Song of the Week: Bruce Cockburn's "Rumours of Glory"

Great song. From his 1979 project Humans, listen to Bruce Cockburn's "Rumours of Glory." (Note to those of you reading my posts on Facebook or a Reader, you need to go to the weblog to use the player for this song.) I've been told this line is from Blase Pascal, who said that within all our failures as humans, we can see rumors of our former glory. We are made in the image of God but fallen image-bearers. Here are the song and lyrics:



Above the dark town
After the sun's gone down
Two vapour trails cross the sky
Catching the day's last slow goodbye
Black skyline looks rich as velvet
Something is shining
Like gold but better
Rumours of glory

Smiles mixed with curses
The crowd disperses
About whom no details are known
Each one alone yet not alone
Behind the pain/fear
Etched on the faces
Something is shining
Like gold but better
Rumours of glory

You see the extremes
Of what humans can be?
In that distance some tension's born
Energy surging like a storm
You plunge your hand in
And draw it back scorched
Beneath it's shining like
Gold but better
Rumours of glory

You Will Like Making Energy Efficiency Upgrades.

Attention Austin homeowners: you will like making energy efficiency upgrades, but if you don't, You Will Like Making Energy Efficiency Upgrades.

According to the article in the recent edition of Community Impact newspaper, The Energy Effeciency Upgrades Task Force is completing plans for a City Council ordinance that will require home sellers to secure an energy audit for potential home buyers. Following the audit, home sellers or buyers can make upgrades recommended in the audit. Austin Energy plans to continue its energy efficiency financial incentives, and the upgrades are supposed to pay for themselves in energy savings.

So far so good. Although I can't see why the energy audit can't be simply included in the home inspection that's already required, I expect most home buyers would welcome a report on the energy efficiency of the house they are considering. Following the audit, buyers and sellers could negotiate what upgrades each party will be willing to undertake, if any. Financial incentives from Austin Engery and the savings on utility bills should be motivation enough to make this work.

But here's the rub: if incentives and savings aren't enough to get enough homeowners to participate, the voluntary elements become mandatory. In other words, should the ordinance be proposed and passed in it present form, homeowners will have two choices when it comes to energy efficiency upgrades: you are going to like them or You Are Going to Like Them.

Yikes.

LeaderLines: Win-Win, Part 1

As a church worker you’re going to see (and sometimes share in) conflict. Do you look for ways to turn it into something beautiful?

Mount Everest and the rest of the Himalayas are the result of conflict. The Indian and Eurasian continents press into each other at the rate of about four inches a year, and all that earth and rock have to go somewhere, so it goes upward. As India keeps moving inward, compressing and lifting southern Eurasia, a spectacular natural treasure continues to be created.

Think of that: no collision, no Everest. The world would be a poorer place.

The collisions between people have the potential of creating the same majesty and wonder. The compression of two lives against each other is almost always uncomfortable, distressing, and frustrating. But it’s amazing how out of that compression a solution can be reached that is as towering and beautiful as Mount Everest.

One way to make something beautiful out of the collision of competing interests is to “think win-win.” Philippians 2:4 says, “Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.”

Not only . . . but also. Look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others. Think win-win.

A “win-lose” attitude is based on the assumption that the only way the issue can be resolved is by one party winning and the other party losing. People with a “win-lose” attitude deal with conflicts determined to do whatever it takes to be the winner instead of the loser. I’ve met Christians with a “win-lose” mentality who feel that their approach to conflict is godly because they truly have no ambition to stick it to the loser; they have no motivation for retaliation; they have no bitterness in their heart. Their focus isn’t on making the other person lose, per say. It’s simply that, in their assumption that every conflict ends with a winner and a loser, they don’t want to be the loser.

On the other hand, a “win-win” attitude is based on the assumption that a resolution to the conflict can be found that will benefit both parties. In the conflicts you face, God wants you to think win-win. He wants you approaching the conflict with the expectant hope that both parties can end the conflict satisfied.

About 20 years ago, Roger Fisher and William Ury wrote a book called Getting to Yes. Since then it’s been translated into 25 different languages and millions of people have read it. The book is all about four principles of reaching agreement in a conflict, which I’ll summarize in four words: relationships, interests, creativity, and standards.

The amazing thing is that the principles from this Harvard business school book were already laid out 2000 years ago in God’s word. The Bible really is the world’s most practical book. Across the next 4 weeks in LeaderLines, we’ll see what God’s word has to say about these four principles:

Relationships: Separate the people from the problem.

Interests: Focus on the interests, not the positions.

Creativity: Brainstorm creative options for solving the problem.

Standards: Agree on the standards you will use to solve the problem.

We’ll begin next week with the first principle. God has provided a way for our conflicts to result in beauty. He wants us to look not only to our own interests, but also to the interests of others. Whether it’s a conflict between those we lead or with those we lead, God wants us to enter into every conflict determined to find a win-win solution.

Take the Church-and-State Quiz

What role do you think the church (the community of God's people) should have in relation to government? Are you a "Radical Reformer," a "Thumpin' Theocrat," a "Private Patriot," or a "Quiet Critic"? Take Christianity Today's interactive quiz and find out.

Radical Reformers "see a strong prophetic role for the church and combine this with a robust call for political engagement to seek social and political change."

Quiet Critics "steer away from a direct role for the church in politics, instead emphasizing the church's purity by maintaining a separation from the state. From this perspective, the church best shares the gospel by being an alternative community that models Christian love."

Thumpin' Theocrats "sound the call for renewing a Christian America by recapturing its godly heritage."

Private Patriots "connect religious practice with support of the nation, but their application of faith to politics is as an outgrowth of personal piety rather than church involvement."

