Wednesday, August 10, 2005
Asleep In The Blanket
Sunday, I began a series on “Raising Winners” with the idea being how do we prepare our children for the future in our parenting. It’s parenting beyond the typical 3 steps for this and 3 steps for that. Instead, it’s trying to connect people with the world in which their children will live. What impact should that have on their parenting now? I’ve gotten passionate responses both ways. Some would say, “it’s too far out there, why worry,” or “don’t complicate my life today just help me make it this second,” which is what I call parenting by the moment and circumstance. Others have said, “right on, preach more, why haven’t we heard more about this,” and even comments from some of our more global business people, etc., like “I can do something with this with my kids.” The responses have been fascinating.
Nikki and I were talking at breakfast--she’s more the pragmatic and I’m more the idealist--a good balance. As we were talking, it hit me some of what is going on. I love Keith Green’s old song, “Asleep in the light.” It’s about the church that’s been called into the world but continues to sleep even though the light of Jesus is supposedly in them. How can that be? I remember when we first began our church 20 years ago. We were one of the first “innovative” churches in Texas and I was one of the least likely candidates. Having been raised very traditional, it wasn’t easy. The culture had shifted, but no one recognized it. It took me going to meet Rick Warren in California in the mid-80’s to see it expressed. Today, 20 years later, no one wants to be called traditional, a few liturgical--but no one traditional--at a minimum you’re blended!
The shift the world is facing today is global and societal and it’s as if the rest of the world has “globalized” but the West, except for business, is still very “localized” in its perception of life. Dave Gibbons is a friend who pastors a multiethnic church. He met a while back with several significant Angelo businessmen (Dave’s Irish-Korean--you’d never know it except for his blazing red hair) and David was telling me how even now some Angelo still “just don’t get it.”
I’m convinced this shift will be far harder for the church than the previous shift in American culture. Generally, we don’t change until crisis and necessities force us. The past shift helped us redress our windows in worship. The church is just now becoming more global--and her response is an old “missions” response versus a global kingdom infrastructure relational developmental engagement of society. Why does it matter? Is the world our enemy or is it our opportunity that we bless? If we don’t think about it, and prepare, when our job is outsourced, we’re setting ourselves up for bitterness. If we know it’s global, then we adjust as we need--as Friedman would say to make ourselves “indispensable” and see the next big opportunity. I wish I could see 20 years out. I never realized how much economics drove life, perception, and our response. Globalization--friend or foe--I don’t know. It started with God in the whole world knowing--it’s the churches greatest opportunity in history so far.
Nikki and I were talking at breakfast--she’s more the pragmatic and I’m more the idealist--a good balance. As we were talking, it hit me some of what is going on. I love Keith Green’s old song, “Asleep in the light.” It’s about the church that’s been called into the world but continues to sleep even though the light of Jesus is supposedly in them. How can that be? I remember when we first began our church 20 years ago. We were one of the first “innovative” churches in Texas and I was one of the least likely candidates. Having been raised very traditional, it wasn’t easy. The culture had shifted, but no one recognized it. It took me going to meet Rick Warren in California in the mid-80’s to see it expressed. Today, 20 years later, no one wants to be called traditional, a few liturgical--but no one traditional--at a minimum you’re blended!
The shift the world is facing today is global and societal and it’s as if the rest of the world has “globalized” but the West, except for business, is still very “localized” in its perception of life. Dave Gibbons is a friend who pastors a multiethnic church. He met a while back with several significant Angelo businessmen (Dave’s Irish-Korean--you’d never know it except for his blazing red hair) and David was telling me how even now some Angelo still “just don’t get it.”
I’m convinced this shift will be far harder for the church than the previous shift in American culture. Generally, we don’t change until crisis and necessities force us. The past shift helped us redress our windows in worship. The church is just now becoming more global--and her response is an old “missions” response versus a global kingdom infrastructure relational developmental engagement of society. Why does it matter? Is the world our enemy or is it our opportunity that we bless? If we don’t think about it, and prepare, when our job is outsourced, we’re setting ourselves up for bitterness. If we know it’s global, then we adjust as we need--as Friedman would say to make ourselves “indispensable” and see the next big opportunity. I wish I could see 20 years out. I never realized how much economics drove life, perception, and our response. Globalization--friend or foe--I don’t know. It started with God in the whole world knowing--it’s the churches greatest opportunity in history so far.
Rss Feed