Series: Ministry Today

December 17, 2015

Christian Standard

Heaven on Earth

By Tim Harlow God has promised us overflowing abundance, immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine. And that”s now””we don”t have to wait for Heaven. My life”s mantra is “Heaven to Earth, Earth to Heaven.” I have it tattooed on my arm. I would have a longer mantra, but my arm is rather limited. That our mission is to bring Earth to Heaven is a given. That”s why we”re here. The gospel. Anyone who knows me realizes if I get to talk about one thing, it”s going to be the Great Commission. However, Heaven to Earth is a big part of why God

October 17, 2015

Christian Standard

Gut Check

By Eddie Lowen Pixar”s movie Inside Out is clever. It”s about an 11-year-old girl whose family moves from Minnesota to San Francisco. The genius of the film is its vivid and humorous portrayal of the memories, thoughts, and emotions that compete to control the girl”s behavior. If I had to select one word to capture all three of those elements””memory, thought, and emotion””I”d choose the word instinct. How good are your instincts? Let me guess: pretty good. As you read my question, you thought, I trust my gut. My instincts are above average. That”s the problem. Everyone thinks his or

August 31, 2015

Christian Standard

Back to the Present

By Eddie Lowen Over the last couple of years, I”ve heard several of my pastor heroes reveal what they would do differently (and the same) if they could start over in church leadership. Those talks have been rich with wisdom. Since I emulated them in multiple ways, I listened closely each time, wondering if they would express regret over something I mimicked. I carry notes from their leadership talks on my phone, an indication of the regard I have for the wisdom of these men. I reread and meditate on them. It seems wise to give weight to the reflections

July 26, 2015

Christian Standard

Call Me if You Need Anything

By Tim Harlow Where do you go when weariness sets in or you”re up against a problem that won”t be solved without some muscle? When my oldest daughter was almost 3, I remember her comforting me as I left for work one day. She said, “Call me if you need anything.” Now I”m sure she meant it more sincerely than the person she had heard the empty phrase from (probably me), but all I could do was laugh. “OK, Rachel, if I have some trouble in this big crazy world, I”ll give you a call and see if you can help

June 1, 2015

Christian Standard

Missed Turns

By Eddie Lowen Three college buddies and I decided to attend a conference that was 1,200 miles away. Inadequate budgets didn”t allow us to book a hotel along the way. Inadequate brains didn”t allow us to consider anything other than a 24-hour marathon drive. During the early morning hours of our journey, as three of us napped, our on-duty driver missed a turn. About an hour later, I awoke and asked, “Where are we?” The answer: 50 miles off course. That”s how missed turns are discovered. Someone wakes up and says, “Hey, this is not where we intended to be.”

May 22, 2015

Christian Standard

Preventing Regret

By Tim and Denise Harlow Yes, you can start over. But why not do the work now to create a marriage you can remember with quiet joy instead of sadness or shame? My son-in-law texted me a picture of my grandson during a special moment in our service, right after I”d preached about adultery. It felt like more than a coincidence. It felt like God saying, This is why you stay in your marriage and are faithful to your wife. I”m in a stage of life where I can spend a little more time looking back, which made this Scripture

April 24, 2015

Christian Standard

Super-size Your Volunteer Base

By Eddie Lowen In August 2014, our church raised up 700-plus brand-new volunteers and commissioned our entire volunteer force for a new era of volunteer ministry. Below are excerpts of the talk I delivered at Volunteer Bootcamp 2014. Readers are welcome to adapt and use it. When Marshall Faulk played college football at San Diego State, he entered training camp as the team”s fifth-string tailback, eventually working his way up to second-string. Early one game, the starting tailback was injured, so the coach gave Faulk the nod. The rest is football history. In the remaining three and one-half quarters, Faulk

March 21, 2015

Christian Standard

Jesus Killed a Tree

By Tim Harlow I don”t fancy myself an extreme environmentalist. I”m not a “tree hugger,” but I do respect nature. I have cut down a few trees that were past their prime, and I once accidently killed a small one with a golf cart, but I do love trees. Where I live, the only trees are ones someone planted. So the story of Jesus “zapping” a tree is fascinating to me. Early in the morning, as Jesus was on his way back to the city, he was hungry. Seeing a fig tree by the road, he went up to it

February 1, 2015

Christian Standard

Gagology and the Gospel

By Eddie Lowen Not long ago, Drew Dyck read this inspirational quote from Oprah Winfrey on the java jacket of his Starbucks coffee cup: “The only courage you ever need is the courage to live the life you want.” The Leadership Journal editor instinctively analyzed this Oprahism. It”s exactly what you”d expect from Oprah. Or Joel Osteen. Having an eye for theological truth””more simply known as truth“”Dyck realized what was intended as inspiration was actually a giant dose of what I call gagology. He was so troubled by the misleading potential of Oprah”s message that he literally crossed-out the word

January 3, 2015

Christian Standard

Do You Have Eyes But Fail to See?

