The Blacksburg schools pickle
If you haven’t been following the drama, tension and amazing craziness that has resulted from the collapse of the Blacksburg High School gym earlier this year, it’s a good time to jump in. It’s about to take some strange plot turns.
Since February, the students and staff of Blacksburg High School have faced and defeated what seemed insurmountable obstacles. They relocated, took things in stride as much as they could, and graduated the class of 2010 amid much fanfare. However, all the details and headaches for students, faculty and families of coordinating education and family around a 2:30-7:30 p.m. school day have taken a huge toll.
Most of Blacksburg associated with the schools have been holding their breath in hope that the high school would be able to be move back to their building this fall. The debris from the gym collapse sat for months, with no overt progress.
Suddenly, a bombshell dropped last week, and due to last week’s revelation that the high school will not be able to be used this fall, the latest proposals by the Mongomery County School Board are simply to allow a takeover of the Blacksburg Middle School by the high school and relocate the middle school students and faculty somewhere else. This makes no sense whatsoever to me.
However, there is no great solution, and perhaps the county school board and administration have finally realized the need for cooperative decision making and input from the community. They’ve called community meetings for this Monday and Tuesdays at 3:00 and 7:00 at BMS and CMS (Christiansburg Middle).
I’ve included the news release from the county schools administrative office as well as a response to the proposed solutions from the Blacksburg Middle School staff. It makes one wonder whether the school staffs are being consulted in these important and significant decisions.
There are also a couple of survey links below that you can respond to.
Letter from the Montgomery County Public Schools office:
NEWS RELEASE June 16, 2010
Montgomery County Public Schools Announce Community Meetings Regarding Facility Plans for Blacksburg StudentsOn Feb. 13, 2010, the gymnasium collapsed at Blacksburg High School. Although fortunately no one was injured, the daily schedules of students, parents, families, teachers and staff have faced upheaval as the school had to be closed for demolition and investigation into the cause of the collapse. The patience and support exhibited by everyone in our community have truly been amazing during this time of uncertainty and inconvenience.School administrators, community leaders and many others are working closely with the School Board to plan for the 2010-2011 school year. As the safety analysis of the classroom building is not yet complete, a return to the BHS campus in the fall appears unlikely. There are currently several options under consideration for housing the approximately 1,200 BHS students and staff this coming school year. These options will be shared with the community at meetings on June 21 and 22, with the goal of making a final recommendation by July 6 for housing BHS students.
OPTIONS
- Blacksburg Middle School (BMS) houses grades 9-12 on a traditional schedule. Old Christiansburg Middle School houses middle school students (grades 6, 7 and 8).
- Christiansburg Middle School (CMS) operates on a unified schedule with grades 6, 7 and 8 from the Christiansburg area and grades 6 and 7 from the Blacksburg attendance area; Blacksburg Middle School facility will house Blacksburg students in grades 8-12.
In addition, other options are currently under review and will be shared as feasibility evaluations are completed.
COMMUNITY MEETINGS
- Monday, June 21, Blacksburg Middle School Auditorium, 3 and 7 p.m.
- Tuesday, June 22, Christiansburg Middle School Auditorium, 3 and 7 p.m.
For those who are unable to attend these meetings, comments may be sent to the School Administration Office at the address above or e-mailed to http://forms.mcps.org/bhs_input.htm.
A response from the Blacksburg Middle School staff:
An Opportunity for Excellence
Our community has proven numerous times that we are resilient and committed to our children and each other. This is just another opportunity to not only persevere but to look to improve on our educational ideas and environments.
- We feel the tragedy for our BHS community should not be turned into a double tragedy by displacing our BMS community. The focus is to support the needs of the faculty and students of BHS as they cope with this crisis. To do this, we need to create an educational environment for all students impacted that best meets their developmental and academic needs in the short term and can benefit our district’s educational progress in the future.
- As professionals we should see this as an opportunity for educational improvement. If we use a proactive thought process with a focus on long-term implications and enduring solutions, opportunities will become apparent. It is imperative to address this problem with paramount consideration for the educational needs of all students involved. Long-term educational objectives and implications should drive the decision, not capacity numbers or athletics, both of which can be solved through alternative physical arrangements.
