Learning About Christian Leadership
Acts 20:17-37
1. Who has served as a spiritual role model for you? What about that person has rubbed off on you?
2. What characterized Paul's ministry?
3. What does it mean to “keep watch”?
4. How & why is their appointment as elders divine, humbling & dangerous?
1 Thessalonians 2:1-13
1. What was one of your most memorable failures? (church, work, sports)
2. What does 'ethical' ministry look like? & the opposite?
3. How would Paul's example of perseverance in the face of persecution encourage them?
4. What characteristics of a faithful Christian leader are listed?
1 Timothy 3:1-15
1. When you were young, what did you aspire to be when you grew up?
2. Why a list of qualifications only, and not duties?
3. What kind of 'test' do you suppose the deacons were given?
4. Are these qualities important for all Christians?
Friday, October 1, 2010
Thursday, June 24, 2010
the insane cycle of church shopping
We all see it but don't want to talk about it. Ours is a culture of consumerism, and the church is not exempt. People come, people go. People stray and then return. People stay and pout, people stay away and pout. And God loves them all. Those in church leadership have to be patient, prayerful, tactful, respectful and loving with this dynamic. Yet a good smile is necessary to keep one's sanity in the midst of it all.
Brian McLaren helps me out. He writes in A New Kind of Christianity (Harper One 2010)
Catholics are saved from ritualism by becoming Pentacostal. Pentacostals are saved from emotionalism by becoming Presbyterian. Presbyterians are saved from rationalism by becoming Eastern Orthodox. Eastern Orthodox are saved from clericalism by becoming Baptist. Baptists are saved from historical amnesia by becoming Catholic.
Simple churches save people from complexity and complex churches save people from simplicity.
Exciting churches save people from boredom and quiet churches save people from hoopla and hype.
Around and around the cycle goes.
:-)
Friday, December 11, 2009
the hard work of preaching
I am not sure if this should encourage me, motivate me or what! Not sure if this is a good thing or not. I have been re-reading a book from my Seminary days (those days when all young theology students imagined themselves as "giants in the preaching world" after the order of Charles Spurgeon or Billy Graham!)
The book is Warren Wiersbe's Walking with the Giants, Baker 1976. Chapter 3 is about Alexander Maclaren, 1826 - 1910.
....it seems Maclaren "often said he could never prepare sermons while wearing slippers; he always wore his outdoor boots" - to suggest how hard the work of study and preparation really is. Wiersbe says "when you read his sermons, you can quickly tell that they were not manufactured between conferences and committee meetings" ....thus "he took it seriously" ... hmmm
Maclaren was born in Glasgow. He started in a few small quiet places and then did 45 years at Union Chapel in Manchester. Maclaren told ministerial students "I thank God that I was stuck down in a quiet, little obscure place to begin my ministry; for that is what spoils half of you young fellows. You get pitched into prominent positions at once, and then fritter yourselves away in all manner of little engagements that you call duties.... instead of stopping at home and reading your Bibles and getting near to God".
I recall being taught by the late great Harold Ockenga that sermon preparation time should be one hour for every minute of speaking.
My cynical response to Wiersbe and Ockenga is "ya, right".
And we are still waiting for some publisher to request my sermons or some biographer to research my career (LOL) - so, after 40 years of preaching I think it is time to turn over a new leaf of discipline and time management.
The book is Warren Wiersbe's Walking with the Giants, Baker 1976. Chapter 3 is about Alexander Maclaren, 1826 - 1910.
....it seems Maclaren "often said he could never prepare sermons while wearing slippers; he always wore his outdoor boots" - to suggest how hard the work of study and preparation really is. Wiersbe says "when you read his sermons, you can quickly tell that they were not manufactured between conferences and committee meetings" ....thus "he took it seriously" ... hmmm
Maclaren was born in Glasgow. He started in a few small quiet places and then did 45 years at Union Chapel in Manchester. Maclaren told ministerial students "I thank God that I was stuck down in a quiet, little obscure place to begin my ministry; for that is what spoils half of you young fellows. You get pitched into prominent positions at once, and then fritter yourselves away in all manner of little engagements that you call duties.... instead of stopping at home and reading your Bibles and getting near to God".
I recall being taught by the late great Harold Ockenga that sermon preparation time should be one hour for every minute of speaking.
My cynical response to Wiersbe and Ockenga is "ya, right".
