weekly evos
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weekly evos
There Is No Private Life
November 3, 2011 – 6:11 am
This originally was posted as a weekly devo on whillschurch.org.
Oswald Chambers in My Utmost For His Highest:
There is no such thing as a private life…God divides the private life of His saints and makes it a highway for the world on one hand and for Himself on the other. No human being can stand that unless he is identified with Jesus Christ.
This is the biggest obstacle for anyone who wants to really grow in Christ – the letting go of the fantasy that we have a private life.
Let me clarify a bit. There are parts of life that are not public. Cuddling on the couch with my wife. Listening to one of my kids process failure and hurt. Correcting the selfish behavior of a child. Helping a friend deal with loss. Repenting of my own failures. These are moments that are not public but neither are they private.
There are also conversations and thoughts that I either keep to myself or only share with trusted friends. Why? Some of them could harm other’s walk with Christ. Some of them are just stupid and not ready for public consumption yet.
Most of us think of “private” as this secret place where we can do pretty much what we want with no implications or fall-out in the public realm. That’s the kind of private Oswald was talking about. And that kind of place is called Fantasy Land. It doesn’t exist. That is an impossibility solely based on the way humans are designed. We are a tangled mess of emotion, thought, spirit, and body. What I think effects what I feel effects everything else.
What we do and think in private eventually plays itself out in public anyway. What is IN us will eventually show OUT of us.
The irony of our culture is this – we hear messages every day that tell us that our private life is our private life and it’s different than our public life. We’ll hear so much of this during the upcoming election year – that the private shouldn’t really matter in the public. Yet every reality television show proves different. “The Secret Life of an American Teenager”, Survivor, Jersey Shore,…heck even Basketball Wives blatantly shows us that the private never stays private and it ALWAYS effects the public.
But back to my original point in all of this – if we (Christ-followers) really want to grow in Christ, we have to get it out of our head that we have a private life. Or even that it is our life to begin with.
People who function with private and public departments in their being never become whole. At best, they live scared. Always wondering when the other shoe will drop. At worst, it all comes caving in on them…sometimes in very public ways.
It is a huge place of growth to get to this place of – my life is not my own. I’ve been bought with a price. (1 Corinthians 6:19).
When this happens…we’ll really be in a place to infiltrate.
Did You Listen To The Rest Of Your Own Sermon?
October 20, 2011 – 10:10 am
This originally appeared as a weekly devo on whillschurch.org
After my message a couple of weeks ago on ‘inflitrate’ I had a couple of people confront me. Here is the backstory. I said Jesus’ model on earth was to infiltrate and change. Salt. Light. Incarnation. All about dealing with people up close and personal and working life change into them by grace and truth. We as the church are called, gifted, and expected to function the same way. Infiltrate where God has put you.
Then I said – I’ve got a couple of meetings to go to over the next few weeks that I’m dreading. I’m going to sit in the back with my arms folded because I’m tired of hearing about big solutions to big problems that will never work because the only real hope of the world is Jesus.
Those two dear friends asked me the same thing: “Grant, did you listen to the rest of your own sermon? Did you ever think the reason you are at these meetings is to infiltrate?”
Ouch.
I pondered on those words as I attended the KNCSB Annual Meeting. For those of you who don’t know, Western Hills is a part of a larger community of churches called the Kansas-Nebraska Convention of Southern Baptists (KNCSB). What does that mean? It means that while we are ‘autonomous’ as a local church, we choose to participate with other churches for the purpose of missions and other ministry opportunities. Together we can do more than apart. Autonomous means that we hire who we want to, partner with our community the way we want to, decide what ministries we want to invest in, and personalize how we want to accomplish making disciples in our context. Being in the convention connects us with other churches who share the same theological base as we do for the purpose of sharing the load in missions and other ministries – In-Depth, Super Summer, women’s ministry retreat, disaster relief, and other opportunities as well.
I’m new to this convention stuff…this was only my 2nd Convention meeting. But there were two things that I heard that practically stopped me in my tracks.
Only 2% of Christ-followers have verbally shared their faith.
Christ Followers are saying having an ‘outward’ focused church that deeply teaches the scriptures is vital to their own spiritual walk.
The first one stopped me in a bad way. I just don’t want to believe that 98% of Christians are quiet about what is supposedly the most important aspect of their life. I don’t want to believe that but what if it is true? Then I wonder why are they quiet? Do they not know how to share their faith? Are they scared to? Are we as churches becoming the “Gospel Station” for people – drive by with your friends, we will fill them up with the Jesus story?
