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Category: Disciple (Page 7 of 19)

Speaking Without Thinking

September 14, 2021 / / 0 Comments

Once upon a time in a galaxy not too far from here, I would speak before I thought. My words would flow at times faster than the water over Niagara Falls. Some of those words were pretty intelligent, if I do say so myself. But others, well let’s just say not so much! And if I’m being honest, there were likely way more not so smart things than there were even half intelligent things!

But it’s not just saying dumb things that will get us in trouble. Sometimes we say hurtful things. We say unkind things. We even say untruthful things. All of these types of words can do vast harm to people we care about and ultimately can destroy a relationship.

You see words have power. Your words, once they come out of your mouth or through the inter webs on your computer or cell phone, can’t be retrieved. Once they are out there, well there’s no getting them back! You can’t apologize your way around them or talk your way past them. You just have to, in many cases, start brand new rebuilding the trust you once had. But it takes time and effort.

You see not only do words have power but the relationship from which they’re spoken carries weight as well. So what you say, how you say it and who you are to the person with whom you’re speaking all factor in to the damage done by your words (or your silence when words are most needed).

Before you hit send on that text message or facebook post. Before you reply to something someone says to you. Before you go off and spew your feelings all over someone else, hit the pause button. Ask yourself a couple of questions:

Is what I’m saying the whole truth?

Where did I get my information?

Is ruining this relationship worth getting my point across?

What do I have to gain by saying this? What could I lose?

The old adage of sticks and stones can hurt my bones but words will never hurt me couldn’t be more wrong. The damage done by our words, or lack of words, is far greater than anything inflicted by a slap on the face or punch in the gut.

The bible says in one place that our words and our tongue are like a fire burning inside us that if not handled properly can do vast damage. Words can lift up and they can tear down. Speak kindly with one another. Be silent when speaking isn’t necessary. Speak when the time is right. But when you speak, make sure what you speak is truthful, complete and said with love and respect. Be bold and courageous in your speaking when necessary. Be calm and gentle when the circumstances dictate.

Below is a message I recently gave on the power of our words. If you have a few minutes, I’d be honored for you to listen and give your thoughts.

The Best Defense Is Intentional Offense

September 8, 2021 / / 0 Comments

At the outset I’m going to admit that I will probably, inevitably offend or upset some of you. I’m sorry if you take offense by these thoughts but this is my belief based on my understanding of the Bible. But please understand that I am admitting there are two sides of this issue and I believe we cannot stop by merely addressing one side of it.

A recent ruling by the courts in Texas and then deemed Constitutional by the US Supreme Court put a block on the unnecessary killing of children still waiting to be born. This for some was a huge defeat but for others was a significant win. But if we stop here, I believe it’s actually a loss. It’s a loss because we’re making the whole scenario rest on the shoulders of the women. Only one woman has conceived a child by herself and she’s no longer walking this earth.

My personal perspective is that I operate from a pro-life point of view. That means that I value life from conception to the date God decides we leave this earth. This encompasses all life from womb to tomb and says that we are living beings in need of the utmost care and respect. I believe being pro-life means taking care of my neighbors and looking out for those in time of need. I believe it entails helping those who are down trodden and lifting up the fallen. It’s not just a matter of life and death but a matter of enhancing life as best we can.

The ruling to which I referred deals with one very small aspect of this matter. It drastically limits what someone can do to a viable life growing inside them. And I know this ruling puts a lot of pressure on women. I can respect the concern some women have over this which is why I’m going to let the ruling speak for itself and use the rest of my time here to address the men who led to this moment.

How dare we! Men we have neglected to be the life protecting people we are called to be. To be very blunt and direct, if you’re not going to take care of the woman and the child you better darn well keep that thing zipped up. I’m tired of hearing about women being the object of some self proclaimed man’s episode of fornication. I’m sickened by the men who think they can do what they want to a woman and then leave her when things get rough.

If we’re really going to address this matter of being a life cherishing society, we’ll teach these oversized boys in our culture to be men. We’ll teach them how to get up in the morning and hit the gym. We’ll teach them how to dress up and get a job. We’ll teach them to take up a trade and work for a living. We’ll teach them to provide for the woman before they knock her up. We’ll teach them to lift up not push down on those around them.

