If we're not careful, leadership decisions we make can be based on sloppy thinking that mischaracterizes what we are trying to accomplish and, in the worst cases, sets us up for failure.

For example, suppose you read a book or go to a seminar about small groups. Of course, the book or seminar will try to pump you up and convince you that small groups are the wave of the future and if your church doesn't have them, you can't grow. So you rush back from the seminar, or finish the book, and call an emergency meeting of your church's leaders to discuss how to implement such a ground-breaking strategy.

Before you get too far, though, heed the advice of Michael Metzger, a professor of business ethics at Indiana University's Kelley School of Business. In a recent article in Investor's Business Daily, Metzger points out that many decisions are made by faulty reasoning. To correct this, he suggests asking three questions:

1. What do I think I know about this issue?
2. What information am I relying on?
3. Do I have any inconsistent data?

To go back to our example of small groups (and I hate to do this, because I am a huge proponent of small groups!), if we apply these questions, different ideas emerge. For example, what you know about small groups is limited, based only on your thoughts about the seminar or the books you read about small groups. While that is a good foundation, it is not exhaustive knowledge (and some seminars are more hype than substance as they try to sell their own products to the people they have hyped up).

The information you are relying on could be good, or it could be faulty. Is the author or seminar leader an expert in the field? Does he lead small groups himself or herself? If so, then it is good information--but you should still gather more information. If the author appears to be riding a trend, and has no real expertise in small groups, then maybe you should discount the information a little.

The hardest question to ask is the third one: what inconsistent data do you have? If the seminar was that great or the book convinced you small groups is the absolute way to go, step back for a minute and think about the successful churches you know that don't use small groups. Or, talk to churches that tried small groups but where they didn't work out.

Then, take all this information that you and your church leaders gathered through logical and critical thinking, and then, and only then, make a sound decision. A decision made after this much thought and deliberation may not ultimately be the right or best decision, but at least you will have done the proper legwork and research before casually jumping into something.

Repentance From the Heart: The Invitation of Jesus

Jesus challenged the Jews of his day to true, heart-based repentance and to follow him. This is in contrast to the religion of the religious leaders of the day, who called Jews to find God through the Temple and its rituals and ceremonies. In this context, it was easy to become complacent and go through the routines of worship.

But Jesus brought with him the prophetic expectation of the Old Testament. In Isaiah 40, we see that God declared he would bring an end to the people’s exile (40:3-5) and renewal and restoration for them (40:28-31). In stating what he did not want (66:3), God also stated whom he will look favourably upon—“the humble and contrite in spirit, / who trembles at my word” (66:2).

Yet, by the time of Jesus, the people still lived in expectation of this great deliverance from God. They had experienced it in part but waited for the full promise. The Temple establishment taught that the way to God was through pride of heritage (“we are Abraham’s children”) and law observance in the Temple (for examples, see the Pharisees, who were prime proponents of this view).

Jesus arrived in this scene, inviting people to the true way to God—true repentance, which meant changing your life totally to live righteously and humbly, turning from your sins, and turning away from pride. This radical, once-for-all repentance would bring in the promise of God—the kingdom of God—for that person. Clearly, this message stands in stark contrast to the message of those who seek to control access to God through their teachings, ceremonies, and expectations.

Jesus' Welcome Is For All ... Except Those Who Don't Want It

In a different article I studied how Jesus’ invitation was a challenge to truly repent, turn away from pride in religious heritage, and turn to God through him. In this article I will study the welcome that Jesus offered those who responded to his invitation.

Matthew 21:28-22:14 tells three stories that answer the key questions. In the first story, two sons are asked individually to go to work in the father’s vineyard. One says he will but doesn’t, the other says he won’t but does. Jesus uses this parable to teach about who responded to his invitation.

Because the people who respond to Jesus aren’t always the most socially acceptable people (in the minds of the elite), Jesus told another story—the parable of the Wicked Tenants—to teach about how people should feel towards or about those who respond to his invitation.

Finally, Jesus tells a story about a great banquet to illustrate who was invited. Here, we learn that all were invited, though many chose to decline the invitation. Consequently, many who weren’t expected to respond did respond.

Sometimes we feel that we have a handle on who really responded and who didn’t, who’s fit to follow Jesus and who isn’t. Such a feeling can breed pride and contempt within us for other people. Let Jesus’ teaching about who he welcomes be a warning to seek him out of repentance and faith, not pride and ceremony.

How Long, O God?

