(Authors note, I'm supposed to write a paper on this for a class I'm taking. Here is what I'm thinking).
What are we driving at?
In our churches this becomes a great question. Many have looked at the church in America as a whole and either verbally or in written form have concluded it isn't working the way Christ intended.
But how do we measure success in the church? Is it pure numbers? What about individual growth?
I would say that when the numbers begin to slide most leadership teams take the attractional route, and what I mean by that we either develop or implement programs that are meant to draw people into the church. Some examples might be, more contemporary worship, programs for kids, programs for adults (example might be a fitness class), hi-tech gadgets that enhance worship, perhaps in extreme cases new building programs or even a new pastor-speaker.
I believe this is a very human response to a larger spiritual issue.
Don't get me wrong, I'm not against any of this, in fact you could make a case that attractional things will bring people in, and if one person finds Jesus because of it, that's great.
But lets face it, doing attractional stuff is easier. Oh I don't mean that starting programs is easy, but it doesn't require us to grow, which can be painful and a lot of work.
It comes back to this question, what are we driving at?
When two pastors get together that haven't seen each other in awhile, the question usually gets asked "how many are you running on Sunday morning?" I'm not sure I've ever heard "how healthy is your church" or "are your people becoming disciples?"
If it's all about numbers then the attractional model makes sense. My fear is that when numbers become the main issue, we tend to do attractional things that draw Christians from other churches, instead of the intended target, the un-churched.
I want the church to be relevant, it has to make sense to the culture that it serves, however if we are not careful it can become a grand production. It looks great, high energy, but it doesn't always make disciples, sometimes we only create consumers.
Next month we will look at the missional model.
Tuesday, December 30, 2008
Sunday, November 30, 2008
Happy Thanksgiving...To Me
My most selfish moment?
Hmmm.
Probably when I was a kid, and it was my birthday. I had my heart set on something, it was a game for my Intelevision console (note, this was the "it" video game console of my generation...yeah I'm that old).
I thought it was a lock, I had bugged my parents until it had to have permeated their brains. I could imagine my Dad at work thinking about this stupid game, but not knowing why. The Chinese may have invented brainwashing, but I had perfected it.
And that glorious day arrived when I fully expected to receive this gift, be up and running with my buddies exploring the new challenges of my new game.
But I think I got a watch instead.
I remember how hurt I was and I wasn't shy about expressing it. I mean they blew it.
But I came to my senses, I even felt a little guilty about acting the way I did.
As I look back on that time in my life, I'm ashamed of the way I acted. I never once considered what I had, I wanted to focus on what I didn't have.
I never stopped to realize how hard my Mom and Dad worked to provide for their big family. Clothes, food and a roof over my head wasn't enough. I was pretty selfish, I wanted more.
The focus you see, was on me.
Christ died for all, and you'd think that gift would be enough for us. If we aren't very careful we can find ourselves throwing a fit about things we want. Things we think are more important.
The focus becomes more about us and less about Christ.
Take some time this Thanksgiving season and do two things.
Thank God that He sent His Son to die for you, to give you peace, and grant you an eternal life.
Second, share what God has blessed you with. Make time to find those who need a little help and display the love of Christ to them.
If you want to make this and future Thanksgivings special, focus on something that will really make God smile.
Others.
Hmmm.
Probably when I was a kid, and it was my birthday. I had my heart set on something, it was a game for my Intelevision console (note, this was the "it" video game console of my generation...yeah I'm that old).
I thought it was a lock, I had bugged my parents until it had to have permeated their brains. I could imagine my Dad at work thinking about this stupid game, but not knowing why. The Chinese may have invented brainwashing, but I had perfected it.
And that glorious day arrived when I fully expected to receive this gift, be up and running with my buddies exploring the new challenges of my new game.
But I think I got a watch instead.
I remember how hurt I was and I wasn't shy about expressing it. I mean they blew it.
But I came to my senses, I even felt a little guilty about acting the way I did.
As I look back on that time in my life, I'm ashamed of the way I acted. I never once considered what I had, I wanted to focus on what I didn't have.
I never stopped to realize how hard my Mom and Dad worked to provide for their big family. Clothes, food and a roof over my head wasn't enough. I was pretty selfish, I wanted more.
The focus you see, was on me.
Christ died for all, and you'd think that gift would be enough for us. If we aren't very careful we can find ourselves throwing a fit about things we want. Things we think are more important.
The focus becomes more about us and less about Christ.
Take some time this Thanksgiving season and do two things.
Thank God that He sent His Son to die for you, to give you peace, and grant you an eternal life.
Second, share what God has blessed you with. Make time to find those who need a little help and display the love of Christ to them.
If you want to make this and future Thanksgivings special, focus on something that will really make God smile.
Others.
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
Spend some time hanging out with Jesus
Have you hung out with Jesus lately?
That may seem like an odd question, but I think it's a fair one.
I have spent a lot of time and thought about the church in general and you've probably noticed I have written a lot about it also.
I have read many books, heard many speakers, talked with many church people, both traditional and not so traditional.
We seem to be all talking about the same things, maybe just approaching it differently.
Really when we think about a vision or purpose for the church we sometimes forget to walk a while following Jesus.
As I have studied the Gospels, I try to imagine myself walking behind Jesus when He did things, asking questions like "why did He do that?"
I find some interesting things, like Jesus cared for and commanded that we care for those that are often overlooked, that He really was a friend to sinners that had been shunned in society and offered them something better. He picked outcasts and simple people to start a movement.
He was kind to the woman caught in adultery and very hard on those who claimed to be holy.
He spent time talking about the kingdom, took time to bless children. He took the law to the next step by saying that it was what was in a man's heart that was the issue.
And He gave everything He could give, even His life so that others might live.
When we go into our meetings, when we plan and cast vision, when we decide what our purpose is exactly, we must remember what was important to Jesus. What were the things that Jesus taught? Are we willing to give up some dear things, time, money, traditions, to create a culture that people could come and find life? Spending time with Jesus was a tough road, many turned away because the teachings and the life was just to difficult. Many churches decide that following Him is just to uncomfortable, they hide behind the walls of their churches and their homes.
And many times, that has been me.
But what is so wonderful about our God is that it's never to late, as long as we breathe we can become what God has called us to be. He is the God of transformation, He is in the change business, it just requires us to be obedient and faithful to His call.
If you've been thinking about how dry your life is, or that it seems your getting nowhere, spend some time hanging out with Jesus.
Grab some coffee or tea, get your Bible, turn to Matthew,
and hang on.
That may seem like an odd question, but I think it's a fair one.
I have spent a lot of time and thought about the church in general and you've probably noticed I have written a lot about it also.
I have read many books, heard many speakers, talked with many church people, both traditional and not so traditional.
We seem to be all talking about the same things, maybe just approaching it differently.
Really when we think about a vision or purpose for the church we sometimes forget to walk a while following Jesus.
As I have studied the Gospels, I try to imagine myself walking behind Jesus when He did things, asking questions like "why did He do that?"
I find some interesting things, like Jesus cared for and commanded that we care for those that are often overlooked, that He really was a friend to sinners that had been shunned in society and offered them something better. He picked outcasts and simple people to start a movement.
He was kind to the woman caught in adultery and very hard on those who claimed to be holy.
He spent time talking about the kingdom, took time to bless children. He took the law to the next step by saying that it was what was in a man's heart that was the issue.
And He gave everything He could give, even His life so that others might live.
