I thought for a minute about that. Our modern day heros include those who ran into the Twin Towers to help people during 911, or a soldier who goes over and beyond his required duty, or a doctor who doesn’t give up when everything in their patient’s body is failing.

None of these situations were manufactured for the person. Yet when when faced to it, these are the ones who reacted.

We call them heros. And rightly so.

My pastor went on to say it doesn’t do good to take yourself too seriously. Being a hero is a serious thing. What those people I wrote about did are serious things. But people like this aren’t motivated by making a name for themselves. People like this see a need and respond.

Sometimes they fail.

And sometimes they succeed.

But in each case there’s an urgent priority for something greater than one’s self.  How many people can you think of that you respect or admire because they’re completely selfish and unwilling to step out.

I thought back about that opening quote, and I tried to think of something inside of my control.

Still thinking…

Lust refuses to be satisfied.

Seems like such a no-brainer, right? Why go after something you can’t have. It’s not like it’s the quality of the journey to lust you’re living for, no; with lust, it’s all about the end result, destination.

And yet our reason concurs with the above quote, but it’s our hearts that often move us in that direction.

Hearts get such a good reputation in mainstream thinking, but we have to watch them and keep them safe. Or else we give them to lust.

And lust refuses to be satisfied.

I always look forward to his guest posts, so, without any more for me, here’s Beau:

A few weeks back my family and I had the opportunity to head to New Orleans for a quick get away. Saved a little cash, set a budget, and headed out to see friends. Many of our friends thought we were there for a conference, or something to do with the New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary (my alma mater). I was taken back by the fact that we would not just come to see friends. While there I started to think about friends and the three levels of friendships.

Level 1 – Acquaintance: You know their name and a little bit about them, but they are nothing more than that. They are not people you go out of your way for, and you would not think they would even call you. If you are in the room with them you say hi, maybe talk about trivial things. This is not a bad thing. We need people like this. If we were honest, those that we attend church with, this is where our relationships are with them. People will try to push you to level 2 if they are better friends with the person you would call an acquaintance.

Level 2 – Friends: The people you can carry on a good conversation with. People you do not need a third party (mutual friend, TV, music, movie, sports) to avoid awkward pauses. They know you and you know them. Friends take and are an investment. They are the middle level. This is where you find out if you are going to take it to level 3 or possibly leave them for Level 1. Many friendships make it to this level, but do not stay here. We need people to be friends with, but something has to trigger the friendship to move to level 3.

Level 3 – Best Friends Forever: They are very hard to come by. They are people that love you for who you are. They enjoy being with you and you with them. They are the type of people that you may not talk with for months and then you see them an you do not miss a beat. It does not take much time to catch up, because you know the person well enough that you can guess their life choices. It does take a lot of work to get the friendship here. You need to invest, but once you are on Level 3, usually unless you or the BFF do something really stupid you will always be friends. If you live close by each other, when you are not together people start to wonder. People just assume when you say I am going here or there, there is a good chance the BFF will be there, too. 2 for 1 special, or in our case sometimes 8 for 1 special.

Our New Orleans friends are mostly level 3′s. They are people we keep up with on facebook or through blogs, but do not talk to on the phone, well at least not me. It was awe-wait for it-some (been watching HIMYM) to see some people we have not seen since we left New Orleans almost a year and half ago, and it was like we never left. Maybe that is because our friends are stuck in a rut and nothing exciting has happened for them. I would like to think it is because we know them so well that even though we are not with them all the time that when we see them it is like nothing has changed, even though many things have changed.

That is my thoughts on friends. Find them, and find them on all levels.

Side note every time I think about friends it reminds me of this.

Until Then

Beau from Lakeland, FL

I love this lady and she loves Jesus. She’s truly an amazing testimony of God’s goodness. I just hate that I am not able to share. Then I started thinking….

Fear. Trust. Faith.

The whole situation has made me evaluate my fears. There are the cultural accepted fears: those fears of animals (keep the snakes away), heights, places, and particular activities. Yet, the fears with the most power in my life are those that tend to be more silent, fears related to rejection and failure. Not too comfortable even admitting that. However, through this whole process of trying to put my heart and hands around my friend’s fear, I realized there is a reason why I am told to “fear not.” There is the holy, righteous, fear of God, but that’s not what I am talking about.

See, my friends’ fear has kept me from being able to share with you her incredible story. My fear of rejection and failure does not only affect me but those around me. More than that it really says to the one I love most: Lord, you’re not big enough for this. Or worse, “I don’t trust you.”  Fear ultimately perpetuates the cycle of “me.” My fear keeps me from doing what the Lord said do.

