I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but there are labor shortages and delays all over, for various reasons. Recently, here in Monument, Colorado, there was a discussion on NextDoor, the neighborhood website, about a gas shortage. A lot of tanks in the area were empty. Someone said, “It’s not a gas shortage; they just don’t have drivers to deliver it.” If you go to the website of our trash collection service, the main screen talks about their being short-handed. That explains why our pickup has been delayed at least three weeks in a row.

In that light, I was struck by this poignant, hand-written note taped to a restaurant window in Leadville, CO:

That’s a good word. Instead of being angry over slow or delayed service, we could be thankful we have service at all, and we can be kind to the people who serve us. (By the way, food at The Silver Llama was excellent!)

He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the LORD require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God? (Micah 6.8, ESV)

And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God in Christ forgave you. (Ephesians 4.32, NKJV)

I wrote yesterday that I believe all of us can be “difference-makers” whether we are leaders or not and closed with Paul’s brief description of the believers in Thessalonica:

For not only has the word of the Lord sounded forth from you in Macedonia and Achaia, but your faith in God has gone forth everywhere, so that we need not say anything. For they themselves report concerning us the kind of reception we had among you, and how you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God, and to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, Jesus who delivers us from the wrath to come. (1 Thessalonians 1.8 – 10, ESV)

Let’s bullet out what the believers were doing for clarity. This is not a bad set of goals if we are trying to make disciples. What would we like to see them doing?

• Proclaim the word of the Lord
• Turn to God
• Thereby turn away from idols
• Serve the living and true God
• Eagerly expect Jesus’ return

Paul wasn’t content that people simply make a “profession of faith.” He wanted life-change, and this list is a good starting place!

But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. (1 Peter 2.9, ESV)

Little children, keep yourselves from idols. (1 John 5.21, ESV)

Then Jesus said to him, “Be gone, Satan! For it is written, “‘You shall worship the Lord your God and him only shall you serve.’” (Matthew 4.10, ESV)

A couple of weeks ago, I read an article by someone I respect who argued that pastors burn out trying to get too many of their members to be difference-makers. He said that only 10% of people actually make a difference and that pastors shouldn’t be “trying to get blood from a turnip” by urging the other 90% to make a difference.

I couldn’t disagree more on several counts. First, I think pastors burn out precisely because they DON’T encourage their members to do ministry – many pastors try to do everything themselves. And while I agree that many people will not be leaders, I strongly believe in, as I’ve written many times, “Everyone on the Wall.” Everyone involved. The Apostle Paul certainly seemed to believe that:

We comforted and encouraged you and challenged you to adopt a lifestyle worthy of God, who invites you into his kingdom and glory. (1 Thessalonians 2:12, TPT)

Christ is our message! We preach to awaken hearts and bring every person into the full understanding of truth. It has become my inspiration and passion in ministry to labor with a tireless intensity, with his power flowing through me, to present to every believer the revelation of being his perfect one in Jesus Christ. (Colossians 1.28, TPT)

The military certainly expects competence from every member, whatever their level. They have to execute their job correctly AND conduct themselves appropriately. EVERY member. Nehemiah was the leader and vision caster, but EVERYONE was on the wall (see Nehemiah chapter 3).

My friend and former pastor John Ed Mathison agrees. Check out his recent 1-minute video which ends with the challenge to “be a difference-maker.”

The Thessalonians seemed to be difference makers, and I’ll have a bit more to say about that tomorrow:

For not only has the word of the Lord sounded forth from you in Macedonia and Achaia, but your faith in God has gone forth everywhere, so that we need not say anything. For they themselves report concerning us the kind of reception we had among you, and how you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God, and to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, Jesus who delivers us from the wrath to come. (1 Thessalonians 1.8 – 10, ESV)

I talked with the young high school student that I attempt to teach math to weekly, and we were discussing his reading through the Bible, which I was also encouraging him to do. He was observing that one of the main messages of the Bible was that people ought to follow God and that other things don’t satisfy. He’s been trying to come up with an idea for my next book so he had this suggestion:

Find a billionaire who’s tried everything and then finds out that he should have been following God. “My third Ferrari, my sixth mansion, etc. didn’t satisfy me.” – High school student

After he finished waxing eloquent on this idea, I told him, “Son, I don’t need to do that. It’s already been done!” Then I told him about Ecclesiastes.

I said in my heart, “I have acquired great wisdom, surpassing all who were over Jerusalem before me, and my heart has had great experience of wisdom and knowledge.” And I applied my heart to know wisdom and to know madness and folly. I perceived that this also is but a striving after wind. (Ecclesiastes 1.16, 17, ESV)

I said in my heart, “Come now, I will test you with pleasure; enjoy yourself.” But behold, this also was vanity. (Ecclesiastes 2.1, ESV)

He who loves money will not be satisfied with money, nor he who loves wealth with his income; this also is vanity. When goods increase, they increase who eat them, and what advantage has their owner but to see them with his eyes? (Ecclesiastes 5.10, 11, ESV)

The end of the matter; all has been heard. Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man. (Ecclesiastes 12.13, ESV)

But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation, into a snare, into many senseless and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils. It is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pangs. (1 Timothy 6.9, 10, ESV)

Ross MacAskill did the morning prayer at church a few weeks ago, and it’s too good not to share. In addition to being our friend from church, he was principal at the middle school attended by three of our kids…back in the 90s. Thanks, Ross, for the prayer, and for your positive influence on our kids!

