Reading About Writing

I just finished and sent to the publisher my latest manuscript and found myself with unreserved reading time (a rare commodity these days). I decided to improve my writing skills so I picked up some books about the craft (much to my editor's good pleasure I'm sure).

I'm reading On Writing by Stephen King. I'm still waiting for a green glow and the evil clown to show up, but it isn't that sort of book. I've chuckled out loud several times while reading it but also doubted myself as a true writer more than a few. I want to go back and read some of my books and realize what I could have done better (now that would be a true horror story).

Someone asked Stephen King how he writes. His answer was, "One word at a time." I guess that is also how we get better as writers...one word at a time.

It is fascinating to read how other people write. I have much to learn. I need to find a steady balance between my travel, ministry, home and writing. I am not a very methodical person, so my balance will be different from others. So far, my writing pattern seems to be seasonal: summer and winter for writing, fall and spring for travel.

One of the strange things I have noticed is that I can't seem to write another book in the same place that I have already written one. I can tell you each place that my books were predominantly written and no two share the same space. It is like I draw a creative energy from the environment and it begins to reflect that book's unique personality, so when I try to write there again it doesn't work. I am just now discovering this, but of course that is something you wouldn't learn until you'd written a few books. I've written six so far (three other resources I've created are more like curriculum--those I can do anywhere). Imagine the difficulty of finding a new place if I wrote books as often as Stephen King! Considering my wife redesigned my eldest daughter's bedroom into a home office for me to write in after she moved out, this is a problem for even a writer with my own output. After Church 3.0 was done I haven't been able to write in the office again (save for blog posts and emails). Maybe I need to get over this idiosyncrasy and force myself to write in the same place. Perhaps this is just a rookie issue that can be overcome as a more seasoned writer. I wonder, does anyone else have this same little challenge? Any other theories about it?

Other books I am reading are: The Elements of Style by Strunk and White (a classic all should read several times over), The Elements of Story by Flaherty (which I think I will turn to often as a resource) and The Art and Craft of Storytelling by Lamb.

Screwtape's Latest Advice Regarding Church

Correspondence between a senior demon (Screwtape) and his nephew (Wormwood) regarding nullifying the church's influence:

My Dearest Wormwood,

If you want to make sure that the enemy's people are relegated to obscurity, lead them to believe that the church is for them, not the other way around. Hire professionals to make sure their church experience is more personally satisfying. If they actually evaluate how much they like (or don't like) the worship than the efforts will actually be for them and not our enemy. Rob the enemy of the worship He desires all in the name of worship! In fact, if you can, get them to compete with one another over this so that some are considered better at it than others we will gain division as well. Ask for a small percentage of their money just to provide such a service for them and their families. Don't ask for too much money though, we do not want them to actually think church is important. Let them use the greater majority of their money on their life away from the enemies activities. Do what you can to assure that no one would put much expectation beyond that small percentage of giving on the disciples themselves, let them think: "That's what we pay the pastors and missionaries for."

Put the pros in robes (suits will do) and tell them they are specially called and anointed to do what mere mortals cannot--like hand out pieces of bread and pass a cup of juice. Diminish the enemy's love feast to simply passing a small stale wafer of a bread-like substance and a thimble of juice. We do not want them to enjoy one another's company and actually love (Yuck, I hate even saying the word).

Take the commanded practices out of the hands of the regular people and make sure that those who will actually do them only do them with Christians behind the veil of sacred institutions and stained glass windows. In fact, if you really want to keep disciples from being made, command them to disobey Jesus and make it a sin for them to actually baptize others. If you can make it a sin to obey the enemy you have won a great battle. Then they are our followers, rather than His, but they think they are following the enemy! How grand our task is.

Don't let many become one of these professionals, in fact, make it extremely expensive and difficult to be allowed into the club of the sacred anointed. The fewer people that obey Jesus' commands and take responsibility for the enemy's work the better. Those who do actually practice the commands will do so with pride which is even better for us than if they didn't do them at all! If you can get them to see this service as a career, then they will bring expectations into the work that will make the practices themselves a duty under their job description. You can take all the good out of these practices if you play your cards right.

Make the church obsolete. Let people start other organizations to accomplish what she was meant to do. Leave her the tasks of marrying and burying, baptizing and communion so she will feel sacred and special in spite of not doing anything at all. Let others do the mission work, the evangelism work, the social service work, the counseling, and the leadership development. Charge her people for all those services, so they feel like they are contributing without having to actually do any of them.

