From the Pen (and Mind) of Warren Wiersbe

 A (longer) excerpt from the book "On Being a Servant of God"

Loyalty means not that I am you, or that I agree with everything you say or that I believe you are always right.  Loyalty means that I share a common ideal with you and that regardless of minor differences we fight for it, shoulder to shoulder, confident in one another's good faith, trust, constancy, and affection.

                                                                                                         - Psychiatrist Karl Menninger

   Our English word loyal comes from the Latin word legere, which means "to choose," "to pick."  It also gives us the words diligent, eligible, and allegiance, all of which are good words to remember in ministry.

   When Paul wrote Philippians 2: 1-4, I think he has loyalty as well as humility in mind.  As you read this inspired admonition, see if you get this loyalty message as I do:

     Therefore if there is any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any affection and mercy, fulfill my joy by being like-minded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind.  Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself.  Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others.

There were "people problems" in the church at Philippi, and Paul urged the members to look beyond their friendship with Euodia, and Syntyche and to remember their loyalty to the Lord.  If every believer would obey Paul's admonition when people disagree (in the church), we'd have fewer divisions (and church splits.)

When there's a difference over something, (in ministry and in life) both sides usually claim to be loyal to the Lord; and one side denounces the other side for its apostasy.  It's fine to affirm our loyalty to Christ, so long as we remember that being loyal to the Lord also means being loyal to one another.  If we are really true to the Lord, we'll be Christlike in the way we treat other people, especially those who disagree with us.  That's what Paul wrote about in Philippians 2.  "We ought to obey God rather than me" is a good biblical principle (Acts 5:29); but let's be sure we obey the Father the way the Son obeyed Him:  "I always do those things that please Him" (John 8:29).

Practicing loyalty means first of all maintaining perspective.  Many disagreements and divisions start when we focus on minor details and forget the big picture.  I think that most Christians agree on goals, but sometimes disagree on how to reach those goals.  It's not the purposes of the church or the biblical principles we follow that create problems, but the procedures we use to accomplish those purposes and implement those principles.  We can't compromise the commission the Lord has given us, but we can negotiate the elements by which we hope to serve Him.  We can't always have our way, and a willingness to give up some of our "rights" may lubricate the machinery.

   I know of one Christian ministry that reads it's "ministry purpose" at the start of every board meeting.  Then the directors look at the agenda to make sure everything on it relates in some way to that purpose.  If during the meeting the discussion starts to digress, somebody will say "Focus!" and the directors will move the discussion back on track.  (Maybe we need to give people permission to say this when it comes to our lives too)

Another key factor in loyalty is caring about the interests of others.  If I'm determined to protect and promote only my small corner of the field, I'm bound to create problems.  I keep coming back to a quotation from Thomas Merton: "To consider persons and events and situations only in the light of their effect upon myself (or my small corner) is to live on the doorstep of hell."

On the eve of our Lord's death, while eating with Him in the Upper Room, the twelve apostles argued over who was the greatest!  It seems incredible that a hunger for recognition should possess them at the hour when their Lord was facing suffering and death.  Holy places and holy occasion provide no immunity against selfishness and pride.  Satan was in the Upper Room, and he has been known to attend board meetings and committee meetings, although he never answers the roll call.

Loyalty requires humility.  Not the false humility of the hypocrite who baits his hook with flatter, but the true humility of the servant who says with sincerity, "What can I do to help?"  God not only hates pride (Prov. 6, 16-17), but He resists it (James 4:6, 1 Peter 5:5).  However, when we practice humility, God pours out His grace; and what a difference that makes!

Loyalty must not be blind; devotion must not lack discernment.  Blind loyalty could give a group of workers a dangerous "mob mentality" that makes them think they're building up the work because they're tearing down everything else.  That's what Samuel Johnson meant when he defined patriotism as "the last refuge of a scoundrel."  Plotting politicians sometimes hide behind the flag; proud Christians sometimes hide behind the cross, and make you think that to differ with them is to resist the Lord Himself.

Loyalty to the Lord and His people isn't pictured by a blender where all of us are homogenized and poured out.  It's more like an army that knows where the enemy is and who the commander is, and that stands heart to heart and shoulder to shoulder, intent on one goal:  victory.  Paul called it "striving together for the faith of the gospel" (Phil. 1:27).  True loyalty doesn't destroy your individuality; it dedicates it to a higher goal and makes you a better person because you're a part of something bigger than yourself.

