Being Uncomfortable

It’s uncomfortable.  Our church’s attendance on Sunday mornings is dramatically less than it was a decade ago.  Our once-thriving children and youth programs are on life support.  As the congregation ages, people wonder what will happen when the older generation is gone.  I feel confident that everyone who is involved in the life of our congregation wants it to grow.  We’d like to have more activity, more fellowship, more ways to grow in our faith and to reach out to encourage others.  We wish that things were the way they used to be.

And that’s the problem.  The growth of a congregation does not come from trying to turn back time, but by looking toward a new future.  Those who have drifted away from our fellowship are not looking for “what used to be.”  If they were, they never would have left!  And those who are thinking about joining our congregation don’t care what we like five or ten years ago.  They are interested in where we are going.

Thom Rainer, a church consultant and president of Lifeway Christian Resources, recently published a book entitled “Autopsy of a Deceased Church.”  It’s the result of his study of 14 churches that have “died,” or closed their doors.  He identified themes present in these churches during their demise: lack of vision, poor use of finances, dwelling in the past, disconnection from the community, and so on.  One line from the book struck me: “Members of the dying churches really didn’t want growth unless that growth met their preferences and allowed them to remain comfortable.”

For Old Union to be faithful to God’s call – which will bring growth to the life of our congregation with it – we must be willing to be uncomfortable.  Scripture is full of stories when God’s call made people uncomfortable.  For example:

• Abraham and Sarah gave up their familiar surroundings to travel to a far-away place.
• Moses confronted the most powerful man on earth and tell him to free his slaves.
• Gideon was hiding from the enemy when God told him to lead an army to drive them out.
• Jeremiah thought he was too young.
• Mary faced people’s disapproval because she was an unmarried mother – something that could get you killed in those days.
• Peter had to walk away from his fishing business.

God does not want us to be comfortable.  He wants us to be faithful.  He does not want us to grow on our terms, the way we want to grow.  He wants us to grow in his terms, the way he wants us to.

When our church tries a new venture, the question should not be “Is this something we’re going to like?” but “Is this something God wants us to do?”

Supermom in Galilee

I’ve teamed up with a friend of mine who is a best-selling novelist to write a book that helps people see Jesus through the eyes of a modern woman. 

“Supermom in Galilee” is the tale of an agnostic suburban soccer mom who wakes up from a migraine and finds herself in first-century Galilee.  As she joins the group of people following Jesus, we see him not as the gospel writers chose to present him, but as he might have appeared to a modern woman who has everything, but knows something is missing. 

In the accompanying commentary, I use my 27 years’ experience as a pastor and my Ph.D. in New Testament interpretation to provide both historical and Biblical background to learn more about Jesus’ world, and reflections to explore your understanding of Jesus and his impact on your life.  

This book is designed to engage both the individual reader and book clubs or study groups seeking a fresh perspective on a familiar topic.  If you're a pastor or church leader looking for change-of-pace study material, this may be the book for you.

“Supermom in Galilee” is available on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, iBooks, and Kobo.  If you read it and like it, please tell a friend.

 

In Over Your Head?

Musings on Joshua 1:1-9

Sometimes it feels like we get in over our heads.  We’ve taken on a challenge – or a challenge comes upon us for which we feel totally unprepared, underqualified, and out of our depths.  When I agreed to become our presbytery's Committee on Ministry chair, I knew it would be a challenge.  But with almost every church situation I deal with, I have no idea where things are going, what I should do, or how to get to a positive resolution.  I have to act like I know what I’m doing, even though I’m making it up as I go along.  Even in our congregation, there are times when I am at a loss.  Am I presenting the gospel fully and faithfully?  How can I help this person in a crisis?  What venture or initiative should we attempt?  How will people buy into it or reject it?  Why does all this paperwork take so much time? 

I’m not whining about my own circumstances.  I’m simply using myself as an example.  I’m confident that all of us, have felt like we’re in over our heads.  That the path in front of us is more than we have the ability to navigate.

·         You get married, and suddenly there is this other person whose well-being you can nurture, or crush without realizing it.

·         You find out you’re going to have a baby, and you can barely run your own life, let alone be responsible for another’s.

·         The doctor has given you bad news, and you’re facing difficult treatments and an uncertain future

·         You leave for college and realize that you’re on your own, with none of the familiar people and routines you’ve always had.

·         You’re on the first day of a new job and everyone expects you to master tasks you’ve never even heard of before.

·         Your marriage is falling apart and you don’t know how to fix it.

·         You take on the responsibility for an ailing relative.

·         Your income dries up and you have no clue how the bills are going to get paid.

·         Death takes away your close companion, and life – the world – seems both empty and overwhelming.

How do you get through such times?

There are a number of options:

·         You can puff up your bravado, screw on a confident face, and convince yourself that you have what it takes.

·         You can back down.  Shy away from the challenges.  Don’t push yourself, and bail when difficulties find you.

·         You can live like a pinball: bouncing from one near-catastrophe to the next.

·         You can find someone to blame for what’s happening, and tell them it’s their job to make things right.

At the end of the day, where will you be?  Maybe hanging on by your fingernails, hoping that a puff of wind won’t blow you down into the abyss.  Or fooling yourself into thinking that you’ve got it covered, while deep inside there’s a part of you that is screaming in terror.  You’ll be exhausted, anxious, and perplexed.  Because there is no retreat.  There is no safe space where you can hide from what you can’t handle. 

