“Simon, Simon, Satan has asked to sift all of you as wheat. But I have prayed for you, Simon, that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned back, strengthen your brothers.”

The idea is that God allows sifting to take place in the lives of his ministry leaders. Some say he doesn’t just allow it, he intentionally sifts his leaders. Here’s a video from Francis Chan explaining the concept in more detail.

One quote in this video has got me thinking. It’s near the beginning. Chan says, “it really is over the years that God humbles you, he uh, sometimes even humiliates you. But it’s all for a good cause. It’s all about building you up.”

The idea that God humiliates his leaders (or anyone) is new to me. I associate that word with other words like: scorn, derision, bullying, disrespect, and especially shame. It’s not terribly comforting to think that God might humiliate me one day as a way of refining me or teaching me a lesson. Is it comforting to you?

At the conference a new book written by Wayne Cordeiro, Francis Chan, and Larry Osborne will release. It’s called Sifted: Pursuing Growth through Trials, Challenges, and Disappointments. I’ve been reading an early copy of the manuscript in preparation for its release. Here’s a quote from Wayne Cordeiro that gets at the heart of my discomfort with the idea that God humiliates his people:

“In Luke 22, Jesus tells his disciples that Satan has asked to sift them, as one would sift wheat on a threshing room floor to separate the good from the bad. Jesus encourages his disciples by telling them that he has prayed for them that their faith would not fail. But I don’t always find this very reassuring. What I’d like is for Jesus to pray that Satan would be thwarted, or even that God would dispatch angels to assist me. But that my faith would not fail? That doesn’t sound very reassuring! I picture myself dangling over a cliff, yelling for help, while my friend sits at a picnic table and tells me that he’s praying for me, hopint that I won’t lose faith. Jesus, by praying this way, seems to suggest that there’s a very good possibility that my faith might indeed fail. Gulp!“

He later adds:

“Sifting builds the muscle of our faith, giving us the caliber of strength we need for what lies just around the corner. Scripture tells us that the challenges we face in life happen for a reason, and the process of sifting refines us, revealing our weaknesses, exposing our self-dependence and inviting us to greater faith in God and greater dependence on his promises. Our prayer during this time is not that we will avoid being sifted, but that we will navigate the process well, and after we’ve survived, our faith will be ratified.”

I’m more encouraged after reading that second paragraph, but still uneasy. The message I’m hearing from Chan and Cordeiro is that ministry is hard, strenuous, and might break you – but that God is doing it all for his greater purposes and for your refinement.

Whether you think he allows sifting or does it intentionally, is it a tough pill for you to swallow just knowing that’s it’s coming? Have you been sifted and lived to tell about God’s refinement in your life?

I’d be interested to hear your stories.

Check out www.StoriesofSifted.com for more info about the Exponential Conference and Sifted. You can pre-order copies of the book now at Amazon; B&N; CBD; and a few others that can be found here.

What are your thoughts on this video?  What kind of small group are you involved in?

(HT: Mark Howell)

Fatherlessness is a story that many can resonate with, and it has devastating consequences for individuals and communities alike. From shame and loneliness, to gangs and teen pregnancy, fatherlessness is a driving force behind many of young people’s greatest struggles.

But it doesn’t have to be that way, we can reach out to the fatherless and be their for them when their own fathers were not, all while pointing them to the Father of us all.

In Fatherless Generation: Redeeming the Story, John Sowers recounts his own story of fatherlessness and how it led to him working with Don Miller on The Mentoring Project.

To enter this week’s giveaway comment below with one example of how the Church can come alongside the fatherless.

Also, a bonus entry is a available if you comment a second time letting us know that you shared a link to this giveaway on Facebook, Twitter, or your blog.

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*If you are reading this via Facebook, email, or RSS, please visit the blog to enter. One winner will be determined by Random Integer Generator. Giveaway ends Friday at Noon*

Whatever happened to Jericho after its walls came tumbling down?

How does the history of the Bible parallel with what we know of ancient Empires?

Is it possible to stand where Joshua once declared “as for me and my house, we shall serve the Lord.”?

All these questions and more are answered in Conquests Cannanites, and the Holy City, Volume Two of Drive Through History with Dave Stotts.

Scripture studies are almost always aided by a well-written guide. Some of the best guides are commentaries, especially those that began as a sermon series. Homiletical commentaries combine the best of careful exegesis and pastoral application.(1)

One of the dangers, though, of using a study guide is that the Bible can become eclipsed by a lesser book. It is easy to subconsciously begin to treat the Bible as the “raw materials” and the study guide as the “finished product,” favoring the latter.

To avoid misusing supplemental materials, make them the last part of your preparation for the group study. First, work through the scripture passage in focus. Ask questions about the text. Note observations and applications. Use the study questions to stimulate thought before turning to the “answers” in the commentary. In this way the commentary becomes a sounding board for your ideas and conclusions rather than a source book. The Bereans took such an approach. They “…received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true” (Acts 17:11).

