LeaderLines: Missionaries in a Changing Culture

The rise and fall in the use of certain words in our culture impacts our work as disciple-makers and church leaders.

In a New York Times piece, David Brooks referenced studies done with a Google database of 5.2 million books published between 1500 and 2008. Type a search word into the database and you can find out how frequently different words were used at different periods. Brooks says that studies of word usage across the last 50 years has revealed changing priorities in our culture.

For example, in one study of books published between 1960 and 2008, the use of "personalized," "self," "standout," "unique," "I come first" and "I can do it myself" were used more and more frequently. Words and phrases like "community," "collective," "tribe," "share," "united," "band together" and "common good" faded.

In another study, of 50 words associated with moral virtue, 74 percent declined in usage as the 20th century wound down. Words like “bravery” and “fortitude” fell by 66 percent. Usage of “thankfulness” and “appreciation” dropped by 49 percent. Words like “modesty” and “humbleness” dropped by 52 percent. References to “kindness” and “helpfulness” dropped by 56 percent.

Another study found that the word “preferences” was barely used until about 1930, and then it took off in popularity. Likewise, terms like “faith,” “wisdom,” “ought,” “evil” and “prudence” declined in books from the last 50 years, while there was a sharp rise in what Brooks called "social science terms"--words like “subjectivity,” “normative,” “psychology” and “information.”

Brooks looked at the studies to diagnose the health of our American experiment. I want to look at the studies for challenges and opportunities we face as American church leaders in the 21st century.

First: Don't be surprised when some Christians virtues resonate with our culture while others are resisted by our culture. It has always been so, but what is accepted and rejected will change across time. The scriptures say if you are consistently teaching and living the ethic of Jesus, people will think well of you (Matthew 5:16) and despise you (2 Timothy 3:12). There is no inconsistency in the biblical teaching here. As Tim Keller has often pointed out, Christianity will get you praised and rejected by different things according to what culture you're in. So, lifting up the value of forgiveness may get praised in New York City and rejected in the Middle East, while Christian sexual ethics will get praised in the Middle East and rejected in New York City. If that's true when the cultures are different across continents, it's also true when the cultures are different across time.

Second, I think it's harder for believers to be good witnesses in their own rapidly-changing culture than for believers to be good witnesses in a cross-cultural setting. When you prepare to go to another country, you prepare yourself for a life very different than the one you were raised in. And, once in the new country you're called to serve, everything reminds you that you are a foreign ambassador: the language, the food, the dress, the customs. But when the culture changes right under your feet, it's harder. You're still driving the same streets. Your neighbors still reference the same cultural touchstones (sitcoms, music, memorable national events). Your kids pursue the same Scout ranks. When they graduate from high school they attend the same college as you once did--or at least the school has the same name as the one on your diploma. But, as the studies in word usage show, you are a missionary to a culture foreign to what you knew in childhood. Instead of adjusting to that reality the way foreign missionaries do, too often Christians become nostalgic, bitter, and defensive.

Third, if certain concepts have fallen out of use, you have to take extra time and patience to show their value. Instead of becoming bitter and defensive over our culture's rejection of some parts of the Christian ethic, the better way is to show the abiding relevance of these currently unpopular parts. Yes, the broader culture has grown bored or suspicious of virtues like generosity, or sacrifice for the common good, or humility, or sexual constraint. But it's still possible to persuade our friends that following Christ into such a way of life is valuable. What it requires is patience...and dialogue...and respectful explanation...and modeling joyful discipleship.

Fourth, leverage the popular concepts that we can applaud. As you can see from the studies Brooks cited, our culture doesn't reject every Christian virtue. For example, self-control (at least in service to industriousness) is valued in our culture. Likewise, race-blind fellowship in work and friendships is prized in contemporary society. The Christian message is that the work of Christ on the cross has dismantled the walls between people (Ephesians 2:14). Though it is not the part of our message that any of us have practiced perfectly we can still say to our culture, "We're glad this is important to you. We value this, too." We should be glad to see what the theologians call "common grace" wherever it shows up. When good and valuable things are practiced by non-believers, it is one evidence of God's merciful preservation of the world. But applauding such things can gain us a hearing to talk about saving grace, too.

The rise and fall of certain words and phrases makes for fascinating study of cultural shifts. But what we do with such studies will determine how effective we'll be with Christ's Great Commission.

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Winning Ways: What Jesus Wants to Know

What kind of Jesus do you have in your boat? The answer impacts your ability to face your fears.