And we are still waiting for some publisher to request my sermons or some biographer to research my career (LOL) - so, after 40 years of preaching I think it is time to turn over a new leaf of discipline and time management.
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
trends that will impact how the church does ministry
5 TRENDS THAT WILL IMPACT THE WAY WE DO MINISTRY
Shifting demographics. With new generations dreaming of their place at the table, churches must learn to share leadership with younger congregants. Top-down leadership gets rejected by next generation believers in favor of team dynamics. Thus, it’s critical to allow baby boomers to step sideways and share leadership opportunities at every level of church operations.
Technological advances. Social-media technologies provide churches the opportunity to gain greater exposure, but they also require church leadership to be comfortable giving more people a chance to speak out. And we must accept the reality that conversation is going on whether or not we’re participating in it. We’ve known for quite some time that the broadcast model is dead - dialog over monologue, conversation over one person megaphoning, etc. The perceived threat of opening up the backchannel is now a moot concern - since most people have access to cell phone browsers in their pockets.
New ways to collaborate. With the advent of new technologies, churches (and parachurch organizations) can just as easily work with an individual located across the country (or world) as they can through their local parish or church. And today, individuals would rather connect with those they share values with rather than those who are simply geographically close. Furthermore, these connections often morph into movements, networks, alliances, etc. (formerly known as denominations). Collaboration itself is seen as a fundamental value, so isolation / independence is viewed as a dead end.
Greater interest in service. There’s no doubt about it, the next generation speaks the language of volunteerism, but churches need to keep in mind that people have many different reasons for serving and ought to tailor their opportunities to individuals’ interests, gifts & talents. In fact, if your church ministry philosophy is straight, rather than have people to get the jobs done, you have “jobs” to get the people done. Serving is the key to each individual discovering their individual gifts & calling in God, so the fact that it’s en vogue right now to do so is a sure fire win.
Blurred lines between nonprofit and for-profit. There’s a greater emphasis on corporate social responsibility & justice and the emergence of organizations whose primary aim is to “do good”. These groups are challenging the Church’s postmodern identity. Formerly, it was the church who was to care about society. But the Church fell down on it’s responsibilities in many people’s eyes, creating opportunity for other organizations to rise and take on some of the responsibilities that might have been the Church’s. And, social justice & global environmental concerns aren’t just for rock stars anymore. Masses of conscencious people believe these are stewardship issues. Churches now have opportunities for new partnerships with these groups and can link with everything from recycling organizations to social services. In fact, for many young people, feeding & clothing the planet, eradicating stupid poverty, ending the slave trade, etc. are considered the outward works of their faith.
Understanding these trends can greatly benefit the Church at large. And, can often explain why rather than build a multi-million dollar building, young people are more given to using free technology to facilitate their ministry endeavours, networking and collaborating (even globally if necessary), tithing their time and working to improve the common good, rather than just the good of their own church facility or members.
Shifting demographics. With new generations dreaming of their place at the table, churches must learn to share leadership with younger congregants. Top-down leadership gets rejected by next generation believers in favor of team dynamics. Thus, it’s critical to allow baby boomers to step sideways and share leadership opportunities at every level of church operations.
Technological advances. Social-media technologies provide churches the opportunity to gain greater exposure, but they also require church leadership to be comfortable giving more people a chance to speak out. And we must accept the reality that conversation is going on whether or not we’re participating in it. We’ve known for quite some time that the broadcast model is dead - dialog over monologue, conversation over one person megaphoning, etc. The perceived threat of opening up the backchannel is now a moot concern - since most people have access to cell phone browsers in their pockets.
New ways to collaborate. With the advent of new technologies, churches (and parachurch organizations) can just as easily work with an individual located across the country (or world) as they can through their local parish or church. And today, individuals would rather connect with those they share values with rather than those who are simply geographically close. Furthermore, these connections often morph into movements, networks, alliances, etc. (formerly known as denominations). Collaboration itself is seen as a fundamental value, so isolation / independence is viewed as a dead end.
Greater interest in service. There’s no doubt about it, the next generation speaks the language of volunteerism, but churches need to keep in mind that people have many different reasons for serving and ought to tailor their opportunities to individuals’ interests, gifts & talents. In fact, if your church ministry philosophy is straight, rather than have people to get the jobs done, you have “jobs” to get the people done. Serving is the key to each individual discovering their individual gifts & calling in God, so the fact that it’s en vogue right now to do so is a sure fire win.
