Category: Journal

Posted on

Survivor and the American Church Pt. 2

The enemy of the church identified in yesterday’s post was CELEBRITY.  The second enemy in Mike Breen’s list of three is CONSUMERISM. Consider how this attitude has infiltrated and weakened the American church.

CONSUMERISM

consumerWe live in a culture that revolves around consuming. Every TV commercial, every store, every credit card company, every bank, every TV show or movie, every piece of clothing, car or product, every website, every restaurant…every everything is tailored to fit your desires, needs or personal preference.

We are easily infuriated when things don’t happen exactly as we want them. We exist in a place that implicitly says this: “We are here to serve you and meet your every whim and desire. Let us take care of you.” What’s more, it’s never enough.

Eventually the house or the car get older and we want new ones. The clothes aren’t as fashionable and we want something more in style. That restaurant is getting boring, we must find another. Our favorite TV show is wearing thin, so the search begins for the next favorite. And on and on and on. This is how we are wired to think in the United States. And it is all backed up by this rationale: You’re worth it. You deserve to have what you want, how you want it, when you want it. And for the most part, the church plays the exact same game.

consumeWe do as best we can to provide as comfortable an experience as humanly possible, using every means at our disposal to attract them in (and then keep them in). So we tailor what we do around their wants and desires. That’s Marketing 101, right?

The problem is at the end of the day, the only thing that Jesus is counting is disciples. That’s it. He doesn’t seem to care too much about converts, attendance, budgets or buildings. It’s about disciples. And, by nature, disciples are producers, not consumers.

Yet most of our churches are built around feeding consumers. I’d argue 90% of the church’s time, energy and resources are linked to this. But the issue is this: The means you use to attract people to you are usually the means you must use to keep them. In other words, if you use consumerism to attract them to your church, it often means you must continue using it to keep them…or else they will find another church who will meet their “needs.” And yet…that consumer mentality is antithetical to the Gospel and to the call of Discipleship.

Disciples aren’t consumers, they are producers.

Jesus cared about disciples more than anything else.

Question: In what ways is your church community using consumerism as the means to draw people to a Gospel that is, in and of itself, anti-consumerism?

Mike Breen, “Obituary for the American Church,” Verge Network

Posted on

Survivor and the American Church- Pt.1

survivor one world logoThe 24th season of Survivor premiered on Feb. 15, 2012.  America has not tired of watching contestants struggle and strain to outwit, outplay and outlast each other in the hope of winning 1 million dollars.

In every season successful contestants reveal that a key to winning is to identify which of the other challengers is the most threatening enemy.

A recent blog post by Mike Breen made me wonder if the American church has identified its most threatening enemies.

What is it that is seeking to vote the church off the island in America? 

He suggests there are three enemies:

  • a culture of CELEBRITY
  • a culture of CONSUMERISM
  • a culture of COMPETITION

CELEBRITY

The idea of celebrity is deeply woven into American culture and values. All you have to do is look at the ridiculous nature of Reality TV and you see how Americans are constantly craving celebrity (either to be a celebrity or to find the next celebrity and stalk their every move). Now there is nothing dark or sinister about “celebrity” in and of itself. You can’t find an argument that says Jesus wasn’t a huge celebrity in his day.

However, there is a difference between being famous and being significant. If Jesus was famous, it’s because he was doing something significant. The problem with many pastors is they make decisions, develop personas and define success from the lens of what will make them a celebrity/famous (even if they don’t know it or see that they are doing this). So in American church culture, it’s pretty easy to become a celebrity: Grow a HUGE church. Now all in all, it’s not terribly difficult to grow to be a giant church if you have the right tools at your disposal…but that doesn’t mean the ends justify the means of getting there.

For instance, though Jesus was a celebrity in his day, he was willing to say things that ran people off in droves. In fact, the book of Mark chronicles the way (from about the mid-point of the book on) how people left Jesus to where, at the end, virtually no one was left. NO ONE wants to be associated with him for fear of the consequences. That’s a Charlie Sheen-esque flameout (obviously without the character issues!). That’s not something you see too often in American churches.

I suspect it’s because riven deeply into the American psyche is the desire to be a celebrity. And American pastors are very susceptible to this. Many subtle things happen in people who desire to this kind of celebrity status:

* They can disengage community and isolate themselves, setting themselves up for moral failure.

* They can make decisions that are numbers driven and not always Kingdom driven.

* They can skew to a shallow understanding of the Gospel as opposed to a holistic one that leads people to discipleship.

* They can put the good of their church (their personal Kingdom) over the good of God’s Kingdom.

Question: In what ways are your decisions made by a subtle undercurrent of ambition and a hope for celebrity?

Mike Breen, “Obituary for the American Church,” Verge Network

More tomorrow!

Posted on

Groupon and Torture Porn

When my friends and I share Groupon recommendations through Facebook,  it is usually for things like 2 for 1 entrees at a nearby restaurant, a groupon1vase of flowers or a cheap teeth whitening treatment. 

