Low-Hanging Fruit (John 15, anyone?)

Yesterday Seth Godin put forth an interesting question I couldn’t ignore.  Here’s an excerpt from his post:

Imagine that half the cars in the US get 10 miles per gallon. And half get 40 miles per gallon. Further stipulate that all cars are driven the same number of miles per year.

Now, you get one wish. You can give every low-mileage car a new set of spark plugs that will increase fuel efficiency by 5 mpg, up to 15. Or you can replace every 40 mpg car with a car that gets 75 mpg, an increase of 35 miles for every gallon driven.

Which is better?

So, what would you choose?  One might be inclined to increase the efficiency of the vehicles with the best fuel economy, but you’d be wrong.  Godin answers:

It turns out that the 5 mpg increase is far better for overall mileage than the 35 mpg increase, even though it’s smaller both as a percentage and absolutely. That’s because the 10 mpg hogs use up so much gas. They’re the low-hanging fruit, not just easy to fix, but worth fixing.

This seems counter intuitive, but it adds up.  All things being equal (fleet and miles driven), the overall percentage of fuel which would be conserved on the lower end would easily outweigh the decrease in fuel consumption by the most efficient vehicles.

You can read the rest of Godin’s post here.  This got me thinking: Jesus spoke of fruit in John 15, among other places.  Thinking specifically of his discussion of the vine and the branches in John 15, Jesus states:

“I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinegrower. He removes every branch in me that bears no fruit. Every branch that bears fruit he prunes to make it bear more fruit.” -John 15:1-2

As far as churches go, many leaders think of productive, growing, and dynamic ministries as prime targets for investigation, excitement, and hope.  People ask, “What is __________ ministry doing to increase in effectiveness, reach their community, and grow their church, and can it be replicated?”  People want to be like the big boys (or considering that the Church is portrayed as the bride of Christ, the big girls (hottest babes?)).

Within the context of some of these booming churches, the focus is on evangelization and church growth, continuing much of the excellent work that has already begun so that the ceiling can continue to be raised.  In order to continue this type of growth, these church ministries (and their congregants) demand excellence in staff hiring practices, desiring that the church only bring on the best quality staff people to lead that ministry, which results from time to time in large churches hiring the most capable people away from other churches.  Ministries must be highly effective, with effectiveness usually measured by number of participants.  When a ministry does take off, resources are placed behind that particular effort in order to push the envelope and continue to raise the ceiling.  Overall, I’m not saying that this growth at the top is bad.  It may just cause us to forget about the low-hanging fruit.

Godin’s post left me wondering–what is the low-hanging fruit in a denominational context, or in a local church context?  I’m not thinking about ministries and churches in the process of dying–I’m thinking of church ministries that are producing some fruit and with a little help, encouragement, and additional resources, might come to produce a little bit more.  I’m thinking of leaders who are tired and exhausted, yet continue to work hard, and could benefit greatly if someone would praise them and celebrate the work they are doing.  Perhaps a little encouragement, a little investment in the life of someone leading a smaller ministry might go a long way and have great overall benefits for the Kingdom of God.

Of course, my thesis here supposes that we can identify churches and ministries that would fit the category of producing “low-hanging fruit,” which I concede would be difficult, if not impossible.  Measuring these things would have to go beyond numbers, looking at other markers of spiritual health.  At the very least, this idea serves as a reminder to encourage my colleagues and my friends in ministry, to listen to their stories from their church contexts (both large and small), and to celebrate the good work that God might be doing through their life.

 

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5 Years of Marriage :: w00t!

Today my wife Molly and I celebrate 5 years of marriage.  To mark this occasion we returned to the site of our honeymoon, Seaside, FL.  We’ve grown and experienced a great deal together, and we both plan for the years to come to include many more moments to celebrate.

Bonus: For proponents of the momentum theory, this marks a major moment in the building of a dynasty!

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Pause for Thought

If you’re up for wonderment today, check out Team Hoyt, and watch this video from GodTube.  I saw the video first, then went looking for more information.  I would recommend viewing the video first.

