Faith is Like a Shark

OK, faith is not scary.  Faith doesn't have sharp teeth and keen sense of smell underwater.  But faith and sharks have a lot in common.

If they don't move, they will die.

I'm not a marine biologist, so don't get upset about anything that isn't exactly accurate about this fearsome fish.  But what I have heard is that for most shark species, they must keep moving in order to live.  I have heard that it has something to do with getting oxygenated water to keep moving through their gills.  No motion means no water movement; which means no oxygen; which means no life.

Does your faith keep moving?  Now with a shark, motion is a condition of life.  For faith, motion is the evidence of life.  James said, "As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead." (James 2:26)

In about every miracle that Jesus performed, there was some kind of response that either precipitated the miracle or that was a condition of it.  At the wedding feast, Jesus asked the servants to fill the jugs with water.  He told the blind man, "Go and wash."  The hemorrhaging woman reached out to touch the hem of Jesus' garment.

What does your faith move you to do?  After all, each movement we make is based on faith.  I believe there is food in the refrigerator, so I open the door.  I believe the weather is cold, so I grab my jacket.  I believe that the chair will hold me up, so I sit down.

Can others discern from your actions what you believe in?  Can they tell where your faith is lacking?

Maybe it's time to come to God and ask for more faith, deeper faith, new faith.  And then we can see that faith lived out in our actions.

A shark that does not move is dead.  And so is our faith.

Border Guard Part 3 - The Heart

So you want to protect your Corps Officer?  You too can become a border guard for your pastor.  In this installment, we will take a look at a very important but sensitive area that needs to be watched closely - the heart.

While being a Corps Officer is sometimes the most exciting and fulfilling job, it can also be a very lonely position.  After all, there are times when the right decision must be made even though it is not popular.  At the same time, a captain is sometimes left with few people who really understand.  There are some situations that are confidential or sensitive and cannot be discussed with others.  Carrying that kind of load can leave a leader feeling very empty and discouraged.

Well, here are some steps can we as soldiers can take to guard the heart of our officers:

1. Watch your officer.  Sometimes, you can sense when an officer is going through a tough time.  A change in mood can be more than just a mood swing - there might be something deeper at stake.  Just being sensitive to how your officer is feeling can open the door to demonstrate your care for them.
   
2. Pay attention to key events.  There are certain times that can be make-or-break times as far as a Corps Officers' heart is concerned.  An advisory board or corps council meeting, or a meeting at DHQ can provide a lot of stress.  If you know that one of these stressers is coming, maybe it's time to say something encouraging.  I heard once that the most likely time for a preacher to resign is Monday morning.  This might be because Sundays can be very stressful.  Realizing this can help you to be a source of strength for your officer.
3. Send your officer a thank you note.  There are many times that an officer comes through for you or your family.  Don't overdo it.  But expressing genuine appreciation can make a big difference, maybe just at the time your officer needs it.  I have a file in my drawer marked "Keepsakes."  It is a place that I put notes that I have received through the years.  When times are tough, I open the file and review these letters, some of them from many years ago.  Some make me laugh out loud, while others make me feel humble at the way God has chosen to use me through the years.
4. Lighten it up.  We all need to laugh sometimes - officers included.  In one appointment, there were two soldiers who every once in a while took me out for breakfast.  It was a time when we just talked about our families and laughed and prayed for each other.  It meant the world to me that they just wanted to spend some time with me.  For an hour, I was forced to be away from the phone, email and the office, and I got a much-needed break.  I really appreciate those soldiers for their encouraging ministry to me.
   

Before you conclude from this post that Corps Officers are simply fragile creatures, just realize that they have a very stressful job, and sometimes need someone to stand in the gap for them - helping to guard their hearts.  Will you take up the challenge?

Making a Better Preacher Part 1 - Plan Ahead

Believe me, I have a long way to go in my preaching.  But there are a few things that have helped me improve along the way. 

One technique that helped me was to plan ahead.  Planning helps me because one of the most difficult parts for me about preaching is deciding what to preach about.  Don’t get me wrong – there is no shortage of material – but sometimes settling on one topic or passage is difficult.  Early in my career, it was just another reason to procrastinate, which is a problem I will address in a later installment of this series.  I found that taking a few hours planning once or twice a year was fantastic in setting the pace and settling the “What Should I Preach?” question.

So maybe you are having the same struggle – Sunday’s coming, and you don’t have a clue which direction you are going in.  So let me share with you some techniques that have been helpful to me.

