Proudness, Part 2

I posted a few weeks ago about our daughter's graduation from college.

Well, it's been a full, transitional month. We spent a couple of days and nights last week celebrating Riley's graduation from Charlotte Christian School.

He's brought us a lot of joy and pride through the years, as well as precious few worries, and commencement was no exception.

We've been so blessed in that both Taylor and Riley attended Charlotte Christian from kindergarten all the way through high school. That stability, along with the Christ-centered, college-prepratory approach of the school, has been priceless.

Riley will enroll at UNC-Chapel Hill this fall.

Here we are after the ceremony:



As an added treat, my 95-year-old mother Betty Davis traveled from Austin under the watchful eye of my sister Nancy Labastida. Nancy was 20 when I was born (!).

JesusTweets, Week Five -- The 'What's It To Ya?' Tweet

JesusTweets began with the most insensitive thing ever Jesus said to a prospective follower: "Follow me, and let the dead bury their own dead."

And it ends with one of his most direct rebukes to a member of his own inner circle: "what's it to you?"

To see the context of that one -- meaning, when, where, and to whom -- check out John 21:15-25.

And to see the many contemporary applications of that tweet, come out this Sunday for "The 'What's It To Ya?' Tweet."

Sunday.

8:30. 10. 11:30.

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With what kind of series are we following up JesusTweets?

A book study of the Old Testament Haggai, of course.

Haggai? Really?! You bet. The series is called The Comeback Kids and I think it will be terrific.

And along the way, you'll get connected with a book you probably didn't even know was in the bible . . . and even if you did, you probably haven't read it!

But we will. Together. As part of making our own comeback stories.

A Tale Of Two Series

A year ago at this time (May of 2010), Good Shepherd was knee deep into the hoopla of a series called The Office. Taking a cue from the hit television show, we explored office morality and ethics from a biblical perspective.



Because of the strong cultural connections and the heavy dose of life application, we went all out in advertising the series. We built a special web site, bought space on area billboards, and advertised in local newspapers.

I insisted on the media blitz because I was convinced that the combination of culture, subject, and promotion would bring in the crowds.

The response? Crickets chirping. Attendance in May 2010 was only marginally higher than May of 2009.

This year, we went a different direction. While the series title -- JesusTweets -- still has a connection with the larger culture, the vibe of the series is much different.



There are no billboards. No special website. No newspaper ads. And the messages are more straightforward -- dealing with the not-so-glamorous collection of "follow me" sayings from Jesus.

The response? So far, so good. Attendance in May 2011 is about 200 higher per Sunday than May 2010.

Interesting.

Less push, more response.

It's part of an overall move to be more in line with our Wesleyan, evangelical, and even Pentecostal connections.

This doesn't mean we'll never advertise again. But it does suggest that we're at our best when we're at our most blunt.

Food for thought. Or material for Twitter.

Preaching Lesson From A Politician

I heard portions of Benjamin Netanyahu's speech to a joint session of Congress yesterday.

I have to say, it was stunning. I pulled over in my car and began writing as much of it down as I could.

Even if you disagree with Netanyahu's politics and its implications,you have to admire to force of his argument, the simple beauty of his language, and the cadence of his delivery.

I give you below some nuggets from the text of the speech. Pay particular attention to the short sentences, the building of patterns, the rapport with the audience, and the masterful use of contrast. This is "writing to speak" (as opposed to "writing to read") at its very best:

In an unstable Middle East, Israel is the one anchor of stability. In a region of shifting alliances, Israel is America’s unwavering ally. Israel has always been pro-American. Israel will always be pro-American.

My friends, you don’t need to do nation building in Israel. We’re already built. You don’t need to export democracy to Israel. We’ve already got it. You don’t need to send American troops to defend Israel. We defend ourselves. You’ve been very generous in giving us tools to do the job of defending Israel on our own. Thank you all, and thank you President Obama, for your steadfast commitment to Israel’s security. I know economic times are tough. I deeply appreciate this.

Support for Israel’s security is a wise investment in our common future. For an epic battle is now unfolding in the Middle East, between tyranny and freedom. A great convulsion is shaking the earth from the Khyber Pass to the Straits of Gibraltar. The tremors have shattered states and toppled governments. And we can all see that the ground is still shifting. Now this historic moment holds the promise of a new dawn of freedom and opportunity. Millions of young people are determined to change their future. We all look at them. They muster courage. They risk their lives. They demand dignity. They desire liberty.

