I have often said in conversations, “I want to be a Kingdom-minded person”. Recently some one asked me, “What do you mean by that?”

Great question.

What do I mean by that?

I thought it might be more helpful if I described how I hope to do that.

Here are 7 ways I hope to be Kingdom minded:

Care more about a person’s relationship to Jesus than their denominational loyalties.

Care more about a person growing to be like Christ than their membership in my church.

Care more about disciples being made than who gets credit for doing it.

Care more about the Gospel being shared than the methodology of sharing it.

Care more about church growth than church structure.

Care more about obedience to Christ than the approval of others.

Care more about God’s glory than man’s recognition.

Care more about whether a person can worship than the style of music they choose to do so.

Okay, that’s 8, but I care less about the number than you getting the point of this post.

By the way, in my opinion, we tend to work hardest for what we care about most.

What do you think it means to be a Kingdom-builder?

I couldn’t get on with my day until I processed a few random thoughts. So many. Many undeveloped. Very random. More to come.

I see so many comments through social media. Some of hurt. Some of frustration. Some of anger. Some of rejoicing. (I am glad I have friends on both sides of the political spectrum.)

10 random post election thoughts:

God isn’t perplexed today about the state of our country.

Fear is an emotion and not necessarily a reality, but perfect love casts out fear. If I’m afraid I should trust in You…in God whose word I praise.

I am supposed to pray for even my enemies…and those with whom I may not agree. Have I done that?

I wonder if our unifying answer is beyond our current two dominant party choices.

Christians have a unique responsibility. We are to respect authority, pray for our nation, and care more about its soul than its economy. I wonder how well we are doing that?

Just because God allows a king doesn’t mean He has chosen to bless a nation with one. That could be true of either party candidate who was elected. Remember the story of Saul and David?

Our country needs the Gospel even more than it needs new jobs. Revival often starts with a few people.

When the country is less unified, the church should be even more unified.

What if President Obama chose Mitt Romney as his new Business Czar? (Supposedly a position he’s proposing.)

I am looking forward to Sunday. My favorite day of the week.

Listen, as an encourager and teacher of God’s people, speaking to the church, let us not become weary in doing good. In due season, we will reap what we sow. Let us be be an example for our nation today. At work. At home. In our hearts. Let us show and be the love of Jesus. He is still our hope.

Draw near to God and He will draw near to us. (James 4:8)

(By the way, I have another theory about the state of the church as it relates to the state of our nation, but I’ll save that for another day.)

Back to work.

Cheryl and I were out of town recently and visited a local farmer’s market. I was eying the homemade, organic cookie booth while Cheryl looked for healthier options like tomatoes. I also used the time as a people-watching opportunity. (Almost better than cookies…not chocolate chip mind you, but certainly some cookies.)

Anyway, I couldn’t help but pick up on the argument taking place next to me. There was a lady trying to buy some potatoes. The seller couldn’t get the quantity to meet her expectations. It was either too heavy or too light. He was trying to cheat her. Nothing was fair at this booth, in her opinion. There wasn’t really fifty cents difference, but you would have thought it was fifty dollars based on her reaction. She became mad. After a few minutes, she kept her money, left the potatoes, and kept walking. I couldn’t believe how irate she became over potatoes.

I decided to follow for a few minutes…just curious what she would do.

I know, sounds weird, but I was chasing a theory.

Sure enough, just as I suspected, everywhere she went there was a problem. No one treated her fairly, in her opinion. At each booth there was a problem, and the problem was the person at the booth…again…in her opinion.

My theory…which I believe she helped prove:

If you seem to have a problem with everyone, the problem could be you.

By the way, that’s true for all of us. Sometimes when we complain, pitch a fit, lose our patience, kick the dirt up…

Whatever your phrase…

No one likes us. No one treats us fairly. Everyone….you know…finish the sentence…

Sometime the problem isn’t everyone else. Sometimes the problem is us.

Recognizing when that is true and admitting it, seeking help if there’s a root problem rather than blaming others continually…that is a sign we are growing in maturity.

Can you admit when the problem is you?

You are never the same…

After a major stretching moment in leadership…in life…you never stretch back the same.

