1 Sam 21 - Overreacting

“David took these words to heart and was very much afraid of Achish king of Gath. So he pretended to be insane in their presence; and while he was in their hands he acted like a madman, making marks on the doors of the gate and letting saliva run down his beard.” 1 Samuel 21:12-13

What were the words that David took to heart? I guess they were the words of the song that was sung:

“But the servants of Achish said to him, "Isn't this David, the king of the land? Isn't he the one they sing about in their dances:" 'Saul has slain his thousands, and David his tens of thousands'?" 1 Samuel 21:11

Apparently it wasn’t so much their words as it was what the words were revealing. David had just dealt with the ego of Saul. It was the same song that pushed him over the edge and made him so threatened by David. He feared the same could happen for Achish.

I don’t know if it was wise or cowardly for David to act insane. Either way it worked out for now.

The thing I’m reminded of today is in how we respond to situations or a perceived threat. One comes down to perception and the other comes down to reality. Unfortunately as humans, they are typically one and the same. There was obviously a concern that Achish could have been threatened by David and would responded harshly. He certainly could have quickly jumped into the chase after David’s life as well. Might have even been a good political move for him in the eyes of Saul. But would that be an appropriate response? Certainly not. David did not care for his throne. He was no threat. Yet the reaction would be very real and do much damage.

So here’s my strange connection. I’ve been working on how I “react” to things. It’s no surprise to those who know me well that I get pretty intense too easily. I like to call it “passion”, because it lessons my responsibility to deal with it (wink). But reality is it’s overreacting, maybe a lack of discipline, and probably exposes some areas of personal insecurity. Fortunately, no one has lost life because of it yet. And while it still rears it’s ugly head every now and then, I think I’m getting better at it. I’m glad 1 Samuel 21 is here today. Good stuff for me personally. I know there is other truth found throughout this chapter as well… and that God did not inspire these words to be written to deal with my personal issues, but that’s the thing God put on my heart today. Quite a journey, eh?

Loyalty Shifted

“So Jonathan made a covenant with the house of David, saying, "May the LORD call David's enemies to account." And Jonathan had David reaffirm his oath out of love for him, because he loved him as he loved himself.” – 1 Samuel 20:16-17

Beyond the stories of great friendship and loyalty, I am once again reminded of the impact of Moral Authority. It’s an influence that cannot be maintained once character or integrity is questioned. When trust is gone, influence is gone.

I have an amazing network of Godly men who I study scripture with and we email our thoughts to each other daily. Today, one of my guys in Denver made this comment referencing Jonathan’s loyalty changing from his dad (Saul) to David, “The loyalty that was secure evaporated as Jonathan realized the true nature of the man he had put his trust into. At this moment he was able to contrast his father’s character with that of David, and his loyalty shifted. Shifted away from power and an eventual crown to a man after God’s heart. “

Saul had lost his Moral Authority over his own son. What a sad moment for a father.

Just yesterday a church planting pastor friend of mine shared what could have been a tough conversation with one of his staff. He was in a fragile place because he simply loves the guy and doesn’t want to lose him, what he brings to the table is amazing, but there are a few things he’s doing that aren’t cutting it (unrelated to his skill). Everyone involved knows he’s under paid, all the conditions were set for him to easily reject any rebuke and just walk away. So there was a fear in the conversation.

But my friend has moral authority in this guy’s life. His staff guy knows he cares for HIM as much as anything. He knows his heart for the church and the right things. And he humbly received all that his pastor proposed. It was a great example of the power of moral authority and influence.

It’s amazing the things you can accomplish as a leader when someone knows your heart to be good. It’s almost as amazing as the power loss when they suspect it to be corrupt.

Measuring Success

“The Philistine commanders continued to go out to battle, and as often as they did, David met with more success than the rest of Saul's officers, and his name became well known.” 1 Samuel 18:30

Success is a crazy thing. It’s measured in so many different ways, pursued in various forms, and comes with many levels of priority. If there is ever any doubt of where David found his success, then we simply have not read the story of David. Chapter 18 is no different. Throughout these scriptures we see the pattern of three things:

(1) Searching for and finding God’s leading and direction.

Vs. 28 “…Saul realized that the LORD was with David”

(2) Commitment to the role that is provided.

Vs. 5 “Whatever Saul sent him to do, David did it so successfully that Saul gave him a high rank in the army. This pleased all the people, and Saul's officers as well.”

(3) Constant humility (the most intriguing to me).

Vs. 18 “But David said to Saul, "Who am I, and what is my family or my father's clan in Israel, that I should become the king's son-in-law?"

Vs. 23 “But David said, "Do you think it is a small matter to become the king's son-in-law? I'm only a poor man and little known."

So the lesson is obvious. Whether it’s succeeding as a man of God, a father, a husband, a boss, employee, friend, a neighbor… etc. It certainly requires all the above. When we measure success, better yet, when our success is truly judged, I would imagine these things will be the measuring stick.

Courage

1 Samuel 17 "Courage"

People probably thought David was out of his mind.

Seriously. Scripture tells us Goliath was over 9 feet tall. Think about that for a minute. And of the giants, he was their greatest warrior. And the fight was not over a girl, or pride, a misplaced “mom” joke, or his lunch money it was for an entire nation’s wellbeing. And the fight was to the death.

“He (Goliath) looked David over and saw that he was only a boy… He said to David, "Am I a dog, that you come at me with sticks?" And the Philistine cursed David by his gods. "Come here," he said, "and I'll give your flesh to the birds of the air and the beasts of the field!" – 1 Samuel 17:42-44

Goliath basically said, “Come here boy. I’m gonna give you a spanking”. Yet David took his life. I know it sounds cliché’ but we all have our giants to slay. Here are some thoughts on what we can learn from this story of David:

1. David waited his turn (and was content playing a harp) but rose to the occasion at the right time.
2. David realized it wasn’t his giant to slay it was God’s.
3. Therefore, David acted as if He represented the Lord not himself.
4. However, David stayed true (authentic) to who he was with stones not Saul’s armor.
5. The result gave David a faith that would help him lead a nation.
6. He often remembered (psalms) God’s faithfulness in this moment.

