I don’t know if you heard, but Osama Bin Laden is dead. If you haven’t heard I am wondering how you are reading this since you must live in a cave! Well I have some thoughts on the death of Osama Bin Laden that I wanted to share with y’all.
- I am saddened to see this event used as a political grab, although I am not surprised. I see people on Facebook thanking President George W. Bush. I see others thanking President Barack Obama. From a very literal perspective if you are going to credit any President we would have to credit President Obama. He made the call to run the operation to achieve the desired objective of putting to death Osama Bin Laden. George Bush had nothing to do with that call, we can all admit that, Obama did not call up Crawford, Texas and ask permission. But please folk lets not make this out to be some amazing thing that Obama did either. Any sitting President who had the information that Pres. Obama had would make that call. President Obama didn’t personally search for or find Bin Laden, he didn’t provide the tip that led to his demise, he didn’t pull the trigger of the weapon that shot Bin Laden. He made a phone call. If you were President and the objective of the last 10 years, “get Osama Bin Laden” was able to be completed you would have made the same call. It has nothing to do with Democrat (remember Bill Clinton tried to get Osama too and missed during his presidency) or Republican, it is the job and the duty of the sitting president. So lets not make this political! Can’t we just be content from a Nationalistic perspective with the reality that an enemy of the United States no longer exists to be our enemy?
- I am saddened to see celebration over the death of Osama Bin Laden. I am even more saddened that CHRISTIANS are celebrating! If we are to be examples of the Lord and our lives are to be a reflection of the Lord, then how does celebrating jive with this text? “As I live, declares the Lord GOD, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from his way and live.” (Ezekiel 33:11) Did you read that? God takes NO PLEASURE in the death of the wicked. So why do we? I was once having a conversation with a friend of mine that is a fighter pilot. I asked him about dropping bombs on people, a statement he made in his response is profound and appreciated, “Chad, you sometimes see guys high-fiving and congratulating each other, but although I believe what I am doing is what I am supposed to be doing, I know I will have to give an account to God for my attitude about what I am doing. So I don’t do any celebrating because I know God doesn’t like to see people die no matter who it is.” I praise the Lord my friend feels that way! I understand that civil governments have responsibilites to protect people and the overall good of a nation, I accept this reality, but it doesn’t mean I have to like it, and I really hope I never get comfortable with it!
- Pastor Pete Wilson tweeted yesterday and wrote on his blog, “I wonder if I would have been as excited if the news had reported that Bin Laden had repented and accepted Christ as I was when I heard he had been killed?” I think it is a great question for us to think about. How would you have responded if Osama had come out and said, I have accepted Jesus as my Savior? Would people have been celebrating in Times Square and at The White House? If our answer is that we wouldn’t be celebrating this then we don’t have the heart of Christ! If we are thinking that this would be impossible or that God would never forgive a person like Bin Laden, then we don’t have the heart of Christ and we don’t know our Bibles! Can I remind you of a story in the book of Acts? In the book of Acts chapter 8 there is a story of a guy named Saul that ravaged the church. He approved of the execution of a Christian named Stephen (Act 8:1), he killed and imprisoned many other Christians (Acts 26:9-11). He struck fear into the leaders of the church even after his conversion (Acts 9:26). Saul was a TERRORIST!: “A person who uses terrorism in the pursuit of political aims.” But then Saul had an encounter with Jesus on the road to Damascus where he was going to kill more Christians, Jesus stopped him in his tracks and Saul became Paul the Apostle and his life was never the same and neither is the history of the church! (Acts 9). Osama Bin Laden to the best of our knowledge never accepted Jesus. But if he had we should have been celebrating, and what’s more, rather than praying for his capture, we should have been praying for his soul…I know I never did, and now it is too late!
Those are my thoughts. Do you agree? Disagree? What are your insights?
I was recently asked to share some thoughts at a Stewardship Committee meeting at our local conference office. One of my big messages was the way we ask for money, the words we use. They inspire no one. Often times we ask for money with such a negative outlook, “We need your money to keep the lights on!” or “Please give or else we won’t make budget!” We should be asking like we serve the God who owns the “cattle on a thousand hills.” We should ask like we believe God wants to do abundantly more than we could ever imagine with our finite offerings! That He wants to allow us to be a part of changing the WORLD! This video I think speaks to that!
So most folk know, or can find out pretty easily that Adventists live longer than most other people in this country and even in the world. Well it turns out there is an exception to the rule amongst Adventists, Me…well not actually just me, but Seventh-day Adventist Pastors. How crazy is that? The individuals leading the longest living people group die younger.
I wonder why? I have several theories of my own, but I will just share here what I think is the primary reason:
Any other pastors want to testify? 🙂
I recently listened to the book “Four Obsessions of an Extraordinary Executive” by Patrick Lencioni. I have previously read, “Death by Meeting” and “The Five Dysfunctions of a Team” both books by Lencioni and both books I would highly recommend. Once again, Lencioni doesn’t disappoint! “Four Obsessions” is an excellent book and here is a quick summary of the Obsessions, to find out how to implement them get this book.
