Prominence vs. Significance

prominent - adj - 1. Projecting outward from a line or surface: PROTUBERANT. 2. Immediately noticeable: CONSPICUOUS. 3. Widely known: EMINENT.

significant - adj - 1. Having or expressing a meaning: MEANINGFUL. 2. Having or expressing a covert meaning: SUGGESTIVE. 3. Momentous: IMPORTANT.

Can one be significant without being prominent? This is a question I have grappled with for several years now. The vast majority of us are not, and will never be, "prominent" but I firmly believe we can all be significant. The difference is, I believe, well, significant.

There is much desire for prominence in our culture. Gaining one's fifteen minutes of fame seems to be the life pursuit of many. Some see prominence as equal with significance as is illustrated in the celebrities who find it necessary to comment upon subjects about which they have little or no knowledge. Sadly prominence does not necessarily carry with it the weight of significance.

Significance may go largely unnoticed by the tabloid tititlated public. Significance may pass quietly under the radar of the prominence seekers. Significance rarely seeks prominence preferring the quiet and steady rhythms of meaningful change.

On rare occasions there are those significant individuals who are contentedly carrying out their significant livs that, much to their surprise, become prominent. One thinks of Mother Teresa, or Rosa Parks, or Billy Graham, or Martin Luther of the reformation (Perhaps Dr. King would fit this category though I might argue from his biography he was always seeking prominence), and these are only a few who come to mind quickly.

Can one be significant without being prominent? In my little life there have been many significant people whose names would mean nothing to you, yet for me they are the sources of life and inspiration. Here's to significance! Live it well!

Sustenance

I am thankful for green pastures.
My souls needs to stand again beside still waters
and once again hear the voice of my beloved Shepherd.

Too long, too far, and too many days
have I struggled along.
Peace, rest, sustenance for a wearied soul -
a need, a song.

In these scant few hours of rest
my struggles have ceased and I find again
the sure footing of faith.

Big God - little me

Image by jpstanley via Flickr

Big God. little me.

Today I discovered a place of wonder on-line and encourage you to discover it too. Take a virtual trip to a rural hillside and see our cosmic neighborhood. Giga Galaxy Zoom will give you an unprecedented opportunity to see the Milky Way. After your head stops spinning from the magnificence revealed on your little computer screen (you might want to take your laptop outside and hold it up to the night sky---just for effect) take a few moments to marvel at the God who "calls them all by name."

"It is he who sits above the circle of the earth, and its inhabitants are like grasshoppers; who stretches out the heavens like a curtain, and spreads them like a tent to dwell in...Lift up your eyes on high and see: who created these? He who brings out their host by number, calling them all by name, by the greatness of his might, and because he is strong in power not one is missing." Isaiah 40:22 & 25-26

Big God. little me.

When we lived in the greater Atlanta metro area we missed the night sky. It is largely a wash of light pollution allowing only the brightest of stars to shine through. When we moved to our slice of rural heaven we were stunned by all we had been missing. Wonder was reborn in us as we observed the turning of the universe. We eagerly await Leo's rise in the spring and long for Orion's winter arrival. We never knew Corvus (the Crow) or Bootes (the Shepherd - one of my favorites!) or Auguira (the Charioteer) ever existed before moving to a place where the stars can actually be seen. Lying on our hillside with our eyes lost in the vastness of the night sky we finally understood what David meant when he asked, "When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is man that you are mindful of him, and the son of man that you care for him?" (Ps. 8:3-4)

Big God. little me.

Now THAT'S What I'm Talking About, - Again!

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"Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven." - Matthew 5:15-16

My copy of The Alabama Baptist (you can read the article on line next week...) came today and there on the front page was the story of hundreds of students paying for the opportunity to go and serve someone else in the name of Christ. Now there's a concept for you, paying for the privilege of serving someone else. When's the last time you heard of that happening? World Changers is an outstanding example of selfless service and effective partnership between local government and the body of Christ. M-Fuge is another excellent example of meeting people at their point of need.

These are just a couple of ways Southern Baptists are seeking to change the conversation about what it means to be a follower of Christ. There is the dynamic work being done by Southern Baptist Disaster Relief crews who are often the first on the scene following a disaster. The World Hunger Fund is unique in that EVERY dollar given goes directly to relief efforts all over the world (unlike many other relief agencies which take a significant portion of contributions for staffing, publicity, logistics, etc.). Then there are the countless points of ministry which will never be in a news article or the subject of an acclaimed documentary. Simply God's people doing God's work in God's way.

Invariably when such things are being done the question is asked, "Why?" And when that question is asked God's people are ready with the answer, "The love of Christ compels me." (2 Corinthians 5:14) And sometime those asking "Why?" will want to know more about this love of Christ and God's people are ready to tell them about it.

