Dealing with Bitter Thoughts
We have struggled with bitter thoughts at one time or another. Bitter thoughts are a cancer. They slowly eat away at you. One girl I was counseling wrote this poem and she gave me permission to share it. She was faced with the reality of sin in her life. This poem is a great picture of the bitter thoughts I too have battled.
Orphaned
What do You want from me?
I'm kind of busy here being free.
You say You miss me.
Well then why did You leave?
I needed You and You weren't there.
I thought You always said that You cared.
I lived for You ever since I was young.
Well, I've decided that part of my life is done.
I tried to find You for four years.
Did You ever see any of my tears?
I needed You. I thought You knew.
I'm having a hard time believing Your promises are true.
You let me down when it counted the most.
Where were the Father, Son and the Holy Ghost?
It wasn't right for You to turn my world upside down
And then when I went to look, You were nowhere to be found.
I used to go to church and sing the songs,
But I haven't heard from You in so long.
Do I have to be bad to get noticed?
If so, then religion is hopeless.
You're supposed to be there for mankind.
Then why are You so hard to find?
"I never took the time to stop and realize
That death takes many forms, even while alive..."
We all find ourselves in this place eventually. “Lord, where are you?! Where did you go?!” We are frustrated and discouraged. We feel worn out, beaten and abandoned. The cost of sin is high. “That death takes many forms, even while alive…” This is the plan of the enemy: to kill, steal and destroy. There are people dying all over the world: secretly dying on the inside. They have lost the fight battling in their own mind. Bitter thoughts and toxic tears throttle their thoughts and life.
The question is Bitter or Better?
When the world crashes down around you, you have a choice. Do you want to choose to be bitter or better? I have found a lot of people when presented with the option actually choose bitter. They say, “Well, you just don’t understand. I do not have it as good as you have it.”
It is not about me. Again I ask...Do you want to get bitter or better? The truth is...we will all have difficult times in our lives. No one can escape that. What we can control is the way we deal with these painful moments.
Bitter thoughts are easy to swallow, but they are toxic to the soul. How do we move from bitter thoughts to better thoughts? I often meet with people for counseling. I spend the first session listening to the horrible things that have happened to them. These people will recall things from their childhood. These things are as fresh in their mind today as they were when the incident happened. They have been caught in the trap of bitterness. They have never found their way clear.
I coached for a number of years at the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colorado. At the Olympic Training Center the best athletes in the world surrounded you. I loved to sit and talk and hear their stories. Almost every one of them could tell you how they overcame incredible odds to become the best in their sport. I coached the United States National Wrestling Team. One of the athletes I coached was named Brian. He was consistently in the top six in the nation at the heavy weight category.
Brian was given up for adoption at the age of two. His parents thought that he was mentally retarded. They came to the conclusion that raising a child with this disability would too difficult for them. One year later, doctors found out that he was deaf. Brian wasn’t retarded at all. The doctors did some corrective surgery and Brian could hear just fine. At four, a family adopted him. They adopted him because when they heard his story they felt sorry for him. Over the next seven years he was told on a regular basis that they were now sorry they ever adopted him. They told him that they did not love him. He was verbally and physically abused. One day, eleven year old Brian, was called in to the principal’s office. The principal informed him that he would not be going home to his adoptive family ever again. His dad had called the police that morning and told them if Brian came home he was going to kill Brian. His dad continued by saying then he would kill his wife, and then he would take his own life.
Brian was placed into foster care where he lived in 28 different foster homes, four adoptive to be homes and 2 group homes in five years. He bounced from home to home, school to school and was not given much of a chance to succeed. If any one could have bitter thoughts it was Brian. He could have swum in toxic tears and everyone would have understood. It wasn’t Brian’s fault. He was a victim from a very young age.
Brian graduated from high school and he was the state high school wrestling champion. He went on to graduate from Junior College as the National Junior College Champion. He went from there on scholarship to a University where he graduated in a degree in social work. He has heart to help kids that are going through what he went through.
I had worked with Brian for a couple years before I even heard about his story. He did not fill his days wading in toxic tears. I was shocked when he told me about his past. Brian said two things that are have really stuck with me. He said, “Dan, I had a terrible past that is true, but I would not change a thing about it. My past made me who I am today and I like me!” Then he said, “Yes it’s true I horrible things happen to me, but why would I dwell on the past when I have a great future!”
Brian had managed to move from the allure of bitter thoughts to the healing that comes from better thoughts. Where is your focus? What are the things you think about? What are the memories you have from the past? Do you dwell on the good things or the negative things? How do you feel about yourself? And most important, DO YOU want to find healing?
