A Human Doing or a Human Being?

Socrates

Here are some famous quotes on doing and being.  At least some should be familiar.

To do is to be. (Socrates)

To be is to do. (Jean-Paul Sartre, Plato)

Do-be-do-be-do. (Frank Sinatra)

To be or not to be. (William Shakespeare's Hamlet)

Scooby Dooby Doo. (Scooby Doo)

I am what I do. (Martin Buber)

Yabba Dabba Doo. (Fred Flinstone)

I think, therefore I am. (Rene Descartes)

I yam what I yam. (Popeye)

Being and doing. Doing and being.  I have heard some really interesting and creative devotional messages on the concept of “being.”  The idea is that sometimes we get so busy doing things (sometimes even really good things), that we need to take some time to simply “be.”   It’s often an encouragement to rest, to take a break, to experience God’s peace, to meditate on God’s Word, or to spend some time in quiet – much like we have our time of “meditation, communion, and prayer” each week in our worship services at Rose Drive.  The conclusion has often gone something like this: “after all, God made us to be human beings, not human doings.” 

I don’t know about you, but I need those times of rest.  Time to be quite, to listen to the Lord, to pray, to relax... to be.  For me, I get those times in a variety of ways and places: in the evening when I read my Bible before I go to bed; in the morning when I am praying, reading, or writing in my journal; when I’m on vacation sitting and looking out over a beautiful lake; when I’m at the church studying to prepare a message; sometimes when I’m playing golf (I can’t honestly say I experience peaceful “being” every time I’m playing golf, but sometimes... you know what I mean if you’ve ever played.); and I really do experience it often in our worship services.  Again, not always in all of those places, but often.  However, that really isn’t all there is to it. 

God doesn’t only want us to be humans who “are” – He wants us also to be people who do things for His glory and the good of others!

Last weekend I shared a verse in our worship services that has been convicting to me. It’s from John 13:17, “Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them.”  Jesus said this to His disciples right after He washed their feet in the Upper Room.  As He performed this menial task, serving them with a towel around His waist, some of them didn’t get it.  They didn’t understand why Jesus would do such a thing.  He didn’t make His point clear until after He had finished doing this act of love and humility.  That is when He said, “Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another’s feet. I have set you and example that you should do as I have done for you.” (John 13:14-15).  Jesus wanted them to be His disciples... but among other things that meant doing acts of service and sacrificing for one another. 

Bottom line, it wasn’t enough that the disciples knew the right thing... they needed to do it.  So do you and I. 

What does that mean for you today?  What is it that God has been talking about to you in terms of the First Things First emphasis?  Here is what I’ve been thinking about: It’s not enough to simply know that God wants us to Worship, Connect, Grow, Serve and Share.  I need to be doing it.  Actively.  As a part of my daily life.  As a part of who I am. 

I am thankful that many people have shared with me their testimonies of how the Lord has spoken to them during this series.  Many have taken steps of faith to join groups, to serve, to worship, to share Christ, to worship God with greater focus, and to read their Bibles more to grow in their faith.  That is fantastic.  Perhaps I’ll share some of those in a later post.

Let’s BE people who DO what is right.  Let’s aim to BE faithful followers of Jesus Christ, putting His Word into practice in our daily lives more and more and more!

Application of What We Know

The last two weekends of the First Things First emphasis focus on application of what we have been learning about Worship, Connect, Grow, Serve and Share.  Below are the two videos of the final drama presentation and the message.

Cracker Jack and Good News

This year’s Super Bowl showcased some great commercials.  Personally, I liked the Doritos ads (“Grandpa?!”).  I was reminded of other commercials in the past that have had a line in it that has stuck with me. 

One of those is a Cracker-Jack commercial from the early 1970s that received an award from the Cannes Film Festival.  It opens with a man (the dad?) sitting in a chair at home, reading the paper and eating the candy-coated popcorn with peanuts (and a prize).  Then a little boy comes in the back door and announces “I’m home” – as the man hides the Cracker-Jack box in his folded newspaper.  The child walks to the man and stares... knowingly.    The man asks, “What did you learn in school today?” The boy replies, “sharing.”  It’s a simple line that I’ve never forgotten (maybe because I had three sisters and I empathized with the  man’s plight). 

In the end, the man reluctantly hands over the box of tasty morsels to the boy who then ends up “sharing” back some of it with him.  The message I remember taking away from the ad was this: that box of sweet and crunchy goodness is really too good to give away (I think what I was supposed to learn is that “it’s good to share something that is good”).

Sharing. It is something that even the youngest preschoolers begin to learn.  Yet it remains a struggle for many of us to practice no matter our age, especially if what we possess is something we like a lot.  But what about when it comes to “sharing” our faith?  We like our faith, right?

