Jeff Noble's Blog, page 29

#Loveyourwork?

All kinds of pithy quotes seek to inspire the workforce. We’re told that we’re supposed to love our work.

“Choose a job you love, and you’ll never have to work a day in your life.” ~ Confucius

“If you love your work, if you enjoy it, you’re already a success.” ~ Jack Canfield

I call bull.

In our staff meeting at church this week, Darrell Cook spoke to us about balancing family and ministry. In discussion, we unpacked the phrase: “Love your family and do your job, not vice versa.” We talked about how power statements like that don’t have to be “either-or.”

We must love our families. AND it’s wonderful when you love your job as well. But job-loving must not replace family-loving. In addition, for a LOT of people, the idea of loving your job is simply a fantasy –  a job is simply a means to provide. When those of us who love our vocations post incessantly about #lovemywork, it paints an unrealistic (and even unbiblical) picture of work.

Work will be.. well, work some days. For all of us. In Genesis 3:17-19, we discover that as part of the brokenness of our sin, our work becomes toilsome and unpleasant. Other days, we can love our work – the productivity, the joy of a job well done, helping others, etc.

But what do you do if you don’t enjoy or love your actual job? Do you quit to go in search of that perfect job that will bring personal fulfillment and allow you to whistle while you work? That’s not realistic or wise for most.

It’s not a job adjustment you need, but a perspective shift:

It’s how you work, not what you work at.

“And whatever you do, in word or in deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.” (Colossians 3:17)

Wrapping up…

Make sure you’re loving your family more than you love your job. They are first priority. But it’s ok and wonderful when you love your job.
If you don’t love your job, use your work as an opportunity to work for the Lord. Do it with excellence and thanksgiving as an offering to God. Love and pray for the people you work with. Give your work your full attention.

Perhaps the best practical quote to remember is:

“The best way to appreciate your job is to imagine yourself without one.” [Source]

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Need wind in your sails?

Ever find yourself caught in the doldrums? “I have no idea what you’re talking about. What are the doldrums?” you say?

The doldrums refer to a place in the ocean where north and south winds collide. As a result, there’s not wind there, and in the days of sailing ships, it was a terrible thing to be stuck there. Sailers could often be trapped there, without wind, for weeks. Technically it is the “Inter-Tropical Convergence Zone, (ITCZ, pronounced and sometimes referred to as the “itch”) – a belt around the Earth extending approximately five degrees north and south of the equator.” [Source]

Colloquially, being caught in the doldrums means you’re struggling emotionally. Lethargic, low spirits, and lacking energy is how the idiom is used.

[image error]“Day after day, day after day,

We stuck, no breath no motion;

As idle as a painted ship

Upon a painted ocean.”

(Samuel Taylor Coleridge from Rhyme of the Ancient Mariner

Normally, when ocean metaphors are used, we think of storms. Stormy waters. Even in the New Testament, Jesus’ disciples are caught in storms on the Sea of Galilee, and we learn important lessons about Jesus’ presence during the storms of our lives.

But what do you do  when the opposite is a reality. No storm. Just unyielding stillness. When your life’s wind is suddenly becalmed and you find yourself “stuck?” One day, two days, a week… or even more. The longer that you stay in such a place, the more that the inconvenience of a bad mood is replaced by despair and at worst, hopelessness.

I don’t have a sure-fire solution that is guaranteed to blow fresh wind in your sails. Life is more complicated than quick fixes. However, I can tell you that for me, my faith in Jesus ultimately provides me with refreshment, even when my seas are too calm for my liking. Both in the storms and in the stillness, Jesus’ has promised to be there.

One verse that has encouraged and shaped my approach to the doldrums (and even the storms) is Hebrews 12:28:

“Therefore LET US BE GRATEFUL for receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, and thus let us offer to God acceptable worship, with reverence and awe.”

“Let us be grateful.”

That simple phrase, tucked away in the middle of a broader thought about God’s unshakable kingdom, has helped me immensely. Being grateful requires you to think of things outside of yourself. Ask yourself, “what can I be grateful for?” And a quick list will come to mind. And you’ll find yourself counting blessings instead of the counting the lack of blowing wind.

There’s an old hymn Count Your Blessings with this line:

When upon life’s billows you are tempest tossed,

When you are discouraged, thinking all is lost,

Count your many blessings, name them one by one,

And it will surprise you what the Lord hath done. [Source]

While it’s more in line with the “storms” motif, I love the last line of that stanza. I want to be surprised by what the Lord has done. Often when I’m zoned in on what’s NOT happening in my own life, I neglect what HAS happened. And when I stop in my stillness to consider “what the Lord has done,” I am stunned. God HAS been at work. He IS working. I may not be where I want to be. I may “feel” stuck, but there’s purpose in the pause.

