Posts
I am in the middle of reading two pretty good books right now. Currently I am rereading "Searching For God Knows What" by Donald Miller and "True Religion" by Palmer Chinchen.
Chinchen does a good job of reminding us that "Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world." (James 1:27) He points out the ways that the "American church" has failed in this regard and challenges us to align our agendas with God's. He reminds us of the global horrors of pain and suffering that exist in our world today and challenges us to do something about it. It's a great book that I highly recommend.
As for Donald Miller, he is funny and does a great job of getting his point across in such a way that most anyone can understand and enjoy. Although I love his humor, I find a lot of depth in what he writes. In Searching For God Knows What, Miller talks about how our lives are a story and how God has written a story to help us understand the meaning of why we exist and what it is that we are all searching for.
What has stood out to me recently is how we have taken this beautiful love story found in the Bible, dissected it, and reduced it to a formula. Although we all like routines and formulas with predictable outcomes, relationships don't always work that way. God invites us into a relationship, not some formulaic religion. Although relationships can be messy, they are also exciting and exhilarating. This has helped to remind me of the relational side of our faith. It has also caused the Scripture come to life as I read it through a relational lens as opposed to a more academic approach. I understand that there is a need for both but I am convinced that although our theology must be good, it is worthless outside of a relationship with the creator.
All of that said, if you are looking for a good read check out either of these books. I think you will be both challenged and refreshed in the process.
Wednesday, November 3, 2010
Thursday, September 16, 2010
money, money, money...MONEY!
So as I look at the landscape of the American church and reflect on the things that God has been doing around me lately, I thought this would be a good time to put some thoughts out there on what is probably the most controversial topic in the church in America today - money. We all should be aware of the fact that money is the root of all kinds of evil (1 Timothy 6:10). Therefore how we approach this topic as well as how we handle money within the church is very important.
One of the biggest complaints that we hear from people outside the church is "all they want is your money." My suggestion is that before we try to counter this in any way, we simply admit that, yes there are churches, pastors and ministries out there that this would be true of. There are television ministries that exist for the sole purpose of raising money. There are churches that spend so much time talking about money and taking offerings that it would be hard to not conclude that it is the most important thing to them.
There are churches and pastors that do ridiculous things with money, that is reality. The fact that this reflects on the church as a whole, drives me crazy. Therefore, I have to say to those looking in with a jaded eye, "I understand your questions and concerns and I share many of them as well." There are a lot of things that we do in the church in America today that I simply do not understand. So much so, that maybe I should reserve that for a much deeper discussion which may fill many more pages, if you know what I mean. But for now let me just say that God owns the cattle on a thousand hills and He has enough money to do all that He desires in and through His church. Does this mean that we are not called to give? No. Does it mean that we don't receive offerings? No. It simply means that we should give to him with a cheerful heart and not under compulsion as we are taught in Scripture (2cor. 9:7).
God desires for us to give and even give sacrificially. However for this to take place in a biblical way where there is no compulsion and with a cheerful spirit, one must have confidence in the people and place they are giving. The needs of people must come before bigger buildings and church budgets. We must have a global awareness of how rich the poorest person in America is, in comparison to the rest of the world. Church books should always be open and no question about church finances should ever be shunned. People shouldn't feel bad when they ask questions about where money goes. Answers should instill confidence and not more questions.
The lives of church leaders should look more like Jesus than they do the CEO of a company that is comparable in size to the church they lead. A humble spirit should accompany a modest lifestyle. I have heard people say crazy things to justify the extravagant lifestyles of some church leaders like "I am glad that my pastor is blessed, because that means I am going to be blessed as well." That is messed up on so many levels. First of all that's not biblical, that's prosperity propaganda. Also when we equate blessing solely with finances, we miss the fact that blessing can come even in the midst of trials, pain and poverty (take the lives of Jesus and all the apostles for example).
Jesus desires that we give him our lives. As we give him our lives, that means we submit our finances to him as well. We have an obligation to be good stewards. This applies to us as individuals as well as to the church as a whole. We are all on a journey of growing and following Jesus. The key is that we must be led in order to follow. When we are led by him and seek first his kingdom we are promised that all of our needs will be met (matt. 6:25-34). If our needs as individuals or as a church are not being met, I think the first step is to look at what we are seeking first and foremost. Are we building and seeking His Kingdom or our own?
