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Church Groups Urge UN Action in the Philippines

By
Stephanie Martin
-
communicating with the unchurched

Amid continued violence in the Philippines, international church groups and human rights organizations are demanding an independent, impartial investigation into atrocities that have characterized President Rodrigo Duterte’s administration. Extrajudicial killings—those committed by government officials or vigilantes without court sanction—have reportedly increased by 50 percent during pandemic-related shutdowns.

In a document titled “Unity Statement for the Protection and Promotion of Human Rights in the Philippines,” the groups affirm support for Filipinos who are enduring a “deteriorating situation of civil liberties and human rights.”

Statement signers include the Christian Conference of Asia, the General Board of Global Ministries – The United Methodist Church, Global Ministries of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) and United Church of Christ, the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the USA, Presbyterian Church USA, World Communion of Reformed Churches, and World Student Christian Federation.

Groups ‘Raise the Alarm’ over Extrajudicial Killings

In the statement, church groups emphasize concern “that a general climate of impunity has been synergized with the Philippine President’s unabashed incitement to violence and regular calls for state forces to punish legitimate dissent by the citizenry.”

The proclamation is part of an ongoing effort “to raise the alarm on the disturbing proliferation of killings, human rights violations, and attacks on civil liberties in the Philippines.” The groups pledge “solidarity with the Filipino people,” committing “to keep watch and bear witness to [their] hopes and struggles.”

Released on Thursday, the statement comes as the United Nations Human Rights Council begins its 45th session. During three weeks of meetings, council members will address human rights violations across the globe, including the mistreatment of Rohingya Muslims in Myanmar and unrest in Belarus.

In the previous Human Rights Council session, Michelle Bachelet, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, spoke out against “widespread and systematic” extrajudicial killings in the Philippines. Her office released a report stating that Duterte’s violent rhetoric during his so-called war on drugs has encouraged human rights violations “with impunity.” But so far, the international community has not acted on the report.

Laila Matar, deputy director of Human Rights Watch, says, “Without follow-up, the report—containing horrific widespread and systematic violations that have been encouraged from the very highest levels of government—risks gathering dust and failing to lead to accountability for perpetrators and justice for victims.”

Duterte’s administration, Matar says, is trying to cause confusion about death statistics and is pretending to provide accountability for itself. An independent investigation, she adds, “would send a strong message” to the nationalist president as well as to “the thousands of victims of the drug war in the country.”

Extrajudicial Killings: Thousands of Filipinos Have Died

Since Duterte took office in mid-2016, thousands of Filipinos have been killed by police and other vigilantes. Government data puts the death toll between 6,000 and 8,000, while human rights groups estimate the number could be as high as 27,000. At least 300 political leaders, 134 human rights defenders, and 50 lawyers, judges, and prosecutors have been murdered.

Journalists and critics of Duterte endure harassment and threats, and anyone deemed “subversive” faces red-tagging, an intimidation tactic that’s also directed at churches. “Under the pretext of ending the armed Communist rebellion, the Duterte administration cast its net wide and is attacking every group that is critical of its anti-people economic policies and authoritarianism,” says the Ibon Foundation, a policy research group. “The government is red-baiting critical voices to silence opposition and to hide the real situation of the country.”

Uyghur Doctor Shares First-Hand Account of Infanticide in China

By
Jessica Lea
-
uyghur genocide
A Dutch woman is holding a placard in support of the Uyghurs, during the demonstration 'Freedom for Uyghurs' in The Hague, Netherlands on August 20th, 2020. (Photo by Romy Arroyo Fernandez/NurPhoto)

In a chilling interview with ITV News, a Uyghur doctor shared that when she lived in China, she participated in 500 to 600 operations that included abortions and removing women’s wombs. The doctor said that her actions, which included killing infants right after they were born, were part of how the Chinese government is conducting a Uyghur genocide.

“In 20 years, I participated in at least five to six hundred operations, including forced contraception, forced abortion, and sterilization, and forced removal of wombs,” said the doctor, who asked not to be named. She is now living in Turkey, where around 50,000 Uyghur Muslims have taken refuge. 

Conducting a Uyghur Genocide: ‘I feel such regret’ 

“We’d go village to village,” she said, “gather all the women, and herd them onto tractors. Young women were fitted onto contraceptive devices. Pregnant women would have to have an abortion, then sterilization. We even inserted birth control implants into women’s upper arms to prevent pregnancy. This is how the government persecuted that we were women.” 

The doctor said she had participated in killing full-term babies, as well as children who were newly born. She remembers at least one situation when a baby was still moving when it was thrown away. “The clear intention was ethnic cleansing,” she said. “We were asked to believe this was part of the Communist Party’s population control plan. At the time, I thought it was my job. I felt sorry to see the killing of a small baby, but I never fully realized its a damage to the nation. Now, I feel such regret.” 

While the doctor cannot change her past, she is now using her skills to help other Uyghur women who have fled China. The doctor removes the contraceptive devices the government forced the women to get and provides medical care so that they can again bear children. Because many of the women do not speak Turkish, they are grateful to be able to see a Uyghur doctor.

One Uyghur woman now living in Turkey told ITV News that she decided to conceal her second pregnancy after her first baby was “forcibly taken from her body.” 

“I dressed very differently to hide the bump,” she said. “I pulled in my stomach. I felt so scared and sad. I couldn’t tell anyone my feelings. Nowhere in the world should someone need to hide their baby to save it.” 

Corroboration of the Uyghur Genocide 

The women’s testimonies are corroborated by other information, including an account from a Uyghur obstetrician also now living in Turkey and data gathered by Adrian Zenz, senior fellow in China Studies at the Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation. The government’s efforts to control the Uyghur birth rate are only a part of the violations Chinese authorities are committing against the Uyghur people, who live primarily in Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region (XUAR). For the past several years, reports have emerged that, in the name of preventing terrorism, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has interned anywhere between one to three million Uyghur Muslims in so-called “re-education” camps. In reality, these are more like concentration camps where people are brainwashed, tortured, and put to forced labor.

In a webinar organized by the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission (ERLC) at the end of August, activists stressed the danger China’s actions pose to the world when it comes to human rights and religious freedom. ERLC president Dr. Russell Moore said, “I think we’re dealing with very high ambitions towards evil ends here, which means we cannot have low ambitions for speaking to human ideals from the other side.”

The webinar’s panelists emphasized that economic pressure is the only tactic that will have any impact on the CCP. USCIRF Commissioner Nury Turkel, a U.S-educated Uyghur lawyer, urged viewers not to spend their money on products made in China. Because the CCP is using Uyghurs for forced labor, the global supply chain is polluted. Said Turkel, “Please do your due diligence. Please stop buying any cotton or textile products coming from China.” 

Even though China has been effectively using its wealth to buy the world’s silence about the Uyghur genocide, as more people speak out, some are listening.  Clothing retailer H&M just announced it will no longer use its yarn factory in the XUAR because of concerns over forced labor. On Monday, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced that customs agents will stop accepting certain goods (including computer parts, cotton, apparel, and hair products) from specific Chinese companies, all of which are in the XUAR.

Jesus’ Definition of Leadership Is Backwards: Like other Jewish Martyrs

By
Paul Penley
-
communicating with the unchurched

Jesus’ definition of leadership is not what the political revolutionaries of his day wanted. They wanted to subjugate their enemies. They wanted to turn people into an army that followed their commands. They ironically used the same strategies of the system that oppressed them to fight for change. But Jesus had a different idea of leadership.

To understand how Jesus leads, we must understand what kind of leaders were rallying people to their cause in first-century Israel. He wasn’t the only one claiming to be the Messiah. Many self-proclaimed kings were carving out what they thought would create God’s kingdom on earth. So he had to boldly demonstrate what leaders in God’s economy really did.

Jesus aligned himself with an unpopular path that other would-be kings wouldn’t embrace. Before the Maccabean warlords won their fame for wreaking havoc on oppressive Greek kings in the 2nd Century BCE, a different kind of self-sacrificing leader effectively appealed to God’s just and merciful heart. Instead of resorting to guerrilla warfare, these servant leaders gave up their lives in a cosmic and righteous cry for God to intervene.

The 2nd Century BCE leaders who sacrificed their lives defined a path for future Messiahs that sharply contrasted the strategy of political revolutionaries. Their undeserved suffering to death became emblematic of faithful leadership long before Jesus spoke his defiant definition of servant leadership: “I did not come to be served, but to serve and to give my life as a ransom for many.” For those of us who want to follow Jesus, we should carefully explore the kind of counter-cultural path he blazed to know what kind of life he has called us to live.

​Legacy of Violent Kings

Jesus did not get his model of leadership from the messianic pretenders of his day. Other would-be kings that Josephus describes during the first Century had one clear motivation: power. Judas, the son of Ezekias, is a good example. Josephus notes, “He caused fear in everyone by plundering those he encountered in his craving for greater power and in his zealous pursuit of royal rank” (Josephus, Jewish Antiquities 17.272). He wanted power and a crown. Revolutionary leaders like Judas declared themselves king and were bent on building their kingdom through violence. They defined a path to power that Jesus ultimately rejected.

The violent revolutionaries of Jesus’ generation were inspired by the 200-year old stories of the Maccabean revolt. You can read those stories in 1 & 2 Maccabees. The revolt’s leader Judas Maccabees rebelled against the Greek rulers who tried to extinguish their faith, and effectively employed guerrilla warfare tactics. The scrappy rebels eventually forced the Greek ruler, Antiochus Epiphanes, to cut a deal with them so he could turn his attention to internal affairs. As a result, Maccabean descendants became rulers of Judea. And revolutionaries in Jesus’ day hoped their attacks on Roman troops would have the same outcome.

But Jesus took a different route to his coronation. He was inspired by a different path to purchasing freedom for his people. The example came from the Maccabean era, but not from the Maccabean generals. His inspiration came from old priests who died for what they believed in and the people who followed their example.

