Leaning Forward

Conversation(s) through rose colored glasses

Harriet says I have rose-colored glasses. If she means by this I live in la-la land and can't comprehend real life then I'll fight that label to the death. Now, if she means that I usually lean toward the positive, that is, I most often see the glass as half-full, then I'll thank her for the compliment. And, in her honor, I colored my GCR Conversation(s) graphic with a rose colored over-lay. Rose colored glasses indeed. it's just part of my Owens' genes.

Yes, I do favor the brighter side, usually expect more of people and situations than are usually there, and generally over-estimate things. Maybe there's a little more sunshine in my soul. I dunno. Anyway, when I saw the 500+ participants in the Great Commission Resurgence Conversation(s) last week, I was encouraged. I mean, there must be a pony in here somewhere! Right? It really was a welcome sight, this many church, denominational, and institutional leaders in one room between annual sessions, and not in a called ER triage to stop the bleeding in a mission under our umbrella.

I mean, simple math makes this a good representation. Think about it. Our annual meetings stretch to register 1000 messengers. That number usually includes more agency employees, wives, church staffers, a larger group of associational and denominational employees, and even, believe it or not, a few church members. The GCR Conversation(s) was mostly pastors, a few convention employees, and smaller numbers of associational/institution employees. OK, only a small percentage of our churches were represented. Still, the 500+ was a good turnout.

So, get to a conclusion Mr. Bright-eyes. Here it is. A respectable group of our church leaders are thinking about the Great Commission Resurgence. What, exactly, they are thinking is still up in the air, a question that cannot be answered this early in the process. Well, not entirely. A good many of the people at the conversation(s), especially the institution and agency personnel, already oppose the GCR and it's potential threat to their budget. This was under-growth conversation. Others, church leaders uncomfortable in the twenty-first century, desiring the good old retro days, are afraid the GCR will sway us toward contemporary culture and cross doctrinal lines inconsistent with our history. A good many favor the GCR, evaluation of our structure and methodology, and adjustments to insure viability to the next generations. In total, though, this much interest now may translate into growing interest as the GCR takes shape. That is good.

It's why I like looking through rose-colored glasses. They see hope. And, that's what I saw last Tuesday.

Great Commission Resurgence Conversation(s)

Conversation happens at many levels. So, the meeting sponsored by the South Carolina Baptist Convention last week, advertised as a Great Commission Resurgence conversation, was actually communication on a larger scale---data, statistics, information, opinions, group speak,  a little posturing, and more, on a number of fronts. In this regard, I'll refer to the meeting as GCR Conversation(s). More was taking place than was on the planned agenda.

Not that it matters all that much, but convening this meeting was a good idea. Someone in the convention hierarchy thought a gathering of this nature would be good as we navigate these currents. There's certainly been a good bit of rumor and gossip and buzz about the GCR and what it bodes for our work as a denomination, the state entity, our associations, and institutions. Some people call this murmuring and it can be destructive. Whoever initially proposed this event was thinking strategically. Thanks. It was a good idea. Let's pray the conversation(s) will produce some missional fruit.

OK, let's converse about the conversing(s). There were several. One was the planned agenda, Drs. Ed Stetzer and Jim Austin wowing us with numbers, providing both reality check and inspiration, the unique challenges of downward leaning trend lines, and some Biblical encouragement to go into the pit with a lion on a snowy day. They did a good job. There wasn't much new here, since Ed Stetzer's stuff is pretty available in his books. But, it was well-done and I appreciate the heart behind it.

Then again, there were the program mechanics. At lunch we worked through an individual assignment dealing with relevant topics affecting the Great Commission Resurgence---expectations, definitions, barriers, outcomes---our perceptions of the GCR. When the session re-convened most of us went into groups to discuss our personal findings. So, many ideas were shared, vocal people spoke out, group dynamics maneuvered the expression of our thoughts, and some just observed. Basically, it was  informative sharing in a relatively controlled environment, mostly.

