Jonathan Herron

Guest Post

FROM JONATHAN:  My awesome wife, Amber, holds her Bachelor's Degree in Science from UIC and her Master's Degree in Clinical Pastoral Counseling from Ashland Theological Seminary.  Combine that background with 13 years as a pastor's wife and you get this guest blog post.  You can read her entire series, Wounds from the Church, all this week on her blog.  Very insightful and helpful material:

One of the number one issues for someone who has scars from a hurtful church experience is that of forgiveness.  How do you forgive when it hurts so stinking bad?  How do you avoid developing a root of bitterness in your heart?  This is one of the hardest aspects of moving forward after a wound from the church.  I believe the centrality of moving forward in forgiveness is the Gospel. 

I must always keep before me what God has done for me.  Jesus endured the wrath of God on the cross in order to rescue me from my sin.  Jesus was separated from God in order that I may be reunited with Him.  Paul David Tripp puts it this way in How People Change, “The trinity was torn asunder so that we can experience reconciliation and forgiveness.”  My motivation to forgive others comes from the forgiveness I have received. 

I am reminded of the parable of the unforgiving servant in Matthew 18:21-35.  Scripture makes it very clear that blessings do not flow from a heart of unforgiveness.  In fact, the Bible says that we cannot love Jesus and hate others at the same time (John 4:20).  Scripture also says that our enemy is not flesh and blood, but the ruler of this dark world (Eph 6).  Jonathan once rephrased it this way in a message, “If it has flesh and blood, it’s not your enemy!”  How freeing is that!?!

I know this all sounds great in theory.  Putting it into practice when you are hurting deeply, however, is a different matter.  It’s not easy!  Thankfully, the Bible also tells me what I should do when I am struggling with those who have inflicted hurt.  Matthew 5:43-48 tells the Christian that we are to love our “enemies” and pray for those who hurt us.  Luke 6:28 reinforces this same principle and says, “Bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you.” (NIV)  It is hard to stay angry and bitter when you are praying for someone and asking God to bless them. 

In the counseling world, we talk about triggers.  They are situations or thoughts that signal to someone that something deeper is going on.  I have learned to take those moments when my true enemy (Satan) brings up the past and my mind starts going to that negative place and use it as a trigger.  It is an indicator that I need to stop, pray for that person (or people), and ask God to bless them.  Through this process, I am the one who ultimately is most blessed!

This process does not start automatically.  You must make an active choice.  Forgiveness is not a one-time event.  Every time those thoughts or feelings pop up, you have to use self-control and choose once again, to forgive.  Eventually, your heart moves.  Scripture says that “As a man thinks, so is he.”  The more I can train my thoughts to pray for and bless those who have hurt me, the more likely I am to genuinely love my “enemy.”  This provides more fertile ground for Godly reconciliation to occur. 

I think one last issue with forgiveness is how it is lumped in with many misconceptions.  I cannot say it better, so here’s a list of what forgiveness is not from the Driscoll’s book Real Marriage.

• Forgiveness is not denying, approving or diminishing sin that is committed against us.
• Forgiveness is not naivety.
• Forgiveness is not enabling sin.
• Forgiveness is not waiting for someone to acknowledge sin, apologize, and repent.
• Forgiveness is not forgetting about sin committed against us.
• Forgiveness is not dying emotionally and no longer feeling the pain of transgression.
• Forgiveness is not a one-time event.
• Forgiveness is not reconciliation.
• Forgiveness is not neglecting justice.

So what are you holding on to?  Let it go!  This quote from Mansfield was a HUGE help for me in reframing my mind on forgiveness.

“Even if everyone involved in your hurtful situation instantly agreed with your perspective on the facts, it would not heal the damage that has been done to your insides.”

Nothing can change the past and the hurt you experienced.  You can change your future, however, by choosing to walk forward in forgiveness.

"Forgiveness is loving despite sin.  We do not forgive others because they are good or deserving, but rather because God is good and deserving.  Forgiveness is an ongoing lifestyle that is incredibly costly to us and lived out of love for God and others."  – Driscoll

One of the key areas for us as a church start-up (some people in church-world would call it a "church plant" but "church start-up" just makes more sense to me) is me staying connected with our folks with the same passon I bring when I'm teaching.  So every Tuesday, I'm going to do my best to share my heart as a pastor. 

Here's five things I want everyone connected with Life Church Michigan to know this week:

1. Life is short and eternity is a long time!  I wrote about that here, but was reminded of this again yesterday as I officiated a memorial service here in Caro.  Everyone has a date with destiny... my passion is that that date involves being welcomed in person by Jesus!! 
   