"Loyalty is making yourself a part of an organization - and making that organization a part of you."  I don't know who first spoke that epigram, but it makes a lot of sense.  If you stop with the first part of the statement, you'll become a robot; and the organization, no matter how noble it may be will eat you alive.  But if you make the organization (ministry) a part of yourself, so that it's something in your heart that throbs with life and challenges you, things will stay in balance..

David's words of counsel to his son Solomon are significant for us today:  "Know the God of your father, and serve Him with a loyal heart and with a willing mind; for the Lord searches all hearts and understands all the intent of the thoughts (1 Chron. 28:9)

The Lord is loyal to us; He has every right to expect us to be loyal to Him and to one another.

Do we have a problem?

Did you know that I've been getting beat up for the last several months?

It's True

I'm 36, 6'4, and just a shade over 200... (o.k.  maybe more than a shade) but I've been getting beat up by a guy who's a couple Millennia my elder

It's from a guy named James.... Actually, it's from his letter.

Some of you may know that I've been working through this letter as lessons for Youth Group, but I'll be honest, one of the reasons I felt led to doing a study on this letter this year wasn't just because I thought it would be good for the Youth... I thought it would be good for me to study it again, and honestly, I think it would be good for all of us to read and re-read it.  This is the first time I've actually posted on my study and what I've been finding/discovering, but I am sure it won't be my last.

anyways...

So, what is our problem you are wondering?  (If you've even made it this far)

We have a hearing problem.

We have gotten James 1:19 a little jumbled up... I think we are reading it wrong...

Let’s see if you can find the error

James 1:19a: "Know this, my beloved brothers; let every person be slow to hear, and quick to speak ...."

Did you catch it?  (If not, feel free to read it again)

I don't think we realize it, but I think we have mixed up a couple words.

It should say “… let every person be quick to hear and slow to speak…”  

Are we living our daily life like a Presidential Debate?  (if you have never watched one, I encourage you to watch one for about ten minutes and you will understand what I'm saying) 

Are we speaking before we hear? 

Actually, let me rephrase that.

 Are we choosing to speak before we fully understand what we hear?

If we choose to speak before we understand what we have heard, we are choosing to speak on what we don't fully know or understand.  When we choose to speak on what we don't fully understand... well let's just say I've never seen a positive outcome as a result.

Just about everyone (not all, but most) I know identifies as Christian and to be a Christian means to be religious.  And James goes on to touch on that in verse 26 where he writes "If anyone thinks he is religious and does not bridle his tongue, deceives himself and this person's religion is worthless."

Man, that is a rough verse…

I wish I could say in my 15+ years of ministry that this issue of being able to speak slowly has been improving in the world and in the church, but unfortunately, it hasn't.  It's been getting worse.  We are starting to speak like the Presidential Debates and saying things for the sake of saying them.  We don't really care if we actually know the full truth or say the full truth, and we don't really care if what we say is hurtful, we just say them because we want everyone else to know what we think we know.  

I wish I could say I was innocent in this whole epidemic, but if I did, I'd be speaking a lie.  I've had it done to me and I know I've (regrettably) done it to others.  But the question is, what am I going to do about it?  It is one of my aims in life to make the Book of James central to how I live my life and I hope you will help me in that quest.  I promise to help you in that as well if you'd like me too.

But before I really go off on a soapbox... it is my hope that we can take the words of James 1: 19-20 to heart

May we fix our selective hearing problem.  Because if we don’t, we will jumble up the rest of the passage.  If we are slow to hear, and quick to speak, then we will also be quick to anger," and the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God."  And in experience, it's not just one person who becomes angry, it's multiple people who become angry.  

Will you help me in my hearing and my speech?  I hope so

I'll help you to if you'd like me too.  It won't be easy... 

But God never said being his disciple would be easy... but he did say it was "the way"

2020 Verbal: It's not just about vision

The Presents have been opened (Maybe even broken)  The Trees have been put away,  the lights have come down off the outside of the house (maybe) and we have welcomed in the New Year (2020) with countless memes and videos of Barbara Walters telling us what year it is and puns galore of how we can have a clear vision for our life in 2020... 

So here we are in the New Year...    Now what?

I have many friends in the ministry world and a lot of them are taking advantage of the year 2020 to start the year with a sermon series of "Keeping a 2020 view of God"  or "2020 vision:  fixing our eyes on God, or... you can fill in the blank  And there is nothing wrong with that at all  (Seriously, of all people, I'm the last one who should have any issues with puns)

But lately I have been thinking...

We have been spending so much time talking about our vision, and our view of God... What about our "verbal" or our body language?"  What about what we say?  What about how our "actions" talk?

