Go A Little Deeper

A Christian Looks at Islam

2012-02-12T07:42:00.005-06:00

This message by Pastor Adam Hamilton will prove helpful to you as you seek to understand how Christians are called to relate to Muslims...

http://www.cor.org/worship/sermon-archives/show/sermons/A-Christian-Looks-at-Islam/

WHAT IN THE WORLD IS GOING ON?

2012-01-22T10:22:00.002-06:00

On Sunday, January 29, I begin a new message series titled "What In the World Is Going On?"

How does our faith connect with the events on the world scene? How does biblical truth affect the way we see the world? Are the awful things that happen all around us simply fulfillment of prophecy?

COMMENT on this blog...What do you see happening in the world around us that causes you great concern??

JANUARY 15 - Thoughts on "Servant Leadership"

2012-01-15T06:26:00.002-06:00

As we think together about "The Hands On Challenge," you may enjoy reading a little bit more about how the concept of "SERVANT LEADERSHIP" is being applied in the world of business:

SERVANT LEADERSHIP article from Wikipedia

JANUARY 1 - Thoughts on Goal Setting!

2012-01-01T06:31:00.002-06:00

JOHN WESLEY: Do all the good you can, by all the means you can, in all the ways you can, in all the places you can, to all the people you can, as long as ever you can.

DAVID MAINES: You're likely to fail at godly goals if you attempt to do too much - to grow in every area of your life. This year, narrow the search by choosing one character quality to work on. Map out a single-minded program of development. Do you want to become more loving? Design a prayer - type it out - place it where you will see it daily. Write out scriptures from Genesis to Revelation that speak of love. Reread these through the year. Think about a loving person you know, someone who can be a model for you. Finally, remember to put it all in God's hands, for the grace of God will be upon you as you work at developing that godly character quality.

ANTHONY THE GREAT: The blacksmith, who pounds a piece of iron, has previously thought about what he wants to make - a sickle, a knife, an axe - and works accordingly. And so let the man of God ponder in advance which virtues he wishes to acquire, in order not to toil aimlessly.

DON NATIONS: Do you have resolutions or plans for 2012? Resolutions are the things we hope will happen in the new year. As most resolutions do not make it out of the month of January, it is clear that these are mostly wishes for what will happen – hopefully without a lot of new effort of our part.

Plans are different. They are specific new actions that we are going to take in order to produce new and desired results. Plans set priorities and push us towards a specific goal. Plans are necessary because we know that if we only make minor tweaks to what we have been doing, we are not going to see the much improved results we say we want.

Do you have resolutions or plans? Plans can push us out of our comfort zone but they can also be the key to significant improvement!

ROBERT LOUIS STEVENSON (ideas for New Year's resolutions):
1. Make up your mind to be happy. Learn to find pleasure in simple things.
2. Make the best of your circumstances. No one has everything, and everyone has something of sorrow intermingled with the gladness of life.
3. Don't take yourself too seriously. Don't think that somehow you should be protected from misfortunes that befall others.
4. You can't please everybody. Don't let criticism worry you.
5. Don't let your neighbors set your standards. Be yourself.
6. Do the things that you enjoy doing, but stay out of debt.
7. Don't borrow trouble.
8. Since hate poisons the soul, do not cherish enmities or grudges. Avoid people who make you unhappy.
9. Have many interests. If you can't travel, read about new places.
10. Don't hold postmortems. Don't spend your life brooding over sorrows and mistakes.
11. Don't be one who never gets over things.

DAVID & KAREN MAINES: Goals shouldn't keep accumulating from year to year. They need to be weeded. Pull those that are purely secular - a drive for good looks or success. Those may make you perfect in some people's eyes, but not in the eyes of God. Godly goals have everything to do with obedience, sacrifice for the common good, serving others and serving the Lord, dying to self, developing qualities of character that are anything but ego-gratifying. Spend a little time with Christ in your goal garden. Are there weeds that he would like you to pull and discard?

HENRIETTA KERR: I think you will find that it is not by making resolutions in a difficulty that you will conquer a fault - tackling it, I mean - but much more by opening a window to Almighty God, and letting him speak to you. He sets us thinking and mending our faults by a quiet way which looks as though it had nothing to do with it; and then, when we come to about where our fault used to be, we find it gone.

GREG ASIMAKOUPOULOS:
Another year's been published.
It was one for the books.
It's bound to be remembered
so go ahead, take one last look.
Pages filled with busyness
paragraphs of fear
footnotes of regret
endnotes of prayer
chapters of contentment
indexes of joy
illustrations of amazing grace
in a most amazing year.
But all that's ancient history.
What's past is in the past.
It's time to write a sequel
filled with memories that will last.
Your table is unblemished
just like the days ahead.
So, full of faith and confidence
write on with ink or lead.

A PRAYER: Father, as a new year evolves, I resolve to involve myself in matters that matter, in concerns that concern others, and in issues that issue from your will. To that end, please send your Spirit and fill my heart as I start afresh to serve. Amen.

DEC. 25 - Thoughts on Gift Receiving

2011-12-25T21:50:00.002-06:00

During today's message we thought together about how we receive the gift of Jesus! It's also helpful to think about how we receive gifts that are offered to us from others - both at Christmas time - and all year long. Here are some thoughts from others...

DON'T FORGET the "small moments." In our hurried pace, we sometimes miss the gifts God has given us. Moments that usually escape us can be precious - a sunrise, a full moon, a bird singing. Stop to look, listen, smell, enjoy, and admire the gifts God continually supplies. And say THANK YOU!

1 TIMOTHY 4:4-5 (nlt). Since everything God created is good, we should not reject any of it but receive it with thanks. For we know it is made acceptable by the word of God and prayer.

OLD SCOTTISH PROVERB: Whatever you do, don't be a stingy receiver!

WRITE A FAMILY PRAYER. Have each family member include a few sentences of things they are thankful for from 2011. Store the prayer with your Christmas keepsakes, and read it again a year from now! And then write a new one!

WATCH FOR GIFTS WITHOUT BOWS. Some of the best gifts you will receive may not be wrapped in fancy paper with a bow on top. A kind gesture. Help in a tough time. Don't take these surprises for granted. Acknowledge them with a grateful heart! If you really dare, think about the gifts you have received that seemed negative at first - but turned out for the best.

A PRAYER. O Lord Christ, you came to us as a small gift, in an ordinary place, in common time. Help us to receive the small things as precious, and get caught up with the grandiose, the extravagant, the expensive, the exquisite. We are, after all - all of us - very small in terms of history and the universe. Yet YOU gratefully receive US with joy! Teach us to do the same! Amen.

THINK OF MARY. So often we are reluctant receivers of the gifts that come our way. We don't consider unexpected interruptions or extra activities as gifts. We want everything to run smoothly, according to our plans. When our days involve changes in our plans, giving thanks becomes a chore. Like Mary, who was given the quite unexpected gift of being the mother of the Messiah - we can receive with thanksgiving the unexpected gifts!

AND FINALLY - SOME ADVICE FROM MISS MANNERS ON THANK YOU NOTES!! Today's Houston Chronicle Miss Manners column had some good advice on how to write a good thank you note!

She notes three good elements to a good thank you note!

(1) An expression of delight.

(2) Mention of the particular present and why it caused this delight.

(3) Kind words about the giver along with the expression of thanks.

She also notes two examples of POOR thank you notes!!

The first is in the "Thanks, I Hate It" category. This one came in response to being given a basket of fruits and sweets:

“I know that this probably cost a mint, so it makes me feel very guilty when I throw it all in the trash. One year I took a bunch of sweets to the women and children’s shelter here in town, but I was appalled when I saw that almost everyone in there was morbidly obese. So, I never took another. There is really not one soul who lives in this house who can eat those sweets with reckless abandon — all of us have weight issues. If you can’t steer away from sending these, please do not worry — I will just continue to throw it all away. (I did keep the six pears.)”

The second is in the category of “Don’t Think You’re Finished Shopping.” This person received the gift of a sweater:

“I’m sending this back, because even though the size is OK, I like to wear things bigger, but the real problem is the color. What were you thinking? I hate blue! I didn’t see a gift receipt, and anyway, you live nearer the mall than I do, so I would appreciate a larger one in medium green, not too dark and certainly not that awful yellowy green. You can send me pictures from the store if you’re not sure.”

REMEMBER to "season your gift-receiving" appropriately!!

DEC. 18 - Thoughts on Glorifying!!

2011-12-18T07:49:00.012-06:00

How do we "season the season" with glorifying? Here are some not-so-random thoughts from David Mains and others:

THINK about how you approach the worship service. Come, expecting to receive. Don't come like a cork - bobbing on the ocean, just going through the motions. Come with your eyes open to see the hand of God, and your ears tuned to hear the frequency of heaven!

USE MUSIC. The music of the season - in your home or car - can help tune your heart any time of year! Share songs that touch your heart with your children and other family members. (BY THE WAY - did you know there is a new Christian music station in Austin County - check out 90.7 FM.)

CONTINUAL PRAISE. Implement continual praise into your life. Adopt a praise phrase (like "Glory to Jesus" - or - "Be with me Lord" - or - "Glory to God in the highest" - or another one) - and repeat it to yourself throughout the day.

TWEET PRAISE! Use Twitter or Facebook to share brief inspirational thoughts with others!

PRAYER WRAPPING. Pray for each person who is receiving a gift as you wrap it!

BORING TASKS. Use "task time" like driving, or walking the dog, to meditate on the goodness of God.

IDENTIFY OBSTACLES. Write down obstacles that keep you from offering yourself wholly to God. Pray about those obstacles.

SEE THE BABY! When you see a family with a newborn, if it is appropriate, take a moment to say a word of blessing to them. Then say a silent prayer for that family. And thank God for becoming a helpless, humble child in order to save you from your sins!

USE THE MANGER SCENE. Use the manger scene characters with your family to talk about what it was like for each of the characters in the Christmas story - even the animals!

MOVIE NIGHT. Purchase or rent the great movie "The Nativity Story" (suitable for approximately age 10 and up). Talk about the movie with your family!

TALK ABOUT CHRISTMAS EVE WORSHIP. Talk with your family members about how excited you are to celebrate that "holy night." If you are out of town, find a church (of any denomination) to attend.

INVITE A NEIGHBOR to share Christmas Eve Candlelight worship with you! Candlelight worship at BUMC on Christmas Eve is at 4:30 and 6:30 p.m. - plus we have an "early" candlelight service (for those whose schedules are busy on Christmas Eve) - on Wednesday, Dec. 21 at 6:30 p.m.

A POEM. Read this poem by Greg Asimakoupoulos, called "Godspeak":

As I sit in silence for the service to begin,
I wonder how the living Lord might speak to me again.
Will it be the songs we sing or in the pastor's prayer?
It just might be the sermon or a need somebody shares.
Maybe God will touch my heart through laughter or a sigh,
or even through distractions like a newborn's hungry cry.
Whatever means God chooses to bend my ear his way,
I will worship him expectantly for there is something he will say.

DECEMBER 4 - Top Ten Christmas Shopping Mistakes

2011-12-01T15:05:00.002-06:00

Top 10 Christmas Shopping Mistakes (from daveramsey.com)

We’ve all paid “stupid tax” — making costly decisions with zeros on the end. A lot of those decisions happen when we’re caught up in the emotion of the Christmas season and procrastinate a little too long.

Make this year different!

Here are the top 10 Christmas shopping mistakes and how you can act differently:

1. Not prioritizing. Instead of getting stressed out with all the parties, baking and shopping, in addition to your normal daily life, set some priorities before you’re bombarded with a million requests. Think about which things are “must do” and which are “would be nice to do.” It’s all right to say no to keep yourself sane. Shopping for gifts is more fun when you’re not completely stressed out.

2. Not using a budget. Before you make a gift list and head to the mall, set aside a reasonable amount of money for gifts. Make a commitment that you won’t add $20 to the fund every week just because you saw something cute that your niece would love. Get budgeting advice here.

3. Using credit cards. Once you have your budget finalized, stay away from credit cards! You will still spend 12-18% more if you use plastic, and you’ll be paying it off come 2012! Doesn’t paying with cash sound more freeing than having a credit card balance looming over your head? You bet.

4. Buying for everyone. Do you really need to buy gifts for every family member and friend you have? That can get overwhelming and expensive for everyone. Talk with them and work toward an agreement to draw names for gifts or donate money to a common cause.

5. Not listening. Listen to the hints your loved ones drop about what they need or want this year. Maybe your Aunt Sally mentioned that she would love someone to help her in the garden, or Cousin Bob keeps losing guitar picks. A thoughtful gift like this will mean a lot.

6. Not having a thought-out list on paper. If you think you can spend time in “Christmas retail world” without getting distracted by all the shiny toys, you’re in for a big surprise! You’ll be more likely to buy impulsively if you do it that way. Write down what each person you’re buying for would like and stick to the list. Stay focused!

7. Not shopping around. “Shopping around” doesn’t mean you have to spend 24 extra hours running from store to store to save 10 cents. Take a look at your gift list and do some comparative price-checking online before you head out into the retail and traffic madness. This will save you money, time and stress!

8. Waiting until the last minute. Procrastination is not the most appealing gift out there. Don’t find yourself stressed out on Christmas Eve just because you didn’t invest a little bit of time to plan.

9. Forgetting to plan for next year. Throughout the next year, look for outrageous sales on things your loved ones will need. If you time the sales just right and clip some coupons, you could land a major discount on something you were going to buy in a few months for a birthday or wedding gift. Remember to have a list and budget for this, too.

10. Forgetting why we celebrate. If this season becomes all about shopping and gifts, you’ve missed the whole point. People—not things—matter. The miraculous birth of a baby who changed the world is what matters.

Week 24 - Transformation Journal - Role Models (June 19-25)

2011-06-17T10:59:00.003-05:00

the word on...ROLE MODELS

SUNDAY 6/19 - What is my role in being an example for others?
Read Acts 11:19-26 and 1 Corinthians 10:23 - 11:1

MONDAY 6/20 - How do I model faith to the next generation of believers?
Read Deuteronomy 11:2-7, 13-21 and 2 Timothy 1:3-14

TUESDAY 6/21 - What happens if I am not a good model of faith for others?
Read Judges 2:10-15 and 1 Samuel 2:11-18

WEDNESDAY 6/22 - How do I point others to God with my life?
Read Deuteronomy 31:1-8 and Hebrews 11:32 - 12:2

THURSDAY 6/23 - Can I really be an example for others to follow?
Read Esther 2:5-7, 17-19; Esther 4:1-17 and 1 Timothy 4:11-16

FRIDAY 6/24 - How can I help others respond to the calling of God?
Read 2 Kings 2:1-22 and 2 Timothy 4:1-8

SATURDAY 6/25 - How do I care for those God has given me to shepherd?
Read Acts 20:17-35 and 1 Peter 5:1-4

Week 23 - Transformation Journal (June 12-18)

2011-06-17T10:55:00.002-05:00

the word on...THE HOLY SPIRIT

SUNDAY 6/12 - What was the relationship between Jesus and the Holy Spirit during Jesus' time on earth?
Read Luke 4:14-20 and Philippians 2:5-13

MONDAY 6/13 - Why was it important for Jesus to rejoin his Father in heaven?
Read John 14:15-31

TUESDAY 6/14 - What was the significance of Pentecost?
Read Acts 2:1-21

WEDNESDAY 6/15 - What does it mean to be "filled" with the Spirit?
Read Acts 4:1-37 and Ephesians 5:17-18

THURSDAY 6/16 - Is the Holy Spirit described only in the New Testament?
Read 1 Samuel 16:1-23

FRIDAY 6/17 - What if I don't understand what God is saying in Scripture?
Read 1 Corinthians 2:1-16 and Isaiah 55:6-11

SATURDAY 6/18 - What difference can the presence of the Holy Spirit make in my everyday life?

Week 18 - Transformation Journal (May 8-14)

2011-05-03T15:31:00.004-05:00

the word on...COMMUNION

For Pastor Robert's 2010 message on Communion go to this link:
BUMC MESSAGES
and find the message from October 3, 2010

SUNDAY 5/8 - How did the ritual of Communion begin?
Read Exodus 12:1-13, 21-30

MONDAY 5/9 - Why did God's people celebrate the Passover?
Read Exodus 12:14-20 and Deuteronomy 16:1-8

TUESDAY 5/10 - What was the purpose of Old Testament sacrifices?
Read Exodus 13:1-16 and Hebrews 7:18-28

WEDNESDAY 5/11 - Why is taking Communion significant for believers?
Read Jeremiah 31:31-34 and Luke 22:7-23

THURSDAY 5/12 - What is the significance of the bread used in Communion?
Read John 6:35 and Hebrews 10:1-25

FRIDAY 5/13 - What is the significance of the cup used in Communion?
Read Ephesians 1:7 and Hebrews 9:1-28

SATURDAY 5/14 - What attitude should I have each time I take Communion?
Read 1 Corinthians 11:17-34 and 5:6-8

Week 17 - Transformation Journal (May 1-7)

2011-05-03T15:29:00.002-05:00

the word on...WORSHIP

SUNDAY 5/1 - What kind of worshippers does God seek?
Read John 4:1-26

MONDAY 5/2 - What is the outcome of worship?
Read Romans 12:1-2 and 1 Peter 2:4-10

TUESDAY 5/3 - How did biblical characters demonstrate a lifestyle of worship?
Read 2 Samuel 6:12-23 and Psalm 100

WEDNESDAY 5/4 - How can I worship when I feel doubtful?
Read Matthew 28:1-20 and Psalm 20

THURSDAY 5/5 - In what specific ways can I worship and honor God?
Read Ephesians 5:8-20 and Colossians 3:12-27

FRIDAY 5/6 - Is there a difference between worship in the Old and New Testaments?
Read Hebrews 12:18-29 and Psalm 98

SATURDAY 5/7 - How does the authenticity of my worship influence other people?
Read Amos 5:21-24 and Isaiah 58:1-14

Week 16 - Transformation Journal (April 24-30)

2011-04-23T11:27:00.002-05:00

the word on...RECONCILIATION

SUNDAY 4/24 - What does "reconciliation" mean?
Read John 1:1-18 and John 3:16-21

MONDAY 4/25 - What are the characteristics of reconciliation?
Read Isaiah 11:1-10 and Isaiah 65:17-25

TUESDAY 4/26 - What does God expect of me as a "reconciler"?
Read 2 Corinthians 5:11-21 and 2 Corinthians 6:1-12

WEDNESDAY 4/27 - What examples of reconciliation does the Bible provide?
Read Genesis 45:1-28

THURSDAY 4/28 - What can I expect from a lifestyle of reconciliation?
Read Mark 4:1-20

FRIDAY 4/29 - How does practicing reconciliation with others fuel my Christian walk?
Read Matthew 5:21-26 and Ephesians 4:21-27

SATURDAY 4/30 - How can I stay reconciled with God?
Read 1 John 1:8-10 and 1 John 2:1-11

more thoughts on Palm Sunday

2011-04-23T11:26:00.002-05:00

Palm Sunday's message referred to some thoughts from Halden Doerge - his message on Palm Sunday can be found at this link:

"YOUR HOPE MUST BE DASHED" - by Halden Doerge of Portland, Ore.

Week 15 - Transformation Journal (April 17-23)

2011-04-23T11:21:00.002-05:00

the word on...HOPE

SUNDAY 4/17 - What hope is there for me when I have doubts about my faith?
Read John 20:19-30

MONDAY 4/18 - Can Jesus endure my questions and turn them into trust?
Read John 3:1-15 and John 19:38-42

TUESDAY 4/19 - Why should I put my hope in God?
Read Psalm 25:1-5 and Psalm 62:1-8

WEDNESDAY 4/20 - How will Jesus help me have hope when I'm in need?
Read Luke 8:40-56

THURSDAY 4/21 - How can I stay hopeful when life turns bleak?
Read Habakkuk 3:1-19 and 1 Timothy 6:17

FRIDAY 4/22 - How can Jesus turn my hope in him into faithful action?
Read Matthew 14:22-36

SATURDAY 4/23 - How does hope keep me on the right track in my Christian walk?
Read Ephesians 1:15-23, 1 John 3:1-3, and 1 Peter 1:13-15

Help with your testimony or witness

2011-04-10T07:57:00.002-05:00

(These thoughts come from a paper called "Telling Your Story" by Rainer Kunz.)

Thirty questions to help you unlock the power of a testimony:

How did God show up for you in a time of need?

How has God enabled you to overcome hardship, oppression and adversity for yourself and others?

What did God do with your failed dreams or other disappointments?

How has God healed you or given you special grace in a time of sickness?

How did God arrange recovery from a crisis?

How did God respond to your rebellion?

How has God changed your perceptions of the church, of life or of Himself?

How did God meet you in times of grief and sorrow?

How has God revealed His sense of humor, bring light moments in a dark world?

What epiphany, paradigm shift, or life lesson has God taught you, and what is the story behind it?

How has God given you the strength to overcome life-controlling issues?

How have you received direction or redirection from God?

Have you ever been in a situation where you needed God to show up -- otherwise you were sunk? What happened?

In John 15:5 we learn that apart from Christ we can do nothing. How has that played out in your life?

How has God enriched your marriage, family, career, or finances?

How did God bring you to himself?

How has God used mentors in your life?

How has God brought success out of humble beginnings?

How did God enable you to stand firm when you were tempted to sin or to compromise your faith?

How did God use a turning point in your life?

What has God taught you about living the Christian life, and how did he do it?

How have you received direction from God? Have you ever received direction from God in an unusual way?

How has God changed your values and your perspective?

How have you found God's grace in painful situations?

How have you found God's strength in a time of weakness?

How has God rescued you from danger?

How has God brought peace to you concerning troubling questions about your faith?

What has God taught you about problems you couldn't fix?

How has God enabled you to deal with lies about you or threats to your reputation?

How has God turned disaster around for good for you?

Creative ways to share your testimony

1. A Christmas letter or other letter or newsletter

2. In conversation

3. A video or DVD (could use an interview format)

4. To your Bible study or other small group at church

5. On a web site -- your own, your church's or there are some sites that specialize in testimonies

Eight Tips For Sharing Your Testimony

Testimonies are about what God has done in our lives, not about what we did for God. They are about God's success, not our success. We want our listener to be in awe about God and not about us.

