Who Bakes for the Baker?

Who Bakes for the Baker?

I just read a fine article by Sarah Henson. In her article she

chronicles a portion of her life as a preacher’s daughter

experiencing the humanity of her father the Man, with the public

expectations of him as a Pastor. Using the story of famed pastor and

my buddy Zachery Tims as her case study, she prompts questions

and ideas of why Pastors alienate themselves and how this

alienation leads us down precarious paths. I appreciated this

article because it has sparked my own thoughts about my

personal Pastorate. It seems that there is a sense of alienation associated with every

success and every apparent move forward in ministry. This alienation can make

you the object of a great amount of adulation, but also the object of a great amount

of scrutiny. To some degree, one goes with the other, after all when much is given

(resources, influence etc…) much is required. However, one significant result of

the scrutiny that cannot be overlooked is the lack of transparency from Christian

Leaders. This is not a small issue because when things are not transparent, things

get hidden, and secrets abide. This has been the state of leadership period, let alone

in Christendom. Lack of transparency creates room for secrets and secrets create

room for hypocrisy, and hypocrisy for more lack of transparency etc, etc, etc… you

get the picture. The cycle breeds distrust, disrespect, and a need for a re-haul of our

approach to it. Sound familiar? If you live in the US it should!

So it leads me to some personal questions- if I were trapped in infidelity, with who

could I talk? What about porn addiction, or embezzlement, or if I realized I taught a

horrible doctrine? Who would I sit and express this to? Would I internalize it until

it spills over and destroys the integrity of what God has called me to do? Who gives

counsel to the counselor? Who pastors the Pastor? Who would do for me what I’ve

done for many? Who Bakes for the Baker?

If I were speaking to Pastors this article would be centered around self

responsibility, humility, accountability, safe relationships; etc… but I figured since

there are more congregants than Pastors, I’d give five ways the congregants can help

their Pastors and Leaders from alienation that leads to a lack of transparency and

hypocrisy.

Here are a few thoughts that I think would help us to help our Pastors:

1. Make it a point to grow as an individual Believer: Your individual

strength as a Believer makes it easier for you to go through the ebbs and

flows of your Pastor’s humanity. A strong and healthy Believer trusts in their

Savior at a fundamentally different place than they do their Pastor. Knowing

that there are mature people both in leadership and in the congregation can

relieve some of the pressure of having to be near “morally perfect” for the

sake of their congregants’ walk with Christ.

2. Help Grow and Mature the Church in Spiritual Health and not just in

Numbers- Pray, Learn, Serve

The worst enemy to a hurting Pastor is an unhealthy, spiritually immature

church. These types of congregations need, need, need!! While all of us need

something when we come to church, unhealthy congregations will demand in

an unbalanced way to have their needs fed even at the expense of the person

who feeds them. When the need is so dire, it’s easy to overlook the paleness

of the person feeding. Severe brokenness makes us all selfish and will cause

us to overlook the Leader’s unhealthy lifestyle and choices. A healthy church

will discern that their leaders are growing faint and will have the spiritual

strength to maintain while the Leaders recoup. A simple way to mature as a church

is for believers is to pray, learn and serve together. Each of these elements will help

build unity around the mission of God and not the leader or Pastor.

3. Demand that your Pastor takes sabbaticals: I know the word ‘sabbatical’

is almost a bad word in many ethnic churches because after all no one can

bring it like your Pastor! And Pastors, we are guilty as well, because we fear

attendance and finances dropping without us there. Well, this is a practice

we should work hard to reverse. Pastors and Christian Leaders are

in the business of bearing the deepest burdens of the human experience. Aside

from carrying their own, they carry that of the people they serve. This is an

extremely heavy emotional, spiritual and physical load to carry, and if not

properly shifted; it will crush everything that is important to that Leader’s

life. If a Leader is not able to take time to clear his/her mind and heart of his

parishioners’ gunk, he/she likely will not take time to do it for themselves

either. This will cause a great strain on everyone connected to the Leader;

their spouse, children, friends, co-workers and even worse, the leaders

themselves. The great Green Bay Packer coach Vince Lombardi

once said that “fatigue makes cowards of us all.” Fatigue will drain your leader of the

energy needed to confront and deal with their own personal issues. Trust me, the

Church will not fall apart because the Pastor takes 2 weeks off a few times a year.

