TimSpivey.com

2010

Happy New Year to everyone. It's January 1, and that means it's resolution time!

Sociological bean-counters report that now barely one in three of us continue to make the traditional New Year's Resolution. Our resolutions seem always to tend towards pushing the limits of our abilities, testing the strength of our self-denial. No wonder resolution-making is falling by the wayside.

The tradition of making New Year's resolutions dates back to the early Babylonians. They too tended towards the pragmatic and responsible side of resolutions, most often resolving to return borrowed farm equipment.

    My family has a tradition we affectionately refer to as the "The Jar." We take our resolutions and our predictions for the year, seal them in a jar, and open them on the following New Year's Eve. My resolutions for 2009 were:

Well…never mind.

What is it about the future that makes both believers and unbelievers so frightened, so anxious, so fearful, so in need of the slate being wiped clean? Most of us at some point had an encounter with Charles Dickens' famed story, A Christmas Carol, in which Ebenezer Scrooge is converted from chronically selfish, bitter, and hateful, by what—a replaying of his personal sins and their potential results before his eyes.

Something like that happens at New Years. We pledge to lose 15 pounds because we finally realize how fat we have become. We resolve to save more and spend less now that we realize we've dug ourselves a hole. We resolve to give more to the church or to get the GPA up…as though because it is New Years, we will have more strength. Every health club in America can tell you about the New Year's resolution season, and how people begin the year with tremendous verve for fitness, and are sitting on the couch verveless by March.

What if we resolved to be more of what we can be, instead of resolving just to be less of what we already are? What if we allowed God to make our resolutions for us—focusing on what matters most? What if we, like Paul, said, "But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. Let those of us who are mature think this way, and if in anything you think otherwise, God will reveal that also to you." – Philippians 3:13a-15.

Now, that's a goal.

To that end, I offer you a prayer from my friend Ray Hardin:

I Trust You Lord by Ray Hardin

Lord, when I put my faith in you my life evens out; my days are not so tough; my nights are peaceful; my temper is calm; my joy comes back to the surface,

Why can't I live that way all the time, Lord?

And wanting to makes me want to see what my faith is all about.

It's all about you, Lord. It's all about you.

Having faith in you means I trust you. Simply that. I trust you.

I trust all my life with you… all my days… all my ways. I trust them all with you.

I trust my life to you, Lord. I give it to you to keep. I know I am safe in your hands.

I trust my past to you, Lord. I give it to you to keep. I know I am safe in your hands.

I trust my future to you, Lord. I give it to you to keep. I know I am safe in your hands.

I trust my health to you, Lord. my ambitions… my failures… my sorrows… my weaknesses… I trust them all to you, Lord. I give them to you to keep. I know I am safe in your hands.

I trust you, Lord. I put my faith in you. And I know it's the right thing for me to do.

Because you have been good to me. You have been faithful. Your constant love and tender mercy have been my salvation.

AMEN

The Tech-Nerd Preacher, Part 1

Perhaps I've sold out. I'd like to think I've adapted to the times.

Tangible, paper books still adorn my shelves. However, most of the books I've bought over the last year are all inside one cover and are less than a half-inch thick. I still call and write to people (letter or email), but now I'm as likely to tweet or Facebook them. I still preach from a leather-bound Bible, but my notes, as of about six months ago, are on my Kindle DX.

Here's why I made the shift to the Kindle DX:

• Less paper. I manuscript my sermons, though I preach them like an outline. I thus would carry 12-14 pages of paper into the pulpit each week. It was a mess, and easy to get a page or two out of place over three services. And…OK…it saves a few trees.
• Cheap books. I LOVE books. I was able to cut my book budget and read more often, simply because the Kindle is always with me…and when it is, my whole library is with me.
• It's light. It weighs less than a pound. 'Nuff said.
• Search. I can search through my entire collection of Kindle books like a concordance…making it easy to find quotes and illustrations from within my book collection.
• Text-to-speech. Here's a biggie. I can manuscript the sermon and then have it sent to my Kindle. I can then have it read out loud to me before Sunday. True, the voice is somewhat robotic. But, it's not awful. This allows me get a feel for how the sermon will sound. I can, in essence, hear the sermon before it's ever delivered…and make changes if something comes across quite differently when heard than when read. This is also why I like the Kindle better than Nook or the Sony Reader. Having said that, those readers are great for reading and holding sermon notes.