I am so glad that I do not have to be a fund raiser for Jesus (as I was once told that all pastors need to be). It is hard enough to try to stay close to Him and follow His leading. I can't imagine having to try to raise funds to build giant facilities and support exorbitant salaries.
To keep it simple, we must live for Jesus and use the money that He gives us to do the things that He calls us to do. When that is happening there will be no need for arm twisting and manipulation. People will see the beauty of serving, loving and giving to those in need and they will find that attractive.
We would all do well to remember the following verse...
"No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money." - Matthew 6:24
peace,
vic
One of the biggest complaints that we hear from people outside the church is "all they want is your money." My suggestion is that before we try to counter this in any way, we simply admit that, yes there are churches, pastors and ministries out there that this would be true of. There are television ministries that exist for the sole purpose of raising money. There are churches that spend so much time talking about money and taking offerings that it would be hard to not conclude that it is the most important thing to them.
There are churches and pastors that do ridiculous things with money, that is reality. The fact that this reflects on the church as a whole, drives me crazy. Therefore, I have to say to those looking in with a jaded eye, "I understand your questions and concerns and I share many of them as well." There are a lot of things that we do in the church in America today that I simply do not understand. So much so, that maybe I should reserve that for a much deeper discussion which may fill many more pages, if you know what I mean. But for now let me just say that God owns the cattle on a thousand hills and He has enough money to do all that He desires in and through His church. Does this mean that we are not called to give? No. Does it mean that we don't receive offerings? No. It simply means that we should give to him with a cheerful heart and not under compulsion as we are taught in Scripture (2cor. 9:7).
God desires for us to give and even give sacrificially. However for this to take place in a biblical way where there is no compulsion and with a cheerful spirit, one must have confidence in the people and place they are giving. The needs of people must come before bigger buildings and church budgets. We must have a global awareness of how rich the poorest person in America is, in comparison to the rest of the world. Church books should always be open and no question about church finances should ever be shunned. People shouldn't feel bad when they ask questions about where money goes. Answers should instill confidence and not more questions.
The lives of church leaders should look more like Jesus than they do the CEO of a company that is comparable in size to the church they lead. A humble spirit should accompany a modest lifestyle. I have heard people say crazy things to justify the extravagant lifestyles of some church leaders like "I am glad that my pastor is blessed, because that means I am going to be blessed as well." That is messed up on so many levels. First of all that's not biblical, that's prosperity propaganda. Also when we equate blessing solely with finances, we miss the fact that blessing can come even in the midst of trials, pain and poverty (take the lives of Jesus and all the apostles for example).
Jesus desires that we give him our lives. As we give him our lives, that means we submit our finances to him as well. We have an obligation to be good stewards. This applies to us as individuals as well as to the church as a whole. We are all on a journey of growing and following Jesus. The key is that we must be led in order to follow. When we are led by him and seek first his kingdom we are promised that all of our needs will be met (matt. 6:25-34). If our needs as individuals or as a church are not being met, I think the first step is to look at what we are seeking first and foremost. Are we building and seeking His Kingdom or our own?
I am so glad that I do not have to be a fund raiser for Jesus (as I was once told that all pastors need to be). It is hard enough to try to stay close to Him and follow His leading. I can't imagine having to try to raise funds to build giant facilities and support exorbitant salaries.
To keep it simple, we must live for Jesus and use the money that He gives us to do the things that He calls us to do. When that is happening there will be no need for arm twisting and manipulation. People will see the beauty of serving, loving and giving to those in need and they will find that attractive.
We would all do well to remember the following verse...
"No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money." - Matthew 6:24
peace,
vic
Tuesday, August 10, 2010
Alive and well...
Since it has been about 3 months since I have blogged I thought I would at least write and let anyone who may read this know that I am alive and I am well. To be perfectly honest it has been a strange couple of months. My role has expanded from pastor to project manager and even amateur, hack, construction worker as we renovated our new building. It has made for an interesting time to say the least. I am very grateful for the blessing of our new facility and I will share that story another time. However I have also seen how easy it is for church people and pastors to get caught up in things like buildings etc.
What I have realized is that while it is nice to have a cool place to gather, it should never take precedent of the mission of God in the lives of His people and His Church. With that said, I am ready to go Guatemala to serve the poorest of the poor with a group of Kingdom minded people with huge hearts. We leave in the AM and will be back in a week. Pray for the leading of God's Spirit and for His will to be done as we show the tangible love of Jesus to those we come in contact with.
