St. John Studies

“And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food and it was pleasant to look at, and a tree to be desired in order to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate” [Genesis 3:6].

This is the main premise of Pastor John Bevere’s book Good or God?.

It wasn’t the evil side of the tree of knowledge of good and evil that drew Eve to sin, it was the “good” side.

Bevere says that the key words good, pleasant and desired touched him the most.

What does he mean touched?

He means the Spirit of God revealed the deep meaning of this scripture to him. In fact, he states that God said to him “There is a good that is not of Me. It is not submitted to Me.”

How could this be?

It is all about discernment, a term that is tossed around in some Christian circles but many don’t really know how discernment works. The dictionary definition says “(in Christian contexts) it means a perception that comes about in the absence of judgment with a view to obtaining spiritual direction and understanding.”

Some readers may have checked out by now, thinking that any perception that comes about in the absence of judgment must be a belief from the “lunatic fringe” of Christianity, but maybe it is not.

Sinclair Ferguson writing on the “Ligonier Ministries Website” [from R.C. Sproul’s ministry] says that discernment is a special grace gift and cites 1 Corinthians 12:10 and Psalms 199:66 as Scriptural support. A discerning Christian is not a judgmental Christian; discernment goes beyond judgment. “It [discernment] involved our Lord’s knowledge of God’s Word and His observation of God’s ways with men (He, supremely, had prayed, “Teach me good judgment … for I believe Your commandments,” Ps. 119:66). Doubtless His [Jesus’] discernment grew as He experienced conflict with, and victory over, temptation, and as He assessed every situation in the light of God’s Word” [Ferguson, “What is Discernment?”].

You might think this is ok for Jesus, but does He expect us to develop discernment?

Yes He does.

It is a level of growth that we can aspire to, reading and studying the Word of God to the point that we can “think God’s thoughts after Him.” Does it come easily? No. Does it come quickly? No. Is it something we can ask for and expect that we can get? No.

It is a special grace gift.

Hebrews 4:13 “Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of Him to whom we must give account.” All men will not have that perception but Christians with great discernment can have inklings of this view if they devote the time and effort to really know God.

What is the value of discernment? Discernment can guard us from the false teaching that is so common in the world. Many spiritual leaders would have us believe their message but their word may not really be grounded in God’s word. Ferguson states that discernment can assist in spiritual healing. A Christian with discernment can see deeply into a person’s heart where they are struggling with issues that are damaging their lives. This “heart knowledge” can help another with healing that goes beyond physical healing or psychological healing. The focus is on spiritual healing. Discernment can allow a Christian to truly lead a “free” life. We all know that “things of this world” can bind us but a discerning Christian is not held back in life by worldly concerns. “The zealous but undiscerning Christian becomes enslaved—to others, to his own uneducated conscience, to an unbiblical pattern of life. Growth in discernment sets us free from such bondage, enabling us to distinguish practices that may be helpful in some circumstances from those that are mandated in all circumstances” [Ferguson]. Finally, discernment triggers spiritual development in the Christian. The discerning Christian avoids the frustration of understanding the presence of God in today’s world. This person can see harmony in all God’s work and how His words apply to the world today. This knowledge leads to phenomenal spiritual growth.

In the study of Good or God?, why should we be concerned with this idea of discernment?

Because our author claims it.
When he says “the spirit of God” said to me “There is a good that is not of Me. It is not submitted to Me”, he is talking about receiving a discerning word from God.

We can cast doubt on Bevere’s ideas and label him as a member of the “lunatic fringe” of Christianity, but let’s not do that.

Psalms 119: 125 has the prayer “I am your servant; give me discernment.”

Maybe we should pray that prayer…

And hope for the gift…

Good or God?

Stop for a moment and think about that title.

What is a word you might think of when you think of the word good?

Evil? As in “good versus evil.”
What is author and pastor John Bevere thinking about when he opposes good with God? Well, he gives a hint in his subtitle: “Why good without God isn’t enough.”

As I thought about commenting on this book, I remembered a good friend who suffered through one of the most difficult times of life. This person shared their story with me in a way that was so honest. The pain they were going through was instructional for me. Maybe it will be for you.

