There can be rest for the wicked

The last few days God's been dealing with me through Psalm 127:1-2
Unless the Lord builds the house, its builders labor in vain.
Unless the Lord watches over the city, its watchmen stand guard in vain.
In vain you rise early and stay up late, toiling for food to eat- for he grants sleep to those he loves.

I am wicked. I think it all depends on me. I piss and moan when things don't go my way. I'm an ass to my family when I feel the stress. Change my heart!

My livelihood rests in God's provision. No matter how smart I am or how desperate I may be, only He can bless or take away. Help me to trust You with all my guts and not to depend on my own thinking, but to acknowledge You in all my ways.

Compare and contrast:

Lyrics to Ain't No Rest For The Wicked :
I was walking down the street,
When out the corner of my eye
I saw a pretty little thing approaching me.
She said "I've never seen a man
Who looks so all alone,
Could you use a little company?
If you pay the right price
Your evening will be nice,
And you can go and send me on my way."
I said "You're such a sweet young thing
Why you do this to yourself?"
She looked at me and this is what she said,

"Oh, there ain't no rest for the wicked,
Money don't grow on trees.
I got bills to pay,
I got mouths to feed,
There ain't nothing in this world for free.
I know I can't slow down,
I can't hold back,
Though you know, I wish I could.
No there ain't no rest for the wicked,
Until we close our eyes for good".

Not even fifteen minutes later
I'm still walking down the street,
When I saw a shadow of a man creep out of sight.
Then he walks up from behind
And puts a gun up to my head,
He made it clear he wasn't looking for a fight.
He said "Give me all you've got
I want your money not your life,
But if you try to make a move I won't think twice."
I said "You can have my cash
But first you know I got to ask
What made you want to live this kind of life?"

He said "There ain't no rest for the wicked,
Money don't grow on trees.
I got bills to pay,
I got mouths to feed,
There ain't nothing in this world for free.
I know I can't slow down,
I can't hold back,
Though you know, I wish I could.
No there ain't no rest for the wicked,
Until we close our eyes for good".

Now a couple hours passed
And I was sitting at my house,
The day was winding down and coming to an end.
So I turned on the TV
And flipped it over to the news,
And what I saw I almost couldn't comprehend.
I saw a preacher man in cuffs he'd taken money from the church,
He's got this bank account with righteous dollar bills.
But even still I can't say much
Because I know we're all the same,
Oh yes we've all got to satisfy those thrills.

"Oh, there ain't no rest for the wicked,
Money don't grow on trees.
We got bills to pay,
We got mouths to feed,
There ain't nothing in this world for free.
I know we can't slow down,
We can't hold back,
Though you know, we wish we could.
No there ain't no rest for the wicked,
Until we close our eyes for good"

Update

It's been a while. I've had my head down focusing on getting the foundations put in place for our simple church network (TWO 14 NETWORK). This has involved a job search, recruiting, tons of relational connections and some training. Now things are starting to catch some traction.

On the job front, I'm selling health insurance for a company that caters to self employed people. We offer customized packages at great prices. Looks like an excellent fit in that it is a relational job with flexibility. My boss is an awesome guy that knows what he's doing. This job is a huge answer to prayer.

Concerning the network, we have 5 couples meeting in our home on Sunday nights. They are praying about making the cut over to pure simple church with the goal of identifying and reaching their sphere of influence. Church plants will happen out of that effort. God has brought together a great core team of folks who have enough discontent with the status quo, vision and gusto to launch out into something new. One couple is already gathering people for our first plant outside of our original group. It seems like every week I meet another potential simple church planter. Very exciting times!

Missionally, we are meeting neighbors, and combining intentional efforts with spontaneous encounters to move relationships toward Jesus. This is a long term investment and is somewhat slow going. Nevertheless, we're here for the long haul. Jesus incarnated the gospel and so should we. Many in our group are helping another couple in the group with their Halloween festival this Thursday night in their apartment complex. They've got games, inflatables, prizes and all kinds of cool stuff going on. The Popes are throwing a "hallowiener" is this Sat night. We're passing out the best candy, free hot dogs, bottled water and projecting the Wii on the garage door for people to play. This is an exposure event designed to turn strangers into acquaintances.

So, for now, we're getting ready to transition the Sunday night meeting into a neighborhood church, launch another church, getting all the legal stuff setup (tax stuff), working on a website, and most importantly, reaching out to others.

Some have asked about my job situation wondering if I will ultimately be paid by the church/network. The answer is no. During the first 6-12 months I am receiving some supplementary funds from a couple of churches and a few individuals to help bridge the gap until my insurance business gets traction. However, this is not permanent, nor will the network pay any of our missionary planter/pastors. Having unpaid pastor/planters is an integral part of our strategy to be authentic with people who don't know Jesus. I know first hand that payment for ministry can actually be a HUGE roadblock for people who are suspicious about the gospel. Therefore, I need a job for credibility with them as well as with those who I am expecting to lead these new churches.

I want to say a big "THANK YOU" to all of you who've prayed for us and given out of your generosity! The provision and obscene grace that God has given us is astounding. Shayla and I revel how God has shown up for us in the last two months. Please continue to pray for us -that God will be glorified in the faithfulness of his people and for effective ministry.

