Choices

We make them everyday.
Some good, some bad.
Take for instance my son's first day at junior high. He thought is was a good idea to wear socks that covered his entire leg, and yes he wore shorts with those.
Ouch.
I don't know about you, but I think I've seen Mike Vick in that nice suit he has about a billion times.
Talk about some bad choices.
I mean think about it, this guy is going to lose millions of dollars, probably spend some time in the big house, most likely lose his job, over a few bad choices.
When we think about it, sometimes bad choices really don't hurt us much, we learn from our mistakes (hopefully) and we move on. We may get bruised a little, but nothing to severe.
Other choices however can have a lifetime impact on us.
The church is no different. The leadership and the congregation have to make choices. Sometimes they make good choices, sometimes bad, and like any other choice, bad ones sometimes don't hurt us for very long.
But there are times that bad choices can hurt and even kill our ministries.
At the time the choice seems simple and logical to us, but I'm afraid we don't take the spiritual into account. We seem to leave God out of the decision process.
Christians have to factor in things like faith, and God's will. Two very difficult things for us humans to discern. A decision that seems logical to us may lead the church into place that God will not bless. Soon the church is dead.
While it is difficult to have faith sometimes, I think God's will is easier to figure out. Reading how Jesus reached out to people should give us a clue on how we proceed. It was a total sellout. He gave Himself 100% to His creation. He saved nothing for Himself, He gave it all.
And yet we hold on to this or that, comfort and tradition become our gods and every choice becomes based on these factors. Something that Jesus never taught.
And then we scratch our heads and wonder why our church isn't growing.
I sat in a church of eight, kind and dedicated, people ready to preach to them one Sunday. The elder came to me to apologise for the small number. He told me that they didn't have any young people anymore, and it bothered him, however he felt that churches were compromising by using more contemporary music to draw younger people. He felt that just wasn't right.
I smiled and listened, all the while thinking that the choices they had made have killed their church. They aren't alone and I'm afraid many churches are heading for a time when they will make a choice or already have made choices that may be popular with some of the people, but be a disaster for their future.
Like Mike Vick, all it takes is one bad choice.

Dear People of Church X

An open letter to church X.
You don't even realize it.
I wasn't sure I did either, but I do now.
You don't realize it now, but you will. You will see that Satan uses good Christian people to destroy ministries.
It happens every day.
Good, well meaning people who think there doing the right thing.
Stir up some trouble, flex your muscle, show everyone who's the boss.
But what you don't realize is that your church's ministry, the very thing that you claim is important, will be gone.
And it will take years, if ever, to rebuild it.
You see the church may operate sometimes like it's in a vacuum, but it isn't.
People talk, and boy do they like a good story.
The one about the church down the road that can't get along, that is in the middle of a fight.
People love to see God's people acting like wrestlers at the WWE, or Nascar drivers who bump each other.
And we all know how a good story spreads.
Good luck asking someone to come to church next Sunday.
Hey if they want to get involved in a fight, they can go to the school board meeting.
Nobody wants to walk into a church that is so tense that you could bounce a quarter off of the piano.
But your so busy pushing your agenda, you don't even see that.
So here is my suggestion.
The entire leadership, everybody, take a mission trip to Haiti. I could even arrange it for you, I have some good friends that would love to help.
Look at the poverty, see the need. Remember what it is you were called to be. Remember you are here to serve. You might not be quite as selfish.
You might even humble your hearts before God.
Because that brothers and sisters,
is the only way God is going to bless your ministry again.
Tom

