a few great thoughts on a few great thoughts

The thoughts below come from Os Hillman

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If My people would but listen to Me....

~ Psalms 81:13


God has a specific training ground for leaders. There are three patterns of preparation that have been common among most of God's leaders.

• First, there is a time when the leader is separated from his old life. Consider Moses, Joseph, Abraham, and Paul. In order for God to mold and shape them into His nature, it appears that He had to remove them from the life of comfort. A teacher once said, "You cannot go with God and remain where you are."
• Next, there is usually a time of solitude. God often brings leaders into a time of solitude in order to speak to them without other distractions. Hosea 2:14b says, "I will lead her into the desert and speak tenderly to her." Paul was sent to Arabia for two years for a time of solitude. Joseph spent years in the solitude of prison. Moses spent 40 years in the desert herding sheep.
• The third characteristic of God's preparation for leaders is discomfort. The setting in which the preparation takes place usually is not a place of comfort. Abraham traveled through the difficult deserts. David lived in caves fleeing Saul. Paul was frequently persecuted.
  

Are you ready for the classroom of leadership preparation? If God chooses to bring you into this class, you may have one of three reactions to the events.

• First, you may say, "I don't need it." Perhaps you know intellectually that you do need this, but God wants you to know it in your heart. Pride prevents us from entering this classroom.
  
• The second reaction may be, "I'm tired of it." You decide you've had enough. If so, this will disqualify you from leadership.
  
• Finally, God's desired response from us in this preparation is, "I accept it." To accept it with joy is the place of maturity in Christ. God often keeps us in these places until we come to accept and agree that Jesus is enough. Is He all you need?
  

Like the people of Israel, I think we have something to do with the timetable of our education. "If My people would but listen to Me, if Israel would follow My ways, how quickly would I subdue their enemies and turn My hand against their foes!" (Ps. 81:13-14)

Are you ready for the process required for being a godly leader? Ask for His grace to willingly embrace these times of preparation.

~ Os Hillman

what do I do now?

What do I do now?

Most of us have asked that question at some point in our lives, and these days it's becoming more common.

• That I am out of time to do all that is asked of me?
• That we won't be able to cover that medical bill?
• That it costs me nearly $100 to fill up my car?
• That I'm behind on my mortgage?
• That I feel like I'm all alone in life? On this goal? In seeing the big picture?
  

What do I do now?

Most of us usually have a reaction that attempts to compensate. We rant to a friend, hoping that by venting it will change how we feel... or we hoard what we can and turn our attention inward... or (ironically) we spend money and time on indulgences, attempting to "feel good" more than we "feel bad." Others do nothing, and begin to feel like nothing for doing so.

When you are in a season like this, you do have an action step to take. For in the midst of chaos you can actually emerge with stronger convictions about what *really* matters and what doesn't. You will decide things like, "Maybe I don't need that ___________ after all," or "You know, it was worth sacrificing for ___________ because it has affected so many people, including myself."

I've learned that these seasons are not vacuum moments, though. The kind of moves that you make in the "plenty" times put you ahead of things when the "lean" times hit. For instance, paying off debt will save you a bill when you "can't" pay it; making good relational investments now will create a stock of support that is more powerful than any financial portfolio; investing into your relationship with God will cause you to actually pray (and not blaspheme) when the junk hits and you cry out, "Oh my God."

What do I do now?

Great question. Instead of focusing on what you can't control, take baby steps and big steps where you can.

Invest into yourself:

• Start exercising again.
• Open up your Bible at least once a day, no matter how long you read... but read it.
• Choose better food to eat.
• Write or paint or draw - express yourself somehow.
• Read a book - something fun.
• Do your best work in whatever work you do.
  
• Intentionally put yourself into a role that you are not confident in, and grow in that.
  

Invest into your household:

• Have times/days where you turn the electronics off.
• Crank up music and dance with the people you live with,
• Do a chore that isn't yours, and don't tell anyone about it.
• Spice up something outside of where you live - your yard, your neighborhood, etc.
• Look at the people around the table when they talk, and be fully present.
  

Invest into your relationships:

• Look up an old friend.
• Talk to someone who is giving you the cold shoulder.
• Ask someone you work with or see, "How can I help you out today?"
• Do something significant with the significant people in your life.

Granted, these are all ideas... not solutions. But they will build muscles in these areas. If on some point you go, "Yeah, but..." then make up your own list by asking a very simple question:

What do I do now?

a thought for the month for my church family

This is an email I sent to our church family this week. It's the kind of challenge that I know many people would like me not to make... and that's exactly why it needs to be made.

