Thursday, May 3, 2012
I am what I am
Is There a Better Description of the Christian Life Than This?
I am not what I ought to be.
Ah! how imperfect and deficient.
Not what I might be,
considering my privileges and opportunities.
Not what I wish to be.
God, who knows my heart, knows I wish to be like him.
I am not what I hope to be;
ere long to drop this clay tabernacle, to be like him and see him as He is.
Not what I once was,
a child of sin, and slave of the devil.
Thought not all these,
not what I ought to be,
not what I might be,
not what I wish or hope to be, and
not what once was,
I think I can truly say with the apostle,
“By the grace of God I am what I am.”
—John Newton (1725-1807), cited in Letters of John Newton [1], p. 400.
Article printed from Justin Taylor: http://thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/justintaylor
Friday, October 28, 2011
Stay on the anvil
When God wants to drill a man
And thrill a man
And skill a man
When God wants to mold a man
To play the noblest part
When He yearns with all His heart
To create so great and bold a man
That all the world shall be amazed,
Watch His methods, watch His ways!
How He ruthlessly perfects
Whom He royally elects!
How He hammers him and hurts him
And with mighty blows converts him
Into shapes and forms of clay
Which only God can understand.
How He bends but never breaks
When his good He undertakes
How He uses whom He chooses
And with mighty power infuses him
With every act induces him
To try His splendor out –
God knows what He’s about.
Author unknown.
HT:Ray Ortlund
And thrill a man
And skill a man
When God wants to mold a man
To play the noblest part
When He yearns with all His heart
To create so great and bold a man
That all the world shall be amazed,
Watch His methods, watch His ways!
How He ruthlessly perfects
Whom He royally elects!
How He hammers him and hurts him
And with mighty blows converts him
Into shapes and forms of clay
Which only God can understand.
How He bends but never breaks
When his good He undertakes
How He uses whom He chooses
And with mighty power infuses him
With every act induces him
To try His splendor out –
God knows what He’s about.
Author unknown.
HT:Ray Ortlund
Sunday, October 23, 2011
Time
As I was preparing a message on time I ran across this poem. I thought it worth sharing.
No Time to Play
My precious boy with the golden hair
Came up one day beside my chair
And fell upon his bended knee
And said, “Oh, Mommy, please play with me!”
I said, “Not now, go on and play;
I’ve got so much to do today.”
He smiled through tears in eyes so blue
When I said, “We’ll play when I get through.”
But the chores lasted all through the day
And I never did find time to play.
When supper was over and dishes done,
I was much too tired for my little son.
I tucked him in and kissed his cheek
And watched my angel fall asleep.
As I tossed and turned upon my bed,
Those words kept ringing in my head,
“Not now, son, go on and play,
I’ve got so much to do today.”
I fell asleep and in a minute’s span,
My little boy is a full-grown man.
No toys are there to clutter the floor;
No dirty fingerprints on the door;
No snacks to fix; no tears to dry;
The rooms just echo my lonely sigh.
And now I’ve got the time to play;
But my precious boy is gone away.
I awoke myself with a pitiful scream
And realized it was just a dream
For across the room in his little bed,
Lay my curly-haired boy, the sleepy-head.
My work will wait ‘til another day
For now I must find some time to play.
Dianna (Mrs. Joe) Neal
No Time to Play
My precious boy with the golden hair
Came up one day beside my chair
And fell upon his bended knee
And said, “Oh, Mommy, please play with me!”
I said, “Not now, go on and play;
I’ve got so much to do today.”
He smiled through tears in eyes so blue
When I said, “We’ll play when I get through.”
But the chores lasted all through the day
And I never did find time to play.
When supper was over and dishes done,
I was much too tired for my little son.
I tucked him in and kissed his cheek
And watched my angel fall asleep.
As I tossed and turned upon my bed,
Those words kept ringing in my head,
“Not now, son, go on and play,
I’ve got so much to do today.”
I fell asleep and in a minute’s span,
My little boy is a full-grown man.
No toys are there to clutter the floor;
No dirty fingerprints on the door;
No snacks to fix; no tears to dry;
The rooms just echo my lonely sigh.
And now I’ve got the time to play;
But my precious boy is gone away.
