God's Handiwork

            “For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” (Eph 2:10). 

Our guest speaker yesterday referenced this passage yesterday during her children’s sermon.  Her point was that one person can’t do everything; they would break.  But, a whole bunch of people working as a team is much harder to break and we all have a role to play.  The verse struck me a bit differently, especially the second part.  We are God’s creation, and, as children of Christ, we are made to do good works.  Now those good works we are made to do – God has already prepared them for us to do.  The question is, how do we know what those good works are?

In our Sunday School class we’ve been reading SoulShift by Steve DeNeff and David Drury.  The book details 7 different transformations that take place in the Christian life.  This week we looked at the shift from asking others for advice to listening for God’s direction.  Asking others for advice is something we all do, especially when it comes to big decisions – taking a new job, moving, getting married, etc.  While that is not a bad thing, we also need to make sure we quiet ourselves and listen to what God has for us.  God has a plan for us; there are good works planned in advance for us to do.  The kicker is we have to be listening to God in order to accomplish them.

So, how do you listen for God’s voice?  How do you tune out the distractions of this world to find the good works that God has prepared for you to accomplish?

The Nature of God

                As I was reading Psalm 31 the other day I came across this verse: “Since you are my rock and my fortress, for the sake of your name lead and guide me.” (Psalm 31:3)  As I pondered that I realized there is another psalm with a similar line in it.  “He guides me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.” (Psalm 23:3)

                So, we have two separate passages that both indicate that God leads us because of his name.  That struck me a very profound.  God doesn’t lead us because we ask for guidance, although that helps.  He doesn’t guide us because we’ve suddenly gotten lost and need help finding our way again, although that happens as well.  He guides us because it is in his very nature to do so.  Not guiding us would be a complete violation of who God is; it would go against his very nature.

                A few weeks ago Renee and I took a small vacation down to the Hocking Hills area of Ohio.  It’s a beautiful area with lots of natural gorges, waterfalls, and caves.  It also has a multitude of trails to hike.  At the head of each trail is a sign warning hikers to stay on the trail.  A few trails are paved so it’s pretty easy to stay on the trail.  But most of them are leaf covered dirt paths that aren’t always so clearly defined.  Occasionally, staying on the trail meant we had to climb over and around rocks.  When we hit those rocky parts there were no guides to tell us exactly how to get over/around them; we had to figure it out for ourselves.

                We came across a few park rangers out along the various trails, but for the most part, the people we encountered were fellow hikers.  If we had found ourselves in a difficult situation we would have been dependent on our fellow hikers to help us out or go find a park ranger to help us.  Thankfully, God is better that a park ranger.  God is like the ranger who greets you and the trail head and says “Good morning, let me lead and guide you today.”  You don’t have to ask for it; you don’t have to need it; you just have to accept it. 

Of course, there are a few differences between a trail in a state park and the path God leads you on.   A state park trail has a set length and is generally free from very treacherous terrain (or there are warnings of difficulty prior to heading out).  If you so choose, you don’t have to hike any trails with difficult terrain.  You can stay on the “easy” or “slightly rugged” trails and skip the “rugged” or “very rugged” trails.  State park trails usually end at the same place they begin.  While hiking one of these trails, it’s usually fairly easy to see the terrain several steps in front of where you are.

God’s path is quite different.  It’s virtually guaranteed that there will be treacherous terrain.  We don’t know how long the journey will be, especially the treacherous sections.  We definitely will not end at the same place we began.  And, we may not be able to see more that a step or two ahead of where we currently are.  However, while we walk this path we can be confident that we have a guide who sees every step of the entire journey.  He will carry us through the rough patches and guide each of our steps.  God does not desire for us to wind up where we started; he wants to see us grow and mature into the person we were meant to be.  Knowing that is a very comforting thought, especially during the rough patches.

Purpose

I came across this Venn diagram on Facebook the other week and I've been pondering it ever since:

Clearly, the idea is that our purpose is something that fulfills each of the four circles.  So here's my question - is it an accurate model, or are there flaws?

I think it can be an accurate model, but it definitely has some flaws.  How do you define the parameters of each of the 4 large circles?

You Love It - this one seems pretty straightforward, so no real problem there.

The World Needs It - according to what definition of need.  Most people in the U.S. need financial advisors and retirement planners.  Most people in 3rd-world countries do not.  So, can working for Edward Jones, Charles Schwab, etc be your purpose?

You Get Paid For It - great, but does it have to be enough to pay the bills?  This is the big one for me, because it presents the largest challenge.  I think many people struggle to find that one thing that likely meets the other 3 criteria and pays the bills

You Are Great At It - who determines your greatness.  Is simply your own feeling?  Is it based off of performance reviews by your boss?  What about the opinions of your colleagues? Customers?

While I think the model is good, I think many of us spend our days working in two different areas of the model.  We usually have something that fits within two or three of the circles and then we have something else that fits within the 4th circle and, hopefully, one of the other adjacent circles.

