Pre-existing Conditions

When I signed up for our insurance I was asked if anyone in my family had any pre-existing medical conditions. A theological discussion I was reading the other day reminded me of that.

What if I had told my insurance company that there were none that I was aware of? After all, how can you be aware of an ailment that doesn't exist yet. There may be existing medical conditions but they would hardly qualify as "pre" since they had already manifested themselves.

I know that I wouldn't get away with it but it might be an interesting argument. I'm sure that they would tell me that the "pre" referred to their insurance policy going into force and they would hammer away at the fact that the term is standard usage. I would love to hear of someone winning such a case though, just for the fun of it. That's why I would make a lousy judge.

I'll Miss You Larry

When I was just a young kid my dad pastored a church near Grand Rapids, Michigan. On of the songs that it seemed every singing group sang was "I Wish We'd All Been Ready." My dad liked it so I challenged him.

"Do you know who wrote that song?"

"Yeah, some long haired Jesus freak," he responded.

It took the air out of my argument. I was hoping I could shock him by the fact that the song was written by a rocker who was really out there at the time. Instead I crawled back to my room to listen to more of his music.

In my mind Larry Norman was the father of Christian rock music. He was tremendously talented and had a knack for writing songs that were edgy and enduring. I recently heard someone ask for best song lyric lines. Most of the ones I could think of were from Larry.

There were a few other good musicians in the genre after Larry but for a long time it was filled with some pretty lousy music. People listened to it because it was so called Christian music and it seemed that as long as you put "I love Jesus" in it you cold get away with writing bad music. I actually stopped listening to most Christian music because it just wasn't that good.

Larry went through some pretty heavy struggles in the last 30 years of his life. I won't go into any of that but I did catch him on a Youtube video not long ago and it was great to see the old Larry on stage. It seemed he was touring in Europe quite a bit but I don't really know for sure.

The news reports are that Larry passed away yesterday morning. I feel a sense of loss even though I haven't followed him that closely for a long time now. He was talented, original, passionate and always seemed to be able to stay focused on Jesus. There is some mighty good music in heaven today. He was a righteous rocker. Sorry devil, you lose.

The Art of Storytelling

A popular comment to pastors is, "Jesus used stories so you should use stories when you preach." That sounds great but being a good storyteller is a lot harder than it sounds.

A few "experts" have picked up on this and they have written stories rather than the dissertation format we usually get in their books. I recently finished just such a book and, while I will applaud the attempt, I have to say the writing was pretty lousy. I mean it is not like I'm going to go around telling people to read the book just because the story is so good. I would only tell them to read the book if I thought the knowledge gained would be worth it for them.

So my advice is to be careful about telling stories. Know that storytelling is an art form that takes work and practice. If you aren't that good at it be sure to use what you are good at until your storytelling skills have improved. It's not easy and unless you are naturally gifted at it you need to learn how to do it properly first.

I have a sudden urge to go read Dostoevsky now.

The Church Enterprise

We had some prospective staff for Neiu Communities, South Africa, speak at our church a few weeks ago. They shared a video produced by their parent organization CRM-Empowering Leaders. At the beginning of the video was this quote from Richard Halverson:

"Christianity began in Palestine as a relationship, moved to Greece and became an idea, went to Rome and became an institution, then came to America and became an enterprise."
- Richard Halverson

I'm not sure that it is completely fair but I loved it anyway. I hate to speak for a man who is no longer with us but I'm pretty sure that by enterprise Halverson was referring to the business oriented, organizational, systematic action that we usually think of when we think of the term. I doubt he was thinking in terms of a daring adventure or journey.

Sometimes it is easy to forget about relationships in the midst of all the stuff that needs to get done. I just read a book in which the author becomes aware of his inability to listen carefully. He was shocked to find that he was indeed a bad listener and even more shocked to realize how it made others feel.

So many times I want to tell people that I care but I really have some other things to do that need to get done now. What I'm really saying in those situations is that I care but only a little. I don't care if everyone else does it either. Just one more person more worried about the bottom line than relationships is one too many.

