Christians: Stop the "Check-In" Game

Let me be clear, I love participating in the social media networking game of Foursquare - I see it as a way to network, share my love for my church by pinging my "check-ins" to my Facebook and Twitter feeds, and I can also see a way a church could capitalize on a congregant's willingness to share their church experience online.  So I'm not at all bashing Facebook Places, Foursquare and Gowalla.

One of the errors of the Christian church is to claim that we have been "converted" without realizing that a bold commissioning accompanies your conversion.  Pew-sitters have long-since done nothing more than "check-in" at church (and I'm not talking about the phenomenon tied to social location-based services like Facebook Places, Foursquare and Gowalla.) 

• To separate "conversion" from "commissioning" is faulty theology.  
• To claim "conversion" and say others are "commissioned" is uninformed theology.

Too many believers consider mission as a converted Christian to simply maintain perfect attendance and stake their place on a padded pew during a weekend service.  Well, I'm here to tell you it's not.  Your pew is not your destination, it's you're launching pad (don't you love my cheesy Photoshop work!)

In our study of Galatians 1 today, you see Paul's opening statement:

Paul, an apostle, sent not from men nor by man, but by Jesus Christ and God the Father, who raised him from the dead . . .

The term "apostle" means "sent one" - so Paul is emboldened by a sending of God.  While the great men of faith are given titles like this, every believer is apostled by God:

Jesus said, "Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you." (John 20.21)

When you are apostled to the world, you are there to showcase the Light of God, share His love and allow Him to work through you to demonstrate His glory.  You are more than just "converted."  Your commissioning is based on you being SENT with a purpose.

-Randy

If God is All About Godliness, Is Doing Good Good Enough for God?

This morning, our men's study launched into a 3-week study of the book of Titus.  Man, I could stretch this into a 3-MONTH study - some great stuff!

One thing that is noticeable in the entire letter to Titus is that Paul uses at least 8x an expression about "doing good."  (1.8, 1.16, 2.3, 2.7, 2.14, 3.1, 3.8, 3.14)  That is 1 in every 7 verses talks about "doing good."

If God is all about godliness, is doing good good enough for God?

In the first chapter, the "doing good" passages contrast with one another.  In 1.16, it is in reference to the home-ruiners who say they know God but "by their actions deny him" (1.16).  They are "unfit for doing anything good."   On the other hand, an overseer is described as "hospitable, one who loves what is good . . ." As this morning's study suggested, while this is often used as a list of qualifications for elders, shouldn't this list in Titus 1 ("blameless" "self-controlled" "upright" "holy" . . .) be what we all strive for?

When you look at the 8 mentions of "doing good" in this brief letter (the Book of Titus only has 46 verses total!), one can begin to wonder if "doing good" is the pursuit of most Christians.  But if we pervert its intention, are we missing the point?  What if we don't do enough good?  Will it be good enough to please God?

The next few chapters may help us, or may worry us.  2.14 says that because of grace and hope, we will be "eager to do what is good."  3.1 says we should be "ready to do whatever is good."  And 3.8 and 3.14 says we must "learn to devote (our)selves to doing what is good."  You can look at these in two ways:

1. Doing good because that's what "do-gooders" are supposed to do
2. Doing good because it is the fruit of godliness in our lives

Fortunately, 3.5 tells us exactly what our answer is.

"He saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy."

We do what is good in response to God's mercy, grace and love.  Not to earn his favor, but because grace bears fruit.  If you are not bearing fruit, you have not received true grace. Do good not to be saved but because you are.

As Paul continues, we are reminded that we are saved by grace through the rebirth we have in Christ and the renewal by the Holy Spirit.  It is not that we are in ANY WAY saved because of the good we may have done.  Nor is it based on how much good we might do tomorrow (we can't "pay it forward").  What about those who have done far more evil than good?  There is an equal implication that a LACK of doing good cannot keep us from being saved either!

There's nothing you can do that will keep God from loving and saving your soul.  There's nothing good that you can do to earn it.  Trust in his mercy!

