I saw this one coming.
I stumbled across the web site of the Fort Lauderdale based Coral Ridge Presbyterian church once led by the late Dr. James Kennedy.
They were seeking a new pastor.
Before I get into this, I want you to know that I had seen Dr. Kennedy on the TV before. His neatly combed hair and blue robe stand out in my memory. To be honest I'm not sure I ever remember listening to him for very long.
This is NOT a slam on Dr. Kennedy, I have no doubt he was a man of God who led one of the first mega-churches in this country. He must have been a great leader. A far better one than I am.
What caught my attention was the man they hired to replace Dr. Kennedy.
Enter Pastor Tullian Tchividjian, a younger man who happens to be Billie Graham's grandson!
What I read about Pastor Tullian was that he was everything Dr. Kennedy wasn't.
The robe was ditched, Pastor Tullian didn't get involved in politics like Dr. Kennedy had. Tullian spiked his hair once in awhile, and had a little stubble on his face sometimes.
Now to follow a man like Dr. Kennedy would make most men turn down the church, who would want to replace a legend?
And of course there are some who are not happy.
Dr. Kennedy's daughter seems to be leading the opposition, circulating a petition (ah the infamous petition) for the removal of Pastor Tchividjian. From what I can determine the opposition is a very small group who are screaming the loudest.
What does this teach us about transitions?
We are creatures of habit and we are all unique. Coral Ridge will never find another Dr. Kennedy. He was a unique, special man of God.
But so is Tullian, in his own way.
If you read the Old Testament you will find that God would choose the right man for the right time. They were unique men, who had their good points and bad.
Sometimes we never hear the message that God has for us because we are to busy being upset by appearances or styles. We often are to obsessed with the past.
I truly believe God is raising up leaders of all ages that are not interested in style, procedure, politics or formality. They want to add to the Kingdom. They want to be Jesus' hands and feet.
And while you will be hard pressed to find anyone who would disagree with these important points, it seems we have a "not in my backyard" approach. You can do all of those things, but don't change anything at my place of worship.
I read something on Pastor Tullian's blog that rings true. All churches are dying.
Some are literally dying.
Some are exciting and glamorous, the latest of everything. But at their very core their mission is dead.
And some have taken up their cross and died to selfish desires for the sake of the Kingdom. They don't care about anything except for serving Christ and their fellow man.
I modified these, but in essence this is true. Until all of my silly preferences pass away and are removed will I begin to see what the gospel is really all about.
I'm praying for Coral Ridge. I pray for peace and protection from the attacks of the evil one.
I'm also praying for a willingness to change.
Wednesday, August 19, 2009
Monday, August 17, 2009
Transitions.
I was nervous for them.
I'm usually not very nervous before I preach. God simply wired me weird, it doesn't bother me. This morning however was different.
My young people, two of my own boys and three others whom I have gotten to know and appreciate were going to play their instruments and sing before the church.
I was so nervous that I put the wrong license plate renewal sticker on the wrong car (don't let them tell you that you can't get the sticker off once you put it on, I did) that morning.
The story starts a lot earlier in the year when I opened the church to these guitar and drum playing young people. I didn't have a clue. I couldn't help them because I didn't know what I was doing. I needed help.
I called Brian, his church has a band. Brian could play guitar, and he loves working with young people. Could he come down and listen, perhaps give them some pointers?
Of course Brian came and before long that evening I actually heard music. I knew that Brian couldn't come down every week, so would he be willing to help if I brought the group to Mattoon?
Brian graciously said that he would. Our first trip to Mattoon told me something about Matt, Aaron, Bryce, Caleb and Justin.
They could do it.
I met Jeremy who can play just about everything (and really enjoyed showing the guys stuff) who had the guys attention. Brian and Jer showed them how to play the song. My guys listened.