In Habakkuk, the prophet cries out in a lament complaint twice, only to hear back from God a very unassuring response: Wait for me to answer.

And Habakkuk’s complaints are legitimate. He is one of the faithful in Israel, and even though he knows Israel has its faults and is being punished by God for their infidelity, he also knows that Israel is better than the nations around them, if for no other reason than their special relationship with God. Yet, Habakkuk sees the “righteous” being destroyed by the wicked (in the first case, Assyria; in the second, Babylon). So he cries out to God.

At first he receives a satisfactory answer: God is raising up another nation to take out the wickedness of Assyria. But in between God’s answer and the prophet’s second complaint, something went horribly wrong, and Israel was once again accosted by brutality. Thus, Habakkuk’s second complaint.

But the answer he receives this time is baffling. It comes almost as silence. “Wait,” God says. “I assure you I will do something, but wait for it. Wait for me.”

How long can we wait? As Christians, we read this and are still looking for God’s action. Even the coming of Jesus didn’t slow down the wickedness we see all around us. And, often times, this wickedness pervades our lives and slows us down. We see:

+ A brother in Christ passed over for a promotion because he won’t flirt with his female boss
+ A sister in Christ ridiculed and left by her non-Christian husband
+ Christian teenagers ostracized at high school activities because they go to youth group on Friday night and not the drunken parties

How long, O God, before you set things right?

But as with Habakkuk, all we can do is wait, and rest assured in the meantime that God is working and that the arrogant will not endure (2:5). In the meantime, the righteous will live by their faithfulness (2:4).

So we set our hearts on God, make a commitment to him based on faith, and live our lives, knowing that in the end, God will set things right and reward our faithfulness to him.

Prayer Corners Interactive Devotional

I led a youth devotional recently and focused around the theme of prayer. We looked at these five aspects of prayer: praising God, giving thanks, confessing sin, praying for others, and praying for yourself.

I created five prayer corners, one for each aspect. Each corner featured a scripture reading, a journaling question, and an activity. Here is an outline of each prayer corner:

PRAISE

Read Psalm 150

Why is praising God important in prayer? Should our prayers begin with praise?

Draw a picture of something you can praise God for (use Psalm 150 for ideas).

THANKSGIVING

Read Colossians 4:2

Why should we have a lot of thanksgiving in our prayers?

Write down 10 separate things you are thankful for.

CONFESSION

Read Psalm 51:1-4, 10-12

Is it easy or difficult to confess your sins to God? Why should we confess our sins to God?

Hold onto a stone very tightly and say a prayer to God. In your prayer, confess your sins to God and thank him for the forgiveness we have in Jesus. Then, drop the stone into the basin of water. Watch the ripples and think about how God has taken away sin.

PRAYER FOR OTHERS

Read Ephesians 1:17-19; 3:14-19

What is important about praying for others?

Write down names of people we should pray for on the strips of paper. If you feel like it, write down the need that we should pray for. Then, pray for all the names that have been written down.

PRAYER FOR YOURSELF

Read 1 Thessalonians 5:17

What does this verse mean?

Read Luke 11:1-4

What do you really need from God? How can you keep from being too focused on yourself in prayer?

Light the candle and think about how Jesus is the light in your life. Think about your relationship with God. Pray for yourself, and anything else you would like to pray for. Then, blow out the candle.

This activity seemed to work very well. I sent the youth in pairs so they would have a journeying partner to discuss and pray with. They all seemed to learn something, and we concluded with a group prayer.

Doing What Jesus Says

Why do we have so many bible studies, worship services, service projects, fellowship events, and many other "maintenance" activities, instead of simply doing what Jesus says?

How to Grow in Christ and Service to God

One of the challenges in Christian living is to keep moving forward, to keep following Jesus, without stalling out. Sadly, when this happens, we tend to start looking at who is serving us instead of who we are serving. But as followers of Jesus, we have to maintain an outward focus on service to others, keeping their interests and needs ahead of our own. This is how we follow Jesus, the true servant.

Let’s challenge ourselves to grow in maturity and in service, making this a time where we look less and less at ourselves (including ministry to ourselves) and more and more outside of ourselves. Here are several ways you can commit to this challenge:

· Read one chapter of the Bible every day

· Pray in the morning and evening

· Schedule a nightly family prayer and Bible reading time

· Get involved in a small group

· If you are already in a group, commit to attending all the meetings

· Bring someone new to church at least twice this year

· Introduce Jesus and Christianity to someone new this year

· Bring someone new to your small group

· Commit to helping your group grow and double

· Do something new at church—lead songs, teach a class, etc.