   Listen, the whole reason we're starting a church from scratch is NOT to compete with other churches or "show them" or fill-in-the-blank...  We're not here to compete with the Body, but to complete the Body in our region! 
   
   Our church's vision is to Reach the Lost at Any Cost!  We will do ANYTHING short of sin to engage people far from God.  We want to make heaven crowded!  And we cannot deny what God has clearly called us to do! 
   
   If doing whatever it takes to adavnce God's Kingdom fires you up, make plans to be at our next Informational Meeting on Sunday, March 11th at the Brentwood in Caro.  Don't worry, there won't be any Kool-Aid or anything weird.  Just me sharing our vision and bringing the thunder!  Plus you can straight up ask about ANYTHING (and I really mean ANYTHING!) - our church doesn't believe in hiding things or keeping secrets; we're really an open book.  RSVP over on the facebook (and help spread the word).
   
   
2. Pray for me this Thursday!  I've been invited to Moody Theological Seminary in Detroit as part of a panel discussion on Church Planting.  In the past decade, no county in the state of Michigan has experienced an increase in church attendance.  We need more church start-ups!



3. Pray for our strategic partnership with StoneRock Rehab!  Like Jesus, we want to meet people's spiritual needs AND physical and mental needs throughout the week.  What an impact we could have together throughout this whole region by partnering with a new Christian agency that will help people find wholeness in Christ.  I'm very excited about the possibilities we're talking about.



4. Pray for our future worship leader!  We are already looking ahead to the time when we'll bring on board someone who's heart beats faster when they think about impacting people far from God.  This will be key as we look toward preview worship services like we talked about this past Sunday night.  Pray for God to raise up the right leader who shares a love for fast, loud, modern worship combined with strong entrepreneurial skills.



5. If you're fired up to see Life launch later this year, join us in giving generously!  Listen, we don't want something from you, we want something for you: a life-giving church you can be proud of combined with God's blessing as you honor Him with your best, not your left-overs (this is the one time in the entire Bible where God tells you to test Him!!).  Online giving is available over on our big momma website.

Ok, that's all for now, Lifers.  I love you guys and am believing God's promises for our church start-up.  Now let's pray like it depends on God and work like it depends on us!!

Jonathan

I've been blogging since 2003 about life, comedy, and ministry (not always in that order).

Sometimes my blog posts have been awesome, othertimes they've been like Yoda reading C.S. Lewis aloud in a crowded elevator curiously featuring early 1980's Phil Collins muzak.

I'm at a place in life where I crave clarity and want to reboot how I blog.

Why now?  Over the past 6 months, I've lived within the verses of Genesis 26:12-25.  And yet I can say that from start to finish, God is great, good, glorious, and gracious.  Genesis 50:20 is true - - we are seeing life take root! 

My wife also has a great blog series this week born out of our experiences:
Wounds from the Church.  You should check it out.

For now, I'm praying for verses 26-33 to happen. 

And I'm rebooting this blog to fit our new adventure:

• Every Monday I'll be blogging Improv*ing Leadership.  I learned a ton studying at Second City under Tina Fey and Martin de Maat.  I want to share how the rules of creating comedy can be applied to leadership in the local church.  Hopefully this will be helpful to you.
• Every Tuesday I'll be writing to our church start-up.  We just want to reach the lost.  That's it.  Our agenda is to have a church where its ok to not be ok, a church for people who don't like going to church!  I love Life Church Michigan and the people coming on board to make this vision a reality!  It is truly a labor of love and once we launch weekly public worship services, we hope to see hundreds of lives transformed throughout our region (see John 10:10).
• Wednesdays and Thursdays I'll blog about adoption, church planting, or what I'm learning from God about leadership.
• And finally, Phridays are for Photos.  Of course.

I'll also be opening up Comments for questions and encouraging thoughts. 
So feel free to chat (although not anonymously).

You can subscribe to this blog here.

And you can always follow along over on the twitters or say hi on the facebook.

Thanks for understanding this reboot.  Glad to have you along for the ride.

 

 

2 options when someone hurts you:

 

1. Give them back what they gave you.

2. Give them back what God gave you.

 

Lin-sanity: The Story Behind the Story of the New York Knicks' Jeremy Lin

NBA Eastern Conference Player of the Week.
136 points in his first 5 starts - the most by any NBA player since 1976.
A 3-point, game-winning clutch shot.