Prepare for it, save your money, get speakers lined up, and allow for some

time off!! The Church as a whole is better off when the leaders are refreshed.

Nothing can replace your Pastors quality time with God and His family.

4. Release The Grace to Fail- Pastors are under an enormous amount of

pressure to be right nearly all the time, especially when you are in the

morality business! When you are in the morality business everything is

scrutinized from that lens. So it seems that a Pastor cannot misspeak, give

erroneous data, have a bad business deal, make a poor decision, wrestle with

personal shortcomings, etc.., without it being scuritinized through the lens

of his morality or the lack thereof. So the Leader’s life is seen juxtaposed to

the perfect message he/she is called to preach. Listen folks, preaching for a

perfect God and living perfectly for God are two entirely different concepts.

When the Pastor finishes expressing the perfection of God, he/she is now

called to live that message with the same pressures of life as any other

human being. It’s one thing to accept your Pastor when the manifest presence of the

anointing of God is on them, but are you willing to accept them after the power of

that moment lifts? No, God does not give your Pastor any “special” graces to handle

life that are different than yours. He/she has to discipline himself and stay near

to the Cross just like you. So release the grace of God on your Pastors and Leaders to

have human frailty- release the same grace you cry out to God for everyday, because

remember, if it was not for the grace of God, where would any of us be?

Wake Up Ur Dream!

21 Day Fast Reflections: Opportunities

Tomorrow will be day 20 of our churches annual 21 day first fruit fast. For 21 days each January we only eat minimal proportions foods from the earth, restrict our media intake and folly and reserve ourselves to prayer and devotion. Its a time where we collectively humble our hearts and bodies to posture ourselves to hear from God concerning the upcoming year.
Im not much of an eater so I thought that as it related to food, this year would be a relatively simple year for me. Aside from the general blah redundancy of veggies, fruits and lentils, I figured that if I could time my allotted meals I could make out fairly unscathed. You know, lose a little holiday weight, add some prayer and boom! it'd be January 31st before I knew it. Well, I can report that I did lose some weight, about 12 lbs to be exact so far, and I did some prayer...actually, I did a lot of prayer, and henceforth, this blog. This fast was not difficult because I couldn't eat, it was difficult because of what I could eat. I never thought that what I could eat in a fast would bless me the way it did.

First, let me digress so you'll understand what I mean. About this time last year I was returning from a South African missionary trip where some of the nights were, lets say, less than spectacular. We spent a few nights were we slept in mud huts where there was no furniture, electricity, toilets and things of the such. A few of the days I suffered terribly from diarrhea bc I accidentally drank my juice from a cup that was washed in the local water instead of from our bottled water. There was even a night I actually saw the chicken we ate for dinner when it was still alive (gross!). Many of the nights we ate unfamiliar meals in unfamiliar environments. We were away from all 'normal' conveniences like running water, indoor restrooms, sinks to wash before we ate, etc. At one point in time I was so uncomfortable, so inconvenienced that I remember thinking to myself that next year I would take an easier trip-a much easier one; one where I had a hotel to sleep in EVERY night!

One particular day after a long day of serving we were served this porage type mixture consisting of corn, beans, and rice. It wasn't esthetically appealing, let alone tasty. But I was so hungry. My mind kept telling me how I didn't want 'this stuff' but my stomach reminded me how much I did. Taste didn't matter most days. Even when we went to a town store, it still wasn't what I was used to, it was just better than what I had. I gobbled down the food and made due. That day and next few days I was never angry about the food, just ungrateful. However, with that meal an interesting thing began to happen with each day. As I pondered my conveniences at home, the more my heart felt for my African brothers and sisters. Not pity. They didn't want or expect pity. It wasn't because of the food or lack there of either. It was because at the core of who we all were, we were all just people. We loved our families, treasured our relationships and desired to celebrate our God. These folks were intelligent and as savvy as any one of my most scholarly comrades. While food is just my example used to exemplify our differences, the differences weren't the food at all it was in our opportunities. We are so blessed to be afforded opportunities for education, employment, sustenance, to sell and idea, etc. and how many times do we take for granted opportunities? In light of this thought, I was perplexed because the inconvenience that initially made me bitter, was making me gentler.
I saw things differently after that meal. Their hospitality in mud huts reminded me that you have nothing to be ashamed of as long as you are doing the best with what you have. At dinner the prayers were spirited and all joined in, reminding me that food is not automatic, but a blessing. I had over 100 US dollars in my pocket and had no place to spend it, and it reminded me that where there are no resources money doesn't matter, faith does- and they had plenty of faith!