They were in a marriage where their spouse paid them little attention, in fact the spouse worked so hard that most family duties were neglected and my friend had to do them all. Could the hard-working spouse have chosen to be involved with the family? Yes they could but they did not [lack of interest, career, selfishness etc. etc.]. This life style went on for many years and my friend never really complained loudly enough for the spouse to hear. All the signs of dissatisfaction were there but the spouse was too busy at career-building to see them.

Let me be clear, my friend was a good person, not much of a church goer or Bible reader and maybe they did not really have a personal relationship with God but they knew right from wrong [they thought]. They reported to me “I was a good person.”

But then in the midst of this disappointing lifestyle came a temptation…a way out, if you will.

Someone else came into the picture, someone who was willing to give all the needed attention that was so desired from the spouse and you know the rest, my friend was involved in a situation that threatened the existence of the marriage.

That’s when they told me “I was a good person but I discovered that good was not good enough.”

That was eye-opening.

Many people live their lives with half-hearted commitments to God, or just vague ideas that all I need to do is be “good.” That will get me through life.

Bevere states that as Christians we should not just settle for a good life; he proposes that we should seek a “God life.” The problem with most of us is that we settle for much less than we should.

What are examples of settling? They are everywhere. Church is open every week and we only attend sporadically. When we attend we don’t even consider getting involved with things like Sunday school, the youth ministry, children’s ministry, the church council or any other needed work that happens in the church. There are many outreach opportunities at your church, where you can have a positive impact on your community but there is just not enough time in the day to do your own work, much less volunteer to help others. We know we should read our Bible but it just sits, gathering dust. There are lots of good books to help us grow our faith but we don’t buy them or read them. Bible study is just not on our radar. Maybe you have “given your life to Christ” and that is great but after that commitment, you have not done anything to grow your faith. Maybe you think you can ride that one day commitment to heaven.

We settle.

Church sometimes “settles” too. In a frantic attempt to get new members, churches do anything to make a new attendee feel welcome. Coffee bars, informal dress, upbeat contemporary music, hymn lyrics shined up on the wall so one does not have to hold hymnals, engaging activities for youth and children. The pastor preaches a message that is very positive. I know I am exaggerating, but I know of one church that got rid of its pastor due to the fact that he preached too much about the consequences of sin.

When you go to some of these worship centers, the focus is not on good versus evil.

Being good seems to be good enough.

As someone who tries to write, I know that readers don’t want to be left with an open-ended story and that is what I did with my friend. Yes, what this person did threatened the marriage but it did not end there. Reconciliation occurred. Growth through the pain happened. In the place of weakness, God produced strength. Instead of a career focus, God showed the spouse that family is the most important job.

Good was not good enough.

The lesson was learned.

God became number one in this story and for my friend that has made a big difference. For the spouse that has made a big difference.

Good without God isn’t enough.

Good or God?

Choose God.

This is the last transitional post as I prepare to write on John Bevere’s book Good or God. We will begin that book with my next post in two days.

 
In my previous post, I wrote on the phenomenon called social comparison; the idea that some people compare their lives to others. Some people constantly wonder if they are as attractive as others, have as much money as others, are as smart as others and have social lives as vibrant as others’ social lives. The idea is that they think they don’t and they are envious of what they think others have. Living like that can truly spoil your life.

 
Said another way, living like that can “steal your joy.”

 
What can be done about this?

 
One thing that can be done to stop this negative outlook is to admit you have it. So many people are in denial but denying the existence of envy will just keep it alive. To be honest, it is easy to fall into the trap of begrudging other people’s blessings and beauty; it is much harder to admit that envy is weighing you down. You cannot accept that others do have desirable qualities but they also have their share of problems too. No one is without challenges but people who have envy due to social comparison only see the desirable things in another’s life.

 
Of course, none of us have a life that is totally positive.

 
Gratitude helps battle social comparison. It is difficult to be jealous when you have a focus on the things in life that you are grateful for. Envy is a negative outlook that sees only what you lack, the deficits and the disparities between your life and others. Gratitude is an orientation that gets one focused on what is good—the blessings of your life and truthfully, we all have blessings. Gratitude is not “simple-minded, dishonest or forgetful.” Some would say gratitude denies that your life is less than perfect but gratitude does not deny loss, lack or hardship. What gratitude does do is prevent us from totally focusing on what we covet by forcing us to emphasize what is good in our lives.

