Chris Howlett

Been Fleeced Latey?

This Sunday we were blessed to hear a message by a good friend of mine, Rev. Dr. Mindy Johnson. Mindy is a United Methodist Elder and graduate of the Beeson Pastor Program, the program I am currently in at Asbury Seminary. Her message was a poignant reminder that God calls us to be vulnerable to people who are broken so they can see the love of Jesus in us. Mindy quoted the following scripture in her message:

"For right now, until that completeness, we have three things to do to lead us toward that consummation: Trust steadily in God, hope unswervingly, love extravagantly. And the best of the three is love" (1 Cor. 13:13 Message).

I love how Eugene Peterson's paraphrase captures the meaning in contemporary language! "Trust steadily in God, hope unservengly, love extravagantly." We've been shown the extravagant love of Jesus, now we have the blessing of loving others extravagantly!

I am a copious note taker of other people's sermons. I do this primarily because it helps me remember. However, I also generally pick up a nugget or two I can incorporate into a future message. Well, you've heard Mindy's message, so I guess I won't be able to use too much of it! However, we could probably stand to be reminded every once in a while about how much God has sacrificed for us, so we will make ourselves available to be fleeced, to make our lives a living sacrifice for others!

Mindy is currently planting a new faith community called "Living Room." You can find out more about her ministry at www.room2live.org. Thanks, Mindy, for sharing with us!! As you puruse their site, you'll probably recognize Amy Hicks. Amy has been a part of Christ Church for quite some time and has served as a Ministry Intern from Asbury. Amy, Mindy, and every once in a while, Adam worship with us at our 11:00 a.m. worship service.

Dissertation Thoughts: Strengths-based Approach to Ministry

This week I am working hard on my dissertation for my Beeson Doctor of Ministry degree. Actually, I am writing a twenty-five page paper for Dr. Steve Seamands' "Theology of Ministry" class. The paper will hopefully be morphed into significant parts of the first two chapters of my dissertation. So, because I am very excited about what I am writing, and it is taking up a significant amount of my time right now (the paper is due December 15th), I thought I'd start a new category for the blog to share some of the insights and ideas I am developing for the project.

First of all, the overarching subject of my dissertation project is "a Strengths-based approach to the minstry of all the people of God." In baptism, all disciples are called to, even ordained for, ministry. The Scripture refers to all followers of Christ, collectively, as a priesthood. So, what I want to do is figure out how to help people discover their strengths and use them in ministry.

The study of human strengths is part of a new discipline within the larger scientific discipline of psychology called "positive psychology." Positive psychology proponents argue that each person is endowed, as part of their personality or temperment, with specific potentialities for optimal performance that can be developed into strengths (strengths are not automatic, but may be developed in our areas of potential strengths).

The Gallup Organization, specifically Dr. Robert Clifton, a psychologist who worked for Gallup, developed a method for helping people discover what they refer to as Signature Strengths. I am using their paradigm of strengths in my project. You can look up info on the book Now, Discover Your Strengths, which was my introduction into the whole strengths thing.

Now, for just a brief preview of what is to come: Our strengths, or really "potential" strengths, seem to be part of our makeup, part of our DNA. The psychological research is pointing to the amazing truth that strengths are somehow biological. They aren't learned from our environment or experiences, they exist in our psychological makeup. They are a part of how God made us. So, they are part of what makes us unique.

Various Scripture references (which I am exploring in detail) refer to the uniqueness of the human person as created by God (Genesis 1-2; Psalm 139:13-14; Ephesians 2:10). This uniquness is an expression of our being, our personhood, that part of us that is created in the image of God, particularly in the image of the Trinity, a commuion of persons inseperably related. This is now getting into systematic theology, particularly theology of the early church in the East, which I have been exploring, so you'll hear more about it, along with an exposition of the related scriptures.

Then, this all ties into a fascinating topic to me: what makes human beings happy? Not happy in the fleeting sense of a brief good time, but in the deeper, life-fulfillment kind fo happiness? John 10:10 talks about the "abundant life" that Jesus offers. That's what I'm getting at. What is the abundant life? Certainly, without a doubt, the abundant life must have as one of its components the embodiment of our personhood in our actions, particularly, in the redemptive activity of joining Jesus Christ in his ministry to the Father through the Spirit for the sake of the world. This is not exhaustive of what ultimate happiness entails, but it is a huge part of it.