Another conversation took place in the under-growth, you know, the unofficial talk before and after the scheduled program, around the tables, the hallway interactions, the off-the-cuff inter-play among one of the most talkative cohorts in the world---Baptist ministers. This was typically birds-of-a-feather stuff, the predictable circles of like-minded ministers eager to air-out their personal take on this controversial subject. Conversation at this informal level may actually be the most significant communication of the day, moving and shaping opinions, forming coalitions, finding agreement. It will be interesting to see this conversation voiced in the future.

Oh yes, talk to me about a final conversation, you know, body language! Watching the movement of more than 500 registered ministers, the convention staff, institution leaders, and others was a lesson in group speak on a more subliminal level. Some people shifted assigned groups to gain a better vantage point or be closer to the perceived action. Others grabbed the few chairs against the wall, strategically removed from the groups, observers on the outer fringes of the program. Some moved to the hallways or the courtyard, out of range of the discussion, their own individual conversation more important than what was being concluded in the room.

Interesting. So, what's the deal. This week I'm going to review the various levels of the conversation(s), make some conclusions about the conclusions, and try to make some sense of what this thing is all about. For the record, I voted for the GCR and favor it 100%. Our work and mission and methodology need to be reviewed systemically, regularly, to insure that we are pursuing our mission as efficiently and effectively as possible.

So, let's converse about the conversing(s). Should be fun.

The economy of heaven

As an old accountant I know a good bit about balance sheets, accounting principles, and allowances for loss and waste. When I became a Christian God taught me the economy of heaven. On the balance sheet of eternal life there is no waste. You don't have to make ledger entries to account for things that didn;t go as planned or work out according to your expectations---money, time, or life. You see, nothing is ever wasted.

Hold it. We all know lots of stuff that appear useless. Who of us hasn't felt like we wasted some time, or threw away some money, or let some valuable resource go down the tubes? Or, the toilet? Go to the bookstore, even the Christian stores, and you'll find plenty of material on wasted lives, empty living, the many vanities of vanities, and other descriptions of frivolous lifestyles. Some people go off on a tangent, time away to find themselves. Others chase dreams or ideals or seek to find meaning in all the wrong places or pursuits. When they come to themselves they feel as if they've wasted something. 

OK, there are plenty of things that don't measure up. But, the Bible says God works all things---repeat, all things--- together for the good of those who love him and are called according to his purpose (see  Romans 8:28). OK, so what's the catch? Surely, God doesn't mean "all things" when He says "all things"? There must be some escape clause or conditional addendum that qualifies such a statement and limits the boundaries of what is useful and what is not.

Here's a test case. I ran from God for ten years, age 19 to age 29, the years that separate when God invited me to ministry and when I finally joined up. They were not pretty years when measured by what I know now. College, party life, marriage, career, party life, children, party life, success, party life, promotions, party life, houses and stuff, party life, on-again/off-again faith, party life---blah, blah, blah. To think of them as wasted years is foolish. In them God gave me Harriet, Elizabeth, Brian, and satchels full of learning. When I finally said "yes" to Him I was better prepared for what He called me to do. There was no waste. 

Today I'm closing out WHAT TO DO WHEN YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT TO DO [making good decisions]. OK, over the years there have been some good decisions, some horrible ones, judgment all over the place, some truly stupid stuff, maybe reckless too. God has used every single one to wise me up a little, to teach me a thing or two, and hopefully make me more useful to Him. Nothing is wasted.

That's why I like the economy of heaven, and why the accounting principles of the Kingdom don't have an allowance entry for bad debts or bad experiences or wasted lives.

Cool.

Look @ the calendar, kids...

Yes, Muffin, the 2010 NCAA football season officially starts today! OK, there are really only a few games today, but it is the season opener and does signal some shift in priorities, schedules, and commitments till the grand finale, the BCS Championship Game on January 10, 2011. So, let's do some prognosticating about what's happening this year.

(1) In the Holmes household, Oliver and I will watch more HGTV than during the spring and summer. This is the trade deal our agents negotiated with Harriet to give us unlimited viewing time on Saturdays and other game nights during the week.  So, we love Divine Design and Design on a Dime and Holmes on Homes for the next few months. Wow, did you notice Vern's suit on the Next Design Star?