When we go into our meetings, when we plan and cast vision, when we decide what our purpose is exactly, we must remember what was important to Jesus. What were the things that Jesus taught? Are we willing to give up some dear things, time, money, traditions, to create a culture that people could come and find life? Spending time with Jesus was a tough road, many turned away because the teachings and the life was just to difficult. Many churches decide that following Him is just to uncomfortable, they hide behind the walls of their churches and their homes.
And many times, that has been me.
But what is so wonderful about our God is that it's never to late, as long as we breathe we can become what God has called us to be. He is the God of transformation, He is in the change business, it just requires us to be obedient and faithful to His call.
If you've been thinking about how dry your life is, or that it seems your getting nowhere, spend some time hanging out with Jesus.
Grab some coffee or tea, get your Bible, turn to Matthew,
and hang on.
Thursday, October 23, 2008
Time for a revolution?
Is it time?
I've been listening to the audio book "Revolution" by George Barna. Anybody that knows anything about Barna knows that George loves stats. He looks for trends inside and outside the church.
I won't get into the details, but suffice it to say, the church as a whole doesn't get high marks.
The hope that he sees in the future is that God is raising people up who consider themselves revolutionary.
You might think that these people are just a small fringe group who are just sour about what happened to them in a traditional church. Jesus freaks who don't play well with others.
But I've ran across these people in my travels. They are young and old, outspoken and quiet, they come from different backgrounds, some have gone to church all of their lives, others are new believers that have little church history.
What makes them revolutionary (and why some are scared of them) is that they don't see church as the most important thing of their spiritual life.
That offends some, mainly because they have formulated that to be a good Christian, you have to be in church. But does going to church actually make us better Christians?
The statistics that Barna uses doesn't indicate that (I'm not going to quote them...read the book), the one that stood out to me is that we divorce at about the same rate as non-believers!
What concerns Barna, and others, is the direction the church in America is headed. It seems that we are holding on to the institution with a death grip when maybe what we should be doing is studying the New Testament church. There was organization, which isn't bad, but there was also a desire to follow Christ and His ways. They didn't come together just to be coming together, they came together to worship and share with each other, their burdens and their needs. It was a beautiful thing.
As time passes I believe more of these revolutionaries will make themselves known. You will tell because they will become dissatisfied with just sitting in a church on Sunday. They want more of Christ than what their getting. They know there's work to be done and they can't sit still until they have their sleeves rolled up doing it.
You may not like the direction or ideas of the revolutionary, and you don't have to. But you will have to deal with them.
The church was never meant to become static. It was to be a dynamic, thriving, living thing that God partnered with that changed the world.
Does that describe you? We should be constantly looking for ways we can show the love of Christ to the world.
If that's revolutionary, so be it.
I've been listening to the audio book "Revolution" by George Barna. Anybody that knows anything about Barna knows that George loves stats. He looks for trends inside and outside the church.
I won't get into the details, but suffice it to say, the church as a whole doesn't get high marks.
The hope that he sees in the future is that God is raising people up who consider themselves revolutionary.
You might think that these people are just a small fringe group who are just sour about what happened to them in a traditional church. Jesus freaks who don't play well with others.
But I've ran across these people in my travels. They are young and old, outspoken and quiet, they come from different backgrounds, some have gone to church all of their lives, others are new believers that have little church history.
What makes them revolutionary (and why some are scared of them) is that they don't see church as the most important thing of their spiritual life.
That offends some, mainly because they have formulated that to be a good Christian, you have to be in church. But does going to church actually make us better Christians?
The statistics that Barna uses doesn't indicate that (I'm not going to quote them...read the book), the one that stood out to me is that we divorce at about the same rate as non-believers!
What concerns Barna, and others, is the direction the church in America is headed. It seems that we are holding on to the institution with a death grip when maybe what we should be doing is studying the New Testament church. There was organization, which isn't bad, but there was also a desire to follow Christ and His ways. They didn't come together just to be coming together, they came together to worship and share with each other, their burdens and their needs. It was a beautiful thing.
As time passes I believe more of these revolutionaries will make themselves known. You will tell because they will become dissatisfied with just sitting in a church on Sunday. They want more of Christ than what their getting. They know there's work to be done and they can't sit still until they have their sleeves rolled up doing it.
You may not like the direction or ideas of the revolutionary, and you don't have to. But you will have to deal with them.
The church was never meant to become static. It was to be a dynamic, thriving, living thing that God partnered with that changed the world.
Does that describe you? We should be constantly looking for ways we can show the love of Christ to the world.
If that's revolutionary, so be it.
Tuesday, August 26, 2008
The Proper Soil
It looked pretty bad.
I had never been that great of a gardener, the skills that my father had in growing things never were passed on to me. Some years my garden did pretty well, and other years not so good.
This is one of those bad years.
The seed was okay, the timing was good, the soil had been worked, but what I couldn't control was the amount of rain we would receive.
And boy did we get rain this year.
Many of my plants spent a good bit of time under water, one portion of my garden washed away in a miniature mud slide.
So I wasn't to surprised to find that while some plants looked okay, they didn't produce.
The corn plants became discolored and died, most of them didn't produce an ear of corn. The pepper plants didn't grow at all, stuck in what seemed like a permanent pose, never growing, just staying the same. The melon plants that my Father-in-law gave me washed down the creek in a torrent of water and mud.
Bad soil conditions = bad crops.
In building the Kingdom it works the same way. We have to provide the proper soil for growth.
Our church communities become the soil. We have to work at provided the proper conditions for fruit to be produced.
To become a church where seekers feel safe, the church cannot become a place where all they find is condemnation. They need to find a place where it is safe to explore, to ask questions without feeling like they just asked the stupidest question there is. They need to find love, genuine caring love for who they are. We need to produce soil that makes it easy for people to connect with Jesus and the community of believers that surround them.
At the same time we must provide a proper soil for those who already believe, to create an environment that challenges them to look beyond the walls, to keep in front of them the vision and purpose that God has for their lives and to keep them moving in that direction.
If our churches neglect these things the soil does not get worked, we don't produce fruit, we die.
The church of Jesus Christ was never meant to be a country club, it was meant to be a living, thriving organism, that grows when the proper conditions are maintained.
But those conditions will require sacrifice, hard work, and a mindset that keeps us focused on Christ.
Because if we neglect the soil, we will never be the fruit producing body that Christ has called us to be.
I had never been that great of a gardener, the skills that my father had in growing things never were passed on to me. Some years my garden did pretty well, and other years not so good.
This is one of those bad years.
The seed was okay, the timing was good, the soil had been worked, but what I couldn't control was the amount of rain we would receive.
And boy did we get rain this year.
Many of my plants spent a good bit of time under water, one portion of my garden washed away in a miniature mud slide.
So I wasn't to surprised to find that while some plants looked okay, they didn't produce.
The corn plants became discolored and died, most of them didn't produce an ear of corn. The pepper plants didn't grow at all, stuck in what seemed like a permanent pose, never growing, just staying the same. The melon plants that my Father-in-law gave me washed down the creek in a torrent of water and mud.
Bad soil conditions = bad crops.
In building the Kingdom it works the same way. We have to provide the proper soil for growth.
Our church communities become the soil. We have to work at provided the proper conditions for fruit to be produced.
To become a church where seekers feel safe, the church cannot become a place where all they find is condemnation. They need to find a place where it is safe to explore, to ask questions without feeling like they just asked the stupidest question there is. They need to find love, genuine caring love for who they are. We need to produce soil that makes it easy for people to connect with Jesus and the community of believers that surround them.
At the same time we must provide a proper soil for those who already believe, to create an environment that challenges them to look beyond the walls, to keep in front of them the vision and purpose that God has for their lives and to keep them moving in that direction.
If our churches neglect these things the soil does not get worked, we don't produce fruit, we die.
