It’s not an Idea.
I went to a book writing workshop this last Saturday with a handful of other areas pastors and leaders. Jonathan, the guy who came in to teach the workshop owns his own boutique publishing company called Rhizome.
I learned several important principles about writing and the book publishing industry, but I loved a story that he shared towards the end of the workshop.
Then he told us about a time he went to pitch a book idea to Michael Hyatt, the CEO of Thomas Nelson. As you can imagine, if you’re the CEO of one of the 6 major publishers in the U.S., you get a lot of requests to review book proposals and pitches. That’s why I love Mr. Hyatt’s approach…
For each request, he invites these hopeful authors to go jogging with him in the morning. If they can pitch the idea to him during the jog, then he’ll give them the time of day and possibly some helpful suggestions on their idea.
Jonathan, with around a dozen other authors, joined Mr. Hyatt on his jog on this particular morning - each of them waiting for the split second, the moment where they could get a word in edge-wise. One of these guys wasted no time and started into his pitch from the get go. As they began jogging, the rest of the authors waited and waited. Mr. Hyatt was going back and forth with this one author for several minutes. Though most of them were out-of-shape, non-runners, they were all hoping the jog was at least 5 miles so they could get a shot at their pitch. Only 2 miles later, Mr. Hyatt stopped jogging after listening to one guy use all of the time on himself. He then said to the group, “Sorry guys, that’s it for today.” Mr. Hyatt then said this to the disappointed group, “Let this be your lesson for today. If you cannot pitch your idea in under a minute, it is not an idea.”
That’s worth the price of a jog.
That’s a vital exercise in any creative process. It is especially important for a new generation of artists, writers, and speakers who all feel like they have something to say. In an age where everyone is busy, overwhelmed, and highly distracted, we have to master the discipline of stating our message simply and succinctly.
It’s not enough to label your blog post “Ramblings”. Nobody wants to sing a song that incorporates so many themes, metaphors, and adjectives that it’s about everything and nothing all at once. There are select few people who can get away with being vague and random. But probably not you or I.
So, before you hit “publish” on your blog post, before you call a song finished, before you deliver your talk, make sure you can state the big idea in a phrase that is an irreducible minimum. This will help refine your art, and sharpen your message until it is unmistakeable.
I still struggle with this exercise - especially when I always have one more story or insight I could “fit in”. But I’m convinced, that our world doesn’t need more messages. We need clear and convicting ones.
Dangerous Prayers
One prayer that I’ve found myself praying this new year goes something like this…
“God, search my heart and dismantle every other kingdom but yours in my life.”
It’s a good prayer that finds its roots in Matthew 6:33. But the more I think about it, the more I realize how dangerous that prayer really is. What if God actually took me up on that offer? Do I really mean those words? Could I bear to see that there are other kingdoms competing for real estate in my heart?
The truth is - He has already accepted this invitation. In fact, He’s been doing this for some time now.
Over the last couple years, I’ve been catching God at work in the caverns of my soul. I use the term “catching” because I am largely unaware of what He’s doing in me on most days. But at some point in the work He clues me in. Naturally, I pretend I knew all along. He just smiles.
It’s like my life is a giant renovation project of which I have not seen the complete blueprints. I get glimpses of what He’s up to, but am often left waiting in faith. It’s like walking through a construction zone with a blindfold. You can hear the noises of demolition and the sounds of power tools, but still be clueless about what’s happening. You just know there is some kind of deconstruction and reconstruction.
In those deconstruction times - the moments where He is kicking down an interior wall, I often have no idea why He would do such a thing. All I know is that I liked that wall. It was a pretty color. I have memories with that wall. I even hung shelves on that wall to display my trophies. And then He destroys it without asking me first. That wall is usually an inferior way of thinking that has worked for some time, but no longer.
Or even more frustrating are the times when I decide to join in on the renovation. Without asking about the plan, I pick up my tools and decide a wall would look good on that side of the room. I start framing the wall, and then He comes by with a saw and cuts it in half….again, with a smile on His face. All that work - only to be dismantled.