Before we can move on to healing we have to know from whom the healing comes. People do not usually come into counseling until they are at the end of their rope. Everything is falling down and apart. They walk into my office and they are ready to explode. At the end of the first session I conclude by asking them, tell me about where you are with God? I hear time and time again, “I believe there is a God.” Believing that there is a God and knowing God are two entirely different things. God’s desire is to intimately know you. God wants you to know where the healing you are receiving is coming from.
My prayer for people is that they might receive healing that is complete. Problems will come and go. We can begin to solve the issue that they may be struggling with and never deal with the eternal problem. Without dealing with the eternity that God has placed their heart they will never truly find the freedom they desire. They will bounce from one problem to another. This will get fixed and then something else will get broke. There is a desire in all of us that can only be met through placing our hope and trust in Jesus. I want to see people recognize who they are in relation to the Creator who died with a broken heart for their love. I want them to know the One that heals completely.
Have you put your hope and trust in Jesus?
When we receive Christ, we become His Bride, His Beloved. As His Bride, we can then draw close to Him. Jesus will never divorce Himself from us. His love is eternal. During one of our services one of our worship team members showed me some words that He felt the Lord wanted us to hear. This is God calling out to us to draw near to Him he titled it, “My Beloved.”
My Beloved
Come close to me, Beloved
Recline against my chest
Rest in your salvation
My joy has made you clean
Don’t worry about the next day
It will worry on it’s own
Every mystery, every unknown path
Will be revealed to you, my Beloved
Just wait and see, the best is yet to come
Just wait and see, my goodness will be added unto you
My strength is your strength
My hope is your hope
My joy is your joy
My faith is your faith
My peace is your peace
My love is your love
What the Father has given me, I give to you
My Spirit is your Spirit
Come close to me, Beloved
Come close to me.
God is calling out to us. We read His words in Psalm 38:4. God says, “Taste and see that I am good!” Jesus died on the cross shedding His blood, so that we could once again taste and see that God is good. Only Jesus satisfies.
Bitter thoughts often clog our ears to hear God calling out to us. Breaking the cycle of bitter thoughts takes time and training. I have found two things that worked well for me. When the enemy tries to get me thinking wrong thoughts, I stop and say to myself, “God has healed me of this! I am healed.” If the thoughts keep persisting I say an alphabet prayer. I start with the letter A. I think of all the things that begin with the letter A that describe God. I pray, “Lord you are Awesome, Amazing, Absolute, Able…” Then I move on to the letter B…“Lord you are…Beautiful, Blessed …” I continue through the alphabet. As I begin to lift up the name of the Lord, I begin to be lifted up. In stead of letting bitter thoughts enter my mind, I focus on the Lord and His goodness. I turn a time of depression into worship. This does not come naturally. I have to discipline myself to do this. Most times I do not feel like worship. I feel angry. I feel mad. I feel depressed. I feel hurt. This is a disciplined exercise. Lord I feel horrible, but I am not going to fix my eyes on my hurt. I am going to fix my eyes on you. No matter how I feel, “You are worthy of my worship.” By the time I am done, I begin to feel better. And my ears are open to receive what God wants to speak to me.
God is good from A to Z.
Cave Dwellers
1 Samuel 22:1-2.
“David departed from there and escaped to the cave of Adullam; and when his brothers and all his father's house heard it, they went down there to him. And every one who was in distress, and every one who was in debt, and every one, who was discontented, gathered to him; and he became captain over them. And there were with him about four hundred men.”
These 400 cave dwellers became the mightiest men in Israel’s history. While at first they joined David in the cave wounded, hurt, abandoned and rejected, they left with a whole new perspective. David and his mighty men found training and discipline inside. The process was difficult, and often lonely. But God raised them up to unite the whole nation of Israel, and to become a world power in military and trade. Only God can take a place that is cold, dark and damp and turn it into a sanctuary, a cave of healing. Only God can take a wounded soul and make it beautiful.
Several years ago, God told me He was going to restore my innocence. He also said that I was going to grow in my relationship and intimacy with Him. But in order for that to happen, I needed to step inside the cave. This is the training for those that want to step into the cave of healing. It is for those that have experienced hurt. It is for those that have been abandoned, rejected and abused. God has an awesome plan for you. He wants to heal you. I believe that He is good and faithful and will do what He says.