Guilty as Charged

It started out as my normal drive home from work.
I hit the channel that provides news, trying to keep up to date.
And then it happened.
This particular news station had decided to do a news story on young pastors just going into the ministry.
I was interested.
Well they were going to interview the pastor (or Imam, I guess) of a newly opened Mosque in Virginia.
I was disappointed.
It was a grand event, the Governor of the Virginia was coming, kids were playing on the swings, hamburgers were frying. The announcer said that Islam is the fastest growing religion in the United States with 2 million converts and growing.
I was sickened.
And then the announcer interviewed the hamburger cook, a man that sounded like he could be your next door neighbor. I'm not sure I will ever forget what he said.
The announcer asked him what he thought of the Mosque being right next door. He said, "It's great, they are really nice and they are involved in the community. If Christians were like this the world would be a different place".
I shut the radio off, I sat in stunned silence as the only sound now came from the tires and the air conditioning.
I was guilty.
Most Christians make broad assumptions. They assume that people just aren't interested in spiritual things, WRONG. They assume somebody else is surely reaching out to people, like the pastor, since that's why they pay him, WRONG. They assume that the church is involved in the community just because they meet in a building that's in the community, WRONG. They assume that people will feel the love of Jesus just because they meet in a building once a week, WRONG.
And maybe we don't say these things, but it's surely the way we live.
I have to admit that the hamburger cook is right. If God's people, the followers of Jesus Christ would understand that Christianity is more than sitting in a pew, waiting on Jesus to take them, then the world would be a different place.
And I'm guessing people wouldn't be interested in following a god that is indifferent and lacks compassion.
Isn't it funny that people would rather hear about a god that talks about violent conversion, than a God of love a peace.
Folks it isn't the message.
It's the messengers.
Guilty as charged.

What happened to the young couples?!?

Most church leaders ask this question.
I'm not sure I have an answer, but perhaps an observation.
I think some have approached the problem from a simple consumer mindset. Put together some programs so the children of these couples will have something fun to do.
So we become a seller of services. We lure young couples by offering more bang for the buck.
I've heard people say "they just didn't have anything for my kids".
Don't get me wrong, some churches by their very nature are not kid friendly. Their filled with older people who have no desire to see a kid act up in church. They just want them to sit still and be quiet. And frankly those churches for the most part are dead or dying.
Some feel that if you have a dynamic speaker or leader of front of the people, then that will attract the younger generation.
While it helps, I'm not sold on this either. Again it tends to make the church no different than any other program or organization.
Maybe the core question is what attracts people to people.
Maybe the deeper question, have we truly transformed?
The church in Acts had no children's program, no seminars on how to grow churches, no blogs.
But I would submit that they grew at an incredible rate.
Why?
There had to be something special that the outside world saw in the believers of Christ.
I guess I'm saying that we are the advertisement for our God. And I think the world looks at us and says "your no different from us".
They can join any other organization and get that.
But when people see something that they lack, when they see love and compassion, when they see the church as a caring place, a place not focused on themselves but on others, then I think we have transformed church from just a place to a community.
Let's be honest, when we do advertise our church, are we really looking for the unsaved or are we looking to pull other Christians from other churches into our really nice programs?
You might get the idea I hate kids programs, or programs in general.
I don't.
I just hate programs that make us feel like were doing something, when really were not.
So I guess the young couples need to know you care.
But I think that more importantly, they need to know your for real.
They just don't have time for pretenders.

I see hope

At times I'm negative.
I know I shouldn't be, but I've seen things that happen in churches that just makes you want to cry.
But I was encouraged at the Midwest Region Conference of our denomination.
I heard stories of people setting aside the normal church routine and being the church that I believe Christ has called all of us to be.
Instead of sitting, their doing.
Now I'm sure some people in our churches are fearful we are moving to fast, moving away from what they are used to.
And I'm just as sure for some of our more pioneering members, we aren't moving fast enough.
But we are moving.
Our denomination is so cool in the fact that we don't hammer a certain style. We are very diverse in our approach to church.
The speakers at conference were awesome, the organization was awesome, the worship was awesome.
In fact, I'm not sure I've been to a better one.
I had a boss once who owned a struggling company. As his company fell down around him he would always say, "were just about to turn the corner".
And we never did. The "corner" was just to big.
My prayer is that we "turn the corner".
And we don't stop there.