Ed Stetzer on Being on Mission

Ed Stetzer - The 9s from LifeWay on Vimeo.

vision and job hunting

God's vision is that "the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord as the water covers the sea" (Hab 2:14). The association of churches that I am a part of has taken this vision seriously and has taken responsibility for the geography known as "the Greater Austin area." This area comprises about 1.6 million people. In an attempt to reach this area with the life changing reality of Jesus Christ, we've embraced a three-fold strategy: 1) Multiply Disciples, 2) Multiply churches 3) Partner with like minded ministries, churches and individuals.

When it comes to the second of those three, (church planting) we have embraced a model known as the "missional" model. This is different from the traditional hive off in that it involves fewer people (usually about 10 families) but an increased level of outward focus on missional living. Weeknight small groups are morphed into "missional communities" and there is usually a gathering on Sunday morning. This model seems to work somewhat well in the suburbs of Austin. The jury is out on how well it works towards the core of Austin. (As a side note for those of you who don't know, Austin is a very eclectic city that is very different from the suburban areas that surround it in terms of political persuasion, lifestyle and values.)

In my journey on mission, I have become increasingly aware of the number of people who are anit-Christian but pro-God. Books such as UnChristian by Kinneman and almost anything coming from George Barna's research document and confirm on a professional level that such people exist. The soon to be released movie “God Save Us From Your Followers” is another example of what I’m talking about. These people tend to be creative, eclectic and tribal. An attempt to reach them with traditional/institutional church-ianity will fail because of their ingrained distrust for "the man." Thankfully, there is a solution to the problem of reaching these people.

Some call it simple church, others call it missional, some call it house church. I'm not all that interested in descriptive handles or labels, so I don't care what we call it as long as we are willing to do it. Shayla and I are actually attempting to birth a network of these kinds of churches in the Austin area. Part of what that means is that I will no longer be a paid pastor at a church. Of course that means that I need a job that will be able to support our family and hopefully offset the increase in housing needed to move to central Austin.

All that said, we're confident that God will show Himself faithful to provide direction, wisdom and resources for this endeavor. Please pray for us to be obedient and wise. I am currently looking for a job in sales or project management/operations. My resume is posted here for sales and here for PM/Operations. We would greatly appreciate any leads you can give. Feel free to contact me with potential careers in these areas or persons interested in reaching people using this new model.

very interesting

Church Disguised as Life

An illustration of my philosophy of ministry...

One mouth, two ears

Funny thing about us humans... we can communicate but oftentimes we don't. We front and appear to be listening while mentally preparing our rebuttal statements. I bet there's a term for people talking AT each other instead of TO each other. Perhaps communication dysfunction, or correspondence retardation, or mouth/ear/brain disorder. I don’t know.

What I do know is that I observe this phenomenon all the time. The usual suspects are political “discussions” or “debates.” In this sphere, Republicans label Democrats as baby killers and Democrats berate Republicans as “imperialists” with no compassion for the poor. Libertarians, don’t enter the “conversation” because they are “apathetic” and just want everyone to get along.

As of late, I’ve observed this phenomenon in another arena, namely church methodology/ecclesiology. As many of you know, Shayla and I are venturing out on a journey that we believe God has called us on. This journey includes no longer being a paid pastor of an institutional church, getting another job, living on mission and starting house churches. The conversations I’ve been having with some have been painfully predictable. Institutional church Christian: “How are you going to do leadership? Who will run it? What about doctrinal purity? You’re going to meet in a house? When will you get a building? House churches just don’t make sense to me.” House church Christian: “Institutional church is so regimented and full of consumers. Worship at an institutional church is entertainment. Where are the relationships? Money is used on salaries and staff not the kingdom.”

The truth is, both models are just that, models. They are not right or wrong. Each one has inherent strengths and weaknesses. House churches struggle to be on mission and outward focused as much as institutional churches. Consumerism is rampant in both. IC has program consumers, HC has relationship consumers. Both have leadership issues. Both have problems. Both also have tremendous plusses as well.
IC (particularly mega churches) have major resources in land, buildings and funds. These assets can be capitalized on for mission in the community as co-work centers, soup kitchens, food banks, meeting rooms, education and training centers, recreational facilities, etc. For a great example check out Hope For New York sponsored by Redeemer Presbyterian. On the other hand, house churches can utilize their small size to quickly adapt and plant more quickly and more efficiently. Since leadership responsibility is small in terms of numbers, the pool of potential leaders of churches is increased significantly. The end result is quicker multiplication and viral growth. HC’s also tend to have shorter assimilation processes for unbelievers to become friends and family of the local body.

The bottom line is that everything has pros and cons. Everything. We would be wise to heed the proverbial saying… God gave us one mouth and two ears for a reason. We as the body of Christ should be especially conscious of this truth. Jesus, help us to listen to you by listening to each other!

What not to do...

Painfully funny...

Changing the Scorecard pt 1

This book is extremely helpful for those seeking to bring about significant and lasting change to the church today. Some highlights from Reggie McNeal's Missional Renaissance:

Ch 1 -The Missional Renaissance

-Emergence of an Altruistic Economy
"It beckons the church to move from being the recipient of a generous culture (religious causes garner the largest percentage of charitable dollars -about a third) to actually being generous to the culture.... This explosion of good actually creates a chance for the church to gain relevance and influence. But only if the church is willing to get out of the church business and get over the delusion that the "success" of the church impresses the world." -p5
-Missional Shift 1: From an Internal to an External Ministry Focus
"Success in the internally focused culture is defined in terms of organizational goals.... In other words, the scorecard is tied to activity focused on the organization itself." -p7