There are far too many boys dressed up like men playing a game of pretend. Get a job with your broke rear end son! Take some responsibility for crying out loud. If you’re mad, take it out on a punching bag not a woman.

When you realize the gift God gave you in the women around you, you’ll stop thinking you can just use them as a toy for your pleasure. This isn’t a game. It never has been. A woman or a child should not have to pay the price for your weakness.

There you have it. I’m pro-life. I for the life of the unborn child just as much as I am for the life of the woman who is carrying her. I’m for the man who needs to step up and be held accountable for his actions. You can’t put all of this on one person. We don’t have to agree on all the specifics but I sure hope we can agree that we all can do a better job of looking out for and loving those around us. We all can do a better job of holding one another accountable to a more intentional way of living. We all can do a better job of being the people with our actions that we claim to be with our words.

The best way to protect life is to teach the absolute value of it – all of it.

No Cost Christianity?

September 2, 2021 / / 0 Comments
There's no such thing as no cost discipleship.

Is there such a thing as no cost Christianity? I’m starting to think that much of what we call Christianity in our culture today is something significantly less than Christianity. As I sit to write this post, I’m in a coffee shop in central Ohio. I’m listening to music through the shop’s sound system but that’s just for ambiance. The real thing is the conversations around me. I’m curious, intrigued, and slightly appalled at the same time.

The guys sitting beside me are talking openly about Jesus which is pretty cool stuff, but there is some complaining going on. They’re talking about their church and the uncomfortable nature of how the pandemic was handled. Now I’m not getting into details here but I want us to think for a minute about the things that cause us to complain.

We complain about the temperature in the building or the volume of the music. We draw lines in the sand over preaching style and what people wear to worship services. We’ve become massively divided around issues of capacity, distancing and mask usage. And I fear this is only going to get worse. And while I have an opinion about all of these matters, none of it really matters. These are not “cost of Christianity” kind of issues.

The bible says that we’re supposed to take up our cross and follow Jesus. That doesn’t suffer some slight inconvenience on a Sunday to be in worship for an hour. It’s not putting up with a subpar praise team or out of tune choir. Taking up our cross is more. Much more.

Another conversation I’m listening to at the moment is about the situation in Afghanistan. There are American helicopters lifting Christians above Kabul with a noose around their necks and hanging them just for being Christians. The forces that have overtaken the city are going door to door confiscating phones and if you’re caught with a Bible app or even pages of a Bible in your home, you’re shot on sight.

There is an underground church in these parts of the world that are being told to deny Jesus and turn from their faith or die. They’re told that they are next to be tortured to death. In our American context, these ideas are foreign, but this is a real cost.

When we talk abut the cost of following Jesus, I think we’ve grown so comfortable with our views that when we hear something we don’t like or see someone we don’t care for or aren’t being given what we want or are asked to do something we no longer want to do – we just move to get a change of scenery or throw up our hands and say there’s nothing we can do or blame someone else.

Where’s the cost of discipleship? Where’s the not my will be yours be done? Where’s the focus on what really matters and the willingness to be uncomfortable for the sake of being right where Jesus wants us to be?

I do not wish what’s happening in Afghanistan on anyone…ever! But we need to stop thinking that getting up on Sunday to go to worship is a sacrifice. Comfortable Christians in 2021 in America need a wake up call that our brothers and sisters around the world are being tortured just for believing. They’re literally dying to go to church while we’re making excuses for why we just don’t have time to go. They’re cherishing their bibles even though it will cost them their lives, while we let ours gather dust on the end table in our living room.

Friends we need to get real for a minute. We need to realize that we have it easy. Maybe today we will step out just a little and take a small risk for the kingdom. What would happen if we loved Jesus the way we claim to love him? How would our lives be different if we actually loved our neighbors as ourselves? We just might stand out in a crowd. We just might know a little more what a cost of following Jesus really is.

What Is Discipleship?

August 26, 2021 / / 0 Comments

There’s a buzz word in some churches these days, but what is it and why is it important? The word is disciple or discipleship. This is something Jesus talks about a lot! And the bible is filled with pictures of what healthy disciples are and why we do this disciple thing. I’m a firm believer that if Jesus commands it, we should be about it. And I believe it’s pretty clear that Jesus commands those who follow him to be about this business of making disciples. See for yourself.