I don't read biblical text from it, though. I feel like it's best for the church to see me read from a leather-bound Bible…which is what most them have. More importantly, it sends a message of submission to the Word that reading off an IPhone or off a Kindle doesn't. I know some will disagree that it's different at all. I just happen to think it is.

Those of you who have ways of using technology to your benefit in ministry, let the rest of us in on it. Technology need not be the foe of ministry. In fact, it can be our invaluable assistant.

Got any tech tricks or ways you leverage technology to bless ministry?

"My Affair Saved My Marriage" - Say What?

The headline on MSN Live Today caught my attention: "My affair saved my marriage."

Nice.

The tagline beneath it read: Until she had an affair and they went to a therapist, her husband couldn't understand that his behavior was a major contributor to her straying. That counselor saved their relationship by reminding them how much they really cared about each other.

Really?

The logic of the article go like this: Feelings of neglect=affair. Affair=getting his attention and a trip to therapy. That=reconciliation and the marriage you always wanted.

The underlying message of the article truly is: If your marriage isn't good and you feel lonely or unfulfilled, an affair could help. After all, it worked for the couple in the article! It sounds to me a like using sin and sex as tools of manipulation and power. The article also implies that adultery can actually be morally superior (or at least morally equal) to what the author puts forward as neglectfulness.The article concludes: "So when people say that affairs saved their marriages — it's not as ridiculous as it sounds. Sometimes a big catalyst is necessary to move a relationship forward."

Yes it is as ridiculous as it sounds. I don't want to be overly presumptuous about the situation. I know only what I read in the article. However, I feel the need to say this pretty clearly:

AFFAIRS DO NOT SAVE MARRIAGES!

Affairs can certainly ruin them, though.

It's true that spouses can contribute to a spouse's desire to stray. Marriages should be rooted in Christ and sacrificial love for one another. Christ should anchor and empower marriage to be vibrant and full of Spirit fruit. Sometimes, however, spouses allow the self to reside at the center of marriage. This can lead spouses to be inconsiderate, neglectful, or worse. When spouses act in an ungodly ways toward one another, there can be a temptation to stray--either to fulfill unmet "needs," to get back at him/her, or get their attention.

Nevertheless, when a person chooses to do such, it is sin. Sin never helps marriages...or a person's walk with Christ. The ultimate responsibility for that sinful behavior lies with the adulterous spouse. They are not forced to commit adultery. They choose to--whatever the reasons may be. Adultery is extremely serious, which is likely why it is the only explicitly mentioned cause for divorce in the New Testament.

Having said that, adultery does not have to end marriages. I've seen God salvage many marriages where a spouse has been unfaithful and make them vibrant again--yes, sometimes even more vibrant than before. Spouses can forgive each other. God is also always willing to forgive.

God's work never ceases to amaze me. I rejoice when I see Him heal broken marriages. If that's where you are, thank God for his healing power. May Christ be Lord of your marriage...

And know that it was not the affair that saved your marriage.

It was God's grace and healing.

Turnaround Fellowship – A New Blog Series

The Christian Chronicle recently published their Top Stories of 2009 list. Heading the list was the membership decline in Churches of Christ. Without a doubt, that was the biggest story in Churches of Christ for 2009. However, it's been a work in progress for some time. Hence, I'm beginning a new series of blog posts, entitled, Turnaround Fellowship.

Below I list seven things that I believe would most substantially help Churches of Christ reverse course. There are certainly others. If you have others to offer, please share them in the comments section.