Let us be grateful.

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Sunday mornings

I’m a preacher. Sunday mornings are occupied with sermon review, prayer and quietness. My normal routine is to anchor myself at a coffee shop at least three hours before the beginning of our worship services. Since I like to be at church an hour before the service, that gives me two uninterrupted hours reading, praying, thinking and reviewing.

I was reminded recently that life in the ministry means for the most part that weekend trips are out. I don’t say that to whine, but simply to point out a reality for those in ministry – they don’t typically take over-the-weekend trips. For the pastor, one of his most important roles is preaching on Sunday mornings. They are “on” while others are off.

It’s made particularly more significant when national or world events demand our response as the people of God. On Friday, Charlottesville, Virginia erupted as protesters converged to decry the removal of a Civil War statue. These protests revealed the ugly reality and health of racism once again. From Ferguson, Missouri to Charlottesville, violence and bigotry have sought to establish themselves as the norm. These racist, hateful and exaggerated movements exist in complete opposition to the kingdom of God.

And so on this Sunday morning, I’m not only reviewing my message but rethinking it. And I’m amazed at how the message I’d already prepared – on serving – is already pregnant with significance for these current events.

No one can claim to be doing God’s will and simultaneously hate another human. From Genesis, we learn that all humanity has been created in the image of God. We are instructed constantly – from the Old Testament to the New – to love others. Whether our enemies, Samaritans (another race) or the disadvantaged (orphans, widows). Followers of God have no excuse. We are to love. Purely. Simply. Practically.

We do not love in words only. We love in deeds.

“..let us not love in word or speech, but in action and in truth.” (1 John 3.18)

It’s not either-or, but both-and. We love in word and in deeds.

We speak words of gracious truth, and we demonstrate through our wallets, our conversations, our votes and our service that all people are worthy of loving because all people are loved by God.

“The Lord.. not wanting any to perish but all to come to repentance.” (2 Peter 3.9)

This Sunday morning… my hope is to make much of Jesus, as always. Current events do not derail that priority. Rather, they make it more urgent. We must press #BeyondCharlottesville to a unifying gospel through faith in Jesus Christ. Only He can transform our hateful hearts.

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10 Recommended Books (that you may not have heard of) #2

In today’s divided political climate…

Let me restate that.

[image error]In today’s fractured and argumentative political climate, a book that details a unifying statesman offers great hope. Abraham Lincoln served our country during a much more divisive time. He presided over a real Civil War. Such death and devastation wreaked havoc on families North and South, and the South’s infrastructure was almost completely destroyed. More American lives were lost in the Civil War than in World Wars I & II combined.

The way in which President Lincoln led, and the people he chose to fill his cabinet is astonishing. As this book details and its title reveals, he filled his leadership with rivals. He didn’t collect people who were initially Lincoln-supporters. Instead, he installed people who had followers.

With President Trump’s bombastic leadership in mind, I encourage you to read A Team of Rivals. At times, it can be ponderous. It’s not exactly an easy read. But if you’ll commit to it, you’ll eventually find yourself immersed. At its conclusion, you’ll long for the type of true leader who can rise above partisanship and embrace right-ness, true diplomacy and inspire people to follow him and even trust him.

We’ve not seen a leader like that in our country in a long time – not from either party and not from third parties. We’ve had politicians who garner following and initially offer “hope,” but it turns out to be hype that alienates rather than fulfills.

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Overseas again

I never tire of experiencing new cultures. The sights, sounds and smells pale in comparison to the significance of seeing people in a new way, of experiencing humanity through a different lens. For one week, I am walking the streets of what used to be Constantinople. It was the seat of the Roman Empire after Rome fell. It was home to the Byzantine Empire until it fell to the Ottomans in 1453.

In 2014, I read Lost to the West and wrote this on my Goodreads review:

Loved this book. Is been wanting to read history on how the Roman Empire relocated to Constantinople and survived to almost the 1400s. This was readable and whetted my appetite. A must-read for anyone interested in history or church history.

[image error]So it’s surreal to be walking the streets and seeing the Hagia Sophia first-hand. My love of history and my love of people and my mission in life all combine to impress upon me the deep and joyful responsibility I have to love people with the love of God.

Another friend who’s on the trip with me is Aaron, and you can read his post about the trip here.