Blurred lines between nonprofit and for-profit. There’s a greater emphasis on corporate social responsibility & justice and the emergence of organizations whose primary aim is to “do good”. These groups are challenging the Church’s postmodern identity. Formerly, it was the church who was to care about society. But the Church fell down on it’s responsibilities in many people’s eyes, creating opportunity for other organizations to rise and take on some of the responsibilities that might have been the Church’s. And, social justice & global environmental concerns aren’t just for rock stars anymore. Masses of conscencious people believe these are stewardship issues. Churches now have opportunities for new partnerships with these groups and can link with everything from recycling organizations to social services. In fact, for many young people, feeding & clothing the planet, eradicating stupid poverty, ending the slave trade, etc. are considered the outward works of their faith.
Understanding these trends can greatly benefit the Church at large. And, can often explain why rather than build a multi-million dollar building, young people are more given to using free technology to facilitate their ministry endeavours, networking and collaborating (even globally if necessary), tithing their time and working to improve the common good, rather than just the good of their own church facility or members.
Tuesday, July 28, 2009
Hi everyone!
I must tell you, there were some very interesting responses indeed! I asked two questions on twitter/facebook yesterday:
#1. if Jesus had our technology, would he use Twitter & FB?
#2. which celeb is really worth my time to follow on twitter?
I also sent to the ministry mailing group (you) a link to an article about church and technology. It prompted responses as well, and I will mention some of them when I comment on the results of Q. #2.
Let me deal with #2 first, as it is was really meant to be fun, and it had less responses: You will /might remember a month or two ago, when there was a race on to see who could get more than a million followers on Twitter first. CNN or Ashton Kutcher. Larry King ended up interviewing Ashton as the ‘king of twitter’. Now all sorts of celebrities, (entertainment, political, sports, religious) are using Twitter. So I thought I really needed to as k the questions.
Cor from BC (sarcastically, ‘tongue in cheek’ I hope) responded to #2 “well Brittany Spears, obviously” – like, how could I ignore her! Cindy F. in Brockville was emphatic with her bold letters, preaching to the preacher, “NONE”! And Chris from New Hampshire suggested Rick Warren of Saddleback Church.
Q. #1 was more successful in generating responses.
• Amanda from Brockville was clever: “I don’t think Jesus would be twitterpated”. She obviously had been reading her Urban dictionary.
• Christi-Anne from Calgary said yes to FB (“because lots of people would want to be his virtual friend”) but was unsure about Twitter.
• Marg from Brockville says yes to both.
• Chris from NH says “Definitely! And the Church should really be using them more, too! Some churches already are seeing great things happening as a result. Continuing the Sunday AM connection to 24/7 networking can be great for building unity in a local body, clearly communicating vision, fostering a better sense of connection and familiarity between congregations and pastors, and between the ‘early service’ members and ‘late service’ members of the same church”. It was Chris who directed me to a very good read on why a pastor is using Twitter and FB. Check it out here John Piper Here is a sample of what Piper writes: But it seems to us that aggressive efforts to saturate a media with the supremacy of God, the truth of Scripture, the glory of Christ, the joy of the gospel, the insanity of sin, and the radical nature of Christian living is a good choice for some Christians….I find Twitter to be a kind of taunt: "Okay, truth-lover, see what you can do with 140 characters! You say your mission is to spread a passion for the supremacy of God in all things! Well, this is one of those 'all things.' Can you magnify Christ with this thimble-full of letters?" To which I respond:
The sovereign Lord of the earth and sky
Puts camels through a needle's eye.
And if his wisdom see it mete,
He will put worlds inside a tweet.
• Cor from BC had actually thought about that same thing: “could he cut down his parables to however many characters twitter allows? 'Rich man grows lots of corn and doesn't share. Dies in sleep.’ Think that would work?”
• Yvonne from Brockville thinks it just might work due to people’s shortened attention spans these days.
• David from Brockville raises the question about church members that don’t have computers or cell phones. How prudent is technology if a high percentage of the church people are not connected via technology?
• Lou from Florida legitimately points out that modern technology does not guarantee faithful discipleship, righteous behaviour or the prevention of hypocrisy.
___________________
I am so grateful to all who took time to give their opinion. Thanks!