I awoke myself with a pitiful scream
And realized it was just a dream
For across the room in his little bed,
Lay my curly-haired boy, the sleepy-head.
My work will wait ‘til another day
For now I must find some time to play.
Dianna (Mrs. Joe) Neal
Friday, September 23, 2011
Pastoral Burnout
Read and Weep.
Richard J. Krejcir. “Statistics on Pastors.” Francis A. Schaeffer Institute of Church Leadership. 2007.
In the last twenty years, the workload of a pastor has increased from over fifty hours a week to just over sixty hours a week.
Fifteen hundred pastors leave the ministry each month due to moral failure, spiritual burnout, or contention in their churches.
50% of pastors’ marriages will end in divorce.
80% of seminary and Bible school graduates who enter ministry will leave within the first five years.
70% of pastors constantly fight depression
During the course of compiling information for the article, “Statistics on Pastors,” Krejcir surveyed 1,050 pastors from two different conferences to gather data. The results from the survey are troubling.
90% of the pastors surveyed stated they are frequently fatigued and worn out on a weekly and even daily basis.
89% of the pastors surveyed stated they considered leaving ministry at one time.
57% of the pastors surveyed stated they would leave if they had a better place to go – including secular work.
77% of the pastors surveyed stated they felt they did not have a good marriage.
71% of the pastors surveyed stated they were burned out, and they battle depression beyond fatigue on a weekly and even daily basis
Richard J. Krejcir. “Statistics on Pastors.” Francis A. Schaeffer Institute of Church Leadership. 2007.
In the last twenty years, the workload of a pastor has increased from over fifty hours a week to just over sixty hours a week.
Fifteen hundred pastors leave the ministry each month due to moral failure, spiritual burnout, or contention in their churches.
50% of pastors’ marriages will end in divorce.
80% of seminary and Bible school graduates who enter ministry will leave within the first five years.
70% of pastors constantly fight depression
During the course of compiling information for the article, “Statistics on Pastors,” Krejcir surveyed 1,050 pastors from two different conferences to gather data. The results from the survey are troubling.
90% of the pastors surveyed stated they are frequently fatigued and worn out on a weekly and even daily basis.
89% of the pastors surveyed stated they considered leaving ministry at one time.
57% of the pastors surveyed stated they would leave if they had a better place to go – including secular work.
77% of the pastors surveyed stated they felt they did not have a good marriage.
71% of the pastors surveyed stated they were burned out, and they battle depression beyond fatigue on a weekly and even daily basis
Sunday, June 5, 2011
The Pitfall Of Perfectionism
Steve Brown is one of my favorite people. I think he is one I would love to sit around with and just hang out. I might even take up smoking a pipe if I hung with him. I read or listen to Steve and I find myself asking myself often "can he say that?" Most of the time I think yes indeed, that is true.
I recently read this from Steve Brown (via Tullian) and had to share it with you:
She was only twenty-six years old. She was a Christian working in a church. After college she had served for a year on the mission field. I didn’t know her well, but I liked her a lot. She was a strong witness for Christ and she was an articulate spokesperson for evangelical Christianity. This morning I got the message that she had taken her life. I was absolutely devastated. I didn’t understand.
As if that were not enough, shortly after hearing about her suicide I got a call from a man who listens to my radio broadcast. “Steve,” he said, “I haven’t told anybody in the world what I’m going to tell you. I have decided to leave my wife and I told God that if I get through to you, I would do whatever you told me to do.”
I asked him what prompted him to decide to leave her.
He told me, “I became a Christian at fourteen and all my life I’ve been seeking to live up to the expectations of others. I work full-time in a ministry, I teach the Bible, and everyone thinks I’m the model Christian. I’m just tired of it. I’ve decided to do something for myself for a change.”
Let me share a letter with you that I received a couple weeks ago. There was no return address and the person gave me no name.
Dear Stephen,
Please pray for me as I am on the edge–a total failure as a Christian. I have failed as a husband and as a father. God has probably given up on me. I feel so very alone and abandoned. It’s a horrible feeling that words alone cannot describe. Please don’t judge me. Pray for me.
At first these three incidents didn’t seem related. They were just about individuals for whom I prayed. But in the silence of my prayer it dawned on me that they all had the same problem: They all had created a false standard of perfection (or accepted someone else’s standard) and concluded they couldn’t live up to it.