The disciples discovered this on the night they were caught out in the open sea on a little boat. They woke up Jesus in a panic, shouting, "Lord, we're going to drown!"

Jesus made his way to the bow and said to the wind and waves, "Be quiet." It was as if our Lord regarded this violent storm as nothing more than a yapping mutt that needed scolding. Immediately the storm died down, and Jesus asked his panicked disciples, "Why are you so afraid?"

Well, why are you?

We learned a lot in the April series "Questions I've Wanted to Ask God," but there are some questions God wants to ask you, too! We find hundreds of them in the Bible, but in our new sermon series we'll just look at six.

Last Sunday we began the series with the question Jesus asked two blind men: "What do you want me to do for you?" This Sunday we'll look at the question he asked his panicked disciples in Matthew 8: "Why are you so afraid?"

Your ability to face your fears is determined by what kind of Jesus you have in your boat. Is he simply an inspiring teacher of moral truths, or is he the world's Master who controls everything by his command? You tell me your answer to that question, and I'll predict how you respond to your next crisis.

Social Media. If you're on Facebook, "like" our Hillcrest page: facebook.com/Every.Generation.Counts. That way you can keep up with important announcements and enjoy photos from recent events. Also, follow us on Twitter @HillcrestToGo.

Graduate Recognition Sunday. Tis the season for high school and college graduations! This Sunday we'll celebrate with our graduates and their families for reaching this milestone!

Summer Camp! Our Basketball and Cheerleading Camp is almost here. Spread the word to family, neighbors and friends. Send people to this link for more information: hillcrestaustin.org/summercamp.

Baptism in the Park. Join the Hillcrest Family for a picnic and outdoor baptism! On June 23, we'll gather for worship at our normal time at 10am. Then at 11am, instead of gathering for small group Bible study, grab some lunch and bring it to City Park! There's more information at hillcrestaustin.org/outdoorbaptism.

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Links to Your World, Tuesday May 28

"Many young people have never been to a real church, since they were raised in multi-media nurseries and then taken into hip church services built around jumbo video screens and rock bands. 'They’ve never sat on a pew between a set of new parents with a fussy baby and a senior citizen on an oxygen tank,' he argued. In short, many have never seen faith applied to the full timeline of real life." (From a post about a post about why 20-somethings drop out of church)

 

Can't remember a word? Make a fist.

 

Flying cars. Finally:

 

Questlove: "The best improvisation happens when you've mastered whatever composition you're playing....I believe you can only elevate an arrangement once you know it by heart. I prefer to practice my spontaneity."

 

There are actually seven types of the genus called 'Southern Baptist'. I borrow from the other six, but I think I'd best be labeled 'Orthodox Evangelical.'

 

This is why I teach at our seminary in Zambia. I will be returning in July.

 

Austin is now the nation's 11th largest city, growing by 70 people a day, according to the Statesman. I think it has something to do with all those references about moving to Austin on the finale of The Office.

 

The Events Depicted in Star Wars Actually Happened to Me, by George Lucas

 

53 'Arrested Development' Jokes You Probably Missed. And 53 more.

 

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"It matters the matter one mind collects"

Here's one from Christian Wiman, in his book My Bright Abyss:

Varieties
of quiet

I quote
from a poet

no one knows.
And no one

knows
me too

if by chance
happening

here
some far year

when I am
not:

it matters
I tell you

it matters
the matter

one mind
collects,

one memory
protects

when memory's
kin

to that wordless
feeling

words
open in your head:

varieties
of quiet

varieties
of quiet

There are many
friend

as many
as the dead.

I like this Christian Wiman poem, but not so much because of the phrase that captured his attention ("varieties of quiet"). What captured my attention was his need to preserve in written form what had impressed him: Though he says, "no one knows me too," even so, "It matters I tell you/ it matters the matter/ one mind collects/ one memory protects."

 

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"Changing the world, one diaper at a time"

Austin's Andrea Palpant Dilley in CT:

In my early 20s...I served the urban homeless, worked with welfare families, and volunteered with orphans in the slums of Nairobi. I beat my fists against my chest in a spiritual war cry for global justice and swore never to set foot in the insular space of suburbia. Nominal, consumer Christians lived in suburbia, I thought. Real Christians were out on the frontlines fighting for great causes. Then I got married, had kids, and settled down in a cookie-cutter neighborhood of Austin, Texas, where I found myself forced to rethink what it meant to follow Christ and serve humanity in the context of the suburbs.