1. Pray...and then pray some more. Speak to God and ask him to speak through you.

2. Follow a simple plan
A. your life before Christ
B. how you met Christ
C. your life after receiving Christ

3. Start with an interesting, thought provoking, and/or powerful sentence.

4. Offer a good conclusion. Try not to let things remain vague or open-ended.

5. Include relevant, thought-provoking personal experiences. Give enough detail to arouse interest.

6. Use some Scripture verses to help you explain the gospel clearly.

7. Avoid negative statements about other individuals or groups.

8. Avoid using Christian jargon like "sanctified" and "redeemed," while you lift up Christ as the way.

Week 14 - Transformation Journal (April 10-16)

2011-04-10T07:54:00.002-05:00

the word on...SHARING YOUR FAITH

SUNDAY 4/3 - Do I really have to share my faith in Jesus Christ with others?
Read Matthew 28:16-20 and Acts 1:1-9

MONDAY - What is my role in bringing others to new life in Jesus Christ?
Read Romans 10:8-17 and 2 Corinthians 5:11-21

TUESDAY - What is the story of Jesus Christ that I am to share with others?
Read Acts 10:34-48 and Acts 13:13-39

WEDNESDAY - What is the difference between sharing the gospel message and sharing my faith?
Read Acts 26:1-29

THURSDAY - How can I be a better witness of what God has done for me?
Read Psalm 71:14-42 and Psalm 145:1-21

FRIDAY - What must I do to reach others with the good news of Jesus Christ?
Read 1 Corinthians 9:16-23 and Colossians 4:2-6

SATURDAY - How much of my time should I dedicate to witnessing for Christ?
Rea 2 Corinthians 4:1-15

Week 13 - Transformation Journal (April 3-9)

2011-04-01T12:15:00.002-05:00

the word on...SECOND CHANCES

SUNDAY 4/3 - Where does the opportunity for a second chance with God begin?
Read Matthew 16:13-28

MONDAY 4/4 - What if my need for a second chance is the result of turning my back on God?
Read John 18:15-27 and 21:1-19

TUESDAY 4/5 - What can I expect from Jesus when I ask for a second chance?
Read John 8:2-11 and Hebrews 4:14-16

WEDNESDAY 4/6 - What role do followers of Jesus play in the second chances of others?
Read Luke 15:1-10 and 2 Corinthians 5:17--6:2

THURSDAY 4/7 - How does my attitude influence the realization of a second chance?
Read Luke 15:11-32

FRIDAY 4/8 - How many "second chances" do I get?
Read 1 John 1:5--2:2 and Isaiah 55:6-13

SATURDAY 4/9 - Is it ever too late to ask God for a second chance?
Read John 5:1-15 and Psalm 130

Week 12 - Transformation Journal (March 27 - April 2)

2011-04-01T12:12:00.002-05:00

the word on...OBEDIENCE

SUNDAY 3/27 - What is my first step in becoming an obedient child of God?
Read Jonah 1:1 - 2:10

MONDAY 3/28 - What are God's promises for my obedience?
Read Jonah 3:1-10 and James 1:22-25

TUESDAY 3/29 - How does my love for Christ affect my obedience to God?
Read John 14:15-31

WEDNESDAY 3/30 - How does obedience help strengthen my faith in God?
Read Luke 5:1-11 and Genesis 6:13-22

THURSDAY 3/31 - What guarantee comes with my obedience to God?
Read Matthew 7:15-29

FRIDAY 4/1 - I'm not sure what God wants of me - how can I find out?
Read Psalm 119:9-16, 33-40, 57-64, 97-104

SATURDAY 4/2 - What is God's great goal for my obedient life?
Read Acts 3:1-10 and 4:1-22

Week 11 - Transformation Journal (March 20-26)

2011-03-19T17:07:00.004-05:00

the word on...PERSEVERANCE

SUNDAY 3/20 - Why does God let me experience trouble and challenges?
Read James 1:2-12 and John 15:1-11

MONDAY 3/21 - How much confidence to persevere comes through my faith in God?
Read Exodus 14:5-31

TUESDAY 3/22 - After I make the commitment to stand firm, what does God expect me to do?
Read Exodus 17:1-7, James 5:7-11, and Galatians 6:7-10

WEDNESDAY 3/23 - How do God's grace and perseverance go together?
Read Romans 5:1-5, 2 Peter 1:3-11, and Psalm 20

THURSDAY 3/24 - How can other believers help encourage me to persevere?
Read Exodus 17:8-16 and Psalm 138

FRIDAY 3/25 - Why did Jesus promise his return to earth and then make his followers wait and persevere for so long?
Read Matthew 24:1-14, 42-51 and Matthew 25:1-13

SATURDAY 3/26 - In what ways does God promise victory to those who persevere?
Read Romans 8:28-40 and Isaiah 40:25-31

Week 10 - Transformation Journal (Mar. 13-19)

2011-03-07T12:10:00.003-06:00

the word on...CHARACTER

SUNDAY 3/13 - What do the choices I make toward achieving goals say about my character?
Read Genesis 27:1 - 28:9

MONDAY 3/14 - Despite poor decisions I've made, how can God still improve my character?
Read Genesis 28:10 - 29:30

TUESDAY 3/15 - What could happen if I don't let God deal with immaturity in my character?
Read Genesis 29:31 - 30:43

WEDNESDAY 3/16 - What are appropriate ways to break free from old patterns in my character?
Read Genesis 31:1-55

THURSDAY 3/17 - Can the destruction I've caused others through my immaturity be healed?
Read Genesis 32:1 - 33:20

FRIDAY 3/18 - What does it mean for my character when God asks me to "be perfect?"
Read Matthew 5:38-48 and Psalm 15:1-5

SATURDAY 3/19 - What process does God use to develop Christlike character in me?
Read Romans 8:9-30

Week 9 - Transformation Journal (Mar. 6-12)

2011-03-07T12:08:00.002-06:00

the word on...TESTING

SUNDAY 3/6 - What is God trying to accomplish through "testing" times in my life?
Read 1 Peter 1:3-12 and Job 23:1-12

MONDAY 3/7 - To what extent will God go in "testing" followers like me?
Read Hebrews 11:8-19 and Genesis 22:1-19

TUESDAY 3/8 - How does God want tests and trials to affect my willingness to trust?
Read Exodus 15:22 - 16:35

WEDNESDAY 3/9 - Does God use other people to "test" me at times?
Read Judges 2:6 - 3:6

THURSDAY 3/10 - In what other ways does God sometimes "test" me?
Read Luke 18:18-30

FRIDAY 3/11 - How is waiting on God connected with "testing" my faith?
Read John 11:1-45

SATURDAY 3/12 - Do blessings always follow "testing"?
Read Psalm 66

Week 8 - Transformation Journal (Feb. 27 - Mar. 5)

2011-02-27T20:42:00.002-06:00

the word on...SELF-DISCIPLINE

NOTE - CLICK HERE to see a video clip showing children's reactions to the Marshmallow Test!

CLICK HERE to read an interesting New Yorker article about the Marshmallow Test.

SUNDAY 2/27 - What do my Christian faith and self-discipline have to do with each other?
Read 1 Thessalonians 5:4-11 and 1 Corinthians 9:24-27

MONDAY 2/28 - How is it possible to fight against my own sinful desires - and win?
Read Romans 6:1-18 and Romans 13:12-14

TUESDAY 3/1 - How can the Holy Spirit help me with my self-discipline?
Read 2 Timothy 1:7 and Galatians 5:1, 13-26

WEDNESDAY 3/2 - How does practicing faithful self-discipline affect my relationship with God?
Read Titus 2:11-14 and Psalm 34:1-22

THURSDAY 3/3 - What role does my mind play in learning daily discipline?
Read Colossians 3:1-17

FRIDAY 3/4 - What are the results of a faithful, self-disciplined life?
Read Daniel 1:1-21 and Matthew 6:33

SATURDAY 3/5 - How can I keep others from discouraging or distracting me?
Read Psalm 1:1-6

Week 7 - Transformation Journal (Feb. 20-26)

2011-02-20T21:24:00.002-06:00

the word on...HOSPITALITY

NOTE - CLICK HERE to see the video clip about the way fans of Grapevine's Faith Christian School showed hospitality to the football players from Gainesville State School.

SUNDAY 2/20 - What does hospitality look like to God?
Read Matthew 25:31-46 and 1 Peter 4:7-11

MONDAY 2/21 - How far do I have to go in being hospitable?
Read Luke 14:1-24

TUESDAY 2/22 - I understand how my hospitality can benefit others, but what's in it for me?
Read Luke 24:13-36 and Hebrews 13:1-3

WEDNESDAY 2/23 - How can I help create a climate of hospitality within the body of Christ (the church)?
Read Romans 12:9-21, Acts 2:42-47, and 3 John 1:1-14

THURSDAY 2/24 - What are the long-term effects of practicing hospitality for a Christian?
Read Acts 16:11-40

FRIDAY 2/25 - What are some examples of hospitality in action?
Read Acts 21:1-16 and Acts 28:1-10

SATURDAY 2/26 - What can give me the capacity to truly demonstrate radical hospitality?
Read James 2:14-26 and 1 John 3:16-24

Week 6 - Transformation Journal (Feb. 13-19)

2011-02-13T17:19:00.002-06:00

the word on...LOVE VERSUS LUST

SUNDAY 2/13 - What is the difference between godly love and worldly lust?
Read 1 Thessalonians 4:3-9, 1 Peter 4:1-8, and Ephesians 5:1-7

MONDAY 2/14 - What is the true definition of love?
Read 1 Corinthians 13:1-13

TUESDAY 2/15 - Where can I get motivation to love others?
Read 1 John 4:7-21 and John 13:34-35

WEDNESDAY 2/16 - What is loving others supposed to look like?
Read 1 John 3:11-24 and John 15:12-13

THURSDAY 2/17 - How can I know God genuinely loves me?
Read Romans 8:31-39, Romans 5:6-8, and John 3:16-17

FRIDAY 2/18 - What is an example of love that I can learn from?
Read Luke 7:36-50

SATURDAY 2/19 - What does love look like among Christians?
Read Romans 13:8-10, Romans 12:9-13, and Galatians 5:13-14

Week 5 - Transformation Journal (Feb. 6-12)

2011-02-06T07:34:00.002-06:00

the word on...STEWARDSHIP

SUNDAY 2/6 - What does it mean to practice "stewardship"?
Read Luke 12:35-48

MONDAY 2/7 - What is the connection between the ability to handle financial responsibilities and the ability to handle spiritual responsibilities?
Read Luke 16:1-15

TUESDAY 2/8 - What am I supposed to do with God's resources?
Read Luke 19:1-27

WEDNESDAY 2/9 - How can I best manage the servant responsibilities God has entrusted to me?
Read 1 Corinthians 9:7-27

THURSDAY 2/10 - What does good stewardship of my Christian lifestyle look like?
Read Ephesians 4:11 - 5:20

FRIDAY 2/11 - What does time management have to do with stewardship of God's resources?
Read Psalm 90

SATURDAY 2/12 - What key practice do I need to develop to become a good overall steward of God's resources?
Read Matthew 6:19-34 and Matthew 11:25-30

WEEK 4 - Transformation Journal (Jan. 30 - Feb. 5)

2011-01-28T13:13:00.001-06:00

the word on...SERVING

SUNDAY 1/30 - WHY WOULD JESUS WASH HIS DISCIPLES' FEET?
Read John 13:1-17

MONDAY 1/31 - WHERE CAN I GET STRENGTH AND MOTIVATION TO SERVE OTHERS?
Read John 14:1-14

TUESDAY 2/1 - WHAT WILL SERVING JESUS REQUIRE OF ME?
Read Luke 9:51-10:20

WEDNESDAY 2/2 - IS EVERYONE SUPPOSED TO BE INVOLVED IN SERVICE FOR JESUS?
Read Romans 12:1-8 and 2 Timothy 2:20-26

THURSDAY 2/3 - HOW DID JESUS DEFINE "GREATNESS"?
Read Matthew 20:20-28 and Philippians 2:3-11

FRIDAY 2/4 - WHAT MIND-SET DOES GOD EXPECT ME TO HAVE WHILE SERVING?
Read Luke 17:7-19 and Colossians 3:18-4:1

SATURDAY 2/5 - WHAT PROBLEMS MIGHT I FACE AS A RESULT OF SERVING JESUS?
Read Matthew 5:38-41 and Matthew 10:32-42

Week 3 - Transformation Journal (January 23-29)

2011-01-23T06:56:00.003-06:00

the word on...COMMUNITY

SUNDAY 1/23 - WHAT IS IT THAT SEEMS TO DRAW ME INTO CHRISTIAN COMMUNITY?
Read 1 John 1:1-10 and 1 Corinthians 1:1-9

MONDAY 1/24 - WHY SHOULD I COMMIT MYSELF REGULARLY TO BE WITH GOD'S COMMUNITY OF BELIEVERS?
Read Acts 2:29-47

TUESDAY 1/25 - HOW DOES CHRISTIAN COMMUNITY AND FELLOWSHIP MAKE ME A STRONGER CHRISTIAN?
Read Hebrews 10:19-25, Hebrews 3:12-13, and Galatians 6:1-2

WEDNESDAY 1/26 - IF I AM WHAT I EAT, DO I REALLY BECOME LIKE THOSE WITH WHOM I HANG OUT?
Read Proverbs 13:20 and 2 Corinthians 6:14-7:1

THURSDAY 1/27 - HOW CAN I LOVE OTHERS IN A CHRISTIAN COMMUNITY LIKE THE CHURCH WNE THERE ARE SO MANY PEOPLE NOT LIKE ME?
Read 1 Corinthians 12:12-27 and 1 John 4:7-21

FRIDAY 1/28 - LIVING IN CHRISTIAN COMMUNITY BUILDS ME UP, BUT WHAT ARE OTHER GOALS OF LIVING IN COMMUNITY?
Read Philippians 1:3-11 and 2:1-4

SATURDAY 1/29 - WHAT CAN GOD DO THROUGH US AS A COMMUNITY OF BELIEVERS?
Read Ephesians 3:14-4:6 and Acts 4:31-35

Week 2 - Transformation Journal (January 16-22)

2011-01-16T07:25:00.002-06:00

the word on...PRAYER

SUNDAY 1/16 - WHAT ADVICE DID JESUS GIVE ABOUT HOW TO PRAY?
Read Luke 11:1-11 and Matthew 6:5-15

MONDAY 1/17 - HOW LONG DO I NEED TO KEEP PRAYING FOR NEEDS AND REQUESTS?
Read Luke 18:1-8 and Genesis 18:16-33

TUESDAY 1/18 - WHEN I PRAY, WHAT IS MY ULTIMATE GOAL?
Read John 17:1-26 and Matthew 26:36-46

WEDNESDAY 1/19 - WHAT IS THE VALUE OF PRAYING WITH OTHER BELIEVERS?
Read Matthew 18:18-20 and Acts 12:1-19

THURSDAY 1/20 - WHAT DIFFERENCE DOES PRAYING BEFORE MAKING A DECISION REALLY MAKE?
Read Luke 5:12-16, 6:12-19 and 9:18-36

FRIDAY 1/21 - HOW CONFIDENT CAN I BE THAT GOD WILL ALWAYS ANSWER MY PRAYERS?
Read Mark 11:12-24 and James 4:2-10

SATURDAY 1/22 - WHAT HAPPENS IF I DON'T PRAY?
Read Daniel 4:19-37 and 2 Chronicles 7:14

Healthy Leadership Video

2011-01-16T07:16:00.004-06:00

If you are not familiar with the work of the late Edwin Friedman and "family systems theory" - this little video provides a great introduction. These are truths that we can apply at home, at work and at church, and provide an introduction to some of the landmines that await us!! Check it out!!

"Friedman's Theory of Differentiated Leadership Made Simple"

Week 1 - Transformation Journal (January 9-15)

2011-01-08T13:09:00.002-06:00

SUNDAY 1/9 - WHAT WAS GOD'S REASON FOR CREATING THE BIBLE?
Read Deuteronomy 8:1-11 and Matthew 4:1-11

MONDAY 1/10 - WHAT CAN HELP ME UNDERSTAND THE BIBLE BETTER?
Read 1 Corinthians 2:6-16 and Psalm 119:1-16

TUESDAY 1/11 - HOW IMPORTANT IS GOD'S WORD, THE BIBLE, TO MY DAILY LIFE?
Read 2 Timothy 3:10-17 and James 1:19-25

WEDNESDAY 1/12 - HOW CAN I PREPARE MYSELF TO GET THE MOST OUT OF THE BIBLE?
Read 2 Kings 22:1 - 23:25

THURSDAY 1/13 - WHAT RESULTS CAN I EXPECT AS I STUDY AND APPLY THE BIBLE TO MY LIFE?
Read Mark 4:1-20 and Deuteronomy 30:11-20

FRIDAY 1/14 - WHY DO SOME CHRISTIANS REFER TO THE BIBLE AS THEIR "SWORD"?
Read Ephesians 6:10-18 and Hebrews 4:12-13

SATURDAY 1/15 - WHAT DID JESUS HAVE TO SAY ABOUT THE BIBLE?
Read John 5:36-47 and 2 Timothy 2:15

You can post your comments or questions below. (Note that your question or comment will not appear immediately - as it has to be approved to avoid spam.)

Have We Lost Advent?

2010-12-14T10:54:00.003-06:00

Somewhere along the way, we seem to have lost Advent. You may not agree with me, but I think we did. I am realistic enough to believe that it will be next to impossible to retrieve it. But I am sentimental enough to feel a little nostalgic as I read about Advent traditions from the past.

Once upon a time, Christmas was a day of rejoicing and good will. Advent was a four-week season of solemn preparation, repentance, and spiritual renewal.

Nowadays, it really doesn’t matter whether you observe December in a sacred or a secular way. Either way, we have turned December into a nonstop orgy of shopping and feasting.

There is much about the season that I enjoy quite a bit. But I still remain a bit nostalgic, and feel like perhaps we lost something quite valuable.

Could it be that the Lord Jesus has a tear in his eye as he watches over our near-manic reveling? I pray that the observance of Candlelight Communion next week will not be just one more event on your “must-do” list. I will be praying that it might be a time of true reflection and renewal for you and yours.

Someone you know needs the touch of the Master’s Hand desperately. Could you help make that happen? Could you give someone a word of encouragement? Could you invite someone to share in the beauty of Christmas Candlelight? Is there some small deed of love and mercy you could accomplish between now and the end of the year – maybe anonymously – that would cheer the heart of our Lord? Think about these things.

NOV. 21 - A PRAYING CHURCH

2010-11-19T11:40:00.005-06:00

As we wind up our series on prayer, I have found many great quotes on prayer from several sources. I hope you enjoy these:

W. GRAHAM SCROGGIE. Without prayer, nothing can be accomplished for God.

MARTIN LUTHER KING. To be a Christian without prayer is no more possible than to be alive without breathing.

JOHN BUNYAN. He who runs from God in the morning will scarcely find him the rest of
the day.

GEORGE MUELLER. (He was asked how much time he spent praying.) Hours every day. But I live in the spirit of prayer. I pray as I walk and when I lie down and when I arise. And the answers are always coming.

MARTIN LUTHER. If I should neglect prayer but a single day, I should lose a great deal of the fire of faith.

CORRIE TEN BOOM. Is prayer your steering wheel or your spare tire?

OSWALD CHAMBERS. Our ordinary views of prayer are not found in the New Testament. We look upon prayer as a means for getting something for ourselves; the Bible idea of prayer is that we may get to know God Himself.

SAMUEL CHADWICK. The one concern of the devil is to keep Christians from praying.
He fears nothing from prayerless studies, prayerless work and prayerless religion. He
laughs at our toil, mocks at our wisdom, but he trembles when we pray.

BILLY GRAHAM. It is an insult to God not to take time for prayer. We make time for other things important to us; why not prayer?

CHARLES SWINDOLL. The prayer power of a church is the true measurement of its
spiritual health. The church cannot rise higher than its prayer power.

LEHMAN STRAUSS. It is my humble opinion that a return to the biblical way of praying will bring spiritual power back to our lives and our churches.

A. D. DIXON. When we rely upon organization, we get what organization can do; when we rely upon education, we get what education can do; when we rely upon eloquence, we get what eloquence can do, and so on. I am not disposed to undervalue any of these things in their proper place. But when we rely upon prayer, we get what God can do.

LEONARD RAVENHILL. Notice, we never pray for folks we gossip about, and we never gossip about the folk for whom we pray!

S. D. GORDON. The greatest thing anyone can do for God and for man is to pray. The great people of the earth today are the people who pray. I do not mean those who talk about prayer; or those who say that believe in prayer; nor yet those who can explain about prayer; but I mean those people who take time to pray. These are the people who are doing the most for God; in winning souls; in solving problems; in awakening churches.

JOHN WESLEY. I have so much to do that I spend several hours in prayer before I am able to do it.

A Prayer for Veterans Day

2010-11-11T11:07:00.001-06:00

A PRAYER FOR VETERANS DAY. We ask for blessings on all those who have served their country in the armed forces. We honor the memories of those who gave their lives in service. We ask for healing for the veterans who have been wounded, in body and soul, in conflicts around the globe.

We pray for those who return home with injured bodies and traumatized spirits. Bring solace to them, O Lord; may we pray for them when they cannot pray.

We ask for an end to wars and the dawning of a new era of peace, as a way to honor all the veterans of past wars. Have mercy on all our veterans from past conflicts. Bring peace to their hearts, and peace to the regions in which they fought. Bless all the soldiers who served in non-combative posts; may their calling to service continue in their lives in many positive ways.

Give us all the creative vision to see a world which affirms the life of every human being. Hear our prayer, O Prince of Peace, hear our prayer.

(This is adapted from a similar prayer posted by the Franciscan Sisters of Springfield, Illinois.)

Prayer - What Do I Say?

2010-10-29T11:17:00.002-05:00

Some of us want to pray, but we aren't sure what to say.

This article by Jerry Webber provides a helpful overview of types of prayer. If you are struggling with "what to say" in prayer, it might be a good time to try a different form of prayer. This article was found on the web site of Chapelwood UMC in Houston.

At its most basic, prayer is communication. Perhaps more accurately, prayer is an act of communion in which we present ourselves to God just as we are. The very words communion and communication denote that there is interaction.

Prayer is not a one-way street, comprised only of what we find to say to God. In fact, God initiates the conversation. In prayer we find ourselves first listening to God, then responding to what God has said to us.

You also might think of prayer as paying attention to God. Having an attitude of alertness to the presence of God, not only in formal periods of prayer or in times of corporate worship, but in the way we live all of life, is a way of prayer that often is neglected. There are those who believe that growth in the life of prayer means enlarging our capacity to pay attention to God in all areas of our lives.

There are any number of ways to pray. Some seem more natural for certain individuals, and other ways seem right to others. And most of us find that as our praying lives evolve through the years so do our own ways of communing with God. Rarely does a person’s prayer remain the same for a lifetime.

Some people, then, gravitate more to intercessory prayer; that is, praying for the needs of others. Such pray-ers bring requests to God for the well-being of others. They intercede on behalf of others.

Other persons feel a first impulse to praise God, bringing their uplifted hearts into the presence of God in adoration.

Still others are drawn to simple conversation with God, bringing their thoughts and actions to God continually.

Then there are those who are drawn to more contemplative prayer forms. These persons find God’s presence most deeply experienced in silence and listening. They prepare themselves to receive from God, using prayer forms such as centering prayer to enter into communion with God.

There are those who use the Scriptures for prayer, hearing in God’s Word an initiating word to which they are then invited to respond. Prayer forms such as lectio divina and meditation on Scripture enable such persons to hear God then respond with their praying lives.

Some use a breath prayer, keeping some short petition (perhaps a phrase from Scripture) on their heart and mind through all the activities of the day.

And there are other forms of prayer, to be sure. The most important thing about prayer is not the form or method you use, but that you do it, that you stick with it, and that you allow God to work in and through your life for his purposes in the world.

Those who are beginning in prayer often find it helpful to pray in the Psalms. The Psalms of the Old Testament are the Bible’s prayer book. They express a full range of human circumstances and emotion. It can be helpful to pray through some Psalms. Note how the pray-ers in the Psalms bring themselves just as they are to God . . . sometimes in praise, sometimes in intercession, sometimes with anger in their hearts, and sometimes in deep need of forgiveness.

Is It Acceptable to Pause Tithing in Tough Financial Times? - article by Dave Ramsey

2010-10-22T09:32:00.003-05:00

Is it acceptable to pause tithing in tough financial times?? Dave Ramsey addresses these and other questions in this article:

Dave's Advice on Tithing and Giving (CLICK HERE)

10 Days - 10 Mission Projects - Click each day and contributions are made!

2010-10-10T06:34:00.002-05:00

Beginning 10/10/10 - go to this site every day for 10 days and learn about a different mission project.

10 FOLD - 10 Days - 10 Projects - Be Counted!

This 10-Fold event offers opportunities to greatly impact 10 ministries. By visiting this site every day, clicking on the day’s project to trigger a $1 donation on your behalf, and encouraging your friends to do the same, you can bring awareness, prayerful support, and a potential gift of $10,000 to each ministry.

OCT. 10 - "Prayer for People Who Can't Sit Still"

2010-10-10T06:18:00.000-05:00

Bill Tenny-Brittain has a new book called "PRAYER FOR PEOPLE WHO CAN'T SIT STILL."

(To order - CLICK HERE)

Here is a short article based on that book!