Onias, The Suffering Messiah

During the Maccabean revolt, the military leader Judas Maccabees motivated his army with a vision of a heroic high priest who lost both his position as priest and then his life in defense of proper worship. 2 Maccabees 15:12 describes Onias the priest in exemplary terms:

In his vision, Judas saw Onias, who had been high priest and was virtuous, good, modest in all things, gentle of manners, and well-spoken. From childhood he had learned all things that properly belong to a good moral life. This man had his hands extended to pray for the entire nation of the Jews.

​Elsewhere in 2 Maccabees, Onias the high priest is praised for his devotion to God and hatred of evil (2 Macc 3:1). He was known for his “modest behavior and good conduct” (2 Macc 4:37). Whereas Judas Maccabees was known for his military victories against a superior foe, Onias was known for his godly character. Even while facing death threats, Onias did not stop standing up for what was right.

The political opponents of Onias in the 2nd Century BCE first had him deposed from his position of high priest and ultimately killed after he publicly accused a subsequent high priest of robbing the Temple to pay for political favor. The tragedy of his undeserved death was mourned by Jews and Gentiles alike.

The significance of Onias’s death was so great that Daniel’s prophecy of the events leading up to the successful Maccabean revolt even mentions his death. Daniel 9 divides up Israel’s history after the Babylonian invasion of Jerusalem around 600 BCE into 3 periods. Daniel pinpoints the death of Onias, the “anointed one” (anointed one = Messiah), as the critical event at the end of the second period. Remember both kings and high priests were anointed with oil and therefore could be given the title Messiah.

There will be seven weeks from the moment the word went out to restore and rebuild Jerusalem until a leader is anointed. And for sixty-two weeks the city will be rebuilt with a courtyard and a moat. But in difficult times, after the sixty-two weeks, an anointed one will be eliminated and disappear. The army of a future leader will destroy the city and the sanctuary. His end will come in a flood, but devastations will be decreed until the end of the war. For one week, he will make a strong covenant with many people. For a half-week, he will stop both sacrifices and offerings. In their place will be the desolating monstrosities until the decreed destruction sweeps over the devastator.  — Daniel 9:25-27 ​

​Daniel’s vision describes three specific periods:

  1. Jerusalem with no anointed leader: 49 years (7 weeks of years) from 586 BCE when the final king of Jerusalem was taken into exile to 537 BCE when a new leader was appointed to return to Jerusalem and rebuild it under Cyrus the Persian’s rule.
  2. Jerusalem suffering for its sins against God: 434 years (62 weeks of years) from the first Babylonian invasion in 605 BCE to 170 BCE when Onias the “anointed one” was killed, or as Daniel 9:26 says “eliminated and disappeared.”
  3. The final struggle against the last Greek ruler, Antiochus Epiphanes, who oppressed Jerusalem: 7 years (or 1 week of years in Daniel’s vision) from Onias’s death in 170 BCE to an agreement with Antiochus Epiphanes in 164 BCE that allowed Jerusalem to rule itself independently again.

The death of Onias initiated the final 7 years of what Daniel 9:24 calls Israel’s period “to put an end to their sins, to atone for their guilt.” Does that sound familiar? It is the same purpose that Jesus’ own suffering accomplished.

Jesus’ view of leadership grew out of the legacy of Onias and the saints who followed his faithful path to death. Jesus was no military leader who slaughtered his enemies, but rather he invoked God’s mercy by being slaughtered by them. He knew his unfair fate would cover the sins of many who had been unfaithful. It would demonstrate his righteousness and provoke God to free his people from the consequences of their sin.

 

​Redemptive Suffering of a Few for the Many

In the first century, Jews continued to expound on the idea of this redemptive suffering where a few righteous people could die for the benefit of many. The stories of righteous suffering from 170-164 BCE grew into an entire book about the unjust suffering of righteous people in the final 7 years of Jerusalem’s struggle against foreign powers: 4 Maccabees. 4 Maccabees was likely composed toward the end of the first century when the Gospels were written. And the parallels between the purpose of Jesus’ suffering in the Gospels and the suffering of Jews in 4 Maccabees are striking and instructive.

4 Maccabees essentially provides extended narrative and commentary on ideas introduced in the (mostly) historical account of 2 Maccabees. The two clearest statements in 2 Maccabees about the atoning sacrifice of human lives are found in chapter seven, when righteous members of a family that were killed for their faith proclaim the purpose of their deaths at the hands of their oppressors:

  1. “You may kill us, but the King of the universe will raise us from the dead and give us eternal life, because we have obeyed his laws.”— 2 Maccabees 7:9
  2. “I now give up my body and my life for the laws of our ancestors, just as my brothers did. But I also beg God to show mercy to his people quickly and to torture you until you are forced to acknowledge that he alone is God. May my brothers and I be the last to suffer the anger of Almighty God, which he has justly brought upon our entire nation.” (2 Maccabees 7:37-38)

These statements were made by people who faced a deadly decision: either (1) reject God and live or (2) remain faithful and die. They all believed that their undeserved death could wrap up God’s punishment for Israel’s sins and lead to their resurrection. Does that sound familiar?

Effective Ways to Pay Off Seminary Debt

By
Jim Cook
-
communicating with the unchurched

Today many people struggle with seminary debt, but it can be especially difficult
for those who have gone to seminary and are not in high paying positions as they
serve in churches or faith-based organizations. The statistics can be daunting
but also, in a way, reassuring, because they show that millions of people are in a
similar situation. Better visit a trusted site like https://sunnyloansuk.co.uk/ for more ideas to ensure you’re getting the best deal available to you before being tied down to a credit agreement when better offers were out there.

According to cnbc.com1, there are over 44 million Americans with student debt. That means that roughly one in four American adults are paying off student loans. The average amount owed by recent college graduates is $37,172 and for seminary students, the amount is even higher. Luckily, there are some steps you can take to pay down your student loans and MMBB Financial Services can show you how.

First and most importantly, you need to know what you owe, the interest rate, minimum monthly payment and the length of the loan. It’s not uncommon for people to have multiple student loans, which can make it difficult to keep track of how much is owed. If you’re not sure about the details on your loans, for Federal Loans you can visit the National Student Loan Data System website. For private loans you will need to contact the original lender or ask your school to help you track down the information. You may also be able to find it on your credit report.

Once you gather all the information, you’ll want to create a seminary debt reduction plan. Be consistent, while it may at first appear discouraging, with a steady plan you will reach your goal of paying off the seminary debt. Here are some effective strategies to assist you:

  • Pay more than the minimum amount due if your budget allows.
  • Consider using additional financial resources, such as honoraria, anniversary and birthday gifts, tax refunds, etc. to pay off seminary debt faster.

Making an extra payment at least once a year can help pay off the debt faster and in turn reduce the amount of interest paid. Make sure the lender knows the extra payment is to go toward principal, not the next month’s payment. If a pastor receives anniversary gifts from the congregation a lump sum could be paid on the student loan to reduce principal. The gift is taxable income but will reduce the principal and the interest one has to pay.

Resist getting another educational degree solely to defer paying on existing educational loans. Interest is accruing while loans are in deferment.

Refinancing student loans is an option, but one needs to consider the total interest paid particularly if the length of the loan is extended. With a refinance it is possible to get a lower interest rate. Make sure you shop around and read the small print. There are online student loan prepayment calculators (www. makelemonade.co) that may help you figure out how much interest you can save.

Do not neglect funding your retirement accounts while paying off seminary debt. Having a budget and sticking with it will help with bill paying, saving for retirement and establishing an emergency fund.

As a benefit of membership, MMBB has CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNERTM professionals available to answer your questions and assist you with your financial planning needs. For more information or a no obligation consultation, please contact us at financialplanning@mmbb.org or 800.986.6222.

https://www.google.com/url?sa=D&q=https://www.cnbc.com/2018/02/15/heres-how-much-the-average-student-loan-borrower-owes-when-they-graduate.html

This article previously appeared in the Summer 2019 MMBB Tomorrow newsletter.

Mature Disciple Making Gone Horribly Wrong

By
Geoff Surratt
-
communicating with the unchurched

After a long day of ministry Jesus is exhausted. He desperately needs to get away from the crowds and rest, so he gets into a boat and tells his disciples to head to the other side of the lake. After a few minutes, the boat gently rocking as they cross the sea at sunset, Jesus lays down on a cushion in the back and falls sound asleep. While he’s sleeping a violent storm builds over the eastern mountains and suddenly drops onto the sea. Soon the boat is rocking violently, the sail is snapping in the wind threatening to tear in two, and the mast is bending to the point of breaking. Even the experienced fishermen begin to panic. They wake Jesus up, shouting, “Teacher, don’t you care that we are going to drown!” We’ll let someone who was in the boat finish the story;

‘Jesus responded, “Why are you afraid? You have so little faith!” Then he got up and rebuked the wind and waves, and suddenly there was a great calm. The disciples were amazed. “Who is this man?” they asked. “Even the winds and waves obey him!”’ 

Matthew 8:26-27 (NLT)

I love the irony. The men who’ve been with Jesus the longest…they’ve seen him heal disease, cast out demons, even turn water into wine… they are afraid that this whole thing might end with the Son of God drowning in the middle of the Sea of Galilee. The creator of the universe’s grand story of salvation will end because of a thunderstorm he didn’t see coming. This is a very revealing moment in Jesus’ ministry; months into being with Jesus 24/7 his followers have no understanding of who Jesus is nor his bigger mission on earth. It is now clear they are not maturing as disciples.

We are in one of those Sea of Galilee moments right now. A storm unlike any we’ve seen before is rocking our world. In the middle of this storm the maturity level of the disciples we lead is being revealed, and its pretty discouraging. Attendance at online services is declining, fewer people are engaging in small groups, and the initial surge of volunteerism has all but disappeared. The one place we see many in our congregations actively engaged is arguments on social media over Covid conspiracies. Some days it feels like our boat may indeed sink before this pandemic is over.

There’s another way to look at it, however. In one way this is an incredible gift, to clearly see where we are making mature disciples and where we are not. Without this pandemic we might have continued blindly on, assuming our services, classes and small groups were leading people to take next steps toward maturity. Clearly they are not.