What advice would you give them? If you had talked to the young lady before her suicide, or the man thinking about leaving his wife, or the anonymous correspondent–what would you have said?
Most Christians would say that they should try harder. The problem is that all three already had–and they were at the end of themselves.
Others would try to help them trace their despair back to some unconfessed sin in their lives–drawing a straight line between their spiritual depression and their spiritual failure.
And still others would tell them to have faith. And yet, they discovered that the faith they needed couldn’t be turned on and off like a faucet.
But what would Jesus have told them? We don’t have to guess: “Come to me, all you who are weary and heavy burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light” (Matthew 11:28-30).
Perfectionism (or performancism) is a horrible disease. It comes from the pit of hell, smelling like rotting flesh. Someone convinced these folks that they were called to measure up to an unattainable standard. They couldn’t do it and each in his or her own way simply quit trying.
Nobody told them that Jesus was perfect for them, and because of that they didn’t have to be perfect for themselves. They didn’t understand that if Jesus makes you free, you will be free indeed.
Christian, please remember that Jesus plus nothing equals everything. That,
Because Jesus was strong for you, you’re free to be weak;
Because Jesus won for you, you’re free to lose;
Because Jesus was Someone, you’re free to be no one;
Because Jesus was extraordinary, you’re free to be ordinary;
Because Jesus succeeded for you, you’re free to fail.
Preaching the gospel is the only thing that helps us take our eyes off ourselves and how we’re doing and fix our eyes on Christ, the author and perfecter of our faith. Jesus fulfilled all of God’s perfect conditions so that our relationship to God could be perfectly unconditional.
You’re free!
For more Steve Brown go to http://www.keylife.org/
I recently read this from Steve Brown (via Tullian) and had to share it with you:
She was only twenty-six years old. She was a Christian working in a church. After college she had served for a year on the mission field. I didn’t know her well, but I liked her a lot. She was a strong witness for Christ and she was an articulate spokesperson for evangelical Christianity. This morning I got the message that she had taken her life. I was absolutely devastated. I didn’t understand.
As if that were not enough, shortly after hearing about her suicide I got a call from a man who listens to my radio broadcast. “Steve,” he said, “I haven’t told anybody in the world what I’m going to tell you. I have decided to leave my wife and I told God that if I get through to you, I would do whatever you told me to do.”
I asked him what prompted him to decide to leave her.
He told me, “I became a Christian at fourteen and all my life I’ve been seeking to live up to the expectations of others. I work full-time in a ministry, I teach the Bible, and everyone thinks I’m the model Christian. I’m just tired of it. I’ve decided to do something for myself for a change.”
Let me share a letter with you that I received a couple weeks ago. There was no return address and the person gave me no name.
Dear Stephen,
Please pray for me as I am on the edge–a total failure as a Christian. I have failed as a husband and as a father. God has probably given up on me. I feel so very alone and abandoned. It’s a horrible feeling that words alone cannot describe. Please don’t judge me. Pray for me.
At first these three incidents didn’t seem related. They were just about individuals for whom I prayed. But in the silence of my prayer it dawned on me that they all had the same problem: They all had created a false standard of perfection (or accepted someone else’s standard) and concluded they couldn’t live up to it.
What advice would you give them? If you had talked to the young lady before her suicide, or the man thinking about leaving his wife, or the anonymous correspondent–what would you have said?
Most Christians would say that they should try harder. The problem is that all three already had–and they were at the end of themselves.
Others would try to help them trace their despair back to some unconfessed sin in their lives–drawing a straight line between their spiritual depression and their spiritual failure.
And still others would tell them to have faith. And yet, they discovered that the faith they needed couldn’t be turned on and off like a faucet.
But what would Jesus have told them? We don’t have to guess: “Come to me, all you who are weary and heavy burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light” (Matthew 11:28-30).
Perfectionism (or performancism) is a horrible disease. It comes from the pit of hell, smelling like rotting flesh. Someone convinced these folks that they were called to measure up to an unattainable standard. They couldn’t do it and each in his or her own way simply quit trying.
Nobody told them that Jesus was perfect for them, and because of that they didn’t have to be perfect for themselves. They didn’t understand that if Jesus makes you free, you will be free indeed.