I was stunned and disgusted to find out that this company is presently selling coupons to tour Kink.com an internet porn company that has its headquarters in a historic building in San Francisco.  The ad for the tour suggested that groups may get to see live filming in progress. Seriously…is no low too low?

Selling coupons that will go to support the degradation of young women and children leads me to think it is time to cancel the Groupon subscription.

Posted on

Tiger and I

Choose a good reputation over great riches; being held in high esteem is better than silver or gold. The rich and poor have this in common: The Lord made them both. Proverbs 22:1-2 (NLT)

tiger_woods_yall I have rolled this 1st verse around in my mind today—it is hard not to think of Tiger Woods when you read it.  To my sorrow I have delighted in speculating and discussing the sad events that have left him with a stained reputation.

After reading a post of C. J. Mahaney’s entitled “Hunting Tiger Woods”,  I am more focused on the gospel rich news of verse two than in wanting to look down my self righteous nose or point out to Tiger how he failed to heed the wisdom of verse 1!

Verse 2 reminds me that Tiger and I have one common Creator, one Lord, and one Judge. I cannot despise another or gloat over someone else’s sin without defaming the work and reputation of my gracious God.

Gratefully, there is also common ground—level ground at the foot of the cross. There, rich and poor alike can humbly bow.  There we can bring our stained reputations, stained affections, stained motives and stained attitudes and exchange them for the perfect righteousness of our Lord.

May we both care more for our Creator’s reputation than either of ours!

Posted on

Agassi and Atonement

andre Last week I watched the 60 Minutes interview with Andre Agassi and rather than being shocked by his admissions of meth use, of not wanting to marry Brooke Shields or hating to play tennis professionally — I was heart sick saddened. Seriously, who can be “shocked” by anything a celebrity says anymore after all we have heard from the likes of Monica Lewinsky, Mackenzie Phillips, Jodie Sweetin, Brittany Spear’s Mother, Valerie Bertinelli, Marsha Brady, Anne Heche and even Barbara Walters?

There has been such endless vulgar “true” confession monologue in the public arena that we are all immune to being shocked.  What saddened me with Andre was that here was one more celebrity who thinks that they can find “atonement” by spilling their guts to the public. The truth is that now all their muck has been spilled on everyone else and rather than finding atonement we all now share in the filth of those confessions.

Here are Agassi’s own words:

WSJ: One of the themes of the book is that you didn’t want the limelight. You’ve settled into a life outside of tennis. Why put yourself in the spotlight again?

Mr. Agassi: I think one is always tempted to take the easy road and I certainly understood the cost that this would come with because I understood my process. I knew I couldn’t just go halfway up this road. But anything worthwhile in life comes with work and risk. This was part atonement, as well. I had something that most people don’t get, which is a second chance at my life. Everyday has been a form of atonement. And this book is that.

Jim Chairusmi, Wall Street Journal, November 14, 2009

imageThe word atonement means “to effect reconciliation” more specifically it references a broken union that needs to be restored or an ideal union that needs to be realized.  In reading Hebrews this morning I was struck by how the Scripture clarifies that the broken union that needs reconciling is not between me and my fellow man but first me and the God who created me.

I was also struck with the truth that atonement is not something that we can do for ourselves. These words if trusted would end Andre’s futile conscience cleansing effort of seeing every day as another day that he has to work for atonement.

In Christ, this once for all work has already been done!  His completed work is the trophy of life.

14 How much more, then, will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself unblemished to God, cleanse our consciences from acts that lead to death, so that we may serve the living God!
15 For this reason Christ is the mediator of a new covenant, that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance–now that he has died as a ransom to set them free from the sins committed under the first covenant. ..
28 so Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many people; and he will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him.   Hebrews 9:14-15, 28 (NIV)

Posted on

Gone to the Dogs

I read an article this morning about Covenant Presbyterian Church in LA. They have begun a dog friendly worship service that was described this way:

The 30-minute pet boarding worship, complete with individual doggie beds, canine prayers and a tray of dog treats for the offering, is intended to reinvigorate the church’s community outreach while attracting new members who are as crazy about God as they are about their four-legged friends. If you have a dog to need special care I recommend to use CBD oil. Pet products that contain CBD (cannabidiol) are being developed at the speed of light. Visit this website https://www.laweekly.com/best-cbd-oil-for-dogs/ and learn more about CBD for pets.

dogworshipday

Interesting how we Christians look down on people who worship cows and other animals — but do we need to rethink our animal affections?

With worship services being structured around dogs, how far are we from what the Hindus have been observing for years? Did you know that November 1st is dog worship day in Nepal.

“The second day is called ‘Kukur tihar’, dogs day. A dog plays many roles in our society. We have dogs in our houses as guardian of the house. As the legend also says that there is a dog at yama’s gate guarding the gate to the underworld. The dog is also the steed of the fearful Bhairab, the god of destruction. So on this day a big red tika is put on a dog’s forehead and a beautiful garland around the neck. After worshipping the dog, it is given very delicious meal. This day the saying ‘every dog has his day’ comes true; for even a stray dog is looked upon with respect. We pray to the dog to guard our house as he guards the gate of the underworld and to divert destruction away from our homes. On this day you can see dogs running around with garlands on their neck. Happy kukur tihar!” (Amrita, Yesu Garden Blog)

Do the following words of Scripture suggest that God is any more pleased with pet centered passions than self centered ones?

