where they are

Today I’m thinking about incarnational ministry. For the longest time I had no idea what that phrase meant. Honestly, it wasn’t until my senior year of college that I could tell you the definition of “incarnation” without having to think about it for a minute. It’s one of those church words I don’t think many people us outside of talking about Jesus. It’s a great word to pull out if you want to make people think you’re a deep theologian though. Give it a try sometimes.

Incarnation just means “in the flesh.” It’s used to talk about Jesus as he was God in human form. Jesus was God “in the flesh”, or God “incarnate” if you’re looking impress the women at church. Really, I can’t help but think of a nice juicy steak when I hear the word.

When we talk about this we’re normally talking about how awesome it is that God loved us so much that he came down and lived as one of us to teach us the way back to his Kingdom. Today, I want you to think of “where the people are” when you think of the word “incarnational.” Incarnational ministry is ministry alongside the people in your youth group or congregation. It’s a participation in their rhythms outside the walls of the church.

Incarnational ministry is ministry that is out “where the people are.” Incarnational ministry takes us outside the walls of the church and into the world around us. It takes us beyond church programming and into people’s homes, into sporting events, and into people’s “normal” rhythms. In youth ministry, this looks like coaching sports, spending time with families during the week, attending recitals, plays, etc. Incarnational ministry gets us out of our church bubble and makes us better ministers and communicators.

I spend a lot of time with other ministers, reading ministry books, and doing ministry things. But while I’m doing that, people are living lives where they aren’t thinking about theology and aren’t reading Karl Barth or Francis Chan. If I minister from my ministry bubble I won’t connect with anyone except for the 1% of super Christians that are probably better people than me anyway. But, if I’m out of my bubble and in other people’s bubbles throughout the week then I know the things they’re thinking about and the questions they’re asking. I’m able to speak into their situations and lives.

To be successful ministers we have to be incarnational ministers. We have to be where the people in our congregations are. Our ministries, our teaching, and our congregational culture will be a lot more relevant if we break out of our bubbles and into the bubbles of our people. I can’t tell you how much I’ve learned this year and how much better I can connect with our students because of incarnational ministry.

If you’re in professional ministry – get outside the walls of the church. If you aren’t a minister. Invite your pastor into your bubble.

What are your thoughts on incarnational ministry?

and we’re back!

It feels like a century since I last sat down to update the daily proffitt. After several months of spotty updating and lackluster posts I decided it was time to step away from the blog, re-evaluate, and store up some new ideas. I wasn’t sure whether or not to kill the blog in October, but after a few months off I’m ready to jump back in.

You’re reading this post on January 1st, but I’m actually writing in December. I want to get a head start on bringing the daily proffitt back up to speed. I’m using December to build a platform from which I can get a jump on 2014. I have some big plans for the coming year and I’m getting started on them early.

So much has happened since October (and before)! Seminary has given me a lot to think about, I’ve learned a lot about ministry through some pretty trying situations, and I’ve learned a lot about myself through Allison and I’s wedding preparation. 2013 has been a great year, and I’m excited for what 2014 has in store. There have been gleaning galore and I look forward to sharing those with you.

I hope you’ll join me on this new chapter of the journey.

If you’re new to the daily proffitt, welcome! I hope you’ll benefit from my reflections on life, ministry, and God’s kingdom (there might be a few soccer posts that slip in as well). If you’re returning to the daily proffitt, welcome back! I look forward to hearing about your stories and experiences as I share mine.

To give you a sneak peek, here are a few things I’m going to be writing about in these first few months back

– ministry from the overflow: the role of personal spiritual formation.
– ministry in the troughs: our lows dictate how high our “highs” can be.
– earning your stripes: the importance of staying put
– discipline: the power of routine
– living a new rhythm: when faith and action collide

Those are a few things I’ll be writing about in January and February. My intention is to offer new content every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. I would love for conversations to be started from my writing here so please feel free to comment, or send me an email at thedailyproffitt@gmail.com.

Here’s to a new year!

learning from the wreckage

It’s interesting how a post that’s been on the back burner for so long can take on a whole different meaning by the time it gets published. I started this post over 2 months ago, but since then it’s content has completely changed. The big idea is the same, but the ideals changed after a 5 day trip to Texas for my co-worker and friend’s wedding. The realizations I made on that trip really wrecked my perspective and made me more aware of some big things I needed to come to terms with.

