Joel's Travels

Theology | Bible Study | Leadership

Pastor Mark Driscoll and What We Are Missing

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The recent resignation of Mark Driscoll from pastoral ministry at Mars Hill Church in Seattle has caused a stir not only in the Christian media circles but also among local church leaders. Further, his recent appearance at a conference caused more questions and further media stirring.

Pastor Mark, is a dynamic communicator and preacher. He has made a significant impact in my life and has encouraged me to be fully devoted to the Word of God and to the local church. I should also say, that I have had the opportunity to meet and speak to pastor Mark on multiple occasions. Each time he has been incredibly gracious to me. With that said, the most painful things that I have seen are the blog posts that attack and seem to take joy in the circumstances surrounding pastor Mark and Mars Hill. Possibly even sadder, is the fact that in the midst of so much media exposure and personal thoughts through blog posts, podcasts, websites, and other media outlets, it seems that the most important aspect of this situation seems to be missing completely.
The most important aspect of this situation is the reality that the church should be in sincere prayer for Pastor Mark, his family, and Mars Hill.
I believe it is the responsibility of the church (universal, the body of Christ) to pursue this. In fact, this really is not my opinion but a mandate from Scripture.

Because the scriptures tell us to:

There are numerous scriptures that point us to pray for our leaders. Let me start by saying that it is not by accident that any leader comes into leadership. Romans 13:1 clearly identifies that there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God. Hebrews 13:7 continues by stating that we should remember our leaders, the ones who spoke to us the Word of God. Our remembrance of our leaders should cause us to spend time in prayer for them. Finally, in verse 18 the author of Hebrews asks the church to pray for leaders, so that they would have a clear conscience, acting honorably in all things. I don’t know many church members that wouldn’t want their pastor to have a clear conscience and act honorably.

Because pastor Mark is human, flawed, and in need of grace:

It’s easy for us to look at someone and begin to develop our own beliefs about that person. Essentially, we put them on trial in the court of our minds, or in todays case, the court of social media and opinion. The reality is, each of us holds a darkness that unaffected by the grace of God and the empowerment of the Holy Spirit would not only bring destruction to ourselves but also to those that we love around us. Why bring this up? Because anyone is capable of falling, sinning, and making mistakes. Please don’t get me wrong, there are and should be consequences for our actions. However, the pursuit of restoration, reconciliation, and unity amongst the church should be of utmost importance when possible. As we take into consideration our own sin and need for grace, it seems right that we should extend that grace to others in need.

Because there is more at stake than just Mars Hill Church:

Sadly, this is not just an isolated situation. It just happens to be a situation that had the spotlight of media. I can’t begin to imagine how many more issues there are in the local church. How many more pastors are in need of prayer from their congregations.
Pause: When was the last time you prayed for your pastor and his family? Go ahead and stop reading now and do that.
Pause: For those of you that thought I was kidding, I wasn’t. Seriously, pray for them.
What’s at stake is the local church. The health of the church really does go hand in hand with how the pastor is doing spiritually and emotionally. So it shouldn’t be a surprise when we read through Hebrews that there is an emphasis of considering and praying for our leaders.
I love what EM Bounds says:
“What the Church needs today is not more machinery or better, not new organizations or more and novel methods, but men whom the Holy Ghost can use—men of prayer, men mighty in prayer. The Holy Ghost does not flow through methods, but through men. He does not come on machinery, but on men. He does not anoint plans, but men—men of prayer.”
EM Bounds Prayer

4 Ways To Stay Married With A Crazy Travel Schedule

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I was at a conference recently in Atlanta and someone asked me where I am from. I responded, the airport.

Staying Married

This last year I have done over 120,000 miles of air travel. I still have a couple more months so the 150,000 mile is still a real possibility with a trip to London coming up for the Worship Central Conference. As some of you are reading this there are typically two thoughts based on your context.

1. The single person thinks – Thats amazing! I wish I could travel like that!
2. The married person thinks – God bless his wife. If my spouse traveled like that there would be some serious problems!

For the single person, it is pretty awesome, at least for the first 20,000 miles. Then the repetition of airport, rental car, hotel, conference venue and repeat gets real old, real fast. However, if you want to experience it yourself, Faithlife is hiring!

