The 10 Saddest Songs EVER.

Everybody likes a good sad song right? Here's 10 of my favorite sad songs:

1. The Dance by Garth Brooks
2. Nothing Compares to You by Sinead O'Connor
3. He Stopped Loving Her Today by George Jones
4. Carrickfergus (old Irish folk song)
5. Everybody Hurts by REM
6. Neon Moon by Brooks and Dunn
7. I'm Just A Ghost in This House by Shenandoah (also a compelling version by Alison Krauss)
8. Crying by K.D. Lang (Roy Orbison first, but Lang's is more compelling)
9. Blue Bayou by Linda Rondstat
10. Blue by LeAnn Rimes

But here's one more really sad song. It's from Isaiah 5, and it's a lament by God about his broken relationship with Israel and Judah. He uses the symbol of a vineyard and sour grapes to convey his sorrow.

The Song of the Vineyard

¹ I will sing for the one I love
a song about his vineyard:
My loved one had a vineyard
on a fertile hillside.

² He dug it up and cleared it of stones
and planted it with the choicest vines.
He built a watchtower in it
and cut out a winepress as well.
Then he looked for a crop of good grapes,
but it yielded only bad fruit.

³ "Now you dwellers in Jerusalem and men of Judah,
judge between me and my vineyard.

⁴ What more could have been done for my vineyard
than I have done for it?
When I looked for good grapes,
why did it yield only bad?

⁵ Now I will tell you
what I am going to do to my vineyard:
I will take away its hedge,
and it will be destroyed;
I will break down its wall,
and it will be trampled.

⁶ I will make it a wasteland,
neither pruned nor cultivated,
and briers and thorns will grow there.
I will command the clouds
not to rain on it."

⁷ The vineyard of the LORD Almighty
is the house of Israel,
and the men of Judah
are the garden of his delight.
And he looked for justice, but saw bloodshed;
for righteousness, but heard cries of distress.

A Couple quick thoughts:

1. God owns the vineyard, it's his to do with as he wishes. "The earth is the LORD's and everything therein." We also are his, to do with as he pleases.

2. God made the investment in the vineyard. He prepared it, planted it, protected it, and planned for a great harvest. He did everything necessary for good grapes. He's done the same for us. He's given us everything we need in order to bear good fruit for him.

3. God's expectations are pretty simple. He desires JUSTICE and RIGHTEOUSNESS. Don't overcomplicate things.

A List I Wish Would Have Been At My Disposal Not Too Long Ago

*from the archives: November, 2009

Perhaps I am overly optimistic, or have a "pie-in-the-sky" outlook when it comes to the degree of authority the Bible should have in our lives.

However, I do believe the Bible should be the primary authority for all believers in matters of life and faith. Whatever we are doing or not doing, the Bible should be governing us.

I realize this approach makes me appear a bit simple and naive, but in the words of someone, "it is what it is."

So...

Here's five questions I think everyone should answer when attempting to resolve conflict or when discussing concerns they might have about someone or something (family, friends, job, church, etc.).

1. Is this about Christ?
2. Does the Bible speak clearly and specifically about this?
3. Does a clear and specific Biblical principle apply to this?
4. Do any Biblical passages or principles apply here?
5. Do you believe you are acting in clear obedience to God on this issue?

Honestly, if you find yourself in conflict with someone, and you can't answer "yes" (and immediately articulate why) to any of these questions, I would suggest you may be in the wrong for this conflict. The other person may also be wrong, but your inability to answer "yes" to any of these questions probably indicates you are holding on to something you shouldn't be holding on to.

Like Forest Gump, "That's all I have to say about that."

Intentional Discipleship

I was reading today about Palm Valley Church. They try to do the vast majority of their formal discipleship on weekends. As a result, they are very intentional about planning their weekends. Read the following snipit from Stirred Up Leadership

The Palm Valley team thinks differently about weekend services. Every week, they focus everything on one thing, and ask five questions before planning each service or sermon.

1. What do they need to know?
2. Why do they need to know it?
3. What do they need to do?
4. Why do they need to do it?
5. How can we help them remember it?

As a community of church leaders, there’s a lot we can all learn from what God is doing at Palm Valley.