- A decade ago members of the BMS and CMS [Christiansburg Middle School] communities collaborated to select the building design utilized in the two new middle schools. At BMS we use this specialized physical environment to foster important tenets of the middle school concept addressing the unique developmental and instructional needs of young adolescents. These buildings feature separate hallways for each grade level subdivided into smaller areas for academic teams, a design that helps middle school educators meet the needs of middle school students and builds smaller learning communities within a large school. The environment is actually used as a teacher. Our space supports teaming, inclusion, flexible grouping, collaboration, and integrated curriculum which are all essential components of a strong middle school program. Additionally, family involvement in the education of their children is an essential characteristic of a successful middle school. This becomes problematic if our school is not located in our community.
- Current enrollment at BHS is 1,117 and BMS is 883. The difference in enrollment is 234 students. OCMS, with a capacity of 775, is not adequate for either school population. Therefore, relocating either school would require extensive modifications and mobile units so all costs must be considered.
- Although BMS has a capacity of 1200 students, it was not designed to house four grade levels. It is a middle school designed to house three grade levels. The BMS campus cannot support the entire BHS program.
- Remaining efficient is crucial in the final decision of the placement. We want this plan to have positive long term effects on all impacted in our division. Customizing a building to meet the high school needs is necessary. It would be beneficial to utilize a building that can benefit from this expense after the high school has left the facility. OCMS fits this description because of the alternative high school programs that would re-inhabit the facility. Customizing BMS to support BHS involves spending scarce funds on modifications that will require subsequent funding to restore BMS to its original state once BHS has its own facility.
- If BMS were moved to OCMS there would also be costs for customizing this facility to meet our needs as a middle school. OCMS would need to be greatly modified to meet our teaming, technology, and instructional program needs. The cost of relocating two schools and seven grade levels to provide for their academic needs compared to the cost of housing one school with four grade levels, which is already displaced, must be considered. Furthermore, any money invested in any facility should continue to benefit the students of MCPS long after the temporary housing needs of BHS are resolved.
- During the shared occupancy, the facilities at BMS did not meet the needs of students enrolled in Career and Technical Education (CTE) programs. In addition, they were concerned that their students’ ability to compete well in VICA and other such competitions would be affected. These competitions lead to opportunities for post-high school education and employment. This group of students is often overlooked in the rush to provide academic and athletic needs.
- The challenge this crisis presents provides an opportunity to look to research-based education reform for innovative ideas to enhance the educational offerings of MCPS. For example, research shows that 9th grade is a pivotal year for students as they transition from middle school to the changing demands of high school. The idea of a Ninth Grade Academy, which separates the 9th grade from the traditional high school, addresses this critical transition by creating a smaller learning community which provides more structure and direction for students. An option like this would open up new ways to think about a space for BHS students. We have facilities in our district such as the OBMS annex building that could house a 9th grade class. This would leave only grades 10-12 relocating to OCMS.
Surveys
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The Youth of Western Europe: Historical Background to a Lost Faith
This is the second part of a series that is focusing on the youth of western Europe. The series is subtitled Ignorant Heirs of a Reformation and focuses on the youth of France.
HISTORICAL
Known for its rich history and culture, France has long been a leader and influencer of world affairs. For the purpose of this paper, only the history since the Middle Ages will be considered. In the last 1000 years, however, France has been the epicenter of religious strife, political upheaval, invasion, occupation, torture, and political struggle.
It has been a culture with a long history of religious ambiguity, corruption and deep tension. It was in Avignon, France in the 1200s that a dual papal battle began, with one Pope located in Avignon and the other located in Rome. After the errant leadership of Pope Boniface VIII, the French king Phillip IV manipulated the church and had the capital of the Catholic Church moved to Avignon in 1305. So began a long “captivity of the church†as the French king used his influence over the pope during a particularly weak and corrupt era n church history to enrich his kingdom and fund his ongoing war with England. Pope John XXII, installed by Phillip’s influence, devoted his whole tenure as pontiff to enriching the papal treasury (and subsequently, Phillip’s war coffins). It wasn’t until 1415 that a single Pope was finally elected by the illustrious and imposing Council of Constance – Pope Martin V.