Christian, please remember that Jesus plus nothing equals everything. That,
Because Jesus was strong for you, you’re free to be weak;
Because Jesus won for you, you’re free to lose;
Because Jesus was Someone, you’re free to be no one;
Because Jesus was extraordinary, you’re free to be ordinary;
Because Jesus succeeded for you, you’re free to fail.
Preaching the gospel is the only thing that helps us take our eyes off ourselves and how we’re doing and fix our eyes on Christ, the author and perfecter of our faith. Jesus fulfilled all of God’s perfect conditions so that our relationship to God could be perfectly unconditional.
You’re free!
For more Steve Brown go to http://www.keylife.org/
Idol Identification
Addressing the cause of marital conflicts this morning at MercyHill. As always, we will be considering heart issues.
Ken Sande has given these questions to be used as tools to examine our hearts for idols. I have found them helpful. Maybe you will as well.
Steve
What am I preoccupied with? What is the first thing on my mind in the morning and the last thing at night?
If only I had ______ I would truly be happy.
What do I want to preserve or avoid?
What do I fear?
Where do I put my trust?
When a certain desire is not met I feel frustration, anxiety, resentment, bitterness, anger, or depression?
Is there something I desire so much that I am willing to disappoint or hurt others in order to have it?
Ken Sande has given these questions to be used as tools to examine our hearts for idols. I have found them helpful. Maybe you will as well.
Steve
What am I preoccupied with? What is the first thing on my mind in the morning and the last thing at night?
If only I had ______ I would truly be happy.
What do I want to preserve or avoid?
What do I fear?
Where do I put my trust?
When a certain desire is not met I feel frustration, anxiety, resentment, bitterness, anger, or depression?
Is there something I desire so much that I am willing to disappoint or hurt others in order to have it?
Thursday, February 10, 2011
Thoughts on Discipleship by Al Reid
Reposting this article. Well worth your read.
In all things...balance.
Making disciples of JESUS or of ME? Thoughts on Disciplemaking
“A disciple is not above his teacher, but everyone when he is fully trained will be like his teacher.” Jesus
“Christ is not valued at all, unless He is valued above all.” Augustine
“Be followers of me as I follow Christ.” Paul
“Follow me and I will make you fishers of men.” Jesus
Those of us who take seriously the Great Commission recognize how Christ’s charge compels us not to make converts on a superficial level but Christ-followers in all of life.
But we who make disciples must remember our own fallen state. Though pure in motive, without great care we may in the name of disciplemaking focus too much on making those we disciple like us rather than like Jesus. True, Paul said to those he discipled to follow him as he followed Christ, and there is a sense in which one of the best ways to show a disciple how to follow Christ is by demonstrating such a life. But we must be aware of our own biases as we lead others.
As we make disciples we need to be careful to be balanced, to be holistic in our training. All of us have personalities and passions that mark us. God has made us unique, but our goal in disciplemaking is less to note our uniqueness and more to make much of Christ. If we do not take care we will inadvertently push those we follow to pursue our personal passions more than Jesus. I would submit that three areas must be at the heart of our disciplemaking, mentoring, and for that matter, all our teaching and preaching, as well as our witness in the world:
–Orthodoxy, or right belief—we must affirm and guard fundamental teaching of Scripture.
–Orthopathy, or right affections—we must have a deep love for God and for others.
–Orthopraxy, or right actions—we must demonstrate our faith effectively in how we live.
In other words, we should be discipling others (and ourselves) to give glory to God through our head, our heart, and our hands. This is hinted at in Luke 2:52 where we read our Lord grew in wisdom, in stature, and in favor with God and man. We see this in the earliest description of life in the church in Acts 2:42-47:
Orthodoxy: they gave themselves to the apostles doctrine.
Orthopathy: they were praising God and having favor with the people.
Orthopraxy: they sold their possessions and distributed to those in need.
Here is how we must take care not to make followers of us rather than followers of Christ. We all have a tendency to favor one of these more than the others.
You probably know some believers who love to study doctrine or some subset of theology, from apologetics to a specific theological trend (eschatology, etc). Sometimes these folks given to such interests display a less than gracious capacity to relate to others or to put to practice their faith in the real world. And, sometimes they would rather argue their theological convictions than take time to hear yours.