(2) There will be more soup, pizza, hot dogs, ribs, chili, pigs-in-a-blanket, peanuts, chips, and other game-friendly eats from now till January. OK, I do most of the cooking in the first place. I'm with Henny Youngman, whose wife asked him to take her somewhere she never goes. He took her to the kitchen. Yuk! Yuk! Harriet and I are wired this way and this arrangement works for both of us. I feel pretty comfortable using her arsenal of kitchen gadgets, especially during football season. So, pass the jalapeno-jack cheese dip and don't sit in front of the TV.

(3) seventhday sermons may get a little shorter for a period between now and late November. Now, this is movement of God stuff and I will never be accused on going light on the length of my sermons or caving in to the prevailing world culture. Yet, there are a couple of strategic Saturday evening match-ups this season and I may need a little more time meditating at home after seventhday each week. Yes, we'll attend a few Saturday afternoon Citadel games too, before seventhday. The length of those messages may be affected by the outcome of the games. I mean, we may be more jubilant and celebrative if the Dogs win and more introspective in loss, sack cloth and ashes if you please. 

(4) There will most likely be fewer meetings at church during the week in the 2010 season. Maybe you noticed it too. Last season NCAA football aired at least five nights each week, usually Wednesday and Sunday being the exceptions. Also, a good number of games shifted kick-off from 8:00 p.m. to an earlier 7:00 p.m. So, meetings at church will be shorter if this trend continues.

(5) We're getting less choosy about the games we watch. Sure, we like the big rivalries and will not miss Michigan v. Michigan State, or Penn State v. Ohio State, or the local grudge matches between Clempson and University of South Columbia. But, now they televise Division II and Division III, as well as show replay of Slippery Rock v. Marymount, or Northern South Dakota A & M Polytechnic v. Smokey Mountain College of Cosmetology and Chiropractic Science. You can even watch some pretty boring high school football on ESPN each week, if you're just an absolute maniac. Not me. NCAA is the deal in our house.

So, kids, where is the spiritual dimension of football season. Matthew 17:20 (The Message) offers a powerful promise: "...there is nothing you wouldn't be able to tackle." Sounds like a football reference to me! You think???

Going lite

Saw my former SCBC colleague Scott Vaughn at the Great Commission Resurgence blab fest the other day. He said he enjoyed reading my blog. Thanks, Scott. Coming  from you I'll take that as a compliment. Then, he added something to the effect that he read it expecting to get some news but usually got a sermon instead. Ouch!!! But, true. So, very true.

My other friend Curt Bradford, pastor of Riverbluff Church, confessed the dilemma of pastor bloggers in his interesting post "What's the Point" on his site Just Thinking About... (to be truly informed, check Curt out here) the other day.  I mean, who is the audience, who's actually paying the big bucks to read our stuff anyway? As a result, the ultimate questions for bloggers is what are we writing and why? Is there an intended outcome in the deal somewhere?

Well, being totally self-absorbed, I must kneel at the wailing bench and confess that I write my blog basically for me. It is a good discipline, processing information about a particular topic and then regurgitating that mess onto the blank lap-top screen. So, a couple of years ago, I decided to write something every single day, using this medium to accomplish several personal goals. Give it a whirl---

(1) Develop personal writing skills.
(2) Explore and learn about a wide range of topics regarding life and faith.
(3) Open up a little for closer peaks inside my simple mind.
(4) Communicate information to other people.
(5) Offer daily encouragement to people who may need a lift.
(6) Provide a devotional thought for the day.
(7) Vent. 

The audience? I don't know. Family, friends, church members, college buddies, high school classmates, and other folks who may accidentally trip across my page when Googling a certain topic or word. I mean, this is the information age and social networking, including the vast blogosphere, is the rage. What I've discovered is that bloggers use their pages for about as many purposes as you can imagine. Shoot, passions run to the bizarre. So, blog themes and the reasons they are posted can skirt the outer edges of sanity. Two controls determine the whole thing: the writer and the reader. It's my page and I can make it about anything I choose. You can read it, delete it, or ignore it. You and I hold the keys to this particular universe.