Ode to Sandy

She came to my parent's home when she was still a pup.
My younger brother had always wanted a dog, and Sandy just showed up. She must have been a stray, but it didn't matter.
Sandy and Jim hit it off great.
Nobody could come into the yard without Sandy barking and alerting Mom and Dad. Sometimes Sandy would continue to bark at people even when they had entered the house, which would get my Dad scolding her.
But it didn't matter.
Sandy either liked you or she didn't.
Even if she didn't like you the worst you got was a whole lot of barking. She never bit anybody that I can recall. She had a job to do and she did it for a long time.
She had been through many changes at my folk's home. Jim would move away, grandchildren would begin invading her space, my father's cancer and his death, and finally she moved to a new home with my Mom.
But her expression was always the same. Those dark eyes and alert ears were always probing, looking out for her family. She never had any pups, she didn't need them. We were her family.
And if it's possible, I think she took pride in looking after all of us.
Over time her steps became less quick, her hair stopped growing. There was pain in every step as arthritis got to her. Her eyes became clouded, her hearing began to fail. I would walk up on her without her even moving. When she did realize I was there she would become startled, and maybe embarrassed by the fact that I had gotten that close.
And finally Mom had to put her down.
The last years of her life were spent keeping my Mom company. She made the house less lonely for Mom. Now that Mom is engaged to be married, maybe Sandy wanted to hang around until she knew Mom would have somebody.
I can't be for sure, but I wouldn't doubt it.
Sandy was that good.
I will always remember Sandy laying at the feet of my Dad. He sat in his chair, suffering from the effects of his illness, Sandy never letting Dad get to far out of her sight.
Thank you Sandy.
You were a great dog.

So, here I am again.

No I haven't died.
I was shocked to see I haven't posted since April. Man the time sure speeds past us.
Let me give you a short recap on events since April.
1. My oldest graduated High School.
2. Went on a great vacation to North Myrtle Beach. Met Brian and Danielle there (who happened to be there the same week...cool) and had a great evening. I discovered that Brian is uncomfortable with heights (I've know the guy since 2nd grade and didn't know that). Our room was on the 18th floor so the view didn't sit well.
3. Oldest son's girlfriend breaks up with him. As a parent this has to be one of the toughest things you deal with. Watching your kid mope around the house. What's really tough is trying to tell him you think it's probably for the best. I was in his shoes once and I know I didn't listen either. Makes for a very frustrating experience.
See, you really haven't missed much.

BLACKABY VS. McMANUS

Reading a new book now.
"Seizing Your Divine Moment" has been a pretty good read, as well as pretty painful.
I had also studied Blackaby's "Experiencing God" book and I have noticed that both authors speak to believers doing something for God.
The way each man approaches this is quite different.
I have always liked Blackaby's approach to determining God's will for our lives. If I recall (it's been awhile) there were some pretty concrete steps to take.
1. Pray about what God wants you to do.
2. Study the word and see if it speaks to you about what God wants you to do.
3. Are the conditions and opportunities such that you could do what God has called you to do?
4. Are other believers confirming to you that you should do what you feel God is calling you to do.
There may have been another one, but these are the ones I remember. They all have one thing in common.
They involve time.
Time to sort out what God wants you to do.
I like that because it increases the time I get to sit on the bench. I can roll things around in my mind for years. I can analyze and re-analyze every event in my life and say "well I'm just not sure this is what God wants".
So I can do...nothing.
Erwin has this way of cutting down every excuse that we "good" church people can come up with to not do anything. It can be really annoying.
In his book, Erwin talks about finding something that needs to be done, and do it.
Now he isn't saying not to be in prayer about it, and sometimes there is failure.
But isn't that better than not doing anything?
If I had to use one word to describe the average church I would say lukewarm, and I think we became lukewarm when we decided that we weren't ready to get into the game.
So many needs to be met, so much ministry to do, and yet to enter the game means getting dirty, uncomfortable, involved, and gosh we might flop.
So we have our sweats on, ready to get in the game, but not really wanting to get in the game.
I think Blackaby has a lot of great points, and he has had a lot of success. He states that we should see what God is doing and join Him in that endeavour. And that's true if we are really serious about not being a bench warmer. However it can be a handy excuse not to do anything when we can't decide what God is doing. You know, for the rest of us that are just plain scared.
I'm not really that smart, but I do know this, if your waiting for the perfect moment to do something, waiting for all the planets to align, waiting for all the money and resources to be just right, waiting on a bright neon sign to tell you to move, you might as well just stay on the bench.
So we do, and in doing so we show how much faith we really have.
I'm not telling you it will be easy, that you will never fail or be hurt. Your attendance might go down, but we must remember that as long as we seek to do the things that are close to God's heart, is that really failure?
I define failure in the context of sitting in a pew your whole life and never do anything beyond taking care of yourself.
And at times I have been that failure.