This caused me to consider everything from human nature, love, suffering, redemption, joy, hope, perseverance, and what constitutes a community of care.  In this story you see a radical expression of familial love that either is completely irrational or perfectly rational, depending on your beginning point of reference.  Either way, I found this video and story quite compelling.

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Three Links for Today

Here are two links I found helpful, and one that I found funny.  Check’em out:

• Blogging Advice from Tim Stevens
• Helpful Advice on Keeping up on Culture
• A Photo from BoingBoing that made me Laugh

Rock and roll.

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Super Mario Cakes

For those of you who grew up with an 8-bit Nintendo, check out these sweet cakes.

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Talking to Others About the Gospel

This weekend I preached a sermon and focused on evangelism.  It has been my observation that many Christian people I know are hesitant to talk about their faith.  They are eager to try and live a good life, and some are even willing to try and invite their friends to church, but sharing our faith consists in much more than this.  Yes, the content of one’s life is incredibly important for maintaining the integrity of Christian witness, but proclaiming the Gospel requires embracing and proclaiming a story which includes the use of certain vocabulary–words like creation, sin, redemption, salvation, forgiveness, reconciliation, and transformation.  Particulars matter.  My sermon this weekend focused on Acts 10:24-48–the conversion of Cornelius (and household).  When Peter addresses this gathering he focuses on telling the story of Jesus Christ, putting his life within the context of God’s relationship to the people of Israel.  His sermon is also eschatological–the resurrection of Jesus Christ marks a clear shift in our world, a shift which includes Jews and Gentiles united around a common table in the name of the Lord’s Messiah.

This article from Ed Stetzer at Resurgence  had me thinking all week.  Another important motivator for talking about evangelism has been Unbinding the Gospel by Martha Grace Reese.  I consider this second book indispensable for mainline church leaders in both the laity and the pastorate.

I’d love to hear from others who are thinking about evangelism. 

• What are the barriers? 
• What are the opportunities? 
• How can we best equip followers of Jesus to talk to others about their faith? 
• What postures should be assumed by Christians existing in Western cultures? 
• How can the church present a more truthful and authentic witness to skeptical persons who show little, if any, interest in the Christian faith? 
• What resources have you found most helpful, both in understanding the landscape and in engaging others in conversations about the Gospel?

I’d love to hear back–leave a comment.

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Prominent Words in the ESV Translation of the Bible

Check out this post from Between Two Worlds.  Here you’ll see the ESV “Wordled” through the use of a program which generates word clouds from texts that you provide.

This led me to wonder: If I were to run texts from a year of lessons or sermons I had delivered, what would be the most prominent words?

Worth pondering.

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Clever Church Marketing

After searching the web for “Jesus Sign” or “Jesus Saves Billboards,” I came across this rather intriguing article from Church Marketing Sucks.  LifeChurch.tv launched the above campaign last year, posting a series of 5 billboards pointing drivers to SatanHatesLife.com.  My favorite in the series of 5 simply says, “LifeChurch.tv sucks.”  Though I’m normally not a fan of church marketing, this campaign struck me as clever, intriguing, and unexpected.  Billboard messages from Satan send us thinking in a direction which for many people is uncommon.  We tend to consider the Lover of our souls more readily than our enemy–perhaps sometimes at our own peril.

What initiated my quest was this article from FoxNews, in which two pilots crash landed near a Jesus Sign.  Both of the pilots are Christians, and did not fail to catch the irony of the circumstances.

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Reflection (Past); Vision (Future)

It is raining.

Today has been a productive day, though quantifying “production” may be problematic.  The measure by which I have determined that today was good is not economic, nor based upon industry.  I cannot show you something that I have produced (apart from this blog post), though my day has been wrapped up in life-giving activity.

Today I have finished reading a book, and I have begun three others (1, 2, and 3).  I have continued making progress through yet another book that I picked up weeks ago.  I had lunch today with a friend.  I spent the morning on the porch at a coffee shop, next to my dog.  The afternoon was dominated by a nap, as recent weeks and months have left me physically drained, and at times extremely tired (a tiredness which I have continually pressed myself to push through).  During the evening hours I will wait until I hear from Molly, who will need a ride home after a long day’s work.