And then, my favorite paragraph of them all:

Israel has always embraced this path of freedom while others in the Middle East have long rejected it. In a region where women are stoned, gays are hanged, Christians are persecuted, Israel stands out. It is different.

It is different. Echoes of Leviticus 11:45 -- be holy for I am holy -- whether Netanyahu intended it or not.

All in all, preachers do well to study the ways in which Netanyahu's form -- a concisely written & powerfully delivered speech -- reinforces his content -- a clarion call for Israeli safety & sovereignty in the context of a peaceful Middle East.

Top Five Tuesday -- Top Five Trends In Methodism

The United Methodist Church is in a season of asking hard questions.

It is wrestling with a perfect storm of crises: 1) membership loss in the U.S. from 11 million in 1968 to approximately eight million today; 2) dwindling financial resources at the denominational level as a result of the recession; and 3) theological division over issues such as biblical authority and homosexuality.

One example of our denomination's attempt to name and deal with the new normal is the Call To Action report, which you can read here.

I have an up close perspective on some of the issues and more of a sidelines view of others. Yet I've invested most of my adult life in the denomination and I have abiding love for its history and theology.

So what are some current trends emerging out of these hard questions and this crisis?

1. Creeping Congregationalism. For years, the Annual Conference was thought to be the center of ministry in the Methodist church. Bishops, executives, and even pastors would speak glowingly of the "ministry of the Conference" or even on a small scale, the "ministry of the District." (Good Shepherd, for example, is a member of the Western North Carolina Annual Conference and the Charlotte District.) Yet these days, the focus is -- deservedly so -- on the ministry of the local congregation. The majority of people in the pews -- or in the cushioned blue seats -- have little knowledge of or investment in denominational structures; they care about what happens in their local church. The hierarchy is at long last taking note.

2. Tenuous Itineracy. For years, Methodists have been the church that "moves its pastors" with great frequency -- every four years or so. In previous generations, local churches had little say in who they received. It was a fine system -- for horse and buggy days. These days, we realize that moving pastors so often leads to unstable churches and dysfunctional pastoral families. In addition, 21st Century people are not as trusting of institutions as people of earlier eras; they want more say in determining who the pastor is who serves them.

3. End To Guaranteed Appointments . When I entered ordained ministry, one mentor promised me that there would always be "a church for every pastor and a pastor for every church." Meaning: once you are ordained and have "tenure," you are guaranteed a job somewhere. Somehow, the powers that be make this part of the system work every year. Yet any kind of tenured system protects mediocrity, and the sense is that many Methodist preachers have settled for exactly that. So there exists a strong push to end the guaranteed appointment. Of course, those pushing for ending guaranteed appointments assume that their performance is well above mediocrity and their appointment will never be in jeopardy!

4. Seminary Accountability. Since the denomimation suffers from low performing clergy (see point #3), it must be the training! Or so goes the thinking. Some of our seminaries have encouraged doctrinal thinking well beyond the boundaries of orthodoxy while others have devoted more time to preparing men and women for academic careers than parish ministry. So there is a move afoot to reduce dramatically the amount of denominational funds that go to our thirteen official schools.

5. Follow The Money. It's where most crises take us. As individual congregations struggle to fund their own local ministries, that means less money is available for institutional projects. I know our own Western North Carolina Conference, for example, has seen major reductions to its staff. If current giving patterns continue, many see a future in which the primary role of the denomination is to collect and disburse clergy benefits as opposed to authoring ministry initiatives.

A State Champion

Last year at about this time, I posted with some sadness, regret, and anger about a state championship title that was denied my son Riley and his relay teammates at Charlotte Christian School due to a "wardrobe malfunction."

You can read about that day here.

Well, as state championship track meets do, this one came around again.

So we spent Saturday in the blazing heat of Winston-Salem at the 2011 NC Independent School Athletic Association meet.

And when it came time for the 4 X 200, Riley and his teammates were ready. Most importantly, I guess, their uniforms matched.

Now -- I'm not a track expert & I don't go to many of his meets. The ones I do attend . . . well, I get too nervous to watch the baton transfer. I can watch Riley run, but when it comes time to hand the baton off to the next sprinter, I turn away.