Beyond gratitude is generosity. Yes, generosity gets us looking beyond ourselves to the lives of others who can use our help. If you have time, money, knowledge, abilities and talents that you can share with others who are less fortunate than you, you begin to see your situation is not that bad. Others have needs that are great and we can help them. In fact, it is humbling to realize we can help others. It is humbling to be able to help those who have been touched with suffering and hardship.

Pastor Rick Warren comments that one of the worst things we can do as Christians is to tell others that we follow Christ and then live a life where we have lost our joy. He says “when God’s children aren’t filled with joy, it makes God look bad. Cranky Christians are a bad witness. They look like they have been baptized in vinegar because they are never smiling. And that makes God look bad.”

 
Why?

 
Because God wants us to be witnesses with our countenance.

 
Romans 14:17 says “The Kingdom of God is not a matter of what we eat or drink, but of living a life of goodness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.”

 
Truly the easiest thing of all is to lose your joy.

 
Social comparison is not constructive; it is destructive. Envy is not productive, it is counter-productive. Jealousy is not a characteristic that leads to peace and joy; it just leads to dissatisfaction and dismay.

 
Warren says the easiest thing for us to lose is not our glasses, our keys or our minds.
It is our joy.

 
Don’t let your joy be stolen by social comparison.

 
You might as well learn to love yourself on your own terms. You are the only you that you have. There is no need to compare yourself to others. God has given you what He intends for you to have and He intends you to live a life of goodness, peace and joy.

 
If you claim that you love Him, try to live a life of joy.

It helps to spread His message because it shows that He is at work in your life.

Good for you.

Good for God.

This is a transitional post as I prepare to write on John Bevere’s book Good or God.  We will begin that book within the next week.

In a recent news release, it was reported that social media can cause depression.  You might think that strange due to the fact that millions of users are signed up for Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.

The problem resides in the fact that users don’t just go onto social media and keep up with what their friends and relatives are doing; they compare their lives to those they see on social media.  People who post every night parties and frequent trips to desirable locations become sources of envy for those who lead humdrum lives.

The thought that occurs is “I don’t do anything compared to ‘Tom, Dick and Harry’” who are always going somewhere and always doing something exciting.

This brings me to the topic I have wanted to write on for some time, the topic of social comparison and how this can steal the joy of our lives.  In this post, I will explain how social comparison steals our joy and in the next post, I will deal with what we can do to fight this debilitating negative thought habit.

Social comparison is determining our social and personal worth based on how we think we stack up to others.  We can fall into this trap by constantly making judgements about our attractiveness, intelligence, wealth and success.   The problem is we judge ourselves in light of how we perceive others.

Comparison creates competition because we are prone to think of ourselves as trying to be the best in everything.  Our society focuses on being the winner so much that we don’t allow ourselves to feel gratitude for what we have.  We must have the best of everything.  If we don’t perceive ourselves as having the best, we lose the competition and hence disappointment.

If comparison is the thief of joy, jealousy is its companion.  Jealousy is when we get so focused on the wonderful aspects of another’s life that we only see the positive.  No one has mountain top experiences all the time; there are valleys in everyone’s life.  The jealous person has an obscured vision.  They are blind to the pain, the failure, and the flaws in another life.  They ignore the work the other person has done to take that trip or the sacrifice of family time they have made to have that ample salary.  All they see is the end result and they want that same result minus the work.

Comparison creates very unrealistic expectations.  We all have certain God-given skills and abilities and what one person can do is not necessarily what you can do.  We can easily look at the relative ease that someone has as an athlete, artist or public speaker and say “I should be able to do that.”  Maybe you can polish your skills in some areas of your life if you have a vision, specific goals, commitment and a willingness to devote major chunks of your life to practice. That is what it takes to excel in life.  Too often we compare ourselves to others when we shouldn’t.  We don’t have the God-given skill that others do and we don’t have the drive to develop the skills that we have.

Jealousy can make one feel powerless.  If you don’t have a commitment to take action to be better than you are, then envy of another’s talent can leave you with a feeling that you are stuck.  If you think you would like to be a marathon runner but you don’t like running, that is a problem. Also comparing yourself to others can ruin friendships.  Envy of friends can lead to such insecurity that you don’t even want to spend time with them.   To be around them [or to look at their Facebook posts] can hurt your self-esteem so much that the pleasure of their company is no longer a positive.    