-The Search for Personal Growth
-Missional Shift 2: From Program Development to People Development
"...the only real (emphasis his) guarantee is that the church will keep people busy." -p10
The shift from programs to people development is difficult for three reasons:
1) It's hard work and takes time "it isn't something you start and finish in a twelve-week course."
2) "...the shift from pursuing institutional goals and objectives to measuring the impact of ministry on people's quality of life calls for a dramatically new scorecard."
3) the ministry "professionals" or clergy are not prepared for a life of people development
"Typical clergy training efforts, including Bible colleges, seminaries, and denominational and parachurch ministries, prepare church leaders to teach the Bible, manage the church, ad grow a business." -p11 -project management (including the sermon) not people development. -we need to recalibrate

-The Hunger for Spiritual Vitality
"People moving into the unaffiliated (religiously) category outnumbered those moving out by a greater than 3-to-1 margin... this group has more than doubled in the last decade... 25 percent of all adults under age thirty are now in the unaffiliated class." -p13
-Missional Shift 3: From Church-Based to Kingdom-Based Leadership

-What's Next?
"...once you start down this path, it will ruin you to the old world." -I can't tell you how true that is!

Ch 2 -Missional Manifesto -for those of you who are familiar with Guder's Missional Church, much of this will be old hat. However, for others new to these concepts, it's a great overview of what "missional" means.

There is a big difference between "a" church and "the" church. "'A' church draws on centuries of thinking about a corporate something that exists apart for the people who make it up. This language fails to make a break with the Western, Constantinian, institutional view of what church is. Missional followers of Jesus don't belong to a church. They are the church." (emphasis his) -p19
"We try, then, to build great churches, believing that this is God's primary strategy to engage the world. Inevitably, this preoccupation leads to discussions of how we can "do church" better. Thinking about church in who mode focuses on what it means to be the people of God. The central task is developing great followers of Jesus, believing that God has created people to demonstrate his redemptive intentions to the world in and through them. This perspective frames an agenda so that the community of faith my encourage all its members to be faithful to God and to his mission as they live out being the church in the world." -p20

-The Heart of the Missional Church
"The problem is that the Western church veered away from this self-understanding (picture of the life, death and resurrection of Jesus) as rooted in God's mission and assumed other agendas.... [O]ne's understanding of the church becomes determinative for the church's agenda....:
1)From the Reformation heritage comes the understanding of church as 'a place where certain things happen.
2)A vendor of religious goods and services
3)A body of people sent on a mission." -p22-23

-A Missional Characterization
"The missional church is the people of God partnering with God in his redemptive mission in the world."... Our job is not to "do church" well but to be the people of God in an unmistakable way in the world. We are to be the aroma of Jesus in the cemetery of decaying flesh." -p24
"Church is not a part of life for the missional Jesus follower; it is a way of life with others who are on a similar journey." -25-26

-The Bible for Missional Eyes
"In this context (non-missional church), Bible study typically functions as a devotional aid and an instructive lesson applied to church people who find what they need for godly living." p26-27
On the other hand, for the missional church "...it becomes far more disruptive than informational. The Bible presents a call to action, not just a lesson to be studied." -p27
He then proceeds to work through a plethora of verses to support his claims:
Exodus 19:5-6; 1Peter 2:9; John 3:16; Matt 22:37-40; John 10:10b; Eph 4:13; 1Peter 3:15b; Matt 5:13-15; John 20:21b;

-The Plot Thickens
"The missional church's story sees the human drama and Gods' saga intertwined, on incomprehensible without the other. The following plot elements have helped give it shape"
1) People are created in the image of God
2) God is on mission
3) God's mission is redemptive
4) God's mission is always being persecuted in the world
5) God doesn't postpone his mission, waiting for the church to "get it"
6) God is up to something new
7) The people of God play an important role in the mission of God
8) The kingdom is a future that provokes a crisis
9) Missional expression can grow out of the current church, but it is not limited to the current church

-Shifting into Missional Mode
"So what specifically do you need to do to move into the missional movement?" -p38
The blogs that that follow will outline the three major shifts necessary for change.

Students on Mission

GO Pflugerville from Cody Pope on Vimeo.

Arguments are seldom about the stated issue

Before I go into this new series of posts about common arguments against Christianity, I thought I'd point out a couple of things extremely important to remember.

First, when someone raises an intellectual argument against a belief system, that argument is usually tied to an emotion or experience or both. In all the conversations I've ever had with people about the merits (or lack thereof) of Christianity as a belief system, every single one, without exception, had an experience that fueled the argument. For instance, some people know that if they believe that Jesus is who the gospels present him to be, that will mean that Jesus commands total allegiance for a lifetime. Since they don't want to repent of their sins and follow Jesus, they question the reliability of the gospels or even the entire Scriptures. Another example is when a person knows someone who claims to be a Christian and that person does not act consistently with what they claim to believe and mistreat the person. That person then dismisses Christianity as a means to keep people under control (power play or control mechanism). The point then is to find out what the real issue is and deal with that in the context of an extended relationship instead of just a one time, all in, attempt at converting someone. See also John 4 where Jesus deals with a legitimate argument (where to worship) but gets at the heart of the issue (her insecurity and shame manifested by multiple unhealthy relationships).

Second, the goal of intellectual argumentation, even in the context of the academy of higher learning, is not to win the argument but rather to show the love of Jesus to people. Because of my fleshly desire to win every fight, I have been guilty on numerous occasions of losing sight of the real point of the conversation. The old adage rings true "You can win the argument and lose the person." What is said sometimes pales in comparison to how it's said. If the person walks away feeling beat up instead of loved and cared for, we've missed the forest for the trees. I'm not saying that we shouldn't give reasonable and well thought through answers to honest questions but we should be equally careful that our demeanor and attitude reflects God's heart for them instead of self righteousness and pride.