Others have a great heart for people and really love God, but the idea of a doctrinal study gives them chills. They have affection but do not value truth.
Then again, some just want to know how to “do” the Christian life. These are the activists, jumping from one cause to another, sometimes running over people who do not share their affection for said cause, and often not able to articulate why they have such an activist bent biblically. You may be given to one of these than others, but take care: if you focus on one in your disciplemaking to the neglect of the others, you are not making followers of Jesus.
You are making followers of you.
Consider this formula:
Orthodoxy + Orthopraxy – Orthopathy = legalism. The Pharisees were keen on preserving the truth and on doing their religious duties. But they did not love people. They still don’t.
Orthopraxy + Orthopathy – Orthodoxy = liberalism. You have heard the expression a “bleeding heart liberal.” Liberals love to talk about their love for people and their causes, but loathe to talk about doctrine and changeless truth.
Orthodoxy + Orthopathy – Orthopraxy = monasticism. Monasteries seek to preserve a pure faith They love those inside their safe walls. But they do nothing to change the world around them. I know many churches who function this way, gathering together regularly, loving their fellowship, standing on the promises while they sit on the premises of their church facility, but who do so little in their communities that if they vanished from their communities no one would notice.
We must be aware how we as individuals and how our churches focus on one of these to the exclusion of the others. In fact, entire Christian traditions tend to do this:
–Presbyterian and other Reformed traditions, Bible Churches and the like generally focus on orthodoxy, giving great emphasis to the doctrines of grace.
–Pentecostal and Charismatic churches focus on orthopathy, being known much more for their passionate worship and emotional emphases. Study the history of Pentecostalism and you will read very few books on doctrine early in the movement.
–My tradition, the Baptists, focus on orthopraxy. After all, we have a program for pretty much everything in the Christian life. Want to be a witness? Take a FAITH evangelism course. Want to grow spiritually? Do Experiencing God. Name an area of growth and I guarantee you we have a how-to manual for it.
We need balance. Not a milk-toast, generic version of each, but a bold, unashamed passion for truth, for God and people, and a burden to live out our doctrine and our affection in an effective manner. I want to dig deeply into the riches of God’s Word, have a heart for my Savior and the people for whom He died that is apparent to all, and be able to live the faith in this culture in such a way that believers and unbelievers alike see that there is no better way to live. Or to think. Or to love.
Understanding this not only helps our disciplemaking with those who have come to follow Christ, it can help our evangelism as well. Some people we meet need to be shown theologically the truth of the gospel. Wait, everyone needs that! But some also need to see and sense the great love of God for them in addition to the propositions of the gospel. Further, some need to see how our faith actually works in the real world, how following Christ affects our daily lives and decisions. The effective gospel-bearer will learn to explain the gospel in such a way that one sees its truth, senses its heart, and realizes its practicality in a broken world.
Be busy making disciples. Just be busy making disciples of Jesus, with all of our hearts, our minds, and our activity. Such disciples may make people take notice. It did in the early church. And it will today.
In all things...balance.
Making disciples of JESUS or of ME? Thoughts on Disciplemaking
“A disciple is not above his teacher, but everyone when he is fully trained will be like his teacher.” Jesus
“Christ is not valued at all, unless He is valued above all.” Augustine
“Be followers of me as I follow Christ.” Paul
“Follow me and I will make you fishers of men.” Jesus
Those of us who take seriously the Great Commission recognize how Christ’s charge compels us not to make converts on a superficial level but Christ-followers in all of life.
But we who make disciples must remember our own fallen state. Though pure in motive, without great care we may in the name of disciplemaking focus too much on making those we disciple like us rather than like Jesus. True, Paul said to those he discipled to follow him as he followed Christ, and there is a sense in which one of the best ways to show a disciple how to follow Christ is by demonstrating such a life. But we must be aware of our own biases as we lead others.
As we make disciples we need to be careful to be balanced, to be holistic in our training. All of us have personalities and passions that mark us. God has made us unique, but our goal in disciplemaking is less to note our uniqueness and more to make much of Christ. If we do not take care we will inadvertently push those we follow to pursue our personal passions more than Jesus. I would submit that three areas must be at the heart of our disciplemaking, mentoring, and for that matter, all our teaching and preaching, as well as our witness in the world:
–Orthodoxy, or right belief—we must affirm and guard fundamental teaching of Scripture.