Jeremy Lin is the story right now.  But there's a story behind the story:

• As a high school senior, he led his team to a 32-1 record and state championship.  However, he was passed-over by college basketball recruiters.  Not once.  Not twice.  Three rejections (including Stanford, which was practically across the street from him!).
• Lin landed at Harvard, which known for producing presidents, not basketball pro's.
• Lin was under-valued and not selected in the NBA Draft.  Again, the feeling of not being good enough.

He finally made it into the NBA, only to experience deeper rejections during this current season:

• He was cut by the Golden State Warriors.  Cut is another word for fired.
• He was cut by the Houston Rockets.
• He played on four NBA developmental teams.
• He then found himself at the end of the Knicks bench.  He did not even get in the game for 13 of his first 22 games.
• Hours before the Super Bowl, Lin was thisclose to being cut a third time.  By the Knicks.

And then opportunity crossed paths with Lin's readiness.  Unleashing Lin-sanity.

You see, there's always a story behind the story of emerging greatness. 
Maybe someone rejected you.  Painfully.  Perhaps you've told you're not good enough. 

Jeremy Lin's story tells us that failure doesn't have to be the end. 
Other people don't get to define you.  Your story is yours to write. 

God is in the redemption business.  He loves developing second acts.

So take a risk.  Jump.  Fail harder.

 

Introverts Make Great Communicators

I learned this studying in the 1990's under Tina Fey in Chicago. 
Smart and polite. 
Sharp as a tack.
And an introvert. 
Tina wasn't the after-party girl at Second City.
Instead she labored through and internalized ideas during her off-hours
until they came out on stage as comedic genius.

 

John Piper shared at a 2004 conference that introverts preach. 
God's grace eclipses their weakness. 
He thanks God to this day for his awkward teenage years. 
They were the fertile genesis of digging deep toward a pastoral soul.

 

The first time I shared a meal with Mark Driscoll, I was struck by how quiet he was. 
But give him a microphone on a bare stage and - WHAMO - God puts His super on Driscoll's natural.

Remembering the late Martin de Maat

This time of year my thoughts always return to Martin, one of my theater professors at Columbia, who passed away eleven years ago.  While he easily could have indulged self-importance as the Artistic Director of The Second City, Martin instead oozed with humility and wild acceptance, personally welcoming me with open arms (literally) in the Fall of 1996, introducing me to my eventual improv-comedy teachers: Mick Napier, Norm Holly, Anne Libera, Jim Zulevic, and Tina Fey.

Martin was a close friend and mentor who bought this poor college kid lunch, drove me to the hospital when I was sick with the flu, and stood beside me as a groomsman at our wedding. 

He once surprised Amber and I on a wintry Windy City evening with ice cream at a hole-in-the-wall diner, mixing his improv-philosophies with silly humor and engaging stories of Chicago-lore.  "You know," he whispered to us with a twinkle in his eye, "This booth we're sitting in right now is where The Beatles used to hang out after their shows!"

The effect Martin had in shaping my work as a communicator and leader is immeasurable.  Here are some of his leadership quotes that continue to shape my thinking and approach to ministry:

"You can get the biggest laugh in a scene simply by saying 'ahem' - it's all about context."

"You are pure potential!"

"The Hokey Pokey.  Think about it.  At the end of the song, what do we learn?
What is it all about?  You put your whole self in!"

"You know what intimacy is? It's into-me-you-see."

"Always in life surround yourself with people who make you happy. Life is short and you will be surprised how much better your life is if you just stop hanging out with the jerks we are all drawn towards."

"The fun is always on the other side of a yes."

"Do you have the right to call yourself an artist? The moment you manifested enough courage to enroll in your class you jumped off that cliff. You have no choice but to keep your wings flapping."

"You have the right to follow your dreams.
I'm giving you permission to follow your dreams."

20 Seconds Toward Helping Families Adopt

I'm usually the last guy to sign a petition.

But I believe in this one for two reasons:

• As a follower of Jesus, I am FOR helping orphans
• I'm also an adoptive parent and hoping to adopt again in 2012.

Most of you know that expanding your family through adoption can be a huge expense.  Over the last several years, the federal government has attempted to ease that burden with an adoption tax credit (made fully refundable for 2010-2011).   Personally I can say that this credit (from adopting our son) played a significant role in providing us funds for our current adoption process. 

This credit is set to expire after 2012.  But you can help save it! 

