Get Anchored

LeaderLines: Leadership Vows for the New Year, Part Four

2012-01-26T10:34:00.001-06:00

Have you noticed how often the phrase “make every effort” shows up in Scripture? For these opening weeks of the new year, I’m taking you you to six places where that phrase shows up in Scripture. You’ll discover that these six challenges are especially important for those of us who lead:

I vow to maintain my integrity.

I vow to forgive those who hurt me.

I vow to be a peacemaker.

I vow to be an encourager.

I vow to mentor others.

I vow to never stop growing.

We’ve already looked at the first five vows. (Click the links above to find the posts.) This week, let’s make a commitment to never stop growing.

In 2 Peter 1:5-8 (NIV), the Big Fisherman says, “For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love. For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

There’s that phrase again: “Make every effort.” In this case, it’s applied to our willingness to continually develop.

We cannot afford to get stagnant as leaders. There’s always more to learn about the Bible. There’s always more to develop when it comes to the spiritual disciples of prayer and service and giving and mortification and so on.

But, of course, we’re called to continually develop in these areas whether we lead or not. In addition to growth as faithful believers, leaders need to keep our eyes open to ways we can more effectively lead.

So, are there better ways to run our programs to help us get our people where they need to be? Are there better ways we can organize our time or better ways we can spend our budgeted dollars? Are there trends we’re ignoring to the detriment of the organization we’re responsible for? Are there seminars or books that can help us become more skillful in our tasks?

I ran across an interesting verse in my Bible reading this morning. It was the summary statement of King Hezekiah’s life. 2 Chronicles 31:21 says King Hezekiah “sought his God and worked wholeheartedly. And so he prospered.”

Did you catch the formula? Strong faith + energetic work.

As church leaders, let’s make a commitment in 2012 to grow in both areas!

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Each Thursday I post my article from "LeaderLines," an e-newsletter for church leaders read by more than 350 subscribers. If you want to subscribe to "LeaderLines," sign up here.

Review of George W. Bush's "Decision Points"

2012-01-25T10:21:00.001-06:00

I read George W. Bush's memoir, Decision Points, during my vacation last week. It provoked a number of reactions in me.

One, it stirred memories of what I was doing in the first 8 years of the new millennium we're in. The stories he recounted made me think back to what I was doing when those incidents hit the headlines. Half of that time was spent in Cayman and the other half was in my freshman Hillcrest years.

Two, it made me reflect on how the office of the American President has evolved in light of other presidential biographies I've read (most recently, Ronald C. White's A. Lincoln: A Biography, David McCullough's Truman, and I'm completing Edmund Morris' triology on Theodore Roosevelt). Comparing the Bush years to these other presidents, it struck me how widespread the current American President's responsibilities have become, and how rapid-fire his responses need to be.

Three, the book strengthened my resolve to pray regularly for the President and those who surround him, no matter who holds those positions, just as scripture commands.

I found the book a surprisingly enjoyable read. It was a good decision for Bush to organize the book around major descisions he's faced instead of a chronological play-by-play. Most intriguing to me were his chapters on his spiritual conversion, stem cells, 9/11, and Afghanistan. I think his reflections on Katrina will be helpful for those evaluating that "decision point" in his presidency. There were other chapters that made me squirm just as much as when the decisions were "live": the decisions on Iraq (for which I remain largely in agreement) and his decisions during the financial meltdown (for which this juror is still deliberating).

Review of Bo Giertz's "The Hammer of God"

2012-01-25T09:40:00.001-06:00

Bo Giertz's The Hammer of God surprised me.

It surprised me at how engaging it was, considering it was written in 1941, translated from Swedish, and obviously written to contend with regional worries in Swedish Lutheranism.

It surprised me to read of the depth into which pastors once were involved in parishioner's lives--by invitation or just by force of the authority of their office.

It surprised me to read of pastoral life in a culture where the pastoral office was a tax-supported agency of the state--and thus too often occupied by unregenerate office-holders.

It surprised me to find that the book topped the bestseller list in Sweden the year it came out, and it remains in print in many languages today. When people think of Swedish literature today, they think of The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo, but there was a time when Sweden was known for more redeeming fare.

It surprised me to find how, well, "entertaining" an author could make a work that is really an exposition of the differences between licentiousness, legalism, and the saving grace of the gospel.

The novel is a small triology of novellas, each taking the reader to a different era of the same setting: the early 1800s, the late 1800s, and the mid 1900s. As the translator, Hans Andrae, wrote in the Preface:

The author unveils the dramatic confrontation between the Faith of the Church and the many beliefs (and disbeliefs) that battle for the human soul, which basically remains constant even as cultural settings are changed. Faith comes down to a matter of relying either on our own accomplishments to be right with God or on receiving as a free gift by grace the righteousness Christ gained for us.

I'm grateful to have been surprised by this find.

Toxic Nagging

2012-01-25T08:54:00.001-06:00

The WSJ has an article about a marriage condition it says is more common than adultery--and even more toxic. A worthy caution:

Nagging—the interaction in which one person repeatedly makes a request, the other person repeatedly ignores it and both become increasingly annoyed—is an issue every couple will grapple with at some point. While the word itself can provoke chuckles and eye-rolling, the dynamic can potentially be as dangerous to a marriage as adultery or bad finances. Experts say it is exactly the type of toxic communication that can eventually sink a relationship.
...
It is possible for husbands to nag, and wives to resent them for nagging. But women are more likely to nag, experts say, largely because they are conditioned to feel more responsible for managing home and family life. And they tend to be more sensitive to early signs of problems in a relationship. When women ask for something and don't get a response, they are quicker to realize something is wrong. The problem is that by asking repeatedly, they make things worse.
Men are to blame, too, because they don't always give a clear answer. Sure, a husband might tune his wife out because he is annoyed; nagging can make him feel like a little boy being scolded by his mother. But many times he doesn't respond because he doesn't know the answer yet, or he knows the answer will disappoint her.
...
The first step in curbing the nagging cycle, experts say, is to admit that you are stuck in a bad pattern. You are fighting about fighting. You need to work to understand what makes the other person tick. Rather than lazy and unloving, is your husband overworked and tired? Is your wife really suggesting she doesn't trust you? Or is she just trying to keep track of too many chores?

The article proposes 8 tips if nagging is a problem in your relationship.

Winning Ways: What Four?

2012-01-25T06:29:00.000-06:00

Have you seen a giant "4" migrating around the church building? I've seen it in the adult wing, the gym, and the office wing.

There's no telling where it will pop up from time to time in 2012. It's a way of reminding us to engage in 4 activities with 4 friends this year:

Identify
Intercede
Invest
Invite

First, identify 4 Austin-area people who need to connect with Christ and church involvement. "Open your eyes and look at the fields," Jesus said in John 4:35, "They are ripe for harvest." Have you followed Jesus' command to "open your eyes"? We're challenging you to identify 4 people that could use your Christian influence in 2012.

Second, intercede for your friends 4 times a week. If you don't have a daily time of prayer and Bible reading, now's the time to start the routine.

Third, invest in your life in your 4 friends' lives this year. Spend time with them. This may involve scheduling dinners or movie nights, but mostly it involves including them in activities you're already going to do anyway.

Fourth, invite them to at least 4 Hillcrest activities this year. We offer you 52 activities on Sunday morning in 2012, and in addition we'll have Sunday School parties or Second Half banquets or seasonal musicals that can be good "entry points" for your friends.

Come this Sunday @ 10, January 29, and I'll tell you more about the 4!

The Anchor Course: Exploring Christianity Together. This Sunday night, I begin Week One of the Anchor Course. I wrote this book as an introduction to Christianity for those asking questions about the faith.

What are the evidences for God? Why do Christians call the Bible the Word of God, and can we trust it? What does it mean to call Jesus the Son of God and why is his death on a cross so important to Christians? What about heaven and hell?

These are important questions, and we'll meet the next 8 Sunday nights to discuss them, 5:30-6:30 pm. Children's activities and child care are provided. Registration closes after this Sunday, so don't miss out.

For more information, or to sign up, contact my assistant, Jami (345-3771 or jami@hbcaustin.org).

Links to Your World, Tuesday January 24

2012-01-24T06:08:00.000-06:00

Why I love Jesus but I hate that video that tells us we shoud hate religion.

"Christian radio is like Joel Osteen in musical form….safe, happy, and untruthful" (Matt Papa). A bit over-the-top, but his blog post is a worthy caution for those who program Christian radio--and those who listen to it.

Exit Polls Reveal Majority Of South Carolina Voters Had Emotional Breakdown In Voting Booth

The Iranian regime regards Christianity as a threat to their hold on power--and plans to do something about it. Pray.

Eight Ways to Live as Pro-Life Christians Under a Pro-Choice President

Robert George: "Pro-life citizens..., who in 2008 allowed themselves to be persuaded that Obama wouldn't, as his critics warned, push abortion hard and run roughshod over the religious liberty and rights of conscience of...pro-life citizens and their institutions, have now gotten a rude awakening. His administration revealed its contempt for religious freedom and the rights of people and communities of faith when it embraced an extreme and utterly untenable position on the ministerial exemption in the Hosanna-Tabor case. In case anyone thought that was some sort of isolated mistake, the President's abortifacient and contraception mandate leaves the matter in no doubt."

Unreliable Man Angry He's Not Judged By That Time He Was Reliable

Of tattoos and young Christians.

4 Ways the Book of Proverbs Was the Original Twitter

Here's an excellent blog post on how to blow a job application and interview--and how to ace one.

"Get Anchored" Since Last Tuesday:

LeaderLines: Leadership Vows for the New Year, Part Three
Winning Ways: They’re Searching, So Help Them Find Us
Closer to Scorsese's "Silence"

LeaderLines: Leadership Vows for the New Year, Part Three

2012-01-19T06:42:00.000-06:00

I vow to maintain my integrity.

I vow to forgive those who hurt me.

I vow to be a peacemaker.

I vow to be an encourager.

I vow to mentor others.

I vow to never stop growing.

We’ve already looked at the first three vows. (Click the links above to find the posts.) This week, let’s make a commitment to encouraging others and mentoring them.

Leaders as Encouragers

In Romans 14:19 (NIV), Paul writes, “Let us therefore make every effort to do what leads to peace and to mutual edification.”

We looked at “making peace” last week: Now note that word “edification.” What is an edifice? An edifice is just another name for a building. An edifice is something that is built up. Edification, then, is a process of building up instead of tearing down.

Christian leaders are to be encouragers. A leader’s greatest skill is revealed in how he corrects someone who has made a mistake, how she handles someone who raises a suggestion that needs a little refining, and how he presents himself to the troops when the group faces a setback.

In every one of those instances, leaders should be dispensers of hope. Cecil Osborne once said, “Perhaps once in a hundred years a person may be ruined by excessive praise, but surely once every minute someone dies inside for lack of it.”

Right now, I’m reading a book by Sam Crabtree called Practicing Affirmation. Trusting the Scriptures that say God grants mercy to those who refresh others, I want to do a better job of this in 2012.

Leaders as Mentors

In addition to encouraging others, we need to look for ways to mentor. In 2 Peter 1:15 (NIV), the Big Fisherman wrote, “And I will make every effort to see that after my departure you will always be able to remember these things.”

It’s an effort we need to make as leaders, too. At a Promise Keepers event, Howard Hendricks said that every man needs a Paul, a Barnabas, and a Timothy. The third relationship is the one we often ignore.

Every man needs a Paul—someone to mentor him and challenge him.

Every man needs a Barnabas—a real friend.

Every man needs a Timothy—someone into whom he can pour himself.

Hendricks went on to say that men will end their lives with a sense of unfulfillment if we don’t train other men professionally or personally. Hendricks was speaking specifically to men, but his words apply to women as well (Titus 2:3-5).

As we move further along in this new year, find ways to encourage and to mentor. Next week we’ll wrap up this LeaderLines series with the vow to continually grow.

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Each Thursday I post my article from "LeaderLines," an e-newsletter for church leaders read by more than 350 subscribers. If you want to subscribe to "LeaderLines," sign up here.

Winning Ways: They’re Searching, So Help Them Find Us

2012-01-18T06:50:00.001-06:00

When someone uses the Internet to search for a church, we want Hillcrest at the top of the search results. You can help.

A web search is the main way people end up at Hillcrest these days. So, it’s important that Hillcrest get to the top of everyone’s search results. I’ve got a couple of ways that you can make that happen.

Write a Review

First, write a positive review of your Hillcrest experience on our “Google Places” page. Go to http://ow.ly/8ryBz (I shortened the link). Click on the red button that says “Write a Review.” Several of you have already written very kind things about your Hillcrest experience!

Whether you’re a long-time member or you’ve just started visiting, you can help us reach people by reporting on your Hillcrest experience. Even if you have visited Austin from out of town, you can still write a review.

This helps us in 3 ways. First, when someone is doing a web search for a church, it’s impressive to see a large number of reviews about a church. Second, when they start reading about specific things you appreciate about Hillcrest, it raises the likelihood they’ll come check us out. And, third, sometimes certain things you say in your review raise the position that Hillcrest ends up on the search results page. If they’re looking for the same things you mentioned in your review it increases the likelihood that Google will send them to our website.

You may have other places to leave a review, such as Yelp or the “Recommendations” section of our church’s Facebook page. Every time you make a positive mention online, it helps us!

Link Your Social Media to Our Website

Here’s a second homework assignment: Link your social media to our website. If you’re on Facebook, “like” our church’s Facebook page. If you’re part of Google+ you should “+1” our website when you find it in the search results. When we’re promoting an event on our website that you’re excited about, share the link on Facebook or Google+. If you have a blog, add www.HillcrestAustin.org to your recommended links.

Help Them Seek and They Will Find

Since we placed a little ad with Google, the ad has been viewed about a thousand times a day, and five people per day have clicked through the ad to our website. If you’ll take a few minutes right now and complete this “homework assignment,” you’ll make it easier for these people who are looking for a church home to find us!

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Each Wednesday I post my article from "Winning Ways," an e-newsletter that goes out to 1200 subscribers. If you want to subscribe to "Winning Ways," sign up here.

Closer to Scorsese's "Silence"

2012-01-13T09:50:00.001-06:00

Jesuit priest Tim Byron reports that we're getting closer to Martin Scorsese's film adaptation of Shusaku Endo's Silence. The acclaimed director's love of the book comes through his forward to a recent edition:

How do you tell the story of Christian faith? The difficulty, the crisis, of believing? How do you describe the struggle? ... [Shusaku Endo] understood the conflict of faith, the necessity of belief fighting the voice of experience. The voice that always urges the faithful - the questioning faithful - to adapt their beliefs to the world they inhabit, their culture...That's a paradox, and it can be an extremely painful one: on the face of it, believing and questioning are antithetical. Yet I believe that they go hand in hand. One nourishes the other. Questioning may lead to great loneliness, but if it co-exists with faith - true faith, abiding faith - it can end in the most joyful sense of communion. It's this painful, paradoxical passage - from certainty to doubt to loneliness to communion - that Endo understands so well, and renders so clearly, carefully and beautifully in Silence.

I liked Endo's Silence, but I liked The Samurai better, and wrote about it here. I've been waiting for news on Silence since 2006, when I posted this:

What will the acclaimed director focus on from Endo's novel? What concerns me is what will be done with the priest's spiritual struggles and with the challenges from his tormentors. The priest in the novel often asks himself about the silence of God in the face of such intense suffering on the part of faithful Christians. And the tormentors often remind the priest that the Japanese have their own religion (Buddhism) and the Christian faith he is trying to transplant in that foreign soil will never survive. The Japanese officials, in fact, consider Christianity just one more Western characteristic they are trying to expel from their islands.

Could it be that it's this theme that has captured the attention of the director and screenwriter: the conviction that Christianity is part of "Western culture" that shouldn't be imposed on other cultures? Never mind that it's this conviction that led 17th century Japanese magistrates to devise the most inhumane of tortures for their own Japanese citizens who embraced Christianity.
Will the magistrates become "the voice of reason" in this film adaptation of the novel? Will the film convey the futility of missionaries like this priest who bring Christianity to other cultures only to bring trouble to the people who embrace it? It would certainly fit the spirit of the age: To many, Christianity is looked upon as a "Western religion"--even an "American religion"--that shouldn't be transplanted to other cultures. In reality, Christianity is a universal faith that transcends passports, flags, and national customs. Far from being "Western" or "American," culturally-speaking, Christianity actually sprang from a Jewish messianic movement in first-century Jersusalem under Roman occupation. It spread from there south, east, west, and--for our interests in America--it also spread north into what is now Europe and the British isles to take root in Anglo-Saxon soil and from there made its way to America. In other words, cultures now considered "Western" and specifically "American" were recipients of missionary outreach long, long before they became supporters of missionary outreach.

More here.

LeaderLines: Leadership Vows for the New Year, Part Two

2012-01-12T07:23:00.001-06:00

For the next few weeks in LeaderLines, I want to take a look at six personal vows that you and I should make in 2012:

I vow to maintain my integrity.

I vow to forgive those who hurt me.

I vow to be a peacemaker.

I vow to be an encourager.

I vow to mentor others.

I vow to never stop growing.

Last week we looked at the first vow. This week, let’s look at forgiveness and peacemaking.

Leaders as Forgivers

First, you’ll never be effective in leadership without forgiveness. In Hebrews 12:14-15 (NIV) we read, “Make every effort to live in peace with all men and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord. See to it that no one misses the grace of God and that no bitter root grows up to cause trouble and defile many.”

You will be hurt in leadership. Just think of all the modern proverbs of leadership:

“The pioneers are the ones with the arrows in their backs.”

“If you call the shots you’re going to take the shots.”

“The moment you put out your shingle, people start throwing rocks at it.”

All these little sayings wouldn’t exist if leaders didn’t have to endure times of criticism.

If you’re going to lead people, there will be times that people will frustrate you, stand in the way of your vision, and even organize against you. So, leaders have to vow be forgivers, bridge-builders, fence-menders.

Leaders as Peacemakers

In addition to forgiving others, we should make a New Year’s vow to be peace makers. Ephesians 4:3 (NIV) says, “Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.”

We leaders need to do more than just forgive those who hurt us: we need to look beyond ourselves and to see how we can promote peace between all those we lead.

The vow to be a forgiver has to do with your own conflicts; the vow to be a peacemaker has to do with the conflicts you see between others.

As leaders it’s our job to get our group to the next level: if we coach, we want to lead our team to a winning season; if we oversee a sales force, we want to break the old sales record. But our group won’t advance to the next level if there’s a lot of infighting. So leaders have to spend time making sure the policies are clear, the chain of command is spelled out, the lines of communication are open, and conflicts are resolved quickly.

This is true in a church, too. A big part of church leadership involves monitoring the health of relationships among the church members and doing what it takes to keep those relationships healthy. It’s interesting the way the verse is worded: “Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit.” The unity that the Holy Spirit provides is something that must be kept: we do not create it—it occurs because the same Spirit that fills you fills me. Our job then is not to create it but to keep that unity that is provided for us.

Next week, we’ll look at some more “New Year’s Resolutions” that we leaders should “make every effort” to keep!

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Each Thursday I post my article from "LeaderLines," an e-newsletter for church leaders read by more than 350 subscribers. If you want to subscribe to "LeaderLines," sign up here.

Winning Ways: Of Limericks, Haikus, and Other Divine Poems

2012-01-11T07:00:00.000-06:00

"You are God's poem."

That's what I reminded the congregation this week. I pointed out that the word "workmanship" in Ephesians 2:10 ("for we are God's workmanship") is a translation of the Greek work poeima. Pronounce it and you'll hear "poem." I'm encouraged to think of myself as God's poem.

At coffee after the service Don Young informed me that, if this was so, he was a limerick. And Erin Waldo posted this on Facebook:

Smart, sarcastic, weird.
Also a bit off-kilter.
I am a haiku.

I love it!

The poem-point was to drive home the truth that God has created us and gifted us to be useful to his plan for the world. That was in Week Two in our series, "Riding Herd: Managing Your Time, Talents, and Treasure." We wrap up the series this Sunday with the biblical principles of money management. Join us at 10!

The Anchor Course: Exploring Christianity Together. This Sunday night, I begin a new semester of the Anchor Course. I wrote this book as an introduction to Christianity for those asking questions about the faith.

These are important questions for people who are trying to make up their mind about Christianity. If these are the questions you ask, come to the Anchor Course. If you know someone asking these questions, bring them to the Anchor Course.

This Sunday's meeting is a "Get Acquainted" night, 5:30-6:30pm. If you choose to register at the end of our "Get Acquainted" night, you'll receive a copy of my book for free and we'll meet for the next 8 Sunday nights, 5:30-6:30. Children's activities and child care are provided.

For more information, or to sign up, contact my assistant, Jami (345-3771 or jami@hbcaustin.org).

Friendventory! I'm getting a lot of good notes turned in, so add yours to the stack! We're taking a "Friendventory" at Hillcrest. We want you to tell us about the person who invited you to Hillcrest, even if it was many years ago! Email me, write me, or turn in a Connection Card this Sunday!

Links to Your World, Tuesday, January 10

2012-01-10T09:19:00.000-06:00

Dreaming is an essential part of understanding, organizing and retaining what we learn. Time reports.