Oh and don't forget that simply living in America marks us among the richest people in the world. We are also some of the loneliest and most medicated people as well. Go figure...
"What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, and yet lose or forfeit his very self?" Luke 9:25
What I have realized is that while it is nice to have a cool place to gather, it should never take precedent of the mission of God in the lives of His people and His Church. With that said, I am ready to go Guatemala to serve the poorest of the poor with a group of Kingdom minded people with huge hearts. We leave in the AM and will be back in a week. Pray for the leading of God's Spirit and for His will to be done as we show the tangible love of Jesus to those we come in contact with.
Oh and don't forget that simply living in America marks us among the richest people in the world. We are also some of the loneliest and most medicated people as well. Go figure...
"What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, and yet lose or forfeit his very self?" Luke 9:25
Monday, April 26, 2010
Love.
Love.
So what does love look like?
Love looks like a person who sees a woman on the side of the road with her two children and feels a compulsion to stop, so they do. Love looks like a guy who decides to take blankets downtown to offer to those on the streets on a cold winter night. Love looks like a group of people who decide that it is more important to build houses for those living in third world abject poverty than it is to invest in a bigger building for their growing church. Love looks like a wife and mother who makes it her mission to see human slavery abolished in her lifetime. Love looks like someone who gives anonymously to the couple who are out of work during economically challenging times. Love looks like those who don’t give up on the drug addict who continues to fall time and time again but expresses a desire to be free. Love looks like a founding pastor who walks away from a big established church after sixteen years of ministry with a group of people, because he feels led to take a step of faith into something unknown.
Love looks like people who choose to die to themselves to do things like those stated above, expecting nothing in return.
Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends. John 15:13
Ultimately love looks like Jesus.
When we look at the life of Jesus we see that his love is very different than ours. Rarely do we love people without expecting anything in return. Even if it is a simple “thank you” we expect there will be some reciprocation for our love. Jesus loved people, period. He loved with no strings attached. He expressed love to people who had no ability to repay him. He loved simply because it was the right thing to do.
Freely we receive love and freely we should give. I think that would make the world a better place.
vic
So what does love look like?
Love looks like a person who sees a woman on the side of the road with her two children and feels a compulsion to stop, so they do. Love looks like a guy who decides to take blankets downtown to offer to those on the streets on a cold winter night. Love looks like a group of people who decide that it is more important to build houses for those living in third world abject poverty than it is to invest in a bigger building for their growing church. Love looks like a wife and mother who makes it her mission to see human slavery abolished in her lifetime. Love looks like someone who gives anonymously to the couple who are out of work during economically challenging times. Love looks like those who don’t give up on the drug addict who continues to fall time and time again but expresses a desire to be free. Love looks like a founding pastor who walks away from a big established church after sixteen years of ministry with a group of people, because he feels led to take a step of faith into something unknown.
Love looks like people who choose to die to themselves to do things like those stated above, expecting nothing in return.
Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends. John 15:13
Ultimately love looks like Jesus.
When we look at the life of Jesus we see that his love is very different than ours. Rarely do we love people without expecting anything in return. Even if it is a simple “thank you” we expect there will be some reciprocation for our love. Jesus loved people, period. He loved with no strings attached. He expressed love to people who had no ability to repay him. He loved simply because it was the right thing to do.
Freely we receive love and freely we should give. I think that would make the world a better place.
vic
Friday, January 29, 2010
letdown
Well since it has been two months to the day since my last post I figured I ought to say something...
I am in awe of the things that I see God do in this world. I know there are a lot of people out there (maybe reading this) that don't even believe He exists and that baffles me in some ways and in others I totally understand. It baffles me because of the beauty and many miracles that are seen throughout creation. I guess it all could be by chance but honestly I don't have enough faith to believe that. I have also seen God interact in "my world" on numerous occasions in ways that I would have to deny my very being in order to chalk it up as coincidence. On the other hand I have witnessed things done in the name of God that are nothing short of evil. So I do understand how people could look on at the church and people who claim to represent God, with a jaded eye.