Prayer for People Who Can't Sit Still

By: Bill Tenny-Brittian

My wife is a contemplative. I watch her pray and I have to wonder how she does it. Her eyes close, her face gets a serene, contended look on it, and she sits there. And sits there.
She doesn’t move.
She doesn’t speak.
She just sits there listening and communing with God.
For hours.

Then there’s me. I don’t think I’ve sat still to pray for more than five or ten minutes before something distracts me. I hear a door shut and I’m jolted out of my prayers and wonder who came home. The distant sound of an airplane sets me to fantasizing about vacationing. And whenever I get distracted I know my prayer time is over—it’s difficult, if not impossible, to reengage.

I thought I wasn’t spiritual enough. I felt guilty because I wasn’t disciplined enough. So my prayer life was left to short conversations with God throughout the day—a better compromise than quitting prayer altogether. But through it all, I yearned to spend extended times with God. It was something I knew I needed, but I didn’t have any idea how to bring it to fruition. So, I pretty much gave up.

Medical research has suggested that North Americans are suffering from decreasing attention spans. They blame television, information overload, less-than-optimal parenting, and a host of other reasons; however, it may be less important for most of us to wonder why attention spans are dwindling and more important that we face reality. So, if you’re one of us—or if you know someone who is—let me offer a few ideas about prayer that have worked for me and for others who either can’t sit still, or would rather not.

Action Prayer

When you can’t sit still, quiet time prayer can be challenging, so I’ve discovered by putting some action into my prayer time allows me to achieve a measure of reflection and introspection.

One of the most powerful prayer experiences I’ve ever witnessed was an action prayer offered by a twelve-year-old boy during summer camp. The camp was by a lake and the shore was covered by thousands of flat smooth stones—perfect for skipping on the water. Each child choose three stones and found a place along the shore. We gave each a Sharpie marker and asked them to think and pray about what it was in their lives they wanted God to throw out—things like anger, shame, or sickness. Then they wrote on the stone a one- or two-word description. After a few minutes we asked the children to project what they were getting rid of onto the rock and then to throw it into the lake as far as they could.

The scene that unfolded was truly inspirational. Some of the children teared up, others expressed relief. And then there was Teddy. Teddy was from a troubled family and he was a troubled child. He didn’t respond well to direction, and he didn’t often sit still. He gathered his stones with some care and he took seriously the bid to write something he wanted to rid from his life. One of the counselors was near him as he began to write and to hear him cry, “I don’t want to treat my mama like I have been. I want to love my mama.” And then he threw the stone as far into the lake as his twelve-year-old arm could muster. When Teddy finished, he left the prayer time with a new determination to love his mother with his actions, not just his words.

The practice of prayer in action has served me well in exploring and expressing my inner spirit. I walk to a nearby spot where I can throw a rock or two and spend time with God, reflecting on what I need to let go of. If you don’t live near a handy throwing field, there are a number of variations on this theme. For instance, if you’re a golfer, add prayer to your swing next time you’re hitting a bucket of balls on the driving range. And don’t forget the local batting cages where you can step into the batter’s box with a Louisville Slugger for a few prayerful pop-flies.

Prayer Feet

About twenty years ago, if you asked somebody what a labyrinth was, you’d most likely hear something mumbled about David Bowie as the Goblin King in some fantasy movie by that name. However, today you can find a labyrinth in nearly every metropolitan area if you’re willing to look—and most of them you’ll find in churches.

Walking a labyrinth is unlike any other experience I’ve encountered. I heard about labyrinths at a conference and my imagination was fired up. As the pastor of a church with a round sanctuary, I thought a labyrinth would be a perfect addition. It didn’t take much to convince the congregation and we designed and installed the labyrinth with excitement. After nine hours of carpet dying the labyrinth was ready. We dimmed the lights, put on an instrumental CD, and began to pray and walk.

I noticed something almost right away—my mind was quiet and I could walk the labyrinth without having to think about it. I just put one foot in front of the other and followed the path. The more circuits I completed, the more clarity I had in my prayer. By the time I reached the center of the labyrinth I was able to sit on the floor and pray without fidgeting for longer than ever before. I felt centered, at peace, and focused. For the first time in my life I experienced what I could only describe as a contemplative prayer.

Since then, I’ve become addicted to labyrinth walking. When my feet find the path of prayer, my spirit resonates deep within me. However, I no longer have access to a church with a labyrinth, so I did the next best thing. I built my own. Though my yard is nearly postage stamp sized, I designed a ten foot square labyrinth and when the weather cooperates I “build” it using four nails, a roll of twine, a tape measure, and a can of marking paint (see my book Prayer for People Who Can't Sit Still for specific directions). From start to finish, it takes me less than forty-five minutes to go from grassy yard to sacred labyrinth. And though here in Seattle we “officially” get 210 precipitation free days, when I’m willing to wear a jacket and wait for the rains to subside, I can walk my labyrinth almost year round. Regardless of the weather, when I put my feet into prayer, I find myself enfolded in the warmth of the Spirit.

Pray in Print

Whenever I attend worship and the pastor says, “Let us pray,” I know as I bow my head and close my eyes I’ll be zoned out from the prayer in short order. I’ve found the solution to the problem is choosing not to sit still—at least, not completely still. Today, whenever I attend worship, I take a pen and my journal with me. Then, when the pastoral prayer time comes, I know it’s my cue to open my journal and begin to pray in print.

When I use my journal to pray, I use it as if it were stationary and I’m writing a letter. Journaling a letter to God is like writing a letter to a friend, except it doesn’t take a stamp or an email address. To journal a letter to God, begin as if you were writing any other letter: “Dear God.” Now, most of the time when we write a letter, we spend an inordinate amount of space on small talk. However, if you’re going to write a letter to God during the pastoral prayer, get right to the point—you don’t have that much time! Whether you’re going to God for a favor, a blessing, or some request, don’t spend a lot of time mincing words.

When I write my prayers, I’m brutally honest with God. When my life is in a dark place, I get real with my feelings and fears—it’s not like God doesn’t already know what’s on my heart. I’ve learned that whenever my prayers aren’t absolutely honest they ring hollow and I’m left unsatisfied, as if my prayer time was empty. However, when I’m willing to be completely honest, even if when my honesty seems not-so-nice (see Psalm 109 for an example), God honors my time and I go away thoughtful and fulfilled.

If you have trouble sitting still for prayer, you’re not alone. There are millions of us here in North America. Though this is but a small sample of the opportunities for praying in motion, hopefully there are enough to whet your appetite and get you started. So whether you’re like me and can’t sit still, or if you just want to bolster your prayer time, you can have the prayer life you desire if you’re willing to get up and move.

For more articles like this, you can sign up for the e-magazine ON TRACK - go to this link: ON TRACK

OCT. 3 - Communion

2010-10-10T06:02:00.003-05:00

To go a little deeper, check out these in-depth statements on Communion:

THIS HOLY MYSTERY: A UNITED METHODIST UNDERSTANDING OF COMMUNION (adopted 2004)

BAPTISM, EUCHARIST AND MINISTRY (World Council of Churches, 1982 - this resource covers teaching on Communion from various Christian points of view)

For the October 3 message, we used a little True-False "test," and you may have been surprised by some of the answers:

The Bible teaches the value of taking Communion once a month.
FALSE - this is a frequent Methodist custom, but neither is it a requirement nor is it based in a Biblical teaching.

Communion is primarily a time to think about what Jesus has done for us.
FALSE - because we believe Communion is a Sacrament, we know the power of Communion goes far beyond simply what we (as humans) can think about. (Thinking about Christ's gift is, however, indeed a good thing to do!)

The bread and cup are only symbols of the body and blood of Jesus.
FALSE - again because Communion is a sacrament, we believe the bread and cup are more than symbols. Symbols simply remind us of something else that has meaning or power. We believe the power of Christ and the Spirit is indeed present in the taking of Communion.

There may be times when it is appropriate to refrain from taking Communion.
TRUE - 1 Corinthians 11 suggests we examine ourselves before taking Communion, and also warns us against receiving the bread and cup in an unworthy manner. This does not mean that WE have to be "worthy" to take Communion - none of us "deserve" our place at the table. Methodists also place a high value on open Communion, where all are welcome at the table of the Lord who would respond in faith (regardless of church background or membership).

The literal substance of the bread and grape juice is transformed during the Communion service.
FALSE - Like many Protestant churches, Methodists do teach that mystical transformation does take place in Communion, but that this is not done in a literal sense to the substance of bread and juice.

The richness of Communion is made clear in the document THIS HOLY MYSTERY - where we see six powerful Scriptural images that are present at the holy table:

Thanksgiving (Acts 2:42-47)

Fellowship (1 Corinthians 10:17)

Remembrance (1 Corinthians 11:24-25)

Sacrifice (Romans 12:1; 1 Peter 2:5)

Holy Spirit (John 14:26)

Heavenly Banquet (Matthew 26:29)

Here are the words to the Charles Wesley hymn we looked at as a resource on Communion:

O the depth of love divine, the unfathomable grace!
Who shall say how bread and wine God into us conveys!
How the bread his flesh imparts, how the wine transmits his blood,
Fills his faithful people’s hearts with all the life of God!

Let the wisest mortals show how we the grace receive;
Feeble elements bestow a power not theirs to give.
Who explains the wondrous way, how through these the virtue came?
These the virtue did convey, yet still remain the same.

How can spirits heavenward rise, by earthly matter fed,
Drink here with divine supplies and eat immortal bread?
Ask the Father’s wisdom how: Christ who did the means ordain;
Angels round our altars bow to search it out, in vain.

Sure and real is the grace, the manner be unknown;
Only meet us in thy ways and perfect us in one.
Let us taste the heavenly powers, Lord, we ask for nothing more.
Thine to bless, ‘tis only ours to wonder and adore.

SEPT. 26 - Prayer: God's Surprising Answers

2010-09-28T10:26:00.003-05:00

This past Sunday, I referenced a great message from Robert Schuller about God's surprising answers to prayer. Here is a portion of that message:

When you pray, are you ready for the answers? You pray for it. What if you get what you asked for? Are you really ready for that? It's been said, be careful what you pray for; you may get it. But then, what will you do? How will you handle it? It depends on what the answer is, obviously, that's a given.

In the old classic prayer that Schuller wrote forty-eight years ago: God answers prayer either with a "no," "slow," "grow," or "go."

If the ideas not right it'll be a "no." If it's wrong it will be a "no." If it will hurt others, the answer may be a "no." There are lots of reasons why a God of love would give a "no" answer to a lot of prayers. Can you handle that? Yes, by simply knowing that God knows more than you do and His answer will be a blessing even if it's spelled "n-o." Are you ready for the answer?

Then, when the timing is not right, God says "slow." Not no, but "slow." But God's delays are not God's denials. You've heard me say that before. What a catastrophe if God answered every prayer the way we asked for it when we wanted it. How do you answer that prayer when the prayer is wait? Do you know the word "wait" is used over three hundred times in the Bible? Think of that. If God answered it when and the way you wanted it, whose working for who anyway?

When the IDEA is not right, it'll be a "no" and that will be a blessing. When the TIME is not right, the answer will be "slow." When you are not right, the answer will be "grow."

The selfish person has to grow in unselfishness. The cautious person must grow in courage. Because if he gave it to you without growing in courage you'd misuse it or run away from it. The timid person must grow in confidence. If you don't grow in confidence, you won't give leadership to it. The dominating person must grow in sensitivity so people will be able to work with you affectionately. The critical person must grow in tolerance. The negative person has to grow in a positive attitude towards details because God is always in the details.

So, when the IDEA is not right, God says "no." When the TIME is not right, God says "slow." When YOU are not right, God says "grow." And when everything is on target, God says "go."

Then the miracles happen. The hopeless alcoholic is set free. There's a new mood. There's a new momentum. There's a new insight. There's a new perception. There's a new awareness. The drug addict finds release and the doubter becomes a believer. Disease tissue comes to life. The door to the dream suddenly swings open and suddenly there's God standing smiling and saying come in. We're ready for you. And God makes the miracle happen. Hallelujah.

JOHN 14:13-14 (nrsv). I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If in my name you ask me for anything, I will do it.

St. Augustine (AD 354-430) shares some helpful thoughts on this passage:

When a person would make a bad use of what he asks for, God in his mercy does not grant him it. If God even in kindness often refuses the requests of believers, how are we to understand "Whatever you shall ask in my name, I will do"?

Wake up, believer, and note what is stated here - "IN MY NAME." That is Christ Jesus. Whatever we ask for that would hinder our salvation, we do not ask in our Savior's name. When he sees us ask anything to the disadvantage of our salvation, he shows himself our Savior by not doing it.

The physician knows whether what the sick person asks for is to the advantage or disadvantage of his health. And the physician does not allow what would be harmful to him, though the sick person himself desires it.

1 JOHN 5:14-15 (nrsv). This is the boldness we have in him, that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. And if we know that he hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have obtained the requests made of him.

Bede, a 7th century English monk (672-735 AD) writes:

John repeats what he has already said many times over, in order to stir us up to more vibrant prayer. But the condition which he imposed at the beginning remains valid, which is that we must ask according to our Maker's will. There are two sides to this, because on the one hand we are expected to ask for the things which he wants us to ask for, and at the same time we are expected to come to understand what those things are. This is what it means to have the kind of faith wich works through love.

SEPT. 12 - The Lord's Prayer

2010-09-11T22:17:00.002-05:00

You will be blessed if you dig into these powerful words by N. T. Wright on how the Lord's Prayer can serve as a paradigm for Christian prayer:

N. T. WRIGHT on The Lord's Prayer

Author Bob Kellemen shares a simple outline to remember the key points of the Lord's Prayer - using the letters that spell out CHRIST:

C Commune with God: Adoration—“Hallowed Be Thy Name”

H Honor the King: Intercession—“Thy Kingdom Come”

R Radically Commit: Submission—“Thy Will Be Done”

I Invite God-Rescue: Supplication—“Give Us This Day Our Daily Bread”

S Savor the Savior's Grace: Confession—“Forgive Us Our Sins”

T Triumph over Temptation: Petition—“Lead Us Not Into Temptation”

Confidently Trust God: Glorification—“For Thine Is the Kingdom”

SEPT. 5 - A Fruitful Church: Barriers

2010-09-05T10:42:00.002-05:00

Titus 3 discusses the dangers of "unfruitful" teaching and discussion, that can be a huge issue for Christians and congregations - these words are especially directed to pastors and leaders and teachers. Verses 1-2 and verses 9-10 are especially pointed:

TITUS 3:1-2 Be subject to rulers and authorities, to be obedient, to be ready for every good work, to speak evil of no one, to avoid quarreling, to be gentle, and to show every courtesy to everyone.

TITUS 3:9-10. Avoid stupid controversies, genealogies, dissensions, and quarrels about the law, for they are unprofitable and worthless. After a first and second admonition, have nothing more to do with anyone who causes divisions.

Rev. Joe Fort, our West District Superintendent approaches fruitfulness in terms of where we spend our time and energy as congregations, and as leaders of congregations.

Four areas often preoccupy the majority of our energy. These are necessary areas:
Membership care
Building care
Fellowship
Giving and stewardship

These are good things, but they are rarely the most fruitful areas. There are five important areas, that are truly windows in which God's Spirit moves to breathe life into congregations:
Focus on prayer
Engagement with the Word
Meaningful worship
A heart for missions
Personal evangelism

You can read more about these by going to this site:

A BLUEPRINT FOR MINISTRY - BY REV. JOE FORT

AUGUST 29 - A Fruitful Church: Moving Beyond "Acceptable"

2010-08-29T07:46:00.003-05:00

Bishop Robert Schnase writes about the importance of seeking excellence, not mere acceptability, in being a fruitful church:

Vibrant, fruitful, growing congregations place a high premium on excellence in ministry. They do not settle for mediocrity, indifference, or a tolerable adequacy. They offer their best and highest. They continually learn and improve and evaluate and adapt.

They exceed expectations. They outdo themselves in their enthusiasm for quality. They offer exemplary hospitality, worship, learning in community, service and mission, and generosity.

God did not create the heavens and the earth and say, "It's good enough." Rather, Scripture describes God imbuing creation with superlatives!

Spiritual motivation for excellence does not derive from market strategies, trying to outdo competitors to win customer affections. Excellence is not about outranking others or seeking recognition.

Excellence means to "live your life in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ" (Philippians 1:27). It means cultivating the gifts of the Spirit in us and in others to the fullest to the glory of God. We cannot settle for "mediocrity masquerading as faithfulness." Church leaders ask - "Are we offering our best and highest?"

What do you think???

If you want to read a bit more of Bishop Schnase's thoughts on excellence...go to this article: It's Worth It

AUGUST 22 - A Fruitful Church: Generations

2010-08-22T10:44:00.002-05:00

Being a "fruitful church" does not mean being a church family that offers ministries that are pleasing to me.

An authentically "fruitful church" will be faithful to the biblical mandate to pass along the Good News to the next generation, and even to generations yet unborn. We see this theme repeatedly in the Bible:

PSALM 78:4 (nrsv). We will tell to the coming generations the glorious deeds of the Lord, and his might, and the wonders that he has done.

PSALM 89:1 (nrsv). I will proclaim your faithfulness to all generations.

PSALM 145:4 (nrsv). One generation shall laud your works to another.

PSALM 78:18 (nrsv). Even to old age and gray hairs, O God, do not forsake me, until I proclaim your might to all the generations to come.

JOEL 2:28 (nrsv). I will pour out my spirit on all flesh; your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, and your young men shall see visions.

This passage from Joel was fulfilled on the Day of Pentecost, as recorded in Acts 2, and it should CONTINUE to be fulfilled in our midst today!

See also how the generations work together in Titus 2:1-8 and 1 Timothy 5:1-2. Other passages to consult include Genesis 17:1-8, Exodus 31:13, Psalm 33:11, Psalm 45:17, Psalm 79:13, Psalm 102:18, Acts 13:36, and 1 Timothy 4:12.

Here is an article that references the experiences of evangelist Luis Palau in Wales, that help explain the saying "God has no grandchildren." The article also points to the dilemma of Christians in the USA today:

"Is This the Last Christian Generation" by Steve Cable - CLICK HERE

Refer also to this insightful article by George Barna - "How Teenagers' Faith Practices Are Changing" - CLICK HERE.

AUGUST 15 - A Fruitful Church

2010-08-14T22:54:00.004-05:00

Here are some thoughts from Rick Warren (pastor of Saddleback Church) about success and faithfulness for a church:

The opposite of success is not faithfulness, but failure! Any church that is not obeying the Great Commission is failing its purpose for existing, no matter what else it does.

Jesus defined faithfulness in terms of behavior - it is a willingness to take risks that require faith in order to be fruitful.

The clearest example of this is the Parable of the Talents in Matthew 25:14-30. The two men who doubled the talents the master gave them were called “good and faithfulservants.” In other words, they proved their faithfulness by taking risks that produced fruit. They were successful at the task that they had been assigned, and they were rewarded for it by the master

The passive, fearful servant who did nothing with the talent he was given produced no results to show the master when he returned. He was called “wicked and lazy” in contrast to the two servants called “faithful” who produced results.

The point of the story is clear: God expects to see results (fruit) that demonstrate our faithfulness. While others defined faithfulness as orthodoxy, Jesus defined faithfulness as productivity!

Faithfulness is accomplishing as much as possible with the resources and talents God has given you. That’s why comparing churches is an illegitimate way to measure success. Success is not being larger than some other church; it is bearing as much fruit as possible given your gifts, opportunities, and potential.

Christ doesn’t expect us to produce more than we can but he does expect us to produce all that we can by his power within us. That is a lot more than most of us think is possible. We expect too little from God and we attempt too little for him. If you’re not taking any risks in your ministry, then no faith is required to do it. And if your ministry doesn’t require any faith, then you are being unfaithful.

Are you being faithful if you insist on doing ministry in a way that is comfortable for you even though it doesn’t produce any fruit?

Are you being faithful to Christ if you value man-made traditions more than reaching people for him?

Bishop Robert Schnase is the author of the book Five Practices of Fruitful Congregations. When speaking of bearing fruit, Jesus talks about the importance of pruning. Does this apply to church life? Schnase would suggest that it does. Read Schnase's thoughts below on pruning:

The biblical stories of plants and seeds and growth and vines and branches are incomplete without the idea of pruning. How do we deal with ministries that have served their time and are no longer fruitful?

According to Peter Drucker, the purpose of any non-profit organization is the changed life. If we are doing work and offering ministries that are no longer shaping lives in significant ways, perhaps we should stop doing them.

Are there services, activities, and outreach ministries that we need to reduce or close down? How do we redirect staff time, volunteer energy, and financial resources toward the ministries that most help us fulfill our mission? These are tough questions. It’s hard to stop doing something that we’ve been doing for a long time, even when everyone questions its current usefulness.

If it’s not bearing fruit, stop doing it.

Listen to what Jesus says on the subject: “Even now the ax is lying at the root of the trees; every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.” (Luke 3:9) Ouch!

Paul shares a similar notion in a gentler fashion when he talks about aspects of the spiritual life. He suggests that as we accept the new creation offered us in Christ, we starve the old nature and feed the new.

Are there adjustments we should make that help us focus more effectively on our mission? What’s the one practice that, if we performed it with utmost consistency, effectiveness, and intentionality, would have the greatest positive effect on the ministry of our congregation? How can we give it more time and emphasis? And what is an aspect of our ministry we give time to regularly that brings little positive effect and has no visible impact? Can we collaborate with others to plan a path forward that grants release from it?

AUGUST 1 - The Shack

2010-07-26T15:54:00.003-05:00

If you haven't read The Shack, then no summary of the book can do it justice. Nevertheless, if you'd like to get a quick overview of the plot, here is one that you can read online:

Wikipedia article on "The Shack"

Seminary professor Ben Witherington III writes this commentary on some of the beneficial aspects to the book The Shack, along with some of the theological questions he raises concerning the book:

Ben Witherington's Blog Post about "The Shack"

Some Christian writers have raised many theological questions about the book The Shack.

One of the more critical articles was written by Baptist seminary leader Albert Mohler: The Missing Art of Evangelical Discernment.

You may also want to look at the article written by Wayne Jacobsen. Jacobsen collaborated with author William P. Young in the writing of The Shack. Here he replies to some of the objections to The Shack:

"Is the Shack Heresy" by Wayne Jacobsen

JULY 25 - Left Behind

2010-07-20T21:22:00.013-05:00

THE RETURN OF CHRIST. The United Methodist doctrinal statements about the return of Christ and future judgment are very basic and brief:

Christ did truly rise again from the dead, and took again his body, with all things appertaining to the perfection of man's nature, wherewith he ascended into heaven, and there sitteth until he return to judge all men at the last day.

All men stand under the righteous judgment of Jesus Christ, both now and in the last day. We believe in the resurrection of the dead; the righteous to life eternal and the wicked to endless condemnation.

The Southern Baptist Church has a helpful doctrinal statement that is very clear and very sound:

God, in his own time and in his own way, will bring the world to its appropriate end. According to his promise, Jesus Christ will return personally and visibly in glory to the earth; the dead will be raised; and Christ will judge all men in righteousness. The unrighteous will be consigned to Hell, the place of everlasting punishment. The righteous in their resurrected and glorified bodies will receive their reward and will dwell forever in Heaven with the Lord.

The theology of the book "Left Behind" (sometimes called dispensational theology) is much more complex. It teaches the idea of a rapture (over and apart from the Second Coming of Christ), where true believers are taken out of this world, while the world itself keeps on going otherwise. After true believers disappear, the world enters a terrible time of distress and torment. (But some new believers will be made during this terrible time.) The Second Coming and reign of Christ come later. There will also be another final conflict with Satan, 1000 years after the Second Coming. The series of "Left Behind" novels are all based on these speculations about how history will unfold.

WHAT DOES THE BIBLE SAY ABOUT THE SECOND COMING?

Dispensationalism uses a huge variety of verses (with particular interpretations in each case) to weave together a very complicated scheme of predictions.

