From one of my favorite websites, despair.com.  Do you sometimes feel like this?  

Maybe Lot's wife feels this way now.

I'm an idea person.  Some would say I'm a creative visionary, others might say a foolish dreamer.  Maybe you are like me with visions and ideas floating around in your head just waiting to implement.  Maybe you're also like me in that you've never had a "bad idea" in your life.  In other words, idea people thrive on new ideas and, almost always, believe that each idea is the best thing since slice bread. Why, then, do most of your ideas never come to fruition? Maybe the two best answers to that question are a) They weren't supposed to or b) they weren't given enough attention.

Have you ever been in a brainstorming session run amuck?  Idea after idea gets thrown out and the process keeps going and going.  Everything from the impractical, the irrelevant to the absurd is posted on the board.  Everyone's ideas are valued as equal.  The whole goal of this exercise is to help the team break free from conventional thinking to possibly stumble upon one great idea, or at least a general solution to the problem.  Free-thinking is a great place to be for awhile, but stay there too long and everyone's brain will be mush.  Why?  Because ideas are ultimately only useful if they have an application.  The group may come up with tons of great ideas that just don't seem to address the problem at hand.

Questions to ask for your idea.

1. Has this already been tried before? How? Was it successful and why?  Do some research to find out if anyone else has already done this.  That will save you time and frustration on the implementation.  Idea people always think that they are the first to think of something, when in reality, a hundred people have probably already "run it up the flagpole."  Find those people and learn from them.  Chances are they are just as excited about the idea.
2. Does this idea have application now? The important thing here is to write down your idea and try to find an immediate need for it.  There may be a market for your idea, but it may not be apparent at the moment.  If there appears to be a need, then do your research to confirm it.  If not, file it for later.
3. Why doesn't anyone else believe in my idea? This is a hard question to answer. People are probably used to hearing about your latest and greatest idea, only to never see it become a reality.  They get excited at first, but soon learn that you also have a hundred other ideas.  Maybe your idea is too big for them to grasp, or maybe they've just learned to tune you out because they're tired of your idea ADHD.  You may be able to spawn ideas faster than salmon eggs, but you need to learn where to spend your "selling" energy.  Not every idea is worth putting in more than a minute of thought.  Every once in awhile, however, an idea is.  It's there that you spend your social capital and rally others to your cause.
4. Did I invest enough time in my last great idea? Don't make the mistake of going from idea to idea, only to see them all fail.  Current and effective programs or products shouldn't always have to compete with the new ones for oxygen within the organization.  Some "failed" ideas were great, except that they weren't given enough attention or resources for a long enough time.  Ideas in an organization are like bricks that are built one upon another to make a stronger and stronger overall structure.  New ideas are not always better, they're just more exciting - for awhile.

Keep dreaming.  Keep brainstorming.  Keep visioning.  Just try not to drown in a pool of your unrealized dreams.  A good idea is worth putting energy into.  Very few ideas are worth pouring a lifetime into. But when they come along, they can change the world.

I would love to hear your thoughts or personal experience why ideas aren't realized?

Goals can be broken down into several categories:

• God-sized life goals - These are humongous goals that are unachievable without some divine intervention.  Examples: Cure cancer, travel to every country in the world, begin a movement.  These types of goals are what give our life their ultimate purpose.  They guide us long-term and can become very powerful and determining forces for our decision-making over our whole lifespan.  These life-goals are like the top of a multi-story staircase and are often the crowing achievements of one's life.
• Intermediate goals - These goals are often difficult to achieve, and can take years to accomplish.  Examples: Graduate from college, travel to Paris, purchase a house.  These types of goals get us from one place in life to another.  They are often not ends to themselves, but rather means to a bigger end.  Intermediate goals are like individual flights of stairs that get us one floor higher to the top.
• Short-term goals - These goals can be accompished within days, weeks or a few months.  They are the little accomplishments that help us get our work and life done from week to week.  Examples: run 40 miles this week, balance my checkbook, finish reading a novel.  Many times, we don't even think of these as goals because they are so small.  They are usually made up of smaller tasks.  Even though they are small, some people like myself find that these are the most difficult goals to achieve.  I will take a big audacious goal any day over a small easy task.  Others are pros at knocking out small, short-term goals.