Let them find success in how many people attend their sacred event once a week so that they are not concerned with any sort of success the rest of the week. Oh what a victory if you can make them feel proud about doing barely anything at all! It's like having two wins for the price of one. In fact, if you can get them to feel like their lack of contact with the other people in the world is a spiritual obligation that God desires of them we will not have to worry about the enemy's work in the world. It will all be ours! If we can keep them from being in the world or doing anything of substance, and actually feeling proud of being more spiritual in doing nothing we can win this war entirely. Oh, I get so excited thinking about the possibilities!

Make their "faith" about everything they do not do, rather than the things they should be doing. If people think that they are Christians because they don't dance, drink, dip or double-dip then the attention is off of the actual responsibility of hearing God and doing what He says. Make it about everything other than love, keep love out of the picture in all ways possible. In fact, if you can get them to think they are serving God better with hate than the enemy loses everything. Let them evaluate how good a person is by how much they look like themselves. Oh we have done well if that is the case. Then they have actually come to see themselves as the standard of goodness and led them to live in judgment of all others. Imagine how good it will be if the church all looks the same--smug and content with so little!

In fact, remove from them any chance of actually hearing God's voice. Let them hear other people who tell them what God is saying...then pass off things that are not important through those other voices. Stay away from the real dangerous words that are in the Bible. Let the pros use the Bible to only defend their own opinions. Let them think the enemy is on their side so that they have greater confidence in spouting off their opinions about meaningless things. Do, however, allow them to speak some good things so everyone feels good about hearing them, but keep the actual words of the scripture away form the people. Good words are fine, and better than the truly powerful words that we all fear and hate so much.

Let a few of these pros become popular because they tell good jokes, stories and witty sayings, so that people are deluded into thinking that they have just heard from God because they got teary eyed after laughing. Let the people feel like the Bible is so magical and mysterious that ordinary people without the degrees (or robes) are incapable of using it right and would only create a mess. Keep the ordinary people from hearing the enemies voice at all costs. This is your most important task Wormwood. Do not fail in this.

Take my advice and you will do well.

Fondly,

Your Uncle Screwtape

NOTE: Please know this is not from C.S. Lewis, and that I mean no disrespect to this great mind in this post. It is just an attempt to use his same sly manner in addressing a spiritual problem. Read the Screwtape Letters by C.S. Lewis if you want to understand this post and want to read a real good example of what this is attempting in a far less effective manner.

To the Ends of the Earth

I did some organic church training in Ethiopia a few years ago with church planters from all over the horn of Africa. Men traveled from as far as the Sudan and Somalia to be there and all had stories to tell of persecution.

Wow, it was a real blessing to be in a room full of people who have looked down the barrel of a gun or taken a blade in the side for Jesus and that are still preaching His word. I felt humbled. I had much more to learn from them then they did from me.

I carry in my Bible pictures of brothers who have lost their lives in this region for the sake of the Gospel. My favorite coffee in the world is grown by organic church planters in Ethiopia! I think about them daily when I have my morning brew. Join me in praying for their work as you sip the fruit of their labor as both organic farmers and organic church planters.

There was at least one way that I think I may have been able to help this movement, and in so doing may actually also have helped the rest of the world. Painted in bold letters on the wall in the room we met in was the purpose statement of the movement: To fulfill the great commission in the horn of Africa in this generation.

Admirable as that is, it is not correct, and can never be fulfilled. Why? because the great commission goes to "all the nations (Matt. 28:18-20)" and "to the ends of the earth (Acts 1:8)." You cannot fulfill the great commission in just one place of the earth. This was the problem the Jerusalem church struggled with until the persecution spurred on by Paul in Acts 8:1 pressed them out (amazing as it is, Paul is responsible for planting churches even before he followed Christ!). I actually wanted these noble apostolic church planters to raise their vision higher than the horn of Africa. The whole world could be blessed by their passion, faith and love, not just the horn of Africa.

This is something we all need to learn. Having a true Great Commission vision will affect all you do. For instance, when we evaluate our tools and methods, we ask if what we are doing will work in Calcutta as much as California. Will our methods work in Athens Greece as much as Athens Georgia? If it will only work in a US context we shelve it no matter how much we spent developing it (Note: TruthQuest is the one exception, we realize it is limited in where it will work, but encompasses enough of the world that it merits being produced).