5 Arguments Against Christianity Part 1

A recent comment to this blog reminded me why I spent so much time and energy in graduate studies pursuing answers to common cultural questions. I summarized these questions and proposed answers in a paper written as a response to Nietzsche's Antichrist. While not posting the entire paper (email me if you want the whole thing) I will briefly summarize and give rebuttal to the 5 common arguments against Christianity. This is the first of a six part series.

There are four primary objections I find in Antichrist and one other that is common among postmoderns and finds roots in Nietzsche. First, Christianity, as a system of thought is intellectually inferior. Second, Christianity is unnatural in the sense that it values things (sympathy, pity, etc.) that promote destruction instead of life. Third, Christianity is delusional, in that it ignores the harsh reality of life and sees things through rose colored glasses. Fourth, Christianity is a power play (will to power) by the priests (apostles, pastors, clergy, etc.) for the weak masses. The other objection is that Christians themselves are culturally conditioned to be Christian as a result of the success of the power play.

Screaming for hope

Ambivalence is one of the major roadblocks to the gospel. It's hard getting people who don't think they need anything to see their need for Jesus. People who are affluent are particularly hard to deal with. That is one reason why crisis can drive evangelism. It shakes people's core and makes them open to new ideas and solutions to life's problems. But we don't have to sit back and wait for people's lives to turn to crap. There are already tons of people who live in that reality every day. They are all around if we'll just look beyond the tip of our own noses. These people know something is wrong and, in my experience, have an openness to the gospel that others do not.

Recently, I've been thrust back into the world of hardcore music. One of the interesting phenomena about this scene is that people who associate themselves with it are, generally speaking, very aware that something is wrong in the world. They seem to be very much in tune with the idea that things are not alright and the current state of affairs is not the way it should be. This painful truth is communicated in a violent way that appears to have the intention of shocking the rest of the world out of their hypnotic trance of safety and apathy. The music of hardcore (and it's multiple sub genres)is an attempt to dislodge the mirage of comfort and ease and expose the sickness and disease that lies just beneath the surface. Since music is the language of our culture, this reality is becoming less and less easy to ignore(no matter how hard some may try).

It is in this context that I see great potential for the gospel. The hard work of getting people to understand that everything is not ok is already done. The challenge then lies at establishing relational connections through hospitality and service in order to win the right to be heard. We have to live out genuine faith, hope and love that causes people to ask "Why?". Love is the universal language that we must learn to speak into the lives of those who so very desperately need it. That is what several of my friends and I are attempting to do. So far, God has been pleased to give us favor with this generally forsaken group of people. May God give you eyes to see those hurting and crying out in your geography.

Dudes

The longer I’m alive, the more I believe that almost all of society’s problems stem from men not being men. I’m not the first to observe this but I feel like it’s not talked about nearly enough (e.g. Brad Pitt’s rant in Fight Club). Having worked with people and particularly students for over 14 years now, I estimate that my field of work would become as obsolete as a 386 computer with a turbo button if dads would be dads. I’m no psychologist, barely a theologian, more of a shade tree philosopher, but it seems like everybody’s got some kind of daddy issues.

Dudes are pissed b/c he wasn’t there and when he was, he was either too busy or an a-hole. So, they become anger boys or withdraw into themselves (many times becoming effeminate), depending on their personality. Chicks feel the same way, wanting dad’s attention, affection and love. When they don’t get it, they find some boy toy and give themselves to him, craving a watchful eye and physical contact. He’s happy to give it (or get it, if you know what I mean) and mutual using and codependency ensues. This is only the beginning of the downward spiral...

Of course, dad’s got his own daddy issues but that is another subject for another time (generational compounding dysfunction.) It’s like compounding credit card debt that people only pay the minimum on. It just keeps getting bigger and worse all the while people think they’re getting by...

Bottom line: Men need to be men. Men are called to represent God to their families and society. When that doesn’t happen it all goes to an exponentially growing pile of crap, and it stinks, bad! Time to step up dudes. Reject passivity, Accept responsibility, Lead Courageously, Expect God’s greater reward.

The Divine Commodity

Having read through the Bible first as an 18 year old, I came away with the impression that something was deeply wrong with American Christianity as I had experienced it. Over the years, I've found others who have articulated a diagnosis and proposed a better way. Sky Jethani is one of those people. You can read a short and informative interview @ http://edstetzer.com Here is a short video explaining his new book The Divine Commodity:

Skye Jethani on The Divine Commodity from Anne Jackson on Vimeo.

Great Adventure 1 of 6

The Great Adventure is a church wide outreach to the community that includes Backyard Bible Clubs, Summer Fest and a Mission Trip. This video is the first of 6 made by Captain (point people for student teams who lead clubs) applicants motivating students to get involved.

GA Promo -Riley & Beau from cody pope on Vimeo.

An all out assault

I've had it. Today I'm beginning (although some would say continuing) an all out assault on the American consumeristic, comfortable god. I'm certainly not the first to observe that such a situation exists. Today, however, I'm just fed up with it. I see it everywhere, in the church outside the church. I fight it every day both internally and externally. Many times people in the church are as guilty as those outside the body. We in the body have allowed people to claim that they follow Jesus and continue in their sycronystic ways of appropriating "God" to their culture's value of security and ease.