What do you think?

Imperfection

                Imperfection – seems like it should be a dirty word or something.  I mean who wants to be imperfect.  No one deliberately makes mistakes, save in pursue of some ulterior motive not immediately recognizable by the audience.  Sure, we know we’re not perfect and we know we’re going to make mistakes.  If you’re like me, those mistakes can become the focal point of the day.  They can mar an otherwise good day at work or home.  They can turn a beautiful performance into something you would like to forget.  Maybe those mistakes shouldn’t be the focal point.  Yes, they happened and we should learn from them, but maybe they shouldn’t be allowed to dominate the picture.

                Last Easter was one of those Sundays where my mistakes took over the picture, at least for me.  Easter Sunday 2014 was the first Sunday with the new sound system in place and I was excited.  Now I was going to be able to do a lot more with worship.  I was all set to bust out the electric guitar and do some really cool stuff.  Two mistakes, though dominated my thoughts on the service.  One was a minor problem between two effects on my electric guitar and the other was a new song that almost became a complete train wreck.  Funny thing though, no one mentioned the train wreck.  A few people commented on the effects glitch since it had caused a dramatic change in volume.  Most people commented on how nice the new system was and how much they enjoyed the service.  And yet, all I could think about was everything that had gone wrong.  It wasn’t a bad service.  In fact, it was a pretty good service overall.

                Maybe our biggest flaw isn’t the imperfection itself, but our reaction to it.  As someone who leads worship, I think that may very well be the case.  If I miss a chord, lyric, or note it probably won’t get noticed by the vast majority of the congregation.  If I grimace, wince, or make any strong visual indication of my disgust with the error, that will get noticed.  It might even be enough to detract from the overall impact of the service.

                In his book Music as Prayer, Thomas Troeger writes a brief essay entitled “Wrong Notes in a Splendid Performance” in which he reflects on one of his own performances and the impact of a single mistake.  He recounts how he was doing a final run through of a flute piece with his teacher prior to a recital.  Just before a rest of several beats, he missed a note.  One single note.  As he writes it, “evidently my grimace had been severe enough that it appeared as if I had swallows something vile and repugnant.”  Once he had finished playing through the piece, his teacher remarked on how much that grimace affected the overall impression of the performance.  The grimace after one wrong note became the lasting impression.  The overall skill and beauty of the performance was swallowed up by a single moment of disgust.  Fortunately for Troeger, it was a rehearsal and not the performance for the public.

                Troeger’s essay struck a chord with me.  As a worship leader, it’s something I need to keep in mind.  While I would like perfection, it’s not always going to happen.  Something will probably go wrong – hit a wrong chord, get off beat a tad, etc. – but, I have to press on and not let the mistake show.  If my expression on stage conveys disgust or problems with the song, it can take away from what God is doing.  As Troeger puts it:

And is that not our ultimate goal – that the spirit of the work, drawn from the spirit that animates all things, might breathe through our music-making into the listeners’ hearts?  Or to put the matter as a variation on the words of St. Paul (2 Corinthians 4:7), we have this treasure of music in fingers and feet and vocal chords that do not always hit the right key or pedal or pitch so that it may be clear that the wonder and beauty of music is something greater than ourselves.

I think that sums it up quite nicely.  Our mistakes and imperfections should not be an opportunity for us to chide or get down on ourselves.  They are an opportunity for God’s glory to shine through us.  Yes, we might make one small mistake, or even a big one, but, if we’ve given it our best, God can use our offering for His glory.

It's Been Awhile

                So I had a post on Psalm 28 a few weeks ago, but it just seemed very bland.  It was something ginned up just to have something on Psalm 28, instead of something I really felt.  I slept on it and finally found that my problem was that Psalm 28 seems like several other psalms.  I also needed to take some time to focus on some other important matters.  Anyway, back to Psalm 28.  The problem is that, like some others I've covered recently, this one follows the same basic blueprint.

                First, there’s the “oh God hear my cry” part.  Second, it’s the “I’m surrounded by evil / wicked / slanderous people who do me wrong so avenge / defend me please.”  Finally, there’s the celebration that God has heard David’s plea.  Now, I don’t mean to be trite or mocking here.  It’s just that these psalms all seem to wrap up nicely and my life is not wrapped up with a pretty little bow.  The psalm doesn't indicate how long David cried for God to hear him.  But reading it now, it moves along quickly.  It loses the sense of anguish that David probably felt during that opening "oh God hear my cry" part.  That's where I'm at now.

I’m stuck in the first two parts.  I’m stuck pleading with God to hear my prayers.  I’m stuck asking God to deliver me from my distress.  I’m stuck because I don’t know how this will all play out.  Yes, I have faith that God is good and He does care for His children.  I just don’t know how this story goes and it’s in the not knowing that I’m scared. 

