Posts from — January 2008

The goal we aspire to at the end of these weeks – as I wrote on Monday – is to become fairly professional.

To be perfectly clear – we are not grasping to become excellent. 

To quote the mohawk wearing prophet of the 80s, Mr. T – “I pity the fool who is reaching for excellence.”

Some may naively think God is into excellence.  You couldn’t be further from the truth.  “I’ll do my best for God” is not what excellence is about in the least. 

The “I’ll do my best…” line is another topic to open up (which could be great / could be something else – we’ll save that for another time). 

Excellence was a short-lived trend Tom Peters started with his mega-selling book of the mid-80s In Search of Excellence.  In church world years, that means the most advanced echo-ish thinkers and writers picked up on Peters about 7.5 years later… with the rest of the church getting it 15 years later.

Jesus has never been about the message of excellence.

Quite the contrary in fact.  Jesus had a ministry to those who were wrecked by those who in God’s name forced excellence upon all around. 
The gospels do have a repeating story of people being called to matters of excellence.

It is the "You’re not quite good enough" message that is often repeated by Temple leaders on page after page of the gospel accounts.  Their line to those who came to make a sacrifice was “Your dove is not quite good enough sacrifice material.  However today we happen to have a special on sacrifice doves.  Tell you what we can do for you – I don’t know what I’m saying – I must be out of my mind to talk this way – if my boss heard this crazy talk I’d be canned in a second… Yes this dove is somewhat more expensive than what you can afford (ten times more), but hey, it is expensive in order to please God… You need to have a perfect sacrifice.  That’s what sacrifice is all about… We are building our empire here… someone has to foot the bills… Doves don’t grow on trees you know” (Yes they do sit on branches in trees but that’s not the same).

CoastlandTampa has now done a couple of ‘Pre-Launch’ weeks.

We met with leaders only for a few weeks in the upstairs Great Room of a home on the far east side of Tampa, outside of our focal area. Our strategy has been to move from being off the radar screen, not even findable, to very visible in the I-4/I-75 area of Tampa.

In our four-week ‘Pre-Launch’ phase we have been meeting at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in our prime target area. This preparation has helped us to work through the bugs in our systems so that when we launch on February 10 we are ready for prime time. So far, so good!

It’s All Caught … Then Explained

Some think it’s clever to parrot, “That’s one of those things that is more ‘caught than taught.’” No longer funny nor clever. Please explain what isn’t caught. One thing – please. Somebody. ‘Bueller, Bueller, has anyone seen Ferris Bueller?’

When we serve others it is natural they ask, ‘So what’s this all about?’

Peter said, ‘Be ready to give an account of the hope that lies within you…’ Many have given their version of what Pete was alluding to. My shot in light of the context of his comments is this: His comments on this are located near the question of how to win a not-yet believing spouse. The answer is simple and by the way flies in the face of dozens of messages I have heard from well-intentioned teachers. Peter says, ‘Live a stellar life… be careful to not over-use words with those closest near you…’ That is a summary of course. You read it. If you hyperventilate I’m sorry but that’s is what Peter says. You may want to read it several times after breathing into a brown paper bag if the hyperventilation begins to occur.

Talk Less Or You Might Become Toxic

Peter is clarifying there comes a time when words can begin to cocoon people away from the message. “Uhh.” Words get in the way of the message? Absolutely. If you are an adult convert you understood this clearly once upon a time whether you can remember that now or not. In case you can’t remember that just spend half an hour at Starbucks and ask some friendly faces after you’ve paid for their venti sized coffee drinks. They will confirm Peter’s two thousand year old inspired insight.

“Might” become toxic – some have the learned skill of talking when its time to talk and listening in right proportions. Listening a lot is the way we earn the right to have the barest bit of integrity that allows us to become people who can connect with those around us who are in the funnel coming toward Christ.

Ever try to make a withdrawal without first a deposit in the account at your bank? You won’t get very far. I see people who are trying to ‘do evangelism’ (those two words are pregnant – “Can I do evangelism to you?”)

Deposits come in many ways.

Listening is one of the most profound ways.

Listening is perhaps most often done by us slowing down and literally using our ears – however, listening is a comprehensive activity. We listen with our entire being…

Body language communicates with our entirety that we are an audience to what the person in front of us is about – that what they are up to is IMPORTANT – to us… and guess what – to God.