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If I have your attention, I'm going to make the most of this time you've given me. So get ready for some bold, audacious, biblical truth from what God has put on my heart to you r heart. I want to give you a word of honest encouragement, and it begins with this thought:

If you are not hearing from God, you are missing the most important ingredient in your day.
Plain and simple, that's the truth... you "can" do your day without God, but that will be like something important missing in your favorite food. You may be able to just swallow what's in front of you, but it will comparatively bland and without that real taste you so appreciate. In fact, the absence of one ingredient can even impact the true effectiveness of other ingredients.

This is why I'm challenging you and your whole household to be a part of every Sunday this month in our Reveal series. In doing so you need to likewise realize that such a goal isn't about "attendance" but about helping you becoming "attendant" to God's presence... something (and Someone) that is active in your life but often overlooked. The challenge isn't to warm a seat - it's to make intentional connections with God and others through the offering of a church community.

So again - the simple challenge is to be a part of a service every Sunday this month... and to bring others with you because of the very practical topic.

I have lots of hope about this. So many of you are tuned into this and have made the commitment to give God room to work in your life. But it's usually about this time in a challenge, though, that a few of you start making excuses. Let's call out a few:

• "I don't need to come to a service to connect with God." Logistically, this is true. But practically, admit it - we are often slackers and use this as an excuse to avoid real commitment to the journey and the community of God. I seldom find someone who isn't in a church service using that time to connect with God "on their own." And if you are that rare person who does put that effort in, you are still missing out on biblical community - the dominant means God chose to connect with His people all throughout Scripture.
  
  So if you're using this "I don't need to come to service to connect with God" line when you really mean, "I'm not willing to make a commitment like that," pony up and be honest about it.
  
• "Sunday is my only day off and I like to sleep in." Go ahead... sleep in. We have a second service that starts at 11am.
  
• "No, I mean... really sleep in." Ah. Go to bed earlier on Saturday, then "sleep in" and come to the 11am service. Then go back home and take a "Sunday afternoon nap." And if you have kids who "won't let you" take such a nap, use one of the connections you make in a Sunday morning service to trade off child care with another family every other week.
  
• "Sunday is our family day." Awesome. That's a great priority. You know the #1 task God gives the family? To maximize every opportunity you have to impress the Truths of God upon your kids so that they will walk with Him as they grow up. Not to mince words, but this is God's law - and to ignore that would be like ignoring the law on the road by saying, "My kids aren't in the mood for us to travel the speed limit so I'll travel at whatever speed they dictate." Try telling that one to the cop who pulls you over for not properly handling the steering wheel and gas pedal that has been placed into your care.
  
• "______ won't come with me, so I'm not coming." If you were thirsty - literally dehydrating - would someone else not wanting to drink some water keep you from heading over to the fountain? Of course not - your survival instinct would take over. So let your spiritual survival instinct take over and take in some Living Water.

If you are not hearing from God, you are missing the most important ingredient in your day.
Look, if you're not willing to change and you're not willing to grow, then you need to find another church to be a part of that will let you off the hook (which, honestly, there are a lot of... but such a group isn't really a "Church" if they do). A lot of what makes Connection Church unique is that we don't play these games... and if we accidentally start, we call each other out on it. Do you know how amazing it is to open up the Bible every week? That alone - aside from whatever a teacher may say or a worship leader may sing - guarantees you can hear from God if you dare to let Him. In Isaiah 55:11, God reminds us that His words "will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it."

My goal and my heart is to honor the heart of the Lord, and that includes challenging our whole congregation to be engaged on a journey together... the kind where we care about one another and speak bold truth into each other's lives. The kind where we don't play church or treat it like a critic or consumer, but take hold of our faith and become authentic about what is really going on inside of us. The kind where we become fully-alive Christ-followers who reach out and redemptively love all people into a deeper connection with God.

And if we do, this already great congregation will become an amazingly greater church because our hearts will be God's... we will be lit up by Him in a real way and start becoming the change we want to see in our region. There are people you will lock eyes with all day today who are suffering and hurting, and Jesus wants you to think about it... and be inspired to do something about it. You may not know what to do about it, but don't let that stop you from doing something about it.

Speaking of which, if you haven't brought a friend with you to gather with the church in a while, it's time. Otherwise it's like we're eating an incredible buffet and becoming content with the world that is starving outside. Let God wreck you with that... because it's not about your comfort - it's about their eternity. And this is such a perfect series to dig in and expose them to the hope of Jesus.

