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We’re beginning a new series this weekend at Grace Place called War Zone.  Here’s some cool artwork that my friend Mark Johnson (GP Communications Director) did to advertize it:

I had a number of requests for the quotes I used last week at Grace Place in the message on distraction.  The first is by Tim Keller, pastor of Redeemer Presbyeterian in New York talking about idolatry (the sin that got Solomon distracted and derailed).  The second quote is by pastor John Ortberg from his book, “The Life You Always Wanted.”

Keller offers this potent definition of sin: “Sin isn’t only doing bad things, it is more fundamentally making good things into ultimate things. Sin is building your life and meaning on anything, even a very good thing, more than on God. Whatever we build our life on will drive us and enslave us. Sin is primarily idolatry.”

Keller gives some practical examples of the “particular kinds of brokenness and damage” caused by idolatry:

•  If you center your life and identity on your spouse or partner, you will be emotionally dependent, jealous, and controlling. The other person’s problems will be overwhelming to you.

•  If you center your life and identity on your family and children, you will try to live your life through your children until they resent you or have no self of their own. At worst, you may abuse them when they displease you.

•  If you center your life and identity on your work and career, you will be a driven workaholic and a boring, shallow person. At worst you will lose family and friends and, if your career goes poorly, develop deep depression.

•  If you center your life and identity on money and possessions, you’ll be eaten up by worry or jealousy about money. You’ll be willing to do unethical things to maintain your lifestyle, which will eventually blow up your life.

•  If you center your life and identity on pleasure, gratification, and comfort, you will find yourself getting addicted to something. You will become chained to the “escape strategies” by which you avoid the hardness of life.

•  If you center your life and identity on relationships and approval, you will be constantly overly hurt by criticism and thus always losing friends. You will fear confronting others and therefore will be a useless friend.

•  If you center your life and identity on a “noble cause,” you will divide the world into “good” and “bad” and demonize your opponents. Ironically, you will be controlled by your enemies. Without them, you have no purpose.

•  If you center your life and identity on religion and morality, you will, if you are living up to your moral standards, be proud, self-righteous, and cruel. If you don’t live up to your moral standards, your guilt will be utterly devastating.

Tim Keller, The Reason for God (Dutton, 2008), pp. 275-276, and Tim Keller, “Talking About Idolatry in a Postmodern Age,” www.thegospelcoalition.org

Author and pastor John Ortberg, writes about distraction with more honesty than most of us generally display: “I’m disappointed that I still love God so little and sin so much. I’m capable of dismaying amounts of jealousy if somebody succeeds more visibly than I do. I’m disappointed at my capacity to be small and petty. I cannot pray for very long without my mind drifting into a fantasy of angry revenge over some past slight I thought I had long since forgiven, or some grandiose fantasy of achievement. I can convince people I’m busy and productive, yet waste large amounts of time watching television. Although I’m aware of how far I fall short, sometimes it doesn’t even bother me. I’m disappointed at my lack of disappointment.”

This is one of the most creative and moving gospel presentations I’ve seen—just white gloves, a black light, combined with a lot of artistry and practice (along with a great song by Casting Crowns).  There are always fresh ways to tell the old story.  We’ll never get tired of hearing it throughout eternity!

Over the years I have heard various people who used to be in the bar scene before becoming Christ-followers say they would never go back to a life apart from Christ, but that they do miss the community they experienced with their drinking buddies.  Consider these words:

The neighborhood bar is possibly the best counterfeit there is to the fellowship Christ wants to give his church.  It’s an imitation, dispensing liquor instead of grace, escape rather than reality, but it is permissive, accepting, and inclusive fellowship.  It is unshockable.  It is democratic. You can tell people secrets and they usually don’t tell others or even want to.  The bar flourishes not because most people are alcoholics, but because god has put into the human heart the desire to know and be known, to love and be loved, and so many seek a counterfeit at the price of a few beers.

