Leaders Define Success

Those of you who are leaders understand that one role you play is to define the "wins" for your team.  In business those wins are often easy to see when you can simply look at the financial bottom line, growth of your market share, and the results of customer service surveys.  But what about winning at church?

MVCC is not focused on increasing our market share since that would mean another church has lost people...which is not a net gain for God's Kingdom.  Finances are important to sustaining and growing ministries but money is nothing more than a tool and not the goal.  When it comes to our "customers," their satisfaction isn't a goal we can set because sometimes the Gospel offends those who don't know and follow Christ.

A church is successful when:

* we faithfully share the Gospel and love others even knowing there may be no return on our investment.

* we create an environment that encourages spiritual growth in our members and emphasizes the Bible as our authority for all of life's decisions.  

* we provide opportunities for members take real steps of faith and spiritual growth through baptism, mission trips, sharing their faith, studying the Bible, and sharing their money and time with the church.

* new leaders are being raised up and accepting "pastoral" responsibilities.  

* we work to restore people who have been caught by sin and we have honest discussions that point out sinful choices, knowing we risk ticking people off.  

* members care for one another, pray for each other, and bear each others burdens, especially caring for the vulnerable among us.  

* the more mature are willing to love and be patient and teach the less mature.  

* we see diversity of membership because of a willingness to love and accept all people right where they're at spiritually.

* there are biblically qualified/godly leaders who are respected by the church for their position and their willingness to be servant-leaders.

* There is joy and a unity of spirit among the church body as it worships, serves, and prays and grows together.

Do you do "dad days" with your son?

A number of years ago I took my son Jacob to watch the Mariners do their pre-preseason workouts and was impressed at how close we could get to these pro athletes and that it was free.  On Tuesday I took the morning off of work and repeated the father-son experience with my son Caleb (told him he's doing great in school and could afford a day off.)  This is part of my commitment to do a one-on-one "dad day" about every 1-2 months with each of my 4 boys.  My wife also "dates" the boys for her special time with each of them.

Of course now that the Diamondbacks do their spring training in the valley we went to the new Salt River Fields and watched our favorite team workout, up close and personal.  There was plenty of time to hang out and talk to each other during the morning and we even found a place to play some catch while we waited for the players to emerge from the clubhouse.  Caleb got a couple balls a few autographs and the icing on the cake was seeing himself on our local ABC newscast.

http://www.abc15.com/sports/sports-blogs-local/dbacks-prepare-for-first-spring-training-game-of-2014

It was a good day that he and I will always remember.  So, dads, if your son is doing well in school and is a big baseball fan, here is a great idea for some quality time together next season...put it on your calendar now!

I watched a contentious debate on gay rights

What If I were asked by a gay couple to officiate their wedding ceremony?  I am unwavering in my belief that the Bible teaches marriage as being between a man and a woman and that children are best served being raised in a home with a loving mom and dad.  Two same-gender parents undermine the chances that the home will be a healthy and balanced environment for raising children (one factor among many that weaken families.)  Still, I understand that I have no right to determine whether such a couple engage in an intimate relationship.  However, I do have the right to say that I won't be the one to establish their union and that I don't support their right to raise children.  At least I have that right for now.

Wednesday and Thursday this week I watched in person as the AZ State Senate and then the House, debated SB 1062, a bill that would allow for people in AZ to refuse service to people who are identified as LGBT.  At issue is the bill's intent to allow for people such as Christians who object to certain behaviors, as a conviction of their faith, to not be forced to go against their convictions by doing business with LGBT people.  From the opposing perspective at issue is a bill that provides legal justification for discrimination against people who are LGBT and who would like to receive civil rights recognition.

As you can imagine this was a contentious debate, but in the end there was more support for the bill in both houses of government and so it will become law if signed by our governor.  What this case illustrates is a tension our country has been struggling with for some time.  Who will have the upper hand between gay rights and religious rights?  You may be wondering why does there have to be a winner and a loser?  As you study the issues here, moving beyond the rhetoric and sound bytes, you'll see that anytime either side of this debate makes a legal gain, the other side automatically loses some of its rights.  In other words, there is no middle ground, which I know makes this very uncomfortable for some people. 