Even if you're not a "goal-oriented" person, you probably have several goals in your life.  The question is not whether you have goals, but rather, what size goals do you have and do you have a strategy for achieving different types of goals?  Even a professional couch-potato has a goal, which is, to stay on the couch as much as possible.  What makes some people strive to achieve greater things while others set their sights much lower?  I am not naturally a task-oriented goal setter, but here are some of the things that cause me to set goals. 

• Past experience - some goals are set or not because of a positive or a negative experience in my life.  I look back and desire to experience something positive again, or to NOT experience something that was painful.
• Ambition - human ambition can be an incredibly powerful force in peoples' lives for setting and achieving goals.  This can obviously be a good or a bad thing, depending on what boundaries are set to protect oneself and others.  Sometimes my ambition drives me to set unrealistic goals, simply because I want to be "the best."
• Purpose - some people, like myself, don't set goal and achieve goals unless it ties to a greater purpose in their life.  Many a slacker has transformed into a single-minded workaholic when there is a purpose to work for.  I can spend all day doing trivial things, until I'm reminded of my God-given purpose in life.
• Pride - For me to admit that I can't do something is very difficult.  Some goals that I set for myself are there simply to prove that "I can."

Life without challenge becomes boring, and a boring life is just, well, dull.  When I write or voice my goals to someone else, I am challenging myself to achieve something.  My sister Sarah and I both decided to sign up for an IronMan together.  Why?  Because we both need challenge, and by doing it together, neither one of us is likely to back out.  I told my wife I was going to run at least one marathon this next year.  Even though she doesn't quite understand why, she sees the excitement that it brings in my life to set a big goal and work towards it.

I have stated other bigger goals, sometimes without even believing that they are possible.  Will I achieve every goal that I set?  Maybe not in my lifetime, but I will die trying.  1Cor. 9:27 No, I beat my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize. 

What kind of goal setter are you?  Do you always think big, or do you go small?  I challenge you, and myself, to look at your strenghts and weaknesses in this area.  Whever you are strong, embrace it.  Whever you are weak, don't let that sabatoge achieving your purpose in life.  Also, collaborate with other who excel in areas of goals, tasks achievement where you don't.

A religious denomination is a body of churches and individuals who are bound to each other through common creed and covenant.  Denominational belief requirements for membership range from the basic credal frameworks to tightly knit systems of theology with no wiggle room for variance.  Some denominations are more movement oriented while others are more static.  Some denominations inter-relate while others remain isolated from the church at large.  Within denominations there are often smaller divisions like districts, synods, regions, etc.  Most major denominations today, unfortunately, have fallen into common human power and control patterns and use politics and the primary means of doing so.

Association

An association is a group of organizations or individuals who have banded together for a specific purpose.  They generally have a common goal or philosophy that can be promoted better as a group.  There are associations of churches for just about every kind of cause or ministry area.  Some examples are the Willow Creek Association, Association of Christian Accountants and the Chrsitian Community Development Association.  The members of an association don't generally share the level of theological unity within denominations, however, they do share common values and philosophies regarding a particular issue or area of practice.  Associations are generally well developed organizationally as well.  The association normally assesses membership dues and also provides resources to its members in return.  Associations are only as valuable to the member as the benefits derrived or the accomplishments that are made as a whole. 

Network

A network is a loose connection of individuals, organizations and churches that acts mainly as a social connector.  Networks generally have a lower requirement of commitment for membership and serve primarily to allow for one on one and small group interaction.  Membership of networks is generally at-will and people go in and out of networks as their situation and needs change.  While some networks have a creedal requirement for membership, others simply require that basic values be upheld by its members.

The size of the circle indicates the amount of influence that the entity traditionally has on the congregation. The porousness of the border indicates requirements for membership. The requirements and influence are possibly reversing between the three circles.Networks and associations are nothing new, both in the secular and religious worlds.  Traditionally, networks of like-minded individuals, organizations and ministries serve a purpose for a particular time period.  They provide a loose connection to others with the same interests, philosophy, purpose or style.  In the church world, congregations and ministries operate within certain frameworks, networks and denominations.  Here is the basic breakdown of each type of organization.