The Navy Seals reportedly have a saying that under pressure no one rises to the occasion, they sink to the level of their training. I believe that is what we are seeing now in churches. Most attenders aren’t stepping up in greater faith, love and sacrifice, they are falling back to their true level of maturity and discipleship. This is a great opportunity as leaders to rethink how we approach making disciples in the American church. Here are three questions to consider as you reassess your church’s approach to mature disciple making:

  1. What do you believe, within your context, are the characteristics of a mature disciple?

    The worst thing we could do right now is to start new programs, write new training classes, or implement new systems without stepping back and re-engaging the question, “What are we trying to accomplish?” As you rebuild your definition of a mature disciple avoid the mistake of measuring discipleship by activity; church attendance, serving in a ministry, participation in a small group, Bible reading, quiet time. These are all valid activities that can lead to mature discipleship, but it is also possible to do all of these things and remain immature. Focus on outcomes rather than activities. Good places to start are the Beatitudes and the Fruit of the Spirit in describing a mature disciple.

  2. What has your church done to intentionally help people develop these characteristics of a mature disciple?

    Make a list of everything you do as a church to help people become mature disciples. Spend time evaluating each activity for effectiveness; How are we seeing people grow in specific mature discipleship characteristics as a result of this program? What is leading people to grow, or to remain stagnant?

  3. What should we stop, start or change to improve our ability to develop mature disciples?

    If there are things you do as a church that do not seem to help people become mature disciples it might be time to stop doing them. This gets really difficult as sacred cows are potentially sacrificed on the altar of effectiveness, but desperate times call for desperate measures.

    There are other activities that need to be massively altered if you are going to raise the bar for discipleship. For example, for most churches the weekend service is the single biggest activity they engage in to make disciples, but it seems massively ineffective. Are we going to keep doing what we’ve always done and hope it works, or are we willing to make significant changes in order to truly engage our people to become mature disciples?

We are in a Sea of Galilee moment as church leaders. The wind and waves have rocked our people, and their true maturity as disciples is being revealed. We can try to get back to what we were doing before and hope it works out better this time. We can beat ourselves up for our lack of better leadership. We can be angry with the immature mob of misfits God has stuck us with. Or we can see this as an incredible gift from God and rediscover what it means to be a church that makes disciples who make disciples.

This article originally appeared here.

Free eBook: Select Sermons by Jonathan Edwards

By
Daniel So
-
communicating with the unchurched

Free eBook

Download this eBook in PDF format of select sermons from influential theologian Jonathan Edwards.

From CCEL, “This collection of sermons includes his most famous, Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God, a powerful expression of God’s power and justice. This volume is an excellent starting point for those looking for a diverse selection of Edwards’ messages.”

Get Download Now

Resource provided by Christian Classics Ethereal Library

Download Instructions: To download this resource, right-click on the appropriate link (e.g., “Adobe Acrobat PDF” or “Plain text (UTF-8)”) and choose “Save As.”

Francis Chan: 3 Devotions for Church Leaders: Why It’s So Easy to Fake It

By
Francis Chan
-

I wonder if the inconsistency in my walk with God has anything to do with the fact that I can lead a “successful” church in America without being in love with Jesus. I’m sure I could blame American church culture, my position or a busy schedule for my lack of reverent intimacy. The truth, however, is that my sin and hypocrisy are a result of me. This truth leads us to some devotions for church leaders.

Francis Chan – Devotions for Church Leaders

1. I forget to love God.

It’s not like I don’t want to. In fact, when I’m deeply in prayer, it’s clear to me that there’s no place I’d rather be. I know that I love God. When I sit and think about Him, I’m filled with intense feelings of adoration. I’m convinced that He means more to me than my wife, kids or anyone else on the planet. I just forget to love Him.

We can argue that we’re busy doing ministry, which is how we express our love. But if that’s all God wanted, His words to the Ephesians in Revelation 2 would make no sense.

“I know your deeds, your hard work and your perseverance. I know that you cannot tolerate wicked men, that you have tested those who claim to be apostles but are not and have found them false. You have persevered and have endured hardships for my name and have not grown weary.” (NIV)

God recognizes the Ephesian church for their wonderful ministry. Yet He makes it clear in the next verse that they are not loving Him. He tells them, “You have forsaken your first love.”

What has always surprised me about that passage is God’s threat to remove them if they don’t start loving Him again. “If you do not repent, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place.”

God tells the hard working, sin hating, doctrine loving, persecuted church that He doesn’t want them around unless they love Him. He’s never been interested in unloving children. His desire has always been love. It was the great command in the Old Testament and the New (Deut. 6:5, Matt. 22:37). Love was supposed to be the catalyst of all godly action.

When is the last time you came alone before your Father just to enjoy Him? If it has been a while, don’t waste your time reading this article. Get alone and adore Him. Pray that you would no longer merely love Him through your religious actions, but with the passion befitting a person in love.

When I first fell in love with my wife, I never “forgot” to call her or spend time with her. Rarely, if ever, did she get crowded out because I was so “busy.”

2. I fake passion well.

Leaders make the greatest hypocrites because of their ability to persuade and deceive. Rarely is there a pastor whose character exceeds his reputation.

If I were to ask those closest to you about your relationship with God, what would they say?
If I were to ask God the same question, what would He say?

If your family, friends and congregation have better things to say about you than God, it’s because you give them that impression. We do this because we can. God gifted us with an ability to communicate. Too often, we use this ability not to convey who we are, but who we want others to think we are.

It’s similar to the church in Sardis, to whom Jesus says, “I know your deeds; you have a reputation of being alive, but you are dead” (Rev. 3:1 NIV).

Others believed the façade, but Jesus knew the truth. He reminded them that He knew of their spiritual deadness. The hope was that it would jolt them toward true life.

God’s desire for all believers, especially leaders, is “life that is truly life” (I Timothy 6:19 NIV). You’ve all had times, hopefully, when you experienced this “life.” But when you aren’t experiencing it, you fake it.

Why? What’s the point in faking it when you can have it?

I once heard a Christian leader say, “I refuse to let my public passion exceed my private devotion.” As a leader, have you made that commitment? It could make for some pretty boring sermons.

It burdens me when I think we may have missed it. I ache when I consider how we are missing out.

Remember, being obsessed with Jesus is a good thing. Trading the truth for a lie doesn’t benefit you or any person you are leading.

This isn’t coming from a writer saying, “You must repent.” It’s coming from a fellow sinful leader saying, “We’re so stupid if we don’t.” You can have genuine intimacy with Almighty God today. Why not?

(More Francis Chan devotions on leadership on page two.)

John MacArthur Lists the Requirements They Were Given to Keep Meeting as a Church

By
Jesse T. Jackson
-
communicating with the unchurched

On Thursday, September 10, 2020, a preliminary injunction (which can be read here) was issued against John MacArthur and Grace Community Church by a Los Angeles Superior Court judge. The order prohibits Grace Community Church from “conducting, participating in, or attending any indoor worship service.” The order, according to the Thomas More Society, also “bans outdoor worship unless onerous restrictions are followed.” That didn’t stop John MacArthur or the congregants at Grace Community Church from worshiping indoors this past Sunday. As Pastor MacArthur took the pulpit for announcements, he was greeted with a thunderous round of applause. He followed by saying “Are you happy to be at church?” Pastor MacArthur told his congregation that he “thought it might be helpful to give you the list of things that are required of us as a church so that you understand how utterly impossible that would be.”

The List of Restrictions That Must Be Met

  • No indoor meetings at all
  • Pre-registration of every person who comes on the church property
  • People only allowed on church property for scheduled events
  • Every person who comes on the church property is to be screened and have their temperature taken at the entry.
  • We all must maintain 6 feet of social distance at all times everywhere, including the parking lot and restrooms
  • Every other parking space must be left vacant.
  • Marked pathways to maintain social distance, keeping people apart monitored by staff monitors
  • Everyone wears a mask.
  • Restroom monitors to control 6 feet social distancing; tape on the ground marking distance
  • Signs indicating these mandates and also full exposure on social media
  • Restrooms are to be used during the service to minimize the rush.
  • No hymn books
  • No communion
  • No offering containers
  • No pew Bibles
  • No singing
  • No hugging
  • No shaking hands
  • Disposable seat covers changed between services
  • Services have to be shortened.
  • Based upon the separation, we could only meet in a tent with a maximum of 350 to 400 people.

After hearing some of the mandated requirements, the crowd followed with laughter but none louder than after the requirement of John MacArthur’s sermons being cut down because of services needing to be shortened. MacArthur humorously responded, “That’s not a problem to me, right?” “You can see that these are the requirements that would completely shut the church down,” he said and then expressed by hyperbole a requirement that is not fact: “Anyone that comes in contact with someone outside their family for more than 15 minutes must self-quarantine for two weeks. Obviously this is not constitutional, but more importantly it goes against the will of the Lord of the church who calls us to gather.” After which the crowd again showed their approval of his statement with a round of loud applause.

 

Watch the entire sermon here.

John MacArthur Sees Himself as the Appointed Champion of the CHURCH

Later that night at their Sunday night service, John MacArthur did a Q&A and expressed, “I feel like it took me to get to 80 years before maybe the most critical moment in my life has taken place. I think it is because there are more people listening to the Word of God at this particular time from this pulpit than ever in the history of our church in a regular way, Sunday after Sunday.” MacArthur said this is due to the multiple ‘dire conditions’ in our world and a greater interest in hearing the Word of God.

MacArthur believes that he is delivering truth in a way that other church leaders are not delivering. MacArthur made the comment, “I’ve been ‘kind of a joke,’ for the last 15 to 20 years to the pragmatists, to the church growth, church strategy people.” He said that he “has been like a dinosaur to those type of strategists [because he doesn’t adapt to culture to grow the church], but when the nation starts to burn and people are wanting real answers; they’re not gonna go to a show. They’re not gonna go to a superficial ‘Ted Talk’. When they want the truth, when they desperately need the truth, they’re going to find the truth as God directs them. So this is a time for the truth, and it’s an amazing thing to see this all happening.”