-Randy

A Celebration of 20 Years in Benin, West Africa

* written 2 weeks ago while in Africa *
----
I am writing this post from Aplahoue, Benin.  A rural village in the southwest corner of this developing country in West Africa, this was also our home base for almost 10 years during our church planting missionary work.  Each opportunity that I have to return (this marks my 3rd visit since moving back Stateside), I am reminded of God’s faithfulness during our time here.  This is a small place, so I can literally recount stories, experiences, happenings and memories from just about every corner of this place.   My long-term colleague in this work, Greg Bailey, has made the same trip back the past 3 years.  We return to visit with church leaders, encouraging them in the Scriptures.  In a vastly non-literate society, teaching oral learners alongside a few learned in the written Word is a complex mission.  These leaders are very young in the faith and very limited in their knowledge of the Word.  This trip we are focusing on how to not only study the Scriptures (whether literate or not) but also how to share it with others through obedience and generosity.  Hebrews 1:22 says that we are not only to “hear the Word” but we must do what it says!  Today we ended our leadership workshop with all 20 participants reciting that verse in unison.


In talking with Greg, it was also good to reflect not only immediate ups and downs of this work.  It’s easy to concentrate on weaknesses of the movement, limitations of certain people, or backsliding of specific past leaders.  As we were talking, I was reminded that although our family first joined this mission in 1996, Greg and his family first started praying about this specific work in 1992.  Not at all to dismiss all that God was doing before that, it was stunning to realize that we are soon approaching a 20-year anniversary of our families’ participation in this story (15 for my wife and immediate family, but we celebrate as a team).  Congregations and leaders have fallen away, but new ones have emerged.  So while the peaks and valleys of today encourage and discourage, it is God’s faithfulness throughout the entire story that propels to commit further to seeing the Kingdom advance here.  20 years!  Thank you for friends like you who have prayed with us and given generously so our family’s work during these two decades could be sustained.

-Randy

10 Observations About International Flying

Just returned from a 2-week trip to Benin, West Africa.  A great trip - over the next few weeks (or months), I will share insights and experiences from this journey.  Here's some of my observations about flying internationally:

1. There are simply not enough charging station kiosks in airports.  Found good amount at DFW's terminal, but in Chicago, forget it!  The charging station kiosk was 200 yards from the gate and there were 4 outlets for about 4000 interested people.  And no seating, so you just stood there waiting for your phone to charge.  In Paris, nothing.  In Benin, West Africa, I was fine, because their power grid is so jittery I didn't care to plug in my phone to their electricity.  But very disappointed at Paris, Washington Dulles, and O'Hare.   Speaking of charging, would we not at least have the ability to charge our phones while on the plane, even if we can't use them (I'm talking on flights where you cannot use them yet).  Be nice to have charging systems right next to where you plug your headphones into especially on a 4-hour or 8-hour plane ride.
2. Call me from the sticks, but thought the automatic toilet seat covers at O'Hare were pretty snazzy - some guy actually shows it on YouTube 
3. The United "Extra Legroom" offer is worth it.  It's only 5 inches more, but the best is when the guy in front of you decides to lay his seat back all the way for an annoying 3 hour nap, it's not near as inconventient on your tray table.  
4. It should be against the law in Coach Class to recline your seat as far as some people do.  I do not understand how that person doesn't even think about the inconvenience he is placing on the passenger behind him.  Would you do this to your friends in carpool on your way to work?    
5. People watching is incredibly fun - especially an in international terminal or in an airport overseas.  It's fun to spot the inexperienced American tourist heading for their first European family vacation.  Just good comedy.
6. European perfume ads are downright inappropriate for a public venue like an international airport - call me a prude but why do naked mothers with babies all around them sell how you smell?
7. It's a shame that the de-boarding system can't be done by priority order - those with the earliest connecting flights are called off first, then followed by those with connections 4 hours later followed by the ones who have reached their final destination.  Seems fair and democratic to me and might result in fewer missed connections (and less pushing once inside the terminal).   Also, they board the elderly and those with small children first, why not let them deboard first?  After a long 8-hour flight the family I was sitting next to me from Paris to Washington had more squabbles while we were just sitting at the gate waiting to de-board.
8. I wish airports could offer the technology that could text you when you were 10 minutes from actual boarding.  This would alleviate the stressed-out crowd at the gates, notably where there delays and when the airline is backed up because of previous cancellations.  Just let me get out of that crowd, go down to a nice restaurant and wait on my flight rather than sitting on the floor in the overcrowded gate area (with no charging station for my iPhone!)  
9. Every airport, especially international hubs like Paris' Charles-de-Gualle, should offer sleeping rooms for weary travelers
10. It's truly a miracle to me that I can sit inside a well-designed contraption of several tons of metal and we fly over the Atlantic Ocean because of some real trust-worthy engines.  It's amazing we do this.  Beats the 3-month boat voyage!

