Piles of Dust, Elections, and Mangers

Was it really so long ago?

It was only a couple of short weeks ago that the United States was embroiled in a vicious election. Romney and Obama were locked in a hard fought race in which both was trying to get elected as president. Supporters for either side spent countless hours campaigning. Facebook news feeds were filled with political rants and memes designed sometimes to point out the good qualities of their candidate, but more often the evils of the other.

Every headline in every newspaper, print and electronic, was dominated by the campaign and what either side was doing.

Today, two weeks later, I did a Google search on both candidates. This was the top result for Obama

And this was the top result for Romney

Where has the fire and fervor gone? I thought this election was going to divide the nation! People were threatening to secede from the United States of America! The policies of either party were at the heart of the American electorate!

Not impressed face? Twilight movies?

How is it that the two men whose every move was being watched by this nation are reduced to this?

Did Obama ask to have his picture taken with the 16 year old silver medalist, making the face she's famous for, then in a moment of realization think "What am I doing? I'm the leader of the free world!" Did Romney, reaching his hand into the giant tub of buttered popcorn while watching sparkling vampires, think, "Maybe I don't make very good decisions."

Or could it be, that though we had built them up to be something huge, something larger than life, they are still just regular, ordinary men who do regular ordinary things?

I wonder if when God handed Moses the Ten Commandments and he had written that whole thing about not having other gods, if He had the American political process in mind.

The truth we see now is that these aren't gods, or even anything slightly better than mere mortals. They are, like us, walking, breathing piles of dust. When God expels Adam and Eve from the garden of Eden, He gives them this reminder:

By the sweat of your brow will you have food to eat until you return to the ground from which you were made. For you were made from dust, and to dust you will return. - Genesis 3:19, NLT

That goes for presidents, candidates, and us, too.

We're dust. Big, walking piles of dust.

I don't think God reminds us of that to demean us. Instead, I think its a reminder of perspective. We're mortal, and that's ok. We were created to live on the earth and enjoy the earth, and when we try to make ourselves more than that, or make others more than that, we're bound to be disappointed in the result. 

And I think the collective human consciousness knows that. It's evidenced in just how quickly we forget that we had set these dust piles on pedestals. Instead, we go back to concentrating on the things we really regard as important: peace, hope, joy, and love. We long for family gatherings, seasons of Thanksgiving, and celebration of the one who was born in a manger in Bethlehem 2,000 years ago. 

What an interesting place for a king. Not just that it was lowly, but that it was dusty. The Lord of all creation who had formed man out of dust was laid in a manger in a stable filled with dust. A craftsman amongst materials, a potter amongst his clay, humbling himself to become one of these dust-people so that he might save these dust-people.

Why?

So we might truly know peace, hope, joy, and love.

That's all He's ever wanted for us. Remember who you are. Eat, drink, and be merry. And live life abundantly. Know the peace that passes understanding. Be filled with eternal hope. Experience unbounded joy. And above all, love God and love others. 

Human endeavors come and go. Elections which seem so important a couple of weeks earlier are forgotten and even the candidates go back to normal. It's as if something innate within us is constantly calling us back to being dust. But not just any dust - dust that is loved by a creator who rolled around in the dust of a manger just to be closer to us.

Fighting Facebook Trolls

If you want to believe the best about humanity, stay off of Facebook.

The trolls live there.

I'm actually not talking about the brightly colored 90's toy. Not even the grumpy old thing that lives under a bridge on Dora. This troll is much more insidious.




The Internet troll.

In Internet slang, a troll is someone who posts inflammatory comments in an online community with the intent of provoking an emotional response. It comes from the word "trolling" which is the act of dragging something along and hoping to snag something. That's what an internet troll does. They snag people with the various rude, offensive, or oppositional remarks. In other words, they're jerks.

But Facebook, as especially seen during the election, has given way to a new sub-species of the Internet troll. They are no longer anonymous. In fact, you probably know them well. Maybe it's your second cousin. Maybe its a former classmate or coworker. Maybe you share a pew with the at church. Maybe you even like them in real life. It's so hard to tell who is a Facebook troll in real life.

But on Facebook, they totally change. They're like a were-troll. They turn into this whole other creature, capable only of infuriating you and making comments that cause you to question whether or not you want to keep living on this planet.




Generally, their harsh, crazy, mean, inflammatory comments are distributed without regard to the actual topic of conversation. Reason and logic have no roll in what they post. And while they post with varying frequencies, it always seems like their posts are the only ones you see. And while the classic Internet troll is fully random and non-discriminate in who they troll upon, Facebook trolls are more pointed and focused.

Let me introduce you to the sub-species of the Facebook troll.

1) The Political Troll




I mention this troll first because it has been the most recently common, though since the election has ended, it has been receding into the black abyss it came from.

These trolls can support any political party, including third party, or even anti-political forms, though this may be another sub-species (see below).

These trolls are known to inject political comments into everyday, plain conversation, thus derailing normal human interaction. Example:

Me: I like peanut butter.
Troll: Jimmy Carter invented peanut butter because he's a democrat and he's awesome.
Other troll: Republicans invented jelly. You'd be nothing without us.
Me:

2) The "I hate what everyone is talking about" troll

These may be related to the anti political troll mentioned above. When a topic comes to the forefront of the American conscious, this troll is quick to be sick of it, attempting to destroy any conversation about it and return society to the things they want to talk about. Example:

Me: Excited to watch the Super Bowl!
Troll: OMG! I'm so sick of people talking about football! It's not even important. There are kids dying in Borneo.
Me:

3) The "you didn't ask for my opinion but I'm giving it" troll

One of the more common trolls, they feel the need to interject their wisdom in every single subject, whether they know what they are talking about or not. Example:

Me: I saw a deer on the way to work. It was pretty.
Troll: Deer are so overpopulated that their very breath is causing CO2 emissions to rise. You should have hit it with your car.
Me: I just said the deer was pretty.
Troll: Why do you hate our planet? I thought you were a Christian.
Me:

4) The "it's all about me" troll.

