No Accidents!

Recently while weeding and fertilizing a bed of day-lilies and azaleas in our front yard I noticed a thick, snake-like weed protruding from the center of the bed.  I was just about to pull it up when I saw two small yellow flowers hidden under the lilies whose blooms had already come and gone.  As I moved the "weed" from under the lilies I could see a vine with big green leaves.  This was no ordinary weed.

K-boom!  I realized what the "weed" was and how it got there.   This was the result of my laziness last November.  Last fall my wife decorated our front porch with some pumpkins and I was supposed to dump them in the woods behind the house in late November, but I just let them sit in the azalea & day-lilie bed until they eventually disappeared.  So now we have pumpkins growing in the front yard!  A friend had the audacity to ask if I was going allow it to continue growing in the front yard.  Of course I am!  

Sometimes unintended consequences can be the biggest blessing.  If I had tossed the rotted pumpkins in the woods I probably would've never seen these results.  Now I've got the chance to grow pumpkins for the grands!  Have you ever experienced a blessing that was the result of a mistake, or unintended action? 

Three women in Scripture come to mind in this regard.  Isaac's mother, Sarah; Samuel's mother, Hannah and Mary, the mother of Christ.  All three women were surprised by something beyond their control.  All three were involved in childbirth miracles.  Each child brought blessing to their mothers and God.

My mother often reminds me that I was one of those unintended blessings!  All my life I knew I was an "oops" baby.  My parents lost a baby girl (Karen Lynn) several years after the birth of my older sister, Tracy.  I was not on the radar after my parents had buried their days-old daughter.  But God had different plans and I came along two years later.  One of the most affirming moments of my life came just a couple of years ago during my cancer treatment!  I was on the phone with my Mom and she recounted the day of my birth.  She told me how she didn't want me (the idea of another child so soon after burying an infant), but upon giving birth to me they placed me in her arms and she said she said, "at that moment you were MINE and I wanted you more than ever!" I don't have to tell you how that made me feel as a 50-year old man!  Never pass up the opportunity to affirm your children, regardless of their age!   The affirmation of a parent is a powerful thing.

God doesn't make mistakes!  How many times have we seen Him bring beauty from ashes, or joy from pain and miracles from our mistakes?  So the next time you realize, or receive an unplanned/unintended blessing celebrate what God has done, or allowed to happen.   And by the way,  according to the Apostle Paul you are no accident:

Even before he made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in his eyes.  God decided in advance to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ.  This is what he wanted to do, and it gave him great pleasure.  So we praise God for the glorious grace he has poured out on us who belong to his dear Son. (Ephesians 1:4-6 NLT)

Angels Around Us!

There is a verse in the New Testament that has always fascinated me.  Ok, so there are hundreds of verses that fascinate me, but this one always makes me stop and consider how I  treat people that I don't know.  It's  Hebrews 13:2---

Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for thereby some have entertained angels unawares. (ESV)

Don't forget to show hospitality to strangers, for some who have done this have entertained angels without realizing it! (NLT)

Imagine mistreating an angel of God through our speech, attitude, and actions?  Of course if we knew in advance that we were going to meet an an angel most of us would probably change our behavior, speech, attention, etc., upon meeting them.  But that's the whole point!  As Christ-followers we should treat EVERYONE we encounter with respect, kindness, gentleness and humility.  But we don't, do we?

Sometimes we are short or curt with people we meet whether intended, or not.  Others we hardly see because we are in a such a hurry with our self-consumed agendas that we move right past them.  Some people don't look, or act like "our kind" of people so we cross the street, or get out of the store quickly to avoid them.

But Scripture doesn't give us a pass on treating people differently because of their skin color, accent, sexual orientation, beliefs, background, marital status, gender, how they are dressed, or income level.  Our default is supposed to be kindness and love.  Paul calls us to give preference toward others.  In other words, we are to serve.  In fact when you consider the broader context of the Hebrews 13 passage you realize that being a Christ-follower means we owe a debt of love to others:

Let brotherly love continue.  Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for thereby some have entertained angels unawares.  Remember those who are in prison, as though in prison with them, and those who are mistreated, since you also are in the body.  (Heb. 13:1-3)

In Jesus parable of judgment in Matthew 25:35-40 we are reminded that whenever we help the broken and wounded we are caring for Jesus:

"For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcome me, I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.....Truly I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me." (Matthew 25:35-36, 40)

So the next time you are asked to help a stranger in need, or see someone in trouble think twice before walking away, or turning your back because you might have the opportunity to serve an angel, or the very Son of God!