Even if its a failure…it will serve a greater purpose.

You’ve got experience now.

You’ve got a story.

You have more wisdom.

You’ll be better able to stretch the next time.

You may not enjoy the stretching you are currently enduring, but keep in mind…it’s making you someone new.

A better, stronger you.

People often ask how I prepare to preach on Sunday mornings. Ultimately, it’s all about Jesus, but I realize I have a responsibility as a shepherd to do all I can to be prepared. Ideally I try to be completely finished with my sermon Friday, so I can take Saturday off. Sometimes I’ll spend an hour or so on Saturday doing one final edit. I try to limit my activities and get a good night’s rest Saturday night. I almost never work on my message on Sunday morning.

I do, however, have some Sunday morning routines, which help me best prepare.

Here are 5 ways I prepare best on Sunday mornings:

Read something in the Bible other than the passage I’m preaching on – I want to feed myself before I try to teach others. I usually am reading through the Bible and I continue this on Sunday mornings.

Pray – I spend longer than other mornings in prayer on Sunday mornings. It prepares my heart. I pray for those who will be in attendance and those who may still be debating attending. I pray for God’s presence to be with us. I pray for other leaders in the church. I seek a sense of oneness with God’s heart to mine.

Exercise – I don’t get to every Sunday, but when I do get to exercise, I am more mentally alert and physically prepared than when I don’t.

Worship – Ideally, I love to put the Sunday morning line up of worship music in a playlist and allow the music to lead me in worship. Either way, I find a time to worship on Sunday mornings. When I’ve made much of God before I get to church, I find I’m better able to make much of Him.

Pray – Just before I preach I have a fairly standard prayer. It goes something like this, “God, I can’t do this. You know I’m not worthy to speak on Your behalf. You know and I know that it’s only by Your grace I can be here this morning. If You don’t show up, today will be meaningless.”

That’s how I prepare on Sundays.

How do you do it, pastor? 

10.28.12 from ron edmondson on Vimeo.

“No good tree bears bad fruit, nor does a bad tree bear good fruit.” Luke 6:43 NIV

We once had this tree.

Over the time we owned the house, every year I thought it was one year closer before we would have to cut it down. It wasn’t that I didn’t like the tree. The tree really wasn’t in the way. I could easily mow around it. The tree just didn’t seem to be making it. It barely had any leaves on it and whenever the wind barely blew I had to pick up all kinds of broken branches. The tree was going “bad”. The only reason I didn’t cut it down yet was because I had sentimental attachment to it. Plus, it used to be such a beautiful tree.

We’ve since moved from the house, but, honestly, I know believers who are like that tree.

They used to have excitement in their faith. There was a time when they got motivated at just the thoughts of going to church. They were eager to hang out with other believers. Something happened to them and now the enthusiasm is gone. I’m not saying they no longer believe, but they certainly aren’t producing much “fruit”.

Are you one of “those” believers?

One of the saddest things for me in ministry is witnessing people who once were vibrant, blooming, growing church members. Now, I never see them. That breaks my heart.

Has your motivation for church, for God and your fellow believer waned in recent years? Ask God to “prune” you back to vibrancy in the Kingdom of God! Ask God to give you back your fervor for His glory.

If you are a part of the body, we miss you when you aren’t with us.

See you Sunday?

I sure hope so.

And while you are praying…say one for the tree! As far as I know, it’s still standing. There is still life in that tree. Hopefully there is for you too!

Learn to enjoy the mundane.

The everyday life.

The dishes (You like clean dishes, don’t you? And, you’re thankful for clean water, right?)

Brushing your teeth (Don’t they feel better when you do?)

Mowing your grass (I just love that freshly mowed look)

Smelling a rose (They smell best among the flowers…in my opinion)

Admiring the clouds. (I like Cumulus)

Having a discussion over coffee. (Cheryl and I have our best talks then)

A simple walk in the park (On a sunny, or not so sunny day)

A random thought (Some of my best ideas start that way)

A routine prayer (Okay…nothing mundane about that, but sometimes we take it for granted)

A text message from a friend (At least you have one)

An average Sunday at church (Thank God for the freedom to attend)

We tend to love the grandiose. The unusual. The vacation. The miracles. The shooting star. The celebrations. The once in a lifetime experience.