Well, I've rambled. Do you think this stuff can take up 120 pages or so in a dissertation? I hope so!

A Positive Life of Gratitude

Living with an ongoing sense of awe and wonder at the incredible gift of life with which God has endowed us is living a fulfilling, positive life. It seems that in some strange way our brains are wired to think more about negative things than positive. Scientists speculate this is true because negative events in our lives pose a potential threat to our well-being and remain unresolved, thus we have a tendency to think about negative events longer than we do positive events. The positive was good and is finished, and doesn't pose us any potential harm, so the brain doesn't spend as much energy thinking about positive events once they're through. Seriously, psychologists study this stuff.

However, we do not have to allow this primordial short-circuiting of our neurons to hold sway. No wonder Paul wrote that a big part of sanctification is the renewal of the mind, the thought processes that constantly go on inside our head (Romans 12). What we think about is a matter of choice. For many of us, this is not apparent because we are conditioned by our past to believe we have little or no control over our thoughts. But you can change your mind, with the help of the Spirit.

Thanksgiving is a good time to start! Think... "For what am I truly thankful?" It shouldn't take too long to think up a pretty long list: health, freedom, family, meaningful work, a computer with internet connection! Hopefully, though, our thoughts won't stop with the obvious, material blessings, but will reach a gratitude for the deeper, even more real blessings of a spiritual nature. First and foremost, for a relationship with our Loving Heavenly Father through the Son in the Spirit. Ultimately, life is a gift from God, life itself. Just to be breathing, knowing, experiencing existence in the presence of an omnibenevolent Deity (that's a fancy way of saying "a God who cares").

Every day, every hour, every moment, we are in the presence of a God who loves, a God who IS love. Stop. Think about it. Wow! This is really true. There's never a time, never a circumstance or situation where God isn't there. If I can learn to turn my thoughts toward this reality on a more frequent basis and express my thankfulness to God more often, then it will make a huge difference in my thought life, in my relationships with others, and my outlook. A positive life is much more fulfilling!

I hope you take time this week to reflect on your gratitude toward God's presence and grace in your life. Let God's presence and love guide how you think... about yourself, about others, and about existence itself.

Discover Your Strengths

In my message, "Life Is Good: How to Be Positive in a Negative World, part 2" I spoke of one of the essentials in experiencing the Abundant Life (John 10:10) is to "Engage Your Strengths." Each one of us is a unique creation of God and in my studies for my doctorate, I have become convinced that our uniqueness is an essential part of what it means to be created in the image of God and one of the major ways we express that uniqueness in through our strengths.

The Gallup Organization, drawing from the findings of a new field of psychology called Positive Psychology, have developed an inventory to help people discover their strengths. At Christ Church, I will be teaching a class in the spring of 2009 that will help people learn how to use their strengths in ministry and we will use Gallup's Strengthsfinder inventory to facilitate this process.

However, you don't have to wait until spring. You can purchase a copy of a book, Now, Discover Your Strengths , by Marcus Buckingham and Donald O. Clifton and take the Strengthsfinder inventory online.

Happy News

You don't have to depend on the Constant Negative News (CNN) for all your news! There are other outlets. Last week I mentioned two:

www.thehappynews.com

www.optimistworld.com

These are legitimate news sources that focus on the good news. Now, for the Good News, you'll want to be in church on Sunday! Of course, not all churches proclaim "good" Good News, some it seems major on the Bad News, but Christ Church of Lexington, Kentucky, is a place for the Good News! See you Sunday!

Adopting a Positive Lifestyle

A positive lifestyle is far more than positive thinking. The positive thinking school believes you can manufacture positivity in your own life based on altering your thinking patterns through repetition of positive mantras: "I'm an Ameri-CAN not an Ameri-CAN"T!" "I'm getting better every day in every way!" Think positive, be positive, you can do it! On what are these affirmations based? Simply the energy and memory of the one making them.