Foolish Acts

As a church planter, I think I have a new and fresh understanding of what it means to live in the “fear of the Lord”. I really don't mean that in an arrogant "knowledge" kind of way... it's really a type of confession. It’s a constant and crazy mix of confidence and intentionality wrapped up in a little bit of insecurity and wonder. And God’s hand or presence being removed is my greatest fear. I guess that’s why my study today in 1 Samuel 13 struck such a chord with me. Two verses stood out like they were written in a different font:

"You acted foolishly," Samuel said. "You have not kept the command the LORD your God gave you; if you had, he would have established your kingdom over Israel for all time. But now your kingdom will not endure; the LORD has sought out a man after his own heart and appointed him leader of his people, because you have not kept the LORD's command." 1 Samuel 13:13-14

What more can you say? There is a ton of power in these two verses. In these words are both found (1) hope and (2) consequence. The hope is that God is not passive... He is not detained... He will not only SEEK out a man after his own heart, but He will find one in David. He'll find it in the least expected: a young shepherd boy. The consequence is that since Saul did not seek God out prior to going to battle or prior to selecting his men, it would not be him labeled as one who sought after God's own heart. He tried... after the fact. He tried to commit to the Lord something he had already done. But it was too late.
So as church leaders our promise of hope and our warning of consequence is this: May we always be those who seek after God's own heart. And may we never venture forward prior to God's leading or void of His way.

Threat v.s. Fact

One of my favorite movies is the 1993 Texas based film “A Perfect World” where Butch Haynes (Kevin Costner) plays an escaped convict from a Huntsville prison who, while stealing a getaway car, ends up taking a young boy hostage and eventually being hunted down by Texas Ranger “Red” Garnett (Clint Eastwood). The whole movie ends up being about Butch’s connection with the kid who is being raised in a home without a father, is oppressed by an overly obsessed “mother hen” mom, and his journey towards “manhood” through Butch’s influence. It’s kind of a like the secular movie version of “Wild at Heart” (I know, seems weird, but stick with me). The whole story is a “let boys be boys, sometimes we gotta show them how to do that, and then give them permission” movie.

Turns out Butch hates his escape partner, Terry, who is quite a weasel… One of my favorite scenes is one where they were driving down the road and Terry mentions his ear still bleeding from something Butch did earlier, he mumbles under his breath to Butch, “If you ever try that again…”

Butch interrupts, “What? You in the middle of threatening me?”

Terry replies from the back seat, “That’s not a threat…” he holds up his gun and cocks it “… that’s a fact.”

Butch leans over the seat and says, “In two seconds I’m gonna break your nose. That’s a threat.” He then grabs the gun from Terry, smacks him straight in the face, and as blood begins streaming out of his nostrils… says, “Now… that’s a fact”.

In verses 24-25 of 1 Samuel 12 it says, “And I will teach you the way that is good and right. But be sure to fear the LORD and serve him faithfully with all your heart; consider what great things he has done for you. Yet if you persist in doing evil, both you and your king will be swept away."

This sounds like a threat. But it’s not. It’s a promise and a fact. Samuel has seen the evidence of God’s hand. He knows that our God does not offer empty threats and promises. Let’s not forget that God was using Samuel in his very own punishment as a poor father. His boys were supposed to be in charge yet because of His neglect, they would lose their influence, and as God put it NEVER be atoned for (1 Samuel 3:14).

Samuel kept his bearing because of "fact". Without it, it seems hard that he would have ever maintained any type of desire to do what God was telling him to do. After such failure in faith, most of us would reject, point the finger, be angry, and say God’s not fair. Samuel’s continuance was in the evidence. It was in the facts. Samuel knew God was God and what He said would happen, would indeed happen.

Samuel said, "It is the LORD who appointed Moses and Aaron and brought your forefathers up out of Egypt. Now then, stand here, because I am going to confront you with evidence before the LORD as to all the righteous acts performed by the LORD for you and your fathers.” – 1 Samuel 12:6-7

He confronted them with all that God had done in the past. He confronted them with evidences of His hand and His faithfulness. He confronted them with the facts.

I’ve always thought it interesting how we go through an experience with God’s obvious hand yet fail to remember the power of His movement down the road. What’s that about? Hindsight is truly 20/20… for a season anyway. We reason away and we forget the significance. Knowing their (and our) nature, God gives them this “promise of fact”. If they remembered and served faithfully, the Lord promised to show the way. If they did not remember what He had done, like Samuel’s boys, they would surely reap what they sowed.

I dunno. Seems to me that God is so very just. The more I know Him and pursue Him, the more I see it. He spoke and it was. Literally. He promises amazing things… honestly, all our heart desires (even the ones we don’t know of). He just asks that we seek Him and His righteousness first.

We just have to remember: The journey is not about the broken nose. The journey is about Glory to Him, and us learning how to be a part of it.

Strategy of Leading

Seth Godin's brain is larger than his head. That leads to a pressure that apparently must be released through him writing blogs. Good for us! Here are some of his thoughts (and some of my thoughts following them) on his post: "Leadership is now the strongest marketing strategy"

Yelling with gusto used to be the best way to advertise your wares. There was plenty of media and if you had plenty of money, you were set. Today, of course, yelling doesn't work so well. What works is leading. Leading a (relatively) small group of people. Taking them somewhere they'd like to go. Connecting them to one another.

