and slogan chanting and all that is useless. Make your voice heard-but don't put your trust in temporal things. Let others trust in a government, or in an Office; we'll trust in the Lord.

Father, thank You for sovereignly ruling all things. Thank You for holding the hearts of leaders in Your hand, and for turning them wherever You please. Help us to put our trust in You, not in temporal things like governments and politicians. Help us to guard our passions, and to not care too deeply about politics. Help us to find our greatest passion, and our greatest satisfaction, in You and You alone. Amen.