bob.blog

Sometimes, I despair...

Especially when looking at the searches that lead to my blog. 

"naughty pastors wives"... Really? Really???

Sheesh. Get a life, man. 

It's Him we need- not you.

Ahh, sunny summer mornings. 

This particular sunny summer morning found me on our front porch before the family woke, reading, praying, thinking...

My mind went back to my early days in ministry and my frustration over not being handed the keys earlier. I had so many good ideas! I knew what was wrong with this community, with these people. Especially those older ones who seemed to stand in the way so much.

Didn't they realize that if everyone just did what I thought we should do, the whole thing would be better?

Yes- the arrogance of youth. 

We live in a world where grey hair, rather than being coveted as a sign of wisdom and experience is actually dreaded and dyed away in an attempt to emulate youth. Crazy. 

The problem is, no one has bought into this upside down value system more wholeheartedly than the young. Believe me, as someone who felt he had to plant a church, largely in response to not being handed the keys, I get the impatience. I also get the importance of handing off leadership to gifted, qualified YOUNG people as early as possible.

But here's the thing- as someone who regularly invites people in their 20s into the role of elder in our community, I can say truthfully that while age is often a consideration, the real issue is maturity, and maturity shown in particular ways. 

So- "When can I LEAD?" 

The answer is simple. 

When your love for us outweighs your impatience with us and your anger that we aren't already like Jesus. 

And when you know it's Him we need, not you.

Oregon coast

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Loving the LGBT Community

It's pretty rare I link to something on Challies.com, but... :)

This is good stuff. 

How can we both love and preach the Gospel to the LGBT community? Is it possible to say "I am your friend" AND "You need Jesus"? And what happens when the topic of sexuality comes up? 

This is a great first-hand account of someone who's preaching the Gospel AND finding acceptance among the LGBT community- not in spite of preaching the Gospel, but probably because of it- and probably because of HOW he does it. I don't know that I'd copy this style to the letter, but as a broad stroke outline and a call to befriend cultures we might feel uncomfortable around (and who might have reason to be uncomfortable around us) I find it both inspiring and convicting. (In that vein, I've recently felt like I need to be reaching out to the MANY Muslims who live in our neighborhood- this area of SW PDX is a hub...)

Here's the article:

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.

Read the rest here

Why You Should Plant a Church... Audio

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. 

Recently I got a chance to speak to a church planting bootcamp on that subject- Why Plant Churches? I basically reworked and supplemented that article for a roughly 40 min. talk.

If you are interested, here's the audio. Thanks to Ecclesia for having me and for posting this!

Strengthening the Soul of Your Leadership: Seeking God in the Crucible of Ministry

Few books hit me like water in the desert. But so far, this one is definitely like that. 

Barton has a way of talking about the realities of leading and pastoring that are both honest and transparent, and yet never lose sight of the solace and strength to be found by leaning in to the person of Jesus. 

From the back of the book:

""I'm tired of helping others enjoy God. I just want to enjoy God for myself." With this painful admission, Ruth Haley Barton invites us to an honest exploration of what happens when spiritual leaders lose track of their souls. Weaving together contemporary illustrations with penetrating insight from the life of Moses, Strengthening the Soul of Your Leadership explores topics such as responding to the dynamics of calling, facing the loneliness of leadership, leading from your authentic self, cultivating spiritual community, reenvisioning the promised land, discerning God's will together...

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