The Journey

I love vacations.
When I was growing up, my family never really took a vacation. My father worked out of town a lot so the last thing he wanted to do on his vacation, was to travel.
When we did go somewhere, it was Wisconsin (so he could deer hunt) to stay with a dairy farmer that he had become friends with. While dad hunted, I learned lots about milking cows and spreading cow manure on fields (note, never sit on the fender of a tractor when spreading manure).
When I got married, my in laws traveled to San Antonio and took me along. I had never been that far away for fun.
I was hooked.
One of the things about vacation that I really like is when I travel with my family and that includes brothers and sisters, brother and sister in laws, mom and in laws.
I wouldn't even mind my friends going with me.
Why?
The journey is more fun when we bring someone else along.
I loved it when my brothers experienced North Myrtle Beach for the first time, when we were able to take my Dad to the ocean, when most of my family went on a cruise.
I love being on a journey with people.
It isn't any different with our journey with Christ. It should be an adventure that we want to bring others along to experience. Maybe we've looked at reaching people in the wrong light. Maybe we should want people to travel with us on the only trip that will matter, to see the love of Christ, to experience true community.
I'm afraid many of our churches want to travel alone. There not having any fun on the journey, (or at least they sure don't act like their having any fun) and they don't want anyone else to have fun either.
Sure the journey hits some rough roads, heck I was in North Myrtle when a hurricane hit and we had to evacuate, but I sure like to be with people who care about me when the storms hit.
Are we asking people to join us on our journey?
Tough question, but perhaps if we look at life as a journey (and it is) maybe we won't find it as hard to ask people to travel with us.
Show them that life is better when you have company.

What I've been up to.

Yeah, I know, its been awhile.
But I've been busy, really.
Back in October (maybe in September) this rural church ask me to fill in for them, since their pastor had resigned.
I've been there ever since.
I don't like the title "pastor", since all I'm doing is preaching and I can assure you there is a vast difference between the two.
I'm not involved with any of the planning, leading or disciplining. Actually it's kind of nice since I haven't been doing any of these things at my home church either since I've been away.
I'm kind of floating around between the two.
This is my first experience preaching every Sunday, and I have a new respect for those that have done it for years. It really has to be hard on those who work part time (or full time) and try to pastor.
What I've found in my life is that God teaches me things through experiences (I guess I'm to thick to learn any other way) and I've learned a lot. I came into this church with several misconceptions that God has been only to happy to point out to me.
This church has been cordial, patient, and generous. They would have liked for me to apply for the job, but I just don't feel like God wants that.
My proof?
Just in the short time I've been there God has brought to them two qualified candidates, and well frankly I see my time there coming to a close.
Although I haven't been there a really long time, I'm not sure how I will feel when I preach the last sermon there. There will be some relief I'm sure but I wonder if I will feel sad that its coming to an end.
Anyway I have compiled a short list of things I have learned;
1. Sermons can sound a lot better when your planning them than they do when you preach them.
2. I really believe that some people have sleeping disorders.
3. Don't think that just because your filling in that you won't have to do some counseling (yes it did happen, wow).
4. Some people REALLY love the version of Bible that they have, and they would prefer you use what they like (I'm waaaayy to stubborn for that).
5. Never base a church on what you see on the outside.
6. People will tell you sometimes using verbal or non verbal communication that your sermon didn't mean anything to them.
7. Some people don't like to shake hands, others will crush your hand when you shake it.
8. Good Christian people will love you, even when you stink from the pulpit. The people that I have had the privilege of speaking to have been a shining example of that love (thank goodness).
God has given me, a wounded (see Brian Millers blog), broken vessel a chance to speak His words in front of His people.
I am humbled by the experience, knowing that much better men than I could have done much better.
But God decided to bless me.

We make music better together.