What this all means for the church

As traditional institutions lose their power, influence and sense of mission/purpose, churches and ministry leaders are seeking connection and fellowship outside of their institutions.  The rise of inter-denominational networks and associations is nothing new, but there is now shift in how people identify and distinguish themselves.  The majority of churches still belong to denominations, as this provides a theological framework and ecclesiastical accountability structure that is needed for the individual pastor and church.  Churches are less likely, however, to identify themselves publicly with denominations as they were before.  Denominational membership acts more as the foundation upon which the individual congregation grows, and less as the distinguishing outward mark of the church.  Membership in a network or an association is quickly becoming the more common public statement of solidarity among new churches.

Is this shift just a reactionary trend to the decline of institutions?  Will networks and associations someday replace the denomination?  Will networks evolve into denominations?  These questions are yet to be answered.

I do believe, however, that the church is experiencing a more dynamic reality where churches can multiply more creatively and rapidly.  Denominations and districts will either accept this and promote connection to networks and associations, or they will still further attempt to control and restrict their members.  I see great potential for a movement within the mix of denominations, associations and networks.  If a church planting movement is happen, though, institutions will need to reassess their role and begin to loosen their grip on the methods and practices of their members.  If not, they will see themselves become more irrelevant and unneeded in the minds of our new generation of church planters, ministries and congregations.

Donate for a chance to win a 32 gig iPad2!

I want to challenge you to donate to LINC Houston, the non-profit organization that I am privileged to lead.  So, here's the deal.  

I have personally donated a 32 Gig Apple iPad2 to LINC Houston to use as a online raffle item.

From now until August 1, 2011, anyone who donates at least $10 to LINC Houston using our online donation page will be entered into the drawing for an iPad.  For any amount that you donate in multiples of 10, your name will be entered by that number.  Here's an example for the math impaired ($50 donation = 5 entries).

 Recruit Others to Help You

Also, you can set up a "Help me win an Apple iPad2 page" to get your friends and family to help you win.  To do so, set up a fundraiser on Razoo.com (click here) and select "LINC Houston" as your non-profit.  You can letyour friends know that for every $10 you raise, your name will be entered in the drawing.  Please include your name in the title of the fundraiser so we know that whose name to enter with each ticket.

Please help us raise money for our organization so that we can plant more churches, restore more communities and train more leaders for ministry.

First of all, let's start by listing what mission isn't.  Mission isn't necessarily: 

1. Painting houses
2. Handing out food
3. Running a sports camp
4. Tutoring
5. Collecting items for the poor
6. Flying to exotic locations and building houses

Mission trips may include these activities, but these aren't in and of themselves mission.  In other words, just because you do something good for someone less fortunate doesn't mean that you did missions.

"Hey," you say, "we just went on a mission trip and that's exactly what we did.  In fact, we even did this with your organization (LINC)."  True, doing good work among the poor can make an impact and there is nothing wrong with this.  The problem, however, is when we exclusively turn mission into a trip or an activity that is outside of our normal context.  Don't get me wrong, I love opening people's eyes about the needs of our communities.  I get excited when youth and adults get a chance to see things from the perspective of the poor, and I appreciate the help in getting our message out to the people we are called to serve.  Mission groups are a tremendous blessing to us.

Mission may involve service to the poor, but that in and of itself isn't mission.  

Mission is working to extend the kingdom of God.  More narrowly defined, it's to extend the kingdom of God among unreached people or people groups.

We could divide missions into three categories based on the activity and role of that group.

1. Frontline Missions
   • These are the missionaries working in and among a community, bringing the Gospel message of Christ to people who don't yet know him, and forming groups of disciples.
2. Support Systems
   • Agencies and congregations who directly support missions.
   • This includes support staff, financial support, training, coordination and other means of directly helping to facilitate and promote mission work.  (mission agencies, congregations, etc)
3. The Church
   • The whole church participates, or should participate, in missions by praying, financially supporting and sending warm bodies to help run outreach programs.
   • Whatever the church is doing, it needs to make sure that it isn't fostering a dependency model or one that is void of Gospel proclamation. 

