Repentance vs. Sorrow
May 26, 2010
This week at Wade, we talked about the rhythm of repentance that God has ordained for our lives. It reminded me of this sermon by Mark Driscoll, who distinguished between real repentance and worldly sorrow:
Repentance is not:
- getting caught
- blame shifting
- focusing on sins you didn’t do
Repentance is:
- conviction by God
- confession to God and others (agreeing with God)
- not minimizing or managing the sin (“If Jesus died for that sin, then that sin must die.”)
- restitution (bringing healing to those you’ve wounded)
- reconciliation
Spring Is Here!
April 7, 2010
Scenes like this are popping up all around us. I love spring (mostly because I hate winter). It reminds me that no matter how harsh the deep freeze of winter has been, summer always comes. And no matter how dark the night has seemed, the dawn always comes. Thank God that the same can be said of our emotional and spiritual lives.
Sermon – Spring Is Coming from Bill Whitt on Vimeo.
Why I’m Trying A Twitter Fast
March 8, 2010
I decided to shut down my personal Twitter and Facebook sites for 40 days. It’s not exactly for Lent, but the goal is similar. I’m excited to gain a new perspective. I’m going in with an open mind as to what my social media fast might reveal to me about myself and what changes I should make to my life.
I’ve gotten rid of everything on Facebook, leaving only the bare minimum:
After only 36 hours away from Twitter and Facebook, I’m already discovering just how much of my time is devoted to those two sites. I made a similar discovery when I fasted from food last year. I was amazed to learn how much time I spent thinking about, shopping for, preparing and eating food everyday. I didn’t anticipate to learn the same thing during a social media fast, but I’ve already done a good bit of pacing, looking for something to fill an unexpected void.
I’d be lying if I said that introspection was the only reason I’m doing this. I’m also trying to free up some time and mental energy to focus on developing a marketing strategy for new areas of my business, chiefly rapidretouch.com and bdubrecords.net. That will also involve creating new blogs, YouTube accounts, Facebook profiles, Twitter accounts, etc. In other words, I’m hoping to harness the power of social media for my business, which means that the current craziness of my online life has the potential to get exponentially worse if I don’t find a smart smart strategy.
There are other reasons as well. For example, I’d like to return to devoting more time to more weighty things that have more permanence – such as blogging and authoring books. I also need to get a grip on my Facebook profile and perhaps create some new privacy settings.
Have you ever considered a social media fast, and why?
The #1 Trait of a Good Team Player
February 23, 2010
Yesterday, I posted a review of a book I recently read, Just Do Something, by Kevin DeYoung. Here’s one more paragraph that I just love:
One of the virtues I appreciate most in others, and it’s a virtue I hope to have in some measure, is teachability. Are you willing to change your mind when another person’s case has more merit than yours? Are you able to hear good advice when it comes from some mouth other than your own and may even contradict your preconceived ideas? Are you willing to admit “I didn’t think of that” or “I see your point”? If no one has ever heard you change your mind about something, then you are either a god or you have mistaken yourself for one.
Teachability makes a good employee. When I hire interns, more than anything else, I’m looking for teachability. More than specific skills or abilities, I want someone who is open to learn new things.
Teachability also makes a good boss. Even though you may have positional authority, that doesn’t mean every idea you have is gospel truth. The best leaders are life-long learners. Have you ever worked for someone for years and never once heard the words, “I see your point”? That person may never lose a debate, but he’ll also never win my respect.
Whether you’re the CEO, a mid-level manager or the janitor, teachability makes you a good team player, and even more importantly, that humble attitude reveals that the Spirit of God is at work in your life. God, help us to be teachable today.
The Next American Idol – Church?
January 15, 2010
American Idol is back… and reminding us to keep out pants off the ground! I think one reason American Idol is so popular is that we Americans love our idols. Even beyond idolatry of money or fame, we can manage to idolize just about anything. Even… church?
According to some, idolatry of church can be a big problem for Christian leaders. Check out these questions posed by John Ortberg on the Out of Ur blog:
- Where does my sense of security come from—from God, or from how my church is doing?
- After a worship service, do I find myself grateful that God is God and feeling joyful that I get to live in his care? Or—if I’m honest—are my emotions dictated more by how many bodies were in the room?