-Randy

I woke up thinking about vuvuzelas

Today is the final day of the World Cup.  I have enjoyed watching the fanfare of it all, loved the South African elements of the ESPN coverage, and even watched a few games (admittedly, though, I lost interest after the USA loss to Ghana).

But this vuvuzela (vu-vu-ZAY-la) phenomenon is fascinating.  I'm probably no different than many who thought, upon watching my first World Cup match a month ago, that something was wrong with the volume on my TV, or as one commentator said, "it's like a swarm of bees" were swirling around Soccer City or something.  On a funny note, I caught an ESPN clip yesterday from Rick Reilley's "Riled UP" feature scaring every bride-to-be with his "Vuvuzela Invasion" video.

Nevertheless, the World Cup ends today.  Go Spain, Go Dutch - I really have no horse in this race.  I have loved the attention on Africa and I think South Africa had done an incredible PR job with it all (minus the vuvuzela influence).

Last week in our study through the book of Judges, we spent our 2nd week on the life of Gideon.  In the first week, we saw Gideon throwing out his fleece to confirm that indeed God was asking this man of the weakest tribe of Isreal to lead in defeating the massive and impressive Midianite army.  Weak faith or not, Gideon's tests for God were granted with mercy, and those tests compelled and propelled this Israelite to prepare his own army of 32,000 to fight.

Oh wait, says God, "you got too many men."

God asks Gideon to release the men who were "trembling in fear" (later on in the chapter Gideon is said to be afraid, too, but I guess he didn't tremble in his fear).  Then he sifts out the alert soldier from the selfish and ends up with only 300 men.  So now the Lord has determined that His glory can be achieved with a small band of weak men, equipped with swords, jars holding their torches, and vuvuzelas.

What? 

OK, so maybe they were trumpets (I'd love to know if any South African preachers have contextualized the battle horn this way).  In our study last Wednesday, one of our church's furloughing missionaries from South Africa was visiting and he got a kick out of our fascination with the vuuvzela so he played along and every time the word "trumpet" was mentioned, he'd substitute "vuvuzela" in the text.

In this story, we were all struck how God equips His soldiers for battle:

1. Alert & Aware - God's soldiers were to be alert and aware (down on your hands and knees makes you vulnerable to the enemy and thus destined for defeat).  I Peter 5.8 is a stark reminder that our enemy prowls around like a lion seeking to devour those unaware of his schemes (2 Cor 2.10-11).
2. Lead with Light - God's soldiers carry the Light, not as a small pinlight, but as a flaming torch to light the way, leading people out of darkness into the glorious Light (1 Pet 2.9).
3. Jars of Clay - In this account, you can't help as well to think that humility is a factor.  From the beginning, as the numbers dwindle, we are reminded as God's soldiers, that God gets all the glory, not us.  So as we fight for God, we lead with the treasured reality that God works through us.  Paul recounts that "we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us." (2 Cor 4.7-11).
4. Using the Sword Correctly - Throughout Judges, a sword is a weapon of war.  Throughout Scripture, it is analogous to the Word of God.  It is interesting, as one of our study participants noted, that in their left hand was their torch and in their right hand was their trumpet.  Where was the sword?  Not lifted high ready to kill, but surely strapped and ready to do battle.  Don't use the Bible to kill people; use it as a double-edged sword that convicts people themselves.  In this victory, the people turned on themselves so a physical weapon was not even needed.
5. Blasts of Praise - I love the story in 2 Chronicles 20 where Jehoshaphat defeats the Moabites and does so by putting the praise band out front.  I think the trumpets can be seen here as the soldiers' weapon of choice - much like praise and even prayer.  Shouts of God are continuously seen in Scripture as powerful victory sealers, whether they are stomping around the walls of Jericho or scaring the daylights out of the Midianites so bad that they turn on themselves.  Our voices reflect our heart (Mt 12.34), and these vuvuvzelas are indicative of the power we wield when our faith comes in shouts of praise and prayer.  

