You are looking at posts that were written in the month of July in the year 2008.
Posted on July 8th, 2008 by Brian Sparks.
Categories: Blogs.
Of course I wish to go into more detail about the trials at church at a later time. However, why do deacons make better deacons before they are ordained? Its like they make great servants, but once you ordain them, they try to become your boss. Somehow they figure that being servants of the church means being the ones to make sure the staff are doing what they are suppose to.
Out of the mist of this chaos, I found two things about me that has changed my views upon where I minister at. Number 1. I found that I do not like being ignored. I don’t know whether it is my age or my ministry (music-picker-outers don’t know anything) that keeps people from taking input from me seriously. I’m over here screaming about problems that we have and how to fix them, but leaders just keep passing me over because they actually don’t believe churches have changed in the last 30 years. WANT TO REACH YOUNG ADULTS WITH KIDS, I AM ONE AND YOU’RE NOT! Wow this feels good.
The second thing that I have learned from all this was posted in my last post. I am a discipler. I care much more about how the spiritual conditions of my choir members are than their right notes. Unfortunately, I’m getting to the point where I don’t care much about the notes.
So what’s the point of all this? I didn’t just want to get all this stuff off my chest. But the chaos made me want to quit. Yet I endured. This endurance taught me character (Romans 5:3-5). It taught me not just how to overcome trials but personal character like what my priorities are, who God has made me, and what my non-negotionables are. I find that each of these are very important to me but I don’t think I would have found these out if I had never gone through the trials.
Trials teach us a lot about ourselves. Unfortunately, it is the only way God chooses to teach us character. The stuff that is going on at the church is like a bad stomach virus. At first you pray “God, don’t let me be sick.” Hours later you begin to pray “But if I am sick let’s get it on and over with.” So I hope I have learned everything I need to. I really could use a vacation.
Posted on July 7th, 2008 by Brian Sparks.
Categories: Blogs.
Last week I grabbed a few people whom I think know me pretty well. A friend of mine Shane gave me an idea to try. At the same time I was reading a book “Good to Great” which provided me with the appropriate questions.
The goal was not to get people to say nice things about me but to see if anyone out there was putting the puzzle together more effectively than I. The question “What am I good at” did not appear in the questions. But the question “What am I the Best At” was. The idea was to see if anyone noticed what I am great at and if I am actually working at what I am best at.
Just because I am Great at something does not mean that I am good at it. But what it does mean is that I have the capability of being the best at it. So the things that others have labeled as I am the best at does not mean that I am, but I have the potential to be the best at it. So here are my surprising insights.
Surprising Insights:
1. My Passions seem to be quite transparent. Everyone mentioned that my passions had something to do with me ministering to individuals, making everyone feel special, to help each one grow closer to God.
Funny. I have recently read the book “48 Days to the Work You Love.” I found that music is not a passion of mine. Leading others into worship is not a passion of mine. Being in front of a congregation is not a passion of mine. What is? Helping an individual. After discovering this fundamental passion I find it surprising how everyone else knew it.
2. What Am I Great At? Once again, this is not something that I might be good at, but it might be something that I can be great at. I really was expecting a few to say music just because that is my current position in ministry. Therefore, some just associate me with music. But everyone still said “discipleship” or some type of “education administration.”
Now the secret is out why I put out the survey. Am I working in an area where God has gifted me to be good, or am I working in an area where God has gifted me to be great? Once again I go back to my notes in the book “48 days to the work you love”. Music is not in there. I think that I am good at music but something frustrates me. My favorite time of the week is not choir practice or band practice. You know what it is? Two things, having coffee with individuals in the music ministry and the 15 minute Bible study that I give in every choir practice. THAT’S IT. It’s not leading a congregation when the Holy Spirit immerses the congregation. I do enjoy that but it’s not my favorite. It doesn’t call me out of bed.
I always tried fulfilling my giftedness of ministry and teaching through the worship ministry. I was trying to go from A to B by connecting C. I just never put A to B in a straight line. Yeah, I know that last statement only makes sense to me. I was trying to teach those in the worship ministry instead of seeing my calling as a teacher.
3. So here was the straight forward question “What is my Calling?” The overwhelming answer is discipleship. Some said teaching or education or family ministries. Only a couple said music but I claim that the main reason is that is my current position. Also, I’m not bad at it, but I don’t think I have the ability to be great at it.
