When Good Men Do Nothing
Yesterday I began writing about the question of whether evil is triumphing in our churches. As the old saying goes, "All that is necessary for evil to triumph is that good men do nothing." My fear is that in so many of our churches & denomination our agendas have replaced God's mission for His people.
Yet everything we need in order to stem the tide is already in place. There are godly men & women already in our churches & ministries who see where we're straying away from what God wants for us, yet they remain silent. I've had conversations with many of these people, & I hear the same thing over & over: "I'm just one person; what difference am I going to make." What follows is that those folks begin to back away from opportunities that they have to affect change in their local churches. When will those who see our recognize both the failures & the solutions rise up & speak up in order to restore the church to its mission?
What we are lacking in so many ministries is courage. Courage in many ways is the essence of leadership. Courage is what establishes one as a leader. It's not having the best idea. A lot of people see problems & have good ideas. Being a leader means standing up & speaking out when everyone else is too afraid to do so.
Our churches desperately need courageous, godly leaders, both pastoral & volunteer. Pastors must find the courage to lead their churches into the mission that God's called them to, not to appease everyone around them. Church members must find the courage to rise up & support these leaders when the naysayers come, & they will come. You are right; you are only one person, but one person who courageously leads can make a lasting difference in this world.
August 4, 2009
August 3, 2009
Is Evil Triumphing?
Edmund Burke has the famous quote, "All that is necessary for evil to triumph is that good men do nothing." When I heard that line again recently, it made me think about the church. Is evil triumphing in the church because people refuse to do anything about it?
It doesn't take one long to learn that many churches & denominations are at best stagnant & in many cases, they're dying. Other churches struggle with the fallout of some sort of scandal. Meanwhile, there are places where the kingdom is forcefully advancing in ways that many of our churches can't imagine. In fact, many ministries that are struggling resort to attacking ministries that are actually reaching people.
I'm sure there are some who wince at the idea of evil triumphing in the church, but think about it: If we use the church to advance our agenda, aren't we in opposition to God's mission? And if we're in opposition to God, isn't that evil? I'm just saying.
Yet I think the answer to some of these problems is already in our struggling churches & ministries. Later this week I'll go into more detail about how all that is necessary to triumph over evil is already in place; it's simply time for action.
Edmund Burke has the famous quote, "All that is necessary for evil to triumph is that good men do nothing." When I heard that line again recently, it made me think about the church. Is evil triumphing in the church because people refuse to do anything about it?
It doesn't take one long to learn that many churches & denominations are at best stagnant & in many cases, they're dying. Other churches struggle with the fallout of some sort of scandal. Meanwhile, there are places where the kingdom is forcefully advancing in ways that many of our churches can't imagine. In fact, many ministries that are struggling resort to attacking ministries that are actually reaching people.
I'm sure there are some who wince at the idea of evil triumphing in the church, but think about it: If we use the church to advance our agenda, aren't we in opposition to God's mission? And if we're in opposition to God, isn't that evil? I'm just saying.
Yet I think the answer to some of these problems is already in our struggling churches & ministries. Later this week I'll go into more detail about how all that is necessary to triumph over evil is already in place; it's simply time for action.
July 28, 2009
The Difference Between Communication & Leadership
I thought about titling this "Why Our President Is A Great Communicator & Not A Great Leader", but I thought that might be a little harsh. So for the record, let me simply state that I'm using our President as an example. Many of our Presidents have fallen into a similar category as President Obama.
Recently there was a report that democratic leaders on Capitol Hill were a little upset & disappointed with the President & his lack of leadership. They said it was time for the President to demonstrate some leadership & clarity as they work on the health care reform that's become a huge story in the media in recent weeks. As I see it, President Obama's problem is that he is an excellent communicator & speaker, but not necessarily a great leader. At least he's not demonstrating the quality of leadership that's needed right now.
When he speaks, it's still very much a campaign style, vision casting tone that makes people feel good, but it doesn't really lead anywhere. He doesn't give us a really clear picture of what his plans mean for us. In these times, we need a leader who can be clear about our direction, even in the midst of uncertainty. Yet the President continues to use flowery speeches filled with hope & change that are quickly losing their punch with the general public. Sadly, this wear is starting to show on the President. Last week he said it was time to stop talking about health care reform & to act on it. Well, the problem with that is 1) our government is built on debate 2) we haven't really had a good, clear discussion on the issue.
Not all communicators are great leaders; not all great leaders are amazing communicators. Just because someone possesses a skill to inspire people with his/her words does not mean that he/she can actually lead those people. So for those of us in leadership we have to figure out where we fall. Are we the great communicator who should surround themselves with competent leaders to help execute the vision we have for our organizations, or are we the strong leader who needs a mouthpiece to help communicate the vision & plan that we have?