As I listened to the book it was very clear that these were not just obsessions, in fact a better word I believe would be “DISCIPLINES!” It takes discipline to operate in this way. It takes discipline to transition into this format. It takes discipline to stand up for a system like this that doesn’t accept status quo or people giving less than their best. It takes discipline to follow through. It takes discipline to not compromise because you “like” someone or are their “friend.” Of course being a disciple is in part to have a disciplined life.
I see definite areas where I as a leader need to grow in all four of the disciplines! And where I need to challenge the team we have here at Visalia Seventh-day Adventist to rise to this level. God is the best, He gave us His best in Jesus, and He deserves our best!
So here is what I am currently reading…
“The Bible…English Standard Version“…Primarily as of late the books of 1st & 2nd Timothy –God
“The Acts of the Apostles” —Ellen G. White
“Evangelism” –Ellen G. White
“How to Grow An Adventist Church” –Russell Burrill
“The Art of the Start” –Guy Kawasaki
“Church Planter” –Darrin Patrick
“Titan: The Life of John D. Rockefeller, Sr.” –Ron Chernow
“Poke the Box” –Seth Godin
“Necessary Endings” –Henry Cloud
“Reality Check” –Guy Kawasaki
“Radical: Taking Back Your Faith from the American Dream” –David Platt
…Don’t be impressed I’m a really slow reader so I probably will be reading these same books for the rest of the year:)
Oh and I am also listening to…
“Four Obsessions of An Extraordinary Executive” –Patrick Lencioni
All but the first 4 titles and the Lencioni audio book, I am reading on my Kindle, which I love! Thank you Christina!
The church I work for is growing! There is a Kingdom movement happening that God is doing through the power of prayer that is just absolutely awesome to see! In two years we’ve gone from a church of around 300 (*corrected) active members to 500 active members (attending at least once a month). We have gone from average attendance of 200-225 (this included our children) to 350-400 each week (this doesn’t include our children whom have Children’s Church each week). When I got here there was a staff of three, I made four, we are now six. Our Children’s Pastor, Pastor Carron, a little over two years ago shared with me that she knew every kid’s name that attended our church. Two days ago she told me, “Chad I don’t know half the kids here. At first that made me sad, but now I love being able to share Jesus with sponges that have never heard about Him before.”!
Thus with all this growth there is change, because, “growth changes everything and everyone.” And with change there has been a change in communication and knowledge that individuals have about what is happening or going to happen in the church, I believe this has been one of the most frustrating realities for many within our church, especially those that have been a part of the church since it was 175 members (we are now at almost 730 members). So today I heard a great analogy from Pastor Larry Osborne from North Coast Church that I thought I would share with y’all:
A small church 50-150 (maybe even 200) is like a group of buddies on a golf outing. Everyone knows and can see exactly what is going on. Everyone is hitting for the most part similar shots. Everyone is talking about the shots being hit, there is constant interaction with everyone. But churches grow…
A larger church 150-350+ is like a basketball team. On a basketball team everyone knows all the plays. Even the people on the bench. But only a few will know exactly what everyone is supposed to do. Usually this is the point guard(s) (1 guard) and the coaching staff. The coach because he/she wrote the play, the point guard because he has to know where everyone will be at the right time to deliver the ball to the correct person. On a basketball team though most individuals have different roles. No longer is everyone hitting the same shot and doing everything together, though everyone still has a general idea of what is going on and has the ability if they want to know exactly where everyone is and what everyone should be doing. But churches grow…
A church 400-500 and beyond becomes more like a football team. In football there is offense and there is defense. There is the special teams unit which covers punts and there is the special teams unit which covers kickoffs. Furthermore the defense may have a group that plays only on a cover two package or only on a nickel package; the offense may have a spread offense and guys that only are in on plays that are part of the goalline package…Are you confused? Exactly! Larry Osborne illustrated it like this:
“One of my friends was the fifth pick in the NFL draft back when we were in college. We were hanging out one day and I asked him what it was like to play against, and I named a specific running back? My friend said, ‘I don’t know.’ Come on man, is he amazing to watch? What is it like? You play these guys twice a year. ‘Larry I am an offensive lineman. During the week I don’t look at any game tape of him. During the game he is not on the field when I am on the field and when I am off the field I am sitting on a bench listening to our offensive line coach and looking through photos of the last series of plays to see where we need to improve or what we did right, or how to stunt block someone. So when I say I don’t know, I don’t know anymore than you.'”
On the football team everyone has their own unique area and very few people, if any, know everything! They all have their own assignments and their own roles, no one not even the head coach knows exactly every detail of every unit.
At the football or basketball level not everyone can share an opinion or know every detail in a meeting or else the meetings would go ’till midnight. And not every member from church can know exactly how everything is happening or have time to share their opinion or things would bottleneck.
Larry said that is the reality of being part of a growing church. And a person who is a member or a leader of a church that is in the basketball or football stage that is still wanting to be a “golfing buddy” will have a very hard time!
“People who were used to being golfing buddies are often in for a “relational shock” when the church grows and the game changes.“
Osborne gives two important indicators that the game has changed:
“relational overload and increased miscommunication.”
I believe our church is somewhere between the basketball team and the football team and it is a struggle!
Where are y’all at?