After School Specials & Saying No
I learned how to say no by watching after school specials in the eighties. Do you remember those? Just say no was theme in so many of them when it came to drugs, strangers, drinking and sex. I learned a lot of lessons from Scott Baio that I have applied to everyday aspects of my life.
I have been watching my friends and even myself fall into this trap of performance based pleasing. Not being able to say no because by nature were people pleasers. This is just a reminder that you have to say no to good things so you can say yes to the best. I sat in life group a couple weeks ago and talked about how can we remove the clutter that keeps our kids from having a healthy relationship with God, us and others. A lot of good answers, techniques and solutions were thought. I still say the best way to prevent or remove clutter is to simply say no.
Nobody cares about your schedule as much as you do. Nobody cares about protecting your time like you do. Focus on finding those things that really important and value and chase them. Don’t be afraid to let people down. Jesus did not heal everyone in the physical sense while on earth. He didn’t eat at everyone’s house and I would bet he probably turned some “ministry opportunities” because he was focused on a goal. Maybe we say yes to everything because we really don’t know what is important to us. Do you have goals?
Picket Lines & Boycotting
I honestly believe there is a time and place for everything. With that being said I don’t know the exact specifics about this situation I’ve seen the last couple weeks but I have a couple questions. Outside where I pull into my local Starbucks there is a group of men with picket signs and they are standing there at 7:30 every morning picketing a local business that is going in. They apparently are boycotting because of what they call an unfair wage incentive. I have no idea how this works or how the Union works. On one sign I saw .50 cents is .5o cents…pay up. I would assume that they are upset that they are missing out on .50 cents an hour for working. Now in a typical forty hour work week that adds up to $20 pre tax. The business is still being built by other employees because this is not a full on strike. These guys have lost three weeks pay since they have been out there all to earn another $20 a week? To me that just doesn’t make sense.
What makes sense is the civil rights marches demanding equality. Begging for equal rights to vote and for the simple right to live. I’ve always laughed at boycotts and pickets. I’m sure some are justified and really do work and get what they want or feel they need by pressing the hand of their employer. Growing up I have seen some denominations boycott: Disney, Coke, Pepsi, Abortion, Foreign Cars, Legos, Chicken, Motor Companies, Styrofoam Cups and Beer Companies. Ok, obviously I am kidding with that list, secretly nobody was really boycotting the beer companies, but several on that list were boycotted. Even today there are some who are calling for the boycott of Glenn Beck. I wonder, does it really matter? Did Disney freak out when the local church boycotted them when they were still experiencing record sales?
My big question today is, do we sometimes waste our time majoring in the minors? From our personal lives, professional lives, family lives and even our church lives, do we spend to much energy investing in minor things instead of focusing on what is really important? I’m not saying those other things and what they may or may not have stood for are not important but is it worth our energy?
I would challenge you today to get passionate about the things that would make Jesus’ heart beat faster. Get passionate about things that will make a long term difference and impact. Just a thought.
E:60 Haiti Soccer
I saw this last night on ESPN and there were parts in this video that I teared up in because it touched me. There is no reason people should even have to live like this. Breaks my heart for what I take for granted when they have nothing. They have lost everything and for them there appears to be no hope. It is an 11 minute video but it is worth watching every second of it. Below is the link to the video because it is not able to be embedded on my blog.
E:60 tells the story of the Haitian under-17 girls’ team, from the welcoming arms of the Dominican Republic and Panama for training, then Costa Rica for the CONCACAF tournament and back home to Haiti.
Would love to hear your thoughts on this.
You’re It
I was at this giant playground the other day and my boys were playing tag with the other kids when my one son tagged a boy who went crashing down due to the brute strength of my six year old. The kid went down tagged my seven year and crushed his ribs and began to cry. My seven year old did what any of us would do. He asked if he was okay, tagged him, and ran away and called out no touch backs, leaving the other child laying there in tears.
This story is nothing short of what we typically do to get ahead in life sometimes. We will scratch and claw and push to get to the top. After all, the squeaky wheel gets the oil, right? It’s engrained in us to achieve, to be the best and to take risks to get there. I wonder if sometimes we are so consumed with being the best that we miss out on God’s best. Think about it for a second because when I try to get to the top who and what am I focused on? Me. At what point did it become all about us? I am learning to slow down, wait and be patient. I find that I can try and climb to the top all day long but the truth is it really doesn’t make a difference if I have to step on others to get there. I get no satisfaction that my success would come at the expense of others instead of God’s blessing on my life.