I'm a pastor and I am far from perfect. However my heart's desire is to please God and to love the people that He puts me in contact with, so that in someway I might reflect His glory in this world. We live in a kingdom that is full of pain, sickness, heartache and death and I believe that God would have those of us who follow Him, do our best to help alleviate that by expressing His love and grace to people in their time of need.
Today I heard a story that broke my heart. I listened as a brother of mine shared how he was treated by a man who claims to follow and serve the same God as I. Without saying too much about what happened, let me just say that it was just WRONG. Now I'm not going to go so far as to say that this guy doesn't know God or serve God, but in this instance his actions looked nothing like the God that I know. When I see christians and particularly pastors doing things that serve nothing but their own self interest and egos, I begin to understand why there are so many people in our country who don't believe.
So tonight I simply wanted to say something to all of you who have been hurt, disappointed, letdown or abused by people who claim the name of Jesus...
I am sorry. I am sorry that you have experienced what you have, but I can tell you that there is a God and He looks and acts nothing like those who have wronged you. He is a God of love, grace and mercy and personally I rely on that everyday of my life.
It is my prayer that somehow His love and grace will breakthrough the pain and that the people of God would wake up and begin to live for that which really matters. God let it begin with me...
I am in awe of the things that I see God do in this world. I know there are a lot of people out there (maybe reading this) that don't even believe He exists and that baffles me in some ways and in others I totally understand. It baffles me because of the beauty and many miracles that are seen throughout creation. I guess it all could be by chance but honestly I don't have enough faith to believe that. I have also seen God interact in "my world" on numerous occasions in ways that I would have to deny my very being in order to chalk it up as coincidence. On the other hand I have witnessed things done in the name of God that are nothing short of evil. So I do understand how people could look on at the church and people who claim to represent God, with a jaded eye.
I'm a pastor and I am far from perfect. However my heart's desire is to please God and to love the people that He puts me in contact with, so that in someway I might reflect His glory in this world. We live in a kingdom that is full of pain, sickness, heartache and death and I believe that God would have those of us who follow Him, do our best to help alleviate that by expressing His love and grace to people in their time of need.
Today I heard a story that broke my heart. I listened as a brother of mine shared how he was treated by a man who claims to follow and serve the same God as I. Without saying too much about what happened, let me just say that it was just WRONG. Now I'm not going to go so far as to say that this guy doesn't know God or serve God, but in this instance his actions looked nothing like the God that I know. When I see christians and particularly pastors doing things that serve nothing but their own self interest and egos, I begin to understand why there are so many people in our country who don't believe.
So tonight I simply wanted to say something to all of you who have been hurt, disappointed, letdown or abused by people who claim the name of Jesus...
I am sorry. I am sorry that you have experienced what you have, but I can tell you that there is a God and He looks and acts nothing like those who have wronged you. He is a God of love, grace and mercy and personally I rely on that everyday of my life.
It is my prayer that somehow His love and grace will breakthrough the pain and that the people of God would wake up and begin to live for that which really matters. God let it begin with me...
Sunday, November 29, 2009
Significance
So have you ever felt like your life was insignificant? I have. In fact there are times when I wonder if I am making any difference at all. I often feel like my contribution to this world is like a tiny pebble being thrown in an endless ocean where any ripples created are immediately swallowed up, disappearing without notice or impact.
Then there are those moments when God allows you to see how you have touched someone's life. You know what I mean, you do something for someone and somehow brings hope where there was hopelessness or comfort to someone who is hurting or brings joy to those shrouded in sadness. These are the times that make me feel like I have something to contribute to this world. Though they may be few and far between, I think we have all had these moments.
So why do we feel so insignificant when we have the power to bring comfort, hope, joy and even life to people when they are desperately in need? Could it be that as much as God wants us to experience these things and share them with others, there is a battle raging to keep us feeling small and insignificant? Could it be that we are no different from the "insignificant" men and women who have gone before us and are written about throughout the pages of history? Just think for a moment about some of the people that God has used in the past. Moses, who didn't even think he could speak well enough to represent God let alone lead His people. How about David the shepherd boy who was overlooked by his father? Or the same David who was an adulterer? How about an insignificant teenage girl named Mary? Or a small group of fishermen and tax collectors who would literally turn the world upside down with their message and by laying down their lives?