My life was wrecked for the better of course, but it got me thinking about how I do things. I think we all need moments that wreck us because it’s through this wreckage that we learn a lot about ourselves, where we’re headed, and sometimes (if we’re lucky) how to get from point A to point B. It wrecked me in a few really big ways:

1: It made me realize how much work I have to do.
It’s easy to slip into complacency and start to buy into the lie that we have it all together. I’ve been buying into this lie for a while, but as i watched one of my best friends prepare for his wedding I realized that I’ve got a lot to work on. Since then I’ve been convicted about things I’ve been okay with for far too long and I’ve spent the past several days praying for God to renovate my heart and make me new again.

2: It made me realize I’m an adult.
Watching my friend get married made me realize I’ve made the transition into adulthood. I think part of me has sensed that I was getting close to adulthood, but his wedding week was the first time I had actually felt it. With this realization I feel like I need to take things to the next level – from finances to personal relationships (more on these in the coming days).

3. This life is a lot bigger than me. 

Over the course of the weekend we had several opportunities to share stories and learn the stories of others. As I listened to some really cool stories and shared some of my own I realized that life is a lot bigger than me. I’m not sure if I really know how to fully articulate this one just yet, but I will say I was reminded over the course of the trip that this life isn’t about me.

I’ve been thinking and working through these “wreckage” gleanings for a few weeks now. As I work through them I’ve made a lot of positive changes to how I live and love. It’s been an awesome transition.

Have you been wrecked recently? Did you learn anything from it?

follow me?

It seems like the past few weeks have been unusually packed with opportunities to hear from church leaders. From church planting to practical preaching, I’ve been blessed to hear from the likes of Francis Chan, Jim Putnam, Jon Acuff, Donald Miller and a slew of others. And the best part? I was able to hear from all of these guys for free! It’s cool to see how many free resources are out there for ministers and leaders who embrace lifelong learning. If you’re willing to look, you’ll find quite a few all throughout the year.

As I write this post, the words of Francis Chan are on my mind. During one of his sessions at this year’s exponential conference he said something that really challenged my perspective on discipleship. During his session he said that discipleship is saying to others, “Join me on this journey as I learn how to follow Jesus more faithfully. ”

When he said those words I realized I suck at discipleship. I suck at it because:

1) I don’t think I’m a great example of someone who’s on a journey toward becoming a more faithful follower of Jesus, and 2) I’ve always viewed discipleship as a mechanical process.

During his talk I realized that I’ve over complicated the discipleship process and tried to formalize it into process of steps and check boxes. In doing this I’ve lost sight of the very heart of discipleship, which is doing everything I can to follow Jesus’ example and invite others to do the same.

Jesus didn’t live a nice and neat life and his disciples didn’t follow a 12 step program to become better disciples. They became closer followers of Jesus through shared experiences with him. Their lives were transformed by their interactions with him and the miracles he performed in their lives and in the lives of others.

Discipleship, at its very core, seems to be a lot more about stories than processes. People can follow a 12 step process and forget what they learned as soon as they’ve finished, but you won’t soon forget the story about how God transformed your best friend, parent, or coworker’s life. Stories stick with you a lot longer than action steps.

Discipleship is about stories not mechanics, and now I’ve realized this I’m hoping to apply it in my own life and in my ministry to our students.

Do you find in your own ministry (professional or otherwise) that lasting discipleship is shaped by stories and experiences or mechanical processes?

where am i?

I was a little worried when I ordered Jon Acuff’s new book that it wouldn’t apply to me. After all, since the release of Quitter I’ve started a blog, entered full-time ministry and planning to go back to school in the fall. I feel like I’ve come a long way since I first cracked open the pages of Quitter, but I’m glad I was wrong. I’m a few chapters in and already gleaning a lot of really great things from the pages of Start. I can’t wait to share those gleanings here on the blog.

In the early pages Jon Acuff says something I’ve never considered. He says, “Before you start you need to first ask the question, ‘Where am I?’ You have to take into account where you are as you think about where you’re going.” These few sentences have me asking the question, “Where am I?”

This is such a great question because it’s the most effective wake up call I’ve ever received. I’ve been pursuing my dream of full-time, professional ministry for almost two years now, but there always been this feeling like something was holding me back. I could never put my finger on what it was, but I knew something was keeping me from achieving as much as I could.

When I slow down and recognize where I’m at as well as where I want to go, I become acutely aware of the things that are holding me back. I become aware of the habits I need to break, the habits I need to form, and what barriers are keeping me from God’s greater plan. As Acuff points out, when you recognize where you are the present becomes a platform to jump from not a weight holding you down.