I hope I can see through the clutter and be able to focus on what is really important. The enterprise can get to looking quite fancy and appealing but it is pretty hollow in and of itself. The relationships are the real substance and without substance why should we even bother.

The Risk of Servant Leadership

First, let me say that I can't believe I'm writing a post on leadership. I think I've had my fill of leadership stuff and need a break for awhile. I've read so many books on leadership it makes my head hurt. I really worry that I'm going to hurt someone's feelings if they ask me if I've read some book on leadership that they happen to be into because I know my disgust will probably show through. It's not that leadership isn't important, it's just that 75% of the stuff written about it is crap, another 24.99% percent has already been written about by someone else, and only .01% is actually new and useful.

One of the best books on leadership is the Bible. It is so good that a lot of writers have even used it to find leadership principles in it that aren't really there. For my money it is pretty simple though. To lead you must serve.

A lot of writers have run with this little tidbit of wisdom too. But in the end I always feel like they've found a way to weasel about the most basic element of the formula, serving. "Yeah, but you serve by making good decisions in your office, not by actually sweeping the floor."

That's what makes the story about Jesus washing the feet of his disciples so amazing. I know there are plenty of theologians out there who have pulled meaning after meaning out of that passage but to me the amazing thing is that he actually did it. He actually served in a direct tangible way.

Last April I wrote a post about Holbein's painting of the Last Supper called The Ugly Feet. The feet under the table are ugly and seem to be exaggerated. This wasn't something that would have been fun. It was gross.

Being a servant leader sounds good but it is risky. Some people lose respect for you because it doesn't fit the model they had in mind. It is easy to get crushed by people who lead by power. It is can frustrate people who want you to serve their wants instead of their needs.

The thing about it is that for it to work you have to go all in. Being a power leader and throwing in a few servant moments just won't cut it. You have to be committed to it all the way. That's frightening because you feel like you're on a tightrope without a net.

I guess the good thing about it is that it forces you to trust God. And if you can't trust Him who can you trust.

The Evil Empire of Hannah Montana

Let me start by saying that this accusation is purely speculative and could be, and probably is, completely off base.

Kim and I stopped off at one of our local movie theaters to pick-up some tickets we had purchased for the U23D movie that was supposed to open tonight. "Let me get the manager," was the response we got from the nice lady at the ticket booth. A few minutes later, out pops a couple of sheepish looking managers.

They said that National Geographic, who distributes the film, had pushed back the release so the show was canceled for tonight. No explanation as to why. No explanation as to when it would open. They were nice enough to refund our money plus give us 4 free passes though.

But here is the rub. The theater only has one 3D projector. So what's playing there? The Hannah Montana Movie, and it is packing the place out like crazy. My cynical mind thinks that National Geographic and Disney got together and made a deal. The U23D site now says we'll get the movie on February 22. But my guess is that will only happen if the HMM starts to fade.

I think I'll go rip down the Hannah Montana poster in my daughter's bedroom now. Or maybe not. She'd be mad at me for months and sorry, but U2 just isn't worth that.

My Only Political Post In This Election Cycle

When it comes to politics I'm afraid I'm a little too cynical. If ever the phrase "inmates running the asylum" were true it undoubtedly would be said of politicians. A visitor to our church once commented that I seemed very apolitical for a pastor. I'm not sure what he was used to but I do hate a lot of the things people say about politics because it is usually exaggeration, fear mongering, or worse.

So what do I think about our current crop of candidates? Not that any one should care. But here is my opinion on Clinton, Obama, and McCain. Those are the three who have a shot so I won't waste time on any one else. Sorry Huckabee fans.

I want a visionary leader. Someone once said that a visionary leader leads people to a promised land that they never knew existed. I like that. We're talking about visionary here, not someone who takes us where we think we want to go but someone who can take us to a good place where we will be glad to be even if we don't know exactly what that is yet.

I expect Hillary will be like Bill and Bill was not a visionary leader. He was more of a consensus leader. He would find out where people were headed, through polls, and then jump to the front of the line to lead the way. Sometimes this is a good thing but this country needs more than that right now. Some would say that Hillary's attempt at national health care in the early nineties was visionary and maybe it was. But she obviously proved that she couldn't take people with her. That's where the leader part comes in.