Move the Fence, Or.....?

Years ago our neighbor was selling his house.  In the process of the sale, surveyors discovered that a privacy fence in our backyard was two inches inside his property line.  We didn't put the fence up.  It was already up when we bought the house.  This fence was in the back of our yard's and it was not visible from the road.  There was a retention pond on the back side of the fence.   It separated his backyard waste area (garbage cans, compost pile, etc.) from mine.

I remember his attorney told us that he could deed/rent the two inches to us for $1 per year while maintaining ownership of the property.  The attorney was trying to find a simple solution.  I will never forget when the neighbor came over and asked me to move the 10-year old wooden privacy fence that was already rotting in spots!

At the time I couldn't afford to replace the fence so I had to pay a guy to physically move the fence (8 ft. high and 12-15 ft. long) back three inches.  As the work was being done I couldn't help, but think how much energy and money was wasted on a 10-year old fence.  I have often wondered what I would've done if the fence had been on my property?  Would I have demanded he move it, or would I have let it go?

Hear me out.  There was nothing wrong with the decision our neighbor made.  He was well within his right and was trying to consider the new home owner.  I wasn't mad, or even upset about it.  I was more puzzled than anything.  My neighbor was a retired aeronautical engineer and his whole life was black and white.  He was very linear in his reasoning and I have no doubt that this was the most logical decision from his worldview.

Ever felt like the church, or your company spends more time on things like moving a 10-year old fence 3 inches?  Like my neighbor, it may be perfectly logical and make the most sense, but is it the best thing to do?  Is it something to which we need to devote significant time, energy and resources?  It's like complaining about the need for new carpet in the worship area when young adults are AWOL from the church.  In other words, are we spinning our wheels on what really counts?  Worn carpet may be a legitimate concern, but chances are there's a bigger reason why young adults and their children are AWOL.  Perhaps a focus shift would be something to consider.  There's probably a good chance if you focus on changes that need to be made in order to reach young adults the carpet issue will get resolved.  Or, you can change the carpet and smile about it as young couples (or customers in the business world) go elsewhere.  #focusonwhatmatters

USGA Please Apologize!

The USGA crossed the line in its "heavyweight pairing" at the 114th U.S. Open in Pinehurst, NC.  The threesome includes Brendon de Jonge, Shane Lowry and Kevin Stadler.  All three golfers are 225+ lbs.  They are big men and very good golfers.  I'd like to have any of their golf talent.

What's the next creative pairing? Bald players?  Short players?  Those with tattoos?  Players who wear tight pants?  Visors only?  Skin color?  You get the idea.  I guarantee if pairings were made by grouping players according to race, or sexual orientation there would be massive and major backlash.  And there should.  But why is this different?There's an old rule and as "stewards of the game," the USGA needs to be reminded of it:  Never attack, tease, or point out a persons physical features.  The USGA owes the threesome an apology.  It's not cute.  For anyone who battles weight, baldness, has a large nose, etc., it hurts.  Even when we try to rise above such sophomoric humor it still hurts.

Someone in my church used to regularly comment on my baldness.  It wasn't funny.  It hurt.  And it's a joke nearly everyone affirms unless they are bald, overweight, etc.  Since cancer I still battle the "steroid weight" I put on during treatment.  I know more than anyone else that I could stand to lose 25-30lbs.  A year after treatment I was attending a funeral out of state.  A woman who hadn't seen me in years actually said:  "You've gotten fat!"  Those were her first words, I'm not kidding.  I wanted to say, "Well I see you are still wearing the same old wig."  But I didn't.  I smiled and thought about calling her out, but a funeral home isn't the place and I wasn't about to do to her what she had just done to me publicly.

