Few things turn our crank faster than being around big-minded, enthusiastic, broad-shouldered visionaries. They are positive, on the move, excited about exploring new vistas, inspired, and inspiring. While others are preoccupied with tiny tasks and nit-picking squabbles, these people see opportunity in every difficulty and helpful lessons in every setback.
Few things turn us off quicker than being around small-minded, pessimistic, narrow-world, tedious frowners. Engrossed in the minutiae of what won’t work and remembering a half-dozen worst-case scenarios, they can throw more cold water on a creative idea than a team of firefighters snuffing out a candle.
It’s not caution we resent. Caution is necessary and wise. Caution keeps the visionary realistic. No, it’s the tiny-focused, squint-eyed, tight-lipped, stingy soul that drives us batty. The best word is petty . . . as in petty cash, petty larceny, petty minded.
“Pettiness,” writes George Will, “is the tendency of people without large purposes.”
Petty people are worse than stubborn; they are negative and rigidly inflexible. While we work overtime to come up with some soaring idea, they’ve already thought up eight reasons it won’t fly.
Whatever or wherever or whoever manifests pettiness isn’t my concern, however. Stopping its effect on us is. Why? Because the church seems to be the breeding ground for this legalistic disease.
Pettiness takes a terrible toll. It kills our joy!
I have been studying the lives of several of the great visionaries of the church. They were extremely different, yet they all have one common denominator: Not one was petty. I mean not one.
Let me remind you of Paul’s reaction to those who “sneaked in to spy out our liberty which we have in Christ Jesus.” He declares, “We did not yield in subjection to them for even an hour” (Gal. 2:5). Nor should we.
Count on this: You will encounter petty types. So when you do, shrug it off and just keep on honoring God as you pursue those large purposes.
“Pettiness is the tendency of people without large purposes” (George Will).
If there is a prayer that is universal to the Christian faith it would be the prayer Jesus gives as a model in response to his disciples request: “Lord, teach us how to pray.” This prayer, better known as “The Lord’s Prayer,” is recited by Catholic and Baptist alike, football and baseball players, even the particularly irreligious are still somewhat familiar with this prayer. I can remember kneeling down before every game in high-school to “Get an Our Father” before the game started. I guess we needed all the help we could get!
I just finished reading the book The Diversity Culture by Matthew Raley. The author is the senior pastor of the Orland Evangelical Free Church in northern California. He writes this book to the evangelical that wants to be a “soul winner” of the “diversity culture” so needless to say this book may not sit well with everyone. I must admit I don’t think I was the intended audience of the book but found some good things in it none the less.
I am currently reading The Seven Faith Tribes by George Barna. It looks like this is gonna be a good one so check back with me later for a review. Here is the description from the inside cover:
I just finished reading A Lover’s Quarrel with the Evangelical Church which I got courtesy of The Ooze Viralbloggers. As Dr. Alex McFarland has said, “This book is for all who are broken over the fact that our nation is spiritually bankrupt, despite a well funded American Christian industry and thousands of Dolby-surround-sound-equipped churches.
There’s been some controversy in the so called “Christain” community over the quote “explicit” lyrics to a song on the new Derrick Webb album “Stockholm Syndrome.” I totally agree , if explicit means “Derrick explicitly said what needed to be said to the Christian community as a whole.”
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