A global perspective alters your view of what you are doing like nothing else. If what you are doing will reach the suburbs of South Orange County but will not work in the Sudan than you are not going to fulfill the Great Commission with what you are doing. This is why we scrutinize our materials so much and why we celebrate our "Shelf of Shame" where we place methods and resources we have created that will not multiply to the ends of the earth.

Is the Great Commission altering the way you do ministry? Perhaps it should.

Apparently Heaven Doesn't Like Gawdy Graven Images

Lightening struck this 6 story statue of Jesus, often called "Touchdown Jesus" because of his outstretched arms, last night (June 14, 2010). It was erected at the Solid Rock church in Ohio between Cincinnati and Dayton. It burned to the ground because it was made of styro foam, and fiberglass with a metal skeletal structure. I guess "Solid Rock" church is not as solid as advertised, nor made of Rock.

One article said the statue cost $500,000 to make and was shipped from Florida. The church has said it intends to rebuild it (resurrect?).

I have to think that there are better ways to let the neighborhood see the body of Christ. One must assume there are also better uses of kingdom resources.

We are left wondering if it is mere coincidence that lightening struck or is it from God? That is a question that the leadership of the church should probably spend some time asking before they rebuild it. What are some ways we can tangibly let people see the true beauty of Christ's body in our neighborhoods and nations?

Lakers & Celtics in the 2010 NBA Finals

I have a confession: I hate the Celtics.

It seems like I have hated them since I was a child. Perhaps that is because I watched them beat my team, the Lakers (with Jerry West, Elgin Baylor, Wilt Chamberlain and Gail Goodrich) so many times while I was growing up (6xs!). I got a little revenge in the 1980's when Magic, Kareem and Worthy beat them twice, even though they also lost once to them. Then two years ago the the luck of the Irish struck again.

Some classy players I have always admired have played for them, like Jojo White, Dennis Johnson, Nate Archibald, Paul Westphal, John Havlicek, even Bill Russel. Nevertheless I still don't like them. As cliché as it is, my two favorite teams are the Lakers and anyone else that is playing against the Celtics.

I am 50% Irish but I hate the Celtics with 100% of my being. I can't stand the green uniform, the parquet floor or the smoke from Red Auerbach's cigar. The smug look on Paul Pierce's face turns my stomach.

I just watched the first game of another NBA finals with the Lakers against the Celtics. I am nervous about it as I do not want to see my team lose again to the dreaded green leprechaun.

I found an important stat that has me encouraged a bit after watching the Lakers win the first game: Phil Jackson coached teams have won 100% of the 47 playoff series they have played in when 1st game is a victory. 47 wins...0 loses! Wow, that is an intimidating stat if your favorite color is green. Of course that is the kind of stat that is easy to slough off as fabricated by the media.

Yeah, but ten NBA championships for Jackson (one more than Auerbach BTW) and 47 series is a lot, and not once has Jackson lost a series after winning the first game.

A coincidence? Bill Plaschke, Times Sports writer, wrote:

“Smarter people than us say it is not. I thought about Boston, and thought about MIT, and decided that, yes, I should consult with someone from the brainiest university in the country. So I called the folks from Caltech (ouch). A couple of grad students in applied and computational mathematics —Stephen Becker and Mike McCoy — figured that the odds of going 47-0 by coincidence were less than three in a billion.”

Less than 3:1,000,000,000 I like those odds!

Nevertheless, I will be at the edge of my seat for every game. I seriously doubt that Kevin Garnett cares much about such a number. One win does not win a series.

C'mon Lakers!

Okay, don't comment that I am being overly passionate about a frivolous thing. I know its only basketball, but it is the Lakers!

The REAL Dirt on Organic Church

In the Spring 2010 issue of Leadership Journal, Brian Hofmeister shares his disappointing experience with organic church in an article called The Dirt on Organic. A couple things seem apparent from the article. Hofmeister did not try organic for very long, perhaps only a year or so, and he took the expectations of the institutional expression of church with him into the work, so his experience is less than a full trial.

Having written the books Organic Church, Organic Leadership and Church 3.0, I know that there is dirt on the organic church, but Hofmeister’s minimal experience didn’t really get a chance to unearth it. Perhaps you want to hear the real dirt on organic church from someone who actually has worked through the principles and practices for a couple decades now. Let me oblige. The dirt is deep under all my nails and the stench of fertilizer is all over my clothes.

