un-following church

Posted on January 2, 2012 | 19 Comments

it is amazing how social media
has changed our culture

remember when facebook was just a fad for those college kids
and twitter was trivial

i remember when newscasters snickered when they used the word tweet
now they list their twitter username in the onscreen graphics

social media has allowed us to do many things
that we are not brave enough to do in person
[this is another post in itself]

here is one for today…
social media gives us the opportunity to pick our friends

we can use our discretion on who we follow
we get to choose who we listen to
folks must have our permission to be our friend
and we can un-friend
and unfollow anybody we want…

when i first started tweeting
i followed everyone
twitter was the greatest thing
and i loved everybody

then i got tired
and twitter got a bit old
i started using a more discretion

i began to do monthly clean out
un-following folks
people that i did not really want or need to follow

there were some that i un-followed
because i realized that they were not who i thought they were

you know what i mean…
folks that end up not being as funny as we thought they were
those that are too serious
those that are never serious

the ones that only promote their product

the constant braggers [yes even the #humblebrag]
how about the cat that gives constant WORKOUT UPDATES
then you have the continuous complainer
those that only tweet the great stuff happening in their life
and some that just tweet too often

or how about this one…
the fella that doesn’t do his own tweeting
i unfollow these folks as soon as i find out
i don’t want to hear what their publicist has to say
i want to hear them

in other words
we unfollow folks when they prove to be something
or someone different then we thought they were

this doesn’t apply only to social media

think about it
when folks first come to Jesus
He is all they can talk about
they love Him
and His church

then church inevitably does something to disappoint them
and they click unfollow
church gets blocked
hidden
un-friended

and if church continues this trend
they will finally unfollow Jesus
and Jesus never did anything to hurt them

here’s the deal
we connect to church
knowing full well that church is made up of people
and people are imperfect
yet we are shocked when they do not live up to our expectations

disappointment leads to un-following

well…
why not use the same logic with everything else

i cannot count the times
that onions have ended up on my burger
when i specifically asked them for them to be left off
but i still eat burgers

we have taken so many things back to target
that the lady at customer service knows us all by name
but i keep buying stuff there

starbucks has messed up my order many times
but you better believe that i still drink coffee

we give everything else multiple chances
but for some reason
we hold church to another standard

if we get hurt or disappointed
when the church does not fully represent Jesus
we click unfollow
or unfriend

here is a thought to consider for 2012
what if we gave church
and the people of the church
as many chances as we do everything else

i can promise you
the benefit will far out way
a latte

and who knows
we might actually end up following Jesus

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Posted in church, musings

video from john to the hills fellowship

Posted on December 30, 2011 | Leave a comment

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Posted in video

all my ex’s… part 3

Posted on December 23, 2011 | 2 Comments

as we approach this Christmas weekend
i think it is time to “wrap” up
this series on giving

as i wrote in the last two posts
i have found that the reason we do or do not give
comes down to our ex’s

excuses reveal what our priorities are not
exposure reveals what our priorities need to be
examples reveal what our priorities can be

ex #3 – examples
it seems like everywhere we go
we have folks telling us what to do
and how to do it

in marketing – “look like if you use this”
and
in ministry – “live like this if you do this”

sometimes true
sometimes not so much

having someone tell you
is nowhere near as strong as having someone show you
and i’m not talking about a paid spokesperson
[in marketing or in ministry]

i’m talking about a real
living
breathing
example

someone
walking it out
living it out
in everyday life

when it comes to living
these folks show us how life can be
because they are living that way

and when it comes to giving…
these folks show us how life can be
because they are giving that way

the happiest people are givers
the richest people are givers
the most blessed people are givers

givers are the greatest motivation to giving
seeing someone living a giving life

examples

folks that show us that there is another way
a better way

people that show us what really matters
and what doesn’t
what our priorities should be
what they can be

they have tried this giving way of living
and have found it to be the greatest way of living

and their example
is an invitation to us
to join in this lifestyle

to see what has happened in their lives
happen in ours

so we try it
and it happens
and when it happens
it is addicting

that is the power of an example

and the only thing greater than the power of an example
is the power of becoming one

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Posted in musings

Tagged

all my ex’s… part 2

Posted on December 19, 2011 | Leave a comment

during a recent study on giving i came to see
that the reason we do or do not give
comes down to our ex’s

last post i wrote about excuses

today lets look at
ex #2 – exposure

excuses reveal what our priorities are not
exposure reveals what our priorities need to be

have you ever had the weird feeling
that you were the only real person in the world
and that everyone else were just actors in your life
it is easy to do

we live our lives focused on our lives
we see our needs
we feel our wants
we focus on our desires
we are our only perspective

then…
suddenly or gradually
we find ourselves in the middle
of a circumstance
that reveals to us
there are others
and when your focus is placed on other’s lives
it thrusts you into another world all together
that is the power of exposure

people with problems
folks with feelings
individuals with issues

the homeless mother of three
the dying child
the unemployed dad
the lonely rich man
the grieving family
the ___________

even as i am writing this my focus is shifting
from me to them

first i ask why them & why not me
then i ask how could i help
which brings me to what can i give