In recent days (and weeks) I’ve spent a good deal of time reflecting on the past.  I’ve considered carefully the church who nurtured me in the Christian faith.  Despite some deficiencies, I am deeply grateful for what I’ve received.  I’ve thought about the world and the culture within which I have lived and moved and have had my being, and I’ve determined that I both love the world which surrounds me yet recognize the characteristics of life and culture which are debilitating and unhealthy.  I’ve thought a great deal about ministry–both what it means to lead and to be part of the priesthood who constitute the people of God.  I’ve considered friends, faces, stories, conversations, debates, discussions, meals, games, grief, celebrations, families (both biological and spiritual), and everything in between.  Thus far in my life I have been extremely blessed by those persons whom God has surrounded me with in times of triumph and despair.  Apart from this nexus of relationships I would be an entirely different person.  In fact, my own formation as a follower of Christ is largely, if not wholly, the result of the gifts I’ve received from so many others, beginning with my parents who received me hospitably into this world despite the fact I was a stranger.  All of my life has been an incredible gift.

Through the life I have led I have sought to bless others, though passing along such blessings has been difficult at times.  I’ve had to overcome my own depravity, my own sin, which I could not do apart from the grace of God.  My life has been focused on being a disciple of Jesus, though I have gone from one degree to the next in depth of understanding concerning what such discipleship means.  I have continued to learn, and as I have plumbed the deep vat of knowledge and wisdom which has become encapsulated in the Christian tradition I have been reminded again and again of just how much remains to be discovered and known.  Through such learning I have sought to be faithful in service, building others up for the purpose of strengthening the body, the edification of the Kingdom, the glory of God.  At times my words have been ill-chosen.  I know there are times that I have fallen short of God’s purposes.  At other times, however, I’ve been amazed by the degree of transformation experienced by students and friends when God has chosen to use me as an instrument.  It has blessed my soul when I have been able to listen to a fellow traveler and reach the conclusion that because of the steps we have shared together, both of us have been transformed.  Perhaps most rewarding are those moments when I can see how someone more clearly resembles Christ than the time we had first met, and my imagination takes off as I dream what the future might hold for this person(s).

Looking forward I appear to be at a point of transition.  In the coming months I’ll complete work on my thesis at the University of Kansas.  I’ll also apply to various PhD programs around the land, hoping to find a destination for further study.  I continue to discern an increase in three passions: (1) writing; (2) teaching and developing leaders; and (3) the intellectual love of God.  Those passions will be used for service, the recipient of such service being the church.  I am reminded of this on the opening page of one of my journals.  On the first page is a quote from Karl Barth, which reads, “If there is any discipline that both inwardly and outwardly ought to serve, it is theology.”  May God use my service to glorify his name.

As a conclusion to this entry I would make an appeal: I enjoy writing, and my interests are broad.  In recent weeks I have pursued contacts which I currently have about opportunities for writing.  Perhaps some of you reading this blog have others.  If you know of magazines, online publications, or publishers looking for willing writers, please let me know, or do me the kind favor of passing along my work.  My main areas of reflection are Christian theology, ethics, and Christian practice, as well as church leadership and visioning for what the faithfulness of the people of God may look like in our current cultural milieu.  I appeal broadly to the blogging world, but specifically to others within the Christian community who may be able to provide me assistance.  What may come of this I do not know, but I am trusting that God will direct my paths.

And as a final word:

The LORD bless you and keep you; the LORD make his face to shine upon you, and be gracious to you; the LORD lift up his countenance upon you, and give you peace.
-Numbers 6:24-26

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250 Words Deemed Worthy

Sometime earlier this spring I sat down and wrote three or four brief meditations and submitted them to devozine, a resource and devotional guide for youth provided by the United Methodist publishing service, Upper Room.  I found out yesterday that one of my submissions will be published in the Jan/Feb 2009 issue.  Woohoo!

This is the first time that something I’ve submitted for publication has been accepted, so I was excited.

Last week I was leading my students on our youth mission trip to Philadelphia, thus the break from the blogging world.  I’ll chronicle stories from last week in the coming days.  We had a good week of ministry.  I came home encouraged.

Stay tuned.

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