The basic teachings of the Bible are much simpler. The New Testament teaches that Christ will one day visibly return in glory. His second coming is referred to with several different terms: "coming," "presence," "appearance," "revelation," or "the day of the Lord." The Scriptures clearly teach the following concerning Christ's second and final coming:

1. Christ will come visibly and all people will see him (Acts 1:11; Matt. 24:27, 30; Luke 17:22-24; 21:27, 35; Mark 13:24-26; 14:62; Rev. 1:7).

2. Christ will come in glory surrounded by the host of his angels (Matt. 13:39-43, 49; 16:27; 24:30-31; 25:31; 2 Thess. 1:7; Rev. 19:11-14; Titus 2:13; Jude 14, 24; 1 Pet. 4:13; Zech. 14:3).

3. When Christ returns, a bodily resurrection of all the dead will take place. Believers will be raised to salvation and unbelievers to judgment (John 5:27-29; 6:39-40, 44, 54; Rev. 20:11-15; 1 Cor. 15:12-57; Dan. 12:1-2). All believers, both dead and living, will, be "caught up" to "meet the Lord in the air" (1 Thess. 4:13-17). Death will be destroyed (1 Cor. 15:26, 54-57; Rev. 20:14).

4. When Christ returns, he will judge all people, both the living and the dead (Matt. 25:31-46; John 5:27; Acts 10:42; 17:31; Rom. 2:16, 2 Tim. 4:1, 8; Jude 14-15; Rev. 20:11-15). Believers will receive eternal salvation and unbelievers eternal punishment (Matt. 25:31-46; 1 Pet. 1:4-5, 7; 5:4; 1 John 3:2; Heb. 9:28; 2 Cor. 5:10; 2 Thess. 1:6-10). Satan and the Antichrist will be destroyed (2 Thess. 2:8; Rev. 20:10).

5. When Christ returns, "new heavens and a new earth" will be created (2 Pet. 3:10-13). Nowhere, however, do the Scriptures teach that at His return Christ will establish a this-worldly, political kingdom or "millennium."

The date of Christ's second coming is unknown. Jesus himself taught, "But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father only" (Matt. 24:36; cf. Matt. 24:42, 44; 25:13; 1 Thessalonians 5; 2 Peter 3). The times or seasons fixed by the authority of the Father are "not for you to know" (Acts 1:7). Therefore, speculation concerning the time of the end is unnecessary.

This much can be said: the fact that God has delayed it now for almost two millennia is due to his patience and mercy, for "the Lord is not slow about his promise as some count slowness, but is forbearing toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance" (2 Pet. 3:9). The Scriptural teaching concerning Christ's second coming has a very practical purpose. God desires that all come to believe in the Gospel, lead a holy life in service to Christ, and eagerly await the last day with patience (Rom. 13:12-14; Titus 2:11-13; 1 Pet. 1:13-15; 2 Pet. 3:11-12; 1 John 3:2-3; 1 Tim. 6:14; Matt. 25:14-30).

WHAT ABOUT THE THOUSAND YEARS? There are many interpretations of the biblical reference to the millennium - the thousand years, referred to, for example, in the 20th chapter of Revelation, describing a time in which Satan is bound. United Methodist doctrine has no specific statement at all on an interpretation of the millennium. The Lutheran Church has a very helpful document that helps explain some of the different explanations of the thousand years. Here are the primary interpretations of various Christian traditions:

PREMILLENNIAL - After times of tribulation and terror, Christ returns to defeat the antichrist and bind Satan, and institute his earthly reign. Sin and death still exist, but the strong power of evil is bound. After the millennium there is one last battle between good and evil, when Satan is finally defeated completely.

DISPENSATIONAL - This is a form of premillenial thought, with the added detail that Christians are removed from the earth (called "rapture"), and so Christians do not have to experience the time of great earthly distress and terrors (tribulation).

POSTMILLENNIAL - The millennium may not be a literal 1000 years - but represents an age of growing Christian influence on earth. In this approach, Christ's return, the judgment, and the resurrection come after ("post") the millennium.

AMILLENNIAL - This view teaches that the 1000 years is a symbol for the present reign of Christ, which began with his ascension into heaven, and will be fully manifested at his second coming.

MORE ON THE MILLENNIUM. The Lutheran Church (Missouri Synod) has one of the strongest warning statements against some forms of millennial teachings. It is worth reading and considering:

We reject every type of millennialism, the opinions that Christ will return visibly to this earth a thousand years before the end of the world and establish a dominion of the Church over the world...or that before a general resurrection on Judgment Day a number of departed Christians or martyrs are to be raised again to reign in glory in this world.

Scripture clearly teaches, and we teach accordingly, that:

The kingdom of Christ on earth will remain under the cross until the end of the world. (Acts 14:22; John 16:33; 18:36; Luke 9:23; 14:27; 17:20-37; 2 Tim. 4:18; Heb. 12:28; Luke 18:8)

The second visible coming of the Lord will be his final advent, his coming to judge the quick and the dead. (Matt. 24:29, 30; 25:31; 2 Tim. 4:1; 2 Thess. 2:8; Heb. 9:26-28)

There will be but one resurrection of the dead (John 5:28; 6:39, 40)

The time of the Last Day is, and will remain, unknown, which would not be the case if the Last Day were to come a thousand years after the beginning of a millennium. (Matt. 24:42; 25:13; Mark 13:32, 37; Acts 1:7)

There will be no general conversion, a conversion en masse, of the Jewish nation. (Rom. 11:7; 2 Cor. 3:14; Rom. 11:25; 1 Thess. 2:16)

According to these clear passages of Scripture we reject the whole of Millennialism, since it not only contradicts Scripture, but also engenders a false conception of the kingdom of Christ, turns the hope of Christians upon earthly goals (1 Cor. 15:19; Col. 3:2), and leads them to look upon the Bible as an obscure book.

MORE ON DISPENSATIONALISM...

The academic/theological term for the theological principles behind the LEFT BEHIND series is Dispensationalism. It is not a part of traditional Protestant theology. Seminary professor Ben Witherington of Asbury Theological Seminary has a power point presentation on his personal web site that helps Christians to understand the differences between dispensational thought and traditional Christianity. I have summarized parts of the slide show below.

(The slide show is done with bullet points, so many times I have tried to complete the bullet points into complete sentences, without changing the sense. Go to Witherington's web site if you would like to view the complete slide show as he presents it. Witherington's book The Problem with Evangelical Theology also has a section of this topic.)

ON DISPENSING WITH DISPENSATIONALISM - BY BEN WITHERINGTON

Dispensationalism is rooted in the teachings of leaders whose work is fairly "recent" in the history of Christianity - Margaret MacDonald, a a young 19th century Scottish visionary, and John Nelson Darby, founder of the Plymouth Brethren, and an evangelist in both the U.S. and the United Kingdom. The teachings began to really take root before and during the American Civil War.

Dispensationalism teaches that Christ will return TWICE - once invisibly, and once visibly. The first of the two returns coincides with what they call the "rapture" of the true believers into heaven for seven years. The second of the returns of Christ will be the establishment of the "New Jerusalem" on earth.

Witherington notes that Darby declined to predict the timing of either of these returns of Christ.

Dwight L. Moody was a popular American preacher who helped spread the teachings of Darby in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

Cyrus Scofield is another important name is dispensationalism. He published a reference Bible that bore his name, that became a best seller in 1909.

In 1924, an institute was established to advance dispensational thinking - the Dallas Dispensational Training Center, which was the predecessor of Dallas Theological Seminary (NOT the Methodist seminary at SMU!!!). Several writers and editors have continued to popularize these teachings - including Charles Ryrie, Hal Lindsey ("The Late Great Planet Earth") and Timothy LaHaye ("Left Behind").

Witherington describes the teachings in this way:

"Dispensationalism is a theory of interpreting Biblical prophecy which does not have deep historical roots and is not well grounded in the history of the interpretation of the Bible by the church over many centuries. In particular, no one was arguing for a rapture doctrine before about 1830. This is severely problematic, not least because while many early Bible interpreters were pre-millenialists, they were not advocating a rapture theology, or a two track system of interpreting everything.

"One of the major difficulties with Dispensationalism is its theories about Biblical prophecy. For example, it fails to realize that most Old Testament prophecy was either: 1) conditional in character; 2) already fulfilled; or 3) speaking about a situation in the life of Israel long, long ago, not speaking about the eschatological age.

"Even more problematic is its failure to recognize that the writers of the New Testament are unanimous that all the prophecies and promises of God are fulfilled in Christ and his people (Jew and Gentile united in Christ), not in two different peoples of God, and not through two different "second comings" of Jesus.

"Most biblical prophecy is a late word from God for the present or very near horizon of events. When some Old Testament prophecy is viewed messianically in the New Testament, it is very rarely viewed as speaking about the remote or very distant future, and it is always correlated with events which involve Christ and/or the church, not world history in general.

"It was believed by New Testament writers that the eschatological age began in their own era, and they never speak precisely about the timing of the end of that era.

"The imagaic, metaphorical, and poetic nature of apocalypic literature also needs to be kept in mind. This sort of literature, even when it speaks of the more distant horizon, does so metaphorical and multivalent language, though clearly enough it is referential as well.

"God only reveals enough about the future to give us hope, not so much that we don't have to exercise faith, nor so much that we should spend our time engaged in theological weather forecasting."

Witherington goes on to discuss some biblical texts that are widely used in dispensational teaching:

REVELATION 4:1-2 is not a description of a magic carpet ride to heaven taken by John of Patmos. It is a description of a visionary experience, as is true of the rest of the book of Revelation. John "in the Spirit" is enabled to see into heaven, and to see into the future. The failure to recognize the character of apocalyptic literature as visionary leads to misreadings.

MATTHEW 24:29-41 discusses the events surrounding the coming of the Son of Man from heaven, including cosmic signs of distress (24:29). Thus the idea of this coming begin secret or clandestine is far fetched. Once the sign appears in the heavens, all nations will see it and mourn. He will come on the clouds with power, glory and angels. Verse 37 makes it perfectly clear that the same coming is being described in verses 37-41 as in verses 29-31.

An analogy is drawn between the days of Noah and the days of the end. The issue has to do with what is meant by "one is taken, and the other left." Those who are "taken" in the days of Noah are those who are swept away by the flood in judgment. During Jesus' time, being "taken" referred to those who were taken away by the authorities for judgment. Being "taken" - whether in Noah's day or in Jesus' time - was not a favorable outcome. It meant judgment. Notice as well that there is no reference to the person taken being "taken up" or being "taken to heaven."

1 THESSALONIANS 4:13-5:11 is the key text. To understand this text, one must realize that the return of the Lord described here (or "parousia") is not something different from the second coming, or the coming of the thief in the night, or the glorious appearing of Christ. These are all alternate ways of describing the same public and dramatic event. The public nature of the event is stressed. It involves a public herald, and a trumpet blast announcing to all that Christ is coming. An analogy is drawn with the appearing of a king before a walled city (compare Psalm 24).

The text says that the dead in Christ will go to meet Christ in the air, and will be joined by the living in Christ. The location of this reunion is not heaven, but the earth's atmosphere. More importantly, the place where the gathering goes thereafter is down to earth to reign, not up to heaven to escape an earthly tribulation. The analogy to a king being met by a greeting committee, and then returning to the committee's city is apt and would be well understood by the Thessalonians.

In other words, there is no concept of the "rapture" in the New Testament - if by rapture one means anything more than simply a meeting with Christ in the air at the Second Coming.

Witherington concludes: "Without the doctrine of the rapture, and without a two track model of prophecy fulfillment for two peoples of God, the Dispensational system collapses. Why would we expect, after generations of martyrs, that the final generation of Christians would be exempt from bearing the cross or dying for their faith in the final tribulation? This is escapist theology that is not well grounded in the Bible, especially not in Revelation, which was written to steel the audience for the possibility of martyrdom."

He also notes that "the return of Jews to Israel in 1948 is not a sign of the end times, or a basis for calculations. As even orthodox Jews in Israel stress, the modern secular Zionist government is not Biblical Israel. Romans 11:25 makes it clear that Biblical Israel will not show up until Jesus returns and "all Israel is saved."

WHAT DID JOHN WESLEY BELIEVE ABOUT THE MILLENNIUM (1000 YEARS)?

Here is one writer's take on this question: "John Wesley and the Millennium"

JULY 18, 2010 - The Da Vinci Code

2010-07-17T09:46:00.009-05:00

Dan Brown's The Da Vinci Code is clearly labeled as a novel. If you simply read it as mystery fiction, it is an entertaining diversion. But it is also a novel that makes some implied claims about the history of Christianity. A cover page before the body of the novel is labeled "FACT" - and then it states that all descriptions of documents in the novel are accurate.

Ben Witherington has a helpful book about the ideas and theories referred to in the novel. If you want to dig deeper into these ideas and theories, Witherington's book would be a helpful volume:

The Gospel Code: Novel Claims About Jesus, Mary Magdalene and Da Vinci, by Ben Witherington III.

NOTE: Witherington is professor of New Testament at Asbury Theological Seminary in Wilmore, Kentucky.

Chapter one of Witherington's book describes "deadly historical errors" found in The Da Vinci Code. I will summarize six of those here...but remember, you may want to get a copy of The Gospel Code to dig in further on these issues.

1. The idea that our four gospels are not the most reliable ones - that there are some earlier, more accurate gospels that have been suppressed. (Witherington notes that the four books we call gospels were widely accepted very early in Christianity.)

2. The idea that Jesus' early followers only saw him as a great human leader or prophet - and the idea of Jesus being the Son of God was a political idea lifted up many years later. (Witherington notes that the councils of the 4th and 5th centuries did solidify the teachings about Jesus' divinity that are also reflected in the much earlier Scriptures we still study today.)

3. The idea that our four gospels were imposed upon the church by Emperor Constantine, along with the idea that Jesus was divine. (Witherington notes that the authoritative Scriptures of the New Testament were accepted well before Constantine was born.)

4. The idea that Jesus was married to Mary Magdalene. (Witherington and other authors have pointed out that there would be no reason for Christianity to "hide" any supposed marriage of Jesus, for he never taught against marriage. Because Jesus fully participated in human life - including growing up in a human family - if he had married, it would not have affected his divine work. Yet there still remains no solid evidence of a marriage having taken place.)

5. The idea that marriage would have been absolutely expected for a young man of Jesus' age and time.

6. The idea that the Dead Sea Scrolls are early Christian records. (The documents that we call the Dead Sea Scrolls are are Jewish documents, including copies of sections of what we call the Old Testament.)

Here are some links for further review:

Ben Witherington's article on Mary Magdalene - "Mary, Mary, Extraordinary"

Here is an article giving an overview of some of the books commenting on The Da Vinci Code:

"Da Vinci Debunkers," by Marcia Ford

This is an interview with Darrell Bock, author of Breaking the Da Vinci Code:
Da Vinci's Secret Agenda

What are the specific statements and theories contained in the novel The Da Vinci Code which might conflict with mainstream Christianity? Here goes.

From Chapter 55:

"The Bible is a product of man, my dear. Not of God."

"The Bible, as we know it today, was collated by the pagan Roman emperor Constantine the Great."

"Until that moment in history [referring to 325 A.D.], Jesus was viewed by His followers as a mortal prophet...a great and powerful man, but a man nonetheless. A mortal."

"By officially endorsing Jesus as the Son of God, Constantine turned Jesus into a deity."

"Almost everything our fathers taught us about Christ is false."

From Chapter 58:

"The marriage of Jesus and Mary Magdalene is part of the historical record."

"Not only was Jesus Christ married, but He was a father."

From Chapter 60:

"Mary Magdalene was pregnant at the time of the crucifixion. For the safety of Christ's unborn child, she had no choice but to flee the Holy Land....Mary Magdalene secretly traveled to France....It was here in France that she gave birth to a daughter."

MAY 2 - Baptism

2010-05-05T07:28:00.005-05:00

The message on May 2 covered these important points about Baptism from the viewpoint of Scriptural teaching and Methodist heritage:

Baptism is intended to be part of our unity in Christ, but it has often been a quite divisive issue among Christians.

Baptism is administered with water (by the form of sprinkling, pouring or immersion) in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

Baptism is extended to all nations and all ages. There is no one that is an unacceptable candidate for baptism.

Baptism is not to be repeated.

Baptism is a sacrament - a means of God's grace - but it is not magic.
Baptism works hand in hand with our personal profession of faith.

Let us think more about some of these issues, and look at some important questions that some might raise. Does the Bible teach baptism by immersion only? Does the Bible teach baptism should be restricted to those of an age of full understanding? Why would we not practice rebaptism?

Does the Bible teach baptism by immersion only?

First, please note that United Methodists clearly affirm that immersion is a fully acceptable form of baptism. But we disagree with those who suggest it is the only acceptable form of baptism.

The biggest argument made for "immersion only" is to suggest that the Greek word for baptism (baptizo) means to plunge someone or something under water. Frankly, this is not the only interpretation.

It is true that "BAPTIZO" is not a religious word by any means - it can be used to refer to the baptism of a person and it can be used to refer to washing your dishes! It is a generic Greek term for washing.

Here are two examples where the word "BAPTIZO" clearly refers to washing, not immersing. In Luke 11:38, the Pharisee is amazed to see that Jesus did not wash (BAPTIZO) before eating. It is probably obvious from this context that this refers to the cleansing of one's hands rather than plunging one's body under water before eating!

Likewise, in the King James Version, there is reference to the traditions of the Pharisees regarding the "washing of cups, and pots, brasen vessels, and of tables."

Certainly it is likely that cups and pots were "washed" (BAPTIZO) by immersion, but this is likely not true of tables! In any case, the word clearly refers to "cleansing by water" but the form of cleansing is not restricted to one particular form.

Do we have any information about how biblical baptisms were actually performed?

Some authorities have questioned where there was adequate water in Jerusalem for the performing of 3,000 baptisms described in chapter 2 of Acts. The Supplementary Volume of The Interpreter's Dictionary of the Bible notes, "It is unlikely that in Jerusalem, Samaria, Damascus, Philippi, Corinth, Rome, or Asia Minor enough water was always available for a full bath."

In Acts 16, we see that Paul baptized his jailer and his entire family within the man's house, and Peter performed baptisms in the house of Cornelius (Acts 10). It is suggested that bathtubs and swimming pools were not fixtures of ancient homes.

Ananias baptized St. Paul where he found him in a house in Damascus. In fact, Acts 22:16 suggests that Paul may have been baptized standing up.

What about evidence from the early church?

The Didache was written around the year 100 A.D. and contains much information about early Christian practices. Regarding baptism, the instructions suggest that if there is no running water available, the practice is to "pour water on the head."

The earliest Christian artwork depicts baptism in various ways. One method depicts a person standing in a river (with water ankle deep), and water being poured over the person's head from a cup or a shell. Archeological evidence also shows variety in the forms of baptism. For example, an early Christian baptistry was found in a church in Jesus' home town of Nazareth, yet this baptistry, which dates from the early second century, was too small and narrow to immerse a person in.

Does the Bible teach baptism should be restricted to those of an age of full understanding?

On the very first day of baptism, Peter's instructions clearly include children, and do not mention any restrictions:

"Repent, and be baptized every one of you...for the promise is for you, for your children, and for all who are far away..." (Acts 2:38-39)

Although we have plenty of examples in the Bible of the baptism of new adult believers, there are also several references to he baptism of the believer along with his or her family or household:
Lydia (Acts 16:15)
The jailer (Acts 16:33, where it specifically mentions his "entire family")
Stephanas (1 Corinthians 1:16)

Jesus goes so far as to lift up "receiving the kingdom as a little child" as a model of faith. (Matthew 10:15)

Amazingly, Psalm 22:9 says "You made me trust you even at my mother's breast."

The bottom line is that Methodists agree with those who would say that a personal profession of faith is of critical importance. We just simply say that baptism may come before or after that profession of faith.

Acts 2 certainly implies belief before baptism ("Repent, and be baptized"). At the same time, Jesus' instructions in Matthew 28:19-20 might imply the opposite, as he instructs us to go and make disciples, to baptize them, and to teach them to obey.

Having said all this, occasionally Methodist parents will have a strong personal preference to delay baptism for their children until they are of an age to make their personal profession of faith. Although Methodists highly encourage the baptism of infants, we certainly honor the preference of parents who might feel otherwise.

Why would we not practice rebaptism?

This can certainly be tricky. If you were a pastor, and a man came to you and told you that he had been baptized when he was 15 years old, but that he did not take it seriously, would you consent to rebaptize him? As Methodists, you might be surprised, that the answer is no. Why would we not rebaptize him?

The answer is this. For us, we see baptism as a sacrament, more than a mere symbol. We believe God's grace works in the sacraments - baptism and Communion. Think of it this way. Baptism is more "God's gift to us" than it is "our gift to God."

God's gifts are complete. They do not need to be repeated or improved upon.

There are no stories of the repeating of baptisms in the New Testament, with the possible exception of the account in Acts 19 where some believers in Ephesus had experienced the ritual cleansing associated with John the Baptist, but had never been baptized into Christ. At that point, Paul prescribed that they received proper Christian baptism.

It is perfectly proper however to make a personal renewal of your baptismal vows.

Think of this comparison. A married couple may have a ceremony of renewal of vows. They are not actually getting married a second time! The pastor does not fill out a new marriage license. But they renew their commitment to one another. In the same way, a believer may choose to make a personal renewal of baptismal vows, in which the believer may touch the baptismal water, and the pastor may pray for the person along with the "laying on of hands."

It is also wonderful to think of Communion as a renewal of your baptism. Every time you feast on the bread and cup, you are being renewed. Baptism (the one-time sacrament) and Communion (the repeatable sacrament) go hand in hand!

If you have questions, feel free to post them!

APRIL 18 - Our Report Card

2010-04-18T07:37:00.000-05:00

How well are we doing? Are we living up to the words of our new mission statement:
CHANGING LIVES BY THE POWER OF JESUS CHRIST

Where do you see that happening?

Are there times we spend time and energy and resources on activities that really do not connect to this core mission?

What do you think??

APRIL 4 - What the World Won't Tell You About Easter

2010-04-04T20:37:00.002-05:00

You can listen to the Easter Sunday message at this site - CLICK HERE.

Here you can find a copy of George Barna's article about what Americans know - and don't know - about why we celebrate Easter:
George Barna on Easter

If you really won't to dig a little deeper, you might read some of the writing of N. T. Wright. Here he writes on a provocative topic:
Can a Scientist Believe in the Resurrection?

JUST WALK ACROSS THE ROOM

2010-02-23T09:34:00.002-06:00

On Sunday, Feb. 14, we began our four-week emphasis "JUST WALK ACROSS THE ROOM," based on the book of the same title by Bill Hybels. If you want to "go a little deeper" on this topic, the very best step is to read a copy of the book!

I also ran across a great article by Bill Hybels and Mark Mittelberg that goes along very well with what we are learning.

You can read the article online - it has the odd title "The Barbecue-First Principle" - click HERE to read!

Conference Day 4 Update

2010-02-12T17:11:00.002-06:00

Today is the last day of the conference at Saddleback.

KERRY SHOOK of The Woodlands was our first speaker. He splke on "Risking Radical Leadership."

RICK & KAY WARREN then spoke on RADICAL PURITY.

In particular, they addressed the problem of adultery and affairs. No leader is immune to the danger. For those who have been through times of stumbling, they gave suggestions on the "pathway back to purity." For everyone, we were challenged on how to "affair-proof" a marriage.

For the final session, RICK WARREN spoke on RADICAL GENEROSITY!

He talked about five investment funds in which Christians are called to invest as part of our purpose:

The TREASURY fund is my undesignated giving to my local church - using my money to worship the Lord.

The MUTUAL fund is the way I use my money to help other believers - encouraging the fellowship. This involves more things than we might imagine - like taking someone to lunch, providing babysitting for a fellow church member, etc.

The GROWTH fund is using money to enhance my character - my spiritual growth. Like buying a book or attending a retreat.