Many (if not all of you) have probably heard at one point or another that Jesus was referred to as the second (last) Adam  (see 1 Corinthians 14:45 if you haven't)  Now there have been countless hours spent by many theologians who are much smarter than me and dozens/if not hundreds of books have been written on the matter of Christ being the "last Adam" and I'm sure many of them are great.  But when I look at them, I look at the "first recorded words" that Scripture has them saying to their "Parents"  (In Adam's case it's God... it Jesus' case it's Mary and Joseph) I wonder how many of us know just which "Adam" we take our cues from in speech and in action.

Maybe right now you are wondering (if you made it this far) what in the world my point is

Here it is simply (I hope)

When I look at Genesis 3, I think the first recorded conversation between Adam and God was after he sinned by eating from the tree of life.  In that the context of that conversation Adam had just eaten from the Tree of Life, realized he had sinned, and hid from God when he heard God asking "Where are you?"  When God found him he said he heard him looking for him and he hid away from God" (We can get into the double meaning of that verse alone some other time)

When I look in the later section of Luke 2, we have the first recorded conversation Jesus had with his parents Mary and Joseph.  They had just finished celebrating the Passover and a day after leaving they realized Jesus was not with him, when they found him in the Temple they asked him where he had been and he told them "He had to be in his Fathers house

Two "Adam's"
One "hid" from God
One "hid" with God

Which one will you be?

When you hear God talking to you, or calling for you in 2020, what will your response be?

Will you hear him calling and go and hide?

Will you hear him calling and go and enter his house?

I heard a quote once (and now I don't remember who it was from and my quick paraphrased search didn't help me discover who said it)  But it said "the first thoughts you have and the first person you spend time with in the morning will set the tone for the rest of your day."

Keeping our vision on Christ is important

But keeping our lives in Christ is what helps us have that vision. 

When you wake up each morning, what are the first verbal words you will say? 

Will they indicate you are hiding from him?

Or will they indicate you are in His House?

Lets not just shoot for a clear vision of God, lets shoot for living a clear Life of God

Are we ready?

I'd be willing to guess that at some point recently you have been asked; "Are you ready for Christmas yet?"  

I'd also be willing to guess that the answer to that question has probably been a quick "no" followed by a sigh.   But why aren't we?  It's because, we don't have all the lights up, The ham hasn't been purchased yet, the gifts aren't all wrapped, let alone purchased.  And come to think of it, we haven't even decorated the tree yet... (Not to mention we probably haven't watched National lampoons Christmas Vacation, Elf, Charlie Brown Christmas or any of a number of Hallmark Christmas movies yet)
Here's the thing, when we think about all those reasons, then we are correct, we really aren't ready for Christmas,  But those aren't the things that make it truly Christmas is it?  (I hope not)

What are we forgetting?

Is celebrating Christ’s coming to earth one of the things that we are actually ready for this Christmas season?  I mean, it is the reason for the holiday. Isn’t it?  When was the last time you saw a news truck at a church talking about the line up at 3 A.M. days before Christmas waiting for the doors to be opened so they learn about the free gift that will last eternal like we do for that television or computer on Black Friday?  When is the last time you had to get in line at a church to get in for a service at all?  Now I’m pretty sure that I can answer for most if not all of you that you never have; But why not?  

Do you ever catch yourself wondering “what happened to the way things used to be?”  Do you remember when businesses and organizations weren’t open on Sundays?  Do you remember when schools used to purposefully not plan stuff for Wednesdays or Sundays because those were church days?   What happened to those days?  What happened to Christ being the central focus?    Honestly, I think it's getting a little worse too.  I even know of churches that are now no longer having Christmas Day services because it's too hard to compete with family Christmas parties (and yes that is a reason that is given more often than you think)  Don't get me wrong, I'm all about spending time with family, it's becoming a lost art, but really...??    Are we less ready because we spend less time getting ready?Have we lost our Holy Expectancy?

What happened?  Are we truly ready to remember Jesus’ first foray into this world?  If we aren't ready for his first coming to the world,  Are we really ready for his second coming? 

Are we being John the Baptist?

Wait, what does John the Baptist have to do with anything?  Well guess what, before Jesus started his earthly ministry he had to be preceded, people had to be "made ready" for his coming.  So how about now?  Are you being John the Baptist?  Are you letting people know about Jesus’ birth?  Do your neighbors know?  Did the person standing next to you in line at 2 A.M. know?  Do all your family members know? 

“A voice of one calling:

“In the desert prepare

The way for the Lord;

make straight in the wilderness

a highway for our God.

Every valley shall be raised up,

Every mountain and hill made low;

The rough ground shall become level,

The rugged places a plain.

