Thom S. Rainer's Blog, page 403
July 29, 2011
HindSight (July 29, 2011)
In Memoriam: John R. W. Stott (1921-2011)
On Wednesday of this week, one of evangelicalism's most influential voices fell silent and met his Savior face to face. History will certainly prove the impact of Dr. John Stott's ministry. His preaching, writings, missionary passion and pastoral example have given several generations of pastors and preachers a rich fountain from which to drink. My own life and ministry have been enriched by his work and witness.
Many have already offered insightful commentary on this faithful servant of our Lord, including:
Christianity Today issued the first obituary for Dr. Stott Denny Burk remembers hearing Stott preach in person. He concludes, "I still remember the basic outline of the sermon because it matched the structure of the text. It was a model of faithful, biblical exposition, and in that moment I caught a glimpse of his life's work. Would that all preachers would leave behind such a legacy of compelling, biblical preaching. He was a model for all of us." Nathan Finn provides a fine snapshot of Stott's life and influence, then adds: "I pray the Lord will raise up a new generation of pastors who will write books, articles, and blog posts that help the church reflect on these issues. There would be no more appropriate way to honor John Stott, a brother who was arguably the most important missional pastor-theologian among evangelicals in the last fifty years. Thank God for his life and ministry." Reflections on the life and ministry of John Stott, from those at The BibleMesh blog Tim Challies allows others to produce a "Twitter tribute" to Dr. StottThere will many more tributes to honor Dr. Stott in the days to come. He was not without fault or controversial opinion, but will be remembered as a faithful expositor of God's Word and a champion for Christ.
John Stott Ministries (Langham Partnership) has produced a memorial video for Dr. Stott:
The death of His faithful ones is valuable in the Lord's sight.
~ Psalm 116:15 ~
July 25, 2011
The Dash
When my son, Art Rainer, began work on the book we co-authored, Simple Life, he spent a good bit of time in a cemetery.
That's right. A cemetery.
He found a cemetery near his home in Boca Raton, Florida, and simply walked from grave marker to grave marker. Listen to his simple explanation for this strange type of research.
"I came to this cemetery to gain perspective. I could not think of a more inspirational location than to be surrounded by those whose earthly story had come to an end. If they could, what would they tell us? Now that their lives are over, what wisdom would they want to pass on? What were their regrets? Where did they get it right? Though the sands of time in my life's hourglass are still running for me, with every breath I breathe, I am moving toward my physical closure.
"My body will become like theirs.
"On each grave marker is a dash between two years. The dash is time, and that is where we are, in our dash. And before there is some year placed on the other end, we need to figure this thing out."
The Dash Hits Home
This past week was tough. My older brother, Sam Rainer, had open heart surgery. The surgery went well. The road to recovery looked great. But two days later he had a stroke.
As I sat next to him in the intensive care unit, I reflected about our family. Our parents died years ago. Our sister died as an infant. In our original family, it's just the two of us. And there he was with a newly repaired heart dealing with the aftermath of a stroke in the intensive care unit.
The dash got really rough for him this week.
I love my brother. But we haven't spent a lot of time together the past several years. Our families have grown. We both have grandchildren. And we both have jobs that keep us busy.
But sitting next to him in ICU, I realized how much I missed him. And I prayed for his recovery and healing. Most of the prayers were for him, but some of them were selfish prayers. I want to spend time with him. I want to have long conversations with him.
I need to work on my dash.
The Incredible Brevity of Life
I turned 56 years old several days ago. How did I get this old this quickly? By actuarial standards, I've entered the fourth quarter of my life. But the end could come much quicker. The dash will have a number on its right side in the blink of an eye.
How am I doing in the dash? Pretty good, but not good enough. My lack of time with my brother the past few years was a clear reminder that I sometimes get too busy for my own good.
You and Your Dash
So how are you doing in your dash? Are you spending lots of time with your family? Are you spending time with God in prayer and His Word? Are you cherishing and developing your friendships?
How are you doing in your job? Are you joyous in your work? Or are you miserable, fearful of taking a chance somewhere else for the wrong reasons?
Do you have broken relationships that need to be restored? Do you need to take the initiative to see those relationships healed?
Are you so busy doing "things" that you fail to take time to do the things that really matter? Do you need to call or write someone? Do you need to go see someone?
How would someone else view your dash? Would they see you as a joyous person, full of life and energy? Or would they view you as hypercritical, never happy, never satisfied?
How is your dash? Mine could use some improvement.
And please pray for my brother.
That's one part of my dash where I pray I'll be given another chance to get it right.
July 22, 2011
HindSight (July 22, 2011)
How the gospel makes us generous and content with our money. "Generosity is not poverty theology. Contentment with thankfulness is not a prosperity theology. The gospel motivates us to be generous and gives us ultimate contentment."
Pastoral lessons learned from a 106 year old church member. Good insights and reminders here for ministers of all ages and contexts.
Borders forced to close all stores and liquidate assets. The second largest bookstore chain in the US failed to receive any offers to keep it alive.
10 simple things good pastors say. Pastor Jared Wilson nails it in this excellent article.
50 most extraordinary church buildings in the world. These photos are fascinating!
Should we still hand out tracts? Christianity Today explores this question in light of recent legal decisions.
July 20, 2011
Leadership by Looking in the Mirror
I recently spoke at a place where I had not been in years. Many of the same people from years ago were still there. I noticed something disturbing about these people: they had really gotten old! I was stunned by their obvious aging while I marveled at my own youthful appearance.
Yeah right.
One honest look in the mirror and I could see that the years had taken a toll on me just like my aging friends. My self-awareness had two elements in it: honesty and a willingness to look in the mirror.
