Archives For What I’m Living

Committee on Committee on Committees

May 20, 2013 — 8 Comments

SANYO DIGITAL CAMERAGrowing up Baptist, I was entranced by the abundance of committees that seemed to cover every facet of church life. A committee for flowers? Check. A hostess committee? Check. (Only later did I realize that this committee had nothing to do with a favorite brand of comfort foods). But one committee always intrigued me with its deeply authoritative and far-reaching title: the committee on committees.

This was the pinnacle. This was the magical smoke-filled back room committee where the real power was exerted. Who wanted to be on something lame like the properties committee when you could be on the committee on committees? This committee was the supreme power, the Council of Elrond of Baptist churches.

As I grew a little older, my typical male aspirations of world domination played itself out in my Baptist world, and I created a new, fictitious, uber-powerful committee that would rule all committees: the Committee on Committee on Committees. This highly secretive committee would wield uncontrolled power to install puppet committees throughout the church.

Growing up in a typical Baptist church, here are some of the new committees that the Committee on Committee on Committees would install:

  • The Surly Greeter Committee – This committee would ensure that the meanest, poutiest, surliest members (and oldest, preferably) would greet at the front doors. They would set an acceptably dour mood for the service.
  • The Pew Kicker Committee – This committee would deputize one angry couple a week to go throughout the sanctuary and kick guests out of their seats, claiming that they were sitting in their row. They would ensure that the pecking order of seniority remained intact.
  • The Temperature Complaining Committee – This committee would be made exclusively of senior ladies who would be strategically placed throughout the sanctuary to loudly complain that the temperature was too cold (no matter what the actual temperature).
  • The Baby Screaming Committee – This committee would commission new moms to keep their babies out of the nursery and bring them into the service, preferably fussy. These moms would assume that everyone would love to watch and hear this new, screaming bundle of joy for an hour.
  • The Sleeping Choir Member Committee – This committee would enlist at least one choir member per service to fall asleep (noticeably) during the pastor’s sermon. The closer they sat directly behind the pastor, the better.
  • The Clothing Diva Committee – This committee would be an added bonus to the Baptist church. This committee would be formed exclusively of median aged wives and moms who think each Sunday service is an opportunity to dress for the Kentucky Derby. Their over-the-top and look-at-me outfits would ensure that people have someone to talk about at lunch.

QUESTION: What new committees would you install for the typical church?

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A Reminder of the Good We Can Do in the World

May 17, 2013 — 3 Comments

Several weeks ago Mt Vernon hosted its second annual Joy Prom for the special needs community. Here’s the highlight video. Use it as a way to start your weekend on the right note!

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The False Choice Between Calvinism and Arminianism

May 2, 2013 — 8 Comments

AXRJP4Am I a Calvinist or an Arminian? Yes. And life is great here above the fray. Southern Baptists are being torn apart by the classic Calvinism debate. Our seminaries are in separate camps, our leaders are divided and throwing resolutions at each other. College and seminary presidents are weeding out professors that don’t agree with their particular doctrine. Your theological view on salvation is becoming a litmus test that trumps all others.

The tragedy is that the Calvinism vs. Arminian debate presents us with a false choice (or in classical logic terms, a ‘false dichotomy’). In this debate, salvation is either all God or all man. The problem is that both camps point to Scripture for their beliefs. And both sides are right.

For years, I avoided the debate. Then I began to see in Scripture that God’s sovereignty vs. man’s choice wasn’t an “either/or,” it was a “both/and.” And here’s the illustration that captured the essence of that truth for me. Once I thought of this (if you’re in the Arminian camp) or God sovereignly revealed it to me (if you’re in the Calvinist camp), I was at peace with the issue.

It’s the incarnation of Jesus Christ. When Jesus came to earth, was he God or man? The first few centuries of believers heavily debated that. Was he God that just looked like a man, or was he merely a man with God-like powers? After centuries of debate, here’s what Christianity concluded: Jesus was both. Not 50/50 both, but 100/100 both. He was fully God and fully man. In God’s equation, 100% plus 100% equals 100%. We can’t fully understand it, but we accept it.