God has a greater plan for our lives and is asking us to simply start. Recognizing where we are and using it as a platform to jump from is the best place to start.

Where are you right now? What has God given you a passion for? What’s keeping you from starting?

life by the stats

This post has been in my ‘drafts’ folder for over a month now. I’ve sat down several times to write it, but haven’t been able to really figure out what I want to say. Maybe it’s because I haven’t been writing as much lately, or maybe it’s because I don’t want to admit that I’ve slipped into living life by the numbers.

I’ve slipped into a mindset that determines success by numbers. I never thought I would be that guy, but it turns out it’s a lot easier than one would think when they’re sitting in a classroom.

Before you judge me too harshly please know this is an internal struggle. I’m not someone who talks about how many students we had at an event, or how many people read my blog on a given day. I don’t like playing the numbers game with my friends in ministry, but you can bet that it has a large impact on my personal perspective.

If we have a week where not as many students show up for services – I feel like I failed.

If I write a blog post and no one reads it – I feel like I’ve failed, and I probably won’t write again for a few days after that.

When the numbers are high, I feel like I’m succeeding; but when they’re down I feel like I’m on the path to failure. It’s a constant battle because numbers can be so unpredictable. Numbers might be a helpful metric to refer to at times, but it should never be our motivation. When we live life by the numbers we lose sight of the things that really matter. Numbers are helpful, but we shouldn’t live life by them. When I focus on how many students were there, I miss out on the ways God moved in the lives of the students that WERE in attendance. When I focus on how many views my blog has on a given day, I miss out on how in important these posts are to my personal and professional development.

This is a post for another time, but it’s interesting that numbers are exactly what we lose when that’s what we start focusing on.

We should live our lives and oversee our ministries motivated by God’s good news and a desire to see God’s kingdom become a more present reality in our communities. When we focus on that God will take care of the details.

Do you wrestle with focusing too much on numbers? How do you overcome this temptation?

tortoise day

I have officially declared this day, April 3rd, Tortoise Day.

Earlier this week I was reading a brief devotion by Dave Ramsey that has me thinking this morning.

In the reflection, Ramsey talks about some of the awesome opportunities he’s had to sit down with financial masterminds and business professionals since he started his company. He said one of the most memorable conversations he’s had to date was with a billionaire who gave him a book that profoundly changed his perspective.

You know what that book was?

The Tortoise and the Hare 

In the reflection Ramsey said he thought the guys was crazy for a minute, but after thinking about it he realized the man had a great point. In the end, the tortoise always beats the hare. Patience and pace win out over busyness and rush every time. Success most often comes from patience and persistence, not trying to get something done the quickest. So what’s the point of rushing through our lives only to come to the end and realize we missed out on a lot of great opportunities.

And therefore today is Tortoise Day. A day to celebrate the victory of the tortoise by slowing down and regaining perspective on the great adventure that’s life. Today is a day to slow down and become more acutely aware of the awesome opportunities we have to enjoy God’s kingdom and spread his gospel to a rushed, desensitized world that needs to celebrate with us.

So what do you say? Will you join me in my celebration and take the time to slow down for one day?

plugged in

By my lack of posts, you might be thinking I gave up blogging for Lent. It’s been a while since my last post, and honestly, it feels a little weird to be getting back updating again. But I didn’t give up blogging for Lent – I just haven’t revisited these pages in a while because life got really loud and I lost my way  a little bit. When the going gets tough and I turn on overdrive, blogging is the first thing to go.

2013 has been a year where I feel like I’ve spent a lot of time straining at the oars. From work to personal life, it always seems like there’s a 100 things that need to be done, but not enough time to accomplish any of them. Even as write this post I’m distracted by life, where I’m going to live come June, and a whole slew of things I shouldn’t be worried about. You would think I would “arrive” at some point huh?

I’ve lived in this constant state of catching up, and the worst part is, I haven’t taken any of this to God. One of my biggest weaknesses is that I’m stubborn. I like to think I can do everything on my own and should never ask for help – not even from God. So I work and I always try to take it to the next level, but without God it’s all fruitless. Not only is it fruitless, it’s the quickest way to burn ourselves out. And that’s where I am – tired and trying to regain perspective. I’ve spent too much time trying to do things on my own power and not going to God.

Without God in the midst of our plans we can’t succeed. I can pour my heart and soul into my work, relationships, and personal development, but if I’m not walking with God and putting God first then I’ll only get further off track. I can be doing really great things and serving people like Jesus invites us to serve, but if I’m not going to God regularly and living in his word then I’m not living the way he invites us to live. Pure and simple.

