You may have wondered what the picture on the cover of this edition of WACMEN is all about. When scouring the internet for a something to adequately describe the concept of this article I had to pause myself and think, “what a weird picture that is”. Nevertheless, it does speak to the idea I want to address and so let me explain.
Suppose you went into a store and saw these two brand new unused babies head candle holders and you bought them and took them home. You placed them on the mantle piece and there they sat admired by guests and relatives alike. They were a great conversation piece and some friends even expressed that they would like to have a pair just like that – they were so popular.
One night however you had a blackout and stumbled around for ages looking for candles and couldn’t find any. In desperation you took one of the babies head candles and lit it up so you could have light. The candle burned well and provided you light while you did your evening chores. It burned well into the night by your bed as you were reading and finally you fell asleep. In the morning the power came on and when you woke you found that you had pretty much stuffed one of the babies heads up and it now didn’t match the other nice new one.
As friends and relatives dropped by comments were made about how much a shame it was that the used babies head was ruined and how it didn’t match the new one that stood nicely by it’s side. Yeah, I said “nicely”. You see the new candle had not seen any real action and had not even served it’s purpose yet but it received all the attention. The used babies head candle however had served a very worthy purpose and had been used for what it was supposedly designed for yet it received only comments like “what a shame” and “oh now it makes the pair look bad”.
You would have to agree that now it is pretty ugly and yes it doesn’t look NICE anymore but it was GOOD wasn’t it?
I mean, we were all happy gathering around the light it shed and we were pretty happy when it got us out of a tight spot because we didn’t have to fumble around in the dark anymore. And what, now we don’t like it because it doesn’t look nice? We liked what it did for us but we didn’t like it when it started to look like a used candle.
Maybe I’m taking the illustration too far but the bottom line here is that the nice candle is only nice as long as it doesn’t get used for what it was designed for – to give light. The used candle on the other hand became ugly when it started fulfilling it’s good and proper function but the nice candle only looked nice because it stayed out of the way from being used.
In our service to God then, is it possible to be so consumed about the appearance of being nice, that we fail to engage and become good practical Christians for fear of turning ugly? Paul Coughlin in his book No More Christian Nice Guy explains the concept of good versus nice this way,...Nice people worship at the altar of other people’s approval. Jesus did not. Nice people when criticized often crumble and hide. Good people keep going, the way Jesus did...
Have we become nice men at church instead of good men? Have our priorities morphed into a desperate obsession to be liked obscuring what we have been commanded to be? Have we placed a higher value on appearing nice to everyone rather than the biblical value of doing the good and proper thing which is right?
Jesus did not say to the disciples before he left, “go forth and be liked”. He said, “go forth and teach and preach whatever I have told you” – despite the consequences. Jesus warned us we will have enemies – “all who live the gospel as it should be lived will suffer persecution”.
Doing what we are told is good and practical but it may make us appear ugly – can we live with that? Jesus was not one to compromise even if people hated Him and felt he was not nice.
The famous Pink Floyd song Wish You Were Here asks us;Did they get you to trade your heroes for ghosts?
Hot ashes for trees?
Hot air for a cool breeze?
Cold comfort for change?
Did you exchange a walk on part in the war for a lead role in a cage?
Compromising and not doing what is good just so we can be popular or at ease is something so distasteful to God that it makes Him want to vomit. One hundred percent, “hot or cold” is God’s preference rather than us steering around our duty in order to avoid discomfort. Do something for me.
Look again at the candle holders and ask yourself, which one served it’s purpose and which one was just an ornament? The used candle looks ugly and certainly doesn’t look nice but it sure was good while it lasted. Which one would you rather be when God asks, “what did you do with the life I gave you?”
Danny Bell
Tuesday, June 3, 2008
Good versus Nice
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
3 comments:
Hello, Danny,
I work for the General Conference communication department. We'd like to feature your ministry on Adventist News Network and wondered if you might be willing to answer a few questions for us. Please email me at lechleitnere@gc.adventist.org if you can help us out.
