MIND OF TRUTH

As I'm reading the Rebranding Christianity book by Jeff Jones and writing these posts, I can hear the objections in my head. It can sound like Jones is suggesting that the church should work to secure favor with those outside our faith. There are many evangelical churches who feel it's better to hold the line tight, to be in the world, but not of the world. They proceed from the idea that we are called to be different and to stand up for righteousness. Jesus was certainly an offense to many. So much so that they killed him violently. Jesus promised his followers that they would also endure hardship and be persecuted for righteousness's sake. And to be honest, many congregations think the church has already compromised too much. They feel the church is too liberal, too accommodating, and has become too much like the world. They see the values and traditions they cling to slowly being eroded and changed.  I agree with much of that, and I get it. I wrestle with those same chal

Jeff Jones' answer to how the church's brand is like the Comcast brand, is that Christianity is experiencing severe mission drift. In other words, we tend to lose focus on our primary commitment to the mission of Jesus Christ. He says this is when " non-believers are more likely to believe that we don't care about them ." I understand why many churches choose to focus on politics or social issues. It's tempting to try to fix the problems we see in the world rather than help correct the root causes. We tend to use the same methodology with discipleship thinking that doing the right things and checking the right boxes leads to spiritual maturity. Then we think we can just get the right people in power and fix the right social issues to make the world a better place. The apostle Paul says its transformation by the renewing of the mind that gets kingdom results. Can we take a Christ centered position on social issues without reinforcing our us vs them reputation?

Jeff Jones discusses Comcast as an example of what not to do when it comes to branding. He asks, " How can a brand loose its way so badly that it becomes one of the most hated brands in America? " What would the answer be of we ask this of Christianity? How can a church loose it's way to the point where it's unaware of the negative reputation it may have in its own community? One reason why is because the church only communicates with itself. They all read the same books, listen to the same podcasts, go to the same seminars, hear all the same messages week after week, and associate with only themselves. We just assume we know what the community thinks of us without even asking them. If we do engage with them, we usually dismiss what they have to say because they don't know the truth and they just don't understand. I've been there, and been that self-righteous church person many times, trust me. We need to find a better way to engage the community, to liste

2: Cor. 4:7-9 (CEV) " We are like clay jars in which this treasure is stored. The real power comes from God and not from us.  We often suffer, but we are never crushed. Even when we don't know what to do, we never give up.  In times of trouble, God is with us, and when we are knocked down, we get up again. "  This is the nature of the kingdom life. We are blessed because we are hungry or thirsty or persecuted. The blessing comes because an empty vessel can be filled with God's Spirit, with his love and kindness, with his power and presence. No one wants to suffer or feel crushed even though Paul says we will not be crushed. No one invites times of trouble, but Jesus says they will come.  The good news is that God promises to be with us. He will give us the strength to get up again. When we are weak, then he is strong. This principle allows us to give freely without thought for ourselves. We know we have a continuous flow of life, the living water which is a well that

Is it possible for the church in America to engage in healthy dialog about change? I believe anything is possible, but God has given people this responsibility to and make disciples. God has, is, and will do all he intends to do. That don't mean God is not involved and will not do mighty things in our midst. We must move toward him, seek him, and yield our own will and agenda.  Serious conversations about this issue are a first step. There are many, many people who have built their life and identity on the current model. They would be risking incomes, reputations, traditions, mobs of disgruntled people, and the cancel culture. That last one seems to be gaining favor and is particularly un-Christ like. This all makes it hard to admit we have a problem. Seth Godin shares some good advice in his blog . He says, " It’s possible to have a useful conversation about what to do about something that’s broken or needs improvement. But first, we must acknowledge that it happened ."

The problem with kindness in that it will always cost you something. That's the point. We receive freely from the Lord out of his abundant grace, then we give freely. Except we don't always feel like giving to others. My day has been pretty busy. I had an appointment to donate blood. I signed up for a specific time, then had to wait 40 minutes. That happened because the person ahead of me was late. I heard them taking about the reason why and I definitely didn't think that was worth taking my time.  That's when the Holy Spirit reminded me how we discussed practicing kindness in my mind as well as in my words and actions. Like I said, sometimes kindness cost you something. At least I can blog about it while I wait. What decision will you make in those moments, self or others? Changing your attitude matters. Kindness matters.