I believe God exercises the same principle in salvation. Is salvation man’s choice or God’s sovereignty? Yes. It’s both. It doesn’t have to be an either/or. It can be both, side-by-side. I believe that salvation is 100% man’s choice and 100% God’s sovereignty, in the same way that I believe that Jesus of Nazareth was 100% man and 100% God. Although I cannot fully understand it, I accept it.

Southern Baptists, if we can come to a peace about this issue, and if we begin to focus on the issues that matter (like lostness), how much more will our Heavenly Father be pleased with us? The current Calvinism debate is nothing but sideways energy meant to distract us from the task at hand, fulfilling the Great Commission.

Let’s be better than this. Let’s finish what we were left here to do. Salvation is 100% man’s choice and 100% God’s sovereignty. That’s what I’ve lived and breathed for the past decade, and my soul is at perfect peace. I can now focus on partnering with God to influence souls for Christ. May we all do the same.

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My Test Drive with Prius Theology

May 1, 2013 — Leave a comment

5.1.13When the Toyota Prius hit the market in 2000, the world was introduced to the idea of hybrid technology: gas and electricity both used to power a car. In that same year, a just-as-revolutionary hybrid theology began to take shape in my heart. In my last two posts (here and here), I chronicled by journey from Arminianism to the depths of hyper-Calvinism.

After I began my road to redemption, I tried to avoid the topic. I couldn’t make sense of the issue. It made my brain hurt. When I walked down the road of Calvinism, all I could see was God’s sovereignty in Scripture (see Romans 8:29, Romans 9:15-16, Ephesians 1:4-5). Once I backed away, I began to see man’s choice just as clearly (see Deuteronomy 30:19, Joshua 24:15, 2 Samuel 24:12, Proverbs 8:10, John 7:17, James 4:4).

I asked, “If man doesn’t have a choice, if everything is predestined, then why would God constantly give mankind the option to choose? At best it would be hypocritical, at worst it would be downright cruel for God to dangle choice in front of man when he has no say in the matter.” See? Doesn’t your brain hurt now?

I could point to Scripture that supported both sides. I saw God’s sovereignty and I saw man’s choice. I just couldn’t reconcile them. Whenever someone would debate the issue, they would have to dance around the Scriptures that supported the opposing idea. It was tiring. When asked to do Bible studies, I would intentionally avoid Scriptures that spoke to the debate because I didn’t quite have my personal theology reconciled yet.

Over the next few years, my hybrid theology began to take shape as I read Scriptures that seemed to have both angles side-by-side. In Philippians 2:12-13, Paul tells us, “Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed—not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose.” Paul tells us to work out our salvation (man’s will) while stating that it is God who works in us (God’s sovereignty).

Or how about Jesus himself in John 6:65, “He went on to say, ‘This is why I told you that no one can come to me unless the Father has enabled them.‘” We come to God (man’s will), but God has to enable us first (God’s sovereignty). While this would indicate that one precedes the other, it doesn’t deny the existence of the other.

With verses such as these, I began to consider the notion that perhaps both were true. Although the two extremes seemed irreconcilable, they both had support in Scripture. It wasn’t until I came to the most obvious illustration found in the New Testament that I truly had a peace with my hybrid theology.

Want to know what illustration tied everything together for me? Well, I guess you’ll have to come back tomorrow then, won’t you? Tomorrow I’ll finish up my thoughts on Calvinism and the false choice Christians are forced to make.

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Calvinism: My Journey There and Back Again (Part 2)

April 30, 2013 — 8 Comments

4.29.13When I left off yesterday, I was heading off to Africa with a armful of John Piper books. Growing up as a classic free-will loving Arminian, I didn’t know how soundly my quaint ideas were about to be crushed under the weight of Scripture. If you’ve ever read a John Piper book, then you know it’s like drinking from a fire hydrant. The guy knows his Bible, and he is a passionate Calvinist.

After a few months of reading, I was convinced. I couldn’t argue with that much Scripture. So, living in Africa, I became a Calvinist. I drank in passage after passage of Romans. I relished in the sovereignty of God. Calvinism expanded my small view of God, and I am forever grateful for the much larger picture of God that I gained from the whole experience.

The problem for me was that I couldn’t stop going down the road of Calvinism once I started. If I was going to believe in something, I was going to believe in it all the way. If God truly was sovereign, if everything was predestined, then man’s choice is a farce. Once I started down the road to Calvinism, I couldn’t stop the slide before I ended up at its extreme end: hyper-Calvinism.