The EQUITY/SERVICE fund is using money to expand ministry - meeting needs.

The GLOBAL fund is using money to extend my mission by taking the good news around the world.

It has been a power-packed week and there is much to chew on. Pray that each person who attended this conference will be used by God in mighty ways!

Conference Day 3 Update

2010-02-12T17:04:00.002-06:00

The weather continues to be nice!

Thursday at the conference began with music by Steve Fee. He is one I have heard before - a great musician!

Rick Warren gave a presentation on RADICAL COMPASSION.

While most people say "practice what you preach," he says the biblical approach is to "preach what you practice!"

In Luke 4:14-21 we learn who Jesus came to help:
++ the poor (the "have nots")
++ the brokenhearted (the "let down")
++ the imprisoned (the "locked up")
++ the blind (the "shut out")
++ the oppressed (the "kicked around")

To have a heart like Jesus we must care about what Jesus cares about. We must be indifferent to what Jesus is indifferent about (such as impressing others). We must get angry at what Jesus gets angry about. We mus sacrifice for what Jesus sacrificed.

MARK DRISCOLL spoke next on "The Radical Cross." This was a striking presentation in which he went into considerable uncomfortable detail about the horror of the crucifixion. This was followed by a memorable time of Communion.

RADICAL MISSION was the next presentation by Rick Warren. Going to "all nations" was not the Great Suggestion! It was the Great Commission!

Your ministry cannot be merely local, regardless of your church's size. Every church must be "bifocal" - with a local and a global vision!

He is focusing particularly on five "Global Giants," each of which affects billions:
- Spiritual Emptiness
- Corrupt Leadership
- Extreme Poverty
- Pandemic Diseases
- Illiteracy and Lack of Education

ED STETZER also spoke on the importance of church planting. Even smaller churches can help plant a new church, but only about 3% of churches take a primary role in doing this.

My afternoon workshop sessions were once again focused on Preaching for Life Change.

Conference Day 2 Update

2010-02-10T20:24:00.002-06:00

Yesterday was cold and rainy but today was sunshine and beautiful!

Our music leader for today (Wed.) was a Texan - Kari Jobe. She is a worship pastor at Gateway Church in Southlake (near DFW). Once again - great music.

The first morning session, we heard Rick Warren speak on RADICAL MEMBERSHIP. Remember - in this context "radical" does not mean "extreme." Rather "radical" means going back to the roots.)

Warren said our faith is not just about believing - it is about belonging. "A lot of people want to date the church, but never get married!" Most people think of church as either a building ("Look at that church") or an event ("When does church start?") It is neither. It is a family.

He suggests that membership classes should be an expected thing for local churches - even for folks who have been in another church before. There should also be a covenant of membership - tell them up front what is expected.

DINO RIZZO followed up with a presentation. He is a pastor in Baton Rouge, at a church that emphasizes serving others. (He did a little bit of bragging on the New Orleans Saints too!)

After break time - we heard Rick Warren speak on RADICAL DISCIPLESHIP. He reminded us that you can't measure a church's maturity by your attendance. More important than your seating capacity is your sending capacity!

Maturity is connected to FRUIT! "By your fruit you shall know them."

The #1 problem in churches today is the perpetual immaturity of believers. Immature believers cannot reproduce. A healthy environment will lead to growth - just naturally. (I did not have to command my children to grow!)

Saddleback draws a picture of concentric circles: Community - Crowd - Congregation - Committed - Core. Different ministries and events are designed to move people toward the core of the circle. This happens INCREMENTALLY - not in one giant leap!

He talked about the strategies they use for facilitating spiritual growth.

It has been good to run into a good pastor friend from Fredericksburg TX. We actually did Doctor of Ministry studies together for three years (1996 through 1999).

Our afternoon sessions were again in the individual tracks - so I learned more about "Preaching for Life Change." A lot of good insights there. Watch out - Bellville - no telling what will be "up my sleeve" in the next few weeks!!

Conference Day 1 Update

2010-02-10T09:45:00.003-06:00

Tuesday at Saddleback Church was a full day, beginning at 8 a.m. The mornings are devoted to music and to keynote messages (where everyone - couple thousand maybe - is in the big gathering area). Afternoons are devoted to breakout tracks. I am attending the one on "PREACHING FOR LIFE CHANGE."

The music for the two opening sessions was by Phil Wickham. You can Google and find out more about him! In each case, we were on our feet for 20-25 minutes of music. The singing was GREAT and wholehearted.

The theme for the conference is RADICALIS.

In his opening talk, Rick Warren mentioned that we totally misunderstand the word "radical." We use it to mean edgy or extreme or even fanatical. In every case - however, the real word "radical" is connected to the word ROOT.

His call for RADICAL Christians is not for us to be weird or excessive - but to get back to the ROOTS! (GREAT POINT)

Session 1 was on RADICAL DEVOTION. Our devotion needs to get back to its roots. Why do people fall out of love with God? We replaced him with idols. They are the same things today as we see in Biblical examples - three P's
PASSIONS
POSSESSIONS
POSITION

Speaker Perry Noble continued the theme of Radical Devotion. He is an interesting speaker - a young 6'6" pastor from Anderson, S.C. I have heard Rick Warren before, but had never heard Perry Noble.

The second morning plenary session focused on RADICAL PREACHING.

Rick Warren again led us off. He says the biggest missing piece in preaching is obvious. As a young man, he heard so many sermons to which his response was Y.B.H. (Yes...but how??)

Preachers need to make it obvious that preaching always leads to DOING SOMETHING.

He even said we teach too many things about the Bible!! Some of us learn so many different things about the Bible, that we never take time to apply any of it!

(WOW...quite a zinger there)

He spent a lot of time reminding us that REPENTANCE is a word we often misunderstand. It doesn't mean "changing your ways." It means "changing your mind." Changing our behavior BEGINS with a change of mind. The goal of preaching is repentance - changing people's minds.

ANDY STANLEY was the next general speaker. I always love hearing Andy. He went through the questions he used to prepare his weekly messages at North Point Church.

He suggests that if preaching is NOT leading to life change - it may be simply because we have the wrong approach to preaching. The right goal with the wrong approach will not bear fruit.

In the afternoon, I attended the workshops on "Preaching for Life Change." Our workshop leaders are Tom Holladay (another of the teaching pastors at Saddleback) and Kerry Shook (lead pastor - right down the road from us - at Fellowship of the Woodlands).

I will add more info about this workshop later.

Continue to pray for me and all the attenders, that God will plant seeds that will bear fruit in might ways. If you have questions or comments, feel free to post them, but remember they will not show up immediately - as they have to be approved before appearing...be patient!

FEB 9 2010 - Live from Southern California

2010-02-09T08:17:00.002-06:00

Hello Bellville! I am in Orange County, California - preparing for the first day of a four day conference at Saddleback Community Church. This is the large church founded by well-known pastor and author Rick Warren (writer of The Purpose Driven Life).

I will take time to share some of the highlights via this blog.

You can read about the conference at this website - RADICALIS.

The unique title of the conference - RADICALIS - comes from a focus on the Christian faith as a RADICAL experience - absolute surrender, sacrificial lifestyle, authentic Christianity!

"Imagine what would happen in your community, in your church and in our world if your church team collectively shared a Radical experience guided by the Spirit of God in which we saw His calling and His will for your ministry."

I am grateful to live in a world where we can learn so much from one another. Pray for God to touch my heart with the message he desires that I hear this week! And I will see you Sunday, Feb. 14 as we launch JUST WALK ACROSS THE ROOM together!!

JAN. 31 - Does God really expect every marriage to hold together?

2010-01-27T15:30:00.006-06:00

Les & Leslie Parrott offer some great resources for married couples - CLICK HERE.

"A Weekend to Remember" comes recommended as a great weekend experiences for couples who want to strengthen their communication skills - CLICK HERE.

"Marriage Encounter" and "Engaged Encounter" are also weekend experiences for couples who desire to strengthen their relationship - CLICK HERE.

Click HERE for an interesting article by Michael Gorman on how Christian views on divorce and remarriage have been stated across the years.

A good site for teens and other singles: "How Not to Avoid Falling in Love with a Jerk!"

Here are the statements of The United Methodist Church (2008 Social Principles) about marriage, divorce, and single adult life:

We affirm the sanctity of the marriage covenant that is expressed in love, mutual support, personal commitment, and shared fidelity between a man and a woman. We believe that God’s blessing rests upon such marriage, whether or not there are children of the union. We reject social norms that assume different standards for women than for men in marriage. We support laws in civil society that define marriage as the union of one man and one woman.

God’s plan is for lifelong, faithful marriage. The church must be on the forefront of premarital, marital, and post-marital counseling in order to create and preserve strong marriages. However, when a married couple is estranged beyond reconciliation, even after thoughtful consideration and counsel, divorce is a regrettable alternative in the midst of brokenness. We grieve over the devastating emotional, spiritual, and economic consequences of divorce for all involved, understanding that women and especially children are disproportionately impacted by such burdens. As the church we are concerned about high divorce rates. It is recommended that methods of mediation be used to minimize the adversarial nature and faultfinding that are often part of our current judicial processes.

Although divorce publicly declares that a marriage no longer exists, other covenantal relationships resulting from the marriage remain, such as the nurture and support of children and extended family ties. We urge respectful negotiations in deciding the custody of minor children and support the consideration of either or both parents for this responsibility in that custody not be reduced to financial support, control, or manipulation and retaliation. The welfare of each child is the most important consideration.

Divorce does not preclude a new marriage. We encourage an intentional commitment of the Church and society to minister compassionately to those in the process of divorce, as well as members of divorced and remarried families, in a community of faith where God’s grace is shared by all.

We affirm the integrity of single persons, and we reject all social practices that discriminate or social attitudes that are prejudicial against persons because they are single. This also includes single parents, and we recognize the extra responsibilities involved.

We affirm that sexuality is God’s good gift to all persons. We call everyone to responsible stewardship of this sacred gift. Although all persons are sexual beings whether or not they are married, sexual relations are affirmed only with the covenant of monogamous, heterosexual marriage.

Here is an interesting article by the late Ray Stedman which goes into much more detail about the biblical teaching on marriage and divorce, and how it can be that God both "hates" divorce and "permits" divorce:

"Answers on Divorce," by Ray Stedman

JAN. 24 - Would a loving God really send people to hell?

2010-01-19T11:53:00.004-06:00

Our United Methodist doctrine on eternal judgment is "short, sweet and to the point," but it does not address the many various viewpoints on the exact nature of heaven and hell. Our doctrine says:

We believe all men stand under the righteous judgment of Jesus Christ, both now and in the last day. We believe in the resurrection of the dead; the righteous to life eternal and the wicked to endless condemnation.

Many thinkers have weighed in on this big question. Here are some interesting thoughts worth pondering from several points of view:

LEE STROBEL. The fairness of hell was a major stumbling block for me when I was a spiritual seeker. Ultimately, though, I saw enough of the justice behind "eternal punishment" that I didn't let the doctrine derail my spiritual journey. Especially helpful to me were the comments D. A. Carson made during a talk I had with him. He said "Hell is not a place where people are consigned because they were pretty good blokes but they just didn't believe the right stuff. They're consigned there first and foremost because they defied their Maker, and want to be at the center of the universe. Hell is not filled with people who have already repented, only God isn't gentle enough or good enough to let them out. It's filled w people who for all eternity still want to be at the center of the universe, and persist in their God-defying rebellion. What is God to do? If he says it doesn't matter to him, then God is no longer a God to be admired. He's either amoral or positively creepy. For him to act in any other way in face of such blatant defiance would be to reduce God himself."
Well to me that made a lot of sense. What about to you?

BRUCE W. DUNN. You jump off a high building, the law of gravity will take care of you. You might say, “God is love,” all the way down, but you're still going to get splattered when you hit the bottom! You break the law of gravity, and it breaks you! You may love your little child, but if he puts his finger up on that hot burner on the gas stove or the electric stove, he's going to get burned! Fire burns. Gravity kills. Water drowns. And you can say, "God is love, God is love, God is love," until you're blue in the face. But water will still drown you, fire will burn you, and gravity will kill you, and sin will damn you no matter how much you say about a loving God. God just set up life that way. He set up the rules. He set up the laws by which we are to live. And if we break those laws, they break us, and we pay the consequences.

C. S. LEWIS. I willingly believe that the damned are, in one sense, successful, rebels to the end; that the doors of hell are locked on the inside. All that are in Hell, choose it. Without that self-choice there could be no Hell. No soul that seriously and constantly desires joy will ever miss it. Those who seek find. To those who knock it is opened.

CHUCK COLSON. In a sense, the concept of hell gives meaning to our lives. It tells us that the moral choices we make day by day have eternal significance, that our behavior has consequences lasting to eternity, that God Himself takes our choices seriously. The doctrine of hell is not just some dusty theological holdover from the Middle Ages. It has significant social consequences. Without a conviction of ultimate justice, people's sense of moral obligation dissolves, and social bonds are broke.
Of course, these considerations are not the most important reason to believe in hell. Jesus repeatedly issued warnings that if we turn away from God in this life, we will be alienated from God eternally. And yet, although "the wages of sin is death," Paul also says that "the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord" (Romans 6:23). While breath remains, it is never too late to turn to God in repentance, and when we ask for forgiveness, God eagerly grants it.

DARYL E. WITMER. The Bible says that God prepared hell for the devil and his demonic cohorts (Matthew 25:41), that he is "...not wishing for any [person] to perish but for all to come to repentance (2 Peter 3:9)," and that he has done everything possible to save us from that terrible, terrible place. Yet in the end God will not violate or overrule the deliberate choice of those who consciously and willfully turn away from him.

JAN. 17 - Do I really have to "do church" to be a good Christian?

2010-01-19T11:52:00.002-06:00

Here are some other thoughts on this question:

from Rev. Dan Benedict - CLICK HERE

a sermon by John Wesley on the nature of the church - CLICK HERE

a sermon on the church, based on Rick Warren's The Purpose Driven Life - CLICK HERE

JAN. 10 - Does the Bible really come to us from God?

2010-01-11T16:21:00.003-06:00

What does the Bible say?

2 TIMOTHY 3:15-17 (nlt). You have been taught the holy Scriptures from childhood, and they have given you the wisdom to receive the salvation that comes by trusting in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right. God uses it to prepare and equip his people to do every good work.

Our United Methodist doctrine says:

We believe the Holy Bible, Old and New Testaments, reveals the Word of God so far as it is necessary for our salvation. It is to be received through the Holy Spirit as the true rule and guide for faith and practice. Whatever is not revealed in or established by the Holy Scriptures is not to be made an article of faith nor is it to be taught as essential to salvation. (p. 67, 2008 United Methodist Book of Discipline)

John Wesley, the founder of the Methodist movement, suggested a discipline called “searching the Scriptures” as recommended for anyone who desired the grace of God. In doing so, he referenced Jesus' own words (found in John 5:39) describing those who were “searching the scriptures” in their desire for eternal life. Although their conclusions were faulty, Jesus pointed out that those very scriptures testified on his behalf.

Interestingly, Wesley sees these words of Jesus not as an assertion but as a command to us as well: “You search the scriptures.” He describes the blessing God gives to those who do just this. As an example, he cites the people of Berea, who received the message of Paul, and then “examined the scriptures every day to see whether these things were so (Acts 17:11).” Many of them did come to believe as a result of doing so.

Wesley also notes that Romans 10:17 teaches that “faith comes from what is heard, and what is heard comes through the word of Christ.” In Wesley's opinion, “searching the Scriptures” includes not only reading, but also hearing and meditating.

For Wesley, this is a means whereby God gives, confirms, and increases true wisdom. For example, we read these words from Paul to Timothy: “From childhood you have known the sacred writings that are able to instruct you for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus (2 Timothy 3:15).” This is the “great means” that God has ordained for conveying his grace to us. We see that same truth in the next verses: “All scripture is inspired by God and is useful for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, so that everyone who belongs to God may be proficient, equipped for every good work (2 Timothy 3:16-17).”

Wesley also notes that Paul was referring to the Scriptures that Timothy had known since childhood, which in his case would have been what we call the “Old Testament.” So be clear that we should never minimize the value of the Old Testament!

For Wesley, searching the Scriptures was not only profitable for godly folks, but also for those who do not know the Lord. He cites this verse: “We have the prophetic message more fully confirmed. You will do well to be attentive to this as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts (2 Peter 1:19).” So anyone who desires that day to dawn in their hearts, should indeed wait for it by searching the Scriptures.

In an article on accountable discipleship, Steven Manskar writes further about “searching the Scriptures”:

“Searching the scriptures by reading, meditating, hearing, attending the ministry of the word, either read or expounded is essential because the Bible is where we come into the presence of the God who is revealed in the Word.

“Scripture had primacy not only as an authority for theological reflection, but as a context which formed and shaped Christian life. Scripture is, for Wesley, the heart of Christian life. He believed it to be the authentic word of God. Therefore, God's will and way for living is found within the pages of Scripture. The Bible is a gift from the living God given for the building up of God's people. As the word of God, Scripture is a means of grace, second only to prayer, because within its pages God and God's word, incarnate in Jesus Christ, is made available freely to everyone. As the word is read (or heard) and studied, it forms character and life into the image of Christ. All one needs do is open its pages and read. If one cannot read, one can listen to the word read to them.

“Scripture is closely related to prayer because the one often leads people to the other. Reading Scripture often induces prayer as a response to the word. In fact, reading the prayers recorded in Scripture teaches one how to pray. Conversely, a disciplined life of prayer inevitably leads to disciplined reading and study of Scripture. Prayer and Scripture are closely related means of grace.”

Thoughts on Advent

2009-12-16T07:04:00.002-06:00

For the last two Sundays (Dec. 6 and Dec. 13) - we have been reflecting on the curious season of Advent....

how Advent attitudes (harmony/one voice, joy, peace, hope...as outlined in Romans 15 - verses 5, 6 and 13) may actually be harder than ever to come by during the frenetic month of December...

how the odd arguments over "Happy Holidays" or "Merry Christmas" may miss the point of the spiritual season of Advent entirely...

I found an interesting reflection on the season of Advent, by Richard A. Kauffman:

Advent is one of the stranger seasons in the church calendar. We are to anticipate something that has already happened (the first Advent), while at the same time look forward to something that hasn’t (the second Advent). It takes some imagination to inhabit that time warp. Advent is about waiting and anticipating, and while anticipation is often more rewarding than the reality itself, waiting doesn’t come naturally.

Kauffman also takes on the question of whether we should even yet be singing Christmas carols, since technically it's not yet Christmas! Read more of his post here:

MUST WE WAIT FOR THIS?

NOVEMBER 15 - Danger Zones: Red State, Blue State

2009-11-11T15:42:00.004-06:00

DANGER ZONES: RED STATE, BLUE STATE

On Sunday, we looked at six "danger zones." You can hear the content online at the church web site - www.bellvilleumc.org - click on "audio/video."

These were the six danger zones we talked about (along with the Scripture references):

1 - Assuming there is one obvious Christian position on any given political issue. (Romans 14:19-22)

2 - Failing to apply your Christian faith - on all issues. (Amos 5:21-24, James 1:22)

3 - Not looking for the value in the other point of view. (Proverbs 12:15, Romans 14:1-12, 2 Timothy 2:23-24, Titus 3:2)

4 - Namecalling. (Proverbs 15:1-2, Colossians 4:5-6, James 1:19-20, James 1:26)

5 - Failing to honor our leaders, whether you voted for that leader or not. (Matthew 22:21, 1 Timothy 2:1-2, 1 Peter 2:17)

6 - Forgetting which Kingdom comes first. (Matthew 6:33, 1 John 2:17)

SOME MORE THOUGHTS: I have plenty of "politically conservative" Christian friends who believe their political views are absolutely biblical. Likewise, I have plenty of "politically liberal" Christian friends who believe their political views are absolutely biblical. Of course, there are a few "politically libertarian" folks in the mix, who don't quite fit the "either/or."

Could it be that both sides are only seeing part of the whole picture.

At the risk of vastly oversimplifying things, it seems to me that many "politically conservative" folks tend to be "Old Testament" when it comes to moral issues and "New Testament" when it comes to compassion and justice. They are happy to use the structures of government and society to enforce certain moral judgments, but prefer to use individual and personal free choice to express compassion and justice.

When it comes to "politically liberal" folks, things go the other way. They tend to be "Old Testament" when it comes to compassion and justice, and "New Testament" when it comes to moral issues. They are happy to use the structures of government and society to enforce compassion and justice, but prefer to use individual and personal free choice to express certain moral judgments.

It seems to me that we could both learn from each other.

The Old Testament has a lot to teach us about how to use governmental and societal structures to express moral principles, compassion and justice. The laws that Moses brought to the people from God gave them boundaries to express principles. Read what Leviticus has to say about leaving a portion of your field for those who have nothing. About boundaries for making loans to those who have next to nothing. About the jubilee - the restoration of land to those who have lost it over the years. It is hard to argue that government should stay out of the compassion business and just leave it to individual free will.

Read also what the Old Testament has to say about personal morality. We seem to be in a "do your own thing" society - where we are sometimes afraid to express any moral boundaries. We could all learn something about the importance of high moral standards.

Having said all that, we can also learn from the situation of the New Testament church. No longer did faithful people control the political leadership. Here, Christians were simply advised to pay their taxes and honor their political leaders, but there was no ambition to try to turn the political structures into an instrument of God. Christians had to learn to express compassion and justice within the family of believers, and to stand up for godly moral standards regardless of what the rest of society said was "OK." Christians of today could learn a LOT from the experience of New Testament Christians.

You don't have to agree with me. (Like I need to remind you of that!) But whatever your political persuasion, I hope you will give it some thought!

MORE THOUGHTS - Here is an interesting article by a pastor:

WHY IS AMERICAN BECOMING MORE POLITICALLY DIVIDED, by Greg Boyd

AUGUST 16 - Jesus One on One: The Paralyzed Man

2009-08-16T10:38:00.003-05:00

On Sunday, August 16 we looked at Jesus' encounter with the invalid man in John 5:2-9.

To go a little deeper, here are some thoughts by various writers across the years on this character - the paralyzed man.

RAY STEDMAN. There is a critical clue many miss when they are looking for help from God. There is always something God tells them to believe, and do, and act on. This is a word of action. Jesus does not say, "Try to build up faith in your mind. Try to fasten your thoughts on this or that." He tells them to do something: "Rise! Stand up!" Obviously it was Jesus' will that this man should do what he told him to do, and the moment the man's will agreed with the Lord's will the power was there. He knew he could stand, and he did. Then what? The Lord did not merely say, "Rise," he said, "take up your pallet." Why did he say that? I like the way G. Campbell Morgan has put it, "In order to make no provision for a relapse." The man might have said to himself, "I'm healed, but I had better leave my bed here; I may need it tomorrow." If he had said that he would have been back in it the next day. But he did not. Jesus said, "Take up your bed. Get rid of it; don't leave it there." In those words he is saying something very important to people who need to be healed: do not make any provision to go back on what you have done. Many people fail right here. Go home and pour out the alcohol! Go home and get rid of the drugs! Burn your bridges behind you. Say no to the friends who have been luring you on into evil. You will probably find that some of them will come back with you. Burn your bridges. Cut off any possibility of going back. Let somebody know the new stand you have taken so that he will help hold you to it. Burn your bridges, is what Jesus is saying. That is so important. Many a person has really been touched by God, delivered from some inner attitude, a bitter spirit or whatever, but then he has allowed the past to come back in again and he finds himself back where he was. Our Lord knows what he is talking about -- "take up your bed."

CHRYSOSTOM (4th/5th centuries). The perseverance of the paralytic was astonishing. Each year he hoped to be freed from his disease. He lay there waiting, never given up. He had been waiting 38 years without obtaining what he desired, and he still did not withdraw.

CYRIL OF ALEXANDRIA (4th/5th centuries). Christ does not wait for entreaties from the sick but anticipates their request with his own loving kindness. See how he runs to the one who is lying down and how compassionate he is to one who was sick with no one to comfort him.