"A particular mind-set or belief about one's body or health may lead to improvements in disease symptoms as well as changes in appetite, brain chemicals and even vision, several recent studies have found, highlighting how fundamentally the mind and body are connected" (WSJ reports).

Advice for getting your teen to clean his/her room.

WSJ: "The Texas Longhorns football program—just football; not basketball, baseball or anything else—is worth $805 million. To put this into perspective, the NFL's Jacksonville Jaguars recently sold for about $45 million less."

Try "the phone stack" at your next dinner outing: "It works like this: as you arrive, each person places their phone facedown in the center of the table. As the meal goes on, you’ll hear various texts and emails arriving… and you’ll do absolutely nothing. You’ll face temptation—maybe even a few involuntary reaches toward the middle of the table—but you’ll be bound by the single, all-important rule of the phone stack. Whoever picks up their phone is footing the bill." (HT: John Erskine)

This man wants "three-throwing" to be the next WWJD bracelet. In his video, the oddest thing is the before-and-after photo: Under one pic is the question: "Christian?" in the next photo the man is "three-throwing" and the caption reads "Christian." Who knew identifying a true Christian was so easy?

LeaderLines: Leadership Vows for the New Year

2012-01-05T10:52:00.001-06:00

“Make every effort….”

Have you noticed how often that phrase shows up in Scripture? For these opening weeks of the new year, we’ll look at that urgent statement in six Bible verses. You’ll discover that these six challenges are especially important for those of us who lead.

Maybe it will help you avoid the lame leadership that was exposed in a book called Jackspeak: The Purser's Rum Guide to Royal Navy Slanguage. The book includes some performance reviews for British Navy and Marine officers. Obviously, the military leaders being examined need a little work on their leadership skills:

"His men would follow him anywhere, but only out of curiosity."

"This officer is really not so much of a has-been, but more of a definitely won't-be."

"Works well under constant supervision and when cornered like a rat in a trap."

"This young lady has delusions of adequacy."

"She sets low personal standards and then consistently fails to achieve them."

"This officer should go far—and the sooner he starts, the better."

None of us can say we’ve “arrived” when it comes to being good leaders. Every leader could admit to the need for improvement. For the next few weeks in LeaderLines, I want to take a look at six personal vows that you and I should make in 2012:

I vow to maintain my integrity.

I vow to forgive those who hurt me.

I vow to be a peacemaker.

I vow to be an encourager.

I vow to mentor others.

I vow to never stop growing.

We’ll begin today with a fresh commitment to integrity. Simon Peter wrote, “So then, dear friends, since you are looking forward to this, make every effort to be found spotless, blameless and at peace with him” (2 Peter 3:14, NIV84).

Simon Peter had been talking about the return of Jesus Christ, the coming of the new heaven and the new earth. And he said that since we anticipate this, we should make every effort to be honorable people.

That’s especially true in leadership. Someone has said, "Integrity is like oxygen. The higher you go, the less there is of it."

Sadly, that was proven true in a landmark survey for the Wall Street Journal a few years ago. The Gallup polling organization found that executives as a group had more problems with integrity than the general public. Eighty percent of executives polled admitted to putting the public at risk by driving drunk, compared with thirty-three percent of the general population. Seventy-eight percent had used the company phone for personal long distance calls. Thirty-five percent had overstated deductions on tax forms. And 75% had pilfered work supplies for personal use, as opposed to forty percent of the general public (Resource: Keeping Your Ethical Edge Sharp, pg. 25).

The scripture tells us to make every effort to be found spotless and blameless. That’s a call to every Christian, but those of us who lead should pay special attention to it, and for two reasons.

First, our position of leadership makes us more visible. When we are raised up in leadership, everything about us goes on display: our jokes, our language, our honesty, our self-discipline, the respect we show to others, even how we treat our family. Sometimes when we take a leadership position, we’d like to think that the only thing that matters is how well we do the job, but we can’t think that narrowly. The higher we are raised in leadership, everything about us becomes more visible, and our desire then should be for spotless, blameless lives.

There’s a second reason why leaders need to commit to integrity even more than the rank and file, though. The higher you go in leadership, the more you are exposed to temptations that don’t affect the rank and file. Temptations to abuse, to exploit, to manipulate. We’ve all heard of leaders charged with sexual harassment, or accepting or offering bribes. We leaders need to know these temptations exist and vow to maintain our integrity.

There’s a great scene in the film Rob Roy where Robert Roy MacGregor is talking with his young sons. They’ve heard him talk of honor and they ask him, “Father, what is honor?” And in that wonderful Scottish brogue, MacGregor says, “Honor is a gift a man gives himself.” (Note: Sadly, while Rob Roy is an inspiring film in many ways, it is not a film for family movie night.)

Make sure you’re giving yourself such a gift in 2012. Make every effort to live a life of integrity. Next week, we’ll vow to be leaders capable of forgiving and peacemaking.

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Each Thursday I post my article from "LeaderLines," an e-newsletter for church leaders read by more than 350 subscribers. If you want to subscribe to "LeaderLines," sign up here.

Winning Ways: What's a Friendventory?

2012-01-04T07:00:00.000-06:00

The New Year is underway! Here's how we're helping you start it right.

We're Taking a "Friendventory." No, you won't find that word in the dictionary. Most people who attend Hillcrest were first invited by a friend. During the next 3 weeks we're taking an "inventory" of those friends: a "friendventory." Even if it was many years ago, and even if your friend has moved out of the area since then, be sure to honor your friend by including him or her in our Friendventory. Use the Connection Card in Sunday's bulletin, or write me at tom@hbcaustin.org. You have until January 22.

Riding Herd. To "ride herd" over something means to manage it, to steer it toward a desired end. Your 2012 will be a lot more effective if you can "ride herd" over 3 things: your time, your talents, and your treasure. We're taking the first 3 Sundays of the new year to learn how to manage these things. If you missed the first sermon on New Year's Day, you can listen online at www.HillcrestAustin.org. Join us this Sunday, January 8, and learn how to manage your talents! Remember, we'll be back to our normal schedule: an hour of worship @ 10, followed by an hour of small-group fellowship.

Midweek Study. "The Fruit of the Spirit." Join me for a 9-week study on the Fruit of the Spirit as found in Galatians 5:22-23. It starts this Wednesday, January 4, 6:30 p.m. in A-164. I used to count off my reps in my morning workout by reciting the Fruit of the Spirit. It was a great way to work on spiritual fitness while I developed physical fitness. I promise I won't lead you in push-ups during midweek study, but let's get in a good "spiritual workout" every Wednesday night!

"First Wednesday." Do you pray for God to reach your lost friends and relatives? Do you pray that God will use our church in reaching the lost? During the 2011-2012 church year, we're setting aside the first Wednesday of every month to do that. So, on this First Wednesday, January 4, take a moment to pray. Send me the name(s) on your prayer list and I'll add them to mine. And join us during the midweek service at 6:30 so we can pray together!

We're off and running!

Links to a your World, Tuesday January 3

2012-01-03T07:00:00.000-06:00

Crochetdermy. Wow. Giant life-like animals made from the art of crochet.

Very nice. I've been listening to this in the background a couple of days: First Listen: Charlie Haden And Hank Jones, 'Come Sunday'

"Many online sellers flood consumers with limited-time offers starting well after the dinner hour, when the odds are best that people have a few drinks in them. The Gilt Groupe, which specializes in high-end flash deals, says it’s adding more deals that kick off at 9 p.m. While sellers don’t overtly promote the idea of drunken shopping, hundreds of sellers, including QVC and eBay, take careful note of nighttime shopping patterns—which spike around 8 p.m. and often stay strong through midnight. It’s during these shopping “happy hours” that sellers often focus on fun, seemed-like-a-good-idea-at-the-time impulse purchases." (Time)

Disney princesses on the covers of fashion magazines:

*sniff* Man crawls under cars for hours at Walmart to rescue a scared abandoned dog. Let's be thankful God is this patient in drawing us in.

Austin #7 Among America's Drunkest Cities. Sigh....

Knowing God - This month’s free audiobook from ChristianAudio is J.I. Packer’s classic, Knowing God.

Dallas Cowboys Release Jerry Jones

From the Goodman House: Year-End Wrap Up

2011-12-31T17:02:00.001-06:00

Happy New Year! Here’s a Goodman 2011 Wrap-Up:

Links to Your World, Tuesday December 27

2011-12-27T07:00:00.000-06:00

"Indonesian girl who was swept away in the 2004 tsunami is reunited with her family." Pastors looking for illustrations: You're welcome.

"The Bible is the model for and subject of more art and thought than those of us who live within its influence, consciously or unconsciously, will ever know." Marilynne Robinson explains why in this NY Times piece.

"There’s a sweet spot of stress: too much stress overloads the system and makes life difficult, but having had too little stress causes similar problems." (Time)

Houston Man Paying $1 Parking Ticket 58 Years Late

The Car of Tomorrow Recognizes Your Butt. I expect some late night punch lines from the comedians on this story.

David Brooks pointed me to Alan Lightman's “The Accidental Universe” in Harper’s. Brooks says Lightman "writes that the existence of life is so incredibly improbable that there can be only two realistic explanations: Either there is a God who designed all this, or there exist many, many different universes, a vast majority of which are lifeless. Many physicists are gravitating to the latter theory." Since there's no evidence for the latter, could there be an emotional reason against the former?

"Oh Wow. Oh Wow. Oh Wow."

2011-12-23T09:38:00.001-06:00

Peggy Noonan:

The great words of the year? "Oh wow. Oh wow. Oh wow."
They are the last words of Steve Jobs, reported by his sister, the novelist Mona Simpson, who was at his bedside. In her eulogy, a version of which was published in the New York Times, she spoke of how he looked at his children "as if he couldn't unlock his gaze." He'd said goodbye to her, told her of his sorrow that they wouldn't be able to be old together, "that he was going to a better place." In his final hours his breathing was deep, uneven, as if he were climbing.
"Before embarking, he'd looked at his sister Patty, then for a long time at his children, then at his life's partner, Laurene, and then over their shoulders past them. Steve's final words were: 'OH WOW. OH WOW. OH WOW.'"
The caps are Simpson's, and if she meant to impart a sense of wonder and mystery she succeeded. "Oh wow" is not a bad way to express the bigness, power and force of life, and death. And of love, by which he was literally surrounded.
I wondered too, after reading the eulogy, if I was right to infer that Jobs saw something, and if so, what did he see? What happened there that he looked away from his family and expressed what sounds like awe?
...Anyway I sent Ms. Simpson's eulogy to a number of people and spoke to some of them, and they all had two things in common in terms of their reaction. They'd get a faraway look, and think. And if they had a thought to share they did it with modesty....
Modesty when contemplating death is a good thing.
When words leave people silent and thinking they are powerful words. Steve Jobs' last words were the best thing said in 2011.

Review of “Not Your Parent’s Offering Plate”

2011-12-21T16:58:00.001-06:00

Non-profits know how to ask people to financially support their worthy causes—and to do so unapologetically. Clif Christopher says that pastors and other church leaders need to learn this skill. I was given a Kindle edition of his book, Not Your Parents' Offering Plate: A New Vision for Financial Stewardship. I read it in one sitting and—since I read it near the end of the year—I made a few “New Year’s Resolutions” as a result.

Christopher says that people give to organizations for 3 chief reasons.

First, they believe in the mission. So, it’s important to constantly communicate how the church is successfully accomplishing the task of changing lives

Second, people give to organizations where the leadership has engaged them with the vision, often personally. So, it’s important for the pastor to know who his donors are, and the pastor has to take the lead in asking for financial support for the worthy cause of the church’s gospel mission. This is a new consideration for me, since I’ve operated for 30 years under the policy that I will not know who gives what. I haven’t decided whether to change this policy, but Christopher makes a strong case that pastors should do so. Regardless of what pastors know about donors gifts, however, donors should know a lot about the pastor’s passion for the cause he wants them to support.

Third, people give to organizations they believe are financially sound. “People do not give to sinking ships,” Christopher writes, “They give to ships that are sailing strong and give every indication of reaching their destination.”

Christopher also encourages pastors and other church leaders to pay attention to three “pockets” from which their people should be challenged in good stewardship.

First, there’s the “Earned-Income Pocket.” Many churches are already successful at challenging people to give from their paychecks and retirement checks.

Second, there’s the “Capital Pocket.” In this pocket are “stocks, bonds, pieces of property, insurance policies, savings accounts, and inheritances we may have received and put away.” Typically, people do not think to contribute from this pocket, but Christopher believes every pastor should always have a list of special projects that he would launch should funding from someone’s “Capital Pocket” become available.

Third, there’s the “Estate Pocket.” Christopher writes:

Every one of us will die one day and every church member we are currently serving will also die. Most of us will be richer on that day than we ever were while alive. No longer will we have need of any of the assets in our life, plus we will have added to our barns all that life insurance we have paid premiums on over the years. First the bad news: none of it will be going with us. Now the good news: you aren't going to need it. YOU ARE, HOWEVER, STILL RESPONSIBLE FOR IT. As far as I can figure, God gave you all of those treasures. They were not given to anyone else-just you, and you are responsible as His steward to determine their disposal.

While about 38 percent of charitable giving goes to religious institutions, these institutions only gets 8 percent of all the estate gifts in America. Christopher says pastors should lead their members to put one simple sentence in his or her will that says, "After all my bills are paid, I want 10 percent of my estate (a tithe) to go to ______ Church."

This book is a quick read (I started and completed it today). As a result, here are a few “New Year’s Resolutions” for my work as pastor:

First: More testimonies of changed lives and appreciation for Hillcrest. We do this, but not near as often. Christopher recommends a testimony every week—in the service or at least written in the bulletin.

Second: More thank-you notes. Christopher recommends 10 a week, hand-written. These should go out to anyone for anything who needs a thank-you from the pastor, but especially to those faithful in giving. He even suggests that the pastor ask the financial secretary or treasurer to alert him of any noteworthy contribution so he can immediately reply with a thank-you note.

Third: A list of “plans for the future.” Right now, the great majority of beyond-the-budget giving should be directed to our “Beautiful Thing Campaign” for renovating the auditorium. But Christopher says I should have other things on a “wish list,” too:

Of course you are not supposed to be always building a building. But you are supposed to be always building the kingdom of God. In the right-hand drawer of every pastor's desk there always should be plans for the future that simply need someone to fund them. From time to time these dreams and plans should be shared with the greater church. Like seed to be scattered, they should be spread out occasionally just to see if they might take root. Doing so will cause individuals to think about their capital pocket and what they might like to do with it on a one-time special occasion….In between the building programs at your church, do you really think your members are sitting on these capital assets just waiting for you to need them? No, they are evaluating every year what to do with them, and if you do not speak up you will not be in their plans.

Fourth: Estate Planning. We’ve done a little of this from time to time, but 2012 needs to be a year where we emphasize this again. As we benefit from the sizable estate that a member named Bob Flaherty left us upon his death, we need to challenge other members to follow his lead.

Thanks, Paul Waldo, for the gift of this book! It confirmed some things I’ve been doing, challenged me to kick some of our activities into a higher gear, and convinced me to try some new things.

Review of Fehrenbach's "Lone Star"

2011-12-21T09:28:00.001-06:00

Since the first edition in 1968, T.R. Fehrenbach's Lone Star has been the authoritative text for the history of Texas. Academics "have blasted away at the scriptural authority" of the book, writes Michael Ennis for Texas Monthly. "But these 'revisionists' (read 'heretics' if you’re a Texas history traditionalist) have scarcely dented Fehrenbach’s appeal to readers outside the ivory tower."

I just completed the (c) 2000 edition, coming in at 730 pages. The book is largely sympathetic to its "Anglo-Celtic" subject, seen as the main population driving Texas history. The book traces the history of Texas through interaction with the Indian and Spanish-Mexican populations that Anglo-Celts encountered as they moved West, largely from Appalacia. Fehrenbach puts the actions of 19th-century Texans in historical context, a helpful counter to those ready to make shallow jdugments on men and women from the distant past. He also shows how the outrages of Reconstruction following the Civil War contributed to the Texan's suspicion of expectations imposed by distant outsiders, especially those from the Northeast--a suspicion that lasted deep into the 20th century and (arguably) still tinges the Texan mood in the new century.

Winning Ways: Riding Herd

2011-12-21T07:00:00.000-06:00

Do you know what it means to "ride herd" over something?

Every region has its unique phrases. People from the northeast refer to something impressive as "wicked good," which is akin to what the southern Californian means by "narly." Everyone in the South know how far a "tad" is when they're asked to "scoot over a tad." And my friends in the Caribbean all know how long its going to be when a repairman tells you, "Soon come, mon."

In Texas, to "ride herd" over something means to manage it, to keep it in line, to direct it toward a desired end.

With that in mind, we need to ride herd over three things: our time, our talents, and our treasure.

The biblical word for this is "stewardship." A steward was someone who managed his master's estate. He did not own it, but he was entrusted with it, and his master would hold him accountable for his attentive care. In the Bible, we are told to be good stewards of the things God has entrusted to us.

I know your mind is on Christmas right now, but 2012 is a week away! And on New Year's Day we'll begin a 3-week sermon series called "Riding Herd: Managing Your Time, Talents, and Treasure." Your 2012 will be a lot more successful if you can be a better manager of these 3 three things, so start the New Year right by learning how!

The series begins on New Year's Day--and don't forget that the special holiday schedule will be in effect: The service will begin at 11:00 a.m.

Thankful for our Musicians! What a great Christmas music program last Sunday! Many thanks to the talented members of our music ministry!

O Come Let Us Adore Him: Join us at 6:00 p.m. on Christmas Eve for our Lord's Supper service. It's always a moving experience to close this service with hundreds of lit candles.

Special Holiday Schedule the Next Two Sundays: On December 25 and January 1, our worship service will begin at 11:00 a.m., and there will be no other activities.

Ministry to our Missionary Families: Be in prayer for the team traveling to Thailand to lead a camp for the teens of our International Mission Board personnel. They leave December 26 and return January 3. The team includes members of our own church: Steve and Amy Cloud, David and Elishea Smith, and Katie Cline.

Links to Your World, Tuesday December 20

2011-12-20T07:00:00.000-06:00

“I think there is such a thing as a sensus divinitatis, and in some people it doesn’t work properly,” [Alvin Plantinga] said, referring to the innate sense of the divine that Calvin believed all human beings possess. “So if you think of rationality as normal cognitive function, yes, there is something irrational about [atheism and agnosticism]." Read the NYT piece on Christian and respected philosopher Alvin Plantiga, "Philosopher Sticks Up For God."

Before you buy that e-reader, know that e-books can cost as much--or more--than the print version. So, plop down $100 or so for a device to read 'em, and then pay what you've already been paying for books. Yeah, good business plan. I'm keeping a list of wanted books at this site, and waiting for a better ebook price before getting any version of the books.

Alice Cooper is getting Lady Gaga a Bible and a cookbook for Christmas. Here's hoping for some productive conversations between the friends.

The boom in smartphones and social networks is giving new life to old scams and computer tricks. Think before you click.

Christian History online explaines the real Saint Nicholas and why we have Christmas trees.

"Among the haunting consequences of Facebook and Twitter use is the immortality of ill-chosen words and personal pictures. And for that reason, alone, parents now have to give their children “the talk.” No, not about sex....The talk is about privacy, and the importance of children keeping to themselves things that could harm them later. Need I remind everyone that human resource departments have no problem finding captioned pictures of job applicants sharing, um, lingerie reviews from their junior year in college? Cyberspace never forgets" (Opinionator).

Wasn't Sandusky 'born that way?'

The “Seuss” in Dr. Seuss is Supposed to Be Pronounced “Zoice”

”That inscrutable thing is chiefly what I hate”

2011-12-14T11:47:00.001-06:00

If you’re looking for the central passage of Herman Melville’s long (long!) book, Moby Dick, here it is. I just completed the book through Librivox’s free audio recording. This portion below captures Captain Ahab’s hatred of the white whale—and hatred of what what the white whale symbolizes to him:

What's this long face about, Mr. Starbuck; wilt thou not chase the white whale? art not game for Moby Dick?"

"I am game for his crooked jaw, and for the jaws of Death too, Captain Ahab, if it fairly comes in the way of the business we follow; but I came here to hunt whales, not my commander's vengeance. How many barrels will thy vengeance yield thee even if thou gettest it, Captain Ahab? it will not fetch thee much in our Nantucket market."

"Nantucket market! Hoot! But come closer, Starbuck; thou requirest a little lower layer. If money's to be the measurer, man, and the accountants have computed their great counting-house the globe, by girdling it with guineas, one to every three parts of an inch; then, let me tell thee, that my vengeance will fetch a great premium HERE!"

"He smites his chest," whispered Stubb, "what's that for? methinks it rings most vast, but hollow."

"Vengeance on a dumb brute!" cried Starbuck, "that simply smote thee from blindest instinct! Madness! To be enraged with a dumb thing, Captain Ahab, seems blasphemous.