I'm still trying to figure it out. My days are filled with activities that would make David Platt yawn with boredom: I change diapers. I scrub pee out of carpets. I wipe vomit off the kitchen floor. Most days, I'm lucky to get out of the house at all, and if I do, I'm usually taking my 10-month-old and 4-year-old to visit the elderly woman down the street. We take dog treats to her yippy dog, sit at her kitchen table eating pretzels, and ask about her arthritis. What greater good do I serve? My widowed neighbor feels less lonely. My kids learn about hospitality and Christian love. That's about it.

From the outside, the life of mothers may look unremarkable, and yet I've come to believe—had to learn to believe, actually—that our mundane actions have profound purpose if we take a long view of both our own lives and the life of the world. We're raising our kids and rearing up the next generation of leaders. That has to count for something, doesn't it? Behind every history-making visionary is (or was) a mother wearing an apron, mopping up puke, and reading Curious George ten times in succession at the behest of a half-dressed preschooler.

 

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Winning Ways: So Good So Far

Diane and I want to thank you all for last Sunday's tenth anniversary celebration at Hillcrest. We were humbled by your generous love offering, and we were overwhelmed with the kind words shared publicly on stage and privately in comments or notes.

We have made lasting friendships in every church we've served, but there's no doubt that a longer tenure results in a deeper impact. I looked around the room last Sunday at people whose partners I've buried...people I've midwifed into faith...people who've carried the load of leadership with me...people I've talked off the metaphorical ledge...graduating seniors who were just finishing second grade when I started here. At one point in the receiving line I even noted the coincidence of having, one after the other, someone from Iran, Taiwan, India, and Mexico. Part of the grief of leaving my Cayman Islands church 10 years ago was having to leave an international fellowship of some 30 nationalities. Who would have thought that Hillcrest just might come close to matching that mix!

You all were very kind to talk of the ways that Diane and I have been a blessing to you, but please know how much you have blessed us, too. As a pastor, I really try to practice Romans 1:12 (NCV): "I want us to help each other with the faith we have. Your faith will help me, and my faith will help you." Paul knew that pastoral leadership was as much about receiving as about giving. In these 10 years I have both given and received teaching, encouragement, warning, friendship, and prayers.

The 18th century pastor, Jonathan Edwards, wrote, "Oh how good to work for God in the day-time, and at night to lie down under his smiles." Your gracious service to mark my 10th anniversary has made that work and that rest sweeter.

Questions God Wants to Ask You. We just completed a sermon series called "Questions I've Wanted to Ask God." But there are a bunch of questions God wants to ask you! Jesus asked questions like, "What do you want me to do for you...why are you so afraid...do you want to get well...do you understand what I have done for you?" Starting this Sunday @ 10, we're going to spend a few weeks under the questions God wants to ask us.

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Links to Your World, Tuesday May 21

More than half of the world's population lives within this circle:

 

I had to laugh at the name of the app--"Yelling Mom"--but I bet it's effective.

 

"Erotica is written to titillate, the Canticles to celebrate....Solomon teaches us that the most ravishing beauty is a consequence of the most desperate love, that the beloved is so beautiful precisely because she is so loved." A good article on the erotic writing in the Song of Solomon.

 

Christians who tithe have healthier finances.

 

"Learning to pray is not mainly about how often we pray, or the techniques and elements that go into prayer. It is about how to need the right things, and how look in the right direction for what you need. What is the Lord’s Prayer asking for? What are the Psalms asking for? What about God comes into view in the Lord’s Prayer and the Psalms?" David Powlison

 

Every recurring joke on Arrested Development in chart form. By the way, if you interrupt my Memorial Day binge on the new Arrested Development episodes, you will have made a huge mistake.

 

A Gosnell case in Houston? Stay tuned.

 

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Winning Ways: Elevating Vision

Ding.

The elevator at Seton Hospital chimed as the door opened at the ground floor. Knowing I'd lose my cell phone signal on the ride up, I quickly wrapped up my call.

"Jami, I'm at Seton about to visit Lucille," I told my assistant. "I'll be back at the church in 45 minutes."

As I put the phone back in my pocket, the man who stepped into the elevator next to me said, "Church. You must be a pastor."

"Yep," I said to the man, "Hillcrest Baptist Church." Another ding, the door opened on the first floor to let off the other passengers, leaving the doctor and me alone for the ride up to the eighth floor.

"So, my brother says he's started to attend church," the man said, staring at the floor numbers over the door, "He's in Phoenix."

I'm not the sharpest knife in the drawer, but it sounded like church wasn't part of his own routine.

And it sounded like an invitation.

"Oh?" I said, "Has that made you think about that step yourself?"