Prayer of Gathering–June 20, 2021 (Father’s Day)

Let us bow our hearts in prayer. 

Lord, we gather this morning in thanksgiving:

We pray for the power to be gentle; the strength to be forgiving, the patience to be understanding, and the endurance to accept the consequences of holding on to whatever is Your will for us. 

Teach us to love without limit. Teach us to forgive, when forgiveness is not returned; to be patient when You seem so far away, and there seem to be no answers to our questions and our doubts. 

We give thanks this day to the fathers in our lives; those who helped form us, who have guided us, and loved us; and for those fathers who may have struggled imperfectly to model all that you had planned. 

This morning, we hear in the words of the prophet of old: “Though the fig trees have no fruit and no grapes grow on the vines. Even though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no grain; Even though the sheep all die, and the cattle stalls are empty; (And yes, even amidst the Covid pandemic) Yet even then, I will rejoice and be glad, because You are my Lord, and in You, I will be strong.” [Habbakuk 3.17, 18]

Lord, we have waited so long–prayed so long–through these many months; Let us ask, not that You hear us, but rather that each of us hears You. We have longed for Zoom(R) to turn into human touch; for waving to each other to turn into hugs; for distance to become togetherness; for silence to become joy, and simply that “holding-on” may now become holding hands. 

And while we know “that wherever two or more are gathered, You are present,” perhaps in the stillness of this week, we might hear you tenderly calling to each of us, “My precious daughters and sons, the time of exile is over. Come home. Come home to My congregation on this street corner, where My joy with you may be complete.” 

All this we pray in the name of our Lord, Jesus Christ. And all God’s children, said, “Amen”.

Here’s another lesson from this year’s NBA playoffs, again, courtesy of my son David. In the final seconds of Game 4 of the finals, Giannis Antetokounmpo of the Milwaukee Bucks, essentially beaten on a play, came back to block a dunk. If you missed it, it’s worth a look:

There’s wisdom in what Giannis said afterward, recorded here in an ESPN story:

Two days after Giannis Antetokounmpo’s ridiculous block of Phoenix Suns center Deandre Ayton’s dunk attempt late in Game 4 of the NBA Finals, the Milwaukee Bucks superstar still can’t explain exactly how he pulled it off. “It’s incredible what your body is [able] to do,” Antetokounmpo said Friday. “When you think about winning, you go to the extreme. I cannot explain the play. But, at the end of the day, that’s in the past. When you talk about the past, that’s your ego talking. It’s in the past. It’s over with. I got to move on. I got to keep making winning plays. I got to keep competing. I got keep finding ways to help my team be great. Great moment. I appreciate the moment. Great moment. [But] we got to move on.”

And move on they did: after starting game 5 down 32 – 16, they came back to win. They won game 6 and the championship last Tuesday with Giannis scoring 50 points.

You’re only as good as your last play. – Sign in the office of Fisher DeBerry, former Head Football Coach, US Air Force Academy

Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 3.13, 14, ESV)

Yesterday I talked about a famous quote, incorrectly attributed to Ben Franklin:

• Tell me, and I forget
• Teach me, and I remember
• Involve me, and I will learn

It’s a great principle, no matter who said it, but those who research these things say the following:

Benjamin Franklin never said those words, he was falsely attributed on a respected quotation website and it spread from there. The quote comes from the Xunzi.

Xun Kuang was a Chinese Confucian philosopher that lived from 312-230 BC. His works were collected into a set of 32 books called the Xunzi, by Liu Xiang in about 818 AD. There are woodblock copies of these books that are almost 1100 years old.

Book 8 is titled Ruxiao (“The Teachings of the Ru”). The quotation in question comes from Chapter 11 of that book. In Chinese the quote is:

不闻不若闻之, 闻之不若见之, 见之不若知之, 知之不若行之

It is derived from this paragraph:

Not having heard something is not as good as having heard it; having heard it is not as good as having seen it; having seen it is not as good as knowing it; knowing it is not as good as putting it into practice. (From the John Knoblock translation, which is viewable in Google Books)

The first English translation of the Xunzi was done by H.H. Dubs, in 1928, one hundred thirty-eight years after Benjamin Franklin died.” – Good Reads

I love this paragraph – bulleted for clarity:

• Not having heard something is not as good as having heard it;
• Having heard it is not as good as having seen it;
• Having seen it is not as good as knowing it;
• Knowing it is not as good as putting it into practice.
  • (From the John Knoblock translation, which is viewable in Google Books)

Knowing something is not as good as putting it into practice. Jesus was clear on this point:

Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock. And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it. (Matthew 7.24 – 27, ESV, emphasis mine)

My friend Preston Poore, whose new book I promoted yesterday, mentioned this quote in a pre-launch webinar last week:

It’s a great quote – incorrectly attributed to Benjamin Franklin, it turns out – and I’m going to be making more of an effort to involve people when I teach. After all, I certainly had to do that when I taught mathematics. My students loved to watch me do math, but of course, math is not learned by watching others do it. “Please work problem 3 on page 137” is what helps people learn math. Just like Dawson Trotman’s “You teach him” involved Les Spencer at a completely different level and actually helped him learn what Dawson had told him. It’s what Jesus was doing in Matthew 10:

And he called to him his twelve disciples and gave them authority over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal every disease and every affliction…These twelve Jesus sent out… (Matthew 10.1, 5, ESV)

It’s the 52nd anniversary of the first moon landing, July 20, 1969. I like to remember space milestones, having grown up with a lot of them, but today, I’m celebrating another important milestone. In keeping with the space theme, my friend Preston Poore has chosen today to launch his new book: The Discipled Leader.

Preston and I were together in Montgomery, Alabama, in the early 2000s, where I was privileged to invest in him in a discipling relationship. He graciously mentioned me in the Acknowledgements section as one of his mentors and asked me to write an endorsement for the book. (I had helped edit one of the early versions.) Here’s some of what I said, emphasizing the discipleship part:

A serious book for people seriously wanting to become, and help others become, disciples! And if you’re not serious about wanting to be a discipled and discipling leader, about what are you serious? Discipled Leader is a well-executed effort to help believers ‘be strong in the Lord’ and help others do the same. This is a book to put into practice! It’s an unashamed mix of solid theology, intentional action, and strict accountability. I pray that God will use Discipled Leader to produce just that—leaders who are disciples making disciples.” – Bob Ewell’s endorsement

Here’s what Dan Cathy, CEO of Chick-Fil-A wrote, emphasizing the leadership part:

In our world, we like to ‘get things done’ but seldom take time to mold the leaders of tomorrow. Preston Poore’s new book combines spiritual insight with the nuts and bolts of solid leadership. In Discipled Leader, Preston offers readers practical guidance on how to apply timeless Christian principles to leadership. It’s a must-read for every leader. -Dan Cathy

It’s a good book: solid principles with personal examples. I recommend it. Kudos to Preston for persevering to finish and get it published.

A desire fulfilled is sweet to the soul… (Proverbs 13.19, ESV)

You then, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. And the things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable people who will also be qualified to teach others. (2 Timothy 2.1, 2, NIV)

I wrote yesterday about The Chosen’s handling of the call of Matthew where Jesus told Simon Peter, “Get used to different.”

The Chosen tackles the story of the woman at the well (John 4) in Season 1, Episode 8. The Gospel of John opens the account with this simple sentence:

He left Judea and departed again for Galilee, and he had to pass through Samaria. (John 4.3, 4, ESV)

He didn’t “have to” pass through Samaria at all. Most Jews in that day went out of their way to avoid Samaria, crossing the Jordan, going up the east side, then coming back. So The Chosen captures the inevitable discussion (argument?) that the disciples must have had with Jesus about this different approach.

“Forgive me, Teacher.” Andrew snatches the map from Matthew and shows it to Jesus. “It’s safer to go around Samaria by way of the Jordan and the Decapolis.”

Jesus smiles. “Did you join me for safety reasons?”

“But, Rabbi,” Big James says, “they’re Samaritans!”

Jesus stops. “Good observation. What’s your point?”

“Rabbi, these were the people who profaned our temple with the dead bones. They hated us.” John chimes in, “They fought against us with the Seleucids in the Maccabean wars. I haven’t even spoken to a Samaritan—”

“And we destroyed their temple a hundred years ago,” Jesus says. “And none of you here was present for any of these things. Listen, if we are going to have a question-and-answer session every time we do something you’re not used to, it’s going to be a very annoying time together for all of us. …So, follow me.”  (Text from The Chosen, Volume 1 by Jerry Jenkins)

I remember a conversation back in the early 70s with a black preacher. Someone asked him, “Who would be a better missionary to, say, Harlem, in New York City? Is that something white missionaries should leave to black missionaries?” He responded: “Jesus said to the Jewish apostles, ‘You shall be my witnesses in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and the uttermost part of the earth.’ [Acts 1.8] Jews hated Samaritans…and Gentiles. Now if you and I, both Gentiles, were in Jerusalem in those days, we wouldn’t be sitting in the back of the bus. We wouldn’t have been allowed on the bus! But Jesus sent all of us everywhere!”

Get used to different. And “follow me” means we don’t engage Jesus in a question-and-answer session every time he asks us to do something we’re not used to.

Then He said to them all, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me. (Luke 9.23, NKJV)

And a voice came to him, “Rise, Peter; kill and eat.” But Peter said, “Not so, Lord! For I have never eaten anything common or unclean.” And a voice spoke to him again the second time, “What God has cleansed you must not call common.” …Then he said to [Cornelius, the Roman centurion and his friends], “You know how unlawful it is for a Jewish man to keep company with or go to one of another nation. But God has shown me that I should not call any man common or unclean. (Acts 10.13 – 15, 28, NKJV)