- Do I spend more time thinking about God, or thinking about how to make my church/ministry do better?
- How do I feel when the prospect for more prizes in the church tournament—recognition, praise, reputation, applause—get taken away from me?
- Does my sense of identity flow more out of my relationship with God or out of my performance at church?
- How much do I sacrifice to know God better versus how much do I sacrifice for my church to work better?
John calls this his IQ Test — an “Idolatry Quotient Test.” He says that idols aren’t just bronze statues. They’re anything that we look to for something only God can provide. Even good things become bad things when we try to make them God things. Family. Relationships. Success. Attractiveness. Food. None can provide what only God can.
Can church also become an idol if we’re not careful?
UPDATE: Apparently, some think not only the church, but also the Bible, can be so highly regarded, that it becomes idolatrous. Check out the Village Church’s take on “bibliolatry” in the new movie, The Book of Eli. (Using the same naming convention, what I’ve described in this post would be “ecclesiolatry,” which is, surprisingly, a real word!)
Some Memory Verses from Job
January 13, 2010
I’ve been using YouVersion’s Chronological reading plan this year, which has put me in the book of Job this month. I’ve come across a fair share of verses I never noticed before, including these two of my favorites:
- “My breath is offensive to my wife; I am loathsome to my own family” (Job 19:17).
- “It is not only the old who are wise, not only the aged who understand what is right” (Job 32:9).
These verses are great! Ladies, you can tape the first memory verse to your Listerine bottle in the medicine cabinet as a convenient reminder for your husband. And, children who like talking back to their parents… well, the second verse is always good ammo when you want to remind them they don’t have a monopoly on wisdom.
OK, I hope you can the sarcasm behind my words. Obviously, you shouldn’t use these verses that way, just as you shouldn’t quote Job 35:12a (“He does not answer when people cry out”) as proof God is a heartless dictator. We must consider the context.
How do we consider the context of the book of Job? The majority of the book is a dialogue between Job and his “comforters” concerning why he is suffering so much. If we read through the entire narrative, it turns out in the end, their views were wrong. So, how should we interpret chapter after chapter of their advice? Well, obviously, they shouldn’t become our memory verses. While the Bible is inerrant, it’s recording the erroneous views of Job’s friends as they posit many reasons why he is suffering. (The Lord, Himself, is the one who handed down that verdict in Job 42:7b — “I am angry with you and your two friends, because you have not spoken of me what is right, as my servant Job has.”)
The proper way to understand these verses is that they contain commonly held (but incorrect) views about suffering. And if they’re wrong about Job’s suffering, what else are they wrong about? Should we be quoting Elihu’s poetic words, “Out of the north he comes in golden splendor; God comes in awesome majesty. The Almighty is beyond our reach and exalted in power” (Job 37:22-23a)? They’re beautiful words. But they’re coming from a man who was wrong about other things he spoke.
Sloppy Bible interpretation is dangerous. Unfortunately, it’s also easy: Do a Bible search online, find a verse that seems to agree with what you want to say, and copy and paste it into your blog. That’s why the key is context, context, context. In this case, a good study Bible can shed light on what’s going on. And reading through the entirity of Scripture is important so we know how each piece fits in the puzzle. In this case, the puzzle piece is dialogue of mere mortals as they search for the reason behind suffering.
How should these types of passages inform our systematic theology? Should we be similarly careful when we interpret the Psalms, which also records humans searching for answers?
I’d love to hear your thoughts!
[ht: Olga for the picture!]
Christian Twitter? Really?
November 4, 2009
Yesterday, I stumbled onto ChristianChirp.com, the “Christian alternative to Twitter.” Do we really need a Christian Twitter? I don’t think so, and here’s why:
You don’t have to worry about Twitter bringing something offensive to you. This technology is about a neutral as it gets. It’s not good. It’s not evil. It’s just a series of tubes* through with information flows. For the person who follows @RickWarren and @AndyStanley, Twitter will be a source of great Christian encouragement. For those who follow vulgar comedians or brash shock jocks, Twitter will deliver just what they ordered as well.