By this time, however, incredible damage had been done to the cause of Christ through a multitude of Crusades, religious infighting and greed among the church’s leaders. A generation of Reformers arose to debate the church’s error, defend the Gospel, and describe the true meaning of church to an apathetic culture. Ironically, the same Council of Constance that created the end of the papal battle (in 1415, there were actually three men who were called as Pope!), also named John Wycliffe a heretic and ordered him burned.
In the next 400-500 years, Europe was the site of such great spiritual earthquakes, with the likes of John & Charles Wesley, Martin Luther, and John Calvin – that many considered Europe entirely Christianized. The discovery of the American continent and its emergence as a world power suddenly shifted attention away from France, allowing some of the religious “dust†to settle. It settled thick. Generation after generation would remember the fallacies and sheer outrage of acts of the “church.†Even with the spirit of reform in the air, to many outsiders, it just looked like a reorganization.
In the 20th century, Catholicism reigned in France, but it was nominal at best. France was embattled by Germany, invaded, and occupied in the early part of the century. It never seemed to recover its sense of national identity. Once a staunch ally of the United States and its old rival, England, in the last 30 years, France has leaned steadily leftward politically. Recently, France became the subject of debate among American political conservatives as it refused to endorse or help in the war on terror in Afghanistan or Iraq. In fact, upon closer examination, a people once known for their arrogance now considers Americans to be supremely arrogant as anti-U.S. attitudes continued to grow, particularly among the young people of France.
Because of the well-publicized faith of U.S. President George W. Bush, many of the young people in France identify America’s “arrogance†with its religion and have turned their back on the faith of their fathers – which in most instances never had a chance to establish itself either.
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The Youth of Western Europe: Ignorant Heirs of the Reformation
The following is a series that was formerly created as a paper for the Perspectives class. I went through training to be a coordinator for this excellent, missions-intensive seminar, and we were required to write a paper upon completion.
I chose to focus my paper mainly on the youth of France. I took three years of French in high school and have always been drawn to the country. Here’s hoping that this series will provoke thought, prayer, and strategic mission effort toward the youth of Europe and specifically, France.
Western Europe is one location on earth that many would never consider as having “unreached people†living within it. The likes of John Calvin, Martin Luther, William Wilberforce, and other great Christian leaders and reformers are inscribed on the pages of history books and church cathedrals across the continent. However, the youth of France today, who will be the focus of this paper, have rarely seen or even held a Bible!
Many would say that to classify anyone in Western Europe as “unreached†is ridiculous. However, within the youth population of France, there are dozens of other ethnic people groups, each desperately needing a witness of the Lord Jesus among them. While other missiologists continue to publicize and hype the “10/40 Window†to the church, unreached people exist in historically Christian countries. This unnecessary overemphasis may be the result of a man-centered approach to the interpretation of Jesus’ words in Matthew 24.14 where Jesus said that the gospel of the kingdom must be preached to the whole world and “then the end will come.†That one passage has shaped and formed the strategies of hundreds of American mission agencies in the last 20 years and has resulted in the neglect of emphasis on other key influential areas, particularly Western Europe and France.
The youth in this powerfully influential area of the world are at crucial spiritual crossroads, and to abandon a concerted, strategic focus on them may set the church back even as it pours resources elsewhere. In fact, to neglect the evangelization of the youth culture of France or Western Europe will eventually create the most influential non-Christian group of countries in our world. The purpose of this series is to identify the urgent spiritual needs of the youth of France and to develop a strategy for reaching them with the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
[Above image taken from worldmap.org. Source.]
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Decelerating
Within the last week, we’ve sold our 2002 Toyota Sequoia, and we’ve bought a 2001 Toyota Prius. We are decelerating in our desire to save on gas and have no car payments. It’s become pretty apparent in the last months that it’s doable but difficult to be a one-car family in Blacksburg/Christiansburg – especially with kids that have softball and baseball games in different towns on the same day.
The Prius is pretty remarkable in that it has gotten 45+ mpg in just the few days we’ve driven it. We’re in process of replacing a fender on it since it was in a wreck previously, but overall, we’re extremely happy with it. The purchase has made me rather venturesome as we begin shopping for another car.  My new car litmus test is that it needs to be in the $3000 neighborhood, have good consumer reviews, and, well, drive.