Those times are great. We love them. We want more. Nothing wrong with that.

The problem is when our happiness is wrapped in those occasions alone. Life is often lived in the mundane. Most of life, in fact.

Get up. Shower. Brush. Shave. (Or not) Dress. Drive. Work. Come home. Go to bed. Do it again. And again. In between those routines are the real moments of life. Even if seemingly mundane…non-miraculous.

Learning to love the mundane times of life, scattered among the routines of life, will help you find a lifetime of contentment.

What’s one seemingly mundane thing in life you love?

Are the real rules

In an organization, what is passed down, maintained over the years, repeated the most, become a part of tradition…that’s what is real.

That’s the DNA

They may have never been written down, voted on or “put in the minutes”, but they are assumed true by the majority.

Those are the rules people will defend and protect the most.

They’ll fight to keep them from being changed or bended.

If you are a new leader or a veteran, understanding this principle will increase your effectiveness.

Trust me in this.

Have you ever learned the principle the hard way?

This is a guest post by the makers of Ever Accountable. I agreed to this post, because as a pastor I have witnessed the destruction pornography can have on a person’s life…and on marriages. I’ve addressed this issue before in the post “I Could Battle an Addiction” and “Addressing a Porn Generation“.

Pornography Accountability

Pornography addiction comes with a heavy price, whether you’re single or in a committed relationship. The American Family Association (AFA) says that pornography “promotes physical satisfaction without love, sex without responsibility, union without obligation for the consequences, and exercise of privilege with no regard to the eternal consequences originally designed to accompany it” (afa.net). While a pornography addiction deteriorates trust between people, perhaps more troubling is how it slowly rots the individual from the inside, causing them to question their own self-worth and their relationship to God.

God tells us in Romans 6:12, “Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof.” Dr. Victor Cline, a specialist in treating sex addictions, offers information that is helpful in understanding this Romans verse. He notes that what starts as casual viewing of pornography can eventually lead to an escalation of more hard-core, aberrant material. This naturally leads to deviant sexual acts. Dr. Cline says pornography addiction, “like a cancer” will continue to grow and spread. The cancer “rarely ever reverses itself, and it is also very difficult to treat and heal. Denial on the part of the male addict and refusal to confront the problem are typical and predictable, and this almost always leads to marital or couple disharmony ” (Familyindex.net). As the Romans passage admonishes, a pornography addiction must be confronted before it spreads and has more power over an individual than God.

Overcoming this addiction can take an enormous amount of courage and fortitude. Focus on the Family, an online support network, says “Experts believe that a pornography addiction may be harder to break that a heroin addiction” (focusonthefamily.com). Yet a life free of the pornography burden is possible—and help getting there is crucial. Websites like FocusontheFamily.org and ThroughtheFlame.org offer online support through member forums, free counseling, and available resources. Locally, church leaders can offer prayer, guidance, and encouragement without judgment. What most pornography addiction websites, forums, blogs, journals, and experts tend to agree on, is that asking for help is crucial.

Addicts must disclose their burden to people they trust in order to live above pornography. AFA reminds us of Jesus’ teachings, that “We are our brother’s keeper. In fact, we are accountable to each other” (afa.net). Dr. Cline, also, agrees: “A commitment made to yourself can easily be broken. But when you make a commitment to another person who loves you and who cares deeply for you, there is an increased incentive to change right now” (familyindex.net).

Another valuable tool toward accountability and support are mobile phone accountability apps, such as Ever Accountable (www.EverAccountable.com). They provide support through monitoring online behavior and sending accountability reports to trusted family members and friends, rather than just blocking sites. The idea behind Ever Accountable was to metaphorically “keep the computer facing the room” where other people contribute to an individual’s sobriety by simply being present. Apps like this one are encouraging and offering new solutions to those struggling with addiction.

If you are struggling with pornography, get help now.

(I am not claiming this app will solve your problem. It is one option. I do suspect, however, that if you continue to try on your own to battle your addiction, you’ll keep having the same results.)