What I noticed instantly was how well the listened. Aaron struggled at first with what Jer showed him, but it wasn't long before it sounded good. Justin listened as Danelle showed him how to play chords on a keyboard. Brian worked with Matt on the rhythm guitar and vocals. Jer really shined when showing Bryce and Caleb some guitar riffs. I think they both were awestruck.
In fact Bryce sat down on his amp (which he does a lot) and kept practicing. I don't think my guys wanted to leave.
Fast forward, and a few more trips to Mattoon, meeting and practicing at the church, bringing Pastor Kenny in to help with some traditional songs as well as keeping us from blowing people away by being to loud. Katie showed up one night to listen to the guys practice. I put her behind a microphone. It worked.
Finally Pastor Kenny declared they were ready. How far they had come.
And when the day arrived for them to lead the worship, I was nervous. Would they hit the notes and chords? How would the church receive them?
It was great.
It was more than great, the church loved it. I loved it.
All of that to say this. When a church takes a step in a different direction, there is a transition. That scares some church goers because it means change. Sometimes change brings friction. Through this I learned some valuable lessons.
Take small steps.
Stay positive.
Build excitement.
Do it well.
Get help from people who have been there.
Well now the challenge for us is doing it again, because it went so well.
"Brian, have you got a Tuesday night free?"
I'm usually not very nervous before I preach. God simply wired me weird, it doesn't bother me. This morning however was different.
My young people, two of my own boys and three others whom I have gotten to know and appreciate were going to play their instruments and sing before the church.
I was so nervous that I put the wrong license plate renewal sticker on the wrong car (don't let them tell you that you can't get the sticker off once you put it on, I did) that morning.
The story starts a lot earlier in the year when I opened the church to these guitar and drum playing young people. I didn't have a clue. I couldn't help them because I didn't know what I was doing. I needed help.
I called Brian, his church has a band. Brian could play guitar, and he loves working with young people. Could he come down and listen, perhaps give them some pointers?
Of course Brian came and before long that evening I actually heard music. I knew that Brian couldn't come down every week, so would he be willing to help if I brought the group to Mattoon?
Brian graciously said that he would. Our first trip to Mattoon told me something about Matt, Aaron, Bryce, Caleb and Justin.
They could do it.
I met Jeremy who can play just about everything (and really enjoyed showing the guys stuff) who had the guys attention. Brian and Jer showed them how to play the song. My guys listened.
What I noticed instantly was how well the listened. Aaron struggled at first with what Jer showed him, but it wasn't long before it sounded good. Justin listened as Danelle showed him how to play chords on a keyboard. Brian worked with Matt on the rhythm guitar and vocals. Jer really shined when showing Bryce and Caleb some guitar riffs. I think they both were awestruck.
In fact Bryce sat down on his amp (which he does a lot) and kept practicing. I don't think my guys wanted to leave.
Fast forward, and a few more trips to Mattoon, meeting and practicing at the church, bringing Pastor Kenny in to help with some traditional songs as well as keeping us from blowing people away by being to loud. Katie showed up one night to listen to the guys practice. I put her behind a microphone. It worked.
Finally Pastor Kenny declared they were ready. How far they had come.
And when the day arrived for them to lead the worship, I was nervous. Would they hit the notes and chords? How would the church receive them?
It was great.
It was more than great, the church loved it. I loved it.
All of that to say this. When a church takes a step in a different direction, there is a transition. That scares some church goers because it means change. Sometimes change brings friction. Through this I learned some valuable lessons.
Take small steps.
Stay positive.
Build excitement.
Do it well.
Get help from people who have been there.
Well now the challenge for us is doing it again, because it went so well.
"Brian, have you got a Tuesday night free?"
Friday, June 26, 2009
C4, Connection & Christ
It's on the screen every week.
C4= Christ, Connection, Community, Creativity.
I want to write today about connection, but in a little different light.
We usually talk about connection with each other in the church and also form connections (or relationships) outside the church. All good stuff.
But I think one connection we don't talk about much is our connection with Christ.