After our recent purchase, I’ve even found myself looking at salvage cars on Ebay. Do any of you have experience with cars like that?
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iNeed iNsight about iPhone vs iPad
We’re almost ready to pull the trigger on an iPad at our house. Carolyn and I are going to “share” one as our 18th anniversary present. But we’re selling stuff first.
Here’s where we need help… With the new data plans from AT&T announced this week for iPhones and iPads, should we:
1. Get rid of one iPhone and get iPad 3G data plan
2. Keep both iPhones and get iPad WIFI with no 3G
3. Get iPad 3G AND get a Verizon mifi which would give us Internet for up to 5 devices (we could also discoonect an iPhone)
4. Jump down, turn wound, pick a bale of cotton.
5. Other
Go.
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Why leave your church?
We’re picking up where we left off in this series about leaving the church. In this entry, we simply want to recognize the obvious: in order to leave your church, you have to have been a part of one.
One of the most-often quoted verses in the New Testament in regards to church attendance is Hebrews 10:25:
“Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.”
The only problem with using it to support church attendance is that it was not written primarily to 21st century American Christians. We must consider the original recipients of this message and seek to understand the verse and its context as they would have.
In the first century, they did not have large gatherings of Christians – for the most part. We know there were 1000s being added to the church in Jerusalem in the amazing days following the outpouring of the Holy Spirit in Acts 2. You can see that the church experienced phenomenal numerical growth in those days as you read through Acts 3-4. Those days of growth were not without foreshadowing of tougher, leaner times to come as the apostles were jailed, beaten and criticized by the reigning religious leaders of the day.
In Acts 5, the growing church, still headquartered in Jerusalem saw that it wasn’t all fun and games and miracles. There was a holy expectation on its members and those who would claim Jesus. A married couple named Ananias and Saphira provide the first case study in deceitfulness within the church. One message we can walk away from that chapter is: “church” is not about me.
In Acts 6-7, things take a somber turn (if a couple being struck dead for an attempt at self-promotion isn’t somber enough). Deacons are selected. That’s not the somber part… One of the new deacons named Stephen is arrested by the Jewish religious leaders. At his hearing, his testimony pushes them past the breaking point, and his bold proclamation of Jesus as the Messiah that they have crucified results in his being rocked out of this world.
Chapter 8 of Acts begins with a whole lotta people leaving their church:
On that day a great persecution broke out against the church at Jerusalem, and all except the apostles were scattered throughout Judea and Samaria. Godly men buried Stephen and mourned deeply for him. But Saul began to destroy the church. Going from house to house, he dragged off men and women and put them in prison. (v1-3)
These people weren’t leaving their church because it had failed to meet their needs. They weren’t unhappy with the preaching, and they didn’t feel like they weren’t being fed… These folks exited the Jerusalem gathering because if they stayed, they would be killed.
They weren’t just fearful of their life. They scattered because it was strategic and necessary for the gospel to be proclaimed every where. In this case, leaving their church was for the ultimate purpose of evangelism and missions.
That is certainly not one of the more common reasons for leaving churches today, is it? We are much too centered on “church” being a place where our needs are met. However, the perspective in the New Testament is much different.
What we see take place in the initial chapters of Acts begins the story of the rest of the New Testament. It was not easy to profess faith in Jesus Christ and renounce false religions and follow Him. You weren’t a member of a church, but you were a member of His church. And it was hard to belong. There was pretty steep entry fee called “dying to self.” Jesus said:
“If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me and for the gospel will save it. What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, yet forfeit his soul? Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul?”
Back to Hebrew 10.25. “Let us not give up meeting together” was not a wimpy command pleading for people to show up on Sundays. Rather, it was a bold statement of faith urging believers to gather, encourage one another, and to demonstrate that faith in Christ is stronger than their fear of the world.
How does that compare to your own commitment to regularly meet with other believers?
Stay tuned for more in the series…
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Review: The Last Christian
Imagine a world in 2088 where everyone has neural implants enabling them to enter VR (virtual reality) and access the Grid (internet on steroids) at any moment. Because of the implants, a human can process information much faster than ever before. In this same world, Christianity – as well as other religions – is almost extinct. The endless pursuit of information, entertainment and sensory stimulation has choked out the spiritual.
