Forest vs. Trees 3.23.2023

    The first known use of any form of the phrase “can’t see the forest for the trees” appeared in the 1546 collection of proverbs by John Heywood. The form, following British English usage, substitutes the word “wood” as the collective noun for "forest". The meaning is the same. A person whose vision is impaired in this way is so fixated on individual details that he fails to grasp the whole of which the details are constituent parts. If you regularly follow me, you might accuse me of having such affliction considering the amount of time I spend discussing individual details of preparing to preach. I assure you that my explorations of the minutia are always undergirded by a right appreciation for the broader context in which they are pursued. 

    What we must understand is that the details are important. Without the small steps taken individually in the course of our work, there is no journey. Without sharpening and preparing our tools we lack the means to accomplish that work. No amount of energy is sufficient to overcome the handicaps we impose on ourselves by short-sighted neglect of the details. To only work with the big picture is just as limiting. It takes both mastering the details and fitting them into the big picture that makes for solid, Biblical preaching. And we must master not only the details nor only the big picture, preaching requires us to understand the relationship between the two. Most importantly, preaching is blessed in having the most ironclad and inflexible of deadlines. You’re preaching Sunday. Both your micro and macro work must be done, as well as possible knowing that there are limits on how much time each of us has at our disposal to invest in preparing to preach. 

    Even still there are circumstances and topics which require more detailed and technical examination. So, what kinds of details require extra examination? The question really is “what details, for how long, and to what purpose.” This is hardly scientific, and I would not promise that I have followed this advice for every sermon series over more than forty years of preaching but here are some basic rules of thumb for when we need to fasten our thinking caps for more detailed studies.

Potential Controversies

    There are times when people will get mad at what you say. There are times that it will be your fault (guilty) because of insufficient or misdirected research. Sometimes it will be your fault because you have framed the material in such a way as to pick a fight. (Yeah, I’ve done that too.) And some people come to Church in an oppositional mood; looking to carp, criticize, and complain. Whatever you say they will take the other side. If a topic can potentially be at the root of controversy you need to understand it better than anyone else in the room. 

    And then present the truth with love and compassion. We often talk about people being offended by what the Bible says, and while that will sometimes be the case our job is to make the truth as palatable as possible, particularly when people won’t like it.  The best way to prepare for a message that might be controversial is to study diligently and then present the fruit of your study with love, humility, and compassion. If people are offended by what scripture says we must be absolutely certain that it is scripture and not us that foments controversy.

Exegetical Conundrums

    Don’t pretend like the Bible is always only easy to understand. It isn’t. There are complications, puzzles, and brain teasers which take work to unravel. The contemporary rush to simplify the scriptures into easily applied practical bits of advice can be a hindrance to understanding what the Bible really says. 

    This is less a matter of expertise or intelligence than it is a matter of old-fashioned hard work. Most of the so-called “contradictions” in scripture are hermeneutic or linguistic conundrums that take work to understand. It is comparatively easy to find ready-made answers that don’t require you to do the work. Refine your skills. Practice. Get better. Purchase and learn to use the kinds of tools that require you to do the thinking. Pull the loose strings on those frustrating exegetical knots and you will find that your preaching is not only richer but your presentation more comfortable because you have done the work for yourself. 

Misunderstood Commonplaces

    Anytime someone tells you that “everyone knows x”, you are going to need to do a deep dive on “x”. Often these common understandings are only partly accurate or derived from a non-contextual or even translation-driven understanding of texts of Scripture. Sometimes these commonplaces are nothing more than antiquated bits of tribal knowledge which have been repeated so often for so long that no one ever questions them anymore. They can be colorful, memorable, often repeated, and wrong. Or at best, misunderstood. Do your homework. Dive as deep as you need to and then resurface with the information you need to responsibly teach accurately what the text says rather than the tribal history of interpretation often treasured by those who prefer not to do the work.  

Cultural Shibboleths 

    Particularly in our polarized cultural environment, there are a lot of unbiblical teachings that have been passed off as mainstream “evangelical” theological conclusions. If you don’t reexamine such cultural-conditioned topics you may find that you are culturally acceptable, at the expense of being Biblically accurate. 

    I remember S. Edward Tesh at Lincoln Christian Seminary reminding us that our job is not to be conservative, or liberal. Our job is to be Biblical. There are times when being Biblical requires that both the culturally conservative and the culturally liberal be offended by the truth. 