I thought about titling this "Why Our President Is A Great Communicator & Not A Great Leader", but I thought that might be a little harsh. So for the record, let me simply state that I'm using our President as an example. Many of our Presidents have fallen into a similar category as President Obama.
Recently there was a report that democratic leaders on Capitol Hill were a little upset & disappointed with the President & his lack of leadership. They said it was time for the President to demonstrate some leadership & clarity as they work on the health care reform that's become a huge story in the media in recent weeks. As I see it, President Obama's problem is that he is an excellent communicator & speaker, but not necessarily a great leader. At least he's not demonstrating the quality of leadership that's needed right now.
When he speaks, it's still very much a campaign style, vision casting tone that makes people feel good, but it doesn't really lead anywhere. He doesn't give us a really clear picture of what his plans mean for us. In these times, we need a leader who can be clear about our direction, even in the midst of uncertainty. Yet the President continues to use flowery speeches filled with hope & change that are quickly losing their punch with the general public. Sadly, this wear is starting to show on the President. Last week he said it was time to stop talking about health care reform & to act on it. Well, the problem with that is 1) our government is built on debate 2) we haven't really had a good, clear discussion on the issue.
Not all communicators are great leaders; not all great leaders are amazing communicators. Just because someone possesses a skill to inspire people with his/her words does not mean that he/she can actually lead those people. So for those of us in leadership we have to figure out where we fall. Are we the great communicator who should surround themselves with competent leaders to help execute the vision we have for our organizations, or are we the strong leader who needs a mouthpiece to help communicate the vision & plan that we have?
July 24, 2009
What Do You Say?
Right now I'm spending a lot of time trying to figure out what I'm going to say in a week & a half at my final worship with our students. And for the first time in my ministry, I'm speechless. As a preacher/teacher, I usually have plenty to say. I love planning & preparing to teach students, but for this occasion, I have no clue what to say.
What do you say to a group of students that you've walked with through some truly transforming years in their lives? What do you say to students that you've poured yourself into for years? How do you boil down everything you want to say into something that they need to hear? Oh yeah, it would be nice if they would remember it for more than an hour too!
For those of you who have been in positions like this, what advice do you have for me? What's the one thing that I have to pass on in my last opportunity to speak to most of these students?
Right now I'm spending a lot of time trying to figure out what I'm going to say in a week & a half at my final worship with our students. And for the first time in my ministry, I'm speechless. As a preacher/teacher, I usually have plenty to say. I love planning & preparing to teach students, but for this occasion, I have no clue what to say.
What do you say to a group of students that you've walked with through some truly transforming years in their lives? What do you say to students that you've poured yourself into for years? How do you boil down everything you want to say into something that they need to hear? Oh yeah, it would be nice if they would remember it for more than an hour too!
For those of you who have been in positions like this, what advice do you have for me? What's the one thing that I have to pass on in my last opportunity to speak to most of these students?
July 19, 2009
Time Keeps On Slippin, Slippin...
Tick, tock, tick, tock....
Whether you like it or not time keeps right on ticking, "like sand through the hourglass." The problem is that we don't know how much time we have, & the bigger problem is that few of us act like it is a problem. Yet most us, constantly complain about our lack of time. What if time isn't our problem? After all, we all have 24 hours everyday, right?
To me the question we should be asking is, "Am I going to make the most of time, or is time going to make the least of me?" In Ephesians 5, Paul writes that we should be wise in how we live, making the most of every opportunity. I don't know about you, but I'm not great at making the most of all my opportunities/time. According to Paul's instruction here, wise living is marked by making the most of our time. Do you want to be wiser tomorrow than you were today? Then start by making the most of your next 24 hours.
What can you start doing right now to make the most of your time? How can you cut out the waste in your life & create the margin you need in order to really make the most of your opportunities?
Tick, tock, tick, tock....
Whether you like it or not time keeps right on ticking, "like sand through the hourglass." The problem is that we don't know how much time we have, & the bigger problem is that few of us act like it is a problem. Yet most us, constantly complain about our lack of time. What if time isn't our problem? After all, we all have 24 hours everyday, right?
To me the question we should be asking is, "Am I going to make the most of time, or is time going to make the least of me?" In Ephesians 5, Paul writes that we should be wise in how we live, making the most of every opportunity. I don't know about you, but I'm not great at making the most of all my opportunities/time. According to Paul's instruction here, wise living is marked by making the most of our time. Do you want to be wiser tomorrow than you were today? Then start by making the most of your next 24 hours.
What can you start doing right now to make the most of your time? How can you cut out the waste in your life & create the margin you need in order to really make the most of your opportunities?
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