Dynamic Tension in the “Faith Factor”
It is important before we jump in to remember WHO does the healing. God heals. It is HIS heart. It is HIS plan. You simply need to believe and receive His Word. But you may be saying to yourself, “I want to believe, but I am struggling here! I have tried so many times before and I have continued to fail. God, where are you?” In my personal experience, I have found that the harder I try to overcome, the harder I seem to fall. This has caused me to feel more ashamed and discouraged. When I try, I fail. It makes me want to throw my hands up and scream, “I give up!” The truth is, it’s okay to be in that place. It’s a good starting point. For me, it’s the realization that I need to place my faith in something or someone greater than myself. That someone is GOD. God is calling you into the darkness of your cave with a solution. He confidently declares, “I AM the way, the truth, and the life. You can trust me. There is no other way to be healed. Come to me. Place your faith in me.”
I call this the “Faith Factor”. As you walk through this process, keep bringing yourself back to a place of faith. Say this to yourself right now…
“On my own, I have never been able to overcome.
God is the Overcomer! I am not!
But with Him, I will overcome!”
I asked a group of leaders an important question, “Where does God place His faith?” Someone immediately answered, “In us?” That belief can have a devastating effect on us. It can also devastate God. I alone would have driven Him to a faithless state. But God places His faith in the same place He wants us to place ours; in Himself. He alone is trustworthy. Everyone and everything else will let you down.
God places His faith in Himself. He demonstrated that faith, by becoming one of us. He became flesh through His Son, Jesus. The Bible says that Jesus could do nothing apart from God. Jesus placed His life completely in God’s Hands, even unto the point of death. Therefore, God’s faith was solely upon Himself. It is mind boggling to understand, but critical to grasp a hold of.
The Old Testament shows us what happens when people try to impress God with their own ability. Their attempts were always a complete failure. The same is true for us today. We will always fall short. But the New Testament gives us the complete picture of God’s plan. When God looks at us, He sees Jesus. It is through faith in His Son that His plan can be fulfilled in our lives. It is only through Jesus that we are healed.
Say this to yourself OUT LOUD!
My faith is placed where God places His faith.
You see, on my own I can’t do what is right!
On my own I can’t fix what is wrong!
On my own I can’t find what is missing!
I need to depend on God and God alone!
I place my faith in His Hands.
God places His faith in His own Hands.
What He has spoken – comes about.
It is His job, I allow Him to do what He says He will do.
I don’t work harder or try harder. I depend on Him!
When I am struggling – I depend on Him.
When I have messed up - I depend on Him.
My faith doesn’t measure up, but His faith in me moves mountains.
Amen, Amen and Amen!
“David departed from there and escaped to the cave of Adullam; and when his brothers and all his father's house heard it, they went down there to him. And every one who was in distress, and every one who was in debt, and every one, who was discontented, gathered to him; and he became captain over them. And there were with him about four hundred men.”
These 400 cave dwellers became the mightiest men in Israel’s history. While at first they joined David in the cave wounded, hurt, abandoned and rejected, they left with a whole new perspective. David and his mighty men found training and discipline inside. The process was difficult, and often lonely. But God raised them up to unite the whole nation of Israel, and to become a world power in military and trade. Only God can take a place that is cold, dark and damp and turn it into a sanctuary, a cave of healing. Only God can take a wounded soul and make it beautiful.
Several years ago, God told me He was going to restore my innocence. He also said that I was going to grow in my relationship and intimacy with Him. But in order for that to happen, I needed to step inside the cave. This is the training for those that want to step into the cave of healing. It is for those that have experienced hurt. It is for those that have been abandoned, rejected and abused. God has an awesome plan for you. He wants to heal you. I believe that He is good and faithful and will do what He says.
Dynamic Tension in the “Faith Factor”
It is important before we jump in to remember WHO does the healing. God heals. It is HIS heart. It is HIS plan. You simply need to believe and receive His Word. But you may be saying to yourself, “I want to believe, but I am struggling here! I have tried so many times before and I have continued to fail. God, where are you?” In my personal experience, I have found that the harder I try to overcome, the harder I seem to fall. This has caused me to feel more ashamed and discouraged. When I try, I fail. It makes me want to throw my hands up and scream, “I give up!” The truth is, it’s okay to be in that place. It’s a good starting point. For me, it’s the realization that I need to place my faith in something or someone greater than myself. That someone is GOD. God is calling you into the darkness of your cave with a solution. He confidently declares, “I AM the way, the truth, and the life. You can trust me. There is no other way to be healed. Come to me. Place your faith in me.”
I call this the “Faith Factor”. As you walk through this process, keep bringing yourself back to a place of faith. Say this to yourself right now…
“On my own, I have never been able to overcome.
God is the Overcomer! I am not!
But with Him, I will overcome!”
I asked a group of leaders an important question, “Where does God place His faith?” Someone immediately answered, “In us?” That belief can have a devastating effect on us. It can also devastate God. I alone would have driven Him to a faithless state. But God places His faith in the same place He wants us to place ours; in Himself. He alone is trustworthy. Everyone and everything else will let you down.