For the married person, you’re right. My wife is amazing. She shows an incredible amount of grace and understanding. Beyond that however, is an intentionality to stay connected spiritually and emotionally while I am away. Here are four ways we go about this. If you travel as much as I do or are in a situation where travel may be a reality, I hope this helps you.

Bring visibility to your travel schedule:

Brittany and I have a shared calendar. She knows every trip that is on my calendar. She is able to help me stay accountable in the amount of time I am away. She also is able to see that I may have a long travel stretch in front of me, but there is a good week or two week slot that I have blocked off for family. Maybe even more important, make sure that your blocked of time for your family is actually for your family. No more of the “Babe, just one more email”. Your wife and kids experience half hearted commitments that fall through everyday. Don’t let your commitment to spend time with them be one of those experiences. The shared calendar also helps my wife  to set her expectations while keeping me accountable to my schedule. This also allows for open communication about travel and the impact it is having on her and the boys.

Stay connected to the Word :

We do our best to do shared Bible reading plans together when I am gone. We both have the Faithlife Study Bible App and Logos Bible Software, so we will typical pick a specific reading plan and read through that sharing thoughts via community notes. This engages our minds with the beauty of scripture. As we focus on and delve into the depth of the Word, we are connected in the most meaningful way possible.

Leverage technology to increase your ability to communicate:

Traveling is crazy. Over the last month there have been a ridiculous amounts of cancellations and delays. This makes it hard to jump on the phone to talk to my wife as I am running to the opposite side of the airport to catch a connecting flight. However, I can text her and let her know what is happening. I love the new iOS update that has built in voice memos. Britt and I use this all the time to stay connected on the little things. This way she knows what my day looks like and I can stay connected with whats happening on the home front. Things like FaceTime and Skype are game changers. We try to always FaceTime at night with the kids before they go to bed if possible.

Extend grace:

The most important thing is be gracious to each other. The reality is that I have screwed up more times than I can count. I forget to text or FaceTime. I get preoccupied with my travel woes or the stress of a conference and neglect my reading plans or speaking to my wife. This is where grace plays a crucial role.

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In truth, these are things that are helpful if you have a crazy travel schedule or not. Finally, there is an extra level of responsibility for husbands to lead their families well. I love Ephesians 5:25-29 because we see clearly that the responsibility and great privilege of the husband is in cleansing his wife with the washing of the Word. Marriage is an incredible gift of God.

What are some things that you do to ensure a healthy marriage? Let me know in the comments section below!

3 Reasons Leading Through Failure Matters

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Regardless of ministry, business, school, or sports, one of the most sought after attributes is leadership. For the motivated individual the pursuit of position, title, opportunity, and potential for experience can be directly tied to that acquisition of leadership. However, for many the pursuit of leadership is done somewhat blindly. The assumption is a path resulting in doors magically opening up and the enjoyment of utter success. Reality check, this is not normal and in fact is quite the contrary in many occasions.

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Possibly the most critical responsibility of any leader, is the ability and desire to lead through failure. We don’t talk about this much in business classes or ministry training programs, but this is essential to the development and future success of any leader.

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Leading through failure says something about the character of a leader.

Namely, that in the most dire situation they are considerate and aware of the condition and emotion of those they lead. The experience of failure is not only a hit to the leader, but also the team collectively. As a leader looks to the condition of their team, the team feels a sense of security and assurance that in any circumstance (failure or success) they will be considered and are valued.

Failure serves as an opportunity to learn and grow.

Leading through failure provides the opportunity for the team to engage in a shared experience, though it may be challenging, can be something that causes the team to connect in a unique way. A leader that highlights and identifies those learning opportunities has the capacity to take his team to the next level. In fact the experiences of leading and following form part of the fabric of our existence. [1] 

The experience of failure is real life.

It grounds a leader and gives them a sense of reality. Not everything we put our minds to will result in success. While it’s important to think positively and focus on success, being naive or negligent of the possibility of failure is foolish. It set’s the leader up for shock which in turn is detrimental in his ability to lead in light of failure.

