The Browning's

Do you have friends in your ministry?  You know, those people who believe in you in a way that most other people don't?  It isn't often that people see more in you than you see in yourself.  It isn't often that people dream bigger dreams for you than you dream alone. It isn't often that you find people who think you can fly to heights that, to you, are too scary to even attempt. 

When I felt called to ministry in 1999, I was going to a service at Northpoint Community Church for singles called 7:22.  Just before leaving for my first ministry position, I stood in line to encourage the preaching pastor at that time, a well-know Christian speaker, Louie Giglio.  After a short wait I told Louie,"Sir, I want you to know that God has used you mightily in my life. God has spoken to me through your preaching and I leave tomorrow to fulfill my call to the ministry."  I fully expected that we would shake hands and I'd walk out the door.  But Louie replied with a question, "What is your greatest dream for your ministry, Will?"  I stumbled to answer.  He then spoke some words that continued to shape me since.  He said, "More than likely your dreams are too small.  You don't recognize the God-sized dreams that our Savior could accomplish with a life dedicated to him.  Will, don't dream your dreams for your life, let God dream his dream for your life."

Most of us are scared attempt God's dream.  I have found that I need prodding by people who believe in me.  This weekend one of my greatest champions in ministry came to town.   Ms. Janet is one of those people in my life who wholeheartedly believes in me. She genuinely believes that God has a special hand on my life.  She looks me in the eye and says, "Will, God is doing great things and he is going to do even more. I am with you and I believe!"  Such words of encouragement and affirmation not only fuel the excitement of what God has called me too, but assures me that I don't walk this journey alone and allows me to see that God is moving in ways beyond my comprehension. I don't know where I would be if God hadn't sent people like Ms. Janet my way. 

God thank you for those people who champion us through our calling.  Thank you for those special people who see YOU in us so greatly ----- that they also believe in us.

While admissions made in this entry may seemingly strip away my masculinity, I will none-the-less attempt to give explanation as to why the Stephanie Meyer’s Twilight Series is so appealing to teenage girls and young women of today.  USAToday recently reported that in March of 2009 the first three books of the four-part saga (Twilight, New Moon & Eclipse) were the top three books sold in local bookstores.  So why such a broad sweeping craze? 

Every year, I try to read a few books that, I believe, are shaping popular culture.  As a person who is expected to explain truth weekly, I believe this time of researching culture is time well spent.  If I do not understand the bridges and barriers to the people’s epistemology, I will struggle to compel them towards eternal truths.  So why is this story resonating so abundantly to particularly young women in America?  Or to put it in Twilight terms: Why is Edward Cullen like a personal heroin to so many young ladies?
Six Reasons for Appeal:

#1 – The Main Character is a Normal Girl – Bella Swan is described as average in appearance, skills and intelligence.  This is appealing to young women who are constantly prodded to fit the Hollywood scale of beauty and talent in order to receive any notice by the other gender.  The story involves an obsessive love from a beautiful boy, who is the object of every women’s attention yet his only desires are for an average clumsy girl.

#2 – The Attractiveness of the Bad Boy – Edward Cullen, the mysterious love interest, is more than just the prototypical bad boy found all throughout American Romance.  Edward is not just depicted as attractive and mysterious, but he is also dangerous.  While this prose is familiar to the contemporary reader, the danger that follows this debonair hero is extra-ordinary but the story is built on this crucible: while Edward is dangerous, he is also driven by good will for Bella.

#3 – Desire of Women to be Pursued – Every woman’s fantasy is to be the sole pursuit of a virtuous man, to be the object of that man’s affection, and the desire of his heart.  In this series, Edward finds it excruciating to even be away from Bella.  His intrigue is heightened towards his damsel because, unlike everyone else, he cannot read her thoughts. This, and her smell, drives Edward’s pursuit for Bella; even bringing personal pain to his very being, yet his pursuit is unhindered.

#4 – Identifying with the Breakdown of the Family – Bella’s family, like many American families, has been altered by divorce forcing the protagonist to make difficult choices to appease the desperate decision her parents have made.  Her parents seem unaware of the trials they have put Bella through and her cavalier approach to compensation for these decisions shows her unprecedented fortitude.  One of the great contrasts is the solidity of the Cullen family who never abandons each other, shares the same values, and is uniquely bonded.  This is in stark contrast to Swan family.

#5 – A Man who Protects – At the core of every woman is a desire to be protected.  Edward fights the battle of being a monster that was made to destroy, yet leashes his inhuman power to protect Bella from both outward and inward harm.  The outward beast wants to “bite” her and bring her harm, but the inward love and desire to protect overpowers the outward monster that is Edward Cullen.

#6 – Romance that it not Sexual – In a sexual charged generation, the motive for love in this novel series is not sexual.  This is a refreshing bend from reality, particularly for ladies, who are constantly prodded by their opposing gender for sexual favors.  The male love interest draws honorable lines of sexual purity that are fully upheld leaving this story of passion about a greater mission, the mission of love without self-gain.  Their love is not bonded by sexual desire but by an ageless, timeless, fantasy from long ago.

