[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":74},["ShallowReactive",2],{"\u002Farticles\u002Ftrying-to-be-tall":3,"\u002Farticles\u002Ftrying-to-be-tall-surround":63},{"id":4,"title":5,"author":6,"bibleBooks":8,"body":10,"columnName":45,"date":46,"description":16,"extension":47,"image":48,"meta":49,"minRead":50,"navigation":51,"path":52,"postType":53,"publication":54,"publicationUrl":48,"seo":55,"stem":56,"topics":57,"__hash__":62},"blog\u002Farticles\u002Ftrying-to-be-tall.md","Trying to Be Tall",{"name":7},"Dave Faust",[9],"2 Corinthians",{"type":11,"value":12,"toc":41},"minimark",[13,17,20,23,26,29,32,35,38],[14,15,16],"p",{},"Amusement parks aren't as amusing as they used to be. Years ago I didn't think about the alignment of my spinal vertebrae before stepping onto a roller coaster, but now I do. Rides filled with dips and twists used to make me laugh; now they make me queasy.",[14,18,19],{},"Lately I've discovered an even greater amusement, though: watching my grandchildren enjoy the rides. On a recent family vacation my four-year-old granddaughter Kayla eagerly stepped up to the measuring stick outside a popular ride and stretched to her full height: about 42 inches, far short of the required 48-inch minimum. She stood on her toes and lifted her head high, but no matter how hard she tried, she remained half a foot too short.",[14,21,22],{},"Getting taller isn't something you can do just by trying.",[14,24,25],{},"I know how Kayla feels. I come up short sometimes too. When I was a boy on my school's basketball team, I was thankful for every inch of growth and disappointed when I leveled off just short of six feet tall. As an adult I've learned how difficult it is to measure up and win the comparison game. There's always someone taller, smarter, or nicer looking; always another business growing faster than yours; always a new idea that sounds better than what you're currently doing.",[14,27,28],{},"The Bible warns, \"When they measure themselves by themselves and compare themselves with themselves, they are not wise\" (2 Corinthians 10:12); but we engage in a lot of unhealthy measurements in the church. We compare our attendance figures to the church down the road and feel small by comparison. We play the \"if only\" game: if only we had that other church's location, leadership, money, or music, then we would thrive. Instead of rejoicing at the victories God provides, we feel insignificant and wallow in self-pity. Instead of maximizing the one or two talents we've been given, we envy the five talents the Master gave a fellow servant.",[14,30,31],{},"When David prepared to fight Goliath, King Saul offered to dress him in his own royal armor, but David wisely refused. Saul was a tall man—a size 54 long—and David was a young shepherd—a size 36 short. Saul's armor didn't fit. To be victorious over the giant, David didn't need to imitate Saul; he needed to be himself. A familiar sling, a handful of smooth stones, and a strong faith were all he needed.",[14,33,34],{},"Churches need to be themselves. Don't waste time playing the comparison game. Don't mindlessly imitate what larger congregations are doing. In every culture and every age, healthy churches do the basics with excellence. They faithfully teach the Bible and connect God's Word to the needs of their community. They love their neighbors and build bridges to the lost. Their worship gatherings are sincere and inspiring. Their leaders are united, their members are involved, and their purpose is clear: to make more and better disciples of Jesus Christ. They plant gospel seeds, water them, and leave the growth to God.",[14,36,37],{},"Recently I worshiped with an inner-city congregation on a Sunday morning. About 60 people sat on folding chairs in a rented community center. There were no signs of affluence or prestige in the room, just the presence of the Lord. A member named Barry spoke to the congregation. He was dying of cancer, but he spoke confidently about his hope in Christ. Later in the service, the minister welcomed a new member named Terry who was baptized the previous week; he's a friend of Barry (the man dying of cancer), who led him to the Lord. Big things are happening in that small church.",[14,39,40],{},"My granddaughter's disappointment at the amusement park melted away when she found another ride designed for kids her size and age. Someday she'll be tall enough to ride the big roller coaster, but in the meantime I love her just the way she is—and I'm quite sure the Lord does too.",{"title":42,"searchDepth":43,"depth":43,"links":44},"",2,[],"First Look","2009-08-23","md",null,{},4,true,"\u002Farticles\u002Ftrying-to-be-tall","column","The Lookout",{"title":5,"description":16},"articles\u002Ftrying-to-be-tall",[58,59,60,61],"Biblical Theology","Church Leadership","Christian Unity","Discipleship","BOV00hYzGYtMXDGF9AdFUoNitgMhZQz1gOslSa9rDXc",[64,69],{"title":65,"path":66,"stem":67,"description":68,"children":-1},"Truth in Living Color","\u002Farticles\u002Ftruth-in-living-color","articles\u002Ftruth-in-living-color","Is your life less colorful than it used to be? Maybe so. According to a post on Culture-Critic.com, “Every aspect of life is being stripped of color.”",{"title":70,"path":71,"stem":72,"description":73,"children":-1},"Trying to Do the Impossible","\u002Farticles\u002Ftrying-to-do-the-impossible","articles\u002Ftrying-to-do-the-impossible","Do you ever feel like you are attempting the impossible?",1790466189783]