I shared this story because around day 17 of this fast I found myself at my kitchen counter with a similar meal that turned my month long missions trip around: a bowl of corn, beans, and rice mixed. I was a little pouty because, well being 17 days into a fast can do that to you. But while my wife brought my bowl to me, I was reminded of the story I just told you and more importantly the lesson I learned about me: the more inconvenienced I was, the more gentler I became to those affected in the area I was inconvenienced. I wonder if this was the thought process of Jesus when he came to share in the earth experience with us. Did he compare our conditions it with where he came from? Did the stark differences compel him to hurt for us? Weep for us? Care for us? Want to help us? Did our condition make him gentler?

I have no answer to that but I do know that before we ate dinner that night my wife and I held hands and thanked God for the food and opportunities.

Whether you participated in this fast or not, its important to remember that if you eat any kind of meal more than three times a week, you eat more than nearly half of the population of the earth eats. If you have running water, electricity, a chair in your abode, and a 3rd grade education you are among the elite in the earth. Perhaps maybe not among the elite in your circle, but considering, you are blessed. These annual fasts remind me that our blessedness should produce kinder, gentler people, not arrogant ones. I need this fast every year. I need mission trips. I need to remember this feeling, because these experiences birth from me a genuine compassion to those I serve...

"for we have not a High Priest which cannot be touched by the feeling of our infirmities..." Hebrews 4:15

Its been a long time, sorry I left you...

Since the last I blogged, my wife and I celebrated an anniversary, our church turned 4 yrs old, and the Lakers won their second title in a row. Yes 3 months! That is way too much time away from blogging. I mean, I've got to much to say, too many opinions in my head, and too many thoughts that can help people- what am I doing taking that much time off?! To some degree I feel I have a responsibility to write and I promise I will be more regular with my writing IF, you guys help me grow this blog...

The "Wanna know what I think" concept was created to foster conversation starting with my most random thoughts, but ending with your insight. So know, that I wanna know what YOU think too. And I get it, everyone is not a writer, but your thoughts help me do my main gig which is imparting, instructing, and motivating. So tell me what you think. It gets political, religious, simple, deep and down right petty at times in here, but Im sure you will fit somewhere, so check out these blogspots and tell me what you think. Even if you follow me on twitter or facebook I'd still like to hear your full thought on these topics. So talk to me and spread the word!

So I bid you an apology in the tune of the great rapper Rakim, "its been a long time, sorry I left you..." I will be more regular, more insightful, with more clarity, and with more impact! Until then, be blessed, and say what you mean, with respect, honesty, and passion- even if your knees shake while you're doing it!

Out!
terrell

Its time to think about it- (4 Believer's Only)

I just read an article by Bryan McLaren and I will say from the onset that I don't agree with much of his theories, however he did share a thought that I found interesting. McLaren's article contrasted the Milgram Experiments of the 1960s with modern American Christianity. Scientist Stanley Milgram wanted to measure peoples willingness to obey authority figures even when it conflicted with their personal conscience. The study was prompted after observing past Nazi war crime trials and noticing that many of the officers claimed to have committed the heinous war crimes because their superiors ordered them to do so, most namely Adolf Eichman.

In one particular experiment, one group of participants were told by authorized scientists to press a button that would send a painful electric shock into another group of participants sitting in another room. The results were shocking. When the lab authorities gave the order, 65% of the "button pushing" participants repeatedly sent an electric shock into the "receiving" participants. As the voltage was increased the results remained the same; participants trusted the scientists admonition that what they were doing was good for scientific advancement. When asked if they had sympathy for the other participants many said yes, but never questioned or resisted, they simply did it because the authority told them to do so.