I had a thought the other day (granted that doesn't happen often). Do we base our connection with Christ on 1 hour a week on Sunday?
I mean, is the highlight of our Christian walk every week merely 60 minutes on Sunday?
Think about this, for 1 hour out of 168 per week we connect with Christ. And that's if we come to church on Sunday!
Perhaps that why when changes come to some churches, the fur begins to fly. We don't want the pinnacle of our Christian experience messed with.
Sometimes pastors make it worse. We develop programs, gimmicks, light shows, whatever, so that people can connect with the church.
Shouldn't our churches help people connect with Christ? Shouldn't our worship services, classes, small groups, whatever, help people connect with Christ?
And not only connect with Christ for 1 hour a week, but every waking hour we have.
The church isn't a building, it's us. Christ is working outside the walls (believe it or not) of our churches. Are we connecting with Christ out there?
Christ is working in our churches too, but sometimes we demand that it's on our terms. We seem to connect when the church does things we like, because as everyone knows Jesus likes the things we like, and He hates the stuff we hate (that is sarcasm).
Discipleship is more than learning to read our Bible, and learning to pray. Don't get me wrong, that is VERY important. But discipleship is more than that, it is connecting with Christ on the journey. It is rolling up our sleeves, and connecting with Christ in the marketplace. It is our life, not a place and a time every Sunday.
Many people in Jesus' time knew who Jesus was. Many followed Him, for awhile. Some stayed and connected with Him however, and the world has never been the same.
Would our communities be different if we connected with Christ in His work to show His love for people? Would our churches be different if we used that time to worship Christ because of our connection with Him the other hours of our week?
And lastly, would our lives have more purpose and meaning when we connect, not only with the church, but Christ Himself?
Something to think about.
C4= Christ, Connection, Community, Creativity.
I want to write today about connection, but in a little different light.
We usually talk about connection with each other in the church and also form connections (or relationships) outside the church. All good stuff.
But I think one connection we don't talk about much is our connection with Christ.
I had a thought the other day (granted that doesn't happen often). Do we base our connection with Christ on 1 hour a week on Sunday?
I mean, is the highlight of our Christian walk every week merely 60 minutes on Sunday?
Think about this, for 1 hour out of 168 per week we connect with Christ. And that's if we come to church on Sunday!
Perhaps that why when changes come to some churches, the fur begins to fly. We don't want the pinnacle of our Christian experience messed with.
Sometimes pastors make it worse. We develop programs, gimmicks, light shows, whatever, so that people can connect with the church.
Shouldn't our churches help people connect with Christ? Shouldn't our worship services, classes, small groups, whatever, help people connect with Christ?
And not only connect with Christ for 1 hour a week, but every waking hour we have.
The church isn't a building, it's us. Christ is working outside the walls (believe it or not) of our churches. Are we connecting with Christ out there?
Christ is working in our churches too, but sometimes we demand that it's on our terms. We seem to connect when the church does things we like, because as everyone knows Jesus likes the things we like, and He hates the stuff we hate (that is sarcasm).
Discipleship is more than learning to read our Bible, and learning to pray. Don't get me wrong, that is VERY important. But discipleship is more than that, it is connecting with Christ on the journey. It is rolling up our sleeves, and connecting with Christ in the marketplace. It is our life, not a place and a time every Sunday.
Many people in Jesus' time knew who Jesus was. Many followed Him, for awhile. Some stayed and connected with Him however, and the world has never been the same.
Would our communities be different if we connected with Christ in His work to show His love for people? Would our churches be different if we used that time to worship Christ because of our connection with Him the other hours of our week?
And lastly, would our lives have more purpose and meaning when we connect, not only with the church, but Christ Himself?
Something to think about.
Thursday, May 28, 2009
Jon & Kate Make A Mess
It was annoying to say the least.
I was trying to sleep and my wife was watching this latest reality television show.