The results on my personal life and missionary activities were devastating. I literally lost all motivation to evangelize the lost (the very reason I was sent to Africa). If everything was already predestined, then I was wasting my time. God had already determined who would be saved, and my efforts weren’t going to change anything. When I was in my deepest valley, I was literally immobilized. I had no motivation to go out and do any missionary work. In my mind, it was all a wasted effort. For about six weeks, I didn’t pray. I didn’t have a quiet time. I was so overwhelmed by God’s sovereignty and my inability to help determine anyone’s salvation that I was paralyzed. I had the Scripture to back me up. I just didn’t have any practical motivation to go out and waste my time in the useless farce of personal evangelism. Not a good place for a full-time professional missionary to be at.

After about six weeks, I’d had enough. I made a deal with God. Here’s the gist of what I said, “God, I can’t take it anymore. I can’t live like this. I’ve got entire passages in Scripture that scream predestination at me, but it’s taken away all practical motivation for me to share the gospel with anyone. God, I’ll let you fix my theology when I’m in heaven, but while I’m here on earth, I’ve got to believe that I’ve got some skin in the game. I’ve got to believe that my efforts can have an effect on the salvation of others, if I’m going to survive here in Africa as a missionary.”

That prayer began my road to redemption, which I’ll share about in my next post. If you think it led me back to be a classic Arminian, think again.

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Calvinism: My Journey There and Back Again (Part 1)

April 29, 2013 — 4 Comments

4.29.13It’s Calvinism week here at mtvpastor, where I’m going to weigh in on the growing controversy within the Southern Baptist Convention. To those who don’t know about the Calvinism debate: don’t worry, you’re not missing much. To those of you caught up in the hype and wonder why I’m choosing now to write about it: it’s already been predestined that I would write about it today, so why fight it?

A good controversy like this can’t be settled in one post, so I’ll be sharing fourteen years of thoughts over the next few posts. To start, I want to share with my story. For me Calvinism isn’t some esoteric debate, it’s something I struggled with for years before coming to a peace about it. Alas, let the saga begin:

Growing up in church as a kid, I was naturally an Arminian (the theological belief that we have a choice in our salvation). There was no overt debate about it, that’s just all I ever knew. It made sense to me; we had a choice about many other things in life, why not salvation? Wasn’t that the whole point of preachers working up a sweat and pleading with people to walk down the aisle? If it was all predestined, then why all the effort? I would hear adults use variations of the argument, “God loved us so much that he gave us free will.” Sounded solid to me. I never questioned it.

Fast forward several years. I graduated college and was in training with 120 other college grads for a two-year missionary stint overseas. It was a blast. What I didn’t know was that a majority of the other trainees had just gotten back from Passion Conferences and were still hopped up on John Piper. Suddenly, the classic Arminian vs. Calvinism (the theological belief that God has already predestined who will be saved) debate revved back up. To counter my suddenly weak-sounding arguments of logic, the Calvinist camp had Scripture. Lots of it. I would pull a VBS verse here or there. They would counter with Romans 9-11. My arguments were crushed.

Curious about the whole debate, I left for the mission field with a few Piper books under my arm. Little did I know the quantum world shift I was about to experience. Come back tomorrow to see just how far down the yellow brick road I went . . .

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Why Your Church is Like Rotten Tomatoes

April 24, 2013 — Leave a comment

Toronto After Dark Film Festival 2009.One of my favorite apps on my phone is Flixster, which lets me view upcoming movies and trailers. More importantly, before I make the decision on whether to watch the movie, I look at the Rotten Tomatoes score, a percentage of how many other users liked the movie. More than the critical reviews, I know that if other users like the movie, I probably will too.

Why is this important for the church? Because 92% of people trust recommendations from friends and family above all other forms of advertising, up 18% since 2007. Online consumer reviews are the second most trusted source of brand information with a 70% trust rating, up 15% since 2008. Television ads were trusted by only 47%, down 24% since 2009 (Nielsen, April 2012).

