Please congratulate me. I’m the new owner of a robo dwarf hamster! Oh, boy! If you want to know more about how this happened check out Amy’s blog: (https://amysmallwood.com/2017/09/24/the-day-i-bought-a-hamster/?fb_action_ids=1982172892040091&fb_action_types=news.publishes).

Just a few weeks ago we moved our college kid out of the house. And this weekend we moved Cosmo the hamster into the house. In case you didn’t know, hamsters are a lot like college kids – they sleep all day and party all night. This crazy hamster keeps the wheel in his cage spinning all night long. Ugh! I find myself screaming in my mind, “Just quit the crazy already!”

Perhaps we all find ourselves screaming that phrase in our heads lately. It seems as though this world has just gone crazy. It’s spinning out of control with anger, hate, and ever-widening division. Even the non-football fan was not immune to this weekend’s escalation of events. As I process everything internally, have conversations with others, and follow the heart-breaking dialogue on social media, I keep saying to myself, “Can we just quit the crazy already?”

Before you stop reading, this is not another editorial essay, positional opinion or slanted critique. We’ve been studying through the book of Titus at Aldersgate. This week we came upon these words:

Remind them to be submissive to rulers and authorities, to be obedient, to be ready for every good work, to speak evil of no one, to avoid quarreling, to be gentle, and to show perfect courtesy toward all people. Titus 3:1-2 (ESV)

There’s no doubt the issues are very real. The schism can’t be denied. Wounds are deep. Convictions are fierce. The right words are often fleeting. But if we are going to stop the crazy, we’ve got to find a way to step off the spinning wheel of biting words, hurtful actions, and outright maliciousness toward others. We must find ways to engage those of differing opinions with gentleness and courtesy. Engagement is paramount. Divisions are restored by listening and acting. Divisions are widened by name calling and dismissing – a wheel that quickly spins out of control.

Can we just step off the wheel? What do we say? Can we just all work together to stop the crazy already?

 

 

 

So, I just celebrated a birthday. 45. Yikes! I remember when I was in my teenage years, 45 seemed really old. Now, not so much. Well, somedays it feels really old but I know there are those who are much older than me and also those who are much younger than me. I’m just in the middle. And the middle has a very peculiar view.

People talk much about divisions along the lines of color, socioeconomic status, and political views. I believe those are all true. But from the view in the middle, I also see a great divide among the generations – older and younger. And from my vantage point as a pastor, I especially see this divide. There is not a week that goes by in the church that I don’t have a conversation about or deal with some issue regarding the separation between those who are older and those who are younger.

So, please allow me to speak to both groups. I mean, it is my birthday?!

 

To those who are older:

I love you and I honor you. I pay tribute to the sacrifices you have made and the way you have paved. And I have a word for you – INVEST. Invest in the younger generation. Mentor those who are coming after you. They need you! Yes, they are different. Their clothes are a little bizarre, they like strange music, they communicate in their own way, and their outlook on the world is very different. My guess is that when you were their age you were different, too. They don’t need your judgement or resentment. They need your wisdom and experience. Sometimes age – every creaking bone and failing body part – is seen as a liability. But your age is not a liability – it’s your greatest asset. The generations after you need the education and understanding that your age has brought you.

So even to old age and gray hairs, O God, do not forsake me, until I proclaim

your might to another generation, your power to all those to come.    – Psalm 71:18

If you’re not dead, you’re not done! Find a way to invest in those who are following in your footsteps!

 

To those who are younger:

I love you and I believe in you. You are the most cause driven, mission minded, passionate generation in history. And I believe you can be the greatest generation in modern history. But you need to do one thing: HONOR. Respect those who have paved the way for you. You don’t have all the answers. Perhaps your generations greatest vice is your sense of entitlement. It’s not your fault really. We’ve taught you this. We’ve made you wear a helmet everywhere you go. We’ve put cages around your trampolines. And we reward you for just showing up. You think the world owes you something and it owes you now. You tend to overestimate what God wants to do through you in the short-term and underestimate what God wants to do through you in the long-term. Be teachable. Be willing to learn. Honor those who have so much to invest in you. Treasure their wisdom and experience.