The second statement stopped me because I didn’t realize it needed to be said. But it does. It goes back to what we’ve been talking about the last 3 weeks – institution vs. infiltration. An organization left to itself without a vision to drive it forward will become an institution. And institutions are inward, self-preserving entities.
This Sunday, I’m going to unpack from Scripture, God’s plan for keeping the church on an infiltrate path, not an institution path. But I’m happy to report that we have leaders in our Convention that are committed to this same idea – infiltrate.
Not institute…but infiltrate. More to come.
Grinding It Through
October 13, 2011 – 7:43 am
This originally ran as a devo on whillschurch.org.
Amy ran in the Race for a Reason Half Marathon this past weekend. That’s 13.1 miles for those of you scoring at home. This is her 5th half marathon. She ended up finishing 6th in her age division. I’m incredibly proud of her and happy for her.
On a normal race, I’d have the 3 kiddos and our job is to meet her as often as we can along the race, giving her encouragement. This race – I followed her…on my bike. That’s right. My bike. It was great. I could ride alongside her from mile 6 onward.
I’d never been able to do that before. Even when she trained and took her long runs, somebody had to kinda stay with the kiddos. But this time I got the behind the scenes tour.
Allow me to state the obvious about 13.1 miles. It’s a long way to run. The physical aspect alone intimidates me. The mental aspect – it’s boring as heck. I mean…right foot, pain, left foot, pain, right foot, pain, left foot, thirst. Rinse and repeat forever.
I kept talking to Amy and pointing out stuff. Trying to just keep her encouraged because you know — 13.1 miles is a long way to run.
I am crazy proud of Amy. I enjoyed chasing her on my bike for 13 miles. But after this I think I’m pretty convinced that I am NOT running 13.1 miles. I fairly convinced my body wouldn’t make it. I’m entirely sure my mind wouldn’t.
Then again…who knows. Maybe. Who am I kidding?
Amy’s been trying to talk me into running one with her for a long time. I’m guessing she will continue to try to talk me into it. Here is her theory…
It’s more mental than physical. You just have to be able to put in around 8 or 9 miles, adrenaline and determination will take care of the rest. She says that it is more important to have the mental make up to grind through perceived walls. You have to be able to push through.
I’ll take her word on the half-marathon but I think she is on to something in the spiritual realm. There are times when you just have to grind it out. The real depth and growth of a person happens in the everyday routine, putting one foot in front of another. No parades, no songs, no magic. Just the grind of putting miles underneath your feet.
Oswald Chambers said it this way…
The test of a man’s religious life and character is not what he does in the exceptional moments of life, but what he does in the ordinary times, when there is nothing tremendous or exciting on.
The real training of a half marathon happens on those long runs – 8, 9, 10 mile runs. Those boring, long runs when no one is there. The discipline and guts to just keep putting one foot in front of another.
The real training of spiritual depth happens on those long days, when no one is watching. When no one is keeping score and there is no audience. The discipline of keeping one foot in front of another.
And it always help to have a running partner with you.
Keep grinding through it. That’s where real spiritual maturity is found.
Maybe I will run a half….one day.
On A Mission From God
October 6, 2011 – 1:35 pm
This originally appeared on whillschurch.org as the weekly evo.
If our only participation in the Missio Dei occurs on Sunday, we are missing multiple opportunities to step into God’s story and activity in the world throughout the week.
David Manner
These words came from David Manner’s blog (which is a great read, I highly recommend it). And in case you were wondering – Missio Dei is Latin for Mission of God.
And I can’t NOT think about the Blues Brothers when I hear those words.
Say what??
There is actually a point in this…hang on.
David’s point is this – to show up on Sunday and worship is to miss God’s story. To only see worship as that one hour on Sunday morning, to only go to worship with the mindset of “what will I get fed this morning” is to miss the whole point of life after the cross.
The mission of God happens 24/7. It’s us being Jesus where we are. We ‘church’ wherever we go, we participate in the ‘Missio Dei’ where ever we are Jesus. And these experiences outside of the Sunday morning experience is true worship and will add to the experience on Sunday morning, making it a richer experience. True worship makes us engage in the story of God, not retreat from it. True worship pushes us to focus outward, not inward.
On October 15th, we are going to participate in the ‘Missio Dei’ at McCarter for Sharefest. (Sign up now if you haven’t already!) On October 29th we are going to participate in the ‘Missio Dei’ at the Potawatomie for Trunk or Treat. We participate in the Missio Dei with Upward, with the work at the Topeka Rescue Mission, and others that I’m sure I am forgetting.