In the background I heard kids crying for at least 15 minutes. If I wanted to hear that I would have had more of my own kids.
Not to mention the non-stop whining they both did. You wanted kids right?
Now I know the latest craze is having 8 kids all at once(looks like "octo mom" is in line next), and then telling the world how tough it is, get yourself your own show. Stick a camera in your kid's face, complain your spouse isn't doing enough. Let the world come on in. Then travel around the country talking about your new found fame (at the expense of spending time with your 8 little gold mines).
I guess it beats working.
Now I see that both of them are denying affairs. They are both upset at the tabloids.
I thought Jon and Kate liked attention.
I have to admit I'm wondering if the divorce talk is just to pull in ratings.
The tragedy here is that families have enough struggles without adding fame into the mix.
What happens if they do get divorced? Will their greed and desire for fame harm the very children they claim to care about? You know the answer to that.
No I don't walk in their shoes. I don't know their life.
I know this, what they are about to lose isn't worth what they have gained.
So my free advice to Jon and Kate;
Jon, be the family protector and tell TLC to get out of your family's life. Protect your family like a pit bull on a bad day. That's YOUR job.
Kate, stop whining about everything and decide what you want. To be a wife and mom or be a star. It's not working being both. Frankly, without Jon and the kids your star power is a little dim.
I'm praying they keep it together.
But our culture is so "me" anymore, so starved for attention, we so desire to be the victim in everything that doesn't work the way we want it to.
It just easier to throw our hands up and quit.
Who knows maybe that will get them a spot on Dr Phil.
Hmmmm.
I was trying to sleep and my wife was watching this latest reality television show.
In the background I heard kids crying for at least 15 minutes. If I wanted to hear that I would have had more of my own kids.
Not to mention the non-stop whining they both did. You wanted kids right?
Now I know the latest craze is having 8 kids all at once(looks like "octo mom" is in line next), and then telling the world how tough it is, get yourself your own show. Stick a camera in your kid's face, complain your spouse isn't doing enough. Let the world come on in. Then travel around the country talking about your new found fame (at the expense of spending time with your 8 little gold mines).
I guess it beats working.
Now I see that both of them are denying affairs. They are both upset at the tabloids.
I thought Jon and Kate liked attention.
I have to admit I'm wondering if the divorce talk is just to pull in ratings.
The tragedy here is that families have enough struggles without adding fame into the mix.
What happens if they do get divorced? Will their greed and desire for fame harm the very children they claim to care about? You know the answer to that.
No I don't walk in their shoes. I don't know their life.
I know this, what they are about to lose isn't worth what they have gained.
So my free advice to Jon and Kate;
Jon, be the family protector and tell TLC to get out of your family's life. Protect your family like a pit bull on a bad day. That's YOUR job.
Kate, stop whining about everything and decide what you want. To be a wife and mom or be a star. It's not working being both. Frankly, without Jon and the kids your star power is a little dim.
I'm praying they keep it together.
But our culture is so "me" anymore, so starved for attention, we so desire to be the victim in everything that doesn't work the way we want it to.
It just easier to throw our hands up and quit.
Who knows maybe that will get them a spot on Dr Phil.
Hmmmm.
Wednesday, May 27, 2009
Why?
I had waited on George several times.
He worked for a gravel pit and he was a very nice guy.
He never got really worked up, and he had a pleasant personality.
And last week he killed himself.
Of all the people I would have thought might do something like this, George would have been the last on the list.
What was it? Did he have an addiction, a terminal illness? Did he live without hope?
I've had the "why" thought about a lot of things lately.
Kids bringing guns to school, parents killing their own kids, normal looking people who do horrible things to others.
Why?
Has the longing in people souls become such an abyss? Are we as a society coming to a point where we will do anything to satisfy a thirst for something?
The answer is that people sometimes buy false goods. Satan hates God and everything He has created. That means he hates us.
