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Chapter-a-Day

Man in the Middle

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“Man in the Middle” (CaD 1 Cor 9) – Wayfarer

If others have this right of support from you, shouldn’t we have it all the more? But we did not use this right. On the contrary, we put up with anything rather than hinder the gospel of Christ.
1 Corinthians 9:12 (NIV)

I sometimes feel like I live in two different worlds and I don’t always fit perfectly in either of them. I have a career of over 30 years in the business world. I own the business I started working for in 1994. I love what I do, and I love my clients. I also have a unique leadership position among my local gathering of Jesus’ followers in which I lead, teach and provide pastoral presence though I’m not an official member of the staff.

Over the years, I’ve often felt as if people in the business world who know about my pastoral service don’t always know what to make of me. Likewise, people in the church world who find out it’s not actually my vocation aren’t sure what to do with me either. I’m kind of an outlier to individuals in both worlds. I’m a “man in the middle,” but that’s where God has led and it’s worked.

One of the things I’ve observed along my spiritual journey is that modern readers of the Great Story are often so focused on mining spiritual encouragement that the historical context is completely lost. But sometimes there’s spiritual treasure buried in that context for those who are willing to dig.

The Jesus Movement that exploded after the resurrection was an organically structured system. Like any human organization, it was a mix of diverse personalities, temperaments, strengths, and blind spots. The leadership core was, of course, Jesus original twelve disciples. If I put on my business cap and think about the org chart, it would look like the Twelve in executive director positions with the title of Apostles. Peter was the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) as appointed by Jesus. But, then there are Jesus’ brothers, James in particular, who quickly rise in the organization. James (not to become confused with either of the two members of the original Twelve disciples named James) becomes kind of a Chief Operating Officer (COO) focused on the core Jesus’ followers in Jerusalem.

You kind of have to think about it, but Paul was an outsider to this leadership group. First, he had the baggage of having originally been a competitor. Paul started as enemy numero uno to everyone in the corporation. He was even responsible for having a beloved member of business, assassinated and he had members of the church arrested, imprisoned, beaten, and perhaps even killed. Trust me, it would not have been a comfortable Board Meeting at Jesus, Inc. when it became clear that Jesus’ had hired Paul to help expand global operations.

On top of that, there was grumbling all the way down the org chart about Paul being given the executive director title of Apostle along with The Twelve. The qualifications were that Jesus personally and directly hired them, and that they had seen the resurrected Jesus. Paul technically fit those qualifications, but there were certainly some who felt that Paul’s encounter with Jesus on the Damascus road years after the resurrection didn’t cut the corporate mustard.

Nevertheless, the Twelve originally stuck close to home in Jerusalem while sending Paul off to share Jesus’ message with people far away and set up locations in towns across Asia Minor and Greece. The distance was probably good for everybody in the organization. It also gave Paul tremendous autonomy to do things the way he felt they should be done while he was operating far from corporate headquarters. He was a maverick, a head-strong leader, as well as being the most brilliant and educated member of the executive team at Jesus, Inc. The rumors, criticism, and doubts about Paul’s pedigree and worthiness within the organization would follow him and dog him for years., no matter where he went.

One of the things Paul did differently was the fact that he had a vocation outside of Jesus, Inc. Paul was raised in a wealthy, accomplished tent-making family business. He knew the trade. He was skilled at it. And no matter where he traveled or stayed, people needed tents made or repaired. It allowed him to meet people he might otherwise not have met. His business interactions gave him local knowledge and information that would help him navigate the establishment of the local chapter of Jesus, Inc. It also meant that Paul provided for himself and his companions by his own means. Jesus, Inc. didn’t have to pay him a salary, travel expenses, or a per diem. He certainly could have expected or demanded this. The corporation certainly provided for and took care of the expenses of the other corporate executives in Jerusalem. Paul chose out, and he did so for a reason.

If you haven’t read today’s chapter, or even if you have, I encourage you to take a few minutes and read it again and think about Paul in his organizational circumstances. I think you might see things you didn’t see before.

