Blog
Eating The ElephantJanuary 25, 2010 Ever been in a situation where the Elephant in the room was obvious yet no one wanted to address it? If you have been in ministry for any length of time, the answer to that question is "YES"! So often we want to change things or to see things change but have little courage to face the Elephant head-on. We walk around it, ignore it, point in another direction or blindly walk into it time after time. Yet, we will not call it what it is or draw attention to it in any way. Whether this elephant is one of a personal or professional nature, we feel as though it is easier to ignore its presence rather than face the brutal facts. Why? Because until you face the brutal facts about the elephant in the room, until you own up to the problem right in front of your eyes, you can never go beyond it. You will never be able to make good decisions about the future until you confront the elephant in the room. The only catch is the hard work involved in facing the elephant. You may discover, as you process the brutal facts, that you are the problem, or that your best friend needs to go. You may discover that you have been going in the wrong direction and need to make a course correction. No matter what the situation, it will take courage and brutal honesty to move forward. In a paid work environment, making decisions about the elephant is much easier than in the local church. Which is precisely the reason we rarely take a good look at the creature staring us in the face, call it what it is, grab a knife a fork, and eat the Elephant. (By the way, it doesn't taste like chicken. It tastes like crow!) This is true even in our spiritual lives. We can never fully understand the grace and forgiveness of God until we are able to deal honestly with the true depths of our own sinfulness.
| |
|
Posted 1/25/2010 in Stephen Gray | 0 Comments - Add Comment |
Haiti EarthquakeJanuary 14, 2010 As most everyone knows by now a massive, 7.0 magnitude earthquake struck Haiti near the capital of Port-au-Prince on Tuesday, January 12th. The damage to buildings is extensive and the number of deaths is estimated, by the American Red Cross, to be upwards of 50,000. World Vision, a Christian humanitarian charity organization, is on the ground rushing emergency supplies to survivors of this catastrophe. “We would be very concerned about a quake of this magnitude anywhere in the world, but it is especially devastating in Haiti, where people are acutely vulnerable because of poor infrastructure and extreme poverty,” said Edward Brown, World Vision’s relief director in the United States. I believe it is times like these that the church can step up and show the love of Christ in a big way. It is our Christian duty to help in this time of need. Any gift you are able to make now will help distribute life-saving relief supplies – including food, clean water, blankets, and tents — to children and families devastated by the earthquake and aftershocks in Haiti. Here are a few sites and contacts to help you find a way to give: State Department - Text 90999 to give $10. American Red Cross - 1-800-RED-CROSS World Vision - Donate Online Now! | |
|
Posted 1/14/2010 in Stephen Gray | 1 Comment - Add Comment |
No More Lone RangersJanuary 11, 2010
The Lone Ranger is a piece of American entertainment history. On Feb 2, 1933 the Lone Ranger episodes were launched on the radio. On Sept 14, 1949 it air for the first time on ABC and aired until 1957. Throughout this run, Americans all across the nation tuned in to see their favorite masked hero, take on the bad guys. Every episode ended with this lone figure yelling out a hearty “Hi-Yo Silver Away!” while his horse reared up and they rode off into the wilderness. Americans loved The Lone Ranger because he stood for truth, justice and the American way. The Lone Ranger, riding solitary and into the sunset, became an American icon and a symbol for the rugged individualism that built this great nation. Today, the phrase “lone ranger” is used by many preachers to denote what may be a spiritual loner or an outcast who doesn’t seem to fit neatly into the body of Christ. Ironically, most pastors fit this bill very well and sadly, most pastors feel a lot like The Lone Ranger. These lone ranger pastors feel deeply that they are expected, by their congregations and denominational leaders, to embody the rugged, individualistic spirit of a self-made man. They are expected to ride in, save the day and ride off into the sunset while onlookers whisper amongst themselves, “Who was that masked man?” This expectation has cause an epidemic of health problems, burnout, infidelity, and depression among pastors in America today. While the American pastor may suffer from this syndrome, church planters are even more susceptible. Many church planters tend to be the rugged-individual type. Their natures tend make them willing to take on the world and their problems through their rugged, solitary will. It might even be that they prefer to take on every challenge alone. And as it stands, our current mode of operations surrounding church planting, encourages this sort of methodology. Church planters are sent out to do the work like The Lone Ranger. Most don’t even get a Tonto. As leaders I think we must ask ourselves: Is sending out our church planters without any shoulder-to-shoulder or personal support even biblical? In the sixth chapter of Mark, Jesus sent his disciples out to minister in groups of two. A quick read through the book of Acts will show that the early church sent their missionaries out in groups of two. Come to think of it, whenever I watch the television show COPS, even they are sent out in groups of two. Like law enforcement, ministry is dangerous business. Don’t we need to take some precautions? There is strength and safety in numbers! It’s time to bring this biblical concept back into the arena of church planting. It’s hard enough planting a church, let alone, planting it solo. Instead of one entrepreneurial planter going out to start a church on his own, why not send a team? In his book Planting Missional Churches, Ed Stetzer explains that a church-planting team provides “a division of gifts, and a strong leadership base”. Church plants that start off with a team and share the workload stand a much better chance of reaching the two hundred mark quickly. But, does the data back that up? Yes! One of the most significant discoveries in the study of church plants (Planting Fast Growing Churches) has to do with "Lone Ranger" leadership. Each planter involved in the study was asked if they planted the church on their own or if they started with a church planting team. A whopping 88 percent of the fast-growing church plants had a church planting team in place prior to public launch. By contrast, only 12 percent of struggling church plants had a church planting team. That is a difference of 76 percent between these two groups! Ouch—did I just hear the Lone Ranger take a bullet? Team planting does have a positive impact on the growth of a new church, and it is