Here are a couple things about organic church that you may want to know before you try it. Let the reader beware, organic church is not something every leader should attempt.

Organic Church Hurts More

Doing church relationally and starting in the harvest fields is one of the most rewarding and at the same time discouraging experiences of my life.

I remember back when I used to pastor a “real” church I would read the verses when Paul would mention how he wept with his prayers every day for the churches and frankly I would feel guilty that I didn’t have such passion for my own church…until I started the first Awakening Chapels.

When you usher a new life into the kingdom of God, baptize them into obedience to their new Lord and disciple them in their first steps of faith they become your spiritual children. John explains to us that he has no greater joy than to hear of his children walking in truth. When you see a young church where just weeks before there was only darkness and evil, you feel a far greater sense of joy and responsibility, much like a parent. When your disciples fall away it hurts more than if you simply have an empty seat in your auditorium on Sunday morning for a couple weeks. It feels as though one of your own children has fallen away, because they have. This explains Paul’s passion when he said, “Besides everything else, I face daily the pressure of my concern for all the churches. Who is weak, and I do not feel weak? Who is led into sin, and I do not inwardly burn?” (2 Cor. 11:28-29) In the context Paul just finished talking about beatings, multiple scourging, shipwrecks and even suffering execution, but these things seem to pale compared to the pain he felt when his own spiritual children fell back into sin. I have felt that pain myself and it is deep and sticks with you for a long time, perhaps for your entire life.

That pain never leaves you and can give you pause to keep on going, but the rewards of new life that stays faithful is enough to keep me at it. I can never go back to the way I used to do church, no matter how painful it can be in the present manner. I know too much and have been ruined for regular church forever. Discipling people and investing in proveness rather than potential does help to reduce this pain some, but not entirely. Paul had Demas and Jesus had Judas and you will have some people who deeply hurt you with a kiss on the cheek. So I am willing to endure the pain. I willingly count the cost and pay the price for doing church organically.

Organic Church is More Messy

Mistakes and foolishness are more evident in organic church where your experience is unscripted and spontaneous. You are often taking great risk and on occasion the risk pays off well. When you choose to do church organically you intentionally release control and that means you have to live with the results that grow out of the soil of broken lives. We call this “organic panic” for those who are just beginning to see how messy life can be when it is organic rather than organizational.

For many of us we desire spontaneous multiplication of disciples, leaders, churches and movements. You simply cannot have something scripted and spontaneous at the same time, so control must be given up. Your hope for order is faith in the actual DNA that is planted in the seeds of transformed lives. I have been to churches where every single minute is accounted for with a detailed and well-rehearsed script. This may produce a wonderful show but it does not allow for anything spontaneous. If you want the church to grow and multiply spontaneously, you have to allow for spontaneity. How can God lead us if we have no place for Him in our schedule of church life?

Often the beautiful fruit that grows out of the dirt of organic church surprises me; but sometimes I shake my head with wonder at what God is willing to endure in people’s lives. Sometimes my church is a beautiful bride full of life and hope; at other times it more resembles the island of misfit toys, all broken and forgotten by the world. I’ve stopped feeling responsible for other people’s decisions when I grant them freedom of choice, but I still cringe on some occasions. In my opinion, the best leaders are not those who draw the largest crowds but those that produce other leaders. A good leader who is developing other leaders simply must allow apprentices to try new things, even silly ones, and make mistakes or they are not empowered. If excellence and perfect timing is your desire than you may want to stay away from the spontaneous organic ways of doing church and instead maintain a scripted performance as core to your church experience. But do not be surprised if you find that you are not producing leaders but simply consuming ones already developed by others. This is part of the problem Mr. Hofmeister was wrestling with; he was feeling unprepared without already formed leadership in place. Organic panic seized him and he let go of the opportunity he had.

If you are unwilling to let people make some mistakes, even theological ones, than you are forfeiting any real original thinking and conformity to what has been is all you will be left with. If that is your desire, stay away from organic church. I let people make mistakes and learn from them and I believe that in the long run the results are better people, not worse ones. We may not have an excellent production once a week, but we have long-term fruitfulness. People learn from mistakes, if you eliminate the mistakes you also eliminate the learning.

