Failure is a Good Thing

Learning to walk is no small feat (no pun intended).  Think about it.  A human being transitions from all fours to just two, from relative safety to present danger.  The danger, of course, is falling… repeatedly.  Ironically, it is the key step (again with the unintentional puns) in the process.  It is a process that requires purposeful, recurring failure.

Watch a baby as she learns to walk.  At some point she stands.  She enters into the tension between safety and mobility.  She stands without the benefit of certainty.  She’s not sure she can do it and, in fact, she can’t.  She falls.  She fails.  And then she does it again… and again… and again.  She is, by definition, a failure.  And she is happy!  Not only has she not yet learned to walk, she hasn’t learned that failure is a bad thing!   

On top of that, her parents encourage her to fail again.  Even though she can’t walk, even when she realizes (especially when she realizes) she can’t walk, they encourage her to do it again anyway.  They are literally setting (standing) her up to fail… again… and again. 

What kind of parents would do that?  The answer, of course, is good parents.  Good parents do precisely that!

Is God a good parent?  I wonder if it would be okay to think about Christian discipleship the way we think about learning to walk.  Could we not describe learning to follow Jesus as purposeful, recurring failure?

You may recall the story about how an early follower of Jesus named Peter requested permission to walk on the water, which Jesus immediately granted.  Peter got out of the boat and stood on the water, then he walked, then he failed… he sank!  What was Peter (and for that matter Jesus) thinking!  And Peter would fail again…and again.  But despite his recurring failures (and maybe because of his recurring failures) Peter turned out okay.  

We preacher types seem to be less comfortable with failure than God is.  I’m not saying that sin (mine or yours) is a good thing, it’s not.  What I am saying is that the only people who never fall are the ones who never learn to walk.  I’m saying that failure avoidance is failure already!  I’m saying that failure is a good thing because it is, ironically, essential to success!  

That new thing you feel God actually wants you to do…do it!  Going back to school, a career change, a new hobby, a new ministry… get up on your two feet and walk!  Will you fall?  Absolutely!  Will you fail?  Most assuredly!  Should you do it anyway?  Definitely!  Don’t miss out on a good thing!

Face Book vs Porch Swings

I like face book.  It is a window into my past.  It keeps me connected to old friends, new friends and friends I don’t even know.  It educates and entertains.  It has lots of funny video clips.  (Did you see the one with the guy dancing to Uptown Funk on the tread mill?)  I really like face book.  That’s why I had to give it up… sort of.

I mean, I haven’t really, totally stopped getting on face book (I’ll post this blog on it), but I’ve been forced to rethink my unconditional commitment to it.  It’s not that Satan used face book to invade my body (I don’t think).  But I found myself somewhat unsatisfied after spending an extended period on it.  It’s hard to explain.

My gut feelings were confirmed while sitting on the porch swing.  My wife, Cindy, and I decided to take advantage of the burst of warmth that happened one day last week.  We went out on our back porch, sat down on the porch swing and talked.  A novel idea!  We talked about nothing in particular for no particular reason.  We just talked and swung in the porch swing.  (Right now I have the overwhelming urge to write a couple verses of Swingin, the country classic by John Anderson, but I’ll resist.)

The point I’m trying to make is this.  When we were done talking about nothing in particular for no particular reason I felt full and good.  When I realize that I’ve given up thirty or forty-five minutes of my life on face book I don’t feel full and good.  Sometimes I feel a little bit empty.

Please don’t misunderstand.  I’m not saying we should all quit face book (although most young people have already moved on to Twitter and Instagram), I’m just saying that maybe the next time you have a choice between an hour sitting in a porch swing talking to a real person (or a good dog), especially one you love, or an hour on face book looking at videos posted by people you don’t even know, you may want to give the porch swing a try.

    

Why are Young Adults Leaving the Church? Part II

A couple weeks ago I posted a blog pointing out two reasons why young adults are leaving the church.  Here’s the second part to that post with reasons three and four.  I’ll try to stop after this post although more reasons could probably be listed.  You may want to share some of your own.

3.  The church typically functions as a “religious service provider” trying to attract and keep “customers.”

John Ortberg was the first person I heard use the term “religious service provider.”  It succinctly describes what may be the single most off-putting characteristic of the church, at least for young adults.

In the post WWII era, churches learned to tap into (or maybe give into) the hyper-consumerism of our culture.  By using marketing strategies to make the church more “appealing” to un-churched people, we have taught church members to function like customers. 