Five times a day, the Muslim call to prayer rings out across this city of almost 20 million people. There are over 3000 mosques in the city, with more being built every day (we saw several under construction). With Turkey being 98% Muslim, it makes sense. It’s an open country today to ideas and worldviews, but that may change. So it’s appropriate to pray like the apostle Paul, who frequented sites in Turkey on his missionary journeys (2 Thessalonians 3:1).

In just two days, we’ve experienced so much. We’re on information, sensory and taste bud overload. (Yes, we’ve had Turkish delight!)

If you’d be interested in receiving email updates about the trip, drop me a line on Twitter or Facebook, and I’ll be glad to add you to the newsletter. In the meantime, güle güle.

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Loving politics is easier than loving politicians

I stated it half a dozen times: I love politics. I’ve stated it often (here, here, here, here, here, here and here). This year, however, when I say that, people look at me like I have leprosy.

[image error]To me, politics is the art of decision-making for a group of people which facilitates governance. When we understand that, there’s really nothing to hate about politics. Good politics should embrace relationships, and encourage dialogue, rational debate, and considered deliberation – all for the good of a larger group of people.

Last year, the Hillary-Trump show was just that. It was a show. More than that, it was a debacle.

I may love politics, but it’s hard to love politicians. I’ve been asked several times what I think, and if you follow my Twitter feed, it should be apparent. However, rather than pen a lot of words, I’d like to refer to an article I didn’t write but wish I had:

No, Voting for Trump is Not Idolatry—Speaking Truth to Christians by Denise McAllister

Last year, several high-profile evangelical leaders vehemently sought to influence their followers against Donald Trump. They unashamedly used their reputations to leverage those who would listen toward voting (or not voting) for candidates.

I think Denise McAllister nails it.

“..choosing between two horribly flawed candidates isn’t a betrayal of our deepest values.”

In the last six months of Trump’s tenure as President, many of those evangelical leaders who so passionately criticized him have grown silent as he has come out in defense of the unborn and defending life (recently voicing his support for Charlie Gard), appointed a conservative Supreme Court justice and implemented many other promised agenda items.

It makes their previous disdain for him sound tinny and baseless. Now, I am not writing in support of Trump’s methodology of debate (especially the use of Twitter to attack those who attack him). I am simply pointing out that Trump is not nearly as bad as we were told.

In fact, if anything, we’ve seen the left exposed as worse than we imagined. Their response to the election goes far beyond being sore losers. Rather, we’ve seen sheer hatred on full display in arenas from the college campus, to baseball fields to outright fabrication in the main stream media.

Here are 10 points I’d like to offer that can keep political discourse healthy and wholesome, both for us as citizens and for those in positions of political leadership:

No matter your opinion, listen well to those you disagree with.
Identify their core values.
Affirm what you agree on and help them understand your core values.
Remember the biblical command to love people. Let love shape how you communicate in times of debate and argumentation.
Do not allow “love for people” to prevent you from seeing the bigger issues.
Conversely, do not let your staunch position on issues prevent you from loving people.
Play the long game. Our culture desperately wants quick fixes and ideal situations, but life is more complex and requires strategic thinking in the short-term in order to see genuine progress in the long-term. It’s called compromise, and it’s one of the best tools to bring two sides together.
Don’t compromise too soon. Be patient. Even though it may seem a compromise today will get the job done, wait it out. You may not have give as much as you initially thought.
If those you disagree with become irrational, mean-spirited or abusive, pray for them diligently. As you’re waiting prayerfully for a change of heart…
Lead. Make hard decisions. Even if those decisions will be criticized. Even if you will be ridiculed. Lead.

For your amusement, here are a few of my previous political posts:

What politicians should learn from pastors
Running for Blacksburg Town Council
Fret not
I voted
Redefining marriage

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Mowing to country music

The last few times I’ve mowed, I’ve listened to country music. It’s been an amazing combination. Mowing is therapeutic for me. It’s one of the few things that I do in life that I get to see instant results. There’s something quietly satisfying about a freshly mown yard. The smell, the evenness, the green carpet on display all combine to create an restful sense of accomplishment.

A few weeks ago, I began listening to country music while I mowed. Recently, Luke Bryan’s song Pray About Everything came on, and with a head full of to-do’s, projects, relational needs, wishes, stresses, goals, dreams, concepts and vision, I needed to hear this:

Yeah, take a walk, take a breath

Oh, give it all a rest

Take a cane pole to the fishing hole

And catch a couple fish

And just like that toss ’em back

And make a little wish

Don’t worry ’bout nothing

Let it go, see what tomorrow brings

Don’t worry ’bout it stress about it, fret about it

Don’t worry ’bout nothing

Let it go, see what tomorrow brings

Don’t worry ’bout nothing

Pray about everything  [full lyrics here]

I’ve never been a fisherman. I don’t have the patience for it, I’m afraid. But as Luke crooned into my headphones, it was not fishing per se that he sang of. Rather, it was simplicity.