This last year I can point to so many times where I thought I had the best ideas for His church, for the conferences we do, for the people we reach, for my own family. But the Lord, in His mercy, always found a way to rearrange things in a way that I wouldn’t expect, but in the end have proven more fruitful and left me with more peace.
He seems to like doing that. Not destroying our lives, but removing the things that get in the way of His plan, His blueprints, His kingdom in our lives. It’s only because He is good and knows that only He can be our deepest joy. For that reason, He gladly accepts invitations to eliminate other plans that don’t start and end with His Kingdom. Then he rebuilds us with a foundation of righteousness, peace, and joy.
With that said, what prayers are you praying these days? Do you really mean what you pray? Are they safe prayers or dangerous prayers? What would happen if God answered your most dangerous prayer?
Encouragement File
I’m going to risk sounding fluffy for a moment.
Over the course of a year, we hear so many words, and receive so much input from the people in our lives. Nice words, mean words, direct words, words of encouragements, words of criticism, and then the infamous compliment sandwich (2 sugary compliment buns with a [pick your horrible noun] on the inside).
One of my favorites from this last year was an old man who complimented me after one of my talks at Vinelife. It went something like this…
Old man: “That was a good sermon, young man. The beginning was rough, but you really pulled through.”
Me: “Thanks, old man.” (sigh)
For whatever reason, I tend to give the words of criticism more points than the words of encouragement. If I hear ten nice things in a day, it’s still the one critique or confusing remark that keeps me up at night. This shouldn’t happen, but it does. It’s probably because I’m more insecure than I’d like to admit. I’m guessing that’s the case for you too.
Here are a few suggestions….
First, remind yourself who you are in Christ, and what He says about you. You’re a son, you’re daughter. Believe it.
Secondly, get over it.
Third, start an encouragement file. In my email I have a special folder called “Encouragement”. Every time someone emails me something with words that are kind or truthful about who I am or what I’ve done, I store it in this file. Occasionally, on those aweful days, I’ll mosey on through the words from people in my life who cared enough to say something. It has helped me a ton! Maybe because words of affirmation are my love language. But mostly because we all need encouragement.
Fourth, email someone RIGHT NOW, and encourage them deeply. Don’t just say some nice words to make them feel good. Say something that they may not hear often. Or tell them what they mean to you. Affirm their true identity.
One of my favorite Christmas gifts this last year was a sweet new leather belt and hand-painted buckle all custom made by Chris Foster in Boise, ID. I met Chris at Resound back in November and later I came to find out that he is a custom welder and produces amazing belts, buckles, and cuffs. When I went to His website, the first buckle to jump out at me was the one that was recently given to me.
In case you’re not familiar with the ways of the midwest, a blue background, a golden torch, and 18 golden stars can only mean one thing - Indiana state flag.
So, this buckle is now a nostalgic tribute to my humble, midwest beginnings. Furthermore, I’ve always been a fan of good old-fashioned American-made craftsmanship. Do you remember back when things were made here?
Go check out the Foster Weld site to see more of his work and consider supporting this great artist next time you need to buy a gift for someone.
Thank you, Chris. Thank you, Indiana. And God bless America.
Mornings with Tozer
One of things I’m most looking forward to come January 1 is starting a new devotional that I was given for Christmas. It’s called Mornings with Tozer. It’s a 366 day devotional that takes you through the best moments in all of his writing.
I started reading Tozer’s writings back when I was in high school, and he did much to fuel my spiritual growth. I got my hands on his more notable works like Pursuit of God, Knowledge of the Holy, and Whatever Happened to Worship.
Tozer was mid-century Christian mystic who was never quite satisfied with trite Christianity. He had a passion for the Presence of God. When I read Tozer, I’m till caught off guard when I remind myself that these books were written in the 1950’s. His words are about the state of the church are as true today as when he wrote them. Here’s a few great quotes…
“Much that passes for New Testament Christianity is little more that objective truth sweetened with song and made palatable by religious entertainment.”
― A.W. Tozer
“To have found God and still to pursue Him is the soul’s paradox of love, scorned indeed by the too-easily-satisfied religionist but justified in happy experience by the children of the burning heart.”
― A.W. Tozer
“One hundred religious persons knit into a unity by careful organization do not constitute a church any more than eleven dead men make a football team.”