This troll posts in two different ways. Sometimes they comment on your status, turning the conversation's focus to their own life. But usually, they don't have the time to mention other people's statuses, because their own life is way too important. Very rarely are these posts positive in nature. Example:

Troll: At Starbucks. Had to park next door because the lot was full. My life is terrible.
(5 min later) Troll: UGH. Line is taking forever!
(5 min later) Troll: Of course they made my drink wrong. HOW HARD is it to tell the difference between a venti soy latte and a venti soy cappuccino?
(5 min later) Troll: I have a headache.
Me:

Once you identify a troll, there are several steps you an take.

1) Ignore them. Just keep scrolling. This is generally the best method as confronting them usually only provokes them.

2) You can try to confront them. You will lose. They are like the zombie apocalypse. You can maybe destroy one, but there will be five more where that came from.

3) Stay off Facebook. But don't do that. There are still good people on there. We can't let the trolls win and have them overrun the interwebs!

4) Remember who they are in real life. These are good people with good hearts who in the light of the midday sun don't suck the life out of everyone they meet like they do online. It's just when there is an open web browser in front of them that the darkest part of their soul flies out through the keypad.

5) Check yourself regularly to make sure you haven't caught the virus that is obviously spreading through the population. Are you showing signs and symptoms of Facebook trolling? If so, shut off your computer, and seek immediate help. The best therapy is to find reality and get a grip on it. And if someone you love has become a Facebook troll, remember who they are away from their computer, and that Jesus died for the trolls, too.

An Election Perspective

Yesterday, I stood in line for an hour to cast my vote. For months, I had been hearing about the different candidates, some of what they would do to make things better, and mostly how the other guy would screw things up. I had been bombarded with tv ads, political posts from friends on Facebook, and more mailings than I could count.

I spent some time yesterday morning before I went to the polls doing my final research on each candidate, including the overshadowed state and local elections. I scribbled the names down on a scrap piece of paper, folded it up and put it in my wallet, then headed to the early voting center.

Walking in, there were half a dozen people trying to hand me the slate for their political party. I told them I already had my "cheat sheet" in my wallet. Standing in front of me were two older women, clutching their GOP slates. Behind me was a man in designer jeans and a sport coat, trying to get reception on his phone so he could send out some emails while he waited in line.

There were a bunch of mothers with babies in strollers, people on their work lunch break, twenty something's with tattoos and piercings, hipsters, suburbanites, immigrants, and veterans.

Each of us were there for our own reasons, with our own slate of candidates, our own opinions, and our own hopes. One lady came out of the voting room smiling and said, "God bless America!" as she put on her "I voted today" sticker and headed to the door.

When I actually made it to the voting machine to cast my ballot, I pulled out my scrap paper with the names of my chosen candidates. It took about 30 seconds for me to punch in all of the names, double check to make sure I did it right, and cast my vote.

When I walked out, noticed the line had doubled in length from when I had arrived. Someone along the way asked me how long it took. When I told them an hour, there were lots of groans. But no one left.

I got back to my car, and NPR came on the radio, in the middle of more political news reporting. Apparently it wasn't going to stop just because I had voted already. I turned the radio off.

As I drove back to my office, I reflected on what it meant that people were so passionate about all of this political stuff. I even found myself in these last days before the election was over, growing increasingly passionate.

I think what it comes down to is hope. There is nothing scarier for people than an unknown future. Will I lose my job? What if a loved one, or even I, get sick? What if a war starts or natural disaster strikes? We don't have control over these things. But with our vote, we can help choose who we want to be in charge in these situations. It's a bit of a security blanket we can hold on to as we face uncertainty.

I think that's ok. It's ok to want some certainty or to feel like you at least have a little control over what is happening. But we also cannot forget that regardless of who is elected, we already have hope. We follow the One who thought up and created this place and these people. We are children of the One who holds the future in the palm of His hands. We believe in the One who, though the earth may shake and the mountains fall into the sea, His right hand will hold us fast.

If your candidates win, be glad, but remember where your hope truly lies - in God and not people. If your candidates don't win, don't worry. They aren't really in charge anyways.

This Election is Different

Maybe it's just me, but this election felt different.

Both sides, Republicans and Democrats, have been battling hard to gain important political positions in the House of Representatives, the Senate, and of course, the Presidency. And there is always vicious name calling and accusations, and claims that the accusations are lies. But this felt different.

For a while, I couldn't put my finger on it. I mean, I've always noticed the political ads on TV (and quickly tired of them). I've always seen my neighbors and friends and relatives put political yard signs out in a vast array of voluntary political advertisement for the candidate or issue of their choice. This isn't new.

But still something was different.

To be fair and transparent, I can get passionate about some political issues. There are certain candidates that I think would be more qualified than others. There are issues that I hold strong convictions about. However, because of my occupation, I have decided to remain publicly neutral on most things. I know that's not always the route that my colleagues in ministry go, and I'm ok with their choice to be vocal on issues they believe in. I choose not to be, because I serve in a setting full of Republicans and Democrats alike. I have friends and relatives on both sides of the aisle. And my number one goal in life is to share with all of them the love of Christ. I'm not willing to alienate any because of my stance on a political issue. Whether that would happen or not, I'm not willing to risk the gospel over it. That's just my stance, my opinion.

But this election has been different. And it's because of Facebook.