I actually like this list as a list we should all regularly be asking about our efforts to help our people be discipled. However, I would add one CRITICAL question.

"How can they do it?"

Equipping doesn't stop with telling people what they need to do and then helping them remember what you told them? That is cognitive change, not life-change. The church must tell people what needs to change and the help them do it! That's true discipleship.

10 WebSites I Frequently Visit

1. Google Mail

2. Google Reader

3. ESV Daily Reading Bible

4. Google Docs

5. The Spurgeon Archive

6. Facebook

7. Blogger

8. Backpack

9. God Rules.NET

10. Text Week

The Makings of the Perfect Church

A God Who is:

...sovereign
...revealed
...just
...involved
...loving
...merciful
...gracious

People who are:
...grateful
...trusting
...devoted
...loving
...faithful
...compassionate

Pastors who are:
...people
...teachers
...equippers
...counselors

Love One Another

Love should be the defining characteristic of every small group (John 13:34-35). As you think about what it means to love one another, and how your group can work on loving one another; here are two lists that flesh out a bit how Jesus expects us to love.

The New Testament "One Another" Commands. A List of Specific Actions that Grow Brotherly Love:

John 13:34 -- Love one another.
Romans 12:10 -- Be devoted to one another.
Romans 12:10 -- Honor one another.
Romans 12:16 -- Live in harmony with one another.
Romans 14:13 -- Stop judging one another.
Romans 15:7 -- Accept one another.
Romans 15:14 -- Instruct one another.
Romans 16:16 -- Greet one another.
1 Corinthians 1:10 -- Agree with one another.
Galatians 5:13 -- Serve one another.
Ephesians 4:2 -- Bear with one another.
Ephesians 4:32 -- Forgive one another.
Ephesians 5:21 -- Submit to one another.
Colossians 3:16 -- Admonish one another.
1 Thessalonians 5:11 -- Encourage one another.
James 4:11 -- Do not slander one another.
1 Peter 4:9 -- Offer hospitality to one another.

An Outline of 1 Corinthians 13:4-7. Paul's definition of Love.

Love is:

• PATIENT
• KIND

Love is not

• jealous
• boastful
• proud
• irritable

Love does not

• demand its own way
• keep a record of wrongs
• rejoice about injustice

Love does

• REJOICE WHENEVER TRUTH WINS OUT
• NEVER GIVE UP
• NEVER LOSE FAITH
• ALWAYS HOPE
• ENDURE THROUGH EVERY CIRCUMSTANCE

My Skills Are Not Nearly As Polished As You Think They Are

I was reading Psalm 146 this morning and was struck by the list of people for whom God is in the business of providing assistance:

• the oppressed
• the hungry
• the prisoners
• the blind
• those who are weighed down
• the foreigners
• the orphans
• the widows
• (also, he loves the godly)

This is a list in which I would prefer not to find myself. Apart from the fact that I am occasionally weighed down by my own inability to stay in shape, I don't really think the rest of this stuff applies to me... but...

does that mean God isn't in the business of helping me?

I think it kind of does mean that.

As Jesus pointed out several times, he did not come for the sake of the righteous. He said that those who are healthy (or at least think they are) don't need his help. Only the sick are in need of his assistance. Unfortunately, I'm often in the position of thinking I'm healthy. I don't think I belong on the Psalm 146 list because REALLY i often don't think I need God's help. I think I'm a pretty capable guy who can get things done on my own.

But I want God's help!

Because deep down inside (in the words of Colonel Nathan Jessup),"in places we don't like to talk about" I know that I desperately need God's help, because while on the outside I appear to be pretty solid; I am nothing more than a major league mess-up barely being held together by string and duct tape...

So, I need to find myself on this list. I need to admit that I am oppressed by my selfishness and foolishness. I need to acknowledge that I am far too often blind when it comes to loving God and loving others. I am a prisoner of my desires and of temptation. I am an orphan who needs to run to the arms of my adopted heavenly Father.

May we all learn to admit our shortcomings so we can bask in the help God willingly offers!