Twitter will never bring you something you didn’t ask for. If you only follow your mom, your best friend and me (@billwhitt), you won’t have to worry about encountering something that might violate your Christian sensibilities. And check this out: Even if the heathen follow you, you don’t have to follow them back, and their pagan ways will never make it onto your screen. (I hope you can sense the sarcasm here…)
And there is a great benefit to Christians staying on Twitter instead of running for the hills: As we tweet about life from our perspective, we’ll have the opportunity to influence a lot of people… including a lot of people who may not share our worldview or faith. An old friend from high school may end up following you. Someone who shares your passion for knitting may read your tweets too. On Twitter, it is easy to influence a lot of people — Christian or not. Not so on ChristianChirp.com.
Ultimately, ChristianChirp.com is the next evolution of monasticism, the Amish, GodTube, etc. All examples of sectarian communities that have removed their “salt and light” from the world. I don’t want to do that. I don’t want to be one to get in the way of Jesus’ desire for his followers, as recorded in John 17:15. Listen to how Jesus prays to his Father:
“My prayer is not that you take [my followers] out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one.”
Jesus promises to protect us from the evil in the world, and that’s precisely because he expects us to be in the world. Online or offline. Twitter, Facebook, YouTube. Office parties, sports leagues, concerts. In the world. That’s where God wants us, and that’s why you won’t find me on ChristianChirp.com!
—
*tip o’ the hat to Ted Stevens for the “series of tubes” word picture!
It’s All About Me!
October 22, 2009
I just finished listening to a very challenging sermon series by Andy Stanley about decision-making. Over the course of several weeks, he shared four principles we can use to make better choices in life. The fourth and most ultimate question was, “Which choice will bring glory to God?”
Andy says that we weren’t created to receive glory, but rather to reflect it to God. In every decision we make, we should make the choice that brings the most glory to God instead of ourselves. That’s easily said, but how do we apply that? My small group had a great insight!
One key area of application is in how we use social media like Twitter and Facebook. These sites have revolutionized the way people communicate today. While much of that revolution is good, many criticize social media for catering to people who love bringing glory to themselves. Narcissists. And as you probably know, narcissists don’t usually anything interesting to say. I’ve found that useless and insipid vanity is the substance of most Twitter traffic. (“Having chicken for dinner tonight.”) In today’s world, it’s not just nerds and geeks like me who get the chance to share the mind-numbing tedium of their day-to-day activities… it’s all of us, just as long as it’s 140 characters or less.
Twitter reveals a lot about the state of our hearts, and for many people, their tweets add up to say, “It’s all about me.” That’s not just my opinion; a new study by Rutgers University found that 80% of social media users primarily post “Me Now” status updates — details about their activities, feelings, thoughts and social lives. The remaining 20% can be classified as “informers.” These few users primarily share informational updates such as helpful links.
Rutgers University Professors Mor Naaman and Jeffrey Boase classified users’ tweets as:
- Me Now
- Opinions and Complaints
- Self Promotion
- Random Thoughts
- Questions to Followers
- Presence Maintenance (“I’m backkkk!”)
- Anecdotes
- Information Sharing
So what do your tweets say about you? Which category above would primarily summarize your presence online? (And how about your real-life relationships too?)
I’d like to do an objective analysis of my own Twitter history, but that would take forever. Just scanning back over this week’s tweets is helpful, though… and easy enough. It looks like I’m primarily an information sharer (facts and links about music, cameras, audio/video, technology, ministry, etc.). But I also throw in some anecdotes from my life so that my Twitter presence has a personal side as well.
Rutgers found that the “Me Now” user has an average of 43 followers, while the “Informer” has an average of 112 followers. (For reference, I currently have 124.) It appears people like bring around helpful people and not narcissists. What a revelation!
Ultimately, the question every Twitter or Facebook user should be asking is, “How do I point this tribe of people who follow me to God, and how do I reflect His glory to them?” My small group at North Point discussed this question Sunday night, and our consensus was that every post doesn’t have to quote Scripture or exclaim, “Hallelujah! God is so good.” It’s important to be authentic, even if that means admitting discouragement or frustration. Ultimately, though, Christians are in the best position to turn a very narcissistic medium on its head and point people to truths far more interesting than what we had for dinner last night.
Let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven. -Matthew 5:16
[ht: Illustrations by thenextweb and Matt Hamm]