that is the power of exposure
want an incentive to give more
just look around

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Posted in musings, Uncategorized

all my ex’s… part 1

Posted on December 15, 2011 | 3 Comments

along the subject of giving…
during my study i have realized
that the reason we do or do not give
comes down to our ex’s

ex #1 – excuses
excuses reveal what our priorities are not
my buddy Mac Richard
says it like this
“if it is a priority, you will make it happen”
so
if we don’t make it happen
even with the best of excuses
it is not a priority to us

that does not mean that there are not valid excuses
but the validity of your excuse proves that
the subject of the excuse itself was worth more to you
than the thing you are needing to feel excused from
did that confuse you?
it did me when i wrote it
you should have seen me looking at the sentence
with my head tilted like a puppy

read it this way
“i could not make it to the party because my child was sick”
it proves that your baby was more important than attending a party
valid excuse to anyone

the same logic works for
“i could not attend church on sunday because ___________”
whatever you place in the blank is more important to you than church attendance
“i could not [or] do not give because _________”
the blank outweighs the need

when it comes to giving
we have heard some good excuses
“i don’t because i do not have enough to give”
according to scripture you would have enough if you gave
[this does not just refer to money]
“my little bit would not make a difference”
tell that to the widow with one coin
or the boy with 2 fish
“i don’t give to the church because
i don’t trust that they will give it to those in need
so i just give it directly to the needy”
is the same accountability used for those in need
i hardly imagine that the needy are asked to convene a yearly business meeting
to show where the money went
or required to send out a monthly donation statement
accounting for each penny

do we really need to know exactly where the money is going in order to give
the blessing is not in the going
but in the giving

look
this whole giving thing is law
what you sow
you will reap

but even more than law
it is life
a way of living
our excuses do nothing but keep us from living abundantly

it is time to tell this ex goodbye for good

what excuses keep you from giving?

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Posted in musings

just imagine…

Posted on December 13, 2011 | Leave a comment

as i mentioned in my last post
we are in the middle of a series at the hills fellowship
called “wise guys”

we are studying the story of the wise men
2 weeks ago we focused on the fact that wise men follow
this past sunday our subject was wise men give

during studying for this message
it was alarming to find how few believers actually give
Christians in America on average give only 1.7% of their earned income
imagine the great things we could do if each believer just tithed
and how much more if we gave offerings as well
just imagine…

there are a couple of authors that have dreamt about this
one incredible book on this subject is
“The Hole In Our Gospel” by Richard Sterns

during my study for this message
i received some insightful revelations

for example
Malachi 3:10 Bring all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be food in My house, and try Me now in this,” says the LORD of hosts, “ If I will not open for you the windows of heaven and pour out for you such blessing that there will not be room enough to receive it.

lets look at the word storehouse
i feel that the storehouse represents your local church
the storehouse has several purposes

here are a few:

the storehouse provides for the needy
 it is great when individuals help the needy
but imagine what good we could do if we pooled our resources
the hills fellowship is helping to provide winter wear
to needy children in school in our neighborhood
we are making a significant impact for a church our size
but i am believing that next year we will back a truck up to that school
what if the storehouse was full
just imagine…

the storehouse provides for the ministry
imagine what our pastors & churches could get accomplished
if there was enough in the storehouse
to provide for support staff to release him/her to focus on prayer
the word & providing vision for the church
most pastors are overwhelmed during the week
then are expected to show up with a fresh word each weekend
plus provide vision and leadership for the body of believers
what if the storehouse was full
just imagine…

the storehouse provides for the giver in time of need
where are you sustained, challenged, encouraged?
where will you celebrate births, dedications, graduations,and marriages?
where will you be memorialized?
this is your storehouse
while we are giving to some families in our community this year
the hills fellowship is also giving to several needy families
that attend our church
this is their storehouse
how many could we help
if the storehouse was full
just imagine…

now…
how about we stop imagining
and get this thing done

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Posted in musings, THE HILLS

be a star

Posted on December 6, 2011 | Leave a comment

we are in the middle of a series at the hills fellowship
called “WISE GUYS”
we are studying the wise men and learning lessons from their story

this past sunday i focused on the fact that the wise men followed
Matt 2:9 the star which they had seen in the East went before them, till it came and stood over where the young Child was. 10 When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceedingly great joy. 11 And when they had come into the house, they saw the young Child with Mary His mother, and fell down and worshiped Him. And when they had opened their treasures, they presented gifts to Him: gold, frankincense, and myrrh.

in the age of blogs, facebook & twitter
it is easy to “follow” a lot of people
but if they upset or disappoint us we can just as easily “un-follow” them

however the wise men followed this star
from the east [it was quiet a trek]
and they followed for a long time [it is believed to be up to 2 years]
and they never “un-followed”
plus when they finally reached their destination
and came face to face the child
they did not seem upset or disappointed
instead they gave gifts and worshipped

why?
because the star lived up to it’s purpose…

want people to follow you?
follow your ministry?
follow your business?
and do you want them to keep following you?

then live up to your promise and purpose
lead them to where you promised you would lead them

and if you really really want to be a star
lead them to Jesus.

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Posted in musings, THE HILLS