More from Jeff Jone's book Rebranding Christianity... "Brand refers to the name and the idea/values being represented. Product refers to the physical product, service, or experience being provided."  Starbuck's product is coffee, but their brand is to inspire and nurture the human spirit. I would hope the product of Christianity is the kingdom of God. Not heaven or an escape from hell or church or a great weekend experience. The Kingdom is certainly the product Jesus was promoting. So, what's our brand? What idea or value should we be representing? Jones says, "A branding problem is typically a communications problem." What should we be communicating? Well, by definition that should be the Gospel, which means the good news. What is the good news? That Jesus loves you and invites all to come by faith, that the kingdom of God is here, that there is life, joy, peace and belonging for all who believe. Maybe people don't like our brand and maybe they are

I just started reading this book Rebranding Christianity: When the World's Most Important Brand Loses Its Way by Jeff Jones. Those who are part of the Church may not see Christianity as a brand, but those outside the Church definitely do and the brand is struggling. Whether right or wrong, we need to take this seriously. Jones says Christianity is "arguably the most powerful brand in the world." He says the brand promise that Jesus defined 2,000 years ago is Christianity's promise of unconditional love. If we are followers of Christ, then we need to reflect this brand and be a part of God's fulfillment of that promise.  Jones says "In the US, the Christian brand is losing relevance and influence. A key reason is that Christians, who represent the brand to the world, fail to display the promise of Christianity. We do not consistently act in a way that reinforces God's unconditional love." How do we start turning this around? I certainly cannot fulfil

One of our campus pastors told me that a guest came to their life group for the first time. As soon as the discussion started, they stood up and asked why those believers thought they were right and everyone else was wrong. Basically, why do you believe that your religion is right and other religions, or beliefs about God are wrong?  I wish I would have been there. I love honest and real questions like that. I think I would have said, "Great question and I totally see why you would ask that and why that may be offensive to you, but my answer is no, I don't believe I'm right and everyone else is wrong." I did think I was right at one point in my life. Growing up in Pentecost, there was little doubt that we were not only right among other religions, but also right among other flavors of Christianity. Just to be clear, I love Pentecost and thank God for it. I've had to make some adjustments though as we all should if we are alive and growing. So, my answer is no for

I listened to a podcast today with Jeff Jones talking about his new book Rebranding Christianity . One of the things he said is that in the church we often have a "Us vs them" mentality. We think the world doesn't understand evangelicals because they are sinners or liberal. He said a mindset closer to Jesus' teaching and actions would be an "Us for them" mentality. That makes a big difference in how the world will perceive us and in how we will perceive the world.

God has been helping me be more aware of how we can make assumptions when it comes to interpreting God's Word or taking about faith and doctrines, ect. When you've been in the church for a long time, you form lots of opinions and certainties about things.  Recently, I heard people making assumptions with the scriptures and using them to make their point or to convict and convince people. I find this happens more with discussions on end times, heaven or hell, and deeply engrained doctrines. It's tempting to keep trying harder to prove you are right. Of course, we want to do all we can to help someone come to Christ or know their faith better, but we must trust the Holy Spirit in the process. When we don't know enough about what we're saying we tend to fill in the gaps. No one wants to be embarrassed or look unknowledgeable on a particular topic. And no one can know everything, so do your best to prepare (not over prepare) and then go help others understand as God has

I can't believe I missed a few days of posting. I was asked to speak at a Life Group seminar Saturday and that took up a lot of my mental space. No worries, I'll get caught up today. I'm slowly learning how to better process tasks or events in life that push me past my normal stress levels. It's hard sometimes not to go into survival mode where all your time and effort is being dedicated to one thing. Unless it really is a survival situation, this response is usually an overreaction based on anxiety. Being aware this is happening is the first step to improving. The second step is to keep reminding yourself that you can increase your efforts in one area without totally ignoring other areas. It's really more of a flow from one thing to the next, increasing in some areas and decreasing as needed in others. It's not moving from one over reaction to another over-correction and back and forth. The third step is to be more intentional about your schedule and each of yo

In his book, Life Worth Living , theologian Miroslav Volf says “Most of the time, (life) is a series of small, seemingly insignificant decisions and nondecisions. It’s made up of habits and assumptions and incremental changes.”  We grow spiritually through the application of truth. Life is not always big leaps of faith. As we say yes to take the small seemingly insignificant steps, we are moving closer to God. We grow as we take the spiritual journey before us. A nondecision is significant as well. When we say no to God or put off the decision, we are making a decision for self. That nondecision can hinder our relationship with the Lord. Don't miss all that God has in store for you. Just keep taking one step after the next.

