Stolen from Craig Groeschel……

Instead of always knowing “what” is happening with a project, what we really need to know is “who” is covering the project. If we have the right “who,” we shouldn’t have to worry about the “what.”

If we have the wrong “who,” then we need to know the “what.” If you always need to know the “what,” you have one of two problems:

1. You are not an empowering leader.
2. You have the wrong “who.”

Either way, the problem needs to be fixed.

I find there is a direct correlation between the right “who” and my own level of confidence. There’s also a correlation between my level of worry and eventually figuring out the wrong person is on the bus.

So, its all about the people. The right people.

Tell me what you believe, and I’ll decide whether your really believe that based on how you behave. Beliefs produce behaviors. For a time you may behave in a way that is inconsistent with your beliefs, but over time, your behaviors will always realign with your beliefs.

This is a spiritual principal, a universal law. It’s not just about matters of faith. It’s about life. Believe you are unworthy of success and you will repel it. When it comes near, you will sabotage it. Believe you are unworthy of love, and when you are smitten by a beautiful woman or a handsome prince, you’ll actually start behaving in a way that drives that person away from your life. Believe you can’t make the sale, and you won’t. Believe you can, and more frequently you will. The old adage says “Whether you believe you can, or you can’t, you’re right.” Beliefs produce behaviors.

If we want to change what our life produces, we must change our behaviors. If we want to change our behavior, we have to change what we believe. It’s really that simple. If you want more love in your life, doesn’t it make sense to change your behavior so that you are giving more love, and that in so doing you’ll attract more of that to yourself.  Changing your behavior to attract more love starts with believing that you are lovable, that you deserve love, that you are worthy to be loved. I believe it starts by realizing you are loved by God. When you look in the mirror and see someone that God loves, and you say to that person in the mirror “You are worthy of love” you begin setting up the mental framework that allows you to be loved, to accept and receive love when it comes from another person.

Conversely, if you want more ill will in your life, just start being mean-tempered with everyone. I’ll bet there’s a 100% chance you’ll start drawing nasty agitation into your life.

Here’s the principle: What you believe determines how you behave. How you behave determines what you produce. Produce is the fruit, belief is the root. Behavior is the action that connects the two.

Now, here’s the spiritual point to this observation. For a long time our churches have produced “Statements of Belief” in which we’ve argued fine theological nuances. I’m all for knowing what you believe, and being sure your beliefs rest on good logic, scholarship, and sound intellectual foundations. But what if instead of producing a Statement of Belief we produced a “Statement of Behaviors”?

Hmm. An interesting idea, don’t you think?

The first behavior could be something like this: I will be gracious and forgiving toward others because Jesus was and is gracious and forgiving toward me. It’s easy to discern the belief behind that behavior. The belief is that God forgives us and is gracious to us when we don’t deserve it. But the fact—imbedded in that belief—doesn’t have the same umph that the behavior does. The behavior is explicit. You are either doing it, or you aren’t. And if you aren’t it tells us something about what you believe.

Spiritually, I’d encourage you to take a look at your church’s statement of belief. Consider whether you could rewrite it as a statement of behaviors, then teach them and hold people accountable for those behaviors. It might just revolutionize and revitalize your relationship with God and give credence to what you say you believe.

Personally, take a look at yourself. What do you believe? How do you behave? How is what you are experiencing in life tied to that belief and the behaviors it produces? If you want to change what you produce, first you’ve got to change what you believe and how you behave.

I wouldn’t presume to be able to clearly and fully articulate with exact precision what it means to “be a Christian.” But a recent event in our own community has given me pause to reflect……

The former president of the local PTA has been arrested for stealing money from the organization. About $38,000 is missing. The press reports she’s admitted her guilt.

This is a woman we know. Practically everyone does. She’s lived large in attempt to be known—as many insecure people do—attempting to find acceptance. Besides heavy involvement in school she’s also served on the local city council. She and her children have been in our home. Her oldest daughter is the same age as mine. That’s where this story is going.

Another lady who I consider a friend, and who is an overt Christian, is said to have instructed her child to have nothing to do with the children of the alleged thief because “you are known by the company you keep.” Meanwhile, a third friend of mine (who does not profess Christ) has stepped up in great concern over how this woman’s children may be ostracized because of their mother’s crime. You know, teenaged girls can be cruel.

Who is right, my friend the Christian who vows disassociation, or my friend who doesn’t believe, but is overt in being gracious to the children? No question: I’m with the pagan. My Christian sister has missed the point. If ever these children (and the alleged thief herself) needed to see the love of God in action its now. The woman deserves and will likely get whatever punishment comes from her crime, but to ostracize her children because of their mother’s crimes would unfairly and unrighteously compound the damage. If these kids are to survive the upheaval in their family life they need a vivid demonstration of acceptance and graciousness. They need a refuge from the Hell that has enveloped their lives, not an indictment from those of us with theological expertise on Hell. Which brings me to the question: what does it mean to be Christian?