So, if you are on the side of wanting to preserve the religious rights of our citizens but not wanting to appear discriminatory let me suggest something.  If you lived in a number of other states right now you would be forced legally to endorse the gay lifestyle and gay marriage under penalty of legal recourse.  So, doing business with people whose decisions go against your religious convictions would be expected.  Yet, in Arizona you are not expected to cater to LGBT people if you disagree with their sexual choices. 

My question is, with the privilege that is ours by having a majority of legislators who agree with us what will we do?  How will you act as a result of your winning position on this matter?  You have the option to parade your victory and even use your "right" to harm others. Or you can remember that Jesus faced the same challenge of living righteously in a sinful world. 

Our command to love our brother along with Christ's "friend of sinners" reputation, reminds us that we can't be cavalier.  We must prayerfully consider setting aside at times, our "right" to refuse to do business with LGBT people.  Having the right to do something and then choosing to voluntarily set aside that right (as long as it doesn't violate clear biblical teaching), is exactly what Jesus did.  He associated with Gentiles, tax collectors, and "sinners" even eating with them demonstrating an important element of our mission on this planet and an essential characteristic of a disciple of Jesus.

Was there any doubt that Jesus associated (did business) with "sinners"...no doubt that he did.  Did Jesus ever leave any doubt in people's mind as to wether he would personally enter into their sinful choices...no doubt that he wouldn't.  God is going to call you to love gay couples if He hasn't already and I know it's not an easy road.  Would Jesus perform a marriage ceremony for 2 gay people, I expect he would graciously decline.  Would Jesus attend the wedding and bring a gift and would he bake a cake or take pictures...although it was His right to dissociate with such people, He might.

Worshiping God at Little League

God has chosen to bless Tammy and me with 4 kids who possess a variety of gifts and abilities.  One ability is athletics.  As Little League begins this week an important question I have is, can we worship God in some real way as we trek multiple times a week for the next few months to the Little League Fields?

I’m aware that for many families, youth sports and worship do go together.  However, it’s a worship of sports and family.  Don’t get me wrong, sports are important and help keep my kids active instead of in front of video games.  Of course family is also a high priority for me, but neither one is to be worshiped.

The problem is that often God isn’t in the equation or he’s added in like the minimum play rule.  

"Don’t forget to get God into the game for at

least 2 innings! Oh darn and it’s such a close

game.  Do I have to?"

When it comes to worshiping God, the OT couldn’t be more clear that God doesn’t accept left-overs or even less than the best from us.  God alone reserves the right of our true worship.  So, is it possible to participate in sports at this level and beyond, and still worship the creator rather than the created?

What did you think of Richard Sherman's Interview?

I've never had such anticipation for a Sunday NFL lineup like I was looking forward to last Sunday's Championship games.  Then to my shock Richard Sherman gave what will be a life-long defining rant at the end of the second game.  What was your take?  Millions have recorded their opinions all over social media and in conversations this week.

My take was initial shock but not a lingering shock.  My initial shock was simply the result of being conditioned to always hear palatable and respectful (although not always sincere) sound bytes from players and coaches as they leave the field.  Yet, it didn't take long for me to simply brush Sherman's comments aside remembering that many NFL players representing every team have the same big-time ego with some concealing it better than others.

Here are three important truths I will share with my sons after watching this with them:

1) It's always so much nicer to be able to learn from someone else's mistakes.  I hate to put my foot in my mouth and would much rather learn from someone else doing the same.  The tirade from Richard Sherman couldn't have been better at illustrating how obviously inappropriate it is to have poor sportsmanship after a game.  Lesson #1 - Our kids need to learn in competition that win or lose we do it with humility and respect because it reflects on us, our family, our team, and our God.

2) I've been a part of leading meetings, mission trips, and big events when afterwards I was very "keyed up," "agitated," "frustrated," "tired," you pick it.  I wouldn't have wanted a microphone put in front of me at that point for fear of what I might have said that I would soon after regret.  Lesson #2 - Let's talk about not speaking when we're too emotional and also teach our kids not to be immediately critical of someone else who realizes later he crossed a line in the heat of the moment.