“Superficial preaching is becoming obsolete,” the pastor said. “The people who thought that they were at the top of food chain in terms of ministry and effectiveness in the church are now void. They’re nullified.” MacArthur didn’t mince his words as he said, “This is way too desperate for some superficial approach. You got to tell people more than ‘God wants them to be happy.’ “

As a pastor who is generations removed from the average audience, why is MacArthur getting so much media attention? MacArthur touts his superiority as a Bible preacher for being asked to write and appear in blogs, news articles, talk shows, and podcasts. He says people are saying “give us more, give us more, give us more,” citing because there is a “hunger” for biblical truth. And it seems that MacArthur believes he is the “one” who is called to deliver that truth—apart from other church leaders.

“The Lord is the head of the church and that’s why we’re here, regardless of what a judge says,” MacArthur said as he elaborated on their stance ‘Christ, not Caesar, is the head of the church‘. “[The government is] not the head of the church and that is where the church has taken its stand through its entire history…when [the government] steps in and tells the church whether it can meet or not, they have over-stepped their bounds because Christ said my kingdom is not of this world.” The pastor likened himself to the apostles’ example of “we’ll obey God rather than men, and we’ll take the consequences; whatever they are.” MacArthur mentioned that those consequences may begin this week but said “I’m not sure.”

Ever critical of other church practices, MacArthur did not pull any punches when he was asked about his role during this pandemic. The moderator asked pastor MacArthur if he felt like what he is demonstrating [by defying the government] is preparing future generations of pastors to make a similar stand [as Grace Community Church is]. MacArthur answered without hesitation, “I think we have had enough of the pragmatic stuff. I think the church has been sold out to pragmatism…weak-willed, unbiblical preachers that are just personalities…narcissistic self-focused personalities, brokering their charisma, their skills, and their communication ability to build what they call a church, when it isn’t a church at all. Life is far too serious for those…what they are telling people is shy of what people want to hear. It’s time again for the Word of God. Life is far more serious, at least from my perspective, more than it’s ever been.” He then summed up his answer by saying, “The attention of the world is on us and I think we are beginning to see other pastors be strengthened.”

Watch the entire Q&A session here.

TobyMac’s Sister Died. Please Pray for Their Family

By
Jesse T. Jackson
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TobyMac sister
Screenshot Instagram @TobyMac

Christian artist TobyMac has suffered another tragedy. The popular Christian musician posted the heartbreaking news on social media today that his sister, Kristen McKeehan Carroll, has died. Kristen passed away on the morning of September 3, 2020 at the age of 52.

Kristen was one of four siblings, and had six children of her own.

TobyMac’s Sister Preceded in Death by the Rapper’s Son

Less than a year ago TobyMac and his family lost their first born son, Truett Foster McKeehan to an accidental overdose. Truett was only 21 years of age and was an up-and-coming aspiring rapper just like his father. TobyMac released a song about his son entitled “21 years”, the chorus of the song reads “God has you in heaven, but I have you in my heart.”

On TobyMac’s Instagram page he said of Kristen’s passing that “She was met at heaven’s gates by Truett (who adored her) and our dad (who she drove crazy :). There will be a hole in our family’s heart forever, but heaven just got wonder woman.”

TobyMac described Kristen as a “force of nature”:

Just over a week ago this world lost a beautiful sister, daughter, friend and mother of 6. My sister. Our Kristen Our force of nature, get it done, always laughing, fight for her family, against all odds, proud of her loved ones, God loving, crazy “aunting”, amazing hosting, do anything for her kids, friend to all….sister. She was tough as nails and soft as butter. She always looked beautiful and let you know that you were too. She’s loved by God and our King Jesus paid her debt…..in full. She was met at heaven’s gates by Truett (who adored her) and our dad (who she drove crazy :). There will be a hole in our family’s heart forever, but heaven just got wonder woman. 

 
 
 
 
 
View this post on Instagram
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

My heart, o’my heart….. Just over a week ago this world lost a beautiful sister, daughter, friend and mother of 6. My sister. Our Kristen Our force of nature, get it done, always laughing, fight for her family, against all odds, proud of her loved ones, God loving, crazy “aunting”, amazing hosting, do anything for her kids, friend to all….sister. She was tough as nails and soft as butter. She always looked beautiful and let you know that you were too. She’s loved by God and our King Jesus paid her debt…..in full. She was met at heaven’s gates by Truett (who adored her) and our dad (who she drove crazy :). There will be a hole in our family’s heart forever, but heaven just got wonder woman.

A post shared by TobyMac (@tobymac) on

Kristen’s obituary can be read here.

Please keep the family in your prayers.

Greear Says Jesus Wasn’t a ‘White Southerner’, Advocates Use of Great Commission Baptists

By
Stephanie Martin
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communicating with the unchurched

Long before this summer’s ramped-up racial conversations and unrest, America’s largest Protestant denomination had been wrestling with its name. Now the group still officially known as the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) is making moves toward a new identity, one that replaces a regional and cultural element with a biblical one.

Back in 2012, SBC representatives approved the use of “Great Commission Baptists” as an unofficial or “doing business as” name. The denomination’s 50,000-plus autonomous churches can choose for themselves which name to use.

On Monday SBC President J.D. Greear announced that the 2021 Annual Meeting theme is “We Are Great Commission Baptists,” lending momentum to the move away from the SBC label.

J.D. Greear: ‘Jesus was not a white Southerner’

Greear, whose presidency was extended because of the pandemic-related cancellation of this year’s Annual Meeting, recently spoke to the Washington Post about the cultural shift occurring within the SBC. “Our Lord Jesus was not a White Southerner but a brown-skinned Middle Eastern refugee,” he says. “Every week we gather to worship a Savior who died for the whole world, not one part of it. What we call ourselves should make that clear.”

The denomination’s theology remains the same, Greear says, adding, “We as Baptists want to be defined by 2025, not by 1845.” Twenty-five years ago, the SBC formally apologized for its role in slavery and racism. This year, Greear stopped using a former slaveholder’s gavel at SBC meetings and has said the Gospel is clear that “Black lives matter.”

In the SBC, which has been experiencing membership declines, about 80 percent of churches are located in Southern states. One-fifth of SBC churches are now led by Black pastors or pastors of color.

Some pastors have left the SBC, saying its efforts to heal racial divides don’t go far enough. This summer, John Onwuchekwa, pastor of Cornerstone Church in Atlanta, wrote that his congregation was leaving because the denomination downplays its racial sins. “Active harm requires active repair,” he wrote. Of the SBC name, Onwuchekwa says, “It was never about geography. The convention was one bad marketing meeting away from being the ‘Confederate Baptist Convention.’”

Why Great Commission Baptists Is Gaining Ground

At the North Carolina church that Greear pastors, leaders have decided “now is a good time to use” the Great Commission Baptist (GCB) name “due to the fact that the primary reason we are part of the convention is for the Great Commission.”

Ronnie Floyd, president of the SBC’s Executive Committee, recently wrote, “As Great Commission Baptists, we are compelled with the vision to reach every person for Jesus Christ in every town, every city, every state, and every nation. Our 51,000 congregations that comprise the Southern Baptist network of churches do our best work when we cooperate in presenting the Gospel of Jesus Christ to every person in the world and make disciples of all the nations.”

Southern Baptist historian Nathan Finn, a university provost, had been on the fence about the name shift but says this summer served as a turning point. “I’m not embarrassed to be a Southerner,” he tells the Washington Post. “It’s about what that word conjures up for people, especially people of color. They’re saying: ‘That name is a hang-up. When my people hear that name, they think slavery.’ God forbid we keep a name that evokes that.”

CA Church Drops Lawsuit: ‘The Battle Is the Lord’s’

By
Jessica Lea
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communicating with the unchurched

After reportedly receiving over $100,000 in fines and facing a lawsuit, North Valley Baptist Church (NVBC) in Santa Clara, California, has decided to drop its legal battle with Santa Clara County and to worship outside instead of indoors. In a sermon he preached Sunday morning, Dr. Jack Trieber shared with his congregation how God had led him to completely change his position that the county was infringing on NVBC’s religious rights.

“After a great deal of prayer, of fasting, of counsel, I have felt led of God not to resist the lawsuit,” said Trieber. “There is a battle to fight, but I want to clearly tell you how I know as your pastor God wants me to fight it. Many of you will not agree with my decision. God is going to have to work on that in your heart.”

Trieber said that when the county filed the lawsuit against North Valley Baptist Church, he faced a difficult decision regarding the church’s future. As he sought God’s leading in the situation, Trieber said that God led him to “claim” Exodus 14:14, which says, “The LORD will fight for you; you need only to be still.”

“I think perhaps that we have been so conditioned in America that we have to fight everything,” said the pastor. But he pointed out that if we examine Scripture, we can see there were many times when God’s people were instructed not to act, but to trust in God to fight for them.

North Valley Baptist Church Does an About-Face

Trieber’s position is a complete reversal from what it had been since a county public health order banned the church from meeting indoors and Gov. Gavin Newsom prohibited singing during worship. In a video posted to Facebook on Sept. 1, the pastor spoke directly to county leaders, saying they were violating the church’s First Amendment rights. 

“The government has done it again. They’ve ratcheted this thing up,” he said, explaining that officials had just posted “more signs” on the church building. The county had leveled a series of fines against NVBC on the grounds that the church was meeting indoors, singing, and not giving the county a protocol. The fines totaled $52,750 at the time. The county also claimed that North Valley Baptist Church was not following safety precautions, something Trieber denied. 

“This is harassment,” said Trieber, stating that the county was violating their “constitutional right” and “biblical command” to assemble in worship. He challenged “California preachers” to join together in standing against such opposition if they did not want to see similar situations spread throughout the United States. Other pastors in California have indeed taken a similar stance, most notably John MacArthur, who leads Grace Community Church in Sun Valley.