That’s the world you’ll encounter in David Gregory’s The Last Christian. I read it after receiving it for free as part of Waterbook Multnomah’s Blogging for Books program. I honestly didn’t have high expectations for it. So often Christian fiction fails to compare in quality and imagination to the mass market. I was pleasantly surprised with this book.
I was hooked from the first chapter, and over the last three days, I’ve devoured the book. It’s imaginative – truly. On top of that, there’s a powerful message about the importance of living a full faith.
The protagonist attempts to re-evangelize America, but her attempts sound stale, trite and canned – much like many attempts at evangelism today. The author calls us to reexamine the New Testament and recover a thoroughly biblical – and dynamically compelling – way of leading people to faith in Jesus Christ.
If you’re looking for a summer thriller, look no further! Buy it here!
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Review: Radical
This little book can destroy your way of life as an American. If you’ve embraced “life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness†as yours by right, then you should continue to do so without the message of David Platt, pastor of The Church at Brook Hills, or you’ll be be forced to evaluate your citizenship.
In essence, Platt points out that the teachings of Jesus slay the American dream. The Christian does not have the right to selfish pursuit of self-satisfaction.
Platt’s actual writing style is curt and pointed, it may be that the message itself shapes the tone of the book. Platt takes American Christians to task for thoughtlessly ignoring the plain commands of the New Testament in relation to lifestyle, possessions and life purpose.
I see it as an uncomfortable followup to Francis Chan’s Crazy Love. Reading these two books back-to-back will most assuredly kick a comfortable Christian in their blessed assurance.
We have unnecessarily (and unbiblically) drawn a line of distinction, assigning the obligations of Christianity to a few while keeping the privileges of Christianity for us all. In this way we choose to send off other people to carry out the global purpose of Christianity while the rest of us sit back because because we’re “just not called to do that.â€
Platt urges Christians to return to mission and embrace the purpose of God for their lives. It was not to accumulate and spend and ignore the needs of those around the world (or across the county).
He recounts the story of a friend who journeyed to a remote village in southeast Asia to share the love and truth of Jesus Christ. Upon entering the village in which not a single person had ever heard the name of “Jesus,†he was offered a Coca Cola by one of the tribesman. Platt comments,
A soft drink company in Atlanta has done a better job getting brown sugar water to those people than the church of Jesus Christ has done in getting the gospel to them.
Platt’s book is not unique. There have been identical voices over the past 100 years in American culture echoing the same message. Francis Schaeffer was one. Keith Green sang a similar message. Platt happens to be the latest young voice to this rising chorus. Perhaps a new generation will take the message seriously.
While I was challenged by the book, I think that it also needs the balanced corrective of God’s deep and majestic love for His people. Platt comes across many times as simply… angry. The book seems to need a great dose of the joy and love of God.
While the salvation of the nations is a mighty and preeminent goal of the church, we cannot allow ourselves to be motivated by guilt. This book comes across as heavy on that.
While guilt is an excellent motivator, it’s a poor sustainer. We must look our Father in the face, come to terms with the amazing grace that has made our own salvation possible, and then in humble gratitude and eager joy embrace God’s mission for us all in a way that magnifies Him and not the nations’ needs.
Platt calls for his readers to join him in a “radical experiment†over the course of a year. I’ll leave you to discover the five challenges of that experiment as you read the book. However, I can guarantee (as does Platt) that if you should accept the challenges, your life will never be the same, and you’ll discover the joy of waking up from your American snooze and experience the beauty of truly living.
This book was provided for review by the by the WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group. You can download a preview of Chapter 1: Someone Worth Losing Everything For here.
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Review: A Good & Beautiful God
Let’s be real clear at the outset. My three stars out of five are not for our good and beautiful God. It’s for the book called “The Good and Beautiful God†by author James Bryan Smith. King Solomon, at the dedication of the temple in Jerusalem, prayed, “But will God really live on earth? Why, even the highest heavens cannot contain you. How much less this Temple I have built!†(1 Kings 8.27) Even so, no book can contain His wonders. Perhaps the author should have acknowledged that in the beginning of his attempt.