When life doesn't play out the way you expected, it causes some distress. Those twists and turns are sometimes manageable and sometimes, like now, I struggle with how to define myself.  The psalms are full of passages that show the writer going through struggles and difficult times, but they seem to always have a happy ending.  Right now, in the middle of the storm, it’s hard to deal with the happy endings.  Right now, all I can hear is the rain pouring down and wind whistling through.  I’m stuck at Psalm 28:1 – “To you I call, O Lord my Rock; do not turn a deaf ear to me.  For if you remain silent, I will be like those who have gone down to the pit.” I can’t seem to get to verse 6 – “Praise be to the Lord, for he has heard my cry for mercy.” 

When Mega-Churches Go Bad?

“Power tends to corrupt and absolute power corrupts absolutely” – Lord Acton

                Most of us are familiar with the quote above and we often think about it as it applies to politics and politicians.  We see how the power to govern a state corrupts governors.  We see Senators and Congressmen get unseated because the wielded their power incorrectly.  The desire to hold power even took down a president.  Sometimes the politician in question has to face criminal repercussions for his/her actions; sometimes they just get voted out of office.  Regardless, we hold them accountable for their actions. 

But what do we do when the people who have abused their power lead some of the biggest churches in America?  It’s a question that’s been on my mind for the last several weeks and three key churches come to mind – Steven Furtick’s Elevation Church, Mark Driscoll’s Mars Hill Church, and C.J. Mahaney’s Sovereign Grace Ministries.  All three churches have enjoyed a certain amount of success and broad appeal beyond their congregation(s).  All three have multiple campuses.  Elevation and Mars Hill have been the launch pad for the popular Christian bands Elevation and Citizens, respectively.  Bob Kauflin and the music team at SGM have done some great things with old hymns and Kauflin has written multiple books containing some very valuable insights into being a worship leader.  But all three churches have big problems.

Elevation – Steven Furtick lives in a $1.7 million, 16,000 square foot mansion.  It has 5 bedroom and 7 ½ bathrooms for a family of Furtick, his wife, and their 3 children.  Seems overly excessive and a waste of money that could be better spent caring for the poor, the orphaned, and the needy as the Bible tells us.  Furtick wants us all to believe that the money for the home came entirely from sales of his books, but many people aren’t buying it and Elevation isn’t doing anything to clear it up.  Part of the problem is that Furtick doesn’t actually own the home.  It’s owned by a trust run by another pastor at Elevation.  If the money came entirely from book sales, why does a trust run by another pastor at the church actually control the property?

Mars Hill – Pastor Rob Driscoll has created quite a mega-church out in the Seattle area that has gone global.  Sadly, he’s been running it like a corporation, not a church.  If you are to be a member of the leadership team at Mars Hill, you have to sign a “Unity of Mission” statement.  It’s basically a non-compete clause that states if you leave Mars Hill to pursue ministry elsewhere, you will not serve at a church within 10 miles of any Mars Hill church.  There’s also clear evidence that Mars Hill used church funds to buy up large numbers of Driscoll’s books and keep those books on bestseller lists.  Profits from the sale of said books went to Driscoll, not the church.  Lastly, there are the formal charges leveled against Driscoll by 21 former pastors alleging that Driscoll is unfit to pastor a church.  To be fair, Driscoll just announced that he is stepping away from ministry for the next 6 weeks while independent members of the Mars Hill Board of Advisors and Accountability investigate the charges.

Sovereign Grace Ministries – In short, it’s a smaller protestant version of the sex abuse scandal that has plagued the Catholic church for the last few decades.  Abuse happened and pastors covered it up.  Members were asked to forgive the abusers and not report it to the police.  Grant Layman, C.J. Mahaney’s brother-in-law, has admitted to the cover up and I have a hard time believing Mahaney’s claims that he never knew about it.  There are enough people who were abused during their time with SGM that there is actually a survivors website – SGMSurvivors.com.  I’m sorry, but no experience with the church should be so bad that people see themselves as having survived the experience.

So here’s my dilemma: how do I, as a Christian, respond to these three churches?  In each case there are serious questions regarding abuse of power, finances, and/or congregants.  This post was originally much longer, but I realized that I didn't want to get into a detailed recounting of all the problems with each church and the accompanying detail explanation of all my objections.  I also had a brief conversation on the topic with my pastor and he reminded me that, to borrow from St. Augustine, truth is truth wherever it is found.  So when it comes to my decision to read Bob Kauflin’s Worship Matters (I already own it) it shouldn’t necessarily be about the church he is a part of, but is he sharing truth?  Setting that one book aside, how do I relate to these churches?  Obviously, I don’t attend any of them.  Just as clearly, I should be praying about it.  I don’t think I’ll be buying any books written by the pastors anytime soon.  But what about buying music from Elevation Band or Citizens?  Citizens is getting some rave reviews and now their frontman, Zach Bolen, has stepped down from his leadership position with Mars Hill.  I guess the key question comes down to figuring out what constitutes support for these churches/pastors.  It’s one I don’t have an answer to, but I’m hoping to find it.