A related principle is that group discussions should be guided by Scripture not by personal opinion. This does not mean that a question or comment is inappropriate just because it is an opinion. It does mean that conclusions that are reached and counsel that is given should be biblically based.

Much of the curriculum we produce has been used as sermon material that was preached in the pastors church:

• Weird and The Christian Atheist by Craig Groeschel
• Guardrails and Taking Responsibility for Your Life by Andy Stanley
• The Circle Maker by Mark Batterson
• The Power of a Whisper and Just Walk Across the Room by Bill Hybels
• The Me I Want to Be by John Ortberg

From 2.28.12 to 3.02.12 many of the leading voices in the missional church movement will be gathered in Austin TX for the Verge 2012 Conference.

Verge will feature almost fifty speakers, including Zondervan authors Brandon Hatmaker, Dave Ferguson, Dave Gibbons, Matt Carter, Jon Sowers, Hugh Halter, Darrin Patrick, and Alan Hirsch.

Registration is still open, so stop by the homepage and sign up for Verge 2012!

“Luke shows us an all-powerful Creator taking on the fragile frame of a mortal. His gospel presents a man who is never so deified as to be distant or uncaring. On the contrary, the man he describes, Jesus climbs down from the heavenly realms to enter the clutter and chaos of our fallen world and to subject Himself to our faults and frailties, pains and passions, sorrows and sicknesses. In Luke’s account alone we hear the helpless infant cry of the Almighty.”

With these words Chuck Swindoll begins he latest commentary, Insights on Luke.

Combining Swindoll’s pastoral and scholarly insight with his skill as a storyteller, Insights on Luke brings the gospel story to life, filled with drama, power, and truth.

Featuring verse-by-verse commentary along with charts, maps, asides discussing application or important concepts, and reflections from Swindoll’s personal journal, this volume is a perfect companion for small groups, Sunday schools, and pastors preparing a sermon on Luke’s gospel.

To enter the giveaway for Insights on Luke, simply comment below with your answer to this question: Luke addressed his Gospel to “Theophilus,” who do you think Theophilus was?

Also, a bonus entry is a available if you comment a second time letting us know that you shared a link to this giveaway on Facebook, Twitter, or your blog.

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*If you are reading this via Facebook, email, or RSS, please visit the blog to enter. One winner will be determined by Random Integer Generator. Giveaway ends Friday at Noon*

What does it mean to have love as our orientation?

Andrew Marin’s ministry has led to many important conversations in the Church, and his new DVD curriculum Love is an Orientation already has people talking as you can see from this review by Matthew McNutt.

I finished working my way through all six sessions of Andrew Marin’s new DVD study resource based on his book, ‘Love is an Orientation.’ The short review? It’s a must buy. Well put together, thought provoking, amazing DVD that lives up to the book it is based on and the topic of elevating the conversation with the LGBT community…

…I think one of the significant things Marin has done in this resource is include the stories of six individuals representing different places in the LGBT community. I think it’s important because for many conservative and/or legalistic church goers watching this series, it humanizes the conversation. It’s a lot easier to resort to hate and angry rhetoric when you don’t know the other person’s story or heart. 

Maybe this is the best way I can recommend this resource: literally within moments of finishing session six, I got online and ordered several more copies of the DVD and study guides. This is the one topic that more of our high school small groups are asking to work through, but my leaders don’t feel like they have the resources to tackle it well – now they will. 

You can read the full review here.

Humilitas: A Lost Key to Life, Love, and Leadership, by John Dickson, was awarded the “Best of the Best” award in the Leaders Inner Life category.

 “A transformative yet largely unexplored virtue is explored from various angles to reveal its surprising depth and power.” –Wayne Schmidt

Making the “Very Short List” in the Leaders Outer Life category was Move: What 1,000 Churches Reveal about Spiritual Growth, by Greg L. Hawkins and Cally Parkinson

“Compelling research breaks church leaders out of denial and directs them to the truth about our greatest commission—making disciples.” –Wayne Schmidt

Congrats to the authors of these excellent books, and to everyone who worked so hard to bring them to the public.

So, when I saw this article on the Christian Post I had to post it here. Dan Kimball, author of, They Like Jesus But Not the Church, was interviewed by the Post about Bieber’s recent comments:

“A lot of people who are religious, I think they get lost. They go to church just to go to church…I’m not trying to disrespect them … but for me, I focus more on praying and talking to Him. I don’t have to go to church.”

You can read the full article here.

Kimball’s newest book releases later this year. It’s called Adventures in Churchland. It’s a great book (I was fortunate to read an early draft) that makes a kind-hearted argument for young believers to embrace the Church.