Preachy, is not what I envisioned when I started! So, I'm going to lighten up some. Underline some. There are serious topics I like to rant about, re: life, church, denomination, college football, politics, parenting, culture, fashion, technology, and why I wore pink socks to Barnes & Noble one night. Life is interesting and I do have an opinion or two about, for whatever it's worth, about a lot of things. Oliver listens in awe every day. But, I'm going to make a serious effort to stop the preaching stuff, and go the Spam Lite route.

Of course, if you don't like Spam, you're going to hate Spam Lite.

The dynamics of personal change: last thought

I've been trying to lose weight for 50 years. Before age five I was a cuddly little teddy bear, the healthy toddler who loved his milk and cookies. In grade school, up to age 10 I was husky, the '60's version of "big-boned". At age forty-five I weighed in @ 310 lbs. and bought my clothes in the Big and Tall Department. I was convinced that 5"11" was tall. You got it pal, I carried my weight well. Give me a break! So, here is one change I've been trying to put a half-nelson on for a long time. I'm discovering, nearly sixty one years down the road, this is one of those life-time deals. Now, Type II diabetic, I know the weight thing is part of my baggage till Jesus comes. Heaven for me will be milk chocolate flowing in seas of chocolate or caramel sauce. Hurry Lord Jesus!

Just kidding, of course! Still, Harriet and I are reminded that personal change is part and parcel of the journey. It's not an on-again/off-again proposition, a temporary gear we use when we're momentarily stuck. No, for believers it is being transformed into his likeness every single day, you know, the likeness of Christ. Like my life-long weight battle, change accompanies every pulse-beat, the alpha and omega of human existence, the process that defines life from beginning to end.

So, tell me something new! Yes, the human body is constantly in a state of flux, cells multiplying, blood pulsing, synapses firing, entropy, I believe the scientists call it. It is motion and movement. Being transformed into the likeness of Christ isn't that process, however. It is the change that God produces in the mind, will, emotions, and physical senses of a yielded believer. Theologically, it is the sanctifying work of the Holy Spirit over a person's life. It occurs from new birth till death. Only when we move from this life into eternity is that work complete. The Bible says then we are mature, ripe, ready.

This is a problem today. The idea that God receives us like we are, accepts us as broken vessels, and loves us unconditionally, all true, has short-circuited this expectation, lowered the holiness quotient of our faith. So, on-going personal change is pretty much an outmoded ideal. Many professing believers applaud the attitude that says, "here I am, take it or leave it!", ignoring the Biblical mandate for being a new creature, for being shaped into a vessel of honor. Holiness has essentially been discarded as a tenet of cultural faith. So, we are an unchanged sub-culture.

The last thought in this change stuff is simply that faith means change. It is a life-long process. Anything less is just bogus.

Bduh, bduh, bduh, bduh. That's all folks!

The disciplines of personal change: fellowship

Hanging out, that's the new term. It's just the discipline of being with other people, having a circle of friends to share life. It is more than fun and games or playtime, the inventions of a world manic about leisure. For us Baptists, it is also more than mac and cheese, potato salad, or our other carb rich fare. The Bible concept us old-timers cling to is "fellowship". The support, encouragement, accountability, and blessings of people up close is one of those elements that mobile and anonymous cultures think are now unnecessary. How wrong could anybody be?

Like Charlie Brown, "fellowship" is misunderstood. Of course, we've shaped it to represent the warm fuzzies and good vibes that make us feel better when the world is down on us. So, the Biblical ideal of "koinonia", the word most often translated as "fellowship", has been downgraded from a foundational bond between people of like mind and thought, to a back-slapping good time around the dinner table. This is sad, because true "fellowship" is more than a meal.To think otherwise is not only to go simple, but also to go shallow.

Change is difficult and having people alongside is a must. I mean, no man is an island, right? So, I've lost about 5,000 lbs. in my fat lifetime and the most enduring regimen has been Weight Watchers. Why? For one reason, they provide a coach and cheerleaders, accountability partners to give you a boost when you're struggling with a chocolate demon or some other devil. Of course, they now have these on-line deals and the encouragement is more imagined than real, a virtual word from  a Dell machine that seems almost personal.

