Author name: Tom Stuart

Before you jump to conclusions…

Communication, Growth & Development /

Jesus knew that perception is not always reality. Appearances and our perceptions can often deceive us. However, rendering a “right” and accurate judgment of a given situation is not always easy. It requires spiritual discipline, careful investigation and a healthy dependence upon the Holy Spirit, who is the Spirit of Truth, sent to lead us into all truth. (John 16:13) This is especially applicable when it comes to dealing with reports of questionable behavior in others.

I don’t know about you, but frequently I hear things that people have said or done that stir a righteous indignation within me. It is not just limited to people I know personally. A case in point is the news story of the high profile hit and run that is presently providing fodder for heated expressions of public opinion in the media. At such times, we would all do well to be reminded of the judging precaution Jesus gave us. “Do not judge by appearances.”

What does He mean by that? How do we judge with right judgment? The best way to understand that is to look at how He Himself judges. And what better place to look than in the first books of the Old Testament where we see Him in action and giving instruction in rendering right judgment. Here then are three judging precautions that can save all of us from jumping to conclusions.

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The Happy Perfectionist

Answers to Prayer!, Growth & Development, News & Reflections, Overcoming /

This Labor Day weekend Susan and I, with some trepidation, made the trek up north to check on our vacation home. We had the place rented out this past year and our renters moved out the end of August. Having not been there for some time and only been limited as landlords to periodic reports; we came armed with cleaning supplies, tools and our sleeves rolled up to spend the weekend working.
When we drove up the driveway and walked through the front door all our fears were allayed. We were pleasantly surprised to find everything in good repair, the furniture and furnishings back in their proper places, and the house well cleaned and vacuumed. Even the garage was swept and clean the way we had left it and the lawn mowed. It was as if no one had ever lived there. What a joy! And blessed are the responsible renters for they shall inherit their full damage deposit!
Joy and perfectionism are infrequent companions and the term the “happy perfectionist” is for the most part an oxymoron. Those like me with the perfectionist gene know that perfectionism is a hard task master. Unfortunately the more afflicted a person is with perfectionism the more unlikely they are to be satisfied that things have met their expectations. And by the same token the less likely they are to be happy with the result. Thankfully however, I can say that I was a happy perfectionist with how we found our home.
There are typically only two times when a perfectionist is truly happy. First when they complete a task that measures up to their high standards of excellence and fully meets their expectations. And second, when someone else completes a task that measures up to their high standards of excellence and fully meets their expectations.

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Reflections from a Christian Conference

News & Reflections /

This week I have been attending a church leadership conference on discipleship in Atlanta with several others from Bridgewood. As always with conferences, the content is what motivates you to attend but invariably it is the personal connections that you make with people that most indelibly impact your life. At least that has been true for me this time around.

It always encourages me to meet the young leaders, both men and women, whom God is raising up. It seems to me this generation of leadership possesses a level of focus and passion that is disarming in their pursuit of bringing the gospel to the places that God is sending them. I’ve met several young couples who have moved into inner city neighborhoods with the express purpose of identifying wholeheartedly with them in order to befriend them and reach them for Christ.

We did some discipleship role playing in small groups yesterday and I was with two of these young men. It was a great learning experience and I am convinced that I took much more away from their wisdom and ways in the discipling process than they did from me. The most impacting thing for me however was their confession that their generation of leaders is crying for “gray hairs” to walk along side them and be mentors. One of the guys told me that in his city he knows of numerous young pastors looking men just like me to relate to. I looked in the mirror last night before I went to bed thinking they must have mistaken my sun bleached blond hair for gray but I was encouraged by their comment none the less.

The other thing about connecting with people at conferences is the opportunity to hear stories of God’s amazing intervention in people’s lives. Last night there was a reception at the host pastor’s home which provided another more intimate setting to visit with people. I met a pastor from Haiti, Jean Claude, who also has sun bleached blonde hair like myself. He told his incredible story of survival from the horrendous January 2010, Haitian earthquake. He had just pulled up in his car between a large hotel and its parking ramp in downtown Port au Prince when the earthquake hit. The floors of those buildings along with nearly every other building collapsed like stacks of pancakes but he was mercifully spared.