Why do we feel it's okay to poke fun, or make light of someone's physical features?   Humor at the expense of others is simply sarcasm.    It's mean and it's not okay!  Treat your neighbors the way you want to be treated.  I've yet to meet anyone that wants to be the target of jokes, sarcasm, or wise-cracks.

So whatever you wish that others would do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets. - Matthew 7:12

U.S. Open #114

Let the games begin at the 114th U.S. Open!  Thursday, June 12th through Sunday, June 15th at Pinehurst No. 2.   Will Lefty finally complete the grand slam of majors?  Will Rory bounce back from a shaky start to the season?  Is Bubba's game plan of focusing on the two shot and long approaches the right mix for an overhauled Pinehurst?  Is it time for Bill Haas who played college golf up the road at Wake Forest?  Can Kuuuuuuuch get his first major?  Here we go golf fans, scratcher's and hackers!

Shared Vision

Winning companies, teams, organizations and churches share something in common.  They are focused on a mission/vision that transcends the entire organization.  Nothing gets in the way of the corporate mission/vision.  While they are not immune to daily challenges and stumbling blocks one thing is constant, the mission/vision defines their organizational DNA.  Every action plan, strategy, branding and emphasis flow through the mission/vision template.  Results are always defined by their impact on the mission/vision.

It doesn't matter if an employee, player, or member can't recite the corporate vision or mission statement verbatim because even if they can't, they articulate the essence of it.  For example, let's say a plumbing company claims "Customers First," as its vision and mission.  Their corporate mission/vision statement is three sentences long.  A plumber comes to your house to work under a sink and while he's down there you ask him what's the focus of his company.  He responds:  "We love our customers and we want to be called back so everything we do is about meeting their needs and making sure they are pleased with the results of every service call."  Okay, so he didn't recite the formal mission statement and maybe he can't even remember it, but he gets it.  He sees the big picture.  Everything he does on the job is about satisfying the customer so they become repeat customers.  

The heart and intent of the mission is more important than the ability to dot the I's and cross "T's.  What difference does it make if everyone can recite the corporate vision/mission, but are unable to put flesh on it?  Take the Beatitudes in the Sermon on the Mount for example.  I'm not as concerned about a persons ability to recite them as much as I am their ability to embody them.  If they are pursuing righteousness, practicing humility,  cultivating a pure heart and attempting to be peacemakers I'd say there's a pretty good chance they get it.  This was Jesus' whole argument with the Pharisees.  They knew the scriptures forward and backward, but they failed to practice them.  They missed the heart of the Law because they were focused on the letter of the Law.  

There is a common thread among troubled churches, losing teams and failing companies.  They have lost sight, or forgotten their vision and mission.  Perhaps it was never identified and leadership never sold it, or team members never owned it.  Whatever the case, peel back the layers and you'll find they are not united in mission and purpose.  Division, disagreement, personal agendas and critical or cynical attitudes are corporate cancer-causing agents.  When the majority are focused, sold out and committed the critics are exposed and eventually filtered out.  The "Negative Nancy's/Nick's" will be exposed because no one is allowing their junk to derail the team.  When they don't get a soapbox, or sympathetic ear these "little picture" types usually move on to the next company, church, team, etc.

This doesn't mean there is no discussion, or disagreement within the organization, or company.  Quite the contrary.  Vision and mission focused teams are often fiery kilns of debate, disagreement and discussion.  They get better by sharpening one another.  But at the end of the day they can put aside personal/petty issues for the greater mission.  They have bought into being part of something bigger than themselves.

It takes strong, creative leadership to maintain this kind of focus and keep things fresh.  Ego is usually on a lower shelf because these leaders encourage feedback, discussion, debate and the sharing of new ideas even if it's not their own.  The vision/mission is more important to them than personal success.   They promote and praise team members for their service, ideas and work.  Loyalty and commitment is a natural byproduct of such affirmation from leadership.   These leaders have high hopes and dreams, but they don't try to control everything.  They know people don't flourish when they are held hostage by micromanagement, or a repetitive cycle of worthless meetings.  They want to be in the loop and have input, but they don't micromanage their people.  They hired team members to do their job so they make sure they aren't in the way.  These leaders embrace the role of chief cheerleader.  They believe a primary part of their calling is to regularly promote the vision/mission to clients, members, and customers.  Like farmers tending crops these leaders know that nothing can get in the way of regularly tending to the vision.  Otherwise weeds of distraction will take over the garden.