I'm serious, it was a good time.
It was my honor to be in the same room with some very sharp people.
And to tell you the truth, they used to scare me.
The place was Champaign, and I was attending the Midwest Region's Healthy Reproducing Churches conference.
Now I must admit, church planters are a unique lot, they by nature have a pioneering spirit, are much braver than most (at least braver than I) and they have a real desire to reach people for Jesus that just aren't interested in most people's idea of church.
At times I felt ashamed that I didn't have the fire that some of these people had, I mean gee whiz these people were EXCITED about church planting.
What a bunch of nuts, right?
Well I came away with hope, and that might sound strange. I truly felt I was looking at the future church, and not a church with a huge building or super large numbers, and not a church focused on itself.
A church that has it's eyes fixed on Christ and on the mission that He commanded we be on.
As president of the region I started thinking, what if every commission I had was this serious. What about our Church and Pastor relations commission, our Cross Cultural commission? What if every area of our region got really serious about what they were doing?
I was watching a DVD last night, Genesis, Live at Wimbley, and they always have some extra feature at the end of the disc. One was an interview with Tony Banks, who plays keyboard for the group. He made the statement that he enjoyed playing in a group because "you can do so much more musically together than you can do by yourself".
I thought, how better could we do things if all parts of the body of Christ, all of our talents and gifts could somehow be used in harmony with one another to make something beautiful.
But we don't, we just want to be excited about us. We might be jealous, or even hostile towards others who seem to be doing something more than we are doing.
Brian once told me I should plant a church in my home town, and I told him that he was nuts (or crazy) that I just wasn't gifted with the people skills to pull that off.
But that doesn't mean I can't come alongside people who can and cheer them on.

R-E-S-P-E-C-T

I was watching TV again, and again I was disappointed.
I was watching an interview with Allen Iverson, or as he is called in some circles "the answer".
What really struck me was Iverson's complaint.
"I think I deserve more respect".
Hmmmm.
Let's see, you get paid millions of dollars, to play a game. You have fought with just about every coach you have played for. You don't see a need to practice, and your body looks more like a badly done billboard.
I can't see why somebody wouldn't respect you.
Some might argue that playing all those games would be hard on a persons body. I've played a little basketball, so I would believe that.
But what about the millions of people who work at dangerous jobs every day, that take a huge toll on their bodies, who will never see a tenth of what "the answer" will bring home.
It's a disturbing trend in our culture today.
You see respect is something you EARN.
You might be really good at putting a round ball in a round hoop, you might be really smart, or you can sing, or be very beautiful.
But that doesn't guarantee respect.
I really don't care all that much what Brittany, Lindsey, Iverson, Mr Cruise, and the rest of the "stars" have going on in their lives.
But please, don't go out in public and whine that people are being unfair, that your not getting respect, when you go out and do stupid things.
What I fear is happening is that our children are watching these poor examples for role models and figuring out that, if we dress like, try to look like, try to be like, these people then they will be fawned over, desired, respected.
But because I'm a generous guy, I'm going to help. Here are my tips for gaining respect.
1. Be humble. Your not the only person on the planet. Don't look down on us "mortals" just because we didn't win the genetic lottery. Try thinking of others before you think of yourself.
2. Dress like you have some respect for yourself. If there is anything more disturbing, and keeps teenage girls dad's awake at night, it's this one. Look, you can be a beautiful without showing everyone all your body parts.
3. Be your own person. Take your own path. Don't be a lemming and run with everyone else to their destruction. Don't do something, just because everyone else is doing it.
4. Take responsibility for your actions. Just once I'd like a pro athlete, or a movie star, actually admit that they broke the law, and pay the fine or do the time. I get so tired of stars saying "don't you know who I am?!?". I just read today they some Peavy for the San Diego Padres got thrown in jail. His crime? He double parked at an airport, which I admit is a long way from stabbing someone. What got him in trouble was, yes you guessed it, his mouth. He simply told them "write me a ticket and I'll just pay for it". I applaud the law enforcement officer for his quick thinking response. He threw the spoiled brat in jail. Hey all you important people out there, stop hiding behind your lawyer's skirt, plead guilty for once, or better yet, don't break the law because you think your better than everyone else.
5. Don't talk so much. Now you may be an expert at acting, or singing, or playing a sport. That does not make you an expert on, well anything. Now don't get me wrong, your entitled to your opinions, just make sure you tell people that it is just your opinion. Reading a magazine article on global warming does not make you an expert. Stick with your strengths, and do more listening than talking.
Since we, as a nation, are so entertainment centered many ordinary, everyday people are becoming much like the people we watch on a daily basis. I'm seeing a lot of people who are developing the same attitudes as the "stars".
So maybe my tips can help them also.
But if you can't get yourself together,
don't expect any r-e-s-p-e-c-t from me.

