Doug Lawrence's "Let's be honest..." Blog

Where are we headed?

dlawrence@creatormagazine.com — Mon, 20 Oct 2008 20:03:00 GMT

I am not a theologian. I am not a seminary graduate. Take what I say from the standpoint of a wounded, imperfect, and sinful human being to whom God has been gracious through more than 40 years of church leadership. I don‘t stand on my credentials—I stand on God’s promises and healing grace. Therefore, read and evaluate for yourself whether these thoughts might be true for you.

Are the Great Commandment and the Great Commission in conflict?

Well, of course not! God doesn't confuse us—He guides us. Are we confused? Well, yes, sometimes we are confused and it's at those times when we need to listen closely to God. What is He trying to tell us? I have, for many years, been trying to humbly find the truth about God's call on The Church. Does He want us to build His Kingdom and Love One Another at the same time? Yes. That's not the issue. The issue is that sometimes we act like it's one or the other. I see it all the time. You probably do too.

Here's a list of characteristics I often observe in church leaders around the subject of "Go Ye Into All the World..." and "Love One Another."

Do you find yourself erring in one direction or another on any of these points? First of all, they might seem extremely unfair and judgemental, and I could easily agree with you on that point. But the truth is, at their worst, church leaders often jump to an extreme side of leadership in order to get the job done. I didn't put this list together in order to make some sweeping comment about the state of church leadership. I put it together to encourage some thought about how we're doing our job—how we're following God's Word.

As Tony Campolo would say, "Read this book or I'll break both your legs!" The Dangerous Act of Worship: Living God's Call to Justice (Hardcover) by Mark Labberton (Author)

Ramblings on integrity...

Recently, we were visiting an Episcopalian church near our new home. The rector is a young, sincere, and a friendly reminder of the kind of leadership I would like to see in more pastors. After the service, he was welcoming, thoughtful, and curious about our family and how we happened to pick his church to visit. The service had been very "high" and we remarked about the fact that we had, in fact, encountered the transcendent God during mass. He accepted our assessment without comment. We joked about how difficult it is to find that same God in more informal churches sometimes. I said, "Don't change anything about what you're doing or we might not come back." His unemotional and uncharged answer gave me pause. He said, "That's fine, I didn't invite you." He went on to explain, "If God wants you to come here again, it will be at His invitation, not mine. That's not my job." One could argue that point of view from a Great Commission standpoint, but I liked the way he placed some responsibility on me to make decisions about my worshipping habits. He had put me in my place, and I deserved it!

Another great book...Beyond Smells & Bells: The Wonder and Power of Christian Liturgy (Paperback) by Mark Galli (Author)

***

Have you ever had God put you in your place? What should that place look like? I don't know, but I suspect that it looks like a kind of paradise—a place where God and man meet in profound recognition of their relative positions to one another. Being put in your place is a gift of God. It's His way of saying, "I know who you are, and I want you to be content with it."

***

Many years ago, while working on my music degrees, I encountered a gentleman who wanted to give me a scholarship so that I might continue my studies without sinking into debt. I needed the money and I was complimented that this gift had been offered. I took his scholarship and thanked him many times through my career. He always reacted with a deep sense of thankfulness that he had been useful in helping out a fellow musician.

He died a few years back and I attended his memorial service. There his wife said to me, "Harold always thought you were a person of high integrity who would not fail to reach the highest standards in your achievements." I winced a little when she said it. Had I actually met that high standard? Did I spend as much time in the practice room as I should? Did I always do my absolute best at the highest standards of quality? Hardly! I accepted her gracious words and moved away quickly. I was embarrassed at some level, and knew that my standards for myself were less than my mentor had hoped for or expected. Would I ever achieve those standards of excellence?

Here's what I think God was saying to me in that moment. "You will never meet your expectations for yourself and you won't meet my expectations for you either. I knew that would happen. That's why I sent my Son to sacrifice His life for your sin. You're not perfect and you won't be perfect, but keep moving toward Me and I'll keep loving you and guiding your steps. That's how this works."

—Doug Lawrence

Doug Lawrence

Doug has been a consultant to church leaders for 35 years. His two-day (Friday evening/Saturday morning) seminars include, "We're All in the Same Boat...So, Let's Walk on Water Together"—10 Proven Strategies to Improve Your Church's Perspective 100%" Please click on his name above and email him about availability and his helpful sliding fee structure.

