My Personal Mission Statement
Mission: I will be a Christian Husband, Family Man, and Businessman. I will use every resource God provides me to carry out His work on earth as set forth below.
Values: The things I will stand for, my values I will be recognized for. I will:
1. Work hard in all that I do. (Col 3:23)
2. Give my best effort in every task. (1 Thes 4:14)
3. Be open to the direction of the Holy Spirit wherever that may lead. (John 14:26)
4. Enthusiastically approach new challenges and all else I do. (2 Cor 9:2)
5. Live by Christian principles. In all things I will try to make Christ's ethics and morals my own. (Rom 2:7-8)
6. Be open, honest, and generous. (2 Cor 9:11)
7. Be careful with words and actions. (James 1:26)
8. Seek the counsel of others frequently and thoughtfully. (Prov 15:22)
9. Never be satisfied with the status quo. I will be an agent of change. (Rom 15:20)
10. Seek to improve and grow those around and beneath me in work and all other areas. (1 Thes 5:14)
11. Not seek my own glory, I will seek to honor God and have praise be given to those around me. (Rom 15:5-6)
12. Never take things too seriously but have a great time in everything, continually enjoying God's blessings. (Jam 4:13-15)
Goals: The things I will accomplish, my goals. I will:
1. Make my marriage an example of that laid out in the Scriptures. I will be a one-woman man seeking the growth of my wife. I will assist her in the duties of our household, date her regularly, and cherish her always.
2. Have all four of my children make personal commitments of faith to Christ, publicly demonstrating their new life through baptism. Play an active role in leading them into Christian maturity.
3. Assist in bringing to Christ or to a much greater degree of Christian maturity over 100 people.
4. Write a book explaining the things God has taught me through life for my children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren.
5. Generate substantial wealth for my employer.
6. Become president of [my company]. I will do so while maintaining my values and ethics.
7. Be an elder of the congregation at which we worship.
8. Give an increasing portion of all I earn to charity: church, missions, and other Christian organizations.
9. Provide financially for my wife, children, and grandchildren.
10. Spend quality and quantity time with my children while they are young. On average, I will dedicate ten hours per week to personal time with them.
11. Visit over fifty foreign countries to develop a broad world view and a passion for all of God's children.
12. Assist others who are Christians to achieve success in their profession and careers.
13. Continually be in the Word of God. I will be in the Word on a daily basis. I will read the Bible through at least twice each year.
14. Memorize Scripture. I will add to my repertoire at least ten new verses each year.
15. Continue to read-I will read at least five significant books each year.
16. Continue to learn-I will pick up at least one new topic, sport, field, or craft per year.
17. Continue to teach-I will teach at least one class each year.
18. Become fluent in at least one additional language.
19. I will fast one day per week for the spiritual health and protection of my children.
20. Exercise regularly, at least three times per week.
21. Lead weekly Bible Study
Can you imagine any other creature on the planet making these kinds of resolutions? Can you feel the assumption that "you are not what you were meant to be"?
I stand against this kind of thing. Unfortunately, I feel like a fish standing against water.
We already are what God made us to be. If we feel anything less, it is simply an indication that we have believed a lie.
That's why the Truth is so important.
That's what Light reveals.
That's what the Life came to restore to us.
In his defense, there are some glimpses of desire, especially in his goals. For example:
ReplyDelete>>Write a book...
>>Become president of my company...
>>Visit over 50 foreign countries...
I like those. Scrap the rest.
How could we have the audacity to tell Jesus what the trail markers will be in our lives? Who's leading whom?
But wait a minute. Before I criticize the man, let' recognize that the lie this guy has believed is fairly simple. It goes like this:
God expects me to be like this (hard worker, enthusiastic, principled, moral, honest, open, generous, careful, etc.), so I will do this to become what God expects me to be like. And these (being a good husband, leading my children, writing a book, etc.) are the things I will do to demonstrate (to myself, God, and others) that I am like what God expects me to be like. And by living this way, others will also want to become like what God wants them to be like.
Not really complicated, but very sinister. The little scene starring Satan, Eve and Adam (who didn't get any speaking lines) is played out over and over again, in sermons, sunday school lessons, devotional books, self-help books, and personal mission statements such as this. To paraphrase:
(in the whisper of a beautiful serpent) "You know what? Look at you. Flawed, screwed up, hopeless really. Either you really suck at life, or God's holding out on you. What else could it be? It's either His fault--or yours. Somebody's to blame. So, I'll tell you what you need to do. Believe harder, be very diligent, develop discipline in yourself. Be more of what you aren't. Try harder and harder. After all, it's the least you can do after what Jesus did for you. Don't you owe it to Him? Whatever you do, don't be like you are now. Because you're a mess, and God can hardly stand it anymore."
that list is so effen marred by American societal b.s. I wouldn't even use it for toilet paper (it's hard to wipe shit with shit).
