First Real Post

After a month of testing and seeing if I like WordPress I have decided to post my inaugural entry. But, I was stuck with a big question. What do I blog about first? My second post, my third post, my fortieth post could all be just about anything. This first one, however, is special and will set the tone for the future. Where do I begin?

Here are some posts I have considered:

1) I could blog on how much T.O. is destroying the Cowboys. After giving this a bit of thought, really too much thought, I decided that giving into his self-destructive self-absorption would do the same thing to my blog as his presence has done to what once was “America’s team”.

2) I could write a post that would blow everyone away with its pithiness and erudition. However, this blog would remain empty for quite awhile. Maybe too long.

3) Then I remembered how good writing is uniquely derivative. This post is derivative but not unique because I am stealing a link from my bro Rustin. In his posts of the best things in 2006 he listed his conversation with Bishop Zac of Uganda. Well, in the spirit of living vicariously through others, one of the highlights of my year was having conversations with Rustin about his conversation with the good Bishop.

Those conversations were life-giving. It seems that all of us in places of leadership and influence within the church need a regular dose of re-orientation every once in a while. Hearing how God is at work in other corners of the world remind us how very much we have yet to learn.

Here is a quote from Bishop Zac’s interview in Christianity Today. Bishop Zac is a long time friend and partner with many Christian leaders of the west. When asked what he noticed about American Christianity this what he had to say:

One of the gravest threats to the North American church is the deception of power—the deception of being at the center. Those at the center tend to think, “The future belongs to us. We are the shapers of tomorrow. The process of gospel transmission, the process of mission—all of it is on our terms, because we are powerful, because we are established. We have a track record of success, after all.”

Yet recently the Lord led me to an amazing passage, the encounter between Jesus and Nathaniel in John 1. Nathaniel has decided Jesus is a non-entity. Jesus comes from Nazareth, after all.

Nathaniel’s skepticism comes from being in power, being at the center. Those at the center decide that anyone not with us is—not against us—[but] just irrelevant. “Can anything good come from Nazareth?” It doesn’t warrant our time. But the Messiah is from Nazareth.

Surprise, Nathaniel!

Sometimes our “success” is so loud that we can’t hear the next thing coming. Thanks Rustin for letting me eavesdrop on your conversation. Here is the Zac link.