It makes me wonder, are there times when I am reluctant to share my “box of spiritual goodness” with others (the “good news of Jesus Christ”), because it seems too good to share (or I know that they might accept the invitation)?  I know that doesn’t make any sense (the good news was meant to be shared)... or does it, at least a little bit?! 

Could it be that there are times when you or I think that things are pretty well set the way that they are?  What if someone did accept your invitation?  What impact might that really have long term?  Do you know what I mean?  You have your circle of friends, your accustomed place to sit in the Sanctuary, the style of music that you prefer, the place that you normally park, your familiar small group that you’ve been with for a while... and frankly, even though you don’t want to admit it, someone new coming into the mix or having to change any of those things would really not be your first choice.  Of course, you’d never want to keep someone from going to heaven, and if you knew for sure that sharing your faith in Christ would lead directly to someone’s salvation, you would do it (even if it meant changing in one of those areas above)... but you don’t really know that would be the result, right?  Ah-h... but this can be just the beginning of your own version of the folded newspaper.

There are a plethora of other hindrances to sharing your faith.

I’ll admit that it’s easy for me to simply become too busy doing a variety of other good things.  Again, it’s not that I don’t want others to make it into the Kingdom, but it is tough keeping that priority high when other things seem to demand my time and attention.  Occasionally, I’m just plain tired.  By nature I’m not an extrovert.  I’ve learned to become more that way over the years but I really enjoy private time, too.  My tendency in a crowd is not to go around and strike up conversations with people, even though I know that I have the ability to do that.  I suppose when I get honest, there are times when I just flat out don’t make the effort.  (I don’t even like reading what I’ve just written, but can you relate?)  Other times, I do have sort of a fear of failure.  I don’t like being rejected any more than the next person.  I know... “they aren’t rejecting me” and I’m “just the messenger,” but it can hurt a little (and at least be very disappointing) when someone hears my presentation of the gospel and still says, “no.”  Frankly, that has happened many times over the years.  I have had the privilege of sharing Christ with lots of people, and I know that many have said “yes,” but certainly not everyone.

I guess sometimes the question is, how much do I really care?  Do I care enough to get past the spiritual hindrances to go ahead and share my faith?  Do I really care and remember that Jesus loves and died for every person?  Do I look for opportunities to share and take them as God presents them?

Maybe other times the issue is one of definition.

What does it really mean to “share” when it comes to our faith?  For some people it means living a godly life and letting your actions demonstrate your beliefs.  St. Francis of Assisi (Founder of the Franciscan order, 1181-1226) is credited with saying, “Preach the Gospel at all times and when necessary use words.” I know it’s a catchy saying and all, but it strikes me that at some point in everyone’s life, they need to actually hear the words of the good news (Romans 10:14) – otherwise the good deeds you perform will come across with an unclear message.  But there is a relationship between those two concepts.   

Doing good can serve as a great bridge for the gospel and communicate that you love and care for someone.  This is INVESTING your life in a relationship... and it has to be genuine.  It has to be the “no strings attached” kind of commitment and care.  However, for them to understand that not only you, but that God loves them, sooner or later someone needs to tell them about Him.  Someone needs to connect the dots between your ministry and your message.  This can happen by INVITING someone: to meet Jesus, to meet other followers of Christ (like at church) where they will hear the gospel message, and/or to hear your personal story of your relationship with Christ.  It’s important to PRAY for someone regularly to come to know Christ and to pray for open doors of opportunity to share with them, too.  Our memory verse for this week reminds us that Paul saw the importance of prayer: “I pray that you may be active in sharing your faith.” (Philemon 6a). 

I don’t believe that I have the gift of evangelism, and maybe you don’t either, but this is one of those “Big Rock” priorities that I know must be present in the life of every follower of Christ.  I want to grow in this area of my life.  Let’s not keep the message in a folded up newspaper of activities and hindrances.  News this good was meant to be shared.

Sharing the Drama and Message

Here are the Marionette family and the message about the Rock #5!  Beware, there is a cliffhanger!

Invisible, Man!

When I was a kid, I was fascinated by the science fiction story of the man who became invisible through a freak accident and then used that ability to fight crime and do good deeds.  I’m pretty sure I never thought about the negative implications of his powers... people running into you, never being able to make eye contact, and no one asking if they can take your order at a restaurant (unless of course you wore clothes, but then you would look pretty weird). What a bummer that would have been! 

When it comes to doing good, the Bible paints a picture of serving with humility... a willingness to “not be seen” by others.  Like the woman who gave her last two coins without fanfare or the Samaritan known simply as “Good,” if you want to be something special in God’s kingdom you need to be a servant, not aim for accolades or appreciation.  But do you really want to go completely unnoticed?  Always?!

