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Secret #2 of Successful Revolutionaries

Another secret to being a revolutionary Christ-follower is to always give your best effort. Obviously, if we are living everyday as if it might be our last, we will give our best efforts to whatever it is God has us doing at any given moment in time. Paul was able to say, "I have fought the good fight." The words Paul's uses here for fought and fight refer to an athlete, most likely an Olympic athlete, who agonizes in the competition, every fiber of every muscle straining for the finish line. Most Olympic athletes know that they will likely never have the opportunity to compete in another Olympics, so they make the very most of the opportunity and give it everything they've got. It has been amazing to watch the winter Olympics and see St. Paul skier Lindsey Kildow experience two serious crashes, yet pick herself up to ski yet another event - that's giving it your best effort! We need to realize that every experience and opportunity we face, no matter how mundane it might seem, is a part of God's shaping and using us to advance his Kingdom. Revolutionaries make the most and give their best effort to everything they put their hand to.

Secret #1 of Successful Revolutionaries

One of the first secrets for being a successful revolutionary is recognizing and embracing the reality that life is short and uncertain. This is something the apostle Paul understood and embraced, which enabled him to live every day as if it might be his last. Having experienced numerous ship wrecks, stonings, betrayals, beatings and deprivations of every sort, Paul knew that if he was going to do something for God it had to be TODAY, because there might not be a tomorrow. As a result, when Paul neared the end of his life, he was able to say with calm and confidence, "The time of my death is near. I am being poured out as an offering ... I have fought the good fight, I have kept the faith, I have finished the course" (2 Timothy 4:6-7, Rima paraphrase). Paul was the kind of guy who "left it all on the field" and as a result God used him to turn the world upside down! I think sometimes we get stuck living in the "Someday Syndrome" where every day is filled with good intentions about what great things we'll do for God ... Someday. But revolutionary Christ-followers know that there might not be a tomorrow, so they live every day as if it were their last. We have no guarantees for tomorrow. I just read about Christian pianist Anthony Burger, who collapsed and died on February 23rd in the middle of a performance on a Christian cruise. David Bloom, up-and-coming NBC network reporter died unexpectedly while covering the war. He woke up one morning, walked out of his personal carrier to stretch and collapsed and died on the desert floor - no warning. My own nephew, Justin Rima, 18-years-old; had just won the Seattle International Film Festival for best short film, incredibly gifted and talented, fell sick in October and by New Years Eve he had passed away from a failed lung transplant. But Justin had been living like a revolutionary. He wasn't waiting for more formal education or special invitations. He was already writing and directing films on Teen suicide and family relationships that were making a profound difference in the world! Justin's example reminds me to live like a revolutionary ... like every day might be my last.

Revolutionary Reading

I recently finished reading Frederick Douglass's classic memoir, "Narrative of the Life of an American Slave," as well as Nelson Mandela's epic "Long Walk to Freedom." Both books are written by men facing absolutely impossible odds. The chances of changing either American slavery or South Africa's Apartheid astronomically low. These were deeply rooted social systems protected by the status quo and the existing government structures. Changing them would require nothing short of a revolution. Slavery and Apartheid could not be changed by simply tweaking the system! In spite of the impossible odds of success, both men saw these respective unjust systems outlawed during their lifetimes. But there is still much to accomplish in both areas.  Another area where I believe we need to see a metaphysical revolution take place is within the local church as we know it today. It seems like an impossible task - to cut ourselves lose from centuries of deeply ingrained attitudes and governance structures that have stifled the body of Christ. But nothing is impossible with God!

Food For Thought on Food

It is estimated that in 2004, 576,000 Minnesota households DEPENDED on foodshelves for their survival (estimate by Hunger Solutions, MN). Today the Star-Tribune reported that the demand for help from foodshelves has grown by as much as 50% in the past four years! Average Americans are being relentlessly squeezed by rising fuel costs, housing expenses and the continually rising price of medical care and prescription drugs. Many Minnesota familes are just one medical emergency away from bankruptcy. For many families today it is a constant tension between heating the house and putting food on the table. And these are not primarily homeless, non-working people. A recent survey found that today, 38-47% of foodshelve users are working fulltime and nearly one third of foodshelves are forced to turn people away because of shortages. This is a growing problem not just in Minnesota, but across the country. My question is, what are we as the Church doing to eliminate this problem? What are we doing to ensure that none of the families in our local fellowship are sending kids to bed hungry or living without heat? What mechanisms do we have in place to identify those who are struggling but too ashamed or embarrased to ask for help? As church leaders, are we taking seriously our need to give primary leadership to this situation? I cannot think of anything more important in the life of the local church than ensuring that the people in our faith community, as well as those in our neighboring community, have their basic needs met. True revolutionary Christ-followers care deeply about the working poor and those struggling to keep their homes warm and food on the table. For more information go to: www.2harvest.org or www.hungersolutions.org  or take some time to read the book "Consuming Religion: Christian Faith and Practice in a Consumer Culture ... just DO SOMETHING! 

Leading the Revolution

This past weekend I spoke to about 100 college students and a few high school seniors at the Iowa Student Leadership Conference in Des Moines. The conference is an offshoot of the National Prayer Breakfast in Washington, D.C. and is sponsored and hosted by U.S. Senator Charles Grassley and his wife Barbara. It is for college students who have been nominated to attend because of their current leadership and potential for future leadership. It was truly an inspiring and energizing event to be a part of. I spoke four times from Second Timothy on the theme of "Leading the Revolution."  I spoke about the need for leaders to live as revolutionary Christ-followers in our crumbling culture. Many of the students were interested in the Bethel Masters in Transformational Leadership and they wanted to talk about how best to make an impact for Christ in our world. Every time I spoke they were incredibly attentive and actively engaged; taking notes and tracking with everything I said. It was an honor to be with this group of students and so encouraging to see Senator and Mrs. Grassley interacting with these kids by leading a small group throughout the weekend. Our theme was taken from 2 Timothy 4:6-8 and I sense God used the time in a powerful way - at least I know He did in my life. After being surrounded by these students for the weekend, I am encouraged and excited about how God is raising up the next generation of leaders to advance His cause.