"Well, my brother seems to be pretty high on it."

"Good for him!" I said, grinning. "You should come check out Hillcrest. Our priority is to be a church where people can find and follow Jesus together."

I admit it sounded a little canned, but the elevator was passing the third floor, so I pushed on. "That means that whether you want to investigate faith or grow in your faith, that work is best done with others instead of by yourself. We want to be a place where spiritual investigation and spiritual growth can take place together. On our best days, it's wonderful to hear the conversations that take place as honest seekers and humble believers build relationships with each other."

He nodded, thoughtfully. I was hoping my image of Hillcrest was giving him the confidence to brave a visit to this unfamiliar country called "church."

"I expect a lot of churches in Austin have that same vision," I added, "but what I like about serving Hillcrest is we're deliberately multigenerational in that work. Some churches are good at targeting those who are older or those who are younger, but we just think there's some good in all the generations learning from each other. I like the Sundays when I can do a baby dedication and recognize a 50th wedding anniversary at the same time."

He laughed, "Not the same couple I hope!"

I laughed, too. I wanted to add a comment about Abraham and Sarah, but I wasn't sure he'd catch the reference to the biblical story.

"Do you have some time for coffee?" I asked.

"Not right now," he said, but added, "Do you have a card?"

I took out my wallet and pulled out a card with my contact information. I wrote down "Sundays @ 10." There are, of course, a lot of entry points to invite people into Hillcrest, but our one Sunday morning worship experience is still the Number One entry point.

"Thanks," he said. "Maybe you'll see me there."

"I bet your brother would like that," I said, smiling.

Ding.

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Links to Your World, Tuesday May 14

"What on earth does a tattoo historian do, I had wondered. The answer is much the same as an ordinary art historian, except the canvas is living (or dead) human skin." Fascinating article.

 

What a week of groceries looks like around the world.

 

I've had Jake Shimabukuro on my iPod for years. Glad he's getting critical recognition.

 

"I am not here to represent the Bible Belt's political interest to a post-Christian culture. I'm here to help equip churches to signal the coming kingdom of God." Russell Moore, new president of my convention's Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission, at OutofUr.

 

"The Civil War proved a turning point. 'Before the war, it was said the United States are,' the late historian Shelby Foote said. 'After the war, it was always the United States is, as we say today without being self-conscious at all. And that sums up what the war accomplished. It made us an is.'" In an Atlantic piece that wonders about the significance of Obama's use of "these United States" in speeches--a reference he uses nearly as much as President Reagan did.

 

"This is Water." Here's the commencement speech for the 2005 graduating class of Kenyon College by the late David Foster Wallace, creatively rendered:

 

James Taranto explains how pro-choice rhetoric infantilizes women.

 

 

 

 

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"Pick the person that has the right habits"

"Just imagine you could be given 10 percent of the future earnings of one person you know." Would you pick the smartest person? The fastest runner? No. "You're going to pick the person that has the right habits."

Good advice from Warren Buffett in this interview.

 

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LeaderLines: Beware The Lure of Busyness

If I’m not watching myself, I can let busyness pass for business.

Busyness gives you the satisfaction of action while robbing you of any real production. It’s finishing the news magazine article when you should really be writing your report. It’s organizing your to-do list when you should really be punching things off it. It’s even found in doing something that you hired office staff to do just so you can avoid what you were hired to do.

In The Phantom Tollbooth, Milo comes across the Terrible Trivium, a "demon of petty tasks and worthless jobs, ogre of wasted effort, and monster of habit." Milo and his friends find themselves moving a huge pile of sand from one place to another, using a tweezer to grasp each grain, as they fall under the Terrible Trivium's spell:

If you only do the easy and useless jobs, you’ll never have to worry about the important ones which are so difficult. You just won’t have the time. For there’s always something to do to keep you from what you really should be doing….

Are you in liege to the Terrible Trivium? The iDoneThis blog collected the advice of several time management consultants into 4 steps to freedom:

1. Do an "attention audit." Across a week or two, write down the amount of time you actually spend on various tasks. The vague sense that you're misspending your time is not enough to provoke change. Change is possible only when you see the gap between what you want to accomplish and what you're actually doing.

2. Change your language. Laura Vanderkam says:

Instead of saying “I don’t have time” try saying “it’s not a priority,” and see how that feels. Often, that’s a perfectly adequate explanation. I have time to iron my sheets, I just don’t want to. But other things are harder. Try it: “I’m not going to edit your résumé, sweetie, because it’s not a priority.” “I don’t go to the doctor because my health is not a priority.” If these phrases don’t sit well, that’s the point. Changing our language reminds us that time is a choice. If we don’t like how we’re spending an hour, we can choose differently.