God places His faith in Himself. He demonstrated that faith, by becoming one of us. He became flesh through His Son, Jesus. The Bible says that Jesus could do nothing apart from God. Jesus placed His life completely in God’s Hands, even unto the point of death. Therefore, God’s faith was solely upon Himself. It is mind boggling to understand, but critical to grasp a hold of.
The Old Testament shows us what happens when people try to impress God with their own ability. Their attempts were always a complete failure. The same is true for us today. We will always fall short. But the New Testament gives us the complete picture of God’s plan. When God looks at us, He sees Jesus. It is through faith in His Son that His plan can be fulfilled in our lives. It is only through Jesus that we are healed.
Say this to yourself OUT LOUD!
My faith is placed where God places His faith.
You see, on my own I can’t do what is right!
On my own I can’t fix what is wrong!
On my own I can’t find what is missing!
I need to depend on God and God alone!
I place my faith in His Hands.
God places His faith in His own Hands.
What He has spoken – comes about.
It is His job, I allow Him to do what He says He will do.
I don’t work harder or try harder. I depend on Him!
When I am struggling – I depend on Him.
When I have messed up - I depend on Him.
My faith doesn’t measure up, but His faith in me moves mountains.
Amen, Amen and Amen!
Why Me?
Why Me?
“The Kingdom of God is forcefully advancing and forceful men lay hold of it!”
The last thing that Jesus Christ said when He left this earth was this:
“Therefore GO and MAKE disciples of all nations, BAPTIZING them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and TEACHING them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age."
-Matthew 28:19-20 (NIV)
What is the Mission?
To Prepare the Way of the Lord!
To go into all nations
To train up Passionate-Hearted Disciples.
Passionate-Hearted Disciples are those who will give their lives to see the Kingdom of God forcefully advance. This mission is not for the faint of heart. It will cost you everything. But remember, as you go into the world making disciples, baptizing them and teaching them, Christ’s promises He will always be with you.
There are three important questions you need to ask yourself. The answers to these three questions will help you on your journey to accomplishing your mission. When you can answer these three questions yourself, you will grow as a Pasionate-Hearted Disciple. Then you will catch the vision for the mission; raising up other Passionate-Hearted Disciples.
1. QUESTION OF EXISTENCE: WHY AM I ALIVE?
“Why was I born? Was it only to have trouble and sorrow, to end my life in disgrace?”
-Jeremiah 20:18 (TEV)
“The Lord has made everything for His own purpose.”
-Proverbs 16:4a (GW)
“Long before He laid down earth's foundations, He had us in mind, and settled on us as the focus of His love, to be made whole and holy by His love.” -Ephesians 1:4 (Msg)
“I WAS CREATED TO BE LOVED BY GOD!”
2. QUESTION OF SIGNIFICANCE: DOES MY LIFE MATTER?
“My work all seems so useless! I have spent my strength for nothing and for no purpose at all.”
-Isaiah 49:4a (NLT)
“I am your Creator. You were in my care even before you were born.”
-Isaiah 44:2 (CEV)
“You... scheduled each day of my life before I began to breathe. The very day was recorded in your book!”
-Psalm 139:16 (LB)
"His plans endure forever; his purposes last eternally."
-Psalm 33:11 (GN)
“MY LIFE MATTERS TO GOD!”
“When this tent we live in—our body here on earth—is torn down, God will have a house in heaven for us to live in, a home He himself has made, which will last forever.” -2 Corinthians 5:1 (TEV)
“Leave your impoverished confusion and live! Walk up the street to a life with meaning."
-Proverbs 9:6 (Msg)
God sent His only Son Jesus to lay down His life for you.
God clearly communicated your value through the sacrifice of Jesus His Son.
3. QUESTION OF INTENTION: WHAT IS MY PURPOSE?
“Why did you create us? For nothing?”
-Psalm 89:47 (NCV)
"Knowing God results in every other kind of understanding."
-Proverbs 9:10b (LB)
“I FIND MY PURPOSE IN GOD!”
“For everything, absolutely everything, above and below, visible and invisible…everything got started in him and finds its purpose in him.”
-Colossians 1:16 (Msg)
“It's in Christ that we find out who we are and what we are living for...part of the overall purpose he is working out in everything and everyone.”
-Ephesians 1:11 (Msg)
“It makes no difference who you are or where you're from—if you want God and are ready to do as he says, the door is open.”
-Acts 10:35 (Msg)
"You (God) created everything, and it is for your pleasure that they exist and were created."