As Jesus reminded his friends, "Even the Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve and give His life as a ransom for many." (Mark 10:45). Keep following the leader church. Keep following the leader.

Now THAT'S What I'm Talkin' About!

Really?!?! A well-known Bible thumper working side by side with an openly gay mayor? Can they possibly have anything in common? In a word, yes. With their differences clearly on display for all to see, Evangelist Luis Palau and Mayor Sam Adams stood together at the front of Portland, Oregon's Hinson Baptist Church to kick off the second annual Season of Service.

What's a bible-believing, soul-winning, on fire for

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Jesus evangelist doing standing next to an openly homosexual, politically liberal mayor? The very thing, I believe we might find Jesus doing. Jesus was repeatedly taken to task for "hanging out with the wrong crowd" to which he responded, "Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. Go and learn what this means, 'I desire mercy, and not sacrifice.' For I came not to call the righteous but sinners." (Matthew 9:12-13)

Somehow this evangelist and this mayor recognized that "the least of these" in their city needed help and that opportunity was not a liberal or conservative issue. That need was not somebody else's job. That need was something that all people should address - maybe most of all the believers among us.

Tom Krattenmaker's article in USA Today lays out the dynamics of this dynamic partnership (perhaps the way church and state should be relating...) and signals the growing cultural awareness brought on by the unavoidable acts of mercy being committed by Christians. He states, "the evangelical church may be losing its temporal power but winning something more important: its soul."

He might just be right.

"Here Come the Christians!"

Our church family experienced a wonderful day of worship Sunday as our students shared their stories from M-Fuge this year. Their trip to Charleston, S.C. to share the love of Christ had a transforming effect on Charleston as they left the evidence of their passing in the lives of children, the elderly, the handicapped, at soup kitchens, abuse shelters, and on freshly painted houses. Perhaps more transforming was the impact of serving others in the name of Christ. Those who went returned significantly changed.

One shared comment caught my attention and fired my imagination. Angie worked all week with children in a difficult neighborhood and she shared that as they pulled up on the last day she could hear one of the girls yelling "Here come the Christians!" (I wish I could give you the vocal inflection here - just know that it was ethnic, joyful, and sincere.)

I thought to myself, "If only that could be the world's reaction to the arrival of Christians."

It seems that the world is less than excited to see Christians coming.

Image by NatalieMaynor via Flickr

According to research done by the Barna group, and published in a book titled UnChristian, growing numbers of people born after 1965 describe Christians with words like...

• hypocritical
• pushy
• anti-homsexual
• sheltered
• too political
• judgemental

too rattle off a few. One fellow from Mississippi stated, "Christianity has become bloated with blind followers who would rather repeat slogans than actually feel true compassion and care. Christianity has become marketed and streamlined into a juggernaut of fearmongering that has lost its own heart." (p. 15, UnChristian, Dave Kinnamen)

Ouch.

It doesn't sound like there are many voices like that little girl's in Charleston, S.C. shouting with delight that the Christians have arrived.

I am grateful that our students and adults had the opportunity to demonstrate the love of Christ. I pray that all who claim to follow Him will take note that He came with a hand stretched out in love and not a fist clenched in anger (except for those who were supposed to be rightly related to God - another post for another day). And even His lovingly outstretched hand ultimately got a nail driven through it for His trouble. To which He replied, "Father forgive them for they know not what they do."

Beloved, we have lessons to learn.

Reconciliation Continues in South Africa

Cori is at the Amahoro Gathering and she referred to this post from there. Scroll down through the list of speeches (you may wish to go back and take a listen later...) and read about the exchange between Adriaan Vlok and Sean Callaghan, it will be worth your time.

Grace is dangerous stuff.

Praying the Wrong Way

The following story was reported by the BBC. I was struck by the difference in the nature of prayers prayed by Muslim faithful all over the world and those prayed by Christians.

Some 200 mosques in Islam's holiest city, Mecca, point the wrong way for prayers, reports from Saudi Arabia say.

All mosques have a niche showing the direction of the most sacred Islamic site, the Kaaba, an ancient cube-like building in Mecca's Grand Mosque.

But people looking down from recently built high-rises in Mecca found the niches in many older mosques were not pointing directly towards the Kaaba.

Some worshippers are said to be anxious about the validity of their prayers.

(Emphasis added)

The article does go on to quote an official as saying the prayers were not affected in any way. I wonder who the faithful Muslims are going to believe; some government official or their system of beliefs which requires them to pray toward Mecca? I'm betting their belief system will trump the word of their government.