It used to be that it was fairly easy for me to remain politically indifferent in the public sphere. It's a rare occasion for someone in a public setting like my church to push me on my political views. Even if they go into a political rant, I can generally just nod my head, smile, and brush the conversation off.

But now, Facebook. Every day for the past two months (at least) as I have gotten on Facebook, I have been bombarded. Not by ads, but by my friends and family. The people I know and love. They are speaking their collective minds about their political opinions and agendas and opening cans of worms that used to stay closed. Debates between friends of mine who don't even know each other have leaked into my non-political posts. I have had to remove comments, and in extreme situations, disallow people from even being able to post on my wall because of politically divisive comments.

And then there are my friends who want nothing to do with politics. They rant about the incredible volume of political posts and how they can't wait for all of this to be over. Surely, this is not a new sentiment from previous elections, but it is definitely heightened.

Because of Facebook, I now know where almost every single person I am acquainted with stands when it comes to politics. I am surprised and sometimes even appalled at how some of my friends think. I can't believe their views are so different from my own. These are people who in some cases have helped form my identity and I have looked up to my entire life. Can I even have a rational conversation with them when these are the beliefs and convictions that they hold?

Things that were once hidden and private convictions are now publicly displayed for the world to see, and our human nature causes us to shy away from those different than us, further dividing ourselves, and pushing us towards those with whom we feel we belong.

And yet somehow, my calling is to preach the gospel to all of these children of God. How? How do I unite them together as the church? How do I convince such different people that there is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female....Republican nor Democrat....but that we are all one in Christ Jesus?

I guess what makes this election different is that every ad I see and every Facebook comment I read now reminds me just how fallen we are and how far we have to go. Not that I am already where I am supposed to be, but I know where God has called me to help lead people. I'm on the same journey, and the path looks a lot harder than it did before.

Facebook by the Numbers

Not sure it's worth it for your church to try to reach out to people on Facebook?

I happen to believe Jesus would go where the people are. And the people are on Facebook.

Who do people follow?

There are corporations that I admire. I admire World Vision. They help partner people with children in need around the world, and they make a huge difference in their lives. I admire the National Football League. They have taken a game and turned it into a phenomenon, dominating Sunday afternoons and Monday nights every fall. I even admire the United Methodist Church. For all their faults, they have found a way to take an extremely diverse conglomerate of people and unite them - if not always easily - under the mission of making disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world.

I admire these organizations and corporations. But I do not follow them.

I don't want to change my life to be more like the United Methodist Church. I can't relate to them on a personal level. I like some of the things they do, and I appreciate what they stand for. But I don't follow them.

I follow people. I look to people like Adam Hamilton and Mike Slaughter and a host of others within the denomination. I look to my colleagues in ministry. I look to the great leaders of organizations like Richard Sterns of World Vision. I can't model my life after organizations. I can model my life after the lives of others.

I know to be careful when doing this. People are human and have flaws. Honestly, that speaks to me, because I also am human and have flaws. But what I know to do is to look to people for examples of what it looks like to live a Christ-like life.

Whether you are in a position of leadership or not, people are looking at you. Someone is following you. Maybe it's coworkers, a spouse, a sibling, a child, a neighbor, a fellow church member. Someone is looking at you as they try to figure out how to live their lives.

People follow people, not organizations and corporations. If people follow you, where will they end up?

The key is in who you are following. Be sure that you are following those who are following Christ, so that others may end up following Christ as well.

Why Did People Follow Jesus?

The whole concept behind the phrase “being followable” is that I hope people follow me, not because I’m worth following, but because I’m following Jesus. That means there are two aspects of ministry that have to constantly be in balance. First, I’d better be following Jesus. It does no one any good to follow me if I’m not following Jesus. Second, I’d better be leading others in such a way that they want to follow. A lot of people claim to be leaders, but no one is following them.

Church leadership development has gone viral. I probably have 20+ books on my shelf talking about leadership in the church. All of them try to give you just a little bit of an edge in improving your leadership. Church growth strategies are many and varied.  Everyone is trying to get bigger, to gain more people following them as they follow Christ.

Honestly, I’m ok with that. I love that people are trying to find unique and varied ways to bring people to Jesus. That’s Jesus’ commission to us as his disciples, right? To preach the good news and to bring others to know him?

The problem is, I believe we’re often making it harder than it really is. We develop long-term growth strategies and tweak mission and vision statements. We enact cleverly-acronymned programs and rebrand our core values. None of this is bad, but if we really want more people to follow us, I believe it is key to remember why people followed – and why we follow – Jesus.

In the gospel of John, Jesus was teaching before a large crowd of people. His teaching was getting more and more difficult. It rubbed many the wrong way. It convicted people in places they didn’t want convicted. Then we read this:

From this time many of his disciples turned back and no longer followed him.

 “You do not want to leave too, do you?” Jesus asked the Twelve.

 Simon Peter answered him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.  We have come to believe and to know that you are the Holy One of God.”

(John 6:66-69, NIV)

True followers followed Jesus because he had the words of eternal life.

Do we?

We can come up with all sorts of great new leadership techniques. We can preach the paint off the walls. We can be more relevant and emergent than you can shake a stick at. But if we don’t have the words of eternal life, what are we leading others to?

There are several leadership principles that Jesus models for us as we seek to lead others to Him.

1)    The Bible is incredibly important.

This might seems like a given, but in my experience, that’s not always the case. It’s pretty easy to think your ideas are all you really need. There are at least 84 times I’ve counted that Jesus quotes the Old Testament. He hardly ever says anything that doesn’t come straight from the teachings of God’s word. There is strength in leading using the scripture.

2)    Jesus spoke hard truths.