1. Use the church calendar.  This means that you plan in advance for things like Lent and Advent.  Those two seasons alone take care of about 10% of your church year.
2. Find a lectionary online.  A lectionary is a week-to-week set of scripture passages that are designed on a three-year cycle to give a church a well-balanced diet of Bible.  This not only gives you passages in advance, it also follows the church calendar.  For example, Good Friday will include passages on the crucifixion, etc.  In addition, it avoids a common trap that preachers can fall into – only preaching from their favorite passages.  The Salvation Army's Southern Territory publishes a quarterly guide called "The Word and Worship Resources for Salvationists" that has a plan already developed that you can use.
   
3. Follow a devotional book.  In one congregation, we used “A Guide to Prayer for All God’s People.”  This gave us one year of sermon passages in advance, and also tied in everyone’s personal devotions to the Sunday messages.
4. Check the program calendar.  There are some Sundays that are special Sundays – Men’s Sunday, Women’s Sunday, Gospel Arts Sunday, Corps Cadet Sunday; that all lend themselves either to a themed meeting or the beginning or ending of a series.
5. Tie in with current trends.  Paying attention to the world outside can help you develop a sermon series that draws in visitors to your church.  Andy Stanley of North Point Church recently preached a short series called “He’s Still Got the Whole World in His Hands,” which addresses the uncertainty of the current economy and what our faith has to say about it.
6. Borrow from other churches.  Sites like www.sermoncentral.com have examples of nice series with catchy names that you can start with.  I used the concept of “Get out of Egypt” one year for Lent, which was borrowed from Mars Hill Community Church in Grand Rapids, MI.
7. Make manageable series.  Don’t preach a sixteen-week series on the chapters of Romans.  You will get tired of it, and your people will too.  Breaking it up gives some much-needed variety.  Usually a three-eight week series is a good length.
8. Share the plan.  I like to share my preaching plan with staff and volunteers who are responsible for designing the service, selecting music, etc.  I have used Google Docs online to create and share my plan so that the planning group can see it at any time, including updates as I change my mind or direction.  Sometimes, up to 18 months of plan has been available this way.

Maybe you have some planning tools that you use – I’d like to learn from you if you have a winning idea.

Border Guard Part 2 - Family

This is the 2nd installment of how to be a border guard for your Corps Officer.  After all, those Captains have a very difficult job - there are a lot of areas in which they are attacked on a daily basis.  Today, we look at what we as soldiers can do to protect the CO's family.

First, a word on why this is important.  While we all know that no one is perfect, the pastor's family life should be an example to others.  A mentor of mine once said, "The best witness you can have to your people is to be a good husband to your wife and a good father to your children."  It's that important.  If you want your corps to thrive, your Corps Officer must be healthy.  And for that to happen, the CO's family must be healthy.

So . . . what can we as soldiers do?  Let's think about a few ideas.  Here goes.

1. Look out for the pastor's kids.  Even though the officer is at your corps for a relatively short amount of time, your corps is the only congregation those kids have right now.  This might be an opportunity to set an example for the kids, give them spiritual guidance, or just to encourage them.  In one appointment, a woman became like another grandmother to our girls.  Rest assured, the kids will never forget that.  But neither will me and Beth. 
2. Rejoice with the CO's family when they rejoice.  On one Sunday School rally day, we had DHQ guests, and our older daughter responded, asking Jesus into her heart.  It was a wonderful day, and we were glad to share it with our soldiers.  Many noticed and shared hugs and prayer for thanksgiving.  Look for the subtle times when good things happen, and let them know how happy it makes you that you could be a part.
3. Notice when the family is in need and lend support.  This might mean during a camp while one officer is away, or perhaps when one family member is in the hospital.  One time, our daughter had a brief hospital stay that caused some temporary concern.  We felt so encouraged when a soldier family came to see her for a few minutes.  It doesn't require money and won't take too much time to visit, make a phone call or make a meal they can heat up during a busy time.
4. Be a "Safe From Harm" partner.  In this day and age, many ministry opportunities present themselves which are high-risk.  Like counseling someone of the opposite sex.  Or dropping kids off after youth programs.  By offering to sit in or ride along, you are providing protection for your officer:  Protection from accusation, misunderstanding and maybe even disaster.
   
