Shepherd Cloning
The last few days have been interesting in our country, and especially in Colorado Springs. The people of Colorado voted to keep marijuana illegal. Colorado, as well as six other states (ID, SC, SD, TN, VA, WI) voted to ban same-sex marriages (only Arizona voted against the ban). The relevance to last week’s news of Ted Haggard being involved in drug purchases and a gay affair is oddly ironic. Haggard, the former president of the National Evangelical Association and the former leader of New Life Church, the largest church in Colorado, is now an unemployed man with a long road ahead of him. The church, which is merely two miles from my home, is being affected. The city of Colorado Springs is being affected. American Christians are being affected. How can we respond?
Understanding the impact these issues are having, the 605 (the place to be on Saturday nights) addressed this issue. My friend, Jonathan, recommended three things we can do. First, we should avoid the rumor mill. Second, we should cease the arrogant thoughts that we would never do such things. Third, we should commit to talking to God about this more than we talk to others about it. We spent time in our service praying for our city, New Life Church, the Haggard family, and Christians across the globe. We then resumed our series on Nehemiah with the refreshingly coincidental topic of how to deal with our weaknesses. To listen to this sermon, or other 605 sermons, go here.
It is obviously easier to look at someone like Haggard, or any other high-profile sinner, and create a bubble of ignorance to our own issues where we can dwell. The truth is that we all have sin. We all need help with that. Only God can sanctify us to the maturity of avoiding sin. But what does that look like? Certainly it includes a genuine effort on our part. Certainly God uses other people to help us. I have been pondering this for days and I found an answer from a familiar source: Elizabeth Darling.
My beautiful daughter, Lizzy, is mostly immune to the political issues surrounding us, but she is keenly aware of the issues within the home. The other night at dinner, she pounded her fist on the table and announced, “This dinner is obnoxious!” I ordered her to belay that banter; later we discussed the topic on her bed. I asked her what she saw as so obnoxious about dinner. She explained that she had one brother eating with his fingers and the other spitting food out – on the table! This kind of behavior was unacceptable to her. I asked her what she saw as the solution. She told me that she had decided to teach her brothers all about manners. After discussing for a short while about her own manners and the necessity for her to be accomplished in that arena before she teach the boys, I asked her how she would teach them. Enter her genius:
“I would clone the boys. If Jake and Luke could see how they were acting at the table, they would not want to act that way anymore.”
I smiled and kissed my little girl. I immediately thought of the struggles I had been having lately with reconciling our own weaknesses. How is it that we can honestly look at our weaknesses and deal with them? Well, we cannot clone ourselves and it would be cumbersome to walk around with a full-length mirror everywhere we go. But I believe this concept can be useful for us. The concept of visualization is powerful.
I remember when I was a freshman in high school; I had a grand desire to play basketball. When I was cut from the team after tryouts, I was demoralized. My father had a basketball hoop put up in the back yard, with a nice concrete slab to play on. I practiced every day. I still have my MVP trophy from a tournament in my sophomore year. The practice paid off. But I also employed visualization. I watched the best: Michael Jordan. I watched him as much as I could. I watched taped games. I watched how he shot the basketball. I watched how he crafted a jump shot. I admired his uncanny abilities in flight. I visualized myself making those shots. I am not saying that I play basketball like Michael Jordan, I’m just saying…
The point is this: visualization can be a motivator – both positively and negatively. We can visualize things we want to do, and we can visualize things we do not want to do. Think back to the last week. What is something you have done that you wish you had not done? Visualize yourself doing it. Do you look silly doing it? Visualize yourself not doing it.
When I asked Lizzy how we could practically apply this cloning principle, she recommended that we pray to God and ask Him to show us ourselves – ask Him to give you the picture of yourself you need to see. She used the analogy of sending a letter to God asking for a picture. His return letter will include a photo that you can see whenever you close your eyes. You can also enter into relationships with other Christians who love you. Ask them what your weakness is. Enter into relationships with non-Christians. Ask them what your weakness is. Jonathan points out that your boss might be an excellent resource for this. “In what area do you see me needing improvement?†The key to avoiding habitual sin is being honest with ourselves and honest with God. We are being transformed:
2 Corinthians 3:16-18 – But when one turns to the Lord, the veil is removed. Now the Lord is Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.
Perhaps you need to see the images of your sinful actions. Or maybe it is your thoughts – the ones you think no one knows about – that you need to see. Maybe the pictures you need to see are of you doing ‘good’ things – but with wrong motives.
I have titled this blurb Shepherd Cloning. These concepts apply to each and every one of us. I want to especially call out to those of you in leadership positions over others. Whether you are a supervisor or manager at work, a small group leader at church, a pastor, a father or mother, a big brother or sister, or the President (hello, George)… it is crucial for us to be honest with ourselves. When other people look up to you, you must understand that your actions affect them. I believe an effective leader is one who has love and respect within the home, and love and respect outside the home:
1 Timothy 3:5 – For if someone does not know how to manage his own household, how will he care for God’s church?
1 Timothy 3:7 – Moreover, he must be well thought of by outsiders, so that he may not fall into disgrace, into a snare of the devil.
The truth is that if we were all famous, we would all have public failures just like Ted Haggard. Our anonymity protects us from that public shame. But that is a mirage. Please discover your weaknesses. If you are honest with yourself, you will see the real you and desperately need change.
-z
PS: On another note, if you have not read this, yet, read the TIME article about my friends in Bellflower.
Do you really talk to your girl like that? “I ordered her to belay that banter” Ha Ha For some reason I totally can relate to the fact that I write way better than how I talk. “Lizzy I order you to belay your banter!!” Ha Ha Ha that really cracks me up!
On a serious note, I visualize myself buying meth after a homosexual experience and telling thousands of people I am an instrument of God to help people in their Christianity journey. Belive and then Achieve!
Half of me is bummed that Satan impacted the church with one blow and I understand the amount of spiritual attack was directed at Ted. But the other half just shakes my head in disgust. Not so much that he fell, I totally understand failure. But the fact of not taking himself out of the game to get help. But to stand in front of everyone and act like your a Godly leader when you have a homosexual partner at least once a month, that I cant understand.
Indeed, Mike. My dream is that God uses this event to make every other Christian look inward at their own weaknesses and react to those issues. May we all become more godly through this…
Zac,
I am jealous of your snow covered home. Ashley was looking at your pictures the other night. I am gettig better by the way. I will wonder for the rest of my life how I got Mono, but will I ever really know? No.
I learned a tremendous amount about myself, God, purpose, and the world while I was sick. You will be proud. Say hi to the kiddies and to Mandy.
bgood
[...] Last week I talked about visualization as the means to an end in relation to our habitual sins. It is important for all followers of Christ, especially those who are in leadership over others, to discover a method for dealing with our inherent defilement so as to avoid a massive collapse. Imagine a typical concrete bridge going over a typical freeway. If you were to take a hammer and chisel and knock off one chunk of it every day, it would stay standing for many years. At some point, however, it would become too weak to withstand its own weight and it would collapse. The tiny rocks that were slowly being removed would hardly be noticeable – until the moment of that massive collapse. It seems prudent for us to solve the problem of the hammer and chisel in an effort to avoid dealing with the problem of cleaning up a destroyed thoroughfare. [...]
BGood:
Glad you are getting better. I look forward to hearing what you learned.
No better time to visit the Rockies than in the late fall.
I am thankful for you…
-z
[...] we basically agree on most things. I was saddened by the news and I wrote a blurb about it called Shepherd Cloning. In it I encouraged my readers [...]