-Revelation 4:11b (NLT)
“Love the Lord your God... This is the first and greatest commandment.”
-Matt. 22:37-38 (NIV)
You were created to bring honor to God!
Application
1. When did you first know God loved you? Explain:
2. What were the circumstances in your life before you knew His love?
3. Write down your experience of receiving God’s love:
4. What difference has His love made in your life?
5. What does Jesus Christ’s life and sacrifice mean to you? Explain:
6. What do you think God would say about your significance?
7. What is your purpose?
The Kingdom of God is forcefully advancing in you .... lay hold of it!
“The Kingdom of God is forcefully advancing and forceful men lay hold of it!”
The last thing that Jesus Christ said when He left this earth was this:
“Therefore GO and MAKE disciples of all nations, BAPTIZING them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and TEACHING them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age."
-Matthew 28:19-20 (NIV)
What is the Mission?
To Prepare the Way of the Lord!
To go into all nations
To train up Passionate-Hearted Disciples.
Passionate-Hearted Disciples are those who will give their lives to see the Kingdom of God forcefully advance. This mission is not for the faint of heart. It will cost you everything. But remember, as you go into the world making disciples, baptizing them and teaching them, Christ’s promises He will always be with you.
There are three important questions you need to ask yourself. The answers to these three questions will help you on your journey to accomplishing your mission. When you can answer these three questions yourself, you will grow as a Pasionate-Hearted Disciple. Then you will catch the vision for the mission; raising up other Passionate-Hearted Disciples.
1. QUESTION OF EXISTENCE: WHY AM I ALIVE?
“Why was I born? Was it only to have trouble and sorrow, to end my life in disgrace?”
-Jeremiah 20:18 (TEV)
“The Lord has made everything for His own purpose.”
-Proverbs 16:4a (GW)
“Long before He laid down earth's foundations, He had us in mind, and settled on us as the focus of His love, to be made whole and holy by His love.” -Ephesians 1:4 (Msg)
“I WAS CREATED TO BE LOVED BY GOD!”
2. QUESTION OF SIGNIFICANCE: DOES MY LIFE MATTER?
“My work all seems so useless! I have spent my strength for nothing and for no purpose at all.”
-Isaiah 49:4a (NLT)
“I am your Creator. You were in my care even before you were born.”
-Isaiah 44:2 (CEV)
“You... scheduled each day of my life before I began to breathe. The very day was recorded in your book!”
-Psalm 139:16 (LB)
"His plans endure forever; his purposes last eternally."
-Psalm 33:11 (GN)
“MY LIFE MATTERS TO GOD!”
“When this tent we live in—our body here on earth—is torn down, God will have a house in heaven for us to live in, a home He himself has made, which will last forever.” -2 Corinthians 5:1 (TEV)
“Leave your impoverished confusion and live! Walk up the street to a life with meaning."
-Proverbs 9:6 (Msg)
God sent His only Son Jesus to lay down His life for you.
God clearly communicated your value through the sacrifice of Jesus His Son.
3. QUESTION OF INTENTION: WHAT IS MY PURPOSE?
“Why did you create us? For nothing?”
-Psalm 89:47 (NCV)
"Knowing God results in every other kind of understanding."
-Proverbs 9:10b (LB)
“I FIND MY PURPOSE IN GOD!”
“For everything, absolutely everything, above and below, visible and invisible…everything got started in him and finds its purpose in him.”
-Colossians 1:16 (Msg)
“It's in Christ that we find out who we are and what we are living for...part of the overall purpose he is working out in everything and everyone.”
-Ephesians 1:11 (Msg)
“It makes no difference who you are or where you're from—if you want God and are ready to do as he says, the door is open.”
-Acts 10:35 (Msg)
"You (God) created everything, and it is for your pleasure that they exist and were created."
-Revelation 4:11b (NLT)
“Love the Lord your God... This is the first and greatest commandment.”
-Matt. 22:37-38 (NIV)
You were created to bring honor to God!
Application
1. When did you first know God loved you? Explain:
2. What were the circumstances in your life before you knew His love?
3. Write down your experience of receiving God’s love:
4. What difference has His love made in your life?
5. What does Jesus Christ’s life and sacrifice mean to you? Explain:
6. What do you think God would say about your significance?
7. What is your purpose?
The Kingdom of God is forcefully advancing in you .... lay hold of it!
The Leadership Road Less Traveled
The Road Not Taken
Robert Frost
Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth.
Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim,
Because it was grassy and wanted wear;
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same.
And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
I doubted if I should ever come back.
I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I--
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.
All leaders are faced with daily decisions - choices whose sum total determine the direction and effectiveness of our lives and ministries.