The church of Jesus Christ was never meant to be a country club, it was meant to be a living, thriving organism, that grows when the proper conditions are maintained.
But those conditions will require sacrifice, hard work, and a mindset that keeps us focused on Christ.
Because if we neglect the soil, we will never be the fruit producing body that Christ has called us to be.
Wednesday, July 30, 2008
A sure sign of the end times...
You can listen online to a sermon I did at the Crossover, go to www.thecrossover.org and listen for free.
You can also listen to my good friend Pastor Brian Miller pound the pulpit.
Enjoy.
You can also listen to my good friend Pastor Brian Miller pound the pulpit.
Enjoy.
On the other side of it.
I'm retired.
No not from my job, I'm a little to young and a little to poor to do that.
In late June of this year I completed my term as president of the Midwest Region of my denomination. You can probably look back at my blog entry for two years ago and find where I had taken the position.
As I look back on it, I have seen some high points and low points. I have watched churches grow and unfortunately I have seen some grow smaller.
While I enjoy the release from the responsibility, I always find that God teaches me something from an experience that I go through.
What I wrestle with, and I don't think I'm alone, is what should the church as a whole look like?
It seems we can't agree on why we are here. Some think it is a place for the saints to be fed, nice, tight, clean. The church exists to keep the members happy.
Others see the church as a lighthouse for the wayward soul. A oasis in a desert where people who are hurting can come and find help. Kind of like a mission, or half-way house.
Some see the church as horribly out of date, in need of a spiritual remodeling. Tear down the old and replace it with the new. Maybe a band, or skits, or video ministry.
I'm not sure we can agree on why we exist, but maybe it would be a good exercise to ask people.
It seems that we struggle with this very basic question, are we here to help change the community, the world around us, or are we to hang on, get a few saved, and since the world is going to get worse anyway, mainly focus on ourselves.
You might think I'm anti tradition, but I'm not. I was raised in a very conservative culture. I understand it better than most.
I am also not against contemporary worship, bands or skits. In fact I enjoy a good band, (like the band at the Crossover, man did I enjoy that).
When I'm faced with a question like this, I try to find something in the Word that answers it. When we talk church, I go to Acts 2, and find that one of the main things it says is that they "had everything in common". They answered the question. They knew why they existed.
We cannot exist just to maintain our tradition, because if we do we will cease to exist. Tradition cannot become a god that we serve. Tradition should be something we use to serve God and others. If it fails to do that, dump it.
On the other hand we can't be different or extreme just for the sake of being different or extreme.
Once we decide "why" we are here, we then can decide "how" we get to the goal of what God wants for our churches.
In my short two years, I have seen a church that was on the brink of death, turn around and begin to grow. Why? The people answered the question of why they were there. I'm sure they lost a few people during the transformation. But they gained something , a clear purpose. I believe God honors the faith of those who step out with Him into the unknown.
I have also witnessed a church that had been alive, split. Why? You could probably list several reasons, but for me they simply had forgotten why they exist. Something will always be the focus, if it isn't our purpose it will surely be something else much less important, but very deadly.
Be sure of this, the church of Jesus Christ will survive. Many critics have said for years that the church is but one generation from extinction. Don't you believe it.
But I believe as we regain our direction the church will look much different than it does today. I know that gives some indigestion, but I believe it will better reflect Christ to world that doesn't have a clue. It will make us grow. Painful, but not a bad thing.
My suggestion is that every church look honestly at itself. No Sunday School answers, be honest.
Ask "why do we exist", "what is our reason for being here" and my favorite "if we closed would anybody notice or care?".
The answers will probably tell you volumes about who your are and where your going. I may be an optimist, but I believe in God's power to transform churches.
The question will become will we let Him.
No not from my job, I'm a little to young and a little to poor to do that.
In late June of this year I completed my term as president of the Midwest Region of my denomination. You can probably look back at my blog entry for two years ago and find where I had taken the position.
As I look back on it, I have seen some high points and low points. I have watched churches grow and unfortunately I have seen some grow smaller.
While I enjoy the release from the responsibility, I always find that God teaches me something from an experience that I go through.
What I wrestle with, and I don't think I'm alone, is what should the church as a whole look like?
It seems we can't agree on why we are here. Some think it is a place for the saints to be fed, nice, tight, clean. The church exists to keep the members happy.
Others see the church as a lighthouse for the wayward soul. A oasis in a desert where people who are hurting can come and find help. Kind of like a mission, or half-way house.
Some see the church as horribly out of date, in need of a spiritual remodeling. Tear down the old and replace it with the new. Maybe a band, or skits, or video ministry.
I'm not sure we can agree on why we exist, but maybe it would be a good exercise to ask people.
It seems that we struggle with this very basic question, are we here to help change the community, the world around us, or are we to hang on, get a few saved, and since the world is going to get worse anyway, mainly focus on ourselves.
You might think I'm anti tradition, but I'm not. I was raised in a very conservative culture. I understand it better than most.
I am also not against contemporary worship, bands or skits. In fact I enjoy a good band, (like the band at the Crossover, man did I enjoy that).
When I'm faced with a question like this, I try to find something in the Word that answers it. When we talk church, I go to Acts 2, and find that one of the main things it says is that they "had everything in common". They answered the question. They knew why they existed.
We cannot exist just to maintain our tradition, because if we do we will cease to exist. Tradition cannot become a god that we serve. Tradition should be something we use to serve God and others. If it fails to do that, dump it.
On the other hand we can't be different or extreme just for the sake of being different or extreme.
Once we decide "why" we are here, we then can decide "how" we get to the goal of what God wants for our churches.
In my short two years, I have seen a church that was on the brink of death, turn around and begin to grow. Why? The people answered the question of why they were there. I'm sure they lost a few people during the transformation. But they gained something , a clear purpose. I believe God honors the faith of those who step out with Him into the unknown.
I have also witnessed a church that had been alive, split. Why? You could probably list several reasons, but for me they simply had forgotten why they exist. Something will always be the focus, if it isn't our purpose it will surely be something else much less important, but very deadly.
Be sure of this, the church of Jesus Christ will survive. Many critics have said for years that the church is but one generation from extinction. Don't you believe it.
But I believe as we regain our direction the church will look much different than it does today. I know that gives some indigestion, but I believe it will better reflect Christ to world that doesn't have a clue. It will make us grow. Painful, but not a bad thing.
My suggestion is that every church look honestly at itself. No Sunday School answers, be honest.
Ask "why do we exist", "what is our reason for being here" and my favorite "if we closed would anybody notice or care?".
The answers will probably tell you volumes about who your are and where your going. I may be an optimist, but I believe in God's power to transform churches.
The question will become will we let Him.
Monday, July 07, 2008
He came off the mountain, have we?
1When he came down from the mountainside, large crowds followed him. 2A man with leprosy came and knelt before him and said, "Lord, if you are willing, you can make me clean." Matthew 8: 1-2 NIV.
I love the book of Matthew and the "Sermon on the Mount" is one of my favorites. In history there have been many great speeches by many great men. However the sermon Jesus delivers is the basis for how we should live our lives. The people were "amazed" at His teachings.
The sermon itself however isn't my main focus, and I guess I didn't even notice this until I was teaching Matthew chapter 8.
What I did notice was these words "he came down from the mountainside".
Now imagine your giving a sermon or speech and people are so amazed they don't want you to quit. Your saying profound even life changing things, people are applauding, your in the zone and you don't want it to end.
How easy would it be to stop?
What I find lacking in myself, and probably you feel the same, is that I don't want to come down.