But on Sept. 13, North Valley Baptist Church moved worship outdoors, holding a drive-in service in its parking lot. During his sermon, Trieber said that God had given him “tremendous peace” and encouragement about the decision. He said he hoped his congregation would experience that peace as well and see that they are in the middle of a “divine appointment.”

The pastor said he was “almost positive” that Santa Clara County health director Dr. Sara Cody was watching the service, and he told the attendees, “I want this church to have the attitude toward that lady that God has placed on my heart. According to the Bible, she’s a public servant of God. I don’t know whether or not she knows the Lord, but I know my responsibility is to love her, to pray for her, and to ask that God would give her wisdom.”

This does not mean, said the pastor, that he agrees with everything Cody does. He believes some officials think we can “health” our way out of the pandemic, and they ignore the fact that we need God’s help. When Trieber made this statement, the NVBC members responded by honking their car horns enthusiastically. He went on, “But it would break my heart if one person would send her a vicious email, be unkind. That’s not your purpose as a Christian.” 

The honking in response to that statement was rather feeble, so Trieber said, “I want to try that one more time. That is not your purpose as a Christian.” The attendees then responded with more enthusiastic honking. “The load that must be on that lady is to me enormous,” said the pastor. “I would not want to be in her shoes.” He emphasized that she and the county’s attorneys have been “more than gracious” to him. “I thank God for them,” he said. “They have treated me with such care. We have been direct with one another.”

63% of Young Americans Don’t Know How Many Jews Died in the Holocaust

By
Megan Briggs
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communicating with the unchurched

Do you know how many Jews died in the Holocaust? Can you name a ghetto or concentration camp from that time period? These are questions that were posed to Millennials and Gen Zers in the United States. The Holocaust Knowledge and Awareness Study revealed a troubling lack of awareness and outright denial of this tragic event in world history among young people in the U.S. 

“Nationally, there is a clear lack of awareness of key historical facts; 63 percent of all national survey respondents do not know that six million Jews were murdered and 36 percent thought that ‘two million or fewer Jews’ were killed during the Holocaust,” a press release from the Conference on Jewish Material Claims Against Germany (Claims Conference) states. 

Claims Conference commissioned the survey, which questioned people aged 18 to 39 via landline, cell phone, and online interviews between February 26 and March 28, 2020. The representative sample includes 1,000 interviews nationwide and 200 interviews in each of the 50 states. 

What the Survey Results Revealed

The survey results were compiled to reveal a “Holocaust knowledge score” which was analyzed by state. The Holocaust knowledge score was calculated by using the percentage of Millennial and Gen Z adults who met all three of these criteria: 1) have “Definitively heard about the Holocaust,” and 2) can name at least one concentration camp, death camp, or ghetto, and 3) know that 6 million Jews were killed in the Holocaust. 

The states with the highest Holocaust knowledge scores include Wisconsin, Minnesota, Massachusetts, Maine, Kansas, Nebraska, Pennsylvania, Idaho, Iowa, and Montana. While the states with the lowest knowledge include Alaska, Delaware, Maryland, New York, Georgia, Hawaii, Louisiana, Florida, Mississippi, and Arkansas. In Arkansas, less than 2-in-10 (17 percent) of respondents met the Holocaust knowledge criteria.

Nationally, some disturbing things show up. An incredible 12 percent of respondents said they either “definitely” had not heard about the Holocaust or weren’t sure if they had. Even more concerning, perhaps, is that 10 percent of respondents answered that they didn’t believe the Holocaust happened or that they weren’t sure. Another 23 percent answered they believe the Holocaust was a myth and didn’t actually happen, or they believe it happened but think the numbers of people killed have been exaggerated, or that they weren’t sure. And tragically, some 11 percent of respondents said they believed Jews caused the Holocaust. In New York, the percentage of respondents who said this was a staggering 19 percent. 

Less than half of respondents could name a concentration camp or ghetto. “Of the over 40,000 concentration camps and ghettos in Europe during the Holocaust, 48 percent of respondents could not name any. Only 44 percent of U.S. Millennials and Gen Z are familiar with Auschwitz, six percent are familiar with Dachau, and awareness of Bergen-Belsen (three percent), Buchenwald (one percent) and Treblinka (one percent) is virtually nonexistent.”

Another disturbing trend the survey revealed is that Holocaust denial misinformation is prevalent on social media. Forty-nine percent of national respondents say they have personally seen Holocaust denial or distortion on their social media or other places online. Another 56 percent say they have seen Nazi symbols in their community or posted on social media in the last five years. 

When looking at the state specific data, the survey found the following: “The state with the greatest proportion respondents who have seen Nazi symbols on social media was Nevada with 70 percent. Other states with high exposure include: New York with 67 percent; Arizona and Texas with 64 percent; and Colorado, South Dakota and Washington with 63 percent.”

This has prompted Claims Conference to launch #NoDenyingIt, a campaign appealing directly to Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg to remove Holocaust denial from the popular platform. The campaign uses videos of Holocaust survivors telling their stories. 

Young People Believe Holocaust Education Is Important

While they may be lacking in knowledge about the Holocaust, the majority of young people in the U.S. agree it’s important to teach on the topic. Eighty percent of respondents agreed with this statement: “It is important to continue to teach about the Holocaust, in part, so it doesn’t happen again” and 64 percent believe Holocaust education should be compulsory in schools. Additionally, 59 percent said they believe something like the Holocaust could happen today.

The majority also hold negative views of neo-Nazis. Seventy percent of national respondents said it is unacceptable for an individual to hold neo-Nazi views while 15 percent said it was acceptable and another 15 percent said they weren’t sure. More than 6-in-10 (64 percent) believe antisemitism is a problem in the United States today. 

The timing is critical to debunk the misinformation floating around social media about the Holocaust, Claims Conference says, as “fewer and fewer Holocaust survivors—eyewitnesses to a state-sponsored genocide—are alive to share the lessons of the Holocaust.”

And these lessons are relevant to our current climate today, says Gretchen Skidmore of the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. “The study of the Holocaust engages students in understanding the fragility of societies, the dangers of antisemitism and hatred, and the importance of promoting human dignity. This history can inform our understanding of our own roles and responsibilities in the decisions we face today,” Skidmore says.

Kaitlyn Schiess: Do You Believe One of These 4 False Gospels?

By
Jason Daye
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communicating with the unchurched

Kaitlyn Schiess is a journalist who researches and writes on the intersection of faith and politics. Her writing has appeared in Christianity Today, Relevant and Fathom Magazine, and she is a staff writer at Christ and Pop Culture. Kaitlyn is a graduate of Liberty University and is currently completing her Master of Theology at Dallas Theological Seminary. She is the author of The Liturgy of Politics: Spiritual Formation for the Sake of Our Neighbor, now available from InterVarsity Press.

Key Questions for Kaitlyn Schiess

-What do you mean when you say that evangelicals were not sufficiently political in the 70s and the 80s?

-What would you say to Christians who think that we should pull out of politics? 

-How can a ministry leader help people convinced of one party to be more reflective?

-What are the four false gospels that evangelicals believe?

Key Quotes from Kaitlyn Schiess

“Part of the problem was not that we were so political [in the 70s and 80s], but that we were insufficiently political.”

“All of a sudden, we ended up in a position where the whole range of political views for one this one party were seen as uniquely Christian when they probably weren’t.”

“The answer to [the challenges of politics] is not not engaging anymore. I think it’s engaging more carefully.”

“When we engage politically, there are so many things that are trying to grab our attention affectively, they want to grab our hearts.”

“[Pastors], how are you spiritually forming [your congregants] in ways that counteract those political stories?”

“Politics is not just about policies and leaders. It’s about the direction of our spiritual formation, which is always directed towards a political end.”

“People’s hearts are captured by these really strong political forces…a lot of what’s happening is their identity, their sense of what is good in the world and what kind of world we should be seeking to create, are really different. Those are really emotional responses.”

How to Set the Price for a Youth Ministry Event

By
Josh Griffin
-

Thought this article from Luke Trouten on youth ministry events was fantastic – it goes into practical detail about planning and preparing a big event. Some really great stuff here – read the little bit I’ve stolen here, head there for the whole piece. Awesome!

Find Your Range
Because of all those variables, you won’t be able to nail down an exact per-person cost for any trip. To make sure you don’t lose your shirt (or your job!) it’s important to figure out the best-case and worst-case scenarios for sign-ups. You want to make sure that if you sign-ups are particularly low you can still afford the event. It can also give you an idea of the minimum number of students you’d need before the event can pay for itself. Likewise, it’s important to know what happens to the price if everyone brings 5 friends to the retreat.

Our parent church goes to the same convention we do each spring, but they charge much less than we do. I assumed it was just because they have a larger budget and could afford to subsidize it more. Out of curiosity, I plugged in their numbers to my formula (they bring about 5 times as many students) and was amazed to find that the price plummeted for a group that big. Sometimes the per-person costs don’t work how you’d think.

Don’t Apologize for the Price
It can be tempting to apologize when an expensive event comes up. While it may feel like you’re winning points by sharing in the sticker-shock, ultimately you’re devaluing your own event. You should be confident that the trip or retreat your planning is worth every penny it costs (and more)! To be honest, most youth trips are a bargain, and planning a similar event for your family or school group would cost even more. When you apologize for the price you convey that it maybe isn’t worth that much to go to the event. People are willing to pay if they are confident they are getting a good value for a fair price. Don’t undermine it by insinuating maybe the event costs too much.

Offer Assistance
While you shouldn’t apologize for the price, you also shouldn’t let the price get in the way. The reality of trips is they cost money. The reality of life is that sometimes money is tight. If your church does fundraisers, that can help offset some of the cost. Our church has a few reasons why we don’t do fundraising. But we still say, over and over, that money should not be the only reason a student can’t attend an event. That’s right, if the only thing keeping a student from signing up is the cost, we take away that obstacle. We ask if they can afford part of the fee, and the church covers whatever is leftover.