I hate making people mad. I want people to like me. So sometimes speaking hard truths to others is something I shy away from. Jesus didn’t have that problem. He spoke truth when truth was needed, even if it meant that some might not like him. It seems paradoxical that people would want to follow someone that said things they didn’t like, but if I just tell people what they want to hear, I’m doing them no good. Jesus knew that there is power in truth telling.

3)    Jesus tied together physical and spiritual healing.

For some reason, there seems to be a separating for many between helping others with spiritual needs and helping others with physical needs. Our ministries are either Bible studies or soup kitchens. Jesus always tied the two together. When he would meet someone with a physical need, he would meet that physical need as a bridge to also meeting a spiritual need. He would heal and teach, teach and heal. Because of this, people wanted to be around him.

4)    Jesus taught a new kind of love and grace.

This is probably the most important way that Jesus shared the words of eternal life. Throughout his ministry, Jesus modeled a love and a grace that knew no boundaries. He touched lepers. He laughed with children. He forgave sinners. Though he spoke hard truths and pushed people to repent of sinful lives, it didn’t stop him from eating with tax collectors and welcoming prostitutes. Even Judas Iscariot, who would betray Jesus, found a place of welcome at the table of the man who he would one day send to his death. I wonder if Jesus’ disciples looked back at how Jesus treated Judas and marveled at what kind of love he showed.

Let’s all continue to lead others as we follow Christ. But as we do so, let’s remember the real reason people are following: they need the words of eternal life that come only from Christ.

The Story

Yesterday at church I told the whole story of the Bible.

The Story

If it is to be, it's up to...someone else.

The birth of my daughter Emilia last week was a huge victory for me.





Not because of anything I did to create her. Let's be honest: I made a deposit 9 months ago and I was just taking my wife to the hospital to make a withdrawal.

For me, Emilia's birth marked a monumental step in an almost 4-year struggle that went back to the birth of my 2nd daughter, Renee. When Holly went to the hospital to be induced with Renee, I began to feel light headed. I got dizzy, nauseous, and shaky. I thought I must be getting sick or something. The next thing I knew I was in the emergency room one floor below my wife's room. Something was definitely not right. After a month of tests, my family doctor began asking me questions about what I was doing leading up to these feelings. At this point I had lost almost 25 pounds. I was weak. I could barely function. To make matters worse, Christmas was coming. For pastors, this is generally considered a pretty busy time.

I told my doctor I had been doing the usual: working a full-time schedule, going to school full-time, being a dad and a husband. I had actually stepped up that pace a bit leading to Renee's birth, since she would be born around exam time. He looked me square in the eye and said, "do you think it could be stress?" I started crying right there in his office.

I had been living by the motto: "I'd better work myself to death while I'm young enough to have the energy to put in crazy hours." More though than the hours was the pressure I put on myself. And I was totally the one putting the pressure on. Sure, other's had expectations of me, but their expectations were nothing compared to mine. I wanted the church to grow. I wanted to get done with school. I wanted to preach and visit and lead. God needs people like me to be in the game, not on the sidelines taking a breather.

Unfortunately, my body and soul couldn't keep up with my heart and mind, and so if I wouldn't take myself out of the game, they were going to do it for me. And I was so focused on getting back in the game, it took me a month of feeling like death to realize what was really happening.

Right then I began the process of getting myself healthy again. And it started with a confession. I've never been as nervous to preach as I was that Sunday. I stood in front of my congregation. I had no notes and only a vague idea of what I was about to say. I don't remember exactly what I said but it was along these lines:

"I have a confession to make. I've failed you as your pastor. The sickness and everything that I've been dealing with the last month has been a direct result of the anxiety that has formed from putting too much pressure on myself, not taking care of myself and my family, and being a terrible example of what a life of balance and discipline is supposed to look like. I'm going to get better. I'm going to be better at this. I need your help and your prayers."

Almost immediately, I noticed a difference. Life was somehow lighter. I disciplined myself to an 8 hour day at the most to begin with. I always stopped for lunch with my wife and kids. I exercised. I spent time every day with God. And most importantly, I began to understand the truth that God isn't reliant on me, I am reliant on God. And it was with that understanding that I felt God smiling and saying, "ok...NOW you're ready for some BIG stuff!"

Everyone has a need to be needed, but what God needs most from me is to let go of stuff and rely on him. Let him use others. Let the stuff I don't really have time for fall through the cracks. If it is to be, it is up to...someone else.

So last Sunday, I began my paternity leave - 2 days before Holly would be induced to have Emilia. I wanted to spend some time as a family before chaos hit our house again. We went to the zoo. We went out to eat. We laughed and relaxed together. And on Tuesday, Emilia was born.

I joked with Holly that I was starting to not feel well again. She didn't think it was funny.

Somehow, in these two weeks, the Christian religion has survived without me I have a great staff and great leaders in my church who have kept the ball rolling. This Sunday I'll be back in the pulpit, refreshed and renewed despite a new baby and new, shorter sleep patterns, and we're going to launch our life groups. We have 75 people signed up to begin really doing life together.

Make time for what's important. Take care of yourself. Rest in God. Remember you are the one who is relying on Him and not the other way around. Allow things you don't REALLY have time for to go undone. Enjoy life. Turn off your brain for a while and just be still and know that He is God. I promise you, when you jump back into your work, life will have still been able to go on without you and you will be way more productive than when you've worked yourself into the grounnd.

Cemeteries and Greatness

The other day I drove by a small cemetery. In it were several small, crumbling headstones that marked the final resting places of a couple dozen individuals. The cast iron fence surrounding the plots was rusting away. A large tree dominated the space and the grass hadn't been mowed for weeks. Those who were buried in this places were long dead, and long forgotten.

Seeing it caused something inside me to rise up and say, "That won't be me."