So what has that got to do with the Blues Brothers?
EVERYTHING!! Can’t you see? The whole movie was about getting the band back together for a gig — but it really wasn’t about getting the band back together. It was about helping people in their journey…the gig was just the icing on the cake. (Yes, the analogy breaks down terribly from this point on and this is why I’m stopping here…)
To only show up on Sunday – to focus on the ‘gig’ – is to miss the mission of God. And that’s for both the staff that creates and leads the service as well as those who show up to attend. The Missio Dei is a lifestyle, a journey. It’s an adventure of investing ourselves in others in the name of Jesus.
And that’s what we are supposed to be about. Join the Mission.
Cue music –
Is Divorce Ever Okay? Part 1
September 22, 2011 – 7:59 am
This originally appeared on www.whillschurch.org as a weekly devo.
This is part 1 of a 2-part devo.
Our Art of Marriage series has been absolutely incredible. We are hearing some incredible stories as a result of it but any series on marriage is going to bring up one question:
Is divorce ever okay?
Very rarely is this question asked for theory’s sake. There is normally a very personal, very painful reason for the question. There is no easy button with this question but any answer must start with Jesus’ dialog with the Pharisees in Matthew 19:1-12 on the same exact subject.
It’s not very encouraging to realize that religious leaders have wrestled with this question for centuries. In Jesus’ day, there were two common position that the Jews held concerning divorce. The first one believed it was lawful for a man to divorce his wife for any offense – disagreement, disrespect, disobedience, burnt the toast. The other position believe that only for the reason of sexual immorality was it allowed. The Pharisees came to Jesus to get his position on the matter.
If you are asking about divorce, you’ve missed the point of marriage.
Jesus takes them back to Genesis 2:24. God’s intention from the beginning was that a man leave his mother and father, be united to his wife, and the two become one flesh. Forever. What God has put together, let no man tear apart. Ideally – even in the instance of sexual immorality – marriage is one man + one woman for life. The story of Hosea makes this crystal clear. God designed marriage to reflect His character and His character is to seek and love us even while we were still sinners.
The Concession of Divorce
This was obviously NOT the answer any of them expected. Even the disciples were a bit shocked by the answer (we’ll get to them in a minute). The Pharisees counter with the story of Moses issuing divorce certificates in Deuteronomy 24. The Pharisees claim that this story shows that God allows divorce and the real issue is figuring out the parameters of what is a ‘lawful’.
Jesus corrects their memory. He reminds them that divorce was already happening and the certificates were issued as a concession to protect the woman from the hard-hearts of the man. Women were being abandoned with no legitimate way to provide or protect themselves. With no proof of divorce, remarriage was dangerous and could get her accused of adultery and killed. The certificate of divorce allowed the women to remarry without fear of punishment from the ex-husband. Concessions like this in Jewish law were common and they sought to protect victims from further abuse or harm, to mitigate the damage of a sin. Laws concerning the treatment of slaves or accidental deaths are other examples of this.
The concession on issuing the certificate of divorce didn’t justify divorce as option anymore than the slavery laws justified slavery. It was allowed and provided for the protection of the woman.
Then Jesus dropped these words – “I tell you that anyone who divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, and marries another woman commits adultery.”
There are two ways to understand Jesus’ words here. The most common understanding is that the only legitimate reason for divorce is adultery. While I think this is acceptable, I’m not convinced this is exactly what Jesus meant nor am I convinced this is how those around Jesus understood it.
I think Jesus was reframing the morality of marriage – much like he did in the Sermon on the Mount. I think Jesus was saying – remove the clause – if anyone divorces and remarries, he has also committed adultery. The clause just says the obvious – a marriage that has experienced adultery is already shattered and already experienced adultery.
I think everyone left there, including the disciples, just completely dumbfounded at what they had heard. Neither side was “right” in their understanding of marriage or divorce. Marriage was lifted to a whole other stratosphere with this teaching.
There is even a hint of despair in the disciples response to Jesus’ words:
“If this is the situation between a husband and wife, it is better not to marry.”
Jesus response of “Not everyone can accept these words but those who have ears to hear, let them hear” seems to support this same understanding – DIVORCE is never on God’s agenda.
So does this mean there are NO concessions today? If a woman or man is in an abusive, or adulterous relationship they are just stuck there forever?