“Hark ye yet again—the little lower layer. All visible objects, man, are but as pasteboard masks. But in each event—in the living act, the undoubted deed—there, some unknown but still reasoning thing puts forth the mouldings of its features from behind the unreasoning mask. If man will strike, strike through the mask! How can the prisoner reach outside except by thrusting through the wall? To me, the white whale is that wall, shoved near to me. Sometimes I think there's naught beyond. But 'tis enough. He tasks me; he heaps me; I see in him outrageous strength, with an inscrutable malice sinewing it. That inscrutable thing is chiefly what I hate; and be the white whale agent, or be the white whale principal, I will wreak that hate that hate upon him….”

"God keep me!—keep us all!" murmured Starbuck, lowly.

“Delight,—top-gallant delight is to him, who acknowledges no law or lord, but the Lord his God, and is only a patriot to heaven”

2011-12-14T11:22:00.001-06:00

Preaching Jonah, from Herman Melville’s Moby Dick, which I just finished:

The preacher slowly turned over the leaves of the Bible, and at last, folding his hand down upon the proper page, said: "Beloved shipmates, clinch the last verse of the first chapter of Jonah—'And God had prepared a great fish to swallow up Jonah.'"

"Shipmates, this book, containing only four chapters—four yarns—is one of the smallest strands in the mighty cable of the Scriptures. Yet what depths of the soul does Jonah's deep sealine sound! what a pregnant lesson to us is this prophet! What a noble thing is that canticle in the fish's belly! How billow-like and boisterously grand! We feel the floods surging over us; we sound with him to the kelpy bottom of the waters; sea-weed and all the slime of the sea is about us! But WHAT is this lesson that the book of Jonah teaches?Shipmates, it is a two-stranded lesson; a lesson to us all as sinful men, and a lesson to me as a pilot of the living God. As sinful men, it is a lesson to us all, because it is a story of the sin, hard-heartedness, suddenly awakened fears, the swift punishment, repentance, prayers, and finally the deliverance and joy of Jonah. As with all sinners among men, the sin of this son of Amittai was in his wilful disobedience of the command of God—never mind now what that command was, or how conveyed—which he found a hard command. But all the things that God would have us do are hard for us to do—remember that—and hence, he oftener commands us than endeavors to persuade. And if we obey God, we must disobey ourselves; and it is in this disobeying ourselves, wherein the hardness of obeying God consists.

"With this sin of disobedience in him, Jonah still further flouts at God, by seeking to flee from Him. He thinks that a ship made by men will carry him into countries where God does not reign, but only the Captains of this earth. He skulks about the wharves of Joppa, and seeks a ship that's bound for Tarshish. There lurks, perhaps, a hitherto unheeded meaning here. By all accounts Tarshish could have been no other city than the modern Cadiz. That's the opinion of learned men. And where is Cadiz, shipmates? Cadiz is in Spain; as far by water, from Joppa, as Jonah could possibly have sailed in those ancient days, when the Atlantic was an almost unknown sea. Because Joppa, the modern Jaffa, shipmates, is on the most easterly coast of the Mediterranean, the Syrian; and Tarshish or Cadiz more than two thousand miles to the westward from that, just outside the Straits of Gibraltar. See ye not then, shipmates, that Jonah sought to flee world-wide from God? Miserable man! Oh! most contemptible and worthy of all scorn; with slouched hat and guilty eye, skulking from his God; prowling among the shipping like a vile burglar hastening to cross the seas. So disordered, self-condemning is his look, that had there been policemen in those days, Jonah, on the mere suspicion of something wrong, had been arrested ere he touched a deck. How plainly he's a fugitive! no baggage, not a hat-box, valise, or carpet-bag,—no friends accompany him to the wharf with their adieux. At last, after much dodging search, he finds the Tarshish ship receiving the last items of her cargo; and as he steps on board to see its Captain in the cabin, all the sailors for the moment desist from hoisting in the goods, to mark the stranger's evil eye. Jonah sees this; but in vain he tries to look all ease and confidence; in vain essays his wretched smile. Strong intuitions of the man assure the mariners he can be no innocent. In their gamesome but still serious way, one whispers to the other—"Jack, he's robbed a widow;" or, "Joe, do you mark him; he's a bigamist;" or, "Harry lad, I guess he's the adulterer that broke jail in old Gomorrah, or belike, one of the missing murderers from Sodom." Another runs to read the bill that's stuck against the spile upon the wharf to which the ship is moored, offering five hundred gold coins for the apprehension of a parricide, and containing a description of his person. He reads, and looks from Jonah to the bill; while all his sympathetic shipmates now crowd round Jonah, prepared to lay their hands upon him. Frighted Jonah trembles, and summoning all his boldness to his face, only looks so much the more a coward. He will not confess himself suspected; but that itself is strong suspicion. So he makes the best of it; and when the sailors find him not to be the man that is advertised, they let him pass, and he descends into the cabin.

"'Who's there?' cries the Captain at his busy desk, hurriedly making out his papers for the Customs—'Who's there?' Oh! how that harmless question mangles Jonah! For the instant he almost turns to flee again. But he rallies. 'I seek a passage in this ship to Tarshish; how soon sail ye, sir?' Thus far the busy Captain had not looked up to Jonah, though the man now stands before him; but no sooner does he hear that hollow voice, than he darts a scrutinizing glance. 'We sail with the next coming tide,' at last he slowly answered, still intently eyeing him. 'No sooner, sir?'—'Soon enough for any honest man that goes a passenger.' Ha! Jonah, that's another stab. But he swiftly calls away the Captain from that scent. 'I'll sail with ye,'—he says,—'the passage money how much is that?—I'll pay now.' For it is particularly written, shipmates, as if it were a thing not to be overlooked in this history, 'that he paid the fare thereof' ere the craft did sail. And taken with the context, this is full of meaning.

"Now Jonah's Captain, shipmates, was one whose discernment detects crime in any, but whose cupidity exposes it only in the penniless. In this world, shipmates, sin that pays its way can travel freely, and without a passport; whereas Virtue, if a pauper, is stopped at all frontiers. So Jonah's Captain prepares to test the length of Jonah's purse, ere he judge him openly. He charges him thrice the usual sum; and it's assented to. Then the Captain knows that Jonah is a fugitive; but at the same time resolves to help a flight that paves its rear with gold. Yet when Jonah fairly takes out his purse, prudent suspicions still molest the Captain. He rings every coin to find a counterfeit. Not a forger, any way, he mutters; and Jonah is put down for his passage. 'Point out my state-room, Sir,' says Jonah now, 'I'm travel-weary; I need sleep.' 'Thou lookest like it,' says the Captain, 'there's thy room.' Jonah enters, and would lock the door, but the lock contains no key. Hearing him foolishly fumbling there, the Captain laughs lowly to himself, and mutters something about the doors of convicts' cells being never allowed to be locked within. All dressed and dusty as he is, Jonah throws himself into his berth, and finds the little state-room ceiling almost resting on his forehead. The air is close, and Jonah gasps. Then, in that contracted hole, sunk, too, beneath the ship's water-line, Jonah feels the heralding presentiment of that stifling hour, when the whale shall hold him in the smallest of his bowels' wards.

"Screwed at its axis against the side, a swinging lamp slightly oscillates in Jonah's room; and the ship, heeling over towards the wharf with the weight of the last bales received, the lamp, flame and all, though in slight motion, still maintains a permanent obliquity with reference to the room; though, in truth, infallibly straight itself, it but made obvious the false, lying levels among which it hung. The lamp alarms and frightens Jonah; as lying in his berth his tormented eyes roll round the place, and this thus far successful fugitive finds no refuge for his restless glance. But that contradiction in the lamp more and more appals him. The floor, the ceiling, and the side, are all awry. 'Oh! so my conscience hangs in me!' he groans, 'straight upwards, so it burns; but the chambers of my soul are all in crookedness!'

"Like one who after a night of drunken revelry hies to his bed, still reeling, but with conscience yet pricking him, as the plungings of the Roman race-horse but so much the more strike his steel tags into him; as one who in that miserable plight still turns and turns in giddy anguish, praying God for annihilation until the fit be passed; and at last amid the whirl of woe he feels, a deep stupor steals over him, as over the man who bleeds to death, for conscience is the wound, and there's naught to staunch it; so, after sore wrestlings in his berth, Jonah's prodigy of ponderous misery drags him drowning down to sleep.

"And now the time of tide has come; the ship casts off her cables; and from the deserted wharf the uncheered ship for Tarshish, all careening, glides to sea. That ship, my friends, was the first of recorded smugglers! the contraband was Jonah. But the sea rebels; he will not bear the wicked burden. A dreadful storm comes on, the ship is like to break. But now when the boatswain calls all hands to lighten her; when boxes, bales, and jars are clattering overboard; when the wind is shrieking, and the men are yelling, and every plank thunders with trampling feet right over Jonah's head; in all this raging tumult, Jonah sleeps his hideous sleep. He sees no black sky and raging sea, feels not the reeling timbers, and little hears he or heeds he the far rush of the mighty whale, which even now with open mouth is cleaving the seas after him. Aye, shipmates, Jonah was gone down into the sides of the ship—a berth in the cabin as I have taken it, and was fast asleep. But the frightened master comes to him, and shrieks in his dead ear, 'What meanest thou, O, sleeper! arise!' Startled from his lethargy by that direful cry, Jonah staggers to his feet, and stumbling to the deck, grasps a shroud, to look out upon the sea. But at that moment he is sprung upon by a panther billow leaping over the bulwarks. Wave after wave thus leaps into the ship, and finding no speedy vent runs roaring fore and aft, till the mariners come nigh to drowning while yet afloat. And ever, as the white moon shows her affrighted face from the steep gullies in the blackness overhead, aghast Jonah sees the rearing bowsprit pointing high upward, but soon beat downward again towards the tormented deep.

"Terrors upon terrors run shouting through his soul. In all his cringing attitudes, the God-fugitive is now too plainly known. The sailors mark him; more and more certain grow their suspicions of him, and at last, fully to test the truth, by referring the whole matter to high Heaven, they fall to casting lots, to see for whose cause this great tempest was upon them. The lot is Jonah's; that discovered, then how furiously they mob him with their questions. 'What is thine occupation? Whence comest thou? Thy country? What people? But mark now, my shipmates, the behavior of poor Jonah. The eager mariners but ask him who he is, and where from; whereas, they not only receive an answer to those questions, but likewise another answer to a question not put by them, but the unsolicited answer is forced from Jonah by the hard hand of God that is upon him.

"'I am a Hebrew,' he cries—and then—'I fear the Lord the God of Heaven who hath made the sea and the dry land!' Fear him, O Jonah? Aye, well mightest thou fear the Lord God THEN! Straightway, he now goes on to make a full confession; whereupon the mariners became more and more appalled, but still are pitiful. For when Jonah, not yet supplicating God for mercy, since he but too well knew the darkness of his deserts,—when wretched Jonah cries out to them to take him and cast him forth into the sea, for he knew that for HIS sake this great tempest was upon them; they mercifully turn from him, and seek by other means to save the ship. But all in vain; the indignant gale howls louder; then, with one hand raised invokingly to God, with the other they not unreluctantly lay hold of Jonah.

"And now behold Jonah taken up as an anchor and dropped into the sea; when instantly an oily calmness floats out from the east, and the sea is still, as Jonah carries down the gale with him, leaving smooth water behind. He goes down in the whirling heart of such a masterless commotion that he scarce heeds the moment when he drops seething into the yawning jaws awaiting him; and the whale shoots-to all his ivory teeth, like so many white bolts, upon his prison. Then Jonah prayed unto the Lord out of the fish's belly. But observe his prayer, and learn a weighty lesson. For sinful as he is, Jonah does not weep and wail for direct deliverance. He feels that his dreadful punishment is just. He leaves all his deliverance to God, contenting himself with this, that spite of all his pains and pangs, he will still look towards His holy temple. And here, shipmates, is true and faithful repentance; not clamorous for pardon, but grateful for punishment. And how pleasing to God was this conduct in Jonah, is shown in the eventual deliverance of him from the sea and the whale. Shipmates, I do not place Jonah before you to be copied for his sin but I do place him before you as a model for repentance. Sin not; but if you do, take heed to repent of it like Jonah."

While he was speaking these words, the howling of the shrieking, slanting storm without seemed to add new power to the preacher, who, when describing Jonah's sea-storm, seemed tossed by a storm himself. His deep chest heaved as with a ground-swell; his tossed arms seemed the warring elements at work; and the thunders that rolled away from off his swarthy brow, and the light leaping from his eye, made all his simple hearers look on him with a quick fear that was strange to them.

There now came a lull in his look, as he silently turned over the leaves of the Book once more; and, at last, standing motionless, with closed eyes, for the moment, seemed communing with God and himself.

But again he leaned over towards the people, and bowing his head lowly, with an aspect of the deepest yet manliest humility, he spake these words:

"Shipmates, God has laid but one hand upon you; both his hands press upon me. I have read ye by what murky light may be mine the lesson that Jonah teaches to all sinners; and therefore to ye, and still more to me, for I am a greater sinner than ye. And now how gladly would I come down from this mast-head and sit on the hatches there where you sit, and listen as you listen, while some one of you reads ME that other and more awful lesson which Jonah teaches to ME, as a pilot of the living God. How being an anointed pilot-prophet, or speaker of true things, and bidden by the Lord to sound those unwelcome truths in the ears of a wicked Nineveh, Jonah, appalled at the hostility he should raise, fled from his mission, and sought to escape his duty and his God by taking ship at Joppa. But God is everywhere; Tarshish he never reached. As we have seen, God came upon him in the whale, and swallowed him down to living gulfs of doom, and with swift slantings tore him along 'into the midst of the seas,' where the eddying depths sucked him ten thousand fathoms down, and 'the weeds were wrapped about his head,' and all the watery world of woe bowled over him. Yet even then beyond the reach of any plummet—'out of the belly of hell'—when the whale grounded upon the ocean's utmost bones, even then, God heard the engulphed, repenting prophet when he cried. Then God spake unto the fish; and from the shuddering cold and blackness of the sea, the whale came breeching up towards the warm and pleasant sun, and all the delights of air and earth; and 'vomited out Jonah upon the dry land;' when the word of the Lord came a second time; and Jonah, bruised and beaten—his ears, like two sea-shells, still multitudinously murmuring of the ocean—Jonah did the Almighty's bidding. And what was that, shipmates? To preach the Truth to the face of Falsehood! That was it!

"This, shipmates, this is that other lesson; and woe to that pilot of the living God who slights it. Woe to him whom this world charms from Gospel duty! Woe to him who seeks to pour oil upon the waters when God has brewed them into a gale!

Woe to him who seeks to please rather than to appal! Woe to him whose good name is more to him than goodness! Woe to him who, in this world, courts not dishonour! Woe to him who would not be true, even though to be false were salvation! Yea, woe to him who, as the great Pilot Paul has it, while preaching to others is himself a castaway!"

He dropped and fell away from himself for a moment; then lifting his face to them again, showed a deep joy in his eyes, as he cried out with a heavenly enthusiasm,—"But oh! shipmates! on the starboard hand of every woe, there is a sure delight; and higher the top of that delight, than the bottom of the woe is deep. Is not the main-truck higher than the kelson is low? Delight is to him—a far, far upward, and inward delight—who against the proud gods and commodores of this earth, ever stands forth his own inexorable self. Delight is to him whose strong arms yet support him, when the ship of this base treacherous world has gone down beneath him. Delight is to him, who gives no quarter in the truth, and kills, burns, and destroys all sin though he pluck it out from under the robes of Senators and Judges. Delight,—top-gallant delight is to him, who acknowledges no law or lord, but the Lord his God, and is only a patriot to heaven. Delight is to him, whom all the waves of the billows of the seas of the boisterous mob can never shake from this sure Keel of the Ages. And eternal delight and deliciousness will be his, who coming to lay him down, can say with his final breath—O Father!—chiefly known to me by Thy rod—mortal or immortal, here I die. I have striven to be Thine, more than to be this or mine own. Yet this is nothing: I leave eternity to Thee; for what is man that he should live out the lifetime of his God?"

He said no more, but slowly waving a benediction, covered his face with his hands, and so remained kneeling, till all the people had departed, and he was left alone in the place.

“The world’s a ship on its passage out, and not a voyage complete; and the pulpit is its prow”

2011-12-14T10:58:00.001-06:00

The pulpit is ever this earth's foremost part; all the rest comes in its rear; the pulpit leads the world. From thence it is the storm of God's quick wrath is first descried, and the bow must bear the earliest brunt. From thence it is the God of breezes fair or foul is first invoked for favourable winds. Yes, the world's a ship on its passage out, and not a voyage complete; and the pulpit is its prow.

Chapter 8, The Pulpit

Moby Dick, Herman Melville

Winning Ways: If Not Us, Then Who's Going To Do It?

2011-12-14T07:00:00.000-06:00

The animated classic A Charlie Brown Christmas airs on one of the major television networks every holiday season. This year, there's even a critically-acclaimed app for your mobile device that's built on the beloved Christmas special.

But the show almost failed to see any air time when it was first proposed back in 1965.

Two producers working closely with Charlie Brown creator Charles Schulz remember their desperate efforts to first convince a network to show the special. All the major networks were hesitant. Finally, one agreed, and the great cartoonist got to work.

A memorable part of the animated tale occurs when Linus answers Charlie Brown's plaintive cry, "Isn't there anyone who knows what Christmas is all about?" Linus walks to center stage, requests a spot light, then recites from Luke 2 the biblical account of Jesus' birth. "That's what Christmas is all about, Charlie Brown," he concludes.

While the program was in development, the producers cautioned Schulz about putting the scene in the special. They were convinced the religious message wouldn't go over well with the network.

Undeterred, Schulz faced both producers and said, "If not us, then who's going to do it?"

So true. And there's a lesson there for you and me.

We have co-workers, friends, and relatives who still need to understand the Christmas message. Someone once told us, and now we need to pass it along.

As Schultz would say, "If not us, then who's going to do it?"

It could start with a simple invitation to a Christmas program at church:

A holiday fellowship hosted by your Bible study group.

This Sunday's choir performance, Hope Is Born, Emmanuel, at 10 a.m.

The Christmas Eve Candlelight service at 6:00 p.m. on the 24th or the Christmas Day Celebration service at 11:00 a.m. on the 25th.

Our hope is that activities like this will give you an opening to explain why Christ's coming has become important to you.

Our friends may not be as explicit as Charlie Brown, but they're still wanting an answer to the question: "Isn't there anyone who knows what Christmas is all about?" Be Linus to someone this season!

Tom

Links to Your World, Tuesday December 13

2011-12-13T07:00:00.000-06:00

Awesome Gingerbread Houses. Awe. Some.

A frugal Noël: Follow these tips to fill your Santa bag without emptying your wallet

Men's Health ranks America's saddest towns. Austin gets a happiness grade of "B."

Russell Moore: Women, Stop Submitting to Men

From the Department of the Really Obvious: Studies show that generosity is as important to a successful marriage as commitment and sexual intimacy. Successful couples say or do at least five positive things for each negative interaction with their partner.

"A test for the show MythBusters went awry and sent a cannonball out of a bomb range and into a nearby residential neighborhood in Dublin, California. The cannonball, which took an unexpected bounce off a safety berm during the test, traveled 700 yards outside of the Alameda County Sheriff’s Department bomb range where it was fired, hit a sidewalk, crashed through the front door of a home, traveled upstairs and went through the bedroom of a sleeping couple....The cannonball didn’t stop in the sleeping couple’s bedroom. After leaving a 10-inch hole in their wall, it crossed four lanes of traffic and bounced off the roof of Ming Jiang, whose mother was watching his 10-month-old son inside his house....The projectile finally crashed through the window of a minivan and landed in the vehicle. Surprisingly, no one was injured in the incident" (Wired).

"According to a recent Codex Group survey, 39% of those who purchased a book on Amazon looked at said title in a bricks-and-mortar store first before heading online" (story).

Tips on "Staying Hitched"

2011-12-11T15:34:00.001-06:00

Tourè for Time suggests "five completely anecdotal and unscientific tips on staying hitched." Believers can come alongside suggestions like this and reinforce them.

1. Know that the grass ain’t greener.

Love the one you’re with, and work through the problems you know.

2. Fight fair!

Are you using those heavy conversations to work on resolving problems or dumping negative emotion and resentment onto your partner?

3. Be good, giving and game

What each member of a couple owes the other in the bedroom.

4. Never stop flirting

Chase and court as you did when you could count the number of dates you’d had on your fingers.

5. Find mentors

It’s extremely valuable having an older couple to talk to about the problems you’re having which they’ve probably already had.

Winning Ways: King David’s King

2011-12-07T07:00:00.000-06:00

You can change lives with questions.

Well, not just any question. In The Holy Wild, Mark Buchanan highlighted some really awkward questions from real-life courtroom cross-examinations. My favorite exchange has to be the following:

Q: “Doctor, before you performed the autopsy, did you check for a pulse?” A: “No.” Q: “Did you check for blood pressure?” A: “No.” Q: “Did you check for breathing?” A: “No.” Q: “So then, is it possible that the patient was alive when you began the autopsy?” A: “No.” Q: “How can you be so sure, doctor?” A: “Because his brain was sitting on my desk in a jar.” Q: “But could the patient have still be alive nevertheless?” A: “It is possible that he could have been alive and practicing law somewhere.”