· Find a new way to serve others—write cards, visit the elderly and shut-in, etc.

· Look around you—who do you know that you could get to know better? Pick one person or one couple and move from an acquaintanceship to a friendship

· Look around again—whom do you not know at all? Develop one brand-new relationship this year

· Make one visit each week

Lectio Divina

Lectio divina is a very useful and practical discipline for spiritual growth. Rooted in ancient monasticism, the practice is a fourfold cycle: Reading, Meditation, Prayer, and Contemplation. In fact, the term itself means “sacred reading.”

Reading. Lectio divina begins with a “text,” whether that is the Bible, a spiritual classic, something in nature, or even another person. You must “take up and read.” But the reading is not done to acquire knowledge or information, to master the text. Reading is done slowly, focusing on words and connections. In lectio divina, we are seeking to let the text master us.

I read through the Bible, a practice known as lectio continua, during my devotional times. I used to read for information, and to get through a certain amount (say, four chapters every day), but now I read slowly, taking at most a chapter each day. As I read, I listen for how the Word of God is addressing me.

Meditation. Meditation is focused thought. In lectio divina, we are neither letting our mind run wild with thoughts nor letting it empty of all thoughts. Instead, we concentrate our focus on the words of the text, thinking about each one. Let each word resonate within you.

Think of the meditation phase as though it were tea steeping. You are the hot water, and the tea bag is the Bible. As the tea bag steeps (reading), flavor is diffused throughout the hot water. This is meditation. It is the slow, simmering period where we digest the text and gain insight.

Prayer. The prayer phase takes the fruit of our meditation and offers it back to God. Perhaps a text led us to joy because of the gifts of God, or maybe a passage exposed sin in our lives and the need for repentance. Prayer is when we offer these insights back to God.

Contemplation. Contemplation is the act of sitting in the presence of God with total attention and concentration on God. After a time of prayer, we just sit with God.

If you preach or teach, you should use lectio divina as part of your preparation. Sit with the text away from analysis and exegesis, and let God speak to you through his word. A sermon or class could follow this four-part cycle.

For a sermon, the preacher could read the passage, describe the paths he or she explored during meditation and the insights found, and offer a prayer to God based on the meditation. After, there could be a congregational period of silence for contemplation.

When I teach, I often use lectio divina as an outline. I read the passage from my Bible and ask two or three others to read the same passage, but from different translations. Then I help the class to “meditate”: I ask what words or images struck them from the reading, what they noticed or didn’t noticed, what feelings they had as they read, or what was most surprising in the text. We follow these threads, learning from each other, and then conclude with prayer.

Lectio divina is a very helpful discipline for spiritual growth. If the reader practices lectio divina often, she will begin to plumb the depths of her soul and her relationship with God. The single greatest facet of lectio divina is its ability to create a mindset that can actually listen to and for God.

Update on the Colorado Jury Case

This is an update on yesterday's story about the Colorado jury that had some members independently consult a Bible prior to deliberations that resulted in the death penalty being delivered. Later, that penalty was overturned because of the fact that some jurors consulted a Bible, using an outside source in a way that is prohibited by Colorado law. Prosecutors are trying to overturn that, and have the death penalty reinstated.

The prosecution's argument runs on three points. The third point, according to Andrew Cohen, is most important:

It's the third argument made by prosecutors that is the dangerous one. They contend that since sentencing deliberations in a death penalty case present jurors with a profoundly moral choice they ought to be allowed to look at the Bible, or any other religious text they find relevant, when deliberating. "Why is it wrong," prosecutor Steve Bernard asked me Wednesday, "when people are making a moral decision to consult a moral authority?

"Bernard argues that the Harlan jury was not specifically told not to consult the Bible and that, since jurors could have recited biblical passages from memory without getting into trouble, they shouldn't have gotten in trouble for taking their deliberations one step further and actually reading from the text of the Bible during deliberations. "When you are talking about the phrase 'an eye for an eye' most people have heard of it anyway," Bernard told me.

Personally, I draw the line here. If the law forbids consulting outside sources for an opinion, then that must include religious texts. However, what the law cannot forbid is the formation of morals over time that is achieved through study of the Bible, participation in worship, spiritual conversations, etc. I do believe that someone's moral foundation is built by adherence to some religious ideal, and that indirectly that religious ideal influences moral decisions.

But to bring in the Bible, contra to Colorado law, like they did, is only to invite trouble.