It seems most important ministry decisions have to do with control.
How, when, and where should we inject our power and influence?
Where do we give slack by granting trust, and where do we reign in and exercise our authority?
Who owns this ministry, this church, this mission?
You? Or Christ?
Frost's lighthearted but profound observations sound the depths of our personal styles of leadership.
As leaders within the Church, we are repeatedly forced to choose between building and strengthening and protecting a hierarchical institution, or building and strengthening and protecting a relational organism.
The hidden cost: with each choice, you are not only choosing your venue, you are choosing the long term fruit of your ministry.
Choose wisely.
The Heart of the Matter
Jesus has called us.
That is primary.
It is His Call that grants us the authority to minister in His Name, the Right to go.
There is no greater name under Heaven by which we are called.
The Call creates need and desperation.
The Call requires more of me than I have, and therefore it is not a Call to Do more, but a Call to Be more.
That Be-ing is realized only in a vibrant relationship with the Caller Himself.
That is why He came, why He died, and why He calls... to draw all men to Himself.
With the Call comes an offer of Himself, and we never move beyond that dependence.
At the center of the mission dynamic sits a white hot coal of personal discipleship in the heart of a believer who is deeply in love with Christ and what He has done in his life.
Fan that flame.
That is primary.
It is His Call that grants us the authority to minister in His Name, the Right to go.
There is no greater name under Heaven by which we are called.
The Call creates need and desperation.
The Call requires more of me than I have, and therefore it is not a Call to Do more, but a Call to Be more.
That Be-ing is realized only in a vibrant relationship with the Caller Himself.
That is why He came, why He died, and why He calls... to draw all men to Himself.
With the Call comes an offer of Himself, and we never move beyond that dependence.
At the center of the mission dynamic sits a white hot coal of personal discipleship in the heart of a believer who is deeply in love with Christ and what He has done in his life.
Fan that flame.
Missions Reorg
We have chosen to focus on relationships, rather than programs...
On development, rather than aid...
On calling, rather than herding...
On long term strategy, rather than short term projects...
So how do we begin to flesh out this vision?
When we read the Book of Acts, we see patterns and models for missions that are deeply and firmly rooted in a spirit-led community of missional disciples.
Our present structures reflect the influence of corporate hierarchy, more than this biblical pattern emphasizing community, and still we hope for - maybe even want or expect - fruit similar to that produced by the Acts model.
Here's where we've been, working with a hierarchical structure:
It's fascinating to do a word search in the Book of Acts for every reference to "send", "sent", "went", "gathered", and so on.
Here is one concept we find in Acts:
The Incubator is a spiritual greenhouse that dovetails perfectly with the church's discipleship efforts and worship focus. It's purpose is to create a community environment with optimal growing conditions for missional disciples. The disciples gathered regularly for encouragement, food (yeah!), to learn from each other, and to pray with each other.
The Training area focuses not on classroom lectures, but on sharing experiences and reflective learning. By meeting in small groups to draw out of each other what we have learned from our cross-cultural and ministry experiences, we naturally begin to relate to each another as Paul's, Barnabas', and Timothy's.
The Sending arena allows us to mitigate legal and financial risks to the church institution when the church itself authorizes and endorses missions travel. It is a dynamic mix of administrative details and personal coaching, and provides rich experiences which feed back into the Training and Incubating arenas.
This is not a static model - it is a dynamic, constantly revolving model in which members move freely from one circle to the next and around and around. This movement from Incubator to Training to Sending and back creates velocity and momentum within the organization, strengthening the group as a whole.
This model is also more inviting to leadership development than the traditional hierarchy. Experienced leaders who just show up in this community can be recognized for their prior experiences related to missions without having to climb a corporate-style ladder in order to gain influence. New leaders find their ideas gaining traction based on whether they fit with vision and actually work in the field.
There are two keys to success with this model:
1. Retain deep overlap among the three areas - any separation risks divergent efforts and loss of focus on the purpose and mission of the church.
2. Retain a deeply committed, experienced group of missions leaders at the core of this community, a team that is capable of keeping the missional flame white hot in each of these three areas.
On development, rather than aid...
On calling, rather than herding...
On long term strategy, rather than short term projects...
So how do we begin to flesh out this vision?
When we read the Book of Acts, we see patterns and models for missions that are deeply and firmly rooted in a spirit-led community of missional disciples.
Our present structures reflect the influence of corporate hierarchy, more than this biblical pattern emphasizing community, and still we hope for - maybe even want or expect - fruit similar to that produced by the Acts model.