McLarens position questions how or if Christians think for themselves or if we are like those participants who were willing to inflict consequence against their conscience because their leaders say so. Its a very interesting idea for us to ponder, so I pose this question, who's pulling your strings? Have you given your religious leader, Bishop, Pastor, Counselor etc. unquestioned authority to your life? If we say sow, do you sow? If we say Republicans most demonstrate Christianity, do you believe that and shun the ideals of Democrats? If we say to shun any fellowship with a homosexual, do you shun gays? If we say no contraceptives in your marriage, do you shun contraceptives? If we say reject spiritual gifts, do you reject spiritual gifts? What if we don't approve of who you chose to marry, do you turn your heart in another direction? This is not an endorsement for these concepts but examples of how a host of personal, political and religious ideals have been passed to the Christian community with very little introspection by the average Christian as to why we are being told to accept them. To make matters worse, some of the opinions that we adhere to raise conflicts within our own conscience's.

Dear Believer, it is okay to have a different opinion from your leader as to how your life plays out-just make sure its not different from Gods opinion shared to us in Scripture. We are mere resources to you, not your final authority. Your life journey will bring you all types of turns and twists that others may not readily identify with. Interpreting what this means for your life is the beauty of having an authentic relationship with the Holy Spirit versus with His flawed representatives. We cannot tell you how to vote, who to marry, or who your friends should be etc. Scripture doesn't give us that authority and neither should you! So hear us as advice, not as the comp-controller of your life. Respectfully challenge us to a dialogue versus a one sided monologue. With that said, this is not a license to become argumentative and difficult for arguments sakes, or to disregard advice that is useful and Biblical, and certainly not a license to operate in clear and obvious sin. It is however an admonition for you to think for yourself and not be framed into a "system of religious living" and false accountability that minimizes your intelligence and choice making ability. It's further an invitation for you to enter into the kinds of discourses where people interact and with leaders for community, accountability and knowledge's sake. Its the checks and balancing act that is needed to produce the best Christians, nations, families, businesses and human beings possible. With this you can take control of your own life. Know why you do what you do and don't be afraid to own it! YOU make decisions with the information YOU gather so that you can please God, honor others and make your house a product of your choices not someone elses. Trust the Holy Spirit to guide you!!

In closing, I agree with McLearen in this regard, that many Christians are afraid to publicly express support for ideas that are not in the Christian mainstream. For you that fit that category, I say that your conscience is a powerful piece of who you are and if you are acting against your conscience life will be most miserable for you. There is wisdom to asking questions and getting clarity on what you believe and why instead of taking our words for it only. True faith begins with a surrender of the heart and you aren't doing the Christian faith any favors by signing on to ideas that you haven't surrendered your heart to- whether Biblical or otherwise.

Thats what I think and Im stickin to it!!

If Its About Politics, Prove It

Anyone who casually reads or faitfully follow this blog know that I am, without regret or shame a born-again Christian and a registered Democrat. In many ideological concepts I agree with the democratic agenda, however it must be duley noted that while democrat in affiliation I am anti-abortion and and pro-proposition 8in association. While this stand can be complex to the strict conservative, it actually is a position that many moderates and liberals carry. In some sense, the anti abortion and prop 8 disclaimer has become necessary for liberals like myself because misinformation and ignorance keep the average American from understanding that liberal politics and Christianity can indeed coexist. However, its not my intention to defend my own politics or faith in this blog. I am here to challenge the most powerful factions in American politics that are unapologetically conservative and also Christian.
I honor the premise of their faith and respect their political position, however, with respect to them both, they should be ashamed of the public behavior by many in their faction during the last month of health care debates. Some of the rhetoric and actions have been disturbing, distasteful and yes, shameful. I don't understand because there are many good conservative party members who honor decorum and are dignified; why then is Rush Limbaugh, his followers and the Tea Party the loudest voice of conservatism in America?! I ask this because constituents of both these movements lined the streets leading to Capital Hill and expressed their displeasure with curt disdain. So curt that Black democrats were greeted at Capitol Hill Saturday afternoon and Sunday morning with racial slurs and spit. It was so shameful that Represenative John Lewis, a Democrat from Georgia declared that it was the worst he had seen in "40 or 45 years. Since the march from Selma to Alabama." The behavior was crude, un-American and ultimately unChrist-like.