–Orthopathy, or right affections—we must have a deep love for God and for others.
–Orthopraxy, or right actions—we must demonstrate our faith effectively in how we live.
In other words, we should be discipling others (and ourselves) to give glory to God through our head, our heart, and our hands. This is hinted at in Luke 2:52 where we read our Lord grew in wisdom, in stature, and in favor with God and man. We see this in the earliest description of life in the church in Acts 2:42-47:
Orthodoxy: they gave themselves to the apostles doctrine.
Orthopathy: they were praising God and having favor with the people.
Orthopraxy: they sold their possessions and distributed to those in need.
Here is how we must take care not to make followers of us rather than followers of Christ. We all have a tendency to favor one of these more than the others.
You probably know some believers who love to study doctrine or some subset of theology, from apologetics to a specific theological trend (eschatology, etc). Sometimes these folks given to such interests display a less than gracious capacity to relate to others or to put to practice their faith in the real world. And, sometimes they would rather argue their theological convictions than take time to hear yours.
Others have a great heart for people and really love God, but the idea of a doctrinal study gives them chills. They have affection but do not value truth.
Then again, some just want to know how to “do” the Christian life. These are the activists, jumping from one cause to another, sometimes running over people who do not share their affection for said cause, and often not able to articulate why they have such an activist bent biblically. You may be given to one of these than others, but take care: if you focus on one in your disciplemaking to the neglect of the others, you are not making followers of Jesus.
You are making followers of you.
Consider this formula:
Orthodoxy + Orthopraxy – Orthopathy = legalism. The Pharisees were keen on preserving the truth and on doing their religious duties. But they did not love people. They still don’t.
Orthopraxy + Orthopathy – Orthodoxy = liberalism. You have heard the expression a “bleeding heart liberal.” Liberals love to talk about their love for people and their causes, but loathe to talk about doctrine and changeless truth.
Orthodoxy + Orthopathy – Orthopraxy = monasticism. Monasteries seek to preserve a pure faith They love those inside their safe walls. But they do nothing to change the world around them. I know many churches who function this way, gathering together regularly, loving their fellowship, standing on the promises while they sit on the premises of their church facility, but who do so little in their communities that if they vanished from their communities no one would notice.
We must be aware how we as individuals and how our churches focus on one of these to the exclusion of the others. In fact, entire Christian traditions tend to do this:
–Presbyterian and other Reformed traditions, Bible Churches and the like generally focus on orthodoxy, giving great emphasis to the doctrines of grace.
–Pentecostal and Charismatic churches focus on orthopathy, being known much more for their passionate worship and emotional emphases. Study the history of Pentecostalism and you will read very few books on doctrine early in the movement.
–My tradition, the Baptists, focus on orthopraxy. After all, we have a program for pretty much everything in the Christian life. Want to be a witness? Take a FAITH evangelism course. Want to grow spiritually? Do Experiencing God. Name an area of growth and I guarantee you we have a how-to manual for it.
We need balance. Not a milk-toast, generic version of each, but a bold, unashamed passion for truth, for God and people, and a burden to live out our doctrine and our affection in an effective manner. I want to dig deeply into the riches of God’s Word, have a heart for my Savior and the people for whom He died that is apparent to all, and be able to live the faith in this culture in such a way that believers and unbelievers alike see that there is no better way to live. Or to think. Or to love.
Understanding this not only helps our disciplemaking with those who have come to follow Christ, it can help our evangelism as well. Some people we meet need to be shown theologically the truth of the gospel. Wait, everyone needs that! But some also need to see and sense the great love of God for them in addition to the propositions of the gospel. Further, some need to see how our faith actually works in the real world, how following Christ affects our daily lives and decisions. The effective gospel-bearer will learn to explain the gospel in such a way that one sees its truth, senses its heart, and realizes its practicality in a broken world.
Be busy making disciples. Just be busy making disciples of Jesus, with all of our hearts, our minds, and our activity. Such disciples may make people take notice. It did in the early church. And it will today.
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