Theology Thursday 21 - Take Comfort In Rituals

rit▪u▪al: an established or prescribed procedure for a religious or other rite.

Starbucks’ fall marketing campaign revolves around the phrase “Take comfort in rituals.” There are standees, like the one pictured, and signs all over Starbucks telling people to take comfort in rituals like pumpkin spice lattes and pumpkin cream cheese muffins. It’s an ingenious marketing campaign that elevates Starbucks’ food and beverages to the level of religious rites.

I’m all for clever marketing and I do enjoy a nice pumpkin spice latte once in a while, but it feels like we’ve lost something when the rhythm of our rituals is defined by Starbucks instead of God. God commanded his people to fall in line with a rhythm of ritual.

Three times a year all your men must appear before the LORD your God at the place he will choose: at the Festival of Unleavened Bread, the Festival of Weeks and the Festival of Tabernacles. – Deuteronomy 16:16

God commanded his people to participate in three rituals of celebration throughout the year; he understood that it was necessary for humans to celebrate and reflect on the goodness of God. Without carving out the time necessary to reflect on God’s goodness, humanity could easily forget the source of all goodness and even claim responsibility for it themselves. Rituals allow us to create the space we need to acknowledge God’s provision and celebrate his goodness.

That’s all Starbucks is asking us to do, to reflect on the goodness of a pumpkin spice latte and the feelings of warmth that come from the autumnal season. If we are followers of Christ, though, we have much more to celebrate than a latte or warm fuzzy feelings. The God of the universe loves us, brought us back into relationship with him and now allows us to participate in his redemptive work in this world. And if we took the time to build in some rituals, to find some rhythms of celebration, then we’d be better able to recognize the goodness of that God and celebrate it with every breath we take.

In what rituals do you participate and why do they hold value?

Leadership Wednesday 23 - Reading and Leading

“Leaders are readers.” – Dave Ramsey

I can’t remember how many books I read in high school but I know it was a lot less than I was supposed to. It’s not that I didn’t enjoy reading, I just wasn’t disciplined enough to force myself to do it. It was difficult to sit down and read when there was always a show to watch, a game to play or friends to hang out with. This lack of discipline when it came to reading continued throughout college and even seminary. I was someone who read only when absolutely necessary and, when it wasn’t, I would play video games or watch TV.

Over the past year, however, I’ve begun to realize that if I want to be an effective leader, reading is always absolutely necessary. After meeting with one of our volunteers, I realized that the insights I had to offer were the same ones I had shared two months prior. In two months I hadn’t learned anything new; there were no new ideas influencing my thoughts so I ended up sounding like a broken record. As leaders we’re expected to bring something new to the table; if we’re not learning anything new, then we’re just going to keep bringing old thoughts and ideas. The world is changing, the contexts in which we lead are changing; we need to constantly refresh our minds in order to keep up with that change. I can’t rely on the knowledge I gained four years ago to help me navigate the world today; reading keeps that knowledge fresh and allows me to approach new challenges with a better perspective.

Gaining new knowledge through reading doesn’t supplant the old knowledge, it just fills it in, makes it more robust. Just because we read the newest book on leadership development doesn’t mean we have to forget the lessons we’ve already learned from Maxwell, Jesus and Macbeth. Reading infuses our brains with new ideas which we can then incorporate into older knowledge; with that broader knowledge base, we are better prepared to interact with the world and people around us.

Leaders are readers. I just hope that doesn’t mean I have to go back and read all those books from high school; A Tale of Two Cities was really boring.

What are you currently reading and what are you learning from it?

Topical Tuesday 26 - My 30th Year

Aaron Rodgers is the starting quarterback for the Green Bay Packers. He is one of the elite quarterbacks in the National Football League. His team has been pegged as a favorite to make it to the Super Bowl. He is 26-years-old.

As I begin my 30th year of life, when I hear about or see people younger than me who are far more successful, I often wonder what I’ve done with my life. Sure, I’ve graduated from college, earned a master’s degree, attained gainful employment and married the love of my life, but still – Aaron Rodgers is a quarterback and when Blake Mycoskie started Toms Shoes he was 30. Very often I lose sight of everything I have attained because I’m too busy looking at what everyone else has and has done.