Stephanie Meyers has captured the attention of American culture with her Twilight Series by carefully observing the systemic problems in our society.  Namely the breakdown of the family and the obsessive 'sexualization' of our culture. She also identifies the fallout of the God-given masculine imperative to protect, cherish and admonish our created partners: our women, sisters and daughters.

We finished our Philippians study this week.  It was an insightful ten weeks looking through a letter that encouraged us to be bold in multiple areas of our lives.  In the final section of Scripture, Paul spoke of being content in every facet of life.  Whether in plenty or in want, whether in need or in abundance, Paul found happiness in the Lord.  Discontentment is problematic when it comes to the human soul, but I believe there is one place that discontentment is critically important.  Critically, may be an understatement.  Maybe indispensable is a better word for the necessity of discontentment in this area.

Let me quote Andy Stanley to get this discussion going.  "Visions are born in the soul of a man or woman who is consumed with the tension between what is and what could be. . . Over time that dissatisfaction matures into a clear picture of what could be. . . Anyone with a vision will tell you this is not merely something that could be done rather it is something that should be done."  Humanity has seen this principle over and over again.  The cotton gin would have never been made if there wasn't a dissatisfaction with the tediousness of picking cotton.  A bowl was created in ancient China and Greece because of the shortcomings of a plates.  This principle is true inside the church also.  The Reformation most centrally began because the Word of God was not written in common vernacular for people to identify the truth of Scripture themselves.  The modern missionary movement took root because Christians took seriously the Great Commission and the need to take the gospel to the world.

While discontentment can be dangerous for the individual soul, God uses our discontentment to bring about vision.  What are you discontent with in what you see in the church?  The lostness of our generation?  The lack of biblical literacy in the American church?  The hypocracy within christian culture?  I am not calling you to complain about any of these things, but I am calling you to do something about it!  I believe that God uses discontentment in leadership to bring about visions for progress. 

What holy discontentment is God stirring in your heart to bring glory to him and to draw his people to him in repentance?

My daughter is beautiful. 

I know that every father thinks that about their little girl, but mine is obvious.  Piper is going to be an absolute, "Knock-Out!"  At first this was kind of cool.  I once felt a since of pride when people would say the phrase, "Your daughter is beautiful (which is strange because she doesn't share any genes with me or Tarah)."  Recently, trepidation is what comes over me when I hear this complement over and over again.  I start thinking of the brace-faced, hormone-raging, punk boys that are destined to be calling on the phone asking if they can take her to the movies.  Earlier this week Piper asked me, "Daddy where did that bump on your arm come from?"  I tried to convince her that I got that bump from giving a jujitsu forearm to punk boys and that I would do the same to any boys who don't treat her the way she should be treated.  She laughed, but I was serious.

What I once saw as, "pretty cool," I am starting to feel like is a curse.  Right now, I have convinced Piper that I am her boyfriend.  I have accomplished this through 'daddy dates'.  'Daddy dates' by title are self-explanatory.  I try to do everything for her. I pick her up, open the door for her, take her to her favorite restaurant, and pay for her meal.  Tarah thinks I treat Piper with more chivalry than I do her on our dates together, but I am trying to show Piper how an honorable man should treat her.  Just the other day, the boys were chasing her around the church saying, "Piper's got a boyfriend!  Piper's got a boyfriend!"  She made it all worthwhile when she corrected the teasing boys, "Yeah, that's right.  I do have a boyfriend.  My daddy is my boyfriend!"  That was awesome.  How do I keep this up?  What am I going to do when she loses interest in poor-old dad?  When she sees me for the boring man that I am?  When 'daddy dates' don't work anymore? 

Any of you long-time dads of girls got any advice for me?

This was my response to a JD Greer article.  I received a request from the Baptist Courier to respond to this article.  Below is my full response.  I invite you to read the JD Greer article

To Whom it May Concern:I am a 31 year old pastor of a Southern Baptist Church and I am concerned about the relevancy of the SBC.  My fear for the future of the SBC is two-fold. First, my generation of young ministers are flocking to voices outside of convention leadership for ministry direction.  While my more seasoned collegeas (over 40) still find leadership from tride and true Southern Baptist's like Johnny Hunt & Charles Stanley my generation is giving an ear to a different set of leaders.  Men like Matt Chandler, Darrin Pactrick, Rick Warren and Ed Stetzer, all of which are Southern Baptist themselves but find themselves outside of the leadership influence of the SBC.  I fear that the SBC leadership is soon going to have very little impact within my generation set and we will continue to seek out leadership from leaders like Andy Stanley, Mark Driscoll, and Craig Groeschel, who seem to have a true desire to see our generation succeed and don't see us as misguided, illigitmate, step-children, as we are often made to feel.  Secondly, I fear that if the convention doesn't try to attract the current generation, then in the coming decades the cubbard of leaders to pick from is going to be bare.  This reality is imminent.   Soon the unwanted stepchild complex of my generation will takes it toll and we will have moved out to fathers who seem to care about our passions.  Ultimately, leaving our beloved convention impotent without future leadership.

