Last night, while Michelle Obama was speaking at the DNC in Denver, Sen. John McCain was on The Tonight Show. When asked why he did not run for public office, Leno said something like, "I can make more money with one show in Vegas." For most Americans, becoming President of the United States would be a pay increase. But it is certainly not the highest paying job in the land.
Leno went on to say that the working conditions of being President are very difficult, especially for the 'relatively' limited pay. He was certainly not saying that the job was not difficult or 'below his pay grade' in importance. However, it did bring back to my memory an answer given to the question asked by Rev. Rick Warren last week to Sen. Obama.
When asked the question, "When does a baby receive the right to protection under the Constitution?" He answered that on many levels this question was 'above' his pay grade. The question that then came to me was this, "Would he think that it is a question in Jay Leno's pay grade?" I know what many pastors make and it would obviously be above their pay grade in financial terms. Or at least that's what most must believe in American culture because they do not accept pastors' answers either.
That was a lot of verbage to really say something that has nothing to do with politics. The point is this: When we receive Christ Jesus as personal Lord and Savior, we are adopted into the family of the Most High God. That makes us joint heirs with Jesus...which puts us in the highest eternal pay bracket. And He has given us His Word with the answers to the most difficult questions in this life and culture. So whether you are a presidential candidate, a national celebrity, a pastor, or someone who has time enough on your hands to read this blog...if you know God personally and have His Word accessible to you...no important question in life is above or below your paygrade.
Tuesday, August 26, 2008
Monday, August 25, 2008
Build a Bridge or Throw Them in the River?
Last week I was blessed to spend about 30 hours with some church planters from SC and my home state of Ohio. God did some incredible things in my own heart during that time, and I wanted to share them. But everytime I would start to do that, God reminded me of the words of the Gospel writer who spoke of Mary's experience at the manger...[But Mary treasured up all these things, pondering them in her heart.] Luke 2:19.
So, though is much in my heart there is little to say...except one very encouraging thing. This was the first time I have met with a group of pastors that large of any sort where the #1 concern was the Kingdom of God, #2 was the health of the pastor and his family, #3 was strategies for advancing the Kingdom of God while maintaining the priority of our families, and #4 was bashing others [just kidding...because I cannot even remember any person bashing anyone.]
It reminded me of the words of one of our great pastors, Adrian Rogers, who described why we have conflict in the church. It is because we are not locked arm in arm, headed the same direction, and fighting the same enemy. We fight when we think the battles are won and we are in the barracks looking at each other.
I learned that lesson yesterday on a more personal note at home. Yesterday, we had some people over at our neighborhood pool. The kids were throwing each other in the pool, wrestling...sometime rough...especially my kids. But when someone suggested a relay race (Olympic Style), they did not fight for almost an hour.
When my kids are working together on something, they don't fight. My problem is that I do not intentionally engage them in common purposes or tasks. That takes thought and effort. I have got to do a better job at putting intentional thought into my home...so we will spend more time building bridges instead of throwing each other into the river.
So, though is much in my heart there is little to say...except one very encouraging thing. This was the first time I have met with a group of pastors that large of any sort where the #1 concern was the Kingdom of God, #2 was the health of the pastor and his family, #3 was strategies for advancing the Kingdom of God while maintaining the priority of our families, and #4 was bashing others [just kidding...because I cannot even remember any person bashing anyone.]
It reminded me of the words of one of our great pastors, Adrian Rogers, who described why we have conflict in the church. It is because we are not locked arm in arm, headed the same direction, and fighting the same enemy. We fight when we think the battles are won and we are in the barracks looking at each other.
I learned that lesson yesterday on a more personal note at home. Yesterday, we had some people over at our neighborhood pool. The kids were throwing each other in the pool, wrestling...sometime rough...especially my kids. But when someone suggested a relay race (Olympic Style), they did not fight for almost an hour.
When my kids are working together on something, they don't fight. My problem is that I do not intentionally engage them in common purposes or tasks. That takes thought and effort. I have got to do a better job at putting intentional thought into my home...so we will spend more time building bridges instead of throwing each other into the river.
Thursday, August 14, 2008
A Generation of Builders
This week has been so interesting, moving, confusing, and inspiring. Sometime you get what you plan for...and other times [as learned in my study of 'life interruptions'] you get more or less. In this case, I got more.
Sunday afternoon, I watched my family engage in helping a missionary move into their home. I am learning that I have a few leaders [builders] among the children. It was interesting to watch them.
That day, we met a few young 'builders' who are not satisfied to just rest in the comforts of their father's tents. And they were willing to get out from under the comfort and security of that umbrella to build what God had called them to build. It was so moving to hear them.
Tuesday, I heard two young men speak about building some more in a city where they had not historical roots. [or did they?] How could someone speak so passionately about something with which they were relatively unfamiliar? They had not really started building anything yet. [or had they?] I was a little confused.
But as I met with them again on Wednesday morning privately, I realized that they were talking about starting to build something physically noticeable...but the truth is that they had already started building something. God was building in them and they were already building for God, though others may not have realized it yet. That was so inspiring.
Certainly, we all build on the work of others before us and we should never think we had begun something from scratch. I read this morning how King David [Israel] wanted to build a physical house for God. But God told David something incredible. God said that His presence and His Kingdom were not dependent on David building a physical house for God. Rather, it was about being a useable builder in the hand of God for building His Kingdom on earth in the hearts of people.
We have a generation of builders coming...and some have arrived...who seem to get it. They are not concerned about building a physical house for God. They are concerned about building places where God can dwell in the hearts of people.
Sunday afternoon, I watched my family engage in helping a missionary move into their home. I am learning that I have a few leaders [builders] among the children. It was interesting to watch them.
That day, we met a few young 'builders' who are not satisfied to just rest in the comforts of their father's tents. And they were willing to get out from under the comfort and security of that umbrella to build what God had called them to build. It was so moving to hear them.
Tuesday, I heard two young men speak about building some more in a city where they had not historical roots. [or did they?] How could someone speak so passionately about something with which they were relatively unfamiliar? They had not really started building anything yet. [or had they?] I was a little confused.
But as I met with them again on Wednesday morning privately, I realized that they were talking about starting to build something physically noticeable...but the truth is that they had already started building something. God was building in them and they were already building for God, though others may not have realized it yet. That was so inspiring.
Certainly, we all build on the work of others before us and we should never think we had begun something from scratch. I read this morning how King David [Israel] wanted to build a physical house for God. But God told David something incredible. God said that His presence and His Kingdom were not dependent on David building a physical house for God. Rather, it was about being a useable builder in the hand of God for building His Kingdom on earth in the hearts of people.
We have a generation of builders coming...and some have arrived...who seem to get it. They are not concerned about building a physical house for God. They are concerned about building places where God can dwell in the hearts of people.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