When my vision gets out of focus like that, though, I need to remember that God didn’t put me on this planet to live Aaron Rodgers’ life or Blake Mycoskie’s. Sure, it would be sweet to be an NFL quarterback and it would be even sweeter to head an organization making a difference in the world, but that isn’t my task. Ephesians 2:10 says that God created me for works that he had planned long before Aaron Rodgers got drafted or Toms shoes became hip.

God has something in store for me.

God has a task designed especially for me.

God has gifted me to do something specifically for his kingdom.

God has done all the work, I just need to be faithful and go along with his plan for my life instead of gawking and envying the plans of others. I can’t remember where I heard it, but it was sage advice:

God didn’t create me to be the next Blake Mycoskie or the next Francis Chan; God created me to be the first Scott Higa.

I need to be faithful to that calling, trusting that God will lead me wherever he sees fit as long as I’m willing to go.

Complete this statement: “I want to be the next _____________.” Instead of focusing on being that person, how can you become the you God created you to be?

Music Monday 29 - Wake Up!

I spend a lot of time at Starbucks and while I’m waiting for them to get my coffee or finish taking my order I often peruse the CDs for sale. In the days before my budget, I would often give into the impulse to buy any CD I remotely wanted. This has proven a fruitful practice as I’ve ended up with a great Tony Bennett compilation and the Charlie Brown Christmas soundtrack among others. Last week as I waited for my venti iced coffee I saw the album Wake Up! by John Legend and The Roots. My impulse told me to buy it but Dave Ramsey’s voice in the back of my head told me no.

Luckily I got an iTunes gift card for my birthday and was able to pick up the album over the weekend. I’m a big fan of John Legend and I recognize the quality of The Roots, which led to my excitement over the album. Wake Up! is an album composed mainly of covers from the 60s and 70s; covers of songs that address social injustice, the harsh realities of war and the need for peace. I think it’s a great album musically but it’s the message that I really appreciate.

From what I hear on XM radio, a lot of hip hop and R&B music doesn’t carry much of a message these days. Well, I suppose it carries a message, but it mainly has to do with dancing in the club and being rich. Wake Up! harkens back to a different time when R&B music carried a deeper message about the ills of this world and the hope to repair them. John Legend and The Roots do an outstanding job of channeling artists of the past, like Marvin Gaye, to share a message that is needed today as much as it was 40 years ago. The music provides the perfect backdrop for the message; infectious beats and harmonies allow the lyrics fill your mind long after the track has ended. This staying power, then, keeps the message ruminating through your thoughts, allowing it to filter down to your soul. And a message about peace, love and justice can’t do the soul anything but good.

Theology Thursday 20 - In Visa We Trust

Moses said to them, “It is the bread the LORD has given you to eat. This is what the LORD has commanded: ‘Each one is to gather as much as they need. Take an omer for each person you have in your tent.’” The Israelites did as they were told; some gathered much, some little. And when they measured it by the omer, the one who gathered much did not have too much, and the one who gathered little did not have too little. Each one had gathered just as much as they needed. – Exodus 16:15-18

God gives us exactly what we need.

For 40 years the Israelites wandered through the desert and God always provided for them. As we see in the passage above, God’s provision of manna was never too much and never too little; he always gave the Israelites exactly what they needed. God may not rain down bread from heaven for us today but we should still trust in his provision.

As I was sitting through the last session of the Financial Peace University class I led through the summer, I began to think about how God’s provision related to credit cards. A large portion of the class focuses on eliminating credit card debt, which is gained by overspending and not preparing for emergencies. And even though God’s provision is everything we need, we often think we need more and turn to credit cards. God promises to give us everything we need but when we place our trust in credit cards we’re saying one of two things: either we don’t trust that God will take care of us or we think we need more than God is willing to provide.

