Portland.BloggersPub

Sometimes, I despair…

bobhyatt — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 17:21:13 +0000

Especially when looking at the searches that lead to my blog.

"naughty pastors wives"... Really? Really???

Sheesh. Get a life, man.

It’s Him we need- not you.

bobhyatt — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 17:13:03 +0000

Ahh, sunny summer mornings.

This particular sunny summer morning found me on our front porch before the family woke, reading, praying, thinking...

My mind went back to my early days in ministry and my frustration over not being handed the keys earlier. I had so many good ideas! I knew what was wrong with this community, with these people. Especially those older ones who seemed to stand in the way so much.

Didn't they realize that if everyone just did what I thought we should do, the whole thing would be better?

Yes- the arrogance of youth.

We live in a world where grey hair, rather than being coveted as a sign of wisdom and experience is actually dreaded and dyed away in an attempt to emulate youth. Crazy.

The problem is, no one has bought into this more wholeheartedly than the young. Believe me, as someone who felt he had to plant a church, largely in response to not being handed the keys, I get the impatience. I also get the importance of handing off leadership to gifted, qualified YOUNG people as early as possible.

But here's the thing- as someone who regularly invites people in their 20s into the role of elder in our community, I can say truthfully that while age is often a consideration, the real issue is maturity, and maturity shown in particular ways.

So- "When can I LEAD?"

The answer is simple.

When your love for us outweighs your impatience with us and your anger that we aren't already like Jesus.

And when you know it's Him we need, not you.

Oregon coast

bobhyatt — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 13:43:43 +0000

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Loving the LGBT Community

bobhyatt — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 15:46:01 +0000

It's pretty rare I link to something on Challies.com, but... :)

This is good stuff.

How can we both love and preach the Gospel to the LGBT community? Is it possible to say "I am your friend" AND "You need Jesus"? And what happens when the topic of sexuality comes up?

This is a great first-hand account of someone who's preaching the Gospel AND finding acceptance among the LGBT community- not in spite of preaching the Gospel, but probably because of it- and probably because of HOW he does it. I don't know that I'd copy this style to the letter, but as a broad stroke outline and a call to befriend cultures we might feel uncomfortable around (and who might have reason to be uncomfortable around us) I find it both inspiring and convicting. (In that vein, I've recently felt like I need to be reaching out to the MANY Muslims who live in our neighborhood- this area of SW PDX is a hub...)

Here's the article:

I have talked to quite a number of gay men now—almost all of them white and middle aged. Many of them came out of the closet after having been married with kids. For whatever reason, 85% have come from Catholic backgrounds. That means that much of my evangelistic groundwork has already been covered. There is no need to explain that the bible has two testaments, or who Moses or Abraham were, or convince them of the historic factuality of the resurrection; for the most part, they believe it. I’m finding it’s the authority of scripture that I need to deal with the most.

When I first meet someone at the coffee shop and they ask me what I do (which is a natural “in” to introducing the gospel) they assume that I must be a liberal gay Baptist minister, because otherwise what would I be doing in their coffee shop? (The first man I talked to had only just broken up with his boyfriend, a Methodist pastor.) I begin by asking them questions. I get them to do all the talking for the next 45 minutes. I ask them about their job, their background, their family life, their personal life and what they believe and why so I can get a picture of their epistemology and worldview. Needless to say, I frame my questions in an inquisitive, slightly naive, polite fashion, not in an interrogative, formal way. Gay men love to talk (at least the ones in this coffee shop seem to) and people in general today enjoy discussing “spirituality”. Then, out of politeness, they will inevitably ask me what I believe. So I tell them the gospel, starting with Genesis 1, laying out for them the biblical storyline and worldview.

...

I do all this because I love the LGBT community. They are a community comprised of individual eternal souls. Sadly, they are culture that has almost no contact with biblical Christianity in any form. How many drag queens can count a born again Christian amongst their friends? Very few, to our shame.