Our lives are filled with meaning and purpose. This world is filled with meaningless stuff that is put here to distract us and keep us from experiencing all that God has created us for. Some people go with the flow and live for their own selfish ambition, while others will move to the beat of a different drum. They make decisions not based on what is best for them but what is best for Him and His Kingdom.
Today I was encouraged to continue swimming upstream and I thought that I would just write a little something that just might encourage some others to do the same. You have nothing to lose when you give your life away to others, but you have everything to lose when you give your life to this world.
I think Jesus said it best when He said:"Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it." (Matthew 10:39) and "What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, yet forfeit his soul?" (Mark 8:36)
One day we will all breathe our last breath and on that day we will really know how significant our lives were.
Then there are those moments when God allows you to see how you have touched someone's life. You know what I mean, you do something for someone and somehow brings hope where there was hopelessness or comfort to someone who is hurting or brings joy to those shrouded in sadness. These are the times that make me feel like I have something to contribute to this world. Though they may be few and far between, I think we have all had these moments.
So why do we feel so insignificant when we have the power to bring comfort, hope, joy and even life to people when they are desperately in need? Could it be that as much as God wants us to experience these things and share them with others, there is a battle raging to keep us feeling small and insignificant? Could it be that we are no different from the "insignificant" men and women who have gone before us and are written about throughout the pages of history? Just think for a moment about some of the people that God has used in the past. Moses, who didn't even think he could speak well enough to represent God let alone lead His people. How about David the shepherd boy who was overlooked by his father? Or the same David who was an adulterer? How about an insignificant teenage girl named Mary? Or a small group of fishermen and tax collectors who would literally turn the world upside down with their message and by laying down their lives?
Our lives are filled with meaning and purpose. This world is filled with meaningless stuff that is put here to distract us and keep us from experiencing all that God has created us for. Some people go with the flow and live for their own selfish ambition, while others will move to the beat of a different drum. They make decisions not based on what is best for them but what is best for Him and His Kingdom.
Today I was encouraged to continue swimming upstream and I thought that I would just write a little something that just might encourage some others to do the same. You have nothing to lose when you give your life away to others, but you have everything to lose when you give your life to this world.
I think Jesus said it best when He said:"Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it." (Matthew 10:39) and "What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, yet forfeit his soul?" (Mark 8:36)
One day we will all breathe our last breath and on that day we will really know how significant our lives were.
Tuesday, September 1, 2009
whatever happened to community?
A friend recently shared this quote from a book and there is no way that I could come close to doing it justice without just posting it. It is a bit long but worth every minute you will spend reading it.
"Our weaknesses and fears, much more than our achievements and successes, drive us inward and put us in touch with what is deepest, softest and most worthwhile within the heart. In that part of the heart we discover who we really are and there we understand that we are not what we achieve, but what is given to us.
Outside that, when we posture strength and lie and pretend, we learn falsely that life is not a gift to be shared, but a possession to be defended. The road to love and intimacy lies in a compassion born out of the perception of shared struggle and shared fear. When we genuinely see another's wound and struggle, then that other enters a deeper, more real, part of us.
But it is precisely here that the problem lies. More than anything else, we struggle not to reveal our pain and fears to others, for we have been falsely taught that community and love are grounded upon something else, namely upon impressing each other. Perhaps the greatest obstacle to intimacy and community is that propensity to believe that others will love us only when we are impressive or strong.
Because of this, we go through life trying to impress others into liking us. Rather than sharing ourselves as we really are--vulnerable, tender, struggling, full of fear--we try to be so sensational that there can be no possible reason not to love us.
Like the inhabitants of Babel, we try to build a tower that is so impressive that we overpower others. The result for us, as the result then, is counterproductive. Because of pretense, we go through life "speaking different languages," that is, unable to find a common ground upon which to understand each other. Understanding takes place through compassion and compassion is itself the fruit of shared vulnerability.
Thus, as long as we hide our struggles and fears, we will not find intimacy. When fears and struggle are hidden, when achievement, health, attractiveness and friendship are projected as automatic, then our talents, intelligence, wit, charms, beauty, and artistic and athletic abilities cannot be seen for what they are intended to be, namely beautiful gifts which enrich life.
They are projected, then, as objects of envy and they become forces which create jealousy and further wound.
When there is no shared vulnerability life becomes what we can achieve, and our talents are possessions to be defended. We must therefore admit to each other the cost of our struggle. Our real fears must be allowed to surface. Intimacy lies in that.