Questioning is good!

dlawrence@creatormagazine.com — Thu, 11 Sep 2008 20:43:00 GMT

Questioning is a Good Thing!

Rob Bell said in an interview with the Whittenburg Door…

I don't believe in Christian art or music. The word Christian was originally a noun. A person, not an adjective. I believe in great art. If you are an artist, your job is to do great art and you don't need to tack on the word Christian. It's already great. God is the God of Creativity. Categories desecrate the art form. It's either great art or it isn't. Followers of Jesus should have the first word instead of coming late to the game with some poor quality spin-off. Let's talk about things before everyone else. —Rob Bell (Whittenburg Door—printed by permission)

Let's be honest, I like Rob Bell. He’s hip, smart, articulate, wears really cool glasses, and he's a real mover and shaker in the church world. He calls it like he sees it, and he has one particular trait that I admire most—he asks hard questions. I like asking hard questions too, even if I don’t always have adequate answers myself. It doesn’t hurt to ask, and it stirs our God-given gift of thought.

You can call hard (aka irritating) questioning "cynical," but I prefer to call it necessary. It’s necessary because it requires real analysis and process. If I say to you, “Money is, and always has been, problematic in the church,” you have to, at the very least, dip into your database and see if, in your own experience, you’ve ever had a similar thought. You have to accept or refute the statement as you read it. You might even continue to read what I have to say and draw a conclusion later, but you will probably eventually conclude that I am either in error or that you want to think deeper on your own about the assertion I made.

Questions demand answers, whether we do that work passively or actively it requires real thinking and a kind of sorting out of our own points-of-view. That’s a good thing! It’s like doing research before you buy a HD television. You go to the web, you find out what others think about the products available, then you decide for yourself before you drop your hard earned cash. It’s both practical and soul-satisfying to exercise your mind over issues that will impact you financially or in some other way.

My friend, Vern Sanders, has been championing "Local Solutions for Local Situations" for years. We want to challenge the Evangelical church to ask hard questions. Are you with us?

Why I, er...we, can't lose weight...

I have this friend, George, let's call him (...yeeeeh, that's right...George) who went on 6 diets in one year and lost (and regained) 15 pounds—over and over. I asked him why he felt that he had failed to attain and retain his desired weight loss. His answer didn’t surprise me. He said, “I’ve discovered that one size does not fit all (no pun intended).” His journey took him from pineapple soufflés to boiled chicken and back to the spiky fruit once again. He quickly tired of the boring nature of these diets and craved some variety. That’s where things went awry. The variety included things like vanilla shakes and French fries and the weight quickly reappeared. So, then it was on to the next book, the next diet, and the next failure. While the experts said he would lose weight if he just stuck to the plan, he was not everyone, and the latest diet expert was clearly not speaking for him when they spoke of miraculous results. The church finds itself currently in something of a “diet guru” implosion.

Christian leaders (at one time we called them pastors) are currently trying everything under the sun to fulfill the Great Commission. Like a failed diet, it seems to be two steps forward and four steps backward. They have an ongoing depression mixed with incredible hope, much like the failed dieter has when attempting to change old habits. They try everything, enjoy small victories, then sometimes realize no real change has happened. They don’t have larger congregations, the folks they have don’t seem to be changing, and George Barna endlessly reminds them that Christians are pretty much like everyone else when it comes to moral living and resolve.

Is there a plan out there somewhere that holds the key for changing the Evangelical world? Is there a formula for being all that God called us to be? The answer is a resounding, “NO!” Formulas suggest that a truth is going to come from some knowledgeable trendsetter and change everything forever. Innovators do make a difference in our lives and our churches. They take us forward and they challenge us to new thinking, but nobody has a corner on THE answer except God.

Speaking of questioning--you gotta see this! Tim Hawkins is great and makes us all think about creeping corporate influences on the church and vice versa... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aYaTSbCGY50

—Doug Lawrence

Doug Lawrence *

*Doug has been a consultant to church leaders for 35 years. His two-day (Friday evening/Saturday morning) seminars include, "We're All in the Same Boat...So, Let's Walk on Water Together"—10 Proven Strategies to Improve Your Church's Perspective 100%" Please click on his name above and email him about availability and his helpful sliding fee structure.