It's enough if the tribe you lead knows about you and cares about you and wants to follow you. It's enough if your leadership changes things, galvanizes the audience and puts the status quo under stress. And it's enough if the leadership you provide makes a difference.

Go down the list of online success stories. The big winners are organizations that give tribes of people a platform to connect.

Go down the list of fashion businesses or business to business organizations. Same thing. Charities, too. Churches, certainly.

It's so tempting to believe that we are merely broadcasters, putting together a play list and hurtling it out to the rest of the world. Louder is better. But we're not. Now we're leaders.

People want to connect. They want you to do the connecting.

I guess what stands out to me is first of all is the statement that "it's enough" for the tribe you lead to (1) KNOW you (2) CARE about you and (3) WANT to follow you. Those are huge... to know and to care comes only from vulnerability. It's the key between "knowing of" or "about" someone and really "knowing" a leader. It's the catalyst for creating empathy and connection on a team regardless of circumstance. It's the key for building two-way trust and loyalty. And it's our responsibility as a leader to create that kind of culture.

The second thing that stood out was the statement that the list of success stories constantly show organizations (certainly churches, he said) that give tribes of people a platform to connect. This doesn't happen in a corporate gathering of one-way communication to multiple tribes at once... it happens in chewable bites. And it doesn't happen because of casual contact... it happens specifically through a unified vision or purpose to action... call it addressing a CRISIS... or together simply fixing something broken or improving something that needs improvement. In the Army we had what we called a "Rally Point". If something goes wrong... and we disconnect somehow... we all know, we can meet back at that place and regroup. It's a necessary, if not life saving, element of connectivity. No one wants to go at it alone. It's alone that we are at our weakest. And together that we are at our strongest.

Leadership 501

That’s right, I just jumped to 501. I don’t think I ever wrote on 201, 301, or 401… they’ve always scared me. But since I’m going to keep it to quoting one of the most highly thought of leaders of our day, and we’ll also see it played out in scripture (1 Samuel 9), I’ll claim this insight for a moment. What we’ll find is that just as history repeats itself, and just as “keep it simple stupid” (K.I.S.S.) seems to work, leadership has a path that actually comes full circle. At it’s highest level comes a simple key: Humility. An amazingly difficult thing for most leaders (including pastors) to have, much less maintain.

I outlined earlier some of what Jim Collins (Built to Last, Good to Great) shared in a recent speech on his thoughts on leadership success and failure. Behind these successes and declines are not only the strategy of a leader, but also the capacity of a leader. The focus of Jim’s thoughts, are essentially about leadership capability. He questions the thought we typically have that either leadership exists or it doesn’t. Instead he offers the idea that leadership has levels.

Here’s what Collins said:

“In general I have had a bias against a CEO-centric view of the world. Leadership answers often strike me as over simplistic and in danger of covering up too many variables. If a company does really well we say it was great leadership; if it doesn't do well we say the leadership wasn't as great as we thought.”

“That eventually led to the idea that leadership is an evolving series of capabilities and levels of maturity. So it's not a leadership or not question, it's a "what stage of leadership" question – and what level of maturity are you.”

So what is a level 5 leader? Glad you asked. First of all, a level 5 is to be thought of as the highest level of leadership possible (at least for today). It’s characterized by a humble “concern for the organization and for IT’S success rather than for one’s own riches and personal renown.”

It almost seems counter-intuitive that humility would be the key trait for such high capacity leadership, and that’s exactly what Jim thought during his team’s research. “The Level 5 Leadership finding, which came out in Good to Great, was not what I expected to find.

But it’s what he found.

Level 5 leadership challenges the assumption that transforming organizations from good to great requires larger-than-life-leaders. The findings appear to signal a shift of emphasis away from the hero to the anti-hero. According to Collins, humility is a key ingredient of Level 5 leadership. His simple formula is Humility + Will = Level 5. "Level 5 leaders are a study in duality", notes Collins, "modest and willful, shy and fearless."

Essentially he’s saying a level 5 leader finishes strong and with a legacy of humility.

So let’s go to the Bible and take a look at Saul for a moment. Scripture tells us he was built for the role of leader. In fact 1 Samuel 9:2 says Saul was “an impressive young man without equal.” Yet there was something special about Saul. He had everything going for him and every right to be prideful, yet when he was called out by Samuel, he struck a posture of humility. Look how he responded:

Saul answered, “But am I not a Benjamite, from the smallest tribe of Israel, and is not my clan the least of all the clans of the tribe of Benjamin? Why do you say such a thing to me?” (1 Sam 9:21)

This posture wasn’t new to Saul. Earlier in the story when he was about to give up, he gave ear to the counsel of his servant who not only encouraged him (vs. 6-8), but also gave him direction (led upward). This highlights another key benefit from humility, a willingness to listen to those around you. Collins said recently that great leaders constantly ask what our “question to answer” ratio is, and is constantly seeking ways to ask more questions. The reason? So we can hear the answers we might not normally come up with.

I have a friend who has seen some amazing professional success in the business world who said that the trend in companies unable to make it to the next level is the CEO or key leadership team’s attitude toward everyone else in the company or their competitors. He said, “When you find yourself in a position where you feel constantly that you’re surrounded by idiots and you’re the only one who knows what to do, beware. You’re about to take the fall. You’ll find soon that you’re the idiot. And you think too highly of yourself.”

Bottom line, in the beginning, Saul had an amazing personal mixture of humility and confidence. From level 1 through level 5, Humility is the key in keeping confidence from becoming arrogance and pride. And confidence is key. It’s the fuel for the “Will” in the “Humility + Will = Level 5” equation.