I took the poll, and according to the results I'm a Private Patriot:

Between "politically disengaged" and "politically enaged," I scored a 25, which is near the center but on the "disengaged" side. "Those scoring on the lower half of the chart," says the website, "may see politics as important, but they do not link it to the gospel or mission of the church. In fact, they may see political activity as a distraction from the church's central task. "

Second, between "prophet" and "chaplain," I scored a 39, which is near the center but on the "chaplain" side. "Those on the right half of the chart," says the website, "are generally supportive of the government and see the church offering guidance from within the system."

Take the interactive quiz and find out where you land.

Winning Ways: Are You a Functional Atheist?

Take a look at this strange word: GODISNOWHERE.

Maybe it’s, “God is nowhere” or maybe it’s “God is now here.” It all depends on how we look at it.

That’s true in life, too. God is closer than you think, but whether you discover that truth depends on how you look at life. Take a moment to reflect on two questions, and the rest of your week will be better for it.

First, are you living as if you’re on your own in this life? Maybe you’ve been saying, “God is nowhere.” That makes you a functional atheist. Functional atheists don’t say “God does not exist” but they function as if he does not. They go about life as if they’re on their own. Until Jacob’s encounter with God in Genesis 28, he went through life with that attitude. Before that moment, if you had asked Jacob if he believed there was a God, he probably would have simply shrugged and said, “That’s what I’ve heard.” But God was really nothing more than a name in some old stories that his father and grandfather used to tell. He lived with no real consideration of God. As far as he was concerned, he was on his own in this life.

Second, if you’ve been living as if you’re on your own, what should you do when you find out you’re not? In Genesis 28, Jacob discovered that God was active in his life and God had a plan for his life. The way he looked at life was different and he said, “God is now here! The Lord is in this place, and I was not aware of it!” How do you respond when that realization breaks in on you? You realign you life to what God wants. You trust him. You look to him for guidance and provision. You ask him what he wants you to do with your life.

Discover the difference that comes from firm faith in God! Join us for worship this Sunday, August 31, at 9:30am or 10:45am!
__________________________________

Special Note: Please see BJ Linam’s note in this week’s newsletter (online here). After nearly 9 years of service at Hillcrest, BJ and Dale will be moving to Nashville. They will be dearly missed, but we rejoice with them in their obedience to God’s call. Before their last Sunday, September 14, let them know of your thoughts and prayers!
___________________________________
Each Wednesday I post my article from "Winning Ways," an e-newsletter that goes out to over 950 subscribers. If you want to subscribe to "Winning Ways," sign up here.

Healing Prayer

Church member Terry O'Daniel reported on God's answer to our prayers:

I had an ear infection in June and even after seeking immediate medical care I was left with partial hearing loss in my left ear. I was told the loss and constant ringing would be permanent and I should keep an open mind about a cochlear implant. I sought a second opinion and was given additional medication with only a 20% chance of it working. I asked for prayer using the Connection Card and asked my common ground group for prayer. In the mail the following week, I received a letter with signatures of all the people praying for me. I kept that letter and looked over it when I was praying with a heart of thanks and humility for all those people who were praying for healing of my ear.

Three weeks passed before I was to return to the doctor for a hearing test. When the audiologist performed the test, he said he was amazed that 90% of my hearing had returned. My ear was almost completely healed. I then spoke to the doctor and I told him that I was at peace with what had happened because I trusted God's plan but that I had a large group of people praying for me. He said he also believes in the power of prayer. I attribute the healing to a miracle since the medication has such a small chance of helping me.

With five young children, I need to be as healthy as possible to care for them. Thank you for your gift of time in praying for my healing. I praise God for healing my ear and for giving me a renewed gratitude for being able to fully hear my life around me.

Good news, Terry! We praise God with you!

Links to Your World, Tuesday August 26

“A lap dancer, a lesbian, and a lapsed Christian with a pregnant girlfriend are among the participants on the U.K.'s newest reality show, Make Me a Christian, where Christian leaders attempt to bring a group of unlikely candidates to the faith. The show's premise is to find out if Christianity can help repair the moral fabric of British society.” But Christians are complaining: Malcolm Smith, director of Youth for Christ in Gillingham, said, “They have edited a warped view of evangelical Christianity. There seems to be very little mention of Jesus, and little mention of love. The program portrays that you can't be a believer or follower of Christ until you get [the rules] sorted out. Surely that goes against 'whilst we were still sinners Christ died for us.'” (Read the story at Christianity Today)


Be sure to see the brief article and photos about Art Starrat’s WW2 experience. Starrat is a church member, and father of Caral Morgan.


“A shocking trend is gaining ground in teen dressing: modesty.” (CNN; related, this ABC News story, quoting modesty advocate, Wendy Shalit. Check out the websites at the end of the article.)


“"For pure enjoyment, the Bible has got some of the greatest mysteries, love stories, soap operas of any book ever written," he said. "... It's probably the greatest book on life and leadership ever written.’” (Krispy Kreme's latest CEO, Jim Morgan)


Now that the Olympics are over: “‘You’re talking about people who have trained for years, almost every day, and made huge sacrifices,’ in their relationships, career, all of it, said Charlie Brown, a sports psychologist. ‘And for some of them, once they have this huge, intense experience, it’s a very fragile situation afterwards.’ Psychologists have conducted a string of studies of Olympians’ transition to working life. Researchers found that only 17 percent made the transition to the workplace without significant emotional distress, including substance abuse and depression.” From a fascinating NY Times article, “After Glory of a Lifetime, Asking ‘What Now?’”


“One of the great things about being forced to go to church services is that we’d sing all these big songs. That’s partly why I’m obsessed with getting everyone to sing along at our shows. It makes me feel like I’m a part of something.” Coldplay's Chris Martin, in Rollling Stone (HT: Creation Project).


“As to the question when human life begins, the answer to which is above Mr. Obama's pay grade, oh, let's go on a little tear. You know why they call it birth control? Because it's meant to stop a birth from happening nine months later. We know when life begins. Everyone who ever bought a pack of condoms knows when life begins.” (Peggy Noonan)


Jacob Weisberg in Slate says there’s only one reason you won’t vote for Obama: racism. G-a-a-ah!


