A Lutheran does 40 Days of Purpose

Chapter 40: Living with Purpose

Fri, 02 Dec 2005 15:35:31 GMT

I think a personal mission statement, which is what I believe Warren is encouraging in this chapter is wonderful. It seems to me that his book tells us that God has already written what that is. I have done it for myself eight years ago. Here it is:

Albert Irvin Douglass

Mission Statement

I exist to love the Lord my God with all my heart and all my soul and all my mind, and to love my neighbor as myself.

In order to accomplish this with my life, I

Stand for the possibility of people being in the presence of their God.

Stand for the possibility of people being in the unconditional love of Jesus.

Stand for the possibility of people living lives guided by the Holy Spirit, freely expressing their gifts.

I find meaning in my life by

Accepting the Love of God in Jesus Christ as sufficient for my security, guidance, wisdom, and the source of my power.

Discerning what in my life seeks to take the place of this unconditional love and turning away from that and turning towards God.

Sharing God with others with humility, love, patience, and kindness as God has shared his love with me.

Spending disciplined time to attend to the means of grace.

Making my family and family relationships a top priority in my life.

Treasuring the quality of life, mine and others, and all creation.

Giving priority to my marriage and committing to it with faithfulness and love.

Caring for what I am responsible for and protecting what others have.

Seeking to see the special value and gifts in every person.

Being at peace with what the day and my life brings that is beyond my control.

I impact life as

Father: loving all Children with God’s love.

Husband: partnering with Carol that our marriage is a sign of God’s perfect kingdom.

Pastor - Evangelist: Inviting all people to a relationship with Jesus.

Pastor - President: Preacher, Teacher, Public Representative of the body of Christ, Ministry of Word and Sacrament, Leader-Visionary.

Pastor - Care giver: Visiting the sick, counseling.

Pastor - Manager: Helping people find productive ministries in the congregation.

Friend: Faithful, consistent love toward those I share my life with.

Neighbor: Enthusiastic supporter of community, justice and peace for all.

In our congregation, I was more interested as a Pastor in asking the members to describe their next step on the road to discipleship. I pray that God uses it for the sake of his kingdom.

In conclusion I thank God for the work that Rick Warren has done. In my congregation it made a tremendous difference in the lives of those who met in groups and reflected prayerfully about its content.

Chapter 39: Balancing Your Life

Fri, 02 Dec 2005 15:34:41 GMT

This chapter is why Rick Warren deserves to sell as many books as he has. He has kept the simplicity of God’s purpose in the Great Commandment and the Great Commission and with pastoral concern he teaches us to keep the five purposes in balance.

We work hard at Upper Dublin Lutheran Church on spiritual friendships. In the last few weeks, my Co-Pastor, Dyan Lawlor and I have come up with five questions for folks sharing a spiritual friendship. Over lunch or a cup of coffee, maybe after a work out at the gym, the could respond to each of these questions, taking turns, one at a time. I am listing them here in case they may be helpful to others. A little attempt to pass on what I am learning.

Five Questions for a Spiritual Friendship

(Checking in with each other)

What are you thanking God for today?

What is God doing in your life?

What questions about your life’s purpose are you asking?

What troubles you and what change would help?

What are you wishing and hoping for?

While having this conversation, there are five questions to support each other with as we seek to grow together in our walk of discipleship. Here they are:

Keeping the Faith

(Checking out a decision or problem)

How does scripture reveal God’s will for your life?

Are you praying about this?

How does your decision and behavior glorify God?

Does this allow you to build up the Body of Christ?

Is this a path to become more like Christ?

Chapter 38: Becoming a World-Class Christian

Fri, 02 Dec 2005 15:33:48 GMT

Rick Warren is co-opting our modern marking techniques. We have been bombarded with the message that our lives are incomplete. We need more. Warren is ready to offer us more Christianity. Move from a worldly Christian to a World-Class Christian. I’m not wagging a finger. I want to say, you go boy! It’s about time that Christians let the world know that they experience a transformation in Jesus that allows them to be fully alive. The biggest drag on the Christian Church is the way we have created worldly Christians.

His steps to becoming a World-Class Christian are excellent. The gift Lutheran’s bring to this joyous transformation is to constantly remind the Body of Christ that it is God’s work that accomplishes this transformation, it is Jesus that sets us free for this transformation, and it is the Holy Spirit that guides us as we live out this transformation.

Chapter 37: Sharing Your Life Message

Fri, 02 Dec 2005 15:33:05 GMT

Chapter 37: Sharing Your Life Message

This chapter sums up our spiritual journey and allows us to organize it to serve Christ. I find that I don’t read this chapter and think about it as much as I work this chapter again and again. I have written in the margins my story of how I came to know Jesus. My personal spiritual journal, not this one, contains my life lessons. I will admit that I am surprised by my passion for the church. I love it so dearly that sometimes I take control of its future away from the Holy Spirit. This is my spiritual battle, my fears must be overcome by the perfect love of Jesus. Finally, my life has been about the Good News.

One aspect of Warren’s religious experience we Lutherans gloss over is conversion. I have come to realize that we take Jesus’ relationship with us for granted when we think we have grown up in the faith and haven’t had a conversion experience. Perhaps we think the experience has to sound like Paul’s or the typical evangelist. This is not true. As Lutherans we believe that everyday is a conversion experience. We start each day remembering our baptism. We also have crossroads in our lives. Places where the Holy Spirit puts a choice before us. Not just at each one but down the road when we have made many choices for the wrong reason, the Holy Spirit brings us to our senses. We realize that the basis of our choice wasn’t as noble or ethical as we thought. God has not been at the center of our lives. When we change our mind and decide to accept Jesus as the sole owner of our heart and passions that is a conversion. God has a party for us in heaven, we ought to go once in a while.