ReplyDeleteThis is a PERFECT example of the subtle noose of Law-based living by Christiandom today.
It seems so "innocent", because these things sound so noble, and upright, and right, and applaudable, and righteous, and dignified, and 'Christian', and godly, and...
And yet it is saturated with "shoulds" and laws, er, "principles" to live by.
That's it. Live by principles, instead of as a son to a Father, or a bride intercoursed with the Groom.
Got somethin' for ya, Mr. Bozo the Clown who generated this list and shared it with Jon.
Go make a list of every comment Jesus says about family in the New Testament, then come tell me how much of a true "Family Man" you wish to be according to what Jesus says about family, not according to effen American society.
God, that list ticked me off.
If someone handed me a list like that, and stood there waiting to see my reaction as I read it, they wouldn't see me for six weeks. Then they'd only be able to see me a wee little bit, as the swelling continued to subside in both eyes.
I would LOVE to see Jesus' reaction to this list.
The list producer probably thinks the list makes Jesus all warm, giddy and fuzzy inside, and is parading the list around in Heaven.
Please delete the original post. The possibility exists that some pastor somewhere is going to see it, and would pass it out to all the men in their congregation, oh God!!! And then it would be shared with other pastor friends who'd share with their "godly" men. Stop the b.s.! Please!!!
I've thought more about this post since the other day.
ReplyDelete• this list is system, not self. Adhering to a set of principles as one's "faith".
• Steve wrote an awesome Frito post a while back on the simplicity of God. Why not just say "follow the lead of God's breath" instead of a thirty-odd number personal constitution?
This brings to light an interesting question.
Is God in religious tradition?
I grew up in a systemic country club they called a church, and when I began to follow the Way everything about tradition absolutely repulsed me. Still does.
And yet I hear (occasionally) of some people who actually experience God (?) in tradition.
I don't know if this is a societal thing, similar to people thinking old, retro stuff is "cool".
It's hard for me to understand this being the case, b/c any time I see ritualism I am gagging.
Of course, society would call me a traditionaphobic, because by their logic if I don't like something that means I'm scared of it.
Of course, that also makes me a liver-and-onionsaphobic, and cucumberophobic, and celeryophobic, and oliveaphobic.
I just don't see God in tradition, or ritualism, or in rigid lists like this person produced.
You regularly mentiong God being a God of variety on the blog, and Jesus speaks of unpredictability of Followers when He says "the wind blows, but you can't tell where it's coming from or where it's going. So is everyone born of the Spirit."
There is much in American society which promotes stability, security and predictability to us. "Buy this mutual fund and your future is secure", etc.
This is a paraphrase, but I think one of the early American well-knowns said something like "it is impossible for freedom and security to exist in the same location".
And that brings me back to the list, and why I see it as an institution of society instead of God.
Society promotes stability (i.e., generate a list of how to be a dynamic Christian), and that is why I don't see God in it.
"Is God in religious tradition?"
ReplyDeleteThis is a great question. But we can't answer it scientifically. That is, we'll be no closer to the truth using analysis, evidence, pros and cons, reasoning, logic, experimentation, etc.
We mythics see God all over the place, both inside and outside of the forms of religion. Even in the study of religious forms.
It's not the presence or absence of the forms that's the problem.
I would throw this question at you:
Is there any human activity (whether we westerners would recognize it as "religious" or "secular") where God IS NOT?
He is in all and through all. Including religious form.
The problem with religious form isn't that God isn't there. It's that proponents of the form claim that "this is what you must do to approach and satisfy and know God." And immediately they contain Him within the form.
And all other activity becomes irrelevant in walking with God. So much of the Life is excluded. So much is missed, that the form itself, even one dedicated to the Truth, becomes a form of falseness.
As soon as those words (this is the way...) are implied (or spoken outright) then an idol has been formed from gold. And it's the form that gets the worship, not the Creator of all things.
THAT'S the problem with churchianity.
Heh. The religious form-worshippers will be surprised when they find out that God was having a great conversation with the Bohemians at the coffee shop on Sunday mornings. And having deep communion with the crazy-acting little old lady in the nursing home.
What a kingdom. So much bigger than those who would contain it in a form.