So I googled myself tonight.
I hadn't googled myself in several months and I wanted to see if there were any links out there I wasn't aware of. It was somewhat surreal. Awhile back, only a few pages popped up when I googled my name. There are 84,700 tonight. And 90% of them were somehow related to me because there are only 384 Battersons in the United States at last count. And I only know of one other Mark Batterson.
Anywho.
I was sort of surprised at a couple blogs that were lamblasting me :) Wow! Granted, there were hundreds of really positive links. But I read a couple negative ones thinking to myself, "Hey, I'm really not that bad a guy!"
NCC is a Christ-centered, Bible-believing church, but it seems like our unorthodox approach to ministry makes some people nervous. Part of me was laughing. Among other things, we were accused of being practical, creative and too positive. Huh?
One of the tough lessons I've learned in recent months is this: as your influence expands so does the target on your back :)
I felt a little bit like a human dart board :)
For what it's worth, I stopped reading negative blogs about four months ago. It just wasn't worth the time and effort. Life is too short :) And there is too much kingdom work to be done to waste my time trying to play defense. Especially with people who are supposed to be on the same team :)
Criticism used to bother me to no end. And it's not like I enjoy it now :) But I've learned that there is only one way to avoid criticism: don't do anything. Better yet, don't say anything!
It is so hard to read things that people write about you that you know aren't true. It's so hard to be misunderstood or quoted out of context. It's so hard to be unjustly impugned by people who have never even visited National Community Church. But if we are following in the footsteps of Christ, shouldn't we expect a little criticism along the way? Honestly, if anything ought to concern us, it should be the lack of criticism! Because it proably means we aren't doing anything or saying anything that matters!
Jesus had a huge target on his back. And the Pharisees threw darts all day long! Especially on the Sabbath! The Pharisees had this amazing ability to find something wrong with something right.
I live by an Abraham Lincoln motto.
You can please all of the people some of the time, you can please some of the people all of the time, but you can't please all the people all the time!
So who are you going to please?
I don't want to be a people pleaser. I want to be a God pleaser. And that means some people won't be pleased :)
I hadn't googled myself in several months and I wanted to see if there were any links out there I wasn't aware of. It was somewhat surreal. Awhile back, only a few pages popped up when I googled my name. There are 84,700 tonight. And 90% of them were somehow related to me because there are only 384 Battersons in the United States at last count. And I only know of one other Mark Batterson.
Anywho.
I was sort of surprised at a couple blogs that were lamblasting me :) Wow! Granted, there were hundreds of really positive links. But I read a couple negative ones thinking to myself, "Hey, I'm really not that bad a guy!"
NCC is a Christ-centered, Bible-believing church, but it seems like our unorthodox approach to ministry makes some people nervous. Part of me was laughing. Among other things, we were accused of being practical, creative and too positive. Huh?
One of the tough lessons I've learned in recent months is this: as your influence expands so does the target on your back :)
I felt a little bit like a human dart board :)
For what it's worth, I stopped reading negative blogs about four months ago. It just wasn't worth the time and effort. Life is too short :) And there is too much kingdom work to be done to waste my time trying to play defense. Especially with people who are supposed to be on the same team :)
Criticism used to bother me to no end. And it's not like I enjoy it now :) But I've learned that there is only one way to avoid criticism: don't do anything. Better yet, don't say anything!
It is so hard to read things that people write about you that you know aren't true. It's so hard to be misunderstood or quoted out of context. It's so hard to be unjustly impugned by people who have never even visited National Community Church. But if we are following in the footsteps of Christ, shouldn't we expect a little criticism along the way? Honestly, if anything ought to concern us, it should be the lack of criticism! Because it proably means we aren't doing anything or saying anything that matters!
Jesus had a huge target on his back. And the Pharisees threw darts all day long! Especially on the Sabbath! The Pharisees had this amazing ability to find something wrong with something right.
I live by an Abraham Lincoln motto.
You can please all of the people some of the time, you can please some of the people all of the time, but you can't please all the people all the time!
So who are you going to please?
I don't want to be a people pleaser. I want to be a God pleaser. And that means some people won't be pleased :)
12 Comments:
Hey Mark...just wanted to say that you are doing an awesome job. The creativity that you and the team at NCC have, and the passion in reaching people with "out of the box" ways is awesome! You are creating ripples that will change generations for Christ! Thanks for being an inspiration that challenges me and other pastors to reach farther, think higher and have fun while we are doing it!.....Press On!
Fred M
Mark...
Let me just say this: I praise God for your strength and committment....even through all of the criticism. People will criticize of course...but one day they will have to answer to that. One day they'll have to explain to Jesus why they criticize a movement that is forcefully advancing the Kingdom.
You keep it up man. God is honoring your committment, and I'm praying for NCC and their committment to change lives in the name of Jesus. Rock on!
Much Love,
Grant
Man, it always amazes me when people take so much time to criticize others' methods of ministry. At some point, every person has to decide whether they'll spend time criticizing everyone else's call or pursuing the call God has laid on their hearts.
Funny thing is, it must be a cultural thing. To me, meeting in movie theaters, building a dual office/coffee shop, and using innovative media seem like the way to go.
I'm glad you've decided to pursue your call...not try to please everyone who has a predefined idea of what God's doing in D.C.
So keep it up. I appreciate reading your thoughts. Even all the way down in Texas :).
Mucho thanks for the encouragement! Nice way to start a new day!
Mark
A wise man once taught me to start each day by looking in the mirror and repeating these words to yourself: "I'm good enough, I'm smart enough, and dog-gonnit, people like me!" Thanks Stuart Smalley!!!
Mark, I appreciate your conviction to keep plugging along and going about the Lord's work. I was encourged to read this entry. It never ceases to amaze me how silly we, as human beings, are and that we can get side-tracked so easily. I wish we all could step outside of the "box" that we call our lives and see the world as God would see it. I suppose then, and only then, would we realize that the blessings and possibilities could be limitless. Creativity rocks -- praise God that He imparts creativity to us so that we might be able to experiement with all the possibilities of glorifying Him!
Keep it up, and continue to run the race so as to win the prize!
Sadly for me, most of the 6.3 million Google hits are for the founder of Lonely Planet who shares my namesake.
Maybe when people start hating my blog then I'll rocket to the top. Haha.
Oh yeah, btw, you guys are just too creative. Guess people didn't get the memo that they even have conferences and "schooling" for creativity now-a-days.
Remember, they don't hate you because of who you are but because of whose you are. Keep it real bro!
Woops.
Just deleted a double comment, but somehow it deleted both of them instead of one of them.
Sorry :)
Feel free to post again.
Hey Mark,
You are definately doing God's work. Always remember that God's Word warns us that if people are saying nothing but good things about you then you better watch out!
Whenever I am critised I always remember D.L. Moody's words "I like what I am doing better then what you are not doing".
You should know that you have been an inspiration to us all the way up here in Canada and what you do helps remind me to keep our ministry relevant to today's culture and needs.
Keep up the awesome work and God Bless!!
PM -- I have read some of those blogs and laughed, too. I am blessed to be a part of NCC and really appreciate your vision for reaching out and helping people connect with God and others. Praise the Lord for His faithfulness!
This post has been removed by a blog administrator.
Hey Mark,
I read some of those blogs. Man that frustrates me. They don't even know you and the heart of your ministry. I do appreciate your response to those who criticize, a lesson for all of us. :-) I just blogged about how disturbing that is to me. Keep doing what you are doing bro.
Later,
Chris J.
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