Another friend of mine who is a West Point grad, ex-Special Operations officer, and now owns a management consulting company in Denver wrote the following about this confidence in leadership as seen through 1 Samuel: “Confidence is a tricky character trait for a leader. Too much can make them prone to rash and arrogant decisions. Too little can leave them timid and passive. In either case, too much or too little, the end result can be a leader who is too selfish to lead effectively. They are so focused on their own strengths or inadequacies that they miss the power of their team and God’s hand in their work. In recent chapters we saw the Israelites with too much confidence when they carried the ark into battle against the Philistines. And we also saw them with too little confidence in believing they needed a king to be like the nations around them. Both results were due to having poor relationships with God, and thus, a poor understanding of their power and security with Him. When we truly know God we know who WE are in Him. This appropriately sets our confidence. We understand that we can “do all things through Him who gives me strength”, but we counter that with knowing that He has to be a part of any venture for us to succeed, no matter how small. So, while we can do all things through God, we can’t do anything we want through God. Confirming that God is leading gives us all the confidence we need.”

So why use the example of Saul? While he started as an excellent candidate for a level 5 leader, he ended up being an excellent example of someone who failed to reach it.

The problem is that power corrupts. That’s in the bible. Look it up. So humility at this level of success and influence is not only rare, but possibly our greatest mountain to climb.

As church leaders, we must all be aware and beware. We know how the story of Saul ends. After leading as King for 42 years, Saul ends up going crazy and chasing David all over the place. This is a huge reminder to me at any level of leading that might lead to seasons of “success”: We must constantly check ourselves, our motives, and how they fit with God’s true vision. We must maintain the correct posture, create the right processes, and place the right people in right positions to help us keep focused on His calling. We have to protect ourselves from ourselves as we remember that this is not about us.

This is getting long. Officially, the BLOG ends here.

Unless you want to keep reading for part #2… in that case, here is a furthering thought on Saul’s humility and the tragedy that follows. It comes from an email I got from a friend this morning (at 5:15am) that sits on my board at Austin New Church. He’s an incredibly insightful leader whose current role is Executive VP of Global Services for a company headquartered here in Austin. The only thing bigger than his insight is his track record and professional accomplishments… check out what he said about Saul.

“Saul starts with the admirable trait of humility which leaves him as he becomes king. He has all the traits that Israel wants in a king, he is taller than most, good looking and strong and comes from a prominent family. Saul is like some of the men and women in this world that we see attain fame, fortune and glamour only to fall from grace with a character flaw. In some ways Saul is a tragic hero, the main character in a tragedy who makes an error in his actions that leads to his downfall. Some characteristics about a tragic hero include:

- The hero is led to his downfall due to hubris, or excessive pride.
- The hero discovers his fate by his own actions, not by things happening to him.
- The hero sees and understands his doom, and that his fate was revealed by his own actions.
- The hero is physically or spiritually wounded by his experiences, often resulting in his death.
- The hero is often a king or leader of men, so that his people experience his fall with him.
- The hero learns something from his mistake.
- The hero is faced with a serious decision.
- The suffering of the hero is meaningful.

God why use Saul? Why use a tragic hero and not raise up another more deserving more righteous man? God raised up many to distinction who were less deserving than others were. We cannot figure out all of God’s reasons for raising one over another in this world. Many of these reasons are contained in the unsearchable wisdom of God. What we should never do is assume that just because God is using a man, that he deserves it. And more importantly we should not somehow see ourselves as less than one who God chooses to raise up by the scorecard of this world. Once we do this, we start imitating the characteristics that make these people tragic heroes. For all are human, and all have a flaw, the more the spotlight of the world pierces us, the more our flaw becomes known. The only hero who is not tragic (in the literary definition) is the Son.”

Wow. How ‘bout that with your morning coffee?

Faithful to the Promise

The first time I ever heard of Steven Furtick was last Thursday. The timing was right before he was to go on stage at Catalyst, a Cultural Leadership Conference in Atlanta, Georgia. Craig Groeschel introduced him as a 28 year old who started a church in Charlotte, North Carolina... and in the following year or two it grew to over 5000 people.

So, of course, I wanted to hate him. No one can do that unless they sold their soul to the devil, right? Or even worse... compromised the message of the gospel. Surely! Right?

But if I heard them right, they said that through their ministry over 1000 people were baptized in the last year. Kinda killed the "transfer growth" theory. Then they mentioned other ridiculous things that were happening there which honestly, made me jealous to the core (not really, okay kinda) ... so I just decided to wait and cast judgment after he took the stage.

Then He took the stage. Yup, I hate him. He had on a sweet jacket. Jeans were suspect. bleached and spiked hair. I mean, who does this guy think he's fooling? We're veterans for crying out loud and this guy is a kid (okay, I got him by 8 years, can I say that?) Worse yet, he kinda has that side-ways Matt Damon smirk.

And He started talking. What first looked like arrogance quickly sifted into the confidence of a strong leader. He was brilliant. Anointed even. And he moved me to the core. There were some fairly simple thoughts shared. But the Spirit and energy was fresh and it was real. If anything... as a church planter... I was encouraged. I was also reminded of the journey... and of hope.

Here's my deal: It takes all kinds. Whether that manifests itself as a rapid growing church or one that gives away more than it keeps... as long as Jesus and those that don't know Him is center... whether that's attractional, seeker, missional, whatever... I pray we all use our gifts and CALLING in the way God intended. On this day I was encouraged... a gift that I don't even know if Steven has.

Thanks Steven. Good stuff.

Some quotes…

· Between the promise of God and the pay-off is the process.

· When you are struggling through what seems insignificant to you, hang on to the promise of God.

· Be faithful in the process. Don’t get your eyes on the “big” thing or the “successful” place—just be faithful in the process.