Next week, we will look at some more scriptures to round out our answer to this question.
What’s the Key To A Great Marriage?
September 8, 2011 – 8:14 am
Do you mind if I vent for a bit? Thank you. I get asked all the time – “what’s the key to a great marriage?”
My first reaction is – You mean there’s only one?? I’m 19 years, 9 months, and 15 days into this experience called marriage and I could have sworn there are more like 476 of them.
I really hate the question. It’s like getting a text – ‘G – u xplain revelation 2 me?’ Like we can text it out what it takes to make a great marriage. Like we can put all the mystery and magic of marriage in 140 characters. Impossible. Nothing great is ever easy or that simple.
Nothing.
Don’t misunderstand my vent as being negative about marriage. That’s not it at all. I still think it’s the second greatest institution on the planet. It’s just I’m sick of what we’re making it in our culture. We’ve cheapened it to almost the level of buying a car. “If it gets too many miles on it or I get tired of it or if I wreck it – I’ll just trade it in for another model.”
I understand the drive behind the question. Most of us that are married – we want a great marriage. But we approach it like the broken garbage disposal or leaky faucet. We notice it when it breaks. We then want the quickest, cheapest fix so we can get back to what we were doing. We see it as a distraction. The goal is to get it fixed as fast as possible. So maybe it will take a couple of trips to the hardware store but if I find the right guy who can give me the right tool and right tip, I can fix it fast.
Allow me to offer another metaphor for marriage. Art. Jazz. Blues. Painting. Sculpture. An artist isn’t concerned about hurrying through a fix. He’s focused on creating something deeper, something that provokes. If it takes days, weeks, months – so be it. The outcome is a result of this mystical partnership between the artist and the medium. The painter and the colors and canvas, the musician with the instrument – there is give and take, there are moments that are complete messes followed by moments of perfection. Neither really knows what the end will look like but then again that really doesn’t matter. Half the fun is getting there.
Any true artist will tell you – the process is often more important than the product.
We don’t ask artists that kind of question. “What’s the key to a great piece of art?” Instead we ask – what inspires you? How did you do this? What is the story behind this? We don’t ask the question because we already know the answer – the artist is the key to a great piece of art. An artist that has given his or her life to the craft. An artist that is courageous enough to risk bold colors, passionate enough to keep pursuing beauty through the mess of the creative process. An artist that is determined enough to not give up on the painting – even if it means stripping it all down and starting over.
Here’s another little secret about artists – they work. They work hard. Sure they may have a gift or a talent but they put that gift to work, sharpening and improving it. They put in hours and hours of work so that one day a masterpiece will be birthed.
So maybe I’ve answered the question. Marriage is more art than anything else. And like art, even a novice can create something beautiful if they are willing to put in the time and effort.
Join us for this special series Art of Marriage, created by FamilyLife. For complete details click here.
Image “Broken Keys” originally appeared on SoundLogik.com on a review for the band “The Black Keys”. Who, by the way, are completely awesome. I’m just saying…
He Who Holds The Keys
September 1, 2011 – 8:19 am
This originally appeared on www.whillschurch.org as the weekly devo.
It’s an unwritten rule in the English household that whoever holds the keys determines when we leave. It doesn’t seem to matter how much warning we give the entire house or how many “we are leaving right now!” screams that echo through the kitchen. When the keys jingle and the garage door opens, it sends panic and mayhem everywhere.
“WAIT!!! I can’t find my shoes!!!”
“I’m not ready!”
“We’re leaving right now!?”
Why this produces such shock and awe remains a mystery to me and the subject of another story. What’s important to note here is that whoever holds the keys, controls the situation. If the keys go out the door and starts the car, we are leaving. Can’t stop that train.
This isn’t the Marines. We leave people behind. Sometimes mercy is shown. It’s purely at the discretion of whoever holds the keys.
I was thinking about this as I read this passage this morning…
“I am the Living One; I was dead, and now look, I am alive for ever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and Hades.” – Jesus, Revelation 1:18
Whenever the topic of eternity or life after death comes up, there is always that person that has a “I’ve seen the light” story. There is also that person that is looking for the nearest exit. Almost every body believes that there is something waiting for us after death…and almost everybody disagrees on exactly what that is.
This Sunday we are going to finish our We Believe series talking about this topic – eternity, heaven, and hell. Are they real places? If they are, what are they like? What does the Bible really say about life after death?