And the glory of the LORD will be revealed,

And all mankind together will see it.

For the mouth of the LORD has spoken.”

                                -Isaiah 40:3-5

This advent season, as we go about lighting the advent candles, remember, that while they all stand for words like Hope, Joy, Christ, etc… One of the other words for the first candle is “Prophecy.”  Because, if we don’t prophecy like John did, how can others have the same Joy and Hope that we have.

My prayer for you, and I hope you pray for me as well is to remember the true focus of Christmas

Are you ready?

Prosperity Gospel or Redemption Theology

Did you know that Kanye West put out a new album on October 25^th and it’s his 9^th consecutive #1 Album  (Did I lose some of you already on this one?)

Do you find yourself thinking; "Brent, Why do I care about Kanye?” (You wouldn’t be alone)

The reason I tell you all this is because Kanye's most recent album is entitled "Jesus is King"

Yes, You read that correctly, Kanye West released a "Gospel Rap Album" and say’s “He’s found Jesus”

After 20 years of "secular (even violent) music and all the selfish things he's done, we are expected to believe he just "all of a sudden a Christian?"  

     Honestly, I'd say yes, we should.  Above that, not only should we believe, but we should accept and celebrate it.  But it's hard isn’t it?  It's hard to overlook all the things that we remember in the news of what he has done and said.  The natural inclination most of us have is to take a "wait and see approach"  We want to see if he is really all about it or if he is just trying to "talk a good game"  Christianity isn't easy so let's see if he can handle it before we accept his faith.  (That honestly has been the response from many of my fellow youth pastors, and I even found myself entertaining those thoughts a little bit) And if I may be so bold and honest, that is the wrong response to have.  

     Yes, Christianity is hard!  Jesus never said following Him was going to be easy, but he did say following Him was The Way.  When a person decides to follow Christ, Jesus doesn't sit up there and say "O.K. you are in a 90 day trial period and at the end of that time we will evaluate."  I think when "the lost" find their way to God, there is a celebration in heaven!  We should do the same thing here, we should celebrate but we should also begin to pray.  Pray for Kanye and that he may hold true to his conversion and his Profession of Faith (Just like we celebrate it when people here Profess their Faith, we also acknowledge that the Profession isn't just an end goal, but the next step to actively living for God and we promise to help them).  Pray that he will continue to see God.  Pray that people who can help him when struggles of life happen people can walk alongside him.  Pray that God will use this for his God.  Pray that people who previously laughed at the idea of Christ and God will take notice and start to explore Faith and find Christ.

However there are many who say he is only in it for for making money and why wouldn't he take advantage of an "untapped market" (Christian music industry) to broaden where his financial gain could be.  No disrespect meant to KJ-52 or John Reuben but in terms of Rapping Talent, he carries a little more "musical respect" than the vast majority (if not all) of the Christian Rap industry.  Would a "True Christian" charge $140 for a pair of sweatpants, $250 for a sweatshirt or even $20 for a single pair of crew socks?  I know of several people (especially youth) who look at rap as an emotion and musical driven way to express life.  For most people, music is a driving force for passion to expressed.  (I mean when was the last time you hears someone "talking along to a book on tape in their car?)  Maybe Kanye looked at the Christian Rap industry and saw and "underwhelming industry" and thought to himself why don't I add to my numbers but doing something no one else in the secular music world has?  I understand the question, but if we are going to play that game, there was this one guy named Thomas in the New Testament once who doubted.....

What I'm saying is yes, it is a struggle to see that part and that question will always be prevalent because, well that is the day in age we live in.  It's easier and more natural to come up with reasons to doubt or reasons (excuses) for why it's false then it is to why it may be true.  And maybe in time that is what we will discover (though I hope not) but I do not know the mind or the heart of Kanye.  Only God and Kanye do.  At the same time though, the same thing could be set about me, or you.  And what is Kanye wasn't as well known for what he is known for, if he was an "average guy like me" would our impression/thoughts be any different?

Even though we may be skeptical of who is proclaiming Christ, Christ is still being proclaimed and we need to continue to pray for that

Maybe in the end it will be about Prosperity (I hope not but again, I don't know).  But for now, I'm hoping, praying and talking about it as a Redemption.

I'm sure Chuck Colson, Lee Strobel and even Saul would agree

Possibly the least favorite phrase in church...

Want to see 95% of people squirm out of their seats in church?  Or for them to start scanning the landscape of the foyer for the closest exit?  Ask them if they would consider being a volunteer Youth Leader.

