268. View Your LIfe as An Experiment. A New Episode in the Series, How to Become a Multiplying Christian

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In this episode I continue my series on how to become a multiplying disciple.  I talk about the need to experiment with new things and to view your life as an experiment.

Transcript

“We won’t be meeting for live church services for the time being,” I told my church members in March of 2020.  Little did I know it would be well over a year before we started hesitantly meeting back together after Covid.  I thought to myself, how can I help people during this time when I can’t preach to them in a live setting.  I stumbled onto the idea of a podcast.  The only problem was I had no idea how to start one and had little confidence in the area of electronics or computer hardware.  In any case I decided to get started and step by step figured out how to start one.  I read a book on starting a podcast, I listened to books on it, I came up with my target audience and the reason why I was doing it.  There were many times I thought I couldn’t do it, I’m too old, I’m no good at technical stuff and no one would listen.  I chose to ignore those voices in my mind.  Within a month I had cobbled together seven episodes to launch the show with.  Through experimentation, I was a podcaster.

The reason we often don’t see the spiritual progress we are looking for is that we are naturally attached to the person we are right now.  Our habits, our thinking, our belief system, our inclinations have a form of inertia to them.  Once set in a certain way, it takes a lot of effort to get them moving in a different direction.  Jesus points this out in Luke 5:37-39, “And no one pours new wine into old wineskins. Otherwise, the new wine will burst the skins; the wine will run out and the wineskins will be ruined. ³⁸ No, new wine must be poured into new wineskins. ³⁹ And no one after drinking old wine wants the new, for they say, ‘The old is better.’”  We get used to certain foods, certain drinks and it keeps us from trying something new that God wants us to try.  This is one of the reasons Jesus ran into so much opposition from the Pharisees and Saducees and even from his allies such as the disciples of his cousin John the Baptist.  Jesus was bringing something new and most people preferred the old and refused to experiment with change.

 

It is incredibly helpful to maintain a flexible and adaptable mindset when trying to grow as a disciple.  One of the best ways to do that is to view life as a series of experiments.  I love Ralph Waldo Emerson’s quote,  “Do not be too timid and squeamish about your actions. All life is an experiment. The more experiments you make the better. What if they are a little coarse and you may get your coat soiled or torn? What if you do fail, and get fairly rolled in the dirt once or twice? Up again, you shall never be so afraid of a tumble.”

When you experiment with anything, you are accepting up front that some of your experiments are going to fail.  Most may fail.  However, if you keep experimenting enough with new habits, techniques and skills, you will stumble onto breakthroughs in your life.  You will find things that multiply your growth, influence and fruitfulness.

Viewing life in this way gives you permission to fail without fear and the shame associated with failure.  No one doing cancer research quits or gets discouraged when one attempt at a cure doesn’t pan out.  In the same way, in order for you to grow and make a difference in this life, you will have to pick up and try many new habits and skills that may or may not take you where you want to go. 

In 2004, I decided to plant a new church in my hometown of Ashland, Oregon.  I didn’t have any outside funding.  I didn’t have a team to support me.  I didn’t have an existing church to pay me.  I didn’t have a career I was stepping into.  I had to start a new career in real estate to pay my bills and support my family.  I chose to view this church planting as an experiment.  I remember thinking to myself and telling Pam, my wife, “This may not work.”  We may only be there a short time and then we’ll have to go somewhere else.  I deliberately didn’t ask anyone to go with me, because of the high risk of failure.  I didn’t want to responsibility of taking care of other people when I didn’t have the resources to support myself.  If I had waited to plant the church with full funding, a large team and a clear plan, the church wouldn’t be there today.  People that I love wouldn’t be Christians today.  It was a risky experiment that paid off. 

If you are reading this book, you probably have big dreams for your future.  You want your life to count and you want to do big things for God.  You may want to:

·       Go overseas on mission

·       Learn a foreign language

·       Start a new church

·       Work as a pastor or minister

·       Start a new business

·       Learn a new instrument

·       Find a great life partner

Whatever you are dreaming of, go ahead and take that first step.  View it as an experiment.  Expect and anticipate setbacks and failures.  Just keep going until you find the right path out of the many start down. 

Here are some ideas to develop an experimental mindset:

·       Read a book on an area you are considering growing in.

·       Write down three things you could do immediately to go in the direction of your dreams.

·       Give yourself 90 days to experiment with your venture.  Allow yourself to bail out if after 90 days, you don’t want to keep going.

·       Talk to someone who has done or is doing what you want to do.  Ask them how to start.

·       Give yourself full permission to fail, flop and fall flat on your face.

·       Reduce the risk by not including anyone else in what you are trying to do.  Limit your exposure.

·       Think about and fix in your mind others who have tried and succeeded in what you want.

·       Pretend that you are good at what you are trying to do.  Experiment with seeing yourself as more skilled than you currently are.

When I launched the Rob Skinner Podcast, I had no idea what would happen.  I only hoped that I could inspire people to make this life count, live a no-regrets life and multiply disciples, leaders and churches.  I started podcasting into a great big dark empty void.  I wondered at times if anyone was listening.  I started receiving letters from people thanking me for the podcast and sharing how it had helped them.  Two years after the podcast started, Pam and I went to a large Christian conference in Orlando, Florida.  I got approached so many times by listeners thanking me for the podcast and for helping them grow and make this life count.  I’m so glad I chose to experiment with something new.

·       Practical Application

o  What is one thing you’ve wanted to do, achieve or grow in that you’ve hesitated to start.

o  Give yourself permission to fail and to experiment with your desire.

o  Write down three things you can do this week to start your experiment.