Too many questions...

What should I do?
My emotions range from sadness, frustration, guilt, disappointment and worry.
I have never been very good at making the big decisions.
Maybe not as good as I thought about a lot of things.
How did I get here?
How can I possibly squeeze more into my schedule?
What kind of toll will it take on my family?
Has it already cost me? Has my past come back to roost?
Life is so short, is it fair to make my family suffer?
Isn't there anybody else?
Maybe it sounds like a whine, but it isn't. I feel like Bilbo sometimes, butter spread over to much bread, thin.
A part of me wants so badly to withdraw from everything, just be me. Tom, the guy who comes to church and then goes home.
No worries, no problems. Let someone else fight the battles, do the meetings, struggle.
Other people do it.
Why can't I?
I'm nothing without Christ, His grace is the only thing that keeps me going.
But it seems the weight is getting heavier.
Maybe I'm carrying to much, maybe I need to learn to lean more on Him.
Maybe that's what He is trying to teach me.

Happy Birthday

I have just now discovered that this blog is 1 year old.
Amazing.
Time is blazing past me, I have a son who is a senior in high school.
I'm to young for that.
That thought of my sons not being around much has already caused me some concern. I can see the empty nest coming, and its still a ways off.
You get used to having people around you, I have watched Matt grow from a baby to a young man. I have seen his body get stronger as God prepares him for his life work.
It amazes me to a large degree.
Have I taught him everything that he needs to know?
It has been hard to give him more freedom. Its not that he has done anything to betray my confidence in him, its just I see him slipping away from me.
He doesn't need me as much.
One of the cruel facts of life is that, as a parent, our job is to prepare our children to replace us. To love and nurture a child, so he can pack his bags and say "see ya".
Matt wants to live in an apartment as he goes to school. My head says that living on his own would be good for him
My heart hopes he commutes.

Are Preachers Always to Blame?

I was reading an article from Cal Thomas regarding the fact that that married people are now the minority. He states some interesting reasons, many I agree with (you can find the entire article at townhall.com).
But something he did say got me thinking, I wanted to share it.
"The clergy have not always been helpful to marriage. Many- not all , but many-regularly ignore biblical instructions about marriage, divorce and remarriage because their congregations are populated with members who have divorced and they reason that their money in the collection plate spends just as well as that of married couples. Some people prefer to hear about the sins of others-or no sins at all-than about their own. The "fear of God" long ago was replaced in too many churches with the portrayal of God as a warm and fuzzy uncle who understands why you do the things you do and doesn't care all that much as long as you are happy and "fulfilled".
I can agree that nobody likes to hear about their sins, but I have a question.
Are there any sinners in Cal's church?
I won't argue the fact that some pastor's play for the crowd and I know there is a real push to make God out as a "uncle" figure instead of a creator-judge figure.
But is it just me or does Cal sound a little self-righteous?
I mean where does Cal want the divorced people to go? Is he saying they shouldn't be in church? Does he want the remarried people to split up?
The other point I want to make is I'm sure that there are plenty of great pastors who preach the word the way it should be preached and yet still have some of their people fall into the trap we all stumble into at one time or another. You can preach the greatest sermon, and yet people will do dumb things. Is that the pastor's fault?
I'm afraid we often forget that we need the grace of Christ every day. But I'm afraid that somewhere in our Christian walk we become so "good" or at least better than "other people" that it becomes us vs. them. We stop sharing Christ with others, the gulf between the Christian and the non-Christian becomes wide.
I respect a lot of things Cal has said over the years, he is a smart guy that isn't afraid to speak his mind.
I just wonder how he would have responded to the woman at the well.
I think I know.