…a prophet is not without honor, except in his hometown and among his relatives

 and in his own household.  Mark 6:4

Jesus tells us his works were limited in his hometown because of the lack of honor. What could your generation really do if you honored those who have gone before you? Find a way to honor those who have paved the way for you!

 

Invest. Honor. Just some thoughts on the view from the middle.

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I’m guessing you’ve had some great leaders during your lifetime. You can probably think of people like your parents, big brothers or sisters, teachers, coaches, and a few bosses you’ve had over your years. But I’m also presuming that some of those people weren’t necessarily the best leaders or the most influential people in your life. Great leaders aren’t made by their position but by their influence. Good leaders don’t lead by their position, they lead in their position. Good leaders lead not by appointment but by anointment.

Let’s go back to 1 Samuel 16 where David is anointed as the next King of Israel. God has rejected Saul as King and sends the prophet Samuel to Bethlehem to anoint the new king. Jesse’s son, Eliab, steps forward first. He is tall, dark and handsome – a combination that’s good on any king, right? Wrong. God tells Samuel he’s looking on the outside appearance and not the heart on the inside. Eliab is not the next king. And neither are any of the other of Jesse’s sons that present themselves to Samuel. Until the youngest arrives. He was out in the fields taking care of the sheep and goats when Samuel sent for him. And there David is anointed as the new King of Israel. It was quite a ceremony to see. Complete with the pouring of oil and a rush of the Lord’s Spirit. Anointing literally means smeared. David was smeared in oil and most importantly in God’s presence.

But it would take at least 15 more years for David to be appointed as king. David was anointed but not yet appointed. And do you know what David did during these 15 years? He served Saul. He killed Goliath. He led the people of Israel into battle. While not yet having the appointment as King of Israel, he used the anointing placed on him to influence the people. And once he was finally appointed, he continued to use his anointing to lead the people.

Leadership has very little to do with position and everything to do with influence. Yes, positions come our way. We are parents, brothers and sisters, teachers, coaches, bosses, etc. Are we leading by our position or in our position? Often, we find ourselves waiting for position – a particular job, title or promotion – and don’t realize our greatest opportunity to influence comes in the waiting. It’s in the anointment, not the appointment that great leadership happens. Ask God for the anointing – the smearing of His presence in your life – and let it rub off on everyone you come in contact with regardless of your position!

Just the other day I was driving through my neighborhood and saw a neighbor out walking her dog. Or should I say, I saw the dog out walking my neighbor? The dog was clearly in the lead with its owner an uncomfortable distance behind with a death grip on the leash! The dog was a nice-looking animal but was certainly no beast. It was medium size, not great dane-ish but not poodle-ish either. It was more like a golden retriever or a labrador. But it was obvious who was walking who. There was no denying who was in control. The dog was literally towing its owner down the sidewalk!

It was a rather comical sight and I must confess, I snickered a little. Okay, I laughed out loud. But then, like any good preacher (or any person hit with a swift sense of conviction), I had this thought: When it comes to me and God, who’s leading who?

Think about it. With you and God, who’s in charge? Do you come to God each day with your agenda all laid out prayerfully entreating Him to bless all you’ve got planned for the day? Or do you say, “Here I am God. I’m all yours today?” Do you yield to God’s promptings during the day, or do you call Him off like a pitcher who’s not happy with the signal he’s getting from the catcher? When God is trying to lead, are you a willing follower or do you have your heals dug in with a death grip on God’s invitation? If someone could drive around the corner and get a snapshot of your relationship with God, would it be clear to them who is leading who?

It was certainly a convicting moment for me. Take some time today and be honest with the question: Who’s leading who?