3. Press pause. Brené Brown recommends letting go of “exhaustion as a status symbol and productivity as self-worth” and thus discovering what matters:

[W]hen we make the transition from crazy-busy to rest, we have to find out what comforts us, what really refuels us, and do that. We deserve to not just put work away and be in service of someone else. What’s really meaningful for us? What do we want to be doing?

4. Do less and feel more joy. The opposite of the fear of missing out, according to Anil Dash, is the joy of missing out. Isn't that a liberating thought? Pay attention to what’s in front of you, and you’ll gain control and find joy.

Don't let the Terrible Trivium win today!

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Winning Ways: Messed-Up Momma!

"I dread Mother's Day."

That comment from a woman surprised her pastor. He asked if she had lost her mother, since the day often brings grief to the surface for those who no longer have their mother around.

"No, no, my mother is still alive," she said. "I dread Mother's Day because the sermons always go on and on about some ideal I will never be able to live up to."

The pastor who wrote about that for a church leadership journal said the conversation was a wake-up call for him. His well-intentioned sermons that extolled the virtues of motherhood weren't being received as complimentary. Not by the frustrated moms who rarely had a day where they felt they were getting it right.

Well, we won't be looking at "Supermom" this Sunday! We're going to look at an Old Testament queen who was one messed-up momma. Her name was Athaliah, the mother to King Ahaziah. The Bible says of her: "His mother encouraged him to act wickedly" (2 Chronicles 22:3 NIV). Moms can look at her as an example of what not to do!

When your family asks what you want for Mother's Day, tell them your favorite present will be to have them sitting in church with you. See you and your family Sunday @ 10!

Every Generation Counts! The first Sunday of our May Music Series was well-received. We're taking the four Sundays of May to feature the music of four generations of composers: Bill Gaither (in his 70s), Twila Paris (in her 50s), Chris Tomlin (in his 40s) and Phil Wickham (in his 20s). This Sunday we'll be singing the music of Twila Paris. "He Is Exalted," "The Joy of The Lord," "How Beautiful"--you already know these songs and more. Since this is Mother's Day we'll even feature a mother's prayer that Paris composed for her son.

Do You Have a Spare Bedroom? On Thursday, May 16, the 145-student University Choir and Orchestra from the school of music at California Baptist University will be in concert at Hillcrest! For more information, go online to www.HillcrestAustin.org/CBU. We need you to provide housing on May 16 as well as breakfast and a ride to Hillcrest the following morning before you go to work. Contact my assistant, Jami, at 345-3771 or jami@hbcaustin.org.

 

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Links to Your World, Tuesday May 7

In studies, atheists who were told to simply read a statement daring God to do something unpleasant to them were found to be as emotionally provoked as believers reading the same dare. The researchers state various possible conclusion, and all are worth exploring. I do think, however, that the studies show that disbelief is a willful act of suppression, and that suppression isn't always effective. This is what we find in Romans 1.


For your good cry of the day: WaPo's "A Father-Daughter Dance--In Jail."


A job-hunter's prayer.


Good intro to hip-hop theologians in CT.


"While evangelicals receive plenty of attention and frequently positive coverage from local media, on the national level the coverage is disproportionately unfavorable. In one study, The New York Times was found to be twice as negative in its coverage of evangelicals as local newspapers in Atlanta and Dallas. This is, of course, not entirely surprising. Elite journalism is closely allied with elite academia, as fresh ranks of journalists spring every year from academic programs and many top journalists retain close affiliations with universities. On such campuses, according to a 2012 study from the Institute for Jewish and Community Research, faculty harbor far more negative attitudes toward evangelicals than they do toward any other religious group. Worse, evangelicals are overwhelmingly identified with political conservatism, and political conservatism is rarely loved in journalism's most exclusive precincts." Michael Cromartie's "Faith Angle Forums" is trying do something about that.


Why the PC(USA) Rejected “In Christ Alone” for Their Hymnals: "Its second stanza contained the lines, 'Till on that cross as Jesus died / the love of God was magnified.' In the process of clearing copyrights for the hymnal we discovered that this version of the text would not be approved by the authors, as it was considered too great a departure from their original words: 'as Jesus died / the wrath of God was satisfied.' We were faced, then, with a choice: to include the hymn with the authors’ original language or to remove it from our list." If you can't see the difference between these two versions, call me and let's talk.