All of these can be worked on, over time. I will take one per day over the next couple of weeks and offer some possible solutions. I'm not under the illusion that these are the only seven things we need to work on or that my observations won't rattle a few cages. I'm also aware that I could be wrong or off ten degrees, as these comments are also generalizations of our fellowship as a whole. Thus, individual congregations may not have some of these issues. These are simply personal observations I've made as I travel the country talking to churches and leaders about the good, the bad, and the ugly of ministry.

It's OK for us to disagree. You may think there are some things missing, and some things on my list that we already do quite well collectively. I'm hoping the comments section can provide a lively forum for passionate, godly, debate. We've got to begin talking frankly about things—or 2009's lead story will be the lead story of 2010 and beyond. I desperately want to see the church prevail in the 21st Century. Most importantly, so does God.

I believe that even mild improvement in these areas would do much to stem decline and even produce growth in many places. I am not a CofC basher. In fact, I'm known as a bit of a patriot. However, we have some issues that we need to work through...and work through yesterday.

So, in that spirit, here we go:

1. Healthy Leadership. First place by miles.
2. Flexibility and Nimbleness.
3. Increased Generosity Toward the Local Church.
4. Increased Practical Ministry Skill Among Leaders and Members.
5. Increased Cooperation Among Churches and Institutions.
   
6. Increased Care/Attention Toward the Next Generation.
   
7. Increased Care/Attention Toward Weekend Assemblies.

Why Not Blame Christianity?

I was strolling through Barnes and Noble a week or so ago. Near the coffee counter, the cover of the Atlantic read, "Did Christianity Cause the Crash? How Preachers are Spreading a Gospel of Debt." At first, I thought, "Terrific, one more thing people want to blame on Christianity. Next, it'll be the bad weather in Des Moines." I could guess that the article was going to focus on "Heath and Wealthers," perhaps portraying them as typical of Christian teaching on money and possessions.

I was right.

Let me say at the outset that the article is not brutally unfair. It is simply misguided in portraying the smattering of health-and-wealthers as somewhat typical of Christianity's teaching on the subject. And, if we are going to be fair to even the health-and-wealthers…a couple of points should be made:

• Even if health/wealth pastors encouraged people to buy houses they couldn't afford because "God wanted them to"—a bank still had to lend them the money. So, the lenders are at least as much at fault as the customer.
• By far, most people who took out bad loans weren't members of the so-called Christian health/wealth movement. But, even if they were…a bank still had to loan them the money.

So, blaming the housing crash on the marginal health/wealth movement within Christianity seems somewhat illogical to me. I'm sure the title of the article was designed to get people to read the magazine and blog about it (mission accomplished). However, the Atlantic should be held responsible for the implications of their headlines and the substance of their journalism.

The well-written article reads like an investigative report. However, it's really an editorial piece in investigative dress. There's even an odd shot at Sarah Palin's family life and an attempt to link her to health/wealth toward the end—and a contrast between the promises of health/wealth and the "sure hope" offered by Presidents Obama and Clinton. Hmmm…

Here is a smattering of thoughts on the claims of the article:

• In truth, health/wealthers are a fringe group. To imply somehow that they speak for the majority of Christians is factually inaccurate.
• Swap in another religion like Judaism or Islam for Christianity on the cover and try to imagine the same magazine being put on the racks. Highly unlikely, given today's sensitivities.
• Most pastors I know of, whether in the mainstream (and even most of the fringe), hold a highly negative view of debt and incorporate it into their teachings on stewardship.
• In fact, the NY Times published an article in March of this year, asking, "Did Evangelicals Curb the Housing Bubble?" They found: Yes. Check it out here.
• I am well aware that the practice of religious quackery by those in the health/wealth camp has been damaging to those under it's influence. That is why a healthy biblical theology of money and possessions must be taught in every church in every place. Jesus talked about it constantly. So, it should be talked about more frequently than the annual Missions Sunday or Capital Campaign season. It is an integral part of discipleship.