And I struggle with that.

Jesus said, "Whoever wishes to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wishes to be first among you must be slave of all."

If that's the case, I want to be the greatest slave ever. Maybe it's cheating the system, but I want to be great.

I've wanted to be great ever since I was a little kid. I found a journal I had to keep in kindergarten. In it I had to write what I wanted to be when I grow up. I said, "president of the united states."

People know who they are. They are remembered after they die.

I know that what really matters is that my family loves me and remembers me, and most of all that God loves me and remembers me. We are only dust. We are a fleeting shadow. We are only here for the blink of an eye. What really matters is eternity.

I know all of this. I still want to be great. And I want to be the kind of great that is remembered.

My gosh, what an arrogant egotistical jerk I am.

Greatness has a lot of different definitions. Many are told only by their families or friends that they are great. Others achieve greatness that isn't revealed until someone is giving their eulogy. A small few achieve widespread acclaim of greatness in their lifetime.

I don't believe that God created us to be bland, average, or mediocre. God was constantly raising up great men and women. God is looking for those willing to be great for Him.

I think it's ok to go for greatness. What's not ok is to absorb it.

Scientists and engineers know that all machines have an energy efficiency issue that must be dealt with. Transferring energy always risks losing energy for its intended purpose. You put in a certain amount of energy, and you get a smaller amount of energy out, because somewhere in the machine is energy loss. For instance, to produce electricity with a gas turbine, you lose a lot of energy. In fact, you only get about 40% of the energy you put into it. The rest of the energy is lost in heat. Muscles are only about 15% efficient, meaning your body can only produce about 15% of the energy that is put in. Ours is also mostly lost as heat, which is why our bodies are so warm. Incredibly inefficient machines.

The same is true with the transfer of greatness. Too often, greatness gets lost or absorbed in the wrong place. I preach a particularly powerful sermon. People tell me, "that was great!" How much of that greatness should be absorbed by me, and how much should be transferred to God? I lead a church through a series of growth barriers and am recognized as a leader by my peers. How much of the greatness should be absorbed by me, and how much should be transferred to God? I write a book, get a new degree, gain accolades, gain followers. How much of the greatness should be absorbed by me and how much should be transferred to God?

Of course, the answer is always 100% should go to God, without whom I am nothing.

One of the big traps pastors...and everyone else...falls into is tat we are pretty inefficient machines when it comes to transferring greatness back to God. Through God, we do something great, and at first, we let ALMOST all the glory go back to God. But something in the back of our minds says, "well...I did have SOMETHING to do with it." God gets like 90% of the greatness credit. Eventually, as people continue to give us praise, we absorb a little more of the the greatness and give God a little less glory. Before long, we begin thinking the God is pretty lucky to have us. And we start absorbing 100% of the accolades we receive.

I still want to be great, but I want to be a different kind of great. I want to be the kind of the person that transfers 100% of the greatness back to God. Whether the accolade is big or small, I want to always remember that none of it belongs to me. What is thought of me years from now really makes no difference. Even if I'm totally forgotten.

So maybe what I really want is for people not to remember me, but to remember God because of me. Maybe that's true greatness. So bury me in a long forgotten country cemetery, overshadowed by a large tree and overgrown with grass. Forget me. But my goal...my hope...is that future generations of my family and people I come into contact with remember God because of me.

How great would that be?

The Power of Social Media

http://vimeo.com/m/47890552

A link to a great video on the power of social media. Not intended to be political!

Should Being Offended Matter?

It takes a lot to offend me. I'm not sure if that's a good thing or a bad thing. I've just always been that way.

I met my new neighbor for the first time the other day. As I approached him, I noticed his face turn white as he glanced down at his shirt. It was a screen print tee shirt with a funny phrase that contained a certain four-letter word. He immediately said, "please forgive my shirt." I laughed and told him I didn't care.

Should he have worried about offending me?

There is a quote by British author Stephen Fry going around the internet recently.

"It's now very common to hear people say 'I'm rather offended by that' as if that gives them certain rights; it's actually nothing more... it's simply a whine. It's no more than a whine. 'I find that offensive,' it has no meaning, it has no purpose, it has no reason to be respected as a phrase. 'I am offended by that,' well so...what?"

Is he right?

It used to be that people were offended when people broke understood cultural norms. Offense happened when someone acted improperly or didn't regard someone with the esteem that they deserve.

The difference today is that people are offended not when someone breaks a cultural norm, but when someone goes against their own personal preferences and beliefs.

If I say or do something that goes against someone's personal preferences or beliefs, but really hurts no one in any way and isn't against any real rule or law, should I apologize? Should I respect their declaration of being offended?

For me, the answer is absolutely not, and absolutely yes. I do not personally care that someone is offended by something I say or do that is in no way wrong...or something that is especially right in my mind. They can be offended all they want. I have a right to do and say what I believe to be right. So in that regard, I don't care at all that others are offended by me.

But in another light, it absolutely matters to me. One of the biggest problems with humanity today is that we have lost any ability to compartmentalize. Politics does a great job of encouraging this. Paul Ryan lied about his marathon time, therefore he will make a terrible Vice President. Obama once followed a religious leader of questionable moral character. Therefore he will make a terrible president.

I once offended someone with an off-color joke on Facebook. Therefore I am a terrible pastor. And maybe even the God I follow isn't worth following.

It's terrible logic, but it's the reality we live in. I have to be careful not to offend, not because I'm wrong or they have a right to not be offended, but because to them, my offense can be viewed as a direct link to what they think about my Jesus.

Having said that, the truth is, the gospel is offensive. The last shall be first? Turn the other cheek? Grace to those who don't deserve it? Questioning the religious elite? Opposing the proud?

