A Christmas Message from My Dog

I was giving my dog Sully a bath yesterday, just in time for Christmas. He doesn’t really like baths, not unlike other little boys I’ve known.

One of the reasons for the bath was to get him ready to play with Jonathan’s new puppy. Sully may not like baths, but he loves puppies. All of a sudden I found myself saying, “Sully, if you knew why I was giving you this bath, you would be so happy.” But Sully continued to sit sadly in passive aggressive resistance. Oblivious to the future plans I had for him.

I was amazed at my next thought. “If only I could become a dog for a few minutes, I could explain to Sully what he has to look forward to.”

Unknowingly I had stumbled upon the principle underlying the old parable of the birds - a story used to explain the incarnational aspect of Christmas.

God came to earth as a man. Jesus walked as we walk. He spoke our language. All so that we might understand the love of God. The future God prefers for us. God’s invitation. God’s call to partnership in His mission.

God spoke this Christmas message to me through a Labrador Retriever. How much more can God speak through you and me…!?

Red means Go

There is a big gap between Easter and Christmas – 8 months. But in the liturgical calendar, today is Pentecost. You may know little or nothing about this celebration.

There are no Pentecost sales at the mall. There isn’t a marketing figure like a Santa or a big rabbit. No companies provide a paid holiday for Pentecost. Families don’t travel for miles around to gather and eat on this day.

The Church fathers established Pentecost as an annual time of reflection (along with Advent, Christmastide, Lent, Easter, etc.) in order that disciples would never forget the core tenets of the Faith. Their plan has had limited impact.

The biblical theme of Pentecost is generally Acts 2. The Spirit is poured out on the followers of Jesus and international visitors in Jerusalem that day – in keeping with His promise in Acts 1:8 and elsewhere. Many church leaders will use this Sunday to celebrate the third Person of the Trinity (the Holy Spirit). Others will celebrate the diversity in their own congregations or in the global Body of Christ. Both of these are vital and important… but inadequate.

The liturgical color of Pentecost is RED, and in this case, red means GO.

I pray that today – and every day – we will remember that the Holy Spirit has entered our lives not for our own sakes but for the glory of God and the good of the world.

After Acts 2 the disciples were clearly more empowered and intimately connected by the Spirit. Great things began to happen in Jerusalem. But they did not initially move out to other areas (Judea, Samaria and the uttermost). Great worship, great teaching, great fellowship, great sharing of resources with each other, BUT no outward, cross cultural outreach.

Finally God used persecution to scatter the disciples and their witness. And eventually the wonderful people of God in Antioch caught the vision and began to strategically participate in God’s mission in keeping with Acts 1:8.

Outreach is a core tenet of our faith. It is not an extra-curricular option. Until and unless we dynamically engage in outreach to those beyond our own cultures, we will be short of biblical discipleship.

Not much of this emphasis in your church today? Write a kind note to the leaders. Volunteer to help create a celebration for 2012 that honors Christ and moves people out.  

Red means GO. Let’s elevate this core-discipleship challenge appropriately. Who knows what might happen.

Zeal without Wisdom = Fire

I almost went to Gainesville on Saturday (9/11), but not to see the Gators play ball. I felt compelled to help pour waters of grace on fires of hate. I’m not sure what I would have done, but I wanted to be a witness to the love of God for all people – including Muslims and fire-breathing pastors.

Like almost every person on the planet with access to TV, radio or the internet, I have been following the activities of Pastor Terry Jones in Gainesville. I don’t pretend to understand his motivation, theology, politics or mental condition. It seems that he is more interested in judgment (the judgment of others, not his own judgment) than in mercy. He is more concerned about punishing people than proclaiming forgiveness found in Christ. He seems to be more focused on limiting the location of mosques than expanding the Church.

On Friday I tried to reconnect with my friend Imam Musri at the Islamic Center here. He and I first met on September 13, 2001. The Imam wasn’t available, but I did make a new friend. Fahaz and I talked about holy books, respect, friendship and ignorance. He was not concerned or angered by the threat to burn copies of the Koran. He even chuckled at the thought. Fahaz acknowledged, however, that Muslims with a shallow appreciation of the Koran might be more likely to respond in a different way.

In my humble opinion, Pastor Jones has more zeal than wisdom. These are the most dangerous people in the world. We have not heard the last of Jones. Don’t buy his book (there will certainly be one). Don’t watch any more interviews with him – change the channel. You know enough about his venom.

Jesus Christ died for Terry Jones, Jim Jones, James Loftin, Imam Musri, Fahaz and you. That’s Good News. By God’s grace, may we live in such a way that this eternal truth will be heard and received by those who are yet to acknowledge Jesus as the Son of God and Savior of the world.

