Lion chasers needed for the King’s Bodyguard and the Lord’s Kingdom

 

I am reading a fascinating book titled, “In a Pit with a Lion on a Snowy Day.” The author, Mark Batterson, is new to me. Based on one of the most courageous acts recorded in Scripture, Batterson challenges his readers on the theme of surviving and thriving when opportunity roars. The scene comes from the Old Testament, II Samuel 23:20-23. I am sure most are unfamiliar with this amazing account:  

“Benaiah son of Jehoiada was a valiant fighter from Kabzeel, who performed great exploits. He struck down two of Moab’s best men. He also went down into a pit on a snowy day and killed a lion. And he struck down a huge Egyptian. Although the Egyptian had a spear in his hand, Benaiah went against him with a club. He snatched the spear from the Egyptian’s hand and killed him with his own spear. Such were the exploits of Benaiah son of Jehoiada; he too was as famous as the three mighty men. He was held in greater honor than any of the Thirty, but he was not included among the Three. And David put him in charge of his bodyguard.” 

What a gutsy guy Benaiah was! I’ve never met a lion chaser before but I agree with Batterson that, “Usually when the image of a man-eating beast travels through the optical nerve and registers in the visual cortex, the brain has one over-arching message: Run away.” Yes, “Normal people run away from lions… lion chasers are wired differently.” 

Applying the story, Batterson suggests that, “When we don’t have the guts to step out in faith and chase lions, then God is robbed of the glory that rightly belongs to him.” His message challenges readers to leave spiritual complacency behind as they move forward in the adventuresome walk of faith. He raises the question: “What if the life you really want and the future God wants for you, is hiding right now in your biggest problem, your worst failure, your greatest fear?”  

Early in the book, Batterson notes “a fascinating distinction” made by Dr. Neal Roese in his book, If only. Roese distinguishes two types of regret: Regrets of action and regrets of inaction. “A regret of action is ‘wishing you hadn’t done something.’ In theological terms, its called a sin of commission. A regret of inaction is ‘wishing you had done something.’ In theological terms, it’s a sin of omission.”  

Picking up on this, I agree with Batterson that, “…the Church has fixated on sins of commission for far too long. We have long lists of don’ts. Think of it as holiness by subtraction. We think holiness is the by-product of subtracting something from our lives that shouldn’t be there. And holiness certainly involves subtraction. But I think God is more concerned about sins of omission—those things we could have and should have done. It’s holiness by multiplication. Goodness is not the absence of badness. You can do nothing wrong and still do nothing right. Those who simply run away from sin are half-Christians. Our calling is much higher than simply running away from what’s wrong. We’re called to chase lions.”  

Batterson’s book is thought provoking and I need to read stuff like this. I wasn’t excited to see an endorsement from Brian McLaren, and like most books, I don’t agree with everything. But, I admit that his theme is good for middle-aged guys like me. It’s also good for leaders who have grown weary in the work.  

Last week, I promoted the book at the end of a leadership conference I led at Sandy Cove Bible Conference. Our theme was “How to protect yourself and your ministry from burnout.” Those who have gone through burnout or who have been burned, often tend to “play it safe with God.” The problem here is that it can lead to spiritual complacency or unwillingness to step out in faith. Chase lions?! Forget it! Burned out leaders flee at the very sight of the lions.  

Batterson suggests that, “Spiritual maturity is seeing and seizing God-ordained opportunities. Think of every opportunity as God’s gift to you. What you do with those opportunities is your gift to God. I am absolutely convinced our greatest regrets in life will be the missed opportunities.”  

A few more thoughts: 

“Lion chasers thrive in the toughest of circumstances because they know that impossible odds set the stage for amazing miracles. The more we grow, the bigger God should get. And the bigger God gets, the smaller our lions become. The reality is that nothing is too difficult for God.” 

Unlike some of the positive thinking hype we hear from others, Batterson connects these themes with many passages from Scripture. I realize that for many of my conservative brothers and sisters, this might be lion-sized reading outside of the box. I guess we have to start somewhere.  

Steve Cornell

http://thinkpoint.wordpress.com/ 

http://www.amazon.com/Pit-Lion-Snowy-Day-Opportunity/dp/1590527151

Burnout? Not me!

