I was checking the news this morning and thinking about how many struggles we see that are the result of just simple things done or not done. An affair destroying a marriage. Carelessness causing injury. Anger causing crime. Inattention causing hurt. Why do we do or not do such simple things? Just work on your marriage instead of looking elsewhere. Be careful and attentive. Forgive instead of dwelling on your anger. Pay attention. Someone may say, "It's not that simple." Parents tell their kids they are getting a divorce and the kids ask some version of "can't you just love each other/stay together, etc." The parents reply, "It's not that simple." Actually, it is that simple. It just isn't that easy. The act of choosing the other person over yourself. The act of dying to self. The act of putting care and concern for others into all you say and do is very simple. But it isn't easy at all. I blogged last fall about Simple Hard Things that are hard simply because we are fighting our own nature. Today, look at the simple things you should be doing. They may be hard, but they aren't very complicated.

There has been a great movement in the western church as our culture goes through its transformations. The church has been trying to figure out who it is and what it should be doing. This has led to many different movements, especially what is known as the Emerging church movement. This movement has then split into parts with "Emerging" and "Emergent" and "Reformed" and many other movements. In some of these movements there are some refreshing ideas. There are also some real dangers and Biblical truth has been questioned or abandoned. While sad, the church will always emerge. The foundational truth of God's Word will always come out and the true church will always call people to the redemptive work of Christ. It is sad that there are those more enamored with being culturally relevant or hip, but the church will emerge from between those who hold blindly to tradition and those who blindly destroy orthodoxy, and the Body of Christ, founded in the inerrant Word of God will "emerge" victorious. We need to first just hold to the simple truth of the Gospel. We are sinful and totally unable to come to or please God on our own. Only the work of Christ connects us to God. This is true at the point of salvation and for all subsequent points in our lives. As for a ministry structure, the real issue is, are we loving the family of God and lovingly reaching the lost with the message of the cross of reconciliation? Want a church to grow? Teach the body to love one another and minister the gospel to one another. Then have the body actively sharing that love with those that are outside Christ. The church will grow. It will emerge. Want power? Preach the simple truth of the gospel. Take people deeper and deeper into that simple truth. If Bean's Corner grows, I pray it will not be because Nate's or my skill at preaching, the scope or quality of our programs, or the beauty of our building. I pray that we grow because the people in it are growing in Christ and sharing Christ with others.

This was a work day, but since Sarah needed to work today, I worked at the kitchen table. This really slows the work down I have to tell you. I have had both boys in my lap at different times today and my daughter always has something new to show me that she has made. Right now my youngest is dancing around the kitchen and singing. Not bad considering that he has had a bad cough and running nose for two days and my middle child threw-up twice in the night last night. My point today is that I really enjoy my kids. Sarah and I are constantly remarking on how unique each one is. My oldest is so creative. She makes crafts and creations that we marvel at. She loves to make cards and elaborate cut outs. My second is so sensitive. He flees from stories that contain emotional tension. He also is very imaginative, telling deeply involved stories replete with detail. My youngest is the sports guy. He runs, he dances, he plays ball, any kind of ball. He wants to be doing. They all share an enthusiasm for life and a joy of reading. That is really cool. They also love to spend time together (most of the time). As I said, Sarah and I so enjoy spending time with them and getting to know them. They do wear us out and I will never claim that they are angels, but they are a joy. Now I need to go, my youngest just informed me that my computer case was in his way as he wants to shoot hoops. :) Also, I'm going to go make supper for the family tonight to give my wife a break since she was up with a sick boy in the night.

No, I'm not referring to James Dobson's organization. I am thinking about Bean's Corner and the atmosphere we are looking to establish, encourage, and preserve. A lot of different people hold a lot of different ideas about what the church should be, how it should be, why it should be. There is plenty of truth in many of these ideas, but let me just ruminate a bit on the subject. The church is not an organization, with goals, benchmarks, and rules. It is an organism or a family. These are the two metaphors used in Scripture. A body or a family. When you see a church going through conflict or breaking down, it is rarely an organizational issue at heart. It is an issue of health and family. An issue of organization or governing may precipitate the issue, but the results are most often determined by relational issues rather than organizational issues. I have been in poorly managed churches that were filled with a feeling of love and well run churches that were not. I would rather be in a church that cares for me and allows me to love then one that is run coolly and efficiently. Often we forget that as we get caught up in trying to get the body to function. I have three children who do not always operate the way they should. They do the wrong thing or don't do the right thing the right way. Do I sacrifice my relationship with them in the name of correcting them? Of course not. It is a tough balance in a church. Sometimes stands must be taken and issues must be addressed. Not everyone will agree with everthing that needs to be done. When those times come, we must make sure that we are first and foremost affirming each other and increasing the ambient level of love that everyone is experiencing. That will in turn help people deal with whatever issue is at hand. Is this a cure-all? No, but the Bible says that love covers a multitude of sins. As members of the family, let's not ignore important issues, but let's not deal with them in a way that reduces or obliterates people's sense of love. Now one caveat. Sometimes tough love is hard for some people. My son told me today that he didn't like me anymore. The reason? I asked him to stop coloring on the kitchen table with a crayon (not on paper, ON the table). He was wrong. He needed correction. He didn't like it. I reminded him how much I loved him and that I didn't like having to correct him. Then I disciplined him. Then I told him that I loved him again. Love disciplines, as Nate reminded us yesterday. Just because tough love is hard on someone doesn't mean you shouldn't exercise that. Let us just always make sure we are seeking to remind people how much we love them.

Today I am meeting with one of the young men that God has placed in my life to mentor. I am really looking forward to our time as we encourage and share together. It made me think this morning about this important process and what is required of me to be a mentor. As I move into mid-life, God has more and more given me the role of mentor to young men in the ministry. It is a bit strange as I am more used to being the young man in ministry needing to be mentored. (of course I still need mentoring too.) One of the biggest requirements for me to be a mentor is for me to be open and honest about my weaknesses. This should come as a shock to no one, but I am far from perfect. I am not a perfect husband, I am not a perfect father. There are days where I am too far from it. I am not a perfect pastor. In fact, if you want to consider my failures, you will need some serious time because I fail often. I can be a very weak man. Mentoring, being a role model, pastoring, etc. does not ask me to be perfect or even to look strong. It does require that my walk with God be real and alive. Then, when I am weak, He can be strong through my failures. When I sit down with this young man today we will talk about our marriages, we will talk about our kids. I will share with him what I am learning and needing to learn. I will show him ways that I have failed and what I am learning and doing to grow in those areas of weakness. What I won't do is try to hide my flaws and failings from him. How would that help? I know too many pastor's and "spiritual" men who think that the secret to spiritual leadership is to be in charge, to have the answers, to be all put together. In trying to be that they turn into unreal characters and place themselves, and sometimes their families under enormous strain to try to be something other than they are. Instead of working on growing more Christlike, they seem to feel they need to be godlike. I am weak. There are days when I am not as patient or understanding as I should be. There are times when I am selfish. I get scared. Trusting God is hard when times are hard. I am constantly being taught, corrected, refined by God. Somedays it hurts and sometimes I ask God to stop (He doesn't). That's the real me. I figure the only way for me to be a strong leader, is to be open about my weaknesses. Then those that should follow me can, because they can relate to my life and my spiritual growth.

2 Corinthians 12:9-10 And He has said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness." Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me. (10) Therefore I am well content with weaknesses, with insults, with distresses, with persecutions, with difficulties, for Christ's sake; for when I am weak, then I am strong.