When we turn to credit cards for provision, we’re a lot like the Israelites when they turned to Egypt and Assyria for protection. God had promised to be their God and care for his people yet, instead of trusting in his provision, the Israelites went wandering off. They either didn’t trust that God would care for them or that the provision he was willing to provide wasn’t good enough.

Credit cards are a practical way for us to say, “God, I don’t trust you” or “God, I don’t believe you’re going to give me everything I need.” Do we really want to say that to God? And further on down the road, when the debt stacks up and we finally decide to pay it back, how much of God’s provision is going to be spent paying for our lack of trust?

“The one who gathered too much did not have too much, and the one who gathered little did not have too little.” God gives us everything we need. How can you live that out today?

Leadership Wednesday 22 - It's My Fault

I am currently reading The Hole in Our Gospel by Richard Stearns, the CEO of World Vision. In the book Stearns describes the unlikely path that took him to World Vision and some of his experiences while there. It seems natural that he goes on trips all over the world and sees brokenness and injustice and then comes home all fired up to work harder and make a difference in the lives of those affected. I was somewhat shocked, though, when he admitted that over time the fire dies out, the brokenness and injustice don’t seem as imminent, and he slips back into his normal routines and almost forgets about what he saw.

Can you imagine the CEO of World Vision admitting that sometimes he gets so distracted by his office work that he forgets about the needs of suffering children around the world? That would have been like me forgetting how to turn on a computer or install updates when I was working as a computer consultant. I’m not judging Richard Stearns, I think about the needs of suffering children way less than he does; I’m actually impressed by his willingness to admit his faults, especially in something as public as a published book.

A huge part of leadership is acknowledging our faults to those we lead; it’s not like they can’t see them. Faults and growth areas are a natural part of life and as leaders we need to acknowledge them and create systems in which they can’t bring us down. Stearns writes about his efforts to personally help one child and how a picture of that child reminds him of the brokenness and injustice he is working against, even in the midst of a busy office schedule. Whatever our faults we need to be humble enough to admit them and strategic enough to address them. No leader is perfect but that doesn’t mean we need to embrace our imperfections.

How have you addressed your faults and growth areas?

Topical Tuesday 25 - The Table

Today is Alycia’s and my one-month anniversary. When I think about my grandparents who were married for 60 years, 30 days doesn’t seem like that much of an accomplishment. 60 years has to start with the first month, though, so it’s nice to have it under our belts. And, not only is it our one-month anniversary, but we also got our dining room table today.


It’s not much of a dining room table and we don’t have much of a dining room, but having it sitting there makes our apartment feel that much more like home. A table is more than a piece of wood with some legs where people eat; the table is central to relationships.

The table provides the central meeting location for families to discuss their days and strengthen their bond.

The table provides the context for so many late night conversations between friends, examining life and what God has in store.

The table stands as the central tradition to the Christian faith; taking part in the Lord’s Supper connects us to something larger than ourselves that stretches back, across thousands of years of the church, to Jesus himself.

The table is special. The table is central. The table is family. The table is home. And now our home feels a little more complete because of the table.

What does the dining room table mean to you?

Music Monday 28 - Budget Music

I’ve got a lot of music and most of it I procured legally. Though it would be interesting to figure out how much I’ve spent on music over the course of my life, it would also be a little scary; I’m sure I’ve spent thousands of dollars on music since I bought my first CD, a Weird Al Yanovic album, when I was 13. In the past few years, with the advent of iTunes, my desire to buy new music has been gratified immediately; now with the iPhone the gratification is even more immediate as I have the power to buy almost any album in the palm of my hand. Our married budget, however, has changed all of that.

As Alycia and I start our life together we’re on a pretty tight budget. We’re not poor and one step from destitution’s door but we are living within a budget thanks to Dave Ramsey and the steps he outlines in Financial Peace. As far as that budget goes, there isn’t any money reserved for new music; it’s just not there. And while I’m more than happy to live on our budget, I’ve had to change my practices when it comes to buying new music. Gone are the days of flippantly buying whatever album I wanted; now I have to be a little more strategic in my music purchases.

