The Life Gauges through postures

Our understanding and discussion of the Life Gauges can be helped by practicing their associated postures.

HUMILITY
Fall to your knees. Bow before God. Raise your hands to the sky. This is a posture of humility. It’s a posture of surrender—we are thoroughly defeated by overwhelming love.
Confession: God is great. God is good. And God is near.

RESPONSIBILITY
Extend your arms forward with open hands, palms up, in a posture to receive. Now pull your arms toward your body and close your hands in a posture of grasping, taking hold.
Confession: Good stewards of God’s grace.

ACCLIMATION
Stand facing one direction, then turn 180 degrees and face the other direction. Reject what the world says about you (and others) and how the world wants you to live. Turn and accept what God says about you (and others) and the way of life he offers. This is a picture of ongoing repentance.
Confession: People like us do things like this.

IMITATION
Return to your ending posture of DISCIPLINE—grasping hands close to the body. Now reverse the DISCIPLINE posture, extending your arms forward, opening your hands and turning your palms upward. This is a posture of release, of generosity. Freely we have received. Now, we freely give.
Confession: We so love the world that we give.

MISSION
Extend your arms forward as if reaching around a barrel, about to give a bear hug. This is a posture of gathering—guiding people to the life they were created to live. It’s acting as a shepherd—corralling people into a place of acceptance and shalom.
Confession: Our story for God’s glory.

Culture Coaching

Much has been said about Jesus’ way of discipleship. His shared life with The Twelve has figured into many messages on Small Groups. Sending the seventy out on mission has been used in support of short term mission trips.

But we know Jesus also had brief conversations with people. He taught in the temple. He fed people and healed them. He modeled prayer and submission to the Father. And he made points by challenging religious leaders.

A variety of methods.

But there was a consistency in his message: “The Kingdom of God is like…”

In this way, Jesus was a culture coach. And discipleship leaders should be like him. Whether we speak to thousands or meet with people one-to-one, we describe the Kingdom and help people adapt to its culture—not as tourists, but as immigrants. At times, it might be a light touch, like an episode of Rick Steves or Samantha Brown. Other times it might be a deep, immersive experience that’s more like sharing a home and life.

Whatever the approach, our message—as worship leaders, pastors, teachers, small group leaders, and counselors—begins with “The Kingdom of God is like…”

Threats

Last week, my wife and I were in the wilderness. Really, we were. On vacation. The wilderness is full of wildlife. One afternoon, I took a hike by myself and came up on some bear cubs. I froze until I could find where Mama Bear was. And once I saw her, I made haste in another direction.

Throughout our vacation, we saw lots of signs about bears. Watch for them, do not feed them, use the special trash receptacles, secure your food, etc. And if we hadn't been careful, we could have encountered big problems.

But now, looking back, the only damage we experienced was from the mice—a creature no one warned us about.

A lot of churches are like this—alerting people to the consequences of 'the big sins'. And if the warnings aren't heeded, there can be terrible consequences. But in my experience, we don't talk enough about those little transgressions, those subtle compromises of integrity and character. Collectively, these do the most damage.