Country songs are saturated with lyrics about back roads, sunsets, pine trees and fishing. We need reminding to rise above our routines. To see a beautiful world that is not defined by projects and ambitions. A world in which the sun rises and sets on routine. Where seasons are faithful – flowers bloom and leaves fall. We need reminding that activity can be the enemy of simplicity.

Jesus would have made a good country singer. He offered up these great lyrics as eternal truth:

“So don’t worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring its own worries. Today’s trouble is enough for today.” (Matthew 6.34 NLT)

And to an activity-prone, Type A sister, the fisher of men offered:

“..you are anxious and troubled about many things, but one thing is necessary.” (Luke 10.41-42)

If this post encouraged you… you are always free to come mow my yard.

“Not-Dating”

The following was written the night of April 7, when I was banished from the man cave by my daughter and her then male friend. Two months later, they are officially “dating,” and I was finally given permission to post this by Ethan himself. He’s been a dad’s dream – he’s treated her with respect, demonstrated consistent courtesy and even brought me coffee and milk duds. #winning (Thanks, Ethan!)

My daughter brought a guy home tonight. I’ll need to give you the back story so that you can understand my dilemma, but the story leads to me being kicked out of the man cave. I may or may not have vindictively yelled down into the basement afterwards, “Adelyn, have you seen my rash medicine?!” just to embarrass her.

[image error]I’ve known the above-mentioned guy was coming by for a few days now. He and Adelyn are at the “just friends” level of relationship. It is a mutually-agreed-upon status. At this level, they don’t have dates – they just go places together. So when he came by to pick her up earlier tonight for dinner and laser tag, it wasn’t a date. It was just that they would ride together, spend time together, talk, eat and play together. But it wasn’t a date.

Earlier this week, I was informed they would be coming back to the house to play ping pong and darts. That’s where the misunderstanding began. For some unknown reason, I assumed that I was informed because they wanted to play ping pong and darts with me. Since I’m currently upstairs blogging in the living room while they’re downstairs playing ping pong and darts, that assumption has obviously been proven wrong.

I had even dressed for the occasion. My nightly routine consists of a small workout that I do every other evening – some curls, sit-ups, presses, etc. When it’s chilly (like it is tonight), I wear my flannel pajama pants and whatever shirt I happened to be wearing that day. I’ll watch TV while I’m working out, and when I get hot, I’ll take off the shirt and just work out in my undershirt and flannel pants. It is apparently not an outfit one should wear when friends are over.

I just “happened” to be wearing that when they returned from their being together in the same place at the same time not-date. To her credit, Adelyn withheld her comments upon discovering me in my nightly uniform and simply said, “Dad, are you going to stand around creepily or go upstairs?” It was an “or” question, and I was sorely tempted to simply choose the former. I was honestly surprised to not be invited to play ping pong. After all, I could see the fear in the guy’s eyes. He sensed he was in the presence of superior ping pong talent, flannel and all.

I got the message and ambled upstairs. When I asked Carolyn about it, she too had assumed that we’d be playing games with the not-dating couple. Fortunately our house is arranged in a way that my routine is not too disrupted – I can watch my shows upstairs as easily as downstairs.

I think what daughters with dudes over fail to understand is that dads are both delightful and entertaining. We are also good distractions during slow moments in conversations. We can also be intimidating. Not physically, because the guy over tonight is jacked. No, his name is not Jack. His arms are just bigger than my thighs. Dads are intimidating because we can be intentionally awkward. Keep them on their toes, I say. Make them think twice. Flannel pants are part of a larger strategy to make a young man wonder if you really do have a rash. They may also make a daughter kick you out of the man cave.

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Lunch convos: Camouflage in Blacksburg

Some of the most entertaining conversations I have are over lunch with co-workers. Welcome to another installment in the “Lunch convos” series.

[image error]

Neal with his 2017 turkey trophy.

At this particular lunch, we were having a discussion about how Blacksburg is not hunter-friendly. Neal is a consummate hunter. He often demonstrates turkey calling in our staff meetings and regales us with hunting and fishing stories. Most involve the “one that got away” – whether it be a fish, deer, turkey or jackalope.

Neal is a transplant from south Arkansas, and he was used to a small-town culture in which men in hunter’s orange or camouflage was not only indicative of the season but also a fashion statement. Upon moving to Blacksburg three years ago, he quickly began mapping streams, rivers and plots of land for potential food sources.