My brief comments (an remember I sometimes overstate to make my point! – and that’s an understatement, just ask my family!):
1. Whether we like it or not, it is now a world of instant communication. The faster you can do it, the more effective you will be. Those who live and breathe in the digital/virtual communication age see it as essential and legitimate. Critics can tell us it isn’t the same as ‘face to face’ or even telephone – it isn’t; but don’t try to tell us that it isn’t legitimate. Try suggesting to your teen that the text message they just got from their best friend is less real, less significant, than a letter that arrives in the mail later in the week saying the exact same thing.
2. Whether we like it or not, it is now a visual world. Much more than baby boomers who were raised on TV, or their children who were raised on computers. It is the world of YouTube. Short video clips speak to young adults and youth in a phenomenal way. Cell phones are not for talking!! Churches must learn to speak the language of the people. We would not think of reading/preaching from the Bible in Latin or a foreign language and expect people to stick around, never mind love it, obey it, embrace it. Ya, I’ll take the Gospel to a long lost tribe in the Amazon, I’ll help them with hygiene and food cultivation, but I won’t attempt to learn their language. They better learn to read and write and speak my language first, or they don’t deserve any help! Yup, that will work won’t it. Interesting: I just read a newspaper article on a new form of mystery/novel writing. A younger generation has trouble with books. Movies are preferred. This author has written a novel, and after every few chapters, a password is given to go online and watch a professional movie quality video that leads you into the next series of chapters. Mixing the media to tell the story. Can the church learn something here?
3. If I’m looking for a new Dentist, I will choose one that has the newest technology and expertise. I expect x-ray equipment and something more than just a pair of pliers and drill from Canadian Tire. If I am going to a travel agent (actually I don’t anymore, but let’s just pretend) I want one who has a computer, not just a phone and a few brochures. If I am looking for a house to buy I want a real estate agent who actually at least has photos to show me, and preferably on line virtual tours. If I am trying to sell my house I want an agent who does MLS not just ‘word of mouth’. So why is it we think that people looking for a church set out hoping to find one that still uses gestetners, flannel graphs and unrecognizable religious terminology and ritual. Replica churches at Upper Canada Village are quaint. When someone is desperately searching (‘shopping’?) for God they don’t want quaint!
4. In a past church I started an email ministry (just like this one, safe@first, leadership first). I updated the website as well. One elder/leader came to me and insisted that nothing should be communicated by email or on the website that is not communicated by mouth from the pulpit or at least in the bulletin – lest those without computers miss something. The compromise was to make paper copies for a half dozen leaders every time an email was sent. Carry this thinking to its logical conclusion. I’d better not say anything on Sunday just in case some people are missing. Only speak/preach if every single person is there…. Because some don’t tweet and some don’t surf is no reason to back off on new forms of communication/contact. (Granted care must be taken not to make one group feel like second class citizens – and I have probably been guilty of that sometimes – and care must be taken to make sure traditional forms of communication, like talking face to face, are not abandoned – LOL) … Some churches long ago junked the paper bulletin for power point, website and email announcements.
BOTTOM LINE: Church is about connecting people to God, to each other and to their community. Whatever makes that happen – let’s go for it!
Blessings,
Doug
I must tell you, there were some very interesting responses indeed! I asked two questions on twitter/facebook yesterday:
#1. if Jesus had our technology, would he use Twitter & FB?
#2. which celeb is really worth my time to follow on twitter?
I also sent to the ministry mailing group (you) a link to an article about church and technology. It prompted responses as well, and I will mention some of them when I comment on the results of Q. #2.
Let me deal with #2 first, as it is was really meant to be fun, and it had less responses: You will /might remember a month or two ago, when there was a race on to see who could get more than a million followers on Twitter first. CNN or Ashton Kutcher. Larry King ended up interviewing Ashton as the ‘king of twitter’. Now all sorts of celebrities, (entertainment, political, sports, religious) are using Twitter. So I thought I really needed to as k the questions.
Cor from BC (sarcastically, ‘tongue in cheek’ I hope) responded to #2 “well Brittany Spears, obviously” – like, how could I ignore her! Cindy F. in Brockville was emphatic with her bold letters, preaching to the preacher, “NONE”! And Chris from New Hampshire suggested Rick Warren of Saddleback Church.
Q. #1 was more successful in generating responses.
• Amanda from Brockville was clever: “I don’t think Jesus would be twitterpated”. She obviously had been reading her Urban dictionary.