Maybe we need to slow down and not be so worried about getting to the top. Maybe we need to focus on where God wants us and do our best there. Maybe we need help someone up when they fall, make sure they are OK, give them a head start and start to play the game again without taking advantage of everyone’s misfortune. Just a thought.
Dropping A Stone Without A Ripple
I used to love to skip rocks and thought I was really good when I would hit 4 or 5. Now mind you I was like seven or eight years old but still I felt really good about myself until one day this girl came up who was about ten years old and she skipped it eight times. I thought it was amazing and at the same time felt extremely intimidated and felt the need to not talk to her or see her again. See with each skip there is a ripple that occurs. The ripple appears to travel for a few feet but in reality it travels the distance of the body of water that it is dropped in. Now I have tried many many times but I have never been able to drop a stone into water without making it ripple.
So it made me think. So many people out there try to walk through life without causing a ripple or creating a wave. They are fearful that they won’t have the right answer so they in turn they say nothing. They are afraid that they will offend someone so they say yes to everything and become people pleasers. I have been realizing that it is okay to create a ripple or a wave if it is for the right thing. I think that there are times that our ripple will influence somebody else to do things or think things differently. This week don’t just walk though life with the goal to not make a ripple. Create a ripple and make a difference. Influence those around you. Reshape the environment or culture you are in. You might be surprised how it can influence others.
Rethink Possible
AT&T has a new marketing campaign titled “Rethink Possible”. On their site is a little intro video type thing that explains this. Here is what it says: Expand your boundaries of can. See what’s on the other side of to far. Play the angel’s advocate. Outsmart can’t. Put a restriction on your limits and expect to be wowed. Explore. Try. Do. Because before it could be done, it couldn’t. These are indeed amazing times. Rethink Possible. I love it. We can argue all day long about what cell phone company has the best coverage, lowest rates and least dropped calls but that is not what this is about. AT&T is trying to get the consumer to think outside the box and think about what can be.
The church is no different. For years there was a certain way to do church. Hymnals, KJV, Sunday’s best. Long talks that lacked application but were full of information. Then people started to “rethink possible.” Churches started adding musicians and became relevant and progressive. People wore whatever they wanted to church. Other versions of the Bible were taught. People started inviting their neighbors. Talks were shortened and people were challenged. Life groups and community began to happen. People began to think missionally. Satellite churches were launched and multi-site campuses became the norm. Churches became portable and met in theaters, schools coffee shops and some churches actually double as a business. Internet campuses were formed and community was developed through social networks like Twitter and facebook.
How we do things today will not be the way they are done in 5 years or even 3 years. Culture is changing and the church must adapt without losing it’s true identity. No it’s identity is not in song selections, clothing and versions but instead in what it is doing to connect people to the very core of it all…Jesus. All the bells and whistles do not replace the work of the Holy Spirit in an individuals life. So as culture moves so must the church and so must we as individuals who make up the church. There are people who would be willing to listen if they could understand what we are saying, not in our words but in our actions. Live out your faith today and “rethink possible.”
INSANITY
Dysfunctional Bacon
I went to Salad Works the other day with one of my assistants Billy. Billy and I are on this health kick that looks like it will last for a while so were pretty pumped about that. So as we enter we decided to get a wrap because that is a healthy choice. Usually I would get the salad and pile on all the stuff so it would taste good. Apparently I seem to be more conscious of what others are eating as well these days. The lady behind us was a heavier set lady and she ordered a salad and I thought wow that’s great that she is really trying. Then she added, the shrimp, egg, extra cheese, buffalo chicken extra bacon and everything else on it. She topped it off with extra dressing and to be honest the salad looked disgusting. The only thing it was missing was cheese fries on the top to finish off the heart attack that was going to happen.
It made me think that at it’s core the salad was healthy. Not to many people will complain about lettuce and some vegetables and some light dressing. I would think that is a goal that most desire and that is to use self control when it comes to food and eat healthier. At the core of us most of us have a pretty good life but then we start to add stuff into it and what started out as pretty good becomes this busy mess that is no longer healthy but dysfunctional. We’ve all been there. Things that appeared to be a great idea and an opportunity soon become a burden and frustration. Suddenly were running and asking ourselves how did we get into this mess?
I would challenge you to say no to good things so you can say yes to the best. Just because a little is good does not mean that a lot is better. This week what clutter needs to be removed from your life?