Part of that strategy is hoping for iTunes gift cards for my birthday, asking friends what is really worth my money and saving up my “blow” money so I can buy the new Linkin Park album or an old Nat King Cole compilation. Maybe someday we’ll be a position where $10 on iTunes isn’t such a big deal but at this point it is, and I’m all right with that. And maybe being more strategic and more careful in my music purchases will lead me to find something truly special instead of an album I purchase, listen to once and completely forget about.

If I was going to buy one new album, what should it be?

Leadership Wednesday 21 - The Forgotten Joy of Volunteering

I have been involved in ministry for the past 11 years. Of those 11 years I have been paid for five of them. At this point I still have more years logged as a volunteer than as a paid staff person; I like to think that I still remember what it’s like to be a volunteer.

I told myself that I wouldn’t forget what it’s like to have to work and go to school and then do ministry on top of that.

I told myself that I wouldn’t forget what it’s like to take a week off of work to counsel freshmen boys at summer camp.

I told myself that I wouldn’t forget what it’s like to feel guilty for missing a ministry activity that was scheduled during the middle of the day.

These are aspects of volunteering that I never wanted to forget and, for my part, I don’t think I have. However, while I haven’t forgotten the difficulties that come with volunteering on top of a busy schedule, I have forgotten the joys that come with it.

I thought that vocational ministry would make me forget the hardships of volunteering but it has done something much worse: it has made me forget the sense of accomplishment and fulfillment that come from volunteering. When I was a volunteer I gladly spent 25 hours a week doing ministry, because I loved it and it was my passion. I am still passionate about what I do, but I’ve forgotten that others can be passionate without getting a paycheck.

I’ve forgotten what it’s like to do ministry for the pure joy and opportunity to impact God’s kingdom. Since I can’t remember that joy, I’m hesitant to pass responsibilities off to volunteers; I think to myself, “Why would they want to stack chairs or run PowerPoint? I’m getting paid and I don’t want to do that.” I’ve forgotten, though, that volunteers aren’t interested in a paycheck; they’re passionate about serving God’s kingdom. And that passion will push them to serve God’s kingdom, even if that means stacking chairs or running PowerPoint.

If you volunteer in ministry, why do you volunteer? If you’re a paid staff person, how do you remember the passion that came before the paycheck?

Topical Tuesday 24 - Corn Sugar (A.K.A. High Fructose Corn Syrup)

On Tuesday the producers of high fructose corn syrup, the Corn Refiners Association, applied to the FDA to change the name of their product on nutrition labels. The Corn Refiners Association would like to change the name to “corn sugar”; they feel corn sugar more adequately describes their product.

The name change comes in the midst of a public outcry against high fructose corn syrup. People have begun swearing off high fructose corn syrup, blaming it for all the obesity in America. For some reason people think sugar is a healthier option and won’t contribute to obesity. Sugar and high fructose corn syrup have practically the same nutritional value; food companies just began using high fructose corn syrup because it was cheaper than sugar.

Whether soda or juices, the two biggest targets of the outcry, are sweetened with sugar or high fructose corn syrup, they’re still unhealthy. I gave up soda for five years because I knew that high fructose corn syrup wasn’t healthy for me, just as unhealthy as the same amount of sugar. I just don’t understand the outrage over high fructose corn syrup; it is sugar and sugar isn’t healthy. Are people going to get upset when they find out bacon is unhealthy, too?

Sugar, in whatever form, isn’t that good for you. It’s full of calories and has no real nutritional value. In moderation, though, it’s fine, just like any other bad food. If parents are worried about childhood obesity, they shouldn’t ask companies to take high fructose corn syrup out of their products; parents should be the ones to take the bottles of soda and juice out of their children’s hands.

How do you eat unhealthy foods in moderation? What’s your plan?

Music Monday 27 - The VMAs

The MTV Video Music Awards were on last night and the world looked on with annoyed indifference. When the VMAs first aired in 1984 they were a celebration of a new medium: the music video. Music videos were a new and exciting format, which made stars, like Michael Jackson, into superstars and permanently cemented one-hit-wonders into the national conscious. The VMAs were an immediate success, due in part to the shocking moments, but mainly because the subject of the awards, music videos, had a platform. People watching the show were emotionally invested in the nominees because they had actually seen all the videos, as MTV would constantly play them. These days, other than on YouTube, I don’t even know where I could watch a music video if I wanted to.

