Good Enough is NOT Enough

Good Enough is Not Enough

Some of my students have fallen under a category that their work is “good enough.”  They have yet to realize that good enough is not enough.  Enough means you did the required elements; therefore, it is not good.  It is required and becomes mediocre.  Doing life with excellence means you are becoming a change agent in the world with everything you do.

At my church’s location half of the congregation comes early to serve and set-up for the day of worship.  When we serve, we meet people, make friends, and have fun.  When I serve, my worries and concerns of the week are forgotten for a couple of hours and it helps me concentrate on the Word that is being spoken.  The really cool part is that people come five hours before the service to set-up because everything must be done with excellence. 

There are seasons when I don’t serve at church because my job of teaching has me serving extra hours.  I have to teach students to do everything with excellence.  That’s what serving is.  It is doing work with excellence.  Good enough is not enough. 

Good enough is doing just what is required.  Did Jesus just do what was “good enough”?  Or, did he go beyond what was expected and did amazing miracles, including bringing the dead back to life.  For Jesus, “good enough,” was not part of his mantra.  He did his ministry with excellence.  It may be why so many of his followers were amazed at what he did.

As I drive into work, I drive by several homeless encampments.  Our state of California that has great economy, is failing with our homeless population.  I’m not blaming anyone, because in politics all the yelling results in inaction.  I am however, noticing that it is because what we have done was “good enough.”  It’s not enough.  It never was.  We must serve our poor and downtrodden with excellence. 

Serving with your whole heart takes a strong attitude, a good heart and striving for better results.  It also clears your head, and makes you stronger emotionally, mentally, spiritually, and physically.  As in the words of Joshua, “As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”  Joshua 24:15 Since Jesus served us with excellence, I have come to realize that serving the Lord deserves so much more than “good enough.” 

Why Should I Forgive the Jerk?

As I sit in my favorite coffee shop procrastinating the inevitable grading I must do, I am listening to one of my favorite movie soundtracks…Cinderella.  It’s the 2014 instrumental version.  Although this story strays a bit from the original Grimm’s Fairy Tale, the ending is beautiful.  It’s not the fact that the servant marries the prince, but the fact that the mistreated servant forgives her evil stepmother who enslaved her.  She turns as she is leaving the darkened castle that trapped her, looks at her stepmother going up the stairs, and speaks the three hardest words in the English language, “I forgive you.” 

The simplicity brings much depth to a story that needed those three words.  The stepmother did not respond.  She did not even stay in Cinderella’s life.  Those three words were never meant for the stepmother.  They were spoken to free Cinderella of all her chains.  Not only did the chains that her stepsisters and stepmother put on her to serve them hold her back from her dreams, but also the chains of her own frustrations and bitterness.  “I forgive you,” was for Cinderella. 

Today, people struggle to forgive others.  I know a young man who refuses to forgive a whole church for not giving him money because he wanted to pursue a career that did not give him a job.  He said that he would never forgive that church.  Funny, no one at that church today, ten years later, knows him.  No one at that church is harmed because of his unforgiveness.  The only one harmed is the young man unwilling to forgive. 

Jesus can forgive any sin.  Forgiveness is for the person forgiving to heal.  We cannot forget because our minds will not let us.  Don’t believe me?  Forget the color purple exists.  Now, all you can do is think about that color purple.  (Of course, I picked my favorite color.)  We forgive, and we learn from the situation to become stronger people.  Strength does not come when life is great and comfortable.  It comes through trials.  James 1 informs us that we will face trials, as he uses the word, “WHEN,” and not “IF.”  Trials give us perseverance in our faith.  Forgiveness is on the path to perseverance. 

I have noticed that many people are angry and bitter in our country today.  Some people are so angry and bitter at the church, Christians, God, non-Christians, Republicans, Democrats, big companies, small companies, bosses, friends, spouses, children, parents, siblings, people, dogs, cats, birds, fish, movies, television shows, Disney, etc.  The list is too long to continue.  I do notice that the anger and bitterness that people hold tightly is due to the fact that they refuse to forgive.  Forgiveness would create for them a means to let go. 

I encourage you.  No matter what the issue or problem.  In the words of the deep philosopher, Princess Elsa, “Let It Go.”  Forgiveness is the path to letting go. Forgive.  Learn.  Become Strong.  Persevere.  You are the only one that the unforgiveness is harming. 

The Voices in My Head

As a teacher, in order to get all students to stop talking, I tell them the following:  “I can still hear voices.  If the voices are only in my head, they sound like your voices, which should scare you, so be silent so I can tell the difference.” As I look back on my life, I realize that I have not listened to the right voices, and the wrong voices have been stuck in my head for far too long. 

Although I believe that we must move forward from our past, I also believe that we must learn from our past and use what we learn in our present life in order to make our future brighter.  The wrong voices have always told me all the wrong things I have done.  There were so many times I felt that God didn’t like me.  He loved me, but with all the wrong voices screaming at me, he didn’t like me.  My theology, even as a youth pastor, was completely wrong. 

Not only does God love us, but he also likes us.  He created us, and His creation is beautiful.  Unlike us, He sees the beauty in His creation.  Our personalities are unique and made to do His mission.  So, how do I diffuse all the wrong voices?