With the odds stacked against me, I poured myself into my work with unbalanced fervor. The threat of burnout would have never entered my mind. Full of vision and a touch of naïveté, I had a calling to answer and a job to do. Nothing but full throttle ahead would be acceptable. Ready to tackle the work of starting a Church in the university town of Millersville, my expectant wife and I moved to the community in 1985.

In the first five years, our little group of seven grew to more than a hundred people and our family grew to include three children four years old and under. During the first four years of ministry, I had to work on the side to support our young family. Looking back, I now realize it was more like working two full time jobs. By the fifth year, on a very modest salary, we were able to devote full time to the ministry. And after that year, we decided a vacation would be a good idea. My wife tried to convince me that two weeks would be best but I didn’t want to leave the work for that long. We settled on a week away. Occasionally, my wife reminds me of how hard it was in the early years to get me to take time off.

When we arrived at our vacation destination, I unloaded the luggage and baby paraphernalia and laid down for a rest. I will never forget what I felt at that moment. A sense of deep concern came over me when I realized how alarmingly depleted I had become. I pushed myself to a scary point of exhaustion. My wife had tried to slow me down but it took getting away for me to come to my senses. I knew I couldn’t possibly continue the pace of my life. I realized it wouldn’t be fair to my family and that I would risk burnout. My pace was not sustainable for the long run.

Some will read this and say, “Been there; done that!” Others might wonder if this describes their present condition. It’s amazing how oblivious one can be to the threat of burnout until it hits with full force. Overload comes too easily. Margin and balance are hard to maintain. Opportunities outweigh resources. The good threatens the best. A young pastor once said, “I’d rather burn out than rust out.” But a more seasoned pastor reminded the younger leader that either way you’re out.

One observer noted five signs of burnout, (1) Decreased energy -‘keeping up the speed’ becomes increasingly difficult; (2) feeling of failure in vocation; (3) reduced sense of reward in return for pouring so much of self into the job or project; (4) a sense of helplessness and inability to see a way out of problems; and (5) cynicism and negativism about self, others, work and the world generally.

If you’re experiencing physical depletion and fatigue; if you’ve begun to deeply question your effectiveness and battle with negative attitudes towards life and other people; if you feel a growing desire to withdraw from responsibilities and detach from people; if you experience a growing sense of hopelessness, your condition might be a case of burnout.

What should you do? When I realized my level of exhaustion, I knew several things had to change. First, I had to deflate the ego. Even though I was not egotistical, I had the wrong view of my own importance to the Church. I had to realize that the ministry does not depend on me as much as I thought. It belongs to God and I am a replaceable part of his work.

Secondly, I had to do a better job of sharing the work. I began to pray that God would bring some low maintenance, high givers (and this didn’t refer to money). We needed people who were mature and ready to share the work. I had to be selective about investing in people who desired to participate in the Church instead of devoting time to those who had no desire to serve. One of the best decisions we made was to add an associate pastor during our fifth year of ministry.

Thirdly, I learned to say no to things I didn’t really need to do. This required regular reminders from those around me and a willingness on my part to listen to them. Keeping the main thing the main thing is an ongoing battle. Simplify and prioritize has been my motto.

Finally, although many other points could be made, I had to prioritize quiet time for prayer and reflection. Those who give large amounts of themselves away must balance life with solitude and self-reflection to replenish for more giving. Opening Scripture and meeting God in His written word each day is an indispensible part of living a well-balanced and healthy life. On one occasion, Jesus said to his disciples, “Come away to a secluded place and rest a while” (Mark 6:31). This is good advice for those facing the threat of burnout.

Steve Cornell

  

PS–I AM LEADING A CHURCH LEADERSHIP CONFERENCE ON THIS THEME NEXT WEEK (MON-WED) AT SANDY COVE IN NORTHEAST MARYLAND. IT’S NOT TOO LATE TO SIGN UP!! SEE: http://thinkpoint.wordpress.com/church-leaders-sign-up-today/

IF YOU CAN’T MAKE IT, PLEASE PRAY FOR IT TO BE A GREAT TIME FOR THE MORE THAN 200 LEADERS PRESNTLY SIGNED UP TO ATTEND.

MANY, MANY THANKS!!!