I realize that statement sounds harsh.  You may think it is inaccurate.  I would respectfully respond by asking you to reflect intently on statements that I hear from church attendees on a regular basis.  I don’t like that music.  I got a lot out of that worship service. The programs at that church were not meeting my needs.  We’re going to try out another church.

 

While many may feel that these statements are a “natural” part of church culture, most young adults I know are reacting negatively to this kind of religious consumerism.  Frankly, as a pastor who feels the pressure of producing “better products,” I’m glad they are.    

Striving for excellence in our service to God is healthy.  Striving to please church customers is unhealthy.  Churches who really want to minister to young adults (and everyone else for that matter), must muster the courage to defect from the “religious service provider” model. 

4.  The church seems to be compelled to distinguish ourselves by pointing out the sin of those outside the church instead of our own.      

Most of the young adults I know frequently call attention to Jesus’ teaching against judging others.  They are drawn to his words in the Sermon on the Mount when he admonished the crowd to take the log out of their own eye before they attempted to take the speck of sawdust out of someone else’s.  (Matthew 7:1-5)

In his book, Blue Like Jazz, Donald Miller tells a story from his years as a student at Reed College in Portland.  Along with some other Christian students (definitely the minority at Reed) they set up a confession booth on campus during a Renaissance festival.  But instead of hearing the confessions of the students, they confessed to the students all the sins of the church down through the ages.  The students were shocked that Christians would confess to them.  They were also disarmed by it.  Some became open to conversations about Christianity.

I tell that story, not just to illustrate the fact that young adults outside the church have come to expect those inside the church to be judgmental, but to point out that a little honesty and a little humility can have a big impact.  To misquote a familiar passage from 2 Chronicles 7:14, If we (the church) will humble ourselves and confess our sins, then young adults will hear and respond.    

What would happen if the church became known, not by our tendency to call out the sins of others but by our willingness to confess our own?  If we hope to minister to young adults in a meaningful way we need to place a high priority on extracting the beams from our own eyes.   

To reiterate what I said in the first blog, I love the church deeply.  I am not an outside critic trying to tear the church down.  I’m a member of the family attempting to initiate conversations (sometimes hard conversations) that will facilitate healing. 

As I write this blog the church I’m privileged to pastor is conducting a dental clinic, providing free dental care for those in our community.  Right now people are shopping in our clothing closet for free clothes.  I’m grateful to be part of a wonderful family of Jesus followers who are living out their faith in such beautifully redemptive ways.

I’m also committed to helping the church (particularly the church in our part of the world) become more beautiful and more redemptive.  I’m happy to hear from others who would like to participate in the conversation.  

Why are Young Adults Leaving the Church?

Every pastor in the Northern Hemisphere knows that young adults are leaving the church in record numbers.  I’m not saying that to scare you.  I’m just pointing out the fact so that I can point to the reasons why, in my opinion, it’s happening.  I’ll only share two here.  

1.  The church tends to make faith in Jesus a mental exercise rather than a spiritual experience.

Most young adults I know have a deep respect for the scriptures, are orthodox in their beliefs and serious about doing theology.  But they know that faith is trusting in someone, not believing some things.  Most of the young adults I know are drawn to Jesus, sometimes almost irresistibly so.  But they insist that faith in him is about more, much more, than our attempts to explain him.

Intuitively, young adults know that faith in Jesus is deeper than being convinced that what the church teaches about Jesus is empirically true.  In fact, some young Christians I know have huge doubts about some of those teachings.  And yet, they love Jesus and are fully devoted to following him.

If we want to connect with young adults, the church must become a safe place for them to question and doubt and live out a messy faith.  We must give them permission to believe in their hearts that God raised Jesus from the dead (Romans 10:9), even while they struggle to reconcile that belief in their heads.  I think if we’re really honest, we’re all living out a messy faith.  Young adults are just not afraid to admit it.

2.  The church proclaims Jesus as the divine Son of God, yet often neglects his most basic teachings.  

Young adults are drawn to the church’s insistence that Jesus is the way, yet pushed away by what they perceive to be the church’s weak commitment to follow the way of Jesus.

Some of the core teachings of Jesus, such as caring for the poor and oppressed, love for our enemies, refusal to retaliate against those who harm us and extreme generosity seem to be watered down, casually dismissed or actively opposed by the church. 

Many young Christians I know point out that the modern evangelical church seems to chase after riches more than giving them away.  They are bewildered by the church’s endorsement of military campaigns.  And they don’t understand how we can say we love our neighbors but insist that they stay on their side of the border.    

