Yesterday our family was sitting around a table having lunch after church. My wife started talking about the sermon that she just heard at church. We had a guest speaker, Ken Graham, from Vale Community Church. She really enjoyed his sermon and said that I would really like something he said. Ken said, "When you go to a gas station you expect to be able to buy gas. When you go to Starbucks you expect to get coffee. When you go to Krispy Kreme when the "Hot Now" sign is on you expect to get hot donuts." She then asks the question, "What do you think he said when he asked the question, 'What do you get when you go to God'" Patriot my 4 year old son chimed in and said, "Love!" Of course as a dad I was very proud to know that my son looks to God for love. As a pastor I was proud to know that he learned something in church that day. As a Christ-follower I was bummed because that wasn't the answer that most people say when they get asked the same question.
What do you get when you go to God? The question is simple but the answers are plentiful. Doubt, condemnation, fear, punishment, mercy, nothing, guilt, hope, frustration, and the list goes on and on. How would you answer that question?
What is the major issue here with the brand? We don't know our product. We don't know if we have a product. If we have a product then it is tied up in personal experience with past issues instead of based on the truth.
My son was right when he said that we should expect love from God because God is love. I am amazed that a 4 year old gets that but so many adults have a hard time with it. God is the manufacturer, distributor, and deliverer of love. He has chosen us to simply show the product, we don't even have to sell it. The biggest branding problem here is that we have a hard time with the product of love.
Let God love you today. It will be a much better day if you do.
May 18, 2009
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1 Response to "Ministry Monday: Jesus has a branding problem part 3"I think the key with this issue is expectations. We tend to find what we expect to find.
If I expect the children to behave badly at the grocery store today, they probably will because my perspective of the experience is tainted by my expectations. Does that mean they were bad? Not necessarily, but I expected them to be bad so every little misstep "confirmed" my expectations.
If I expect punishment from God, I'm probably going to feel punished as I go through life. Does that mean He's punishing me? Probably not. But since I expected punishment, every negative circumstance I encounter will feel like punishment.
So, what we need to try to do is change our thought patterns to adjust our expectations. When I learn to trust God's word and expect love from Him, then I'll experience His love over and over again.
And I might try expecting my kids to be good in the grocery, too.
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