unChristian

David Kinnaman recently wrote the book UNCHRISTIAN: What a New Generation Really Thinks about Christianity....and why it matters. He presents the challenge for Christians to act in a Christlike manner and replace the perception of who Christians are to a new perception that would accurately represent the person of Jesus Christ. His research shows that currently, Christians are perceived as being hypocritical, just wanting people to get saved, antihomosexual, sheltered, too political, and judgmental, all concepts that undermine authentic relationships of Christians (insiders) with who Kinnaman calls "outsiders." Some might claim that it does not matter what people think of us, but indeed, when individuals have a negative view of Christianity before ever having an accurate presentation of the Gospel, we should care because it matters to Jesus who is not willing that any should perish.

The question that must be answered is "What do we do about it?" There are no quick fixes. We as Christians must take our faith seriously, not only for church growth, but more so, for our personal integrity and authenticity as followers of Jesus. Every believer must understand the importance of their words, attitudes, and actions on their family, friends, and relationships. Jesus warns us about offending the little ones (Luke 17:2) which refers to both chronological and spiritual children. We must maintain the integrity of our faith in Christ without doing so in an arrogant or condescending manner. "This is not an effort to be popular or merely accommodate outsiders, but to engage them with the life-changing Jesus rather than an unChristian version of him." We must do more than preach the truth, we must live the truth.

Evaluation

From time to time, everyone should set back, take a good look at life, and evaluate the direction life is moving. Having recently clicked off another year of life, I have been taking a hard look at myself, and where God has been leading. Planning for the future in a rapidly changing world often produces little results. There are too many changes to be able to accurately predict what will happen and how the world will look in a few years. Preparing for the future leaves the future open to what God wants to accomplish and at the same time does not allow the follower of Jesus to sit back passively and let life go by. Some questions are helpful in discovering personal location. First, where do I spend my money? Second, how do I spend my time? Third, what significant relationships do I invest in on a regular bases. Fourth, am I going in the direction spiritually that will result in a more godly, Christlike character? These are simple and basic, but their answers should never be assumed. Find a quiet place to get alone with God and let Him search your heart and reveal to you what He has found. Evaluation can be painful but it produces far better fruit than regret.

Mom's Wisdom

One vital element to navigating life's journey is Mom. My Mother went to be with the Lord nine years ago next month. I can hear her words ringing in my ears through the video clip to the left. Rejoice, remember, and reflect on the wisdom as well as the humor.

Vision Leakage

Vision Leakage has become the term that describes the challenge of maintaining a vision in a group of people, like a church, over an extended period of time. For example, the pastor shares his vision for the church in a sermon at the beginning of the New Year. How long does the vision stay fresh and relevant to the people of the church? Theorist estimate the limit is about twenty-eight days.
Recently the PennDel Ministry Network encouraged the churches in the district to participate in the One Day To Feed The World initiative by giving through Convoy of Hope to feed the hungry on this planet. An initial tally indicates just over $203,000 was given to this effort. Incredible! Pastors communicated and the people responded. How long will the individuals who responded so generously maintain the passion to reach out to the hurting of our world? Probably not very long. On the other hand, my nephew and his wife are in process of adopting a child from one of the nations of West Africa. Their commitment has already lasted for several months and the estimated time till they will receive the child is about another year. They have no one to push them toward the adoption and no outside motivation to make the adoption happen. Their vision of adopting a child does not have any leakage involved.
Both of these efforts, adopting a child and contributing to ODTFTW, are noble endeavors and actually are aimed at similar goals, i.e., taking care of those who have a need. The difference rests in the location of the vision. ODTFTW, while worthwhile, is not motivated internally in the vast majority of those who participated. Adopting a child is motivated by an internal determination to achieve the goal.
Vision casting will remain a critical part of leadership responsibility. However, there is no substitute for what the Holy Spirit can do in planting the passion in the hearts of individuals; the passion to accomplish what God has given as the vision for the church. What this means is that vision must be born in the heart of leadership from the heart of God to the hearts of the people. Ideas are fine, but vision must come from the heart of God or the church will never be able to overcome the vision leakage and maintain the vision for the church of Jesus Christ. It's time to get back on our knees and truly hear from God concerning His vision for the church, and in turn, praying for the vision to be caught by the people of God in order to achieve the purposes of the heart of God.

Genesis

"In the beginning..."
Two of my favorite interests are coffee and the the cosmos. My kids accomodated those interests through their Christmas gifts to me, two pounds of the strongest coffee I have ever tasted and the largest book on the universe I have ever seen. I can imagine God-the-Father sitting in his big easy chair one morning, sipping a cup of Jamaican Blue Mountain (metaphorical language so you are not offended by my theology:)when he turned to God-the-Son and said, let's do something really creative! "In the beginning..." was underway! The simple pleasures of the everyday existence, like a cup of Java, coupled with the spectacular realities of the universe provide a contrast that only God could manage. My new book on the Cosmos has some of the most amazing pictures possible. From the Rings of Saturn to Bode's Galaxy (a spiral galaxy also known as M81, 12 million light years away), the wonder of God's handiwork that declare the glory of God is unsurpassed. (You may want to checkout Richard Hammer's website, "seetheglory.com" for some amazing photographs.) When God said, "Let there be light..." he set in motion a chain of events whose implications call for a response on our part. It is no wonder some people do not choose to believe in God. If He exists and brought everything into being through his word, then he should be able to expect his creation to acknowledge and reverence their Creator. "Indescribable!"