I guess that’s proof that not all questions will change your life—or even win a court case. But Jesus asked some questions that were meant to re-orient a person’s entire worldview. In Matthew 22:41-46, he asked his opponents four: What do you think about the Messiah? Whose Son is He? How is it that David, inspired by the Spirit, calls Him ‘Lord’? If David calls Him ‘Lord,’ how then can the Messiah be his Son?

He was referring to the universal Jewish expectation that the long-awaited Messiah would come from the line of King David. He wanted them to see that expectation as a correct but incomplete explanation of the Messiah. So he took them to Psalm 110, in which King David said, “The Lord God said to my Lord, ‘Sit at my right hand until I put your enemies under your feet.” And Jesus asked, “How can the Messiah be both David’s son and his Lord?

Jesus left the question unanswered in hopes that the riddle would wriggle into their souls and re-orient their whole worldview. He wanted them to understand that he was the root as well as the fruit of David’s line.

It’s actually what the story of Christmas is all about. As we sing in Hark, the Herald Angels Sing—

Veiled in flesh the Godhead see

Hail the incarnate Deity

Pleased as man with man to dwell

Jesus, our Emmanuel.

Join us this Sunday @ 10 as we wrap up our 9-week study on King David. We’ll look at King David’s King, whose birth we celebrate at Christmas.

_____________________________________

Each Wednesday I post my article from "Winning Ways," an e-newsletter that goes out to 1200 subscribers. If you want to subscribe to "Winning Ways," sign up here.

Links to Your World, Tuesday December 6

2011-12-06T07:00:00.000-06:00

How A Charlie Brown Christmas almost didn’t happen

"Christmas [songs] are, if anything, the visiting relatives of the musical world: They show up at the same time every year, stick around a little longer than one might prefer, and set the tone of virtually all family entertainment while they are in town. A December without them would be strange and slightly lonely, yet the prospect of their absence tends to be, by one week in, a reason in itself to look forward to the new year" (Nathan Heller for Slate).

As lake levels drop in Texas, objects long submerged are being revealed, attracting the attention of historians, anthropologists, criminal investigators and, in one case, NASA. Read the NYT story here.

12 Days of Christmas: The Partridge, Rings, Drummers Will Cost You $101,119

The Talmud says a name is a child's first gift. Bonnie Rochman for Time says it can also impact the child's future. Choose wisely, parents.

Related: 2011's Most Popular Baby Names

Are edible newspapers in our future?

Here's how people look at your Facebook page: profile pics matter, and content on top is next, followed by who your friends are.

"Praybook is a simple and systematic way to organize your Facebook friends into a daily prayer list. You may choose a monthly, quarterly, or yearly rotation, selecting a manageable number of friends you will pray for each day."

Mind-blowing art made on coffee.

"The best approach to Facebook privacy is to assume that there isn’t any. If you’ve got photos, affiliations or peccadilloes that you prefer to hide from the world, the worst possible place for them is Facebook, no matter what your settings. But for stuff you want to share–hey, there’s no better place" (Time).

The 40 Most Shared Links On Facebook

“Listen well. There is nothing more that he needed to say.”

2011-12-05T10:28:00.001-06:00

"What more can he say than to you he has said?"

Let that rattle around a minute. I don't know how you read Scripture. But there is a way to read Scripture that leaves you wishing God had said a whole lot more. How did Satan become evil? Why does Chronicles add zeros to the numbers in Samuel and Kings? How did Jonah avoid asphyxiation? Who wrote the book of Hebrews?

And those aren't even the questions that most often divide and perplex the church. Wouldn't it have been great if the Lord had slipped in one killer verse that pinned down the eschatological timetable; that resolved once and for all every question about baptism; that specifically told us how to organize church leadership and government; that told us exactly what sort of music to use in worship; that explained how God's absolute sovereignty neatly dovetails with full human responsibility? Only one more verse! And think what he could have told us with an extra paragraph or chapter! If only the Lord had shortened the genealogies, omitted mention of a few villages in the land distribution, and condensed the spec sheet for the temple's dimensions, dishware, decor, and duties. Our Bible would be exactly the same length-even shorter-but a hundred of our questions could have been anticipated and definitively answered. Somehow, God in his providence didn't choose to do that.

It comes down to what you are looking for as you read and listen. When you get to what most matters, to life-and-death issues, what more can he say than to you he has said? Betrayal by someone you trusted? Aggressive, incurable cancer? Your most persistent sin? A disfiguring disability? The meaning and purpose of your life? Good and evil? Love and hate? Truth and lie? Hope in the face of death? Mercy in the face of sin? Justice in the face of unfairness? The character of God? The dynamics of the human heart? What more can he say than to you he has said? Listen well. There is nothing more that he needed to say.

--From Suffering and the Sovereignty of God, John Piper and Justin Taylor, ed.

Beauty for Ashes

2011-12-03T08:04:00.001-06:00

This designer turns AK-47s into jewelry. There's a sermon illustration in there....

Free Bible App

2011-12-03T07:48:00.001-06:00

If you haven't downloaded the free YouVersion Bible app for your mobile device, now's the time. Here's one minute on YouVersion worldwide:

LeaderLines: Partnerships For Reaching Texas

2011-12-01T16:43:00.001-06:00

You’ll see a new line item in the proposed 2012 annual budget. The line item will expand our partnerships for reaching Texas with the gospel.

In addition to our participation with the Baptist General Convention of Texas (BGCT), the proposed 2012 budget gives us a chance to partner with fellow Baptists through the Southern Baptists of Texas Convention (SBTC).

Here are answers to some questions you may have.

Why should Hillcrest participate in two Baptist state conventions?

Plain and simple: The decision enables us to partner with more Baptists to reach Texas with the gospel.

The Christians who most closely share our faith convictions in our state are in two conventions: the BGCT and the SBTC. Think about leadership training, youth rallies, church planting, river ministry, disaster relief, and many other important services. If you want to find people doing these things who most closely share our faith convictions, you’re going to find them in both the BGCT and the SBTC.

So, this decision isn’t about deciding which convention got it “right” in debates from 30 years ago. This decision is about the 21^stcentury realities of partnering with other Texas Baptist churches. You may strongly prefer the policies and personalities of just one of the two conventions, but participating in both the BGCT and the SBTC allows Hillcrest to engage with all other Texas believers who most closely share our faith convictions. We want to be involved in Super Summer (BGCT) and the Student Evangelism Conference (SBTC). We want to support river ministry (BGCT) and the Ezekiel Project (SBTC).

Will this mean a reduction in support to our historic ties to the BGCT?

No.

Historically, our support of the BGCT has been a percentage of our undesignated receipts. The 2011 budget committed 2.7 percent of our undesignated receipts to the BGCT, and the 2012 budget will commit 2.7 percent, also.

That should result in $27,000 to the BGCT in 2012. By contrast, we propose we send $1,200 to the SBTC.

(By the way, the $100 a month we propose to the SBTC will not come out of our support of the local Austin Baptist Association or our support of the national Southern Baptist Convention. Like the BGCT, we support the work of these partnerships through a percentage of our undesignated receipts. Those percentages will not change from 2011 to 2012.)

What process did our church follow in making this decision?

The Missions Committee has the responsibility of submitting the missions budget to the congregation, but it seemed best to include the deacons in on this decision, also. So, in the summer, members of the Missions Committee and the deacon body met together with representatives from the BGCT and the SBTC. After a week to pray, the members of the Missions Committee and the deacon body met again and decided to include the SBTC with the BGCT in our 2012 budget.

This joint decision is reflected in your copy of the proposed budget. The church will have a chance to discuss and vote on the 2012 budget in December. This Sunday, December 4, you can come to a “Q&A” from 4:30-5:30 p.m. in O-107. This is an informal time for people to ask any questions they have about our budget and budget process. Then, on Wednesday, December 7, join us in A-161 for our special called business meeting to discuss and vote in the 2012 budget.

If you have any questions, drop me a line or give me a call! God bless our church as we look for ways to partner with other believers to reach Texas with the gospel!

________________________

Each Thursday I post my article from "LeaderLines," an e-newsletter for church leaders read by more than 350 subscribers. If you want to subscribe to "LeaderLines," sign up here.

"You set the standard with your actions. The words can come after"

2011-12-01T08:45:00.001-06:00

"There's almost a faith cliche, where (athletes) come out and say, 'I want to thank my Lord and savior.' As soon as you say that, the guard goes up, the walls go up, and I came to realize you have to be more strategic. The greatest impact you can have on people is never what you say, but how you live. When you speak and represent the person of Jesus Christ in all actions of your life, people are drawn to that. You set the standard with your actions. The words can come after."

Kurt Warner, on advice he would give to Tim Tebow from his own experience as an outspoken Christian.

A good caution--as long as you get around to that last part: The words.

“I knew about the Council of Nicea, but no one had ever told me how to lead my own council meeting”

2011-11-30T10:56:00.001-06:00

This is the complaint so many of us have of our seminary training, despite the fact that most of us deeply loved our time in the academia’s longest master’s program. From James Emery White:

Toward the end of my seminary degree, just before I started my doctoral work, I received a call from a church near the school asking me to consider coming as their interim pastor. It was an established denominational church in a county seat town near the seminary. The interim turned into a full-fledged invitation to serve as their senior pastor.

Yet when I, as a new pastor, was asked to officiate my first wedding, my first funeral, my first baptism, and my first communion, I was totally clueless. So why did they ask me to be a pastor? It was assumed that since I was nearing my graduation from seminary, I knew what I was doing.

I didn’t.

It didn’t get any better.

I needed to raise money to meet the church’s budget, and there had never been a class on that.

I wanted to try and grow the church numerically by reaching out to the unchurched, and my coursework had never touched on it.

I had a problem with a combative and disagreeable deacon, and I searched through my seminary notes and found nothing.

I found I needed to be in the office for administration, in my study to prepare my talks, in people’s lives to stay connected to the community, and in my home to raise my family – and there hadn’t been any instruction on how to manage that.

It was becoming painfully clear how little my seminary education was actually preparing me for the day-in, day-out responsibilities of leading a church.

I knew about the Council of Nicea, but no one had ever told me how to lead my own council meeting.

I knew about the Barth-Brunner debate, but not how to handle the breakdown between two Sunday school teachers when one was asked to start a new class, for the same age-group, from the existing class.

I knew the significance of the aorist verb, but not how to parse the culture to know how best to communicate.

I could tell you the leading theologians of the 16th century, but not about leading and managing a staff.

This is why so many people look back on their seminary education with a critical eye.

It’s why pastors will go to a two-day leadership conference headlined by seasoned leaders passing on their insights for effective ministry, and feel like they gained more in those two days than they had in their entire three years of seminary education.

It’s why quickly after graduation, Melanchthon gets dropped for Maxwell, Luther for Lucado, and the seminary’s continuing education program for the latest Catalyst event.

We need seminary. We don’t want to lose the necessary academic side of things. But we also need seminaries to realize they do not exist to serve the academy, but to serve the church.

The rest.

Winning Ways: What Are You ‘Counting’ On?

2011-11-30T07:00:00.000-06:00

When you come to your census, I hope you will come to your senses.

Everyone comes to his census eventually. King David did, literally. In 2 Samuel 24, David ordered a count of the fighting men at his disposal. Even Joab thought the plan detestable. Joab was always willing to do the dirty work to keep David in power, but even he said, “David, you don’t want to do this.” If even Joab objected, you know this isn’t going to end well. But David had his way, and enrolled every man eligible to fight.

What motivated this count? Arrogance, or ambition, or anxiety. That is, David wanted to boast in his strength (arrogance), or he was plotting a military campaign without direction from God (ambition), or he felt his nation was threatened and wanted reassurance (anxiety). Whatever the motivation, though, it betrayed a loss of faith in God.

Like David, you come to your census when you look to something other than God for your self-worth and security. In his remarkable book, Counterfeit Gods, Tim Keller calls this idolatry. “An idol,” he writes, “is whatever you look at and say, in your heart of hearts, ‘If I have that, then I'll feel my life has meaning, then I'll know I have value, than I'll feel significant and secure.’”

But when you come to your census, I hope you come to your senses!

David is our guide here. The moment that Joab reported the number—that number David hoped would feed his self-worth or relieve his anxiety—it was upon hearing the report that David was conscience-stricken. “I have sinned greatly,” he said. The consequences were costly: The very thing David had depended on for his worth and security—the number of his fighters—was reduced by 70,000 through plague. But David’s repentance and God’s mercy brought an end to the crisis.

Like David, we come to our senses when we return to full trust in God. In Jeremiah 9:23-24, God says, “The wise must not boast in his wisdom; the mighty must not boast in his might; the rich must not boast in his riches. But the one who boasts should boast in this, that he understands and knows Me.”

We all need help in coming to our senses. So, join us this Sunday @ 10 as we let this important story develop us.

_______________________________

Each Wednesday I post my article from "Winning Ways," an e-newsletter that goes out to 1200 subscribers. If you want to subscribe to "Winning Ways," sign up here.

Links to Your World, Tuesday November 29

2011-11-29T07:14:00.001-06:00

25 most-used passwords including, yes, "password."

How to save $10,000 by next Thanksgiving

Feeling like a flaba-flaba? Learn to trash talk across the centuries with Jonathon Green’s new book, Green’s Dictionary of Slang, a 6,200-page lexicon.

6 types of college class hand-raisers.

"The science of learning is demonstrating that the ability to make accurate estimates is closely tied to the ability to understand and solve problems" (Time).

Ignorance may actually be bliss. By remaining unengaged with the details of an important issue, individuals feel they can maintain dependence on another party to take care of it.

Voters Prefer Deep-Voiced Politicians

Poll shows that 100% of grandsons are talented.

"High school and college students may be “digital natives,” but they’re wretched at [web] searching. In a recent experiment at Northwestern, when 102 undergraduates were asked to do some research online, none went to the trouble of checking the authors’ credentials. In 1955, we wondered why Johnny can’t read. Today the question is, why can’t Johnny search?... Good education is the true key to effective search." (Time)

When people view a virtual version of themselves digitally aged by several decades, contributions to retirement accounts go up by 30 percent (story). I wonder if that would also drive us to develop our character, too.

"Willpower can indeed be quite limited — but only if you believe it is. When people believe that willpower is fixed and limited, their willpower is easily depleted. But when people believe that willpower is self-renewing — that when you work hard, you’re energized to work more; that when you’ve resisted one temptation, you can better resist the next one — then people successfully exert more willpower. It turns out that willpower is in your head" (NYT).

Listen to Chard deNiord read "Augustine's Pears" here.

Winning Ways: Riding with the King

2011-11-23T06:35:00.000-06:00

We're hard-wired to glorify the solo hero. Whether it's Zorro single-handedly rescuing his down-trodden community or Bruce Willis' Die Hard John McClane terrorizing the terrorists by himself, we seem to be drawn to the Lone Ranger figures.

In the real world, though, it takes a team of heroes to accomplish anything of lasting value.

At first, you might think that the King David Story is another Lone Ranger story. David so dominates the Old Testament landscape that you might not immediately notice all the human help he received. That's why 2 Samuel 23 is so important. As the writer of 2 Samuel ended his story, he celebrated the "Mighty Men" who made David's success possible.

What do you think it took to be in David's posse? That's a vital question, because the biblical writer had a point for including this list of "Mighty Men" in the David Story. It wasn't just to have thrilling stories to tell to boys around campfires. The writer wanted to illustrate some qualities worth copying.

The German philosopher Gotthold Lessing thought of ancient Greek sculpture when he said, "Beautiful men made beautiful statues, and the city had beautiful statues in part to thank for beautiful citizens."

In other words, we become what we celebrate.

So, what are we honoring in our churches, our families, and our society? I read through the brief stories of David's Mighty Men and I find some characteristics to honor in others--and develop in myself. These guys were brave when others ran away, they stood their ground no matter how exhausting the conflict, they were willing to sacrifice for the good of the community. Such characteristics qualified them to ride in David's posse.

This Sunday @ 10, we'll look at six qualities of David's Mighty Men worth copying. It's part of our continuing series, "Full-Throttle Faith: Life Lessons From King David." You can review or catch up with the series at our website, HillcrestAustin.org. If you've got guests in for Thanksgiving this weekend, bring them with you!

New York says, “The World Would Be Better Off Without Religion”

2011-11-22T13:20:00.001-06:00

Intelligence Squared is among the podcasts that automatically update on my iTunes. Given that the “winners” of the Oxford-style debates are determined by New York City audiences, I’ve often been surprised at how conservative the vote turns out to be on many social issues (e.g., Obamacare).

The results of the most recent debate, however, did not surprise me. The motion: “The world would be better off without religion.” The audience was heavily populated with those already inclined to agree with the motion.

Thus, it took little more than clever bloviation to win the day.

Listen or watch here.

"What if you're not the grateful sort?"

2011-11-22T11:28:00.001-06:00

John Tierney:

"Cultivating an 'attitude of gratitude' has been linked to better health, sounder sleep, less anxiety and depression, higher long-term satisfaction with life and kinder behavior toward others, including romantic partners....But what if you’re not the grateful sort? I sought guidance from the psychologists who have made gratitude a hot research topic. Here’s their advice for getting into the holiday spirit — or at least getting through dinner Thursday.

Start with “gratitude lite.” Keep a journal listing five things for which you feel grateful, like a friend’s generosity, something you've learned, a sunset you've enjoyed.

Don’t confuse gratitude with indebtedness.

Try it on your family. "Do one small and unobtrusive thoughtful or generous thing for each member of your family on Thanksgiving. Say thank you for every thoughtful or kind gesture. Express your admiration for someone’s skills or talents."

Don’t counterattack.

Share the feeling.

Try a gratitude visit. Write a 300-word letter to someone who changed your life for the better. Be specific about what the person did and how it affected you. Deliver it in person, preferably without telling the person in advance what the visit is about. When you get there, read the whole thing slowly to your benefactor.

Contemplate a higher power.

Go for deep gratitude.

Life Before Facebook

2011-11-22T11:05:00.001-06:00

Life before Facebook:

Evangelical Faith and the Texas Frontier

2011-11-22T09:09:00.003-06:00

One great change in post Civil War Texas was the emergence of the churches. All historians seem to agree that they were the single most important cultural and social force behind the Texas frontier.... Baptists and Methodists carried over the old Anglo-Celtic Puritan ethic almost intact. Baptists recognized only the authority of the local congregation in matters of religion; they supported no other; and they could organize a church without authority or ordination. They were slow to erect church buildings, but by 1860 they already had 500 congregations in Texas. The Methodists were still a majority in 1870, but losing ground fast. These, and other evangelical bodies, enjoyed a rapid growth in Texas. By 1870, there were 843 churches, with some 200,000 members.

These fundamentalist congregations were evolved by the frontier; they met its conditions most perfectly; and they were saturated with the American frontier ethos. All were puritanical, sectarian, and enormously democratic; they were brotherhoods rather than institutionalized organizations. They bore very little resemblance to the urban Presbyterian, Anglican, or other churches. They filled a much larger void in rural life. The evangelical assemblies provided the frontier with its social cohesion; they were the only cultural and socializing agencies Anglo-Texas had.

...

Church meetings were as much social as ideological. They were held in open groves or brush arbors. Here families came from miles around, dressed in Sunday best. They included suppers, bazaars, and basket parties; they lasted all day, with religious services in the morning and at night. There were two-hour sermons, delivered by circuit riders or local laymen; men and women listened from separate benches. Here women and girls, starved for companionship of their own kind, could grasp at news and gossip, and men discussed crops, common problems, and politics. This meeting was the only place large numbers of people ever assembled regularly on the harsh frontier. The enormous, socializing, tribal effect on thought and custom is easily understood. What was discussed, and thundered from the crude pulpits, set the moral standards and much of the thinking of farming Texans across the whole frontier.

Some of the preachers were cultivated men . The great majority were men of God called from the people, well-meaning but unlettered, who understood their people and the essential evils to which all flesh was heir. This was a cruel, hard, atomistic place, where great wrongs were done and received. The preachers tried to battle the world and the devil; they thundered against sins of every kind. They did not regularly prevail; nor was it possible for any clergy, in this or any other time or place, to alter the facts of human nature or be substantially different from their own people in thought and deed. The preachers were sometimes harsh, stubborn, intemperate, intolerant, like their flocks; but they made the pulpit the center of their world, and they probably left the world a bit better than they found it.

The frontiersman were Old Testament-oriented. The land they lived in had many parallels with the land of Canaan, and they themselves with the children of Israel. They were beset with dangerous heathen enemies. The land was scourged by ravaging insects and burning drought; the imagery of the Israelite deserts struck home in the Texan heat. The farmer endured plagues of grasshoppers; he lost sheep and cows to cats and wolves; he saw green crops die and wells run dry. The Old Testament had a relevance it would have for no later American generations.

The lives of the farmers hung on acts of God, who made rain fall from the heavens and the rivers swell. Their best-loved hymns, with which they made the arbors shake, sang of cool and beautiful rivers they would someday cross, and of glorious showers of blessing upon the land. These people, especially near the 98th meridian, were locked in gigantic battle against Nature's God and their own weaknesses; like Israelites, They chose this soil; like Israelites they had to fight for it, with faith. They developed an Israelite chauvinism and intolerance, which sometimes gave them callous cruelty, but with it, a Hebrew strength.