WILLIAM BARCLAY. Jesus began by asking the man if he wanted to be cured. It was not so foolish a question as it may sound. It might well have been that hope had died and left behind a passive and dull despair. In his heart of hearts the man might be well content to remain an invalid for, if he was cured, he would have to shoulder all the burden of making a living. But this man's response was immediate. He wanted to be healed, though he did not see how he ever could be since he had no one to help him. The first essential towards receiving the power of Jesus is to have intense desire for it.

MIKE SLAUGHTER. Just like other areas in my life that experienced rapid and radical change, I want the whole thing to be finished in one fell swoop. But, the question that Jesus asked, do you want to get well, seems to indicate that there is a deeper issue behind his state of paralysis. In many areas in our life that are so visible to us, the presenting issue is not the real issue that is creating the pain and paralysis. Here’s the problem, God knows it: many of us want to be fixed, but we don’t really want to be cured. We want to get out of debt, but we want to have all of the nice, fun new toys at the same time. We want to have a fulfilling marriage, but we don’t want to do the hard day-to-day practice it takes to get there. We want to lose the addiction and still get a buzz. We’re going to learn in the next two weeks that there’s a relationship between our paralysis and sin. These unholy habits become a source of comfort and meaning in our life. We learn to live with these unholy habits; as a matter of fact, we create these little comfort zones around ourselves with these unholy habits.

AUGUST 9 - Sermon in Song

2009-08-16T10:37:00.002-05:00

The message on August 9 was a "sermon in song" - using the words of the Apostle's Creed as a "teaching outline" and using a number of songs and hymns to illustrate these truths. The Scripture reading for the day was Colossians 3:15-17:

Let the peace that comes from Christ rule in your hearts. For as members of one body you are called to live in peace. And always be thankful. Let the message about Christ, in all its richness, fill your lives. Teach and counsel each other with all the wisdom he gives. Sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs to God with thankful hearts. And whatever you do or say, do it as a representative of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through him to God the Father.

Here are the songs that were used, along with the points of the creed to which they correspond:

I believe in God, the Father Almighty, maker of heaven and earth.
“His Eye Is On the Sparrow”
“Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord God Almighty”
“How Great Thou Art”
“God’s Coloring Book”
“Children of the Heavenly Father”

NOTE: Click HERE for the audio of the rendition of "God's Coloring Book" by The Wright Kids!

And in Jesus Christ his only Son, our Lord.
“Jesus, What a Beautiful Name”

Who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary.
“Fairest Lord Jesus”

He suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, dead, and buried;
“Ah, Holy Jesus”
“At the Cross”

The third day he rose from the dead.
“He Is Lord”
“Because He Lives”

He ascended into heaven, and sitteth at the right hand of God the Father Almighty; from thence he shall come to judge the quick and the dead.
“Rejoice, The Lord Is King”

I believe in the Holy Spirit,
“Come, Holy Spirit”

The holy catholic church,
“The Church in the Wildwood”
“Blest Be the Tie”

The communion of saints,
“Come, Let Us Join Our Friends Above”
“Sweet By and By”

The forgiveness of sins,
“Amazing Grace”
“Softly and Tenderly Jesus Is Calling”

The resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen.
“I’ll Fly Away”

AUGUST 2 - Jesus One on One: The Woman at the Well

2009-08-16T10:15:00.002-05:00

On Sunday, August 2 we looked at Jesus' encounter with the woman at the well in John 4:1-42.

To go a little deeper, here are some thoughts by various writers across the years on this character - the woman at the well.

JOHN WESLEY. The rabbis reckoned it scandalous for a man of distinction to [talk with a woman]. They marvelled likewise at his talking with a woman of that nation [Samaria], which was so peculiarly hateful to them.

MAXIMUS OF TURIN (4th/5th century). As soon as the Lord points her sins out she acknowledges them, confesses Christ and announces the Savior. Abandoning her pitcher she brings back not water but grace back to the city. She seems, indeed, to return without a burden, but she returns full of holiness. She returns full, I say, because she who had come as a sinner goes back as a proclaimer, and she who had left her pitcher behind brought back the fullness of Christ, without the slightest loss to her city. For even if she did not bring water to the townspeople, still she brought in the source of salvation.

AUGUSTINE (born 354 AD). This living water is the Holy Spirit. Without doubt the Spirit is the gift of God, of which the Lord [speaks] here.

CYRIL OF ALEXANDRIA (4th/5th century). Jesus calls the quickening gift of the Spirit "living water" because mere human nature is parched to its very roots, now rendered dry and barren of all virtue....Now human nature runs back to its pristine beauty, and drinking in that which is life-giving, it is made beautiful with a variety of good things and, budding into a virtuous life it sends out healthy shoots of love toward God.

WILLIAM BARCLAY. Jesus was weary with the journey, and he sat by the side of the well exhausted. It is very significant that John (who stresses the sheer deity of Jesus Christ more than any other of the gospel writers) also stresses his humanity to the full. John does not show us a figure freed from the tiredness and the struggle of our humanity. He shows us one for whom life was an effort as it is for us; he shows us one who also was tired and had to go on.

WILLIAM BARCLAY. At the heart of all this there is the fundamental truth that in the human heart there is a thirst for something that only Jesus Christ can satisfy.

WILLIAM BARCLAY. The Samaritan woman was staggered by Christ's ability to see into her inmost being. She was amazed at his intimate knowledge of the human heart, and of her heart in particular....Her first instinct was to share her discovery. Having found this amazing person, she was compelled to share her find with others....First to find, then to tell, are the two great steps of the Christian life.

RAY STEDMAN. The story of Jesus and the woman at the well of Samaria helps us deal with many modern issues. Here Jesus crosses the barrier of race prejudice and interacts with a race hated and rejected by the Jews. That helps us greatly in our own bigoted, prejudicial society. Our Lord encounters a moral outcast and displays for our instruction the proper approach to take with such a person.

JULY 26 - Jesus One on One: Nicodemus

2009-07-27T10:19:00.002-05:00

On Sunday, July 26 we looked at Jesus' encounter with Nicodemus in John 3:1-17.

To go a little deeper, here are some thoughts by various writers across the years on the character Nathanael.

RAY STEDMAN. Jesus sensed in Nicodemus a deep hunger, an emptiness. Here was a man who was doing his level best to obey what he thought God wanted, yet he had an empty and unsatisfied heart that led him to seek out Jesus by night, at the risk of the displeasure of his peers, to talk with him about the kingdom of God. Sensing this our Lord immediately puts him on the right track, saying to him, in effect, "You are wasting your time if you think you can enter the kingdom of God the way you are. You cannot do it. You must be born again." John Wesley's favorite text, which he preached all through England, Wales and Scotland, was this, "You must be born again." Someone said to him once, "Why do you preach so often on 'you must be born again'?" Wesley's answer was, "Because -- you must be born again." That is what Jesus is saying.

JOHN WESLEY. How must a man be born again? What is the nature of the new birth?....Not that we are to expect any minute, philosophical account of the manner how this is done. Our Lord sufficiently guards us against any such expectation, by the words immediately following the text; wherein he reminds Nicodemus of as indisputable a fact as any in the whole compass of nature, which, notwithstanding, the wisest man under the sun is not able fully to explain. "The wind bloweth where it listeth...but thou canst not tell whence it cometh, nor whither it goeth;" -- the precise manner how it begins and ends, rises and falls, no man can tell. "So is every one that is born of the Spirit:" -- Thou mayest be as absolutely assured of the fact, as of the blowing of the wind; but the precise manner how it is done, how the Holy Spirit works this in the soul, neither thou nor the wisest of the children of men is able to explain.

JOHN WESLEY. The expression, "being born again," was not first used by our Lord in his conversation with Nicodemus: It was well known before that time, and was in common use among the Jews when our Saviour appeared among them. When an adult Heathen was convinced that the Jewish religion was of God, and desired to join therein, it was the custom to baptize him first, before he was admitted to circumcision. And when he was baptized, he was said to be born again; by which they meant, that he who was before a child of the devil was now adopted into the family of God, and accounted one of his children. This expression, therefore, which Nicodemus, being "a Teacher in Israel," ought to have understood well, our Lord uses in conversing with him; only in a stronger sense than he was accustomed to. And this might be the reason of his asking, "How can these things be?" They cannot be literally: -- A man cannot "enter a second time into his mother's womb, and be born:" -- But they may spiritually: A man may be born from above, born of God, born of the Spirit, in a manner which bears a very near analogy to the natural birth.

RAY STEDMAN. It is amazing that [Nicodemus] would come to Jesus at all, because the Pharisees regarded themselves as superior to other men in spiritual status before God due to their total dedication to obeying the law of God....John tells us that he began his word with a courteous introduction, "Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher come from God; for no one can do these signs that you do, unless God is with him...." This is a rather amazing statement....Nicodemus regarded Jesus as a successful teacher, because God put his seal of approval on him by doing miracles through him....Nicodemus came with a great deal of respect for Jesus, regarding him as a superior teacher, able to instruct in the meaning of the Law.

WILLIAM BARCLAY. It was by night that Nicodemus came to Jesus....It may have been a sign of caution. Nicodemus quite frankly may not have wished to commit himself by coming to Jesus by day. We must not condemn him. The wonder is that with his background he came to Jesus at all. It was infinitely better to come at night than not at all. It is a miracle of grace that Nicodemus overcame his prejudices and his upbringing and his whole view of life enough to come to Jesus....Nicodemus was a puzzled man, a man with many honors and yet with something lacking in his life. He came to Jesus for a talk so that somehow in the darkness of the night he might find light.

WILLIAM BARCLAY. When Jesus said that a man must be born anew, Nicodemus misunderstood him....How can anyone, he said, enter again into his mother's womb and be born a second time when he is already an old man? But there is more to Nicodemus's answer than that. In his heart therew as a great unsatisfied longing. It is as if he said with infinite, wistful yearning: "You talk about being born anew; you talk about this radical, fundamental change which is so necessary. I know that it is necessary; but in my experience it is impossible. There is nothing I would like more..." It is not the desirability of this change that Nicodemus questioned; that he knew only too well; it is the possibility. Nicodemus is up against the eternal problem, the problem of the man who wants to be changed and who cannot change himself.

CHRYSOSTOM (4th century). Even now [Nicodemus] was disposed toward Christ, but not as he should have been, nor did he yet have a proper regard for Jesus....This is why he came by night, because he feared to do so by day. Yet our merciful God did not reject or rebuke him for this, or deprive him of his instruction. Rather, with much kindness Jesus talked with him....Nicodemus shows he wants to learn....And so what Christ says to him is something like this: If you are not born again...everything you think about me will be from a human point of view, not a spiritual one....It is impossible, Christ says, for someone who is not born in this way to see the kingdom of God.

AUGUSTINE (354-430 AD). [Nicodemus] knew only one birth from Adam and Eve. He did not yet know [the birth] from God and the church....Although there are two births, he only knew one. One is from earth, the other from heaven. One is from the flesh, the other from the Spirit. One is from mortality, the other from eternity. One is from male and female, the other from God and the church.

AUGUSTINE. Do you think that the Lord meant to insult this master of the Jews? The Lord knew what he was doing. He wanted the man to be born of the Spirit....The man was puffed up with his mastery, and it appeared of some importance to him that he was a teacher of the Jews. Jesus pulled down his pride so that he might be born of the Spirit.

JULY 19 - Jesus One on One: Nathanael

2009-07-27T10:02:00.003-05:00

On Sunday, July 19 we looked at Jesus' encounter with Nathanael in John 1:43-51.

To go a little deeper, here are some thoughts by various writers across the years on the character Nathanael.

JOHN WESLEY. [Nathanael] appears to have been a man of an excellent spirit; not hasty of belief, and yet open to conviction, and willing to receive the truth, from whencesoever it came....What is implied in our Lord's character of him? "In whom is no guile." It may include all that is contained in that advice, -- "Still let thy heart be true to God, thy words to it, thy actions to them both."

RAY STEDMAN. Jesus could read people instantly and accurately in a way no one else could. And when he saw Nathanael coming to him, he read the character of Nathanael like a book: "Here is a true Israelite, in whom there is nothing false." There was no deceitfulness in Nathanael, no tendency to hide or be devious. Nathanael's immediate response was, "How do you know me?" Clearly, Nathanael felt that Jesus had hit the nail on the head. He was a man who worked diligently at building both a reputation and the consistent inner reality of integrity and honesty.

WILLIAM BARCLAY. It was not so much that Jesus had seen him under the fig tree that surprised Nathanael; it was the fact that Jesus had read the thoughts of his inmost heart....Nathanael stands for the Israelite whose heart was cleansed of pride and prejudice and who saw in Jesus the one who satisfied the longing of his waiting, seeking heart.

AUGUSTINE (354-430 AD). Nathanael, remembering he had been under the fig tree where the Lord had not been, recognized the divinity in him and answered, "You are the Son of God, you are the king of Israel." Though he was under the fig tree, he did not become a withered fig tree; he acknowledged Christ.

JULY 12 - STEPS

2009-07-12T10:20:00.002-05:00

To listen this message, go to this link:
BUMC AUDIO MESSAGES

Here is a little more information about each of the "four steps" we looked at on Sunday, July 12...

1 - EXPLORING CHRISTIANITY
I believe in God, but I'm not sure about Christ.
My faith is not a significant part of my life.
I do not tend to involved God in my daily life.
I may view the Bible as irrelevant.
I need others to help me interpret spiritual issues.
I may seek God's guidance only in times of need.
I do not serve in the church.

2 - GROWING IN CHRIST
I believe in Jesus.
I'm discovering faith, and working on what it means to get to know him.
I may willingly participate in small groups.
I may begin serving in the church.
I may sometimes read the Bible or Christian books.

3 - CLOSE TO CHRIST
I feel really close to Christ.
I depend on him daily for guidance.
The Bible provides direction for my life.
Prayer is central to my life.
I have not yet surrendered everything to Christ.
Spiritual friends may become more important than small groups for my growth.
I serve the Lord regularly.

4 - CHRIST-CENTERED
God is all I need in my life; I love him more than anything; he is enough.
Everything I do is a reflection of Christ.
For me, prayer is constant conversation with God.
I am helping to mentor others.
Service to others is a way of life.

Something we did not have time to discuss on Sunday - is the fact that a certain portion of folks at "step 3" and "step 4" report some struggles.

It is not uncommon for folks at step 3 (Close to Christ) to describe themselves as "stalled," and wrestling with "lost momentum." ("I believe in Christ, but I haven't grown much lately."

It is not uncommon for folks at step 4 (Christ-Centered) to describe themselves as "dissatisfied," demonstrating all the outward signs of full devotion but still somewhat unhappy. ("My faith is central to my life and I'm trying to grow, but my church is letting me down.")

For more information about the REVEAL studies - to the REVEAL WEB SITE.

You can also attend the "Summer Short" course on "Reveal" - on Sunday, July 19 at 5 p.m.

JUNE 22 - June church visits

2009-06-22T14:55:00.003-05:00

Well we head home this week and look forward to being back in Texas! Please make sure the highs are in the 80s and the lows are in the 60s so we will not have a big adjustment to make - HAHA!

I thought I would update you on the three church visits we made during the month of June. (Note you can click on the name of each church to see their web sites.)

JUNE 7 - CALVARY BAPTIST CHURCH - As I prepared for this visit, it dawned on me that despite all of my years in East Texas, this would be the first time I had ever attended a Baptist church for Sunday morning worship. I don't know, however, if you can compare this congregation to Texas Baptists! Perhaps the most striking thing was that the senior pastor was a "she." We learned that Pastor Donna Hopkins Britt is the daughter of a former pastor of the church. This was an old established congregation with a beautiful old building. Maybe about 140 in attendance - plenty of room for more. A VERY accomplished choir - singing a VERY difficult piece. To get everything in (including Communion) - the sermon was brief but a very meaningful presentation on the Trinity. We were included in Communion which is not usually the norm for Baptists. Most Texas Methodists would feel very much at home at Calvary Baptist. It is located in a redeveloping part of town, close to downtown. A new "loft apartment complex" was about to open - and the church was going to be there for new dwellers on "move-in" day.

JUNE 14 - BROOKLYN TABERNACLE - We were in NYC on this weekend, and I had always wanted to hear the Brooklyn Tabernacle choir so we got there early for the 9 a.m. service. (The services are long - so the schedule is 9 a.m, 12 noon and 3:30 p.m.) If you are ever in NY on a Sunday, be sure to go check this place out. A few years ago they were so cramped they were having 6 or 7 services each Sunday, so they purchased and renovated a huge old Loew's Theatre for worship use. Wow - it looks brand new now. Something like 4000 seats. The story of the church is interesting. The pastor "inherited" a struggling mission from his father-in-law in inner-city Brooklyn. By the grace of God, it has grown over the years. The pastor's wife does not read music, but took over responsibility for the choir, and it is now a Grammy award winning group! Wow and wow! To top it off, the pastor and his wife are Anglo, and the congregation is (though somewhat diverse) 90% African-American. God is certainly at work here. As it turned out, the choir usually sings at 9 and noon, but today were singing at noon and 3:30 because they were recording a new CD. They had just a few music leaders instead. The most amazing thing was the congregational singing. It was really like a 4000 voice choir!! They don't spectate...they participate!!! We were planning to catch a Broadway show Sunday afternoon, but instead decided to come back for the 3:30 p.m. concert, so we were able to hear the choir after all. Again - check it out if you are ever in NY on a weekend!

JUNE 21 - ST. MARK'S UNITED METHODIST CHURCH, DALEVILLE VA - Our last Sunday away, so I decided to get back to the UMC! This church is slightly smaller in numbers than ours - average of about 250 in two services. Much like Cave Spring UMC - the sanctuary is "wide" (left to right) instead of "long" (front to back). The first thing you would notice (as a flat-lander) is the huge expanse of glass behind the altar - you can see the beautiful surrounding Allegheny Mountains as you worship. Wow. (Although when you stand to sing, you can spy the Kroger gas pumps!) It was also nice to see that the choir area and the handbell area were fully accessible with a ramp to the side. As it turned out, however, the music was "summer slim." No choir. No bells. The keyboardist was on her honeymoon. So the choir director played - led a couple of praise songs - and sang the special herself. I was pleased (just personal preference) that the service did not lead off with 15 minutes of announcements like others I attended. At this church you have to read the announcements on your own time. It did allow the pastor more preaching time than some of the others we have attended. The pastor was a good preacher, and gave a good message on Jesus and the storm - and he talked about the various storms we face. At the close of the service, they commissioned a teen member who was preparing to go on a mission trip to Uganda.

Well today (Monday) may be the most fun day of all - we are cleaning the apartment and packing up stuff. We look forward to seeing you this Sunday as we think together about the theme "Sabbath." Thank you so much for your prayers and your support which made this sabbatical possible!!

Robert & Betsy

JUNE 16 - a few more updates

2009-06-16T16:16:00.002-05:00

Well we have had a few busy moments, and to top it off my laptop is down, so I am using the local library to post a few notes.

In the last few weeks, we have experienced the following (some of which you may already know about):

++ Our son Jeremy came up for a weekend visit

++ I participated in a 3-day retreat at a Catholic retreat center

++ We went to Williamsburg/Jamestown for 3 days - wow, lots of history there!

++ Our daughter Whitney came up for a weekend visit

++ We went to New York for a brief weekend trip

Lots of blessings in all of these special experiences - and also more reading and volunteer work has taken place...

We look forward to seeing you on Sunday, June 28, and we have felt your support and prayers throughout this "time apart." See you soon!!

JUNE 1 - Churches we have visited

2009-06-01T08:06:00.012-05:00

It is quite an experience to be able to attend church each Sunday without being responsible for leading it!! I began my sabbatical really looking forward to this (not to mention being able to get up each Sunday and leisurely read the paper and sip my coffee, instead of gulping!). As the sabbatical began, I decided that rather than picking one church - I would enjoy attending a different congregation each Sunday, trying to experience different types and styles (and denominations). You can click on the name of each congregation for more information online.

APRIL 27 - MOUNT PLEASANT UNITED METHODIST CHURCH. For our first Sunday in Virginia, I chose this congregation because the pastor (Rev. Liz Mortlock) had been so very kind with a phone call when we were here a few months ago, trying to locate a place to stay for the sabbatical. She had invited us to worship that weekend, but we had gone to the downtown UM church. So I thought now would be a good time to attend Mount Pleasant. It is a small congregation on the outskirts of Roanoke, a semi-rural area. The mostly older folks are very friendly, and it seems like almost everyone wants to meet a guest. Instead of a sermon, we heard a presentation from an adult/youth team that had taken a recent mission trip to an impoverished part of West Virginia. Mount Pleasant and Pastor Liz receive bonus points, as she took us out to lunch after worship!!

MAY 3 - CAVE SPRING UNITED METHODIST CHURCH. Originally an old rural congregation, dating well back into the 19th century, this is now suburban Roanoke, and the church has grown accordingly. Despite a gray, drizzly day, the interior of the sanctuary was bright and cheerful, with a lot of glass - highlighting the beautiful surrounding mountains. There was a lot of music, pipe organ, choir, and handbells. Being Communion Sunday, it did seem like we were trying to do a whole lot in a short time. In addition, there was a lot of "pre-service stuff," so that it was about 11:15 by the time we got to the opening hymn. The pastor had a nice conversational message on the 23rd Psalm. This is the largest UM congregation in the Roanoke area, with an average attendance of 463 (in 3 services - two traditional and one contemporary).

MAY 10 - FIRST UNITED METHODIST CHURCH, BRENHAM. We were actually back in Texas for this weekend, as we celebrated our daughter's 21st birthday and also had Mother's Day brunch with my mom after taking her with us to early church in Brenham. Pastor Dale had a message that celebrated the role of our moms in our lives. It was a rare experience to sit in the pew with my wife and mom. FUMC has several retired pastor couples in the church, so my mother enjoyed getting to see them!

MAY 17 - PARKWAY WESLEYAN CHURCH. You see Wesleyan churches fairly frequently in Virginia (unlike Texas). It is a denomination with roots in the teaching of John Wesley, like us United Methodists. Many of the Wesleyan congregations appear to be relatively small. Parkway is an exception. This is a large church that has relocated more than once due to growth, and the pastor has been there almost 20 years. The present building is a few years old, and is strikingly located on the top of a mountain. You should see the driveway that curves up the side of a mountain. It is a church with contemporary style worship, and averages over 1000 in attendance (in 2 services). The pastor had a pretty blunt, hard-hitting message, part of a series on heaven called "Wings." The message, based on Hebrews 11:32-40, walked us through the passage. First he reminded us that our victories and successes can cause us to lose sight of our wings (our future hope of heaven). Second, our devastating defeats can cause us to lose sight of our wings. Very insightfully he said it is OK to question God, but do not attack God in the midst of your difficulties. "Pity Road" will take you somewhere you don't want to go! Last, our daily grind can cause us to lose sight of our wings. "Most of life is lived between the home runs and the strikeouts." This church building appears to have been built with future growth in mind, as despite the large crowd, the people were scattered across a huge number of seats. This was a very young crowd.

MAY 24 - CHURCH OF THE HOLY SPIRIT. This is a large Anglican parish in suburban Roanoke (perhaps about the size of Parkway in attendance, and a new building is being constructed). It was truly a unique worship experience, as it was a creative melding of "high-church" Anglican elements with a mellow-sound contemporary worship band. Never seen anything quite like it. There was a pretty large crowd, especially considering it was a holiday weekend. There were all ages represented, including quite a few younger adults, teens and children. There was a distinct "unrushed" feeling to the worship - which would have been great - except we had 12:30 brunch reservations. This was an 11 a.m. worship service - it had a full experience of a contemporary music set, an extended period of intercessory prayer, a full sermon (very well done, on David and Goliath), healing prayer at the altar, and Communion. The lead pastor is in his 40's (best as I can tell) - and has been at this church for over 20 years. I must admit that we took Communion, and then slid out the back door (at 12:45 p.m.)! I don't have a building pic, but will add one later perhaps.