I believe those of us who call ourselves Christian have gradually slid into grave error by defining “Christian” by the language a person chooses, the beverages they drink, the movies they watch, the tattoos they have, what they do or have done with their sexual organs, etc. We’ve missed the whole point. We who have received grace live and behave as if we’d never needed it in the first place. That’s a real problem. It’s living like a Pharisee, who coincidentally were the most frequent targets of Jesus’ wrath.

Language that lifts is important—even scriptural—but sometimes certain words that those who are thought to be righteous wouldn’t use are in fact quite appropriate.

A friend of mine from long ago has politically maneuvered himself into being the leader of the largest denomination in our state. In a sermon carried by press across the state he recently trotted out the archaic Baptist sugar-stick about avoiding alcohol. In his sermon he essentially said “The Bible doesn’t say it’s a sin, but you still shouldn’t drink it.” Huh? He squandered a great opportunity to speak grace into our state and chose instead to beat people up over something that Jesus himself doesn’t condemn. He chose his topic—in my opinion—to ingratiate himself with a bunch of other guys in dark suits who also have their heads up…….er, in the sand.

Parenthetically, I remember a discussion with a Sunday School friend of mine about how Jesus related to people. The question I posed had to do with whether Jesus would sit down at the South Avenue Bar in Springfield and talk with the guys while they (and he?) had a beer. My friend finally balanced the emotional shock in her brain buy saying “Jesus wouldn’t go into the bar, but he’d stand out front on the sidewalk and talk with the people before they went in.” (OK, go ahead and guffaw!!! I know. I’m embarrassed to be associated with such weak thinkers.) By contrast, I find it delightful that some Jesus’ followers are taking the risk of hosting “Theology on Tap” nights at local establishments where the claims of Christ are presented to people who—gasp—are drinking beer.

I’ve been doing a lot of studying in the Old Testament lately, particularly surrounding King David who the Bible says was a man after God’s own heart. But let me tell you, David was a horny fellow, too. The sex and innuendo gets steamy, and that is outside of the Bathsheba episode. In fact, sex in the Old Testament is far from puritanical. It’s embraced as a normal part of healthy living, and is abusable just like drink, or language, or everything else. Our challenge is to embrace all of these passions and interests in a way that honors God, rather than making fools of ourselves and a mockery of him in the process.

The point I am feebly trying to make is that you aren’t a Christian because you have a plastic fish emblem on the back of your car, or because you do or don’t drink beer, or because you always maintain your composure and never utter a word that is verboten among Christians, or don’t have a tattoo on your butt or breast or……, didn’t tongue kiss before you got married. You aren’t even a Christian because you are nice to people and act like Jesus. One can only “be a Christian” by bowing their knee before the higher throne of Jesus, accepting his death as payment for their sin, asking His forgiveness, embracing His resurrection power to live beyond sin, and pledging their lives to follow Him. And then…..we go out and love people, seek to do good, to make a difference in the world, always telling the story of the one who loved us enough to die for us when we were unlovely and unworthy, and who loves them just the same. Then we invite them to follow Him alongside us.

Jesus was a friend of sinners. Those who follow him should be, too.

Shannon, you and your kids are welcome at my house anytime. In fact, I’d like to tell you about a friend of mine……..

Wrong thinkers would have us to believe—incorrectly—that the world is a soft, squishy, fuzzy, place of peace, platitudes……..sort of nirvana-esque. ‘Taint necessarily so. The real world is a place of “against.” People against people; systems opposing people; philosophies in conflict with philosophies; ideas at odds with one another……it’s a messy, chaotic, and somewhat dangerous place. Always has been, and always will be.

I go squishy soft when I’m in the presence of a baby, don’t you? Fat babies, sleeping babies, crying babies, laughing babies, slobbery poopy babies……..wow! Who wouldn’t love a baby?

I was reading in the Gospel of Mathew this morning and noticed that the very first thing that happened to baby Jesus was someone tried to kill him—when he was a baby! He hadn’t preached an offensive sermon, violated any religious code of conduct, or challenged authority. The most offensive thing he could have produced up to that moment was a really malodorous diaper. Yet right after his birth, the government marked him for death.

Hmmm.

Soft? Fuzzy? Squishy? Peaceful? NO!

Against.

What I take from that lesson is this: in this world you will have much trouble (Jesus said that). It is a place that is “against” occupied by people who are “against” and any notion of permanent ease and peacefulness this side of Heaven is folly. But I also know that Jesus said “I have overcome the world.” Even in this dangerous place we can live in joy, with happiness and confidence.

I’m going to have a great day. It may or may not  be an easy one, we’ll see. But it’s going to be a good one and I will rest my head on my pillow tonight and sleep soundly knowing that I have done my best to make it better, to make a difference for others, and maximally use the life He’s given to me.

Even in the darkness you can choose to walk in the light.