Understand not only where you fit within the mission system, but how you can best serve where you are.

When you go on a mission trip to do a service project, you aren't necessarily doing mission work in a biblical sense of the word.  You are more than likely acting as a support for the ongoing mission work that happens in that place and helping to create trust with the community in which they serve.

Your main goals are (in this order) to: learn, serve and amplify the Gospel message in that community.  If you are really blessed, you will even get a chance to share the message of Jesus verbally with someone.

Above all, let your mission trip be a way for God to awaken in you a heart for the lost.  Maybe through this experience he will call you into missions as a way of life, wherever you are.

What is the answer to the question, "Are most mission trips really mission?"  It depends on your definition of the word.  

So....what is your definition of "Mission Trip"?

This slogan epitomizes the desire of ultra-conservatives to go back to the "glory days" of the church when brand loyalty and uniformity reigned supreme.

In the back of most everyone's minds within denominations is the fact that we are losing members.  My denomination has lost about 500,000 members in the last few decades alone with thousands of congregations very close to closing their doors.

Chris Owens, a UMC pastor from Maryland, talks about the issue of decline in his denomination.  His is not alone, as all mainline denominations in the US are in decline.  He writes:

"Jabbing and slinging mud at the mainline church has become a new intellectual sport among church leaders, and at first glance, this blog may be yet another fruitless contribution to the worn out question, “Why is the mainline church dying?” It is not. I’m moving on from mudslinging to asking questions that might lead us into resurrection. How can the mainline church enter into Christ’s resurrection, and what does that resurrection look like?"

In his blog post "Beginning with New Questions for a Church In Decline, Part 1," he sets for a set of new questions for churches to wrestle with.

Question #1: How can we get our churches growing again?

This question is the most common question asked by denominational leaders, churches, pastors and other leaders within an institution.  This is an institutional questions because it deals with the survival and longevity of the corporate body.  This question points back to the glory days when our churches were actually growing in numbers.  This question is asked of our current church which is in a new era with new realities.  The fact is that in this day and age, most of our churches are in steep decline and may never recover.  We no longer have the biological growth that contributed to our rise, nor are millions of adherents to our particular denominations flooding our borders from foreign countries.

The sad fact is, that many of our more conservative leaders in the church aren't even asking the question about growth.  They are only concerned with being faithful to our theological and ecclesiastical heritage.  Adopting an almost Calvinistic approach to denominational survival, they might say something like this "If we are only faithful to our historical doctrines and practices, God will bring to us those who He has chosen.  Ours is not to seek growth, but simply to remain pure."  What's lacking in this thought pattern is any evangelistic zeal to make new disciples of Jesus.  While I don't believe that our primary question should be "how do we get our churches growing again," I do believe that it's just as wrong to assume that unbelieving people will come to our churches simply to find pure theology.  Without mission, the church has no real reason to exist.  The mission of Jesus is to seek and to save the lost.

Question #1 Rephrased: How can we build the kingdom of God with new disciples of Jesus?

This question begins to get at the real issue.  The issue here is the making of new disciples.  Anybody who has been caught in a financial crisis knows that there are two issues to balancing the budget, revenue and expenses.  A continual and long-term cutting of expenses will eventually leave the organization or household without adequate resources to have any impact.  Along with short-term austerity measures, there must be an inflow of new dollars.  Large corporations has long-since created new brand segments in order to reach new markets.  The modern corporation is a complex and highly diversified organization that is continually seeking to break into new markets.  They know that their original core product line is not sufficient to maintain overall growth into the future.  Current denominations may not exist very far into the future as they do now.  If they insist on maintaining strict brand loyalty only one product line (the archetypical congregation), they will see an ever-decreasing market share.  Realizing that the use of business terms to talk about spiritual issues may put some people off, I do so only to help the reader better comprehend the issue.  I do believe that God grows His church only through the power of the Gospel message.