Chick-Fil-A Church
I re-posted a tweet a couple weeks ago that I thought was an appropriate blog post. Here it is: If Chick-Fil-A were a church, they’d dominate… multi-site, guest services, mission focused, quality product, team clarity, systems… That statement is so true. Chick-Fil-A runs one of the top organizations in the country and it appears to be that way from the top down. From the day you walk in to work for them you are bombarded with who they are and what they are about. There is no doubt when you walk into a Chick-Fil-A they have a superior product (if you like chicken) and from the cleanliness of the dining room to the friendliness of the staff everyone buys into the vision.
- If the church was to take those same principles of being able to be multi-site and yet you experience the same thing in each location there would be no doubt of what to expect. I have never walked into a Chick-Fil-A and hoped they had chicken instead of a burger…you just know.
- Guest Services is a cut above other establishments. They take pride in keeping it clean. They smile. They greet you. Some will get to know your name if you eat there enough. They refill your drink and clean off your table. Wow, imagine the church having everybody doing that type of customer service? Giving up a seat for a first time guest, opening doors, walking people to where they need to go instead of telling them.
- Mission focused. They know what they are about. If it does not help them accomplish their stated goals, they don’t do it. If it doesn’t help them accomplish their vision they don’t do it. They are not other restaurants. They know who they are, why they exist and what they are about. Imagine a church that didn’t change every time the “new thing” came out. Imagine a church that is focused on the mission and does not get distracted by the cheers or the complaints.
- Quality Product. It’s Chicken and delicious, enough said. What they put out creates a buzz and energy that gets people talking. Imagine the church putting out a product that people can be proud of. Imagine the church representing Jesus in a way that is identifiable and approachable no matter where you are in your journey.
- Team Clarity. There is no doubt from the same uniform to the language. They have been trained to make your experience enjoyable. Imagine a church where there is no scheming no hidden agendas. People all supporting the one main idea.
- Systems. I have been impressed with how they open a new franchise to how each franchise is run, why? Because they are all the same. They follow everything to a T. If the church could be mission focused in their systems it would eliminate silos within the church. It would eliminate most of the dissension and people would be about the mission and not self agendas.
A Gathering Force
Francis Chan wrote an article back in 2008 titled, A Gathering Force for Catalyst. I found what he wrote to be very exciting, alarming and unattainable, but is it? Read part of this article and share with me your thoughts below.
“Is there any logic in believing that God started His church as a spirit-filled, loving body with the intention that it would evolve into entertaining, hour-long services? Was He hoping that one day people would be attracted to the church not because they care for one another, not because they are devoted to Him, not because the supernatural occurs in their midst, but because of good music and entertainment?
Try to imagine what conclusions you would come to if you had no prior church experience. The things in church services might make sense to the American church-attendee, but they don’t make sense biblically.
Picture yourself on an island with only a Bible. You’ve never been to a church-you’ve never even heard of one. The only ideas you have about church are what you’ve read in your Bible. Then you enter a building labeled “church” for the first time. What would you expect to experience as you entered that building? Now compare that to what you actually experience when you attend church.
What if the church looked like this? ’They devoted themselves tot he apostles’ teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. Everyone was filled with awe, and many wonders and miraculous signs were done by the apostles. All the believers were together and had everything in common. Selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as he had need. Every day they continued to meet together int he temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.’ (Acts 2:42-47)
It describes what the world is looking for. I used to look at this passage as something that was wonderful but could never happen int he twenty-first century. There are just too many cultural obstacles for the Holy Spirit to overcome. He is powerful enough to form a sharing and loving body in our individualistic society. I doubted God’s ability to stir a body of believers to love tirelessly and give without restraint. I reasoned that this type of fellowship was probably not intended for our time. Besides, we don’t have time to love like this.
Looking back, I wonder if I came to those conclusions because there was a part of me that wasn’t sure I wanted it. It’s interesting how much our theology is driven by desire.
Something real was happening in the early church. It was something of the Spirit, too powerful to be replicated by human effort. Imagine taking a friend to one of their church gatherings. Your friend might not experience a smoothly run, professional service. But one thing he would experience: God. Do we even need to ask which is better? So much of church growth today has nothing to do with the Holy Spirit. The right team of talented people can make any church grow. When people sit through creative services, is it really God they’re experiencing?
Don’t get me wrong: I’m not saying that we shouldn’t give our best to God. If you’re a musician, work diligently are your music. If your a teacher, labor intensely over your messages. I’m just asking you to be willing to rethink what you’re doing and ask: How can we create a more biblical environment where people see and experience God?
May people see our churches and know that mere human beings could not have created what they experienced. May we seek the priorities of the early church and trust God to once again produce the fruit of the early church. ’And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.’ (Acts2:47″
Great reminder for me to not be performance based but Spirit based.
