One of our volunteers at Southland shared with me that this past weekend (Easter) he overheard a disgruntled small group of people say, “Jon and his team really know how to ruin a holiday!” Honestly, considering the source of the statement, I’m genuinely flattered! To receive a compliment from that group would mean I wasn’t listening to the Spirit anymore! He was referencing the less than traditional weekend experience our team pulled off in which 16,000 other people were challenged to help us buy a wheelchair accessible van for a family in our community (which we did) and 150 other people who surrendered their lives to Christ and were baptized in our pond. So if that is what they mean by “Jon and his team really know how to ruin a holiday,” than I say, “Let’s ruin some more!” Watch out Valentine’s Day here we come! You’ve got a target on your back Labor Day!

God had something to say to people that whisper their cynicism in the hallways church buildings: “Quit your worship charades. I can’t stand your trivial religious games: Monthly conferences, weekly Sabbaths, special meetings—meetings, meetings, meetings—I can’t stand one more! Meetings for this, meetings for that. I hate them! You’ve worn me out! I’m sick of your religion, religion, religion, while you go right on sinning. When you put on your next prayer-performance, I’ll be looking the other way. No matter how long or loud or often you pray, I’ll not be listening. And you know why? Because you’ve been tearing people to pieces, and your hands are bloody. Go home and wash up. Clean up your act. Sweep your lives clean of your evildoings so I don’t have to look at them any longer. Say no to wrong. Learn to do good. Work for justice. Help the down-and-out. Stand up for the homeless. Got to bat for the defenseless.” (Isaiah 1—the Message)

And here’s the deal with the three cynical people who remain in our church family…Not only are they not sold out to the mission of God, they’re not sold out to God! It’s not an issue of disagreeing with how we do things at Southland. The leaders I’m surrounded with disagree with me daily! We’re mature enough to handle preference issues. The people I’m referencing would rather talk about a hymn we didn’t sing than they would helping that family that has been lugging around a junky wheelchair in a worn out Toyota Corolla for their 4-year-old son who suffers with cerebral palsy! It’s not a methodology issue. It’s a heart issue!

I spend a lot of time trying to encourage church leaders who are exhausted. And typically what drains them is the cynical spirit of the leaders they have to follow. Though we don’t have cynical leaders at Southland I know the type. Such leaders stand in the back of a meeting with their arms folded and a grimace on their face and no matter what you propose they snicker and say, “That’ll never work!” Now, I’m all for feedback and constructive criticism, but I’m learning the hard way that some people’s glass is not only half empty, it’s half empty and full of sour milk! The church cynic lives to destroy optimism and unity. They can armchair quarterback with the deftness of an NFL quarterback and drive from the back seat with the bravado of a NASCAR competitor. They can pinpoint every problem with any plan, but don’t hold your breath, because solutions aren’t usually forth coming. They know just enough to be dangerous, a “jack of all trades and master of none” type. The poisonous, toxic air they spew out is as destructive as an airborne plague.   They’re like a wrecking ball that can single handedly destroy the momentum and mood of any church atmosphere. With slyness they will bully a well intentioned leader until he or she has had every ounce of energy siphoned out. They want you to be apathetic because strangely that pacifies them. Negative and divisive, selfish and joyless, you cannot brush their comments and gossip off as harmless. Their sarcasm intimidates weaker brothers, leaves innocent people wounded, destroys trust, and prevents a culture of intimacy from taking root. Don’t be naïve they will shoot you when your back is turned. No matter what, to avoid bitterness and stooping to their level of schemes, you need to pray for them fervently, love them sacrificially, and forgive them whole-heartedly.  God doesn’t suggest that course of action, he demands it. Not what you want to hear is it? But depending on the stage of the wildfire they have set God also says you may need to coach them, confront them, or even dismiss them before they waste another minute of your time or worse yet, keep someone Jesus for from learning of his unconditional love. Whoever the blessed “thorn in your flesh” is, please, don’t be swayed, coerced, or discouraged by them. I know that is easier said than done, so…

Revel in the cheering! Go to a basketball game and not a JV game or an intramural game. Go to a real game and watch a real team that is coached well (we have one in Lexington for all struggling to find such a team!) The first time a play is executed well, watch the response of the crowd and watch the response of the opposing coach. The crowd will jump to its feet and you will see dignified, mature people yelling and whistling and clapping and giving high fives to complete strangers. The opposing coach however, will remove his jacket, loosen his tie, pull on his hair, pace back and forth, mutter unmentionables under his breath, and basically worry about the security of his job. The second time a play is executed well, close your eyes and imagine the cheering is for you. And imagine you are the one giving the opposing coach an ulcer. And then remember, every encouraging note you write, every sermon you labor over, every high school student you give counsel to, every hospital call you make, every widow you run errands for, every struggling couple you cry with, every guilt ridden person you pray with, every child you raise, every missionary you support…you are part of a team that is executing well and giving our rival fits. So, listen to the right coach, practice hard, and don’t miss out on  the euphoria of being cheered for! (Hebrews 12:1-3)