Going therefore, 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 behold, I will be with you until the end of the age. Matthew 28:19-20

So if Jesus commands it and we agree that what Jesus commands, we should be actually doing, do we have any idea what target we’re shooting at? We’re supposed to be making disciples but what even is a disciple?

The technical yet simple definition is a learner or follower of someone. The idea behind Biblical discipleship was that you would do everything your teacher (Rabbi) did. There was even and old saying that went something like may you be covered in the dust of your rabbi. That means that you are doing everything in such lock-step with your teacher that even their dust kicks up on you because you’re so closely linked to them.

The definition of discipleship that I’ve used for years now is the process of being transformed into the image of Christ for the sake of others. There’s nothing perfect about that definition so take it or leave it. But for me here’s how it breaks down:

Discipleship is a process. That means you won’t do discipleship in a book or a study or a class. It happens in the context of relationships over time. But the fact that it’s a process means that it’s also replicable and comes in cycles. The idea of a process also indicates that you’re not done, not now, not tomorrow not ever on this side of eternity. There’s always more distance to go in this journey toward being transformed into the image of Christ.

Transformed. I’m reminded of the Transformer movies when I think of this word. The yellow Camaro drives down the road then all of a sudden springs off the pavement and becomes a robot. I love the cinematography in those movies but what’s really cool is that even when the Transformers are in car form the robot is still there. I mean it doesn’t materialize into a robot from something else. It’s a robot turning into a car. I think a similar thing happens with us in the discipleship process. We were created in the image of God. That means inside us, albeit broken by sin, we are created in the image of God. Discipleship is the process of seeing the perfected image of God in Jesus and letting the Spirit work in and through us.

Into the image of Christ. We’re not going to become cars or robots or something silly like that. But we will become what we spend our time dwelling on. If we surround ourselves with brokenness, pain, anxiety, worry, fear and the like, then we’ll be filled with these very things. But disciples don’t surround themselves with these things. We will face them, but because of the image of Christ being revealed in us by the Holy Spirit they won’t define us. As we’re being transformed, parts of us are removed and the stuff of Jesus comes to the front. Over and over this process is enacted.

For the sake of others. Discipleship never has the self as its ultimate end. The goal of discipleship is that the world might know Jesus as Savior. As we are transformed into the image of Christ we take upon ourselves the mission of Christ. If our discipleship is focused on getting people to look like us, we’re doing it wrong. We are not the master in this thing. We are disciples leading others to Jesus. If we’re leading people to anyone other than Jesus, we’re doing it wrong and for the wrong reason. Salvation for those created in the image of God (all mankind) should be our focus.

Jesus said he came to seek and to save the lost. That means those who don’t yet know him as Savior are people he sought while here. These should be the very people we seek to love on in the name of Jesus.

Discipleship is massively important but understanding what it’s all about will keep us pointed in the right direction.

More Than Just The Bible

August 13, 2021 / / 0 Comments

I always thought knowing your bible was enough. I thought if we had bible verses up our sleeve for a variety of matters we’d be good to go. You know a bible verse to remind us that Jesus loves us. One that he’s always with us. One that he knows our needs and provides. One about repentance and forgiveness. One about living rightly. All the issues we face, I thought we needed a bible verse to address those and whammo we’d be perfectly fine.

But the more I think about it and the more I read the Bible, the more I think I very well might be wrong. I’m starting to think that reading our bible and memorizing verses is good and all but that’s not what we’re told to do or how we’re told to live life. I’m reminded of the Bible verse from James 2:19 that says even the demons believe God and they are afraid. I really think that many people who call themselves Christians have a good working understanding of the Bible and what it says, but they have zero clue what it means for their day to day life.

The bible is far more than a series of one liners to shoot at people, and ourselves, in good and bad times in life. It’s more than a wishing well or a fortune cookie. It’s not enough to just be biblically literate. We must approach life with the ability to correctly apply the gospel message to our day to day lives. I call this being fluent in the gospel.

Now the gospel, for those of you who aren’t aware, simply means the good news. Many of us know the good news, but we’re not all that fluent in its application. Think of it like learning a new language. We can learn the alphabet and even some key words and how sentences are structured but none of those things make us fluent. We become fluent when we are immersed in the language and the culture it represents. As a matter of fact the longer you are immersed into a given culture, the more likely you are to begin picking up the dialect of a given language. It’s like staying down south long enough and you’ll pick up a little southern twang.