    These shibboleths are treasured and repeated, not because they adequately reflect the intent of scripture but because they function as a password for the “in” group. Often, they are maintained by quoting a revered preacher or teacher from the past whose aura of respectability makes questioning their authority seem sacrilegious. Our job is not to buttress the claims of a supposed “Christian culture.” Our job is to articulate the actual claims of Christ through the responsible study and preaching of Scripture. Our job is to seek the lost and feed the sheep and it is irresponsible to avoid calling simplistic “password” Christianity to account. 

Intertextual Conversations

    It is worthwhile to consider how an NT author or speaker uses OT material. There are even times when an OT story revisits prior material (Jephthah’s review of episodes from the wilderness journey and conquest of Canaan in Judges 11). Last week I preached from Mark 12.1-12, a passage of scripture framed around two OT passages. It would have been irresponsible and pretentious to pretend like this was not the case.

    When a passage is clearly in conversation with other Scripture that relationship needs to be explored in detail. This exploration needs to be more than just ransacking the cross-references which are provided in most translations. Often those cross-references consider similarity in words, thoughts, or ideas but not the intertextual relationship which may or may not exist. It is our job to examine that conversation and to make judgments about how a later author or speaker interacts with previous scripture. Cross-references are another tool in the toolbox. God called you to wield the tools. 

Long-held personal Convictions

    I have held certain theological positions, based derived from exegetical conclusions for more than 50 years. That’s half a century. I have changed in that time and all the disciplines germane to Biblical preaching have changed as well. It is nothing but pure hubris for me to think “I was right 32 years ago when I studied this subject, I’m still right and I don’t need to revisit or recalibrate.”  This kind of intellectual laziness and pride may save a little time, but it won't make me a better preacher. It is precisely when standing on the most secure ground that I think it necessary to reexamine the literature, reevaluate the exegesis, and reconsider my presuppositions. If I was right the last time I preached from a passage, good. If I need to recalibrate, fine. Until you and I look at our past work with a critical eye we won't be able to determine whether we are becoming more capable workmen. 

Wrapping up

     It has taken me longer this week to write this blog because, practicing what I'm preaching, I’ve been doing a deep dive into a particularly thorny textual issue in the Gospel of Mark. The advice presented here has been guiding me for the last two weeks. I know I have about 5 hours left to give to this subject and then I will need to be done. When the truth is important and the investigation intriguing it can be difficult to give up the chase. I began this particular “deep dive” about three weeks ago. My sermon series from Mark will end on Easter Sunday. 

    In this kind of work basic tools like a calendar, to-do list, and clock are important. Just because you need to spend time looking at trees in detail, so that you might have a more adequate grasp of the forest does not mean that you get to put in a requisition for more time. The week is passing. Sunday is coming. Starting early and working hard helps but there comes a time when you whisper a prayer under your breath, ascend the sacred desk, and depend upon God’s Holy Spirit as you preach as well as you can, that which you have examined to the best of your ability. 

Focus 3.16.2023

    I’m supposed to write about maintaining focus this week; and what a week to address that topic. So far, we’ve had:

1. Late night ER trip for my wife.

2. Continued late, feverish nights from a kidney stone.

3. Follow-up trip to the family Dr. 

4. Additional work to prepare a funeral sermon this week.

5.    Umm, March Madness.

    That does not even consider the “normal” interruptions that characterize a typical day or week in ministry. Telephone calls to address ongoing Pastoral issues. Taking care of a benevolence issue. Contacting others involved in the Memorial Service I’m conducting this Saturday. Working with my volunteer administrative team to streamline our procedures for when we hire a new Administrative Assistant. By the way, I just sat back down after meeting with one of those volunteers—even while I draft this essay.

Good preaching takes focus because the difficult, deep, and detailed work that undergirds good preaching still needs to get done, even when time is short—especially when time is short. The question then is how to remain focused when good deeds and good intentions threaten to soak up the time necessary for the best thing we do, which is preaching the Word.

 Enough Rope

When things get crazy you can’t just order up more time. Doesn’t work that way. Sorry. The key is to build margin into your processes and schedule so that you always have allocated more time than a task will actually take. What seems like an exorbitant luxury most weeks will be a lifesaver during times of crisis or unexpected incoming. 