Lone Star: a History of Texas and the Texans by TR Fehrenbach, pp599-601

Links to Your World, Tuesday November 22

2011-11-22T07:56:00.000-06:00

How Calvinists Spread Thanksgiving Cheer

BU Kendall Wright's amazing catch of a deflected pass has earned a place in the history of deflected passes.

How Many Presidents Have Been Accused of Being the Antichrist?

Gary Chapman and his "Five Love Languages" gets some NY Times exposure.

"Altogether, a third of the planet is experiencing more extreme and erratic variations in day-to-day weather. The weather—not just big storms, but the daily stuff of the evening newscast—really is getting weirder" (Time).

Report: Majority Of Americans Experience Profound Sense Of Dread When Asked To Name Favorite Music

Financial Doers vs. Financial Dreamers

3 Proven Strategies To Keep The Internet From Killing Your Productivity

Related: This blogger explains why a Nook is better than an iPad for reading, and advises you use the program "Freedom" to discipline yourself for some Internet-free work.

Facebook Tracks People Without Accounts

What to do with all those Thanksgiving leftovers.

Which carrier should you use with an iPhone? Wired says "if you value downloading material quickly, you should go with AT&T. If call reliability is paramount, stick with Verizon, and if you want to use a lot of data but don’t care about speed, go with Sprint."

Financial Doers vs. Financial Dreamers

2011-11-21T16:03:00.001-06:00

Dan Kadlec for Time Moneyland:

TD Ameritrade separated financial doers from financial dreamers by identifying eight sound money practices. Doers engage in at least five of these behaviors; dreamers engage in just four or fewer. Where do you fit in? The behaviors:

Act more like a saver than a spender

Live within your means

Automatically deposit money into savings each month

Stick to a budget

Track household expenses

Pay off credit card debt in a timely way

Regularly contribute to a 401(k)

Have contributed to an IRA

This Could Be Your Kit!

2011-11-16T19:37:00.001-06:00

Some of you helped us pack 85 in-home health care kits a year ago for southern Africa. (I’ve temporarily re-activated the page on that past project--click here). I found this image at the Baptist Mission of Zambia’s website of a missionary nurse in Uganda delivering a BGR In-Home Care Kit. This could be one of the very kits you packed. Thanks!

Book Review: Going Deep

2011-11-16T07:47:00.001-06:00

In his new book, Going Deep: Becoming a Person of Influence Gordon MacDonald proposes that churches train the next generation of Christian young adults through an intentional and relational process. Returning to the fictional congregation he introduced us to in Who Stole My Church? MacDonald uses the imaginary interactions between himself as pastor and various fictional church members to get his points across. The reader follows the process as the amorphous burden for developing the next generation of adults turns into a specific plan and the plan settles into a weekly group meeting where the fictional characters evolve into the hoped-for “deepening people” as the weeks go along. Because the fictional account is meant to be an imaginary way to introduce readers to specific practices designed to cultivate deeper people, the scenarios can feel a little contrived at times. But I concluded the book with a desire to involve young adults at my church in more intentional spiritual development. One side-note: MacDonald falls firmly on the “egalitarian” side of the women-in-ministry debate, so church leaders who are of the “complementarian” persuasion will need to be prepared to address this issue if they use the book in their churches.

Winning Ways: When God’s In Charge, You Can Take Charge

2011-11-16T06:00:00.000-06:00

Are you yielding to circumstances or yielding to God? There’s a difference.

Life can overwhelm us, leaving us passive when we know we need to take action. Parents can “tune out” instead of intervening in their teenager’s destructive choices. Business leaders can hide in the safety of familiar routines instead of adapting to the rapid changes of their industry. Marriage partners can find escapes to avoid dealing with what is unraveling their relationship.

Instead of yielding to circumstances, we need to learn how to yield to God.

King David went through a season where he passively yielded to the tragic circumstances swirling around him: a family rape, a family murder, and ultimately a family revolt. These all took place right under David’s nose during a season of morose passivity.

Maybe he didn’t feel he had the moral authority to confront these sins. Following his adultery with Bathsheba and his panicked de facto murder of Uriah (2 Samuel 11-12), David was compromised as a leader and a father. He was sidelined by depression, self-loathing, and uncertainty about his standing in the eyes of others. And so he resigned himself to the heartbreak going on around him.

But then something happened. As he and his loyal followers abandoned Jerusalem ahead of the invasion of his rebel son, Absalom, the Levites showed up with the ark.

And seeing that holy object, something stirred again in our flawed hero.

After all, this is the ark David retrieved, with dancing, as his first order of kingly business (2 Samuel 6). And now, seeing that symbol of God’s reign, David said, “Take the ark of God back into the city. If I find favor in the Lord’s eyes, he will bring me back and let me see it and his dwelling place again. But if he says, ‘I am not pleased with you,’ then I am ready; let him do to me whatever seems good to him” (15:25-26).

Here’s the interesting thing: After yielding to God, David began to once again take charge of his circumstances! He began to act like the king we remember, and Absalom’s chaos was brought to an end.

It seems that when God’s in charge, we can take charge.

Take some time with 2 Samuel 13-19 this week and reflect on where you’ve started to yield to circumstances with resignation. Then join us this Sunday @ 10 to recommit to David’s way of yielding to God.

______________________________

Each Wednesday I post my article from "Winning Ways," an e-newsletter that goes out to 1200 subscribers. If you want to subscribe to "Winning Ways," sign up here.

Links to Your World, Tuesday, November 15

2011-11-15T06:07:00.000-06:00

Physics of the Yellow Angry Bird

Genetically-modified mosquitoes in the Cayman Islands. Here's hoping.

"You can say this about Rick Perry: He has forgotten more about cutting government than Barack Obama will ever know" (James Taranto, on Perry's infamous debate flub).

The science behind a 'brain freeze.'

"For the past two years, we've been collecting the life stories of women behind bars for our new book, Inside this Place, Not of It: Narratives From Women's Prisons. The stories are chilling." Read the rest.

15 turning points in life where we tend to pack on the pounds

I've had only brief encounters with "the dark night of the soul," described here. God, may I be ready should it be in your plan for me.

Andrew Weil says "data smog" may contribute to depression. Agree?

Study: Religious Folks Have a Sunnier Outlook. And apparently we’re fatter too.

LeaderLines: On the Good Ship Hillcrest

2011-11-10T15:32:00.001-06:00

You are a Crew Member, a Passenger, a Stowaway, or a Pirate. Every member of Hillcrest falls under one of these labels.

That’s an image Will Mancini provides in his book, Church Unique. What label a person wears depends on his or her answer to two questions:

Do I embrace the church’s vision?

Do I want to be a contributor to the church?

The church’s “vision” is the hoped-for future that a church’s leadership is steering the church toward. To “contribute” to the church means more than financial support—though it includes that. It involves one’s investment of time, skills, energy and input in the work of the church.

A “yes” or “no” answer to these two questions results in four types of people in every church. Think of the church like a ship:

The Crew is made up of people who buy the vision and want to contribute.

Passengers are people who buy the vision and don’t want to contribute.

Stowaways are people who don’t buy the vision and don’t want to contribute.

Pirates are people who don’t buy the vision and do want to contribute.

As to the last category -- Pirates -- Mancini acknowledges that not everyone has ill intent simply because they don’t buy the vision but still want to influence the organization. Nevertheless, he says, “to want to contribute and to not agree with the vision is an act of piracy, whether the person has harmful intentions or not.”

I think this is a helpful way to identify the people in any organization, including a church. In my experience, the majority of every church is made up of Passengers and Crew. Though the Pirates can cause a lot of trouble -- intended or not -- a leader’s focus should be on how to turn Passengers into Crew.

I’m grateful for Passengers who can at least articulate our church’s vision, but we want an ever-growing Crew who lend a hand to actually accomplish that vision. As a partner in leadership, look for ways to build our Crew!

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Each Thursday I post my article from "LeaderLines," an e-newsletter for church leaders read by more than 350 subscribers. If you want to subscribe to "LeaderLines," sign up here.

Winning Ways: When a Hero Falls

2011-11-09T07:00:00.000-06:00

There are other options than repenting of our sin. It's just that none of them work.

We learn this from watching King David repent of adultery and murder.

Adultery? Murder?

David?

As we've walked through the story of King David on Sunday mornings, would you have ever thought it would have come to this? Up to 2 Samuel 11, his story has been exemplary. Heroic David. Patient David. Worshipping David. Merciful David.

And now adulterous David, scheming David. He pulled Bathsheba into infidelity and then, upon finding her pregnant, he conspired to have her husband killed in battle to cover his adultery.

The tragic story recounted in 2 Samuel 11-12 is, as Walter Brueggemann put it, "more than we want to know about David and more than we can bear to understand about ourselves."

One thing the story tells us is that this is not the king we were looking for, after all. In "Head Full of Doubt," the Avett Brothers sing about the disillusionment that comes when you find that "your life doesn't change by the one that's elected." It seems we all pin our hopes on people only to be disappointed. If any of us were hoping to find the ideal man and leader in the David Story, these two chapters make us realize we have to keep looking. The King we really want and need isn't David but the Son of David, who will be born in the city of David a thousand years later.

But David is exemplary in this story in one way: His full-throttle repentance.

To relieve the guilt of our sin there are other things we could try. We could shift the blame to someone else, we could rationalize our failure to the point that we find it perfectly understandable, or we could live in denial.

David took none of these options. When the prophet Nathan confronted him, David crumpled. "I have sinned against the Lord," he said, full stop. It's a thin sliver of the old David we once admired, but it's on that confession that a ruined life gets rebuilt.

You can read this heartbreaking story in 2 Samuel 11-12, and you can study it with us this Sunday. Its part of our continuing series, “Full-Throttle Faith: Life Lessons from King David.” Catch up with the series at www.HillcrestAustin.org, and join us this Sunday @ 10.

____________________________________

Each Wednesday I post my article from "Winning Ways," an e-newsletter that goes out to 1200 subscribers. If you want to subscribe to "Winning Ways," sign up here.

Links to Your World, Tuesday November 8

2011-11-08T16:56:00.001-06:00

Amazing baby strollers. How come they didn't have the Star Wars one when my kids were little?

This guy got a tattoo of next February's Super Bowl champs: The Houston Texans. Um, yeah. Guess he wanted to get it done before a line formed for it at the tattoo shop….

We Lost $38 Billion Last Year Just Waiting Around for the Cable Guy

A Last Bastion of Civility, the South, Sees Manners Decline

This is a headline from the satire journal, The Onion, but it could be a sermon title in some churches I know of: "Ten Prayers That Will Get God To Sit Up and Take Notice." Ah, me.

Stream select songs from the new worship CD from Austin City Life. Good job, guys.

LeaderLines: Practice What You Teach

2011-11-03T09:30:00.000-05:00

Did you hear about the driving instructor whom police discovered had never obtained a driver's license? It's a parable about leadership.

The instructor in Berlin, Germany, had failed his first and only driving test 43 years earlier and was too nervous to retake it, despite the fact that he has prepared more than 1,000 students to pass it. He said, "I was too afraid to try again." In Germany, those who can't drive, apparently, teach.

As I said, it's a parable about leadership. Too often staff and lay leaders can competently prepare people to live the kind of Christian life we aren't willing to live ourselves. So, we teach on tithing but we don't tithe, or we teach on living by faith but we live in fear, or we teach about forgiveness but we live in bitterness, or we teach about self-discipline but we neglect our own self-control.

Let's make sure that we leaders aren't like this driving instructor. To that end, it's important that we remember what I call the four "staff infections." You've probably heard of a "staph" infection. It often enters the body through a minor cut, but ends up causing serious complications. A leadership team can develop some "infections" that result in serious complications, too.

Each year in the churches I've served, the staff members have heard me bring my annual "Staff Infections" talk. They heard it in Tuesday’s meeting this week. These "infections" can affect all of us as leaders, not just the paid members of the team. Review your life for signs of the following infections:

Immorality: Our personal failures aren't as "personal" as we'd wish. Our failures have a major impact on the rest of the leadership team. Let's be sure we deal ruthlessly with our moral weaknesses instead of privately entertaining them. Of course, this includes sexual immorality, but it also includes misuse of funds and church property, gossip, abuse of alcohol, and crossing any other line God has drawn in his Word.

Incompetence: Leadership teams are plagued by this infection when team members have no interest in improving their performance. Symptoms include inattention to standards, constant excuses for failure to perform, and resistance to things that would help them improve.

In 1 Timothy 4:14, what Paul urged the young pastor of Ephesus remains good advice for ministers today: "Do not neglect your gift." When ministers leave unopened the gift God has given them, laziness replaces vigor, routine ruts replace creativity, and the safety of sameness replaces the venture of faith. Instead, we need to develop ourselves into highly competent servants of the Lord.

Insubordination: We call our leadership group a "team," but have you noticed that the teams we love to watch in sports have captains, coaches, and managers? To call a group of leaders a "team" doesn't mean that lines of authority don't exist. Teams don't work well when members ignore these lines of authority.

To be honest, none of us always agrees with those who lead us. But when this devolves into disrespect and open resistance, a staff infection has invaded the Body.

But insubordination can happen in our relationship with team members, not just in our relationship with team leaders. Remember, the Bible calls us to mutual submission. Ephesians 5:21 says, "Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ." Ministry teams suffer when members allow personal differences to remain unresolved. Ministry teams suffer when colleagues do not support each other in conversations with other church members.

Ingratitude: This is the worst of all staff infections, and source of the other three. Think about it. When I lose my grateful wonder that God has called me to serve his people, I can fall into sloppy habits (Incompetence). When I lose my thankfulness for the gifts of those I work with, I can quit being a team player (Insubordination). When I'm no longer grateful for what God chooses to give me, I can turn to embezzlement or adultery (Immorality).

David Livingstone had the right antibiotic for the infection of ingratitude. He said, "Forbid that we should ever consider the holding of a commission from the King of Kings as a sacrifice, so long as other men esteem the service of an earthly government as an honor." In Philippians 4:12, Paul said, "I've learned the secret of being content in any and every situation."

Staff infections, like staph infections, can create a lot of harm to the Body. Make sure that you're not giving any opening for these infections to invade your life. I'm so grateful for the team of leaders we have at Hillcrest!

_________________________________

Each Thursday I post my article from "LeaderLines," an e-newsletter for church leaders read by more than 350 subscribers. If you want to subscribe to "LeaderLines," sign up here.

Winning Ways: A Cripple at The King’s Table

2011-11-02T06:07:00.000-05:00

You can find “me” in “Mephibosheth.” In the name, of course, but also in the story.

Mephibosheth was the son of Jonathan, the closest friend of our beloved Old Testament character, David. Jonathan loved David as deeply as his father, King Saul, hated David. Jonathan loved David despite the fact that David would be king instead of him. David indeed became king upon Saul’s death in battle—in a battle that took Jonathan’s life, too.

It was a few years into his reign that David found Jonathan’s last remaining son, Mephibosheth. The young man was crippled in both feet from an accident in infancy. In fact, he probably received his name on the same day he received his injury: on the day his father fell in battle and his household ran for their lives. You see, his nickname means, “He who scatters shame.” When David found him, “Shame-spreader” was living in Lo Debar which roughly translates as “Nowhere.”

He was a real nowhere man, living in a nowhere land.

It was common for new kings to rid themselves of anyone connected to a former monarchy. But David called Mephibosheth into his presence and extended remarkable love to him for the sake of Jonathan. He ordered Jonathan’s family estate to be returned to the crippled exile. He assigned servants to work the land so Mephibosheth would have a livable income. And—here’s the most beautiful part—David said, “You will always eat at my table.”

As I said, you can find “me” in “Mephibosheth,” because his story is my story. God searched me out and found me. And though I was handicapped by sin and living in Nowhere-land, yet he loved me for the sake of someone else. For the sake of Jesus, he promised me, “You will always eat at my table.” And so here I am, blessed beyond all expectation, a cripple at the King’s Table.

You can read this beautiful story 2 Samuel 9, and you can study it with us this Sunday. Its part of our continuing series, “Full-Throttle Faith: Life Lessons from King David.” We’ll also gather around the King’s Table to celebrate the Lord’s Supper. Don’t forget to “Fall Back” this weekend: Daylight Savings Time ends, so set your clocks back 1 hour on Saturday night so you can join us @ 10.

_______________________________

Each Wednesday I post my article from "Winning Ways," an e-newsletter that goes out to 1200 subscribers. If you want to subscribe to "Winning Ways," sign up here.

Links to Your World, Tuesday November 1

2011-11-01T07:00:00.000-05:00

"Oh Wow! Oh Wow! Oh Wow!" Steve Jobs' final words, according to his sister.

"In a piece written for Rolling Stone 20 years ago this month, producer Brian Eno identified why the rock band U2 is singularly enduring and enervating. “Cool,” he wrote, “sums up just about everything U2 isn’t. The band is positive where cool is cynical, involved where it is detached, open where it is evasive.” For 35 years, rock journalists, culture’s self-appointed guardians of cool, have monitored U2’s ups and downs, smash hits and embarrassments. The relationship between critics and the band was fraught from the start, with their anthemic, highly emotive music winning them millions of fans but just as many skeptics. The rock of rebellion and decadence seemed allergic to a band this earnest, emotive, inclusive, politically engaged, and, worst of all, openly Christian. You couldn’t invent a more mock-worthy outfit" (The U2 Paradox).

London's Daily Mail: "Religious apartheid and social segregation is being taught to a growing number of Muslim youngsters in our towns and cities; an agenda, it seems, increasingly being reinforced by beatings and brutality." Yikes.

What Did Jerusalem Look Like in Bible Times?

"How can you make people better at sports? Tell them they’re using equipment that previously belonged to a professional athlete. No, really. A new study finds that golfers significantly improved their putting ability when they believed the putter they were using belonged to a celebrity golfer" (story).

Indiana twins give birth on same day in same hospital

Some Dares Need Turning Down: Friends of a 21-year-old dare him to try and fit in a baby swing. He takes the dare, gets stuck, and has to be brought to the ER to be cut out of it. He can be grateful the EMS who took him in didn't release his name. No such promises that he won't show up on social media, though.

Wherever You Are, You Can Join the “First Wednesday” Prayer Meeting

2011-11-01T06:54:00.000-05:00

At Hillcrest, the first Wednesday of every month in the 2011-2012 year will be dedicated to praying for those who need to come to Christ or return to him. This Wednesday, November 2, join me in my office at noon for the First Wednesday prayer meeting.

IF YOU CANNOT ATTEND, JOIN THE PRAYER MEETING FROM WHEREVER YOU ARE! Just dial 1-712-432-3100 and enter conference code 867756.

You can also submit the names of those you want us to pray for. Send an email to jami@hbcaustin.org.

“A tender heart and a backbone of steel”

2011-10-26T11:16:00.001-05:00

John Piper, reflecting on the life of John Newton:

It seems to me that we are always falling off the horse on one side or the other in this matter of being tough and tender, durable and delightful, courageous and compassionate -- wimping out on truth when we ought to be lionhearted, or wrangling when we ought to be weeping….Some readers need a good kick in the pants to be more courageous and others confuse courage with what William Cowper called 'a furious and abusive zeal.' Oh, how rare are the Christians who speak with a tender heart and have a theological backbone of steel.

The Roots of Endurance, p. 42

Winning Ways: What’s at the Center of Your Life?

2011-10-26T06:29:00.000-05:00

Have you ever thanked God for shoes?

Not shoe sales, now, but shoes.

Canadian pastor and author Mark Buchanan recalled a worship service in Uganda:

Every Sunday evening, about 100 Christians from the neighboring area would gather to worship. They met under a tin-roof lean-to that was set at the edge of a cornfield. They sat, when they did sit, on rough wood benches. The floor was dirt. The instruments were old. Some of the guitars didn't have all the strings. But they could worship! They made hell run for shelter when they got loose.

One Sunday evening, the pastor asked if anyone had anything to share. A tall, willowy woman came to the front. She was plain-featured, but she was beautiful. “Oh, brothers and sisters, I love Jesus so much,” she started.

“Tell us, sister! Tell us!” the worshippers shouted back.

“Oh,” she said, “he is so good to me. I praise him all the time for how good he is to me. For three months, I prayed to the Lord for shoes. And look!” And at that the woman cocked up her leg so that we could see one foot. One very ordinary shoe covered it. “He gave me shoes. Hallelujah, he is so good.” And the Ugandans clapped and yelled and shouted back, Hallelujah!

I didn't. I was devastated. I sat there hollowed out, hammered down. In all my life I had not once prayed for shoes. And in all my life I had not once thanked God for the many, many shoes I had.

I have to admit that I’m not where she’s at yet. I want to get there, though. How about you? We need to bring a passion for God back into the center of our lives.

On Sunday mornings, we’ve been working through the biography of King David. When he began his reign at the age of 30, one of the very first things he did was to bring back the ark of the covenant. The ark was the little chest that once resided in the holiest part of the tabernacle. It was the symbol of God’s reign. In 1 Samuel 6, the Philistines defeated Israel and captured the ark. But in 2 Samuel 6, some 60 years later, David’s first priority as king was the return of the ark.

What was he doing? He wanted God’s authority at the center of his life and his nation.