The longer we’re immersed in the language and culture of the gospel, the more fluent we become in it. But how do we become fluent in the gospel? How do we immerse ourselves in the language and culture of the good news of Jesus? This will be the focus of our message on Sunday at Living Word Galena and the topic of a couple of posts next week. But for now look at John 3:16 and the surrounding bible verses and Ephesians 2. These are good primers for having a base line understanding of the gospel message. Don’t assume you know the message. Read it again. Slowly. Word by word. Consider what this means for you tomorrow when you’re enjoying the nice weather or Monday when you’re having a bad day at work. Just soak up the gospel like you do the sun when you’re lounging at the beach.

A Lost Voice

May 7, 2021 / / 0 Comments
When We've Lost Our Voice | The Prodigal Thought

Lion’s are one my favorite animals, aside from Koala bears but that’s a post for a different time. They are one of only four different species of cat who can actually roar. And roar they do! A lion’s roar can be heard for up to five miles in the right conditions. It’s pretty spectacular to say the least. A lion will roar for 3 basic purposes. And each of those reasons can teach us something about our own lives and how we should use our own voice.

Direction

A lion will roar to indicate where the pride is and where they should be headed. A lion will sound its roar to alert everyone around where it is. It’s their way of saying stay away this is my territory. They don’t merely roar to alert any potential threats to their presence. It’s often used to tell the pride where to go for safe passage or lush grounds or where food can be found. The roar of a lion can be used as a mapping system of sorts.

I personally think that we as humans, and I’m going to speak directly to men because I am one but this likely applies to women as well, we have lost our roar. We have failed to roar for the safety and provision and direction of our families. We’ve stopped speaking up for our wives and children. We’ve let culture and politics and education systems remove our voice. We’ve grown passively quiet and in the process let our children, wives and families wander aimlessly without direction or protection.

Roaring doesn’t mean yelling. It means using your God-given voice to alert your family to danger, which means you have to be present. It means to use your voice to call out direction to those around you. Not as a dictator but as someone who’s looking out for those around you. When we start to use our voice again, we’ll speak life into our family and provide direction to those around us.

Power

They roar to demonstrate their power and ability. The roar of a lion is so powerful that it echoes through the jungle. You can hear it for miles in every direction. They do this to demonstrate that they are in charge. No pride of lions is led by a quiet lion. No lion will ever abdicate his position in the pride to someone else because he doesn’t like using his voice.

Again I focus on men but this is equal for all, we’ve let our voices grow eerily silent. Maybe it’s because we’re tired but I fear it’s because too many men, and women, don’t think their voice matters or have been belittled too many times to let their voices be heard. Men I know that it’s not easy some days. I know that we don’t know whether we should hold the door for the woman entering behind us at a store because we don’t know how they’re going to react. I know that it’s hard to compliment someone because we’re not sure how they’ll take it. But you have a voice. It’s time to use it.

Your voice isn’t just the vocal box in your body that allows you to speak words others can hear. Your voice is your actions and lifestyle. Using your voice isn’t about yelling to demonstrate dictatorial power. It’s about letting people know who you are what you stand for. Using your voice is about standing in the gaps in society to speak up for those whose voice isn’t being heard. You voice is about lifting others up not putting others down.

The church collectively has grown just as silent as the individuals in it. We need to roar. Jesus is the lion of the tribe of Judah. When he roared from the cross, the graves split open. What would happen if we would roar with His power and His truth? Could we split the death markers in our own culture?

Protection

The lion is the king of the jungle. A good king not only has power but it also is in charge of protecting those in his care. The Disney movie, Lion King, is a great image of what happens when a king goes off the rails and stops using his power for the benefit of the people. If you’re not familiar with the movie, a bad lion – Scar – sides with the less than desirable hyenas and they convert the lush pride land to the barren dead land in very short time. He doesn’t try to protect the rest of the animals, rather he looks out for himself.

I think we can learn a lot from the way Scar leads the lions and how he treats the rest of the jungle. He doesn’t take his position seriously. He uses the other lions for his personal benefit. He abandons the weaker. He expects the world to bow down to him even though he hasn’t earned it. He abandons his voice for a moment of self pleasure.