There are three rules for Fight Club: (1.) Know your sin, (2.) Fight your sin, (3.) Trust your Savior. Read more of this excellent article here. Jonathan Dodson is an Austin church planter.


“Many scientists and philosophers are convinced that free will doesn’t exist at all. Should we worry? If people come to believe that they don’t have free will, what will the consequences be for moral responsibility?” Read this Scientific American article.


“What's wrong with me? One of the classic highbrow defenses of videogames is that they allow you to experience new personalities -- to, in the words of Sherry Turkle, create a "second self." This is considered supremely healthy, because self-exploration is generally a good thing. But what happens if the second self you create inside videogames turns out to be a total d**k? (from Clive Thompson’s commentary in Wired magazine)


Back-to-School, Part 1: “Those first days of a new school year I looked forward to wearing my new school outfit, meeting new friends and new teachers, but the most meaningful and surely the most memorable moments were when I hurried to the breakfast table to see what my father had written to me that morning. I keep these letters in a special binder and read them every year about this time. have since passed this tradition on to my own children. The words are different as I have all boys, but the love, pride and well wishes for the coming year are the same. Tonight, I have placed three letters by three cereal bowls at our breakfast table” (From my sister’s blog, reflecting on letters she received from Dad on the first day of every school year.)


Back-to-School, Part 2: The NY Times ran an interesting story about the dicey task of teaching evolution in high school science classes. It opens with this story:

On the projector, Mr. Campbell placed slides of the cartoon icon: one at his skinny genesis in 1928; one from his 1940 turn as the impish Sorcerer’s Apprentice; and another of the rounded, ingratiating charmer of Mouse Club fame.

“How,” he asked his students, “has Mickey changed?”

Natives of Disney World’s home state, they waved their hands and called out answers.

“His tail gets shorter,” Bryce volunteered.

“Bigger eyes!” someone else shouted.

“He looks happier,” one girl observed. “And cuter.”

Mr. Campbell smiled. “Mickey evolved,” he said. “And Mickey gets cuter because Walt Disney makes more money that way. That is ‘selection.’ ”

Would that make Walt Disney, um, the intelligent designer in this process?

First Day of School

“Those first days of a new school year I looked forward to wearing my new school outfit, meeting new friends and new teachers, but the most meaningful and surely the most memorable moments were when I hurried to the breakfast table to see what my father had written to me that morning. I keep these letters in a special binder and read them every year about this time.

I have since passed this tradition on to my own children. The words are different as I have all boys, but the love, pride and well wishes for the coming year are the same. Tonight, I have placed three letters by three cereal bowls at our breakfast table.”

Read the full piece at my sister’s blog, reflecting on letters she received from Dad on the first day of every school year.

Song of the Week: Jars of Clay's "The Eleventh Hour"

Listen to the prayer from Jars of Clay, "The Eleventh Hour." Diane and I were talking about this song in the car today. She especially likes the line, "I won't give up on giving you the chance to blow my mind." I also like, "In time will I be what you're thinking of?" Good stuff--



Trace the shape of my heart
'Til it becomes more familiar to your eyes
I've been lost without you
Cold without your love
It's taken days and nights to make me realize

CHORUS:
Rescue me from hangin' on this line
I won't give up on giving you
The chance to blow my mind
Let the eleventh hour quickly pass me by
I'll find you when I think I'm out of time

Take the place of my heart
'Til I become a stranger to my life
I've been down without you
Wrong without your love
In time will I be what you're thinking of?

Rescue me from hangin' on this line
I won't give up on giving you
The chance to blow my mind
Let the eleventh hour quickly pass me by
I'll find you when I think I'm out of time

I've been down without you
Cold without your love
In time will I be what you're thinking of?

Rescue me from hangin' on this line
I won't give up on giving you
The chance to blow my mind
Let the eleventh hour quickly pass me by
I'll find you when I think I'm out of time

LeaderLines: “Making an Impact: Our Unity”

With this edition of LeaderLines we’ll wrap up our 4-week series called “Making an Impact.” We’ve been looking at the actions and attitudes that can make a powerful impact on the people around you. We began by looking at the impact of your passion. The next week we looked at the impact your prayer life can make on the lives of your lost friends and relatives. Last week we looked at the impact of your generosity.

This week let’s look at the impact of our unity. Christians are like snowflakes: individually we’re nothing, but together we can stop traffic. (It’s amazing what a bunch of flakes can do when we stick together!)

In John 17:23, Jesus prayed, “May they be brought to complete unity to let the world know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.”

When we are one, the world is won.

Now, what did Jesus have in mind when he prayed for oneness to develop between his followers? First, let’s be clear on what unity is not.

• Unity is not the simple act of assembling together. Billiard balls racked up on a pool table are assembled together, but they are not united. One smack from the cue ball and they scatter across the table. The simple habit of assembling together in a church does not automatically ensure unity. Oneness involves more than that.

• Unity is not uniformity. In our church we have unity, but not much uniformity in terms of educational background or income level.

• Unity is not the mere absence of conflict. The absence of conflict may signal apathy and complacency.

• Unity is not unanimity. Real unity is evident when 80% voted for blue carpet but the 20% who voted for green carpet rally behind the final decision. (For the life of me, I can’t ever imagine a church wasting its time voting on something like carpet color, but you get the picture. You can have unity without demanding unanimity.)

• Unity is not weak-kneed acquiescence to opposition. When some churches discuss a proposal, if there is any resistance to it at all, no matter how small the group, the proposal gets dropped. Let’s make sure we understand that the pursuit of unity is a very different thing than simply giving in to people resistant to change.

