Influence flows from intentionality

I want to have influence in this world. People ask me all the time why I decided to plant a church, and most of the time my answer is the same... "I'm not sure." You might wonder how a guy can get into something as exhausting as church planting not knowing why. Well, it's not that I don't have my reasons for church planting, it's that church planting, like anything in life is full of challenges that almost daily cause me to question why I do what I do. That is why I have to boil it down the the simplest, most clearly defined reason for my existence.

I want to have influence

I want to have the kind of influence that lasts past today, past my life, past the existence of this world. I want my influence to have some form impact hat last for eternity. That is why I do what I do.

More and more I have been thinking about how to make that happen. Is it about having the right church programs, going to the right place, or being with the right people? Some would say all of those things are important, I however have decided that the extent of my influence will be connected to the extent of my intentionality.

Things don't happen by themselves, they don't happen organically when it comes to real life influence, they come out of intentional living. If I want to be the kind of person that has lasting impact, I have to be intentional about the way I live. for example...

If my goal in life is to be the best guitar player in the world, it will not happen by thinking positive thoughts, or talking to lots of great guitar players, it won't even happen by listening to a lot of great music. It will happen by me deciding what it takes to achieve my goal, and intentionally pursing those things for the balance of my life. I need to know what I am after, and I need to sacrifice everything for the sake of becoming the kind of person that will be that objective.

I have grown weary of church movements that have come to the conclusion that we will have an eternal impact simply by relating with people. If we set out with our ultimate end being relating with people we will become what? Really good networkers, with lots of friends who have lots of great conversation. We will not have eternal kingdom impact unless we decide to be intentional about it.

So what are your core values? What are you living for? Do they support the mission you have for your life? If not, that's where it begins. So many of us live life by accident. Life with Christ is about being intentional about the things God cares most about. When we look at the life of Christ we see the kind of singular focus that we are called to in pursuit of a life worth living.

So what you ask is worth living for....

Intimacy with Jesus, and passion for the Kingdom of God.

It begins and ends there.

Rebellion vs. Conviction

I like to think I have made a habit in my life of swimming up stream, going against the grain, living for something different. When I look at my life, and it's pursuits, I see that to be true in some ways, and not so true in others. Certainly my career choice, and devotion to Christ sets me apart as a person who is swimming up stream at least in the context of American secular culture.

This week I was thinking about the motives for choosing to be different, and had an epiphany. Here is what I came up with...

"If you are going to swim up stream, do it with conviction, not rebellion. Conviction is intentional, rebellion is reactionary."

For most of my life I have been a go with the flow, fit in, don't ruffle any feathers kind of guy. I avoided conflict, wanted to be liked and didn't want to offend. About 3 years ago, in the process of making a significant life change, I decided not to value fitting in anymore. I wanted to be different, I wanted to, "rebel," against everything I thought was wrong with the world, the church, and all of the people involved who I believed were wrong in there pursuits. In doing so, I created rebellion as a value of my life. I wanted to be seen as different, bucking the system, or sticking it to the man, so to speak. This was especially true in the context of church. I saw things in the church that I didn't like, in fact I hated them, and that caused me to react with rebellion. It was anger that was driving my desire for change.

Yesterday afternoon, I was in an online conversation, and somehow it moved to the subject of living life against the grain, swimming up stream. It was then that this concept became clear to me, for the first time really.

A person's desire to, "rebel," most often comes out of a desire to be different, change something, or make a statement of independence. The heart of rebellion however, is anger, and frustration. Rebellion is a reaction to a wrong, so a person living with a heart of rebellion is actually not in control or independent at all. Their desperate attempt to change things has them living a life enslaved to whatever it is they are rebelling against.

rebellion is not calculated, it is a reaction, and any time we react with un calculated emotion, we are being controlled by whatever or whoever we are reacting to. This stands in direct opposition to all that a "rebel," is trying to attain. Unless that person is a rebel simply because they want to be. The heart of rebellion is selfish, it is unkind, and lacks vision. It is most often not well thought out, or founded upon anything. There is no room for rebellion in the church. God is calling us to speak the truth in love, not in anger and frustration.

I don't want to live my life on un calculated emotion. I want to live my life, set my values, and interact with people based on conviction. Being different isn't at all about sticking it to someone, or standing in opposition. No, in our world today, the unique individual is the one who lives their life on purpose, with intentionality, with conviction.