Just yesterday I heard a story about a guy who claims to be a follower of Jesus who thinks that it's alright to study the Bible for intense amounts of time and call that maturity all the while, never doing anything to tangibly love someone other than not kill someone and be a nice guy. Neil Cole would say that we have educated ourselves beyond our obedience. Paul would say that we are "always learning but never coming to the knowledge of the truth." Forget that! I'm done.

Seth Godin said on April 29th "we have enough caution. We don't need an abundance of caution. That's too much." Of course, he was talking about the business world. Nevertheless, the same is exponentially more true of the church. "A great deal more failure is the result of an excess of caution than of bold experimentation with new ideas. The frontiers of the kingdom of God were never advanced by men and women of caution.” -J. Oswald Sanders

When future generations look back on the current time, I wonder what they will see as our culturally accepted idolatry. Instead of words like, nice, pretty, sterile, safe, comfortable and secure, I want to be described as radical, innovative, risk taking, passionate, zealous, skillful and loving because I think those things should characterize people who follow Jesus. I want to go down as one who was waiting eagerly for the kingdom of God, with my hand fixed to the plow, and never looking back! I want to die beautifully exhausted and used up for the King so as to enter into His presence hearing "you've been faithful with a few things..."

An intense declaration that something's wrong

The link between hardcore metal and it's Christian moorings has fascinated me for some time. My hypothesis is that the numerous bands in the movement are motivated by their very real sense that something is wrong in the world and we can't (and shouldn't) ignore it. The musical style reflects that violent truth while at the same time sounding the alarm that there is something better. On that note... My friends in Syrens are releasing a new album. Here is the teaser:

album trailer from chance harris on Vimeo.

Salt and Light in the world of music

twitter madness

When to cut 'em loose

How do you know when to quit pursuing a professional ministry relationship that is not moving forward? What do you do when you have a volunteer or (in my case) a student in ministry who is not where they need to be? How do I know when to keep pursuing them and when to move on?

For me, it comes down to 3 things. These things are in escalating order of importance. In other words, number three is more important than number one.
1) Your bandwidth
The amount of available time and energy that you have to invest in this person definitely comes into play. If you're out of energy, this really limits the amount of time you have to invest in unmotivated people. However, if you have spare time on your hands, then go for it, even if they're tough.
2) The person's value to you personally or the organization
For the organization, value is equal to the amount of leadership potential. To quantify leadership potential, read John Maxwell. Ask yourself, "is this a person that people naturally look to for decisions." If so, more effort is warranted than if the answer is negative. I use the calibrated gut to put people into a 1-5 (5 being great potential) grid of possible influence on others.
3) The teachability of the person
This is the most important issue. I want to spend the majority of my time with people who are teachable. If a person has a leadership potential of a 5 but 0 teachability, I pass them by. However, if there is any teachable attitude present, they would be well worth the effort. I would give a 5 LP 1 Teachable much more effort than a 3 with the same teachability. However, I would invest in a 3LP who was teachable over a 5LP any day!

No matter who they are, all people matter. Therefore, attitude counts. What you say is as important as how you say it. Give them the love sandwich (meaty truth sandwiched in between two pieces of affirmation). Give them every piece of information and available opportunity to become the type of person they need to be and show themselves teachable. Of course this assumes that we are being teachable ourselves. As such, we should remember that with every relationship there is something to be learned.

Church Genre

Here's my short list of (although somewhat overlapping) church genres:
Rockstar
Spooky/Postmodern
Retirement
Happy/Snake/KO/Chandelier Swinging
Alliteration
Fire & Brimstone/Angry
Nerd/Exposition
Purpose/Floral Shirt
Feel free to add your genre to the comments. Thoughts on pros/cons and random musings later...

Thanks to Sean Chandler and Mark Barnett for their input.

Starbucks Church

Technaholics? part 2

Now to the other side of the issue...
There do seem to be a ton of addictions these days and technology and the gadgets it provides are not immune to humanity's idolatry. Computers, gaming consoles, PDA/cell phones and the proliferation of social networking provide plenty of modern day virtual temples of worship complete w/ priests, disciples and protocol.

Back to addictions... It's interesting how some addictions are more or less acceptable. Now this is not without reason as some addictions are more damaging and public than others. Perpetually smoking crack might kill you or land you in jail while constant "tweeting" on twitter.com will only make you unproductive and sound like an idiot. Nevertheless, it seems part of the human condition to be obsessive about people, things, and/or ideas.

What does this have to do w/ God? The Apostle Paul instructed the followers of Jesus in Ephesus to not be drunk with wine but instead to be filled with the Spirit (of God). Paul is contrasting being controlled by a lifestyle of drunkenness with life being controlled by Spirit of the living God. The point here is that any addiction, whether it be alcohol, crack, technology, ideology, philosophy, a relationship, another person, etc., is something that the Spirit wants to not only to infiltrate and ultimately overcome; the Spirit wants to totally consume us. We should consider it a grand opportunity to be released from our bondage to anything less that what is ultimate, more real and fantastically satisfying. If that means going through "the hardest 30 days or your life," it's worth it. Count me in.

Technaholics? part 1

I picked up a book on my shelf that I bought about 10 years ago at a national youth convention. The book is all about taking a break from technology addiction for the sake of focusing on Jesus. It proudly proclaims that this will be the "30 hardest days of your life."

I have mixed emotions about this concept. On one hand, it seems quite ludicrous that we'd demonize technology and the gadgets it brings as things that get in the way of our relationship w/ God. It is in some ways a very Cartesian dualistic understanding of the world where there is a very strong divide between the sacred and the secular. I wholeheartedly reject that concept for reasons that will have to be the topic of another blog on another day.