We run the risk of doing the very same thing. When we don’t flex our voice boxes and let our roar come out, we end up leaning into our selfish ambitions and personal pride moments. It’s time for men and women to stand up and speak. We need to speak for what we believe to be true, not putting someone down to make ourselves feel better but honestly, rightly, boldly, unapologetically speaking for what is right. We need to confidently and clearly speak to defend the things we love. We need to speak for those who cannot speak for themselves. We need to speak for our future while accounting for our past and present. All in all we need to roar and make those roars heard far and wide. It’s time to protect our pride land or Scar will soon cripple what we value most.

The Table Is Set

April 1, 2021 / / 0 Comments

Today marks a pretty special day in the life of the church. It’s actually a pretty cool thing that happens on this day and we’ll talk more about it tonight in our worship service but here are a few things I thought would be helpful as you consider what this day is all about.

Maundy

Ok so for starters this is just a weird sounding word. We don’t use it any other time but so often we throw it around as if it’s normal or something. The word actually derives from the Anglo-French and means commandment. I know that’s not the normal focus of our Midweek Maundy Thursday worship but that’s where the word came from.

There actually was a command that was part of what we normally celebrate as the Maundy Thursday account. The command is to love one another as Jesus has loved them. The command isn’t about doing anything or performing some weird ritual. It’s about loving and serving one another and putting others before yourself. That’s the Jesus way!

Why did they all sit on one side of the table?

I know you’re probably not wondering this but I always find it odd that in every picture they’re all sitting behind the table as if for a photo op or something. But none of them are looking in the direction the camera would be! So obviously none of these pictures are real and they really in all likelihood sat around a table like most normal people do.

Why this night?

So there’s a lot of history and tradition and ritual in the timing of all of this. Jesus doing this on this particular night fits right in with the rest of the week. We talked about Palm Sunday and all of the cool hidden details in a previous post that you can read here. The idea is simple really. Jesus had to celebrate this meal with his disciples on this very night to fulfill everything the Old Testament points toward. There was a celebration in the Jewish calendar known as Passover which commemorated the plagues on Egypt and how God delivered his people by letting the angel of death pass-over the faithful. The way the angel would know whose house to pass-over was made clear by the sacrifice of a lamb in that house and the blood being on the door posts. This signified the people relying on God to deliver them.

Fast forward to this night and we see Jesus celebrating the Passover while he’s preparing to be the newer, better, fuller, forever-er sacrifice for all people not just the Israelite ones from the Old Testament.

Where’d he get the bread and wine?

Another cool thing that we might miss if we’re not paying attention is that while Jesus eats the Passover meal, he takes some of that meal as the elements for the new meal that he starts. So he takes the bread that was made for the Passover meal and consecrates it, sets it apart for what we call communion. He does the same thing with the wine. He takes a cup of wine, of which there were several in this meal to mark different attributes and actions of God. Then he blesses it and sets it apart as His very blood of a new covenant.

So when the Old Testament followers of God celebrated the Passover they had to kill a lamb to atone, bible word for pay for, their sins and their lack of faith. Now in the new Passover event, we don’t see the killing of many lambs but the self sacrifice of one lamb known as the Lamb of God who would take away the sin of the world.

How often should we do this whole bread and wine thing?

The simple answer is…yes. I know that’s not an answer to the question but really you should take it as often as it is offered. So if it’s offered once a year, then take it! If it’s once a month, then take it! If it’s every other week, take it! If it’s weekly, yep you got it – take it!

There is no set rule for how often a church should offer it. That’s left up to the context of each congregation. And no you will not lessen its meaning if you offer it weekly. No you won’t find it less special if you take it every week versus once a month. That’s ludicrous.

Who should take it?

Now this one is where the bus comes to a bit of a screeching halt for many. The church body to which I ascribe my doctrinal beliefs has a pretty solid teaching on this. The way we do this in the church I serve is I explain what communion is, and if you agree completely with the explanation I give and have had some teaching and instruction on it before that moment with a pastor (either me or someone else) then come on. If, however, you don’t think the same way, don’t believe it the same way, are confused by it, or don’t even think it’s important – then by all means don’t do it! This is a huge deal so don’t go at it willy-nilly. You have to understand what it’s about or you make a mockery of it and it will actually not benefit you at all.