Look at the first thing Jesus does when he comes off the mountain. A leper, who has no business being anywhere close to "clean" people, and Jesus does what He always does, reaches across and touches this pathetic, crushed and sick person.
The next person he heals isn't a Jew, the next isn't a man.
You see Jesus could have stayed on the mountain and taught many things, I'm sure people would have come to listen. But Jesus wasn't just about verbal communication, He communicated His love in other ways.
He got off the mountain.
Maybe as Christians we talk to much, maybe we sit in a place where many can hear us, perhaps we spend most of our time telling people how rotten they are and that they should be more like us.
Maybe it's time we came down off of the mountain and engage a culture using our actions and not our words.
But if I'm honest the path of least resistance is really way more attractive. Let the people come to us so that they can listen to our words. That just costs us a little wind.
And when we do that we scratch our heads and try to figure out why the lost aren't coming to hear our profound statements. Try to figure out why the church doesn't grow.
Jesus knew that words alone wasn't going to get it done. He came down off the mountain.
Have we?
I love the book of Matthew and the "Sermon on the Mount" is one of my favorites. In history there have been many great speeches by many great men. However the sermon Jesus delivers is the basis for how we should live our lives. The people were "amazed" at His teachings.
The sermon itself however isn't my main focus, and I guess I didn't even notice this until I was teaching Matthew chapter 8.
What I did notice was these words "he came down from the mountainside".
Now imagine your giving a sermon or speech and people are so amazed they don't want you to quit. Your saying profound even life changing things, people are applauding, your in the zone and you don't want it to end.
How easy would it be to stop?
What I find lacking in myself, and probably you feel the same, is that I don't want to come down.
Look at the first thing Jesus does when he comes off the mountain. A leper, who has no business being anywhere close to "clean" people, and Jesus does what He always does, reaches across and touches this pathetic, crushed and sick person.
The next person he heals isn't a Jew, the next isn't a man.
You see Jesus could have stayed on the mountain and taught many things, I'm sure people would have come to listen. But Jesus wasn't just about verbal communication, He communicated His love in other ways.
He got off the mountain.
Maybe as Christians we talk to much, maybe we sit in a place where many can hear us, perhaps we spend most of our time telling people how rotten they are and that they should be more like us.
Maybe it's time we came down off of the mountain and engage a culture using our actions and not our words.
But if I'm honest the path of least resistance is really way more attractive. Let the people come to us so that they can listen to our words. That just costs us a little wind.
And when we do that we scratch our heads and try to figure out why the lost aren't coming to hear our profound statements. Try to figure out why the church doesn't grow.
Jesus knew that words alone wasn't going to get it done. He came down off the mountain.
Have we?
Saturday, May 31, 2008
The world we live in...
"10 As it is written: There is no one righteous, not even one; there is no one who understands, no one who seeks God. All have turned away, they have become worthless; there is no one who does good, not even one." Romans 3:10-12, NIV.
"1 But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self control, brutal, not lovers of the good," 2nd Timothy 3:1-3 NIV.
These verses have been brought home to me lately as I watch the news. Like many of you I shake my head at what appears to be a total disregard for anything that is good. To many stories of children being abused, stories of abuse inside compounds. It seems as if civilization is just giving up and giving in to any desire that comes into it's mind.
Before I get really self-righteous however, Romans 3 comes to me like a 2x4 across my head. My sins come into focus. I realize I'm guilty, just as guilty as anyone else I can think of. I need grace and mercy. I'm a sinner, made well only because a perfect man died in my place.
I have thought a lot lately about the compound mentality. That people form a group, then believe that if they separate themselves from the rest of humanity, they will be less likely to fall into temptation.
Well it hasn't worked.
The reason is obvious, Romans 3. Man cannot be good, he simply doesn't have it. The only thing he does by creating a compound is that he makes it easier to sin. He creates a culture that allows himself to do what he really wants. Without accountability to anyone else, he can let his desires run wild.
Jesus never taught separation, He taught that His people were to be light and salt. To do that there has to be contact with what needs light and what needs to be flavored. The Bible teaches that the world needs to see our good works, not put up a wall that says keep out.
Even our churches become sub cultures when we don't engage the world around us. In some ways we do the same things as those who build walls. Our walls may not be physical, but the church as a whole has turned more inward. We believe, as those that create compounds believe, that if we just keep to ourselves, that we can control what happens, who comes into our communities, our church will operate much more safely.
That hasn't worked either, since the Bible makes two things very clear. There are wolves among the sheep, and that the church was never designed to be a compound.
I become discouraged when I read stories of men and women, some of whom are pillars in churches, do horrible things. When we remove accountability, when we turn a blind eye, when we are not vigilant, Satan will use people to destroy God's message.
But as depressed as I get about the struggles of the church and of people, God always leads me out of it. This mornings devotions helped me. In Hosea I find a God who makes a strong case for Israel to be wiped out. They have constantly disobeyed and turned away (maybe like you and I have) and you sense how badly God's heart is broken by it. Yet in chapter 11 of Hosea we see God has a parent of a problem child, that while His heart is broken He stands ready to take them back. Verse 8 reveals God's heart, "How can I give you up, Ephraim?". God is saying that to you and me, to His church. It breaks His heart to see His creation disobey, but He offers hope.
He just can't give up on us.
We know one day that God will finally say enough, and bring His people home. Until then we need to be sharing His message of hope.
Thank you God for not giving up on me.
"1 But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self control, brutal, not lovers of the good," 2nd Timothy 3:1-3 NIV.
These verses have been brought home to me lately as I watch the news. Like many of you I shake my head at what appears to be a total disregard for anything that is good. To many stories of children being abused, stories of abuse inside compounds. It seems as if civilization is just giving up and giving in to any desire that comes into it's mind.
Before I get really self-righteous however, Romans 3 comes to me like a 2x4 across my head. My sins come into focus. I realize I'm guilty, just as guilty as anyone else I can think of. I need grace and mercy. I'm a sinner, made well only because a perfect man died in my place.
I have thought a lot lately about the compound mentality. That people form a group, then believe that if they separate themselves from the rest of humanity, they will be less likely to fall into temptation.
Well it hasn't worked.
The reason is obvious, Romans 3. Man cannot be good, he simply doesn't have it. The only thing he does by creating a compound is that he makes it easier to sin. He creates a culture that allows himself to do what he really wants. Without accountability to anyone else, he can let his desires run wild.
Jesus never taught separation, He taught that His people were to be light and salt. To do that there has to be contact with what needs light and what needs to be flavored. The Bible teaches that the world needs to see our good works, not put up a wall that says keep out.
Even our churches become sub cultures when we don't engage the world around us. In some ways we do the same things as those who build walls. Our walls may not be physical, but the church as a whole has turned more inward. We believe, as those that create compounds believe, that if we just keep to ourselves, that we can control what happens, who comes into our communities, our church will operate much more safely.
That hasn't worked either, since the Bible makes two things very clear. There are wolves among the sheep, and that the church was never designed to be a compound.
I become discouraged when I read stories of men and women, some of whom are pillars in churches, do horrible things. When we remove accountability, when we turn a blind eye, when we are not vigilant, Satan will use people to destroy God's message.
But as depressed as I get about the struggles of the church and of people, God always leads me out of it. This mornings devotions helped me. In Hosea I find a God who makes a strong case for Israel to be wiped out. They have constantly disobeyed and turned away (maybe like you and I have) and you sense how badly God's heart is broken by it. Yet in chapter 11 of Hosea we see God has a parent of a problem child, that while His heart is broken He stands ready to take them back. Verse 8 reveals God's heart, "How can I give you up, Ephraim?". God is saying that to you and me, to His church. It breaks His heart to see His creation disobey, but He offers hope.