Enjoy the vuvuzela sounds of today.  Let it remind you of God's instruments of battle, and how when used correctly, the armor of God can equip a small band of soldiers to defeat an overwleming enemy of great strength and size.

-Randy

Image source:  amor por la comiseta

Followership Is Harder to Teach than Leadership

In our Wednesday morning Bible study, we were in Judges 4-5 this week.  Deborah is the main character while Jael comes up with a surprising supporting role with that nailpeg-to-his-temple gig at the end of the story.  Pretty powerful reading not for the faint at heart!

The biggest challenge I face as a parent is not teaching leadership, but followership.  Leadership is a gift of God. I believe it is a gift bestowed on certain individuals.  Taught correctly, these men and women learn to use their gift to empower, inspire and act in bold ways.  This is a challenge because your own child's natural humility, coupled with the enemy's voices of self-doubt, keep leaders from leading effectively.  Also, when a leader misuses his/her leadership gift, they will simply micro-manage or worse, lord their leadership over their followers.  Leaders who don't use their gift at all or those who abuse it are both tragically more evident in this world than we'd like to see.  But often times then "leaders" rise up because the followers won't do their part.  Or worse, those leaders never really learned to be good followers.

Followership is more than just some sort of mindless activity of "follow the leader" because that's what we're supposed to do.  Followership is also seen abused when followers decide that following their leader is purely a matter of their opinion and often that line of thinking is situational ("I'll decide tomorrow whether I think I'll do what she says.")  So when teaching children, young recruits, or newly converted, followers have to be taught how to do it right. 

• Even Jesus was a Follower - Deborah follows the Lord, speaking a word over Barak.  Yes, Barak is a follower, but Deborah clearly understands she is positioned to do God's work.  Deborah is a great leader of Barak because she first follows God. 
• Followers need Leaders - Barak offers this wimpy sounding excuse that is laughed at by every man reading this passage.  In talking to this woman who has challenged him to step out to fight the enemy, Barak limps to the plate, saying, "I'll go if you go with me.  But if you don't go, I ain't going."  We chuckle and declare how we'd never do that, but in fact, Barak does step out and go because Deborah steps forward.  Followers aren't leaders, so don't expect them to be.  Followers expect to follow.  But even then, followers need a push.
• Followership is not guaranteed the end of the story - this is the classic reason we have all slouched back and refused to obey God's call to something hard.  When asked to do something challenging, our first question is wondering how it's going to turn out at the end.  This expectation ("I'll follow if I know how it'll turn out") is a perversion and has to be corrected.  Followers who follow well follow based on faith in God.  Deborah points Barak in the right direction:  "has not the Lord gone ahead of you?"  As followers we need to be reminded that while the storyline is unclear, we clearly can trust God's gone before us.
• Followers need to be told to "GO" - Followers are naturally lazy, skeptical, disobedient and have to be pushed.  When a follower understands the command echoed throughout Scripture, action is expected.  But the church often does little to help, because we seem to encourage "STAYING" (or just coming and "attending church").  
• Followers are sometimes the Future Leaders - I don't think every follower is a leader, but if we are going to pass the baton to future generations, your next gen leader is among your group of followers right now.  Are you looking for them?  Are you training them already?  Don't wait to train your leader when your end is in sight.  Start looking for your replacement now.  Continuity and succession planning is intentional.  Start developing leaders today. 

image source: clker.com

Daddy Boot Camp 2010 launches this week!