No one comes to the Father except through Jesus?

If I'm never offending people, I'm probably not preaching the gospel. The trick is to recover the lost art of offending and loving at the same time. I'm not always good at that, but it's a balance that pastors continually walk. Some err on the side of offending. There's no need to apologize for speaking the truth regardless of whether or not it offends, but they lose people who will listen to them. Some err on the side of loving. They don't offend because they don't want to drive others away, but they lose the gospel.

But we are called as followers of Christ to "speak the truth in love" (Ephesians 4:15). So if I offend, let it be for the sake of the gospel, and I hope that you still know I love you, and most of all that God loves you.

A 5,000 Flashback! The Worst Thing You can do on Facebook

Thanks so much for all you have done for me in reading this blog. I had no idea what I was getting into when I started writing about social media and it's use in Christian communities. Since last March, Being Followable has had more than 5,000 views, and I've begun to do some teaching around the use of social media in churches for pastors and church leaders in my conference. It's been a wild ride!

So to celebrate, I thought I would repost the most viewed, most commented on, and most controversial of the posts I've done. Turns out, the same post takes the prize for all three criteria!

I've thought about this topic a lot since I first posted it. I'm not sure I've changed my mind, but I've definitely contemplated what I talk about on Facebook in a new light thanks to all the responses this original post received.

The worst thing you can do on Facebook

Full disclosure: I have stepped on this landmine more than once.

And it always ruins my day.

I'm a pretty mellow guy. I don't get too fired up about politics, hot button issues, and all that stuff. I tend to believe that the most important thing for people to come to agree with me on is Jesus Christ and Him crucified. We can work out the rest of the details later on.

But now and then, I will allow something to upset me. I'll get passionate about a somewhat controversial topic. I will find that many people disagree with me, and I know that they are way wrong or misinformed.

And I post a Facebook status about it.

Cue dramatic music.

The worst thing you can do on Facebook is stir up controversy over touchy subjects. Please hear me when I say this: I'm sure these topics are important. They may be consuming a large portion of your personal life. It may be all you are thinking about. You may be absolutely sure that you are right.

Please leave it off of Facebook.

Facebook is really good for a lot of things. It is not good for controversy. Here are some reasons why:

1. It is almost impossible to convey a tone of voice or demeanor over Facebook. I tend to make a lot of snarky comments and I love me some good old fashioned sarcasm. When dealing with hot button issues, sarcasm does not translate on Facebook. People who are passionate on one side of an issue or the other often will totally miss the joke and go straight for why you are an inconsiderate sinner who is ruining the world with your presence and your opinions. It doesn't matter how many smiley faces you put after your comments or how thick you lay it on.

2. Many of the people on Facebook don't really know you. People who really know your heart will likely be able to read the intent behind what you are saying and even if they disagree with you, they will respect you and your opinion. But Facebook is full of people you haven't seen in ten years or had a real conversation with, like, ever. You can't assume people will know where you are coming from.

3. It creates a stumbling block for people. I have been unfriended for comments I have made on issues that are not nearly as important to me as making sure someone knows just how much God loves them. Now, they see nothing positive that I post, and only remember that I'm a Christian and they hate my ideas and opinions. I've wiped out any chance of communicating anything good to them.

Many of these are conversations that need to be had. They are topics that need to be discussed. Just not on Facebook.

Have you ever stepped on that landmine? Was it a topic you didn't realize would be so controversial, or did you know what you were getting in to?

Think before you post, and ask this question each time: Will this help me accomplish the larger goal of making the name of Jesus famous?

Internet anonymity

There is nowhere darker and more lost in this world than the comments section on Huffington Post. It is a depressing chasm of self-absorbed opinion and slander that makes political rhetoric seem tame.

There's something about the relative anonymity of the internet that empowers people to believe they can say whatever they want without consequence. Things they would never say to another person face-to-face spew from their fingertips as casually as everyday water cooler conversation. Here's why:

1. The Handle

For most people, their internet handle is something entirely anonymous. Fuzzybear872 could be anyone. Sometimes a handle will reveal a small bias towards some part of society. imaredstate. crimsontide4life. iheartskitles19. Regardless, these people can post in almost complete anonymity. Which means virtually no consequence to their words.

This is like a fantasy for many people. How many have day dreamt about the thought: "if you were invisible, what would you do?" The answer to this question almost always is the result of what you would do without consequence.

Can God see the invisible?

My most common internet handle is pastordan23. I chose this handle very much on purpose, because it immediately kills my anonymity. Not that people know who I am, but they know what I am: a pastor. A Christian. Someone who claims to be a follower of Christ. Suddenly, everything I post, say, or do under this handle caries a certain inflection and meaning. Mine is a Christian response. Whether those who come across my posts know me or not, they know what I claim to stand for. I am an ambassador for Christ. This is somewhat for them, but more of a reminder for me that my words are not shared in a godless vacuum, but that Jesus lives in the interwebs, too. It causes me to think before I post.

2. The Inner Desire

"Character is how you act when no one is watching." What you do when you are anonymous shows the real you. If this is true, then the online forums of the internet show a sad state of character for all of us. No one seems to have a predisposition towards grace, mercy, and love in our inner character.

Do we really have that much pent up rage, anger, and frustration? Do we really think so little of our fellow man? Are we really so critical of those in leadership positions? Do we really look at all of those around us who are not like us and think that the world would be a better place if they were nowhere to be found?

If our online actions are a valid indication, it seems to be a sad yes.

3. Power for the Powerless

When those who are normally powerless are able to find any sort of position of power, they wield that power absolutely. They are power drunk.

The internet is fantastic for giving people a feeling of power. When I get double-digit likes on my Facebook post, I think I'm ruling the world and my influence must be incredibly wide-reaching.