MAY 30 - ST. ANN'S CATHOLIC CHURCH, ASHLAND, VIRGINIA. I attended Saturday evening mass along with the other participants in a weekend retreat. We carpooled from the retreat center to attend St. Ann's. This is a town on the outer northern edge of the Richmond area. It was a celebration of the feast of Pentecost. For those who enjoy "short and sweet" sermons, you would love the seven-minute sermon (or homily) at St. Ann's! (Don't expect that at BUMC, by the way!) Out of respect for Catholic norms, I did not take Communion.

MAY 29 - Miscellaneous Presentations

2009-05-29T11:19:00.006-05:00

During the time on sabbatical, I have had the opportunity to attend a couple of "miscellaneous" presentations that I thought I would take a moment to tell you about.

REMEMBERING THE HOLOCAUST. On April 30 I went to a community forum called Remembering the Holocaust - An Interfaith Community Dialogue – Why Remember? at Beth Israel Synagogue in Roanoke. We heard from a panel of three people, all of whom had personal stories connected to the Holocaust.

Betty Oberlender is a Jewish woman who grew up in Belgium and lost her entire family - parents and siblings - to the Holocaust. She was taken in and hidden by a woman who allowed her to live in her cellar. She later lived in an orphan's home, and came to the US to live with an aunt in 1947. It wasn't until later that she learned for sure that her family had died at Auschwitz. She has lived in Roanoke since 1991. Her late husband was also a Holocaust survivor and was actually in a concentration camp. One of her most striking comments: "If it could happen among highly educated Germans, it could happen anywhere."

Gary Oberlender is her son, a physician, and talked about what is like to grow up as a son of two Holocaust survivors. It was almost never talked about. He talked about growing up with no grandparents and only one uncle - he described it as growing up "anchor-less."

Pat Bijwaard is a retired Virginia schoolteacher. She is not Jewish (she is Catholic) but her husband was a native of Holland, where his father worked with the Underground. She worked to develop a curriculum on the Holocaust, tolerance and diversity that is still being used in the area, and also helped in the development of state standards for Holocaust education in Virginia.

Before attending the event, I knew it would be Holocaust related, but really was not aware how closely connected these presenters were to the actual events. It won't be long before we completely lose the voices of this generation.

EMOTIONS AND VALUES. On May 21 I went to an author's forum at an area library featuring a retired pastor and author Jack Good. He pastored for years in New York and Illinois, served as a pastoral counselor, and lived for a time in Bangladesh and Pakistan.

He spoke about his book Emotions and Values: Discovering the Source of Jesus' Strength and Influence. Essentially he suggests that our culture tends to de-value emotions. If someone makes a decision and discards their emotions in the process, we tend to think that is a good thing.

In studying the New Testament in the original Greek, he found that several times Jesus expressed emotions very intensely. He suggests that strong emotions are a key to understanding that which we greatly value, and are actually an expression of caring, though they can indeed become distorted.

In his counseling work, he noticed that often people either repress their emotions or "overly express" their emotions. He challenged us to pay attention to our emotions. If I am sad, what made me sad? What value was involved. If I am joyous, what value is being celebrated? If I am angry, what value is being attacked? "Be friendly with your emotions."

He happens to believe that Christianity has de-emphasized the humanity of Jesus. Could it be that Jesus is MORE human than we are - not less so?

In the discussion time, I did ask if he had integrated an understanding of the divine nature of Jesus at this point, but he acknowledged that it was really connected to the human side of Jesus.

THIS WEEKEND I will be participating in a 3-day spiritual retreat. So often the learning events I attend are primarily focused on practical learnings. This will be a change of pace for me. It has held at a Catholic retreat center near Richmond, Va., and will focus on the writings of St. Julian of Norwich, a 14th century English mystic, and her writings which have inspired many. I'll let you know more after I get back!

MAY 20 more sabbatical photos

2009-05-20T08:54:00.010-05:00

Working with a group of volunteers, smoothing and extending a nature trail on Poor Mountain

Trying not to make TOO big a mess, while painting with a small group of volunteers at a Methodist camp - Camp Alta Mons near Shawsville, Va.

We have our pictures made with Thomas Jefferson(right), and his friend Charles Willson Peale, just before their presentation of Conversations with Thomas Jefferson. You can see Jefferson's retreat house, Poplar Forest, in the background.

Here we are in front of the amazing Natural Bridge, located in Rockbridge County Virginia, about a 45 minute drive from Roanoke

"Burkes Garden" - a beautiful isolated valley, completely surrounded by mountains on all sides, located in rural Tazewell County Virginia

Just a few of the many beautiful wildflowers

A view of the valley between the James River and the Roanoke River, taken from the Blue Ridge Parkway

A view of downtown Roanoke, taken from a trail near the top of Mill Mountain

MAY 18 Sabbatical Update - music and other events

2009-05-18T08:10:00.006-05:00

In addition to the beauty of nature that we have enjoyed, we have also had the opportunity to FEAST on numerous experiences of "human-created" beauty - most of these in the musical area.

On my April 28 update, I posted about the "Sounds of the Mountains" music and storytelling festival, and also going to the symphony concert. Since that time we have experienced several other events, and I will give you a quick update on those.

Conversations with Thomas Jefferson - this took place at Jefferson's retreat house called Poplar Forest. We toured the house, and enjoyed this two person presentation by two actors. One portrayed Thomas Jefferson, and one portrayed a contemporary of Jefferson's, Charles Willson Peal. CLICK HERE for more info.

Mill Mountain Ringers - this is a community handbell group, and they gave their "end of season" concert. Wow - Betsy is the handbell expert - and her jaw was dropping as she saw and heard their presentation. It was amazing. They even did a medley of music from Phantom of the Opera.

Roanoke Valley Choral Society - this is a community choral group, and they did a concert of Broadway show tunes. Since we sing in the Austin County Civic Chorale, it was fun to hear a comparable group. This concert was presented in the gorgeous sanctuary of First Presbyterian Church. Despite its elegant setting in a wealthy neighborhood, I was surprised to learn it is actually smaller in numbers than BUMC. CLICK HERE for info on the chorale. CLICK HERE for a picture of the church.

Southern Routes - this was a concert of traditional Appalachian music, presented by two GREAT musicians - two guys in their 40s who have known each other for many years - Riley Baugus and Dirk Powell. They both played and sang - swapping and retuning instruments during this 2+ hour concert - they played banjo, fiddle, guitar and accordion. These guys were involved in the music for the movie Cold Mountain (which we have not yet seen). The concert took place at the Jefferson Center, part of their Appalachian Jams series - the Jeff Center has a huge, beautiful concert hall, but the concert was in a small recital hall - a very intimate setting which made the presentation very enjoyable. The music is amazing. CLICK HERE for a Youtube video of these two guys performing back in 2008 in another setting.

Local Colors - this is an annual festival in downtown Roanoke featuring various international cultural groups - we stopped by for a short while and sat on the hill and took in some singing and dancing by groups from China, Japan, India, etc. Local Colors also does educational work to promote international understanding. CLICK HERE for info on Local Colors.

Double Organ Concert - the downtown UM church hosts a fine arts series, and for this concert they used the church's pipe organ, and installed a brand new (never been played) electronic organ, and had two Juilliard organists from NYC do a double organ concert. Wow. We arrived 15 minutes before the hour, and barely got a seat. I am so used to sacred organ music, so it was quite a switch to hear double organs performing, among other things, selections from the Nutcracker and Peter and the Wolf. The audience greatly appreciated this. The organists' names were Daniel Sullivan and Isabelle Diemers. CLICK HERE for the flyer about this concert. CLICK HERE for some pics of Greene Memorial UMC. (This is another church that, despite its prominent history and elegant downtown sanctuary, is actually smaller in numbers than BUMC.)

WOW - it sounds like all we have done is soak up music and culture. One of the nice things we like about this city, is that it is very compact, surrounded by natural attractions (mountains, trails, etc.), easy to get around (15 minutes to anywhere!) but large enough to have a huge number of cultural options. It is great to have both an appreciation for fine classical music as well as an appreciation for the traditional Appalachian styles.

Well that is enough for now. It actually got a little warm last weekend (over 80 degrees, that is), but a cold front came through yesterday, and this week looks to be really nice, with 66 for the high today, and a low tonight of 41. We miss you all, and we appreciate your prayers as we reach the halfway point of our sabbatical.

MAY 12 Sabbatical Update - reading, etc.

2009-05-12T20:26:00.008-05:00

Let me take some time to update you a bit on some of the reading I have done in the last few weeks. My plan is to read from a variety of sources - not just "preacher books!" I completed three books that were recommended by Dave Ramsey during FPU - and they wound up having a lot of good insights - both personally and professionally.

Two of the books go hand in hand together - THE MILLIONAIRE NEXT DOOR by Thomas J. Stanley and William D. Danko, and Stanley's follow up book THE MILLIONAIRE MIND. You might wonder why Pastor Robert is reading books on how to become a millionaire. Actually, both books do a great job of highlighting the fact that the lifestyle of folks in our nation who have achieved great wealth is often the opposite of what we would expect.

While many of us associate "millionaires" with extravagance and conspicuous consumption, Stanley notes that these behaviors make it MUCH less likely that you will ever achieve wealth. One of the chapters in the first book is titled "Frugal Frugal Frugal," and it makes the point that these folks actually tend to live below their means, and tend not to live in some of the "high status" neighborhoods that actually encourage folks to live beyond their means.

Another Ramsey recommendation was the book GETTING TO YES: NEGOTIATING AGREEMENT WITHOUT GIVING IN, by Roger Fisher and William Ury.

The authors highlight some of the traps folks fall into when trying to negotiate a solution to any problem. The learnings can apply to relationships, to finances, and to almost any sticky situation we find ourselves in. At one point, they suggested that the two parties actually sit on the same side of the table in tackling a problem, as a visual reminder that the two persons are BOTH working toward a solution - not against each other.

One of the humorous stories they tell is about two people squabbling over an orange. Each of them wants the orange for their use, and there is only one orange. Finally they cut it in half as a way to negotiate a solution. Sounds good - until you find out that one of them uses the orange peel in a recipe, and discards the fruit, while the other eats the fruit, and discards the peel!

Sometimes there is an even better solution than the most obvious one!

I am also working on the book ONE HOUR WITH GOD, by John Maxwell. Maxwell is a great trainer and speaker, and I always enjoy hearing him. I picked up this notebook years ago, and never got around to beginning it. I thought it would be a good tool for this sabbatical - and beyond.

Each week's devotional and journaling is centered around a theme. The first week's theme is ATTITUDE. (What a great place to start!) Maxwell suggests that one of the differences between children and adults is that as adults, we have more choice about our attitude. He also gives us the important reminder that even Christians can have bad attitudes (with a biblical example being the elder brother in the story of the prodigal son).

The Bible reference for this section is Philippians 2:3-5. This Scripture reminds me that it really is possible to be doing the right thing, but for the wrong reason. Our approach - our attitude - really is important. This Scripture reference begins with this challenging call: "Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit." What a tough assignment. Do NOTHING from selfish ambition or conceit. Needless to say, it has been a great learning experience to spend time with this Scripture.

I have to also share this humorous story that Maxwell shared in this chapter. He tells about a construction worker who opened his lunch box, and angrily screamed, "I can't believe it. Baloney again. I hate baloney sandwiches. This is the fourth time this week I've had baloney. I can't stand it."

His friend says, "Take it easy. Just tell your wife to fix you something else next time."

"Wife?" replied the man. "I make my own lunch!"

Maxwell says that the moral of this story is - MOST OF THE BALONEY IN OUR LIVES, WE HAVE PUT THERE OURSELVES!

MAY 2 Sabbatical photos

2009-05-02T21:25:00.005-05:00

A trail alongside the Roanoke River

On a trail near the Blue Ridge Parkway

Walking trail in Roanoke

MAY 1 Sabbatical Update - Personal Habits

2009-05-01T06:23:00.006-05:00

Let me share just a bit about how taking sabbatical has affected the rhythm of daily life. My sabbatical is not oriented around an academic project, so it is not like sitting in the library all day doing things. As you can probably tell already, it involves quite a few different types of activity. One of the side benefits has been to experience an entirely different rhythm of daily living.

So far I have been able to focus on healthy personal habits. First of all is the walking. We have walked an hour or more EVERY DAY since our first full day here (Friday, April 23) and so far we have logged about 19 miles in seven days. The weather has been very conducive to walking. Even on the warmer days, it is easy to find a shady trail to walk. The sheer number of trails is incredible. We have also connected to a twice-a-week walking group at a local library. Even though they only walk 30 minute jaunts, it has been really fun to have a small group to chat with while we are walking. We make sure to add an additional walk on those days! (The apartment is also less than one mile from a mall where we could join the senior citizen mall-walkers in case of inclement weather, but we haven't had any of that yet!)

It is going to be really hard to keep this up once we return to Texas since it will almost be July, and I am guessing the pleasant mountain breezes will be difficult to bring home with us.

Sleep is another personal habit. "Sleep, you say? You must be kidding?"

Some of you know that I recently acquired a C-PAP machine to enhance my sleep and prevent episodes of sleep apnea. I knew I snored very badly but had no idea that it was so strongly affecting my sleep patterns. My patterns have greatly improved, but my doctor strongly suggested I increase my nightly sleep time to 7.5 hours or more. At first, that was very difficult for me. It would be easy if I were to go to bed at 10 p.m., but I tend to stay up and work on projects, go through mail and bills, watch TV or catch up on email. If I go to bed at midnight, there is no way I could sleep until 7:30. Just not happening!

On my sabbatical, I have no excuses. So I have been doing a much better job at getting to bed at a reasonable hour. My "smart" C-PAP machine actually logs my nightly time and records it. So I can actually see that I have made progress. (My 7-day average is 7.12 hours - just short of the goal of 7.50. My average before this week has been around 6.21 hours - so that is an increase of almost one hour.) Maybe I will be even more pleasant and clear-thinking by the time I return to Texas!

As you can see, I have not weaned myself from computer use. (I did not have that as a goal, by the way.) I am using it to take notes, to keep up with my diary (including this blog), and also to research further activities and exposures for the balance of the sabbatical. I also use it to keep up with our finances, as the bills do continue to be paid!! I make occasional contacts with the church office back home, but that is a lot easier to do via email than having to make a phone call, and it keeps those contacts very short and focused! I was also trying to keep up with Brahma baseball. As I told someone - I did not take a vacation from sports, and I was surprised to learn about the postponement of UIL activities because of the influenza issues.

One thing I am definitely NOT doing is carrying my cell phone with me - of course we are keeping it in the apartment for general use, but it is really nice not to have it with me when we are walking, etc. I am not nearly as tied to my cell phone as some folks I know (no names, of course), but it has enhanced my sabbatical to leave it behind.

Food is another area to consider. The luxury of time on the sabbatical has made it possible to eat much healthier. We have also enjoyed eating more fresh produce, especially that which we find at the farmer's markets. We are not depriving ourselves by any means, but hoping that my food intake is healthier than I am accustomed to.

Reading. It is great to have more time to read. It is so nice that our apartment has a small balcony that overlooks woods and has distant mountain views. It is very calming to go out there and read. Again, I will post later some updates on my reading, which is both personal and professional in nature. I am also enjoying having some time to do Bible reading which is not project-oriented (such as reading the Bible to prepare a sermon). I will also soon begin a very focused Bible and prayer notebook called "One Hour with God."

Because of the length of the sabbatical, we are continuing some normal activities - shopping, fun outings, watching DVDs, etc. (We are, however, making sure the TV stays off for the vast majority of time.) I am looking at some options for incorporating a more focused spiritual retreat within the time period of the sabbatical. I'll let you know how that works out.

April 28 Sabbatical Update

2009-04-27T10:01:00.007-05:00

Well let me take a few minutes to tell you what we have been up to. It seems like we have gotten quite a bit of R&R but as I list our activities, you will be able to tell we have enjoyed a variety of experiences! Let me just do it chronologically!

FRIDAY was our first full day in Roanoke. We were able to enjoy a walk on one of the area trails. (There are so many trails in the area, I think we could do an hour walk every day and never duplicate one!) Then we spent a good portion of the day stocking our pantry and picking up a few things that we had forgotten, or didn't know we would need. The furnished apartment is set up for a corporate rental, so it does have quite a bit in the way of kitchen supplies, linens, towels, etc.

SATURDAY was our first service project - the first of many! We spent about 4 hours working on a trail building project. There is a volunteer team that has worked for years in the construction of maintenance of area trails. Some of them have also worked on the granddaddy of all trails - the Appalachian Trail - which also runs nearby. This one was on a natural area preserve about 10 miles outside the city on Poor Mountain. This preserve hosts the world's largest known population of a globally rare shrub called piratebush. In fact there are more specimens of piratebush on Poor Mountain than all other known populations combined!

Fortunately our fellow workers were experienced and trained us quickly. The existing trail (up and down the mountain side) eventually just gives out. So we had to hike that trail to its end, at which point our work began. (NOTE this is on the same day as BARK, so we were participating vicariously - just a long way from Bellville!) We were basically using tools to smooth out the trail with just a slight slope so water would not puddle, and also making sure there was no berm on the downward slope side, again so water would drain well.

After the morning work, we hiked back to the parking lot for lunch! We also received t-shirts for our work. Since we have evening plans, we forego the afternoon work, but learn that some of the folks meet out there every Wednesday to make progress on the trail.

You can read more about Poor Mountain AT THIS SITE.

SATURDAY EVENING - after cleaning up and rehydrating, we went to participate in part of the day's events at the "Sounds of the Mountain" festival of storytelling and music. We have always enjoyed hearing some of the great story tellers, and it is an Appalachian art they are trying not to lose! This is an annual event held at a church camp run by the Church of the Brethren.

By the way, it is quite hot - the highs have been over 90 degrees. Some years it does not hit 90 until June here. Just earlier in the week (just before our arrival) it was down below freezing, and some parts of the area even saw some snow! To give you an idea, the low here on 4/21 was 21 degrees (we just missed that as we were still driving in), and the high on 4/23 was 90 degrees! So much for our usual bragging about the changing Texas weather!! It should be cooler again soon - but it is still nice for us, and even on the days where it gets over 90, the lows have been dipping into the fifties!

Rather than tell you about each musician or storyteller we heard, I will list them below - and if you click on their names - you can find their web sites:

Gypsy Moon Tellers

Anthony Burcher

Lynn Ruehlmann

Kim Weitkamp she was our favorite!! We would LOVE to get her to Bellville!!

Odds Bodkin - quite a name huh!

Joseph Helfrich - a folk singer and "multi-instrumentalist"

Donald Davis - he was hilarious!

SUNDAY - Wow it was quite an experience to sleep to a normal hour and get up to a leisurely breakfast. It has been 16 years since I was at a church with only one morning service, so early Sundays have been a staple for me for a long time!! Even when we attend church on vacation, it is usually part of a mix of a day of sightseeing in activity. (Once we actually flew from Houston to San Francisco on a Sunday a.m. and had time to check in to our hotel and take a cab and make it to a 10:30 a.m. service!!) So today was the most restful Sunday I have had in who knows how long!! We did make an 11 a.m. service at an area church.

I had "met" the pastor online a couple of months ago and she was very kind in suggesting options for a place to stay so I decided to visit her church. As part of the church service, we heard testimonies from a team that had just returned from a mission trip to West Virginia, to one of the poorest counties in the U.S. They also showed slides. Pastor Liz was so kind to take us to lunch after worship, and we swapped many a story over lunch at Panera!

We got our walk in also! Trying not to miss a day! (This is a challenge for Betsy right now - she is taking a med for sinus that causes joint pain - so the ups and downs hurt even more than usual.)

MONDAY - Today we toured the Roanoke Rescue Mission - wow, what an operation - it is a Christian outreach ministry with over 60 years of work in reaching out to homeless folks. (Roanoke is a longtime railroad town, and that tends to go along with a presence of homelessness - men especially.)

I don't know where to start. It is the largest shelter in the state of Virginia, and they accept no federal or state funds. They do not even accept United Way funds, and so they manage to structure their operation without having to water down their Christian ministry. They have the overnight shelters for men and women with no place to go - and 3 meals a day, seven days a week - no strings attached. They get so much food donated that the cost per meal averages 12 cents a plate. We are going to do volunteer work with part of our time here, and this looks like a great place to do it. You can check them out further at this site.

We ended Monday with a nice dose of high culture, as we went to the performance of the Roanoke Symphony Orchestra. I always enjoy symphony, but hardly ever take the time to go. The major work was the Brahms Requiem, presented in conjunction with two guest soloists and about a 150-voice chorus. There was also a short work by the Brazilian composer Villalobos, presented by a soprano soloist and eight cellos.

Roanoke is quite a compact metropolitan area (compared to Houston at least) so it as nice to go to an 8 p.m. symphony concert and be back in our apartment before 10:15!

FINALLY - I am doing reading also. The book I am working on now is one I have recommended before - but (I am embarrassed to say) - have never actually read! It is the book BOUNDARIES by Cloud and Townsend. I will post more after I finish it.

TTFN

Our first 24 hours in Roanoke, Virginia

2009-04-24T12:06:00.002-05:00

Well after almost 1300 miles of driving, we arrived safe and sound in Roanoke, VA yesterday (Thursday) a little after noon. Here's how the first 24 hours went.

LUNCH was picked up from a natural foods co-op and we ate a picnic lunch outdoors at a park. The weather has been beautiful.

APARTMENT CHECKIN was next. We signed all our paperwork, then got everything moved in. We are getting used to hilly terrain! We are on the 2nd floor of a 3-story building - nevertheless it was 23 steps DOWN from the parking lot to our apartment. (There is also a back parking lot where you have to walk UP the stairs to reach the floor beneath us!) There is a balcony that looks out toward the mountains - and from which there was a beautiful sunrise this morning. The cool spring weather means we are opening the windows and enjoying the fresh air!

DINNER at a home cooking restaurant.

TOWN HALL FOR HOPE was next on our agenda. We watched the 90-minute Dave Ramsey presentation at a church near our apartment. If you did not get to attend, this website gives us a pretty good overview of the message - CLICK HERE.

THIS MORNING we enjoyed about an hour walk. The city of Roanoke has a system of greenways - walking trails of various types - this one was just a few miles from downtown but walked through woods with beautiful terrain and lots of birds, squirrels, chipmunks and dogwoods. Again the weather was perfect.

CITY MARKET was next on our agenda - this is one of the oldest farmer's markets in the country, and it operates daily yearround. Picked up farm eggs, asparagus, tomatoes, cucumber, fresh corn, and a few other items!

More shopping for staples is on the agenda for today. I won't bore you with all the details!

The flowering trees around town are spectacular - will try to post some pics later!

On the road tomorrow

2009-04-20T23:10:00.003-05:00

Tomorrow (Tuesday 4/21) we leave for our time of sabbatical. We feel the strength of your encouragement and your prayers.

It will be a 3-day road trip through Texas, Arkansas, Tennessee and finally Virginia!

(Day 3 will be a short travel day so that we can get checked into our apartment, and also attend the Dave Ramsey Town Hall for Hope - the very same live simulcast that you will be experiencing at BUMC! Read about Town Hall at this link!)

I will update you by next Monday at the latest - but hopefully before that!

APRIL 19 - The Fine Art of Sermon Listening

2009-04-20T23:06:00.002-05:00

LUKE 8:18. Pay attention to how you listen.

Read Luke 8:4-15 for a great story Jesus told that sheds some light on the importance of listening!

To be a good sermon listener, try these steps:

LISTEN with all your heart - pray before and after listening.

LISTEN with all your mind - use your Bible.

LISTEN with all your soul - do take the message personally.

LISTEN with all your strength - ask God "what now?"

