Over at the Gospel Coalition blog, I read a recent post by Paul Tripp about how one's perspective on their ministry changes as they grow older. In particular, I liked how he contrasted astronauts with archeologists. I've included a snippet below. I'd encourage you to read the entire post. ********* The longer you're in pastoral ministry, the more you move from being an astronaut to an archaeologist. When you're young, you're excitedly launching to worlds unknown. You have all of the major decisions of life and ministry before you, and you can spend your time assessing your potential and considering opportunities. It's a time of exploration and discovery. It's a time to go where you've never been before and do what you've never done. It's a time to begin to use your training and gain experience. But as you get older in ministry, you begin to look back at least…
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Because of the beauty of the Internet and six degrees of separation (clicking from Tim Spivey to Jim Martin to Ian Cron), I came across this great article by Ian Cron entitled "Is Jesus Just Background Music in Your Life?" The article was inspired by a coffee shop conversation with a friend, Rob Mathes, who said this about the music playing in the background: "“When brilliant compositions are used for background music it desensitizes people to their genius." It's an interesting article to read. Has Jesus become background music in your life?
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“The words influence and influenza are cousins.” -- David Jeremiah We are a contagious people and not just when it comes to germs and viruses and hand sanitizer. Attitudes are contagious. One sour person can sink an entire meeting. A little grumpiness goes a long way. On the other hand, a gentle answer to a harsh question can soften the atmosphere (that should be in the Bible!). Vision is contagious. I believe people are hungry for a higher purpose than Angry Birds or voting on American Idol. A clearly articulated, passionate vision will spread -- hopping from one carrier to another. Morals (or lack of) are contagious. Parents understand this. It's why we pray for our children to make good friends, to surround themselves with positive influences. But what about at work? When a leader lacks a moral compass, the moral temperature gets set at whatever degree is in the…
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This week is one of the largest annual gatherings of church planters in America. It's the Exponential Conference in Florida. Men and women who have planted churches, who are thinking about planting churches, or who are simply curious -- all will converge on Orlando. I've been myself ... and it was worth every dollar and every minute. There is something contagious about being around a group of people who believe they serve a God who can change the world. You get to sit in sessions with other risk-takers and the risks you're taking don't seem so insurmountable. It's a safe place to share stories -- mostly war stories, failures, things you would do over. No one goes there to brag. You go to learn, be encouraged, and to encourage others. As I sat in one of the main sessions back in 2005, I looked over the room and saw hundreds…
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