If we are going to tell students to that God provides if we trust in him, then we better put our money where our mouth is. This has been our policy for years and it’s provided many opportunities to see God come through in powerful ways. One of my favorite sayings is, “If it’s God’s will, then it’s God’s bill,” and he’s picked up the tab (and created some great stories) more than once.
JG

9 Anti-Abuse Practices Your Church Needs to Adopt

By
Becky Castle Miller
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communicating with the unchurched

Abuse is an abstract concept for many people, and it’s a word heavy with cultural misconceptions. When talking about abuse, I’ve learned to bridge the communication gap by defining and describing it: Abuse is a pattern of coercive control based in an abuser’s feeling of entitlement to power over another person. An abuser gains and maintains control through various tactics that can be physical, emotional, verbal, financial, sexual or spiritual. Abusers actually target churches to find victims and to move into positions of power, so church leaders must be prepared with anti-abuse strategies to prevent abuse, to deal with it in their congregations, and to provide healing for abuse survivors.

The first step in addressing abuse is to grasp how prevalent it is. Half of your church members have likely experienced abuse: child abuse, sexual assault, intimate partner violence, spiritual abuse in a religious organization. It’s not an issue “out there”—it’s an issue “in here.”

Anti-Abuse … Prevent Abuse Before It Happens

1. Repeat your church’s clear stance on abuse.

When a church leadership team commits to fighting abuse, they should communicate this vision to the congregation. Mention it on the website and in volunteer handbooks. Hang signs in the women’s bathroom that give a confidential email address to contact a staff person if a woman feels unsafe in a relationship. Post signs outside the nursery that explain your policies for preventing child sexual abuse, such as screening volunteers and having two unrelated volunteers together at all times.

Preach about abuse in full sermons that focus on it, and also mention abuse as a related topic in other sermons. When teaching on marriage and relationships, always tell people that the advice does not apply to abusive relationships. Speaking openly about abuse warns abusers that they won’t find a secret place to take power over others in your church.

2. Screen staff and volunteers.

Do criminal background checks on all staff or, at a minimum, all volunteers who work with children and youth. These checks won’t always catch someone with a criminal past, but they may cause a potential predator to bypass your church. Also Google them extensively, and call all their references.

Ask nursery volunteers to go through child abuse prevention training. Send leaders of adult ministries through training about domestic violence and sexual abuse. This will help them see red flags in other volunteers, notice if abuse does occur, and may convince predators to walk away. G.R.A.C.E. is one organization that offers abuse prevention training (http://www.netgrace.org/how-we-help).

Require volunteers to sign a commitment to Christian living that details your expectations for them. Include specific statements about avoiding abusive behaviors.

3. Teach your congregation about equality and mutual submission.

Teach what Jesus taught: that we are not to lord authority over each other. Model mutual submission in the way you interact with other leaders and with church attenders. Don’t use the Bible or spiritual language to control them or gain power over them—that is spiritual abuse. Respect the relationship each person has with the Holy Spirit and don’t usurp that place in their lives. When you treat your congregation with love and honor, showing them how well they deserve to be treated, they will be less likely to accept abuse behavior from others.

Anti-Abuse … Deal With Abuse in Your Church 

4. Believe victims when they tell you what is happening.

When a victim confides in you about abuse they have experienced in the past or present, believe them. Victims are much more likely to downplay or hide abuse than they are to embellish accounts. False testimony is incredibly rare in abuse cases. Your first response to a victim disclosing abuse must be, “I believe you.”

5. Immediately involve the proper authorities.

Do not keep abuse in-house and try to investigate it yourself. Abuse is a criminal matter, and it must be handled by the police. Many church leaders are mandatory reporters—make sure all staff members and volunteers know their responsibilities as mandatory reporters and the procedure they need to follow when they hear about abuse.

As soon as you get the victim to a safe place, child abuse and sexual assault information should always go directly to the police. Know the phone numbers of child protective services and any special victims units in your local police force.

Respect the autonomy of adult victims of intimate partner violence and allow them to make the decision about reporting abuse. Tell them that what their abuser is doing is criminal and offer to go with them to the police, but understand if they are not ready to do that yet. They may be afraid of losing their children, jeopardizing their financial support, being deported or other major life challenges their abuser has threatened them with. Offer to work with them to create a safety plan that will get them ready to leave if that becomes necessary.

Continue

A Pandemic Recalibration: God in the Center of Your Circle

By
Simon Lennox
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communicating with the unchurched

As the world stumbles back to its commonplace rhythms of pre-pandemic life—albeit with an improved hygiene etiquette, a greater sensitivity to crowds akin to claustrophobia, and perhaps the grief from losing a loved one to COVID-19—we mustn’t forget how the loneliness of lockdown exposed both our need and longing for meaningful relationships and community. 

The Bible confirms this perennial need. Humans are frankly not designed by God to be alone; we are utterly dependent on Him and on one another to multiply, cultivate, evolve, and thrive on the wonder of planet Earth as God commands in His Word and enables by His Spirit (Genesis 2; John 1:1-4). Everything in life, in some form or other, depends on people receiving and giving knowledge and care from God to one another (1 Cor 12:7).

Such interdependence between God and people is no different when it comes to studying the Bible. Perhaps the words ‘Bible Study’ fail to excite you and sound like hard work. But just think about it for a moment; God, the infinite and holy Creator and sustainer of physical and spiritual life, has provided an incredible, timeless means to personally relate to every finite and needy generation. God has spoken majestically through the beauty and intricacy of creation; definitively through the life and resurrection of His Son, Jesus Christ; powerfully through His Holy Spirit; and precisely through His inspired words of Scripture, to His beloved Church, and for the world to know its Creator. What a genius, loving, and awe inspiring idea – what else could we want? And no wonder Bible study requires work and studying together, for this is the sovereign God of the universe we’re learning about!

We need God, we need one another, and we need the Spirit-powered words of the Bible to know, love, and persevere with God in community (Rom 14:7; Luke 10:27; Matt 4:4); that’s why I believe Bible study is best experienced with friends. When governments across the world banned in-person interactions of every kind and locked down cities and towns for months (even now just easing restrictions), staying connected to God with others became more difficult. Lockdowns and restrictions have forced a reliance on technology upon every sector of society to stay open and connected—businesses, news outlets, and all kinds of community groups. Understandably many people cannot wait to get back to face-to-face gatherings due to so-called “Zoom fatigue”, but now many others are actually preferring online technology to suit their busy lifestyles (like parents of young children, single parents, shift workers, or those who live a considerable distance from others). The convenience of online technology for our globalized, fast-paced world means not everyone is looking to rush back to the ‘normal’.

In my view, the pandemic’s acceleration of the ‘internet of things’ has therefore permanently changed community Bible study. In response to this unexpected and powerful shift, I am so excited by the growing impact of WordGo on community groups and families across the globe, and I am eager to get it into your hands. WordGo is a new and free app from Bible Study Fellowship (BSF) intentionally designed to help you restart the art of Bible study and make it simple to run a group Bible study with your friends—online, in-person, or in a culmination of both.

I firmly believe—and enjoy from experience—that when God is front and centre, He creates community better than we can. So, as we climb out of lockdown and its impact on our mental and spiritual health, I invite you to put God in the centre of your circle with a little help from WordGo. 

5 Principles for Leading in Unchartered Waters

By
Dan Reiland
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communicating with the unchurched

We’ve all been in uncharted waters for the past six months.

Uncharted waters include:

  • Unfamiliar territory
  • Little to no experience navigating those waters
  • Can’t foresee what will happen

No leader is immune.

Young leaders are wide-eyed, and veteran leaders are weary-eyed, but we are all in the same COVID boat together.

We’re navigating:

  • An uncertain economy
  • A COVID environment
  • The upcoming elections

When the waters are choppy, what do you hold on to?

My Father-in-Law, Pete, was a Master Chief in the Navy and served our country well. And if you know much about the Navy, the Master Chiefs were the leaders who made things happen on a day to day basis. “Pop,” as we call him, spent a lot of time at sea and gained great wisdom about navigating rough waters. He says it’s all about people and sticking together to get the job done.

That’s good advice.

What are you holding on to in these uncharted and rough waters?

Before we cover the 5 principles, here are 4 practical thoughts that serve as anchors to hold on to:

Family and close friends
When times are tough, it is family and close friends you can count on.

Quiet time to think and pray
Your soul will never be at peace if you never slow down.

Deeply held values and convictions
What’s important to you? Make sure you know the shortlist and lead by those values and convictions. Don’t be distracted by things that don’t matter.

Simple things that bring joy
What brings a smile and makes your heart light?

Holding on to trustworthy anchors in uncharted and often choppy waters is essential to steady your soul, but moving forward is needed to fulfill your purpose.

In these days, when strategy can change rapidly, principles help direct you as you lead.

5 principles for leading uncharted waters:

1) Your peace can’t be dependent on what you can control.

Under stress, we attempt to control more than usual to compensate for the lack of ability to actually control anything of substance.

The more you attempt to control what you cannot control, the more peace will elude you.

In fact, we unknowingly attempt to control little things, which robs our peace even more, because, at some level, we know that doesn’t really change anything for good.

Soul level peace that produces a non-anxious presence comes from knowing that God is in control and our job as leaders is to focus on what we can change, not fret about what we can’t change.

The peace we all long for, even in stressful times, is a result of letting go, not grasping tightly. That doesn’t mean you don’t care; it merely acknowledges that peace is a state of being, not about possession or achievement.

Your relationship with God and focus on the fruit of the Spirit (peace) is core to the peace you desire as a leader.

2) Your confidence can’t be based on knowing the answers.

We know that leaders are not expected to have all the answers, but that doesn’t change how we feel about it in the moment. It can place doubt in our confidence, at least for a short time.

Our desire as leaders is to solve problems, make progress, and help people grow in their faith. That requires ideas and solutions (answers), which we largely express in the form of decisions.

Sometimes even under the best intentions, great thought, wise counsel, and prayer, we make a decision that doesn’t work. Or we make a mistake.

Don’t let your confidence be shaken by one-off situations that don’t go well.

You can’t possibly know all the answers, and that is especially true in uncharted waters.