Finally, jealously can cause you to want to give less to others.  Envy can cause us to want so much that we become stingy with what we have.  We find ourselves unwilling to donate time or money to a good cause because we need our precious resources to accomplish our own selfish dream.   We can become “miserly” about complimenting others due to the fact that we are experiencing so much jealousy. 

Back to Facebook.  Have you ever withheld a “like” on Facebook because you were jealous?  Have you ever withheld a face-to-face compliment because you were envious of another’s good fortune?

Life is too short to deny others a positive comment.  We all need love, joy, laughter, friendship and peace.  In fact, we can’t get too much of these things. 

There is an expression that seems appropriate here.   We often hear that it is best to be the “bigger person” and do the right thing.   Doing the right thing is not easy.  Sometimes it may involve admitting that other people have accomplished what we have not.   That is not denying our worth; it is just allowing ourselves to affirm others. 

Social comparison is probably inevitable but jealousy, envy and selfishness are not.  Jealously, envy and selfishness are corrosive.   They will eat away at your ability to be content with your life.   You will never be confident if you often have those feelings.  It is not an overstatement to say that social comparison is a thief of your joy.

In the next post, we will discuss what we can do to prevent this.

This is a transitional post that I am writing before I begin posting on John Bevere’s book Good or God.
People who create promotional material often come up with catchy phrases to help sell their products. “Diamonds are Forever, Just Do It, Where’s the Beef? and Got Milk?” are some very popular slogans that public relations people have invented.
Jon Bloom, in his article “Always ‘Be’ Before You ‘Do’”, writes some very important comments about Christian identity. His comments were inspired by a slogan on a tennis shoe box. Bloom writes on Pastor John Piper’s Desiring God website which I often use to teach my Sunday school class. I recently turned to his post on “desiringod.org”.
The slogan reads “Go Do Be” and herein is the problem.
It seems that “Be” is in the wrong place.

I know that movement is important. Go is a popular word. We like it. We often desire it. It is much better to move than just sit when a problem presents itself. The slogan uses “go” implying that we need to “get off the dime” or do something. We need to move. That is not a bad idea.

Do is an action word. We often need to take action in this world to correct wrongs that need to be corrected, to give aid to those who have less than we do, you get the idea: things don’t get done without someone “doing” something.
And then comes “Be”.

“Be” is an identity word. If a person has an identity, they are someone. They have characteristics.

Bloom makes an excellent point about people who discover themselves through movement and action but there is a problem with people who move and act without a basis for moving and acting.

They have no “core.” They move and act without direction.

If you can humor me, let’s go to the Garden of Eden, where you can see Adam and Eve falling into a “go do be” trap laid by Satan. “If you eat the fruit [which takes movement], you will gain God’s wisdom [the movement results in action] and you will become like God [they are promised they will acquire God’s identity].

We all know how this turns out but is it because they don’t have an established identity before they go and do?

I think that may be the problem.

Movement and action should spring from identity for it to be most effective, especially if you are trying to live a Christian life.

In the early days of Christianity, followers of Christ were called “Christian” because they exhibited a Christian identity or they had certain characteristics. Their behavior, activity and speech were like Jesus. Christian was a term that was invented to mean “follower of Christ.”

Unfortunately over many years, the term Christian has been watered down to mean someone who is religious or someone who has high moral values. Some people consider themselves Christian because they do attend church once in a while. Others identify themselves as Christian because they are Americans. The idea is that we are a country “founded on God” so an American must be a Christian.

However, being a Christian is surely more than this. Second Corinthians 5:17 says “If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!” James says “I will show you my faith by my works” [James 2:18].

First comes the “be” and then comes the go and do.

The Bible defines a Christian as one who has personally received Jesus Christ as Savior, who trusts that the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ happened so our sins can be forgiven. Movement and action in the Christian’s life stem from the power of the Holy Spirit, that guiding force which resides within each person who has received Jesus.

What is the point?

Identity or the “be” is the starting point for the Christian, not the ending point.
Someone in my Sunday school class commented on the fact that a person could go and do and eventually discover Christ. That very well could happen. Then they could find their identity in Christ and become a “baby” Christian requiring milk not solid food. Hebrews Chapter 5 comments on the “inexperienced and unskilled in the doctrine of righteousness…for he is a mere infant…but solid food is for full-grown men, for those whose senses and mental faculties are trained by practice to discriminate and distinguish between what is morally good and noble and what is evil.”

