I've been thinking a lot about pride lately. What causes it, what
results from it, and the insidious way it can go unnoticed until it's
like "Whoa, ok this has gotten out of hand."
I suspect I'm not alone in thinking about this subject. It's been in
the air, for sure. From Trump's trademark hubris, to a seemingly steady
drumbeat of pastors stepping down or being removed, to a culture that
has kind of given up on hiding the fact that we're all about ourselves
these days.
This is not going to be a condemnatory rant, because man, I am so not
in the place to write that. A condemnatory rant on pride, now wouldn't
that be an ironic turn of events?!
Nah, I can't do that because I went home on Monday and confessed to my
wife that I think probably I have been Struggling With Pride, because I
am a Righteous Man and would like to remain so.
Have you ever done something like this? You expect there to be a record
scratch or a DUN DUN DUNNNNN and instead your wife is like "Hello,
welcome to the club of people who know you are prideful." And you want
to be upset about it, but you realize that she has put up with you for
all this time even though she knew YOU WERE PRIDEFUL THE WHOLE TIME.
Anyway, pride is like a tricky web of lies you rest in that you have to
untangle one thread at a time, and sometimes it's hard to know whether
you're untangling it or making it worse. And the stakes are raised for
church leaders, the temptations infinitely more substantial.
Platforms, man. They're humility killers.
Pride as a Pastoral Occupational Hazard
Anyway, I could spend this particular newsletter platform
exploring all the ins and outs of pride and its causes, signs, and
fallout, but I'd rather just tell you to listen to Katelyn Beatey,
Morgan Lee, and Barnabas Piper have a super-insightful conversation
about pastoral pride and platforms (Platforms, man).
That One Time I Had a Conversation with Russell Moore and Recorded it For You
While we're on the subject of podcasts, we just launched ours at The
Local Church! Our first episode features a frank conversation with
Russell Moore about his early-ministry regrets, the time he preached at
twelve years old, and something about some guy named Trump. If you're
reading this email on Tuesday, the next episode comes out tomorrow, and
it's very different and you also need to hear that one. Also, hey if you
like this podcast, could you do us a huge favor and let iTunes know by
giving us a rating and review on there?
Four Dudes Talk about Money Stuff
It would have been nice if there were like, women included in this or
whatever, but hey, that's Esquire for you. It's not the kind of piece
that proves anything, but it seems like a really efficient way to have a
decent grasp on how at least some of your fellow church members see
themselves and what they worry about.
I think one of the best ways to fight personal pride is to focus on
someone else, so I'm going to spend this last part spotlighting one of
our writers.
Derek Rishmawy used to be a youth pastor, and he was really good at that, but he's
always
had the mind of a theologian (at least as far back as I can remember of
him, which is maybe 4 years?). More importantly, he's one of those guys
who will talk to you about theological stuff in a way that sounds
comprehensible and
interesting. I highly suggest reading the two pieces he's written for us at The Local Church so far.
If you read Derek, he will
keep your head straight, which is so important, I think. In his first
piece, he reminded us that the future of the church isn't some crazy
innovation or cultural shift. It's
God's people in God's presence. There are implications to this.
Most recently, he explored
the repercussions of an angry Jesus, and found "something of a surprise
warning here for the local church." Gird yourself, and
click through.
I'm grateful for Derek,
whose focus on theological matters remind me that most of the time the
answers to practical problems like "I am struggling with pride," have an
answer that begins with the phrase "God is…"
Here is a link to Derek's preferred
platforms:
Twitter,
Blog. You're welcome, Derek. Have fun with that inevitable pride struggle, buddy.
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