Five Questions Worth Asking on A Regular Basis

1. Which area of my life is most desirous of attention for the purpose of spiritual growth?

2. Of which of the ten commandments does this area represent a violation?

3. What "fruit of the Spirit" is most necessary for my improvement in this area?

4. Who will walk this journey with me? Whom will I invite?

5. What is my next step?

A Buffet of Lists: What Makes a Church Healthy?

I came across a list of characteristics of a healthy church, and thought to myself, "I wonder how many lists like this are out there?" There are a lot.

Here are several of them. Many things are the same in each list, but some different things pop up in each list. If nothing more, it's interesting food for thought. Here are some of the lists:


Steven A. Macchia gives these 10 Characteristics of a Healthy Church

1. God's Empowering Presence
2. God-Exalting Worship
3. Spiritual Disciplines
4. Learning and Growing in Community
5. A Commitment to Loving and Caring Relationships
6. Servant-Leadership Development
7. An Outward Focus
8. Wise Administration and Accountability
9. Networking with the Body of Christ
10. Stewardship and Generosity

Mark Dever has suggested 9 Marks of a Healthy Church

1. Preaching
2. Biblical Theology
3. The Gospel
4. Conversion
5. Evangelism
6. Membership
7. Discipline
8. Discipleship
9. Leadership

Dr. Richard Krejcir gives this list of 12 Characteristics of the Healthy Church

1. the clear uncompromising teaching of God’s Word.
2. impacting worship.
3. passion for the Lord.
4. heartfelt Prayer.
5. Making Disciples.
6. love and care that is penetrating.
7. leadership development.
8. outreach and missions.
9. powered vision.
10. effective stewardship.
11. appropriate programming.
12. replication.

From the United Methodists, we have Eight Characteristics of a Transforming Congregation

1. Empowering Leadership
2. Gift-Oriented Ministry
3. Passionate Spirituality
4. Functional Structures
5. Inspiring Worship
6. Holistic Small Groups
7. Need-Oriented Evangelism
8. Loving Relationships

Andy Stanley has a best-seller: 7 Practices of Effective Ministry

Practice #1 – Clarify the Win
Practice #2 – Think Steps, not Programs
Practice #3 – Narrow the Focus
Practice #4 – Teach Less for More
Practice #5 – Listen to Outsiders
Practice #6 – Replace Yourself
Practice #7 – Work On It

A Couple Thoughts on Psalm 8, and Our Responsibility to Creation

I'm reading Psalm 8 this morning and I just start fiddling around with an outline...

1. The Greatness of God.
His glory is in evidence in the vastness of the sky and space, but also in the smallness of a baby's first cry. Bono says, "My first cry was a joyful noise." When a baby cries it is evidence of God's amazing creative power in making life.

2. The Graciousness of God.
"When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is man that you are mindful of him, and the son of man that you care for him?" What is the best thing you've ever created? I've made some neat pictures from time to time... Nothing I've every made compares to things like the moon and the stars. Yet God still cares for me and demonstrates grace toward me.

3. The Giftedness of Man.
Because of his grace, God has chosen to appoint man as his representatives on earth. He's given us charge over creation; over the animals, over the birds, and the fish, and everything in the sea. We are to take care of it as He would. Have you ever felt honored because someone you greatly admired thought enough of you to give you a significant job? How hard did you work?

The creator of the universe has given you a job to serve as his representative to all creation. How hard will you work at this?

When a great God
Gives a gracious gift
We must be faithful and wise
in our application.

Three "S" Words That Should Characterize Your Relationships

What does it mean to love others?

SUBMIT

Within the body of Christ we are commanded to submit to (or prefer) one another (Ephesians 5). This submission is rooted in the example of Christ, who submitted himself to the Father and in doing so, submitted himself to death (Philippians 2).

Submission is choosing to give my power away for the good of someone else.

SERVE

Jesus said we are to love others the way he loved us. Just before he said that, he demonstrated his love for his disciples by washing their feet, a not-so-pleasant act of service (John 13). We've each been given unique abilities and resources, which when pooled, enable us to function as the body of Christ. Each of us must learn to use what we've been given to serve the body with all our energy (Romans 12, 1 Corinthians 13)

Serving is using my resources for the good of others.

