Especially when looking at the searches that lead to my blog.
Ahh, sunny summer mornings.
It's pretty rare I link to something on Challies.com, but... :)
I have talked to quite a number of gay men now—almost all of them white and middle aged. Many of them came out of the closet after having been married with kids. For whatever reason, 85% have come from Catholic backgrounds. That means that much of my evangelistic groundwork has already been covered. There is no need to explain that the bible has two testaments, or who Moses or Abraham were, or convince them of the historic factuality of the resurrection; for the most part, they believe it. I’m finding it’s the authority of scripture that I need to deal with the most.
When I first meet someone at the coffee shop and they ask me what I do (which is a natural “in” to introducing the gospel) they assume that I must be a liberal gay Baptist minister, because otherwise what would I be doing in their coffee shop? (The first man I talked to had only just broken up with his boyfriend, a Methodist pastor.) I begin by asking them questions. I get them to do all the talking for the next 45 minutes. I ask them about their job, their background, their family life, their personal life and what they believe and why so I can get a picture of their epistemology and worldview. Needless to say, I frame my questions in an inquisitive, slightly naive, polite fashion, not in an interrogative, formal way. Gay men love to talk (at least the ones in this coffee shop seem to) and people in general today enjoy discussing “spirituality”. Then, out of politeness, they will inevitably ask me what I believe. So I tell them the gospel, starting with Genesis 1, laying out for them the biblical storyline and worldview.
...
I do all this because I love the LGBT community. They are a community comprised of individual eternal souls. Sadly, they are culture that has almost no contact with biblical Christianity in any form. How many drag queens can count a born again Christian amongst their friends? Very few, to our shame.
A few years ago I wrote an article called Why You Should Plant a Church. It's gotten around the interwebs a bit, and I'm still regularly encouraged by folks I meet who tell me that article was a big piece of their story, their journey towards planting a church.
Strengthening the Soul of Your Leadership: Seeking God in the Crucible of Ministry
Closed Published June 22nd, 2009 on The bob.blog feed!Each chapter includes a spiritual practice to ensure your soul gets the nourishment it needs. Forging and maintaining a life-giving connection with God is the best choice you can make for yourself and for those you lead. " Highly recommended
Love that Evergreen is full of people who process the ins and outs of life in such a Jesus-y (that's for you Anne Lamott fans... "Gospel-Centered" for you Keller fans) way...
Yesterday I had to measure myself for another wedding come November.
I’m actually really excited for the AZ wedding of my good friends Kyle DiRoberts and Lolly Mullen. I’m also ready to brave the 20-person bridal party (huzzah! numbers unite!).
However, “taking my measurements” (bridesmaid dress) kinda felt like a 2×4 to the face. For a few hours (yes, hours) I pondered the trials of womanhood via measuring tape/scale/pants-that-sometimes-do-not-fit after taking down my numbers. I wasn’t thrilled about how I was feeling.
I then thought, “I’m pretty sure that Jesus doesn’t care about my exact measurements.” So, I got over it. (slowly) As I continue to question/live/ponder I’m gaining more of an understanding as to what “healthy” means...
"Without the regular experience of being received and loved by God in solitude and silence, we are vulnerable to a kind of leadership that is driven by profound emptiness that we are seeking to fill through performance and achievement. This unconscious striving is very dangerous for us and for those around us; it will eventually burn us out (since there is no amount of achievement that will ultimately satisfy the emptiness of the human soul), and the people we work with will eventually notice that they are mere cogs in the wheel of our own ego-driven plans."
I've got a new post up at Out of Ur:
June 17, 2009
The Sometimes Surprising Price of Success
What happens when our people do what we ask?
No, this post isn’t about growing pains as your church gets bigger and bigger or what to do with the budget surplus all that extra tithing is leaving you with (though if your problem is the latter, email me).
I’ve been thinking this week about the cost we pastors and our communities pay when people actually begin to do what we’re asking them do to: “Go in peace to love and serve the Lord.”
So far this year, we’ve had a hard time making budget just about every month. And as a smaller church, that matters. As I looked at the numbers, I began to wonder what was happening. Were people giving less because of the financial crisis? Were we angering people and provoking a “hold back” response in giving?
But as I tried to see the big picture of where our community is, I realized we’re actually just paying the price of success.
Read the rest here
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