My Book List

I've been reading a lot lately.
And I thought my public (hi Mom) would like to know what reading I've been doing.
1."Mere Christianity" by C.S. Lewis.
This one, I believe, is a must read for Christians. It is a good read that keeps you interested by talking about things you probably have wondered about yourselves. Lewis keeps it pretty simple and explains things in a way that even I understand. I had borrowed it from the library, but I'm going to own a copy of this real soon.
2. "An Unstoppable Force" by Erwin McManus.
I would encourage all established traditional church leaders to read this one. At the very least read the first few chapters. Erwin nails the condition of most churches, and explains how it happened. Now I love Erwin's stuff, but remember he is the pastor of a large multi cultural church in California, so I'm not saying what worked for him will work for you. But if you read it and your honest with yourself, you will have to admit that Erwin somehow spent some time in your church.
3. "No Higher Honor: Saving the Samuel B Roberts in the Persian Gulf" by Bradley Peniston.
Yeah I know, this one has nothing to do with church, but it's about my other love, naval history. I'm half way through and so far it's pretty good. If you don't remember, the USS Samuel B Roberts hit a mine in the Persian Gulf during the Iraq-Iran "tanker war". It does show how being prepared for something can have a huge pay off.
4. "Godless: The Church of Liberalism" by Ann Coulter.
Now I'll be the first to admit that Ann doesn't pull punches, and she can be kind of rough. Her humor mirrors mine (you know, sarcastic) and she has some great social comments. My only problem is her almost pure hate for people who look at things different than she does. I consider myself pretty conservative, but I sometimes wince when I read some of her cutting remarks. Still her attack on evolution is well thought out and very scientific, which is good ammo against those who push evolution.
My biggest problem with my reading is I have a HUGE list of books that I need to read, and I sometimes set books down, start reading others, and I never finish the first one. I want to read more, but it seems I can't find the time to do it.
So many books, so little time.

What I will always remember.

I was a little worried.
We had just got done playing basketball, in one of those "unofficial" practice games when I played for Martinsville. Just because it was summer, that didn't mean you could take some time off.
As I walked into the McDonalds, I knew I didn't have any money, my folks at that time of my life didn't have a lot, and I hated asking them for any. I know my folks would have given me some cash, had I asked for it. I just hated doing that.
I walked silently in with my buddies, Brian and Wade, hoping to hear Brian say those special words, "you want something?".
You see Brian cared, and although he probably doesn't even remember giving me money, I have never forgotten.
I still tell him from time to time that I still owe him, and he always gives me that look like, what are you talking about?
My point of this is pretty simple. People remember the times when somebody came to their aid. Helped them in a time of need.
And that will be remembered much longer than any sermon you will ever preach.
Jesus taught many things, but what really strikes me is His compassion for those in need. He cared for people.
It only shows that when we give to others, with a cheerful heart, the doors will become open for us to share our faith.
I couldn't tell you how many times Brian paid for my food when we went out of town to play basketball, he never groaned or complained about the fact I didn't bring my own money.
And that, I will never forget.

Is restoration possible?

I've been reading the Emerging CGGC blog (emergingcggc.blogspot.com) and boy does my head hurt.
If you want to see some very forward thinking by some very bright people within our denomination, check it out. You may not agree with everything, but it will make you think (thus the reason for my headache).
As you have probably been able to pick up from one of my blog entries, my church is at a crossroads.
And I'm happy to report that the elders and pastors got together and had some serious and frank discussions about where we are as a church.
One of our elders (we will call him "Ed") asked a great question.
"What would we be doing if we were planting or starting a new church?"
That question really struck me, since I happen to know a couple of church planters. Now I know nothing about planting a church, wouldn't know how to even begin. But it did get me thinking about traditions and how we do church.
Anyway back to the Emerging blog, I came across this from the blog entry "What kinds of churches are we planting?". The author of this is a talented church planter named Steve Sjogren and it's from his newsletter;
If personally watched for a number of years a very gifted, nationally known pastors, speaker and author in the 70s (I know you weren't born yet) try to reverse the trend of his Southern California denominational church and renew it to see the Spirit of God fill his church with newness, a sense of expectation each week, etc. I watched him work tirelessly week after week. When I arrived on the scene of his weekly services, he had been tireless working away at renewing his congregation for over a decade. It was obvious to me as a rather intuitive person that his people resistant to the message of walking in a life of the ullness of the Spirit, of giving their lives away to others, of being inviters. It was heartbreaking. After seeing this patter up close over a prolonged period of time I made a couple of good, long-term decisions: 1. It would be a waste of a good life to devote myself, my ministry call and strength to that approach considering my desire to see change come upon a congregation (Im not wired for a snails pace change over decades of ministry), and 2. That the idea of renewing a congregation was debatable if it was really possible both according to church historical observation and the teaching of scripture (namely Jesus teaching about the message of the new wine needing a new wineskin that just makes sense and of course it is inspired scripture).
I understand Steve's heart, the task before us seems kind of like digging a hole through a mountain with a teaspoon.
Why pound your head against a wall for a church that doesn't want to move in a new direction?
I have to believe that God is in the restoration business, He does it time and time again. I also know that restoration comes only when the people repent. That means change.
So it comes to this, and it's pretty simple.
1. We continue on the way we are. We will survive for years, but with a diminished staff, and a much smaller missionary budget. The attendance will continue to slip slowly, and there will be little life.
2. We change, and really I'm not sure what that will mean. We will have to stop talking about dollars and talk more about people. We will have to identify the needs in our community and address them. It's not a lot, but it would be a start.
What will really scare some people is that option 2 won't help the churches perceived money problems, in fact it may make them worse.
I have looked around at other churches, and I find we are not the only church at a crossroads, that many have turned cold. What does the future hold for them?
David Miller commented that "at least we see the crossroads" and he's right. I'm thankful for pastors and elders that know something just isn't right. The biggest challenge for us will be to lead the people.
And it's very possible they will decide not to be led anywhere.