· After David was anointed, where did he go? Back to the fields to be faithful in his role as a shepherd boy.

· There’s got to be more to life than putting money in a 401, buying a boat, and then dying.

· Be faithful. Be faithful Be faithful.

Good to Great

Last week my staff and I spent a few days in Atlanta at Catalyst, a Cultural Leaders conference focusing on the next generation of church leaders. I can't help but post some thoughts from Jim Collins (Author of "Good to Great" and "Built to Last") on Building a Great Church. Here are just a few thoughts from his talk for those of you who couldn't make it.

· Within every organization or company that is great…you will find a culture of discipline.

· Most overnight successes are really about twenty years in the making.

· It took 7 years for Sam Walton to open his 2nd store. It took Starbucks 13 years before they had 5 stores.

· How do the great typically fall? It’s not through complacency. It is typically over-reaching that derails great organizations. Going too far, too fast.

· A great organization is more likely to die of indigestion of too many opportunities rather than starvation of not enough opportunities.

· #1 sign of over-reaching and the start of decline: When you grow beyond your ability to have the right people in the right seats on the bus.

· It is the undisciplined pursuit of more that will kill an organization.

· We need to spend more time on who and less on what. If you have the right who, they will figure out the right what.

· The people who do well in difficult, unpredictable situations are never any better at predicting the future than anyone else.

· We are in turbulent times. The years 1945-2000 were an anomaly. The convergence of stability and prosperity. It is unlikely we’ll see this again in our lifetimes.

· The greatest CEO’s from the greatest companies in history had one distinctive characteristic that separate them from other leaders. The trait is HUMILITY. Humility is the key to level 5 leadership.

· If it is about you…you will not build something great. And only you know if you are all about you.

· If you make your church dependent on your powerful personality…you are being irresponsible.

· It may take 30 years to build a reputation. It only takes 30 seconds to destroy it.

· Every generation needs to determine their own practices to passionately adhere to the values that cross through all generations.

· Everyone on your team should be able to articulate their responsibility and not just their title.

Moral Authority

“Simply put…” said Andy Stanley, “…moral authority is maintained when your creed matches your deed”. Individually this is both simple and profound but also true. Culturally and corporately it is as well.

I love Andy Stanley. Not because of his success (while that doesn’t hurt his credibility) but because of his posture. I’ve never sensed arrogance from him. His words always seem to come from a pure place. He always seems to share something profound that simply resonates with my spirit… better yet, I’ve never heard him stick his foot in his mouth (which is rare among such highly scrutinized church leaders of today).

And he’s convinced that moral authority has everything to do with how people view whether or not we do what we say is important to us. Because if we don’t, we lose respect (credibility), and when we lose respect, we lose our ability to influence (lead).

As a church leader, this is an important thing to understand. Andy exposed the fact that we do not have an official authority over anyone. We may think we do, and many times we operate as if we do, but we really don’t. If we lose the respect of our members, they just leave. If we lose the respect of our staff, they can do the same. They may last for a while, but eventually we lose our influence and ability to lead them.

Most unchurched or de-churched people aren’t reading our church purpose statements, values, and doctrinal statements to see how we’re different one from another (Other Christians who treat the church like a buffet line at Luby’s do, but not the unchurched). They somehow just know that Christians are supposed to love others and not judge others. To them, that’s our true “creed”, it’s ironic that our reputation in the secular world is the exact opposite. Ed Stetzer wrote recently in “Lost and Found” that a massive majority of unchurched and de-churched claim hypocrisy and judgment as their number #1 and #2 reason they stay away from the church. That’s a problem. We’ve lost our moral authority in the eyes of many. To them, we’ve lost their respect. The result, we’ve lost our influence with many. Our cultural reality is that this is how the “church” sits with the majority of the unchurched in America.

Today I'm reading in 1 Samuel 8. In it we clearly see that the sons of Samuel had lost the respect of the people as well as their moral authority. Inevitability their moral influence was compromised. Their deed did not match their creed. Verse 3 says, “…his (Samuel’s) sons did not walk in his ways. They turned aside after dishonest gain and accepted bribes and perverted justice.”

They had lost their Influence… their credibility… and their power. And so the people called out for a different kind of leader. They called out for a King.

But in our nature to make everything about us, let’s not lose our perspective. God reminds us that this condition is not fully conditional. This loss of influence was directly impacted by the degrees of separation of the nation of Israel from their God. Not just the lack of influence of Samuel’s sons. They were already one click away from falling… and the loss of the Judge’s moral authority was the tipping point. This is evidenced through verses 7-8, “And the LORD told him: "Listen to all that the people are saying to you; it is not you they have rejected, but they have rejected me as their king. As they have done from the day I brought them up out of Egypt until this day, forsaking me and serving other gods, so they are doing to you.”

Israel was big, and as they say, “the bigger they are the harder they fall”. Even a small ripple can have a massive impact. As Leonard Sweet put it, “Big trees fall over in a storm; the little and mid-sized trees are best equipped to stand and sway in the storm”

I don’t think they knew why they felt they were in a vulnerable position, they just knew that the leader and process they had, they no longer had confidence in.

We are in a similar position in the American church today and most certainly in our post-modern culture. Our personal gods are numerous. Money, position, pride, success, the list goes on and on. And moral authority is often questioned. I would venture to say most feel we are one “click” away as well. And in these moments of felt crisis and uncertainty, the world needs to see the church rise in their influence. We don’t rise by our words and creeds alone, we rise through God’s truth and our actions… it’s HIS creed and our deed.