I didn't need to take that precaution.

Riley and his three partners didn't just win the 4 X 200. They dominated, winning by almost two seconds -- an eternity in the sprint world -- and setting a state record in the process.

So my son is a state championship in a sport I know almost nothing about; in a sport he couldn't have even participated in four years ago.

I couldn't be prouder.

And, as we've been hearing in quite a different context recently, justice was served.

Here's the winning team. The four young men in the middle, going clockwise from the top right: Chris Clark (sunglasses), Riley, Simms McElfresh, and Matthias Farley (hat).

JesusTweets, Week 4 -- The Satellite Tweet

So what in the world (or what "out" of the world) does a satellite orbiting planet Earth have to do with a JesusTweet?

Quite a lot, as it turns out.

And I can't wait to tell you about it.

The answer will be different than you expect.

Sunday.

8:30. 10. 11:30.

Self-Control

In reading through the letters of Paul and Peter, I continue to be surprised by his emphasis on one of the least glamorous aspects of the Christian life: self-control.

For example . . .

" ... so that Satan will not tempt you because of your lack of self-control" (I Corinthians 7:5)

"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control." (Galatians 5:22-23)

"[in the last days, people will be] without self-control." (2 Timothy 3:3)

"and to knowledge [add] self-control." (2 Peter 1:6)

It's clear, then, that surrendering control of our more natural instincts -- anger, lust, greed -- to the power of God is at the heart of living the Christian life.

But let's face it: that's not a huge draw for Christianity. Most people are looking for less self-control, not more. It's not like we'd put a banner in front of Good Shepherd declaring, "Enter Here And Discover Self-Control!"

Yet perhaps we should.

Think of all the problems we would avoid if self-control became characteristic of the way we live.

Which of us hasn't lost control of our tongue -- and gotten into trouble as a result?

Or lost control of our temper -- and so hurt the ones we love the most?

Or lost control of sexual appetites -- and the resulting relational trauma that goes along with it?

Or even lost control of drugs & alcohol -- with the arrest record to prove it.

Biblical self-control, then, falls into that marvelous category of crisis prevention as opposed to crisis management.

Not very glamorous. But vitally important. Thanks, Peter. Thanks, Paul.

How The Sausage Gets Made

On two different occasions last week, I shared with people here how I prepare sermons.

I'd never done that even once before, and yet here I was giving detailed explanations two times in three days to folks in the process of growing their own preaching skills.

I talked about bible studying, wordsmithing, and, most personally, brainstorming. Where do illustrations and connections and memories come from? I have a highly detailed process, and laid it all out there for my friends and colleagues.

It was almost like having someone else read your diary.

Or giving them a behind the scenes look at how sausage gets made.

In this case, however, I hope the exercise will increase their appetite for preaching, not diminish it.

Top Five Tuesday -- Top Five Sports Books

I love reading and I love sports.

So combine the two and VOILA! Sports books. I read them whenever I can.

So here are my Top Five Sports Books of all time:

5. Instant Replay by Jerry Kramer. One of the first "behind the scenes" look at modern pro sports, this one is well-written and incisive. Even though I have never been a fan of the Green Bay Packers -- especially when they'd beat my Dallas Cowboys in the late 60s -- Instant Replay is still a must read.



4. The Punch by John Feinstein. An exploration of how one moment in time can permanently alter the direction of two lives. I'm glad I wasn't at that game on that night.



3. Friday Night Lights by Buzz Bissinger. A compelling read about the influence of high school football on every day life in Texas.



2. Open by Andre Agassi. You knew a tennis book would be on here, didn't you? The second person narrator draws you in from the opening sentences. The raw honesty keeps you turning the pages. And the revelations, of course, make for continuing conversation fodder among tennis fans.



1. The Boys Of Summer by Roger Kahn. In my view, the seminal sports book of all time, primarily because it's not about sports. It's about life and its complications. When I read this book in the mid-1980s, I decided I wanted to be a sports writer. Oh well.

Proudness

Julie and I spent the latter part of last week in Nashville, Tennessee to celebrate our daughter Taylor's graduation from Vanderbilt University.

Taylor earned a degree as an English & History major as well as Communications Studies minor. She did it all with an excellent GPA and the kind of maturity that never caused us worry over her life choices.