This is something that is too big - too momentous - for us to ignore. We want to help people live lives that are focused on Christ and are focused on something more than leisure or hobbies... something more true than the fears we worry about... something more lasting and eternal than the legacy we'd leave otherwise.

If you are not hearing from God, you are missing the most important ingredient in your day. We'll be opening up His Bible on Sunday together... but go ahead and open it up today. Once again, this is a theme that will dig into Genesis 1 in many ways, so be reading and rereading and re-re-reading that passage. And then this Sunday we'll let it "read" us.

Or... you can settle for something blander. If so, let me know and I'll help you find another pillow to rest on or cable station to watch. Maybe there's a golf game you can pick up Sunday instead... or an all-you-can-eat breakfast with your name on it. If that's what you want, I ultimately can't stop you... and you know it.

But I will arm wrestle you before you do because I care about you too much to watch you drift away and slip off into a sleepy existence... or something lukewarm that has the appearance of Christianity but denies its power. I thank God for the opportunity to love you boldly... without a mask. Because I am a champion for what God is attempting to do in you... if you let Him.

So I'll see you Sunday... if not before. I fully dare you to show up and hold nothing back from surrendering your life and everything in it over to God and watching Him create "something from nothing" - something that He steps back from and says, "Yeah... that? That is good. Very, very good."

"And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching." (Hebrews 10:24-25)
"God saw all that he had made, and it was very good." (Genesis 1:31a)

Together,

Tony

Lead Pastor
Connection Church

Don't just go to church... BE the Church!

free leadership conference today!

Today (right now, actually) is a free online leadership conference called The Nines (http://thenines.leadnet.org). Here is a schedule:

(Central Standard Time)

9AM — Troy Gramling, Mark Beeson, Anne Jackson, Dave Ferguson, Scott Hodge

10AM — Perry Noble, Stacy Spencer

11AM — Dino Rizzo, Nancy Beach, Steven Furtick, Reggie McNeal

12PM — Craig Groeschel, Leonard Sweet, Greg Surratt, Jon Tyson

1PM — Margaret Feinberg, Larry Osborne, Matt Carter, Pete Wilson

2PM — Neil Cole, Reggie Joiner, JD Greear

3PM — Mark Batterson, Dan Kimball, Mark DeYmaz

4PM — Jud Wilhite, Brian McLaren, Bob Roberts, Rick McKinley, John Ortberg

5PM — Alan Hirsch, John Bishop, Toby Slough, Ed Stetzer

6PM — Mark Driscoll, Darrin Patrick, Brad Powell

7PM — Darrin Whitehead, Brian Bloye

8PM — Eric Bryant, Nancy Ortberg, Rick Warren

Whether or not you know all of these names shouldn't matter. There are some powerful voices here - trust me. So enjoy! It should be quite a day of "fire hydrant" receiving.

I'd love to dialogue on any thoughts here. So come on back!

what separates the Christians from the Church

You've perhaps heard that the church has let a few people down.

I'm one of them.

Both, I mean.

I've been let down... and I've let people down.

Which is why I have been chewing on a phrase lately that I think sums up what most of us miss out on relationally.

And it's what separates the Christians from truly being the Church...

or what helps us lay the foundation for significant growth, both numerical and spiritual.

"Pinky Swear."

Remember the "Pinky Swear?" You'd be hanging out with your friends and someone would make a commitment - some sort of inclination that he/she would do something. Maybe it was an actual task like, "I'll give you my old bike when I get a new bike." Or maybe it was something more relational like, "We're going to be best friends forever."

And someone would say out loud "Pinky swear." And you'd do it.

Kind of silly, isn't it? Now we're older and we know better. We're extra careful not to Pinky Swear too much because we want to keep our options open.

The Pinky Swear is our first hint at "Covenant relationships."

I know that word "covenant" seems like an ancient word, and it is... it underscores something we've forgotten - namely, "What can we do for this relationship?"

In contrast, we tend to live more "contractually." In other words, "What can you do for me?"


Do you see a problem with that trend?

(Of course you do.)


But where do you see a problem with it - be it inside your friends (the easy place to spot it) and/or inside of you (the harder place to spot it)?

Today I dropped a couple of neighbors off at the airport because they needed a ride. As I was about to pull away, one of them knocked on the van door and asked, "What do we owe you?" I appreciated the question, but have to admit it caught me off guard... because to love my neighbor doesn't have strings attached to it.