Here's where we've been, working with a hierarchical structure:
It's fascinating to do a word search in the Book of Acts for every reference to "send", "sent", "went", "gathered", and so on.
Here is one concept we find in Acts:
The Incubator is a spiritual greenhouse that dovetails perfectly with the church's discipleship efforts and worship focus. It's purpose is to create a community environment with optimal growing conditions for missional disciples. The disciples gathered regularly for encouragement, food (yeah!), to learn from each other, and to pray with each other.
The Training area focuses not on classroom lectures, but on sharing experiences and reflective learning. By meeting in small groups to draw out of each other what we have learned from our cross-cultural and ministry experiences, we naturally begin to relate to each another as Paul's, Barnabas', and Timothy's.
The Sending arena allows us to mitigate legal and financial risks to the church institution when the church itself authorizes and endorses missions travel. It is a dynamic mix of administrative details and personal coaching, and provides rich experiences which feed back into the Training and Incubating arenas.
This is not a static model - it is a dynamic, constantly revolving model in which members move freely from one circle to the next and around and around. This movement from Incubator to Training to Sending and back creates velocity and momentum within the organization, strengthening the group as a whole.
This model is also more inviting to leadership development than the traditional hierarchy. Experienced leaders who just show up in this community can be recognized for their prior experiences related to missions without having to climb a corporate-style ladder in order to gain influence. New leaders find their ideas gaining traction based on whether they fit with vision and actually work in the field.
There are two keys to success with this model:
1. Retain deep overlap among the three areas - any separation risks divergent efforts and loss of focus on the purpose and mission of the church.
2. Retain a deeply committed, experienced group of missions leaders at the core of this community, a team that is capable of keeping the missional flame white hot in each of these three areas.
The Wikichurch - Part One
Missions is concerned with expanding the Church to every tribe, tongue, and nation.
It's long been my conviction that this can only be accomplished by "non-professional" (read: unpaid) ministers, since there just aren't enough "professional" ministers to get the job done (do the math).
Most of us have heard of Wikipedia.org - the volunteer-driven, online encyclopedia whose content is entirely owned and developed by the general public.
It's an incredible concept, and it's success flies right in the face of our "don't trust the unwashed masses - leave ministry to the professionals" attitudes about church leadership.
(By the way - "Wiki" has absolutely no relationship to wicca - the occult practice - so relax, we are God-fearing, Jesus-loving evangelicals here... not witches.)
I'm reading a book called Wikinomics: How Mass Collaboration Changes Everything, which has been widely praised as an accurate assessment of the cross-organizational public collaborations that are transforming high tech marketplaces around the world. This is more than just globalization or democratization - it's about giving the unwashed, unproven masses a serious chance to contribute. (Gasp!)
Here's an excerpt from the book's Introduction:
"Throughout history corporations have organized themselves according to strict hierarchical lines of authority. Everyone was a subordinate to someone else... There was always someone or some company in charge, controlling things, at the "top" of the food chain. While hierarchies are not vanishing, profound changes in the nature of technology, demographics, and the global economy are giving rise to powerful new models of production based on community, collaboration, and self-organization rather than on hierarchy and control."
Fascinating. Now, without getting too personal - does that sound like your local church?
Next, check this out:
"As each one has received a gift, minister it to one another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God. If anyone speaks, let him speak as the oracles of God. If anyone ministers, let him do it as with the ability which God supplies, that in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom belong the glory and the dominion forever and ever. Amen."
Check out the pronouns: "each one", "one another", "anyone".
This instruction comes from Peter - who was First of All the Unwashed Ministers. Think about it... Who were the disciples? They were the religious refugees, the Border People on the outskirts of a Pharisaical order. Yet Jesus made Peter the rock on which His Church was founded. And He did it in three years.
Ministry skills can be taught and learned - and I believe it is the job of local church leaders to train and release the willing, without regard to their social, economic, or educational background.
Let me be clear: I am NOT advocating a democratic theology, nor a democratic church leadership; John 1 and Ephesians 4 leave no gaps. And I am not pointing fingers - WE are the Church, and we Westerners bear the stains of materialistic consumerism that keep us in our chairs.
But what I am ABSOLUTELY advocating is the abolition of the glass ceiling that keeps proven, mature believers within our church from sharing in the ministry of the Church, whether on the streets in the mission field, or in the pulpit at home.
The Western Church has focused for decades on gathering and nurturing the "unwashed masses". Our next challenge is to release these "unwashed masses" for whom Jesus died as redeemed ministers. It takes more time and true leadership skills to train and release ten "non-professional" ministry leaders, than to control and rein-in a thousand "nice people" as spectators.