― A.W. Tozer
Get the devotional on Amazon here. Or, if you’re an iPhone users, you can download it in the App Store for $2.99. That’s a steal.
“Son, that’s lipstick. Not chapstick.” (Taken with instagram)
The problem with Christianity is not that it has been tried and found wanting, but that it has been found difficult and left untried.
Gingerbread House via Noah (Taken with instagram)
Unconquered Sun
Let me just say, I love Christmas. I really do. I sometimes get jaded by a few of the silly peripheral traditions, but it really is a special time of the year. I think the trouble is that it gets too familiar. It’s at that point that we find ourselves doing things without really knowing why. So, it’s fun to dig a little and find some new angles with which to view Advent.
This last week, I was preparing for a talk at Vinelife, and I stumbled on an interesting historical tidbit. I never knew why we celebrate Christ’s birth at the end of December. I figured it was an arbitrary day picked by the wise old men who canonized the Bible sometime in the Middle Ages.
It turns out that originally, the Christians were celebrating Christ’s birth on Three Kings Day which was January 6th. At the same time, there were pagans that celebrated winter Solstice at the end of December. Winter Solstice is the time when the sun reaches it’s southernmost point of the year (in the north hemisphere). After this day, our days get brighter and brighter. The pagans actually called it the day of the “Unconquered Sun”, because it was a sign that the sun could not be defeated. So, Christians would celebrate Christ’s birth just a couple weeks after this pagan sun holiday. At around 350 A.D., the church fathers came to the conclusion that Christ’s birth was also a celebration of the “Unconquered Sun” as Jesus was the unbeatable light of the world (John 1). Instead of fighting the pagans for this celebration, they decided to redeem what they already identified correctly - we are all placing our hope in the “Unconquered Sun” (and Son).
Right now, it’s mid-December and each day is getting darker and darker. The light of each day is shriveling before our eyes. We have the chance to be reminded of the darkness of our souls before Christ came - the fact that we have no hope in and of ourselves. But as we near the end of this month and celebrate the coming of Emmanuel, we can be reminded that a new day has come. The light is here to illuminate the kingdom and to shine brightly in the darkness that we still find in ourselves. He is our hope. Jesus is the beautiful, nail-scarred, Unconquered Sun.
“I’m Stressed Out”
It’s a confession we hear almost daily from friends, family members, co-workers, and littered all over Facebook. Even in short bits of conversation it seems to be the first thing some people want to talk about. And it’s only getting more frequent.
Usually, when we say “I’m stressed” we’re referring to our external circumstances - the responsibilities at work, tension in the home environment, relationships that are on the rocks, a looming deadline. Though, a brief lesson in physics shows us that the external circumstances are not defined as “stress” - its called “pressure”. So, more often than not, what we mean to say is “I’m feeling a lot of pressure”.
Thanks Luke. Why is that important?
This is important because “stress” is not the pressure that we feel. Stress is our response to the pressure that we feel. Stress is defined as internal resistance to an external load. In other words, stress is not something that happens to you. Stress happens when your inner core is weaker than the pressures of life.
Ever wonder how Winston Churchill was able to read a book every night even during the WW2 Blitz?
Ever wonder why Jesus was able to sleep during a storm when everyone else was frantic on the boat?
It’s not because they didn’t have pressure or a reason to freak out. It’s not because they denied or ignored what was happening. It’s because they were stronger internally than the circumstances that bombarded them.
Sometimes we respond to “stressful” situations by trying to eliminate external pressure (And sometimes that’s what’s needed.) But if we never work develop internal strength, capacity, peace, joy, and confidence, then we just end up buckling every time the next bit of pressure comes our way. Surely, we will always encounter a trial or challenge that’s above our heads, but the question is - Are we spending more energy running from pressure or learning how to dance with it?
Apparently, statistics say that we Americans are more stressed out than we’ve ever been. I wonder if that actually means that we’re weaker than we’ve ever been. When we hear someone say, “I’m stressed out,” I wonder if that’s it’s more of a confession of an internal weakness than an announcement of a great trial. Just a thought.
Be strong.
James 1:2-4 (NIV)
Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.