• Unity is not strong-armed stifling of opposition. Unity can never be achieved simply by cutting certain people out of the decision-making process. Sometimes we can do that unconsciously. In one church I served where a proposal was being discussed, a woman said, “Pastor, the church is just not in favor of this.” I was mystified, because most were enthused about the idea or at least open to it. I finally realized that when she said “the church,” what she meant was, “the people I spend time with.” With that mindset, she could sincerely say that “the church” was not in favor of the proposal, but her mindset was the problem. Let’s make sure we don’t make her mistake.

• Unity is not reducing every competing conviction to the lowest common denominator. As liberalism began to take hold of some mainline denominations, and leaders no longer believed in things like the divinity of Christ or the necessity of a personal commitment to Christ for salvation, leaders began to say, in effect, “Not everyone holds the same conviction about these things. For the sake of unity, we need a statement of beliefs we can all adhere to.” But uniting simply so we can say we’re united was not what Jesus prayed for in John 17.

Now that we have a clearer picture of what unity is not, let’s define what unity is. Unity is what happens when a group is committed to a specific belief and a specific course of action.

When Jesus prayed for unity among his people, he was praying that we would always keep our mind on what needed to be accomplished and pursue it together. In Acts, the first church was often described as being “of one accord.” That phrase shows up 10 times, and it means “of one mind and purpose.”

Now, they sometimes had to struggle to reach that spot. Acts 15 is one place in particular where you see strong disagreement and bitterness in the church as they struggled with what to do with new Christians from non-Jewish backgrounds. But as they worked through it they arrived at a solution that left them “of one accord.” That means they were thinking as people of one mind, they were moving as people headed toward one purpose.

But the fact that unity in Acts was something that sometimes had to be arrived at leads me to ask, “How is unity achieved?”

Jesus prayed, “May they be brought to complete unity.” Note that word, “brought.” Obviously that speaks of a process of growth. Let’s look at some things that will foster unity:

First, discipline yourself to make regular contacts with others. Unity requires that we make deliberate, planned, systematic efforts to develop our relationships with other people.

Second, seek first to understand, then to be understood. Make it a priority to truly hear others’ opinions and not just expressing yours.

Third, write your opinions of others in sand, not in marble. Stay flexible in your judgment of someone’s motives or character.

Fourth, discern the ways God is at work in others. When we look at each other with a sense of expectancy, wondering what God is doing in and through each person, a congregation becomes an exciting place to be!

These are some ways we can let the prayer of Christ for unity be answered in us. And when we are one, the world is won. I close with this beautiful story from a pastor in the Dallas, Texas area:

I have a son who was born without a left hand. One day in Sunday school the teacher was talking with the children about the church. To illustrate her point she folded her hands together and said, ‘Here’s the church, here’s the steeple; open the doors and see all the people.’ She asked the class to do it along with her--obviously not thinking about my son’s inability to pull this exercise off. Yet in the next moment it dawned on her that my son could not join in. Before she could do anything about it, the little boy next to my son, a friend of his from the time they were babies, reached out his left hand and said, ‘Let’s do it together.’ The two boys proceeded to join their hands together to make the church and the steeple. (The Connecting Church, p. 242.)

What a beautiful image of how people have to work together to make a church work! As a leader, you can make a tremendous impact by fostering this kind of unity among the people you serve and influence!

___________________________________

Each Thursday I post my article from "LeaderLines," an e-newsletter for church leaders read by over 300 subscribers. If you want to subscribe to "LeaderLines," sign up here.

Winning Ways: “Lost in Translation”

Mistranslations can be funny, but not always.

The Wall Street Journal reported on some signs at overseas businesses. The signs were translated into English for American tourists, but the signs lost their meanings in the translations.

Here’s one from a Swiss restaurant: “Our wines leave you nothing to hope for.”

Then there’s the posted notice in front of a Budapest zoo: “Please do not feed the animals. If you have any suitable food, give it to the guard on duty.”

One dental office boasted: “Teeth are extracted by the latest Methodists.”

In Copenhagen at least one airline was up front in how it handled luggage. Its sign read: “We will take your bags and send them in all directions.”

Or here’s another from a Japanese hotel, which led to some misunderstandings, I imagine: “You are invited to take advantage of the chambermaid.”

That’s like the laundry in Rome that advertised: “Ladies, leave your clothes here and spend the afternoon having a good time.”

Finally, there was the sign at a Paris hotel that advised: “Please leave your values at the front desk.”

Those signs are good for a chuckle. But it’s tragic when things get lost in the translation between Christ’s vision for his church and actually seeing the church in action.

That’s why we’ve started a new sermon series called “The Church You’ve Always Longed For.” We’re looking at six challenges from the Gospel of Matthew, and if we rise to those challenges we can be a better church. Last week we began the series by looking at how to place divine truth ahead of human tradition (listen here). This week we continue our series with a lesson on how to let love overcome prejudice. You can prepare for the message by reading Matthew 15:21-39.

This series is for your seeking friends as well as for believers. Some seekers give up their examination of Jesus because a certain Christian or a particular church has disappointed them. But isn’t that like rejecting Beethoven’s genius because your kid’s middle school orchestra performed his work so poorly?

Christ’s vision for his church is an ideal worth realizing. To love Jesus means loving what he loves--and, according to Scripture, Jesus “loved the church and gave himself up for her” (Ephesians 5:25). Let’s get together and figure out how to love the church as he did. Join us this Sunday at 9:30am or 10:45am.
___________________________________________
Each Wednesday I post my article from "Winning Ways," an e-newsletter that goes out to over 950 subscribers. If you want to subscribe to "Winning Ways," sign up here.

Links to Your World, Tuesday August 19

Should Christians get tattoos or does Scripture prohibit body art?


The way the “Real Man Olympics” is keeping score, Ukraine is first and the USA is 10th in Beijing so far.