Conviction is different than rebellion. Conviction says, this is the way I choose to live my life, and it is for these reasons, and it doesn't really matter what anyone else does, this is who I am. It is not angry, it is not based on emotion, it is based on a calculated, intentional values driven pursuit. It doesn't force anyone else to live the same way, it isn't even asking for that. It is a simple statement about values.

Ultimately rebellion comes from a desire to see things change, and in my anger and frustration I was unable to see that in that state, I would never change anyone, or anything. It is when we step back, humble ourselves, and let conviction rule that we become people that have potential for lasting impact.

Things kids say...

Yesterday when I woke my 6 year old son up for school I was greeted with a response that I have grown accustom to. You see my son has a part of his brain that I am convinced no one else has, or at least no one else uses. When he goes to sleep at night he logs a whole bunch of one phrase ideas in his brain that he heard from that day. He saves them like a hard drive, and for some reason when he wakes up in the morning they are right there waiting to be used with reckless abandon. This particular morning he woke up and said.

"Did you know that people can die with their eyes open."

I have no idea why he decided this was the right way to greet me on a Wednesday morning, but that was it, not hi daddy, not good morning, no he had been intentionally logging this phrase on his memories hard drive so that he could spout it to the first person he saw the next day.

It's pretty amazing how the human brain works. It can remember and re use things that we had no idea we were logging.

As we get older we learn how to control our brain, and it's functions, ultimately leading to a lifestyle that intentionally keeps people at bay. We use only parts of our brain that are safe, and we seem to learn how to keep at bay the parts that might open us up to public rejection. My son Neal still has not learned that skill yet. He says what he thinks, and does not filter a single word. I can't help but wonder what our world would be like if we never grew up and learned how to hide our emotions the way we do. What if we were all walking around saying the first thing that came to our mind.

For example, a man with a white beard walks by, everyone things, hey that guy looks like Santa! Our adult brains think it, and wouldn't dare say it out loud. Neal... well, he says it, and not only does he say it, but he says it at a volume that anyone in a three block radius could hear it (I wonder where he got that).

For the most part this skill is a good thing, if we said everything we thought it would likely create a whole lot of problems, but this important skill has also taught us that we can construct an image we want people to see, and present it weather it's who we are or not. We have learned how to live our lives completely void of any real relationships.

I think that when God compares us to children in how we should approach Him, this is at least partly what He means. We can pretend with people, we cannot pretend with God. Maybe the more important truth is that we don't have to. People cannot handle every thought in our brain, but God can. What if we lived life simply sharing every thought, emotion, and idea with our God. What if we didn't filter with Him. We would be giving God our anger, fear, insecurity, joy, pain, hopes and dreams on a moment by moment basis. God has the ability to see and know our hearts, and it's this kind of intimacy that He longs to share with us. It is in this context that we allow God access to alter the state of our heart.

The Way God Works

So you've heard that old cliche, "God works in mysterious ways." At this point I feel like I've heard that statement enough times out of context, that more often than not it makes me want to stick my finger in my eye and swirl it around (Sorry for the less than tasteful imagery). 9 times out of 10 when a person makes that statement they are referring to some sort of earthly blessing that they have decided must be connected to God working in their lives. It's usually something like this...

"So last week as I got in my car to drive to work, I noticed that my gas tank was on empty. I was super late, and was just angry with myself for forgetting to do it the night before. So, with a disgruntled attitude I sped my way to the closest gas station. I got out quickly, filled my tank, and sped away as quick as possible. When lunch rolled around, I headed across the street as usual to grab a bite from the local B-B-Q joint, amazing ribs! I ordered my food, watched the cashier ring my up reached for my wallet and my worst nightmare was realized. I had lost my wallet. I proceeded to run out of the restaurant in a panic, convinced I had left it at the gas station that morning. When I arrived at the gas station I ran in, and sure enough the cashier pulled it out from behind the counter remembering me from earlier that day. As I walked out the door, I looked down, and saw a lottery ticket lying in the street. I bent over to pick it up noticing it had not been scratched. To make a long story short, I had found a winning ticket, and won myself $500. All that stuff that I thought was a major head ache, led me to find $500 laying in the street. Can you believe that? 

God Works in mysterious ways!"

