Shaking it Up

I believe that, as believers in Christ, not only are we called into a personal relationship with Christ and a participatory relationship with the local church, but we have the potential to be people of influence, displaying the life and character of Christ to all with whom we interact.   1st Peter 3 gives us some perspective:
15 But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect,

16 keeping a clear conscience, so that those who speak maliciously against your good behavior in Christ may be ashamed of their slander.

I think that people are watching us, especially if they know that we call upon the name of the Lord.   They may be watching us in a cynical way, hoping to see us stumble or fall.  Or, they may be looking to us for hope in their lives.  And, we may be the person that points them to an answer in their lives, or someone through whom God brings an answer to prayer.   We are called to readiness - for God to use us in whatever circumstances He pleases, in order to bring honor to Him, to make Him famous.

In 2nd Corinthians 2, we read about the power of influence, which is something we can be a part of through Christ:
14 But thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumphal procession in Christ and through us spreads everywhere the fragrance of the knowledge of him.

15 For we are to God the aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are perishing.

Last weekend, I was introduced to the concept of the "Harlem Shake", which can be described as the new "flash mob" concept.   It's built around a song from an artist named "Baauer", and the drill is basically that one person, presumably dressed up in some kind of costume, is videotaped doing some sort of dance or movement, then the video is cut, and the next scene features a whole lot of people doing a whole lot of dance moves - and the most effective ones include plenty of costuming.  For those done by various schools, including colleges, a mascot could be thrown in.  

And, of course, YouTube is full of these demonstrations - some creative, others pretty random.   And, I think these types of phenomenons, like the "Call Me Maybe" videos from last summer that were done on a variety of school buses or the flash mobs that continue to be quite popular, indicate the desire of people to express themselves in creative ways. 

And, in the Middle East, the "Harlem Shake" is being used as a peaceful protest tool, as recently hundreds of protesters, instead of throwing objects and inflicting damage, danced outside the headquarters of the Muslim Brotherhood in Cairo, and, in Tunisia, students and those known as Salafists clashed in Sidi Bouzid, the Tunisian town where the wave of uprisings in the Arab world began with a very different source of defiance.

In Egypt, according to NBC News, Organizer Noor al Mahalaawi, a 22-year-old engineering student, and three friends started a group that they have dubbed the "Satiric Revolutionary Struggle".

The group intends stage innovative weekly protests in front of the party headquarters, which will be posted on their increasingly popular Facebook page.

"People are very supportive,” Mahalaawi said. “It’s a change from violence to sarcasm and it’s peaceful. There has been enough blood, enough arrests, enough trials.”

You may not agree with the method, but you have to appreciate the creativity and the devotion to non-violence.

I'm reminded that a characteristic of leadership and influence is creativity.  Noted leadership speaker John Maxwell says that, "Creativity attracts others to you and to your ideas. We enjoy interacting with people who open up our imaginations through the originality of their work. Creativity also gives rise to excellence by facilitating problem-solving. Sometimes creative persons break new ground; at other times they simply find innovative ways to apply existing concepts."

Sometimes, I think a good message is enhanced - or damaged - by the way that it's communicated.   We have to pay careful attention to not only basic content, but also how we try to get our point across.  If we're creative rather than combative, seeking to build a bridge rather than dig in dogmatically, we can be more influential with people.  We can call on the God of creativity to give us fresh ideas for sharing messages consistent with His heart.

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There are two creative instances to which I want to call attention that show how we can communicate Biblical principles and to influence culture in a Christ-honoring ways.   One involves a concept I referred to earlier - the "flash mob" - perhaps you've seen the video that the Second Baptist Church of Houston did a few years ago, where church members and people from the community gathered in a park and performed an dance to music that shared the story of the resurrection.   The participants then left the park, but left shoes behind, to be distributed by charities.   Montgomery's Heritage Baptist Church seized on the concept, and did the "Dance Your Shoes Off" event in a field adjacent to their church last year.   This year, they're taking it to EastChase on Saturday, April 6th, and you're invited.   Check the Faith Radio website for additional information and a schedule of the rehearsals - you're encouraged to attend one or two of them, and/or learn the dance from the instructional video on the church's website.

Another instance involves the leadership training organization that was founded by John Maxwell, EQUIP.  They have trained some 6 million leaders in scores of countries around the world - and they are devoted to not only training leaders to do church ministry, but to be transformational leaders - influencing culture for good, consistent with the character of Christ.   One country in which they have been particularly active and successful is Guatemala.   And, beginning next Monday, EQUIP President John Hull will set out on a trek from the new John Maxwell Center outside Atlanta and walk with other relay team members who will join him from city to city, town to town, the 2400 miles to Guatemala City.

It's a bit reminiscent of the "Olympic Torch Relay", and the route takes the EQUIP World Relay right through Alabama - entering the state next Saturday and continuing through the Faith Radio coverage area for about 9 or 10 days.   There will be a rally for community leaders on Tuesday night, March 12th at Frazer United Methodist Church - our coverage of this significant event to highlight the importance of leadership begins later today on The Meeting House as John Hull, President of EQUIP, joins me.   You can join in - go to www.equipworldrelay.org. 

These are just a couple of so many ways that God's people are using fresh ideas and leveraging creativity to glorify Him - do you have an idea?   Do you need to communicate truth in a potentially difficult situation?   Rely on our creator God to lead you by His Spirit so that you can be a person of influence with the people with whom you come in contact.