As followers of Jesus, let’s look for opportunities to begin or deepen respectful relationships with followers of Mohammed. For the glory of God and the good of the world!

I’m not guilty of burning holy books, but do I have any area of “zeal” that is limiting the love Jesus wants to communicate through my life?

PS – For readers that don’t know me well, let me answer a question you may be asking. I am not a universalist, “all roads lead to heaven,” everything-is-gray, religious person. I believe that Jesus is the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through him (John 14:6). Although this belief separates me theologically from about 4 billion people, it does not separate me from loving them or wanting to have some kind of respectful, mutually beneficial, relationship with them.

Leadership Attributes

I greatly enjoyed sitting at the feet of Maxie Dunnam (and Jesus) in worship last Sunday in Memphis. As he shared, I began to think of attributes that combine to make him so effective on the platform and as a Christian leader.

Are you a leader – know a leader – looking for a leader? Think of this list:

Joyful, passionate, persuasive, pastoral, concentrates on transformation not just information, provides theological (biblical, philosophical) context for the message, calls people to “be” not just to “do,” celebrates what God has done (grace), challenges people to join in God’s mission beyond church walls, and acknowledges the mystery of the Gospel (“I don’t have all the answers…”).

Thanks Maxie. May your numbers grow… for the renewal of the church, the glory of God and the good of the world.

PS – This blog is about leadership not Maxie. To my knowledge, he has plenty to do and is not looking for a job!

Cruciform Music

I love music, but I have come to realize that its power is being under-utilized. I invite you to think carefully about the words of the songs you hear in worship this week.

Church history and personal experiences illustrate the universal tendency of Christians to cycle downward into a style of living and a type of Church that might be called “self-serving Christianity.” Any form of discipleship that relegates service and witness to a department of the church or a group of zealots is unbiblical. This is a “Jesus-and-me” distortion of Christ’s call.

Diet and Doctrine
This deterioration of vital Christianity might be related to the type messages that fill the minds of many believers. A great percentage of what we hear about following Jesus has to do with our “personal” lives – my forgiveness, my home in heaven, my family, my peace, etc. Although these are wonderful aspects of the Christian life, a diet – what we read and hear – that only includes these type blessings inadvertently encourages our selfish tendencies.

All Christ followers need a balanced diet, a consistent flow of teaching and encouragement that connects our personal relationship with Jesus and our participation in His ministry in the world. This balanced approach to life and ministry might be called “cruciform”. The vertical line in the Cross reminds us of the necessary interaction between holy and loving God and His children. God reaches down to us in grace, and we respond in faith, confession, praise and allegiance. The horizontal line in the Cross reminds us that joining God in mission to lost and hurting people is vitally connected to authentic faith in God. Without the horizontal axis of the Cross, the form becomes a big “I.”

The doctrine and teaching of Scripture come to us in two primary ways – proclamation (oral or written) and music. Even if sermons, books and teachings match the cruciform description, there is still the issue of music.

Types of Music
The Bible has many texts, psalms and prayers that are vertical in nature. But it also has countless passages that are horizontal. Sometimes the two are linked in the same passage (Ps. 46:10; 67:1-2). Using this as a pattern, we can think of Christian music fitting into one of three categories:

1. Vertical. This music exclusively deals with topics related to the character of God and our relationship to Him – praise, confession, thanksgiving, God’s attributes, heaven, etc. This type of music dominates worship services as well as the airways. The vast majority of songs used in worship are vertical.
2. Horizontal. This music exclusively deals with topics related to the mission of God and/or our role in His mission – go, preach to the nations, serve the poor, etc. These songs are generally treated as “novelty” songs and are used almost exclusively in settings such as a “Missions Sunday.” Worship leaders rarely include a horizontal song in the order of worship since these songs do not seem to keep the “flow” of praise and worship. Horizontal songs, however, play an important role in mobilizing the Church as Christians hear them in concerts, by radio or on iPods.
3. Cruciform. This music addresses vertical as well as horizontal aspects of the faith – praise and service, thanksgiving and witness. Relatively few of the songs used in contemporary worship fit this description although worship leaders are open to using this music since it can continue the flow of worship. Samples: Missions Flame (Matt Redman), You Said (Hillsong), Give Me Your Eyes (Brandon Heath), Follow You (Leeland), and Until the Whole World Hears (Casting Crowns).

The Cruciform Music Project
A rising wave of pastors, mission leaders, musicians, song writers and publishers are exploring ways for music to become a greater tool in the renewal of the Church and the mobilization of Christ’s body in His mission.

For more information on the Cruciform Music Project, see a list of songs, submit songs, ask questions, or make suggestions, visit www.followone.org/cruciform-music.