Here were the nominees for Video of the Year:

30 Seconds to Mars – “Kings and Queens”
B.o.B. (featuring Hayley Williams) – “Airplanes”
Eminem – “Not Afraid”
Florence + the Machine – “Dog Days Are Over”
Lady Gaga – “Bad Romance”
Lady Gaga (featuring Beyoncé) – “Telephone”

I have seen one of those videos and that’s because I watched it on YouTube. These days there is no set platform for music videos. When the VMAs first began, they were a celebration of a medium that MTV popularized; there had been music videos before MTV, but MTV legitimized them as an entertainment format. Now it seems, that as MTV has moved away from showing music videos, they have illegitimated the format, taking away its only viable platform. At this point it seems like MTV should stop the VMAs and begin airing an awards show for over-tanned ethnic stereotypes, teenage mothers and vapid reality stars.

There’s a good chance that this is simply a grumpy old man moment but it’s at least a justifiable one. MTV started out as Music Television and now it’s nothing more than a reality TV network with a long history. In that way, MTV is a lot like the new Cleveland Browns: a crappy organization with a storied history it doesn’t deserve.

Freeform Friday 15 - Diary of a Fat Kid, Part 02

A couple months ago I posted my first Diary of a Fat Kid to track my weight loss. At that point I weighed 178.5 pounds and for the next three months I hovered around virtually the same weight. In fact, three months later, I weighed in at 177.0 pounds. I was probably less committed and less focused on losing weight from April to July than I had been, but in the midst of preparing for a wedding and beginning summer programming at church, losing 1.5 pounds wasn’t too bad. After July 16, though, in about six weeks, this happened.


Over the course of a month and a half, when I wasn’t counting calories, weighing myself or putting much effort into working out, I gained 15 pounds. Most of those six weeks were spent away from home: camping, Vegas, wedding and an all-inclusive honeymoon. To be honest things could have been a lot worse. It is still a little upsetting, though, that over three months I was able to maintain my weight loss but in half that time I completely obliterated it.

Now that I’m back home and no longer going on vacation or staying at a resort that will give me all the dessert I want, my weight loss program is starting to get back on track. This whole week I have been counting calories and spending time on the treadmill and the Wii Fit. It’s my hope that I can get back to where I was over the next 6 weeks, and then continue onto my ultimate goal. I’ve had a lot of friends tell me that they lost weight for their wedding and then put it all back on. I figure at this point, I gained weight for my wedding, and should try to lose it again.

Theology Thursday 19 - Size Matters

I drive a pickup truck and I am often asked to help people pick up their stuff and move. When I drove a Honda Accord hatchback nobody asked me to help them move. That’s because size matters; size determines our actions. With a large pickup truck I can help people move, load up a bed full of supplies for a camping trip and pick up that new TV at Best Buy; because I have a large truck I can do certain actions. When I had an Accord hatchback, I was able to drive three people comfortably and move groceries; that was it. The size of my car limited my actions. Our view of Jesus is the same way.

If we have a large view of Jesus we’ll be able to do different actions on his behalf.

If we think Jesus is the creator of the universe…

If we think Jesus holds the entirety of creation together…

If we think Jesus changed the entre course of cosmic history by ushering in God’s kingdom…

If we think Jesus defeated sin, death, darkness and brokenness through his death and resurrection…

If we think Jesus presently works in this world to redeem and restore shattered lives and realities…

If we think these things about Jesus, which are very big things, then our actions on behalf of Jesus should strive to match them in scope. If we have a large view of Jesus, that should push us to large actions on his behalf. Not because we are great but because he is so much greater than anything we can comprehend.

If our view of Jesus is small, like an Accord hatchback, our actions will shrink to match that view. If we just think of Jesus as a cosmic teddy bear who is solely interested in making us feel less guilty and raising our self esteem, then our actions on his behalf will be just as small and narrow-minded as that image.