“How many of us actually live in the idealized Austin that we market to the rest of the world? How often do we spend time there? How much do we sequester ourselves in our own, far-flung ZIP codes?” My favorite Statesman reporter, Eileen Flynn, tackles these questions in a front-page story last Thursday.


“Son of Hamas Leader Turns Back on Islam and Embraces Christianity” (HT: Aimee). You’ll also find more in this excellent piece by Avi Issacharoff in Haaretz.


“Pastor Rick Warren's Saddleback Civil Forum on the Presidency was expected to be a sideshow. McCain and Obama would make their specialized appeals to evangelicals as if they were an interest group such as organized labor or the National Rifle Association. Evangelicals would demonstrate, in turn, that they are not rubes and know-nothings. And Americans would turn en masse to watch the Olympics. What took place instead under Warren's precise and revealing questioning was the most important event so far of the 2008 campaign.” (You should read Michael Gerson’s take on the Saddleback Forum; it’s exactly how I would have reviewed the weekend event. If you missed the forum, you can watch it here.)



At the Saddleback Civil Forum this past Saturday, Obama said that, though he was pro-choice, his policies would actually reduce abortions better than efforts under President Bush, who, Obama claimed, left the abortion rate unchanged during his terms of office. Not correct, according to Planned Parenthood’s own research agency, the Guttmacher Institute. Abortions are actually at their lowest rate since 1975 and dropped nine percent between 2000 and 2005. Still, I’m grateful for the changes that Obama and the Democrats have made to their platform, proposing steps that would (presumably) reduce abortions.


“The received wisdom is that President Bush has been a foreign policy disaster, and that America is threatened by the rise of Asia. Both claims are wrong--Bush has successfully rolled back jihadism, and the US will benefit from Asian growth.” Read this excellent cover story, “A Truman for Our Times,” from the UK publication, Prospect.


Caucasians Not Majority By 2042.


Are your devotionals like this? (HT: Think Christian)

Song of the Week: Corinne Bailey Rae's "Put Your Records On"

Since Diane's birthday is tomorrow, here's Corinne Bailey Rae's "Put Your Records On." We loved Rae's performance in this season's Austin City Limits on PBS, and she's a sister in Christ.

LeaderLines: “Making an Impact: Our Generosity”

We’re taking several editions of LeaderLines to look at the actions and attitudes that can make a powerful impact on the people around you. We began by looking at the impact of your passion. Last week we looked at the impact your prayer life can make on the lives of your lost friends and relatives.

In this edition of LeaderLines, think about the generosity of your time, your talent, and your income. When you give of yourself to benefit someone else, you make a tremendous impact. Make a note of three ways generosity makes a difference.

First, generosity activates ministry.

Paul wrote in 2 Corinthians 9:6 (Msg), “Remember: A stingy planter gets a stingy crop; a lavish planter gets a lavish crop. I want each of you to take plenty of time to think it over, and make up your own mind what you will give. That will protect you against sob stories and arm-twisting. God loves it when the giver delights in the giving.”

In God’s word, our giving is compared to sowing potent, productive seed. When we’re generous, we never lose seed. Our giving produces results as surely as scattering seed into soil produces a garden. One man has even suggested that we begin calling our offering plates by another name: “investment plates.” At the church he serves, he put it in the bulletin and encouraged ushers to pray not for the “offering” but for the “investment.” It was a deliberate way to remind people of the truth of this passage. God always produces a return on our giving. It is an investment.

And, since that is true, then Paul takes it a step further: the more generous the investment, the more significant the results. He says in verse 6, “A stingy planter gets a stingy crop; a lavish planter gets a lavish crop.” We want a lavish harvest from our efforts at impacting the lives around us, so we need to be lavish planters. We need to generously sow a part of our very selves as seeds into this community.

Let me add two more ways generosity impacts life, because generosity makes its impact felt in our own lives as well.

Second, generosity accumulates blessing.

Proverbs 11:25 (NIV) says, “A generous man will prosper; he who refreshes others will himself be refreshed.” There is a divine reciprocity that comes from generosity.

Now, I would never urge you to give in order to get. But neither would I want to deprive anyone of one of the great promises of God’s word. Over and over again, the Bible promises a personal return from generosity. We see it in Proverbs 11, we see it Malachi 3, and we see it in the words of Jesus: Give and it will be given to you.

It’s true for Diane and me: every time we’ve given when we didn’t think we had it to give, and every time we’ve shown hospitality when we didn’t think we had the time, and every time we’ve applied our talents to helping others, God has rewarded us. Be assured: whatever effort you make will be rewarded with God’s promise of refreshment.

One more thing: Generosity activates ministry and accumulates blessing but also--

Third, generosity anticipates heaven.

Paul told Timothy that one of his roles as a pastor was to, “Tell those rich in this world’s wealth to quit being so full of themselves and so obsessed with money, which is here today and gone tomorrow. Tell them to go after God, who piles on all the riches we could ever manage--to do good, to be rich in helping others, to be extravagantly generous. If they do that, they’ll build a treasury that will last, gaining life that is truly life” (1 Timothy 6:17, Msg).

Did you catch what he said at the end? When you’re extravagantly generous it results in the building up of an unearthly treasury.

I don’t know all that that means, but Paul wasn’t the only one to say it. He was simply echoing the same words that Jesus spoke in the Sermon on the Mount. The Bible seems to be telling us that not all of us will experience heaven equally. In other places the Bible tells us that our level of authority in heaven is related to our degree of faithfulness on earth, and now passages like 1 Timothy 6 and others seem to be telling us that the degree of our generosity on earth also impacts our heavenly experience.

What we do on this earth is being watched, it’s being recorded, and it counts long, long into eternity. I find that remarkable that God has set up his kingdom in such a way that whatever I do for these few decades of earthly life makes a difference into eternity itself.