He just can't give up on us.
We know one day that God will finally say enough, and bring His people home. Until then we need to be sharing His message of hope.
Thank you God for not giving up on me.
Saturday, April 19, 2008
My Aunt, the alien.
"She's where she always wanted to be".
I offered my cousin this statement as I looked at my aunt lying in the casket that would the resting place for her body.
Visitations are always tough, I never know what to say and usually in my nervous condition I usually say something that I later regret saying.
In this case what I said was true, I had no doubt my aunt was where she always wanted to be.
How do I know?
My aunt was an alien.
I hadn't thought about it until the next day at the funeral, the pastor was sharing what God had laid on his heart and then he spoke the words that always make me cringe;
"If anyone would like to share something about Donna, we will give you an chance to do that."
I get a little nervous when funerals become open microphone situations. You never know what people are going to say. I thought this could become very interesting.
I saw a woman who I had never seen before make her way to the podium. She started by saying how she had moved into the community and how she had met Donna.
She shared that the first time she met Donna, my aunt stuck out her hand and with a smile said "do you know Jesus?"
I smiled because that was my aunt. I mean she was ALWAYS talking about Jesus. It didn't matter who she was talking to. It didn't matter that she battled epilepsy, lost a son in an accident, was diagnosed with cancer, the woman was ALWAYS talking about Jesus.
She would praise Him always, she was asking me to pray for her family every time she saw me, the woman was single minded.
The lady behind the podium shared that she to was a Christian and that she became good friends with my aunt.
It was her next sentence that would become etched in my mind.
"I think a lot of people misunderstood Donna, but that was because she had it right and we had it wrong, she truly lived as one that lived in this world but not of this world".
People did misunderstand her, I know I did. You have to understand the woman was ALWAYS talking about Jesus. Sometimes I wanted to say, Donna I get it, I'm a Christian, can we talk about something else? I never did of course, but I know I thought it as I'm sure other people did too.
As I thought about it she did have it right, and I don't think I ever realized it until that moment. I had a very special aunt, someone who wasn't afraid to talk about her savior to anybody. In the midst of the personal tragedy's in her life, she continued to live her life praising her Lord. Nothing was going to stop her, until her body finally gave out. I don't have a tenth of the courage she had, this little lady put this big guy to shame.
I have no doubt that Jesus spoke the words I know all of us want to hear, "well done good and faithful servant", when my aunt passed into eternity. She lived her life as an alien to this world because she didn't belong here. Her home was, now and forevermore Heaven.
I need to learn to live as an alien here, I need people to think I'm strange (I mean besides the obvious stuff) because I talk about my Lord ALWAYS. I need to live my life in way that makes me a foreigner on the mess called earth.
I had a great example all these years and didn't know it.
An alien named Donna.
Rest in the presence of Jesus my friend, I will see you again.
I offered my cousin this statement as I looked at my aunt lying in the casket that would the resting place for her body.
Visitations are always tough, I never know what to say and usually in my nervous condition I usually say something that I later regret saying.
In this case what I said was true, I had no doubt my aunt was where she always wanted to be.
How do I know?
My aunt was an alien.
I hadn't thought about it until the next day at the funeral, the pastor was sharing what God had laid on his heart and then he spoke the words that always make me cringe;
"If anyone would like to share something about Donna, we will give you an chance to do that."
I get a little nervous when funerals become open microphone situations. You never know what people are going to say. I thought this could become very interesting.
I saw a woman who I had never seen before make her way to the podium. She started by saying how she had moved into the community and how she had met Donna.
She shared that the first time she met Donna, my aunt stuck out her hand and with a smile said "do you know Jesus?"
I smiled because that was my aunt. I mean she was ALWAYS talking about Jesus. It didn't matter who she was talking to. It didn't matter that she battled epilepsy, lost a son in an accident, was diagnosed with cancer, the woman was ALWAYS talking about Jesus.
She would praise Him always, she was asking me to pray for her family every time she saw me, the woman was single minded.
The lady behind the podium shared that she to was a Christian and that she became good friends with my aunt.
It was her next sentence that would become etched in my mind.
"I think a lot of people misunderstood Donna, but that was because she had it right and we had it wrong, she truly lived as one that lived in this world but not of this world".
People did misunderstand her, I know I did. You have to understand the woman was ALWAYS talking about Jesus. Sometimes I wanted to say, Donna I get it, I'm a Christian, can we talk about something else? I never did of course, but I know I thought it as I'm sure other people did too.
As I thought about it she did have it right, and I don't think I ever realized it until that moment. I had a very special aunt, someone who wasn't afraid to talk about her savior to anybody. In the midst of the personal tragedy's in her life, she continued to live her life praising her Lord. Nothing was going to stop her, until her body finally gave out. I don't have a tenth of the courage she had, this little lady put this big guy to shame.
I have no doubt that Jesus spoke the words I know all of us want to hear, "well done good and faithful servant", when my aunt passed into eternity. She lived her life as an alien to this world because she didn't belong here. Her home was, now and forevermore Heaven.
I need to learn to live as an alien here, I need people to think I'm strange (I mean besides the obvious stuff) because I talk about my Lord ALWAYS. I need to live my life in way that makes me a foreigner on the mess called earth.
I had a great example all these years and didn't know it.
An alien named Donna.
Rest in the presence of Jesus my friend, I will see you again.
Friday, March 21, 2008
Wash somebodies feet lately?
Feet are ugly aren't they.
When I was playing basketball back in high school, I once had my ankle taped up by the assistant coach, who made the statement "Toner, you have the ugliest feet I've ever seen".
It's a wonder I'm not in therapy.
I was kind of in between churches when I met the woman that would later become my wife, and yes Brian Miller set that up. I thought I would say that before he did...again.
Anyway she was going to this church, and since I didn't really have a church, I started going to White Oak (also I got to spend more time with her that way).
The church would conduct Maundy Thursday services, and along with communion they would do foot washing.
Now I knew Jesus had done that, but I'd never seen church people do it.
The first couple of years I would go, but not participate in the foot washing. I was a little self conscious about my feet, plus the fact I had a severe case of athletes foot which was a product of playing basketball year round for three years in high school.
But as the years past, and my condition cleared up. It was put up or shut up time.
The men and women separated, water would be poured in bowls, towels would be wrapped around waists. In the next room I heard the women begin to sing hymns, the men would sing also. The man next to me would wash my feet, I would wash the next guy sitting next to me.
After washing, the washer and the one who had been washed would stand and hug each other in genuine Christian love.
I sat in a circle of men who were leaders of the church, men I had learned to respect, admire and love. There were men who were just attenders, just like me. In this room there was no titles, age made no difference, your past wasn't an issue. It was a room of brothers, united in Christ, united in love for each other.
And while I was nervous at first, I became deeply touched by all of it.
Years have past, and as they have something Jesus said in the book of John rings true, "I tell you the truth, no servant is greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him. Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them."
And I have been blessed.
But let's look at the bigger picture. The last supper, while beautiful now, was kind of a mess. Jesus was spending his last meal with His friends, who were arguing about who was going to be the greatest. One of His chosen was going to betray Him. They went from who was going to be top dog to which one was the betrayer. What a mess!
All this time nobody had offered to do the servants job. Maybe His friends were just waiting on a servant to show up, but there wasn't one to be had.
As Jesus looked around, the time had come to show them the "full extent of His love". He, the creator of the universe in physical form, would take on the lowest of tasks. To touch the part of the body that would be the dirtiest from its contact with the earth. To wash the feet of His friends. The teacher became the servant. The high became low.
