There are a lot of problems that face our world. We see them reflected in the eyes of the people we meet every day. And because there are so many overwhelming problems, we are at times, left with the feeling that there is nothing we can do.
I was in my men’s group the other day and the question was asked, “What are we going to do about this?” And it stayed with me and haunted me since then. And so here is my answer.
I can’t change everything, attack every problem. As a matter of fact there is probably no problem that I can solve. But I can focus my passion on a couple of problems that I know I can do something about.
So if you don’t know anything else about me and my commitments, know this: that for the rest of my life as God gives me the ability, I’m going to own two problems.
One, the problem of the American church and her inability to reach out and make a difference. I care about this. I believe in the church. I am a follower of Jesus. And while the church isn’t perfect, it is created in the heart of God and owns a special place in His affection. As a matter of fact, Jesus said that He would build His church. And what is a church? It is a gathering of messed up people who have found that the grace of God and the love of God has loved them not only back to eternal life, but to the life here and now. And so I own that problem, creating a church for people who don’t want to go to church because they’ve been to church. And that’s why our mantra at The Gathering Nashville is that we specialize in God simple, not church complicated.
The second problem that I own is the miserable and deteriorating state of marriage in America. I firmly believe that the one best thing we can do to turn our country around is to raise the value of marriage, and teach and mentor people not just how to get married, but how to be married and stay married over time. That would mean that we would have great marriages. We know that the economy would be stimulated, that great kids would be raised, families would be happier. And the greater families we have, the greater society we would have. And the greater society we have, the greater America we will have.
So for me, the church and marriage are my two problems. They are the issues over which I have a sustainable passion. I know they are dear to the heart of God, for He created them both. As a matter of fact, they’re the only two institutions that He did create.
So the question to you is, “What are your problems?” What two problems will you own, embrace, and hold yourself responsible for making a difference?