There are some incredible resources out there to help you in the study of leadership and begin to form out a strategy for you ministry or business context. However, the most vital and helpful in my opinion is the Bible. While the Bible may not give a clean cut definition or provide the four steps to success, it does something better. The Bible gives us example after example of incredibly talented and successful godly leaders. Even more helpful, we find out that all of them have some serious issues, character flaws, and insecurities that on the surface would seem to disqualify or hinder their ability to lead well. However, we find relief and hope in the fact that as believers we can hold to Colossians 2:10, “You have been filled in Him, who is the head of all rule and authority”. Therefore, the leader that puts their trust, hope, and faith in Christ will find a sense of satisfaction that is not contingent upon their success or failure but stems from who Christ is and what he has done.

[1] Leland Ryken et al., Dictionary of Biblical Imagery (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2000), 492.

Hebrews: The Supremacy Of Christ In All Things

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I’m currently studying Hebrews in seminary. Here are some thoughts as I go through this class:

Further, we see that God speaks finally and fully through Jesus. We have no other need for further revelation than that which is given to us in the Word and through the Son.

The book of Hebrews sets the stage for our right understanding and perspective of who Jesus is. Namely, that he has ultimate supremacy and authority in all things. In fact, the Screen Shot 2014-06-08 at 11.51.22 PMwriter of Hebrews states, “he upholds the universe by the word of his power.” [1] This distinction sets Jesus apart in all ways. The writer of Hebrews helps to reinforce this idea by placing a series of comparisons in front of us. The primary comparison is between the Son and angels. Clearly, we see that the Son is far superior and enjoys a personal relationship with the father. The theological implication of this comparison points the believer towards Jesus as the hero. At times our attention can focus on the servants or other angelic figures, but clearly we see that the only person of worth and honor is Jesus. Further, we see that God speaks finally and fully through Jesus. We have no other need for further revelation than that which is given to us in the Word and through the Son.

Throughout the first few chapters of Hebrews we see clearly a distinction between past and the present till Jesus returns. The ESV study Bible points out these comparisons and states, “Four points of contrast occur between vv. 1 and 2: time of revelation (“long ago” vs. these last days); agent of revelation (“prophets” vs. Son); recipients of revelation (“fathers” vs. us); and, implicitly, the unity of the final revelation in the Son (cf. the “many times and in many ways”[3].

The importance of the first chapters of Hebrews is paramount in our right perspective of Jesus. It sets the stage as Jesus being our source of hope, strength, substance, and salvation. While the tendency might be for us to get distracted by other biblical figures, the point is that Jesus in fact is better. There is direct application to the believer as we look at those in leadership of the church or ministries. It is easy for us to exalt and elevate ministry leaders into areas of authority, which at times can cause us to value them over Jesus. While this may not be intentional, it can easily happen. It is important that we consider Jesus in all that we do. Consider that Jesus is fully supreme and is the perfect example for all things. We can look to him for all our needs. In fact, the characteristics that we find compelling and helpful in ministry leaders are found perfect in Christ. Therefore, it benefits us to look to Christ for all things. He provides true satisfaction and is the perfect example and savior that humanity longs for.

[1] The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton: Standard Bible Society, 2001), Heb 1:3.

[2] Craig S. Keener, The IVP Bible Background Commentary: New Testament (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1993), Heb 1:1–2.

[3] Crossway Bibles, The ESV Study Bible (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2008), 2361.

3 Things I Wish I Knew When I Started Leading Worship

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I started early as a worship leader and was kind of thrown into it. Looking back, I had guitar1some incredible mentors but many of those around me were learning with me. Here are 3 things I wish I knew when I first started leading worship. These things have been echoed by many worship leaders across the country that I get to meet with. All of this really came together while at the Allaboutworship.com conference. Thankful to my friends Wisdom Moon, Michael Farren, and Sean Hill for conversation there that were incredibly helpful.

Let’s start with number 2:

2. LEAD YOUR CONGREGATION UP THE MOUNTAIN

The Old Testament offers some beautiful illustrations of God’s people ascending his mountain to enjoy his presence (Psalm 24:3). As a worship leader, you’re helping spiritually lead your congregation into God’s presence. Corporate worship is a communal experience, and part of facilitating that experience is being aware of where the rest of your church is. Sometimes the worship leader or the band can get so far ahead that they lose everyone else.

The goal isn’t to be the first to the top of the mountain; you certainly don’t want to stand at the top alone. Be conscious of emotive moments during songs, and as you foster that experience through instrumentation, consider how vocals accompany the feeling. Lead the voices of your congregation so you can enjoy the presence of God together.

Read more over at the Proclaim blog. <——

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