Read the rest here

Why You Should Plant a Church… Audio

bobhyatt — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 09:14:00 +0000

A few years ago I wrote an article called Why You Should Plant a Church. It's gotten around the interwebs a bit, and I'm still regularly encouraged by folks I meet who tell me that article was a big piece of their story, their journey towards planting a church.

Recently I got a chance to speak to a church planting bootcamp on that subject- Why Plant Churches? I basically reworked and supplemented that article for a roughly 40 min. talk.

If you are interested, here's the audio. Thanks to Ecclesia for having me and for posting this!

Strengthening the Soul of Your Leadership: Seeking God in the Crucible of Ministry

bobhyatt — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 09:04:00 +0000

Few books hit me like water in the desert. But so far, this one is definitely like that.

Barton has a way of talking about the realities of leading and pastoring that are both honest and transparent, and yet never lose sight of the solace and strength to be found by leaning in to the person of Jesus.

From the back of the book:

""I'm tired of helping others enjoy God. I just want to enjoy God for myself." With this painful admission, Ruth Haley Barton invites us to an honest exploration of what happens when spiritual leaders lose track of their souls. Weaving together contemporary illustrations with penetrating insight from the life of Moses, Strengthening the Soul of Your Leadership explores topics such as responding to the dynamics of calling, facing the loneliness of leadership, leading from your authentic self, cultivating spiritual community, reenvisioning the promised land, discerning God's will together...

Each chapter includes a spiritual practice to ensure your soul gets the nourishment it needs. Forging and maintaining a life-giving connection with God is the best choice you can make for yourself and for those you lead. "

Highly recommended

Evergreener Aubrey Peth on… Measurements.

bobhyatt — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 15:58:13 +0000

Love that Evergreen is full of people who process the ins and outs of life in such a Jesus-y (that's for you Anne Lamott fans... "Gospel-Centered" for you Keller fans) way...

Here's some:

Yesterday I had to measure myself for another wedding come November.

I’m actually really excited for the AZ wedding of my good friends Kyle DiRoberts and Lolly Mullen. I’m also ready to brave the 20-person bridal party (huzzah! numbers unite!).

However, “taking my measurements” (bridesmaid dress) kinda felt like a 2×4 to the face. For a few hours (yes, hours) I pondered the trials of womanhood via measuring tape/scale/pants-that-sometimes-do-not-fit after taking down my numbers. I wasn’t thrilled about how I was feeling.

I then thought, “I’m pretty sure that Jesus doesn’t care about my exact measurements.”

So, I got over it.

(slowly)

As I continue to question/live/ponder I’m gaining more of an understanding as to what “healthy” means...

Read the rest here

wisdom…

bobhyatt — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 15:43:59 +0000

"Without the regular experience of being received and loved by God in solitude and silence, we are vulnerable to a kind of leadership that is driven by profound emptiness that we are seeking to fill through performance and achievement. This unconscious striving is very dangerous for us and for those around us; it will eventually burn us out (since there is no amount of achievement that will ultimately satisfy the emptiness of the human soul), and the people we work with will eventually notice that they are mere cogs in the wheel of our own ego-driven plans."

-Ruth Haley Barton, Strengthening the Soul of Your Leadership

New post at Out of Ur

bobhyatt — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 14:18:30 +0000

I've got a new post up at Out of Ur:

June 17, 2009

The Sometimes Surprising Price of Success

What happens when our people do what we ask?

No, this post isn’t about growing pains as your church gets bigger and bigger or what to do with the budget surplus all that extra tithing is leaving you with (though if your problem is the latter, email me).

I’ve been thinking this week about the cost we pastors and our communities pay when people actually begin to do what we’re asking them do to: “Go in peace to love and serve the Lord.”

So far this year, we’ve had a hard time making budget just about every month. And as a smaller church, that matters. As I looked at the numbers, I began to wonder what was happening. Were people giving less because of the financial crisis? Were we angering people and provoking a “hold back” response in giving?

But as I tried to see the big picture of where our community is, I realized we’re actually just paying the price of success.

Read the rest here

Saturday afternoon…

bobhyatt — Sat, 13 Jun 2009 22:46:46 +0000

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