If you are powerless and you want a feeling of validation, you need only create an internet persona in a public forum, say something outlandish, and wait for response. If people respond favorably, you must be the voice of a generation or new movement of thought. The world certainly needs more of you...if only they knew who you really were! If people respond negatively, then you are even MORE important! The voice of the minority whom the majority is attempting to silence!

In fact, the only response you could get that would call into question your importance would be no response at all. But if your comment is outlandish enough, funny enough, or brash enough, that is sure not to happen.


So...what is the Christian way to respond to all of this? First, as followers of Christ we need to remember that we ourselves are not unnoticed and anonymous. There is a God who knows our name and sees what we do...even on the internet. Second, remember that even the most vulgar and harsh of internet personas is owned and operated by a real person with real feelings whom God really loves. Third, we have a chance to show anonymous grace and love...the rarest response of all.

Flashback: Like the Facebookers to Win the Facebookers

I originally posted this on March 21, 2012. As I was speaking about all of this stuff at a conference yesterday, I was reminded that it's good to sometimes go back to the basics of what you do and why you do it. This is as much for me as it is for anyone who reads this.

Rick Warren tweeted before Twitter was invented. I remember as I was first reading "The Purpose Driven Life" in college that I was drawn to the short, well-put phrases that filled the book.

"We are products of our past, but we don't have to be prisoners of it."

"You were made by God and for God, and until you understand that, life will never make sense."

"The best use of life is love. The best expression of love is time. The best time to love is now."

Critiques of the book at the time often centered around these short phrases. Pastors and theologians warned that Warren was simplifying things too much. The quotes were cute and memorable, but that didn't mean they were something to order your life around. It didn't go deep enough.

But what Warren recognized was that this type of communication was catching on in the collective consciousness. The days of people sitting down to read a long, well thought out essay on a particular truth were fading fast. We are a society that likes things in pill form, and we had begun to believe that if you couldn't say it in one or two sentences, then it wasn't important enough for us to read, let alone remember.

In March of 2006, Twitter was born, and over the last 6 years, it has become imperative for thoughts to be shared in 140 characters or less. Today Twitter is used by over 100 million users, and is growing rapidly. One of those users is Rick Warren himself. As of this morning, the pastoral master of the quirky quote has 529,003 followers on twitter.

I have 151.

However, my guess is that my experience as a pastor on social media is a way more likely scenario for most pastors than the Rick Warren experience.

The truth is this: the emerging generations have grown up and gone through their formative teen years with social media. They don't know a world without Facebook, Twitter, Youtube, Foursquare, Tumblr, Flickr, Instagram, and MySpace. As Christians, I believe we have a choice. We can either stand up against and try to turn the tide of the culture away from these growing online cultures, or we can embrace them and do our best to live out the Gospel even in these places.

The choice many go with is to combat social media. Whatever happened to kids playing outside? What about REAL relationships? What about face to face interaction? While I don't disagree that there is some validity in asking these questions, the reality is that for many, online relationships ARE real relationships. Honestly, with the amount of time that people spend on social media, there HAVE to be real relationships formed. They may look different from relationships in the past, but they are real in that they begin and end and induce emotion. It is human interaction.

Also, face to face interaction isn't going away. It is still the supreme form of communication and the one most often practiced. But to think that it will ever again be the ONLY way people communicate is a false hope.

Instead of rejecting social media, Christ followers must embrace it. It is a reality we need to live in to. Jesus was the ultimate example of what this looked like. It was called the incarnation. Humanity was dirty and broken and ugly, and yet Christ took on our form and walked with us and talked as we did, living among us.

Paul later explained how he practiced incarnationalism in spreading the Gospel.

"Though I am free and belong to no one, I have made myself a slave to everyone, to win as many as possible. To the Jews I became like a Jew, to win the Jews. To those under the law I became like one under the law (though I myself am not under the law), so as to win those under the law. To those not having the law I became like one not having the law (though I am not free from God’s law but am under Christ’s law), so as to win those not having the law. To the weak I became weak, to win the weak. I have become all things to all people so that by all possible means I might save some. I do all this for the sake of the gospel, that I may share in its blessings. (1 Corinthians 9:19-23)

The places Paul went and the people Paul witnessed to were unclean and untouchable. They were outside of Paul's social norm. But Paul realized that if he wanted to reach them, he couldn't be an outsider. He had to be in and amongst them, becoming like them in every way he could while still remaining blameless in character. He had to be willing to give up the norm he was comfortable with, taking on a way of life that didn't make sense to him, in order to share the Gospel in the most effective way possible.

Our task today in the realm of social media is the same. There is nothing inherently evil about Facebook or Twitter or any other social media. For us today, I wonder for the Facebookers, how can we become like the Facebookers, to win the Facebookers? For the Twitterers, how can we become like the Twitterers, to win the Twitterers?

Flashback: Define "Followable"

This entry was originally posted on March 12, 2012. Thought I would re-share it today. It's always good to remember what you're about and where you're coming from.

I believe that one of the main jobs of a pastor is to be followable. This means that people both CAN follow you and they WANT to follow you. You should make it easy for people to follow you, and you should want to lead them.

Now, before any of you start throwing rocks at me, understand this: the only good reason anyone would ever have for following me is that I am following Jesus. At least, I'm trying to.

Of course it is way better to follow Jesus than to follow me, but my experience has been that I began by following those who were following Jesus until I figured out how to follow Jesus on my own. Still following me?

As a friend of mine used to say, a pastor isn't really a leader. They are just the lead-follower. 