Three years ago today my father-in-law Charlie Mongan passed away. I still miss him. They lived in Salisbury, Md for several years and would stay with us when they came for a visit. The highlight of the weekend was always getting pizza and watching the Caps games together. Saturday mornings we would do a guy's breakfast and go for a short hike somewhere. He loved being useful and helping with projects. I would always save a project I needed to work on until he was in town. I think he sometimes felt I didn't always need his help, but it was nice to work together on something. He had his moments, but I always respected him. He was kind in his own way and always generous. I know he loved us all a great deal and we loved him. I can't wait to see him again someday!

 A decision to not apply truth which you have received is not a static decision. Your relationship with God is not on hold until a move convenient time presents itself for you to obey. A no decision is like not paddling your canoe up stream. In Heb. 5 11-13, the writer of Hebrews tells those believers that they have become dull of hearing and need to have the elementary things of God taught to them all over again. This is because they have not put those things into practice. A yes decision on the other hand, moves us closer to God even before we have fully applied the truth to our life. A decision to obey starts us on a process that takes us ever closer to the Lord. In Ps. 51:10-12, David prayed, "Create in me a clean heart oh God and renew a right spirit within me." That did not happen overnight I'm sure, but every prayer drew him closer to the goal. Don't hesitate to respond to God. Even if it means acknowledging the truth and telling him you want to obey, but you&#

Seeing God move in your life always requires your participation. We are part of the process. God designed it that way because he wants to have relationship with us.  Maybe there are things in your life hindering your sensitivity to God. Maybe you need to plan some quiet meditative time. Maybe there are things you need to confess and make right with the Lord or with others. The Bible is clear that we need to love as we are loved and forgive as we have been forgiven. Maybe that is blocking your way. Too often I have other things taking God's place in my mind. Things like anxiety, fear, worry, my own sense of inadequacy, my own doubts, my comfort zones, my lack of trust, and on and on. Sometimes we need to address idols in our life that have taken God's place. We need to confess those things to the Lord and allow him to restore us.  Whatever it is, make the time to let the Holy Spirit bring you through that separation. Get back to a place where you can participate with God to see

In 2 kings 4:8-17 there is a story of a wealthy Shunammite woman who receives a blessing from Elisha. He prays that she will have a son and she does and when that son dies, Elisha prays again, and God brings the son back to life.  How do these blessings come about? It's because this woman positions herself to receive from the prophet. Rather than going about her business while the prophet passes by, she takes the time to offer him a meal. Sometimes positioning ourselves to receive from the Lord can be that simple. Then the prophet stops in for a meal whenever he passes by. Then this woman decides to build a room for Elisha. Notice how the opportunity to spend more time with the prophet come because of the initial act of positioning herself to receive. Because of her kindness, Elisha prays for her to have a son. We don't have to know all that God is doing or wants to do in our life. We just take the next step of obedience and be open to receive. Then take the next step and the n

Jesus' sermon on the mount is recorded for us in Matthew 5-7. I've read Mat. 7:24-27 a thousand times and even acted it out with that children's song we would sing in Sunday school. Jesus said, "Everyone who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock." Right there it is in plain sight - learning and living. The man who does not live out the words of Jesus is the foolish man who builds his life on the sand. Receiving truth and doing truth leads to spiritual growth, which is why we are then able to withstand the storms in this life that come against us. The wise person will spend their life living what Jesus taught us.

Matthew 18:1-4 (ESV) At that time the disciples came to Jesus, saying, “Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?”  And calling to him a child, he put him in the midst of them  and said,  “Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.   Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. Jesus disciples must have been feeling pretty good about themselves to ask Jesus who was the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. I can't imagine what kind of an answer they were expecting. Rather than feed their ego, Jesus gives them a dose of reality. Jesus calls a child over to answer their question. He does not say that child is the greatest or that being like the child makes you the greatest in the kingdom. He says that unless you become like a child, you will never even get into the kingdom of God. Thats crazy to think about this being said to his closest disciples who had already given up everything