The Window and the Mirror

One of my deficiencies (among many, I'm sorry to say) is leadership. As a leader in the church, this is potentially problematic. So, in order to work alongside the Holy Spirit in order to 'be all I can be', I am reading up on leadership principles. One book I am reading is "Good to Great" by Jim Collins. Surprisingly, I am really enjoying it and finding it quite helpful (I'm pretty pessimistic about leadership books...probably why I need to grow in that area). One helpful trends Collins describes of great leaders he has researched is what he calls "The Window and the Mirror." Great leaders tend to "look out the window to apportion credit to factors outside themselves when things go well...At the same time, they look in the mirror to apportion responsibility, never blaming bad luck when things go poorly." In comparison, the not-as-great leaders look in the mirror and credit themselves when things go well, and out the window for something or someone outside themselves to blame for poor results.
That's good stuff.

Bill Mahr on "The View"

I found a blog called "Confident Christianity" that I think I like. The blogger is Mary Jo Sharp, who seems like a thoughtful, winsome, speaker of truth. I found this post particularly helpful regarding a semi-recent interview with Bill Mahr on the talk show "The View" - http://confidentchristianity.blogspot.com/2008/10/bill-mahers-interview-with-view.html

In Loving Memory of Molly Hovis

My church, Charis, is in the process of becoming part of a larger network of churches and church planters called Acts 29. One of the church planters in the network, Brad Hovis, recently preached the funeral of his 3 month old daughter, Molly, who passed away during surgery (she had severe problems with her digestive system. I thought I'd share the link here. Please pray for the Hovis family as you think of them.

http://www.acts29network.org/acts-29-blog/in-loving-memory-of-molly-hovis/

Newsweek, the Bible, and Gay Marriage

Here is Al Mohler, president of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, blogging about Newsweek's cover story - "The Religious Case for Gay Marriage." The heat is certainly on Christians to play nice and make friends rather than love people well and speak truthfully. Mohler sets a really good example for us on how to speak graciously, truthfully, and helpfully. http://www.albertmohler.com/blog_read.php?id=2881”.url

The Institutionalized Gospel

What happens when the Gospel of Jesus becomes subservient to the Church? What happens when the Church decides how it will use the Gospel, as if the Gospel is a servant of the Church? What happens is that the Gospel of Jesus is domesticated, tamed, institutionalized, and neutered of its power to save and transform. My fear is that local churches have placed and are always in danger of placing themselves in the driver’s seat, informing the Gospel (so to speak) what it does and does not have the freedom to do in the life of the Church, rather than allow the Gospel of Christ to confront sin in the Church and bring about repentance and renewed faith and alter direction and transform hearts and minds. The Church is to allow itself to be continually reshaped and reformed by the Holy Spirit through the Gospel of Jesus, just as the Gospel reshapes and reforms us as individuals. The Gospel never changes…but the Church is always changing, from one degree of glory to another (2 Cor. 3:16-18).

Discipleship - Gospel = Self-Righteousness

Here is Jerry Bridges from The Discipline of Grace (p.78,79) on our tendency towards legalism and self-righteousness as we are seeking to follow Jesus:

"When I was first introduced to the idea of Christian discipleship, I was given a list of seven spiritual disciplines I should practice every day - things such as a daily quiet time, Bible study, Scripture memorization, and prayer. All of those disciplines were very helpful to me, and I am grateful for every one of them. They formed the foundation for my spiritual growth. However, while learning those disciplines I came to believe that my day-to-day relationship with God depended on how faithfully I performed them. No one actually told me that God's approval of me was based on my performance. Still, I developed a vague but real impression that God's smile or frown depended on whether or not I did my spiritual exercises. The challenge to be faithful in my quiet time, while good in itself, probably contributed to this impression."

Being the church

Have you ever looked at going to church on Sunday morning, going to a small group, going to hang out with and be with the church as being just "one more thing" on your schedule. When it feels like a chore or a duty. Or, sometimes we anticipate and look forward to these very same things because we enjoy them, we see friends, etc. We tend to fluctuate between these 2 poles of enjoying "church stuff" or simply dutifully taking part in them. But the church is neither something merely to be enjoyed nor is it simply one more thing we ought to do. The church is who we are! Being the church, not going to church, is the activity of Christians. We are to BE the church to one another - on Sunday mornings, at community group, in conversations, over email, during meals together - we are to BE the church. I believe that this fundamental misunderstanding of who we are in Christ robs us of much joy and makes the life Christ has given us seem burdensome. But when we understand that church is not something we do, but rather it is something God has made us in Christ, this relieves the burden of duty and allows us to experience the joy of Christ in us and in one another. This is something I have been thinking a lot about, and so you may see subsequent blogs revolving around this theme of BEING the church.

A Mission That Truly Satisfies the Soul

I am currently reading through Desiring God by John Piper with a guy in Charis, and this week we are going over the chapter on Missions (The Battle Cry of Chrisitan Hedonism). Here is a quote Piper references from J. Campbell White from back in 1909:

Most men are not satisfied with the permanent output of their

lives. Nothing can wholly satisfy the life of Christ within his

followers except the adoption of Christ's purposes toward the

world he came to redeem. Fame, pleasure and riches are but

husks and ashes in contrast with the boundless and abiding

joy of working with God for the fulfillment of his eternal plans.

The men who are putting eveerying into Christ's undertaking are

getting out of life its sweetest and most priceless rewards.

What captured my attention was: "Nothing can wholly satsify the life of Christ within his followers except the adoption of Christ's purposes..." Please consider what mission you are on the next time you feel unfulfilled or bored with your life. Is your mission big enough to satisfy the life of Christ in you as a Christian?

Beggar2Beggar explained

What do I mean, calling us "beggars" before God. Is God so unwilling to give that we must "beg" him? No. The title of the blog doesn't speak to God's willingness, but rather speaks to our need. Psalm 40:17 comes to mind - "As for me, I am poor and needy..." That is what the name beggar2beggar is about. No, God is the initiator of kindness and mercy and grace towards us as Christians. He practices unprovoked generosity towards sinners like me every day. Romans 5:8 sums it up beautifully - "God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us." God's greatest act of love and generosity towards me came with his full knowledge of my greatest sin and rebellion against him. So when we go to God as beggars, and point other beggars to him, it's not only with the knowledge of our great need...it's also with the confidence of God's great willingness to give.

From one beggar to another...

Hi, and welcome to my blog! The name comes from a statement that I first heard from a pastor named David Fairchild. He was talking about sharing the gospel, and described it as "one beggar showing another beggar where to find bread." I loved that, and have thought a lot about it ever since. Not everything on this blog will be relevant to everyone who visits...but most of it will be, because most of it will be one beggar (me) showing another beggar (you) where to find bread (Jesus). And, since I often forget where to find bread myself, your comments and emails are always welcome.