Now maybe this is just my youth ministry experience coming out... (or bias) but why does that question cause so much angst and anxiety?  (Curious what I mean, you can read an article I wrote that The Banner published here)

Lets be honest though.  Very rarely does anyone have an issue with volunteering in the nursery and holding a baby or two, and sometimes the adults have just as much fun (if not more) building the cardboard block fort as the 1 year old has knocking it down so you can do it all over again. 

Why does this kid that we know and have seen grow up in church for a dozen and a half years cause us such angst and anxiety?  Actually it comes long before that.  Does it start at 13 years old?  8 years old???  (Well that is a rhetorical question anyway)

Now before I get people up in arms (especially those who have been volunteering in programs for 5, 10, maybe even 20+ years)  I'm asking this as a broad question for the church, not necessarily just for individuals.  I also know that sometimes yes, volunteers need breaks  (I mean you can only fill someone elses bucket as full as yours currently is.) but in talking to many of my peers in ministry in other churches, our needs are the same across the board.  A lack of "volunteers"

However, as I've contemplated this issues about the need from volunteers, it was from a conversation I had today in a morning committee meeting about our need for more volunteers where I got hit over the head by God's bricks (and not the same ones we have in the nursery) I've started to really think about the word "Volunteer"  How did it get into the church vernacular today?

Do you know what word you only come across maybe half a dozen times in scripture; and never in the new testament?

Yup, Volunteer   (Unless you count the one time use of "voluntarily in the book of Philemon)

Why is that?  Because honestly, I think it's because of Matthew 28:20 and Eph. 2:10

In there Jesus calls us to "Make Disciples" (Matthew) and that we have "work that God prepared in advance to do" (Ephesians)  

God didn't call people to "volunteer"  He called them to make disciples in whatever ways were presented to them.  Sometimes it was running alongside a guy in a chariot, sometimes it was while they were in prison... They didn't volunteer for those positions, God presented them and they responded.  They never even thought about saying "no"  or coming back with saying "I'm just not equipped for that"  God had all of them equipped through the Power of the Holy Spirit and it is no different today.


Maybe we need to stop asking people to Volunteer and instead need to start asking people to "fulfill their calling"

Is that too bold a statement?

Recently I asked a congregation if they thought "The Youth were the future of the church" and I was met with numerous "Amens"  Honestly, it pained me a little bit.  (Not because I have an issue with that phrase... which I can get into another time) but more so because if the church agrees so much with it, then why are we scared of it? (Not to mention when is the "magic time" that they become the "church of today??") 

Honestly, I believe everyone is called to "youth ministry"  because everyone is called to "ministry".  I'm not saying everyone needs to rush out to Seminary and get their MDiv. because well I haven't done that.... yet.... and not everyone is called to "Preaching" but everyone is called to "teaching"


God is providing us the opportunities to minister and he has provided us the power to do it through his Holy Spirit (which scripture tells us we all have) but  I'm not saying that from this day forward you are committed to teaching a Sunday school class for the rest of your life  (Lets be honest, even Jesus had to get away to be "filled by his Father") 

For many, they have found their current calling and you have my appreciation, respect and prayers

If you haven't yet, I'd love to help you discover what it may be.

God already has given us the calling... When are we going to heed it?

A 6 year Sabbatical...

It's been a long time and I'm sure most of you  didn't even realize it and for the rest of you, well I'll just say we didn't know each other yet ;)  

Yet hear I am back on this site that probably no one will read (because lets be honest, I'm wondering if I'll even have the time to write in this... let alone expect someone to actually read it.)

But that is just it, do we actually take the time anymore.  Do we have the patience.  Before, when I first started writing in this 10 years ago, I did it because.. well I was writing for the church news letter and I had the energy  of a 26 year old;  what changed?

Ministry did

Life did

I did

God called/directed me to a new ministry.  While I tried to keep up relationships with people from the previous church, it also meant getting to know everyone at a larger church.  With larger churches comes more programs, more people, more responsibilities... you get the idea.  Thank goodness God revealed a special woman to help me along that journey a few years ago.

But now we come back to this.  What will this look like?  I don't know yet, but 6 years is long enough I think.  I used to enjoy writing about ministry, and I still do I think, but it's taken a back burner and it now I think takes  more if a discipline rather than the "off the cuff writings" I used to be.  I've changed the heading from "Brent's Random mind" to "Ponderings"  What God places on us isn't Random, it comes for a reason, but I think I was just to "ministry naïve" to realize it at that time.

It's less about what I want to say, and more about what I think God needs me to say.

so stay tuned  (if you made it this far)  Lets see what happens.