I’ve worked at churches before I that I wouldn’t have attended if I wasn’t employed by them. How many of my friends did I invite there? None. A church can have a ton of formal advertising, but word of mouth trumps it every time. Growing a church is a lot simpler than pastors and theologians make it out to be. The number one way to grow your church in today’s society is to create a church environment that your members enjoy enough that they’ll naturally tell their circle of influence about it, and to create a culture where your members have the mindset to reach out (as opposed to simply reaching in).

We’ve seen this play out at Mt Vernon. Over the past year and a half that I’ve been pastor, 99% of our growth have been family and friends of existing members. Virtually every time our staff discusses a new guest, we discuss the close friend or family member who brought them. Why? Because people trust recommendations of family and friends above all other forms of advertising. A member loves our church enough to bring her mom, who brings her close friend, who tells everyone at work. We’ve grown roughly 20% over the past year, with no formal advertising, no mass mailers, no door-to-door campaigns. It’s simply word of mouth.

The winds of culture are changing. We can continue to fight against it, or find a way to harness the power of it to see the Kingdom advance.

QUESTION: What is your church’s Rotten Tomatoes score? (It’s more important than you think)

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7 Reasons Why I Love Joy Prom

April 22, 2013 — Leave a comment

IMG_0240Think of the happiest, funnest, most memorable prom that you can remember. Multiply that by ten, and you have the Joy Prom. Last Saturday I attended the Joy Prom, an event I’ve had the privilege of being a part of for the past several years. The Joy Prom is where our high school students throw a prom for the special needs community in our area. The high school students serve as dates, we literally roll out the red carpet, and have a night we’ll always remember. (Watch last year’s recap video here.) Here’s seven reasons why I love the Joy Prom so much:

1. It’s all about the red carpet. When the Joy Prom couples walk down the red carpet with hundreds of people cheering them on, you should see their smiles. They feel like a million bucks, and you can tell. To see the smiles on the faces of the precious special needs students is absolutely priceless.

2. Blessing the caregivers. The caregivers of the special needs community are the unsung heroes of this whole thing. Their time, energy and continuous effort to serve others goes vastly under-appreciated. To bless them and validate their work by blessing those precious souls in their care, even if for one night, is worth the effort.

3. Providing the best prom for high schoolers. Over the years, the constant refrain I’ve heard from high schoolers is that the Joy Prom is the best prom they’ve ever been to. There’s no pretense, no image to upkeep, no social hierarchy. The students are able to come in, let loose, and truly be themselves.

4. Seeing Christians coming together to serve. Too often, Christians are separated by churches and denominational lines, allowing secondary things to separate them. The Joy Prom is one of the few times I’ve seen Christians from numerous churches come together. The purpose of serving the special needs community transcends religious territorialism. If only this could happen more often.

5. Breaking stereotypes and rocking the church. Yes, we have a dance at the church. And it’s rocking. You can hear the bass thumping before you walk in the doors. Every once in awhile, it’s good to shake things up a little. Christians can have fun too.

6. Experiencing pure, unadulterated joy. Attending the Joy Prom is like watching Extreme Makeover Home Edition for three hours. You’re going to love it, but you’re going to cry at some point. There’s an emotional experience when you see the pure joy radiating from the faces of the special needs students. It tugs at your emotional core, reminding you that such pure joy exists.

7. Knowing that we blessed more than just the special needs community. Jesus says, ”Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least ofthese brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me” (Matthew 25:40). I think the Joy Prom honestly reflects the love of our Savior, who has a special place in his heart for those on the margins of society.

Thanks to everyone who helped make this year’s Joy Prom so special!

QUESTION: If you’ve been a part of a Joy Prom before, what’s you’re favorite aspect of it?

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Making Sense of the Senseless Boston Marathon Bombings

April 16, 2013 — 2 Comments

Runners continue to run towards the finish line as an explosion erupts at the finish line of the Boston MarathonWhy? That’s the question. Why do something so senseless? The Boston Marathon for years has been a ray of hope, a non-political gathering of people from throughout the world to celebrate human achievement. Why would someone introduce such harm and mayhem into something so profoundly peaceful?