With all my heart I believe that Christ wants his church to be… a fellowship where people can come in and say, “I’m sunk!  I’m beat!”  “I’ve had it!” (Bruce Larson and Keith Miller quoted in David: A Man of Passion and Destiny, Swindoll, p. 80)

What do you think?  How does it happen?  How does the church become that type of fellowship?

This week at Grace Place we looked at the story of David and how he dealt with the pain of betrayal.  I love how honest he was in his prayers to the Lord.  For example:

“Turn to me and have mercy on me, for I am alone and in deep distress.  My problems go from bad to worse.  Oh save me from them all… See how many enemies I have and how viciously they hate me!” (Psalm 25:16-19, NLT)

David knew the deep pain of betrayal and loneliness.  He pours out his heart to God and asks him to “feel my pain and see my trouble” (v. 18).  He took his pain and “deep distress” to the Lord and laid it out honestly and frankly.

There are many ways to process the pain of betrayal and abandonment.  Some are unhealthy–withdrawal, isolation, self-medicating with harmful substances, harboring resentment and bitterness, etc.  Healthy processing starts with frank and honest conversation with the Lord about the pain.  Remember that when, like David, your problems seem to “go from bad to worse.”

Emotional burnout is common in many professions, but especially for pastors who feel like they must meet many people’s expectations.  I read a study that says 1 in 5 pastors are physically and/or emotionally “burned out.”  One psychologist defines burnout as: “a state of physical, emotional and mental exhaustion marked by physical depletion and chronic fatigue, feelings of helplessness and hopelessness, and by development of a negative self-concept and negative attitudes towards work, life and other people.”

I’ve recently realized that I’ve been through a stretch where I have experienced at least moderate emotional burnout.  I’m working on changing that, with the Lord’s help, a Christian counselor’s help, and a whole lot of supportive people praying for me.  I recently read an interesting and helpful blog entry by Mark Driscoll called “Death by Ministry.”  Check it out: http://www.theresurgence.com/mdblog_2006-05-24_death_by_ministry

Over the last year we had a lot of new people come to Grace Place, but also had an unusual number of people leave who had been attending for a long time.  That was disturbing and I’ve been thinking a lot about reasons people leave a church and how pastors, staff, and church members should respond when people are thinking about leaving or leave.  Our Berthoud Campus Pastor, Steve Kurtright, shared the following article with me.  It makes some interesting points.  I plan to discuss this with the Grace Place staff team: http://www.drurywriting.com/david/05-FriendLeavingChurch.htm

I can’t believe what a group of teenagers filled with faith, optimism, and energy can accomplish.  Last week our Loveland Campus high school kids played a game called “Bigger or Better” where they went door to door with nothing but a Grace Place pen and sought to trade it for something bigger or better.  One team came back with a car–drove the car and had the signed title!  Amazing.  The car will be given to a needy person–probably a single mother who is without transportation and the teens have experienced a powerful lesson in generosity and God’s miracle working power.  The story was on the front page of the Loveland paper and on Denver Channel 7 News.  You can read it here: http://reporterherald.com/news_story.asp?ID=17938

Recently I was pondering Matthew 9:36-38 (NLT):

“[Jesus] felt pity for the crowds… He said… ‘The harvest is so great, but the workers are so few.  So pray to the Lord who is in charge of the harvest; ask him to send out more workers for his fields.”

Jesus didn’t look at the crowds of lost people and just shrug his shoulders.  He felt “pity” and compassion for them.  He saw them as “sheep without a shepherd”—lost, wandering, insecure, hungry, and hurting.  He saw a great harvest of souls ready to be reaped—if only there were enough workers.

Jesus didn’t ask his disciples (and us) to pray that the crowds of lost people would be more receptive.  He asked us to pray for more workers.  He said “pray to the Lord who is in charge of the harvest.”  The One in charge of the harvest is looking for co-laborers to go out into his fields.  He doesn’t see the world as a bad and hopeless place to be avoided, but as “his fields” where people he cares deeply about are going to be lost forever if they are not reached with his gospel of grace.

Lord, help me to have your heart for the lost.  Help me to see as you see.  And help me to engage those I lead as workers in your fields.