a major factor that distinguishes fast-growing church plants from the comparison plants. Before the results came back to me, it was my belief that a team approach to church planting would produce a synergy unlike anything else. Because of my own experience, I already knew in my bones that those who attempted to plant a church in true Lone Ranger fashion had a much greater likelihood of struggling. What I found even more interesting, perhaps even disturbing, was the degree of loneliness and isolation that those leading struggling church plants found themselves subjected to. Each planter was asked to indicate how many unpaid volunteer staff they had. The results were eye opening. Not only did the majority of solo planters have no paid staff, it is significant to note that 73.1 percent of leaders involved in struggling church plants indicated that they had a grand total of zero on their voluntary staff. By contrast, a majority of planters leading fast-growing church plants, 65 percent, had at least one or more volunteers to rely on. What should this tell us? NO MORE LONE RANGERS! | |
|
Posted 1/11/2010 in Church Planting | 0 Comments - Add Comment |
Change is never easy! But it is necessary.January 7, 2010
Over the last few days I have been contemplating the necessity for change. Change in my own personal life, change in my work life, change in my church, change in the organization of which I am a part. Whether we like it or not, change seems to be a constant. It is also very needed. Peter Drucker, recognized by many as the godfather of management, wrote: “Everybody has accepted by now that change is unavoidable. But that still implies that change is like death and taxes — it should be postponed as long as possible and no change would be vastly preferable. But in a period of upheaval, such as the one we are living in, change is the norm." Too often we fight change, avoid change, fear change, kill change or flat out reject change. But should we? Change is never easy, but is usually very beneficial for us. If we stop changing, we stop growing and growth is the only real evidence of life. Saint Augustine once wrote, “If you would attain to what you are not yet, you must always be displeased by what you are. For where you are pleased with yourself there you have remained. Keep adding, keep walking, keep advancing.” Paul wrote in 2 Cor 3:18 “But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord.” I guess that means for the Christian, change should be welcomed and embraced. Notice I didn’t say enjoyed, although some change is enjoyable. Change is often far from being something we enjoy. As I was reading the Psalms the other day God laid these verses before my eyes. (Ps 32:8-9) The Lord said, “I will guide you along the pathway for your life. I will advise you and watch over you.” So far, so good! I like this verse. I love knowing that God is guiding my pathway and watching over me. Gives me a sense of peace. But then the Lord said, “Do not be like a senseless horse or mule that needs a bit and a bridle to keep it under control.” Senseless horse or mule!? Not sure I like that visual. My mother always said I was like a bull in a china shop. The opposite to the senseless horse is one that will follow its master out of a relationship and trust. Think about it for a minute. How often have we acted like the senseless horse in the face of change? When things don’t make sense in our world and change catches us off guard, how do we react? Whether change is related to work, home, church or our own personal growth, we tend to fight change, don’t we? How willing are we to simply follow the master, even when it doesn’t make sense, isn’t enjoyable or when it doesn’t feel good. How often does he have to bridle us as senseless beasts? The Lord says to each of us, “I will guide you along the pathway for your life. I will advise you and watch over you.” He knows us best and ultimately has our best in mind. So embrace, expect and welcome change knowing that the Father is using it to change us from glory to glory. Change is never easy, but it is necessary. If we stop changing, we stop growing and growth is the only real sign of life.
Over the last few days I have been contemplating the necessity for change. Change in my own personal life, change in my work life, change in my church, change in the organization of which I am a part. Whether we like it or not, change seems to be a constant. It is also very needed. Peter Drucker, recognized by many as the godfather of management, wrote: “Everybody has accepted by now that change is unavoidable. But that still implies that change is like death and taxes — it should be postponed as long as possible and no change would be vastly preferable. But in a period of upheaval, such as the one we are living in, change is the norm." Too often we fight change, avoid change, fear change, kill change or flat out reject change. But should we? Change is never easy, but is usually very beneficial for us. If we stop changing, we stop growing and growth is the only real evidence of life. Saint Augustine once wrote, “If you would attain to what you are not yet, you must always be displeased by what you are. For where you are pleased with yourself there you have remained. Keep adding, keep walking, keep advancing.” Paul wrote in 2 Cor 3:18 “But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord.” I guess that means for the Christian, change should be welcomed and embraced. Notice I didn’t say enjoyed, although some change is enjoyable. Change is often far from being something we enjoy. As I was reading the Psalms the other day God laid these verses before my eyes. (Ps 32:8-9) The Lord said, “I will guide you along the pathway for your life. I will advise you and watch over you.” So far, so good! I like this verse. I love knowing that God is guiding my pathway and watching over me. Gives me a sense of peace. But then the Lord said, “Do not be like a senseless horse or mule that needs a bit and a bridle to keep it under control.” Senseless horse or mule!? Not sure I like that visual. My mother always said I was like a bull in a china shop. The opposite to the senseless horse is one that will follow its master out of a relationship and trust. Think about it for a minute. How often have we acted like the senseless horse in the face of change? When things don’t make sense in our world and change catches us off guard, how do we react? Whether change is related to work, home, church or our own personal growth, we tend to fight change, don’t we? How willing are we to simply follow the master, even when it doesn’t make sense, isn’t enjoyable or when it doesn’t feel good. How often does he have to bridle us as senseless beasts? The Lord says to each of us, “I will guide you along the pathway for your life. I will advise you and watch over you.” He knows us best and ultimately has our best in mind. So embrace, expect and welcome change knowing that the Father is using it to change us from glory to glory.
| |
|
Posted 1/7/2010 in Stephen Gray | 0 Comments - Add Comment |