So there you have it. A few little tidbits of info on what Maundy Thursday is all about, why we do it, and why you should too! If you have a church home then please set some time aside to go and worship tonight and this whole weekend (heck go every Sunday!) If you don’t have a church home, then we’d love to welcome you as our guests at Living Word Galena. And if you’re just not sure but want a little more, you’re welcome to check us out online first to listen along to see if what we teach and believe lines up with what you understand and believe.

Happy Holy Week!

Have We Been Doing It Wrong?

February 23, 2021 / / 0 Comments

Have you ever had one of those moments when you realized you were using a tool the wrong way? Or maybe you had a board upside down when you were building a bookcase? Starting a project or a program only to realize you’ve been doing it the wrong way is beyond aggravating.

When we become comfortable with using something, even when it’s not the most efficient or effective way to use it, it’s really hard to change our approach and relearn how to use it properly. Today I want to think through a common process that we may be doing all wrong. Admittedly this realization comes from my role as a pastor but is very much transferrable on many processes.

In the church world, we focus on something we call discipleship. This is the process of being transformed into the image of Christ for the sake of others. The idea is what can we do at the macro (church wide) level that will have an impact on the members as a whole thereby leading them into a deeper relationship with Jesus. The approach we take is very much a silver bullet approach.

So many churches and pastors don’t really know what to do, so attempting a church-wide program is appealing. The programs are often well thought out and very much worthwhile but the results are lackluster at best. It’s like pouring a ton of effort into something and what comes out is more like a slow trickle. What gives! Why does this program not seem to be working the way we wanted it to work?

Think of this approach like a funnel. You pour lots in the top of the funnel but the bottom is narrower and less comes out? We pour so much effort into the process. We spread ourselves thin in an effort to reach every single person and be available all the time.

But what comes out of it is not the return we had predicted! For all that is fed into the top end of this funnel it’s easy to have the effort overflow and not make it completely through the funnel.

I mean have you ever used a funnel and not paid close enough attention? It can be messy to say the least and destructive at worst. The problem is, along the way the effort meets resistance. As the funnel narrows less and less of what goes in can actually make it through.

The programs we establish and programs we start are wide necked and get a lot of traction at first. Everyone wants to be part of the easy part represented by the wide open top. But fewer and fewer people want to be squeezed through the small opening at the bottom so they fall out the top.

So if that’s not the best way then what is? What happens when we flip the system on its head? Simply turn the funnel over.

In this new approach, you will invest heavily in a smaller group. But these people get a lot of your time and attention. You will spend considerable time with them. You will meet with them regularly. You will invest heavily into these key people. They’re not better than anyone else. They’re not stronger or even favorites. They’re just people who are willing to grow and learn and be changed through the process.

As a pastor it’s best to look to the example of Jesus when talking about discipleship because well he did it and told us to do it as well. Jesus called twelve guys to come and follow him. Then of the twelve, he called 3 to be part of an inner circle. He invested a great deal in these three men. The cool part about investing in these men was that they turned around and invested the same with in other followers. So when Jesus reached three people very intentionally, he was able to use their extended reach to connect with even more people.

Think about it. If you put water in the little end of a funnel, when it comes out the wider end it will fall everywhere hitting much more area. The same is true in our discipleship approaches. If we would follow Jesus’ lead and invest intentionally in a few people, we might end up getting a little different kind of result.

So who are your three? Who are the people you can drop everything to go serve? Who are the ones with whom you can walk and help grow through this process of discipleship?

Invitation & Challenge

February 10, 2021 / / 0 Comments

I’m currently cramming through a book to join a group that’s been together for a few months already and need to get caught up. And this dichotomy shows up in the first couple of chapters. It’s the dichotomy of invitation and challenge. Now that doesn’t mean a lot at face value but if you give me about 4 mins of your time and read this there’s stuff here that can apply to just about everyone’s life.

So the idea of invitation and challenge was brought up in the context of breaking a horse. I’m really not a big fan of here terminology of breaking something but I hope you know what that means. Simply put, it’s making a wild horse a little less wild. Some would do this by beating the horse and breaking their spirit. Some would do this by attempting to ride them in a body of water making it harder for the horse to kick and buck the off. But the book uses a different analogy and that’s how a horse is welcomed into a herd in the wild.

It’s something that the author calls invitation and challenge. The idea behind invitation and challenge is pretty simple, and it is super helpful in how we raise up leaders and even teach our children how to grow and mature. In what follows I will unpack the two sides of invitation and challenge and apply them to basic relationship and leadership settings.