So generosity activates ministry, accumulates blessing, and anticipates heaven. As a partner in leadership with me at Hillcrest, we must set the example with the generous contribution of our time, talent and income to the advancement of God’s kingdom!
________________________________________
Each Thursday I post my article from "LeaderLines," an e-newsletter for church leaders read by over 300 subscribers. If you want to subscribe to "LeaderLines," sign up here.

Winning Ways: “The Church You’ve Always Longed For”

In Ethiopia, visitors can tour a cluster of eleven church structures cut out of a single body of rock. The architectural marvel was completed 8 centuries ago using simple tools. According to legend, it all started when angels took Ethiopea’s King Lalibela up to heaven where God gave him the design he was to follow. For the next 24 years, Lalibela directed the carving of these church buildings from solid rock.

I don’t know if God gave King Lalibela the blueprints for a church building, but God has given us the blueprints for building a church. God’s church is not a building you go to but a body you belong to. Starting this Sunday, we’ll look at six characteristics God wants in his people--his church.

Many articles and opinion polls tell us that people are disillusioned with churches. In fact, according to one survey, the fastest-growing religious identification is “unaffiliated.”

But I’ve discovered that when people look at Christ’s intent for his church, their cynicism begins to melt away. They realize that, just like they shouldn’t reject Beethoven’s genius because their kid’s Middle School orchestra performed his work so poorly, neither should they reject Christ when his followers fall short of his expectations.

So, we’re going to look at Christ’s expectations. As we continue our study through the Gospel of Matthew, we’ll find six characteristics that God’s people should be known for.

It’s interesting to find that the kind of church Jesus wants us to be is also the church you’ve always longed for. Of course, we can let our selfish preferences drive our decisions about a church. But deep down, the things Jesus wants in our church are the things we really long to see in a church anyway: truth as well as love, boldness as well as humility, and honesty as well as forgiveness.

Of course, we’re tempted to say, “Show me a church like that and I’ll join it!” In reality, we need to say, “I’ll join with others to show the world a church like that.” In other words, the challenge isn’t to find the perfect church but to help your church fulfill Christ’s vision of the perfect church.
So, join us this week at 9:30am or 10:45am. Bring someone with you, and let’s build the church you’ve always longed for!
______________________________________

Each Wednesday I post my article from "Winning Ways," an e-newsletter that goes out to over 950 subscribers. If you want to subscribe to "Winning Ways," sign up here.

Links to Your World, Tuesday April 12

Wired magazine suggests some “Things Not to Say in a Facebook Status Update.”


You should read about Ryan Hall, the passionate young Christian running for the US in the Olympic marathon August 24.


Time magazine ran a fascinating cover story on Rick Warren, the purpose-driven pastor of Saddleback Church. He has an ambitious P.E.A.C.E. plan for global missions.


Kudos to CNN’s John Blake for a compelling article on race relations in American churches.


“Himalayan mountaineering is an inherently dangerous pastime, and climbers are always at risk from the unexpected. But mountaineering has become more dangerous in recent decades as the traditional expeditionary culture of the early- and mid-20th century, which had emphasized mutual responsibility and common endeavor, gave way to an ethos stressing individualism and self-preservation.” (“The Descent of Men”)


“‘Dead’ Man Awakens Before Autopsy, Shocks Doctors by Asking for Glass of Water” Yep, they expected him to ask for iced tea.


Forbes magazine named Austin the hardest-drinking city in the U.S.; this Statesman editorial expresses concern.


10 Ways to Pray for the Marriages of Your Adult Children.


Cool. Lightning bolt captured in slow motion.


Read what John McCain and Barack Obama told Time magazine about their Christian faith.


Ed Stetzer is an important voice among evangelicals, especially for the under-45 crowd, and he can't endorse Obama.


Stanley Kurtz reviewed Barack Obama’s newspaper articles written between 1996 and 2004, and he concludes that they portray “a Barack Obama sharply at variance with the image of the post-racial, post-ideological, bipartisan, culture-war-shunning politician familiar from current media coverage and purveyed by the Obama campaign. . . . The politician chronicled here is profoundly race-conscious, exceedingly liberal, free-spending even in the face of looming state budget deficits, and partisan. Elected president, this man would presumably shift the country sharply to the left on all the key issues of the day--culture-war issues included.”


“‘Elitist’ is another word for ‘arrogant,’ which is another word for ‘uppity,’ that old calumny applied to blacks who stood up for themselves,” according to David Shipler in the LA Times (HT: OpinionJournal). That’s not all. Shipler says that casting Obama as ‘out of touch’ “plays harmoniously with the traditional notion of blacks as ‘others’ and saying he is ‘not ready’ is “a phrase employed often when blacks are up for promotion.” And when someone mocks Obama for the emptiness of his eloquence, it’s an echo of the “slander that blacks had more show than substance.” In other words, no matter what objection is raised about Obama, Shipler says it’s a sign of being a closet racist. Ga-a-a-h!


10 mispronunciations that make you sound stupid. I’d also add “Revelations” when you’re speaking about the book of Revelation, and “Send in the calvary” when you’re speaking about the “cavalry,” like those that rode to the rescue in old Westerns.


MIT scientists say, “We Can Cut Fuel Consumption 50 Percent in 25 Years.”


Natalie Angier of the NY Times reflects on the powerful, unappreciated sense of smell.


Science explores the benefits of boredom.


Why do we capitalize the word “I”?

Song of the Week: Sixpence None the Richer's "Around"

A band with Austin roots, Sixpence None the Richer, has re-formed. From their new EP, My Dear Machine, here's "Around"--


Check out the album for yourself. You can pay what you want for their 4-track album at Noise Trade:

LeaderLines: “Making an Impact: Our Prayers”

We’re taking several editions of LeaderLines to look at the actions and attitudes that can make a powerful impact on the people around you. Last week we looked at the impact of your passion. Today we’re going to look at the impact your prayer life can make on the lives of your lost friends and relatives. In 1 Timothy 2:1-8 (Msg), we read:

The first thing I want you to do is pray. Pray every way you know how, for everyone you know. . . . He wants not only us but everyone saved, you know, everyone to get to know the truth we’ve learned: that there’s one God and only one, and one Priest-Mediator between God and us--Jesus, who offered himself in exchange for everyone held captive by sin, to set them all free. Eventually the news is going to get out. This and this only has been my appointed work: getting this news to those who have never heard of God, and explaining how it works by simple faith and plain truth. Since prayer is at the bottom of all this, what I want mostly is for men to pray--not shaking angry fists at enemies but raising holy hands to God.