Being a good Christian is about having an established identity so we can grow in love for Christ, allowing the Holy Spirit to transform our hearts and lives. Hebrews 12:2 “Jesus is the author and perfecter of our faith.”

The good Christian knows God and identifies with the term “Christian.” This is their “be.”
As they grow in love, grow in faith and grow in grace, they go and do in the name of Jesus.

“Go Do Be?”

Maybe, but let’s rearrange.

“Be Go Do.”

“We also rejoice in our suffering, because we know that suffering produces perseverance, perseverance character, and character hope.  And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out His love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom He has given us” [Romans 5: 3-5].

As we wrap up our discussion of Bill Hybel’s  Holy Discontent, we don’t want to let a book like this end with a whimper. 

Hybels has challenged us.

For some of us, maybe he has made us feel a little guilty [we aren’t doing enough].

Maybe some readers have done a little “self-examination.”  Hybels has caused us to ask “why don’t I have a ‘holy discontent?’”

On April 10, 2017, I began to post on Holy Discontent  with the idea that I needed something lighter after blogging on prayer from November 10, 2016 to March 7, 2017. 

Indeed Holy Discontent has been an “easy” read.  Blogging on the book has been fast since I found myself sometimes covering a chapter in one post.

We are at the end.

But Hybels doesn’t want it to end.   In fact, the postscript to his book is entitled “It Doesn’t Have to End Like This.”

What does he want from us?

Action.

Fruit.

If we don’t have action or fruit production, he wants us to hold out for hope.

Why hope?

He wants us to hope that God will show us our holy discontent.                                   

This book gets “under one’s skin”?  It is full of examples of people who are living by faith, people who find something that needs to be fixed and they have taken God at His word.   They are looking to Him to give them what they need to solve a problem.  They are looking to Him to give them strength to tackle a big need.  They are looking to Him to give them wisdom beyond what they possess.

If you have not found your holy discontent, Hybels wants you to know that God will show it to you.

He believes God will put you in a position where you find yourself quoting Popeye:  “That’s all I can stands; I can’t stands no more!”   He believes God will use you in a way that is just right for you.

Here is the hope that Pastor Hybels speaks of:  “Hope that sins can be forgiven.  Hope that prayers can be answered.  Hope that doors of opportunity that seem to be locked can be opened.  Hope that broken relationships can be reconciled.  Hope that diseased bodies can be healed.  Hope that damaged trust can be restored.  Hope that dead churches can be resurrected.”

Yes, he holds out hope that you will find your holy discontent and you will act on it.  I have quoted Martin Luther King before but the quote bears repeating: “If I cannot do great things, I can do small things in a great way.”

Don’t fall into the trap of comparing your holy discontent to others’ holy discontent.   It is yours and it fits you.   It may be small; it may be big.  Whatever it is, do it.  It does not matter.  “Figure out what you can’t stand.  Channel your holy discontent into helping to fix what’s broken in this life.”

As followers of Christ, we can be people who act to give people what their hearts need most, which is hope.

It really doesn’t have to end like this.

Ask Him to show you.

Pay attention…

You will find your holy discontent.

The world needs people like you and like me…

Announcing our next study:  we will be transitioning to John Bevere’s Good or God in the coming week.

Sometimes life just grinds you down.

Bill Hybels talks about people who have “holy discontent” over the long haul, people who are striving to accomplish their life mission for a great number of years. What is a major problem?

Hybels calls it “succumbing to desperation.”

I truly appreciate individuals who work with our legal system or correctional system who have to deal with offenders every day of their lives.   They are constantly exposed to people who have not chosen a productive path to life.  How do they keep a positive attitude?

People who work with the poor in our world encounter individuals who cannot make positive moves to break the cycle of poverty in their lives.   Often they are locked into a lifestyle where they cannot get ahead. Life is such a challenge and they don’t seem to be up to the challenge.

Emergency personnel also concern me. They see people in dire circumstances.   Their goal is to put hurting people back together enough to get them to doctors.   Sometimes they don’t have a chance to do that due to the severity of a person’s injuries.

I could go on and on, listing jobs where people are experiencing stress due to trying circumstances, situations where one can easily succumb to desperation.

