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Archive for the ‘Church’ Category

Love and Light

Posted in Church, Community, Hope on July 1, 2014| 1 Comment »

Have you ever thought about what our world would look like if all the churches in it were focused on being God’s love and light?  At the risk of being labeled judgmental regarding the church, I have to wonder if all the churches on the planet are really being the church God ordained.  If they are, then why does our world look the way it does?  And understand, I am not looking past our walls and pointing the finger at all the other churches in the world.  The church in which I serve could do better as well.

God called us to be known by love and to be children of light.  Our world is suffocating – sin, corruption and evil are choking the life out of our culture and the love of God is the only hope of resuscitation.  People are groping around in darkness thinking this is as good as it gets when all along, we have the true light that illuminates life and offers direction.

When will the church wake up, rise up and live up to her calling?

I say today is the day!  I say it is time!  I say let it start with me!

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We Have No Idea

Posted in Church, Community, Hope, Missions on June 18, 2014| Leave a Comment »

A little over a week ago, I had the blessing to spend two days with pastors and their spouses in Juarez, Mexico.  I mentioned a little about it here.

As I have reflected on my time there and the relationships God continued and some that were begun, I have been drawn to pray for one couple in particular.  On Saturday morning of the retreat, sitting around the breakfast table, I listened to a couple who are struggling with a true dilemma.  They explained their situation.  The church in which he pastors is growing and they both feel God is blessing their work in the church.  But on another front, they have witnessed a terrible crime, they believe to be related to the violence that has plagued their city for the past six years.  If they approach the authorities, they will become targets themselves.  If they say nothing, they feel they are not fulfilling their ethical responsibility for justice.

While much of the communication was through a translator, I understand enough Spanish that I could pick up most of what they were saying.  But the anguish and concern they both displayed transcended any language barrier that might have been present.  The tears shed at that table over that hour were real.

I have continued to think about this couple and their situation and ask myself what I would do if I were in their situation.  I have to honestly say, I am not sure.  When I think about the fact that God promises to be with us always then I think, maybe I would stick it out.  Then I think about Jesus’ words pertaining to dealing with the world when he said to be as wise a serpents and gentle as doves.  God gave us a brain to be able to discern what is best.

What would you do?

Regardless of our answer, the main point I would make today regarding this story, is that I am reminded that here in the US, we really don’t have a clue as to what kind of persecution is happening around the world.  We struggle with carpet colors for the hallways or what temperature to keep the thermostat set on in the worship center so that the fewest people complain.  We wonder why people choose to have their children so involved in sports that they no longer have time for church activities.  And while they are frustrations, we really have no clue what real struggles are like.  We have it so easy.

Father, forgive me for my shallow faith.  Forgive me for being concerned about things that don’t really matter when all around me, people are struggling and need your hope and your salvation.  Make me a light today!

Amen

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Seeing Clearly Through the Dust

Posted in Church, Community, Missions on June 17, 2014| 2 Comments »

Life is not back to normal (whatever that is) but I can see the light at the end of the tunnel.  For the last month and a half, we have been undergoing a face lift at the church.  Most of the ground floor of our main building has been remodeled.  That has meant relocating offices, putting up with a lot of noise, a lot of interruptions and a ton of dust.  But other than a little counter top work, tile flooring and some cleaning, we can see the end.

One of the things that God has reminded me through this process is that it is really easy to get into a rut and miss ministry opportunities.  By being forced into a new work mode, I have seen things differently.  I have been reminded that things don’t need to stay the same.  We must never forget the past and the tradition, and those who have given their blood, sweat, tears and prayer to build what we have – both in the physical sense but also the spiritual sense.  But while we must strive to honor our heritage, we cannot live in it.

Our world changes daily.  In fact, the old concept of developing a 5 and 10 year long range plan is not applicable any longer.  The best we can hope for is developing a direction that will carry us for the next 24 months (and that is pushing it).

In order for the church to fulfill her mission – the calling to share the Gospel with the world – she has to remain relevant – and yes, that includes our facilities.  I realize that some of the changes we are making are different for those who have called 1st B their church home for 40 to 50 years, but the mission has not changed.  The Gospel is the same today as it was 100 years ago.  And the demand of the Great Commission is still the driving force of what we do.  We have just tweaked the system of delivery and operation.

God is at work, we just have to join him in what he is already doing!