Should it? Because the world seems to tell me I need to.

For some time it had frustrated me to no end that we have exchanged "covenant relationships" for "feelings-based relationships." We stay in connection as long as we feel good about it, lacking a covenant that involves an "ahead of time commitment" we've formed to be pursuers of one another and builders of something worth building... even when it isn't easy.

Doesn't a covenant sound better? Yeah, I know it sounds harder...

but... doesn't it sound... better?

In any relationship, it is inevitable for disagreements to arise, even among the closest of friends. At times one person will anger another because of allegiances they maintain (or don't maintain) to other people, interests, political parties, churches, and so on. Controversial decisions must be made, especially when one person is engaged in something counterproductive - perhaps even destructive - to themselves and others.

When all of this occurs, a "covenant relationship" is the glue that holds us together... especially when it has been formed in the example of Christ. It's what helps the other person to get where you're coming from.

Wounds from a friend can be trusted, but an enemy multiplies kisses. (Proverbs 27:6)

And dare I say it? Covenant relationships are sadly missing in many churches. Which sort of dishonors the name of Jesus who is eternally committed to trying to reconcile with us.

Let me say this even more clearly - if you are a Christian...

Meaning, not that you "go to church" but have embraced the reality of your sin, confessed it before God, received the gift of eternal life He paid for you through His death and resurrection as Jesus Christ, and started on the path of following His guidance each day...

If you are a Christian...

you have no excuse -

n.o...e.x.c.u.s.e -

for not attempting to seek out reconciliation in your relationships...

and not giving up.

(That last part is especially important.)

Will that be difficult? Yes. Feel impossible at times? Without a doubt.

But don't give up. Even if it's one-sided, form a covenant on your end that loves that person "no matter what." This doesn't mean you don't speak redemptive truth into their lives, but that you do so with the resolve that you will work hard to make that relationship healthier and vibrant.

Now... if you disagree on that point, I don't think you understand what happened to you on the day of your salvation. And - please forgive the bluntness of this - but you need to grow up in how serious a deal that is to God.

We love because he first loved us. If anyone says, "I love God," yet hates his brother, he is a liar. For anyone who does not love his brother, whom he has seen, cannot love God, whom he has not seen. And he has given us this command: Whoever loves God must also love his brother. (1 John 4:19-21)

Make every effort to live in peace with all men and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord. See to it that no one misses the grace of God and that no bitter root grows up to cause trouble and defile many (Hebrews 12:14-15)

I have this crazy sense that if we can't live that out that people outside of the church have every right to laugh at us. We've become our own punchline - and that's something that just isn't funny anymore.

Otherwise, we can settle for "What can you do more me?" Or as Janet Jackson once put it (and Eddie Murphy underscored), "What have you done for me lately?"

Granted -

• We're not always going to perfectly "be there" for each other, even in a covenant relationship.
  
• Sometimes we will run out of steam and overlook something we should have been at for the other person or make the phone call that is needed on their end.
• One of us may get ticked off and step back to create some space from the other... which is find it if it only in order to come back to the other in a short amount of time so things can move forward again.
  

But in such cases, when the covenant relationship is in place, these are all exceptions... these are "off moments," so to speak. For the covenant that has been established speaks on our behalf.

Otherwise, we can keep opting for the feel-good approach. If "everyone" makes "me" happy, then I am for everyone; if someone makes "me" mad, I am not for "everyone." And then "everyone" can go his or her own way, seeking new relationships, new churches where they can feel good.

Again, it's sad... but when a Church becomes this way - when we take an "everyone" idea and turn it into a "me" idea - we cease to actually be a Church any longer.

Yeah, I said it.


So... why am I writing this?

Is it because this is a problem in the congregation I'm a part of? Or is it because things are actually quite amazing and different and redemptive and we need to commit to each other now before the tension his and we all go running to our corners of the room.

I do believe it's time we answer that question.

Personally, I'm opting for my household being one that is always attempting to invite versus lock the door; and for our church being a community where we speak redemptive, challenging words and live out radical commitment into each others' lives. It's really a remarkable thing and it gives me a hopeful feeling to see what happens when my love for another person represents Jesus to them... and their life gets changed forever.

That's what I'm committed to. But again... that's just me. I'm not abandoning our relationship, even if you tick me off. Or if that guy does... or that gal... or all of them. I'm not ceasing my commitment to you... I'm not going anywhere.

"Pinky swear."

How about you?