I am not saying that my friend is being selfish, that’s not the case at all. However, I think in her mind the possibility of something happening is too great a risk and she is not ready to communicate through the issue. Currently, it is easier to just abandon ship.

Fear. Trust. Faith.

I cannot follow hard after God by faith if I cannot trust him with absolutely everything. The only room for fear is the holy fear that keeps me dethroned.

God can be taken at His word.

mms

My brother makes a big impact on everyone he meets, and typically not a good one. I was on staff or maybe just a member at the time. I even convinced Joe to help me out with a  program for elementary aged boys on Wednesday nights at church and to go to camp with them. We had fun and Joe bought a camera, so in a way I single handedly kick-started Joe’s photography expeditions.

My name is Beau Bredow, and I am a Baptist minister living in Lakeland, Florida. I oversee the elementary children’s programs and Bible study programs at Scott Lake Baptist Church. I am married to Andrea–you guessed it: Bredow–and we have a two-year-old son named Blake, and another child on the way (coming in February of 2011). I am a Christian (a person who does his best to love Jesus and show His love to others through words, actions, and lifestyle).

Not sure what I will write about each time. I have my own blog, but the topics I discuss there are direct more toward church ministers and church ministry, but much is applicable to life, leadership, and relationships. Before this gets too long and boring, I’ll tell you now. I want to talk about TRIBES.

Seth Godin is, well, I am not really sure what exactly he is or does, but I heard him speak a few years back at a leadership conference where he talked about his new book called tribes. (You can download a free audio book here). At first I thought, what does this have to do about anything? After all, when I spend 300 dollars for a conference, it had better be about me. Years later I am still thinking about the tribes concepts.

Tribes are: groups of 3 or more people with at least one thing in common and have a leader. Anyone can be the leader, but typically the person with the most passion or interested naturally becomes the leader. People are asked to be part of these tribes (groups) and are expected to participate and be involved with whatever the purpose is while promoting it to others.

Think about groups on Facebook, AA classes, social groups, Tea Party, politics, Bible study classes, Trekies, Vampires, Harry Potter, Disney, Red Hat Society, Mason’s, Justin Bieber followers, Twitter, or as simple as a I-am-so-cool-I-have-my-name-tattooed-on-my-arm tribe (which I started, but canceled). I was sharing tribes with a friend, and she just could not get the point or the importance. I told her to start a Facebook page for red-haired, curly headed girls. The purpose to discuss hair styles and products for their hair and bond with other red-heads. Not sure if she ever did it, but if I had red, curly hair and was a girl I would join it. It’s informative, holds a status of belonging, and gives useful tips; these are things everyone is looking for, even for something as superficial as hair.

I think Joe has strong potential when it comes to tribes. When there is something Joe cares about, buys into, and finds reward in, he takes off and leads it. Photography, music, New Orleans, movies…

For me, what stands out are the principles found in starting Bible study groups. Once I have a leader who is passionate about sharing the Bible with people I can start the group (tribe). He or she as a leader will invite people to be part of it. If the group is, say, for young-marrieds, he will find all the young married people he can find to be a part of the group. The group needs to be marketed broadly, but defined specifically to those that qualify. The group is open to both those in the church and not a part of the church. The group’s purpose is to share life together, discuss the Bible, meet regularly, and start more tribes.

I have never met a person that did not wants friends, to be included, find purpose in what he or she is doing, and not to be judged for what he or she believes. These groups are very easy to get into, but if the follower (participant) does not hold up their part of the agreement to attend, participate, and promote the group, he or she will need to be removed because the group is the more important than the individual person. Some people want to make these groups broad, vague, and inclusive; but smaller, exclusive, and targeted groups have the most success, and they are the ones that people want to belong to.

Think about a person standing on the outside looking into what he or she really wants. He will do anything to get into the group, even start a new group of his own.

For me Tribes is important for developing Bible study groups. What kind of tribe(s) do you want to start or be included in? And as a side note, if you want a Power Point with Notes on Tribes email me, and I can get it to you.

Until Then,

Beau Bredow

beaubredow@gmail.com
http://beaubredow.blogspot.com/

to err

More eloquently put Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe writes, “a clever man commits no minor blunders.” Have you ever thought of that in midst of screwing up?  I mean right in the dirty middle of the moment. Makes you feel a little better?

Maybe.

to err

At this point I almost feel obligated to mention Shakespeare’s “to err is human.”  But I won’t.

to err

Our erring gets a lot of airplay. That’s probably because we do it so much.