The book is the first is a three-part series that seeks to be a resource for those wanting to grow in their Christian faith. The Good and Beautiful God attempts to introduce the reader to the “God Jesus knows.â€
Upon learning that the author was discipled by Dallas Willard, who has contributed the excellent resource for discipleship called The Spirit of the Disciplines, I was anxious to begin using Smith’s books in my own discipling relationships.
This past 6 months, I’ve met with seven different guys, taking each of them through the book. In addition, I’ve led our church to use the book in its one-on-one discipling relationships. All in all, we’ve had about 25 people using the resource as a tool to encourage one another in our love and service to Jesus Christ.
I think that may place me in a unique position to offer this review. I’ve not just read it. I’ve used it. Often. And I’ve led others to use it as well.
Here are a summation of my thoughts on the resource:
1. No resource is going to be perfect. It’s not about finding the perfect resource to use in a discipling relationship. It’s about doing discipleship. Find a resource, use it.
2. AGBG has some strong points. Here are a few:
- For starters, it offers some much-needed perspective in our “Type A†culture about performance-based religion. It urges the Christ follower to depend upon God’s love alone for acceptance, approval and strength.
- The first chapter called What Are You Seeking? gives the reader a wise perspective on transformation that helps one grasp the relationship between God’s Word, our own practices in relationship to it and the importance of practicing the Christian life in community with others.
- The three strongest chapters are God Is Holy, God Transforms, and How to Make a Pickle.
- He has “soul training exercises†at the end of each chapter that are extremely valuable spiritual disciplines for a Christ follower of any maturity level.
3. It has some weak points. The following are a few:
- I didn’t notice the perspective until one of the guys I met with pointed it out. However, it’s there. Couched within nearly every chapter are consistent negative references to and examples of pastors. Since I’m a pastor, I was surprised I didn’t catch it. However, it reads at times as a hidden diatribe against pastors because of these references. The only positive reference is a one-sentence mention of the Smith’s own pastor being his friend. I doubt that the author even realized the significance of this, but after having it brought to my attention, it was interesting to note the consistency of negativity throughout.
- Another weakness is the author’s unequivocal statements throughout the book that cannot be supported scripturally. Here are three particularly concerning ones:
“There is only thing that separates us from God, and it is not our sin. It is our self-righteousness.†He provides no scriptural context for this amazing statement that flies in the face of a mass of scriptural testimony to the contrary.
“God is never described by Paul as being angry. Anger is a human emotion.†These statements are in the middle of a wonderful description of how God’s wrath is actually an expression of His holiness. However, even if Paul doesn’t describe God as “being angry,†there is a wealth of other scriptures that do seem to demonstrate His anger. It may be that author’s definition of anger needs to be rethought.
4. As with any resource, it should be read with discernment, always being compared to the teachings of Scripture.
Smith’s initial installment in his series of three is recommendable. It’s not inspiring. I don’t know that it’s meant to be. However, it has some very bright spots. All the same, I would not recommend it to be read by a new Christian without the benefit of discussion with a mature Christian.
We live in a culture where biblical illiteracy is high. I would not encourage the use of this book in isolation. It needs to be read in the context of a discipling relationship or small group to provide shared wisdom and feedback.
However, for the Christian discipler who is looking for a resource to use, this book is a good tool and discussion generator. I found that it’s extremely helpful to teach people to read a book such as this and compare its teachings to scripture. It helps develop critical thinking skills and a biblically-centered, maturing believer.
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Innovate Conference: Refuel
This is my last conference for the year. In the past 10 months, I’ve been to Catalyst in Atlanta, Exponential in Orlando, and today and tomorrow, Cody and I are attending the Innovate Conference at Liberty University in Lynchburg. We weren’t really planning on attending Innovate until we learned it was only $50/person, and Chuck Swindoll was speaking.
We heard Swindoll back in October at Catalyst, and he was deeply encouraging. Somewhere along the way, my generation of Christian leaders jettisoned its heroes, in favor of independence and self-sustained creativity. I can’t speak for everyone, of course, but it seems like we were all tired of “church as usual” and were determined to start from scratch.
That spirit of renovation and resistance led to a few good things, but it disconnected us with the wisdom of our elders in a detrimental way. Today, it’s discomforting to see that same spirit of independence and entrepreneurialism displayed in the new stars of American Christian leadership.