Live Action has released 3 undercover videos to show that "Gosnell is not alone. Videos document the blatantly inhuman and barbaric acts of abortionists leaving crying babies to die, or even killing the newborns themselves." (report)


"Today 12% of websites are pornographic, and 40 million Americans are regular visitors—including 70% of 18- to 34-year-olds, who look at porn at least once a month, according to a recent survey by Cosmopolitan magazine (which, let's face it, is the authority here). Fully 94% of therapists in another survey reported seeing an increase in people addicted to porn. It has become a whole generation's sex education and could be the same for the next—they are fumbling around online, not in the back seat. One estimate now puts the average age of first viewing at 11." (WSJ)

 

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The Forgotten Ambition of a Quiet Life: A Gospel View of Work

(My post this morning got me to thinking about an article I wrote several months ago and never published. Here's encouragement that your work matters to God!)

Maybe you bowed your head for a quick word of thanks over your bowl of cereal this morning. But have you ever thought of all the people God employed to get those flakes on your spoon?

He used farmers to plant and cultivate. He used employees at companies that supply the equipment farmers need, and bankers who arranged the financing for these businesses. He used scientists who check the food for purity. He used plant operators who processed the grain into crispy flakes. He used manufacturers of of the trucks that get the boxed-up cereal to market, and the truckers who drive, and the truck stop operators who make their routes possible. He used the engineers who designed the highway, and the laborers who laid down all those miles of road work. He even used the humble pallet makers who hammered together sturdy wood strips to make it easier for the fork lift drivers (whom God also used) to unload the boxes of cereal at the delivery dock of your grocery store. And then there's the high school student who stocked the shelves and the clerk who scanned your selection at check out.

God used a lot of people to get breakfast to your table this morning.

Your work, too, is a vital part of this vast, complex system God directs to meet the needs of this world. Because of that, God is as interested in the quality of your work as he is the quality of your prayers. Life in God's kingdom is more than a daily quiet time and weekend attendance at a church service. Life in God's kingdom also means

drilling supply wells,

maintaining aircraft,

administering medicine,

keeping a building clean and sanitary,

laying floor tile,

selling products,

teaching math,

programming radio air time,

working with spreadsheets--

Well, you get the picture. Your work matters to God.

What I want to know is why we're not hearing this more often in pulpits, conferences, and Christian media. I attended a high-energy conference with my church's college students where they were challenged to settle for nothing less than changing the world--which was then defined only in terms of starting or partnering with service organizations that stop human trafficking. And it's not just the young that are given the implication that investing your life in a business is not a life that counts. I attended a breakfast meeting with several of my middle-aged church members introducing a ministry helping people at mid-life move "from success to significance." I left the meeting with the impression that your life as, say, a successful CFO, was not significant until you left the business world to start or support an African orphanage.

I'm still waiting for the conference speaker who will stand in front of a convention center packed with amped-up college students and make 1 Thessalonians 4:11-12 his text.

Maybe you haven't run across the passage before. Paul wrote (NIV84), "Make it your ambition to lead a quiet life, to mind your own business and to work with your hands, just as we told you, so that your daily life may win the respect of outsiders and so that you will not be dependent on anybody."

I love how Paul combined the words "ambition" and "quiet" in that text. To our minds, the words don't belong together, but the Apostle regarded them as a perfect match. "Be driven by this passion," he said. What passion? "Be ambitious to settle down into stable self-sustaining labor."

Because our pulpits and our conferences don't know what to do with texts like this, we don't have an answer for my friend, a recent college graduate, who placed the following note in the offering plate one Sunday. She referenced a peer who had started a ministry to fight human trafficking, and wondered whether her own life and work would count as much:

You asked me this morning, 'How are you doing?' I replied, 'Okay' with a smile. But honestly, I'm not okay at all....Natalie James [name changed], in simple terms, is amazing! She has accomplished so much, and has realized her passion and goes for what God is calling her to do. I look at her as a role model on Earth. Amazing is the least of her....[But] there is nothing special about me, so how do I stand out as a disciple of Christ? How do I grab onto something spectacular that God wants me to do?

I grieve that my friend wonders if her chosen profession (in the field of agriculture) is a rather ho-hum concession prize for those who didn't make the cut to be world changers.

But the longer you acquaint yourself with the biblical view of work, the more you'll see its value. The opening chapters of Genesis present creation as God's "work" (2:2), and God's intention for Adam and Eve was to "work" the Garden of Eden (2:15). Unlike many ancient cultures then, work was not seen as a curse or a necessary drudgery. Instead, the Bible presents it as part of what it means to bear the image of God. As the story continues, we see work does not escape the effects of the curse against human rebellion. Therefore, work as we now experience it is often difficult and frustrating (3:17-19). But keep in mind that, though work, like everything else, suffers under this curse, work itself was not the curse.