It’s no surprise that this survey has turned up the answers. It does surprise me how transparent these answers were to everyone. It seems that the busyness of the music ministry was blinding me of my calling. It is also no surprise that as job offers have come and gone, doing another music ministry has only been a turn off.
Now what do I do? Where do I go from here?
If you would like to fill out the form, do it here.
If you would like to view the results, do it here.
Posted on July 7th, 2008 by Brian Sparks.
Categories: unchristian.
unChrstian: What a New Generation Really Thinks About Christianity…And Why It Matters
written by David Kinnaman and Gabe Lyons (From The Barna Research Group)
Quotes:
“Young outsiders generally do not get the impression that Christians have good intentions when it comes to trying to ‘convert’ them. Most reject the iddea that Christians show genuine interest in them as individuals” (page 68).
Development of the Christian Mind:
“A faith that does not effectively address convoluted and thorny issues seems out of tune with a generation asking big questions and expressing candid doubts. Spirituality that is merely focused on ‘dos and dont’s’ rings hollow” (page 126).
“Are we trying to please God or polishing our holy credentials in front of fellow insiders?” (page 186).
Posted on July 1st, 2008 by Brian Sparks.
Categories: Good to Great.
“Good is the enemy of great.
“And that is one of the key reasons why we have so little that becomes great” (page 1).
Nine surprises in great companies
Framework of concepts
“Those who launch revolutions, dramatic change programs, and wrenching restructurings will almost certainly fail to make the leap from good to great. No matter how dramatic the end result, the good-to-great transformations never happened in one fell swoop. There was no ingle defining action, no grand program, no one killer innovation, no solitary lucky break, no miracle moment. Rather, the process resembled relentlessly pushing a gieant heavy flywheel in one direction, turn upon turn, building momentum until a point of breakthrough, and beyond” (page 14).
Posted on July 1st, 2008 by Brian Sparks.
Categories: Spiritual Leadership.
“To aspire to leadership in an honorable ambition” (I Timothy 3:1, page 11).
“Should you then seek great thins for yourself? Seek them not” (Jeremiah 45:5, page 11).
“Has not ambition cause the downfall of nuerous otherwise great leaders in the church, people who fell victim to ‘the last infirmity of noble minds’?” (page 11).
“When our ambition carries out a burning desire to be effective in the service of God – to realize God’s highest potential for our lives-we can keep both of these verses in mind and hold them in healthy tension [refer to first two verses]” (page 12).
“Rewards for the work of leading the church were hardship, contempt, rejection, and even death. The leader was first to draw fire in persecution, first in line to suffer” (page 12).
“Phonies would have little heart for such a difficult assignment. Under the dangerous circumstances taht prevailed in the first century, even stout-hearted Christians needed encouragement and incentive to lead. And so Paul called leadership an ‘honorable ambition’” (page 12).
“Paul urges us to the work of leading within the church, the most important work in the world. When our motives are right, this work pays eternal dividends. In Paul’s day, only a deep love for Christ and genuine concern for the church could motivate people to lead. But in many cultures today where Christian leadership carries prestige and privilege, people aspire to leadership for reasons quite unworthy and self-seeking” (page 12).
“Desiring to excel is not a sin. It is motivation that determines ambition’s character. Our Lord never taught against the urge to high achievement, but He did expose and condemn unworthy motivation” (page 13).
“Ambition which centers on the glory of God and welfare of the church is a mighty force for good” (page 13).
“Whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all” (Mark 10: 44).
“True greatness, true leadership, is found in giving yourself in service to others, not in coaxing or inducing others to serve you. True service is never without cost. Often it comes with a bitter cup of challenges and a painful baptism of suffering. For genuine godly leadership weighs carefully Jesus’ question: ‘Can you drink the cup I drink or be baptized with the baptism I am baptized with?’ (Mark 10:38b).
“The final estimate of men shows that history cares not an iota for the rank or title a man has borne, or the office he has held, but only a quality of his deeds and the character of his mind and heart” (Samuel Brengle, page 14).
Because we children of Adam want to become great,
He became small.
Because we will not stoop,
He humbled Himself.
Because we want to rule,
He came to serve. (page 14)
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