According to 1 Timothy 2, there are 5 things that have to be in place in order for your prayers to make an impact in those lives.

First, you must maintain the right priority. Verse 1 says, “The first thing I want you to do is pray. Pray every way you know how, for everyone you know. . . .”

There’s an old saying among prayer giants: “There are a lot of things you should do after you’ve prayed; there’s not a thing you can do until you’ve prayed.” There are many things that can and should be done after you’ve begun praying for your lost acquaintances, but there’s not a thing you can do until you’ve begun praying for them.

Second, you must have the right perspective. Verse 4 goes on to say, “He wants not only us but everyone saved, you know, everyone to get to know the truth we’ve learned.”

Note two words. First, note the word “saved.” That is the perspective the Bible provides on our greatest need--we need to be “saved.” People choke on that word today, even in church. To say that people need to be saved implies that people who have not received Christ are lost, and that makes some of us uncomfortable. We’d much rather say that they’re on their own spiritual path and all roads ultimately lead to God and each world religion is just another way of looking at God and our friends are “spiritual in their own way.” I’ve heard all those statements. Could it be that you’ve never prayed for those you know at work or in your family because you no longer believe that people without Christ are in trouble and need to be rescued?

Now, note that word “everyone”--God wants “everyone saved.” Isn’t it refreshing to read in Scripture that God wants everyone saved? We have to admit that we are indifferent toward some of people around us--in fact, we have to admit that sometimes we’re indifferent toward all of the people around us. But not God. Rest assured that the moment you start praying for lost people, God will bend down toward you with intense interest in what you have to say.

Third, you must know the right solution. Once you have the right perspective that those around you without Christ are lost, you need to have the right answer to their problem. Verses 5 and 6 say, “There’s one God and only one, and one Priest-Mediator between God and us--Jesus, who offered himself in exchange for everyone held captive by sin, to set them all free.”

The cross was God’s way of laying a bridge across that deep ditch of sin separating us from God. Christ offered himself in exchange for us, he put himself in our place and took on the penalty we deserved for the ways we’ve rebelled against God. When you bow in prayer for lost people, it should be with the hope and the expectation that those you know will come to the same conclusions about the cross that you have come to. You need to know the right solution.

Fourth, you must hold to the right hope. The passage in 1 Tim. 2 continues: “Eventually the news is going to get out. This and this only has been my appointed work: getting this news to those who have never heard of God, and explaining how it works by simple faith and plain truth.”

Literally verse 6 ends with the assurance that the story of the cross will be “testified in the right time.” I like the way Eugene Peterson translates that phrase: “Eventually the news is going to get out.” Isn’t that a great phrase! Only those who really believe that and expect that and anticipate that are those who will see any impact from their prayers. Each time we end our prayer and get into the business of life, we should look for the ways God is responding to our prayer, drawing the people we’ve prayed for into a relationship with him.

Fifth, you must be the right person. The Scripture section concludes with this word: “Since prayer is at the bottom of all this, what I want mostly is for men to pray--not shaking angry fists at enemies but raising holy hands to God.”

It’s interesting that he says he wants men to pray. In the text, the word “mostly” is connected with the word “men,” not the word “pray.” In other words, you don’t read it, “What I want mostly is for men to pray" but you read it, “What I want mostly is for men to pray.”

The Bible does not limit the work of prayer to men, of course. Notice the characteristics we all ought to have in prayer. First, he says the hands we lift up to God in prayer should be holy hands. In other words, our relationship to God should be right. Second, he turns from our relationship with God to our relationship with each other and says our hands should be united hands if we want effective prayers. He says when we pray we should be free from anger and resentment.

So, make a list of the lost people you know and then ask--

“Do I have the right priority? Am I really committed to and dependent on prayer?”

“Do I have the right perspective? Do I really believe people without Christ are lost? Do I really believe that God wants everyone to hear the good news?”

“Do I have the right solution? Do I really believe the cross is the only bridge that unites us to God?”

“Do I have the right hope? Do I look expectantly for my prayer to be answered?”

“Am I the right person? In my relationship to you, Lord, and in my relationship to others, do I have anything that could hinder my prayers?”

______________________________________
Each Thursday I post my article from "LeaderLines," an e-newsletter for church leaders read by over 300 subscribers. If you want to subscribe to "LeaderLines," sign up here.

Winning Ways: “Summer Sunday Fun Day FAQ”

Join your Hillcrest Family this weekend for “Summer Sunday Fun Day”! To get you ready, here are some answers to “Frequently Asked Questions.”

“What age range is this designed for?” This is a churchwide event. Our college minister and her husband are coordinating the event, but that doesn’t mean it’s just for college students and young adults. We’ll have games and activities for all ages, kids through senior adults. Here’s a chance for you to mix-n-mingle with folks you don’t normally see.

“Where is the Fun Day?” It will be held at the Hillcrest MPC. The outdoor events will take place on the Anderson High School fields.

“When is the Fun Day?” From 4-8pm this Sunday, August 10. We hope you can stay for the whole thing, but we’ll publish an event schedule if you need to pick and choose what part of the Fun Day to attend.

“What games and activities will be held?” Think of this as an old-fashioned “Field Day.” We’ll have washers, volleyball, horseshoes, dominoes, and softball. We’ll have sack races, egg tosses, 3-leg races, and “couples kickball.”