To destroy us he has to tell us that there is no hope, that only extreme measures will bring an end to that hopeless feeling. Killing and harming others or ourselves will put us in control of the situation.
It's a win-win for Satan, he destroys lives and hurts God.
There is always hope. If we have Christ that hope becomes eternal.
How many more "Georges" are out there? How many have lost hope? How many will destroy their lives trying to find life?
We have the answer to the hurt.
Will we share it?
He worked for a gravel pit and he was a very nice guy.
He never got really worked up, and he had a pleasant personality.
And last week he killed himself.
Of all the people I would have thought might do something like this, George would have been the last on the list.
What was it? Did he have an addiction, a terminal illness? Did he live without hope?
I've had the "why" thought about a lot of things lately.
Kids bringing guns to school, parents killing their own kids, normal looking people who do horrible things to others.
Why?
Has the longing in people souls become such an abyss? Are we as a society coming to a point where we will do anything to satisfy a thirst for something?
The answer is that people sometimes buy false goods. Satan hates God and everything He has created. That means he hates us.
To destroy us he has to tell us that there is no hope, that only extreme measures will bring an end to that hopeless feeling. Killing and harming others or ourselves will put us in control of the situation.
It's a win-win for Satan, he destroys lives and hurts God.
There is always hope. If we have Christ that hope becomes eternal.
How many more "Georges" are out there? How many have lost hope? How many will destroy their lives trying to find life?
We have the answer to the hurt.
Will we share it?
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
Moral Bearings?
Excuse me?
I'm reading this article, just trying to keep up. Trying to be an informed citizen.
I discovered that President Obama is open to prosecuting those who may have been responsible for coming up with waterboarding and other forms of torture.
That in itself is pretty scary, but what he said next sent a chill up my spine.
That the United States has "lost its moral bearings" with use of the tactics.
I'm sorry did he say "lost its moral bearings"?
So I'm thinking, have we lost our moral bearings by killing unborn children?
Have we lost our moral bearings by filling the airwaves with filth?
Have we lost our moral bearings by spending so much money our great, great grandchildren will have to pay for the stupidity of others?
Have we lost our moral bearings by eliminating God from the public arena?
Have we lost our moral bearings by publishing smut and calling it art?
Have we lost our moral bearings when we reward those who are able to work, but simply decide not to?
Did we lose our moral bearings when Terry Schiavo was unplugged?
You see Mr. President, when you say something like this, it's a slippery slope. What your saying is that your moral bearing is selective. For example, torture bad, but abortion okay. Don't waterboard a terrorist, but please rid us of those pesky Ten Commandments.
I guess a moral bearing is selective, maybe even relative.
It's good to despise evil, as long as it's an evil we aren't doing or enjoying the benefit derived from an evil. I mean doesn't it say something when people care more about a baby seal getting whacked than a human baby being aborted?
Now before I get labeled a right wing potential terrorist by our new head of Homeland Security, I want to state that both political parties have been suffering from a whacked out moral compass for quite some time. The only compass I think our leaders look at is the one that gets them the most attention and the most money. Got to keep ourselves on the cover of Newsweek you know!
I long for the day when the leaders of our nation, our states, and our churches stop trying to make everyone happy and just say it like it is, then live their convictions.
I truly believe, and maybe I'm wrong, that the majority of Americans are good, moral people who simply aren't paid attention to. It seems the attention is being focused on the fringe groups who yell and scream the loudest, the ones breaking the law to make their points.
I have a dream...maybe one day.
I'm reading this article, just trying to keep up. Trying to be an informed citizen.
I discovered that President Obama is open to prosecuting those who may have been responsible for coming up with waterboarding and other forms of torture.
That in itself is pretty scary, but what he said next sent a chill up my spine.
That the United States has "lost its moral bearings" with use of the tactics.
I'm sorry did he say "lost its moral bearings"?
So I'm thinking, have we lost our moral bearings by killing unborn children?
Have we lost our moral bearings by filling the airwaves with filth?