Intimacy and community will be achieved only when we are so vulnerable that others can see that we share with them a common condition.
The threads of compassion and a concomitant intimacy will appear automatically when we present ourselves as we really are, without false props, as tender."
-Ronald Rolheiser
I have often wondered "whatever happened to the love and community that I read about in the New Testament?" "Why is it that to a large degree, the church today looks nothing like the Church we read about in the Bible?" Could it be that a lot of it has to do with fear? For instance, pastors are afraid to let people know that they don't have it all together and they don't have all the answers. In turn, people are then afraid because they now have this "superchristian" example that they feel like they need to live up to and the last thing they want is for others to find out that they are actually human. As a result, there is less intimacy and vulnerability and the church and the world are worse for it.
Or maybe I am just crazy and everything is OK. Maybe God never intended for us to live like the people in the New Testament. Maybe he just put that there so that we would learn and become so enlightened that we would never have to suffer like them or die to our own selfish wants and desires. Maybe in our day and age we wouldn't have to be failures like virtually every person (outside of Jesus) that God has ever used in a powerful way.
Yeah maybe everything is just the way that he wants it in our little world of fish sticks, i mean stickers, and Sunday morning churchianity...
"Our weaknesses and fears, much more than our achievements and successes, drive us inward and put us in touch with what is deepest, softest and most worthwhile within the heart. In that part of the heart we discover who we really are and there we understand that we are not what we achieve, but what is given to us.
Outside that, when we posture strength and lie and pretend, we learn falsely that life is not a gift to be shared, but a possession to be defended. The road to love and intimacy lies in a compassion born out of the perception of shared struggle and shared fear. When we genuinely see another's wound and struggle, then that other enters a deeper, more real, part of us.
But it is precisely here that the problem lies. More than anything else, we struggle not to reveal our pain and fears to others, for we have been falsely taught that community and love are grounded upon something else, namely upon impressing each other. Perhaps the greatest obstacle to intimacy and community is that propensity to believe that others will love us only when we are impressive or strong.
Because of this, we go through life trying to impress others into liking us. Rather than sharing ourselves as we really are--vulnerable, tender, struggling, full of fear--we try to be so sensational that there can be no possible reason not to love us.
Like the inhabitants of Babel, we try to build a tower that is so impressive that we overpower others. The result for us, as the result then, is counterproductive. Because of pretense, we go through life "speaking different languages," that is, unable to find a common ground upon which to understand each other. Understanding takes place through compassion and compassion is itself the fruit of shared vulnerability.
Thus, as long as we hide our struggles and fears, we will not find intimacy. When fears and struggle are hidden, when achievement, health, attractiveness and friendship are projected as automatic, then our talents, intelligence, wit, charms, beauty, and artistic and athletic abilities cannot be seen for what they are intended to be, namely beautiful gifts which enrich life.
They are projected, then, as objects of envy and they become forces which create jealousy and further wound.
When there is no shared vulnerability life becomes what we can achieve, and our talents are possessions to be defended. We must therefore admit to each other the cost of our struggle. Our real fears must be allowed to surface. Intimacy lies in that.
Intimacy and community will be achieved only when we are so vulnerable that others can see that we share with them a common condition.
The threads of compassion and a concomitant intimacy will appear automatically when we present ourselves as we really are, without false props, as tender."
-Ronald Rolheiser
I have often wondered "whatever happened to the love and community that I read about in the New Testament?" "Why is it that to a large degree, the church today looks nothing like the Church we read about in the Bible?" Could it be that a lot of it has to do with fear? For instance, pastors are afraid to let people know that they don't have it all together and they don't have all the answers. In turn, people are then afraid because they now have this "superchristian" example that they feel like they need to live up to and the last thing they want is for others to find out that they are actually human. As a result, there is less intimacy and vulnerability and the church and the world are worse for it.
Or maybe I am just crazy and everything is OK. Maybe God never intended for us to live like the people in the New Testament. Maybe he just put that there so that we would learn and become so enlightened that we would never have to suffer like them or die to our own selfish wants and desires. Maybe in our day and age we wouldn't have to be failures like virtually every person (outside of Jesus) that God has ever used in a powerful way.
Yeah maybe everything is just the way that he wants it in our little world of fish sticks, i mean stickers, and Sunday morning churchianity...
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