As a Christian, one is called to an extremely high standard. Higher than anything here worldly around us. Sometimes I treat this Standard more like my 74 pound duffel bag I didn’t check and am now trying to cram into that ridiculously shallow overhead compartment (that was clearly designed wrong in the first place)–all the while I can feel the mounting waves of frustration oscillate from directly behind me as a swelling line of people wait to find their own seat and cram it in their own too-small overhead luggage compartment. And, by the way, you’d think there would be some camaraderie here as they’re all about to attempt the exact same thing I’m failing at right now.

[long sigh]

That’s more what I see happening with my Standard. Too bad God didn’t make it more economical.

to err

If it bothers you that you mess up, that’s okay. If it hinders you, that’s not.

The two are not cause-and-effect, although, often without a thought, they are accepted this way. If you’ve ever learned to do something, play an instrument or develop a skill for a new job, the first thing you learn is there is no magic bullet, no fast way to get to the finish line. It’s a matter of hard work. That’s it.

That is exactly the way our Standard works. We mess up, we try again. And since our mess ups are inevitable, we can’t hold on to them as excuses or couches for our guilt to veg-out on.

Sometimes we have to strong-arm our humanity and move forward simple because we were told to. To cut all the confusing fat of happenstance and emotion that grays so many decisions, it’s helpful to remember the Knowledge we have is consistent and firm.

As the G.I. Joe PSA’s from the 80′s said, “Knowing is half the battle.”

~jOe

P.S. I would never in good conscience end a post with knowing is half the battle if it were not said by a G.I. Joe.

Don’t hate.

I realized I don’t really care about starving people in the world. I want to care, but I don’t.

Facts are facts, right.

As a result I decided not to eat today [Monday]. And it’s really working. Every time I feel hungry I think and pray for the hungry people. It’s amazing how focused and diligent I instantly become.

And because  it’s the physical stress of staving one’s self, it goes beyond a mental resolve or humane dedication, it becomes a constant drain on your psyche.

Crippling.

Okay, it’s not crippling me yet. I’m still typing and still working. But it sucks not eating for a whole day.

In case you forgot, there are twenty-four hours in a day.

The average adult breaths somewhere around 25,000 breaths during those twenty-four hours. And when you’re hungry and you haven’t eaten you feel a new pang for every breath. Every 25,000.

Think of doing that for two days in a row.

Think of doing that for your entire life.

The pattern of our faith is exemplified in the Bible. As I write the word ‘exemplified’ I feel I’ve heard it a hundred times. It’s cliche to the point of no meaning. Let’s put it this way. The model of our faith is so clearly and painstakingly penned by example after example that to miss it would be to miss the message of the Bible entirely.

But moving on. Have you ever compared King David–the King David who committed adultery and then a cover-up murder–to someone you know who committed adultary? I’m talking about someone with a face you can picture and a voice you can hear. It’d probably be a stretch to throw murder in there too, but if it fits, go for it.

In my mind, the two look nothing alike. Nothing.

When I imagine David, I see the entire picture of David, still cased in a warm crystal light. Still ‘a man after God’s own heart.’ Still acceptable as a role model. But when I think of the today example, I think of a person who has wasted critical opportunities in their life, has been deceitful, and should not be considered a role model.

Then what’s the difference?

My life, I would say.

In my actual interaction to the situation I see the small, dirty details of that person I know. Details that I don’t see in the Bible’s account of David, because in certain ways I’m so far removed from it. This has lead me to examine and reexamine what faith looks like in my ‘real’ life.

I make this point to illustrate that we have the Bible as an example of what to follow. The principles to which we enforce in our lives. But in that, our lives are to be lived, not replayed. We can’t treat the Bible like a script, because our relationship with Jesus is not a script. That would defeat its entire purpose.

Mile-Stones or notsomuch.

Believing has a way of cultivating expectation. God’s word has made it clear what we are to expect. Following Him is in antithetic to the world; therefore we can expect tribulation. Following Him our reward is in Heaven; therefor we should not expect it on Earth.

Following Him the last part of James 4 tells us no man is promised tomorrow, and it is with this that I begin to retake what faith should look like in my life.

It is always a great source of encouragement to me to recall one of the first missionaries to China who lived and worked and dedicated his life to spreading the gospel. And saw not one single convert. Not one! In a world that measures everything by numbers and membership roles, this would represent a colossal failure. But what was really happening was his faith manifesting God’s plan. After he was dead, the missionaries that took up his work immediately began to see converts. But not only that, they saw them by the truckloads.

