Maybe they knew something.....

A funny cycle keeps happening in history that might be worth noting. Those who are living now tend to look at those who have gone before them with admiration for what they accomplished, yet they often seem to think that the preceding generation was somewhat simple or naive.

When I entered Christian camping and attended the Christian Camping International conferences there was both an air of apparent respect, as well as a feeling of superiority that seemed to permeate the younger camping professionals.

The tone and content of the message was that the founders were very nice men of faith who were a bit simplistic, and that the “industry” was fortunate that another generation came along to rescue the obviously perishing.

These “founders” were men of simplistic faith. They borrowed money without a plan to pay it back. They staffed the camps with untrained volunteers. They created activities that were not installed or inspected by professionals. They made decisions. They got their hands dirty and actually worked the soil of the grounds during the day, and did the desk work when they were too tired to work outside. They didn’t and couldn’t pay people, so they used volunteers. They seemed to always be on the edge of disaster, but also seemed to have learned to balance on the edge rather well.

In many ways, these men were like Noah, Daniel and the boys, and Elijah. They knew God and listened to Him, and that alone was the secret to their success.

Today, before this generation would build an ark, they would need a feasibility plan, a budget, and evacuation plans in case the ship sprung a leak. The project would not start until double the funds were in so that there could be enough funds in the bank to maintain the vessel. There would have had to have been a public relations campaign to insure the public that Noah was not nuts, and an exhaustive study on how to get the animals to move on demand, so that they would enter the ark.

We would also need an exit strategy before we started, and a plan for how we would govern the people aboard the ark, address the maintenance issues we would encounter, and brainstorm as to how we would handle every possible adversity that may arise.

Or, we could do as Noah did, and get up the day after he was told to build an ark, and get busy building it.

Modern pastors and teachers seem to always be looking for something newer and better, when, in reality, there is nothing new under the sun. The modern-day preachers are not more educated, more gifted or talented, nor have additional insight, and in fact, they may be lazy as they ride the tide of a generation that understood that all life is about God, not man, and actually was guided by and trusted Him.

American Christians have become like secular America, in that physical laborers are tough to find, in that most want desk jobs, an easy life, and respect without doing anything to earn it.

Many gauge the success of their work by attendances, offerings, and facilities, which would be the same criterion by which secular businesses judge themselves.

Many pastors talk of the grueling schedule they keep, and the stress they live under, as if those in other professions lack stress and gruel, and if you doubt how hard they work and how stressful their jobs are, you only need to ask them, and they would be glad to tell you all about it.

One of the stark contrasts in those who minister today as compared to the founders is the specialization that has occurred. Some just teach and have rather little contact with the people. Some just do the business side of the ministry. Some just do the cleaning, some the marketing, and so forth.

The Christian camping founders did not have those lines. They did whatever was necessary to get the job done, and often knew that there were those who were more qualified, but unwilling, so the less qualified did the work, only to be criticized by those who could have done it better, but would not.

In fact, many Christian works have been criticized throughout the years because of their lack of “professionalism” by the professionals who themselves are unwilling to participate. After years of leading a ministry, I am accustomed to the idea that everyone can do my job better, but they, too, are unwilling.

While playing collegiate football, I learned that a football team could only play with the players that were actually on the field. The injured or talented that would not join the team would not have any effect on the outcome of the game. Likewise, these Christian camping founders understood that you can only play with those who “suit up,” and that the many who did not “suit up” will sit and evaluate, and even criticize, those who do.

I think the Christian camping founders would think that we took the treasure they handed us and buried it in hopes that we would not lose it, when we should have been following their lead by investing our time and energy in the impossible, so that generations to come would be able to clearly see our God. I could only imagine what some of our ministries would look like if the founders would have continued on for many years.

Instead, future generations will clearly see business plans, long range plans, and other ideas that are now as common in ministry as they are at Wal-Mart stores.

Those who are in leadership today would be wise to learn from those who went before them, realizing that 100 years from now, should Christ not have returned yet, those who are running the ministries will be looking at us as simple and naive people, for they will have learned and grown so throughout the years.

The job we have on this earth is to know Christ and to make Him known, and the best position to do that from is one of obvious inadequacy. This has not changed and will not change. The modern generation’s focus on adequacy changes everything, and will only lead to ineffectiveness, for you should not attempt to change what cannot change.

Ecclesiastes 1:9

What has been is what will be,

and what has been done is what will be done,

and there is nothing new under the sun.