But if we want our actions on Jesus behalf to be large, sweeping movements that impact the entire world, then our Jesus needs to be bigger. We need to take him out of the small boxes in which we’ve confined him and let him be big: big in our lives, big in our relationships, big in our churches, big in our communities and big in our world. When we have that view of Jesus, we better understand who we’re serving, and that understanding will push us to give everything we have for the cause of our very big Lord.

What view of Jesus do you have? A pickup Jesus or a hatchback Jesus?

Leadership Wednesday 20 - 89-Years-Young

I went to my cousin’s wedding last weekend in Santa Cruz. It was a beautiful wedding, it was great to see my family and I was treated to my grandfather officiating the ceremony. Over the course of my life I’ve heard my grandfather preach sermons, teach Sunday school lessons and lead countless morning devotions as we prepared to eat pancakes on weekend trips to San Diego. Up until last weekend, though, I had never experienced my grandpa officiating a wedding.

I was talking to my grandpa before the wedding and I said something about how performing a wedding must be old hat by now, something he mastered long ago in his ministry career. I was floored when he told me that he was nervous because he had only done a handful of weddings in English over the course of his life; he had done numerous weddings in Spanish as a missionary, but not that many in English. My grandpa told me that he was also nervous because there were other pastors in the crowd like myself and my brother-in-law and my cousin’s husband. Can you imagine, my grandfather who has immeasurably shaped my life, was nervous, in part, because of me? I didn’t know what to say.

However, as I think about it now, even though my grandpa was nervous because other pastors, including myself, were going to be in the crowd, he is still the one teaching the lessons. My grandpa is 89-years-old, has more ministry experience than anyone I know, is the most faithful follower of Christ I have ever met, and yet was still nervous to officiate his grandson’s wedding. This weekend my grandpa showed me that you’re never too old to get a little better and you’ve never truly arrived to the point where you can’t go a little further. Even at 89-years-old, my grandpa understands that there’s always room to grow and that Christ is always worthy of the effort.

How do you continue to push yourself to grow, even when you think you’ve arrived?

Topical Tuesday 23 - Boise State vs. Virginia Tech

Virginia Tech and Boise State opened their season playing against each other last night. From everything I saw on Twitter, it was an amazing game, full of tension and excitement. Boise State ended up winning the game but that is about as much as I know because we don’t have cable.

We don’t have cable.

We don’t have satellite.

We don’t have FIOS.

As Alycia and I start our lives together, we’ve had to make some cuts in order to live within our budget. One of the first items excised from our budget was cable television. We have a very large, very nice television upon which to watch programming, but no programming for it. To be honest, I never really watched that much TV to begin with; so not having cable hasn’t made a huge difference in my life, except in the case of live sports.

It’s true I could have huddled in front of my computer and watched the game on ESPN 3 or gone to a friend’s house. However, that’s just not the same as sitting on your own couch, watching the game on your own TV, in your own home. Since I’ve gotten married, though, home has taken on a completely new meaning.

Home is making decisions together.

Home is thinking about the other person first.

Home is giving up cable because that’s what we need to do right now.

Am I bummed I missed the Virginia Tech and Boise State game? Yes. Am I bummed that home now means more to me than a place where I sleep and watch sports? Absolutely not. I know it sounds romantic and sappy, but I would gladly trade every instant classic from here on out for the home that I’ve found. That being said, I wouldn’t mind if I could sit in my new home next year and watch the BCS Bowl Games, Super Bowl, March Madness, Opening Day and NBA Finals.

Freeform Friday 14 - The Selfless Gene

One of my very favorite classes in seminary looked at the relationship between science and the church. We learned how the relationship had not always been as strained as it is these days; we learned that in the past science and the church were used to inform and advise each other to gain a greater understanding of the universe. Unfortunately, those days are long gone, and in the eyes of most observers science and the church seem to be at an impasse.