Perhaps we can learn something here, maybe we should consider a couple of things.
The first thing is that Jesus didn't give some kid in the street a couple of coins and say "hey I want you to wash some feet of some people I know". Yet our idea of servant hood many times is writing a check. Not that supporting a ministry isn't important, because it's very important. Yet I would submit the world needs to see our love in action. They need to know that when we say we care, we mean it. Jesus could of just said "I love you" and really meant it. But the Word tells us He was going to "show" them. That display shocked Peter. It would have shocked me too.
Our communities should shake their heads at the love that we display for others. They should ask "why are they doing that?" It worked for the Acts 2 church and I'm betting it would work in most churches.
The second thing is that I have ugly, scarred feet. I've done things I shouldn't have, and yet Jesus died to wash me. When I think about that I'm humbled, which is good. When I wash my brother's feet, I humble myself to do a servant's task. I'm reminded that I am to serve others.
I need to be reminded of that.
I hope this Easter weekend will be a blessing to you and your family, but don't let it pass without thinking of the message of love Jesus taught before He died.
If we are followers of Christ, we are servants.
Wash somebodies feet lately?
When I was playing basketball back in high school, I once had my ankle taped up by the assistant coach, who made the statement "Toner, you have the ugliest feet I've ever seen".
It's a wonder I'm not in therapy.
I was kind of in between churches when I met the woman that would later become my wife, and yes Brian Miller set that up. I thought I would say that before he did...again.
Anyway she was going to this church, and since I didn't really have a church, I started going to White Oak (also I got to spend more time with her that way).
The church would conduct Maundy Thursday services, and along with communion they would do foot washing.
Now I knew Jesus had done that, but I'd never seen church people do it.
The first couple of years I would go, but not participate in the foot washing. I was a little self conscious about my feet, plus the fact I had a severe case of athletes foot which was a product of playing basketball year round for three years in high school.
But as the years past, and my condition cleared up. It was put up or shut up time.
The men and women separated, water would be poured in bowls, towels would be wrapped around waists. In the next room I heard the women begin to sing hymns, the men would sing also. The man next to me would wash my feet, I would wash the next guy sitting next to me.
After washing, the washer and the one who had been washed would stand and hug each other in genuine Christian love.
I sat in a circle of men who were leaders of the church, men I had learned to respect, admire and love. There were men who were just attenders, just like me. In this room there was no titles, age made no difference, your past wasn't an issue. It was a room of brothers, united in Christ, united in love for each other.
And while I was nervous at first, I became deeply touched by all of it.
Years have past, and as they have something Jesus said in the book of John rings true, "I tell you the truth, no servant is greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him. Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them."
And I have been blessed.
But let's look at the bigger picture. The last supper, while beautiful now, was kind of a mess. Jesus was spending his last meal with His friends, who were arguing about who was going to be the greatest. One of His chosen was going to betray Him. They went from who was going to be top dog to which one was the betrayer. What a mess!
All this time nobody had offered to do the servants job. Maybe His friends were just waiting on a servant to show up, but there wasn't one to be had.
As Jesus looked around, the time had come to show them the "full extent of His love". He, the creator of the universe in physical form, would take on the lowest of tasks. To touch the part of the body that would be the dirtiest from its contact with the earth. To wash the feet of His friends. The teacher became the servant. The high became low.
Perhaps we can learn something here, maybe we should consider a couple of things.
The first thing is that Jesus didn't give some kid in the street a couple of coins and say "hey I want you to wash some feet of some people I know". Yet our idea of servant hood many times is writing a check. Not that supporting a ministry isn't important, because it's very important. Yet I would submit the world needs to see our love in action. They need to know that when we say we care, we mean it. Jesus could of just said "I love you" and really meant it. But the Word tells us He was going to "show" them. That display shocked Peter. It would have shocked me too.
Our communities should shake their heads at the love that we display for others. They should ask "why are they doing that?" It worked for the Acts 2 church and I'm betting it would work in most churches.
The second thing is that I have ugly, scarred feet. I've done things I shouldn't have, and yet Jesus died to wash me. When I think about that I'm humbled, which is good. When I wash my brother's feet, I humble myself to do a servant's task. I'm reminded that I am to serve others.
I need to be reminded of that.
I hope this Easter weekend will be a blessing to you and your family, but don't let it pass without thinking of the message of love Jesus taught before He died.
If we are followers of Christ, we are servants.
Wash somebodies feet lately?
Tuesday, March 18, 2008
To change the world or not, that is the question.
That might sound like a strange question.
In most churches I'm not sure it even comes up. Maybe it does, but the world they often talk about changing is their world, not the world around them.
And perhaps our theology, that the world is heading straight for the gutter anyway, keeps us
from taking ministry that seriously.
I mean lets be honest, why make ourselves uncomfortable, why change, why get everybody worked up if it isn't going to make a difference anyway? The world is going down the tubes, the Bible even says that it's going to.
Why not spend our lives caring only for those we feel deserve it or those we really care about. Our friends and family come to mind.
And why change the church? It's been the same for years, it was good enough for the saints of old, why start changing things? If you like our way of doing things, fine, if not, well the door works both ways. Let's not get crazy, because really in the end it doesn't matter.
Or does it?
I've talked to several people, many shake their heads at the world around them. They watch the news and get down. It seems like a hopeless task.
And there is so much hopelessness, so many people without hope carrying out violence on themselves and others. Some turn to numbing their lack of hope with drugs, alcohol, relationships.
Is there hope?
Many look for hope through leaders, perhaps even presidential hopefuls, that they will make our world better. But I'm sure you would agree that politicians have seem to let us down so I'm not counting on that to change.
But God did something, pretty amazing actually (He usually does stuff like that). He created the church. A community of believers starting in Acts 2 that would give hope to those without it, that would help when others wouldn't, that would teach forgiveness and discipline, grace and mercy.
The truth is the ONLY hope for our world, our towns, our friends, every human being on this planet is Jesus Christ working through His people. People have tried everything else, it just doesn't work.
You will never vote your town, or the world better. Only the heart changing power of God will do that. Want a better community? Help change a life. Want a better world? Invest in the Kingdom.
It's pretty humbling to think that God would use me to help change the world.
One day God will say enough and call it quits on those who reject Him, but right now work, for the night is coming.
God never intended the church to become static, He created it to be dynamic and serve with a single minded purpose.
To change the world.
In most churches I'm not sure it even comes up. Maybe it does, but the world they often talk about changing is their world, not the world around them.
And perhaps our theology, that the world is heading straight for the gutter anyway, keeps us
from taking ministry that seriously.
I mean lets be honest, why make ourselves uncomfortable, why change, why get everybody worked up if it isn't going to make a difference anyway? The world is going down the tubes, the Bible even says that it's going to.
Why not spend our lives caring only for those we feel deserve it or those we really care about. Our friends and family come to mind.
And why change the church? It's been the same for years, it was good enough for the saints of old, why start changing things? If you like our way of doing things, fine, if not, well the door works both ways. Let's not get crazy, because really in the end it doesn't matter.
Or does it?
I've talked to several people, many shake their heads at the world around them. They watch the news and get down. It seems like a hopeless task.
And there is so much hopelessness, so many people without hope carrying out violence on themselves and others. Some turn to numbing their lack of hope with drugs, alcohol, relationships.
Is there hope?
Many look for hope through leaders, perhaps even presidential hopefuls, that they will make our world better. But I'm sure you would agree that politicians have seem to let us down so I'm not counting on that to change.