There are people who deal with these situations on a daily basis.

What can a person do when they seem to be fighting an uphill battle?   Hybels writes about the need to keep our “hope meter high”. When you have a holy discontent and the Lord is serious about you continuing His work, He does not want you to give up.

Hybels begins with a very important verse from the Bible: John 4:4. “The one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world.”

First of all, he recommends that you take responsibility for your “hope meter.”   You are the only one who can keep it high. He calls this “self-leadership.”   What God has asked you to do is between you and God.   You don’t have to consult your pastor, your mentor, your colleague; you need to assess the strength of the calling by opening yourself up to God, asking Him to reaffirm His need for you to do the work.

Let me throw in some additional practical advice. Don’t listen to the news of the world.   We all know that what gets on the news is mostly negative behaviors.   I guess it is human nature to be fascinated by tales of people behaving badly and the news is full of this.   Focus on the news can have a horrible effect of your attitude.

In addition, don’t listen too much to those around you.   People love to recount negative information [aka gossip] and people would like to see you less on fire for the work you are doing for the Lord.   I don’t know if you frighten others as you experience change and commit to a new work or if your commitment makes them feel like they are falling short in their lives, but people are not as supportive as they need to be sometimes.

Focus on what is right in front of you.   This is essential.   Making general statements hardly helps anyone to accomplish their goals. Going back to my original examples: all criminals are guilty, the poor don’t care about their lives, or trauma victims are hopeless; those kinds of thoughts will suck all the desire out of you to do your work.   Focus on the problem that is in front of you with the goal in mind that you are doing the best work you can do, helping the person with an immediate need.   You can’t help the world all the time; you can help the person who is in front of you.

Hybels says we are all prone to what he calls energy leaks, things which suck the fuel out of our efforts to do God’s work.   When a person who is committed to their holy discontent suffers energy leaks, that means that people around them suffer too. “When hope dies in the leader, the game ends and cause is defeated . . . everyone takes their cue from you” [Hybels, 134-35].

It is important for you to take your passion and find a way to keep it passionate. Know that “the world” is probably never going to be your source of support.

There is only one place that you can get what you need for your uphill battle.

That place is where you have a heart to heart with God.

God is your strength.   He is all that we need.

“What might we accomplish together that none of us could achieve if we all continued to revolve in our separate orbits.” [Hybels, 127].

That quote is from Bill Hybels and the context is that he is wondering what churches could accomplish if they just worked together.

That’s what I call a “big picture” point of view and while that view is worthwhile, let’s take his comments in Chapter 7 of Holy Discontent and apply them to a single church.

What could a church accomplish if church members united to accomplish the same results?

Hybels gives us some ideas about things that get in the way of great accomplishments.

First of all, it is essential to deal with the idea that church members tend to gravitate to the “status quo.” I have heard this so much over the years; the key phrase is “it has worked this way in the past so why change it?” The problem with this is that the church is in the middle of a world that is evolving. While I don’t advocate that churches make themselves over to fit contemporary fads, to ignore the need to adapt is a fatal mistake. Here is a simple example [although one that can be controversial]. More people are discovering that Christian artists have been creating some beautiful, inspiring praise and worship music. The “old favorite” hymns don’t need to be discarded but why not work contemporary music into the worship service once in a while?

Secondly is the idea of “turf protection.” People who are long-time volunteers grow to think that their service to the church is their “job.”  No one else can do it.   Problems occur when a new volunteer comes on the scene; instead of allowing their energy and enthusiasm to come to the activity, they may not be welcomed.   The long-time volunteer senses a loss of control and maybe a change of leadership and they resent it.   In their minds, it is better to discourage the new volunteer so they can hold on to their “job.”

An additional problem is simple lack of coordination. When you have a church with many people “doing their thing,” there is a problem when one group does not know what the other group is doing. This can lead to wasted effort due to duplication of work.   It can also lead to wasted resources since one group may be buying materials that could be used in the other group. This can also lead to unhealthy competition as one group tries to outdo the other, which can cause hard feelings.   All this is so unnecessary. What is needed is an attitude that we need to work together. An additional antidote for this problem is open communication about what is going on. Don’t ignore the need to talk directly to other church members. This cures many ills.