Let me encourage you; no one knows “the” answers right now. In fact, be somewhat wary of anyone who tells you they do.

Build your confidence, starting with the fact that God is with you, and you are called and gifted. From there, you can believe in yourself and grow in experience and skill.

3) Your success can’t be based only on traditional scoreboards.

Traditional scoreboard stats like attendance, offerings, and first-time visitors will always be important, but they don’t tell the whole picture. And things have changed.

In fact, traditional “scoreboards” leave out some important factors, plus culture has shifted, which causes us to think about how we pursue and define success.

Let’s start with what we know; life change is the most important measure of success for the church. Then, you might prioritize how you think about that. For example, salvation and baptism are likely at the top of your list.

There are many more examples of life change, such as freedom from addiction or a redeemed marriage, and kids and teens making good decisions.

Current culture has shifted first to attending church less in general, which has been happening at a noticeable level for at least a couple of years or more.

Now, in these uncharted waters, we are all navigating the pros and cons of digital church. Each church will choose its own approach, but one thing we all know is that it’s here to stay.

Digital church is not an option if you want to reach people where they are. From there, depending on how you choose to prioritize it, you can encourage people to attend in person when they are ready.

People will want to come back, but it will take time.

Help! I’m Infatuated With Someone Other Than My Spouse

By
Gary Thomas
-
communicating with the unchurched

In 1977, Avodah Offit wrote a popular book entitled The Sexual Self that became a favorite among many sex therapists. I’m not endorsing the book (I haven’t actually read it), but she has a quote in it that I wish I would have read before I got married:

“My experience indicates that most people become infatuated or fall in love with others an average of six times in the course of a long marriage.”

Six times sounds like a lot to me, but when I found myself very attracted to someone else rather early in my marriage to Lisa, I was caught completely off-guard. It made me think something was wrong with my marriage, rather than that such feelings are normal and even predictable. Not being fore-warned, I wasn’t fore-armed. It would have been so helpful for me to know thirty years ago not to freak out. Perhaps I would have managed it better than I did.

If you’re committed to cherishing your spouse for life and suddenly find your mind fixated on someone else, there are many wrong responses and several right ones.

The first wrong response is to assume something is wrong with your marriage, in the sense that you need a new marriage. For us Christians, trouble in our marriage is more like finding out we have heart disease. In all but the most serious of cases (abuse, unrepentant infidelity) we should seek to repair the heart instead of search for a new one.  If you don’t understand that additional attraction is normal you may think that because, momentarily at least, you seem to have stronger feelings for someone else than you do for your spouse, the marriage must have run its course.  But just like with a physical heart (where you can bring cholesterol down and alleviate high blood pressure before you seek a heart transplant), so in marriage you can treat the underlying weakness before you jettison the relationship.

In a sacred marriage, the marriage isn’t over until God says it’s over. Your feelings for this other person that you’re not married to don’t mean you no longer have a deep commitment to (or even love for) your spouse; your emotions have just been caught off-guard. That’s all it is. That’s what emotions do. In other words, don’t make the infatuation more than it is. Arm yourself with this understanding: if you get a divorce and marry this new person and stay married for a long time, you’ll eventually become attracted to or infatuated with someone else, maybe even your current spouse! (Don’t laugh. I’ve seen it happen with other marriages.) Infatuations inside and outside of marriage are momentary storms. It’s foolish to cancel your summer vacation because of a winter storm warning. Just wait until it passes.

The second wrong response is to be caught by surprise. Imagine a heavyweight boxer working out for months, strategizing for his next fight, then freaking out when he takes an uppercut that makes him woozy. A good trainer will tell him in advance to expect and then overcome that hit—clinch your opponent, stall for time, get your full consciousness back as soon as possible. The champion boxer will have a plan for when he gets hit.

In marriage, an infatuation or attraction for someone else is like that uppercut. It’s part of the game—much more common, apparently, than I realized, if Offit is to be believed. We’ve got to learn how to respond rather than let the uppercut take us out. When it happens, figure out how to recover instead of just falling down (we’ll address that in a moment when we talk about right responses).

The third wrong response is to feed the attraction or the infatuation. The famous three elements of building a relationship—time, talk, and touch—must be guarded against, religiously. Suffocate the affection. Don’t feed it. Deprive it of everything that normally builds a relationship. If you slip off alone and have a meal together “to talk things out,” you’re creating a romantic tsunami that may become more powerful than you can handle. Sneaking around creates an intimacy that feeds the infatuation and feelings. “You and me against the world” becomes a romantic notion instead of the nightmare scenario that it is. In such cases, it’s not just “you and me against the world,” it’s “you and me against God,” and that’s a dangerous place to be.

So, the three wrong responses are, don’t assume it’s the end of your marriage; don’t be caught by surprise; and don’t feed it.

The Right Responses

Lisa eventually found out about the first time I became infatuated with someone else because it became a big mess, much to my own discredit and fault. The second time, Lisa never knew because I was prepared and knew how to handle it. I went to my godly, wise friends. I was part of a great accountability group we called “the Pacific Rim” because it consisted of a Japanese man, a Korean man, and a Chinese man. I was the token white guy. I think every young husband should have friends that are following the Lord like these guys.

Right away I let them know what was going on. It was at a conference, and absent “artificial contact” I wouldn’t see this person again for about another year. We jokingly called her the “elevator girl” because that’s where I met her. It would have been possible to track her down if I had a “work” question, but my friends and I had agreed, “We’re not ever going to do that, right?” And they’d check up every now and then to make sure nothing was going on. I’m such a terrible liar—I’d lose everything I own if I tried to play poker—so there was no chance of fooling these guys.

I was surprised at how quickly and how easily this second attraction was managed. Without it being fed, it died a rather predictable and easy death. There’s been nothing else remotely close to it in the past couple of decades, so I don’t see how I can get to Offit’s six—and I hope I never do.

No doubt, focusing so intently on cherishing my spouse certainly keeps me distracted from possibly cherishing someone else.

Here’s what made the difference: I saw the attraction as a threat instead of a fantasy or escape. I knew it had to be guarded against instead of fed. I knew I needed to ask for help and reinforcements. And I knew, from past experience, that it could pass and it needn’t threaten my marriage. It didn’t even have to frustrate my marriage. It never reached the point where I or the guys thought I should even talk to Lisa about it, because it was never a big deal.

For her part, Lisa has experienced this just once and, like me, was caught totally off guard. “No one ever warned me that this happens,” she told me years later. “No one talks about it.” I tried not to take it personally that he had a ponytail (you can take the girl out of Seattle, but you can’t always take Seattle out of the girl).

Add both of us up, and our marriage has faced this three times. The lesson learned? Don’t take it too seriously when an outside attraction or even infatuation happens to you, and don’t take it too personally when it happens to your spouse. We rarely choose these things, and, at least according to therapists, they’re bound to happen. In a sacred marriage, there’s so much more keeping us together than a momentary emotional storm. Remind yourself of those things: the vows you made to your Creator, to your spouse, before your church, and friends and family. The reality that you are married to your heavenly Father-in-Law’s daughter or son. Your kids’ welfare. Your witness. The spiritual benefit of working through difficulties in marriage instead of running from them. The fact that having to kill your marriage and betray your life partner should make you miserable and ashamed rather than happy.

Like a champion boxer who anticipates his opponent’s uppercuts, recognize that monogamy will also involve taking a few hits. One hard punch doesn’t have to knock you out and shouldn’t knock you out. Practice wise self-defense and you can stay in the ring and finish the match.

Knowing that outside infatuation remains a possibility can actually serve marriages. Proust suggests that a little jealousy rescues relationships that have been “ruined by habit.” It’s natural to begin taking our spouse for granted. Occasionally doubling down on winning our spouse’s hearts back is a good practice if it’s not done out of desperation and fear. Rather than remembering to do this only when we suspect an outside attraction has already been built, we can anticipate it. Since I now know that this happens, I shouldn’t get too laissez faire in my marriage. Just because I take a break from wooing my wife doesn’t mean her emotions will take a break from being wooed.

Positively working to cherish your spouse (by taking the Cherish Challenge!) can keep your mind and heart so activated and attuned to your own marriage that outside emotional attractions are likely to become far less common. At least, that’s what has happened with me.

Cherish Challenge Week 7

  • Read chapter 9 of Cherish, “Cherish Your Unique Spouse.”
  • If you haven’t done the Relate assessment yet, do it now here. This survey will help you understand yourself, your spouse, and your couple dynamics in a clearer, more scientific way. Get 20% off the purchase of your Relate assessment by using the coupon code “Gary”.
  • Spend a date night describing each other. Yes, you’ve heard it all before, but go over your histories, your personalities, what makes each of you you.
  • Choose a favorite picture to post in a place where you’ll see it every day: on your desk, where you get dressed, etc. If you already have such a picture, be intentional about looking at it each day for the next week, thinking about your spouse and what he/she means to you.
  • Please share your story with how this is helping your marriage on the Cherish Challenge page here.

This article originally appeared here.

In-Ear or In-The-Sanctuary: You Can Set Up a Killer Personal Monitoring System

By
Duke Taber
-
communicating with the unchurched

A personal monitoring system takes an individual’s monitor mix and sends it directly to the ears of that musician or singer. If in a church with high ceilings and hard surfaces designed for acoustic music, choirs and sermons, there are a few problems. Some churches are acoustically challenged venues such as the ones meeting in a school gym or office building. For a quieter stage, less feedback and more control over individual mixes, a personal monitoring system is the answer. Today, entry-level wireless in-ear monitoring (IEM) systems including transmitter, bodypack, receiver, and earphones are far less expensive than the equipment that first came on the scene in many mega-churches nearly 20 years ago.

To determine what kind of system will work best for you/your church, let’s assess your needs and those of the musicians and singers and the type of mixing console that you have.

Who will benefit the most from a personal monitoring system?