Thanks very much,
Elizabeth Lechleitner
Adventist News Network
General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists
301.680.6311
http://news.adventist.org
Info sent to Elizabeth and we are in talks.
Tink
BELOW IS THE LETTER I SENT TO ELIZABETH FROM THE GC
Hi Liz,
I'm attaching a couple of newsletters of ours to give you an idea of what we are about.
Let me now answer as best I can your questions;
Why an email-based ministry might encourage men who wouldn't ordinarily open up to do so in a less threatening environment?
Men open up away from church in typically male environments and so we have focussed on the social element to introduce and practice our ministry. WACMEN is basically a state based network and not a club or group. We feel that we can do allot more good by networking with church men in their local scene than trying to perform all the functions a club or group would normally do. Our footsoldiers for this ministry therefore are your average church guys whom we are in contact with through the WACMEN newsletter. Email is cheap and easy and everyone can get an email address. We have in excess of 100 subscribers (and growing), of whom the vast majority are SDA's but a portion are non-denominational and non churched men. The ministry however, is not just about getting non churched men onto the newsletter list. We first recruit church guys through our newsletter which provides information and direction on a whole host of stuff like camps etc. The email is only a connection point but it is what holds us together. Our real ministry happens when we turn up at local church sponsored events and reach out to church men and non churched men alike. The events are sent to us from our contacts and we add them to the Buddy Board (a kind of social calendar), which is part of the newsletter. These events are male focussed and provide opportunities for ministry by invitation to non churched men. So we act like a news service for all things male within our conference but we go one step further by attending those events and fostering a connection among men who turn up.
We were also interested in hearing what sort of feedback these men have given you -- what do they appreciate about WACMEN?
Feedback is always positive even across interdenominational lines. We only started as an idea since Easter Camp 2008 and now already have over 100 subscribers and climbing fast. We are now beginning to receive emails from church guys wanting to know how they can begin something at a local level in their churches. The WA Conference has given us the go ahead for next year to have our own Tent to minister from at Camp 2009 which is an exciting development and we think it may be a first for our Division or maybe even the world church to do this at a Conference level (dunno?). There is something special and earthy about men getting together as brothers away from church (and away from our ladies), to speak about male matters. Our Men's Breakfasts at Easter Camp for the last few years have been really popular as men eat together and talk about a whole host of topics. I think the men appreciate the fact that at these events they can be unapologetic about being male - something that we seem to have to hide while at church. Men have told me that just being heard without the raised eyebrows they get at church when talking of things that bother them is appreciated.
Your initial motivation for starting this ministry and how you would encourage more leaders to start similar men's ministries?
There has been a rumbling from discerning men inside and outside of the church for many years now about men's needs for change to how we do church. Statistically men are the least represented gender at a local level with an average attendance worldwide of only 30% on any given Sabbath according to some recent statistics. My own motivation for doing this comes from a very deep theological and personal struggle I have had in my relationship with the church over the years. I see connections to the rather unsuccessful way the church continues with old methods of outreach and worship practices to the decline in male attendance at church. God has given me an awesome vision that if we can correct the gender balance at church, then we will see greater advances in our distinct message going out into homes that would normally be closed to Christianity. The church cannot continue to have a mentality that says, "if they don't like church then that is their problem". We need to change this attitude and look at ourselves to see if we are doing anything to scare them off. Average guys on the street are getting a very strong message that church is for sissy's. Whether we believe this or not is not the point, if we cannot meet them where they are then we will never reach them. Everything must change. I would encourage local men to get together after church in a back room and pray;asking God and themselves how they can begin a regular men's group. The group needs to be formed around the philosophy of men seeking what it means to be masculine and not false popular thinking which pushes for a blending of the feminine and masculine. Men need to discover why God made them male and what role they have in bringing others to Christ as leaders within their local congregations. From there the church based men's groups should begin to talk to one another through representatives to form a network within their local Conference. That is how we started and who knows, you may become global - dream big!
That's about it Liz, hope it's enough. Let me know if you want any photos or anything.
Thanks for your interest,
Danny Bell (WACMEN)
ALL FAMILIES
Post a Comment