As I read this chapter, I recalled a cartoon I watched as a child. A wolf sits in a cave reading the newspaper. He reads the front page headline with delight. The U.S. Army has drafted the sheep dog for the war (WWII) effort. The wolf races from his den, down the hill to have a sheep lunch, but he is quickly and brutally rebuffed. The battered wolf returns to the cave to read the continuation of the news article below the fold line. The second headline reads: Continue reading SoulShift #6: Sheep to Shepherd
SoulShift #5: Ask to Listen
This soul shift focus on two areas, discernment and prayer, and personally, I think this is the best written chapter thus far.
Regarding discernment , I think the authors did an excellent job describing and putting into proper balance those things we use to discern God’s will: wise counsel, the Bible, and the inner prompting of the Holy Spirit. It is all to easy to rely too heavily upon one of these tools. Asking people but not God, “using the Bible like “a magic 8 ball” (DeNeff & Drury), or always requiring a sign, all take one method of God leading us to an extreme. As we mature, taking on more of the mind of Christ, these things come into balance. Continue reading SoulShift #5: Ask to Listen
Patriotism and Christianity
Scott McKnight at Jesus Creed recently posted an article on Flags in the Church. It got me thinking about how both Christianity and patriotism have changed since I was a child.
I have vivid memories of second grade elementary school. It is the year I got glasses, my mother starting taking us to church, and when I became a Christian. At school, we started the day by reciting the Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag, and singing one verse of a patriotic song (The Star Spangled Banner, Yankee Doodle, Hats Off, My Country Tis of Thee . . .). Continue reading Patriotism and Christianity
SoulShift #4: Consumer to Steward
DeNeff and Drury point out that we in the USA live in a consumer orientated culture, and suggest that this mentality is part of church culture. I think while as Christians we should not be so removed from our culture that we have no bridges and common interests with the lost, the authors, and Jesus, are correct in saying how we view and use money and possessions is one area in which we must be counter-cultural. All things are a gifts to be used for God’s glory.
DeNeff and Drury encourage us to make this soul shift in three stages: spender to saver, saver to giver, sharing to blessing (generosity). They rightly show us that saving is not an end unto itself; it is only the first step. Also, since this is a continuum, I could see where I am, and where I need to move. How we deal with money will also affect our soul shift of seen to unseen.
One point the book does not deal with is the truth that for a married person this soul shift cannot be done alone. There is another continuum that we must deal with. Ask yourself the question, “Which do I desire more, freedom or security?” In general, men tend toward freedom and women toward security. When I was first asked this question, I thought I tended toward security, but as my response was analyzed I was actually a freedom guy. My answer went something like, “I would feel secure even if I didn’t have any money in the bank, as long as I didn’t owe money to anyone.” That is a freedom statement in the guise of security. My wife, on the other hand, does not mind owing money to people, provided that money we are paying is giving us a pay-off of security. Thus we have different philosophies on things like insurance.
In marriage, the two become one. It would be wrong of me to unilaterally cut our car insurance to the state mandated minimum and direct the savings to Josh and Becca Bowlin. (By the way, we are supporting the Bowlins, and they just need a few more supporters to get to 100%.) While cutting our insurance may be a good step to move from giving to blessing, it is a step that we would have to take together.
My reflections as I read through SoulShift by Steve DeNeff and David Drury.
- The first post in this series: Me to You
- The second post in this series: Slave to Child
- The third post in this series: Seen to Unseen
- The fourth post in this series: Consumer to Steward
- The fifth post in this series: Ask to Listen
- The sixth post in this series: Sheep to Shepherd
- The seventh post in this series: Me to We
©2011 Paul Tillman
SoulShift #3: Seen to Unseen
This third soul shift is to move from merely trusting in what we see to trusting in what we cannot see. Often this is called having eyes of faith, and has a great example in Elisha and his servant who were surrounded by both the seen army of Aram and the unseen protection of the host of the Lord (2 Kings 6). Continue reading SoulShift #3: Seen to Unseen
SoulShift #2: Slave to Child
I was reluctant to even begin reading the next chapter because I still have work to do to on the previous soul shift. However, nobody wants to wait three years for a book review, and I imagine that as individuals read SoulShift, different shifts will impact more or less deeply depending upon one’s experience.
The writing regarding the slave to child soul shift used forms of the word “know” frequently, as in “knowing you are a child.” Continue reading SoulShift #2: Slave to Child
SoulShift #1: Me to You
The first soul shift is from being self-focused to being focused on others. Widowed Ruth exemplified this shift, as her most logical option, according to human wisdom, would have been to return to her own family in Moab instead of taking care of her also widowed mother-in-law, Naomi, and becoming an immigrant in Israel. Continue reading SoulShift #1: Me to You
The Next Trend in Church Communication
I was browsing for apps in the Andriod Market and came across the Mars Hill Church app (available for iPhone, Driod, and WinPhone 7). Audio and video sermons, streaming music, a blog, and online giving. It’s a very clean and professional looking app. I’m not ready to say that traditional websites are passé (Mars Hill’s website design matches the app, and is just like the app only with more information), but for churches that are just now getting a decent website, you are already a late adopter. Continue reading The Next Trend in Church Communication
Call to Worship: The Rock Cries Out
Contributed by Crystal
Take a mental leap along with me and imagine that these small rocks symbolize rocks everywhere –rocks along a trail, and rock that forms whole mountain ranges. As far as we can tell, these rocks are inanimate, they have no life in them at all. Continue reading Call to Worship: The Rock Cries Out
Call to Worship: Psalm 8
Due to a technical glitch, the slide show that was to accompany Sunday’s reading of Psalm 8 did not make it to the screen. I want to thank the person that put together the slide show anyway.
Psalm 8
O Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth!
You have set your glory above the heavens. Continue reading Call to Worship: Psalm 8