Be blessed today!

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Ms. Norma and My Shoes

Posted in Church, Community, Hope on June 5, 2014| 3 Comments »

Tuesday was a difficult day for many people in our church family and others outside our church family as well. Tuesday, an integral part of our family moved. She had been planning on moving to be closer to her family in another part of the state. But she made a more distant move – still to be with family, but farther than any of us expected.

Norma was one of those people that could not – and would not – be ignored. When she entered a room you knew it. Her personality was contagious and her wit infectious. She rarely was speechless when it came to the banter she and I shared – and there was plenty of banter. She was faithful to attend church every Sunday morning and Sunday night. She was also present every Wednesday night for Bible Study.

She was a career military wife and she loved it. She loved to talk about it. She was proud of her husband who served his country with all he had. She was proud of all her family members who have done and are doing the same.

Her biggest chide at me (and it came every time I saw her) was the appearance of my shoes. Being a military wife, she was used to shoes being spit shined. She expected to see her reflection in the toes of my black dress shoes. So each time we saw each other, she looked immediately at my feet with a smile on her face. When she would “get on to me” for my shoes not meeting her expectation, I would politely smile and tell her, “next week I will drop them off at your house on Saturday and let you take care of that for me.” Of course I never did – but it was all part of the playful exchange we had just about every week.

Norma, you have been such a vital part of the ministry here and such a dear friend to so many – especially me! You will be missed!

Sunday is coming – now where is my shoe polish?

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Living For Today

Posted in Church, Community, Hope on May 19, 2014| Leave a Comment »

What will this week bring?  Will God use me this week to make a difference in another life?  Or will the days pass by just so that I can mark them off my calendar as if looking forward to some grand event?

So often we miss the blessings of today because we are too focused on tomorrow.  Sometimes we overlook the impact we could make in another life today because we are too busy planning how to impact a life tomorrow.  How often do we rush past someone in need on our way to church to talk about helping people in need?

One of the posts I read regularly dealt with seeing the world through God’s eyes – with God’s perspective.  We are conditioned to see the world and the people in it through our own lenses.  But today, I want to see differently.  I don’t want to rush past a divine appointment because I have already made up my mind that the appointment is tomorrow.  I want to live for today.

Will you strive to see the world through God’s eyes today?

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Just Wondering

Posted in Church, Community, Formation on May 12, 2014| Leave a Comment »

As believers and followers of the Way, we say we believe that there is one God.  We hold to the truth that Jesus is God’s one and only son.  We accept the fact that Jesus came to earth, showed us how to live and to love and then died in our place on a cross.  We celebrate the fact that on the third day after the cross event, Jesus walked out of that borrowed tomb – alive and well.

We say we believe these things – these basic elements of our faith.

But I wonder what our churches – what our communities – what our world would look like if we lived like we truly believe these things.

Just wondering!

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Serving Jesus By Adapting

Posted in Church, Community, Motivational on April 29, 2014| Leave a Comment »

There is so much going on at the church, it has been difficult for me to sit still long enough to devote much time to my ramblings here.  We celebrated a wonderful Easter season and then moved right into some much needed facility renovations that have consumed much of my time.  But progress is a wonderful thing and the changes that are coming about to our facility are going to make a huge difference for years and years to come.

Taking walls down and changing the look of the facility has caused me to pause and think about the last 60 or so years in the life of the church.  The facility looks much the same today as it did when it was constructed in the early 1950’s.  It has served our family and our community well.  Countless lives have been impacted by the ministry of our church and the facilities have played a major role in that impact.

But times change.  Culture changes.  What was relevant many years ago, does not carry the same weight today.  So things must change – ministry needs require adaptation.  We still have wonderful facilities but in order for them to be used effectively, we need to shift a bit and make a few changes here and there in order to utilize what God has given us to the best of our ability.

As I have thought about the renovations, I have thought about how each of us face decisions regarding adaptation.  We are called to make disciples.  But the tools we used 20 years ago, may not be effective today.  We have to be willing to strive to remain relevant – and that is a challenge.  We like things to stay the same.  We like to hold on to things.  We often resist change – particularly if it effects us personally.

Jesus did not die on the cross to save me for a life of comfort.  He died to call me out of my sin and into a life of service and devotion to him.  That service is a life of sharing the good news of his mercy and hope with others.  It is not a calling that we grow out of or that has a time limit.  If we are still drawing breath, we are still called to impact other for Christ.