By Tim Harlow I will never forget getting glasses for the first time. I was in fifth grade and was evidently in worse shape than anyone realized, because I was blown away by the clarity I suddenly experienced. I distinctly remember telling my mom, “I can see the leaves on the trees!” Until then, I had no idea there were actual individual leaves on trees. I just thought it was a big green blob on top of a brown trunk. Clarity was amazing. I was reading in Scripture the other day about another blind man, and he had an experience

December 7, 2014

Christian Standard

In Praise of Pretending

By Eddie Lowen Few values have bigger buzzword status in the Christian community than authenticity. I”m glad. Sincerity is always in season. When churches and church leaders are genuine in motive and style, spiritual seekers find and follow them. Everything written about reaching young adults stresses the importance of “authentic community.” While the phrase now seems overused, the value can”t be overemphasized. It”s crucial. But I do have one caution concerning authenticity. In my own journey with God, growth has not always felt natural. Some of the progress I”ve made has been forced and awkward, rather than instinctive. So, I”ve

November 2, 2014

Christian Standard

Do You Have SCD?

By Tim Harlow If you think about it, the whole idea of getting to live in Heaven with God one day, based totally and completely on the grace of Jesus, is a remarkable concept. Most of us have lived in the world of Christianity long enough that we just don”t appreciate it enough. One day a Christian kid was talking to his friend about the concept of Jesus and Heaven. The other kid was blown away. He said, “Are you telling me that all I have to do is follow Jesus and I can go to Heaven?”Â  “Yes, it”s that

October 27, 2014

Christian Standard

Critics Calling

By Eddie Lowen My family keeps in touch almost exclusively by text message, so only a small percentage of our communication is by phone call. But when my wife or children do call me, I nearly always answer. If I”m in a meeting or a conversation, I excuse myself to take the call.  Years ago, I allowed those calls to go to voicemail because I wanted to be “professional” in my work. I later concluded that was a misplaced priority. I”ve decided it”s more important to be a reliable husband and dad than a perfect employee, so I always answer

September 6, 2014

Christian Standard

Why Would You Be the President of the NACC?

By Tim Harlow I made a joke the final day of the North American Christian Convention when I appointed my friend Mike Baker as next year”s president. I knighted him with a sword (because Mike and I are weird that way), and then I said, “But I”m keeping the sword””because you might be tempted to fall on it sometime this year.” In case you are wondering, there is no pay involved in being the president. Actually it”s the opposite; your church or organization will likely have to spend money on it, and it will cost you in many ways. Is

August 29, 2014

Christian Standard

How Are Things at Home?

By Eddie Lowen Why are you serving on that board or with that mission? How do you decide when it”s better to say no? Have you ever heard the wife of a construction contractor brag about all the work her husband does around the house? Neither have I. Normally, Mrs. Contractor complains, “My husband does amazing improvements on other people”s houses, but it”s like pulling teeth to get him to work on our home.” Some churches have a similar dynamic. Here”s how it develops: a capable minister does good work and establishes a positive reputation. He is asked by parachurch

July 6, 2014

Christian Standard

Simon-Says Religion

By Tim Harlow The religious leaders in Jesus” day were great at it. The religious leaders I looked up to as a kid were great at it. And as a religious leader today, I am great at it, too. I call it “Simon-Says Religion.” Here”s how it works: I, as the all-knowing “Simon,” call out my interpretations of God”s rules, and everyone else must conform their behavior. Woe to you, blind guides! You say, “If anyone swears by the temple, it means nothing; but anyone who swears by the gold of the temple is bound by that oath.” You blind

June 22, 2014

Christian Standard

Confessions of a Mission Statement Cynic

By Eddie Lowen I would not trade””for anything””the experience of seeing what happened with our team when we united around the words of our vision and mission. For a long time, I was a skeptic and contrarian regarding church mission statements. To my eye, nearly all were synonymous, so why bother? Besides, isn”t the church”s mission already expressed in Scripture? Jesus said he came to seek and save the lost. He commissioned his followers to preach the good news to everyone. His words are clear and compelling. Best of all, using the words of Jesus does not require several days

May 29, 2014

Christian Standard

Why Jesus Wouldn”t Work for Your Church

By Eddie Lowen We both know I can”t really speak for Jesus. But you have to admit””my title makes a compelling claim, and for the moment, I stand by it. If Jesus had to suffer being an employee at many churches, there would be more than one table-throwing incident credited to him. Before you conclude I”m one of those hipster church haters, wait. I don”t hang with that crowd. People who love the church more than me are tough to find. I even loved the church during the mauve-colored pew era, but that”s a theme for another article. Do you

May 19, 2014

Christian Standard

Just Hold On

By Tim Harlow I tried to teach my friend how to water-ski. As with most sports, a novice needs to understand some basic things if he is to stand any chance of early success. For example, I”ve been golfing for more than 40 years and I still sometimes forget to keep my head down. There is just no way to hit a golf ball well if you”re trying to watch where it”s going while you”re swinging the club””just no way. With water-skiing there are two mistakes a novice typically makes: (1) trying to pull himself up as he is coming

April 25, 2014

Christian Standard

Ministry Confidential

By Eddie Lowen “Can I speak to you, confidentially?” A church leader is asked some form of this question at least several times a year. Normally it comes from within the church, but it can also be voiced by nonattendees. For relationally gifted leaders with a pastoral bent, requests for confidential conversations are more frequent. The most important response to a request for confidentiality is the initial one. Many church leaders feel an ethical or pastoral obligation to grant the request without qualification. With no clue about what will be reported or confessed, many church leaders indiscriminately reply by saying,

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