Confessions of a Do-Gooder: Interview with David Ashcraft

As I passed out blankets to the refugees of Goma, Democratic Republic of Congo–who had been forced to flee their homes because of lava pouring from Mount Nyiragongo–I smiled brightly for the camera that was supposed to be capturing my heart for serving people.

Amid distribution, I thought, I can’t wait until the people back home see these photos of me.

When I received the pictures a few weeks later, I trashed them.

The fake smile was indicative of an unhealthy heart condition – I was playacting for people far away. Too consumed with myself, I couldn’t love people in front of me. I was serving – but at its core, it was about my image, my pride – and my trying to be seen as a masculine Mother Theresa serving those in poverty.

Playacting is a danger for all in ministry.

In my desire to learn how to avoid this spiritual danger, I had the privilege of interviewing David Ashcraft, senior pastor at LCBC. As pastor of a large network of churches in Pennsylvania, he is regularly on stage. In our conversation, he shared about why we need to be aware of the danger of playacting and the other spiritual dangers facing those who serve today.

In this short talk, David shares several key reminders:

  • We often think doing good puts us in better standing with God and will score us “points.”
  • Our motivation to do good can be about elevating ourselves, rather than selfless service.
  • If we do something stupid and mess up, we’re going to crash and many others will crash with us.

Why is it that something as good as service can be so tainted by vanity and self-promotion? How do you guard your heart against the spiritual dangers of doing good?

 

2 Comments

  1. Adam Hann
    July 18, 2013

    Great thoughts, thanks for sharing Peter!

    Reply
    1. Peter Greer
      July 23, 2013

      Thank you Adam!

      Reply

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