In the same way, us blivets (a Citadel term maybe not understood by civilians) get the same kind of group-speak from the Wii console, an obnoxious female disguised as a machine with the sweet innocent voice of a young woman. It's the psycho component of my current weight-loss/exercise thing---a group of Mii's going through the motions of exercise and diet, nag, nag, nag, like a crowd urging me on. Some guy in India understands the American psyche and factored group into the thing.

This thing gets closer to the Biblical ideal of "fellowship" than does the mid-week meal. You see, the group life of the New Testament period involved admonishment, encouragement, accountability, shared life, suffering, and expectations. "Fellowship" in Scripture is more the shared life of early believers, the common life that sustained them through persecution, deprivation, hard times. They held each other up, shared all things in common, and moved together through those troubled years. It was the shared cup of hardship that bound them.

I love hanging out with a couple of local, young pastors. They sharpen my edges, inject me with doses of hope for the next generation, give my old worn viewpoint a fresh coat. Just our few minutes together every couple of weeks gives me a thought-makeover. At the same time, there's another circle of friends that just understand. They are there. Our meetings involve some measurement and then appropriate response. It is refreshing too. Then, there are the church people. They hold us all up. Then, there is Harriet, the most up-close of all, doing what is necessary to keep me in the game. It is all "fellowship".

Standing in line at the funeral home when my mother died, this thought came to me. Our shepherd is faithful and true, guiding us through every valley, even the valley of death. Then, it struck me! Our shepherd has a flock too, and they gather around us and do what needs to be done to assist us along the way. We need them too. Meaningful change is impossible without their support.

The disciplines of personal change: service

Service engages our minds, thoughts, and energies on someone other than ourselves. And, to be sure, that someone isn't another person. When we serve we are honoring Christ. Ministering to another person is ministering to Christ. What we do to the least of these our brethren we are doing to him. This constitutes an incredible focus shift.

Personal change is not easy, especially if the change goes deeper than mere cosmetics. At the same time, change can be painful. It can capture our attention totally, to the exclusion of all other commitments. I've seen people so entangled in their own drama---especially regarding addictions or marriage troubles or relationships or careers---that everything else is second burner stuff, even their relationship with Christ. Service is an obedience connector, a means of hearing Christ over the din of screaming personal problems. 

Change is usually about us, a reality centered in self. This doesn't mean we're necessarily on an ego trip when we're manipulating the machinery of change. Other people may depend on us and the adjustments we are attempting may reach out in many directions. But, change is usually urgent, life adjustments or alterations that are necessary to keep things moving. So, naturally, change monopolizes our resources. This is when service re-directs us. Service, done in the name of Christ, puts him back into position one. It adjusts and fine tunes of focus.

Servant images predominate Scripture. Every major personage in Scripture is called a "servant". Jesus made sure others would not misunderstand the nature of his mission, clarifying that he didn't come to be served but to serve. After washing his disciples feet he told them that he had set an example for them to follow. The greatest in his kingdom is the servant. Service in Christ's name establishes our linkage to him. Caught in the mire of personal change, service to him breaks the entanglements that personal change often entail. It's really what we need when we're laboring through the motions of change. We need to see him with grater clarity.

Sometimes we get stuck too. You know, running in circles around the same old issues that make change so difficult. Serving in Christ's name has a way of un-sticking us, a catalytic jolt to re-start the engines of thought and resolve. This shift may re-kindle the fires that must burn for substantive change to occur. When we serve Christ we get a different view of things, a new outlook.

When change is hard, God gives us the disciplines to sustain and encourage us---depth, worship, prayer, Bible study, witness, and now, service. So, serve the Lord with gladness.

The disciplines of personal change: witness

Witness sharpens our vision. Actually, three or four things converge at the same time when we share faith with another person. Each of them better prepares us to endure the challenges of personal change. They develop a new context for our own circumstances and enable us to see God's hand in altering another person's life.