But God did something, pretty amazing actually (He usually does stuff like that). He created the church. A community of believers starting in Acts 2 that would give hope to those without it, that would help when others wouldn't, that would teach forgiveness and discipline, grace and mercy.
The truth is the ONLY hope for our world, our towns, our friends, every human being on this planet is Jesus Christ working through His people. People have tried everything else, it just doesn't work.
You will never vote your town, or the world better. Only the heart changing power of God will do that. Want a better community? Help change a life. Want a better world? Invest in the Kingdom.
It's pretty humbling to think that God would use me to help change the world.
One day God will say enough and call it quits on those who reject Him, but right now work, for the night is coming.
God never intended the church to become static, He created it to be dynamic and serve with a single minded purpose.
To change the world.
Friday, February 29, 2008
Things I don't get.
A list of things I don't get.
1. Iron Chef America. Is it just me but does the Food Network work way to hard to make chefs look like gladiators? Why do they try to make cooking interesting by making a competition out of it?
2. Any show that features the "latest" scoop about Ms Spears. Why are people so fixated on this sad story. Do we really enjoy a good crash and burn?
3. Preachers that teach "health and wealth". Did that work for John the Baptist? The disciples?
4. Most of the Dodgers' trades.
5. The reason my Mom would give for not buying certain foods, "you'll just eat it". Isn't that what your supposed to do with food?
6. The AMC Gremlin. Did an engineer really design that car, looked at it and said "wow" (buy the way I did own a 73 Gremlin at one time, it may be the reason I didn't date a lot).
7. Ditto on the AMC Pacer.
8. Why is it that gas prices are so sensitive? Some refinery guy gets an upset stomach after eating chili for lunch and gas prices double. Is it just me but shouldn't we have a back up plan?
9. Commercials for ED. Look I'm sorry if you have this, but shouldn't that be between you and your doctor? I'm growing weary of seeing men on these commercials talk about something they would never openly talk about in real life.
10. Pro athletes that sign a contract, and then want a new contract years before the old one is complete.
Stay tuned for more...
1. Iron Chef America. Is it just me but does the Food Network work way to hard to make chefs look like gladiators? Why do they try to make cooking interesting by making a competition out of it?
2. Any show that features the "latest" scoop about Ms Spears. Why are people so fixated on this sad story. Do we really enjoy a good crash and burn?
3. Preachers that teach "health and wealth". Did that work for John the Baptist? The disciples?
4. Most of the Dodgers' trades.
5. The reason my Mom would give for not buying certain foods, "you'll just eat it". Isn't that what your supposed to do with food?
6. The AMC Gremlin. Did an engineer really design that car, looked at it and said "wow" (buy the way I did own a 73 Gremlin at one time, it may be the reason I didn't date a lot).
7. Ditto on the AMC Pacer.
8. Why is it that gas prices are so sensitive? Some refinery guy gets an upset stomach after eating chili for lunch and gas prices double. Is it just me but shouldn't we have a back up plan?
9. Commercials for ED. Look I'm sorry if you have this, but shouldn't that be between you and your doctor? I'm growing weary of seeing men on these commercials talk about something they would never openly talk about in real life.
10. Pro athletes that sign a contract, and then want a new contract years before the old one is complete.
Stay tuned for more...
Wednesday, February 27, 2008
Who are you looking at?
It's interesting the e-mails you get, isn't it?
My e-mail is usually chock full of spam (I've won the European lottery several times!), with a sprinkling of family news and Regional business.
While checking my home e-mail today I noticed a link to a blog called "Casey Women". I was of course curious, since my church is considered a Casey church, and I have many friends and some family that live in Casey.
Well I must say after reading the entries I was, I guess, educated to the fact that Casey is a rotten town that's run by a wild pack of women that feel they are better than everybody else.
Now I don't live in Casey, in fact I live in a smaller town really close to it. I feel like I must of been living in a vacuum these past 42 years and not noticed or heard about this before.
One entry really caught my eye. One gal (I guess it was a gal, the person didn't use their name, I can't imagine why) told of these high class women going to church, and then not speaking to them when they saw them in public. I think the point was that they lived a lie. They professed Christ, but wouldn't lower themselves to talk to the "lower class".
I always find comments like these interesting, and I'd like to throw my 2 cents in.
1. What has going to church have to do with anything? People go to church for a variety of reasons. Some feel like they "should" be there, as if it's a civic duty. Others were raised in church and feel like that's just what they do on Sunday morning. Going to church does not make you holy or perfect. In fact I hope people come to White Oak because they know something isn't right in their lives. The church is a building filled with imperfection. Sometimes we forget that.
The mature Christian knows that he or she needs to fellowship with other believers to help them with their Christian walk. Church attendance does not equal Christian behaviour, it never has and probably never will.
2. It also seems to me that we spend way to much time at looking at others. People will let you down. They will gossip, treat you badly, look down on you, and a whole list of other stuff. So my question is why do we let it bother us? It may lie in the fact that jealousy enters in. I'm guessing these problem gals have money or the right last name or both. Just looking at them makes us angry because they have and we don't. I think we need to focus on the only perfect being that ever walked this earth, and stop letting others affect us. When we lose our focus is when trouble begins for us. Have people looked down their nose at me? Sure they have, but here's the great thing, I don't care, I'm a child of the King.
3. Finally the city of Casey is struggling for the same reason thousands of other small towns are struggling. Jobs are leaving, so people are leaving. It's not that hard to understand. Good jobs are tough to find in small towns. Less tax income for towns and counties means less services and perks for citizens. Now if you can prove that some women, who think their better than everybody else, caused a massive job migration, then I'll listen.
Should people act this way? Of course not, but be careful not to try to remove the speck when you have a log in your eye.
I know many people who live in Casey. They are hard working and just like everybody else.
Their human.
My e-mail is usually chock full of spam (I've won the European lottery several times!), with a sprinkling of family news and Regional business.
While checking my home e-mail today I noticed a link to a blog called "Casey Women". I was of course curious, since my church is considered a Casey church, and I have many friends and some family that live in Casey.
Well I must say after reading the entries I was, I guess, educated to the fact that Casey is a rotten town that's run by a wild pack of women that feel they are better than everybody else.
Now I don't live in Casey, in fact I live in a smaller town really close to it. I feel like I must of been living in a vacuum these past 42 years and not noticed or heard about this before.
One entry really caught my eye. One gal (I guess it was a gal, the person didn't use their name, I can't imagine why) told of these high class women going to church, and then not speaking to them when they saw them in public. I think the point was that they lived a lie. They professed Christ, but wouldn't lower themselves to talk to the "lower class".
I always find comments like these interesting, and I'd like to throw my 2 cents in.
1. What has going to church have to do with anything? People go to church for a variety of reasons. Some feel like they "should" be there, as if it's a civic duty. Others were raised in church and feel like that's just what they do on Sunday morning. Going to church does not make you holy or perfect. In fact I hope people come to White Oak because they know something isn't right in their lives. The church is a building filled with imperfection. Sometimes we forget that.
The mature Christian knows that he or she needs to fellowship with other believers to help them with their Christian walk. Church attendance does not equal Christian behaviour, it never has and probably never will.
2. It also seems to me that we spend way to much time at looking at others. People will let you down. They will gossip, treat you badly, look down on you, and a whole list of other stuff. So my question is why do we let it bother us? It may lie in the fact that jealousy enters in. I'm guessing these problem gals have money or the right last name or both. Just looking at them makes us angry because they have and we don't. I think we need to focus on the only perfect being that ever walked this earth, and stop letting others affect us. When we lose our focus is when trouble begins for us. Have people looked down their nose at me? Sure they have, but here's the great thing, I don't care, I'm a child of the King.