SACRIFICE

Jesus said the greatest love of all is the one who is willing to give up his life for his friend. Within 24 hours, He was doing that very thing (John 15). Paul reminded us that we need to be we willing to give up our own desires and wishes if that will be beneficial to those around us (Romans 15).

Sacrifice is doing what is good for others even if it costs me dearly.

A Few Lists and Thoughts About Preparing to Preach

Uber-blogger Justin Taylor posted this morning (or perhaps last night) a chart he borrowed from the 9Marks fellows which is designed to help preachers think through the application of the text from which they are preaching. It's a nice tool that suggests the preacher think about the implications of the text in the following areas:

1. Unique salvation-historical.
   
2. Individual Non-Christian.
   
3. Public.
   
4. Christological.
   
5. Individual Christian.
   
6. Local church.
   

When I first read this, I immediately thought back to a chart I shared at Calvary a few years ago while preaching on the "Discipline of Scripture". The idea was that as we read and study Scripture, it should impact the way we look at things. I suggested people approach Scripture from time to time and determine how it impacts the way they look at:

• The World
• Their Government
• Their Local Community
• The People They Know and With Whom They Share Life
• Themselves

Secondarily, I thought this would be a good tool to add to my current structure of sermon preparation. I've discovered that the more directions I can approach the text from, the more questions I will have to answer and the greater my understanding will be. Beyond that, the more attention I pay to how the possible implications of the text for a wider range of people, the more capable I will be when I try to present it to a wide range of people. Currently, my study of the text includes approaching the text from the following angles:

• Textual -- What does it say?
  
• Narrative -- How does it fit in the big story?
• Theological -- What doctrinal concepts are addressed?
  
• Christological -- How does this passage point toward Christ?
• Gospel -- Where is the messsage of sin and salvation?
• Ecclesiological -- What is the lesson for the church?
• Ethical -- What behavioral guidelines are taught or implied?
• Personal -- What are the obvious applications for individuals?

Likely, this new chart will become a second phase of study for me, following the list above and preceding my work on the "presentation" of the sermon... which I'll save for another post sometime.

Five Ideas to Help You Make Better Judgments in Life

These are just five nuggets of wisdom I picked up today from my reading in Matthew 7:

• you are not as good as you think and others are not as bad as you think
• not everyone has pure motives
• there is a reliable source for good wisdom and wise judgment
• the route of the majority is rarely the route of the righteous
• external behavior will eventually reveal internal motivation

What You Pray Should Deeply Impact How You Live, Right?

Here are five things we should desire as a result of praying the Lord's prayer in Matthew 6:

• That the reputation of God on earth will match the character of God in heaven
• That man's obedience to God should reflect God's provision for man
• That we will learn to want and need what God has already given to us
• That we will be as forgiving toward others as God has been toward us
• That we will fight temptation with a ferocity that proclaims the battle is won already
  

Just Another List Taking Up Bandwidth

This blog continues to lie fallow for many reasons, here are some of them:

• Often I start a blog post, and get part way through it, and delete it because I suddenly realize it's stupid.
• Some days, I don't want to have time to blog.
• Many of the things that I really want to write about, I either shouldn't or someone else thinks I shouldn't.
• That whole twitter/facebook thing is a real content thief.
• I'm not sure who I'm blogging for, and that makes it tricky to know what to blog about.
• These days I'd rather make pretty pictures than craft clever lists and paragraphs. See below.

PineWood Derby: Getting Rid of Life's Friction

DISCLAIMER:
I am not a pinewood derby expert. I am far from it. In fact, I believe the pinewood derby was invented by insecure men who wanted to make men like me feel stupid. But I don't. My self-worth is not tied up in how fast my son's car is, as long as he and I had a good time making it. And we did. That said, here's my pinewood derby story and lessons learned.

Our cars never compete. They look great, and are usually pretty unique and original; but they're never fast. We simply don't have the know-how, the tools, or the skills to make a fast car. But all my talented friends tell me that the way to make a fast car is to concentrate on the axles. Apparently, proper weighting and aerodynamics make a minor difference, but the true speed comes from the relationship between the wheels and axles. The faster the wheels spin, the faster the car will go. (It makes perfect sense, we just can't seem to put it into practice!)

