Barnabas File

During a recent road trip, I listened to two audio books.  On the surface, the books would appear to be quite different.  One was the unabridged audio version of Lean In: Women, Work, and the Will to Lead by Sheryl Sandberg, chief operating officer of Facebook. The other was an abridged version of It’s Your Ship:  Management Techniques from the Best Damn Shipin the Navy by Captain D. Michael Abrashoff.  I found, however, that both books had several themes in common. So how could there possibly be a convergence between a self-professed geek, mother, and female executive of an internet company and an Annapolis graduate who commanded a guided missile frigate in the United States Navy?  Although the styles are quite different (Sandberg’s book is part memoir, part motivational tract; Abrashoff’s is more of a management manual), the points at which they converge can be summarized in three words:  retention, relationships and reform. Bot...

This past weekend, I spent some time with two Cooperative Baptist Fellowship churches in Mississippi.  Friday and Saturday I led a visioning retreat for University Baptist Church, Starkville, a church organized 12 years ago.  On Sunday morning, I worshipped with Olive Branch Fellowship:  A Baptist Faith Community that started eight years ago in a town just south of Memphis, Tennessee. On the surface, these churches are very different.  UBC meets in the Wesley (Methodist) Foundation building just off the campus of Mississippi State University.  The church was organized when a group of Baptists felt that they were no longer welcome in a large Baptist church in Starkville and created an alternative.  They are committed to ministry in the university setting.  Although I did not worship with University Baptist this weekend, I know that their worship is a blend of contemporary and traditional music with a rather casual atmosphere. On the other h...

First Chronicles mentions the people of Issachar “who had understanding of the times ” (12:32) and were able to instruct Israel what to do.  Wouldn’t it be a blessing to have such a gift—to be able to understand exactly what is going on in our time and discern the right path to follow?  Occasionally we see persons with this gift in business, government, or the church.  These individuals seem to be able to understand not only what is “trending,” but what is important to pursue in order to assure a successful future. Not everyone has the gift.  Although the remark may be apocryphal, many point to a statement attributed to Thomas J. Watson, chairman of the board of International Business Machines in 1943 to prove it is hard to predict the future:  "'I think there is a world market for about five computers. ” Although few may have the gift, there are some actions that we might embrace in order to catch a glimpse of “the next big thing” that will change ...

When I teach a class on the Missional church, I always include George Hunter’s book The Celtic Way of Evangelism on the required reading list.  Hunter explains very clearly how a pagan people were won to the Christian faith, establishing an arm of the church that flourished in a period when other parts of the church were experiencing conflict and decline.  Although the role of St. Patrick in the conversion of the Irish is shrouded in myth and legend, this “patron saint of Ireland” is credited with the rapid conversion of the Irish to Christianity and the establishment of an enduring Christian community there.  Certain principles at the core of this outreach reflect the experiences recounted of the mythical Patrick’s life, but they are significant for us today even if they were not initiated by the man himself. First, those who led in the conversion of the Irish understood the culture and used it to communicate the Christian faith.  Legend tells us that Pa...

I have lost count of the number of ordination services in which I have participated. Although the ordination of men and women to the Gospel ministry (perhaps I am dating myself in using that term) is meaningful to me, just as important is the opportunity to set aside men and women to the diaconate of the church.  These are people who have shown that they have gifts to both lead and serve. When I place my hands on the head of a new deacon, I whisper these words from 2 Peter 3:18:  “G row in the grace  and knowledge  of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. ”  My desire for that person is that she or he will continue on the journey that they have begun so well and will continue to discover what it means to be a fully equipped follower of Christ. In talking to church leaders, however, I have discovered that many have no roadmap for the journey of growth.  Whether they are deacons, Sunday school teachers, small group leaders, or committee chairpersons, t...