In the quiet this morning, I’m meditating on the fact that I have gained a greater appreciation for, and deeper personal connection with, Paul in recent years. He was an outlier, too. His ministry was channeled through and provided for by what appears to be an unconnected vocation, though a disciple of Jesus knows that every vocation is a ministry. Paul was able to share Jesus’ message, shepherd new believers, and establish local chapters of Jesus, Inc. while not needing or expecting financial support from the people he’s spiritually serving. There’s something powerful in that, to give and require nothing in return. There is also, I have discovered, a joy that comes with it.

That would eventually change when Paul was arrested and spent years imprisoned and waiting trial in the Roman legal system. But how beautiful to think of the gratitude of the believers in places like Corinth where Paul gave so much without requiring anything. When it came time that he did need something from them, I can only imagine the joy with which they stepped up to the plate.

Who knows but what maybe I will be in a similar position someday. In the meantime, I’m blessed and overjoyed to be a “man in the middle” like Paul was, even if can occasionally be a unique reality.

If you know anyone who might be encouraged by today’s post, please share.

These chapter-a-day blog posts are also available via podcast on all major podcast platforms including Apple, Google, and Spotify! Simply go to your podcast platform and search for “Wayfarer Tom Vander Well.” If it’s not on your platform, please let me know!
Chapter-a-Day

Sui Generis

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Sui Generis (CaD Ps 33) – Wayfarer

Sing to him a new song;
    play skillfully on the strings, with loud shouts.
Psalm 33:3 (NRSVCE)

Wendy and I attended worship with our local gathering of Jesus followers on Sunday. We’ve been sitting at home watching the live steam most Sundays since March. There are three spaces set aside for worship with proper space for physical distancing. The music and teaching are streamed from the main space to the other two. The auditorium that is where we usually call home is one of the spaces in which the live worship is streamed.

We walked in and sat down. I knew we were a minute or two late, so I was surprised when we weren’t greeting with the usual decibel level of worship music. It took me a second to realize that while the video of the worship music was live, the audio wasn’t being successfully streamed from the other room. Everyone sat and waited for our faithful tech volunteers to figure out the problem.

What struck me as we waited was that there were individuals already standing in anticipation of singing, clapping, and participating in corporate worship. I stood with them. Most people were sitting quietly while we waited. When the problem was fixed and the audio began to stream, everyone who was sitting immediately stood without prompt. People began to sing. Some people raised their hands in prayer. It was like the worship version of a Lamborghini accelerating from 0-60 in 2.8 seconds.

The thing that struck me in that moment was the feeling that everyone wanted to sing. There was a feeling of hunger to be there, to worship corporately with others and to sing, pray, and shout in praise and supplication.

Today’s psalm was most likely a song written for ancient corporate worship. If you step back and look at it, the “voice” of the lyrics lends itself to the first three verses being sung by a worship leader calling everyone to worship. Verses 4-19 could very well have been for a choir or select group to then instruct through song about God’s power, sovereignty, and goodness to protect and deliver those who place, in Him, their faith and trust.

The voice of verses 20-22 switch to a corporate “our” and could likely have been for the entire crowd gathered to sing in response to pledge their faith and trust.

There is something unique about a corporate worship experience when those gathered are not just going through ritualistic motions but are truly pouring out from their spirits their gratitude, praise, pain, need, faith, and desire.

Sui generis (pronounced soo-ee jen-er-is) is a latin term meaning “of its own kind.” Usually used as a legal term, its broader definition is something that is “unique” and in a “class by itself.” I once heard it used of certain worship experiences when a crowd of individuals begin to worship and, sui generis, a powerful whole emerges from the many. From many voices one voice. From many spirits one spirit. When it happens it is truly sui generis.

In the quiet this morning, I find myself thinking about worship, prayer, and praise. I’m grateful for technology that has allowed Wendy and me to join with our fellow Jesus followers through YouTube during the pandemic. Jesus assured His followers that He would always be present when “two or three are gathered” in His name. Wendy and I have enjoyed some really wonderful moments in our worship gatherings via YouTube. I am also grateful to join with others in one place and pour out our hearts and praise just as people have been doing for thousands of years like when Psalm 33 was introduced to the Hebrew people as a “new song” to corporately proclaim God’s protection and deliverance.