3. Finally the city of Casey is struggling for the same reason thousands of other small towns are struggling. Jobs are leaving, so people are leaving. It's not that hard to understand. Good jobs are tough to find in small towns. Less tax income for towns and counties means less services and perks for citizens. Now if you can prove that some women, who think their better than everybody else, caused a massive job migration, then I'll listen.
Should people act this way? Of course not, but be careful not to try to remove the speck when you have a log in your eye.
I know many people who live in Casey. They are hard working and just like everybody else.
Their human.
Friday, February 01, 2008
I know, you know
It happened every time.
I was coaching my little league team, and I had a young man for the second season. He was my third baseman, and he played the position pretty well.
Except there were some occasions he would get a little wild on his throws to first base.
Sooner or later he would sail the ball over the head of my first baseman, and I would utter the words that became almost second nature.
"Watch your throws!"
He would always look at me with a kind of annoyed look and say "I know".
Well after this repeated itself several times, me saying "watch your throws" and him saying "I know", it occurred to me that I wasn't getting anywhere.
So I finally came up with a comeback. At practice one afternoon we were working on our infield drill and sure enough the ball sailed from his hand into the fence behind the first baseman.
"Watch your throws" I yelled.
"I know" he yelled back.
Then I had him, my response would become the cornerstone of my coaching language.
"I know, you know, now do it!"
You see it wasn't a lack of knowledge, he knew for us to be effective he would have to make good throws. If he made a bad throw, we would have a base runner, which in turn would probably mean a run. It was the application of that knowledge that was the problem.
He had a good arm, his eyesight was good, so it became a matter of rushing or not paying enough attention to what he was doing that got him into trouble.
I don't think the Church in America has a knowledge problem, in fact we are probably more educated than most countries. We have heard sermon after sermon and we have been to Bible study after Bible study, so we can't say we don't know.
It's the application of the knowledge.
Peter says a strange thing in 2 Peter 1:12, he reminds his audience of "these things even though you know them". That seemed strange to me, why repeat it if we already know it?
Then my young third baseman came to my mind and then I got it. Peter was saying, I know you know, but I'm going to tell you again.
James says it even better in his letter, in a nut shell (read it for yourself, James 1:19-25) he is saying we are blessed when we do the things we know we should do.
Would it not be a tragedy for us to be Biblical scholars and yet not get the very basic thing that God wants from us. To change the world one soul at a time.
We must be in the Word, for that is where we learn about God and what He desires for our lives, the knowledge is the foundation, but we will be judged by what we do, not by what we know.
How do you think God will respond to us when we say "well I know I should have, but I didn't".
Who knows, maybe He will say "I know, you know".
The facts are simple, we are to be the light in a very dark place. We are to be salt to a world that needs flavored. None of us would deny that.
It's just the application of that knowledge that gets us.
Because I know, you know.
I was coaching my little league team, and I had a young man for the second season. He was my third baseman, and he played the position pretty well.
Except there were some occasions he would get a little wild on his throws to first base.
Sooner or later he would sail the ball over the head of my first baseman, and I would utter the words that became almost second nature.
"Watch your throws!"
He would always look at me with a kind of annoyed look and say "I know".
Well after this repeated itself several times, me saying "watch your throws" and him saying "I know", it occurred to me that I wasn't getting anywhere.
So I finally came up with a comeback. At practice one afternoon we were working on our infield drill and sure enough the ball sailed from his hand into the fence behind the first baseman.
"Watch your throws" I yelled.
"I know" he yelled back.
Then I had him, my response would become the cornerstone of my coaching language.
"I know, you know, now do it!"
You see it wasn't a lack of knowledge, he knew for us to be effective he would have to make good throws. If he made a bad throw, we would have a base runner, which in turn would probably mean a run. It was the application of that knowledge that was the problem.
He had a good arm, his eyesight was good, so it became a matter of rushing or not paying enough attention to what he was doing that got him into trouble.
I don't think the Church in America has a knowledge problem, in fact we are probably more educated than most countries. We have heard sermon after sermon and we have been to Bible study after Bible study, so we can't say we don't know.
It's the application of the knowledge.
Peter says a strange thing in 2 Peter 1:12, he reminds his audience of "these things even though you know them". That seemed strange to me, why repeat it if we already know it?
Then my young third baseman came to my mind and then I got it. Peter was saying, I know you know, but I'm going to tell you again.
James says it even better in his letter, in a nut shell (read it for yourself, James 1:19-25) he is saying we are blessed when we do the things we know we should do.
Would it not be a tragedy for us to be Biblical scholars and yet not get the very basic thing that God wants from us. To change the world one soul at a time.
We must be in the Word, for that is where we learn about God and what He desires for our lives, the knowledge is the foundation, but we will be judged by what we do, not by what we know.
How do you think God will respond to us when we say "well I know I should have, but I didn't".
Who knows, maybe He will say "I know, you know".
The facts are simple, we are to be the light in a very dark place. We are to be salt to a world that needs flavored. None of us would deny that.
It's just the application of that knowledge that gets us.
Because I know, you know.
Wednesday, January 30, 2008
The New Look
What do you think?
I think the Dodger logo is really cool.
I thought it was time for a change, maybe not get so deep.
Enjoy.
I think the Dodger logo is really cool.
I thought it was time for a change, maybe not get so deep.
Enjoy.
Wednesday, January 02, 2008
Goodbye 2007, Hello 2008
Where has it gone?
It seems like only yesterday...oh well, you know the rest.
I have been toying with the idea of killing this blog, maybe starting a new one.
It seems to me that everything about church leadership has been said. I mean there are much wiser people than I that can tackle the tough issues. You can't walk through a Christian bookstore without seeing several books on how to do church the "right" way.
Ask ten different people, you would get ten different answers. Traditional churches are critical of non-traditional and visa-versa (sometimes I wonder if it isn't jealousy).
All of us worship in not so perfect community, which makes sense since people aren't perfect. What I have tried to do in my ramblings is to at least get people focused on Christ.
The several years I have spent in church leadership has taught me a couple of things, one is how much I really don't know, and two is that people who are apathetic Christians are the reason the church in the United States is losing the battle for hearts and souls.
I will not, however tell you that I am blameless. At times I hear the siren's song of just getting away from the responsibilities of leading. Just to sit in a pew and let someone else take the hits is becoming more attractive all the time.
So it comes down to this, perhaps it's time that this blog be changed to something else. Maybe something that looks more like a journal or devotional. Shoot if Brian can do it, I can too!
Stay tuned...
It seems like only yesterday...oh well, you know the rest.
I have been toying with the idea of killing this blog, maybe starting a new one.
It seems to me that everything about church leadership has been said. I mean there are much wiser people than I that can tackle the tough issues. You can't walk through a Christian bookstore without seeing several books on how to do church the "right" way.
Ask ten different people, you would get ten different answers. Traditional churches are critical of non-traditional and visa-versa (sometimes I wonder if it isn't jealousy).
All of us worship in not so perfect community, which makes sense since people aren't perfect. What I have tried to do in my ramblings is to at least get people focused on Christ.
The several years I have spent in church leadership has taught me a couple of things, one is how much I really don't know, and two is that people who are apathetic Christians are the reason the church in the United States is losing the battle for hearts and souls.
I will not, however tell you that I am blameless. At times I hear the siren's song of just getting away from the responsibilities of leading. Just to sit in a pew and let someone else take the hits is becoming more attractive all the time.
So it comes down to this, perhaps it's time that this blog be changed to something else. Maybe something that looks more like a journal or devotional. Shoot if Brian can do it, I can too!
Stay tuned...
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