To show the silliness of the concept that technology is evil, imagine the following scenario. We should all quit driving cars because we spend so much time in them and they get in the way of our relationships that are right around us (within walking distance)... OR We need to throw our cell phones in the trash b/c we talk on them constantly and that time could be better spent in prayer.... Really??? What about all the Kingdom work that is accomplished through the ability to be transported via automobile? What about all the encouraging and helpful phone calls made on cell phones that strategically move people toward Jesus? Should we embrace Asceticism and all become monks or nuns? Or, should we go the way of the Amish? Where do we draw the line here? I have some thoughts on that....(to be continued tomorrow)

The easy way always gets harder and the hard way gets easier.

#7 The easy way always gets harder and the hard way gets easier. This concludes the “Bobervbs” for now anyway. This last one has to do with having some guts to do the right thing the first time even if it’s harder than the easy way. It’s always easier to do things quickly and not pay attention to details in order to mark a task off our list. Or, it may be easier to put off a hard conversation with someone because it can wait, but it’s not worth it. It will only lead to a harder conversation down the road.
Another way of saying this is that we don’t have time to get in a hurry and do things mediocre and half way. Instead, we should all agree to do what’s best, no matter what the cost because in the long run, it’ll pay off. It may be more difficult in the meantime but we’re in this life for the long haul. In the end, the hard way is worth it. Those hard conversations with others set a precedent for the boundaries of relationships and guide them to a more amiable and productive end.

What you allow you invite

#6 What you allow you invite. This proverb may be the toughest for me. It is similar to “leaders/moderation, followers/excess.” I think it’s hard for me because I don’t want to communicate that tolerance of an idea or behavior means I’m a promoter of it but pragmatically, I think it’s true. Example: In my line of work, students always want to see where the boundaries are. While I don’t think cussing is in and of itself a sin, if what you allow you invite is true, then if I allow it, I’m inviting it. I don’t like that. While I don’t want a bunch of legalistic people thinking that there is never a time and place for strong language and I certainly don’t want a bunch of ill informed people thinking that certain words have a moral value assigned to them by God, neither do I want a bunch of teenagers running around acting like idiots, not possessing the discernment to know time and place, cussing up a storm because it is “allowed.” So, while I don’t have a no-cussing rule, I do have conversations (see proverb #3.)

What you win people with is what you win them to.

#5 What you win people with is what you win them to. Loyalty and expectation are two sides of the same coin. People are dedicated to what got them into association with the individual or group whether it was an event, idea or relationship. The decisive factor in their coming to the relationship is what they will continue to give themselves to.

Submission is not submission until there’s a disagreement.

#4 Submission is not submission until there’s a disagreement. This is a hard one but maybe the closest to being a universal truth. It’s easy to say that one submits to authority until there is a difference of opinion. When everyone is of the same mind, there is no submission. Submission is most clearly seen during times of conflict. BTW, it’s also the true test of whether or not we trust the leadership we’ve chosen to follow.

Bobisms (cont)... the Anit Rules Nazi Rule

#3 It’s always easier to make a rule than to have a conversation…don’t do this. This is what I call the Anti Rules-Nazi Rule. Example: a handful of teenagers get sand in their hotel room b/c they didn’t wash their feet off after being at the beach. Don’t make a rule that says no teenagers can go to the beach or that no teenagers can be in someone else’s room. That’s stupid.
In other words, never make a universal rule for everyone when a hard conversation with a few (or one) will do the job. This is better not only for the group as a whole but it also builds relational credibility with people. I think it’s also Biblical.

Boberb #2

#2 What leaders do in moderation, followers do in excess. There are freedoms that the mature possess that may not be appropriate for immature or younger believers to participate in. Now, I know that Bobby is one who fights for our Christian freedoms, so this is not a blanket statement about how we should not exercise any freedoms. Instead, this proverb is about when and in what context we express those freedoms that others may not have the luxury of experiencing either because of weak consciences or age. This proverb is about loving those who follow us enough to self limit our behavior for the sake of others knowing that those who follow us exaggerate our qualities.

Bobbyisms or Boberbs 1 of 6

Over the last two years, I’ve heard my mentor/boss say some things that are both catchy and helpful. While I don’t think these things are universally true all the time (I don’t think Bobby thinks that either), there is a lot of wisdom in them. I think of them as modern day proverbs... wise sayings that describe the way things normally work (not without exception) but true the majority of the time.

#1 What we celebrate, we invite. Bobby thinks this came from a book by Ravi Zacharias. The context was a HS graduation ceremony where a pregnant girl was awarded a grand applause. The point being that the glorification of a thing makes it attractive and therefore not just permissible but encouraged. While it does take a lot of courage and determination to continue in school and move forward in spite of poor decisions, should we give more applause for a student doing something that she should have done anyway? What about all the other students who made great decisions? Should they not have received at least as much celebration for making good decisions the whole time? I'm not saying we should condemn her or ostracize her or something stupid like that. Everyone needs love, support, and compassion, whether we make good decisions or poor ones. Nevertheless, we should be sure that we’re celebrating what is truly great!

Wise Decisions

UnChristian 6 -Wise Choices from cody pope on Vimeo.

When to cut 'em off

How do you know when to quit pursuing a professional ministry relationship that is not moving forward? What do you do when you have a volunteer or (in my case) a student in ministry who is not where they need to be? How do I know when to keep pursuing them and when to move on?