For example, my time budget for my current sermon series from Mark is three hundred hours. The formula I use to arrive at that figure is 20 hours per sermon x 15 Sermons=300 hours. Now, much of that budget was invested long before the first sermon was written. Specifically, (Yes, I just did the math on hours spent on “preliminary Marcan Study” from the first notice in November until the first sermon was preached on January First) 60 hours were spent working on Mark before I began to work on the first sermon. That leaves 16 hours per sermon left in my budget for each sermon in the series. Now here is the secret…It doesn’t take 16 hours for me to research, draft, edit, polish, and complete a sermon. My customary practice is to take 1 hour on Sunday afternoon to set up the week and then to work straight through on Monday to complete the message. Now, if I know that it takes around eight hours to complete a sermon (assuming through background research before the series began) why do I allocate twenty hours for it in my time budget? I want to make sure I have enough rope. It is impossible to make an 80-foot rope do 120 feet worth of work, but a 120-foot rope provides enough margin for 80 feet worth of work. 

Don’t Sit too Close to the TV!

    “You’ll go blind if you sit that close to the TV.” Thousands of us who grew up in the sixties and seventies barely heard these dismal parental prophecies because our faces were plastered up against the TV screen. How else could you listen to what was going on and pay close attention to the action when your younger siblings were screaming and hitting you up aside the head with an etch-a-sketch? We sat close to the TV so that we could pay better attention. Our parents were right about it being risky but wrong about the nature of the risk.

    Remaining riveted on a subject for a prolonged amount of time requires increasing effort for diminishing returns. In addition to margin in your schedule you need slack. Margin means having more than enough rope to get the job done. Slack means not keeping that rope so tight that it loses flexibility and strength. When we are under stress and trying to meet deadlines, we already have the adrenaline flowing. When we continuously lean into the work and “sit as close to the TV” as we can, forgoing breaks, or even taking our eyes off our work we risk arresting the close attention we intend to give our subject. Eventually, we begin to feel fatigued, our eyes get sore, and attention wanes even when there is still work to do. 

    You must build slack into your daily schedule. Every 60 minutes of your butt in the chair must be interrupted by 5 to 10 minutes of looking away. Personally, I try to get up and take 1,000 steps every 60-90 minutes. This is how I exercise and create slack in my schedule. Each task we pursue in sermon study and writing requires an investment of concentration and time. There are times when circumstances put us in chronological distress, and we must just muscle through. This should be an exception. Our common rule should be to have enough slack time built into our schedule so that we are able to be relaxed and focused rather than tense and distractible. 

Check!

    When you have enough rope, and maintain slack so that it maintains tensile strength, then you can accurately measure how much you must accomplish and how much time remains to accomplish it. I have and will continue to recommend that you use a checklist to keep track of time spent, tasks accomplished, and to-dos remaining.  There is no point in having more than enough time if you don’t have any idea what you have done and what remains to be done. 

    It does not matter how busy you are, the most debilitating issue is stress. Focus is the ability to neutralize stress, limit tension, and keep your attention on the task at hand. You must remain relaxed, so your effectiveness does not diminish as you do the work. There is no point in investing twelve consecutive hours of work in a project if the last four are ineffective due to increasing stress and fatigue.

Focus

    Focus is a process. It is more than a state of mind or an act of will. Focus requires understanding the task of preaching from the pulpit backward throughout the entire process of preparation. You may not spend Monday in your study with your younger brother whacking you in the head with a wiffleball bat, but you will have other interruptions, diversions, and distractions. Monday’s focus begins with margin, slack, and planning.

Flow 3.9.2023

    In preaching, flow is more than just a matter of working efficiently. Flow is a matter of cumulative effect. Flow allows the preacher to chain a series of sermons together so that each individual sermon enriches the whole series. This takes some hard work. Each sermon must function in two ways. It must stand alone and contribute to the broader structure of the year. It might happen by accident. It could even happen without premeditation.  It is not likely that you will get this kind of weekly flow without purposeful, intentional planning. 

    Flow helps the preacher to maintain context week after week when “working the angles” of Pastoral ministry and Church leadership. Flow helps to frame each individual sermon by what has come before and what is coming next. A well-considered sermon series uses key themes, words, concepts, and tropes to maintain a connection with the congregation. You, the preacher can preface a series by laying out the plan for your congregation. “This is our yearly theme. This is the theme of this series. Here are the connections, here are some keywords, here are some frameworks for understanding, etc.” The individual sermons might contain some “surprises”, but everyone ought to know beforehand where you are leading them and why. 