First, I begin listening to the right voices.  Like my friend said, I need to dive into books, podcasts, and connect with people who allow me to fail and encourage me to pick myself back up because I have the strength to get up and do better with my gifts and quirks.  

Second, I silence the wrong voices.  I follow James 5:16.  “Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed.  The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.”  (NIV) So, if you plan to walk up to me and try to tell my wrongdoings and/or sins, be ready for my combative response to not only stop you, but to quote this verse and tell you that you need to confess your sins to me first.  Then, I confess my sins.  Then we pray.  Then our prayer will be powerful and effective.  Isn’t it ironic that we as Christians only remember the last part of that verse?  The first part is difficult to do, but it must be done.  Accountability and trust are needed for the first part.  If you just walk up and point out my flaws, it takes boldness and arrogance. 

Third, we need to learn to trust one another and be accountable.  In the church, that means you are trustworthy.  You can become trustworthy when you open up to someone you trust with your sins.  If all we do is point out the sins of others, we are not following the Gospel.  We are becoming like the Pharisees.  You see, when you only point out the sins of others and their wrongdoings, you are hiding from your own sins and wrongdoings.  Begin to step into the light and trust and become accountable. 

Every day I have to remind myself to listen to the right voices and not those who have to let me know that I am flawed.  I know my flaws.  I am trying to fix them.  It takes time.  It takes trust.  It takes accountability.  It takes love.  So, please, be quiet.  I need to hear the right voices in my head. I hope yours is one that I can hear.

That One Palm Sunday Taught Me About Change

When you find loose change while cleaning or in your pockets before doing the laundry, you become joyful.  When you face change in life that takes you into a new direction, many people become fearful.  For many Christians, change is incredibly difficult.  For most of my life I attended or worked in churches that if you mentioned the word, “change,” you realized that you just committed heresy.  That sounds drastic, but look at this example and think of how you or your church community would have reacted.

It was Palm Sunday 2011.  Our pastor got up to speak and the people sat up straight to listen to the Word of God and his wisdom.  Okay, that’s a bit much because to be honest, I wasn’t there.  (For my Midwestern friends, yes, I missed church.  No, I wasn’t sick.  I had to finish an assignment for my credentialing program due that week, and I was teaching full-time, so time was valuable.  I know.  Some of you think I committed the worst sin ever.  You should know what my other sins are. )

As I sat in that coffee shop, I decided that after two hours of working on my assignment, to look on social media and see what I missed at church.  It was there that I read the following message from our pastor.  “Hey, everyone, join us next week for Easter at our new location in Hollywood.” Yes, we were moving.  We had one week’s notice.  We moved a few miles away, but in Los Angeles, that can be light years away.

How did the people respond?  They showed up all week and fixed up the new rental building.  We were renting it for three years.  Six years later, we’re still there, and the building is beautiful and becoming famous in its own right in Hollywood. So, could you move locations in one week?  It was free rent for a year.  We didn’t want to waste one week.  There were no committee meetings.  There were no arguments.  There was no congregational vote.  There was joyful cleaning and rebuilding.  If you have to move in your life immediately, can you change and move?  The benefits of this move far outweigh sitting back and staying in the same spot.   Change sometimes comes quickly and unexpectedly.

Since that day, our church grew in many ways.  We have a worship team that leads us into amazing worship, and went on tour with Chris Tomlin, and our team back at the church is amazing in their own right.  We have more people. We have had thousands baptized in the last six years.  We have more staff members. Most importantly, we have Jesus in our presence, and we are bringing His message to Hollywood.  We were rescued with that year of free rent. We were blessed with our response to the move with continual spiritual and numerical growth.   Jesus called and we responded.  I am so thankful for my leaders who see change as positive.  We are not perfect in any sense of the imagination, but we do change well.

On the very first Palm Sunday, the people honored Jesus as he entered Jerusalem with palm branches and a joyous celebration.  Jesus came to change the world.  That day he was entering his most powerful week.  The following Sunday, Jesus rose from the dead.  So much change had occurred during that week with the crucifixion of Jesus and his resurrection.  Imagine if we stayed stuck on Palm Sunday and never got to the resurrection Sunday.

Think about it. That first Palm Sunday was an amazing worship experience.  It was beautiful.  Why would anyone want to change anything about it?  What good would change bring?  I am extremely grateful for the change that the rest of the week brought.  That Friday brought a huge change, and then on Sunday the biggest change of all would come.  I’m thankful for the following Sunday and the change in brought into my life.

When we come to Jesus, we are to change.  Some people change slowly.  Others change quickly, but the change must come.  Change leads to growth and growth leads to change.  Our church changed and grew when we moved.  Thanks to the growth, we are still changing.  So, all of this taught me to allow change in my life.  I can see the tides bringing change, and I know I’m in a season that will cause growth, maybe even pain, but the end result will be a life transformation.  I am ready for change and growth.

Side note: For my friends who are in full time ministry.  Use this story when you have to approach your leaders or board about making changes.  Comfort them with, “Well, we could be like a church in Hollywood that’s growing and move locations with a one week’s notice.”  Got to make people think it could always be worse than it is.