For me, it comes down to 3 things. These things are in escalating order of importance. In other words, number three is more important than number one.
1) Your bandwidth
The amount of available time and energy that you have to invest in this person definitely comes into play. If you're out of energy, this really limits the amount of time you have to invest in unmotivated people. However, if you have spare time on your hands, then go for it, even if they're tough.
2) The person's value to you personally or the organization
For the organization, value is equal to the amount of leadership potential. To quantify leadership potential, read John Maxwell. Ask yourself, "is this a person that people naturally look to for decisions." If so, more effort is warranted than if the answer is negative. I use the calibrated gut to put people into a 1-5 (5 being great potential) grid of possible influence on others.
3) The teachability of the person
This is the most important issue. I want to spend the majority of my time with people who are teachable. If a person has a leadership potential of a 5 but 0 teachability, I pass them by. However, if there is any teachable attitude present, they would be well worth the effort. I would give a 5 LP 1 Teachable much more effort than a 3 with the same teachability. However, I would invest in a 3LP who was teachable over a 5LP any day!

No matter who they are, all people matter. Therefore, attitude counts. What you say is as important as how you say it. Give them the love sandwich (meaty truth sandwiched in between two pieces of affirmation). Give them every piece of information and available opportunity to become the type of person they need to be and show themselves teachable. Of course this assumes that we are being teachable ourselves. As such, we should remember that with every relationship there is something to be learned.

Anyone can Criticize; Leaders make Solutions

It really doesn't take that much intellect or effort to notice that things are messed up. It's almost like saying that the sky is blue. Of course, things are not as good as they could be, whether we're talking about the world at large, our organizations, our families, or ourselves. I can think of at least a dozen things wrong with each. Almost all of us could.

A better way is needed. I tell our leaders that when it comes to evaluations, we need to hold our tongues until we are ready to propose and be a part of a solution. I will not hear a complaint without a proposed plan for solving the problem. This does two things. First, it keeps the gossip and rumor mill shut down. If everyone knows that complaints without solutions fall on deaf ears then pretty soon, they quit griping or leave. Second, it fosters forward movement. Criticism without remedies breeds negativity and regress. On the other hand, people who are accustomed to thinking in terms of solutions are difference makers, have ownership in the organization and have a positive attitude. These are all things are highly preferable to the alternative!

Relational Currency

As I was reading about how the crowds followed Jesus in Mark 1, I wondered what we as his followers have to offer people so that they want to follow us. The context of the passage seems to imply that the draw was two-fold. First, they were curious because of the unique nature of his teaching. Jesus' approach to the religious crowd was very unlike his contemporaries. He did not quote other teachers or quibble about secondary issues. Instead, he focused on God's overarching meta narrative of redemption and freedom from seemingly inescapable circumstances of fear and oppression by religion and demons. Second, he displayed the power behind his teaching by actually healing the demonized and lepers. This was an impossible task apart from the supernatural ability of God.

On to us...
What do we have, in Jesus, that the religious and non-religious, don't? I make the following suggestions. First, in Jesus, we have a holy dissatisfaction with the business as usual, get by, maintainence mentality. Religion is dead (another blog for another day) and relationships are in. Empty tradition is out, adventure is where it's at. Lifeless church going is boring, exciting experiences are attractive. People, particularly young adults and teens, are starving to death for relationships, adventure and excitement. We, as Jesus followers, have access to all these things. We have reconciliation with God and each other (relationships). There is a great mission that is risky and downright insane that we're called to (adventure). Our leader beckons us to love him with all our mind, body, soul, heart, etc. (excitement). The question then becomes, why do so many churches, have to create gimicks, hype, or continue to live in the past, thinking that will be effective in impacting the world?
Of course, I've got some ideas about how to do this, and I'm trying them out. But the point for all of us is to ask, "How does a life lived like Jesus look in my situation?" In faith, we must evaluate our own situations (individually and corporately) then begin to make the necessary changes to move forward. As we build relational currency with people through the avenues created by the gospel, lives will be changed.

A True Companion

Today is my wife's birthday so, I thought I'd write down a few of the things about her that make her special. First, Shayla is undeniably honest about her feelings. Even though this sometimes gets her in trouble, I think it to be a valuable trait. I never have to wonder what she's feeling. For a guy who's pretty thick, that's helpful. She is always authentic and never puts on masks and is absolutely never fake.
Second, Shayla is very intelligent. She has great critical thinking skills which enable her to cut through the crap when it comes to arguments and situations. Many of you know that she was the valedictorian of her HS class and finished college in less than 3.5 years before the times of dual credit in HS. This was just the beginning of her display of intelligence... you should hear our disagreements. I have spent years and thousands of dollars equipping myself with degrees in things like upper level philosophy classes only to be outdone by her superior intellect.
Third, Shayla is a particularly good judge of character. In 12 years of marriage and 5 years of dating, I have never known her to be wrong about a person's true self. As someone who's job involves dealing directly with people on a daily basis, she has been a help to me more than a few times. I have also suffered the result of thinking I was better at this than she is.
Fourth, Shayla is very compassionate and caring. Because of her ability to really see people, she has a very keen awareness of their thought processes. She regularly puts herself in other people's shoes and even when they're wrong, she has the ability to lovingly help them take responsibility. She is an excellent counselor.
Fifth, Shayla loves sacrificially. She has given up more for me and our kids than any of us will ever really appreciate. Every day Shayla puts her own desires and dreams on hold so that she can help me and our kids be the people we need to be. She relentlessly gives her physical and emotional self to us. She has persevered through poverty, depression, and my horrible gas.
Sixth, Shayla loves truth, justice and mercy. She appreciates frank conversation and doing what is right, especially towards others. She despises phony platitudes, superficiality and shallow relationships. Her preference is for authenticity, honesty, and compassion.
Lastly, Shayla continues to grow. She is always looking for ways to improve herself. She has an inspiring tenacity and a holy dissatisfaction with the status quo, which I love! Shayla values progress and embodies that herself.
In the words of Jack Nicholson, Shayla makes "me want to be a better man." And for that, I am truly grateful to God. Shayla is an example to others how to love Jesus by embracing a sacrificial lifestyle of self-denial so you can truly live. That is what makes her an unmistakeably beautiful person. Please join me in wishing her a Happy Birthday!

