What should we believe?

In a recent exchange with a friend, we were talking about a public interview with a person who was fired because his personal views were different than the organization. It had to do with the fact that his views were becoming more liberal in a notably conservative organization. It was a Christian (some would say conservative/fundamental)organization.

For me, it begged the question: how do we handle diversity in the midst of the growing Christian community?

I have included my response to my friend with some minor edits.

"Very good interview. I really like the interviewer. She always does a great job of getting to the real person, rather than just the sensationalism. Once when she miscued on an interview, she came on the air and apologized and forced the interviewee to apologize as well! I was impressed.

A couple pointed comments:

1) Yes he was fired, but I do not believe this was his sole means of employment. I guess losing your job from a organization that you faithfully served for many years is very hurtful.
2) Organizations of the "religious right" have certainly lost credibility in the last 5 yrs. As has Dobson, FRC, moral majority, etc. And I think we have to ask is this good or bad?
3) yet the "religious right" are still holding to a remnant of loyalists, and they feel like that is a Biblical model. So I believe this core of loyalists, this remnant, as it were will remain loyal to the end.
4) these are hard issues. There is no one CHRISTIAN answer. The great value of the church is our unity in the midst of our diversity. You know this, we talk about it all the time.
5) I am an evangelical. I would even say I am a fundamentalist, in the proper use of that word.
6) does that mean I am a 6 day creationist? Does that mean I think adultery is acceptable and homosexuality is an abomination? Does that mean I do not think women can teach men from the pulpit? Does that mean I believe women must wear head coverings? I get confused over half these questions.
7) what is a fundamentalist today? A fundamentalist is a person who holds to the fundamentals of belief. A Christian fundamentalist, is one who holds to the basic tenets of Christianity. I think you are a fundamentalist! Really! The way you teach and model evangelism is a clear indicator that you are a fundy!
But fundamentalism has become a bad word. What it really means is a follower of Jesus Christ, who believes the Bible is authoritative, the trinity is real: Christ lived on earth & died so I could know God the Father and the Holy Spirit is active today.
8) all of this is confusing and hard! There are no easy answers."

Thoughts?

Friendships that last

As part of this sabbatical, we have been reconnecting with old relationships. We are staying with friends from Germany who we met in 1981! That is just about 30 years! It has been so great to reminisce, to laugh, to talk about those old stories. Seeing those stories from respective points of view. It's been refreshing, relaxing and restorative.

Last night a colleague from the 80's (Dale) came over. We met her husband for the first time. All of us had a wonderful dinner and shared about the greatness and goodness of God. We talked about how good God had been to us. There are also sad times that happen in the midst of just doing life. Times of inexplicable pain. But we push through it, knowing and trusting that God is good! Eventually we will understand.

Dale was telling us last night about one of the relationships from those ministry days, a "club kid" who she kept a relationship with long after his high school days. She was able to speak truth into his life through college. She helped him through life transitions, bringing the authority of the Word of God into his life, helping him understand sovereignty. Many times this took them far away geographically, but that didn't matter.

Dale was there for his years of dating and falling in love. She helped officiate at his wedding. She was the god-mother for their first child. And she participated in his memorial service after he was killed in Iraq from an IED that hit the vehicle he was traveling in (3 weeks before his return to the USA). In the midst of the plans that were being made by his local church and by the Army, Dale contacted many of the friends from those days in Heidelberg to invite them to his memorial. Many came.

What an example of full service ministry! Dale began to care for this kid, because he showed up at a CLUB meeting. She saw how the gospel permeated his life because of his background and hearing the gospel spoken directly through high school. She continued to care for him and love him through college and eventually through his military career. She advised and discipled him through transitions, promotions, family matters, love and marriage and fatherhood. Now, it didn't just stop with this kid, she ministered to his parents and his little brother as well all along the way. She still maintains relationships with all of them.

This woman who I have known for 25+ years. Provides me with an example and a model of ministry that inspires me to reconnect with many folks that I have seen pass through!