So where are you? Are you living every day just barely hanging on and worrying about every little thing? How are you doing in your relationship with God?

what holds me back

It’s March 11, 2013 and my goals are in shambles. I look back at the great goals I set for myself way back in January and I realize I have moved backward if I’ve moved any direction at all. I come to the beginning of this new week and I can’t help but feel like I’ve done nothing but spin my wheels for the past two months. And the honest truth is that I haven’t done anything worth mentioning. I’ve settled for good enough and have been unwilling to challenge myself. I’ve left my goals for a seat on the sofa and a consumerist mentality.

I’ve traded in blogging for gaming.

I’ve traded in prayer for worry and frustration.

I’ve traded in goals for getting by.

Why? Because these things are safe. There’s no risk involved in playing video games. There’s no chance of failure if I’m not expecting anything from myself. There’s no way to be called out if I’m trying my best to avoid God. What holds me back is safety.

And God’s spirit is stirring inside me saying “enough with the excuses and complacency! God’s on the move while you’re on the couch!” Even as I type this post, I’m flooded with the awareness that I’ve settled when I should be moving. I’ve had this inkling several times over the past few months and its quickly squashed by the reality that I’ve gone soft.

What happened to the guy who got up at 5am to blog, before a full day at two jobs?

What happened to the guy who was kicking finances in the face?

What happened to the guy who couldn’t be stopped even when the passion wasn’t there?

Answer: He slowly drifted down the path of least resistance. He realized that life gets easier when you’re doing just enough to get by. He realized that theres no push back on easy street. What holds me back is comfort.

My dad used to always say that you know you’re on the track when you’re experiencing a lot of resistance and the struggle seems to great and I’m learning that to be true. If you’re not rattling the cage no one is going to take notice.

God has a great plan for our world and for each of us in creation, but he doesn’t make it easily attainable. God throws us a bone with his love, but we have to take that love and run with it.

As I start this week I want to get back to living a life that rattles the cage and speaks life into a decrepit and complacent world. I want to spread God’s good news and I want to once again
commit my hands and my feet to God’s work.

So I ask that you pray for this complacent soul. Getting back in the game is no easy feat, but it’s a whole lot better than sitting of the sidelines. I’ve tried too many times before to believe that I can get back on track without relying on our great God. Only he can scrape the rust off this heart.

passionate God, passionate people

The holiday season has come and gone, but I’m still chewing on many of the Old Testament passages that impacted me in December. We may have packed up the decorations and broken in all the goodies we got for Christmas, but I’m still hung up on the words of Ezekiel, Isaiah, and Jeremiah. I’m hung up on these words because they paint a picture of such a passionate God.

God says a lot of hard things to God’s people through these messengers, but behind all the hard words and weird actions is a God who is passionate about his creation and desperate for its return to him. What is true about the entirety of the scriptures is amplified in the prophets: our God is a passionate God. God is willing to go to whatever end in pursuit of us. And this has me thinking this morning: if God is so passionate then why aren’t his followers?

This isn’t an attack on Christians, this is a question I’m asking of myself. If my Lord and my God is passionately in pursuit, why aren’t I? My God, the leader of my life, is willing to go to whatever end it takes to see the world come back to him, but I often shrink away from my opportunities to participate in that work. Our God is passionate about the misfortunate, why do we only reserve service and care of the misfortunate for trips and special days? God is passionate, but it doesn’t seem like many of us are. And when God’s followers are passionate we lives and communities transformed.

When people are living out God-passion it’s contagious and it’s transformative. I think of all the great ministries in my area and that are seeing lives transformed because they’re full of God-passion. When I think of God-passion I think of a lot of the churches in our country and across the world who are buildings God’s kingdom by leaps and bounds because they are consumed by the passion our God has for God’s creation. But the question still lingers, why don’t all have this passion if we’re so aware of its power?

I know I’m hesitant to embrace this passion because it requires me to become vulnerable. To be filled with something you have to open yourself up to it and that’s often a lot easier said than done for people like me. I’m hesitant because this God-passion isn’t something that we get over night – we have to work at it daily. I’m hesitant because I’m scared of where it could take me. God does great things through those who are consumed with the same passion as him, but a lot of the time I’m afraid of the grand adventure that could come from giving myself completely over to God’s will. And I think the same is true for a lot of other followers just like me.

What’s keeping you from becoming as passionate as our God?

My hope at the beginning of this week is that I will start to live out that same passion God has in my life, at wok, and in the world around me.