I believe the administrative task before the Western Church remains one of refining our organizational structures to look less like Corporate America, and more like the forms and functions found in Scripture. Like Michelangelo said, when he was asked about his magnificent carving of David the Shepherd King, "The image is already in the marble, all I do is cut away everything that is not the image." We must love the Image of the Church within the cold stone our fathers have left us.
Over 100 years ago Dwight Moody said, "The world has yet to see what God can do in, and with, and through a man or woman who is totally dedicated to Him."
And if Jesus doesn't care whether they're on staff, or dress like us, or talk like us, then neither should we.
The Picture I Promised I'd Never Show
It was a stereotypical African missions scene...
Riding in a white SUV through a dusty impoverished village in sub-Saharan Africa...
Two white Americans, a black Xhosa, and a Coloured.
As soon as the SUV stopped, little kids came running towards from every direction, yelling, "Photo! Photo!"
So what did the white American pastor say? "Hey, let's get a picture!"
I caught the look on the face of the national pastor who was hosting us, whose truck we'd been riding in, and whose church plant leadership team we were about to meet.
Typical American missionaries.
Typical abuse.
Typical misuse.
Typical stereotypical [sic] approach to missions.
Find poverty, drama, need... Take pictures with the poor children... then go home and use them to raise money - for OUR projects, for OUR programs.
Go home and back to work... eat your food... sleep in your nice bed - never mind that you just embarrassed the heck out of an entire village, a new church plant in that village, and the very pastor who is hosting you.
So I promised our friend, the national pastor, that I would not use that photo.
We had no relationship with these kids.
No ministry took place with them.
We didn't know their names, their parents, their language, their needs - it was a total hit and run.
To use that photo would have been hypocrisy at it's finest.
I'm breaking my promise...
Here's the photo... with the proper caption:
Exploitation is not just for colonialists anymore.
American short term missions teams have perfected the art, to the detriment of the Name of Christ.
Not cool, dude.
Riding in a white SUV through a dusty impoverished village in sub-Saharan Africa...
Two white Americans, a black Xhosa, and a Coloured.
As soon as the SUV stopped, little kids came running towards from every direction, yelling, "Photo! Photo!"
So what did the white American pastor say? "Hey, let's get a picture!"
I caught the look on the face of the national pastor who was hosting us, whose truck we'd been riding in, and whose church plant leadership team we were about to meet.
Typical American missionaries.
Typical abuse.
Typical misuse.
Typical stereotypical [sic] approach to missions.
Find poverty, drama, need... Take pictures with the poor children... then go home and use them to raise money - for OUR projects, for OUR programs.
Go home and back to work... eat your food... sleep in your nice bed - never mind that you just embarrassed the heck out of an entire village, a new church plant in that village, and the very pastor who is hosting you.
So I promised our friend, the national pastor, that I would not use that photo.
We had no relationship with these kids.
No ministry took place with them.
We didn't know their names, their parents, their language, their needs - it was a total hit and run.
To use that photo would have been hypocrisy at it's finest.
I'm breaking my promise...
Here's the photo... with the proper caption:
Exploitation is not just for colonialists anymore.
American short term missions teams have perfected the art, to the detriment of the Name of Christ.
Not cool, dude.
Which is more important... Local or Global?
A few weeks ago, someone wrote in response to one of our missions newsletters: "I feel frustrated because it seems the entire focus of this mission newsletter is on missions to other places. Yet, we have such a HUGE need right here in our back yard."
Most Western/American missions activities are focused on crossing cultural boundaries in order to EXPAND the global Church. This is indeed part of Christ's mission to the world ("Go into all the world and preach the gospel…").
But we also believe that every local church exists to be a positive TRANSFORMATIONAL force within it's own community. It is difficult for an "outsider" (a short term missions team) to address the deepest core problems in a community. We don't have the history or depth of understanding to treat both the cause and the effect, so we focus more on relief than development - on giving people fish instead of teaching them to fish.
In this tension we begin to see the beauty of God's design for the local church, and His Mission to the world. On one hand, He sends us to carry the Gospel across borders and cultural boundaries ("Go into all the world and preach the gospel…"), and on the other hand He calls His Church to address the unique needs and developmental problems within their own communities ("the essence of true religion is to minister to widows and orphans").
Christ has one Mission to the world - and we are coming to understand that modern, Western Christianity needs to embrace the fullness of that Mission. The bottom line is to make disciples of Jesus Christ, everywhere.
We believe that a single person who has deeply and passionately connected to what Christ wants them to do is much more fruitful in the long term than funneling people into our projects and our programs. We in the local church must be committed to investing in people through discipleship, and releasing them to do the ministry that God has called them to do.
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