This week, we resurrect a tradition dating back several years ago when my family lived in Africa.  Whenever Mom was out of town for a woman's retreat or Stateside visiting family, I would run "Daddy Boot Camp" for the kids.  It has been several years since we have done that and this week marks our first Daddy Boot Camp since we returned to the States several years ago.  Mom's working, but she'll actually be able to join us.  Our kid's summer sitter is out, so stay-at-home-entrepreneur-Dad is in charge!

During Daddy Boot Camp, we do lots of things:

• Have loads of fun including playing "Ceiling Fan Sock Catch" - lousy name (gotta get a better name for this sport) but the kids ask for it every year.  (It's the only time of year I let them do it).  Put 3-4 socks loosely on each ceiling fan blade.  Each kid takes a corner of the bedroom.  Then turn the ceiling fan on.  The fan picks up speed and the socks start flying!  Usually we play this game until someone cries or gets hurt.  Well, crying we'll tolerate and we've gotta see blood to stop!  They love it!
• Arts & Crafts - my kids are creators - artists that love to do things, paint, draw.  So as part of Daddy Boot Camp, I celebrate their inner creativity and look for ways to let them shine!
• Outdoor activities - to keep them from going stir-crazy, we get out to the park to do some sports and exercise.  Might even make it to the pool or waterpark, too.
• Movies, fun foods, etc....here's one "indoor grillout" we did in Africa one year!
• Focus on spiritual disciplines (reading Scripture, praying, serving)
• T-shirt design is in the works and should be ready by Tuesday
• Memorize Exodus 15:2 - the key verse is "He is my Daddy's God and I will tell the world about Him!"

(adapted from The Message)
God is my strength.
God is my song.
God is my salvation!
He is my God.
He’s my Daddy’s God.
He is my God
and I’ll tell the world
about Him!
(Exodus 15.2)

Leadership and Legacy

Every generation is faced with passing the baton of faith to the next.  It is not a passive passage but rather an intentional mission to do so.

When I worked as a church-planting missionary in Benin, West Africa, we were very intentional about passing the baton of leadership.  We never sought to pastor churches; rather we sought to raise up pastors.  We did this by:

1. Offering real experience - just like with our kids, the best teacher is actually doing something first-hand; classrooms instruct and guide us but internships give us experience doing it.  On the mission field, we rarely worked alone.  If I was going out to teach in a village, I was doing so alongside up-n-coming leaders.  And they ended up doing alot of the teaching.
2. Offering a firm foundation - just as we spent hours in the field, we also spent hours huddled together in training.  Not so much rote memorization, but with in-depth study of God's Word and best practices in evangelism and church development.  Without this understanding, these up-and-coming leaders would be void of any basis for what we were doing together.  After we were gone, they wouldn't know why they should continue.
3. Offering a gut-check on motivation - a generation of leaders (spiritual pastoral leaders or even your children) who simply follow your lead to please you and make you happy will fail to teach true faith to their descendants.  They will pass on an adulterated perversion of faith that is centered around themselves.  Ensure your followers are there for the right reason:  test them to make sure they are not their for self-gain or self-preservation.  Give them hard challenges to make sure they stay the course; this exposes bad motivation.

In Judges 2.10, we read "another generation grew up who knew neither the Lord nor what he had done for them."  Sad.  Not only did they not know of God, they didn't even have one single testimony to celebrate about what God had done.  In the previous historical narrative, Joshua leads the people God and God institutes the 12 stones memorial (see Joshua 4).  When such an incredible memorial is in place, how does the next generation miss it?

Leave a legacy.  Lead them to carry it on.