Now Blacksburg is anything but a hunters’ mecca. Being the home of Virginia Tech, rural is not the culture here. Though surrounded by communities that are very similar to south Arkansas, Blacksburg is a bastion for progressives, for recycling, for people who pick up their dog poop with little orange baggies. We often hear words like granola, green, or sustainable. The most popular bumper sticker is one that says “Coexist.”

After bemoaning the lack of an appreciation for hunting here, Neal said with a sigh:

“You just don’t see people in camouflage in Blacksburg.”

I said, “That’s because it’s really good camouflage.”

Drop the mic, folks.

Also in Lunch Convos


Lunch convos, Part 1


Lunch convos, Part 2


Lunch convos, Part 3


Lunch convos, Part 4


Lunch convos: Biking to work and quicksand


Lunch convos: Camouflage in Blacksburg

View the entire series

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Even if…

[image error]The contemporary Christian group MercyMe is one of my favorites. They continue to churn out significant, theology-rich music, as well as demonstrating over and over that they don’t take themselves too seriously (you’ve got to watch this!). Lead singer Bart Millard is candid about his the power of God in his life and is always refreshingly honest and vulnerable. He even stayed in our house in Monticello, Arkansas one night when he used to help lead worship with Jami Smith.

Their new song, Even If is incredibly powerful. It speaks to how we long for God to work in our lives and what we do when He seemingly doesn’t. Whether it’s broken dreams, unmet expectations, health crises, relational difficulties, or simple discomfort, we can all find ourselves in a dark night of the soul.

What we do in those moments reveals what we truly believe. Sometimes, we simply must fetal. When we uncurl, however, it’s time for faith. Through trust, we begin the long, slow journey back to worship.

“Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds..” (James 1.2)

Such a perspective is unearthly, in its literal sense. It is not of this world. It requires seeing what is beyond the temporal. Looking at hurts, fears, and doubts through a lens of belief that announces that not only God is (He exists), but that God is.. good.

Notice these two foundations in Hebrews 11.6:

“..whoever would draw near to God must believe that He exists [God is] and that He rewards those who seek Him [God is good].”

The lyrics to Even If include:

I know You’re able and I know You can

Save through the fire with Your mighty hand

But even if You don’t

My hope is You alone

I know the sorrow, and I know the hurt

Would all go away if You’d just say the word

But even if You don’t

My hope is You alone

Being able to sing in sorrow is one of the first acts of rebellion against what should not be. It demonstrates knowledge that this world is broken because of sin and a better one awaits. It’s just the “in the meantime” that, well, sucks.

I was reminded again last week of the words of three young men who faced a tyrant. He demanded that they worship him instead of their God. The penalty was death – by incineration. They refused to worship him and spoke these words:

“If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to deliver us from it, and he will deliver us from Your Majesty’s hand. But even if he does not, we want you to know, Your Majesty, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up.” (Daniel 3.17-18)

It’s hard to genuinely BELIEVE. Sometimes the night is most dark and the trials most deep that they obscure our vision. It’s in such moments that God is most near. We may not see or sense Him, but He is there. It’s the sweaty, relentless duty of our mind to recall and to remember His promises, by faith:

“My comfort in my suffering is this: Your promise preserves my life.” (Psalm 119.50)

Fortunately, we have the Holy Spirit to help us remember. It’s one of His chief assignments:

“..the Holy Spirit.. will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you.” (John 14.26)

This may be one of your “in the meantime” seasons. We will all have them. I encourage you to allow the message of this song to wash over you and rekindle your submission and surrender to a God who is good. If you’d like to listen to why Bart wrote it after you watch it, here’s a link to the testimony video.

 

My Top 10 Favorite MercyMe songs:

When I was reviewing albums of songs, I was shocked at just how many I loved and have become a staple in the Christian music culture. It was hard to pick 10:

1. I Can Only Imagine

2. Word of God Speak – I have always loved this ballad that begs for God’s Word to speak into our everyday. It was named Christian Song of the Decade by Billboard magazine in 2009.

3. Greater

4. You Are I Am

5. Shake (this one is just plain.. fun)

6. Flawless – this song is just gospel. Refreshing and simple. If you’ve got time, listen to the story behind the song.

7. Ghost

8. Silent Night – I know it’s a Christmas song, but I love their rendition.

9. Beautiful

10. God With Us

Oh, and do a YouTube search for “MercyMe Cover Tune Grab Bag.” You won’t be sorry. You’re welcome.

 

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