3) This time of year we give a lot of attention to NFL players as the Super Bowl approaches.  I'll also toss in the Grammys and the Oscars which are around the corner.  We state emphatically that "I love Richard Shermon, Frank Gore, Tom Brady Peyton Manning."  Or I "love Matthew McConaughey, Cate Blanchett, Leonardo DiCaprio, Amy Adams" etc.   But then they do something in real life that we don't love.

So what do we mean when we say that we love these celebrities.  Many (most?) of them don't share our faith, our family values, our convictions.  Many are truly and deeply conflicted, insecure and depressed.  In fact we'd all find many of the celebrities we "love" to be very difficult to hang out with because of how self-absorbed they are.  So why should we be shocked when Richard Sherman opens his mouth and reveals that he isn't the poster boy for Jesus' Beatitudes?

Honestly, we "love" celebrities because they impress us with their abilities and performances and our evaluation stops there.  That makes us just as shallow as we accuse them of being.   Lesson #3 - Let's help our children learn to appreciate celebrities who not only impress us physically but also have the attitudes, values, and faith that are so much more important.  I want to point out to my boys when I see: strong work ethic, praise for others, honesty, committed marriages (you can find a few of these,) integrity, generosity, and especially genuine faith in Christ.

Let's demonstrate a willingness to think about celebrities critically without being critical.

Ask your family - Is our faith in God real enough to give Him our money?

If you want to strengthen your home in 2014 be sure to manage your life according to a family budget and above all, be sure to entrust your finances to God so He can bless you!

Discussing finances

Each week I enjoy the opportunity to meet with a number of men from our church for mentoring, coaching, prayer or sometimes just to encourage them.  Recently a couple of my meetings have had discussions revolving around the topic of giving to the church.  I didn't go into the meetings with that on my agenda but it came up anyway.  

I love to help young believers wrestle with this issue because it's directly tied to our discipleship.  Our willingness to worship God/trust God by giving sacrificially is an important step of spiritual growth.  Tied to this is the character formation that God is wanting to do in us that results in becoming people who are truly generous.  I see this as a topic I need to continuously revisit in my own life and also teach to my boys.

Family Bible Study

Would you say that in 2013 your family demonstrated true faith and worship through financial giving to your church?   What about to other mission causes?  

Looking at who you are today vs a year ago would you say you're more generous than you were...that you're growing in this area of your life?  If because of your financial situation or because you're new to your faith, you find that it is difficult to give more (or at least something) to God, that's good!   It's good because God is pleased by offerings that require sacrifice and faith.

This begs another question...because sacrifice and faith are what God wants to see in us, if you faithfully tithed 10% of your income in 2013, was it a sacrifice or simply your "duty?"  10% was the OT instruction to the Jews but with the coming of the Holy Spirit there is no limit to the amount of sacrifice God may instruct us to give.  If you have been giving 10% or 5% or 1% or 20% the issue is still, what does God ask of me?

As a family read 2 Sam 24:18-24.  Why wouldn't David offer something to God that didn't cost him anything?  What have you given to God recently that cost you something?  What amount or percentage of income will you give as an offering to God in 2014 that will require faith and sacrifice?  Do you believe God will bless you for your faith?

There's no perfect church

There is a church on the opposite end of town from my church that has impressed me.  Of what I know of their history and their ministries and their vision, this church has been doing what churches should be doing.

Yesterday, it came out that the pastor was asked to resign because of extra-marital affairs.  We can all imagine what this means for the families involved and the church as a whole.  However, as I've read and watched the way the staff and board have initially responded to this crisis I'm impressed.  None of us can control the decisions of others, but we can control our own decisions and reactions.

I've seen plenty of cases where churches over-reacted and many churches in a similar situation that under-reacted by minimizing the sin.  If you're interested in learning from some brothers and sisters who are in the middle of a spiritual challenge you'll appreciate the sermon given by one of Mission Church's associate pastors.

http://www.mission68.org/mission-blog/statement-regarding-the-lead-pastor-resignation/