Chapter 36: Made for a Mission

Fri, 02 Dec 2005 15:32:08 GMT

I love the distinctions that Warren makes between ministry to the Body of Christ and mission to the world. Our purpose is to do both.

I take a different approach to the content of our mission to bring people to a relationship with Jesus. I heard a Lutheran theologian articulate this, her name is Kelly Fryer. This is what she said. We have a message that Jesus transformed our lives. Because of what God has done in giving us love through the ministry, crucifixion, and resurrection of Jesus, the world has been turned upside down. We are no longer slaves of sin, the devil or death. Our identity comes from being a child of God, your identity is a child of God, claim this identity and know a freedom and power that nothing in this world can take away from you.

All of us have had experiences with evangelist that made us very uncomfortable. We are not called to be like them, we are called to be ourselves, people whose lives are changed and want to share that truth with others. Like the woman at the well, we have met Jesus who offers us springs of living water. We know where that water flows from and we are on a mission to share that with others.

One of the neat things about being a Lutheran is that we have two words that are very helpful, they are both/and. They work this way. Yes, there are a lot of religious experiences offered in the world. Yes, we respect the religious beliefs of others. We have BOTH respect for all people as children of God and how God may be working with them, AND we know that God has acted decisively for all time in Jesus Christ. God has given this gift of grace to save for a life of selfless sacrifice for the sake of the world which God in ministry and mission as Jesus’ disciples. God will use our work, where we are and as we are to build the Kingdom that the world has rejected but that everyone longs for with all its being. We are boldly humble.

Chapter 35: God's Power in Your Weakness

Mon, 14 Nov 2005 15:35:34 GMT

The key for me in this chapter is Warren’s definition of weakness. When I understand that it is inherited or something I have no power to change, I have less difficulty with the idea that God deliberately allowed it in my life.

This isn’t a difficult idea to grasp, it is a difficult idea to apply. My strength protects me. I rely on it to utilize the influence that vulnerability allows. Warren helps me see how I distort my understanding. Are his steps the biblical way to allow God to be glorified in our weakness?

Admission is simple honesty, and keeping the commandment not to bear false witness. Being content with what God has given us keeps all the commandments that refer to loving our neighbor. Honestly sharing our weakness does build community, which is the Body of Christ. Glorying in our weakness to overcome Satan’s attacks is a new concept for me. I know the fear I have when my weakness is beyond my control to protect it, it makes sense to decide to give it to God.

Chapter 34: Thinking Like A Servant

Mon, 14 Nov 2005 15:34:49 GMT

I found the five attitudes of a servant worth remembering.

Think more about others than yourself.

Think like stewards, not owners.

Think about your work, not what others are doing.

Base your identity in Christ.

Think of ministry as an opportunity, not an obligation.

These attitudes are simple enough to understand. When they come to mind, and prayer invites the Holy Spirit’s assistance, I become a different person.

Chapter 33: How Real Servants Act

Mon, 14 Nov 2005 15:34:00 GMT

This chapter forces me to reevaluate a lot of my accepted truths about being a pastor. The idea that "servant leader" is just religious euphemism gets me right between the eyes. I still have a carefully read book given me by a beloved bishop entitled "Leadership is Key." I have made myself too busy or too needed as a leader to do menial work around the parish. I have nodded my head in agreement when told by consultants that today’s seeker needs the best music, the finest worship, and the latest technology in order to reach them.

Everything Warren writes makes sense. The most wonderful people I know are people who live out their faith as servants. Now I realize that this isn’t a spiritual gift, a passion of the heart, a particular ability, or a unique personality trait. It is the experience of being loved by Jesus and wanting to be like him. I don’t need to be motivated by eternal reward. Perhaps because I’m already hopelessly behind. Just knowing that this is an opportunity to be like Jesus urges me on.

Chapter 32: Using What God Gave You

Mon, 14 Nov 2005 15:33:10 GMT

These practical applications of SHAPE poke holes in the popular wisdom of church culture. Instead of taking a survey to determine our spiritual gifts in order to select the right ministry for us, we are told to start serving and discover our gifts as we serve. Brothers and sisters in Christ can provide valuable feedback about how God is using us to minister. Honest self-evaluation about how we feel in our ministry is consider important information. Practical resources for a life review retreat are offered.

I read this chapter on a men’s retreat where we are studying the ten commandments. Our primary resource is a Lutheran teacher’s video tape. Warren’s advice, "accept and enjoy your shape," reflect precisely what we are learning about "you shall not steal" and "you shall not covet." The former teaches us to recognize that God distributes what we have to all according to who is best able to share it with the community. The latter reminds us to be content with who we are.

The next chapter is an important balance to the primary point of this one, we are to give God the all of what we are and all that God can lead us to be.

Chapter 31: Understanding Your Shape

Thu, 10 Nov 2005 16:12:08 GMT

This is a challenging chapter that could open hours of reflection for the eager disciple.

By distinguishing abilities as aspects of our biological creation rather than heavenly gifts for heavenly tasks – spiritual gifts, Warren opens up another area of discernment. At Upper Dublin we once used a program developed by the Gallup Organization used in businesses worldwide, called Strength Finders. In Warren’s explication of SHAPE that makes perfect sense. The point is that these abilities were given by God and are to be used by God. I would quibble that fifty percent of ability comes from environment, not DNA, but avoiding such things makes Warren a better communicator.

Personality was a full year’s course in my college training as a psychology major. I appreciate how easily this complex phenomena is put into God’s service. While I know that what he writes about experiences are the hardest for folks to put into practice I have a lifetime of pastoral experience that proves him true.

After reading this chapter, I think I will spend the month I am planning for independent study next year exploring my SHAPE and my service to God.