    Let’s compare it to a float trip down a river. Every time you climb in the canoe there is a potential adventure to be had; that corresponds to the individual weekly sermon. Planning the whole trip is what allows for the flow of these daily adventures. If every morning you had to plan what to take, what to wear, where to go, and what to eat, the trip would quickly become exasperating. Planning beforehand is what allows the flow of serendipitous discovery every time you climb on board. It works on canoe trips, and it works in preaching. If you start from zero every week you will get tired as will those who depend upon you to lead them upon the adventure. 

    “What about spontaneity?” What about it? Two observations; It’s 1. Over-rated. 2. Non-existent in most areas of life. A more accurate term for “spontaneous” is “unprepared.” Even situations and circumstances we think of as spontaneous are in fact highly structured, scripted, and planned. Another example. You get in your car to spontaneously “just drive” or “take a road trip”. Even if you don’t have an itinerary there are certain planned behaviors and specific parameters which help with the flow of driving. You drive in the correct lane at the right speed. You slow down when conditions demand it, you follow the traffic signals, and behave responsibly following the “rules of the road”. Rules you learned many years ago. In this context, following the logic of this example, “spontaneous” driving is more accurately called “reckless” driving. 

    I’m trying to restrain myself and not be so long-winded after a long post last week, yet we still need some exegetical meat on these bones. For your consideration.

1. The listing of the 7 Churches in Revelation 1 and 2 is as spontaneous as the Roman postal route that served each community. 

2. The plan for evangelizing the nations spelled out in Acts 1.8 was hardly spontaneous. It was organized geographically and conducted to precision as described in the rest of the book. 

3. Jesus Himself followed a specific plan for His mission as outlined in Luke 4.18-19. 

Pointedly--John, Paul, and Jesus worked from a plan, and you think you’ll just wing it? Perhaps You should rethink that strategy. 

    In addition to making life easier on your listener a plan, because it is predetermined and predictable allows you to sequence your studies throughout the year so that you have adequate time to acquire needed resources and the breathing room to actually use them. Beyond that, a long-term plan will help you refine your writing by providing weekly guard rails. You will be able to assess and accumulate illustrative material according to a specific plan which leverages all your reading and gives it structure.     Like the banks of that river, we were canoeing down earlier, your plan provides a channel for your preaching allowing you and your congregation the proper space to experience the serendipitous movement of the Spirit.

 

Not so with YOU 3.2.2023

  Once again, our Master’s sheep have been harmed by a sinful shepherd. Those abused ache and question the truthfulness of a body which can be so hurtful. In addition to the personal trauma the reputation of the Church has been affected, impacting every congregation and every faithful Pastor. Why does this keep happening? Because we have let it happen. Not on a personal level but on a theoretical, architectural, and practical level. The most pervasive model for the contemporary Church is based (almost) entirely on the metric so ably articulated by Whoopi Goldberg in the movie Sister Act—Butts in the seats. While this might be satisfactory for sporting events, motion pictures, concerts, and other forms of entertainment, the New Testament does not offer this structure as a model for organizing the Church. 

Let’s begin by looking at something Jesus tells His disciples. 

“Mark 10:42 And Jesus called them to him and said to them, “You know that those who are considered rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them. Mark 10:43 But it shall not be so among you. But whoever would be great among you must be your servant, Mark 10:44 and whoever would be first among you must be slave of all. Mark 10:45 For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”” (Mark 10:42–45 ESV)

When I translate this text myself, I don’t smooth it out. The context clearly signifies that Jesus is exasperated with the 12, practically blurting out a prohibition: “No! Not among you!” When sin is evidenced among the leaders of the Church—whatever the symptomatic presentation—power is the problem and control is the issue. Prior to looking at the NT models for the Church, we need to consider the abiding issue of Character. 