In the garden

It had gotten way out of hand.
I kept looking at my green bean row, and I didn't like what I saw.
Because of a major weed problem, it was hard to see the beans.
So I put on my bib overalls and decided it was time to weed the garden. Fortunately it was just one row, but bending over pulling huge weeds out, while protecting the bean plants I wanted to keep, was a major time consuming deal.
As I sweated and pulled the stubborn green enemy I thought to myself; man I wish I had done this sooner.
I had to ask myself; why did you let this get in this condition?
I had no excuse, I had walked by the garden several times and saw the mess, but I always had thought, I'll get it later.
Later finally came.
So while I was sweating it came to me, at times my life had gotten the same way.
Things that we shouldn't let get going in our lives begin to flourish, they began to crowd our lives. We know we should do things different, but yet we refuse to really deal with the core issues. So over time we let things take root, and before long our lives get in a mess.
I don't think it ever sneaks up on us, slowly over time we let this go, we let that go. We notice it once and awhile, but really don't want to put out the effort to change it.
I think it's good that we take an honest look at ourselves from time to time. What has gotten in the way of living like we should? Have we let our guard down and allowed things to take hold of us that shouldn't be there?
It was hard work making my beans look better. It will take much more work to be the Christian God wants me to be.
But it is always worth the effort.

The Crossroads

Here we sit.
Eyes looking down.
I glance around the room and I see worry, I see questions.
How did this happen?
How did we fall this far?
What do we do?
One voice says "cancel our second service", another says "the people look like zombies in our service".
The joy is gone.
The money is running out.
Another voice, "we have no twenty year olds", yet another "were not growing, in fact were shrinking".
Ah the good old days, plenty of money and plenty of people, good people, nice people. Everything we did turned to gold, if we wanted it, we bought it.
It seems that we didn't even have to work for it, everything just fell into our laps.
The services now seem cold, the people now have grown older.
What happened?!?
Here we sit.
At the crossroads of our church.
The choice is simple.
Continue the same way, and surely the results will be the same. The path that leads to irrelevance, leads to death.
Change what we do?
Can we do that?
And what do we change?
The questions far out weigh the answers it seems.
And God seems so far off.
And what do I do?
What can I say?
It frustrates me, makes me angry.
I don't have the answers.
I could say simple things like, "go contemporary, love people, be friendly".
But I know the core issue is comfort.
Down deep, really deep, our people are comfortable.
They like it when they know everyone, they know when we will end the service so they can make it to the diner.
They know they have fulfilled their Christian duty by being in church. They've done just exactly what they think Christians should do.
Nothing less, nothing more.
How do you fix that?
And do they really want to fix it?
Here we sit.
At the crossroads of our church.
We look at the road on the left.
It's smooth, nice, and there is lots of pretty things to look at. It will continue until there is nobody left to travel the road.
I look at the road on the right.
It's rough, uncertain, scary. To travel it means saying goodbye to comfort, to thinking only of ourselves, and goodbye to feeling safe. And it may be the only way we survive as a relevant, healthy and growing Christian organism.
Here we sit.
At the crossroads of our church.
And I'm afraid the road on the left may be our choice.