You can addictify yourself away from the challenge, so you don’t have to feel any of the troubling thoughts.  There are plenty of ways to numb our senses so we don’t have to experience the unease and confusion.  Alcohol and drugs (both illicit and prescription) are the most obvious, but certainly not the only addictions.  Mindlessly lose yourself in television; Netflix will even start up the next episode as you binge-watch a TV series.  Pornography addiction is startlingly common in the age of the Internet.  Activities that seem harmless or even positive can be a way to seek escape from the overwhelming challenges.  Sports: either playing them or watching them.  Work.  Cooking.  Hobbies.  Even work at the church.  The list goes on and on.  Focus on them so you don’t have to deal with the issues you can’t handle.

Or you can move into hyper-control.  Nail down every aspect of your life that you think you have control over.  Plan.  Budget.  Schedule.  Ration.  Prepare.  Maybe that will defend you from the chaos that’s about to close in.

Consider, for example, a couple who has a lot on their plate: demanding jobs, two young children, messy family relationships, student loans, and so much more.  But they have no foundation.  No place of certainty and safety.  All they have are their own wits to get them through it all.  Each bump in the road is a potential catastrophe.  The only rest comes from exhaustion or denial.  Otherwise they must always be on their guard, alert for any threat that could come from the people and situations around them.  They live anxious, irritable, defensive lives.  Do you know someone like that?  Are you someone like that?

Then, in the midst of the storms and uncertainty, we find a promise.  A promise that life doesn’t have to be like that.  A promise grounded in the love that led God to die on a cross so he could fulfill it.

It’s the promise that Joshua received when he faced a challenge that would melt the bravest of hearts.  His long-time leader and mentor, Moses, was gone.  He died on the verge of critical events.  The wandering Israelite nation was ready to claim its homeland, the land promised to their fore-father Abraham.  They were about to walk into battles and wars against powerful enemies.  The lives of the people under Joshua’s care were about to change dramatically.

Over the years Moses had won the people’s loyalty and respect.  He had seen God face to face…literally.  The power of God filled him so much that, at one point, he had to wear a veil over his face so the dazzling reflection of God’s glory upon him would not blind those around him.  Moses was larger than life.  But even Moses had trouble leading the people.  They constantly complained, disobeyed, rebelled, and made a general mess of things.  At one point even his own brother and sister tried to replace him.  But somehow Moses found a way to get through it all.

And now he was gone.  Terrible timing. 

The mantle of leadership for the nation had passed to Joshua, his chosen successor.  But would the people accept him?  They rebelled against Moses when they didn’t like the dinner menu.  What would they do when an upstart new leader commands them to march into battle?  When they enter the Promised Land, will everyone take only their fair share instead of squabbling the other tribes and clans to get more?  Would anyone even listen to him?  Joshua had a daunting task ahead of him.

And that’s just the half of it.  Not only did he have to find a way to assert his authority over the fiesty nation, but he would face intimidating enemies.  Years ago, when Joshua and 11 others scouted out the land, only he and Caleb thought they could conquer it.  The other ten were ready to cash it in as soon as they saw the people they would be up against.  And now, years later, there they were again, facing that same enemy that had intimidated them in the past.  And they hadn’t gotten soft and lazy over time.  Nobody was going to roll over and play dead when the Israelites marched into the Promised Land.  This was going to be tough.  Joshua had been thrust into a situation that was over his head.

And then the promise came from God.  “I will be with you.  I will never leave you or forsake you.  [I] will be with you wherever you go.”

This was Joshua’s foundation.  This was what enabled him to face the unfaceable.  This was the promise that calmed his knocking knees and eased his restless nights.  This was the promise that enabled him to be strong and courageous.  Strong and courageous: a phrase God used three times as he covered Joshua with his promise.  Be strong and courageous.  I am with you.  I will never leave you or forsake you. Be strong and courageous. 

It’s a promise for us.  There is a foundation, a solid place.  Security and hope.  Confidence and strength.  God is with us.  As Psalm 46 puts it, even if the entire world collapses around us, God is our refuge and strength.  An ever-present help in trouble.  When I have to deal with a pastor in the next county who’s made a mess of his congregation, it’s a promise for me.  When you have more month than money, it’s a promise for you.  When the family squabble has erupted like a volcano, it’s a promise for you.  When the lonely evenings last an eternity, it’s a promise for you.  When no one else has got your back, it’s a promise for you.  When you’re certain that in about five minutes everyone will know you’re a fraud, it’s a promise for you. 

The guarantee of this promise is the cross.  Jesus, the very Son of God, went to one the darkest places that humanity can ever experience: betrayal, abandonment, injustice, pain, sorrow, agony, and death.  No matter what dark or overwhelming path your life takes, Jesus takes it with you because he has already been there.  And he takes the path with you, he is with you, not just to hold your hand and try to make you feel better.  Because he is with you, the threats you face will never succeed.  Because Jesus did not simply die on the cross; he arose from the grave with powerful new life.  He shattered everything that makes us feel like we’re in over our head.  He is with us, and he shares this powerful new life with everyone who wants it.

Joshua is not the only person in the Bible to receive this promise.  When an angel told Mary that she would have the intimidating task of giving birth to the Messiah, she received the promise: “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you.”  When Jesus gave his followers the tremendous commission to make disciples of all nations, he gave them the same promise: “I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”  When the apostle Paul faced great opposition in Corinth when he preached the gospel there, the Lord gave him the same promise.  “Do not be afraid.  For I am with you and no one is going to attack and harm you.”

The promise is not meant only for characters in the Bible.  It’s a promise for you, and for me.  There’s no need to pretend you’re someone that you’re not.  No need to hide in the corner and hope no one notices you.  No need to defend and protect yourself.  There is no need, because there is a promise.

“Be strong and courageous.  Be strong and very courageous.  I will be with you.  I will never leave you nor forsake you.  Be strong and courageous.  Do not be terrified.  Do not be discouraged.  I will be with you wherever you go.”  This is the word of the Lord.