How Many Lumps Do You Want?

First things first - if you haven't seen the entire classic Bugs Bunny cartoon ("Rabbit's Kin"), you need to remedy that as soon as possible. (And while you're at it, make sure you see two other great Looney Tunes masterpieces: "Hair-Raising Hare" and "Rabbit Seasoning".)

More to the point, I feel an awful lot like Pete Puma right now, thanks to the reading & studying I'm getting the chance to do. (Being "between churches" means I have the luxury of studying without struggling to craft a message for next Sunday...)

It's as if God had a big hammer and was pounding a significant piece of capital T truth into my brain.

From Steve Brown's book, three free sins:

Prison, public humiliation, shame & failure are a big price to pay for freedom. But then again, maybe not. In fact, it may have been worth it all. Jim Bakker is dangerous now, because he doesn't have anything to protect.

From Paul David Tripps's book, Dangerous Calling:

In pastoral ministry, it is very tempting to look horizontally for what you have already been given in Christ. It is possible to be a pastor and a functional identity amnesiac. When I am, I begin to need my worth, inner sense of well-being, meaning, and purpose affirmed by the people & programs of the church. Rather than the hope & courage that come from resting my identity in Christ, my ministry becomes captured & shaped by the treasure of a series of temporary horizontal affirmations of my value & worth. This robs me of ministry boldness and makes me all too focused on how those in the circle of my ministry are responding to me.

From The Message (a Bible paraphrase), 2 Thessalonians 2:15-17:

So, friends, take a firm stand, feet on the ground and head high. Keep a tight grip on what you were taught, whether in personal conversation or by our letter. May Jesus himself and God our Father, who reached out in love and surprised you with gifts of unending help and confidence, put a fresh heart in you, invigorate your work, enliven your speech.

The question of the day is whether I'm going to take these knocks on my spiritual noggin seriously, or if I'm going to blow them off and default into a life & ministry defined by the opinion of everyone besides my Audience of One.

While doing studious (and important!) research for writing this piece, I stumbled upon What's Up, Doc: Top 10 Classic Looney Tunes Cartoons. Kiss productivity goodbye... and, of course, you're welcome.