Join us this Sunday @ 10 and let’s recommit to bring passion for God’s reign back to the very core of our own lives!

________________________________

Each Wednesday I post my article from "Winning Ways," an e-newsletter that goes out to 1200 subscribers. If you want to subscribe to "Winning Ways," sign up here.

Links to Your World, Tuesday October 25

2011-10-25T06:30:00.001-05:00

Self-Delusion Is a Winning Survival Strategy, Study Suggests

Mother's Little Angel Just Made Fun Of Classmate's Weight For 30 Straight Minutes

Scientists Discover The Most Relaxing Tune Ever. Listen to it here.

Thank you, George W Bush, for ending the Iraq War in Jan 2012. Yes, George W Bush.

Preserve Your Loved Ones as Their Favorite Vinyl Record...and Other Options.

A fringe of audiophiles find the cassette tape's flat tones and fuzzy hiss to be a comforting throwback.

Fingers wrinkle when wet to help you grip slippery surfaces.

Of "dream journals" and other creative ways to seek the Lord's direction. I am cautiously intrigued.

Is it rude to send a message to your neighbors by renaming your Wi-Fi network? I'm thinking of renaming mine, "Hey Keep Your Yapping Dog Indoors Before Dawn."

Theres a wrong way to use apostrophe's. In this short piece learn about the future of the semicolon, the dash, the comma, and the interrobang. The interrobang?! Yes, the interrobang.

Winning Ways: When Hiring a ‘Revenge Specialist’ Isn’t An Option

2011-10-19T06:35:00.000-05:00

What do you do when people don’t treat you the way you deserve? When you work hard on a project and your boss takes the credit—and the year-end bonus? When you find out someone you thought was your friend has been trashing you to others? When your ex-husband won’t hold up his end of the child support?

One thing you could do is hire a “revenge specialist.”

The Wall Street Journal reported on this service a few years ago. For example, there was Lisa Patrock. Using insights from her college degree in psychology and sociology, Patrock designed specially tailored “revenge packages.” Cost: $35 fee plus reimbursement for any out-of-pocket expenses incurred while carrying out the act of revenge.

Then there was Alan Abel, who dubbed himself the “Master of Retaliation.” For $25, he offered a two-and-a-half hour session called “Don’t Get Mad, Get Even.” The seminar included a manual of 100 of his proven revenge techniques, such as the one against a boss who offends you: Leave a loudly-ticking alarm clock in a gift-wrapped box on his or her desk. By the time of the article, he had trained about 1200 students in the art of retaliation—mostly jilted lovers and offended employees.

Now, before you ask me if I have their contact information, let’s spend a little time in the Old Testament story of David. A lot of his story is about patience in the face of injustice.

Last week we began a series on David. We’re calling the study “Full-Throttle Faith,” because that’s really the main lesson we get from all the stories about David’s life. We get to see a life wide open to God.

And that includes times when people were unfair to him.

Specifically, it was King Saul that treated David unfairly. Half of the book of 1 Samuel records no fewer than 16 attempts on David’s life by his paranoid king and father-in-law. The attacks began shortly after David killed Goliath, and they didn’t end until Saul died in battle a decade later.

In David’s full-throttle faith in God, he learned to have patience through this injustice. He learned that it was dangerous to take matters into his own hands and it was advisable to leave matters in God’s capable hands.

It’s not too late to join us for this sermon series through the life of David. Review the first sermon online and come this Sunday @ 10!

_________________________

Each Wednesday I post my article from "Winning Ways," an e-newsletter that goes out to 1200 subscribers. If you want to subscribe to "Winning Ways," sign up here.

“Now let's get back to the essential task of being better human beings”

2011-10-15T10:40:00.001-05:00

My iPhone and iPad are fun toys, but following the death of Steve Jobs we heard a lot about how his devices have fundamentally changed life. Um, no. A view Robert Gottlieb shares:

It is a sign of the incredible spiritual poverty of our time that gadgets like an iPhone or an iPod can be thought of as things that fundamentally change our lives, for they do not. They make for some conveniences and some pleasures, certainly, but conveniences and pleasures are not really the center of our lives; or if they are, that tells us something deeply sad in and of itself.

For example, now that I can carry 150 hours of music on a device slightly bigger than a fat credit card, do I understand the music any better? Do I appreciate it more than when I had to take an old LP out of cardboard sleeve, put it on the turntable, and place the needle on the grooves? Having all that glorious sound at my disposal, in three seconds to be able to choose from thousands of tracks of classical, jazz, new age, pop, or folk—does it make me love it more? Or just trivialize the experience so that I take it all for granted?

More important, far more important, now that I have a cell phone and can "reach out and touch" any of my contacts with a quick call or quicker text, do I care about any of them more deeply? Am I any better at keeping in touch with people I haven't talked to for awhile, or healing wounds from the past, or dealing with differences that arise within my family? Am I more honest about what I feel? More compassionate about other people's suffering? Any less likely to show off when I get an article published or gossip about some third party who both my phone pal and I dislike?

If you have a cell phone that takes videos, plays games, reads bar codes, provides instant maps to anywhere, and can use the half million or so apps available, are you a better person than you were before you got it? Any more able to handle questions of life and death, to face aging or illness, pain or disappointment? Is a world of terrorism and imperialism, environmental blight and staggering debt, hunger and poverty and sexual violence less frightening?

I heard all about "there's an app for that." Is there one for wisdom?

…

Rest in peace, Steve Jobs, and thanks a lot for the toys. And now let's get back to the essential task of being better human beings.

Roger Gottlieb

Winning Ways: Life Lessons from King David

2011-10-12T06:35:00.000-05:00

The Bible tells us more about King David than any other biblical character. This Sunday, we’ll start a study of that remarkable life.

David’s name is mentioned 600 times in the Old Testament and another 60 times in the New. His biography spans 70 chapters. We watch him throughout the range of his years: from shepherd boy to victorious young soldier to middle-aged king to an old man just trying to find warmth. He was a man of contrasts: cunning warrior and sensitive musician, great political leader and flawed family leader.

And the only person in all of Scripture to be called “a man after God's own heart.”

That’s the reason to study David: We can learn from his example how to be wide awake to the presence of God in every life experience. In his victories he celebrated for the glory of God, in his losses he cried out for the help of God, in his failures he begged for the mercy of God, and in his plans he yielded to the guidance of God.

His was a full-throttle faith.

“Full-throttle” is a pretty good translation of the name “David.” His name is based on a Hebrew word that means “to boil.” I don’t imagine there’s ever been anyone who has ever lived up to that name as fully as David. But we love his story not simply because of his passion but because of the object of his passion.

God.

Most people know about David and Goliath, and they probably know some of the racy details of David and Bathsheba. Maybe they’ve heard a sermon on David and Saul or they remember a Sunday School lesson about David and Absalom. But from his boyhood to his death, the real story is about David and God.

And we’ll begin a study of that intriguing story this Sunday @ 10.

The 9-week series is called “Full-Throttle Faith.” We’ll start with David and Goliath—a lesson about big enemies and even bigger trust. Each week during the series, stay after the service, find a Common Ground group and discuss the sermon with friends.

Join us—and bring someone! Just click the “Forward” button on your email program and pass this enewsletter on to someone who needs a church home. Invite them to sit with you this week as we launch into this new series!

Tom

_______________________________________

Each Wednesday I post my article from "Winning Ways," an e-newsletter that goes out to 1200 subscribers. If you want to subscribe to "Winning Ways," sign up here.

Another Elevator Talk

2011-10-06T15:19:00.001-05:00

Last week I posted several “elevator talks” from our Hillcrest family. Here’s another that came in late. Thanks Debbie Marett!

Hillcrest feels like home to me. I have raised all three of my children here! I know that if I invite a friend to come to Hillcrest with me, that the members, who see a new face, will come up to right them, introduce themselves and make them feel right at home. Hillcrest is a community and mission minded church of all ages and backgrounds coming for the same reason, to learn and to worship. My pastor presents the gospel in a way that anyone can understand no matter if they are a baby Christian, a seeker or an old hand and he applies it to the real world and its daily challenges. I know that God speaks to me though him! Hillcrest has so many areas to be involved in such as music, games, classes, bible studies, camp, to name only a few. I thank God for Hillcrest and his leading me here over 20 years ago!

Are the Parents of the Millennials Boomers?

2011-10-06T13:37:00.001-05:00

Alexandra Petri makes some good points in this WaPo editorial piece, but how late in life did her parents have her if these were actually her parents' experiences? The piece opens:

It's almost a truism that we millennials lack the opportunities our parents had. It's not just that we're missing out on the chance to contract polio and Beatlemania perhaps at the same time or to fight in the Korean War, or even to wind up at Woodstock surrounded by oily strangers....What's different is the lack of hope.

Yeah, um, as the parent of 2 Millennials, that wasn't what I was doing as a preschooler...or even a gleam in my daddy's eye....

Most people old enough to have enjoyed Woodstock and suffered polio have grandkids now. And "Korean War"? That would be the experience of the grandparents of Millennials.

Leaves me Jonesin'.

LeaderLines: Elevating Vision, Part Three

2011-10-06T11:26:00.001-05:00

Ding.

The elevator at Seton Hospital chimed as the door opened at the ground floor. Knowing I’d lose my cell phone signal on the ride up, I quickly wrapped up my call.

“Jami, I’m at Seton about to visit Lucille,” I told my assistant. “I’ll be back at the church in 45 minutes.”

As I put the phone back in my pocket, the man who stepped into the elevator next to me said, “Church. You must be a pastor.”

It never ceases to amaze me at how this public identification causes people to turn for a look, and upon the man’s comment, 2 others in the elevator turned to get a quick glance at this remarkable creature called “a pastor.”

“Yep,” I said to the man, “Hillcrest Baptist Church.” Noticing he was a doctor, I added, “Don’t y’all usually take the staff elevator? These public ones at Seton are the slowest in town.”

He grinned and nodded. “The door opened when I walked by.”

Another ding, the door opened on the first floor, and the 2 other passengers stepped off, leaving the doctor and me alone for the ride up to the eighth floor.

“So, my brother says he’s started to attend church,” the man said, staring at the floor numbers over the door.

I’m not the sharpest knife in the drawer, but it sounded like church wasn’t part of his own routine.

And it sounded like an invitation.

“Oh?” I said, “Has that made you think about that step yourself?”

“Well, my brother seems to be pretty high on it.”

“Good for him!” I said, grinning. “Does he go to a church in town?”

“He’s in Phoenix.”

“Well, come check out Hillcrest. Our priority is to be a church where people can find and follow Jesus together.”

I admit it sounded a little canned, but the elevator was passing the third floor, so I pushed on. “That means that whether you want to investigate faith or grow in your faith, that work is best done with others instead of by yourself. We want to be a place where spiritual investigation and spiritual growth can take place together. On our best days, it’s wonderful to hear the conversations that take place as honest seekers and humble believers build relationships with each other.”

He nodded, thoughfully. I was hoping my image of Hillcrest was giving him the confidence to brave a visit to this unfamiliar country called “church.”

“I expect a lot of churches in Austin have that same vision,” I added, “But what I like about serving Hillcrest is we’re deliberately multigenerational in that work. Some churches are good at targeting those who are older or those who are younger, but we just think there’s some good in all the generations learning from each other. I like the Sundays when I can do a baby dedication and recognize a 50^th wedding anniversary at the same time.”

He laughed, “Not the same couple I hope!”

I laughed, too. I wanted to add a comment about Abraham and Sarah, but I wasn’t sure he’d catch the reference to the biblical story.

“Do you have some time for coffee?” I asked.

“Not right now,” he said, but added, “Do you have a card?”

I took out my wallet and pulled out a card with my contact information. I wrote down “Sundays @ 10.” There are, of course, a lot of entry points to invite people into Hillcrest, but our one Sunday morning worship experience is still the Number One entry point.

“Thanks,” he said. “Maybe you’ll see me there.”

“I bet your brother would like that I said,” smiling.

Ding.

_________________________________

This is a fictional story, but I’ll be ready should it ever materialize! Two weeks ago in LeaderLines I introduced you to the concept of the "elevator speech." Business consultants advise clients to go through the discipline of preparing a 30- to 60-second summary of what their company does and how it could add value to the prospect. The theory is that you should be able to summarize what you do to a complete stranger in the time it would take you to share a ride in an elevator. Last week in LeaderLines I published a number of “elevator speeches” submitted by readers. Now, let’s put these thoughts to good work as we invite people to Hillcrest on October 16!

"In every future case, a court—and not the church—would decide whether the church's reasons for firing or not hiring a minister were good enough"

2011-10-06T09:23:00.001-05:00

Yikes. Religious organizations may not retain the freedom to make their own clergy hiring and firing decisions if Obama's Justice Department gets its way. From the WSJ:

The Obama Justice Department has now asked the [Supreme] court to disavow the ministerial exception altogether [which historically has left the government out of disputes on clergy employment]. This would mean that, in every future case, a court—and not the church—would decide whether the church's reasons for firing or not hiring a minister were good enough.

But the government, including the judiciary, is not entitled under the First Amendment to decide what qualifications a minister should have, or to weigh religious considerations against others. Is a secular court to decide, for example, whether confining Catholic priests or Orthodox rabbis to males is a correct interpretation of scripture, or merely a vestige of outmoded and stereotypical bias?

James Madison famously declared that the civil magistrate is not a "competent Judge of Religious truth." Yet every discrimination claim about the hiring of a minister necessarily comes down to the question of whether the church had a bona fide religious reason for its decision. That places the courts squarely in the business of adjudicating the validity of a church's claims about its own religious practice.

The Justice Department's brief grudgingly concedes that there may be an exception for employees performing "exclusively religious functions," but this is an illusory protection. Every church officer—even the pope—performs at least some nonreligious administrative duties. If the government's position were accepted, the courts would be embroiled in disputes about the selection of clergy at all levels and in every denomination. This would be a radical reversal of our nation's long constitutional tradition.

This bears watching.

Winning Ways: Don't Bother Inviting Me

2011-10-05T07:15:00.000-05:00

"Don’t worry about inviting me to church."

That's the surprising way Pastor James Emery White began a recent newsletter to his congregation. It was written as if from a friend of a churchgoer. It can help us get ready for Connection Sunday, October 16.

Writing as the the unchurched friend, White continues:

I know we’re friends, and you go to church, but I know talking about your faith makes you uncomfortable. At least, that’s the sense I get. We talk about a lot of stuff, but whenever church or God comes up, you get – I don’t know, tense. I’ve never understood why – it doesn’t weird me out as much as it does you – but I’m happy to relieve you of what is obviously something that makes you awkward.

Besides, he asks, is there anything at church that could really make a difference in his life?

It’s not like I’m an atheist – I’m not. I believe in God. I’m spiritual. And I want to do better; I’d like to understand the Bible, be a better parent, have a closer marriage, maybe even volunteer for something that would help others. But last time I went to church, that isn’t exactly what was offered.

And then there's the unchurched friend's personal hesitations:

Besides, we both know I’m not exactly a poster-child for Christianity. I’ve got baggage. I’ve got questions. I don’t think church is exactly the kind of place for someone like me.

But Pastor White has a point to make, and he closes his note from the imaginary unchurched friend with this:

But if, by chance, you think I have this all wrong,
then for God’s sake,
INVITE ME!

Have you figured out the person you plan to invite to meet your Hillcrest Family on Connection Sunday, October 16? I'll begin a 9-week series on the life of King David that day, and I hope the stories will engage, inspire, and convict your friend--as well as every one of us.

Did you know that Jim Johnson, the man who captained this year's phone campaign, began to attend our church as a result of just such an invitation in our last Connection Campaign? We expect 100 new faces on October 16 because of the phone calls, but we'd like to meet your friend, too.

Take a moment right now to write me and tell me who you're planning to invite (tom@hbcaustin.org). I'll also need your name and your preferred phone number on your note.

Links to Your World, Tuesday October 4

2011-10-04T07:11:00.000-05:00

9 Really Simple Balloon Creations: Yeah, I could do these.

Farmer shuts down Rihanna video being filmed on his property when "things had got to a stage which were not acceptable to me."

Historians Politely Remind Nation To Check What's Happened In Past Before Making Any Big Decisions

I"f we make the time to exercise, it makes us so much more productive and leads to such improved creativity, cognitive function, and mood that the time we need for doing it will open up and then some--making us so much happier and better at the art of creation, to boot." --from an article on how exercise contributes to the artistic process. (Related: "How Exercise Can Strengthen the Brain")

Marvin Olasky, reflecting on the Red Sox and their very bad September: God "objectively is in charge of what happens on a baseball field as he is objectively in charge of what happens everywhere in the world....Subjectively, though, we make decisions moment by moment; we come through in the clutch or do not; we are responsible for our actions."

How Different Christian Denominations See Each Other

2011-10-01T21:26:00.001-05:00

Pretty Accurate

Via: Ed Stetzer

It's About Tme

2011-10-01T08:37:00.001-05:00

Sounds like a cool project, in select museums and art displays. From the WSJ:

In his profoundly captivating video work "The Clock," Christian Marclay wants us to see and hear the relentless tick-tock going on within the eidetic space of the movies. The thousands of shots he has spliced together from the history of cinema depict little else but scenes of characters checking the time, fretting about it, or surrounded by bell towers or digital clock radios that ground the action on the screen within the cycle of a fictive day and night.

The result is a functional collage that is figuratively and literally a timepiece. All the images and sounds that the artist (and his six assistants) have scavenged from the archives of world cinema refer to a particular minute and hour. These are then synchronized to the time zone in each venue where it is presented.

For instance, the bitter flashback in "Casablanca" of Rick (Humphrey Bogart) waiting like a fool in the rain with Sam (Dooley Wilson) for Ilsa (Ingrid Bergman), so the trio could flee the Nazi occupation of Paris, includes a shot of a clock on the train platform that reads 4:56. The audience for "The Clock" watches this scene, too, at exactly 4:56 p.m.

Every minute of the 24-hour video is constructed with this same precision so that we experience it as a cinephile's mix-tape as well as a working chronometer. There is no need to check your watch during a screening; it tells you the correct time outside the walls, day or night.

Read the rest.

LeaderLines: Elevating Vision, Part Two

2011-09-29T11:33:00.001-05:00

In last week’s LeaderLines, I introduced you to the concept of the “elevator speech.” Business consultants advise clients to go through the discipline of preparing a 30-60 second summary of what their company does and how it could add value to the prospect. The theory is that you should be able to summarize what you do to a complete stranger in the time it would take you to share a ride in an elevator.

Last week, I challenged you to send me your Hillcrest elevator speech. If all you had with a stranger was the 30-60 seconds it takes to ride with someone up an elevator, what could you say about Hillcrest that would pique their interest enough to visit?

You sent me some great ones!

Barbara Fowler: “What you will find at Hillcrest is a place filled with love. Love of God, love for God, and love of each other. The minute you enter the door you can feel the peace and calmness that comes with the feeling of security you get when you know someone is watching over you.”

Mike Wiederkehr: “Hillcrest is a great multi generational church with a wonderful, dedicated staff that will guide you in your walk with Christ. You'll find a congregation that loves and cares about you, no matter what your circumstances may be, and will make you feel welcomed. You will hear the Bible preached with no apologies. You will learn about a God that loves you so much He sent His Son to die for you, so you would never be separated from Him.”

Sheila McHargue: “It’s the best way I know to start the week. It’s a chance to sing or listen to music that focuses your mind on God’s goodness, and then a message of encouragement, inspiration, and challenge to live life the way it was meant to be lived. Then we follow that by sitting down with a group of friends to discuss the message we just heard, share our own experiences, successes, failures, and concerns, and support each other in prayer. That usually leads to opportunities outside of church to continue building those relationships, so that we have a network of good friends who share our beliefs, values and interests.”

Lois Fullerton: “I like our church because there are a lot of friendly people who care about me. I have had the kind of prayer support that was needed. I get the support I need from sermons and Bible study to help me in everyday life.”

Donna Seymour: “Hillcrest has been my church home and spiritual family for more than 50 years. It has a warm and welcoming fellowship. Our pastor is Dr. Tom Goodman. Our Sunday worship service starts at 10 a.m. and Bible study for all age groups immediately follows. You can choose to participate in Common Ground groups discussing the pastor's message or traditional Sunday School. Hillcrest is located at 3838 Steck Avenue. If you need more information regarding the church you can go online to www.HillcrestAustin.org or contact the church at 345-3771. I would look forward to you visiting and learning more about Hillcrest Baptist Church.”

Clarence Cossey: “In the past, in the future, and right now we need good news. We need good news about our health, our finances, our families, our neighbors, our nation, and our world. Most of all we need good news about our spiritual needs, our spiritual conditions, and our relationship with God. Some Bible translators say ‘good news’ and some say ‘gospel.’ Perhaps all of us say ‘the four gospels’ when speaking about Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. These writers wanted us to know the ‘good news’ about Jesus Christ.”

Cheryl Selby: “Hillcrest is not what you might envision. It is a great place to meet others that are seeking what is empty in their life. It isn't always something tangible, but usually you find both. It could be enriching your life though contact with your creator or just hanging out with encouraging people. Come sit with me in front: The choir will blow your mind!”