This is not just empty rhetoric.  Many young Christians are embracing a different way, what they would describe as the way of Jesus.  And they wonder why they do it in the face of opposition from the Christian church.  Some choose to leave, not because they are giving up on the church, but to embrace it more fully in a friendlier context.

If the church is going to give these Christians a home, we will need to rethink our understanding of Jesus and repent of the ways we have failed to take his teachings seriously. 

In naming these two reasons I’m not taking pot shots at the church.  I’m a pastor who loves the church deeply.   I’m committed to being part of the church in my community.  I’m quite hopeful that the church is making great progress toward becoming a more beautiful bride of Christ in our world.  I’m convinced that young adults need the church.  That’s why I’m praying that the church becomes the kind of place where they feel safe and free to live out their faith.  I’m praying that prayer not only because they need us, but because we need them.  They have much to teach us. 

Laser Tag and Spirituality

Tomorrow I’ll take my three grandsons to play laser tag…

I’ve been told I enjoy doing things like playing laser tag and Marco polo.  And I’m not saying that I don’t enjoy doing these kinds of activities, it’s just that I know myself well enough to know that I won’t actually realize that I enjoyed doing them until sometime after I’ve done them.

Somehow in the afterglow of a rousing game of “wrestle Pa Pa to the floor and tickle him till he can’t breathe,” it dawns on me; hey, that was a lot of fun!  I feel better now!

It’s a little bit hard to explain (or for that matter understand) but an activity that doesn’t appeal to any of my senses and doesn’t feel like fun somehow becomes fun afterward…typically after I take a nap.

You may be able to relate to the phenomenon I’m trying to describe.  You engage in some activity that possesses virtually no energetic appeal during the course of the event but then, inexplicably, sometime later (depending on how soon you get to take the nap) you say to yourself, that was really fun, and mean it.

And it’s not just physically demanding activities you do with your children or grandchildren.  It works for things like lifting weights or going to a museum.

I’m thinking there might be a lesson about spirituality here…

What if healthy spirituality (specifically, Christian spirituality) works like playing laser tag with my grandsons or spending thirty minutes on an elliptical machine or reading poetry?  What if, sometime after engaging in a spiritual discipline (sometimes quite a while afterwards) you say to yourself, hey that was good for me.  I can feel it!

The ancient tradition of practicing spiritual disciplines is based on this idea.  The church fathers and mothers, including people like Augustine, St. Francis and Teresa of Avila understood and taught that practicing spiritual disciplines has this same kind of after effect.  (For a good list and explanation of spiritual disciplines read Richard Foster’s classic work, Celebration of Discipline: The Path to Spiritual Growth.)

As we begin a new year you may want to seriously give this some thought.  A tool that I have found helpful is The Daily Office (“office” comes from the Latin “officium,” meaning “duty, service or function.”)  The Daily Office is a prescribed set of scripture readings and written prayers that you simply incorporate into your daily routine, kind of like exercise.

The process of practicing The Daily Office may not be thrilling.  It may even be boring.   But over time you find yourself saying hey, this is good for me.  I can feel it! 

One Pastor’s Reflections on ISIS and Peacemaking

The ruthless and barbaric acts of the Islamic jihadist organization known ISIS are incomprehensible to most of the people on this planet.  What has been done to further their cause is nothing short of repulsive. On this we might all agree.

What to do in response to ISIS might generate more differing opinions.  Some advocate a swift and comprehensive military response.  Some prefer a more limited and precise retaliation.

I’m a pastor.  I readily admit that the complexities of global security are beyond my grasp. I do not claim to be knowledgeable about foreign affairs and I’m not a military strategist. 

In addition, I don’t want to be argumentative or offensive to those who disagree with me.  However, as a pastor my responsibility is to bring a different perspective…what I strongly believe is a perspective based on the life, teachings, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, about war, peace and becoming peacemakers.

That said, I believe the current military strategy of pretty much every developed nation on this planet, including mine, is unwise.  I'll give you two reasons why…

1.   It won't work.

It has never worked.  It will never work.  Violence in response to violence doesn't work.  The cycle of retributive violence is, by its very nature, an endless cycle.

The night before the second Iraqi war began I had a conversation with a friend and posed this scenario.  Imagine a ten year old boy standing in the street of his village somewhere in Iraq.  Suddenly, before his eyes, his house is blown to pieces.  His parents, his grandparents, his siblings all killed; unintentionally, of course.  Nevertheless, they are dead.  This ten year old boy buries the body parts of his family members somewhere near the home where he grew up.

Ten years later who do you think will most likely win the allegiance of that little boy.. the nation who dropped the bomb or the terrorist group who promises to avenge the deaths of his family members?  