Have we lost our moral bearings by spending so much money our great, great grandchildren will have to pay for the stupidity of others?
Have we lost our moral bearings by eliminating God from the public arena?
Have we lost our moral bearings by publishing smut and calling it art?
Have we lost our moral bearings when we reward those who are able to work, but simply decide not to?
Did we lose our moral bearings when Terry Schiavo was unplugged?
You see Mr. President, when you say something like this, it's a slippery slope. What your saying is that your moral bearing is selective. For example, torture bad, but abortion okay. Don't waterboard a terrorist, but please rid us of those pesky Ten Commandments.
I guess a moral bearing is selective, maybe even relative.
It's good to despise evil, as long as it's an evil we aren't doing or enjoying the benefit derived from an evil. I mean doesn't it say something when people care more about a baby seal getting whacked than a human baby being aborted?
Now before I get labeled a right wing potential terrorist by our new head of Homeland Security, I want to state that both political parties have been suffering from a whacked out moral compass for quite some time. The only compass I think our leaders look at is the one that gets them the most attention and the most money. Got to keep ourselves on the cover of Newsweek you know!
I long for the day when the leaders of our nation, our states, and our churches stop trying to make everyone happy and just say it like it is, then live their convictions.
I truly believe, and maybe I'm wrong, that the majority of Americans are good, moral people who simply aren't paid attention to. It seems the attention is being focused on the fringe groups who yell and scream the loudest, the ones breaking the law to make their points.
I have a dream...maybe one day.
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
Things I don't get...Part 2
Ok, here we go...
1. Where did they come up with the idea of using a little guy pretending to be Scottish whipping people with a metal dipstick and calling everybody "Jimmy"? That's supposed to sell more oil?
2. I saw where our President says he's going to cut the deficit in half at the end of his first term. Wait a minute, didn't he just spend a bunch of money? I know in my checkbook the more I spend the BIGGER my debt becomes. Maybe I missed something in economics class.
3. Gas prices (see my first list..I still don't get it)
4. How they get that kid on the E-trade commercials to do what he does. If I could figure that out I'd have LOTS of fun using our church's projector.
5. What happened to Taylor Hicks? (Since we look so much alike).
6. Why don't the Dodgers just sign Manny and get it over with?
7. McDonalds now offers apple slices as a side. That's like eating a fried chicken with a diet Coke.
8. Women who have little dogs in their purses. Dogs leak ladies, think about it.
9. Why I wasn't born closer to the ocean (okay I really know why, but it doesn't make it easier).
10. Facebook, I'm mean it's great to see different people, but then what do you do?!?
There you go..enjoy!
1. Where did they come up with the idea of using a little guy pretending to be Scottish whipping people with a metal dipstick and calling everybody "Jimmy"? That's supposed to sell more oil?
2. I saw where our President says he's going to cut the deficit in half at the end of his first term. Wait a minute, didn't he just spend a bunch of money? I know in my checkbook the more I spend the BIGGER my debt becomes. Maybe I missed something in economics class.
3. Gas prices (see my first list..I still don't get it)
4. How they get that kid on the E-trade commercials to do what he does. If I could figure that out I'd have LOTS of fun using our church's projector.
5. What happened to Taylor Hicks? (Since we look so much alike).
6. Why don't the Dodgers just sign Manny and get it over with?
7. McDonalds now offers apple slices as a side. That's like eating a fried chicken with a diet Coke.
8. Women who have little dogs in their purses. Dogs leak ladies, think about it.
9. Why I wasn't born closer to the ocean (okay I really know why, but it doesn't make it easier).
10. Facebook, I'm mean it's great to see different people, but then what do you do?!?
There you go..enjoy!
Friday, February 20, 2009
2009, The Year of the Apology or Can I get a Do Over?
I'm sorry.
Well I'm not sure I did anything, but I'm trying to be relevant in today's society.