    For those of you who regularly follow this blog, you will recognize some familiar refrains. Those who lead the Church (Elders, Pastors, Preachers, Teachers) must have a Biblical foundation, a Theological framework, and a Pastoral focus. We are fallen sinners, redeemed by grace. Jesus sets an example for us. There are other Biblical examples of sinners just like us who are redeemed, gifted, and called to ministry. The temptation to power has always been there. We often fail to recognize it, particularly when it expresses itself in shiny new ways designed to “simplify” or “magnify” the work. There is no effortless way to do the right thing correctly. And there is no way to energize or magnify the work of God expressed through the Holy Spirit. We are called to bear witness to Christ, proclaim the word of God, and care for His sheep. Christian leadership's character is grounded in Biblical, Theological, and Pastoral practice. It is low and slow with a compounding impact on people who learn to trust you because you have earned their trust by not “moving fast and breaking things”, or falling into the trap of functionally driven, programmatic pragmatism.  If that isn’t enough for you, do something else—your power trips are killing us. 

    Now, I know that it seems like, particularly after that last sentence, I am a malcontent. That is not my intent. I love the Church, but I am wearied by the abuse which is heaped upon the Body of Christ. For crying out loud, many of the wounds are self-inflicted and avoidable. I am just trying to better tune up our avoidance mechanisms. This week let’s look at three stories that might help us to understand the power dynamic that is wracking the bride of Christ. 

Tall Towers

The following was heard at a recent “church growth” seminar:

“Genesis 11:3 And they said to one another, “Come, let us make bricks, and burn them thoroughly.” And they had brick for stone, and bitumen for mortar. Genesis 11:4 Then they said, “Come, let us build ourselves a city and a tower with its top in the heavens, and let us make a name for ourselves, lest we be dispersed over the face of the whole earth.”” (Genesis 11:3–4 ESV)

    Just kidding. But unfortunately--not. One of the most prominent contemporary standards of “Church Health” is the “Tall Tower.” Regardless of demographics, community profile, or the presence of faithful local (smaller) congregations the dynamic taught, nearly universally is that of the newer, bigger, shinier, “Tall Tower.” Built so big it cannot be ignored, making a name for those who build it. And the problem with the Tall Tower on the plain of Shinar, noted later in Genesis 11 never goes away. The "Tall Tower: eventually falls into ruin and the name(s) of the builders are lost in timeless infamy. 

    Yes, the Church can grow. We faithfully plant, cultivate, water, and nurture—and God grants the growth. Your secret brick-firing recipe for building a bigger, better, stronger tower is just the will to power clothed in a different metaphor. Paul uses a construction metaphor in 1 Corinthians 3:

“1 Corinthians 3:11 For no one can lay a foundation other than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. 1Corinthians 3:12 Now if anyone builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw— 1Corinthians 3:13 each one’s work will become manifest, for the Day will disclose it, because it will be revealed by fire, and the fire will test what sort of work each one has done. 1Corinthians 3:14 If the work that anyone has built on the foundation survives, he will receive a reward. 1Corinthians 3:15 If anyone’s work is burned up, he will suffer loss, though he himself will be saved, but only as through fire.1Corinthians 3:16 Do you not know that you are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in you? 1Corinthians 3:17 If anyone destroys God’s temple, God will destroy him. For God’s temple is holy, and you are that temple.” (1 Corinthians 3:11–17 ESV)

Paul’s concern is not about how big the building is but how well it’s built. When a congregation is Biblically solid, theologically orthodox, and pastorally responsible—it will be noticed, and the only name that will be on anybody’s lips will be the name of Jesus. 

Irresponsible Shepherds

    There is no higher honor than to be called to shepherd the flock of Christ, following Peter and others in feeding His lambs. It can be heartbreaking and exhilarating. It can be a blessing and a curse. For those of us who are called, it requires faithfulness and responsibility. Jesus, Himself set the standard for all the under-shepherds He called to share this burden. 

“John 10:1 “Truly, truly, I say to you, he who does not enter the sheepfold by the door but climbs in by another way, that man is a thief and a robber. John 10:2 But he who enters by the door is the shepherd of the sheep.” (John 10:1–2 ESV)

“John 10:10 The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly. John 10:11 I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. John 10:12 He who is a hired hand and not a shepherd, who does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees, and the wolf snatches them and scatters them. John 10:13 He flees because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep. John 10:14 I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me,” (John 10:10–14 ESV)

    He is the Good Shepherd of His flock and the perfect example of servant-leadership for His under-shepherds. Now, I (obviously) live now and cannot address issues from Church History, or scandals of the last century. But from where I sit right now It seems that, objectively, the Church is plagued by a disproportionate number of irresponsible shepherds; thieves, and usurpers who come to steal, kill, and destroy. I may not be able to fix it, but God can. And if God is going to move it will be because responsible shepherds take a stand, call sin what it is, and join Peter in the following statement of purpose:

“1Peter 5:1   So I exhort the elders among you, as a fellow elder and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, as well as a partaker in the glory that is going to be revealed: 1Peter 5:2 shepherd the flock of God that is among you, exercising oversight, not under compulsion, but willingly, as God would have you; not for shameful gain, but eagerly; 1Peter 5:3 not domineering over those in your charge, but being examples to the flock.” (1 Peter 5:1–3 ESV)

Guess where Peter got the phrase “not under compulsion?” I have put it in bold type so that we can coordinate what Peter wrote with what Jesus said in Mark 10.42.

Mark 10:42 And Jesus called them to him and said to them, “You know that those who are considered rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them. 

The bold print translates the same word. Peter is not really teaching something new; he is reminding the Church of something Jesus had already taught.  

    I fear that far too many who are called to be shepherds are not trained to teach the flock, lack the temperament to tend the flock, and consequently transform the flock into something other than faithful sheep straining to hear the voice of the Good Shepherd, and struggling to follow the thugs and thieves who see “Church Leadership” as a lucrative field to pillage and abuse. 

Vindictive Vintners

    The third story was told by Jesus, one of His most effective parables. It is effective because the people to whom He addressed the parable were the protagonists in the story, and they knew it. The passion-week conversations in Jerusalem may have seemingly been about the application of the Law but every question, every taunt, every insinuation was an extension of the tower-building, shepherd-corrupting, Empire-building “will to power.” 

“Mark 12:1   And he began to speak to them in parables. “A man planted a vineyard and put a fence around it and dug a pit for the winepress and built a tower, and leased it to tenants and went into another country. Mark 12:2 When the season came, he sent a servant to the tenants to get from them some of the fruit of the vineyard. Mark 12:3 And they took him and beat him and sent him away empty-handed. Mark 12:4 Again he sent to them another servant, and they struck him on the head and treated him shamefully. Mark 12:5 And he sent another, and him they killed. And so with many others: some they beat, and some they killed. Mark 12:6 He had still one other, a beloved son. Finally he sent him to them, saying, ‘They will respect my son.’ Mark 12:7 But those tenants said to one another, ‘This is the heir. Come, let us kill him, and the inheritance will be ours.’ Mark 12:8 And they took him and killed him and threw him out of the vineyard. Mark 12:9 What will the owner of the vineyard do? He will come and destroy the tenants and give the vineyard to others. Mark 12:10 Have you not read this Scripture: “‘The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone; Mark 12:11 this was the Lord’s doing, and it is marvelous in our eyes’?”” (Mark 12:1–11 ESV)

    When someone behaves as if the vineyard belongs to them, that it is their creation, and that they set the standards; they have become a vindictive vintner no longer interested in the will of the Master. Some of us will be proclaiming this very text this spring, during Eastertide while embracing the very behaviors it condemns.  

    Vindictive, selfish, power-hungry, Empire-driven vintners expect to be exempted from the message they proclaim and the authority of the Bible they claim to uphold. Mounting the walls around the Vineyard they look at the servants, they look at the Son and say in their hearts, “Me and mine!” Whether the symptomatic sin is sexual, financial, deceitful, or emotional makes is trivial. They bully and beat the faithful and wreck the vineyard. Ultimately, the Son who suffered to save us “outside the walls”, is flung outside once again by the sordid behavior of tenants who forgot what they owed to the owner. 

An Ending...

    These have been, admittedly, harsh words. They are written in a spirit of grief, anger, and repentance. Fixing the individual “incidents” is pointlessly futile when it has become abundantly clear that the issues facing the contemporary Church are systemic, architectural, and volitional. The broader Church has made bad choices about designing and implementing the Biblical mandate to care for the Sheep. Towers are built. Fancy, new vineyards are constructed. Sheepfolds are reconfigured. All the while the sheep starve, the vines rot, and the towers totter.   The leadership sin of power; whether expressed sexually, financially, or emotionally, comes from a commitment to an organizational model which smells like a dragon, slithers like a snake, and looks like an Empire. 

    There is no alternative “model” to fix the problem. There is, however, a Testament to follow, a Gospel to preach, texts to teach, stories to tell, truths to articulate, and sheep to feed. No new model. No new method. Just qualified leaders doing Biblical ministry.