I’ll admit that this is sometimes easy for me, and other times not so much.  There are times when I am happy to serve and help in secret when no one is around and no one sees.  And I just realized that if I were to write down some examples of when I have done that, it would sort of ruin my point!  However, there are other times when I have done something and I think I really do hope that someone notices.  Sometimes it’s something “big” when I have put in a lot of effort but it can also be something relatively small. (My guess is that you’ve felt that way sometimes, too.)

But is it always wrong to want to be noticed?  Is it possible to serve humbly and at the same time be interested in an occasional “Atta-boy?”  Evidently, Paul noticed people who served the Lord and others.  He often mentioned them by name for their labor (like Mary in Romans 16:6) and sometimes when he wasn’t sure if they had fulfilled their duties (like Archippus, to whom he sent the message: “See to it that you complete the work you have received in the Lord,” in Colossians 4:17).  Other times he flat out urged people to notice the work others did!  In 1 Thessalonians 5:12 he wrote, “Now we ask you, brothers and sisters, to acknowledge those who work hard among you.”  No invisible servants there.  But if we acknowledge and thank people for their service, are we enabling pride to develop in that person?  What are we to do? 

I know that as a pastor, there are a lot of things I do that are pretty “visible” in the church. It’s tough to hide a lot of my “service.”  This may or may not surprise you, but I do receive my share of criticism.  As a rule, anonymous griping gets tossed while other comments I take seriously and I try to respond to them when it’s appropriate.  But I’ll confess that I do appreciate notes of encouragement and words of appreciation (I think most people do), especially when someone tells me that they feel as though the Lord spoke to them or helped them in some way through me.  Actually, that is a humbling experience and a moment of instant worship for me – a time when I silently (and sometimes aloud) thank the Lord.  I know that He is the One doing the work if anything good happens and I’m just given the gift of being a part of what He’s doing.  But is this sometimes just a cover?  Is there some part of me, maybe even just a little, that really just wants to be noticed?

Evidently, this was at least somewhat of a problem in the early church. In 1 Corinthians 12, Paul explained that each person is important even though some essentially serve “behind the scenes” and don’t get noticed so much.  Some people must have felt badly about that. That’s why he wrote: “If the foot should say, ‘Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,’ it would not for that reason cease to be part of the body.’”  Not only did some feel like their contributions were insignificant to the point of not fitting in, their acts of service were essentially covered up and unseen.  Paul explained that those roles were “treated with special modesty” – not as evident to the casual observer but vital to the health of the body (as indispensable as an internal organ).  It’s a great passage, but Paul wouldn’t have written about it in such detail if going unnoticed didn’t bother at least some believers.  Hm-m.  So, where does that leave us?

I know I don’t have this all figured out.  It looks like scripture can be used to support both invisibility and acknowledgement of service.  But at the risk of oversimplification and cliché-ness, the heart of the matter may be a heart matter.  Motivation.  Am I serving in order to be seen and praised, or am I serving “as unto the Lord” to use my gifts and give help simply because help is needed?  I wonder.  That’s the name of a poem by Ruth Harms Calkin that has been a challenge and an inspiration to me.

I Wonder

You know, Lord, how I serve You

With great emotional fervor

In the limelight.

You know how eagerly I speak for You

At a women’s club.

You know how I effervesce when I promote

A fellowship group.

You know my genuine enthusiasm

At a Bible study.

But how would I react, I wonder

If You pointed to a basin of water

And asked me to wash the calloused feet

Of a bent and wrinkled old woman

Day after day

Month after month

In a room where nobody saw

And nobody knew.

May God help you and me to learn to serve Him and others with true humility – even when no one knows – and may He give us special x-ray eyes to see (and opportunities to thank) the invisible servants around us.



Gotta' Serve Somebody

The fourth "big rock" is SERVE.  Watch below how I address this in my messsage and how the Marionette family begins to deal with this priority as they continue to learn about putting First Things First.

Connecting and Growing in Promiseland

Each weekend during the First Things First emphasis at Rose Drive Friends, Tracy Frazier and our creative drama team have put together a brief skit to help us think about some ideas and themes related to the "Big Rock" I am talking about in the message for that weekend.  In general, the Marionette family is on a journey to learn to put First Things First.  Unfortunately, we did have a couple of technical problems with the sound this last weekend.  Fittingly, I guess, it was the week that focused on "growing" (and sometimes we do grow when things aren't necessarily working out the way we'd hoped).  Anyway, the team is doing a great job.  They are stirring some discussions and helping us to connect with some people in ways that other approaches might not.  Thank you!