Exodus 20:3-4 (NLT)
3 “You must not have any other god but me.
4 “You must not make for yourself an idol of any kind or an image of anything in the heavens or on the earth or in the sea.

Romans 1:25 (NLT)
25 They traded the truth about God for a lie. So they worshiped and served the things God created instead of the Creator himself, who is worthy of eternal praise! Amen.

Mark 12:30 (NLT)
30 And you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength.’

Exodus 32:7-10 (NLT)
7 The Lord told Moses, “Quick! Go down the mountain! Your people whom you brought from the land of Egypt have corrupted themselves.
8 How quickly they have turned away from the way I commanded them to live! They have melted down gold and made a calf, and they have bowed down and sacrificed to it. They are saying, ‘These are your gods, O Israel, who brought you out of the land of Egypt.’”
9 Then the Lord said, “I have seen how stubborn and rebellious these people are.
10 Now leave me alone so my fierce anger can blaze against them, and I will destroy them. Then I will make you, Moses, into a great nation.”

2 Kings 17:12-15 (NLT)
12 Yes, they worshiped idols, despite the Lord’s specific and repeated warnings…they went after false idols and became false.

A visit to Stony Point mall makes me know that we have surpassed the Nepalese—here in America dogs can have their day everyday!  I’m just sayin’…

Posted on

Together on Planet Mom

As Mentor Mom of a MOPS group at my church, I have been rolling this year’s theme around in my mind for several months.  It does not take a rocket science to convince a new Mom that becoming a Mom changes everything!

PlanetMom_med My son was born on August 19th and by about August 30th I was very much aware that life as I knew it had changed—I had been transported to another planet. This planet was not so orderly—laundry piled up everywhere. It had new smells—mostly spit up and dirty diapers. It required me to participate in previously unheard of activities like hooking a vacuum creating contraption to my breast and never moving without stopping to strap something on or grab the handle of a carrier that was as heavy as a space capsule!  It didn’t take me long to realize that you don’t wear normal clothes on this planet either…normal seemed a long way away.

It was a planet where you become very familiar with the look and sounds of the middle of the night.  You don’t sleep much on Planet Mom and that affects your thinking so much that they have named the condition “Momnesia”.  There were days when I couldn’t remember if I had brushed my teeth or not—the truth was I didn’t have the energy to care!

When my son was 3 weeks old, dear friends who had no children yet said, “Let’s go out to eat!”  We hadn’t been in our favorite restaurant very long when to my surprise, I found myself stuck in a stall in the bathroom.  There I struggled to get undressed and  in a cold, nervous sweat sought to nurse this child who was determined to scream uncontrollably.  In that alien moment, I remember looking up at the ceiling and thinking, “Toto, we’re not in Kansas anymore!”

Our lives are so different on Planet Mom. I liked my old planet. It was quiet. I knew what to expect. I felt competent– went out with my husband frequently. I even had friends. But now, ugh.

Isn’t that what life seems like as a mom of preschoolers? The life we knew before we had children no longer exists. Things have changed. All of our relationships have changed, relationships with our spouse, our friends and maybe even with our children when another child comes along.

All of this change was made more difficult by the fact that this child that had come into my home looked to insecure, overwhelmed, exhausted me to be his guide to the galaxy! 

mother-kissing-baby (Small) As I think back, I believe that God brought me to the end of myself when he blessed me with a child. Another way to say that is to say, God was pursuing a relationship with me and the gift of my child was the “tool” He used to get me to think about Him.  Motherhood humbled me and my self confidence evaporated and pressed me to look around to see if there was anyone up to this new task of being a child’s 24/7 care giver.  The Lord let me know that “where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them.” (Matthew 18:20)

Because the Lord is not bodily present it is easy to forget about Him—our thoughts of Him are often more like the forgotten tube sock that has fallen between the dryer and the washer than a conscious inclusion of Him in the everyday routine of living.

Here are some practical ideas that might help you gather in His name as you mother your child:

  • Say “no” to one thing next week and fill the created space with God. Read Proverbs or Psalms or 1 chapter of Scripture and make your mind think on those words all day long.
  • Every time you think of Him interact with Him. Talk out loud to the Lord—people will just think the sleep deprivation is getting to you.
  • Let the living parable of mothering teach you more about God. Think often of how much you learn about the way we are to relate to God by thinking how dependent your child is on you.
  • When you feel overwhelmed and frustrated, thank God that He is using your child’s neediness to expose your selfish heart and repent and receive new grace for the day.
  • Thank God that He has given you something greater than self actualization to live for.

What is in your heart will flow out into your parenting. The best way to improve your parenting is to draw near to God.  While your child looks to you to be his/her guide to the galaxy, you have a Lord who has promised to be yours!