If you know anyone who might be encouraged by today’s post, please share.

Chapter-a-Day

Because I can, Doesn’t Mean I should

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When you sit to dine with a ruler,
    note well what is before you,
and put a knife to your throat
    if you are given to gluttony.
Proverbs 23:1-2 (NIV)

When I was starting out in my career, we had miser in charge of our company’s travel expenses. It was dictated that we would stay in the cheapest places, rent the cheapest cars, and keep our meals to a minimum. In many cases, the cheapest alternatives were zealously investigated and it was required that we use them.

I still have memories of the hole-in-the-wall car rental place that this person found. It was a true “rent-a-dent” with a small fleet of small, two-door Grand Prix Pontiacs. They were almost all red and they had been purchased from other car rental places on the cheap because they had high-mileage, lots of wear, ran rough, and every single one of them had been the used by their previous owners as the cars designated for smokers. Even the $17 a day we paid was overpriced for these barely roadworthy pieces of junk. I now look back and laugh at those days like a veteran road warrior swapping battle stories, but it really was extreme.

I’m happy to say that after a few years the travel restrictions were eased. We were allowed to stay in mid-tier hotels and negotiated an account with one of the major car rental companies. Our per diem for meals was eased to a reasonable limit. Nevertheless, the standard had been set. We watch what we spend, what gets charged to the client, and always keep it reasonable.

A few years later, I was having lunch with the CEO of a large client we were privileged to serve for many years.

“You know why I love you and your company? Why I respect you and keep doing business with you?” he asked me unexpectedly in his thick New York Jewish accent.

I was honestly curious to know.

“It’s your expense reports,” he quickly said in response to his own question without waiting for me to answer, “You don’t try and gouge me. You wouldn’t believe what most vendors try and get away with. They expect me to pay for the magazines they buy to read on the plane and $200 bottles of wine at lunch. It’s ridiculous. Your team always just charges me for the basics, and it’s always reasonable. That tells me a lot about your company.”

I thought about that lunch, and that CEO, as I read this morning’s chapter and the sage saying of ancient Jewish wisdom at the top of this post. That lunch was an important waypoint in my career as I began to see myself through the eyes of the decision makers who hire our company. While the miser I first experienced as a corporate rookie took things to an unnecessary extreme, I came to understand the wisdom that motivated their frugality. Clients pay attention to what we charge them, and they make judgements about our integrity, our character, and our relationship because of it.

In the quiet this morning, I’m smiling and whispering a prayer of gratitude for the person who made me endure long road trips in a stale, smoke-smelling rust-buckets. It wasn’t fun at the time, but it taught me an important lesson. And, it became a really good story for those days when I find myself comparing battle scars with fellow road warriors at the airport.

Now that I find myself at the top of the company’s org chart, I know that there are clients who assume that I will expect a higher level of travel experience when I’m on business with their company. I’ve even had a few clients encourage me to stay in nicer places and/or enjoy a higher-ticket meal or two than what they see I charged on my expense report. I thank them, and then I purposefully and silently refuse to do so. When it comes to next year’s contract, I never want to give the client any reason, even a small reason, to suspend or end our relationship.

Chapter-a-Day

Corporate Changes; Eternal Brand

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The Lord said to Aaron, “You will have no inheritance in their land, nor will you have any share among them; I am your share and your inheritance among the Israelites.”
Numbers 18:20 (NIV)

I’ve recently taken on new responsibilities in our company that began with leading a strategic planning effort this past month. As part of that process, I’m evaluating the way our business does things and considering changes, enhancements, and improvements. I don’t want our team to simply make changes for the sake of change. There’s got to be good reason for the things we do that accurately reflects who we are and contributes to what we are called to do as a business.

As I think to the future and the road ahead for our group, I also find myself being mindful of the legacy of our founder’s mission. I don’t want to lose sight of what the company was created to be. There are some things that don’t change with regard to our brand. If anything, some things need to become enhanced. It’s simply who we are.