George bush is a visionary leader. The only problem is that when we got to where he was taking us we didn't like it. That's the risk of electing a visionary leader. People wonder why he is so stubborn. It's because he believes in his vision and isn't worried about consensus. His problem is that the place were he took us didn't deliver the results that I think even he thought they would. I really doubt that he would have won a second term if the Democrats had put up someone more centrist than Kerry.

For me the question comes down to who is the most visionary between McCain and Obama. McCain has shown that he will do what he thinks he should do no matter what the party line is. He also has shown that he is a bit of an operator, if you believe what some people say about the Virginia primary. I suppose some don't like that while others see it as a sign of a man who can get things done. In the end I have to say that I don't know if he would be a visionary leader. But I do believe that he is the closest thing to it that the Republicans have right now.

Obama doesn't have the record to allow him to make the claim that he is a visionary leader. He has to make the case from scratch, which may be a lot harder, but I wouldn't necessarily hold that against him. I think visionary leaders learn from where we've been, are aware of where we are, but focus on what we will become as a nation. Obama sounds like he gets this. Like McCain, I have to say I don't know if he is a visionary leader either, but he is the closest the Democrats have to it.

I won't make any predictions but of the three I suppose it is obvious that the one I don't want is Hillary. I wonder who McCain would rather face. I also wonder if he feels confident enough that he is going to win that he will do some back door dealing now to get his supporters in the remaining races to vote in the Democratic races instead of for him. That way he might be able to face who he wants. I bet he wishes the Huckster would drop out.

Well, there you have it. I have said my bit on politics for the year. I will just add for all you Republicans out there that I know a lot of Democrats who I consider to be excellent Christians. And for you Democrats, I know a lot of Republicans who really do have a passion for the poor. They just disagree with you on how to help. As for me, I'd just rather talk about Jesus.

I'm Not Sure That Word Means What You Think It Means

I wonder the same thing about us church leaders when we talk about team work. Team work is a staple of our country. In our sports we like flair and sizzle but the bottom line is how well the group works together as a team. We believe that team work can overcome any one's individual talent. But I'm beginning to think we are simply giving lip service to the idea and I'm not sure we really believe it.

The Bible talks about team work, especially Paul. He talks about being one body made up of many parts and he does an outstanding job of showing how each individual part is important and how each part should stick to its role.

I think Paul brings it up because his audience is Greek and their understanding of team work is a little different than that of the Hebrews. Western teachers who work in eastern countries have long known that there is a difference in world view about this and it affects how they teach. To eastern and primitive minds the highest cause is the whole. The whole takes precedence over the individual. They put things together while we tear them apart. Give them an atom and they'll want to know how it fits together with other atoms to make a whole. Give us western minds an atom and we'll want to know how to split it.

To the western mind the highest value lies within the individual. Individual rights are most important. The trick for government is to some how maintain order without impinging on individual rights. We seek to find the most basic element.

So Paul explains how this team work stuff is supposed to work because the Greeks, like us, have a harder time thinking in terms of the whole. It is a familiar passage of Scripture and we know it well. We nod accent to it because we like the idea of being part of a team. Sort of. We just can't bring ourselves to accept it.

Instead we come up with slogans like "Each One Reach One" and when some one asks about team work we respond that we agree with it but then add that it is still the obligation of everyone to lead people to Jesus. Apparently we really don't do that as a team. Instead we all get to be the "mouth" for that. But what else is this body for?

I heard someone say once that we should pray for the evangelist among us to rise up and do their job. It wasn't so much as a condemnation of the evangelists but, rather, the rest of us who keep getting in the way. When I see a lot of embarrassing things done in the name of Jesus I tend to agree. We would be better off if everyone would stop trying to "win one" and get out of the way of those gifted to do it. We should go back to our support roles, those things we are gifted to do. Or don't we really believe in spiritual gifts either?

Team work? I don't think it means what we think it means.