I expected more from the Christian community on the right in the way of denouciation. The Civil Rights Act of 1964 made it illegal to act on bigoted impulses but in no way could it eliminate bigotry or bigots, so I understand (though don't accept) that bigotry is a part of life- I am concerned beacause these acts of bigotry came groups that associate themselves proudly with Christianity. The sheer silence of the Conservative Christian Right is surprising and disappointing. Where the heck are they while their loudest voices are publically insulting the national leaders they disagree with and hurling racial insults at the rest of them? And for the record this is taking place on the streets AND in the chambers of congress, literally. The evangelical Church is the largest Christian "lobby" groups in America and as of yet we have not seen one major player of those organizations denounce these behaviors with much force- none. In fact, some leaders on the right have condemned the actions so weakly that their condemnation could possibly be confused with an endorsement. Today, GOP leader Michael Steele (who ironically is a black man) when pressed to comment on the behavior was quoted as saying "of course we don't condone this, but they are just angry." WOW Mr. Steele, wow!

The Christian conservative right is strong, and thank God they are. They cried loud enough to be heard when they supported President Reagans trickle down economics because they thought it was necessary; they screamed loud against President Clintons shameful immoral indiscretions for the same reason; we heard them loud and clear when they supported President Bush's war in Iraq (no comment); and just recently, I personally showed up along side many of our brothers to help make a big showing during the Prop 8 votes. Make no mistake about it, the Christian conservative circle is a very powerful voice in our country that can be heard when it wants to be heard! I just don't get why there isn't more noise being made now? Maybe its the politics of the day. But politics aside, the very premise that Christianity stands on and the multi-cultural hertitage that many died to ensure and ultimately makes our country great is threatened when the most powerful members of Body of Christ yeilds its power only when the politics fit. It shouldn't matter where the the injustice comes from, it is the Body of Christ's calling to be the spiritual and social conscience of the nations of the world. The behavior of these organizations and the politicians that egg them on should be denounced publically. Because these groups and leaders often claim Christianity and have gotten Christian support in masses at times, the denoucation should come from powerful Christian leaders without redirecting the issue back to the healthcare bill.

Greedy industries, gays, broken economies; none of these will ultimately cause speedy decay in our country. Our country will hasten to spirial downward with unhearlded speed when powerful Christians tolerate what is supposed to be untolerable; when we are quiet when our friends are wrong; when our most influential leaders pick and chose when to do their "God-job." The Christian Right is wealthy, intelligent, connected, and anointed- a powerful combination- however with all that, they have proven also to be extremely selective. Im eager to hear from a non-democratic, non ethnic Christian leader to stand up and publically and forcibly denounce whats been happening. I further charge them to challenge the leaders of these groups to curb their antagonistic, hateful public rhetoric and keep the heart of their discourse about policy so that this won't be about class and race, unless it indeed is... Thats another blog!!!
Thats what I think and Im sticking to it!

Who is "just be there" and why is he checking my ego?

This past Friday my wife and I went to Baltimore Maryland for the funeral of a friend. We returned to Ca on Monday and while we were driving home we were enjoying our normal banter which included laughing and trash talking each other when all of a sudden my wife went silent. I mean the kind of deafening silence that makes you wonder if you did or said something wrong. Then in one methodic stroke she peered out the window with her eyes fixated on a particular fast-food resturant. The resturant triggered a fond memory of her deceased mother. Tears followed- lots of them. Then more silence. Then more tears. A tissue. Then more tears and more silence. This continued the rest of the way home, into the house, into her pj's then finally into her beauty sleep for the night. In my attempt to be sensative to her moment I asked if there was anything I could do to help her or serve her. Her reply was simple, "no baby, this just is what it is. Im all right."