5. Help protect the Captain's family time.  Yes, I talked about time last week, but this is a double-doozie.  If Friday night is supposed to be the officers' family night, remember that Sunday night was Salvation Meeting, Monday night was Bible Study, Tuesday was youth activities, Wednesday was music programs and Thursday was Corps Council.  You get the idea.  Now, if you think of some question you want to ask the Captain, don't call on Friday.  If it can wait, hold off until Monday during regular office hours.

Wow! That's only five things, but those would go a long way toward encouraging and protecting the CO's family.

What other ideas can you think of?

People in Proverbs

I have taken up the challenge from Pete Wilson and others - to read a chapter of Proverbs each day in January. Well, almost to the halfway point and there are a few things that jump out at me. Or rather, people jump out at me. No, it's not the dreams I had from the late night pizza. I will say that last night, my wife and I woke up in the middle of the night and couldn't get back to sleep. I offered to read Proverbs 12 for today from my Blackberry, and then we drifted off. Back to people and my post for today.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/michelhrv/ / CC BY-NC-ND 2.0

Here are a few people that I notice already in Proverbs:

1. Parents - OK, since I am a father, I find myself quoting the fifth commandment sometimes. But throughout proverbs, the relationship between parent and child involves passing Bible knowledge and wisdom. This is a bit convicting for me, since I could do so much more with our daughters, but bring it on . . .
2. Wisdom - There are a few times so far (Proverbs 1:20-21, 8:1-2 and 9:3) where Wisdom is personified as a woman calling in the streets and from the highest point of the city.  From the reactions described in these passages, it seems like not everyone hears.  How many times have I missed wisdom's call, and how can I fix that, I wonder?
3. Folly - Yes, another woman calling in the streets.  Perhaps Wisdom's evil twin?  Calling out in the same way and in the same places - maybe that's why I have missed Wisdom those times?
   
4. Peers - Here I noticed a little negative peer pressure (Proverbs 1:10-19).  "Let's do this!" or "Let's do that!" How easy it is to see trouble coming when it's happening to someone else!?
5. Solomon - This wise king's name is mentioned in the first verse and in titles elsewhere in this book.  Yes, many of us know the story of him as a boy asking for wisdom and getting everything else.  But Solomon had self-control issues, and compromised in foolish ways later in life, didn't he?  What right did he have to write this book?  I guess the authority he was using came from the same source as his wisdom - God Himself.  I need to remind myself of that everytime I write, preach or teach - I'm not perfect, but God can use me, imperfect as I am, do communicate His love and challenge.

I guess it's not too late to jump on board the Proverbs bandwagon, but you have to hurry.  Maybe we should do this again in March!?  Returning to Proverbs regularly isn't a bad idea, is it?

Let me know what you think - maybe you saw someone else? 

Become a Border Guard for your Corps Officer – Part 1: The Clock

What are the most vulnerable spots for your Corps Officer?  As part one of this series of posts, I want to talk about what you can do to help your pastor make the best use of time.

I have just been listening to “Healthy Boundaries,” the latest installment of Focus on the Family’s Pastor to Pastor Audio Series.  It is available for free download at www.parsonage.org, and has been quite thought provoking to me.

As I listened, I thought not only of borders in my life that I have had some success (and some failure) at maintaining, I also thought about what soldiers can do to help protect their Captains (nothing against Lieutenants or Majors; I just happen to be a Captain).

Please understand that I do not have a perception that there is a perfect CO out there.  But I strongly believe that each officer has room for improvement.  In addition, if you believe it, you as a soldier can do something to help your officer succeed.

A Corps Officer is under attack on many fronts.  In this post, I will talk about the very vulnerable area of time.  Here are some practical things you can do to help protect your officer in this difficult area.  It’s not an exhaustive list, but it seems like a good start.

