Life Transformation or Christian Education?

What makes the difference between a class/study that is a “data transfer” and one that facilitates spiritual transformation?

If asked to describe “spiritual disciplines” most people will give things done in privacy like prayer, Scripture reading, fasting, Scripture memory, etc. and they are often things that are viewed as burdens. A couple of years ago I was introduced to the phrase “spiritual practices.” That are the behaviors that we choose to practice that yield the results we desire?

Below are some practices that may alter your class/study/small group.

“When we are alone, it's easy to think, incorrectly, that we are spiritually advanced. I can watch a Hallmark commercial alone and find myself moved to tears. I tell myself that I am a very compassionate person. But when I spend time in community with a person who annoys me, it's amazing how quickly I experience "compassion fatigue."

In community we discover who we really are and how much transformation we still require. This is why I am irrevocably committed to small groups. Through them we can accomplish our God-entrusted work to transform human beings.

However, experience tells us that simply meeting with a small group does not automatically result in spiritual growth. There are certain practices that must be present, spiritual disciplines that must occur, to facilitate the transforming work of Christ in us. The presence of these things is what makes the difference between all-too-typical small groups, and life-transforming communities of spiritual formation.

What are these practices? I don't think I have the definitive answer, but I have observed five essential practices:”

Confession: remove the masks

Application: look in the mirror

Accountability: stand on the scale
Guidance: follow the map
Encouragement: embrace each other

To read more from the author of the above quote and list (including explanations and illustrations of each one) click here.

Theology in Aisle 7

One of the joys of teaching others is that we do theology in the real world and our answers must apply to real situations. This is often messier than many of us are comfortable with. I just read an interesting piece about our attempts to understand theology and explain it to others.

I've been searching for frameworks, outlines, contexts; ways to more thoroughly understand what I believe. The studies I've chosen emphasize systematic theology. The very word systematic gives me that Aisle 7 rush. I can hardly wait to be organized!

But there are people—wise, godly people—who grin at me like my husband did at my organizer. "Do you think," asked my friend Barbara, who happens to be a theology professor, "that part of you is looking for control?" I stared at her blankly. No, part of me isn't looking for control. All of me is looking for control. I hate chaos and uncertainty. I am deeply bothered by doctrinal divisions within even the small confines of my own church tradition.

And honestly, I really don't like it when God behaves unpredictably, when he seems to be as much about mystery as he is about revelation, and when he refuses to fit into the slots I have labeled for him.

If these thoughts resonate with you, I encourage you to click on the original article below and contemplate the tension between organization and mystery.

Theology in Aisle 7 | Christianity Today | A Magazine of Evangelical Conviction

Is God to Blame for Natural Disasters?

Due to all the media coverage of Hurricanes Gustav and Ike, if you haven't been asked, you can be pretty confident that your students/participants are wondering about the role of God in Natural Disasters.

I did a quick survey in my own mind and was able to identify rain storms as a significant event in many Biblical stories. Noah's flood was just the beginning. Jonah was thrown overboard because a storm threatened the lives of the crew. Jesus' disciples feared for their lives because of a storm at sea. Paul was shipwrecked in Acts 27 due to a storm. It is clear that storms can be used to accomplish the will of God.

Hear me clearly! I am NOT saying storms are always God judgment on evil and I am NOT saying that all the outcomes of a disaster are "good"! I AM saying that God can use storms and "natural" disasters to accomplish things that cannot be accomplished by other means. For example, the Tsunami in Indonesia a few years ago and more recently in Myanmar opened the doors for Christians to demonstrate godly compassion in ways that their governments and other religions were unable to accomplish.

For more thoughts about the reasons for disasters and ways you can use these discussions in your class/small group to build faith check out the link below.

We would be interested to hear your comments. How have you been able to see God at work in events that first appeared to be a disaster?

Is God to Blame for Natural Disasters? | Building Small Groups

Who will be left in the church?

About 2 years ago David Morrow released a book entitled "Why Men Hate Going to Church" which quickly gained popularity among the Evangelical Men's Movement. Men were claiming that many churches had become too feminine for their liking.

Last week I read a blog posting that says women are leaving churches because male-dominated hierarchies are irrelevant to their values.

Could it be that both of the authors are speaking for individuals who wish to be served because they dislike the Christian message of "take up your cross and follow Christ"?

Yes, RELIGION can be described as both feminine and male-dominated when God's perspective is ignored. However a RELATIONSHIP with the living God, in whose image we are created, can honor both genders.

Consider the two quotes below...

The ideology of masculinity has replaced Christianity as the true religion of men. We live in a society with a female religion and a male religion: Christianity, of various sorts, for women and non-masculine men; and masculinity . . . for men.

"Young women tend to express egalitarian values and dislike the traditionalism and hierarchies they imagine are integral to the church"

For more on each perspective, check out the sources below.

Why Men Hate Church

'Buffy the Vampire Slayer' Inspires Women to Leave Churches

Defining Success

It has been over 30 years since I took a Hunter Safety Course, but one of the lessons I remember is "always be sure of your target" and "consider what you might hit if you miss your target." As Christian leaders we must also be careful about what we pursue.

Below are some thoughts from a ministry colleague.

Most of us would agree that measuring success is critical. If we don't know what we are after we won't know if we were successful. The trick is knowing what we ought to measure.

Take the local church for instance. It is common to measure the number of people who attend weekly. The higher our attendance, the higher our success. How often do we ask, "How many people attend your church?"

If numbers are our definition of success we are driven to increase the numbers and with a little marketing moxie one can do that. No problem.

Except - the New Testament definition of success for the church is not numbers but spiritual maturity - becoming like Jesus (Ephesians 4).

For the rest of the post click here - Leading From the Sandbox: Measuring Success: What counts?