What should I do? Walk away and let the fruit rot? Scream at the branches and hope they surrender the plums? Cut the whole tree down and never have to deal with this scenario again?

Nope. I dismounted the ladder and while upon firm ground, I simply shook the tree.

I shook the tree and boy did it give up some major fruit. It felt like grenades dropping on my head. I was startled by the amount of fruit that PLUMmetted to the ground (get it?).

My abundant fruit collection gave me some thoughts of a spiritual nature. As a Christian, I am called to be a worker that labors for the harvest. In other words: I want to work hard to bring people to Jesus. This is often difficult and discouraging – like pulling teeth…or…like picking plums. But it shouldn’t be if you shake the tree.

I believe that if the Spirit of God is alive and working on people’s hearts (which the Spirit does) then my simple role is:

1. To find out which tree to shake.

2. To find out when the tree is to be shook.

Fruit ought to come naturally. As a matter of fact, it should pretty much fall right into your bucket if the timing is right. Sometimes we way over-think and program “evangelism” making it manufactured and downright stale. Other times we force the issue; “converting” by sheer intimidation.

Consider prayerfully asking the Lord where He is working and then choose to join him there. Find the tree with the ripe fruit and shake it.

You can read it and other articles & papers I’ve written here.

One mother and son posed with one of those cut-out displays that has a body and YOU provide the head. Pretty funny looking. I saw this unsuspecting duo standing there so I jumped into the picture then slipped away quickly without them noticing.

After camp they had the pictures developed and didn’t think much of it…UNTIL Jeannie (the mother) saw the picture come up a year or so later on her computer’s screen saver.

Jeannie leaned in closer to the monitor, leaned back, adjusted her gaze, and declared: “That is MY Pastor!”

You see, at that particular kids camp was a large group of students and leaders from West Salem Foursquare Church – the congregation that months later Denise and I would be called to serve.

Unofficially, the first connection I would make with this wonderful church would be through it’s Children’s Ministry leaders and about 80 elementary students. Honestly, I can’t think of a better route to go. This ought to be the pathway into all senior pastorates: through the relational connections with the kids.

To this day I get high-fives and hugs from students that remembered me as their camp speaker that year. So many of our students knew me before their parents did. I love that.

In my opinion, there is no greater service to the Body of Christ than to its young people. There is no greater investment of resources. There is no greater ministry opportunity than to serve children. I know these are bold, and potentially polarizing statements (ie: what about MY ministry, etc. etc), but I believe it.

Kids are at the core of the heart of Jesus. What’s at your core?

In 1 Kings 3 Solomon, in a dream, asks the Lord for wisdom. His prayer is one that I have asked on a number of occasions and in various ways:

Give your servant therefore an understanding mind to govern your people, that I may discern between good and evil, for who is able to govern this your great people? 1 Kings 3:9

Although a dream, this nighttime prayer became a reality. Solomon was indeed graced with immense wisdom. We discover its practical implications through an interesting encounter with two mothers (albeit prostitutes) that came to Solomon to have a disagreement settled.

One of the mothers had rolled over onto her baby in the middle of the night, smothering the little one. She then switched the dead baby for the living one. This was a classic “While You Were Sleeping” moment. However, like any mother worth her salt, the woman knew that the dead baby simply was not hers.

The battle of words begins: Yours. Mine. Not Yours. Alive. Mine. Dead. Yours. Mine.

Enter Solomon.

After listening to the arguments, in a bold move, Solomon presented a solution. His remedy has become a prototype for conflict resolution. Throughout the centuries, leaders have leaned upon Solomon’s sagely advice:

Bring me the baby. Oh yah, and a sword too. Gasp. I’m gonna split this cute little thing into two evenly divided pieces. Bigger Gasp. Each of you will get a piece. That should settle this. Another huge Gasp.

In church life, Lead Pastors have to “split the baby” all the time. Not literally, of course. The baby is representative of ministry focus, good ideas, financial resources, etc. etc. All ministry leaders have their “babies” – the ministries they oversee, the specific ideas and concepts they generate, and the passions that are burning brightly within their hearts. These all must be cared for and nurtured and yet, sometimes, the baby must be split. Not every good idea can be integrated. Rarely are there enough resources available for everyone’s passion to be released at the larger, congregational level.

So how does a leader “split the baby” effectively? Here are few thoughts:

1. Pray for wisdom
Before issuing a decree, talk to the Lord. This can happen on the fly or over time. Sometimes decisions must be made quickly and the leader must seek the Lord in “real time.” In other situations, wisdom would demand a reprieve in order to pray. There is nothing wrong with saying, “I will need to get back to you. I need to take some time to pray about this. Will you join me in praying this through?” Scripture tells us: “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given to him.”