Chuck Swindoll humbly and confidently spoke from God’s Word today, and somewhere in his message, I again found a hero – a man annointed by God that I can follow and emulate as he demonstrates continued faithfulness to the cross.
These are the notes from his message today:
“I know you’re there, but I hope you’re listening. Now and on into tomorrow.â€
THE ROLE OF LEADERSHIP FROM THE PERSPECTIVE OF SERVANT.
I Corinthians 3.22-4.2:
- All things are yours, whether Paul or Apollos or Cephas or the world or life or death or the present or the future—all are yours, and you are of Christ, and Christ is of God. This is how one should regard us, as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God. Moreover, it is required of stewards that they be found trustworthy.
- Original term of “servant†means “underrower†– those who row in the under tier of the trireme – bottom level of large, ancient galley ships.
- “Stewards†– housekeeper, house manager, butler or maid.
A good part of every week for me is spent in the study. It always has been. Unless I miss my guess, many of you are cutting short your time with God in which you spend before God’s Word. You must row, and you must cook. You must prepare the meals of God for His people so that they are well-prepared and well-presented. If you neglect His word, you are serving up poorly prepared meals.
Know who you are, accept who you are, be who you are. One of the worst thing you give to your people is someone you’re not. As old pastor said, “Be who you is, cause if you ain’t who you is, you is who you ain’t.â€
“When a man of God dies, nothing of God dies.†(A.W. Tozer) He transcends the changing of pastorates.
There’s not a celebrity among us! We are under rowers and cooks! Keep it constantly in mind. Keep that oar in the water and the spoon in the pan. Prepare the meal well so that you have depth.
Be aware that there are all kinds of sermons (devotional, topical, etc.)… longhorn sermons – a point here and a point there and a whole lotta bull in between. Expository sermons are the best because they take a lot of investment and time in God’s Word.
As for stewards, we must be found “faithful†or “trustworthy.†There’s no such thing as retirement for preachers! What are you living for?
Another word for under rower and cooks is… shepherd. Before long, you start smelling like the sheep. You love them, you care about them, and if you don’t, just go ahead and get out of the ministry. You never have to say “I need to be respected†because they will do so because of your love for them.
One of the major temptations is to think you deserve more respect or that your deserve a better seat on the ship. You think you deserve to be served the meals rather than serving all the time. It’s called self-pity. It’s the most reprehensible of the sins among the servants of Christ because you start feeling sorry for the sacrifices. Temptation comes back time and again and finds an undefended area and moves in closer.
2 Kings 5: Naaman heroic, famous and a leper. He takes $3 million and 10 suits of clothes, thinking to buy his healing. Elisha refuses to take payment – either before or after Naaman’s healing.
- But Elisha has a servant named Gehazi, and he sees a way to capitalize. 4 lies in v22. It wasn’t well with the servant, not deep down. It’s easy for words to come out of our mouths that represent a lie.
- He’s now living with his rationalization of being an unfaithful servant.
- Now he lies to the prophet, “Your servant went nowhere.â€
- Powerful example of an unfaithful servant.
Swindoll’s told the story of serving as an assistant to and in the shadow of J. Dwight Pentecost as his “under rower.” A man in his church named Jim brought him a note that said, “The adversary would love to plant some alien thoughts in your mind. Guard your spirit from any spirit of entitlement. Avoid ways to promote yourself as you ride in his chariot. You enjoy many benefits you have not earned. His is the appointed ministry of significance; yours is the appointed ministry of assistance.â€
FINAL POINTS
- Guard your imagination. You are who you are. You are not anything other than that. Let it be.
- Restrain all rationalization.
- Leave no room in your ministry for deception. If there is any kind of cover up, come clean. Address it. Deal with it. Face it! It is not a time to nurture your own lusts when you’re cooking for God.
- Ask yourself daily, “What is my motive?â€
“Row, row row your boat – never ever quit – ever faithfully serving Christ, the captain of your ship.â€
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Notes from the Trail
The Personal Blog of Jeff Noble
Info: From the misty hills of Virginia, "Notes from the Trail" seeks to encourage you on your journey. Written by a graphic designer-pastor, this blog is a blend of humor, insight, and faith discovery.
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