Our quest for happiness

Church, Personal growth Comments Off
Sep 102010

Part 2 in the "As Each Part Does Its Work" series of columns first published in Maranatha News.

We were drinking tea in a friend's kitchen when she said to me, "You know, when we bought this house, I thought my life was finally perfect. I have a great family, a good job, more possessions than I ever dreamed of having, this wonderful house…. So—I don’t understand—why am I still not happy?"

We all dream of being happy. But what, exactly, is happiness?

Most of us have said we’d be happy if we just had some more money, better health, a spouse, a child, a better job, more time…and the list goes on. Except, the truth is, even when we get whatever we thought would make us happy, we realize there’s just one more thing, and then one more…. Why else would well-to-do people keep working 24/7 and never take time to enjoy what they have? Why do drop-dead gorgeous people go to any lengths to add to their beauty? Why do corporate workers seek promotion after promotion, never saying, “Good enough. I'll stay here where I’m comfortable.” And then there’s the compulsion to find the perfect match, and the marriage-go-round, with its constant lure of greener pastures and easy divorce. The truth is, it’s extremely rare for people to say they’re content with what they have….

Read the rest of "As Each Part Does Its Work" column 2 as a pdf

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Posted by njlindquist at 8:43 pm Tagged with: , ,

What Does It Mean to Be Part of the Body of Christ?

Church Comments Off
Aug 292010

From March, 2007 until September, 2010, I wrote a column called "As Each Part Does Its Work" for Maranatha News. I will be posting those columns in order here.

Column one. 

It had been a busy day and I was tired, so I was flipping through the channels. I stopped at a documentary about Stephen Hawking.

In case you aren’t familiar with him, Stephen Hawking is a British scientist who has challenged existing scientific beliefs, postulated numerous new theories, and been compared to Albert Einstein. But Hawking has Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (Lou Gehrig's Disease), a disease which destroys the nerves of the spinal cord. Although his mind remains fully active, the connections from mind to limbs have been slowly eaten away until he can barely do anything for himself. Even to speak, he must use a state-of-the-art machine that allows him to make words by blinking to indicate letters. A mechanical voice then speaks. One reply may take him as long as eight minutes.

I can only imagine the frustration this man must feel—trapped, as it were, in a body that is totally alien to him. Through no fault of his own, he is completely dependent on others to care for him—forced to lead a slow-motion life which, to someone with his whip-like understanding, must drive him to anguish and anger.

But as I watched the documentary, God whispered to me, "That's a picture of Christ.”

Read the rest of "As Each Part Does Its Work" column 1 as a pdf

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Posted by njlindquist at 4:07 pm Tagged with: , , , ,

Good Guys, Bad Guys, and a Longing for the Kingdom

Church Comments Off
Feb 182010

"How to Live Like a Christian in a World Under Satan’s Domination." This was the topic I had chosen to address in my adult Sunday school class. Since the topic was difficult, and I wasn’t sure I had the formula myself, I decided to be “creative” and divide the class into two teams—the “Good Guys” (God’s side) and the “Bad Guys” (Satan’s side). Each team had to come up with a battle plan.

The “Good Guys’ chose loving one another as their strategy. They included practical ideas such as “praying for one another, mentoring new believers, holding each other accountable, and friendship evangelism.”

The “Bad Guys” strategy was to keep believers from doing what God wants. So their list included “causing divisions through arguments, encouraging power struggles, encouraging people to think of their own needs, making church leaders look foolish and the church irrelevant, etc.”

The exercise was revealing. We concluded that, with a few exceptions, the “Bad Guys” are winning the battle here in North America. The thought made us uneasy, yet we were also genuinely puzzled as to how we could make a difference.

Today, I feel that same uncertainty. I know Christ has put me here to tell others about him, but the task is too immense for me to tackle alone….

Read the entire article " Good Guys, Bad Guys, and a Longing for the Kingdom" as a pdf file.

(This is the 4th article in a series of 4 called "21st Century Pilgrim" articles. They were first published in the Canadian Baptist in 1994.)

Read the rest of this 4-part series:

"But What About Those Gates of Hell?" as a pdf. 1st in the series of 4 "21st Century Pilgrim" articles.

"Mary or Martha, Which One Am I?" – 2nd in the series of 4 "21st Century Pilgrim" articles.