Are there areas of your life that need to adapt in order to make a greater impact for Christ possible?

Think about it.

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What Would Success Look Like?

Posted in Church, Community, Hope on April 2, 2014| 5 Comments »

Today, I am asking for you feedback.  Yesterday, I discussed the state of the church today and left the post with the haunting question of whether or not what we call church today is what God intended it to be.  In yesterday’s post, I quoted Jim Denison’s statement that “Rather than measuring success by how many people go to church, let’s measure success by how effectively the church goes to people.”

I am continuing to wrestle with this idea.  So today, I am asking for you input.  Comment here or email me your thoughts on what this would look like.

If we were to try and measure the effectiveness of the church going to people, what would success look like?

I look forward to your thoughts.

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Is Today’s Church What God Intended?

Posted in Church, Community, Leadership on April 1, 2014| 2 Comments »

Yesterday, I was reading a daily blog post from Jim Denison.  You can link to it here.  Jim writes each weekday with relevant and timely postings dealing with our faith, our world and how the two interact.

Yesterday, his post caught my attention and has had my thoughts on house arrest since.  The title of the post was, “51% of U.S. Adults Say Church Is Not Important.”  For a pastor, the title alone caught my eye.  I wish I could say it was new information.  I have read these statistics before and even worse, I see it in my own community and church.

The information in his article comes primarily from the Barna Group which is known for statistical research within the faith community.  There are stats dealing with age characteristics that say that the older generations are more tied to the church than the younger – again, not necessarily new news.  But one comment opened my eyes a bit.  There is a new perception among Americans about what constitutes “regular church attendance.”  Regular church attendance used to be defined as attending 3 or 4 times per month.  Now, the new perception of what constitutes “regular” is attending church once in 4 to 6 weeks.  While this is shocking to see it in print, the reality is, we see it every week in our churches – we just haven’t quantified it.

The old school can sit back, cross arms and look down noses with pious attitudes toward the derelict society but that does nothing to encourage church attendance – in fact, it has the opposite effect.

Jim makes a very audacious suggestion at the end of the post.  He says, “Rather than measuring success by how many people go to church, let’s measure success by how effectively the church goes to people . . . Our Lord launched a movement, not an institution.  His church is an army attacking the gates of hell, not an ark built to weather the storm.”

For years, I have seen the church as a huge machine that humanity has built that now must be maintained.  Don’t get me wrong, I love the church.  I believe the church is God’s plan A to redeem mankind.  But I have to wonder if what we call church today is what God intended.

Something to ponder . . .

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The Ink of Doctrine and the Blood of Life

Posted in Church, Formation, Hope, Motivational on February 20, 2014| Leave a Comment »

I have had the blessing of being able to attend a preaching conference at Truett Seminary on Baylor’s campus this week.  The environment of being back on a college campus is always refreshing but the conference was especially meaningful this year.  We had the privilege to sit and listen to one of the country’s premier orators – Dr. Robert Smith, preaching professor at Beason Divinity School in Alabama.   Each session I made my way out of the chapel inspired and depressed at the same time.

Inspired by his words and his passion for the Word.  I walked out of there with a renewed passion for speaking God’s truth.  But I also walked out a bit dejected in knowing I most likely will never be able to deliver a message with the excitement and eloquence of Dr. Smith.  He is a true communicator and I am glad I have had the privilege to sit at the feet of an artist that can paint with words.

But here is what I am thinking about this morning as a prepare for my long drive.  I am thinking about how Dr. Smith defined the goal of preaching.  He said the goal is to take the ink of doctrine and turn it into the blood of life.

I should stop there and let you join me in meditating on that statement.  In fact, I do challenge you to meditate on that thought today.  But I challenge you to take it out of the context of preaching and think about our role as followers in the Way.

Shouldn’t that be our goal each and every day as we get out of bed and prepare for our hurried life?  Shouldn’t our goal be to take what we say we believe and put it to practice.  Shouldn’t the pages of our doctrine, our beliefs – the Bible – take on human form and action?

Our understanding of Jesus – as limited as it is – should course through our veins as the very blood that gives life.

Today, as you rush through your To Do list and responsibilities, how is your belief in Jesus going to affect what you do, what you say and with whom you interact?

Think about it.

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