Vanderbilt's graduation ceremonies have a number of unique features, the most memorable one being a Strawberries and Champagne reception immediately following Commencement. That's where we were able to view the University's President up close and personal, meet a few of Taylor's professors, and compare notes with other parents of graduates.

And it's also where we got to see the largest mountain of strawberries on planet earth:

The Unlikeliest Tweet

So we've had the rudest tweet.

And then the first tweet.

This Sunday, it's time for the unlikeliest tweet.

To what kind of person does Jesus beckon, "Come, follow me"?
Surely someone who's got it all figured out, right? Or at least someone with a good reputation in the community; someone who will "add value" to the team?

Think again.

And come again to Good Shepherd.

Sunday.

8:30. 10. 11:30.

Grace Does More Than Save

I typically think of Grace (God's Riches At Christ's Expense) as that which saves us. We don't deserve to spend eternity in heaven, but because of grace, God sees Jesus when he looks at us instead of seeing our sin, and welcomes us into his kingdom.

So far, so good.

Yet if our understanding of grace stops there, we sell its beauty short.

Notice instead how Paul describes the operation of grace in his post-conversion life in Ephesians 3:

Surely you have heard about the administration of God's grace that was given to me for you. (3:2)

I became a servant of this gospel by the gift of God's grace given me through the working of his power. (3:7)

Although I am the least of all God's people, this grace was given me: to preach to the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ. (3:8)

Ah, so grace is much more than that which begins our Christian life.

It is also the special gifting that empowers us to make a difference in the lives of others.

What is the special, continuing grace that God is pouring into you?

When you identify it, know this: it's not for your own consumption. You are to use it to bring life to other people.

That's amazing grace indeed.

Top Five Tuesday -- Top Five Rolling Stones Songs

Enough of theological reflection, leadership development, church advancement, and even musings on the much deserved demise of a terrorist mastermind.

How about some good old fashioned rock & roll?

Along with Led Zeppelin and the Eagles, the Rolling Stones were the soundtrack of my youth.

Which means that they are still the soundtrack of my adulthood.



So here goes . . . my top five all time favorite Rolling Stones songs:

5. One Hit To The Body -- An overlooked tune from the much-maligned Dirty Work album (1986). Yet there's something about the frantic urgency and unbridled aggression of this song that I simply love. I may be the only one, but I can't help it.



4. You Can't Always Get What You Want -- The closest Mick Jagger ever gets to being theological. We used to use this line with our children as part of telling them "no" to some request -- "you can't always get what you want, but if you try some time, you just might find, you'll get what you need." They failed to appreciate either the reference or the humor.



3. Brown Sugar -- Regrettable subject matter, unforgettable riff. The riff wins out.



2. Beast Of Burden -- This one came out just as my junior year of high school was beginning (1978). It makes me think of Led Zeppelin's "D'yer Maker" in that it is atypical of the band's style, yet infectious in its appeal.



1. Gimme Shelter -- For sure one of my all time favorites, regardless of the band. Haunting and apocalyptic, it makes you feel the frenzy & fear of the late 60s all over again. And are there better background vocals anywhere in rock & roll?

Coming Full Circle

Here are a couple of pictures of a dedication service back in June of 2001 when Canaan Eident's parents presented her to God:





Nice suit!

Now: why would I show you ten year old pictures of an infant celebration?

Because yesterday, Canaan was baptized as a believer into the faith. And here's the best part: her parents performed the baptism. I was there, of course, and the people of Good Shepherd celebrated along with us at the 11:30 service.

Here's Canaan preparing to get dunked:



But mom and dad had assumed primary responsibility for Canaan's spiritual life and so were the appropriate ones to baptize her into the faith.

Infant dedication leads to believer baptism, and parents lead the way in introducing their children to Christ.

I love the simplicity and power of that pattern.

And I'm glad we have our baptismal pool at Good Shepherd!

And finally, I'm glad the suits belong to 2001.

JesusTweets, Week Two: The First Tweet

We didn't begin the JesusTweets series with the first tweet.

We instead began it with the "Rudest Tweet." Why? Because I couldn't wait to preach on "let the dead bury their own dead."

And now I can't wait to preach on the "The First Tweet."

I think you'll see that we're upping the ante.

So bring a friend. Bring your mom.

Sunday.

8:30. 10. 11:30.

Where Does The Money Go?