As you attempt to continue reading this while you search for blunt object to jam into your eye, you are likely thinking what I am thinking. God doesn't care about you being rich! It's true, God cares about you being His!

All that is really to say that although that statement has grown tired, it doesn't change the reality that it's true. It's not true because God miraculously makes every hard circumstance with a happy ending, it's true because God is in the business of changing lives, and any time broken sinful people find new life in Him, it is, "MYSTERIOUS!" 

I feel like the last week has shown me many of these kinds of situations, God has been moving in my midst, changing lives, healing hearts, drawing people to himself for all of time, but this week I have been blessed to be apart of that mystery in ways that I have rarely had the opportunity to experience. God is a mystery, and when he applies His grace to the life of a broken sinner, it is a wild ride. You can bet on it being ugly, hard, painful, and long, but you can also bet on it being exciting, and most of all mysterious. 

If you feel like you have seen God in action, and don't stand in silence wondering how on earth that just happened, you have not experienced God. 

He is unexplainable, all powerful, and beyond anything we have ever known in this world. 

Truly, God works in mysterious ways.

The Means cannot become the end!

I recently heard a commentary on church planting that mostly had to do with creativity, vision, and innovation, three words that have always been values of mine... at least in theory. I want to be apart of a movement that is fresh, vibrant, and innovative. I think everyone does, in fact I would go as far as to say, what's the point of starting something new if it's just a carbon copy of something that already exists. These thoughts launched me into a thoughtful brainstorming session in my own mind and heart, a practice that has become somewhat habitual for me. I started asking myself questions about these ideas. You see, the church planting movement in America has really latched on to the concept of innovation in churches. It has become one of the driving values for all the, "Material," out their on church planting, and while I agree with the value, I am wondering if there is a danger connected to holding this as a very high value. 

I recently attended the largest church planting seminar in North America,  called exponential. It was a fantastic time learning new methods, being encouraged by those in my same shoes, and hearing from leaders who have been successful in planting, and learning what gave them the best opportunity for success. So much to learn! Anyway, the most staggering element of this conference was the vast number of resources available for church planters in America. We are talking innovation at it's best. The church hosting the conference had some 5,000 sq feet worth of booths and displays each having a new innovative approach to church programing. We are talking about cutting edge innovation. Hi-tech people counting software, nursery check-in programs, advertising strategies, and many more. It was quite a sight to see. One of the things I wonder constantly, is have we gotten carried away? Does God really care about all this? Does He hold it as a value? Did the great fathers of our faith care this much about dreaming, creating and innovating? 

As I look at scripture I can't help wonder what Paul might say if he were to gaze upon the light shows, media presentations, and hi-tech programming we are using in churches these days. Would he appreciate it? Would he hate it? I don't know, but the one thing I do know is that he would be fine with any set of means that justifies the end. What is Paul's end? People finding Jesus. We see his heart 

Acts 20:24


However, I consider my life worth nothing to me, if only I may finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me—the task of testifying to the gospel of God's grace.

Again we see a very simple one track mind from Paul in 1 Corinthians...

but I entered their world and tried to experience things from their point of view. I've become just about every sort of servant there is in my attempts to lead those I meet into a God-saved life. I did all this because of the Message. I didn't just want to talk about it; I wanted to be in on it!

Paul's focus is uncanny. He has not lost sight of what matters most, and yet at the same time is willing to do anything to help people find Jesus. 

Here's the point I think Paul would look down the hall of booths and tables at exponential, the church planting conference, and have one thought... "Is this stuff doing the job of bring the light of salvation to as many people as possible? If the answer is yes, then keep doing it." I don't think he would get caught up in who's presentation is better, which sign looks cooler, and which program is more cutting edge. 

Our lesson as church planters, and visionaries from Paul, is to not let the means become the end. If we ever get to the point where we value innovation and creativity in ministry more than, or even equal to what matters most, people connecting with God, and being saved from the pit of hell, we have gone off a dangerous cliff. 

We need to consider all things as optional tools to meeting the ultimate end, and never over value the means. Some people get to the end through street evangelism, some through huge in church programs, others through personal relationships. Some are more effective than others, but the only thing that makes one right and another wrong is the motive. 

Are you in love with your means? or are you in for the end result?

This is the pivotal question for a visionary kingdom laborer!