There is a back and forth that needs to happen in every relationship. It is all about welcoming and getting to know the other person on their terms. And then offering up a challenge of sorts to show there are expectation and who ultimately has authority.

Invitation is welcoming someone in and drawing them close. In the illustration of the horses used above, the outsider horse is greeted by a female horse from the herd. The mare would turn sideways and in a show of vulnerability would bare her side. This is the weakest part of the horse if you didn’t know. By turning she was indicating that she came with no ill intention and is willing to let the outsider horse come closer. As the outsider draws in a little, the mare turns forward facing and enters into a stare down of sorts.

This is the challenge. This is a show of power and strength. While the outsider may be larger or stronger or faster, the mare carries with her the authority of the entire herd. She is not easily moved and if so she has the rest of the group behind her.

This goes back and forth between invitation and challenge as the outsider draws ever closer yet is kept in check by the mare’s direct stare from time to time. Eventually the outsider is “broken” into the herd and all is good.

Now as we translate that into our relationships with our children, coworkers, employees, neighbors, etc. The principles remain the same. We need to be gentle and open and welcoming. We need to be vulnerable and willing to let our guard down a little bit. We need to be more intentional about our sense of invitation when it comes to these and frankly all relationships.

But at the same time we need space to challenge one another. We need to set rules for our children to obey. We need to keep employees on task and coworkers need held accountable.

So as we go through life there needs to be a more intentional trade off between invitation and challenge. As Christians this is a great model for discipleship and growing in our faith development. We need to invite into a relationship with others. Jesus did this with the twelve disciples. But he didn’t let them get too comfy because soon he woudl send them out to do the stuff he was talking about. He told them that they would have to change. The old needs to go away and the new needs to be born into us.

This is the amazing and fantastic dichotomy of saint and sinner. We’re invited in through grace which is the good news of God. And because of that invitation our lives look different. It’s what James talked about in the bible. A faith without works is dead. There must be a life change that happens when we follow up on God’s invitation.

There’s a lot here so we’ll end at that. Invitation and challenge find a balance and strengthen relationships. Super simple just not always easy.

Technology Free Hour

December 10, 2020 / / 0 Comments
No Tech-Zone

Over the years technology has pretty much exploded. We’ve moved from personal computers being in every household to laptops being in every briefcase to smart phones and smart watches being attached to nearly every human in our culture. The convenience of these technological advancements however needs to be weighed against their always on function.

It seems we can’t ever get away. While driving our watches buzz with incoming text messages. Trying to read or study or work and our email bings us continuously. We go on vacation and since we carry our office phone in our pocket, we’re on call nearly all the time.

Today’s daily habit that we want to try out is the habit of finding time to go tech free. Now stop twitching and relax. I’m only talking an hour. And if that still gives you the jitters then you probably do have a serious problem! But in all seriousness it’s important to step away from your devices for a decent amount of time.

One really easy way to do this is no tech during meals. We do this in our house. Our phones either stay in our rooms or on the counter while we eat supper. No ringers are on. Watches are not checked. It’s just a way to not let the distractions of the tech world invade our supper time solace. Our normal practice is not even to have the television on during meals.

The issue with technology isn’t that tech is all evil. The problem is that tech so easily distracts us. It’s like the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil in the garden. Technology draws us away from God.

One of the main issues with surrounding ourselves with so much technology during every waking hour is that we try to become present everywhere. But we can’t be present everywhere. The more we strive to be present everywhere the more we truly are present nowhere.

Practical Ideas

  • Use do not disturb mode. In this mode your phone will not alert you at all except those you mark as important or if someone calls you twice. This is a great way to not be awakened at night with alerts.
  • Tech basket at supper time. Get a basket and have everyone put their devices in it before sitting down at the table. Then put the basket away from the table so it’s not distracting.
  • No devices for 30 minutes before bed and after waking up. The rapidly moving pixels on our phones stimulate the mind. Scrolling social media while laying in bed could be the reason you’re having a hard time falling asleep. And jumping on your phone right away in the morning could be the reason you feel less than rested when you wake up.

There are many ways to go tech free. I’d love to hear your thoughts on what works for you. Hit me up or simply share your tips below.

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