Allegedly, there are two crucial steps to preparing a pinewood derby car's axles for the big race. They are:

• Polishing the axles (the process of REMOVING imperfections that cause friction)
• Lubricating the axles (the process of APPLYING solution that eliminates friction)

If you didn't already figure this out, The enemy of speed is FRICTION! The more friction and causes of friction you eliminate, the faster your car will go.

Think about your life right now. Whether you want to focus on your family, your job, relationships, hobbies, or your spiritual life; you have some kind of friction you're dealing with. Friction is the stuff that holds us back or slows us down in the pursuit of what we know is right. You have friction, I have friction, we all have friction.

How well we deal with the friction in our life will determine how quickly we get to the place we know we need to be. The same process we use to handle friction in the wheels of a pinewood derby car will work to handle friction in our lives (I don't mean sandpaper and WD40 here, I'm speaking somewhat metaphorically).

Here are three questions you can ask yourself to deal with the friction in your life:

1. What is the cause of my friction? (you can't deal with the friction until you understand its ROOT CAUSE. don't settle for your first answer here, keep asking "why?" until you get to the bottom of it)
2. Should I polish with sandpaper or a file? (the bigger the imperfection, the more "grit" you need to polish it. You may need to start with a file and be really aggressive. Then, as you begin to eliminate the imperfection, you can start using less abrasive sandpaper. Eventually you can polish to a shiny finish using very fine sandpaper. The truth is, getting rid of friction causes takes time and endurance)
   
3. What systems can I create or modify in my life to avoid and eliminate friction? (you are probably doing some good things the wrong way, and you are probably doing some wrong things. Change your systems to avoid having to keep dealing with the same friction)

Taking time regularly to evaluate and deal with the friction of life will help every area of your life run a lot more smoothly, and will get you to the finish line in a lot better shape! (and yes, that's our car/jet at the top!)

9 Sermons Worth Preaching from Matthew 1 (5 of which stem from the geneology)

• God's covenant with Abraham
• God's covenant with David
• God associates with the marginalized (women in the geneology)
• Good kings and Bad kings
• Zerubabbel: God restores broken relationships
• The virgin birth
• Love and Justice: A study of Joseph
• Jesus saves from sins
• God is with us

Church + Giving = Offering (Right?)

Whenever you hear someone at church talk about giving you probably think about money, don't you?

Do you ever feel like giving and church are only connected by the offering?

Is "stewardship" just another word for financial planning?

I think we need a bigger view. To start thinking about giving and church in a new way, here's a list I published in our church's celebration guide last week.

10 Ways You Can Use the Resources God Has Given You:

• Give a hug to someone
• Give a meal to someone
• Give financially
• Give an encouraging email or facebook message
• Give your time to listen to someone
• Give your advice to someone who is asking
• Give your energy to another person's project
• Give an encouraging letter or postcard
• Give a shoulder to cry on
• Give an authentic greeting to someone you don't know

Truth is, we can all give a lot more than we think, and it doesn't even have to include our money.

5 Year Plan? How About a 35 year plan!

I've thought about this before, but I was thinking about it again this morning, so I thought I'd write it down. I think one's life should generally follow this pattern:

• In your 20s, learn what you are best at and what you love to do.
• In your 30s, learn how to do what you are best at and what you love to do.
• In your 40s, do what you are best at and what you love to do.
• In your 50s, teach others how to do what you are best at and what you love to do.
• In your 60s and beyond, resource others who are doing what you are best at and what you love to do

I think this is how I'll live my life. Check back with me and see how it's going when I'm 55.

4 Rules for Confrontation (When It Is Absolutely Necessary)

First and Foremost: Don't seek confrontation. But don't shrink from it. Remember that advise not asked for is often considered criticism. But also remember that blessed is the man who turns a sinner from his way.

1) Confront when you are certain a clear Biblical teaching is being contradicted.
2) In such a case, use the Bible to confront, not your own words.
3) Always present your "case" in humility, acknowledging your perceptions and seeking to "see the best" if possible.
4) Remember Paul's instructions to protect the unity of the body in all things."