One of my favorite sermon series I did while planting LifePoint was one that examined the leadership of Moses. We took about six weeks and looked at the various aspects of his leadership, from his calling to how he handled challenges. Numbers 11 is a good example. The burden of leading a surly group like the Israelites was taking its toll on Moses. The chapter begins with the people complaining (no surprise there). Scholars estimate the number of people Moses was leading to be between 500,000 and a million. That's no small number. Moses is ready to walk away. The loneliness of leadership is almost too much. That's when God offers a remedy. It's found in Numbers 11:16-17 ... "The Lord said to Moses: 'Bring me seventy of Israel's elders who are known to you as leaders and officials among the people. Have them come to the Tent of Meeting,…
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In N.T. Wright's book, "After You Believe," he has a short phrase - a small, two word phrase - that really grabbed me: "uncomfortable borderland." His point? For Christ-followers, we live at the intersection of God's desires and designs and the actual world we live in. The world the way God wants it to be and the world as it is. This is the "uncomfortable borderland" God has called us to navigate. There is tension in the uncomfortable borderland. We see a wrong that needs to be righted - who should do something about it? I can't do everything. It seems overwhelming. It is overwhelming. That may be the whole point of dragging us into the uncomfortable borderland. To only live on one side of the border or the other releases us from the tension. We hole ourselves off and become hermits or we immerse ourselves in the darkness and…
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Every Father's Day since 1996 I have either boarded a plane or drove off in my car headed to the same destination: Opportunity Camp. The camp is located in the little city of Felton; the nearest "big" city is Scotts Valley (by "big" I mean that it has a Starbucks. The "coffee shop" in Felton sells coffee, crystals, and incense). For nearly 50 years, volunteers have come from points across the country to serve at Opportunity Camp. This year we will have staff from the Bay Area, New York City, Seattle, Dallas, and Denver. Among the senior leadership, I have the least seniority and I've been to camp for sixteen years. Our campers are in the Contra Costa County social service pipeline. For many of them, this will not be their first time at our camp. Opportunity Camp engenders tremendous loyalty among our staff for one simple reason: the kids.…
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“Stay dressed for action and keep your lamps burning …” (Luke 12:35, ESV). In my last post, I wrote about the need to live with intention and purpose. As Christ-followers, we are not to be drifters. We're not the ball in a pinball machine, bouncing indiscriminately off bumpers and falling victim to circumstances. How do we "stay dressed for action" and "keep our lamps burning"? Spiritual preparation takes time. Too often, we're looking for the shortcut. What are the three steps that will get me out of this mess? What prayer will unlock this logjam? In order to get dressed, you must first take the time to pick out what you're going to wear. And even before that, you must first go shopping. The journey towards spiritual maturity takes a lifetime. In other words, we are always en route to growth and maturity. Spiritual preparation also takes discipline. In ancient days,…
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"Stay dressed for action and keep your lamps burning ..." (Luke 12:35, ESV). Our Friday morning men's Bible study has been working our way through the gospel of Luke and we covered part of chapter twelve this morning. In this section, Jesus is instructing his followers to live with right priorities ("do not worry about your life ... seek his kingdom"). It is possible to get so caught up in our pursuit of what is temporary that we lose sight of what is eternal. When this happens, we begin to think of ourselves as owners rather than stewards. I own my time. I own my stuff. I own my talents. This is the opposite of what Jesus teaches. In fact, he puts it this way: "From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be…
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