As far as I know, I have heard apologies from, baseball players, elected officials, coaches, stock brokers, both honest and dishonest, CEO's, and a certain swimmer, the list just keeps on going.
What does this tell us?
First, we have become more self-focused. It's about us, our money pile, our ego, our legacy, our greed. Get what you can for yourself and who cares about anyone else.
For the most part you can get away with that, but even that isn't enough. People see a blurred line between right and wrong. If it makes me richer, faster, better, one of the guys, and nobody catches me, why not?
I can always say "I'm sorry".
In most of the apologies I've seen, I'm not sure their sorry about what they did, just sorry they got caught.
None of the apologies I've seen were offered before they got caught. Only when their deeds were brought to light, did they want forgiveness.
Second it seems that we weigh the consequences with what we stand to gain and decide it's worth it. To cheat and make more money is worth the risk. To have an affair is worth the risk that the wife will find out. To do drugs is worth the risk that it could become an addiction.
That's what scares me the most, people are willing to give up so much for something that in all likelihood they can't hang on to anyway.
A very good friend of mine once told me how he handles the temptation of cheating on his wife. "I look at her and say, would this relationship be worth me losing my wife, my kids, probably my home, everything I've worked for?" When you look at it that way, you find you can lose far more than you stand to gain. And yet it happens every day, people trade away everything for a moments pleasure, or a little more money, or to be part of the group.
God offers us something eternal, a life that has purpose and real meaning, peace and a network of friends that care about you and love you. And yet many trade this free gift for the slavery of our desires, greed, ego and addictions.
Let me end with this, I've had to say I'm sorry. I have made mistakes, and at times I've taken the easy way. Most of us have, but with God the slate gets rubbed clean, I start over working even harder not to repeat the same mistakes. Jesus loves me even when I fail, and through Him I'm a better man. I've also learned to forgive people, even people that have cheated me, lied to me, hurt me. I can forgive because I know that God has forgiven me.
So when you come to a crossroad in your life, and you will, and you have to decide on a path you will travel, take the one that you know God would want you to take.
It will be worth it.
Well I'm not sure I did anything, but I'm trying to be relevant in today's society.
As far as I know, I have heard apologies from, baseball players, elected officials, coaches, stock brokers, both honest and dishonest, CEO's, and a certain swimmer, the list just keeps on going.
What does this tell us?
First, we have become more self-focused. It's about us, our money pile, our ego, our legacy, our greed. Get what you can for yourself and who cares about anyone else.
For the most part you can get away with that, but even that isn't enough. People see a blurred line between right and wrong. If it makes me richer, faster, better, one of the guys, and nobody catches me, why not?
I can always say "I'm sorry".
In most of the apologies I've seen, I'm not sure their sorry about what they did, just sorry they got caught.
None of the apologies I've seen were offered before they got caught. Only when their deeds were brought to light, did they want forgiveness.
Second it seems that we weigh the consequences with what we stand to gain and decide it's worth it. To cheat and make more money is worth the risk. To have an affair is worth the risk that the wife will find out. To do drugs is worth the risk that it could become an addiction.
That's what scares me the most, people are willing to give up so much for something that in all likelihood they can't hang on to anyway.
A very good friend of mine once told me how he handles the temptation of cheating on his wife. "I look at her and say, would this relationship be worth me losing my wife, my kids, probably my home, everything I've worked for?" When you look at it that way, you find you can lose far more than you stand to gain. And yet it happens every day, people trade away everything for a moments pleasure, or a little more money, or to be part of the group.
God offers us something eternal, a life that has purpose and real meaning, peace and a network of friends that care about you and love you. And yet many trade this free gift for the slavery of our desires, greed, ego and addictions.
Let me end with this, I've had to say I'm sorry. I have made mistakes, and at times I've taken the easy way. Most of us have, but with God the slate gets rubbed clean, I start over working even harder not to repeat the same mistakes. Jesus loves me even when I fail, and through Him I'm a better man. I've also learned to forgive people, even people that have cheated me, lied to me, hurt me. I can forgive because I know that God has forgiven me.