"What Should We Do About Those Lost Sheep, Lord?" 3rd in the series of 4 "21st Century Pilgrim" articles.

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Posted by njlindquist at 5:51 pm Tagged with: , ,

Reengineering the Church

Church 2 Responses »
May 022009

For over 25 years, I have been very involved as a lay leader in the church. For most of those years, I have worked for IBM in various professional and management capacities.

I have often been struck with the parallels between what I am doing in the business world and the needs of the church. In many ways, the cell church movement is all about the reengineering of the church….

Read the rest of this article "Reengineering the Church" by Les Lindquist as a pdf.

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Posted by leslindquist at 11:15 pm Tagged with: , , , ,

I Cried in Church Today Again

Church Comments Off
May 022009

"Les, you seem so restless these days. What’s up?”

This question from the chairman of the board of Deacons came at the end of another long meeting. Since I’d been a deacon from the age of 23, I was used to being frustrated by the slow progress made in church meetings. But lately I’d been feeling more frustrated than usual. It seemed as if we never got to anything really meaningful. Or if we did, it was always at the end of the evening when everyone was tired and anxious to get home. I didn’t really know how to answer.

I simply said, “I don’t know. It just seems there must be more to it.”

A puzzled look appeared on Alan’s face.

I tried to explain. “More to being a Christian, I mean. I’m so tired of meetings where nothing ever seems to be accomplished. Nothing that matters, at least.”

“I guess I don’t understand,” Alan replied. “I think we’re doing great. We’ve got a new building. The church is growing. Great people. Good services. The church is sure meeting my needs.”

I went home that night more frustrated than ever. I’d been a Christian since the age of three, an active layman since I was 18. I was now forty-two. Was this part of the mid-life crisis they talked about? Did I have needs the church wasn’t meeting, or was there something wrong with me?

Read "I Cried in Church Today"

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Posted by leslindquist at 10:07 am Tagged with: , , ,

But What About Those Gates of Hell?

Church 1 Response »
May 012009

For over forty years, the church has been the center of my spiritual life. My parents took me there when I was young, and since I became a teen, I have gone by choice. All right, part of that was because I had to walk past this boy's house, and if he saw me going by, he hurried to get ready and come, too. But, for various reasons, I have attended church nearly every Sunday for forty years.

But why do I say, "attended church"? If asked, I would say that the church is not something I can "attend." The church is the people who gather together to worship God. The church is you and me. I know that, but it’s never been important to me to differentiate. Now I find myself talking about 'going to church' and wondering, what do I mean? The building? The service on Sunday? I’m not sure. In some ways, the word 'church' is nebulous to me—no distinct boundaries or meaning. Is that good or bad? I wonder what Jesus meant when He used the word in the first place….

Read the rest of N. J. Lindquist's article "But What About Those Gates of Hell?" as a pdf. 1st in a series of 4 "21st Century Pilgrim" articles.

Read the rest of this 4-part series: 

"Mary or Martha, Which One Am I?" – 2nd in a series of 4 "21st Century Pilgrim" articles.

"What Should We Do About Those Lost Sheep, Lord?" 3rd in a series of 4 "21st Century Pilgrim" articles.

"Good Guys, Bad Guys, and a Longing for the Kingdom" 4th in a series of 4 "21st Century Pilgrim" articles. 

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Posted by njlindquist at 6:30 pm Tagged with: ,

Is the Body of Christ Handicapped?

Church 1 Response »
May 012009

The Bible tells us that Christ is the head (mind) of a body composed of all who are Christians, (Ephesians 1:22-23) and that each member of the body has an important function (Romans 12). In other words, I am a part of the visible body of Christ on earth.

Usually, when we think of the church in terms of a body, we think of a healthy body where each organ, limb, muscle, and so on is functioning perfectly. We think of how each member has a specific function, and uses his or her gifts to perform that function. And we assume that everything is in order….

The moment I accepted Christ, I became part of his body. But I must continually check to make sure I am a properly functioning part. And I must find other members of the body whom I can ask to hold me accountable, and with whom I can share both the joys and the frustrations of living in the body….

Read the rest of this ground-breaking article, "Is the Body of Christ Handicapped?" as a pdf.

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