As I reflect on my leadership history I can recall seasons of passionate focus.  I can also remember times when I dropped the ball.  Distractions from within and outside the organization got the best of me.  And many times those distractions were well-intended and even good things, but they weren't the right thing for the moment.  It's not always negative people, or attitudes that impedes vision.  Vision can be derailed by good things and people.  Organizational culture loses traction when we fail to hold up the vision/mission above all else.  And once vision is blurred it's hard to maintain clarity.  

The Wrong Questions

Recently a pastor friend was in the search process with a denominational church in the Midwest.  Typically after reviewing candidate resumes a search team that is not using a minister search firm will send the first group of screened candidates a questionnaire, request a statement of faith, and/or a written statement of their views on ministry and leadership.  Wise churches might include a personality profile and team assessment in the next step to see if they are a "fit" for their team and church.  References, criminal background and financial credit reports are usually in the last stage of the process.

My friend received the questionnaire and gave me permission to share some of them anonymously in this blog.  The “who” is not important and would serve no purpose except to bring harm to my friend, or the specific church.  The “what” is far more important and provides clear insight into how some search teams screen candidates and the criteria they use.

There were 20+ questions.  The first two dealt with denominational loyalty.  In other words it would appear that denominational fidelity is far more important to them than fidelity to Christ and the historic Christian doctrines.  I promise this is real.  You can't make this stuff up.  So here is a sampling of some of the most revealing questions unedited in their order on the form:
3.  What are your views on abortion?
4.  Please share your views and beliefs about homosexuality.
5.  Do you pledge allegiance to our national flag? _____yes  _____no
6.  What are your views concerning gambling?  The lottery?  Have you ever played a       
      lottery?
7.  What are your views on Genesis 1-11?
13. Who can become a deacon?  Only married men?  What about single men?
14. Describe your view of women’s role in church.
15. What are your views on couples living together but not married?  Can they become 
      members?  Can they have roles in the church?
20. Are there any felonies or misdemeanors in you or your wife’s life?

Now to be fair, questions 8-12 dealt with theological issues (infallibility of Scripture, views on the resurrection, the Parousia, tithing, Virgin Birth, etc.  The remainder dealt with preaching style, approach to missions and conflict resolution.

At least this search team is transparent about what they want and don’t want.  That’s about as positive a spin I can put on it.  It’s not that these questions are necessarily bad, it’s what they communicate about the church and less about a candidate.  This has fundamental- legalism written all over it!  To use a gambling analogy (how’s that for some fun?) it’s a “tell”.  In poker, players look for mannerisms and facial expressions of their fellow players to see if they can “tell” when they are bluffing, or have a loaded hand.  This search team has a loaded hand.  They are more interested in compliance, rules and legalistic issues than they are the heart, personality and spiritual gifts of the candidate and their relationship with Christ. 

Seriously, they are actually asking:  “Do you pledge allegiance to our national flag?”  I am as red, white and blue as anyone (two flags are flying right now outside my house!), but you are asking this question when our Savior was a Palestinian-born, dark-skinned, Aramaic-speaking Jew?  Forgive me, but I can’t recall the last time a member of the Taliban, PLO, or, a member of a group hostile to the United States applied for a senior pastor position within a Protestant church in America.  Translation: we worship the flag and the government as much as we do Jesus.  It’s called “civil religion,” and it’s dangerous.  It's nationalism gone idolatrous.  Remember when ancient Israel practiced it?  The Scriptural outcome of elevating any country’s government/citizenship above faithful obedient righteousness to God is well documented.  Let me state it again for those who read Scripture through the lens of the red, white and blue:  I love my country.  I am a proud citizen.  I vote.  I pray for and support our troops.  I respect the elected authorities God has placed over us.  But I do not worship my country.  There’s a huge and important difference.  Okay, enough said on that point. 