A Positive Lifestyle flows from a much deeper well. It flows from a meaningful relationship with God through Jesus Christ. God is the ultimate optimist, and he has good reason to be: he created the world and called it good. Even after the Fall, after human selfishness made a wreck of things, he continued to love the world and sent Jesus Christ to start a revolution, a positive plan to heal the world. He's invited us to join him in offering abundant living to all.

It's more than changing my mind, although, I need a mind-makeover (Romans 12:2), I also need a Spirit-makeover. If I'm going to join Jesus on his mission of healing the world, that mission begins for me, with me. I can be healed. Jesus Christ is the Living Lord who welcomes sinners and heals them.

Stay tuned in for more on God's design for our positive lifestyle. This has the potential to change your whole way of being.

Voted!

For me, voting's not that difficult, my polling place is the church! There are two precincts here, Palomar and Palmetto.  I'm in the Palomar precinct. I have to admit, I failed to vote for the Board of Education. I really intended to educate myself on that election, but I didn't, so I didn't vote in that one.

This morning at about ten after six, I came to the church but the line was WAY too long... I knew it would thin out. Both upper parking lots were nearly full, they had the line snaked around and out the door and even out onto the sidewalk. So, I went to my office and worked until about ten, then headed down to Wilmore to hear Shane Claiborne speak at the Asbury Seminary chapel with our own Mark Burns. I must say, I was impressed. He didn't get too controversial, but spoke mainly about being the church, trusting in God, and joining God in his mission of changing the world. Shane is one of the founding members of The Simple Way in Philadelphia. He is the author of the book, Jesus for President: Politics for Ordinary Radicals , which I referenced in my message on Sunday, titled, "Jesus for President." While I don't agree with all the positions Claiborne takes, I wholeheartedly endorse the spirit of love and humility he brings to the table and his conviction that the Church needs to be the Church and we need to stop depending on the government to do what the Church is supposed to do.

Then, drove back to the church to drop off Mark, ate some lunch, headed back to the church at about 1:00 p.m., walked in and voted, NO WAITING! Wow was that easy!

So, if you're reading this on Tuesday, November 4, get out and vote. Be a "good" resident alien of the Kingdom!

How About Jesus as King?

Yesterday's message title was tongue-in-cheek. I really don't think Jesus would make a very good president. He would never be able to serve two terms. Either he would be impeached or he would simply lose the re-election bid. Not sure he could ever get elected in the first place. Who wants to hear about loving your enemies, releasing the captives, and turning the other cheek?

Jesus would make a horrible president, but a wonderful King.

Yesterday, we ended the message on a word from the prophet Micah:

“He has told you, O mortal, what is good;
        and what does the LORD require of you
    but to do justice, and to love mercy,
        and to walk humbly with your God?” Micah 6:8

I noted that doing justice must move past simply sending our money into the government to let them try to do justice for us, as if government is even capable of actually doing justice.

Justice is about God's holiness and God's righteousness. They are closely connected in the Scriptures. Justice occurs when righteousness is upheld. Justice is often linked with the way in which a society and individuals within the society treat the weakest ones in their midst.

God's plan for justice is to be carried out by righteous people (people living in right relationship with God) living life according to God's values of mercy and grace. Jesus, himself, said that we would always have the poor living among us, he didn't say we are to ignore the poor, to the contrary, his Gospel is a Gospel for the poor (Luke 4).

So we want to be about doing justice in a world where justice is hard to come by if depend on the state. Who will do justice? The people of God living into the Kingdom of God, proclaiming Jesus as King.

If Jesus is King, if he is Lord or our lives as individuals and as the Church, then we will minister to those who are weakest among us. One of the opportunities we have to accomplish this is a ministry here in Lexington called Room In the Inn.

We have an opportunity to get to know the homeless population, enter their story, and share with them the love of Jesus Christ in very real ways: a place to sleep, food to eat, and a person to know.

If you would like to jump in and help out in any capacity, let me know. We want to be a part of this ministry one night per month during the winter months. It requires set up, meals, take town, and transportation. It is not an easy ministry, but it is a rewarding one. Let's do our part to bring about God's righteousness and justice right here in Lexington.