There needs to be a greater diversity of forms and ministries to reach our ever-diversifying communities.  The idea that the European form of church transcends culture and will be the prominent form into the future is pure baloney.  The European forms that have been forced upon Christians in developing countries are rapidly being shed in order for the Gospel to take root at an dizzying rate.  We are witnessing the quick rise of post-colonial Christianity throughout the developing nations, and with it, millions of new believers are coming into the Kingdom.  God is blessing these movements in spite of the fact that they no longer use European ecclesiastical forms and structures.  Maybe this fact alone gives an indication of how the body of Christ in the West make new disciples into the future.

Surviving The Great Shakeup

Many writers say that we are on the verge of a complete shake up of Christianity in the West, which happens about every 500 years or so.  I believe that, at the heart of this movement, will be the realization that the growth of the kingdom of God is much more important than that of the denominational kingdoms of men.  When we once again seek to grow the kingdom of God instead of just our own brand, we may have a chance of coming out the other side with some health and validity.  Signs of this are being seen with the rise of networks that transcend denominations.  These new networks of churches and ministries are about sharing best practices and resources for the multiplication of Jesus followers.  Pastors and new church planters are no longer confined to learning from and working alongside people from other stripes and tribes.

Will our denominations survive these cataclysmic changes?  I don't know, and frankly, I'm not that concerned about it.  I will work within my denomination as long as God allows, but the future belongs to Jesus himself, not our historic church bodies.  He is the Author and Perfecter of our faith.  He himself will use whatever form is necessary to accomplish His mission on earth.  I no longer pray that my particular brand of Christianity will thrive and survive, but rather that the highest number of people possible will come to know and follow Jesus in my lifetime.  I'm not working against my denomination, but alongside it for the sake of the kingdom.  I am also extrememly excited that I can be an observer and participant in this worldwide shakeup of Christianity.  I love chaos and navigating the dynamics that are involved. I believe that the church is at her best when things are in flux, and that a renewed dependance on the Holy Spirit can arise out of this.  What do you think?

click on chart above for full size

Here in the West, and especially in our major cities, we are dealing with cultures of three basic types.  I know this is an over-generalization, but it's helpful to at least categorize for a frame of reference.  We must also realize that 70% of all Christians alive today are in pre-modern cultures.  Look at churches planted out of each of these cultures and you will begin to see why they worship, evangelize, disicple and fellowship the way they do.  One of the challenges for the Body of Christ, and especially an individual congregation, is how to relate to and minister to people from various culture types.  If the church desires to reach whole communities, we must be ready to speak the heart and culture language of those we are trying to reach.

Socio Cultural Map

Click on chart above for full sizeThis chart shows the relationship between the physical/economic environment in which a culture exists and the importance of group authority versus individuality of a particular culture.  When a culture is formed in an environment of scarcity, survival needs guide the way people live and interact with each other.  In cultures where there are plenty of resources, fulfillment becomes paramount.  In the church, these differences drastically affect people's behavior and determine what they value and are attracted to.  Felt-needs differ greatly based on the culture's tendency towards survival or fulfillment.  Why some people flock to receive anything that is free regardless of their economic level is largely based on their cultural history in this matter.  For example, individuals who grew up during the Great Depression here in the West usually have a hard time throwing things away.  Those who have survived civil wars and periods of great poverty in their country tend to live with a much shorter planning horizon in financial and material issues because, in their minds, all that they have can be lost in a second anyway.

The vertical line indicates authority and direction based on the group versus the individual.  With exceptions, Western cultures tend to emphasize the importance of the individual whereas Eastern cultures tend to emphasize the importance of the group. In the church, this makes a big difference in the expectations of how evangelism, leadership, dicsipleship and worship take place.  Why do some individuals refuse to commit to something or never tell you no?  It's because in their culture, they don't easily make individual decisions.  Many times, we in the West mistake this for lack of responsibility or integrity.  This issue alone is probably the biggest frustration for Western leaders.  They don't realize that most decisions are made either in a group setting, or only in conjunction with that person's authority figure.

Ingelhart-Welzel Map

This Map created by Ingelhart charts countries and cultures based on  their types of authority and the importance they place on survival vs well-being.