That conversation happened eleven years ago. One might argue that we are now engaged in combat with that ten year old boy.  And one might argue that years from now we will be doing the same thing again with his son.  Respectfully but passionately I would argue that there must be a smarter way for the nations of the world to use the nearly three billion dollars a day we currently spend on our weapons of warfare. 

There must be a better choice, but so far we (the empires of the world) have consistently chosen to perpetuate the cycle of retributive violence.  I think we can choose a better way.  Someone taught us to choose a better way, which brings me to my second reason. 

2.   It is not consistent with the teachings of Jesus.

I know that reason won’t mean much to politicians, but it should carry some weight with those who actually profess faith in Jesus Christ.

I believe that an honest reading of the New Testament brings the reader to the conclusion that Jesus chose to die for his enemies rather than kill them.  And he invited his followers to do the same.  He said things like…

     “If someone strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other cheek also.” 
      “Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.” 
     “Love your neighbor as yourself.”
     “Those who live by the sword will die by the sword.”  
     "Take up your cross and follow me." 
     “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called the children of God.”

For the most part, the Christian community has chosen to promote some other way than the way of Jesus.  Stop and let that statement sink in.  Apparently some pastors believe that Jesus is the way we gain eternal life but they obviously do not believe that Jesus actually taught us how to live.  

Is it not illogical to separate the person of Jesus from his ideas?  

Is it not irrational to believe in Jesus but not actually believe Jesus? 

Is it not inconsistent to teach our congregations that “Jesus is the way, the truth and the life,” and yet reject the way of Jesus, that is the truth and leads to life?  

A personal appeal to pastors from a pastor

To people who, like me, are responsible for preaching the way of Jesus Christ, I would issue a personal appeal.

Entertain the possibility that the example and teachings of Jesus are superior to our own wisdom.  After all, how well has our own wisdom worked for us so far?

Then courageously teach the way of Jesus to those for whose spiritual development you are, at least partially responsible.  Your words are influential, especially to those who are part of the next generation of Christ followers.  Who knows?  If you bravely teach them the way of Jesus perhaps they will believe you.  Perhaps they will believe Jesus and become peacemakers.  

A Pastor’s Plea for the Gospel of Jesus Christ

I’m a pastor and I have a pastor’s heart; which means I care about the spiritual formation of people.  It means I care about discipling each person under my pastoral care.  That’s why I preach and write.  Because I hope that my efforts, empowered by the Spirit of God, will actually help people embrace Christ’s invitation; “Come, follow me.”

So I attempt to “explain” things... like, for instance, the Gospel.

The Gospel of Jesus Christ, I’m afraid, has been reduced in evangelical Church circles to less (much less) than it really is.  John Ortberg says that many Christians think the Gospel is “the minimal entrance requirements to get into heaven.”  That is unquestionably not what the Gospel is.

The Gospel is the announcement (the good news) that Jesus Christ is Lord.

The biblical writers hijacked the word “gospel” from the political world of their day.  In the Roman world the “gospel” was the official announcement of the birth or coronation of a new Emperor.  The Emperor was given the title of “Lord.” 

The gospel writers are announcing the birth and coronation (through crucifixion and resurrection) of the true Lord of the world.  Peter and Paul both made the highly controversial and politically charged claim that the titles of “Messiah” (a Jewish title for the anointed one) and “Lord” (a Gentile title for the one with ultimate authority) now belong to Jesus.  Read Acts 2:29-36 and Philippians 2:9-11.  (Rome didn't execute these men for telling people how to get saved.)   

So to believe the gospel of Jesus Christ is to believe that Jesus is Lord.  To share the gospel of Jesus Christ is to invite others to believe that Jesus is Lord. 

In a world that operates under the misguided perception that presidents, dictators and demagogues are the “lords” of the world, I think we need the gospel that is actually true to the scriptures, the gospel first proclaimed by the apostles, the gospel that is more than a spiritualized version of Star Trek, a “beam us up” theology. 

We need the proclamation that, “God raised this Jesus to life… Exalted to the right hand of God, he has received from the Father the promised Holy Spirit… Therefore let all Israel be assured of this: God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Messiah.” (Acts 2:32-36) 

As a pastor, I’m delighted when we actually believe this central proclamation of the Church; when we live in this world as citizens of the kingdom of God; when we love our enemies, when we share our possessions, when we care for the poor and oppressed, when we speak up for those who can’t speak for themselves, when we joyfully make great sacrifices for others, when we give full allegiance to the Lord, when we follow the way of Jesus, the Christ!  That does my pastor’s heart good!