Update on Mongolia...

Three years ago, I was part of a team that went to Mongolia to see the work of World Vision and the programs that our church was helping sponsor. Many of you helped with my expenses and from the left-over funds we purchased a "Ger" (a traditional dwelling) for a needy Mongolian family through World Vision's "gift-a-ger" program.

I am very encouraged to continue to share with you success stories from the amazing work World Vision is conducting in lives like that of Atzaa and his father. To read their story click here: WV-Atzaa.

I pray you and your family are well, and that you will focus on those things for which you can be thankful in the days that lead us to Thanksgiving.

The Long, Slow Burn...out

Ministry is hard to balance. With abandon, we go "all in" for Jesus. We work and give and sweat and sacrifice until we find ourselves at the end of a rope that is frayed and worn. Burnout is tough in any career or vocation, but when we "work" for God, we subconsciously assume we will be shielded from the effects of too much outflow for too little infill.

Some of the most wounded (bitter?) people I have ever known are those who have burned out in ministry and never recovered. Some of the most grace-filled, nurturing people I have know are those who have gone through end-of-the-rope-burnout and been healed.

I'd love to hear your story of how church work and ministry has impacted you. I would especially love to hear from those who have made it through burnout to "the other side" and are working in ministry with joy, success and balance. How did you do it? What made the difference? Help us.

Additionally, I'd like you to help someone I have become acquainted with named Anne Jackson. She is working on a book about burnout in churches. She is calling the book "Mad Church Disease" because of parallels she sees between cows riddled with Mad Cow Disease and the effects of burnout on those who work in our contemporary church culture.

If you are on church staff, are family member someone on church staff, or are a volunteer in a church, please take some time and help Anne compile information that will help her write this important book. The anonymous survey is at MadChurchDisease.com.

You can find more about this project by going to the website.

In ________ we trust?

I have been asking myself a question recently, "In what do people trust?" For some, this isn't an easy question understand, for others it is difficult to process. I am interested, though, in your responses.

Other ways of asking this might be:
"What is most valuable to you?"
"What do you value?"
"What motivates you?"
Ultimately, I am attempting to ask the same question, just approaching it from different angles.

I am particularly interested in those people I know who would not say they are followers of Jesus. As a man raised in the church, I am attempting to broaden my understanding and dispense with preconceived notions of how you might answer. (Please feel free to respond anonymously.)

If you are a follower of Jesus, I would encourage you to refrain from criticizing other responses. Simply answer for yourself. Thanks.

Thank you in advance for your responses.

Three Year-Olds Are Idiots

I gave a talk recently where I was trying to contrast the difference between childlikeness and, well... whatever the opposite of childlikeness is. The poem below is the result. Let me know how it resonates with you.

Three Year-Olds are Idiots

When we see a three year-old, we often smile
Is it because three year-olds are cute and innocent?
Or do we merely smile because we realize they are really just idiots?

Three year olds are idiots
For trusting that someone will actually care for them
One day they will learn they must be independent and self-sufficient

Three year olds are idiots
Because they have no power or wealth
Which they can use to control people and outcomes

Three year olds are idiots
Because they won’t aggressively dominate anyone or anything
While they are watching clouds, the competition is getting ahead

Three year olds are idiots
For believing they can exist with their simple identity
They must develop a superior attitude in order to really succeed

Three year olds are idiots
For living without inhibitions
When they should self-consciously compare themselves to everyone else

Three year olds are idiots
For their imagination and self-expression
Instead of co-dependently valuing and living up to what others think

Three year olds are idiots
Because they don’t form judgments about the people around them
Leaving themselves open to relationships that may hurt them

Three year olds are idiots
As they dwell in the joy of the present
And not constantly striving for the future and running from the past

Three year olds are idiots
Thinking simplicity is best
While the world around them becomes more complex and confusing

Three year olds are idiots
Because they treat all people equally
Instead of figuring out where they rank and who really matters

Three year olds are idiots
For being vulnerable instead of
Armor-clad and Teflon-coated in the heart and soul

I guess if I was to let down my guard and be a little more trusting,
Kind of like a three year-old,
I might be less anxious, defensive, and uptight
My health might improve
As well as my relationships with other people
And my cynical outlook of the world could change...
I mean, that’s what my therapist says,
That’s what my wife and friends think...

Idiots

Would Jesus attend church today?

This is a question that has been circulating through a group in our church. I find it fascinating. What do you think?