Thanks for these elevator speeches! It’s not too late to send me yours, and I’ll add it to the weblog. Next week I’ll give you my own Hillcrest elevator speech. Until then, look for opportunities to share your convictions about Hillcrest with someone who needs a church home.

__________________________________

Each Thursday I post my article from "LeaderLines," an e-newsletter for church leaders read by more than 350 subscribers. If you want to subscribe to "LeaderLines," sign up here.

What’s The Thinker Thinking About?

2011-09-28T13:54:00.001-05:00

I went outside again. I stood under the yellow trees, beside The Thinker. I leaned my elbow against the statue's base and waited. I remembered I had seen The Thinker in Paris once, a smaller version perched atop a sculpture of The Gates of Hell. In Paris, he brooded over churning scenes of the damned in their torments. Here in America, he just stared down at the ground, as if he were trying to decide whether to send out for pizza or head across the street for some Chinese.

This is from Andrew Klavan’s lead character in Empire of Lies. An otherwise forgettable book—but what a great quote. That may show up in a sermon down the line….

Winning Ways: More Connections

2011-09-28T07:10:00.000-05:00

Take advantage of all the ways you can "connect" to your Hillcrest Family and to your community! Some of the following notes will be new to you, and some will be reminders.

Connection Countdown. As a way to prepare for Connection Sunday, we're setting aside this Sunday, October 2, as "Connection Countdown." Jon Randles will be speaking and the Chris Clayton Band will lead worship. We'll have a special evening session as well as a morning session this day.

Minute-To-Win-It: When Generations Connect. This will be a fun way for our multigenerational church to interact! At 5:30pm this Sunday, October 2, join us in the MPC for BBQ sandwiches and a Minute-to-Win-It competition between the generations. We're asking every Sunday School class and Common Ground group to put forth their "champion" for this great contest! After the fun, we'll go into the auditorium where the Chris Clayton Band will lead us in worship and Jon Randles will challenge us.

Greeters and Cookie Callers Needed! On Connection Sunday, October 16, we need lots of greeters to welcome people into the service, and we need lots of volunteers to deliver cookies to those who visit. The cookie delivery will take you a couple of hours on Sunday afternoon. Contact Herb Ingram right away at 345-3771 or herb@hbcaustin.org.

Golf Tournament. Our "Second-Half Ministry" is sponsoring a great way to connect by way of, um, "links"! Enlist a friend, pay your green fees by no later than Wednesday, October 12, and join us at 1:00pm on Saturday, October 22. You can register online by clicking here.

Connect with Your Hillcrest Family on Facebook. One of the easiest ways to keep up with your Hillcrest Family is by clicking the "Like" button on the Hillcrest page on Facebook. This will add updates from the Hillcrest page to your news feed. In the last few weeks those who have "liked" the Hillcrest Facebook page have been able to view photos of our Anderson football watermelon treat, Kits for Kids packing party, Club 56, and the Ministry Fair. They've also viewed a link to the Statesman story of our 9-year-old Cash Robinson, updates on our Connection Campaign, and notices about critical things to pray for. Go to the Hillcrest page on Facebook and "Like" us!

Links to Your World, Tuesday September 27

2011-09-27T07:46:00.001-05:00

Are you a textrovert? It's someone who's introverted in public but extroverted on social media.

A new website and mobile app looks at your purchases and determines the amount of forced labor that's gone into everything you own. The number may surprise you. (story)

Fort Worth freshman high school student gets a 2-day suspension for expressing his religious beliefs about homosexuality. And here we go....

"From 2000 to 2010, the poor populations skyrocketed in the outskirts of many cities: The Atlanta, Austin, Dallas, and Milwaukee areas are among the 16 spots around the country where the number of suburban residents below the poverty level more than doubled during the decade" (Time)

Rod Dreher: "So let me get this right: if the public schools are seen as endorsing any particular form of religion, they’re being unconstitutional and oppressive. But if they refuse to endorse a particular and controversial view of homosexuality, they are being unconstitutional and oppressive. Got it. (A worthwhile piece about how a school shouldn't have to adopt gay advocacy to combat bullying.)

Sermon Illustration Alert: "The way we walk could be used as an accurate way of identifying us, according to an international team of bioengineers who analyzed the foot pressure patterns created by 104 subjects. They found they were able to identify individuals with 99.6 percent accuracy." Read the rest.

Wow, these are sad: Terrible seats in stadiums around the world.

Anonymous website gossip is ruining small-town life according to this report.

"The bland majority of people who find ancient religions dull but find themselves uniquely fascinating"

2011-09-23T16:50:00.001-05:00

Okay, there's very little that the UCC and I have in common, so let's get that out of the way up front. That said, this is a provocative piece. Thanks to the Statesman's Joshunda Sanders for pointing it out. The devotional is by Lillian Daniel in reflection on Matthew 16:18, "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."

On airplanes, I dread the conversation with the person who finds out I am a minister and wants to use the flight time to explain to me that he is "spiritual but not religious." Such a person will always share this as if it is some kind of daring insight, unique to him, bold in its rebellion against the religious status quo.

Next thing you know, he's telling me that he finds God in the sunsets. These people always find God in the sunsets. And in walks on the beach. Sometimes I think these people never leave the beach or the mountains, what with all the communing with God they do on hilltops, hiking trails and . . . did I mention the beach at sunset yet?

Like people who go to church don't see God in the sunset! Like we are these monastic little hermits who never leave the church building. How lucky we are to have these geniuses inform us that God is in nature. As if we don’t hear that in the psalms, the creation stories and throughout our deep tradition.

Being privately spiritual but not religious just doesn't interest me. There is nothing challenging about having deep thoughts all by oneself. What is interesting is doing this work in community, where other people might call you on stuff, or heaven forbid, disagree with you. Where life with God gets rich and provocative is when you dig deeply into a tradition that you did not invent all for yourself.

Thank you for sharing, spiritual but not religious sunset person. You are now comfortably in the norm for self-centered American culture, right smack in the bland majority of people who find ancient religions dull but find themselves uniquely fascinating. Can I switch seats now and sit next to someone who has been shaped by a mighty cloud of witnesses instead? Can I spend my time talking to someone brave enough to encounter God in a real human community? Because when this flight gets choppy, that's who I want by my side, holding my hand, saying a prayer and simply putting up with me, just like we try to do in church.

Prayer

Dear God, thank you for creating us in your image and not the other way around. Amen.

Good stuff. Then again, it reminds me of this bit of snark, so maybe I should repent of liking the rant.

LeaderLines: Elevating Vision, Part One

2011-09-22T14:18:00.001-05:00

Business consultants advise their clients to have an “elevator speech.” This is a 30-60 second summary of what their company does and how it could add value to the prospect. The theory is that you should be able to summarize what you do to a complete stranger in the time it would take you to share a ride in an elevator.

It’s a good exercise for church leaders, too. If all you had with a stranger was the 30-60 seconds it takes to ride with someone up an elevator, what could you say about Hillcrest that would pique their interest enough to visit?

I’ll share my Hillcrest elevator speech in a future LeaderLines. But I want to hear from you first. Here’s the scene: You’ve invited someone to Hillcrest and they’ve asked you why they should come. In 3-4 sentences, tell me what you’d say.

No, really.

Take the next 5 minutes and send something back to me! I look forward to your comments.

_________________________________

Each Thursday I post my article from "LeaderLines," an e-newsletter for church leaders read by more than 350 subscribers. If you want to subscribe to "LeaderLines," sign up here.

Review of “Your 100 Day Prayer”

2011-09-21T15:31:00.001-05:00

Jesus told two parables to press us to greater persistence in prayer. One was humorous, about a friend who keeps knocking on a good neighbor’s door at midnight because he’s confident the neighbor will respond. The other parable was darker, about a poor widow who continues to press her case before an unjust judge because she has no other recourse. Both parables were meant to shame us in how quickly we abandon our prayers. In his new book, Your 100 Day Prayer: The Transforming Power of Actively Waiting on God, John Snyder has given us a practical tool to help us stay faithful in bringing our concerns to God. Snyder encourages the reader to specify your need at the start, and then he provides 100 days of brief devotionals designed to keep us in conversation with God about the need. Here is a way to put discipline to intention.

Winning Ways: Connections

2011-09-21T13:00:00.001-05:00

I hope you're planning on lots of "Connections" across the next few weeks. Here are a few:

Connecting in Prayer. "I pray only when I am in trouble," Isaac Bashevis Singer once said, and then added "but I am in trouble all the time so I pray all the time." This Sunday we'll conclude our 4-week series on prayer. Last week we looked at Christ's instructions on prayer, and this week we'll look at Christ's call to prayer in Matthew 7.

Connecting Others to God in Prayer. I hope you've see the new sign in front of our church, asking those who pass by, "How Can We Pray for You?" In just one week of calling through our Connection Campaign, we've prayed for nearly 300 people in the neighborhoods surrounding our church. It would be a great thing for our church to be "famous" in Austin for intercessory prayer.

Connection Sunday. Continue to pray for our Big Day, Connection Sunday, October 16. In one week of calling, over 20 have already said "yes" to our invitation to come, and over 40 more have expressed interest and have asked for more information. You're already seeing some of those neighbors in attendance at church! (And a warm welcome to our neighbors who already attended last Sunday and are now receiving this weekly newsletter in their email inbox!). After 4 weeks of calling, we expect over a hundred new faces on October 16. Pray!

Connection Countdown. As a way to prepare for Connection Sunday, we're setting aside October 2 as "Connection Countdown." Jon Randles will be speaking and the Chris Clayton Band will lead worship. We'll have a special evening session as well as a morning session this day.

Minute-To-Win-It: When Generations Connect. This will be a fun way for our multigenerational church to interact! At 5:30pm on October 2, join us in the MPC for BBQ sandwiches and a Minute-to-Win-It competition between the generations. We're asking every Sunday School class and Common Ground group to put forth their "champion" for this great contest! After the fun, we'll go into the auditorium where the Chris Clayton Band will lead us in worship and Jon Randles will challenge us.

Links to Your World, Tuesday September 20

2011-09-20T08:04:00.001-05:00

The Origin of the Emoticon: It's a lot older than you think.

Cool: Better World Materials, a company in Salt Lake City has figured out how to make lumber out of garbage. "Our goal," says CEO Dalyn Judd, "is to take garbage and make it as valuable of a resource as we possibly can." (Via: Relevant)

Texting Makes U Stupid

50 Rules for Dads of Daughters

"There's nothing metaphorical about "gut feelings," for what happens in the gut really does influence what we feel." Here's an interesting article about how full-bodied the self really is. I disagree with the author's reductionism (see the last line: "we emerge from the very same stuff that digests our lunch"). But what we call the self is very much more "earthy" than many tend to realize--and Scripture has been there all along to point that out to those careful enough to notice. The idea that what "I" really am is not related to my body has its source in ancient Greek philosophy rather than biblical revelation.

Growing up at ACL

2011-09-19T18:08:00.001-05:00

Cash Robinson and his parents got some recognition in this Austin American-Statesman piece. Cash has grown up with the Austin City Limits music festival. He and his parents are active at Hillcrest and in my Common Ground group. And a shout-out to Hillcrest!

Cash became a musician three weeks ago when his parents bought him an electric guitar. He's been taking lessons and can already play "Back in Black."

"I really got interested in it because a guy at (Hillcrest Baptist) church plays the guitar," he says, "and my uncle and cousins can play really well."

The guitarist he refers to is Hillcrest teen Neil Raulie, son of our children’s minister.

Way to go, Cash!

Ministry, Interrupted

2011-09-19T16:01:00.001-05:00

We have fans of The Avett Brothers at Hillcrest. It’s an Austin church, after all. Here’s Scott Avett attempting to sing “Just a Closer Walk With Thee” while his kid will have nothing of it:

Been there. And it struck me as a kind of parable of the juggle many of us have with ministry and family. We’re trying to plan and lead and teach, and our kids—no matter the age—often “interrupt” all these profound things we’re trying to do. It’s best to take it all with the same humor that Scott displays.

Review of Hannah Coulter

2011-09-17T18:21:00.001-05:00

I'm glad christianaudio offered Wendell Berry's Hannah Coulter for free last month (you can still get it at their website for $14.99). I just completed it. It's told from the perspective of an older woman remembering marriage, parenting, and widowhood in the context of a post-WW2 farming community. I loved Berry's appreciation for detail, not just in the characters' physical appearance, but evem more in the characters'--well--characters. It's a story you wish younger adults would read so they don't miss out on time with the older people in their families, but it's probably a story only appreciated by middle-aged folks who know how dear that time really is. Check it out.

The Perfect Church Has Been Found...And Its Alternative

2011-09-17T08:40:00.002-05:00

I've always told people we need to quit looking for the "perfect church," seeing as we're all imperfect people. It's a reminder of grace and graciousness.

But now Ed Stetzer reports that there really is a Perfect Church out there. If that doesn't work out for you, though, there is a Perfect Alternative Church.

Good to know.

LeaderLines: How to be Used for God's Glory

2011-09-15T15:16:00.001-05:00

Excuses, excuses.

When God calls us to do something, we’ve all used the same excuses Moses used. At the burning bush of Exodus 3, God called him to lead his people out of Egyptian slavery. Moses argued back, “Who me? I don’t have what it takes! You’ve got the wrong person: send someone else.”

In a blog post earlier this week, Jared Wilson said that such excuses don’t exempt us from God’s call but rather qualify us for God’s call. Once we match God’s answers to each of Moses’ excuses we can see this.

Wilson said that God’s reply to the excuses fall out like this:

Who am I to go for you?

Never mind who you are. That's irrelevant.

Exodus 3:11-12

Who are you for me to go for you?

I am GOD.

Exodus 3:13-15

What if they don't believe me?

It's not your accomplishments you're testifying to, but mine.

Here, have some miracles.

Exodus 4:1-9

Me no talk good.

I use junk and jackasses all the time.

Exodus 4:10-11

Send somebody else!

I'll send somebody with you, not instead of you.

Exodus 4:13-16

God’s answers do much more than just cancel Moses’ pleas. They show how Moses was actually perfectly suited for God’s call.

And so are you. And so are all the rest of us in leadership at Hillcrest. Based on this exchange between Moses and God, then, Wilson suggests five qualifications for responding to God’s call:

First, be a nobody.

Secondly, don't worry about your accomplishments or ability to persuade: what God has done -- namely, in the historical good news of Jesus Christ -- is a powerful persuasion all its own, and the Spirit will control who it stirs.

Thirdly, know God.

Fourthly, be unimpressive on your own.

Fifth, don't go it alone.

Good advice for those of us who know God has called us—or is calling us—for some task.

Tom

"Makes me want to avoid the one place and aspire to the other"

2011-09-14T09:13:00.001-05:00

Andree Seu:

The range of temperatures you and I experience on earth seem to be very extreme: 100 degrees is almost unbearable, and 10 below zero is almost intolerable in the other direction. But of course we know that this range of heat and cold represents the thinnest slice of the total spectrum of temperatures in the universe, our Sun’s inner core topping the thermometer at 27,000,000 degrees Fahrenheit.

By analogy, I suspect that the spectrum of human joy and misery that you and I experience on earth, and that seem like the outer and impassible limits, are only the smallest taste of both the torments that hell will inflict and the joys that heaven will confer. Makes me want to avoid the one place and aspire to the other.

The article here.

Winning Ways: Lord, Teach Us to Pray

2011-09-14T07:00:00.000-05:00

Kristin Harley works in a Minneapolis music store, so she frequently has to field strange requests from the confused parents and grandparents of young music students.

The strangest--and most frequent--question?

"Who wrote the lyrics to The Lord's Prayer?"

Um, that would be the Lord.

Before it was a song, it was a lesson. In Matthew 6:9-13, Jesus taught us those familiar words. Most of us still recite it from the old King James Version:

Our Father which art in heaven,

Hallowed be thy name.

Thy kingdom come,

Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.

Give us this day our daily bread.

And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.

And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil:

For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever.

Amen.

Note four things about the prayer model Jesus gave us:

He taught us how to address God: He is our heavenly Father.

He taught us how to begin our prayers with concerns for God’s glory: It is “thy name,” “thy kingdom,” and “thy will” we ask God to glorify.

He taught us how to continue our prayers with concerns for our needs: We plead "give us," "forgive us," and "lead us."

We’re taught how to end our prayers: In the traditional ending to the prayer we dedicate our lives to God’s kingdom, in God’s power, and for God’s glory forever.

We're in a four-week series on prayer at Hillcrest. You can catch up with the series at www.HillcrestAustin.org. Just go to the “Resources” menu and click on “Sermons.” This Sunday we'll look carefully at the instructions Jesus left us for our prayer life.

Connection Countdown

Mark your calendar for Sunday, October 2. Jon Randles will be our guest speaker and the Chris Clayton Band will lead worship. The morning session will take place during the 10am worship service and the evening session will take place at 6:30pm. This special day will start our countdown toward Connection Sunday (October 16). You’ll learn more about “Connection Countdown” in the next few weeks. For now, make plans to be at Hillcrest morning and evening on October 2!

Links to Your World, Tuesday, September 13

2011-09-13T07:00:00.005-05:00

Fire Approaching Calvary Baptist Church in Bastrop (credit)

The Area of the Texas Wildfires Versus America's 10 Biggest Cities

Bastrop Pastor : losing house 'will help our witness'

Say a fire was heading to your house. Would you know what to grab besides your loved ones and your pets? Here's a list.

"Baylor isn’t standing in the way of progress. Baylor is taking a stand. It might be futile. That doesn’t mean it’s not brave." Mike DeCourcy for The Sporting News, on Baylor threatening to sue Texas A&M for breaking their contracts with Big 12 schools.

"President Obama constantly reminds us, with some justification, that he was dealt a difficult hand. But the evidence is overwhelming that he played it poorly" (Michael Boskin).

Stack Of Unused CD-Rs Turns Five

Sheriff cites 600 percent boost in drug arrests since local churches started praying

Internet Memes 101: A Guide to Online Wackiness. This will catch you up--and probably make you wonder if there are better things people could do with Internet access....

"It is the examined life that is no longer worth living for the naturalist"

2011-09-10T14:42:00.001-05:00

Death Cab for Cutie "clearly state the ideas that many other pop artists only assume, namely that life is all there is and that it is up to us to fill it. Their most recent three albums, Plans, Narrow Stairs, and the recent Codes and Keys, chart a progression through the different manifestations of our culture's naturalism, from romantic despair, to near nihilism, to the rejection of these troubling questions entirely as unanswerable and even dangerous. At the end, with no answers in sight, it is the examined life that is no longer worth living for the naturalist."

From college sophomore Will Jones' review here.

"The aftermath of 9/11 was a growth spurt for evangelicals in America’s largest city"

2011-09-09T10:01:00.001-05:00

John Stake wrote about New York’s Post-9/11 Church Boom

The following Sunday, September 16, churches overflowed with distraught visitors. At Redeemer [Presbyterian Church], the ordinary attendance of 2,800 ballooned to 5,400. [Pastor Tim] Keller opened his sermon with a reference to 1 Thessalonians 4:13, where Paul tells us to grieve but not like those without hope. And then he continued by citing John 11:20-53, where Jesus raises Lazarus from the dead.

“The morning service that Sunday was so full that Tim said, ‘Come back and we’ll do another service right after this one,’” one Redeemer member remembers. “Just like that Redeemer grew another service.”

Churches everywhere in the city saw new faces on September 16. Lots of them. One report shows that 40 percent of the evangelical churches in New York as of December 2010 started since 2000. Only an estimated 3 percent of New York’s residents attend an evangelical church. Still, that figure has tripled since 1990. During one two-month period in the fall of 2009 one new evangelical church opened its doors every Sunday. The aftermath of 9/11 was a growth spurt for evangelicals in America’s largest city.

“For the following year, ministry was just intense—every meeting and service had more emotion and tears in it than usual,” Keller says. “A good number of people started coming to Redeemer after 9/11 and found Christ. Evangelism was fruitful.”

Read the rest. And you can listen to Tim Keller's sermon from the Sunday immediately after the attacks here.

"At some level, the media survives by giving people what they want"

2011-09-07T09:55:00.001-05:00

Brad Wright:

In general the public’s appetite for the news focuses on the novel. We want to hear about planes crashing, not landing safely, about CEOs defrauding companies, not those running companies well, about parents endangering their children, not those raising their children well. Applied to religion, what’s often most novel is when religious people violate their own beliefs, such as pastor sex scandals or people acting hypocritically. I realize that at some level, the media survives by giving people what they want, but I think that both journalists and their audience would benefit by being aware of this dynamic that highlights the problems of religion.

True. But I would take it a step further. There's something unique to religion reporting as opposed to reporting on plane crashes, corrupt CEOs, and dysfunctional parenting. Most people are familiar enough with planes landing normally, companies functioning normally, and parents acting normally. They live in that world, and they know what ought not to be.

People don't finish stories of perverse parenting convinced they should never be parents. And those of us who are familiar with religious faith can read stories of religious scandal as something tragic and out-of-the-ordinary. We know that, just as planes take off and land safely thousands of times a day, so religious organizations faithfully serve and teach and challenge and develop.