2. Listen closely
Leaders often have very refined views and directions that have been shaped over time, and therefore can be predisposed to poor listening skills. Ok, maybe that’s just me. In other words, we have been around the leadership block and we have heard many things, often with similar, predictable patterns (ie: been there, done that, bought the t-shirt!). Because of this, it’s so important to fight the urge to tune out, but rather listen…closely. The next best idea may be in the your next conversation. The Holy Spirit will often steer our hearts as we listen to his voice and to his people.

3. Value subtleties
When leaders are called upon to make decisions regarding great ideas with limited resources, one must depend upon subtleties. In Solomon’s case the subtlety was how the real mother refused to see the baby split (thus killed), but insisted that the fake mother receive him. This expressed true love, not selfishness. We need the wisdom of the Lord to pick up these kinds of subtleties when it comes to leadership decisions. Often when deciding between ideas we must actively listen for the little details that separates good from great. These subtleties will serve us in our decision making process. And we MUST make decisions…

4. Make clear decisions
At some point, after seeking the wisdom of the Lord, listening attentively, and weighing out the subtleties, a leader must make the call. That is what separates leaders from..well…followers. When you feel as if you’ve gotten the best information possible and have prayerfully been submitted to the wisdom of the Lord, then one must make a decision. If it is to “split the baby” then do it. If there are other options, then choose one. This is the tough stuff of leadership, and we wish we could “defer” it all the time. That would mean, however, that we aren’t the leader we think we are. Leaders make clear decisions.

5. Move on
This may sound cold and heartless, but, leaders have to “move on.” There will always be another decision to make. Even if you feel that you “really messed up” the last one: move on. You will live to fight another day. There will always be another “baby to split.”

Leaders: seek the wisdom of the Lord, listen to your people, value the subtleties that surface, make the hard calls, then move onto the next challenge. This is leadership. It’s not always easy. But, man, it is vital.

“Our coffee beans are roasted daily and delivered to your cup through the brewing method of your choice. Choose between pour over, French Press, La Marzocco or Clover. In addition to a full line-up of coffees offered year round, we also seek out small batch coffees sourced from individually owned farms that are available when in season. Check out our blog to see what’s in season today.

Tea is selected through the same deliberate process as our coffee beans. Each tea has been taste tested by our resident tea master and selected based on its uniqueness and originality. We brew whole leaf by the pot or cup.

Fresh food and pastries are baked daily and racked European style. All of our decadent delicacies are produced by Essential Baking Company, a local favorite.

Stop by in the evening and check out some of our local music talent ranging from live bands to our favorite DJs spinning on the tables. Choose from our selection of beer and wine to end the day.

Whole leaf teas, delicate pastries, live music, beer and wine. This coffee shop meets you at street level.”

Sounds great.

So…On August 2009 I wrote a paper for my Graduate Degree. I called it “The Soul of Starbucks.”  I based it upon a 800 word memo that Howard Schultz distributed to his employees.  In the memo Schultz said:  ”Over the past 10 years, in order to achieve the growth, development, and scale necessary to go from less than 1,000 stores to 13,000 stores and beyond, we have had to make a series of decisions that, in retrospect, have led to the watering down of the Starbucks experience, and, what some might call the commoditization of our brand.”

I gave the research paper I wrote to a few of my local Starbucks baristas, including a regional manager. She said she would pass it up the chain. Not sure if that happened, but, when I read about the 15th Ave Coffee & Tea concept I went back and read my paper. The connection is pretty uncanny.

Here is the paper: The Soul of Starbucks

Here is the final paragraph conclusion I proposed:

“I would recommend that the Starbucks Corporation diversify. Rather than trying to move the existing stores back to basics, I believe they should hive an offshoot of Starbucks. One that is reflective of the classic coffeehouse, complete with hand-operated espresso machines and on-site brewing and grinding of beans. Each store should reflect the community in its art and décor.Each venue should not feel like a store because the main product is no longer music, books, movies, mugs, and machines but rather the coffee and the atmosphere. Isn’t this how the whole thing got started anyway: one store in Pikes Place brewing really good coffee. I recommend that what IS should stay AS IS and that energy be placed into creating ‘another place’. Perhaps Schultz will spark the kind of discussion needed to get the Starbucks Corporation to ‘wake up and smell the coffee’.”

I hope 15th Ave Coffee & Tea makes it to Salem, Oregon. I’d hang out there with a fresh brewed cup.

What I thought would take a couple hours turned into a full day. And I loved it.