1. Encourage balance in schedule – Ask your Captain, “Are you getting enough sleep?” or “When is the last time you took a day off?” or “When is your next date night with your spouse?”  Trying to meet the needs of the community and congregation can be overwhelming for officers, especially when you consider that the job is never done.  One biblical command that Salvationists have a hard time obeying is Commandment #4 – “Remember the Sabbath Day.”  Asking some caring questions like “Can you take all your vacation this year?” can remind your officer that you care and that taking time off is important.
2. Offer to help – The work ethic of officers, while well-meaning, can lead to exhaustion and burnout.  Let’s face it, we all love servant leaders, but without a border guard in this area, we all can be vulnerable to temptation.  Take some time to find out what you can do to lighten your officer’s load.  It’s easy if you simply observe what your Captain does on a regular basis.  One of the biggest helps to me was when one of my soldiers offered to fold the bulletins on a Sunday morning.  Sometimes the smallest task can be overwhelming especially if it’s the “straw that broke the camel’s back.”
3. Run Interference – Sunday mornings are the worst for interruptions.  It is often the busiest, most harrowing day for an officer, but it’s also the time when everyone sees the pastor and is tempted to ask questions or present a problem.  It might be a time when you simply stand as a bodyguard, suggesting to others that an issue might be able to wait for a phone call on Monday morning.  Don’t get crazy or uncaring, but after a short time, people will get the hint to wait, and your officer will be able to concentrate better on the already large list of things to take care of on Sunday.
4. Suggest a lighter schedule – A corps schedule can get extremely busy.  Sometimes the Corps Council’s first idea to solve a problem is to add another program.  While this is at times a good thing, maybe saying “No” or dropping another less important meeting in order to introduce a new item is just what the time doctor ordered.

If you help protect your Corps Officer’s schedule, you can be a more effective border guard for your pastor. 

Maybe you have a suggestion to add to my list.  If so, please add it as a comment.

Seven Leadership Lessons I Learned from Climbing the Mountain

While in California with The Salvation Army's Metro Youth Band, a dozen of us decided to climb to the "big cross" at Camp Mt. Crags. During the New Year's Day ascent and the even more exciting descent, I learned (or re-learned) some leadership lessons.

1. Past failures make current obstacles seem greater than they actually are.  I attempted the same climb several years back, but got winded and gave up.  It just seemed too overwhelming - impossible even.  This time, when I got to the same point and stopped short of breath with my heart beating out of my chest, I wanted to give up again.  Because I gave up before I also wanted to give up at the same point.
2. Overcoming obstacles gives us confidence to tackle the next challenge.  After climbing the mountain this time, I felt more empowered to pursue some dreams that I had previously put on hold.  Climbing the mountain made other projects not seem so impossible.  It gave me inspiration to revisit my New Years' resolutions.  Watch out, 2010!
3. Each person has different strengths that help them lead the team during different parts of the journey.  The first part of the climb was a steep dirt path that was best pursued by running uphill.  This was the part that caused me to give up before.  I was quickly left behind by my fellow climbers, and I had to stop several times just to catch my breath.  The next section, by contrast, was a steep climb up a rock face, which was much easier for me.  This helped me to overtake and pass many of the others.  This surprised them, especially since I was more than twice the age of any of the rest of the climbing party.
   
4. Sometimes the easiest looking path is simply a dead end.  Once on the way up, two of us were separated from the others for awhile.  We came to a fork and made our best guess of which path to follow.  We agreed that the easier looking path was the best.  Unfortunately, we were led up to a dead end precipice.  We had to backtrack to the fork and climb again, this time following the more difficult path.
5. Keeping your eyes on the goal can help overcome adversity.  While about halfway down the mountain, we discovered that the whole party had taken a wrong turn again.  This meant that we had to rescale the mountain almost to the summit in order to find the correct path.  By now, it was starting to get dark, and  it seemed certain that we were not going to finish before light was gone (and before supper was served).  This caused some panicked feelings among the group.  I also was concerned, but we kept encouraging each other to keep up the descent and that everything was going to be OK.  "We're going to make it down together," we kept saying.  By concentrating on arriving safely, we were distracted from the perception of imminent danger.
   
6. It's always more fulfilling when you climb with someone else.  Because we all pulled for each other and encouraged each other on the way, we were each a part of the other's success.  I can't imagine doing it without this great group of friends, and I felt satisfaction from seeing them succeed.
7. Being at the summit, even temporarily, can permanently change your perspective.  From the cross at the top, we were able to see for miles around - from Catalina Island to the 101 freeway and all across Malibu Canyon.  I remember seeing the road that leads up to camp.  The next day, as we left in a bus from camp, I remembered seeing the road from the mountain and looked up.  I noticed the cross from there for the first time.  It had been visible each time I drove down that road, but I didn't realize until then where to look, let alone that it was there to see.

Thank you so much to my climbing partners.  It was an unforgettable experience, and you helped me meet a long-term goal in my life.

These are just seven lessons that I learned.  There are many others, perhaps observed by others.  If you want to, go ahead and post what you have learned.