Connect and Grow Messages

In case you missed the most recent installments of the First Things First messages at Rose Drive Friends Church, here they are!  Connect and Grow!

Of Growth and Garbage

My sophomore year in college I lived in an apartment with three other guys.  We had a poster in our kitchen which proclaimed: “Growth is the only sign of life.” One of my roommates (or was it me?) positioned it appropriately over our bountiful and often-ripe trash can.  God only knows what grew there.  That quote (and odor) has stuck with me all these years.  The deeper meaning for me has been that I want to be a person that is growing and I want to be part of an organization and group of people that continually wants to grow.  It says to me that real growth doesn’t have a finish line.

I’ve had lots of educational finish lines in my life.  If you count grade school, I’ve graduated eight times.  But of course, you know that it didn’t take me all of those classes to discover what everyone knows intuitively: education doesn’t mean growth any more than knowledge alone means wisdom.  One can help the other, but other factors are involved.  Growth is more than just reaching a milestone of knowledge before pressing on to the next one.

So, what does “growth” really mean for a Christian? 

In short, it means becoming more like Christ.  You were made in God’s image.  Most Christians have heard that for years and would say they believe it to be true.  However, because of sin, a whole lot of gunk and garbage obfuscates that profile.  Left to myself, I don’t look very much like Christ (and neither do you).  To “grow” means to become transformed more and more into His image – to become that person God intended for me to be – “like Christ in everything” (Ephesians 4:15, Msg.).  Wow!  What a concept! 

Becoming like Christ... imitating Him.  That’s a daily kind of thing.  It’s not simply about acting more spiritual, practicing certain religious disciplines, or looking more holy than I used to look.  In fact, everyone knows it’s not about appearances at all.  If it’s not validated by what’s on the inside it’s hypocrisy, and who wants to be a hypocrite? Christian growth is about living life in the mundane activities, the pressure-packed moments, the tired and stressful moments, the times of simple joys, and all of the other occasions – walking as Jesus would walk.  Responding more and more like Him from the inside, out. 

C.S. Lewis once made an interesting observation (Ok, I know... He made lots of interesting observations, but here’s another one that relates to becoming like Christ):

“Our imitation of God in this life – that is, our willed imitation as distinct from any of the likenesses which He has impressed upon our natures or states – must be an imitation of God incarnate: our model is the Jesus, not only of Calvary, but of the workshop, the roads, the crowds, the clamorous demands and surly oppositions, the lack of all peace and privacy, the interruptions. For this, so strangely unlike anything we can attribute to the Divine life in itself, is apparently not only like, but is, the Divine life operating under human conditions.”  (The Four Loves, Intro.). 

In other words, for me to become like Christ, I need to follow His example in all aspects of life, not just those which look overtly spiritual or even sacrificial. 

More than jewelry.

I know that lots of people have gotten burned-out on WWJD (What Would Jesus Do?) bracelets and bumper stickers, but that question (first coined by Charles Sheldon in 1896 in his book, In His Steps), really is still a good one to consider.  I think about that question and ask it as a sort of prayer from time to time.  Of course, it’s not just my behavior that matters (what Jesus did), but who I am on the inside that counts.  That is the challenge.

I’ll confess to you, as I have in some of the previous posts, I don’t have this thing wired. I’ve got a long way to grow.  (You probably knew that, but if not, I’m happy to confirm your suspicions.)  I don’t always act the way I should.  I don’t always put “first things first” in my life.  I don’t always treat Jeanine or our kids or our staff or others in the church or our neighbors the way that I would like.  Sometimes I get tired and fed up.  Sometimes the “workshop, the roads, the crowds, the clamorous demands and surly oppositions, the lack of all peace and privacy, the interruptions” of life get to me.  That is discouraging to me.  And then I can even get discouraged that I’m discouraged (can you relate?).  I can say with honesty that I have done my best (and I unfortunately have a number of examples) when I have hurt someone or not treated someone well or when I have known that they have had something against me... I have tried to apologize and as best I could, make it right (that hasn’t happened since earlier today).  I’m not sure what all of that means, except it is a reminder to me that I still have some growing to do.  Sometimes, it all feels like garbage.

Thankfully, God can clean up my messes (1 John 1:9).  Yours, too.  And if He wants me to grow, I know it means that He can help me to do it.  I really like the Message’s paraphrase of Ephesians 4:15 that we are using as our memory verse for this week.  It is a challenge and great reminder for me, and I hope, for you: “God wants us to grow – to know the whole truth and tell it in love – like Christ in everything!”

May God help you and me to grow forward into the future!