• Christi-Anne from Calgary said yes to FB (“because lots of people would want to be his virtual friend”) but was unsure about Twitter.
• Marg from Brockville says yes to both.
• Chris from NH says “Definitely! And the Church should really be using them more, too! Some churches already are seeing great things happening as a result. Continuing the Sunday AM connection to 24/7 networking can be great for building unity in a local body, clearly communicating vision, fostering a better sense of connection and familiarity between congregations and pastors, and between the ‘early service’ members and ‘late service’ members of the same church”. It was Chris who directed me to a very good read on why a pastor is using Twitter and FB. Check it out here John Piper Here is a sample of what Piper writes: But it seems to us that aggressive efforts to saturate a media with the supremacy of God, the truth of Scripture, the glory of Christ, the joy of the gospel, the insanity of sin, and the radical nature of Christian living is a good choice for some Christians….I find Twitter to be a kind of taunt: "Okay, truth-lover, see what you can do with 140 characters! You say your mission is to spread a passion for the supremacy of God in all things! Well, this is one of those 'all things.' Can you magnify Christ with this thimble-full of letters?" To which I respond:
The sovereign Lord of the earth and sky
Puts camels through a needle's eye.
And if his wisdom see it mete,
He will put worlds inside a tweet.
• Cor from BC had actually thought about that same thing: “could he cut down his parables to however many characters twitter allows? 'Rich man grows lots of corn and doesn't share. Dies in sleep.’ Think that would work?”
• Yvonne from Brockville thinks it just might work due to people’s shortened attention spans these days.
• David from Brockville raises the question about church members that don’t have computers or cell phones. How prudent is technology if a high percentage of the church people are not connected via technology?
• Lou from Florida legitimately points out that modern technology does not guarantee faithful discipleship, righteous behaviour or the prevention of hypocrisy.
___________________
I am so grateful to all who took time to give their opinion. Thanks!
My brief comments (an remember I sometimes overstate to make my point! – and that’s an understatement, just ask my family!):
1. Whether we like it or not, it is now a world of instant communication. The faster you can do it, the more effective you will be. Those who live and breathe in the digital/virtual communication age see it as essential and legitimate. Critics can tell us it isn’t the same as ‘face to face’ or even telephone – it isn’t; but don’t try to tell us that it isn’t legitimate. Try suggesting to your teen that the text message they just got from their best friend is less real, less significant, than a letter that arrives in the mail later in the week saying the exact same thing.
2. Whether we like it or not, it is now a visual world. Much more than baby boomers who were raised on TV, or their children who were raised on computers. It is the world of YouTube. Short video clips speak to young adults and youth in a phenomenal way. Cell phones are not for talking!! Churches must learn to speak the language of the people. We would not think of reading/preaching from the Bible in Latin or a foreign language and expect people to stick around, never mind love it, obey it, embrace it. Ya, I’ll take the Gospel to a long lost tribe in the Amazon, I’ll help them with hygiene and food cultivation, but I won’t attempt to learn their language. They better learn to read and write and speak my language first, or they don’t deserve any help! Yup, that will work won’t it. Interesting: I just read a newspaper article on a new form of mystery/novel writing. A younger generation has trouble with books. Movies are preferred. This author has written a novel, and after every few chapters, a password is given to go online and watch a professional movie quality video that leads you into the next series of chapters. Mixing the media to tell the story. Can the church learn something here?
3. If I’m looking for a new Dentist, I will choose one that has the newest technology and expertise. I expect x-ray equipment and something more than just a pair of pliers and drill from Canadian Tire. If I am going to a travel agent (actually I don’t anymore, but let’s just pretend) I want one who has a computer, not just a phone and a few brochures. If I am looking for a house to buy I want a real estate agent who actually at least has photos to show me, and preferably on line virtual tours. If I am trying to sell my house I want an agent who does MLS not just ‘word of mouth’. So why is it we think that people looking for a church set out hoping to find one that still uses gestetners, flannel graphs and unrecognizable religious terminology and ritual. Replica churches at Upper Canada Village are quaint. When someone is desperately searching (‘shopping’?) for God they don’t want quaint!