The last challenge for churches that don’t accomplish much is the “country club” mentality. For some Christians, it is “cool” to be seen as a member of a particular church. More than that, it is “way cool” to run around with the right cliques within the church. The problem is that “being seen” is about all that this Christian does.   They don’t want to volunteer at church.   There are so many opportunities, there are so many needs but they are quick to say this phrase that grates on the nerves of pastors: “let the staff do it; we pay them well and they have so much time. You know, pastors only work on Sunday.” The Christian who thinks like this is not in a church for what they can do for others; they are in the church looking for what the church can do for them. God is not the focus of their participation; they just want to be part of the “in-crowd.”

Needless to say the types of church members I have described have challenges that get in the way of their holy discontent. Again Hybels says “What might we accomplish together that none of us could achieve if we all continued to revolve in our separate orbits?”

“If pastors and leaders would let go of their pride, fear, the need to please and the need for control! . . .  What would happen if we took greater risks rather than staying married to the status quo? . . . [what if we asked] What results do we want to create rather than what do I want?” [Hybels, 129].

He answers his own question: “Boundaries get expanded. Leadership competencies get ennobled. Fear gets stamped out. Insecurities get upended. Passion pursuits get clarified and depression is asked to take the slow boat home.”

God has asked that we spread His Word to a broken world. It is a job; our most important job. As a church we need to figure out how to do this together.

Together we can accomplish great things.

Yes, we can even work together to scratch that itch, you know that problem that is so bad that you must do something about it…

You know what I am referring to. . . our holy discontent.

You have heard the following “recreational” expressions.

A bad day of golf is better than a good day at work or a bad day of fishing is better than a good day at work.

These expressions are testaments to the value of these wonderful hobbies and the drudgery of work.

But let’s add an expression you may not have heard before.  A bad day lived from the energy of your holy discontent is far better than the best day lived anywhere else.

That sounds amazing doesn’t it?  But that is exactly the idea that Bill Hybels is pitching in Chapter 7 of his book Holy Discontent.

Let’s translate.

When you are on fire to correct a wrong or to fix something you think is abominable and you are making some progress, that is an honest highlight of your life.  Those are some of your best days on earth, especially if you know you are being led to produce fruit by God.

Nothing else matches up.

Too often Christians are happy with putting most of their efforts toward being content.  In Matthew, Jesus preaches about our need to be content with what we have and not chase after material things.  In Philippians, Paul writes about being content in a wide range of situations; he finds contentment whether well-fed or hungry.  Most of the Bible seems to preach that contentment comes from a true dedication to a life in Christ.

But that is not what Pastor Hybels is preaching.   He wants us to “get off our dime.”  He wants us to not accept the world as we see it.   He wants us to have a vision that sees something better and he wants us to act on it.  He wants us to not be content to accept things as they are.

Chapter 7 is about what he calls “a completely different state of mind.”   He uses a writer named Robert Quinn to make his point.  Quinn says the person who is content with the status quo is in what he calls a “normal state of mind.”  Normal state people are self-absorbed, they react to life rather than anticipating future needs.  Normal state people work hard at keeping things like they are, never adapting to change [even change called for from an expressed need].  They deny that there is something better.  They deny that they can become a better person.  Besides “normality”, they don’t think any other state of mind really exists.

I am not sure that this type of contentment would be pleasing to our Lord and Savior, especially when we encounter a wrong that needs to be addressed or a problem that needs to be fixed [aka your holy discontent].

Hybels refers to the opposite of normal state people, those Quinn refers to as “fundamental state” people.  These folks are not happy spinning their wheels, never impacting the world around them.  Fundamental state people care about getting results so “they begin to move and breathe in a totally different realm.”  They don’t just bounce around in life; they move with intentionality.  “They act with massive doses of enthusiasm and persistence.”  They are not prideful because they know that will get in the way of results.  They don’t care who gets credit.   They just want things to get better.  Hybels goes on to say “They take risks they wouldn’t normally take…because they have to—there’s too much at stake not to!  Their creativity kicks up a notch.  Their energy soars.  Their passion swells.”

Oh and one more thing.

They draw other people to their cause.

Hybels says that “when you step into the fundamental state, not only will you change ‘states,’ but you will draw others into that new state too.  Think about this for a moment: when you spend time in the fundamental state, you become an increasingly attractive person.  After all, who doesn’t want to hang out with someone who lives passionately, who loves fearlessly and who embraces risk-laden change.”