But it's different when those who know little about religion are exposed exclusively and relentlessly to the tragic and controversial stories reported in the media. They aren't reading the story inside the fuller context of familiarity to faith communities, and so with each story they end up with an increasingly warped view of the faith that is so important to their own co-workers and neighbors. And that can't possibly lead to more informed--and therefore more neighborly--communities. Brad Wright is correct: "Both journalists and their audience would benefit by being aware of this dynamic that highlights the problems of religion."

_______

Joshunda Sanders of our Austin American-Statesman gets a shout-out in the post I've linked to!

The Beauty and Offense of the Cross--And Not Just At A 9/11 Memorial

2011-09-07T09:01:00.000-05:00

Ryan Holladay, who serves a church that meets 2 blocks from Ground Zero, reflects on the claims of some atheists that the image of a cross displayed at the World Trade Center 9/11 memorial site, has caused them to suffer "dyspepsia, symptoms of depression, headaches, anxiety, and mental pain and anguish."

"Christians should recognize," he writes, "that these seem to be the sort of symptoms many sane and thoughtful persons experience upon encountering an unwanted vision of the cross. Far from being silly, these four atheists seem to take the cross more seriously than many believers do."

Well, their claims are still silly, but he has a bigger point, so read on.

The cross "tells the world's strangest story in an image...: the whole world stands equally guilty of committing history's greatest atrocity, an atrocity in light of which the events of 9/11 pale in comparison. God came to earth, and we killed him."

So why would a nation cling to it as a sign of hope in the days after 9/11? The answer can be found in the writings of the Apostle Paul, "who advanced what would become the best-known but least-understood tenet of Christian theology: that somehow the death of the perfectly sinless Christ was itself the event which atoned for all the wrongdoing of the sinful human race."

Holladay concludes:

If true, this turns the cross into a profound paradox. The same event that condemns humanity also justifies it, standing at once as damning evidence of guilt and a doorway to forgiveness and innocence. What's more, the very episode that shows humanity at its worst shows God at his best, as he transforms an act of wickedness into a display of mercy and love. It is difficult to imagine themes more relevant to the attacks of September 11.

Suppose God himself has suffered and died at the hands of evil men. Suppose God himself has shown the capacity for taking what was intended for harm and using it for good. Might this affect the way we ourselves face evil and suffering? Might this be a source of strength to someone who is waist-deep in ash and rubble, trying to loosen bodies from steel and concrete?

For the person who accepts this narrative, the cross is the only thing that makes sense in the face of a senseless tragedy. But for the person who rejects it, the cross serves as a reminder of an offensive and seemingly absurd accusation, adding insult to injury. The trouble with the cross is that it refuses to be the universal symbol of beauty that some would make it out to be—it speaks life to those who believe, but death to those who do not.

No wonder people disagree about where it should be displayed.

It would be worth your while to read the whole thing. It will provoke some personal reflection as we move toward the 10th anniversary of the 9.11 attacks this Sunday.

Winning Ways: Who's On Your Fridge?

2011-09-07T07:00:00.000-05:00

"Can I take your picture?" Peter Bregman asked. "I want you on my fridge."

Bregman was talking with Marvin, a man in his 70s, working out with boxing gloves in the gym. Bregman knew little about him, having just met him. But the man's energy and sunny outlook were an inspiration. So he took his picture.

Which sparked a thought: Why not start a collection? "A collection of pictures of ordinary people, about whom I know very little, but who inspire me with some quality I want to nurture in myself." He wrote about it for Fast Company magazine.

What a great idea! If your fridge displayed little snapshots of ordinary people who inspired you, whose pics would you post?

The practice wouldn't just help us in our personal development. It would also change what we decide to look for in others. Bregman writes:

We focus on what people are doing wrong, on their weaknesses and shortcomings. We gossip and complain. We get frustrated and passive aggressive. We find ourselves constantly surprised by the flaws of our colleagues: How could he/she/they do that?

What if, instead--or at least in addition--we chose not to miss an opportunity to be inspired? If we gossiped about things people did that energized us without fixating on the things that disappointed us? If we looked for sparks that ignited our enthusiasm and incited our goodwill? And if we allowed those sparks to light our fires of passion?

Believers, of all people, should be good at finding inspiring qualities in others. The Bible informs us that every person is made in the image of God. Yes, we are all fallen image-bearers who reveal our fallenness at every turn. And yet everyone still has what Pascal called "rumors of glory." As Aslan told the children in Narnia, "You come from the Lord Adam and the Lady Eve. And that is honor enough to erect the head of the poorest beggar, and shame enough to bow the shoulders of the greatest emperor on earth."

Shame and honor. Both. At the same time.

We should never forget the great capacity that fallen people have to disappoint--and plan accordingly. And yet we should never forget whose image fallen people still bear--and catch our breath when we see it.

And, maybe, preserve the moment in a snapshot for our fridge.

A Church That is Really "Biblical Through and Through"

2011-09-06T11:06:00.001-05:00

Eugene Peterson:

Every time I move to a new community, I find a church close by and join it--committing myself to worship and work with that company of God's people....Every one turns out to be biblical through and through: murmurers, complainers, the faithless, the inconstant, those plagued with doubt and riddled with sin, boring moralizers, glamorous secularizes. Every once in a while a shaft of blazing beauty seems to break out of nowhere and illuminate these companies, and then I see what my sin-dulled eyes had missed: word of God-shaped, Holy Spirit-created lives of sacrificial humility, incredible courage, heroic virtue, holy praise, joyful suffering, constant prayer, persevering obedience. I see "Christ--for Christ plays in ten thousand places,/Lovely in limbs, and lovely in eyes not his/To the Father through the features of men's faces."

I hope you caught the surprise of how he describes a church that is really "biblical through and through." You only have to read of the headaches and disciplinary issues that Paul dealt with in his New Testament letters to know its true.

This excerpt is from Leap Over A Wall. I'm reading it in preparation for a sermon series on David. The poem he quotes is from "Inversnaid," by Gerard Manley Hopkins

Links to Your World, Tuesday September 6

2011-09-06T07:00:00.000-05:00

This guy went out to pick broccoli and found another kind of green: $150,000 in 2 duffel bags of $20 bills. Time to start gardening....

Lobster ice cream? Government cheese ice cream? Beef tongue ice cream?

There's a process that can liquify your dead body to the point it could be flushed into the city's drinking water. Um....

This man is suited up for college football. Oh, and he's 61.

"A few conservative Roman Catholics are pointing to a dozen Bible verses and the church's original teachings as proof that Earth is the center of the universe, the view that was at the heart of the church's clash with Galileo Galilei four centuries ago" (story).

"'We're seeing a new breed of accident with these state-of-the-art planes,' said Rory Kay, an airline captain and co-chair of a Federal Aviation Administration advisory committee on pilot training. 'We're forgetting how to fly'" (story). There's a sermon illustration here....

"There are a number of water risks that the world will face in the coming years, including deteriorating water quality, growing competition for limited access to resources, and an increase in water scarcity. The World Resource Institute's Water Risk Atlas outlines those risks--and gives a preview of what you can expect in your town or city in the coming years" (Fast Company).

UT-Austin Study: Parents only as happy as least happy child

"Meet the members of what might be called Generation Limbo: highly educated 20-somethings, whose careers are stuck in neutral, coping with dead-end jobs and listless prospects" (story). All of us who are parents of 20-somethings--or pastors of 20-somethings--or both--know the current bleakness of post-college career prospects.

"Compassionate Texas Rangers catcher Mike Napoli could not bring himself to throw out Rays’ 37-year-old outfielder Johnny Damon as he attempted to steal second base Tuesday, allowing the two-time All Star to safely take the bag in the top of the seventh inning." (The Onion, of course)

Text? Twitter? Facebook Message? Email? Which Account? Old-Fashioned Call? Which Number?

2011-09-02T10:21:00.001-05:00

Frank Bruni's observation is so true. With all the different ways of contacting people, it's hard to remember which person prefers which form:

The other night I did something silly. In a hurry to reach my friend K., I made the mistake of calling him on his mobile phone.

“You should have texted,” he chided me the next morning, when he finally heard the voice mail I’d left. “You know that’s the fastest way.”

It’s hard to keep track. Because my friend A., who frequently sends text messages, somehow fails to recognize that she might receive them as well and almost never checks. With her, I’m supposed to call.

But not with my friend D. Between his two mobile phones, two office phones and one home phone, you can never know which number to try, and he seems never to pick up, anyway. E-mail is his preference. He has three e-mail addresses, at least that I know about, but I’ve figured out the best one. I think.

You hear so much about how instantly reachable we all are, how hyperconnected, with our smartphones, laptops, tablets and such. But the maddening truth is that we’ve become so accessible we’re often inaccessible, the process of getting to any of us more tortured and tortuous than ever.

There are up to a dozen possible routes, and the direct one versus the scenic one versus the loop-de-loop versus the dead end changes from person to person. If you’re not dealing with your closest business associates or friends, whose territory and tics you’ve presumably learned, you’re lost.

So true. I have folks who make generous use of Facebook messaging, which I infrequently consult, and then I have to remember whether someone I'm contacting prefers text to email and, if email, which one.

The upside: We can all have an excuse when we didn't respond, hey?

Read the whole thing.

LeaderLines: Kids Ministry is Golden

2011-09-01T06:40:00.000-05:00

Our children's ministry is one of the most strategic ministries in our church. Let me give you seven reasons why. This is from a recent post by Will Mancini. He says that kids ministry is "gold" to a church for the following reasons:

#1 The Golden Heart: Children model the ideal kingdom participant. Each of the gospel writers record that stunning moment when Jesus rebukes the disciples and tenderly engages some young children (Luke 18:17). In the face of self-importance, Jesus shockingly points to a child as the model for how to enter the kingdom. Maybe serving children holds unexpected benefit for Christian maturity?

#2 The Golden Years: Childhood is the most effective window for responding to the gospel. Eighty percent of people receive Christ between the ages of 4 and 14. Enough said.

#3 The Golden Glow: Children have a longer life to serve Christ and accomplish more for God’s glory. If you had a candle to burn for a nice romantic evening, would you choose the one that’s three-quarters used up, or would you choose a brand new candle? (It makes you wonder why generally speaking, our children get so little attention in ministry leadership!)

#4 The Golden Baton: Serving children plants the gospel into the next generation. Yes, the gospel is always one generation from extinction. You choose if the race is all about your short window to live or the enduring story of global redemption.

#5 The Golden Gate: Winning a child is a gateway to winning the whole family. I can’t tell you how many redeemed families I have seen on the beachhead of a child’s testimony. And yes, the more our culture idolizes their children, the more we can leverage this negative tendency for the gospel.

#6 The Golden Moment: Children’s lives are moldable and full of teachable moments.There is nothing like the moment of awe and insight, when child learns or asks a genuine question. Play and plant in the rich soil!

#7 The Golden Crown: Serving children has a unique significance which leads to special blessing. In Matthew 25-31-46, Jesus shares the parable about serving, “the least of these.” It’s apparent that “the least” include people of some status or need where they cannot repay if they are served (hungry, sick, imprisoned, estranged, poor) Children, though not listed explicitly, certainly fit this list by virtue of their inability. I believe that serving children brings an unexpected treasure of blessing.

How can you contribute to the success of the Hillcrest Kids ministry? Certainly one way is to volunteer for positions on the Hillcrest Kids team. Another is to invite your neighbors who have children to visit Hillcrest.

Even if you aren't being led to serve in our kids ministry and even if you don't have kids in the ministry, you can stay "kid conscious" at Hillcrest. Be a faithful reader of Karen Raulie's Beacon column. Occasionally write her notes to tell her you're praying for her work. Befriend moms or dads at Hillcrest and ask them to identify what they like about the kids program and what their dreams are for the future of our program. As we make church wide decisions in committee meetings, leadership retreats, and business meetings, be sure to ask how a decision will impact families with children. In short, put families "on your radar" when you're praying for and making decisions about Hillcrest's future.

Don't let us miss the "golden opportunity" that kids ministry provides!

Listening to Local School Teachers—And Praying

2011-08-31T15:36:00.001-05:00

Just before every school year begins, Hillcrest hosts a lunch for the teachers, administrators, coaches, and custodians of Anderson High School, Murchison Middle School, and Hill Elementary School.

As a part of the lunch program, we encourage the participants to complete a survey we provide at each table setting. Not everyone turns in one, but here are just some of the answers from the 100 surveys that were completed this year. It will give you a greater appreciation for our school teachers, their needs, and their perception of what their schools and students need:

In your opinion, what is the most challenging issue you will face this school year?

Balancing work, children and family

Getting kids to pull their pants up

Challenging coworker and Mondays!!

Having enough time to prepare great lessons and to give individual attention to more students than we’ve ever hand (Anderson H.S.)

Keeping a positive attitude!

Finishing grad school this coming semester

Organizing: I’m juggling parenthood, teacher-hood, and being a wife!

In your opinion, what is the most challenging thing your students will face this school year?

Knowing what to expect on STAAR Exam

Not using their phones for 90 minutes of my class

My students are 3-5 year olds so probably leaving their homes and getting used to school routines (Hill Elem.)

Cliques

In what one tangible way can we partner with you and your campus to make this school successful for you and your students?

Provide volunteers for HEROs Program at Anderson. [This request, and requests for mentoring, came up a lot. Contact Steve Cloud or Karen Raulie for more information.]

This lunch is so amazing. It makes us feel appreciated and we thank you so much. [We got this comment a lot!]

This lunch is a wonderful way to start the year. Other appreciation/thinking-of-you things throughout the year?

School supplies; paper for copies, please!

Continue to host WyldLife [a Christian YoungLife program for middle schoolers that we host on Mondays. We also host YoungLife for Anderson high students.]

We would love to do our concerts here—just sent you an email about that. [Murchison Middle School held 2 of their concerts in our auditorium last year]

If your congregation has any German speakers that would like to visit my class….

Provide extracurricular activities to kids who have none.

Are there any specific things we can be praying about for you?

That my students will discover their unique gifts/talents

That I have patience and understanding for the diversity of students I have.

Economy in general, rain, best candidate elected for President

Financial blessings: My husband is getting ready to retire and a bit nervous about that.

This year is full of transitions for me: marriage, moving.

For your students?

That all my students feel supported and capable of improving themselves academically—never giving up on their education.

That I can inspire my students to greatness.

Strength and courage to stand for what’s good and right—especially when its not the popular thing.

That God would multiply their rest when they get it and their mental, physical, and spiritual well-being.

Feeling accepted, loved, confident.

Winning Ways: The Power of Prayer

2011-08-31T07:26:00.000-05:00

According to one of the search-engine giants, "How to Pray" is one of the top searches on their site. This Sunday we'll begin a 4-week study designed to answer that question.

The study comes just in time, because the Hillcrest Family will be spending a lot of time in prayer across the next few weeks.

For one, there's a new prayer focus called First Wednesday starting September 7. The first Wednesday of every month in the 2011-2012 year will be dedicated to praying for those who need to come to Christ or return to him. Next week, join me in my office at noon for a First Wednesday prayer meeting. If your schedule won't allow you to attend, send in the names of those you want us to pray for (jami@hbcaustin.org).

Also, we expect to receive 1200 prayer requests from our Connection Campaign. Our Prayer Team will lift up these requests regularly throughout the Campaign.

I'm encouraged by Pete Greig's image of intercession as water working slowly into rock. In his book, God on Mute, he wrote (157):

In prayer, we appeal to the gentleness of Christ's nature as well as His power and engage with the complex free will of people He loves. That's why prayers for people generally work slowly, like water seeping silently into the tiny cracks of a vast boulder. For a long time, nothing may appear to have changed. Our prayers, resembling mere dribbles of water, appear to be of an entirely different nature than the substance of the rock. But then there comes the first great freeze of winter--some circumstances beyond human control--and overnight, as if by magic, as if struck by lightning, the vast boulder splits open.

I hope the sermon series and the prayer activities across the next few weeks will get you back into that rock-splitting work that we call intercessory prayer!

Grateful for our Ministry and Mission Fair!

What a great experience we had last Sunday! My thanks to all who made our Ministry and Mission Fair a success! Keep in mind that every booth you stopped at and every mission representative to talked to is supported by our church budget. You're already supporting these ministries and missions when you give your offering to Hillcrest!

With that in mind, stay faithful in your stewardship. We're behind in budget support as we enter the Fall calendar. Your generosity makes possible all the ministries and missions you saw on Sunday.

Links to Your World, Tuesday August 30

2011-08-30T07:25:00.000-05:00

Report: Male Hair Loss 7 Times More Painful Than Childbirth

“There is a lot going on in the brain,” Eagleman said. “You’re not just passively tracking the river of time. You’re actively constructing it" (Why Some Seconds Seem to Last Forever).

Photos of 5 stupidly precarious ways to use a ladder

You'll probably order Karl Marlantes' 2010 Matterhorn, as I did, or his forthcoming What It Is Like To Go To War, after reading this WSJ piece on heroism and who gets recognized for such.

"Does the secular left realize it has a civility and tolerance problem too?" Read Rod Dreher's excellent piece.

Very Clever: Not your ordinary wedding engagement photo shoot, this couple survives a Zombie attack in theirs.

"Responsible, self-governing citizens do not grow wild like blackberries. They are cultivated in institutions — families, religious communities and decent, orderly neighborhoods. And government has a limited but important role in reinforcing social norms and expectations — including laws against drugs and against the exploitation of men and women in the sex trade" (Michael Gerson, on why Libertarianism won't work).

Texas Sting Nets Tenth Abortionist

Get Anchored

LeaderLines: Leadership Vows for the New Year, Part Four

Review of George W. Bush's "Decision Points"

Review of Bo Giertz's "The Hammer of God"

Toxic Nagging

Winning Ways: What Four?

Links to Your World, Tuesday January 24

LeaderLines: Leadership Vows for the New Year, Part Three

Winning Ways: They’re Searching, So Help Them Find Us

Closer to Scorsese's "Silence"

LeaderLines: Leadership Vows for the New Year, Part Three

Winning Ways: They’re Searching, So Help Them Find Us

Closer to Scorsese's "Silence"

LeaderLines: Leadership Vows for the New Year, Part Two

Winning Ways: Of Limericks, Haikus, and Other Divine Poems

Links to Your World, Tuesday, January 10

LeaderLines: Leadership Vows for the New Year

Winning Ways: What's a Friendventory?

Links to a your World, Tuesday January 3

From the Goodman House: Year-End Wrap Up

Top 5 Books Read 2011

Links to Your World, Tuesday December 27

"Oh Wow. Oh Wow. Oh Wow."

Review of “Not Your Parent’s Offering Plate”

Review of Fehrenbach's "Lone Star"

Winning Ways: Riding Herd

Links to Your World, Tuesday December 20

”That inscrutable thing is chiefly what I hate”

“Delight,—top-gallant delight is to him, who acknowledges no law or lord, but the Lord his God, and is only a patriot to heaven”

“The world’s a ship on its passage out, and not a voyage complete; and the pulpit is its prow”

Winning Ways: If Not Us, Then Who's Going To Do It?

Links to Your World, Tuesday December 13

A frugal Noël: Follow these tips to fill your Santa bag without emptying your wallet

Tips on "Staying Hitched"

Tourè for Time suggests "five completely anecdotal and unscientific tips on staying hitched." Believers can come alongside suggestions like this and reinforce them.

Winning Ways: King David’s King

Links to Your World, Tuesday December 6

“Listen well. There is nothing more that he needed to say.”

Beauty for Ashes

Free Bible App

LeaderLines: Partnerships For Reaching Texas

"You set the standard with your actions. The words can come after"

“I knew about the Council of Nicea, but no one had ever told me how to lead my own council meeting”

Winning Ways: What Are You ‘Counting’ On?

Links to Your World, Tuesday November 29

Voters Prefer Deep-Voiced Politicians

Winning Ways: Riding with the King

New York says, “The World Would Be Better Off Without Religion”

"What if you're not the grateful sort?"

Life Before Facebook

Evangelical Faith and the Texas Frontier

Links to Your World, Tuesday November 22

Financial Doers vs. Financial Dreamers

This Could Be Your Kit!

Book Review: Going Deep

Winning Ways: When God’s In Charge, You Can Take Charge

Links to Your World, Tuesday, November 15

LeaderLines: On the Good Ship Hillcrest

Winning Ways: When a Hero Falls

Links to Your World, Tuesday November 8

LeaderLines: Practice What You Teach

Winning Ways: A Cripple at The King’s Table

Links to Your World, Tuesday November 1

Wherever You Are, You Can Join the “First Wednesday” Prayer Meeting

“A tender heart and a backbone of steel”

Winning Ways: What’s at the Center of Your Life?

Links to Your World, Tuesday October 25

Winning Ways: When Hiring a ‘Revenge Specialist’ Isn’t An Option

“Now let's get back to the essential task of being better human beings”

Winning Ways: Life Lessons from King David

Another Elevator Talk

Are the Parents of the Millennials Boomers?

LeaderLines: Elevating Vision, Part Three

"In every future case, a court—and not the church—would decide whether the church's reasons for firing or not hiring a minister were good enough"

Winning Ways: Don't Bother Inviting Me

Links to Your World, Tuesday October 4

How Different Christian Denominations See Each Other

It's About Tme

LeaderLines: Elevating Vision, Part Two

What’s The Thinker Thinking About?