Wouldn’t you love to ask this search team how the homosexuals in their church feel about question #4?  Statistically it would be rather naïve to assume there are no gay members, but for the sake of this argument let’s say there aren’t any.  What about the gay children, relatives, neighbors and co-workers of the members?  Ouch!  Translation: We are anti-gay.  I don’t dispute the Scriptures they would cite on covenant marriage and God’s intentions for marriage, or sexual purity, but wouldn’t you rather hear how a pastoral candidate ministers and witnesses to persons hostile or indifferent to the gospel?  How do they build intentional relationships like Jesus did with known sinners (many caught in sexual sin) and model grace? 

I could go on and on, but search teams need to know that pastors read between the lines.  For example, if there are several questions related to church conflict, etc., you can bet this congregation has a history of it and it’s most likely unresolved.  Or, when someone asks about office hours and being available in the office it tells you they do not want their pastor living in the culture, building relationships and networking to find ways to minister and reach the culture.  Instead, it’s about their access and ability to grab the pastor whenever they want.  It’s about control.  By the way, not only did Jesus have no place to lay His head, but His office was totally mobile. 

Wonder how many of their members bet a dollar on the NCAA March Madness bracketology, or play a slot machine on a cruise, buy lottery tickets, or play in the local golf course’s weekly “money game”?  Or better yet gamble and risk every time they buy stock, or mutual funds?  How many on the search team have been charged with a moving traffic violation, or something far more serious?  Do you see the insane and contradictory nature of this stuff?  It’s like saying:  “We are totally against homosexuality and will not stand for it, but oh yeah we use software and computers by companies that provide benefits for domestic partners!” 

As a PK I’ve always been partial to the question on tithing.  So many times I’ve wanted to say:  “I will be happy to provide a copy of my annual charitable giving on my tax returns for the last 10 years if every person on the search team/elders will provide theirs.“  Shouldn't a candidate have the right to know if they are going to be serving leaders who tithe too?

Let me suggest just a few great beginning questions for any search team to ask candidates:

1. Tell us your faith story and what God is doing in your life and ministry right now. 
2. How do you feed your soul?  Provide examples of how you are growing, being challenged, corrected and nurtured in your relationship with Jesus.
3. How are you modeling the grace of God in a sometimes, hostile culture?  Give an example of a current relationship you are building in this area.
4. What is God teaching you about reaching, ministering and relating to people who are hurting, broken and are not Christ-followers? Be specific.
5. What would you consider one of your most joyful and rewarding experiences in pastoral ministry?  Be specific.  And what would you consider your most humbling experience in pastoral ministry? 
6. In the story of the Prodigal Son in Luke’s gospel who do you most identify with as you reflect on your pastoral journey:  the younger son, or the elder brother?
7. How do you affirm, nurture and express your love to your spouse and children?  Please be specific.   Would your spouse, or children’s answers to this question be different than yours?  If so, please explain.
8. When is the last time you emptied trash, cleaned a toilet, mopped a floor, set up chairs, or vacuumed at your church facility?  (hint: gets to servant attitude)
9. You can only pick one:  Is a pastor predominately a:  counselor; teacher/preacher; servant; shepherd; overseer; or CEO; Explain your top choice.  

I guarantee candidates would salivate to receive such questions.  It shows intentionality and a hunger for the most important things.  Trust me, the criminal background check, credit report and their references (also the secondary one’s cultivated from the one’s they provide) will provide more than you need to know on the legalistic stuff.  We are the church and we better make soul care, tending, growth, nurture, missions, ministry and reaching the culture a top priority of our conversations about leadership and direction, not loyalty to a denomination, flag, or abortion.  Single-minded people and search teams have tunnel vision and wise is the candidate who runs away and runs fast!  Our calling is too important and time too urgent to play these games when there are so many authentic faith communities seeking authentic, servant-leaders.   

   

By the way, my friend’s response was humorous, pointed and oozed grace.  I guarantee they totally missed it, tossed his name out and moved on to the most compliant of candidates!  That’s a shame because they missed one of the best leaders I know. 

Boy Asleep on Tractor Video

So this little guy fell asleep while his toy tractor was set to go in circles.  Heck, I know a lot of adults that do this and they aren't asleep.  Medicated maybe, but not asleep!