This story has always been a great encouragement to me. Because numbers can me manufactured, or flat out made up. They are our human power. But following God and His plan is often something unmeasurable, even when He allows us a glimpse of His greatness, it’s still only a glimpse. A mercy on His part.

Real, daily faith can not be based on what we see, but should founded in what we hope for.  A hope that is the promise of God.

Lastly, a small set of words I refer to often:

“He has never lead me to enjoy the future or the past because neither exist. Only the present” – Hiram Campbell

Normally, our [read: my] nature is to smile and retort with some flowery form of “if you wouldn’t mind, to be so kind, and [shove] off!”  but, unfortunately, being in this position and responding ilke this would negate everything you’re working for.

Assuming, that is, you know what (and whom) you’re working for.

Have you ever thought in retrospect the differences between Sunday School illustrations of the right and wrong attitude, and real life?  Why is the gap between the two so big?  Really, conceptually, we all get it when we’re sitting in Sunday School.  But somehow real life tails this lesson at a deceptively slow pace.  Giving us too much time to get comfortable, and then, oops.  It’s like it has a mind of it’s own.  Oh wait.  It does.  It’s called Satan.

But it can’t be enough to slap a name on it.  To know there’s a problem and not do anything about it is useless, right?  right.  It’s under this guise I’ve been thinking about the significant difference that happens between the intellectual lessons we are taught and the practical examples we learn.

Is not pride the one thing that always gets left out on the front end?

For instance, we read the illustration of Jesus, perfection, and of the pharisees, our symbolic enemy in today’s world.  Then we read the illustrations of the disciples.  Those silly disciples, and how they keep messing up on the easiest of lessons.  In our minds, we’re Jesus.  Be honest.  I mean, yeah, you see a lot of ‘disciples’ around you, but ya know, come on.  Jesus.

Let me put it another way.  Anyone sitting in a cushioned, metal-frame chair can agree to be a martyr.  I have.  After all, the definition of a martyr is one who does for a cause they believe in, not one who dies as a punishment for their wrongdoing.  Jesus died like this.  I’m supposed to be like Jesus.  When I’m persecuted, this is what’s happening.

Well.  Hopefully.

But really, when was the last time you were a martyr.  In principle, not in real life, of course.  Aren’t we normally finding ourselves in the disciples’ position instead.  Our lives turned upside down by principles that are contrary to the world around us.

This is where our duality comes in.  Die to our old self (which was already dead), and live to our God who saved us.

The core of so many of the issues we face involves putting our own pride first.  We have a right to be here or do this, how dare you repress and take that from me.  Me.  If we’re REALLY being honest, and we do a little research, we can see what a deep-set social condition this is.  Example: were our founding fathers biblical in their rebellion from England?  Not if Jesus tells us to submit to government.  Oooo.  Right.

Maybe that ‘founding father ‘ reference seems a little left-field at this point.  It’s not.  As logical, thinking entities, we strive to find consistancy.  This is the fundamental principle of logic and learning.  It’s how we are.

When you read the Bible, and you compare it to life, all kinds of questions arise.  Many are centered in our daily lives–why we do what we do.  To understand that is to know the motive.

Most of the time I find myself in a position fighting for my pride.  whether I single-handedly shoveled that gargantuan hole I’m standing in, or whether I was simply pushed into it.  I’m here defending something.  My right.

Again, to go historical on you, it reminds me of the nine most famous words from Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address: “of the people, for the people, by the people.”  Normally, you hear the emphasis on the word “of.”  But I’ve heard historians claim the emphasis was actually on the word, “people.”  Of the people, by the people, for the people.

Don’t misunderstand my patriotism or my respect for the people who selfishly died and continue to die for all the freedoms I abuse today.  It’s there.  And I hold these people in great regard.  But like the old saying: don’t throw out the baby with the bathwater.  to leave this sentiment alone solely our of respect would be a huge mistake and oversight on our part as Christians.

Our world in America is centered around what is best for us, seemingly by design.  We are individuals who strive to be unique.  We are born and bred to conquer, strong-arm, and crush anything that finds itself between us and that goal.

Poor “anything” one might say after breathing in that wave of adrenaline.

…

Poor “we” I say.

The Bible tells us why we’re here.
The Bible tells us what we’re supposed to be doing.
The Bible tells us how to do it.
The Bible tells us our reward for doing this.

There’s a pattern here.

What is the one thing that constantly dives us away from this simplicity?  Pride.

The answer to how we fix this flies in the face of conventional wisdom.  Truly we cannot fix it.  God does the fixing.  But we are commanded to take the first step: No pride.

…been on my mind lately.

joe

“Hey, watch out for the shark.”  -HB.C.