When we think about making an impact on the unchurched world, we should shape our efforts from this posture. That's our hope at Austin New Church. That it would shape our starting point. When we don’t, we’ll see that our target is really other believers or existing church, not the lost. When we look at those who are skeptics of faith, we should acknowledge their true starting point and meet them there. That’s what Jesus did. He went to Samaria. He went to the Sheep Gate Pool. He went to the temple to address the Pharisee’s. He went to the wedding party. He went to the Tax Collectors house. And His creed matched His deed.

One final thought. Isn’t it interesting that the Israelites said, “Give us a King to judge us”. Yet when that’s what they ultimately got (Jesus) they rejected him? We have a heart problem. We know what we need. We know what we ought to do or have. But without a heart transformed, we just don’t have the “want”. If we could somehow remember that, we’d stop pointing the finger, we’d claim a humble posture, and I think we’d discover more of God than ever.

Okay. That was probably three blogs in one.

The Power of One

Could you imagine going at life alone? I simply cannot.

“Then all the Israelites from Dan to Beersheba and from the land of Gilead came out as ONE man and assembled before the LORD in Mizpah. The leaders of all the people of the tribes of Israel took their places in the assembly of the people of God, four hundred thousand soldiers armed with swords.” Judges 20:1-2

Friendships, partnerships, and teamwork make almost anything possible and it makes the journey more enjoyable as well. And they’ve got your back. When an injustice is done, there’s nothing quite like having a friend or colleague fight for you. Israel did this. In Judges 20 we see assembled an army of 400K men ready to rock. It was in the following verse (vs.3), that they finally asked, “So tell me what happened”. They were ready to defend before they even knew what they were defending! All they needed to know was WHO they were fighting for… the WHAT seemed very secondary.

There’s nothing quite like being on the team that accomplishes so much. The U.S. Army knows that, it’s why their new recruiting slogan is “An Army of One”. The idea appeals to each of us at gut level. So much more can be accomplished when we work together. Much more than any one singular entity, no matter how great, in partnership we are that much more productive. And in different kind of ways.

I’m reminded of this recently at ANC (www.AustinNewChurch.com) and our South Austin Cares (www.SouthAustinCares.org) relief efforts during Hurricane Ike. Because we are a new church (5 months old), we are pretty lean so we were able to mobilize quickly, take in evacuees, rally our resources, and make a HUGE impact immediately. But then after a week and a half of going “all out” we all realized how spent we were. And I mean “spent” in every sense of the word. That’s when our partnerships fell into place. At the beginning we had moral and directional support through some great counsel from my friend Alan Graham (www.mlfnow.org) , were given our first opportunity to serve through a call from the Austin Baptist Association (www.austinbaptist.org), and away we went, a hundred miles an hour.

Then as the days went on, our houses filled up, our trailers filled up with supplies going to Houston, and our partners and friends began to give to our efforts… where our resources were running out, our relationships with Vista Community Church (www.thevistacommunity.com) , Generations Church (www.gen-church.net) , some amazing parents rallying together from my son’s soccer team (Go Scorpions!), and individual members of Austin New Church, we were able to continue (and even expand) our efforts.

When the time came to realize we had done almost all we could do…and develop a sustainable relief strategy… it was an easy transition to point all our people and incoming resources to our more established partner ministries like Mobile Loaves & Fishes (www.mlfnow.org) and the Capital Area Food Bank (www.capitalareafoodbank.org) . Amazing. Like an Army of one… never missing a step.

I’ve been reading a ton of books lately on the condition of the church. Almost every study and survey tells us that people are leaving the church, as we know it, in droves. Mostly because people feel the church has become irrelevant and an insignificant contributor to their faith. Many claim not to be rejecting God, they are rejecting the institutionalized church. George Barna predicts that in 15 years, “House Church” will represent the majority throughout America. There are many reasons for this, some I even agree with, most I understand, but what I don’t get is the lack of connection with the greater body of Christ. It seems to me we are missing something when we do our own thing, especially if our motivation is control. Maybe that desire comes from being burned, feeling like your church is out of control, or whatever… but that seems like we’ve reverted back to the school-yard and saying, “I’m taking my ball and going home.” This is definitely not a team attitude, definitely not a good starting point, and definitely not the posture you want in casting a vision for something new.

Scripture tells us that we should rejoice when Christ is preached in “all” forms and ways. Paul wrote that. So I’m not critiquing the House Church (or any form of church for that matter) as something wrong. As long as Christ is proclaimed, I’m good. I’m just basking a bit in the amazing partnerships we currently have, seeing the benefit of network, and realizing that I couldn’t dream of doing it any other way.

We are a gift to one another. Thank you, God.

A Great Offense

Okay, this is going to be a weird twist of thought. But here it goes: We should learn from our enemies (The Philistines). What was the lesson to be learned in 1 Samuel 4? They saw a serious threat, they acknowledged how serious it was, and they attacked it with all they had. They didn’t dig in and create a stronger defense, instead in their fear, they “strapped it on” and attacked. Check it out:

“When they learned that the ark of the LORD had come into the camp, the Philistines were afraid. "A god has come into the camp," they said. "We're in trouble! Nothing like this has happened before. Woe to us! Who will deliver us from the hand of these mighty gods? They are the gods who struck the Egyptians with all kinds of plagues in the desert. Be strong, Philistines! Be men, or you will be subject to the Hebrews, as they have been to you. Be men, and fight!" So the Philistines fought, and the Israelites were defeated and every man fled to his tent. The slaughter was very great; Israel lost thirty thousand foot soldiers.” 1 Samuel 4:6-10

This week I had an opportunity to hang out a bit with Hugh Halter and Matt Smay, authors of “The Tangible Kingdom”. I love being challenged from guys who live their faith out of the box. I love it when I’m forced to ask questions I might not normally ask. It’s good to increase our exposure, even if we don’t agree with everything. Many times it can open our eyes and take us places we wouldn’t have gone on our own.