His concern turned to church where his wife and nearly one hundred children were located. Again, God spared them all. When that multistory building was shaken miraculously the bottom two floors only collapsed half way leaving space for everyone to escape unharmed.

I asked him about his home. Again he had an intriguing story to tell. When he began building his home in the early 1980s he first consulted a geologist. The geologist advised him not build where he originally was considering because it was on the earthquake fault line that runs through Port au Prince. Unfortunately all the major government buildings in town were constructed on that fault line and perished in the quake. He also advised Jean to lay his foundation on bed rock. Jean did just as he advised. He found a safer location, dug down ten feet to bedrock and constructed a foundation wall that was over three feet thick. When the earthquake hit, his house was the only one standing in his entire neighborhood

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My Ideal Church Service

2 Comments / Church History, Holy Spirit Aha's, Stats & Trends /

When you meet together, one will sing, another will teach, another will tell some special revelation God has given, one will speak in tongues, and another will interpret what is said. But everything that is done must strengthen all of you. 1 Corinthians14:26 (NLT)

Seasoned church attenders can hold their own with any other Monday morning quarterback when it comes to critiquing how the worship, preaching and other special teams did. People who have attended church for any length of time know what they like and don’t like about church services. The problem is most pastors, like coaches, don’t listen to church talk radio where their loyal fans vent their frustrations and dispense their advice – so things seldom change.

The church services in the traditional, the liturgical and even the evangelical church worlds are basically all the same and have not changed for centuries. They follow a predictable order and format. Corporate participation is limited to the recitation of prescribed song lyrics, scripture texts and/or prayers. Individual expressions are assigned to trained and rehearsed worship leaders, service leaders and pastors, who typically are clergy professionals. Fellowship, before or after the service, and the 7th inning greeting are the only really unscripted parts of the gathering.

The game plan for most church services goes like this. They open with worship, have announcements, take an offering accompanied by special music, preach a message and close with prayer and/or a benediction. Communion and other special elements are inserted typically between worship and the message, as the particular week or season of the year require. Some churches alter that order and the time allotted for each, but basically that is the typical weekend service across America and the world.

As a pastor, veteran of thousands of church services and secret listener to church talk radio I have given much thought to this predicament.

At the crux of the problem are two challenges. First, how do we make room in our services for the unscripted, unpredictable leading of the Holy Spirit? And secondly, how do we make our services more participatory and give greater expression to the priesthood of every believer.

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Being civil in an uncivil world

2 Comments / Communication, News & Reflections /

“You’re an idiot and you talk too slow!” the talk radio host blurted out as he hung up on the caller. He hadn’t even let the guy on the phone finish his question, a reasonable question, before refusing to consider it, insult the man and move on to his next caller, someone the screener now made sure agreed with the political views of the show host. I do not listen often to talk radio, particularly political talk radio, except to monitor from time to time what the hot topics of the day are.

That exchange, which I heard recently, epitomized for me the polarization in our nation right now, not only politically, but also ethically and religiously.

That divisive and acrimonious spirit is demonstrated by an incivility and a refusal to dialogue constructively or offer any real effort at resolving our differences. Sadly, the state of civil discourse in our land has fallen on hard times. We have political parties who cannot work together to solve our budget issues. We have lock-outs and walk-outs, firings and hirings based on political persuasions, and protests and litmus tests for those who don’t agree with us.

What is it that keeps us from coming to the table with mutual respect to seek answers together as to what divides us? There are no ready, all inclusive answers to that question. In part however, it is that we have categorized those who disagree with us as the enemy. When someone is the “enemy” we hesitate to have civil discourse with them lest we appear to be compromising our convictions, acknowledging our weakness or surrendering to their point of view. And so we fall into the trap of doing what author G.K. Chesterton termed setting up “false devils” by labeling as evil those who disagree with us, thereby dismissing anything they have to say. Therefore, if they are an “idiot” why spend any time talking to them?

When I took logic in college I was warned about the ad hominem fallacy. In general that debate tactic is an attempt to negate the truth of a person’s claim by pointing out a negative characteristic in the person advocating it. For instance, if a person talks or sounds funny, we choose not to listen because we don’t like the way they are saying it – e.g. they “talk too slow. ”

The “false devil” characterization like setting up a false god, invariably leads us astray. We cut ourselves off from hearing and seeing what God may want to reveal to us about them or through them.

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