“With these record-breaking temperatures we’ve been having, won’t it be too hot for a Fun Day?” We’ll be next door on the fields at Anderson High School for some of the events, but many of our events will be held inside the air-conditioned Hillcrest MPC. Also, we’ll have plenty of drinks and watermelon to keep you cool.

“Will there be a meal?” We will break for supper at 5pm. We will provide drinks, but you are responsible to bring your own meal for you and your family. This is not “pot luck,” but you may want to bring enough so you can invite someone to sit with you for your meal.

“What about ice cream? There’s got to be ice cream at a summer Fun Day!” Absolutely! We’ll provide the ice cream and all the fixin’s for sundaes. Check the schedule this Sunday to find out when the Sundae Bar will be open!

“Will Herb make a fool of himself in the egg toss?” There’s no guarantee, but it’s likely that every staff member will have our Kodak moments!

I hope to see you at this event! School starts in just a few weeks, so let’s close out the summer in a big way! If you have any questions or want to help in some way, please call the church office this week!
_______________________________
Each Wednesday I post my article from "Winning Ways," an e-newsletter that goes out to over 900 subscribers. If you want to subscribe to "Winning Ways," sign up here.

Links to Your World, Tuesday August 5

Number of 100 degree days almost tops record. Austin hasn't been this hot for this long since 1925. Come on Edouard . . . .


“When you’ve been pitched head first into hell, you just write about it.” (Alexander Solzhenitsyn, regarding his work as an author. The Nobel prize winner’s death over the weekend showed up as a story on the front-page, top of the fold, in the Statesman. Albert Mohler lets you know why Solzhenitsyn was so important. Also, read his oft-quoted 1978 Harvard commencement address here. It’s still relevant 30 years later.)


The New Republic's cover story on the shifting demographics of urban centers—with wealthy suburbanites moving inward, immigrants and the poor relocating to the outskirts—provides a glimpse of what could be a major change in the American landscape.


“Dear Father, would you erase all these worries from my heart and add them to your to-do list instead?” (“Making a to-do list for God,” in Saturday’s Statesman)


“Target panic, as the condition is known, causes crack shots to suddenly lose control of their bows and their composure. Mysteriously, sufferers start releasing the bow the instant they see the target, sabotaging any chance of a gold-medal shot. Others freeze up and cannot release at all.” (“The Secret Curse of Expert Archers”)


“Yeah, I don't agree with Barack Obama on the Iraq war or on 65-70 percent of his policy positions, but something's got to give. . . . We, the Republican Party, are not worthy and do not deserve another four years. Under President Bush we've betrayed every principle we've stood for as a national party -- fiscal responsibility and discipline, limited government and a foreign policy guided by realism and coalition building. Competence and integrity have no ideology. Obama in '08.” (Why Robert Caron, a Republican, is voting for Obama)


That Gives Me an Idea . . . : “Though he publicly refers to the Worldwide Web as the ‘Worldwide Waste’ and e-mail as ‘sin-mail,’ in his home office is a bank of computer screens with more than 170 bookmarked sites — personal web pages, blogs, Twitter, MySpace, Facebook, LinkedIn, Digg, Flickr and more. Each week Alton surfs the sites for hours to find evidence of questionable behavior by people in his church. He jots offenses down and incorporates them into his Sunday sermons.” (“MySpace gives pastor ‘prophetic’ edge”)


“Several recent experiments have shown that people respond to pictures of eyes by altering their behavior in subtle ways, even when they haven’t consciously noticed the eyes are there.” (“Feel the Eyes Upon You,” NY Times)


“Along with 15 colleagues and a reporter, Mrs. Ramirez, a social worker at the facility, put on distorting glasses to blur her vision; stuffed cotton balls in her ears to reduce her hearing, and in her nose to dampen her sense of smell; and put on latex gloves with adhesive bands around the knuckles to impede her manual dexterity. Everyone put kernels of corn in their shoes to approximate the aches that come from losing fatty tissue. They had become, in other words, virtual members of the 5.3 million Americans age 85 and older, the nation’s fastest-growing age group.” (“Simulating Age 85, With Lessons on Offering Care”)


How do you bring the Gospel into conversations with neighbors in a natural way? Joe Thorn suggests 8 topics that can naturally connect to the Christian faith.


100 Things to Do During a Money Free Weekend.


Every new dad should read “The Parking Lot Rules,” and moms will find the article useful, too.


Strange Bedroom Furniture.


Salon’s Andrew O’Hehir has released his “ultimate family DVD list,” compiled from readers’ suggestions. See if you agree with his list, and get some good suggestions for family viewing this summer.


Maybe your “birds and bees” talk with your sons hasn’t gone far enough. In this Reader’s Digest article, a man’s Stage 4 throat cancer was caused by HPV contracted years ago.


Deann Alford of Christianity Today presents and discusses her photos taken in preparation for the latest cover story on NASCAR:

Song of the Week: Carney's "Testify"

If Led Zeppelin led worship for Louie Giglio's Passion Conferences, it would sound like Reeve Carney singing "Testify":

I don't want to have to learn the hard way

I don't want to fall along the side

While I keep on running out this good race

I will testify

I just want to listen to your heartbeat

Tell your people, Lord, you're still alive

There ain't nothing sweeter than your mercy

I will testify

That its all for you

I don't want to keep on living my way

I don't want to keep believing lies

I don't want to wait until its too late

I will testify

I just want to listen to your heartbeat

Tell your people, Lord, you're still alive

There ain't nothing sweeter than your mercy

I will testify

That's its all for you

The Anchor Course Has Been Wordled

A friend introduced me to Wordle, a toy for generating “word clouds” from text that you provide. The clouds give greater prominence to words that appear more frequently in the source text. Here's a word cloud from all 277 pages of The Anchor Course:


You can also view a larger image by clicking here.