Hugh was sharing from Jesus’ instruction to Peter in Matthew 16 where He said, “And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will NOT overcome it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven." Matthew 16:18-19

His thought was that as we think about the Kingdom of Heaven, many times we think of it as standing in opposition to the Kingdom of Hell. But that is not what Jesus called it. He didn’t call Hell a Kingdom. Jesus said that instead we should see it as a gate. He said the “gates” will not overcome the church. He drew light to the fact that the gates were keeping us from passing through and experiencing the Kingdom of Heaven. It’s not something we should just “avoid” and stay clear of. He reminded us that they are a serious threat to our advancement. Our typical response is to “Defend” our faith, our ways, our church, our tradition, our methods… but what we need to be doing instead is seeing the threat for what it is and go on the offense. Like the Philistines, We need to be thinking about ways to ATTACK this threat because it is something to be concerned about, not something to be passive about. We should take it seriously, identify the problem, rally our troops, and attack.

I guess what he is saying is that the “best offense” isn’t always a great defense… sometimes it really is a great offense.

I love it that the Philistines realized the magnitude of their threat. They were legitimately scared. So many times we are overtaken because we underestimate the strength and cause of our strife. Especially in leadership, we at times deceive ourselves. It’s too easy to pretend everything is okay. Julia Duin, religion writer for the Washington post in her book “Quitting Church”, said that in all her research the most baffling thing to her was the fact that Pastors were in denial of what’s going on in the American church culture. If the pastors are in denial, their flock will be too. It’s too easy to get tunnel vision and defend our path. I heard once that the greatest threats to the church is when we don’t think we are in crisis, when we pretend everything is going great and it’s not. When in fact the church thrives in crisis. Just look at countries where church is “underground”. They hold some of the largest churches and are experiencing some of the greatest revivals in the world.

But let’s look at us for a moment. Forget the stats that say many are leaving church. Let’s take a moment to look at those who remain. Since I can remember the typical thought is that 20% of the church is doing 80% of everything, not just the giving, but the leading, the serving, living on mission, etc… in some churches it’s 10% doing 90% (and it’s been this way for a long time). Guess what? If our main goal is to make disciples and to equip the body for works of service, then what we’re doing is not working. To 80% of our people, what we say is really irrelevant to their lives. Hearts are not increasingly changing and compassion is not increasingly growing. We’ve lost ground for those who leave, for those who stay, we’re simply maintaining 20%. Are we okay with that? If any of my kids came home with a 20% on their report card, I’d have a cow. That’s not even close to being acceptable. We’re only perpetuating it if we don’t address it. It’s a fact that people are leaving the organized church in droves… let’s start looking deeper at the why. Let’s start asking some tough questions. And let’s start listening to the answers.

I believe we need to look at the big picture of what God is doing in the Kingdom, and fight. We already know the answer to who wins. Jesus said the Gates of Hell will not prevail. So let’s attack them.

How? How about with the methods Jesus mandated we live. How about starting with love and compassion. How about putting people before process and keeping them there. What if we took the time to evaluate where the greatest physical, emotional, relational, and spiritual needs are in our city and make a plan of attack to both meet needs and make disciples. How about we make the sacrifices to show genuine concern for others. How about a concern for the least of the least, those without hope. How about we pour into people as if we truly loved them as we love ourselves. How about we give of ourselves for others and not just our personal agendas. We’ll have to consciously fight for that, because of our selfish nature. How about we listen to the other part of Matthew 16 where Jesus reminded us that on this rock, if we trust His ways, HE not us, will build His church. He gave us the keys to the Kingdom not to "our" church.

Jesus knows this goes against our fleshly nature. This is a battle we all struggle with daily, but as leaders we must work diligently to lead people towards this. It's not only worthy of our efforts, it's biblical, and it will work. This is a battle I find myself in the middle of, and I’m not going to stop fighting.

The Accused

I was thinking today about each of our sobering realities. Strange topic, eh? I found myself in 1 Samuel 3. Check it out: "What was it he said to you?" Eli asked. "Do not hide it from me. May God deal with you, be it ever so severely, if you hide from me anything he told you." So Samuel told him everything, hiding nothing from him. Then Eli said, "He is the LORD; let him do what is good in his eyes."1 Samuel 3:17-18

When the Lord came to Samuel, He gave him a list of His indictments of Eli. He said he would judge him because of the sin that he KNEW about, that his sons had made themselves contemptible, and that he failed to restrain them (vs.13). God then gave the consequence of such negligence: that the guilt of Eli’s house would never be atoned for. Ever.

Could you imagine the courage it would take for Samuel to relay these messages to Eli? But he did it. Probably because of his obvious encounter with and confidence in God, but nevertheless, he was obedient. And Eli’s response: “He is the Lord; let him do what is good in his eyes.” That surprises me. Eli simply received his due judgment. He understood God’s authority. He understood his blame. I’m sure there was more going on behind the scenes, which could outline the extent of his neglect, but we can be assured the consequence was right. And at this point, even the accused agreed.

Romans 14 recalls the words of the Lord, “As surely as I live,' says the Lord, 'every knee will bow before me; every tongue will confess to God.”

I think Eli realized he had known it was coming and now it was too late. We will all stand in that place one day. It’s a sobering thought, really. Hopefully, it’s one of confidence for those who call Christ, Savior. Whether we now agree with the future consequence of our trespasses… we will all stand accountable, judgment will be had, and we will one day all agree. No matter the ruling. We’ll see His holiness and His greatness. And we’ll then fully understand what it means to say, “He is Lord; let him do what is good in his eyes.”