And therefore work, like everything else, is part of what Jesus redeems from the curse.

Through his crucifixion and resurrection, Christ is making everything new--including how we experience work. That's why Paul can assure even those in the obscurity of menial service, "Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving" (Colossians 3:23-24, NIV84).

Of course, knowing it is the Lord Christ we serve in our daily work has a number of implications on how we conduct our business practices. For now, though, there's enough dynamite to shake up your world if you just start with this: Paul insisted that even the dullest job is part of the obedience we owe Jesus. "The very first demand that his religion makes upon the Christian carpenter," wrote the late evangelical scholar, Carl FH Henry, "is that he makes good cabinets and shelves."* Martin Luther gave a similar answer when asked how a common Christian shoemaker could be expected to glorify God. "Make excellent shoes for an excellent price," he replied.**

Maybe it's time to issue a call to raise up the "411generation"--as in 1 Thessalonians 4:11. Thank God for those who abandon everything to, say, open an African orphanage. But let's honor those who show an equal passion to lead "a quiet life," as Paul puts it, in the worthy pursuit of simple self-sustaining work.

I don't guess I'll ever hear a conference speaker firing up sixty-thousand college students to go out and be the best plumbers or software engineers they can possibly be, all for the glory of God.

But I can dream.

* Carl FH Henry, Aspects of Christian Social Ethics (Grand Rapids: Baker, 1980), 10.

** Quoted in Center Church by Tim Keller, pages 235-236.

 

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"Shamed-Driven Pressure to Be Awesome"

"Is Paul’s urging to live quietly, mind your own affairs, and work with your hands (1 Thessalonians 4:11) only for losers?"

Marvin Olasky's question caught my attention because I'm working on a series of messages for October-November called "The Quiet Company," which includes a look at 1 Thessalonians 4:11.

Olasky's question introduced a must-read piece by Anthony Bradley. He warns that well-intentioned calls for "missional" and "radical" Christianity is becoming a "new legalism." It's a backlash whose time has come:

Living out one’s faith [has become] narrowly celebratory only when done in a unique and special way, a “missional” way. Getting married and having children early, getting a job, saving and investing, being a good citizen, loving one’s neighbor, and the like, no longer qualify as virtuous. One has to be involved in arts and social justice activities—even if justice is pursued without sound economics or social teaching. I actually know of a couple who were being so “missional” they decided to not procreate for the sake of taking care of orphans.

Bradley says the fad "has positioned a generation of youth and young adults to experience an intense amount of...shamed-driven pressure to be awesome and extraordinary young adults expected to tangibly make a difference in the world immediately." As a healthy alternative to the new legalism:

What if youth and young adults were simply encouraged live in pursuit of wisdom, knowledge, understanding, education, wonder, beauty, glory, creativity, and worship in a world marred by sin, as Abraham Kuyper encourages in the book Wisdom and Wonder. No shame, no pressure to be awesome, no expectations of fame but simply following the call to be men and women of virtue and inviting their friends and neighbors to do the same in every area of life.

Read the rest. And while you're at it, Matthew Lee Anderson at Christianity Today also has a critique of the collection of calls for a more intense Christianity:

The heroes of the radical movement are martyrs and missionaries whose stories truly inspire, along with families who make sacrifices to adopt children. Yet the radicals' repeated portrait of faith underemphasizes the less spectacular, frequently boring, and overwhelmingly anonymous elements that make up much of the Christian life....There aren't many narratives of men who rise at 4 A.M. six days a week to toil away in a factory to support their families. Or of single mothers who work 10 hours a day to care for their children. Judging by the tenor of their stories, being 'radical' is mainly for those who already have the upper-middle-class status to sacrifice.

...

The Good Samaritan wasn't a good neighbor because he moved to a poor part of town....He came across the helpless victim "as he traveled." We begin to fulfill the command not when we do something radical, extreme, over the top, not when we're really spiritual or really committed or really faithful, but when in the daily ebb and flow of life, in our corporate jobs, in our middle-class neighborhoods, on our trips to Yellowstone and Disney World—and yes, even short-term mission trips—we stop to help those whom we meet in everyday life, reaching out in quiet, practical, and loving ways.