We’ll look at much of that this coming Sunday. Some of the questions we will find answers, others we will not. At the end of all the discussion, I find myself right back to this verse…Jesus holds the keys.
There has only been one person who has died and rose again to NEVER face death again. Jesus. He holds the keys. He controls it. So whatever we discover about eternity, heaven, and hell – it will come back to this foundational truth. For some people that fact will bring terror and shock. For others it will bring comfort and peace.
See ya’ Sunday as we unpack what we believe about eternity.
It’s Time To Prepare The Room
July 27, 2011 – 11:27 am
I wrote this devo originally for whillschurch.org on July 27, 2011
Rick went to the National Worship Leaders Conference last week and came back with a lot of ideas and thoughts. At Creative Team we listened to him share about the week – what he saw, experienced, and learned. He spoke a phrase that completely grabbed my heart – prepare the room.
Rick heard this phrase at a seminar titled “Moving Worshipers from Passive to Participants.” The leader’s comment was “if they knew Jesus was in the room with them, they’d never be passive again.” So one of the primary roles of a worship leader is to ‘prepare the room.’ For both the worshipers and for Jesus. Prepare the people to be awaken to Jesus who is already in the room.
I don’t really remember much else that Rick said. I was stuck on the phrase ‘prepare the room.’ I couldn’t get past it.
Part of the reason was conviction about how comfortable my life really is. How easy I have it in the United States when it comes to worship. I drive up to a nice building in a nice car with a nice sound system. I pass a couple of other nice buildings of worship with their own nice toys on my way here. I don’t have to worry about being followed or leading informants to our location. In fact, we hang a sign out front.
We have instruments and books and projectors. I don’t have to whisper my prayers or songs in fear of someone overhearing and calling the authorities. I don’t have to deal with no AC or no heat, leaking roofs (okay – we do have to deal with small ones), or not having a printed Bible in my language. I don’t have to rely on my memory or the memory of other believers for the morning scriptures.
In short, there is no ‘prep’ work demanded of me by circumstance to get ready to worship. The only real effort that is demanded of me is getting up and getting out the door.
But there was another reason I was stuck. To prepare means to be intentional, to plan, to make something with intention and purpose. To be deliberate.
How deliberate are we in worship? Do I show up with a plan, with a deliberateness to worship with my community on Sunday mornings? Do I arrive with an intentional deliberateness to worship? Do I anticipate the presence of Jesus as I drive up and walk in the door?
I’m not talking about the worship set or my notes for the sermon. I’m not talking about the ‘plan’ we make during the week of what we are going to do on Sunday morning. That is simply an arena – an opportunity to worship. It’s not worship.
I’m talking about my heart and my mind. Do I engage that plan with a deliberateness of worship to Jesus? As a leader – am I deliberate in leading others to worship OR am I more concerned that I get the ‘plan’ done? Am I more focused on being wow’ed or entertained?
I’m thankful for Rick and this challenge he brought back. Because if you teach a children’s class or a youth class or an adult class or a life group…guess what? You are a worship leader of some sort. And it is on us to prepare the room for worship.
Get ready…we need to prepare the room. Looking forward to exploring what that means.
A Tub Will Do Just Fine
July 13, 2011 – 4:34 pm
From right to left – Joyce, Robin, and Dana after the tub baptism. This originally appeared on whillschurch.org on July 13th, 2011.
“Grant, be sure to connect with Robin as soon as you can. She’s now in hospice care.”
This was one of the first texts I received after getting back from Brazil.
Robin started coming to Western Hills about a year and half ago with Dana Kelly. She made a decision for Christ but for the last 6 months, her body was just breaking down. With the host of physical problems she was battling, it just wasn’t feasible to show up on Sunday mornings let alone be baptized.
I called. Her voice was clear. “Grant, I’ve called hospice in but I have a request. I still want to be baptized. How can we do this? Do you think we can do it in my home somehow?”
“Absolutely. We will figure it out.”
She wanted Dana Kelly to be a part of it. Dana was the one that took care of her physically as well as spiritually over the years. And her good friend Joyce. So today (Wednesday, July 13) at 10:00, we were the Church at Robin’s house. “We” included her hospice nurse Jason, the hospice chaplain Annie, Gary & Nancy Manford, Joyce, Dana, Robin, and myself. We gathered in the kitchen.
“Robin, you’ve got some options this morning. We can dunk you in the tub or pour water over your head in the sink, sprinkle water over you or even use the garden hose in the yard.”
I could see she was wrestling with the options.