In many ways, the book of Numbers that we’re journeying through a chapter-a-day was God’s spiritual business plan for the ancient Hebrews. It’s an organizational manual for how God was establishing a system of worship. Things were not structured haphazardly. There are reasons that God, the founder and CEO, is structuring things a particular way.

One of the curious decisions God made was to make sure the priests and Levites, who were in charge of the temple, the offerings, and the sacrifices, could not own land or have an inheritance. “I am your share and your inheritance,” God said.

There is a very important purpose in setting up the team this way. Those who were part of the priesthood, the ones who were the spiritual conduit between God and humanity, were to understand and constantly maintain an eternal perspective. To quote the old bluegrass classic, “This world is not my home, I’m just a passin’ though.” The priests and Levites didn’t own land and didn’t have inheritance passed between generations because they understood that ultimately this whole earthly journey has an eternal destination. The world and all the stuff get left behind. The priest and Levites were invested in that which is beyond this world, those things which are eternal, the things that the Founder and CEO are really all about.

Times changed over the course of history. The system changed. The spiritual marketplace went through a great depression. Legacy ways of doing spiritual business in this world changed. Jesus came to be the ultimate sacrifice once for all. Holy Spirit was poured out into all believers. It was a new economy for spiritual business, and God’s spiritual business plan was getting a face lift. Old religious practices passed away like the telegraph, the ticker tape, and the IBM Selectric. New sacraments and paradigms were put into place.

But some things don’t change.

The legacy concept of the priests not having an earthly inheritance did not go away as part of the updated business plan. In fact, Jesus made it clear that God being the “share” and “inheritance” was a foundational, core part of God’s brand. It was a corporate value that was no longer limited to one team in the organization, but shared by all. It was part of every team members job description. In speaking to all the shareholders on the mountainside, Jesus said:

“Don’t hoard treasure down here where it gets eaten by moths and corroded by rust or—worse!—stolen by burglars. Stockpile treasure in heaven, where it’s safe from moth and rust and burglars. It’s obvious, isn’t it? The place where your treasure is, is the place you will most want to be, and end up being.” Matthew 6:19-21 (MSG)

The CEO was updating the business plan, and the old business silo of the “priesthood” was being functionally expanded to include everyone in the organization (1 Peter 2:9-10). Along with it, everyone in the organization was to understand that this world, and the things of this world, have zero eternal value. The world, and the things of this world, in no way contribute to the mission and goals of the organization. They will not help the organization be successful in implementing the strategic plan. Therefore, this world and the things of this world are not where members of the organization are to invest our resources, our energies, or our corporate concerns.

This is the legacy from the Founder. This is the brand.

It’s simply who we are, and who we are to be.

Chapter-a-Day

Chapter-a-Day Daniel 1

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Sign on the dotted line.  But Daniel appealed to a steward who had been assigned by the head of the palace staff to be in charge of Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah: "Try us out for ten days on a simple diet of vegetables and water. Then compare us with the young men who eat from the royal menu. Make your decision on the basis of what you see." Daniel 1:11-13 (MSG)

The consulting group I work with was founded with a stated mission of applying Biblical principles in our work. We're certainly not perfect, but we do make an honest and sincere effort to apply God's word to what we do. For example, many businesses and firms who operate on a contractual basis will try to sign long-term contracts clients. The idea is that the longer the contract you can convince your client to sign, the greater security you have. However, our group does not believe that our security lies in contracts or clients. So, we have never agreed to a contract longer than twelve months. The underlying idea is that we must be good stewards of the annual contractual opportunities our clients give us and continually prove our worth if we hope to have our contract renewed.

That principle is expanded in the way our group approaches potential new clients. We typically ask a new client only to sign up for a "pilot project" that may last 60-90 days. We ask them to give us an opportunity to show them what we can do. If they find measurable value in that project, we'll ask them to commit to a broader annual offering. It's the same thing that Daniel did when he asked the king's steward to give his diet a chance and make his judgement based on the result. Give it a chance. Put it to the test. Then make the decision.

Many people will only make decisions based on the results they see, not just onthe pitch they hear.

Creative Commons photo courtesy of Flickr and macroberts