As frustrated as I am at the way the Atlantic portrayed Christianity both on the cover and between the covers of their magazine, I cannot fault them for finding fault with the health/wealth crowd. I simply lament their limited understanding and representation of Christianity as a whole.

It pains me to think that virtually every person getting a cup of coffee at Barnes and Noble in Escondido will see that cover and think, perhaps de facto, that the current global malaise is a by-product of "Christianity." At the same time, it pains me that some people's lives have been ruined by those trafficking in the things of God for their own gain.

Here's a question: What does more harm to people's theology of money and possessions: Health/Wealth teaching, or no teaching at all? I would love to hear your thoughts on this.

 

On Blogging

Matt Dabbs has posted the top 50 Church of Christ blogs based on Alexa data. This humble blog came in at #23, up 18 slots from July. I wanted to pause and thank everyone for logging on.

I began this blog a few years ago as a way of keeping a few friends posted on the haps with the Spiveys. It grew into somewhat of a personal journal from there...and from there to a kind of smattering of practical theological reflections on ministry, life, politics, theology, etc.

It actually takes quite a bit to post regularly (4 times a week or more) and to do it over years. I try not to post just to post. I try to offer something that might be worthwhile, humorous, or spiritually beneficial...or to simply be silent. Not everything has succeeded at being helpful I'm sure, but that's been the goal.

It would help me a great deal to know what sort of posts you find most helpful. Let me know. I want to the blog to be a blessing. I'll probably always have some personal stuff on here (because I know a lot of people read the blog to make sure the Spiveys are staying out of trouble), but other than that, let me know what is most helpful.

I tend to get the most hits on social commentary posts and ministry resource posts (i.e., the turnaround churches posts). However, that doesn't mean they are in fact the most helpful.

I'd really like to know why you read, and what blesses you. It'll help me be a better blogger. Thanks again for logging on.

Twitter Church

One of the cool (and sometimes annoying to our older colleagues) things about having some younger people on staff is the increased "techsavvyness" they bring with them. This is but one of the reasons I enjoy working with a mixture of younger and more seasoned staff....experience and freshness. Fantastic combo!

Virtually our entire staff is on Facebook (and at least a third of the the church) and most of us Tweet. Peter Wilson (our Worship and Spiritual Formation Minister) turned me onto a little e-book entitled, "Why the Church Must Tweet." Very interesting read. It's short, and it's five bucks.

As a Tweeter... I like twitter because it forces you to be concise. It makes life easier on me, and keeps me from annoying everyone...at least through Twitter :) I've found that communicating with the church via technology helps me communicate with people I would never have the chance to otherwise. Particularly those 35 and younger.

A few of us spent some time experimenting with live tweets throughout the Willow Creek Leadership Summit this past Thursday and Friday. Even as one who gripes about decreased attention spans, etc. I have to admit...it was really cool. I'm not gutsy enough to try the live tweet thing in an assembly yet. I still have questions about that. But, just linking the church together in that way throughout the week will be cool and a good way to wade in.

We're starting small as a church--with a few accounts to link people up to talk to one another throughout the days and week. We've got some huge ideas though. As we get new ideas that we think might actually work, we'll pass them along through the blog. You don't have to be an NC3er to be part of this. If you have a Twitter account...just click on the hyperlinks below and then click, "Follow."

Here are the accounts:

Me - @twspreach (my personal twitter account)

North County Church of Christ News - @nc3news (latest updates on the church...within reason)

North County Church of Christ preaching ministry - @nc3preach (this is one that puts out tweets associated with past, current, or future message series). It will function as a mixture of devotional, preaching news and insights on preaching/teaching.

Even if your church doesn't take the leap into the Twittersphere or Facebook nation, put some thought into how your church can leverage technology for God's Glory. Web-based stuff is cheap, it's easy (with a little training) and it's a golden opportunity to reach and mature people for Jesus.

If you are reading this post, you are tech savvy enough to try some things. So, you are without excuse :)