UnChristian -Fear vs Big Faith

UnChristian -Consumerism vs Mission from cody pope on Vimeo.

Consumerism & Mission

I am a consumer. You are a consumer. We are consumers. We consume food, products and experiences. We like our Chick Fil-A sandwiches, hair products and going bowling. We buy things we need and things we don’t need. Sometimes we buy things that are not the best product for the money, but are the best marketed. Clothing is a good example of this. Brand marketing convinces us that we must have a certain brand name over something else that might be of a better or equal quality for less. Food, clothing, experiences…these are all things that are consumed.

This is not necessarily a bad thing. However, if we’re not careful, we’ll buy into the lie that if we just buy this one more thing, we’ll be happy. The world says that if we just consume this one thing, our troubles will go away. “If I just get that Xbox360, or go to this school trip, or buy a hybrid car…” Of course, that is a problem b/c as Christians we believe that true happiness and fulfillment is found in Jesus and Him alone. Nevertheless, the problem runs much deeper than that. Consumerism, the idea that, I the customer am in charge and can, indeed, should, choose what I want and don’t want, has invaded our idea of church and Christianity as a whole.

What I mean by this is that the idea that church is a religious good and/or service has become prevalent today. Instead of seeing church as the body of Christ, the people of faith, the lovers of Jesus, many see the church as a sort of club, organization or social network. As such, these same people think the church, like other clubs, organizations and social networks, gives them certain rights and privileges. For example, if you join a gym or health club, you get a nametag w/ a card that lets you, but not non members in. You get to use the equipment, have an experience, and they clean up after you. If you don’t like their equipment or training staff, you can either complain about it to the management and try to change things or you can find another health club, since there are tons of them. If you don’t like Fitness 19, there’s Gold’s Gym, or Snap Fitness, or 24 Hour Fitness. If one doesn’t suit you, you can easily go to another. The same is true w/ food (how many burger joints are there?), vehicles car, truck SUV or crossover?(Ford, Chevy, Dodge, Toyota, Mazda, Hyundai, Honda, BMW, Land Rove, Hummer, Mitsubishi, Audi), apparel…almost anything. If you don’t like one, you can just pick another that better suits you. Make sense?

When we apply this notion, that I am the consumer, to the church, something goes terribly wrong. When we see ourselves as the customer and the church as the provider, like a health club, or restaurant, this is not good. There are some who, while unaware, have made this terrible mistake of becoming Consumeristic Christians. They believe in Jesus but have a view of church that is really all about them. You know if you’re one of these people if any of the following is true of you:

• You are looking for a certain style of praise and worship music.
• You judge what happens “up front” by the quality of the presentation instead of the content.

-“That was good.” Or “I really liked that.” Or “I didn’t like that and here’s why…”

• You determine whether or not you’re going to attend based on how you feel, personally or about the experience at large.
• You think it’s ok to complain to “management” if your preferences are not being met
• You are a church shopper who bounces from one church to another b/c of your preferences (you like the music @ this place, but the teaching @ this place or the people @ this place, etc.)

I’m just going to say it now…Consumerism, and Consumeristic Christianity has NO Biblical basis and is not God’s will for the church, today or ever. Instead of trying to defend that idea, I’m going to try and show what God really intends for the Church.

Instead of being self centered and consuming, God wants us to give:

Matthew 10:8b “Freely you have received, freely give.” -NIV

2Cor 9:7b “God loves a cheerful giver.” -NIV

Luke 6:37 “Give your life away.” The Message

Instead of being selfish, God wants us to love:

Luke 10:27 “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind' ; and, 'Love your neighbor as yourself.”

Rom 12:10 “Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honor one another above yourselves.”

Instead of expecting others to serve us, we should serve others:

Gal 5:13c “…serve one another in love.”

Instead of complaining b/c we didn’t get what we wanted from others, we should encourage:

1Thess 5:11 “Therefore encourage one another and build each other up...”

Instead of sitting back wanting to be comfortable, entertained and engaged, we should be challenging and pushing one another forward:

Heb 10:24 And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds.

Instead of being Consumeristic and bouncing from one church to another:

Rom 12:10 “Be devoted to one another…” Barnet says, “Pick a family and stick w/ them.”

Instead of being about us, we are to be about God’s mission for the world:

Matt 28:19 “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations”

Give, Love, Serve, Encourage, Spur, Make Disciples…

This is what it means to be a Christian, Jesus lover and Jesus follower. Are you a consumer or a Christian? We believe that true life is found in Jesus and Jesus alone. Through his death, burial and resurrection, we believe that He is the King of everything and we will be happy subjects as we submit to his rule and are on his mission to love and redeem humanity and the world.