No deposit. No right whatsoever to begin to make a penny’s worth of withdrawal.

Never again a conversation that has been memorized…

Hi, my name is uh… (now quickly glance at cue card in left, no, right hand) uh, Steve…
May I share something with you that is very, very important to me…?

The above actually does ‘work’ with those on the east side of town in Lemming, Iowa and Syracuse, East Virginia. But since 1974 no reports of church growth have been reported that are deemed credible.

Since posting about Glenn Beck’s brush with death a few days ago I have carefully read his account of what happened on his day after Christmas ‘routine’ surgery (eerily similar to my ordeal in some ways – near Christmas, though when one completely bleeds out after 75 minutes at a BP of 30 over 10 it is difficult to compare experiences in all ways). 

The ‘I Don’t Give A Flying Rip’ Attitude of Inappropriate Medical Staff

Beck’s description of the nurse who was completely capable of helping him negotiate his way off the couch and out of the room, but didn’t lift a finger was very typical of what I have seen time and again in my medical journey with hospitals.  (Keep in mind, my initial medical melt-down has resulted in eight more surgeries so far – no more I pray!) 

The nurse he mentioned even went so far as to drum his fingers on the door as to say,
“Come on now – I have more important things to do…”  Yeah.  I’ve watched Gray’s Anatomy enough times – there’s a lot of action happening in the back rooms.  I have many doctor friends who have been through residency programs who have laughingly told me since that show has aired this is not far from what occurs – believe it or not – when docs and nurses work in close quarters for 48 plus hours at a time. 

All well and good.  It’s when basic human dignity is overlooked that I become at least a bit agitated. 

The average fourth grader is aware of the Hippocratic Oath.  That first line is a doozy – “First do no harm…”  Now that is the opening line of a novel based on Beck’s experience or mine turned into novel form – just waiting to be inputed into a laptop. 

Just to be clear, as with Beck, I was also saved by some amazing docs.  I regularly, prayerfully thank God for several of those doctors by name the way they live out the very definition of ‘Dedication.’ 

So what’s gone wrong with the system?  Wow – that’s a three day discussion that is perhaps better suited for a round circle discussion with a few ethicists, docs who get it, and a smattering of Beck’s and Sjogren’s to boot – then tape that sucker and play it in HD on pay-per-view. 

This is THE issue folks. 

Nationalized health care? 

Big clue – take notes if you must – ain’t gonna happen – not in the lifetime of anyone reading this blog entry anyway.  If it did, you would really be taking your life in your hands if you showed up to be cared for in such a system.  Ask any Canadian or Brit about their system. 

The only place where such utopian systems come close to functioning are countries with very small populations that are highly capitalized – Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Iceland.  To boot, they don’t seem to mind living under the burden of a tax code that begins with each person shelling out 55% and some paying 90% of what they earn in income taxes.  ("Yes we have high taxes, but our children go to school for free and we have healthcare…")

Again, discussion circle needed. 

Back to the Begiune – try a little kindness.

“The kindness of God leads us to a radical life change…” Rom. 2:4, The Message.  How simply profound is that.  I am incapable of ever living in consistent positive attitudes of any sort.  It’s just not in me.

The more the Servant Evangelism / Outflow message goes forward, the more I need to clarify what is not being said in all of this. 

The new edition of Conspiracy of Kindness is about to be released – great news.  However, many leaders – with whatever intentions, have taken the original concept I couldn’t have more clearly explained in terms of what wasn’t being conveyed in that book. 

Now I am adjusting the ServantEvangelism.com site regularly to bring this back to the pure expression of the powerful idea that it indeed is. 

It’s not doing something to get people to come to your church…

We serve because the spirit of Jesus dwells in us.  Our ‘new normal’ is to serve. We don’t take serving lessons.  We don’t manipulate others / anyone – anytime – in order to get them to listen to us – to respond to us. 

We serve in utter simplicity because it is normal for us.

And long-term we are changing the spiritual culture of a city – state – country – beyond. 

Each time we do even the smallest ‘Jesus thing’ we are in some small way extending the kingdom of God on planet Earth. 

In so doing we are leading people into the kingdom. 

Will churches focused upon such things grow?  Absolutely.

However if churches that do such things seek to grow by doing such things – (say that three times fast)

… they will sabotage the work of God’s Spirit in expanding the kingdom in their midst.