4. In a past church I started an email ministry (just like this one, safe@first, leadership first). I updated the website as well. One elder/leader came to me and insisted that nothing should be communicated by email or on the website that is not communicated by mouth from the pulpit or at least in the bulletin – lest those without computers miss something. The compromise was to make paper copies for a half dozen leaders every time an email was sent. Carry this thinking to its logical conclusion. I’d better not say anything on Sunday just in case some people are missing. Only speak/preach if every single person is there…. Because some don’t tweet and some don’t surf is no reason to back off on new forms of communication/contact. (Granted care must be taken not to make one group feel like second class citizens – and I have probably been guilty of that sometimes – and care must be taken to make sure traditional forms of communication, like talking face to face, are not abandoned – LOL) … Some churches long ago junked the paper bulletin for power point, website and email announcements.
BOTTOM LINE: Church is about connecting people to God, to each other and to their community. Whatever makes that happen – let’s go for it!
Blessings,
Doug
Saturday, February 14, 2009
significance
Let's face it: everyone wants to know they are valued - both for who they are and what they do. Now the 'good news' about this Jesus stuff is that God accepts us for who we are and not because of what we do. All of us are loved by God. Clearly the Bible tells us that occupation, status and wealth are not the controlling factors when it comes to divine acceptance and a sense of significance in the Lord's eyes. But the Bible also teaches that action counts and service is valued.
Again I am indebted to Carey Nieuwhof for drawing this next point to our attention. "You can tell people they are significant, but until you give them something significant to do, they won't feel significant. Maybe the problem of burnout in churches is not that we have given people too much to do; maybe it's that we've given people too many insignificant things to do."
Let's take it a step further: everything we do in church needs to support the significant goal of connecting people with God. Teaching children, making music, serving food, examining $ signs - these are truly significant when understood in the light of God's grand scheme. God's desire is to connect with people of all ages. Significant people (those treasured by God) do significant things (connect others to God).
Again I am indebted to Carey Nieuwhof for drawing this next point to our attention. "You can tell people they are significant, but until you give them something significant to do, they won't feel significant. Maybe the problem of burnout in churches is not that we have given people too much to do; maybe it's that we've given people too many insignificant things to do."
Let's take it a step further: everything we do in church needs to support the significant goal of connecting people with God. Teaching children, making music, serving food, examining $ signs - these are truly significant when understood in the light of God's grand scheme. God's desire is to connect with people of all ages. Significant people (those treasured by God) do significant things (connect others to God).
Friday, February 6, 2009
outsourcing
My sister-in-law gives exceptional international leadership to a company that specializes in outsourcing solutions. She travels the world negotiating multi-million dollar contracts. SUCCESS in business often depends on outsourcing – the delegating of everything you don't want to do, to someone who will do it for you. Some of this makes sense. No one person or group can possibly do everything! Nor should they, especially if the gifting/talent/money is not present. Things should be done well and efficiently.
I am thankful for Carey Nieuwhof for bringing this subject to the attention of Christians and churches through his ‘Life Matters’ blog. Carey notes:
“But the shadow side of outsourcing is that it can lead to an abdication of responsibility. When I was in high school, I thought math was so awful I remember thinking "when I get older I'm just going to hire someone to do my math." Right. Then I ended up in ministry. Glad I married a smart woman and have smart kids. And that I have a calculator. And that I don't do the finances at our church. Nothing wrong with not being good at something, but I cannot absolve myself of responsibility.”
So here is the ‘big idea’: Some Christians want to outsource their spiritual development/growth. As if leaving it to the Pastor or Sunday School Teacher or my spouse will really work. I cannot delegate my own spiritual growth. I must take responsibility. A decision to participate in the 40 Days of Love campaign makes sense doesn’t it?
I am thankful for Carey Nieuwhof for bringing this subject to the attention of Christians and churches through his ‘Life Matters’ blog. Carey notes:
“But the shadow side of outsourcing is that it can lead to an abdication of responsibility. When I was in high school, I thought math was so awful I remember thinking "when I get older I'm just going to hire someone to do my math." Right. Then I ended up in ministry. Glad I married a smart woman and have smart kids. And that I have a calculator. And that I don't do the finances at our church. Nothing wrong with not being good at something, but I cannot absolve myself of responsibility.”
So here is the ‘big idea’: Some Christians want to outsource their spiritual development/growth. As if leaving it to the Pastor or Sunday School Teacher or my spouse will really work. I cannot delegate my own spiritual growth. I must take responsibility. A decision to participate in the 40 Days of Love campaign makes sense doesn’t it?
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