What's Wrong with You...?

Sometimes, these days, I find myself asking myself questions like these, "What's wrong with you? Why can't you just do things the "normal" way? What is wrong with the status quo, anyway? Why do you always have to be so odd?"

This new thing that God is bringing to life in us and through us... it's so "different". We talk about a church that's not like most other churches... being a pastor in a way that's not like most other pastors... doing ministry in a way that's not like most ministries. It's just all so complicated. Why can't I just be a good boy and do what I'm supposed to do?

And, then, I wonder at the answer. Is it some kind of neuroses... not being able to just blend in... having to make myself stand out and, thus, appear important? Is it a function of my A.D.D. ... that I can't sit still... that I must tinker with things? Is it sin... a tendency to rebel against tradition and the "acceptable" way of doing this pastoral ministry thing?

I listen to my own heart for a time, waiting for a reply to these questions. And I listen to the Father speaking through the deep thoughts of my heart. And, this is what I always hear from him, "Yes, Mark, any of these could, at any time, play a role in your life and my calling. You are who you are. You are a human person... with neurotic motives and whole/holy motives, with disabilities and abilities that I have given to you... sometimes compelled by sin but often guided and moved by my Spirit. "

"But Mark", He continues, "I have chosen you and I have chosen Cheryl. And I will use all of who you are, and all of who Cheryl is, to carry out my will. My heart breaks for those who are broken and can't seem to find a place, a family, to really belong to... a place where I will heal them." And then He adds, "Now, stop asking all these silly questions and get on with it."

So, what's wrong with me? Plenty... but that's OK. To HIM be the glory!

Yes, Father. No more questions.

What if...

Someone once gave this definition of insanity, “Insanity means doing the same thing over and over again while expecting different results.” Now, I don’t want to imply that we church-goers are insane but, sadly, this sounds like a description of most of our congregations.
Maybe it’s because we are people who cherish the firm foundation of the Word of God, and the consistency of our church traditions, that we tend to inadvertently elevate the forms and strategies of what we know as “church” to a place where they are normative for time and eternity. It’s like the comment made by the man who would read only the KJV, “If the King James Version was good enough for Jesus, it’s good enough for me.”
We look at our church and realize that we aren’t living-out the character and mission of Jesus. We’re stagnant, or worse, we’re losing members and losing money. And, because of these losses, we’re losing steam and losing hope.
We’ve tried everything… working harder, studying longer, praying with power and fasting more faithfully. We’ve changed our church name to something relevant (like “The Sanctuary”), we’ve become “seeker sensitive” and started a candle-lit and meditative Tuesday evening service at a local bar. We’ve experienced “Forty Days of Purpose”, ignited an “Evangelism Explosion” and rigged the sanctuary for satellite feeds and multi-media presentations… until… we are exhausted and we pretty much just slip back into the status quo. Sounds crazy, doesn’t it?
What if there might be a different way of “doing church”… one that frees us to serve the Lord as individuals and as a community… that actually brings a restorative peace and rest… that renews us and enables us to serve the Lord with gladness… that liberates us to be fully who we have been created by God (and re-created by him) to be.

What if…

Sounds pretty sweet, doesn’t it?