Many of you were involved in the miracle known as What Child Is This.

That's where in lieu of a "traditional" Christmas celebration, the people of Good Shepherd gave $207,000 to the International Justice Mission and its ministry of freedom for sexual slaves and bonded servants around the world.

So where does that money go and what does it do?

Just this week, some of it supported work in Chennai, India. Check it out:



That's an indication of where the money went and an example of what you did.

Face Time

At last week's Leading Edge event in Kansas City, the project's benefactor said something interesting to our table:

If you see a CEO on TV advertising his company's product, don't buy the stock. It's obvious he doesn't get it.

My mind immediately went to Lee Iaccoca & Chrysler in th 1980s:



and then to Dave Thomas of Wendy's in more recent years:



What did our benefactor -- a man who has run companies in the information technology industry for over 30 years -- mean by his comment?

This: when leaders identify themselves too closely with the organizations they lead, trouble ensues. The focus lands on personality traits rather than organizational strengths.

The application to pastors and churches is obvious. The best pastors remember to keep the church's mission above their own personalities -- actually, effective pastors specialize in working themselves out of a job.

The goal is for the people of the church to "own" the ministry to such an extent that if something unexpected happens to the pastoral leader, the congregation can continue to thrive.

This post is not prelude to any kind of announcement. However, it is part of a "reset" I want to engage in as a leader so that the people here will feel more empowered to steward the ministry.

And so that my face won't appear in any of our advertising.

Top Five Tuesday -- Top Five Things I've Slept Through

Since I went to bed early this past Sunday night, I was completely unaware of the US military's successful raid against Osama bin Laden until I opened the newspaper (yes, I still read one)on Monday morning.

Which got me thinking . . . what are some other major stories and events that I have slept right through?

I'll go ahead and give #1 to the bin Laden story. Here goes some of the others . . .

2. George W. Bush - Al Gore "Draw" in 2000. First, Gore was declared the winner. Then, the networks told us Bush had won. That's when I went to bed. I awoke to a tie. Chad-gate ruled for the next six weeks.



3. Texas defeats Southern Cal in the 2006 National Championship Football Game. OK, this pales in imortance compared to the demise of a terrorist mastermind or the election of a president. Yet the game was a big deal: Vince Young vs. Reggie Bush, southwest vs. far west, Texas' attempt to recapture glory vs. USC's attempt at a third national championship in a row. Southern Cal was ahead mid-way through the fourth quarter and it was time for bed. So I missed Vince Young's timeless run for the winning touchdown.



4. Last week's tornado assault on Alabama. I was in Kansas City last week for a Methodist meeting -- a town that you'd think was vulnerable to late spring tornadoes -- when the unprecendeted storms hit the deep south. Since I was reading more than watching television, I had no idea of the devastation until I got up the next morning.



5. The iPod. So the iPod's exploding popularity in the early part of the last decade (did you know they were not marketed until after 9/11?) wasn't an overnight story. Yet it still caught me oblivious . . . because when the iPod came out I still listened to music on cassette tapes. For real. Pitiful, I know.

An Unusual Applause Line

Every so often, something I say in a sermon elicits spontaneous applause from the people of Good Shepherd.

I can't generally predict when this will happen . . . usually it follows a bold-ish comment about the unique-ness of the Risen Christ.

It's certainly most common with our 11:30 crowd. Seldom at 8:30, sometimes at 10, frequently at 11:30.

Whenever and wherever it happens, I'm grateful.

This Sunday had a line in the sermon -- a line not in the composed manuscript but something I only thought of this week -- that each service greeted with enthusiastic clapping.

Was it a great theological claim? No.

An urgent challenge to follow Jesus? No.

Annoucing a bold initiative for the church? No.

It was, instead, a brief line tucked in the middle of a story about Hank Aaron.




The applause line wasn't even the meat of the story I was telling.

Because what I related about Aaron involved (of course) him hitting a home run. (This one off of the Yankees and inspired by the incessant jabbing of Yogi Berra.) So I said simply, "BOOM! Over the center field wall. One of 755 STEROID FREE home runs."

8:30: applause. 10:00: applause. 11:30: applause.

The first time I was shocked; by the third hour I was prepared.

I suppose it goes to show you that in the days of athletes giving us TMI via Twitter, Facebook, or even legal testimony, people are longing for genuine heroes.