On one level, personal witness brings us into a spiritual enterprise. You see, Scripture affirms that the Holy Spirit attends the speaking of faith, both in the life of the one speaking and the one hearing the testimony. This is notable. Personal change rivets us to the stark realities of our own personal situation. Often change is a struggle over hurts, habits, and other ugliness that eclipses the spiritual dimensions of our decisions. Usually our instincts draw us back toward our old nature, the unspiritual person that lurks in the shadows of our past. When we verbalize our faith we enter a uniquely spiritual situation and encounter the work of the Spirit in a fresh and life-changing way.

On another level, personal witness shifts our focus from the exigencies of our troubles to the horrible hopelessness of life without Christ. In contrast to eternity our life circumstances, though acute, may seem temporal and more manageable. Verbalizing the promises of personal faith to another person may just remove the blinders from our own hopes and aspirations to stabilize wavering beliefs brought under question by trying circumstances. Speaking truth is somewhat cathartic, cleansing us of negatives that may weaken our resolve.

The witness of faith also raises our expectations. As we affirm eternal words of truth to others, this same truth becomes all that much more real to us. Honestly, when caught in the webs of doubt that often visit while wrestling with change, reciting Scripture establishes a connection with the resources of God, drawing us ever deeper in to the possibilities of God. Words of faith remind us of the basic evangelistic truth: with God this is impossible, but with God all things are possible. I mean, reach up and touch the sky!

When the Apostle Paul wrote to Philemon, he included a notation about the spiritual benefit of sharing faith. He wrote, "I pray that you may be active in sharing your faith, so that you will have a full understanding of every good thing we have in Christ" (v. 6). Taken from another angle, this verse concludes that we cannot know "every good thing we have in Christ" until we are active in sharing our faith. The implications of this thought are enormous whether we re facing the crucible of change or not. Being a conduit of the Gospel to others clarifies the mysteries of faith and helps us to comprehend the miracles involved in our salvation. 

"Good news brings health to the bones" (Proverbs 15:30). Sure, positivity is healthier than an old worn, negative attitude. But, given the Biblical connotation of "good news", you know, the Gospel, gives the verse some additional punch. Truly, personal witness is a discipline of change. With depth, worship, prayer, and Bible study, it is one of the spiritual strengths to encourage and enable us to grow in times of change.

Wow!

Wisdom

Harriet collects Willowtree figurines. They are manufactured by Demdaco and are available at many card, specialty and gift shops, as well as Christian bookstores. They usually represent spiritual themes, families, and often picture angels, children, couples, and individuals in various poses. The one pictured here is titled "wisdom" and portrays a woman reading a book. OK, the book isn't identified. It could be a Bible, a book of poetry, or any volume you can imagine. I like to think it is a Bible.

It's title may represent one of the more oblique concepts in our culture, the pursuit of wisdom. It is popularly accepted that wisdom is linear, that is, a result of living long enough. Along this line, it is thought that people become wise with age, that true wisdom accumulates with experience, an automatic addend of life. So, wisdom is the gathering of life-long learning. Or, so they say!

In Scripture, knowledge is what actually happens chronologically. Information, education, and life experience broaden our base of knowledge. Life long learning makes us smarter, equips us for living, prepares us for careers and relationships, and gives us the data needed for most life situations. This knowledge gives us the mechanics of life, the tools for making a living, the essential information required for sustaining ourselves daily. But, it is not wisdom. 

Wisdom comes from God. It is a vertical reality, something that derives from a spiritual relationship. The fear of God---that is, the awesome respect and reverence for God---is the beginning of all wisdom. Scripture reminds us that we can ask God for wisdom, and He will give it when it is requested in faith (see Colossians 1:9; James 1:5). It is this wisdom that teaches us to make good decisions and live a life worthy of His name, that pleases Him in all things.

This is our weekend theme and one that I loved exploring with the seventhday congregation Saturday evening and that I look forward to reviewing with both worship services Sunday morning. It is the basis of making good decisions, asking God for wisdom. 

So, the Willowtree figurine must be studying the Bible. It is one of the most essential ways God speaks to us and gives us His wisdom for life. What a blessing---