  • Of course, vocalists will benefit from it, but also drummers will play quieter and more controlled with IEMs.
  • Organists will also benefit, especially if they are located at the opposite end of the sanctuary. Time delays can be eliminated if choir monitors are fed into the organist’s personal monitor system.
  • Pastors and teachers will benefit as the IEMs prevent feedback that comes from gooseneck microphones or lavaliers.
  • Choir directors use it for cues to hear the pastor more clearly.
  • It eliminates the “volume war offenders”!
  • Audio engineers use IEMs for microphone placement in front of loud instruments. This lets the engineer walk right to the front of the amp cabinet and position it for the best audio without being exposed to louder than normal sound pressure levels.

Do you want wired, wireless or both?

Hardwired systems require the musicians and singers to be tethered to a cable. Drummers, back-up singers and keyboard players who are stationary on stage have no problem with being tethered and thus can take advantage of the lower cost and the simplicity that hardwired systems offer.

Hardwired systems also work without searching for clear frequencies. If several performers share the same mix, hardwired systems can be chained together without causing noticeable signal loss.

Wireless is more sophisticated and expensive. Also, it requires more attention to detail. However, the advantages are great: free-to-move worship leaders and musicians can hear a consistent mix from any location on stage. If several performers are using the same mix, they are easy to hook up. You can use however many wireless receivers as you need to monitor the same mix and there will be nothing harmed. No cables to trip over counts for something.

Do individual artists need their own personal monitoring system or can the band share monitor mixes?

It depends on how many people are in your band and who needs a personal monitor. The band must collaborate and figure out what they want to hear in their mixes. Here are some ways to go:

One mix:

Everyone wants to listen to the same mix, but this defeats the purpose of individual monitoring that allows each performer to hear themselves.

Two mixes:

An inexpensive setup would be one for vocals and another for instruments. The performers individually choose how much of each mix they want to hear. However, band members must agree on the configuration. It is a cost-effective way to transition to personal monitors.

Another way to work with two mixers is to have a separate mix for the drummer. Drummers want to hear more drums in their monitors than the singers and other musicians do. Also, drums can be played acoustically, especially in small venues.

Three mixes:

Assuming the vocalists agree on a mix of the vocal microphones when they share the same mix you get a good vocal blend. The lead vocalist could have an individual mix.

A great solution is to place some of the backup mics in the “instruments” mix and adjust the vocal mix to satisfy the lead singer, even if that means you must add some instruments to the “vocal” mix. This way you have an individual mix for the lead singer, a mix for guitars and keyboard that includes their vocals, and finally a drum mix that can include the bass player.

How many mixes does your console have?

Monitor mixes are created using auxiliary (AUX) sends from a mixer, either FOH console or a dedicated monitor console.  Usually, a console of small format should have at least four AUX sends which are also used for effects. How many available sends that your console has will determine how many monitor mixes you can have.

Will you go with stereo or mono?

Most personal monitoring systems can go either way. Stereo requires two channels of audio so two sends are required to create a stereo monitor mix. It takes twice as many sends as a mono mix and it will quickly use up your AUX sends. If your mixer has only four sends, you can only create two stereo mixes. Mono can save you a lot of money.

How is your budget?

You can spend several hundred to several thousand dollars for a good wireless system. It is a good idea to start gradually with one band member at a time. It may take a while for all of the members to adjust to IEM after years of standing in front of a mic.

Conclusion:

To determine what kind of system will work best for you/your church, first assess your needs and those of the musicians and singers and the type of mixing console that you have. Consider:

  • Who will benefit from it?
  • Do you want wired, wireless or both?
  • Do individuals need their own monitoring system, or can they share?
  • How many mixes does your console have?
  • Do you want stereo or mono?
  • How is your budget?

With all of these things taken into consideration, you will be able to make the right choice for a personal monitoring system.

 

This article about a personal monitoring system originally appeared here, and is used by permission.

True Worship: Experience or Encounter?

By
Timothy Willard and Jason Locy
-
communicating with the unchurched

This feature is a special excerpt from the book Veneer: Living Deeply in a Surface Society by Tim Willard and Jason Locy. Download the Kindle version for 99 cents until Monday!

Behold, the dwelling place
of God is with man.

 — Revelation 21:3 ESV

If you ever have the chance, do yourself a favor and explore the Four Corners area where New Mexico, Colorado, Utah, and Arizona all meet. It’s the kind of place that feels like God took extra care to create. In New Mexico, you can drive a hundred miles in any direction, stop the car, and step out into the resounding silence of a mesa desert where the silence hovers, permeating the entire region.

The Durango silence differs; there, Colorado’s San Juan Mountains rifle up toward the sky, thick with bristle cone pine and aspens. Creeks and rivers knife down and through the mountains, splashing liquid white upon the outdoor canvas. And then there’s the sound. At 4:00 a.m. on a clear June night, you can see just enough of your surroundings to feel uneasy. All is still, except for the air whistling ever so gently through the pines while the aspen leaves rustle their approval. And when you look up, through the trees, the stars jump out of the darkness like millions of surfacing whales, majestic and fearsome.

Beneath the canopy, you can barely see your campsite. If not for the whale stars, all would be black. As you stand outside your tent, you can hear your heart beating, but just barely. The silence has a rhythm — the cadence of the leaves, the flow of the rushing water, and the crackle of a neighboring fire. These are the sounds of the San Juan silence, and they are wonderfully deafening.

Next, head west, just over the mountains, to Moab, Utah. Grab some java at Mondo Coffee and hit the Porcupine Rim trail on your mountain bike or take a jeep tour of the red desert. Then, continue northwest and spend the night in Bryce Canyon.

In Bryce, another kind of silence awaits, the brilliant kind. Camp near the rim of the canyon if you can. There are plenty of sites. Do your best to wake up well before the dawn. Hike over to Sunrise Point and set up your camp chair facing east over the canyon. And wait. If you have coffee, bring it; you may also want your journal.

From this vantage point, you will be able to see more stars than you ever thought possible. They are not the same whale stars from Durango; these are the minions of God — the infinite army of light soldiers, their shields shimmering like a pirate’s treasure. They’re a spectacle so vivid you can decipher them by color and size. But this is not why you’re sitting here.

As the sun gets closer to the horizon, the stars fade and the canyon begins to wake. All the hoodoo rock formations with their red-rock hues come into view, and you begin to see the valley stretch out before you. The thin mountain air crystallizes the view. And then it happens: the first peek of sunlight emerges, shouting past the horizon like a growling giant. The canyon explodes with color. The sky bleeds into a rainbow while the canyon dances in shadows and light.

The sound is brilliant, painted with color and majesty and wonder, and a touch of magic. As you watch it all unfold, you gasp. Again, you can hear your heart beating, fast. You breathe in while your eyes dart from canyon to sun to sky to journal. Nothing more to do but sit and listen and watch.

The weight of silence, the fullness of solitude — we are not familiar with either. They seem strange and uncomfortable to us. And yet within them are the deep murmurings of God.

You will, undoubtedly, be hard pressed to find a place devoid of sound, so perhaps the better idea of silence rests in the act of being quiet, hushing your words to hear God’s. And doing so in a place of beauty, removed from distractions.

The Four Corners’ version of silence and solitude is grand. Its massiveness makes you feel insignificant. If you’ve ever rappelled down a sheer Sierra Nevada cliff or dropped two hundred feet into the pitch black belly of a mountain, then you know the feeling of complete helplessness — your heart beating in your ears, your mind racing through death scenarios. Fear and exhilaration fill the encounter. The allure of this part of the country rests in its wildness and unpredictability. At any moment, you could be crushed by its immensity. It drips with holy grandeur, like God is hovering over and breathing down on the land.

Path to Self-Abandonment

Who is God to you?

When you daily approach him, how do you do it? What motivates you? Do you come to him with a scripted mindset as if you were taking a vacation to Disney World where you know exactly what to expect? Do you bank on God’s being and acting a certain way?

Or do you approach him with zero expectations?1 The same way you’d approach hiking a newfound trail. You would start walking, taking in the view. Nothing scripted, nothing predictable.

What do you bring before him? Do you bring him the cracked vessel of you? Or do you bring him a veneered you, the lost and afraid you?

What does it mean to worship him?

Too often we treat God as our pocket Savior, our own personal Jesus, or our political fail-safe or maybe even our get-out-of-jail-free card for a way of living we know isn’t on the up and up.

“If you have only come the length of asking God for things,” writes minister and teacher Oswald Chambers, “you have never come to the first strand of abandonment, you have become a Christian from a standpoint of your own.”2 And this will not fly. We cannot approach God as though he were a cosmic superstore. We must be willing to hold the relational position of self-abandonment.

Self-abandonment? Isn’t this the society in which the pursuit of self gets rewarded? Do we not promote language like “positive self-speak” and “leveraging influence” and “expressing yourself”? In our society, if you’re not leveraging or maximizing something, you’re underachieving.

But no matter how much we try to skew the Christian life, we cannot wiggle away from Christ’s own challenge to his disciples: “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.”9 Through Christ we find that grace transforms us out of our fallenness and that mercy challenges us to follow after Christ himself, a way of life wholly other.

Life’s realities make following along this narrow path difficult. It can be lonely. We’d rather be friends with God and fall into a nonchalant faith of church attendance and worship events than to seek him in the brilliant silence. Many of us are frustrated in our spiritual lives because we feel like God doesn’t hear us. But should that frustration surprise us when we ask of him from a position of selfishness?

Seventy-five years ago, poet T. S. Eliot wrote,

O world of spring and autumn, birth and dying!

The endless cycle of idea and action,

Endless invention, endless experiment,

Brings knowledge of motion, but not of stillness;

Knowledge of speech, but not of silence;

Knowledge of words, and ignorance of the Word.

All our knowledge brings us nearer to death,

But nearness to death no nearer to God.

Where is the Life we have lost in living?

Where is the wisdom we have lost in knowledge?

Where is the knowledge we have lost in information?

The cycles of Heaven in twenty centuries

Brings us farther from God and nearer to the Dust.12

Eliot’s words are familiar to us. Not because we have read them before but because we have lived them and are living them. In gaining the world, we refuse to abandon the self. We are nearer to the dust and have nothing to show for it.

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