There is a better way! Prayer, for the Christian, is not a matter of directional fidelity but rather of relational certainty. Rather than uttering our words of prayer toward a place we are engaged in conversation with a God who is there in all places at all times.

I am grateful for the truth that "He [Jesus] is able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them." (Hebrews 7:25)

A Unique Moment of Baptismal Celebration

"If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come!" 2 Corinthians 5:17

Baptism is always a powerful time of celebration, worship, and remembrance for me. I never baptize without remembering my own baptism at the age of 8 years. I vividly recall each detail of that momentous moment. I remember Charles Langston, my pastor, asking if I had placed my faith in Christ Jesus and my affirmative response. I recall him gladly stating that because of my profession of faith he was baptizing me his "little brother" in the name of the Father, the Son, and Holy Spirit. I remember being plunged under the water and the thrill of being lifted again from the water. My life has never been the same. I was a believer before I was baptized and this event served to firmly fix this decision in my life.

Sunday morning I had the unusual pleasure of baptizing father and son together. They had both experienced baptism before but it was simply an exercise in getting wet. You see, they were not believers at the time they were first "dunked." The difference on this Sunday was not the quality of the water or the potency of any words this Shepherd spoke (as opposed to the words the pastor who had baptized them spoke), no, the difference was the condition of the heart of these men. On this day they entered these waters as new men; men who had placed their faith firmly and finally in Christ Jesus as their sole hope of salvation. What occurred in these moments of celebration, as they publicly professed their faith to those who were gathered, was a moment filled with spiritual potency and significance for all.

As each man rose from the waters applause erupted through the sanctuary in celebration of God's mighty and mysterious working in these lives. I am humbly grateful for the privilege of being present at such a moment.

Monday Morning Message - Getting Your Feet Wet

Faith has a starting place. There is a moment when we first believe.

Faith has an end. There will come a day, for those who have placed faith in Jesus, when faith will no longer be needed. We will see Him face-to-face.

There is a middle place. It is in the middle where you find the action, the tension, the events that make a story worth telling.

We are in just this kind of place - the middle. This is where the story gets interesting.

Scripture is full of these kinds of stories but we all too often rush right by the middle to get to the resolution of the moment of faith. I hope to explore just a few of these over the next few weeks. Today we simply need to get our feet wet.

In Joshua 3:1-6 & 14-17 is this wonderful story of faith in the middle. The beginning of the story we are familiar with, we're even acquainted with the ending of this chapter of faith, but it is this moment on which it all depends. Decisions are made at this point that set into motion everything that follows. It required a few priests to get their feet wet. Be sure to take a moment to read the story.

Taking a quick look back we recall that at this moment in the biblical story we are keeping company with the second generation of those who had been delivered from slavery in Egypt. These are the children of the folks who experienced the Passover and crossed the Red Sea on dry ground. These are the children of those who woke up each morning to find bread on the ground and who had seen water come from a rock at a moment of great need. These kids have grown up on the stories of God's faithfulness and probably went to bed many nights thinking, "I wish I could see God do something like that!"

This people of faith had a destiny to fulfill but there was something standing in their way, namely the Jordan river at flood stage. This 2nd generation had ample proof of God's power from their past, however their past tense faith was not adequate for their present tense needs. They needed someone to put their toes in the water.

Mark Batterson, in his book Wild Goose Chase, makes this statement "You know why some of us have never seen God part a river? Because our feet are still firmly planted on dry ground. We're waiting on God while God is waiting on us."

The question standing smack dab in the middle of this story is, "Would the priests trust God?" These guys took a risk. They laid in on the line. You see, if God doesn't come through here, these guys carrying the ark of the covenant are just going for a swim. Pretty foolish looking possibility for a dignified priest. They took the lead with everybody watching them.

Think about this for a moment. The first priests socks get wet and nothing really noticeable happens. It takes a little bit for all that flood stage water to drain off. It took a lot of faith to step into that river in the first place. I believe it took even more to keep on standing there. The question the priests had to answer standing there with their wet socks was not whether or not it made sense for them to be there with wet socks but the question they had answer was, "Has God instructed us to do this?" They answered in the affirmative. Their actions clearly display this truth.

A little while later in the story the last person from the people of Israel walks across the Jordan with their dry shoes and socks. The only ones who have not crossed all the way over are the priests standing in the now dry river bed with soggy socks and soaring spirits. They, like no one else in all of Israel, had one incredible story to tell. The story about the day they were the only ones who got their feet wet. Sure, everybody experienced the walk across the Jordan, but there were only a few whose faith made a difference on that day. After all, it doesn't take much faith to walk on dry ground. Getting your toes wet while expecting God to dry the water up is a different story.

Anybody out there ready to get their feet wet?