There is something really rewarding about being an agent of change.  It’s remarkable to watch layers of crud blast away with the power of the spray, revealing what “ought to be.”  Swipe after swipe I was discovering the results of hard work, and enjoying the fruit of my labors as the steps, sidewalks, patio and curbing were given another chance to shine.

Oh, and lest you think it was all ‘whistling dixie,’ I have to mention that my back and neck hurt like a bugger today, and getting out of bed was a significant challenge!  But all this pales in comparison to the power of the pressure washer and the product of a fresh new look.

And this is why I love pastoring.

I’ve been a Christian pastor for about 18 years and it has been full of ‘back-breaking’ work and ‘pain in the neck’ challenges. In surveys, year after year, pastoring ranks right up there as one of the hardest professions. I can concur. It’s a lot of work. Long hours, crisis-management, fundraising, people-pleasing, preaching, staffing, facilities, and not to mention, the profound spiritual dimensions. A number of times, I’ve contemplated other work (say, a barista at an espresso stand or selling Slurpies at 7-Eleven). But I always come back to the joy-filled results of pastoring.

I have the wonderful privilege of  a bird-eye view to change. I’m talking about real, significant change.  I get to be a part of something huge and life-changing. The Body of Christ is alive and making a considerable impact throughout the world, and I, by God’s grace, have been given the opportunity to watch it up close and personal. God has allowed me to operate one of His Kingdom Pressure Washers and assist in cleaning people up.

Messy marriages have been miraculously restored. Painful addictions have been shattered. Lost people are found. The shameful pasts that darken and dirty the souls of people have been cleaned by the power of the Holy Spirit.

This is so humbling. This is so amazing. I get to be a part of the greatest agency upon the planet:  The Church. Together, with all God’s people, we focus the nozzle of the Water through the Word (Eph. 5:26) to wash away the grime of sin and shame.

This is hard work and I love it.

“And you shall command the children of Israel that they bring you pure oil of pressed olives for the light, to cause the lamp to burn continually. In the tabernacle of meeting, outside the veil which is before the Testimony, Aaron and his sons shall tend it from evening until morning before the LORD. It shall be a statute forever to their generations on behalf of the children of Israel.”  Exodus 27:20-21

Here we discover God’s command to the priests that there should always be a light left on in the temple. The inner court must alway have illumination. The lamps were to be filled with pure beaten olive oil.  The process by which olive oil is harvested and refined is amazing. There are various grades of oil (ie: extra virgin) and the command was such that only the purest form be brought to the inner court to keep the light burning day and night.

Throughout Biblical history, we discover that oil is often used as a typology of the Holy Spirit and His anointing presence. From this passage, one can surmise that the Lord God desired that there be a visual reminder of His Presence always burning brightly within the temple and before the people.  God’s desire for His manifold Presence to be expressed, enjoyed and exalted remains today. He wants His Presence to be evident in our modern churches.

How often have we been a part of or at least aware of congregations in which God’s Presence has not dwelt for some time?  These are empty shells, white-washed tombs, and shadows of their former selves.

The lights are barely on, and God is certainly not at home.

How can we, in our postmodern culture, insure that the Presence of the Holy Spirit still burns brightly within our midst?  I believe there are two components that are found in the Exodus 27 passage.

1.  The People Bring It

The people of Israel were commanded to bring the pure oil to the temple for the lamp to remain lit. There is a responsibility on their part that is often overlooked today.  Our contemporary churches have largely become spectator based in which folks rate the service like that of an episode of American Idol or So You Think You Can Dance? In large part the leaders of the local church have a heavy expectation to “bring it,” and if there seems to be a lack of God’s Presence then the service is rated accordingly. In this passage we discover the opposite expectation.  The people were to “bring it.”

Imagine, Spirit-filled believers coming together and collectively bringing the indwelling Presence of God with them. Our church gatherings would be lit up! That’s where the pastors role begins.

2.  The Pastor Tends It

Aaron and his sons were the priests of the temple. They were commanded to tend to the lamp from evening to morning. What is notably absent from this passage?  Bringing oil was not their responsibility. Their role involved tending. Today in our churches, we have pastors that are given the same role: to keep the lamp burning with the oil that the people bring.

I have known good and Godly leaders that are struggling in their place of service. There are a number of reasons why this could be the case. But it occurs to me that perhaps they are trying to keep a lamp burning without oil. Another image would be: making bricks without straw.  These well-meaning pastors have too great an expectation upon them to be both bringer and tender. That is an undue expectation.

Welcome to the Kingdom of God partnership:  people and pastor. Together we can keep the light on for God.

You can read it and other articles & papers I’ve written here.

You can read it and other articles & papers I’ve written here.