Huh? 20 minutes of tears, silence then sleep and it "is what it is" and you're "all right?" You serious?! Can I get a little more? I mean we were right in the middle of a great laugh and all of a sudden theres a memory, a fond memory mind you, and the intimacy of 'our' moment vanishes like a vapor over a teapot?! Is that all the explanation there is? Well, gee, yeah, in some cases that is all the explanation there is. It would seem that Im blogging to fuss about that memory being an unsuspecting thief, but Im not. I reliving this moment because during the ride home I touched my own feelings of inadequecies. I hated noticing it in the car and I hate acknowledging it while I type, but I was absolutely powerless to aiding my wife through her moment. I held her hand, I offered her tissues, I gave her a hug, and even kissed her forehead and nothing I did shook the fog that beheld her. I simply didn't have the stuff to ease it. I tried to earn the heros chair by trying every "technique" I knew to help the situation but in the end I failed. In that moment I realized that my efforts weren't going to work, and what an ego shot to realize that in somethings we are going to be virtually powerless to fix. What do you do when you do everything and it still doesn't satisfy?

This realization made me feel stripped of a chance to be her knight in shining armor and left "being there" my only recourse to assist in whatever was going on. Who is "being there" and why does he have so much power?! Well, first let me tell you that "being there" is powerful and has God all on it. It is the power of allowing God's presence on your life to be the calming affect on someone elses. Gods presence give's a peace that can't be told, taught or understood and the only prerequisite to making "being there" work is actually "being" instead of "doing." Yes, thats right, I became more of a support when I shut my mouth and calmed my actions and allowed my presence to be my answer. Yea, I get it, its not much of an ego tease when we don't do anything to fix a situation but some situations call for us to "be" instead of "do." This way God gets the glory and not you...

So you want to know what I learned that night. I learned that God wanted to personally wipe my wife's tears away, comfort her and put her to sleep and that my ego almost got in the way of that. Wow...
How many times do we get in the way of God doing God stuff because our ego's rush us to an action that God is not calling us to do? How many times do we "do" when God wants us to just "be?"
What are you working too hard at?
Thats what I think...

The "Two Percenters"

Im watching Pastor Dwight Thomson on tv and he's doing his thing in the tune of old skool... I mean fire on top of fire and brimstone old skool thing. He's just preaching and sending everyone to hell. No one is exempt in this message: the sinners, the so called Christian, the Muslim, Buddist, he even went on a rant about disobedient angels- make no mistake about it, it was a 'hell message.' And as brash, and cut and dry as it was, I enjoyed every bit of it...every bit.
I ran across him on accident while I was web surfing. I was drawn because as he screamed and cried, then talked through tears I couldn't help but wonder what in God's name got 'old skool' so riled up...the man was talking about soul winning! How powerful it was to see a pastor so passionate about an idea that is as close to the heart of Christ as it gets- repentance and salvation. He ran across the stage in excitement; he sat on the stage perplexed; he screamed to get our attention, and he cried because he knew that most of us wouldn't get it. But his simple "at the name of Jesus all men can be saved" message mezmorized everyone in the room and even this young pastor inking this blog.
Preaching Jesus and inviting men to be saved is a central message of the Gospel and was at the top of His "to do" list for us when He left. Sadly Pastor Dwight reminded us that only 2% of all Christans in America will win a single soul to Christ in their lifetime- you didn't get that so here it is again: two percent of all the born again believers in America will lead one non believer to Christ! Lets make that make sense in numbers: Out of 100 people only 2 people will win 1 person to Christ in all their lifetime. That means that out of 100 capable believers, at the end of the day the Kingdom has grown by a whopping 2 people!! We have got to get on our game family! I am saddened and convicted by this stat...you should be too. Thanks for the "chin-check" Pastor Dwight.

In a day when the only reason to shout and lift up holy hands is for a personal or material blessing, it was great and utterly refreshing to see the simple, old time message that Jesus Saves is still being preached and is a powerful sermon...and that it still excites someone! Pastor Dwight thanks for reminding the Body that this "forgotten" Gospel is the "true" Gospel and has all the power.
I think all of us Christians should remember this and with wisdom not be afraid to help save somebody from hell and into the love of Jesus Christ.
Thats what I think and Im sticking to it!