 

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We Are God's "Store Window"

We presented a segment in our service last Sunday called "Cardboard Testimonies." Lots of churches have done this, of course, and we thought it would be the best way to end my sermon, "Can You Help Me Let Go of the Past?" in our series called "Questions I've Wanted to Ask God." (That sermon will remain on the website for a few weeks here.)

As you can see in the video, a "Cardboard Testimony" is the simple act of holding up a handmade cardboard sign expressing a choice or behavior or situation that you've faced, and then turning the sign over to reveal what Christ has done with that.

We're posting the video below, but before you watch it you should read Ed Stetzer's comments from his book Subversive Kingdom. Our "Cardboard Testimonies" segment was what the Hillcrest Family should be doing every day, every week, as we live our witness in Austin:

[God] can do amazing things just through the visible interactivity of God's people living our sold-out lives together, day in and day out for our King and his kingdom.

In this sense the church is a present-day sign of the kingdom of God.

We are signs of the kingdom in our confession and repentance, demonstrating our need for Christ, showing that God's acceptance of us is based not on what we do for him but on what our Lord Jesus has done on our behalf (and theirs).

We are signs of the kingdom in our humility as we live together in dependence upon him for our daily needs, as we defer to one another instead of seeking to be recognized or to make a name for ourselves, as we welcome outsiders into our midst as full partners and partakers of the gospel.

We are signs of the kingdom when we show and tell others that Christ is sufficient for us during the varied and invariable sufferings of life, that his kingdom is a place where difficult circumstances may intrude but can never rule--not for those who are already at home in an eternal, never-ending relationship with him.

We are signs of the kingdom as seen in the overall Godward trajectory of our lives, despite the fact that in certain singular moments we are far less faithful and godly than we mean to be. So, no, we aren't perfect, as both we and the world would wholeheartedly agree. But our King is perfect, and his kingdom keeps drawing out the best in us.

In living together as God's people under his reign and lordship, our churches provide to the world the closest resemblance of the kingdom of God on this side of eternity. We are the invisible kingdom made visible through the people of God and their shared lives on earth.

We are the church.

Where the world comes to window shop.

I recently traveled on business to New York City to teach at Gordon-Conwell Seminary and preach at a local church. As I often do, I seized the opportunity to take one of my daughters with me....Everywhere we turned, we found ourselves in front of another store or shop, drawn to those huge window displays, each one enticing us to come inside and see what else was back there-- to find out how it looked up close, how it felt in your hand, what it was really like behind the glass.

The window made you want it.

Our churches are meant to serve the same sort of function. We are God's "store window" on earth where he shows off his kingdom.

Here's the video clip:

 

 

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Winning Ways: From Generation to Generation

At our church, we have a saying: "Every Generation Counts." Some churches are good at targeting those who are older or those who are younger, but we want to be a church where all the generations learn from each other. I like the Sundays when I can do a baby dedication and recognize a 50th wedding anniversary at the same time.

We're going to celebrate the contributions of every generation through a special music series starting this Sunday. Each Sunday in May, we'll feature the music of song writers from across the generations.

Bill Gaither is in his 70s, and we'll sing his songs May 5.

Twila Paris is in her 50s, and she'll be featured on Mother's Day, May 12.

Chris Tomlin is in his 40s (believe it or not!). We sing so many of his songs, and we'll pick a few to feature on May 19.

Finally, Phil Wickham isn't yet 30, but we're already using some of his great compositions in our services. We'll sing 3 of them on May 26.

Now listen: If you just pick the Sunday when "your" music is being featured, you're missing the point! Every Generation Counts! So, come every Sunday in May and celebrate with the offerings to the Body that every generation contributes.

"What Is My Purpose in Life?" This was the number-one selection for our series, "Questions I've Wanted to Ask God." This Sunday, May 5, we'll conclude the series with this question.

Wow! Thanks! This past Sunday morning and evening we were blessed by so many members of our Hillcrest Family. Sunday morning, 30 people were involved in the "Cardboard Testimonies" segment as presenters, musicians, or techs. Go to our website (www.HillcrestAustin.org) or our Facebook page (www.Facebook.com/Every.Generation.Counts) to see the video. And then our Sunday ended with the wonderful children's musical! So much hard work went into that great performance. Thanks to all!

Do You Have a Spare Bedroom? On Thursday, May 16, the 145-student University Choir and Orchestra from the school of music at California Baptist University will be in concert at Hillcrest! We need you to provide housing on May 16 as well as breakfast and a ride to Hillcrest the following morning before you go to work. This is a superb group of students. Questions? Contact my assistant, Jami, at 345-3771 or jami@hbcaustin.org.

 

 

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