A bad day of golf is better than a good day at work; maybe we can say the same for fishing.

But what about the life that you are leading?  Are you content letting your “wheels spin”?  Are you so concerned with that status quo that you are ignoring a need that should be addressed?  The “normal state” is so comfortable but maybe it is not the best state for you and me.

“A bad day lived from the energy of your holy discontent is far better than the best day lived anywhere else.”

Could Hybels be right?

We all had dreams somewhere along the way…

Do you remember your dream of what you wanted to be when you were younger?

I remember mine.

Being a child of the sixties, I had a passion for music.  I played trumpet in the band, getting to first chair eventually in my high school trumpet section.  But that was not the dream.  The dream was having long hair, singing and playing the guitar on stage in front of thousands of adoring fans.   Of course, since I was an “all-American” boy, my dream audience was filled with a hefty majority of beautiful females.

That was it: I wanted to be a rock and roll star.

It did not go any further than that.  Beyond being adored, I had no plan.

And then I read about Bono [of U2 fame] in Chapter 6 of Holy Discontent and I realize what a person can do with their rock stardom.  Pastor Hybels is using Bono to try to illustrate what a person can do about their holy discontent.   He says we need to feed it, fight for it and follow it.

That is exactly what Bono did with his fight against African famine.

I have another blog I contribute to from time to time.  It is called shinelight.info.  I use it to reach out to victims of trauma [accident trauma, disease trauma, crime trauma or even PTSD].   My trauma was from an accident and as I walk the road to recovery, it is therapeutic for me to share my thoughts [good and bad] about how I feel. 

God tells us to shine our light.  Matthew 5:16 states “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.”  I try to shine a light through my hard times so maybe I can help someone else.

I have not turned out to be a fantastic guitar player.   I own two guitars and they sit in an upstairs room, untouched for the most part.  I sing bass in my church choir and so far, I have not had too many accolades tossed my way about that.  Seems I may have truly missed my opportunity to be a rock star. 

What I have enjoyed is writing.

I love taking ideas about faith and trauma recovery and putting them out on the web for anyone to read.   I don’t care if I have five readers or five hundred.   The process is good for my mind, good for my heart and as a fellow Christian blogger told me recently, “God gave me the ability and I am doing my part; I am putting it out there.”

Feed your holy discontent and fight for your holy discontent.

When things get tough, it is important to not give up.  It is important to do your work and do it to the best of your ability.   Hybels says don’t just go through the motions.  He says it like this: don’t be a 25 watt bulb or a 75 watt bulb, be a 1,000 watt bulb!  “If you’re called at this stage of the game to be a leader, then be a thousand watt leader!  If you’re called to sing, then be a thousand watt singer!  Fill in the blank with whatever it may be for you—a pilot, an executive, a mom, a dad, a prayer warrior.  I dare you to approach your holy discontent with an upfront commitment of being a ‘thousand-watt’ at whatever you do.”

And lastly follow it.

Too often we get locked into life too quickly.  We get set in our ways.  We develop habits.  We have a vision and that is it; it never changes.   We can’t adapt our vision when circumstances change.

But in life, circumstances do change.

Humor me as I tell you when I feel the tug of the Holy Spirit the most.   It is not when I am working with people.   It is when I am working in my yard at home.  I know this is going to sound strange but I pray a lot when I do yard work.   First of all, I am thankful to be able to do it.   At times it overwhelms me [I ain’t no “spring chicken”] but all the time I ask Divine guidance as to what I need to be doing, how I need to be doing it and how I need to accomplish my tasks.  The fun part is that I believe God leads me to where I need to be, He helps me know what I need to do and He give me strength to accomplish my tasks.  My wife accuses me of having attention deficit disorder as I flit from one task to another but I am just morphing from one role to another as I feel a need becomes present.

With Holy Discontent, this is necessary because often in life, we don’t wind up doing what we think we will do once we start tackling a job.  But to have a maximum impact on our world we need to be able to adapt to the place where the greatest need exists.

This is God expanding us and stretching us.  “[He wants you to] participate in whatever ‘new thing’ He wants to do through you…follow your holy discontent wherever it takes you, whenever it takes you so that our world…can benefit from your wattage in this generation.”