Will Browning
Journey Church

Baptist Courier Article:  http://tinyurl.com/dh8x8y

Ethan may be the coolest kid you have ever met.  Tarah and I adopted Ethan and his sister in 2006 after much prayer and pleading with God to fill our house with children.  God answered that prayer bringing great joy to our home.  Some moments have been more trying than others. 

Ethan was so bad when we first got home from the Ukraine that he spent almost every minute of the day in the corner.  I will never forget one day, early on, he was in the corner and was way past due from being released from that torture.  Getting out of the corner required one easy step, just say, "I am sorry."  Ethan's stubbornness not to say, "I'm sorry," persisted for some time.  I'll never forget hearing the thump of Ethan's body hitting the floor.  I rushed into the room only to find Ethan's doggedness had persisted so long that he fell asleep while in the corner!

There are so many great stories that Ethan has brought.  Like last night, he was talking about his Poppy's (name for his fraternal grandfather) garden.  He said, "Daddy, I can't wait to eat all that stuff in the garden.  Watermelons, squash, tomatoes, beef . . .”  We broke out laughing.  "Ethan beef doesn't grow in a garden it comes from a cow!" 

The one story that is forever etched in my mind comes from the first day away from the orphanage.  I was laying on a coach in Kiev, Ukraine in a small rented apartment.  Tarah had returned home to America to care for baby Jedidiah.  I was tired and ready to get back to America.  My ability to keep my eyelids at bay was becoming a conscious task every twenty seconds.  Then I felt some little arms touching my arms.  Ethan without inhibitions crawled up onto the coach, mounted my legs, laid his head on my chest, and said, "Moi Pa-pa!"  I knew in that moment God had answered my prayers and a special bond between a father and his son was galvanized.

Have you considered adoption? 

Growing up did you play the game called "Shotgun," to find out who gets the front seat on the forthcoming car ride.  I have found it interesting that as I have lived in several different parts of the world, everyone has different rules.  Let me straighten out all the confusion and provide you with the offical shotgun rules.

Section I:  The Basic Rules
1. In order to call Shotgun, the caller must pronounce the word "Shotgun" in a clear voice. This call must be heard and acknowledged by the driver. The other occupants of the vehicle need not hear the call as long as the driver verifies the call.
2. Shotgun may only be called if all occupants of the vehicle are outside and on the way to said vehicle.
3. Early calls are strictly prohibited. Shotgun may only be called while walking toward the vehicle and only applies to the drive immediately forthcoming. Shotgun can never be called while inside a vehicle or still technically on the way to the first location. For example, one can not get out of a vehicle and call Shotgun for the return journey.
4. The driver has final say in all ties and disputes. The driver has the right to suspend or remove all shotgun privileges from one or more persons.

Section II:  Special Cases
These special exceptions to the rules above should be considered in the order presented; the case listed first will take precedence over any of the cases beneath it, when applicable.

1. In the instance that the normal driver of a vehicle is drunk or otherwise unable to perform their duties as driver, then he/she is automatically given Shotgun.
2. If the instance that the person who actually owns the vehicle is not driving, then he/she is automatically given Shotgun, unless they decline.
3. In the instance the the driver's spouse, lover, partner, or date for the evening is going to accompany the group, he/she is automatically given Shotgun, unless they decline.
4. In the instance that one of the passengers may become so ill during the course of the journey that the other occupants feel he/she will toss their cookies, then the ill person should be given Shotgun to make appropriate use of the window.
5. In the instance that only one person knows how to get to a given location and this person is not the driver, then as the designated navigator for the group they automatically get Shotgun, unless they decline.
6. In the instance that one of the occupants is too wide or tall to fit comfortably in the back seat, then the driver may show mercy and award Shotgun to the genetic misfit. Alternatively, the driver and other passengers may continually taunt the poor fellow as they make a three hour trip with him crammed in the back.

Yesterday was a tough day for the Browning Family.  We buried our family dog, Sarg.  He was a great dog and a great friend.  In 2002, Tarah and I purchased our first home in Kentucky and like every good American family, we got a dog.  We decided to adopt a pet and that adoption was the beginning of another adoption journey that ended with us adopting Piper & Ethan from the Ukraine in 2006.

Some things about Sarg that I won't ever forget.
#1 - His lethargic and laid-back disposition.  He was a perfect fit to my personality.  Most days he just sat beside me in my recliner enjoying an evening with his family.
#2 - His scratching at the door.  Sarg was a smart dog.  He had a keen way of communicating.  The strangest communication was the whining he would do when he wanted to come inside.  It sounded like a injured little girl screaming.
#3 - My accomplice - Many times Sarg would ride with me in the car.  I'll never forget the night that we tolieted Dr. Rainer's house with Sarg tagging along.
#4 - Cuddling - I am not a touchy-feelly kind of guy but for some reason Sarg was a different story.  He would let you do anything to him.  I am sure you saw his trick when I would ask him a question and he would raise his hand, right?

Do me a favor, if you remember something about Ol' Sarg, write a comment on this blog.  I think it will be healing for our family.

Will  <><