What do you do with this information?

First of all and without stereotyping (there are always exceptions), look at the different cultural groups within your community and begin to learn something about their history.  Try to understand where they derrive authority, how familiar they are to scarcity, how much importance do they place on traditions, etc.  As you learn to notice these nuances and differences, please realize that they greatly affect how someone reacts to certain situations and opportunities.  Of course, there are also many other components peculiar to each culture and sub-culture.  Spirtuality, relationships, time, directness of communication, self-expression, music and more all differ.  What can you do to navigate this complexity of differring values?

Love and Time.

Show love to people regardless of how they respond to you.  Give the relationship time, because only over time will someone or some community see your heart and accept that you truly care about them and their community.  We tend to give up if we don't see immediate results so that we can search for more low-hanging fruit.  Resist this temptation and remain persistant in your posture of a learner and a lover of the community.

For a good website that goes into more detail about cultural values, click here to view the World Value Survey website.  

Ever feel hopeless and depressed about your never-ending todo list?  If you are like me, you've found yourself in the trap of always responding and never producing.  Mark Foster addresses this issue in his book ‘Do It Tomorrow and Other Secrets of Time Management".  The main premise is that you don't have to do everything today that comes across your desk, or into your inbox.  There are some highly important items that can't wait, especially those items with a looming deadline.  It seems, however, that many of us have lost the ability to get things done because we don't know how to filter the immediate from the important.

The whole key is to create a buffer for yourself to work within, allowing you to concentrate on the things that you really need to get done, while blasting through similar tasks that can be "chunked" and done together.

Here is Mark Foster's solution to the never-ending stream of emails that need to be dealt with.

1. Supposing you received 40 e-mails yesterday (once you’ve weeded out all the spam) – the first thing you do is move these 40 e-mails into a folder marked ‘action’. These are the only e-mails you are going to deal with today.
2. Sit down and answer them all in one batch. Or at most, two or three concentrated bursts of effort
3. Any e-mails that arrive in your inbox are collecting there for tomorrow – whatever you do, don’t get caught up in responding to them, or you will find yourself back in Sisyphus’ shoes, facing an endless task!

Remember, email is not instant messaging and shouldn't be used as such.  Do deal with your inbox, but don't let your inbox steal your productivity. 

Have you ever started out on an "adventure" only to find that it wasn't all that enjoyable?  I have, in my short lifetime, done many things that were adventurous.  My surprise is that, when I tell the stories to people, they seem to focus more on the the hardship or the danger that was involved.  When I remember those things, I don't remember the danger, only the excitement of venturing into the unknown.

Ironically, some of my greatest adventures have come, not through extreme activities, but rather through responding to the needs of people I meet and being a channel of God's love and mercy.  Ok, I can tell that I've just lost you with that one.  Boring you might say?  As one easily bored, I can tell you that it's not.  Whether it be someone I run into on the street who needs help or some group of people, I have found that to follow Jesus' example is to experience new adventures every day.  How you might ask?

For example, imagine you are going about your day and pass by people on the street or in the store. The adventure starts when you begin to notice the person's needs and respond to them.  It could be as simple as helping a mother of small children carry bags to her car and it could be as courageous as giving someone a ride to where they have to go.  Being closed up in your own world all day might be the normal thing to do, but how adventurous is that?

The adventurous Christian life isn't about thrill seeking, but rather it's about persevering in doing God's will.  James 5:11 says "As you know, we consider blessed those who have persevered. You have heard of Job’s perseverance and have seen what the Lord finally brought about. The Lord is full of compassion and mercy."

Being adventurous in your faith isn't about seeking extreme spiritual experiences, or going on mission trips to exotic places.  True and long-lasting adventure is asking the Holy Spirit to keep your eyes open to opportunities to show mercy and compassion and to share your faith.  Don't wait for opportunity to come to you, seek it out.  Jesus went from town to town proclaiming that the Kingdom of God is near.  Your adventure begins when you do the same wherever you go.  Proclaim loudly that "The Kingdom of God is near" with your words, your character, your actions and your good deeds for people.  Be adventurous in the way you show love and compassion to those that you meet.