“We know that this is a symbol, this is a statement of an already existent condition for you – that Christ has consumed you and is changing you. God knows your physical condition and he’s pleased with your heart. I’m pretty sure He’s going to be okay any way you decide do this.”
She laughed.
“I want to be dunked. In the tub.”
I grabbed Gary’s Bible and shared some scripture with Robin while Dana filled the tub. Meanwhile we read 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 together.
Dana popped back in shortly. “We’re ready.”
All 7 of us filed into the bathroom, Dana kneeled down to the tub with Robin.
I gave my 2 minute sermon on baptism. Baptismo was originally used in the garment industry. A garment was baptized in a dye and it took on the properties of that dye. I’m not wearing a purple shirt, I’m wearing a white shirt baptized in purple dye. But of course, it is a purple shirt. It’s no longer a white shirt. It’s a new, different shirt because it’s been consumed by something else. The perfect picture of what our life in Christ should be and why baptism is such a powerful, meaningful symbol. We’ve been consumed by Christ, overpowered by Christ. It is no longer I that live but Christ through me.
Dana then had the honors.
“Robin, do you have a personal relationship with Jesus? Is He your Savior.”
“Oh yes.”
“Is it your desire to follow Him symbolized by this act of baptism?”
“Oh yes.”
“Then it’s my honor to baptize you, my friend, in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.”
And down Robin went in the water. And back up. And we all cheered.
A quick prayer of thanksgiving. 5 of us left the room for the kitchen and in a few minutes Robin emerged, wet head, and smiling ear to ear.
“What a happy day. What a happy day.”
We spent some time around the kitchen table. Sharing, talking, and encouraging. We took a bunch of pictures. Lots of kleenex was passed around.
A tub will do just fine.
Brothers and sisters, we do not want you to be uninformed about those who sleep in death, so that you do not grieve like the rest of mankind, who have no hope. 14 For we believe that Jesus died and rose again, and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him. According to the Lord’s word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever. Therefore encourage one another with these words.
Paul in 1 Thessalonians 4
Making Disciples is like playing in the sand
June 23, 2011 – 7:51 am
The original article and image is located here.
Western Hills exists to make disciples who love God, live connected and serve all. And sometimes we get lazy around here and shorten that to Love, Live, and Serve. Which is okay as long as we don’t forget that we are supposed to be making disciples that love, live, and serve…not an organization that loves, lives, and serves. Or programs or systems either.
We are in the people making business…or life change market. Whichever metaphor you prefer, the point is the tools, programs, systems exist to help us make disciples that look more like Jesus. We don’t exist to keep the organization, tools, programs, systems in place. They are dispensable. People are not.
What has that got to do with a sand sculpture that looks like Darth Vader? I’m glad you asked. When we go to the beach, we take pretty much the same tools every time – a bucket or two, a couple of those cheap, plastic mini-shovels and rakes (which never get used). We’ll have the strainer thing and perhaps a “mold” that looks like a castle wall. And pretty much every time our castle looks exactly the same…lame.
I hate this for my family. I always feel like a failure of a dad when we go to the beach for this reason. I’d love to make an homage to Star Wars on the beach the next time we go. I’d be the coolest dad on the beach. People would flock from miles around to stare in wonder. When I see other people’s creations on the sandy canvas, I always have this nagging thought – ‘You know…I could do that. It’s just sand. They are probably better parents than we are too.’
But it’s never going to happen for me. Never. I’m not being fatalistic at all. I will never be a great sand artist. Why?
First, I hate the sand. It’s itchy, scratchy, rough, and messy.
Second, I have little sculpture skills. Who am I kidding – I have NO sculpting skills.
Third, I don’t have the patience to make a sweet looking castle.
Fourth, even if I did have the skills and patience – I don’t have the tools. I’ve seen what those sand sculpture people bring to the beach to make their creations. I don’t have those kind of tools for my lawn or my home. It’s crazy.
And these are the same reasons why some people (and churches) never make disciples either. They don’t really like people – because they are itchy, scratchy, rough, and messy. They don’t have the skills. Nor do they want to learn them. They aren’t patient with people and their messes. And even those who do have the patience, they don’t feel like they have the proper tools.
Ouch, huh?
Well, our summer sermon series is one piece of the tool kit. Learning how to read and apply the Bible for ourselves. That’s a huge tool in making disciples and ANYBODY can do this. We’ll be adding more tools this fall but my prayer for our church and our people is that we begin to start liking itchy, scratchy, rough, messy people.
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