Leadership and Self-awareness
I have much to learn about leadership. I have been given incredible opportunities in my life to lead people and organizations. I wish I could say that my track record is impeccable and that I am the paragon of leadership excellence.
But that would be both a joke and a lie.
When I reflect on those times when I have made some positive strides as a leader, I realize that many of them took place when I had greater self-awareness. It's not a very pleasant experience to learn of my shortfalls as a leader. Those exercises of looking in the mirror are typically painful for me. The cliché "no pain, no gain" certainly applies here.
Toward Greater Clarity in the Mirror
So, how does a leader see himself or herself more clearly? How do we go about the process of looking in the mirror? Allow me to suggest a few steps from my own experience and the wisdom of others.
· Be intentional about seeking greater awareness. Looking in the mirror is not usually something we do or seek every day.
· Be willing to accept pain. I have learned by looking in the mirror some not-so-pleasant aspects of my leadership style, personality, and attributes. Frankly, I much prefer to hear good things about me.
· Find someone who will shoot straight with you, someone who cares enough about you and your leadership to risk offending you.
· Keep sycophants at a distance. Those who "kiss up" to you are more concerned about themselves than your leadership. And they give you a very distorted view about reality.
· If possible, seek anonymous surveys about you and your leadership. In my organization, a third party surveys employees to get their views of on nearly 100 matters. Several of the questions pertain directly to our organization's leadership. The employees have complete anonymity in their responses. We do those surveys at least once a year, and sometimes twice a year.
· Be diligent spending time in prayer and in the Bible. God and His Word remind us how much we have fallen, and how much He still loves us.
Learning the Great Example of Humility
One of my favorite books of the Bible is Philippians. On 17 different occasions, Paul uses the word "joy" or some derivative of the word. It's truly a God-inspired book about joy.
Prominent in the second chapter of the book, Paul tells us that our attitude should be modeled after Christ. It's a fascinating excursion in the midst of a treatise on joy. Note these words on humility: "He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death—even death on a cross" (Philippians 2:8). True leaders follow the example of Christ. True leaders have an attitude of humility. True leaders find joy in that humility.
John Calvin's words hit home: "He who is most deeply abased and alarmed by the consciousness of his disgrace and nakedness, want, and misery, has made the greatest progress in the knowledge of himself" (Institutes of the Christian Religion).
It is not easy to seek to be humble. Indeed the person who thinks he is humble is not. But we can become greater leaders by looking in the mirror. Those painful glances at reality will remind us again and again that we have not arrived.
We will then seek His strength and His wisdom since the mirror clearly shows us that are not nearly as smart and wise as we sometimes think we are.
July 18, 2011
When Pastors Experience Depression
Depression was once a topic reserved for "other people." It certainly was not something those in vocational ministry experienced. Perhaps it would be more accurate to say that ministers rarely admitted that they were depressed. After all, weren't these servants of God supposed to have their acts together? How could pastors and other ministers who have the call of God on their lives experience the dark valley of depression?
Ministers often feel shame and failure when they go through bouts of depression. And their reticence to tell anyone about their plights has exacerbated the problem.
But today more and more ministers are willing to talk about this issue. Recent articles in Christian Post, the New York Times, and Paul Tripp's Gospel Coalition blog address the problem candidly and proactively.
A Growing Problem
The articles note that the problem of depression in the ministry is not only real, but that it is growing. Further, the rate of depression among ministers is now higher than the rate of the general population.
What are the causes of the depression? More importantly, what can be done to help ministers who are walking through this valley?
The Possible Causes
My list of possible causes is not exhaustive. It is based on the research of others as well as my own anecdotal conversations with pastors and other Christian leaders who experience depression.
· Spiritual warfare. The Enemy does not want God's servants to be effective in ministry. He will do whatever it takes to hurt ministers and their ministries.
· Unrealistic expectations. The expectations and demands upon a pastor are enormous. They are unrealistic. But if one person's expectations are not met, that person can quickly let the pastor know that he is a failure.
· Greater platforms for critics. In "the good old days," a critic was typically limited to telephone, mail, and in-person meetings to criticize a minister. Today the critics have the visible and pervasive platforms of email, blogs, and social media such as Facebook and Twitter.
· Failure to take time away from the church or place of ministry. Workaholism leads to burnout. Burnout leads to depression.
· Marriage and family problems. Too often the pastor neglects his family as he cares for the larger church family.
· Financial strains. Many pastors simply do not have sufficient income from the churches they serve. That financial stress can lead to depression. Some pastors do not know how to manage they money they do have, leading to further financial strain.
· The problem of comparison. Every pastor will always know of a church that is larger and more effective. Every pastor will always know of another pastor who seems more successful. The comparison game can be debilitating to some pastors.
Seeking to Help and Offer Solutions
Pastors need our prayers and support. I challenge you church members to organize intercessory prayer warriors for your pastors. Get each person to commit to praying for him five minutes every day. Fight the battles of spiritual warfare with prayer.
Likewise, make sure your pastor has sufficient time for his own prayer life. As he spends more time with God, he will be able to deal with the demands of ministry more effectively. He will handle the barbs of the critics better. He will not be prone to compare his ministry with others. His hope and identity will be more dependent on his relationship with Christ.
Make certain your pastor takes time off every year. Vacations must be mandatory. He likewise needs to take at least one day off each week. Look for signs that he is not giving sufficient time to his family, and help him to find the time to do so. His wife and children cannot be neglected.
Find out if your pastor is compensated adequately. If not, work quietly and prayerfully with key leaders in the church to rectify that problem.
Thank God for pastors. Thank God for their lives, their families, and their ministries. May we who sit under their ministries and serve in their churches do all we can to keep them focused and healthy: physically, emotionally, and spiritually.