Moses was a lead-follower. He looked at God's people and said, "Ok everybody...follow me!" Then he turned and said, "So God...which way do we go?"  That's what a pastor is supposed to do. They hold God's hand like a child, and call the rest of the children to come hold your hand also. We're the line leader, and we're following the teacher.

But sometimes, the line leader gets so far out ahead because they are afraid they can't keep with with God that the leave the rest of the class behind. You look over your shoulder and no one is there. 

Have you ever driven in a long caravan where only the car in front knew the way? Then you get out on the highway and car #1 just takes off at 100mph. The most important car is now car #2. And trust me, if you are driving car #2, you feel the tension. You have 3 possibilities. 

A) Floor it. Forget the losers behind you and keep car #1 in your sights at all cost. 

B) Forget car #1. The people are looking to you now. Just drive and hope for the best.

C) Stay in communication with car #1, and drive in such a way that the rest of the pack can follow you.

Of course, C) is the best option. Its the only one that assures that you and everyone else gets to the destination. 

In ministry, sometimes we just take off and leave the church in our spiritual dust. After all, if you can keep up with God, they should be able to. If they really want to follow they'll get their rear in gear and go. Why should you have to hold their hand?

Sometimes we do just the opposite and slow to a snails pace so no one gets left out. The result is a shallow, infantile faith that wanders without purpose. 

We must learn to live in that tension between leading and following and leading in such a way that we are followable. 

Really Good Websites

One of the things I suggest when talking to people about how to use social media is to post links to a lot of different things. It lets people know what you've been thinking about, and it also allows you to share a lot of content while doing minimal work. Doing minimal work is one of my favorite things.

In the spirit of this, let me share with you a few of my favorite websites to post things from. You will notice several things: they are often snarky, sarcastic, and sometimes secular. That's ok. For me, that's what a decent part of my life looks like. If I only posted Bible verses and pictures of white Jesus holding babies surrounded by lambs and rainbows, no one would pay attention and everyone would know that it isn't authentic to what my life looks like on a regular basis.

These are in no particular order, and at any given point in time, the list is different. I find that I often get on a kick with certain websites and it lasts about a month until I find some new ones.

1. Ev'ry Day I'm Pastorin'

This Tumblr site is brilliant. It is nothing more than a bunch of animated GIFs that show quirky and humorous situations that clergy find themselves in. I've been told it's funny for non-clergy as well.

2. Jon Acuff's Blog

I have often proclaimed my affection for Jon Acuff. No Christian I know uses social media as well as he does. More than that, he's funny, clever, and well-spoken. His "Stuff Christians Like" is brilliant.

3. Huffington Post

Huffington Post is an online newspaper. Look, it's unapologetically liberal and sensationalist. Huffington Post is to Democrats as Fox News is to Republicans. While I usually steer clear from politically motivated stories, I do find some nice gems in this, as well as in Fox News. But Fox News has a terrible website.

As an aside, some people refuse to get their news from sources that have a slant they don't agree with. For me, I try to stay well rounded, even hearing the extreme ends of the spectrum. Truth is, I minister to people at both ends of the spectrum. It's all a part of speaking their language.

4. Stumble Upon

OK, so this isn't really where I post things from. It's the answer to the question I always get "where do you find this stuff?" Stumble Upon lets you input your interests and then randomly sends you to websites that would meet those interests. You can then continually refine what type of sites it sends you to in an infinite number of ways. It's a tremendous way to surf the web when you don't really know what you're looking for.

5. Know Your Meme

Ever get on Facebook and see people all posting the same type of thing or that video that you've never heard of but everyone keeps referencing? Know Your Meme tells you where these things come from and what they mean. Don't be "forever alone." Check this site out, or Scumbag Steve will tell McKayla Maroney, and she will not be impressed.

6. Snopes

Oh my goodness, people, start using Snopes. Snopes is the place to go when you hear that your favorite actor died in a car accident or that a Saudi Prince wants to give you his fortune. They will tell you if this internet rumor is confirmed as true or not. (Hint: everything is usually a fake)

A lot of posts come from these sites, but actually, most of my posts are reposts of things other people post that I find on facebook, twitter, or youtube.

What are some of your favorite sites?

Raising Money with Social Media

My brother's friend is paying for this year of college with social media.

One the the churches I served raised money for The Wells Project online

Our church, like many others, has a place on their we page where you can donate online.

There are tons of examples where people raise money online through social media. How effective is it? It probably depends on of effectively you use it.

Honestly, I don't have a ton of experience with this. I've done a couple of little things, including the wells page, with varying degrees of success, so I'm hardly an expert, but I feel like this is a growing edge of social media. It's becoming more and more prevalent as more and more people are comfortable making financial transactions and contributions online.

In my experience, there are three things to think about when you're considering doing some online fundraising:

1. Make it easy. If you can run it through PayPal, that's the best, because it's the most common online transaction source for most people. It streamlines the giving process. If it takes more than a couple minutes for someone to give, there's a good chance they'll give up. Also, be precise and let them know what you're asking. A dollar, a hundred? "Fifty dollars saves a life," "twenty dollars lets us do ministry with one more child."

2. Sell it well. You can't just put a "donate now" button on your website and expect people to click on it. Use videos, use testimonies, be brief, let people know how important it is.

3. Make it accessible. If this is on your website, it should also be on your Facebook, twitter, and everything else you can do. People can't give and won't give if they can't find where to do it.

One other thing to think about: using credit cards. It's wide spread and common place. I know there are some Christian financial groups that encourage you to never use credit cards. That's a decision you have to make for yourself. Are you ok with people making donations by credit card when so many struggle with credit card debt? It's a slippery slope, and one that needs thought through before you start accepting online donations.

However, I think there needs to be a presence of online donations through social media for churches and religious organizations. I'd love to hear your thoughts and experiences with this.