out of nowhere...
I have no idea what is happening inside me. For the past 3 weeks I have been spiritually harassed by God. I'm about to file charges.
Everywhere I go...God is opening the eyes of my heart to the pain of the world. Every time I turn on the television...brokeness. Every movie I have watched recently...terror. Every place I go...desperation.
I thought for sure that the last couple days would surely be a sabattical from it all. I was going to a "Christian" leadership conference hosted by none other that Willow Creek. It is called Leadership Summit with headliners like John Maxwell, Rick Warren, Bill Hybels and the rest of the elite evangelicals that span our globe. In some ways, I was getting ready for the predictable 21 Irrefutable Laws of leadership, 7 Happy Hops to Wholeness, and 4 Deadly Sins of the Influencial Leader. You know, all those tips and techniches that make you want to go home, clean out your drawers, move to the hills of West Virginia, dig a large whole, and bury yourself alive.
I wasn't prepared for what I experienced. The first session started with Bill Hybels sharing a holy discontent that he was feeling over the human suffering in our world. With tears streaming down his face he essentially said, "If a leader is not moved by the international horrors happening around the globe like genicide, poverty, starvation, aids, sex trafficing, orphans, etc, then he or she is not a leader at all." I'm telling you he was balling like a baby talking about his deep passion for the world and his desire to see a global heartbeat in the church.
I was blown away. But I thought, Rick Warren is next. He's going to pitch the new 40 Days of Community Campaign and his next book that will become another New York times best seller. (His last book, Purpose Driven Life has just sold over 30 million copies and rising...best selling book ever according to the New York times) I was ready to hear the "Purpose Driven" rhetoric for the millionth time. Can you tell that my heart is becoming tired of modern Christianity's marketing schemes?
He stepped up to the podium and in the first 30 seconds I could tell that my characterization of this man was as far from the truth as Bigfoot. He passionately talked about his recent and many trips all over the world to destitute towns and remote villages. He talked about how God has moved his heart to rally the church to open their eyes and hearts to the broken and hurting and hungry and lonely and dying all over the planet. With tears in his eyes he shared about the newfound influence and affluence God has blessed him with and how he has started tithing 90 percent of it back to God and using most all his money to start programs to feed starving children, to clothe the naked, to medicate the infected, to hug the hurting. You wouldn't believe it.
He talked of his new P.E.A.C.E. program that he is hoping will gather the more than 1 billion footsoldiers of Christianity to stop talking about God and to start acting like Him. He asked those in the audience to join him in the Second Revolution. The first focusing on creeds, this one focusing on deeds. I'm slow to jump on bandwagons...but this seemed so genuine.
I cannot tell you how humble these guys were...it's as if God is protecting them from pride for this period of history. Bill Hybels said at the end of his message, "The world doesn't have to end like this." We can affect change.
John Maxwell, the big stud leader, cried again and again telling stories of people he's encountering in other countries. He talked about how he was asked to share leadership principles to big corporate leaders over in China and they asked him to stay and share about his faith even though it was against the law...80% stayed to hear about Jesus. 15% accepted the Jesus story as true and wanted to embrace his invitation to join him in the redemptive movement of Christ.
You wouldn't believe it. These men are being broken by God. They are more humble than you could imagine and more shattered in their spirit for the dehumanization of people around the world than you could conceive.
I could go on...I'm just speechless. Could God be changing the hearts of modern selfish evangelicalism into the ageless, selfless Heart of God? I saw the hope of that the last couple days. If you're a person who has given up on the church and it's mega-church pastors, I'm just telling you something's happening that's bigger than you can imagine in their hearts. The humble heart of God is waking in these men...I witnessed it with my own two eyes.
My heart is in shock...
what are your thoughts?
Everywhere I go...God is opening the eyes of my heart to the pain of the world. Every time I turn on the television...brokeness. Every movie I have watched recently...terror. Every place I go...desperation.
I thought for sure that the last couple days would surely be a sabattical from it all. I was going to a "Christian" leadership conference hosted by none other that Willow Creek. It is called Leadership Summit with headliners like John Maxwell, Rick Warren, Bill Hybels and the rest of the elite evangelicals that span our globe. In some ways, I was getting ready for the predictable 21 Irrefutable Laws of leadership, 7 Happy Hops to Wholeness, and 4 Deadly Sins of the Influencial Leader. You know, all those tips and techniches that make you want to go home, clean out your drawers, move to the hills of West Virginia, dig a large whole, and bury yourself alive.
I wasn't prepared for what I experienced. The first session started with Bill Hybels sharing a holy discontent that he was feeling over the human suffering in our world. With tears streaming down his face he essentially said, "If a leader is not moved by the international horrors happening around the globe like genicide, poverty, starvation, aids, sex trafficing, orphans, etc, then he or she is not a leader at all." I'm telling you he was balling like a baby talking about his deep passion for the world and his desire to see a global heartbeat in the church.
I was blown away. But I thought, Rick Warren is next. He's going to pitch the new 40 Days of Community Campaign and his next book that will become another New York times best seller. (His last book, Purpose Driven Life has just sold over 30 million copies and rising...best selling book ever according to the New York times) I was ready to hear the "Purpose Driven" rhetoric for the millionth time. Can you tell that my heart is becoming tired of modern Christianity's marketing schemes?
He stepped up to the podium and in the first 30 seconds I could tell that my characterization of this man was as far from the truth as Bigfoot. He passionately talked about his recent and many trips all over the world to destitute towns and remote villages. He talked about how God has moved his heart to rally the church to open their eyes and hearts to the broken and hurting and hungry and lonely and dying all over the planet. With tears in his eyes he shared about the newfound influence and affluence God has blessed him with and how he has started tithing 90 percent of it back to God and using most all his money to start programs to feed starving children, to clothe the naked, to medicate the infected, to hug the hurting. You wouldn't believe it.
He talked of his new P.E.A.C.E. program that he is hoping will gather the more than 1 billion footsoldiers of Christianity to stop talking about God and to start acting like Him. He asked those in the audience to join him in the Second Revolution. The first focusing on creeds, this one focusing on deeds. I'm slow to jump on bandwagons...but this seemed so genuine.
I cannot tell you how humble these guys were...it's as if God is protecting them from pride for this period of history. Bill Hybels said at the end of his message, "The world doesn't have to end like this." We can affect change.
John Maxwell, the big stud leader, cried again and again telling stories of people he's encountering in other countries. He talked about how he was asked to share leadership principles to big corporate leaders over in China and they asked him to stay and share about his faith even though it was against the law...80% stayed to hear about Jesus. 15% accepted the Jesus story as true and wanted to embrace his invitation to join him in the redemptive movement of Christ.
You wouldn't believe it. These men are being broken by God. They are more humble than you could imagine and more shattered in their spirit for the dehumanization of people around the world than you could conceive.
I could go on...I'm just speechless. Could God be changing the hearts of modern selfish evangelicalism into the ageless, selfless Heart of God? I saw the hope of that the last couple days. If you're a person who has given up on the church and it's mega-church pastors, I'm just telling you something's happening that's bigger than you can imagine in their hearts. The humble heart of God is waking in these men...I witnessed it with my own two eyes.
My heart is in shock...
what are your thoughts?
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