While the US government will work tirelessly to discover and pursue the individuals behind this heinous act, we’re left to wonder the bigger question: why? Why did something like this even happen? In short, the reason the bombings happened is because we live in a broken world. When sin entered the world in Genesis 3, it corrupted everything in creation. It corrupted nature itself (hurricanes, earthquakes), human systems (families, governments), and even the human heart (those responsible for the bombing). While this answer may not fully satisfy your need for answers, it reminds us of some important truths:

  • Our sense of moral outrage speaks to our sense of absolute right and wrong, something our Heavenly Creator gave us. If you’re angry about this bombing (as you should be), you’re angry because you have this inner sense that the bombing was wrong (which it was). That inner sense of right and wrong is God’s imprint on you. He gave you that inner moral compass that screams outrage when senseless acts of terror like this take place.
  • The effects of sin are like shrapnel from a bomb: destructive and unpredictable. When a bomb goes off, the effects within the blast radius will be unpredictable; collateral damage. Sin is like a bomb that went off in the world, and we’re all within the blast radius. The effects of sin are unpredictable. That’s why some get cancer, some get in car accidents, and some live long, healthy lives. Did those three who died in the bombings do anything to deserve that kind of death? No. But sin is like that. Unfortunately, they got caught in the blast radius of a broken world.
  • America lives in a bubble. Our sense of outrage against this type of event is magnified because it is thankfully so rare here. Just a brief reading of the world news section will reveal that the majority of the human population has to live with this threat of terror every day. While this type of terror may be new to us, it’s not new to vacationers in Bali or Christian churches worshipping in Nigeria. Be thankful that this is so rare in America.
  • When tragedy strikes, our response should be prayers and active compassion to those in need. Whether it’s a marathon bombing or a horrific car accident, when tragedy strikes, our response as believers should be compassionate action. It’s the whole “love your neighbor” thing. While you may not know anyone personally in the Marathon bombings, you do know someone who’s been the victim of senseless tragedy in this world. What can you do to help them?
  • God will one day judge the world. The Bible is clear that one day Jesus will come back and restore righteousness by judging the world and all of its sin. For those who belong to Jesus, we look forward with anticipation to his coming. Senseless acts like this makes us yearn for that Coming even more.

Perhaps the biggest question this bombing raised was, “Where was God in all of this?” Or, put another way, “If God was a good God, why would He allow bad things to happen to good people?” That question is what we’ll tackle in my next post.

QUESTION: What helps you make sense of this senseless bombing?

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The Most Dangerous Thing to Give a Teenage Boy

April 15, 2013 — 4 Comments

9.13.12If you’re a parent with a son still living at home, then you need to read this. The most dangerous thing you can give your son is unfiltered internet access. I know you know there’s some bad stuff on the internet (primarily porn), but it’s worse and more pervasive than you think. Roughly 25% of all internet searches are porn related, and the average age of first exposure to pornography is 11 years old.

When you were growing up, access to pornography was limited to purchasing dirty magazines at a gas station or watching adult themed movies. Now, any child with an iphone has unfiltered access to pornography that will severely warp his view of sexuality. Pornography will erode his future intimacy with his wife could enslave him for years to come. You don’t want that for your son.

I’m not saying that you need to become Amish and throw away all technology. I’m just saying you need to be smart.

  • Realize there are parental controls on most smart phones. Use them.
  • Realize there are ways to get around a lot of parental controls on most smart phones. Just because you blocked Safari, it doesn’t mean they don’t have internet access. Many other ‘safe’ apps (like Google or even CNN) have internet browsers built in. Don’t think blocking Safari has you in the clear.
  • Most internet browsers now have ‘private browsing,’ allowing you to surf with no trail. So, just because their search history is clean, it doesn’t mean they haven’t been viewing porn.
  • Use internet filters. One of my favorites is www.x3watch.com. More than a filter, it’s an accountability program that will notify you by email every time a questionable site is viewed.
  • Have that awkward conversation with them. If they’re going to struggle with pornography, deal with it now. That’s what parents are supposed to do. As awkward as the conversation will be, I guarantee you he’ll thank you when he’s walking down the aisle, free from the chains that enslave too many married men.

Parents, don’t let your teenage boy become another victim of the pornography industry. If you have a teenage boy, he’s looked at porn. His level of exposure and his possibility for addiction will depend on your willingness to roll up your sleeves and fight for your son’s purity. So fight.

QUESTION: What other suggestions would you give parents who have teenage boys when it comes to internet access?

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