So when you come to a crossroad in your life, and you will, and you have to decide on a path you will travel, take the one that you know God would want you to take.
It will be worth it.
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
MISSIONAL vs ATTRACTIONAL...PART TWO
Mission
What comes to your mind when you think of the word mission?
Perhaps you think of a foreign country where missionaries work. Maybe you think about a soup kitchen or half-way house. You might even think of an old church in the old west.
But I think in the context of the church, mission is a task. It is an assignment, like when "M" sends James Bond out to do something. OK maybe the James Bond reference is a bit much, but you get the idea.
To compare attractional and missional is like comparing me to Tom Cruise (I'm really closer to Harrison Ford looking). It's not even close (I'll let the ones who know what I look like to judge who is better looking).
The missional church is focused on what they believe God has called them to do. The worship service on Sunday becomes a celebration of what God has done through the week. They put their faith in action, to serve, not to be served.
I guess that's really what it boils down to. The attractional model seems to say, "what do we do to put people in the pews?" The missional model says, "what do we do to get people out of the pews and into a ministry?"
You might think this is a new thing, but Jesus told us to make disciples, and disciples, as least as far as I can tell, got involved in their churches as well as different communities.
I think the bonus here is that when churches are missional, they do tend to attract people, it's not why we do it, but I've found that as churches step out in faith, God blesses what they do.
Now I know that sometimes that means we move out of our comfort zones, and that makes us feel...well uncomfortable. But we have a choice, take the easy road that might get you some more people, well at least more people for awhile. Or we can join God on a mission, and in so doing grow as Christians, and our churches becomes healthier in the process.
Some would argue that I'm talking about a works based theology, but please understand, if God changes us, he changes every part of us. James tells us that faith without works is dead, C. S. Lewis explains it this way, you can't have one without the other, that it's like a pair of scissors, it takes both blades to cut. One without the other is pretty much useless.
Will your church accept the mission?
Or will it be mission impossible?
What comes to your mind when you think of the word mission?
Perhaps you think of a foreign country where missionaries work. Maybe you think about a soup kitchen or half-way house. You might even think of an old church in the old west.
But I think in the context of the church, mission is a task. It is an assignment, like when "M" sends James Bond out to do something. OK maybe the James Bond reference is a bit much, but you get the idea.
To compare attractional and missional is like comparing me to Tom Cruise (I'm really closer to Harrison Ford looking). It's not even close (I'll let the ones who know what I look like to judge who is better looking).
The missional church is focused on what they believe God has called them to do. The worship service on Sunday becomes a celebration of what God has done through the week. They put their faith in action, to serve, not to be served.
I guess that's really what it boils down to. The attractional model seems to say, "what do we do to put people in the pews?" The missional model says, "what do we do to get people out of the pews and into a ministry?"
You might think this is a new thing, but Jesus told us to make disciples, and disciples, as least as far as I can tell, got involved in their churches as well as different communities.
I think the bonus here is that when churches are missional, they do tend to attract people, it's not why we do it, but I've found that as churches step out in faith, God blesses what they do.
Now I know that sometimes that means we move out of our comfort zones, and that makes us feel...well uncomfortable. But we have a choice, take the easy road that might get you some more people, well at least more people for awhile. Or we can join God on a mission, and in so doing grow as Christians, and our churches becomes healthier in the process.
Some would argue that I'm talking about a works based theology, but please understand, if God changes us, he changes every part of us. James tells us that faith without works is dead, C. S. Lewis explains it this way, you can't have one without the other, that it's like a pair of scissors, it takes both blades to cut. One without the other is pretty much useless.
Will your church accept the mission?
Or will it be mission impossible?
Tuesday, December 30, 2008
MISSIONAL vs ATTRACTIONAL...PART ONE
(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.
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.
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?
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