In his book The Selfless Gene: Living with God and Darwin, Charles Foster examines the relationship between Neo-Darwinists and New Earth Christians. Foster argues that while both of these groups stand on opposite sides of the spectrum, they agree on one major point: if the Neo-Darwinist view natural selection is true, then it excludes the existence of God. Foster highlights the trouble in holding onto either of these extreme views, that it doesn’t leave a lot of wiggle room for any new thoughts or new ideas. The book is a discussion of how to hold science and faith in both hands and live in the middle. He challenges the reader to examine some of their preconceived ideas and step beyond those to see how science or faith could expand their understanding.

While I enjoyed this book tremendously, it is not for everyone; it is written very much like a text book and contains some challenging ideas about the creation of the universe and evolution and how they relate to the biblical narrative. In the end, I think this book might be more challenging than edifying for some, which is I why I can’t really recommend it. If you are a Christian, though, and would like to read it, I suggest doing so in community; the book may be challenging but the discussion that comes from it could be tremendously edifying.

Theology Thursday 18 - God's Repuation > Mine

I am very concerned with my reputation. I want people to like me. I want people to think I’m funny. I want people to listen to what I say. I want people to think I’m good at my job. Basically, even though I graduated from high school over ten years ago, I still want to hang out in the cool area of the quad and I want everyone to know my name. I’ve come to realize, though, that God isn’t nearly as concerned about my reputation as he is his.

God cares more about his reputation than he does mine.

I am reading through Hosea and the first thing that God tells Hosea to do is marry a prostitute, Gomer. I imagine the stigma of marrying a prostitute in ancient Israel would be very similar to today’s stigma. No one I know wants to marry a prostitute; who would want to marry someone who practices unfaithfulness for a living? In spite of that, though, and the damage it would do to Hosea’s reputation, God tells Hosea to marry a prostitute.

Didn’t God know what marrying a prostitute would do to Hosea’s reputation?

Didn’t God know what marrying a prostitute would do to Hosea’s standing in the community?

Didn’t God know what marrying a prostitute would do to Hosea’s chances of eating lunch with the cool kids?

Yes. God understood all of these things but his reputation and his name and his glory were far more important than Hosea’s. God knew that Hosea’s marriage to a prostitute provided a living metaphor for what God’s people had done and through that metaphor God would ultimately be glorified, his name would be made greater. In the end, God cares more about his name being glorified than our own and so should we.

If given the opportunity to glorify ourselves or God, we should always choose God. He is the only one worthy of praise and his is the most glorious name. If God gives us the opportunity to grow his reputation at the expense of our own, we should take that opportunity every time; not because we shouldn’t necessarily care what others think about us, but because we should care what others think about our God more.

So any time we have the chance to give up our seat at the cool table to God, we should happily do it; he belongs there more than we do anyway.

Leadership Wednesday 19 - Dancing Pastors

“Do as I say, not as I do.”

The hypocrisy inherent in this statement is fairly obvious. Sometimes children accuse their parents of exemplifying this type of attitude. Parents tell their children not to do certain activities and then turn around and participate in those very same activities. The same hypocrisy can very often be seen in leaders. Thankfully, my senior pastor, Rob Acker, is not that type of leader.

When we returned from our honeymoon Alycia and I were very interested to hear what people thought about our wedding. We enjoyed our wedding but didn’t know if any of our guests had enjoyed themselves. As we spoke with some of our guests, everyone kept telling us about Pastor Rob and his moves on the dance floor; apparently he was getting down. Alycia nor I saw Rob’s dancing, but it made quite the impact on a number of people.

I like that Rob was so freely dancing at our wedding because it set an example of celebration and taking joy in life. The weekend after our wedding Rob gave a sermon on what it means to celebrate and revel in the goodness and love of God. I’m sure it would have been a fine sermon on its own, but it had a much greater impact because Rob was so readily living it out.

Leaders need to set the example, regardless of the example being set. As leaders we often think of our responsibility to set the example in solemn and serious matters; it’s important to set the example in actions like forgiveness and attitudes like humility. But it’s equally important to set the example in how we celebrate and acknowledge God’s goodness on a daily basis.