Heart Transformed

The trajectory of my life has been changed because of Jesus. It’s hard to tell exactly how changed since I came to faith at the age of six. (I really can’t remember how year five was for me) But I know the trajectory was adjusted. However for years, even in my adulthood the journey had seemed slow, laborious, and at times painful. Although I took part in bible study after bible study, there were seasons that were filled with as much confusion as clarity. I’ve learned that that is a part of the journey (among other variables). But one thing that has always held me hostage was the foreign concept of a truly and fully “transformed heart”. There were seasons when I felt like I never quite had one. That’s a tough confession.

In my reading of 1 Samuel 10 this morning, it tells the story of the anointing and proclamation of Saul as King by Samuel. God gave some amazing evidences of his hand and favor to Saul in this chapter, but the verse that stood out to me was verse 6 that says, “The Spirit of the LORD will come upon you in power… and you will be changed into a different person.” And I realized I had a fresh understanding of life change.

I’m a different person than I was a few years ago. I don't think I was a bad person. And I’m not saying that now I feel that I’ve "arrived" or feel at all worthy or close to anything near perfect (Geeze no!). But what I do feel is transformed, for the first time and completely. My heart has changed. My pursuits and passions have changed. And I want to live externally of myself. I want to live for others. I’m still learning how to do that, and how to lead others to do the same, but I’m committed to being a part of the answer… even if I gain nothing in return. I don’t know how it really happened other than the Spirit’s prompting. But what I do know is that it started with a homeless guy… and the idea of a free cheeseburger.

Maybe the reason Jesus told us to feed the hungry was because He knew that we would be the one’s who would become full. His ways are certainly higher than ours.

Raising Godly Boys

Today I fearfully consider the position of a father. Even more so as a Pastor who has boys.

“Eli's sons were wicked men; they had no regard for the LORD.” (1 Samuel 2:12) This blows me away. What a profound and awful statement to be said of anyone’s children, much less of a man committed to the Lord.

Here are some thoughts from Mathew Henry on this reality, “Eli shunned trouble and exertion. This led him to indulge his children, without using parental authority to restrain and correct them when young. He winked at the abuses in the service of the sanctuary till they became customs, and led to abominations; and his sons, who should have taught those that engaged in the service of the sanctuary what was good, solicited them to wickedness. Their offence was committed even in offering the sacrifices for sins, which typified the atonement of the Saviour! Sins against the remedy, the atonement itself, are most dangerous, they tread under foot the blood of the covenant. Eli's reproof was far too mild and gentle. In general, none are more abandoned than the degenerate children of godly persons, when they break through restraints.”

And the opposite which is said of Samuel, “Samuel, being devoted to the Lord in a special manner, was from a child employed about the sanctuary in the services he was capable of. As he did this with a pious disposition of mind, it was called ministering unto the Lord. He received a blessing from the Lord. Those young people who serve God as well as they can, he will enable to improve, that they may serve him better.”

God, make me the father I need to be. Protect my boys from the world. Protect them from my scars and inability. Make them into Godly men, who become Godly husbands and fathers themselves. Make them men who “serve you as well as they can” that you might enable to improve, and that they may serve you better. Amen.

The Withholding

Sometimes God withholds, when He does, often the gift is even greater than when He gives. That doesn't mean I like it. At least in the moment, but this isn't a new thing for God. Think for a moment the season when Hannah was unable to get pregnant in 1 Samuel. As if that wasn't enough, others piled on, adding to the pain.

“This went on year after year. Whenever Hannah went up to the house of the LORD, her rival provoked her till she wept and would not eat. Elkanah her husband would say to her, "Hannah, why are you weeping? Why don't you eat? Why are you downhearted? Don't I mean more to you than ten sons?" – 1 Samuel 1:7-8

You can’t help but see the obvious pain Hannah is experiencing. In this time period, to bear children was one of the most culturally significant things a woman could do, and Hannah was unable. She was tormented not only by this reality, but also other women.

Yet in her pain, she had a husband who loved her much. In fact, scripture leads us to see that he loved her most and had felt deep empathy for her (vs.5). And she missed that. I guess my short thought for today is to make sure in our moment of thinking about what we don’t have, that we don’t miss out on what we do have.

With the 700 Billion dollar bailout on everyone’s mind, I’ve heard from many evangelical leaders that although this could have a terrible financial impact on many, it could be one of the best things that could happen to our personal faith and the corporate church. I don’t know if that is true… or if that is even part of God’s agenda. Certainly any trial can sharpen our faith. But, as I said at the beginning, the one thing I do know is that sometimes God withholds, when He does, often the gift is even greater than when He gives.

What about Women

Women are an amazing gift from God. If we see them as anything less, we are idiots. Women are a critical part of not only our lives, but also the church. It’s been that way from the beginning. Their commitment, intuition, and influence are at times, simply unparalleled. It’s a shame when we think of them as anything less than those who “together built up the house of Israel.” I can’t help but hear the story of Ruth and Naomi and think about the impact women of the world, from Phoebe of the NT to Mother Teresa. God has used their faith to radically impact the Church as we know it.

“Then the elders and all those at the gate said, "We are witnesses. May the LORD make the woman who is coming into your home like Rachel and Leah, who together built up the house of Israel.” – Ruth 4:11

And what about our own “personal” world? If it wasn’t for the faith of my Mom, I don’t know where I’d be. If it wasn’t for the faith of my wife… geeze, I can’t even imagine.

So today, in a world that de-values the role of women… I simply celebrate them. I celebrate and thank God for their ministry. I’m thankful for my wife Jen, who followed God’s calling and found His favor as an author and speaker. I pick on her sometimes and call her “Jen Hatmaker .com” (especially when she’s getting bossy). But I’m truly thankful for her ministry and all she’s contributed to my life and ministry. She’s more than a compliment to me, she’s the perfect gift.

Fella’s out there… you hear me?