How do you maintain relationships through the years? Who are you REALLY Facebook friends with?
What is a long-term relationship?

Reading this this summer...

I just finished The Accountable Man, Tom Eisenman. Why is it so hard for us men to build real friendships? Tom gives a very brief (some of us also do not like to read much)and practical primer with narrative story as well as clear application to begin to move deeper into the lives of our friends.

It takes prayer, intentionality & initiative to pull this off. But with Tom's guidelines I think it can be very achievable. One of the key points in the book is his description of prayer and intersession. It is very clear and easy to put into practice starting today.

Other key points is a great description of forming a covenant commitment, planning on time and agreement to going deeper. Also how to handle failure and brokenness.

This book has given me many great ideas on how to develop these key accountable relationships with peers as well as students I meet with.

The 2nd Appendix has a list of over 100 questions to get discussions started and moving.

I highly recommend this book.

" I " ministry

It seems to me that it is hard to read a book, hear a sermon, talk to a minister where the primary subject is something other than the writer/speaker. It reminds me of that Toby lkeith song "I wanna talk about me, wanna talk about I, I wanna talk about number 1, oh me oh my!". Or something to that effect.

I certainly know the value of vulnerability and authenticity, (thoughts that will be reserved for another post). I mean even the great communicators, that you can get on podcasts, websites or CDs. It seems like it is more about them than it is about anything else, including Jesus. What is going on?

I have picked up a little moniker that I attribute to such messages. If someone asks me how was that conference when you heard "Mr famous person" my comment is: "Well it was a lot of "I Ministry".

Of course not always - I hear or read many books, articles, sermons where there is much to be gained and applied to personal faith. but it does seem like there is a lot of "I ministry" out there!

Now why is this bothering me: well it is a bit personal - (now I will engage in a little "I ministry"). Because this summer I am trying to get thoughts on paper from 37 years of ministry, and my desire is to make it about God, Jesus and people that I have met along the journey. But I am discovering that in many of the stories that I write the main subject is me! YUCK!

As I think about the story in my mind the main subject is God and His works. But when I write the same stories it ends up being about me and a verb. I said, I saw, I talked to, I heard, I went and on and on.

So the effort has been on trying to write a story then to go back and take the "I-s" out! It's quite humorous at times. Because sometimes when the I is gone the story seems empty (that is the opposite of what I am going for.

So I think this summer will be an exercise in personal discipline for me - not allowing "I" to be the central subject.

What do you do? How to you become more selfless as you live your life?

What is a Sabbatical?

I am officially on Sabbatical! It is a short one. It will be about 8 weeks altogether and it will have several components. Sabbaticals are a privilege, a benefit that Intervarsity Christian Fellowship gives to employees, after 7 years of service.

It is a personal choice. In fact most staff never take one. Probably because most staff do not stay on staff for 7 years, let alone 25 years. So what is it? It has Biblical a well as academic applications and campus ministry encompasses both of those fields. It relates to God taking a Sabbath after 6 days of creating. Then there are the Levitical ordinances of taking a year after 6 years of work and then a Year of Jubilee after 49 years. It is literally a period of time away from work, to get a different look (at life, at ministry, at people). It is designed to encourage you to develop in a way that if you did not take one you would? Be less prepared to further the ministry.

I have had one other Sabbatical. It was in 1996. We went to Europe and visited missionaries and Christian leaders in 7 countries and I was looking at the global church. It was a huge investment for me. I really learned so much about the change in the church for the 21st century and also about Grace.

This year is different. I have been responding to the call of God for 37 years. A lot has happened in those years. And to be honest all of those stories and all of those discipling principles have stayed in my head. And my head is full! I want to spend this sabbatical getting those things out of my head and onto paper or text or screen or something!

So for my sabbatical I am writing! HA! Kindof a joke - because for many years I have made fun of staff who write because if you write you can't meet with as many students.

Zo I am beginning to write. Not everything will be in a blog, but some things will.

You can help me...

Do you have a thought or a principle that you remember that might be beneficial... Let me know either by comment or email...