Organic Church Has Less Applause

When multiplication is your desire the work simply must begin small and slow. There is no other way to go. I believe it is for this reason, more than any other, that true multiplication is forfeited by most Christian leaders on the altar of quick success. We so easily shift from the long-term fruit of multiplication so that we can have larger numbers faster with addition. Driven by our own insecurities and need for admiration and respect that we start doing things that attract more attention and invest less in reproduction.

Jesus often turned away from the glow of the multitudes to invest instead in a small band that could do the same. When he rose to heaven He left behind 120 disciples after three very productive years of exceptional ministry (He must’ve missed the “How to break the 200 barrier seminar”). He could have easily left with far more applause, but His goal was to incite a movement, not attract an audience. His plan eventually did what no earthly army could ever do—overcome and defeat the mighty Roman Empire. This result, however, would not occur in his lifetime or the lifetime of any of his own disciples. The exponential momentum of a multiplication movement is eventually unstoppable and rapid, but it doesn’t start that way, but builds with the life and death of each new generation.

Criticism is also a reality for the pioneers battling in the organic fields today. In real war, they call this “friendly fire,” but there is nothing friendly about it. To be out ahead facing the conflict with our enemy head on and get shot from behind by people who are supposed to be on your own team is harsh, especially when you realize that the armor provided by our Lord only seems to cover your front leaving your backside uncovered.

If you are someone who needs the approval of others for your own sense of well being than organic church is not for you. Hate mail is common for me, but strangely enough it is often sent to the address of many other people before mine. It seems that people often will make public accusations without even approaching me first. Thick skin is a mandatory requirement for those who are blazing new trails in organic church life, and not every leader is made for this stuff.

I'm Smiling Now: A Response to Geoff Surratt's Response

Geoff Surratt has posted a response to an article made up of some blog posts I did a while back about the multisite church model. I appreciate his tone and would love to meet him and converse more about the subject. In his response, however, there are a number of things that are not adequately reflecting my own thinking. It may actually be better to read all the blog posts to get a complete picture of what I think, as the article is only a portion of my thoughts.

I will respond to his response simply to clarify, but will probably let things stand where they are after that. We are brothers and, while we do the kingdom work differently, we are both serving the King and I am glad about that. Everyone that I know who speaks of Geoff speaks highly of him, so I have nothing but respect for him even if we do church differently.

Anyone who has actually read my books or knows me would understand that I do not believe that a church must have a preacher up front (whether or not he or she is in another room several blocks away). I also do not think that a church must have independent resources or not rely upon a larger organization in order to be a church. My thoughts are that in order for the church to spawn a multiplication movement it must have its own independent ability to reproduce and not be dependent upon another organization. I have no problem calling a congregation a church if it is dependent on a larger organization. Whether the pastor is preaching in front of the crowd or several blocks away is irrelevant to me as to whether or not it is a church.

Actually, I do not see a Sunday worship service as paramount to defining a church. If the people are just an audience it isn't a church in my book. I have always said a church is "a spiritual family together on Christ's mission." Of course a multisite church can be a church, but I do not think the Sunday service is what makes it so.

I have committed my life to releasing church multiplication movements. That is what I was writing about, and I do not think multisite releases true multiplication movements...addition, but not multplication. I believe multiplication is proven true when the fourth generation and beyond is manifested, something we have yet to see from the multisite phenomenon. But hear me when I say that church addition is a good thing, especially when the churches are started by transforming people from lostness in to light. Transferring membership from one church to another doesn't really count as even church addition, does it?

Now to be fair, there is a difference in my mind between multisite and video venue, and in my article it is the video venue approach that I am taking issue with the most. I do believe it accentuates our dependency upon personalities and encourages our consumeristic problems and celebrity status in Christendom. I know good men are preaching the gospel in this way, I am not doubting that, in fact many people I consider friends are using this method. I don't question that in some cases lives are being changed and leaders are being developed. I do think, however, that there are longer term implications that should be considered when looking at this approach.

I do have one curiosity though: Is multisite "church planting" or is it "one church in several locations"? It seems like Geoff wants it both ways, and I'm not sure that is helping to clarify the issue. Why is it called church planting when we are counting missional results, and then it is one church when attendance and offerings are being counted? I am not questioning whether or not a multisite church is a church, but I do not think it is a good church planting model, and certainly doesn't release multiplication movements. It is really the logical conclusion of 20 years of church growth strategy, but when compared to church multiplication strategy it is not so sound. Addition is still better than division and subtraction, but multiplication is the only way we will fulfill the great commission to the ends of the earth.