-Randy

Leadership and Character Issues from the book of Judges

I currently lead our Wednesday morning Bible study - you are welcome to join us at 6am if you are in the North Fort Worth area.  We meet in the offices of Jeffrey's Automotive Repair in Watauga (where my wife works - it's her Dad's business). 

Last week, we launched a new study in the book of Judges.  Now before you yawn, this is some of those most exciting and intriguing narrative of the OT.  It has alot to say about the fickle character of God's people - and of its leaders.  The judges (or "leaders") are described in this book as rescuers, savers, deliverers - these are the people who God raises up when the nation is falling apart. 

Although the book of Judges can be labeled as negative by some, it can also be an inspiring book as we see the cycles of sin and the consistency of God's amazing grace.  When there's repentance, God's mercy is new every morning!

In chapter 1, you see several micro-stories about God's people, their leaders, and watching them take full possession of the gifts God has given them (carried over from the book of Joshua).  God's people were given every spiritual blessing (Eph 1.4) but they also had to "claim it"!  In this time in history, it meant driving out the enemies of the land promised as inheritance to God's people.  All the people of God had to do was to take full possession of this blessing of God - but we see a problem.

In one line (1.27), we hear that the enemy of God just seem "determined to live in the land."  In other words, to drive these people out would mean an intentional battle, one that would take perseverance, sacrifice and commitment.  As the tribe of Judah lead out, we see one of their downfalls.  They, too, hit this wall of resistance.  In their case, it was the enemy's "iron chariots" that cause them to stop short of driving out the enemy. 

What is your "iron chariot"?  For most of us reading this post, we are believers and may have been in the faith for a number of years.  We have access to the spiritual blessings in Christ and, in all reality, we have full knowledge of how great God's gifts are for His people.  But as we grow in Christ, as we mature, we must put away childish things - things we did when we were young in our faith.  We must continue to grow and drive out the "iron chariots" as we face them.  Alot of us simple come to a point in our faith where we rest and say "that's far enough - to push forward will require that we tackle the hard things."  Sin robs of God's full attention for our lives - abundantly living as we allow God's Spirit to bear fruit through his grace.  Whether it's bad habits, leftover emotional baggage, or disobedience or distancing ourselves from God's expectations, we have to grow and wrestle with these iron chariots.  Later on, as we see the faith of Deborah played out, we'll recognize that some leaders see the imposing chariots as fuel for rising up in faith. 


Psalm 20.7 - "some trust in chariots, some trust in horses, but we will trust inthe name of the Lord our God"!

-Randy

A Voice Needs a Venue

Whenever I meet new people, I end up telling people that I have two occupational passions (what jobs I love and have loved doing):

• Ministry (specifically international missions)
• Marketing

Then I get one of several reactions:

• "Wow, I didn't know those two could peacefully co-exist. Isn't like oil and water?"
• "OK, never heard of that combination before. Tell me more about that!"
• "Why did you leave the ministry to go into marketing?"
• "Why did you leave marketing to go into ministry?"

As I launch this blog, this is my ministry and missions alter-ego. I write consistently on a two other blogs:

1. MarketingTwins.com - small business marketing
2. 1429creative - ministry marketing and church communication
   

Whenever my family lived in West Africa, we discovered the power of blogging in 2004 and found it to be an incredible communication tool to connect with people back home who were interested in following our missionary work to the Aja people of Benin, West Africa. The blog was started in 2004 and actually covered a year or two after our return to the States in 2007 - it is no longer updated, but chronicles some rich family history, not to mention the incredible story of when we we adopted our 4th child from Benin. We had no idea when she was born that she would eventually end up in our home, so the story of her birth is a great story for us to have written down).

This blog is for that part of me that still loves ministry, the Word of God, and missions. I rarely write about it since most of my time in the past few years has been spent on starting my business. But I am a writer and need to share these thoughts. I do not lead a congregation, pastor a church or lead a ministry, but I do participate in Bible studies and international missions is an important part of who I am - so this blog becomes a venue for that voice inside of me wanting to talk on these matters.

-Randy