Please take 20 seconds to sign this petition to not only extend the credit, but to continue making it refundable for families hoping to adopt!  Thanks!

 

The Role of Testosterone in Church Planting (part 2 of 2)

Paul the Apostle was a church planter.  His writings in the New Testament are a chronicle of starting new churches from scratch. 
History also tells us that Paul was bald.  Both are symptoms of a guy with extra testosterone!

When God gives a man extra testosterone (T+), it enables him to take bigger risks for the Kingdom (starting new churches from scratch). 
The Spirit brings together biology and calling for God's work!

The lead-up to a new church builds tension.  The public launch releases a burst of excitement.  And the inevitable holy hangover is tension-free.  This powerful cycle of energy is both spiritually-driven and biologically-hardwired into men.  T+ guys will regularly experience cycles of a short buildup of tension followed by a gratifying and decisive release. 

Think about it: when a guy is faced with a challenge, stress, or threat, his body is put on major alert.  Will he fight or take flight?  Will he seize the moment or seize the escape?  This tension-release loop is part of manhood and explains the competitive nature of guys.  When a guy has T+, he will feel a higher compulsion toward the cycle of tension-release.  Whether its bar fights, debates, sex, or sports, its all tied to testosterone.

If a guy finds no creative (and legal) way to complete the tension-release cycle, he will go underground to angrily lash out later in destructive acts.  Or it will grow within him into depression, torturing self-criticism, or painful feelings of hopelessness.

This is why calling and purpose are so important:
if you're a guy with a truck-load of testosterone, you need Jesus to not just guide you spiritually, but also biologically! 

T+ is a recipe for either chaos or creativity; the intersection is God's calling.

When we look at science through the lens of scripture, we realize that God gives T+ to certain men to accomplish certain tasks.  Whether its Samson or Saul, we see mighty men wired naturally for supernatural tasks. 

The tension-release cycle helps us understand not only the launching of new churches, but also the launching of new message series and programs.  The build-up is both spiritually and biologically driven in a man as it builds tension.  The kick-off is the release and the resulting holy hangover is the result of chemical depletion in the body.

God uses testosterone for His glory and Kingdom expansion. 
Understanding the biology of T+ guys is simply another element toward predicting church planting success.

The Role of Testosterone in Church Planting (part 1 of 2)

Yes, calling is important.  God specifically grabs the heart of specific men and points them toward starting new churches.  Paul is a great example:

That night Paul had a vision: A man from Macedonia in northern Greece was standing there, pleading with him,
"Come over to Macedonia and help us!"  So we decided to leave for Macedonia at once, having concluded that
God was calling us to preach the Good News there.   (Acts 16:9-10, NLT)

There is a spiritual pull to start a church from scratch.

But I want to point out a second factor: the biological pull.  God wires all men with a drug-like hormone that is one of the strongest drivers of behavior the world has ever known.  A minute drop of this potent substance, adminstered over a brief period of time, empowers the smallest and weakest male monkeys to become more aggressive in a group.  Testosterone is what fuels boys to become men in a transformation mirroring Bruce Banner becoming the Hulk.

The release of testosterone contributes to the intoxicating feeling a man feels of power and invincibility.  Its why teenage guys do stupid things: the rush of chemicals in the bloodstream inspire them to win at all costs.

According to new studies by Frank Farley, Ph.D. at the University of Wisconsin, some men have higher levels of this hormone than others.  Men with "testosterone plus" (T+) score high creatively, typically break new ground, challenge authority, and love to make the rules.  Sounds like today's church planters, doesn't it?

This is where I think science and faith collide: God gives a larger dose of testosterone to some men.  And time and again, I've seen the Lord use a biological pull in concert with a spiritual push to start a new church.  This isn't random chance but divine providence.  God plans and creates:

For you created my inmost being;
   you knit me together in my mother’s womb.
   I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
   your works are wonderful,
   I know that full well.
    My frame was not hidden from you
   when I was made in the secret place,
   when I was woven together in the depths of the earth. (Psalm 139:13-15, NIV)

God gives some men more testosterone than others.  For example, I am a T+ guy.  God made me this way.  He saw fit to make me very driven to start new things from scratch.  T+ is the biological factor of a spiritual pioneer.  When you combine God's calling with God's wiring, you get Kingdom expansion.  It's just how God has wired many in our generation.   

And it helps explain the DNA of a church planter: there's a scientific factor in assessing potential church planters.

Tomorrow we'll talk about the role of testosterone in the Holy Hangover.