APRIL 12 - A Holiday That Changed the World

2009-04-16T06:31:00.006-05:00

Take a moment to read 1 Corinthians 15:14-20:

If Christ has not been raised, then our proclamation has been in vain and your faith has been in vain. We are even found to be misrepresenting God, because we testified of God that he raised Christ—whom he did not raise if it is true that the dead are not raised. For if the dead are not raised, then Christ has not been raised. If Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins. Then those also who have died in Christ have perished. If for this life only we have hoped in Christ, we are of all people most to be pitied. But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who have died.

In this passage, the writer (Paul) identifies six important ways in which the Easter Event changed the world - six important things that we would lose without the resurrection of Christ. (Note that he was writing to those who, tended to accept the truth of the resurrection of Jesus, but were having a hard time believing in the possibility of their own resurrection to eternal life.) Here are the six things Paul identifies in the above passage:

Preaching is a waste of time. (Those of us who are pastors might as well go out and try to find another job.)

Christian faith itself is useless. Our faith has been "in vain."

The apostles are liars. There is no reason to believe anything they say, if we cannot believe the central teaching of their message - that Christ is risen.

Our past sins are still with us. If Christ is "dead and gone," then his death has no power to save.

Our loved ones are gone from us forever. If there is no resurrection of the dead, then we must forgo our hope of glad reunion with our loved ones.

This moment is all we have. Finding fulfillment in this life is all that remains.

1 CORINTHIANS 15:20. But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who have died.

When the resurrection of Jesus is described as the "first fruits," we are promised that this miracle is just the beginning that points the way to a much greater harvest - the promised resurrection of our bodies as well! A great message!

In preparing this message, I enjoyed reading this article by the late Ray Stedman - check it out - "What If" - by Ray C. Stedman.

MARCH 29 - Staying on Task: Discovering Your Piece of the Whole

2009-03-29T07:10:00.003-05:00

Read more about the REVEAL study - click here.

Important questions to help you discover your "piece of the whole"

Have I found my niche?

Do I understand the big picture?

Are my efforts Spirit driven?

MARCH 15 & 22 - Staying on Task - Values...Beliefs...

2009-03-28T14:56:00.002-05:00

STAYING ON TASK

Organizations – just like people – sometimes have “wandering mind syndrome.” They begin with a clear sense of who they are, but begin to lose their focus.

Scripture reminds us that the church is like a building – in which each of us must be careful how we build on it – and we must be clear that foundation is Jesus – that’s not up for a vote.

We have gone through a process of clarifying our core values at BUMC. In our exercise, by far the number one response was LOVE. That is not really surprising, for the Bible makes it clear how important love is:

JOHN 15:9, 12. "As the Father has loved me, so I have loved you; abide in my love…Love one another as I have loved you."

1 CORINTHIANS 13:13. The greatest of these is love.

We kept love as a part of each of our five core values:

SPIRITUAL GROWTH. Helping everyone to grow in the love of Christ. So our target audience – can be anyone – and our task is to help that person GROW in Jesus.

2 PETER 3:18. Grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

TEAMWORK. Serving together in a fellowship of love. If you are a part of this church family – you are not a spectator – you are not a consumer – you are part of the team.

Jesus said that to be one of his followers – we must deny ourselves – and take up our crosses and follow him (Matthew 16:24).

WELCOMING. Offering an atmosphere of acceptance and respect in a loving manner.

HEBREWS 13:2. Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers.

OUTWARD FOCUS. Sharing God’s love beyond ourselves. Jesus put it pretty bluntly (Luke 15:7) – There will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents that over ninety-nine righteous persons. Elsewhere he reminded us that if we only love those who love us back – that is no big deal at all. Love must be shared beyond ourselves.

INTEGRITY – reflecting God’s love in our words and deeds. So it’s not so much what you do as HOW you do it.

TITUS 2:7. Let everything you do reflect the integrity and seriousness of your teaching.

From there we moved on to BELIEFS, the beliefs that are our foundation. This is not a complete statement of doctrine covering every theological issue. Rather these are the core beliefs that we rely upon as an anchor during difficult times, and that help us to stay on task!

Here are the five core beliefs our team came up with.

God is all powerful and ever present.

God loved the world enough to send Jesus to triumph over sin and death.

All are invited to receive Christ as Lord and Savior.

The Holy Spirit guides and empowers us in all situations.

As followers of Jesus we are commanded to offer hope to a hurting world.

These five core beliefs help us to stay on task. They keep us from “majoring in minors,” getting off track by being caught up in things that really don’t amount to much. And when tough times come – they remind us where our hope comes from.

Monday at North Point Church

2009-02-16T21:45:00.001-06:00

Today our team divided up into breakout areas by interest group. I am so grateful that our church has the strength to be able to send several of our leaders in key areas to attend this event. In addition, several spouses made arrangements to attend “on their own dime,” and they were full participants in the entire event. We were better represented than any other church at this event! Our team attended the following breakout groups:

STUDENT MINISTRIES (grades 6-12) - Paul Steurnagel and Meredith Steurnagel
WORSHIP SERVICE - Roxey Collier, Mike Eason, Jay McKeown
CHURCH ADMINISTRATION - Robert Stutes, Donna Reyes, Walt Haralson
SMALL GROUPS - Kathy Eason, Amy Haralson, Philip Shackelford
CHILDREN’S MINISTRIES - Marcy Shackelford, Sandra McKeown, Betsy Stutes (this group further subdivided into elementary, preschool, and Kidstuf, which is a special event that involves both kids and their parents)

We will be discussing ways for us to share some of the principles we have learned with the rest of the church family.

My notes will, at this point, only cover the breakout session that I attended, on church administration - which is really designed to cover the principles that affect North Point Church during “the rest of the week” - Monday through Friday. I will only hit the highlights, because there was a lot!

One of the most powerful statements was this one - “Your organization is perfectly designed to deliver the results you are currently achieving.” Sometimes those inside the system have the hardest time seeing what is distinct about the culture of their church.

At North Point, they try hard to lean more “entrepreneurial” than “bureaucratic.” It is important to remember that having people of character and integrity is more important than having the most finely tuned system.

Here are the key principles they use during the week:

1. THINK WE…NOT ME. It is natural to think in terms of how a church’s actions affect me. To be healthy, we must focus on how it affects the whole organization.

2. POLARITY MANAGEMENT. Some problems are solvable. Others may have no definitive answer, but simply remain polarities to keep in appropriate balance. (Example: Should we add more staff or add new programs/ministries?)

3. CHOOSE TRUST OVER SUSPICION. In our culture, we will err on the side of trust. In working together as a team, we must give each other trust - AND we must also give each other trustworthiness.

4. PICK UP THE PHONE. Sometimes we over-react to an issue by setting up a new policy or sending out a bulletin or memo to a large group of people, when we might could have simply picked up the phone to talk to the people involved.

5. MANAGE SYSTEMS…NOT PEOPLE. We tend to blame people to explain problems. The behaviors may be caused by underlying systems that are largely invisible.

Well we will come back full of ideas and chattering galore….so please bear with us. We will be prayerfully looking at appropriate ways to glean that which God would have us to learn from this experience!

Our team is back in Bellville tonight, with the exception of Betsy and me. We took one additional night - and we will be back late tomorrow night. Thank you for your prayers during this time away. It has been busy - with many early hours and late hours - but it has been very fruitful!

Sunday at North Point Church

2009-02-15T20:49:00.002-06:00

We have a group of 14 people participating in SUNDAYS AT NORTH POINT. We began at 9 a.m. - and spend an hour touring several of the environments - middle school, elementary, preschool, nursery. They have three Sunday morning worship times - 9 a.m., 11 a.m. and 12:45 p.m. We will attend the 12:45 service. The church has an amazing commitment to providing environments for all ages that connect with folks who may have no Christian background. One of the most exciting sights was when we were in the large group session of fifth graders during the 11 a.m. hour - there were maybe 150 fifth graders sitting on the floor and listening in rapt attention to the teaching on wisdom! Wow! You can browse some of their links on the site above to get a feel for it.

At the 12:45 service - we enjoyed the worship time and the message presented by the preacher of the day. Andy Stanley is the lead pastor for North Point, and I really enjoy his messages. Today's preacher was Joel Thomas, director of their singles ministries. You can find some North Point messages at this site.

Joel did a very vivid portrayal of the dilemma we face in Christianity. After we carefully explain that Christianity is not about "rules and regulations," we still see some passages that make it sound like just that. (He focused on the list of the "works of the flesh" and the "fruit of the Spirit" in Galatians 5...sounds a lot like do's and don'ts to most of us.)

He said many of us still think of God as a referee - ready to blow the whistle on us at any point. In reality, God is our cheerleader - these lists represent the fact that he believes in us. How awesome it would be if we saw God as our cheerleader - and if, likewise, we would act more like cheerleaders and less like referees in our dealings with others!

Following lunch, BILLY PHENIX - was our presenter for the learning session at 2:30 p.m. He is actually on staff at the Buckhead campus - part of North Point’s multi-campus strategy. He spent time going over in detail the strategies behind the things they do at North Point. His teaching was VERY important, because what North Point wants is NOT that other churches copy their methods - but to look behind them to the principles they use for developing an effective fruitful church. That is also helpful for us, as we realize that a successful, fruitful church in Bellville will look somewhat different from a successful, fruitful church in suburban Atlanta.

Here is a summary of what he covered, along with some notes from my perspective!

MISSION/STRATEGY. “Our mission is to lead people into a growing relationship with Jesus Christ by creating environments where people are encouraged and equipped to pursue intimacy with God, community with insiders, and influence with outsiders.” He noted that the “hard part” of a mission statement is the “how.” For North Point, it is creating attractive, irresistible environments. (We saw that in the attention to detail in the way rooms are furnished, especially for the children and teens.) “It is God’s responsibility to change lives. We can’t do that. But it is our responsibility to create great environments. That is something we can do!”

The environments at North Point come in three types, analogous to the parts of a home - the foyer, the living room, and the kitchen. The foyer is where you greet your guests. The living room is where you sit down to spend time together. Sitting around in the kitchen is where you spend time with those you are closest to. Each ministry at North Point (including kids and students) can be compared to one of these three environments.

Sunday morning service is a “foyer” environment for North Point. Some Christians criticize their Sunday service for not going deep and deeper. That is intentional. It is targeted toward the first-time guest, to simply make them want to return.

The living room environments are targeted environments, where people begin to connect.

The kitchen environments are “closed,” where life change is the desired outcome.

New programming is not added unless it can contribute at one of these three points. As a result, there are many activities that North Point just does not do. (If we did all these things, we would not be able to do them well. By focusing on a few things, we can do them well.)

As a result, they think in terms of “steps,” not programs. It should be very obvious what my step should be. In many churches, it is not at all clear. “We have narrowed the focus, doing fewer things in order to make a greater impact.”

Too many churches are like Ryan’s or Golden Corral - offering a lot of stuff that doesn’t necessarily make sense as a whole!

We also try to be very focused on our teaching. All Scripture is equally inspired, but not all Scripture is equally important or applicable. We “teach less for more.”

Every leader is challenged to “replace yourself.” As a leader, you are expected to “hand off your responsibilities,” thus insuring constant recruiting.

There was much more, but it gives you a flavor of what we did!

Tomorrow our team divides up into various breakout sessions, so we will learn more about the specific areas.

Workshop - Tim Conder - Emergent Ministry for Existing Churches

2009-02-13T12:11:00.002-06:00

WORKSHOP - TIM CONDER - EMERGENT MINISTRY FOR EXISTING CHURCHES

This last workshop on Friday morning - I saw several that looked appealing, and kept changing my minds on which one to attend. Finally as I looked at this topic, I felt like it might have the most applicability to our own context at BUMC.

Tim Conder is founding pastor of Emmaus Way, a small, “emergent,” missional church in Durham, North Carolina. Before that, he worked for years in established, existing churches. He has also been very involved in a group called Emergent Village.

Very helpful book - The Great Emergence: How Christianity is Changing and Why, by Phyllis Tickle. Every 500 years there is a movement and a counter-movement, that leaves us with two streams that are more effective than the previous stream.

ACT ONE: ASSESSING A CHANGING ECCLESIAL LANDSCAPE
I believe we are in the last gasps of the foundation war (between evangelicals and “liberals.”) I notice “liberals” talk a lot about Jesus and the Kingdom, and that evangelicals talk a lot about justice and creation. The old categories mean less and less to your new audiences. You need to be wary about that. But also be careful not to build upon a foundation that is no longer there. There may be a “third way.” We live in a culture with a lot of crazy juxtapositions - you will have modern and post-modern side by side. You will have “strange bedfellows” side by side. In addition, this emerging ministry has already moved into multiple streams, with some conflict along with that.

ACT TWO: DEFINING YOUR GOALS
What is your goal? Survival? My experience is that “emergence” is not a good tool to help a congregation survive. If a congregation is dealing with survival, it is probably something else. Demographic change? This probably is not going to work either. Appeasement? Trying to deal with a group that is buzzing about the possibilities of change? I don’t know that appeasement is good pasturing.

Missional change? The conversation about being a missional church is happening simultaneously. They too challenged how church has been done, that it had become more of a producer of goods and services. Emerging culture ministry can help you identify your mission, and it can help you to change your mission. Authenticity is also an important piece. Sometimes the idiom in church is so radically different from the world. Our church is not at all what you would describe as “contemporary” - it is much more eclectic, and seeking to be authentic.

Postmodern people tend to think the church is immoral, and the church tends to think that postmodern people are immoral.

Frankly, some churches shouldn’t spend a lot of time and energy on emergent issues.

A good question….Are you doing ministry “for postmoderns,” “with postmoderns,” or “as postmoderns.” Different strategies apply. Be very clear.

ACT THREE: DANCE WITH YOUR DATE
With ministry, you need to dance with the one who brought you to the party - do it within your tradition! Do it in a way that makes sense for you.

ACT FOUR: ETHOS, TONE, ECCLESIOLOGY
If you don’t get these pieces right, your efforts will suffer! When you practice methodologies without a corresponding change of ethos, it looks like a “bad comb over.“
Self-righteous superiority, cultural defensiveness and triumphalism really do not work. Christians in the post-Christian era really get miserable and obnoxious. Some are offended at aspects of post-modern culture. You may need a “tone police!”

What if we could define our ecclesiology around missionality and hospitality? I’m convinced that hospitality is the spiritual discipline that will touch our culture. (Henri Nouwen, Reaching Out). Hospitality as “radical receptivity” (to those who decipher truth differently) and as honesty - meeting them with a real presence. Too many churches do only one or the other. This will shape the whole tone. (Beware of hospitality that becomes pretentious.) Hospitality is divine, relational (kindness), ideological, cultural. In many existing churches, there is no safe space to raise questions, and become a sort of “don’t ask/don’t tell” environment - “I know I’m not supposed to ask this…” If we only voice the things we agree on, you will not be engaged. How many things would change in your community if this were a core value?

Missionality. Begin to deconstruct a “benefit Christianity” (if you follow God, your life will get better). Expanding a “reductionist Christianity.” Transforming a “homogenous Christianity.”

ACT FIVE: INITIATIVES

Structural/Institutional Changes - changing worship, leadership, meetings - the “hardware” of the church environment.
Tribal Offerings - changing a subset (church within a church, new worship service, new age-group ministry) - these all tend to have a “shelf life” - either bring it back in or send it out.
Entrepreneurial Plans - developing businesses/structures that connect your church with the culture around you - like recording studios, day care, intervention, political groups, vegan cafes - whatever fits. In the postmodern world, you are scary to them - this helps break that down. Business places may feel more “safe” than churches.
Missional and Monastic Approaches - forming partnership with existing missions, or forming communities that change the way your church operates.
Church Planting as a Strategy for Existing Church Change - a decision to plant a church that is not like you.

Conder also shared a handout listing five streams of “Emergence”:

Counter-Reformation - keeping existing theological models while being committed to creative methods
Transitional - no obvious theological mark
Post-Reformation - sacramental theology and practices, connecting to ancient traditions
New Monastic - communal living and shared values
Post-Church - informal communities that free themselves of the restrictions of institutional church

The last thing on our agenda is this morning's closing worship and Communion service. It has been fun to stay in touch with you electronically. I will follow up on Sunday and Monday with further posts from Atlanta.

Session 6 - Christopher Wright

2009-02-13T08:51:00.002-06:00

SESSION 6 - CHRISTOPHER WRIGHT

We heard an interview with Andrew Marin, from the Marin Foundation, an organization seeking to build bridges between the gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender and religious communities. He lives in a Chicago neighborhood of 300,000 people - of that number 89% being GLBT. He says, “I grew up a Bible-banging homophobe.” After three of his best friends “came out,” he decided to try to find out what the Lord was up to in this community. The GLBT would put everything away to allow Christians to prove themselves trustworthy. “We haven’t earned enough credibility in their eyes to earn a level playing field.” You can do this, and it is not as scary as you think.

There are five litmus-test questions the gay community asks of us.

Do you think it’s a sin?
Do you think they are born that way?
Can gay people be Christian?
Can gay people change?
Are gay people going to hell?

Notice that 25 times Jesus was asked closed-ended questions. 3 times he answered with a closed-end answer (when he was on trial).

MLK spoke of “constructive, non-violent tension.” That is my hope, to enter into that.

I am committed that with Jesus comes change. I am willing to stick with the community to see where it leads.

What may come of all this? Actually we are entering into new territory. I don’t know what the outcome will be. I don’t think God only works when we know the outcome in advance. We have been running (myself included). We don’t even know what constructive tension looks like here. But I believe that we can have difference in theological belief systems and yet something significant can happen for the Kingdom.

The easiest thing we can do, especially in the pulpit, is to cut out the word “homosexual.” The GLBT community sees this as a derogatory term. We need to humble ourselves enough to go to someone and say, “I can’t understand. Let me in your head and teach me, and let’s move forward from there.”

We heard Christian comedian Taylor Mason. Tommy Walker was again our worship leader.

Our speaker for this session was Christopher Wright, author and international director of the Langham Partnership International. He is a native of northern Ireland. His talk - “The Love of God, the Cross of Christ, and the Mission of God’s People.”

We begin with John 3:16. In John’s gospel, the “world” refers to fallen humanity, but also to the created world. Colossians 1:15-23 reminds us of the importance of “all things.” “All things” are created…hold together in him…are reconciled in him. The cross of Christ is linked to creation, to the church, to salvation, and to mission.

The motive of God’s cosmic salvation is the love of God. The means of God’s cosmic salvation is the cross of Christ.

Where did Paul get this? Surely, the Holy Spirit. But also the Scriptures he had been taught (Old Testament). Who and what does God love in the Old Testament?

Everything (Psalm 145:9, 13, 17). This is illustrated in his compassion (as in the exodus), his providential care for creation, and his concern for justice.
His Covenant People (Deuteronomy 7:7-10) - not because of merit, but simply because of God’s choice, simply because he is love. This is the closest we get in the OT to the concept that “GOD IS LOVE.”
Foreigners (Deuteronomy 10:17-19).

The mission of God’s love for the nations in the OT:

Registered in God’s city (Psalm 87)
Blessed with God’s salvation (Isaiah 19:16-25)
Accepted in God’s house (Isaiah 56:3-8)
Called by God’s name (Amos 9:11-12)
Joined with God’s people (Zechariah 2:10-11)

What the NT shows us is that all of this led inexorably to the cross of Christ. His love is fulfilled in the cross - the unavoidable cost of God’s mission and God’s love. We need a mission-centered theology in the cross. Likewise, we need a cross-centered practice of mission.

The cross and God’s mission

To bear guilt (Isaiah 53:6; 1 Peter 2:24)
To defeat evil (Colossians 2:15)
To destroy death (Hebrews 2:14)
To remove enmity (Ephesians 2:14-16)
To heal creation (Colossians 1:20)

We start with the individual level, and don’t know what to do with all the rest. Paul starts with “the rest.” We need to take the totality of the cross. Preaching Christ crucified is not just individual salvation, but hope for the world.

What about our practice of mission? All Christian mission flows from the cross in its source, power, and scope. All Christian mission must be shaped by the cross, in its character and pattern. All that we do is in his name.

Sometimes we are tempted to think that evangelism is centered on the cross, but other ministries are different. The cross must be central to ALL that we do. All Christian mission confronts the powers of evil. We are called to challenge the darkness of the world. By what possible authority or power? Only in the cross of Christ!

Sin and evil are bad news in the world, and they have touched every area of human life. If the gospel is good news for all that sin has affected, it must be good news for every area of life. By his grace, we have a gospel that is big enough for all of it! When we get to the new, redeemed creation, all will be there because of the cross. Likewise with all that will NOT be there because of having been defeated.

If the cross was the only way for the mission of God and for Christ, then it must be the only way for us. Our mission requires that we take up OUR cross and follow the Son.

Workshop - The Role of the Bible in the Church

2009-02-13T08:45:00.002-06:00

WORKSHOP - THE ROLE OF THE BIBLE IN THE CHURCH
PANEL DISCUSSION

This workshop was a panel discussion featuring:

RANDY FRAZEE - pastor at Oak Hills Church in San Antonio

WILLIAM WEBB - New Testament professor at Heritage Theological Seminary in Cambridge, Ontario

CHRISTOPHER WRIGHT - international director of the Langham Partnership International

Is our proclamation of the gospel too small or too narrow? Is there a danger in expanding it?

FRAZEE - Yes, it has been too small. Most people believe the whole deal is an individual “say the prayer - now you can die and go to heaven.” Misses the communal sense. Misses the eschatological sense - the coming Kingdom - the new heaven and the new earth. Most people just want to buy fire insurance. That’s not what I see in the Scripture.

WEBB - Yes, it has been too small. Another misunderstanding is that you can just live up to a specific list of commands and then you have it covered. Living out the implications of the gospel should cover everything.

WRIGHT - Because sin and evil have touched everything, God’s answer must be as big as the problem. You can’t have a gospel that is too big! You have to see the whole Bible story as God’s action. Paul says God’s plan is the redemption of all of creation, and his people get to be a part of it.

FRAZEE: Even our church mission statement have focused on helping individuals to “cross the line.”

WRIGHT: The thief on the cross is the exception. The gospel leads to transformation.l

FRAZEE: The church reveals the gospel through Kingdom-like living that includes social justice. We give witness by who we are becoming as a community.

WEBB: The very nature of God as revealed to Moses is part of the essence of the gospel. “Gospel” is humanity coming back into close proximity and presence of the glory of God. The new heavens and the new earth it is the absolute presence of God coming down with humanity.

FRAZEE: The danger is that if we mobilize our congregation for action WITHOUT this understanding of the gospel. Some churches fell into this trap - action without gospel.

WRIGHT: That was the divide of the 20th century - the activists went one direction, and the evangelicals retreated to focus only on the Word. There is a Truth - but it is a living thing - you DO the Truth. It is like asking whether breathing or drinking is more important for the human body.

What does it mean to learn to read the Bible as a story (rather than just snippets of truth)?

FRAZEE: It is important that people learn to access the Word themselves, not only rely on a teacher. Many Christians hide between the fact that they don’t even really know the story. Too many of us are soundbite Christians - we have verses we have memorized in a piecemeal way. We also get fascinated with the “feel good” inspiration. So much of the Bible is not. How do we get people to understand the “meta-narrative?” We are taking the congregation through 31 weeks of “The Story” (Zondervan). It is the burden of the preacher/teacher to always include a connection to the overall story.

WRIGHT: I try to do this as well, not in a heavy-handed way. I ask “What story is governing your life?” (See Scot McKnight’s book, The Blue Parakeet: Rethinking How You Read the Bible.)

WEBB: We emphasize this now in seminary - it is a must that you see how the story unfolds and how each piece fits together. One course focuses just on that.

FRAZEE: We need to make sure it is not story OR didactic teaching. We need both. Not long ago, we seemed to focus on gifted leadership, not so much the content. What is your practical plan to expose your congregation to the story in a heartfelt, passionate way. Also - the Bible can be a guide - but don’t go first of all into soundbite guides if they don’t understand the larger story. People do this because we have taught them that way.

It seems like we all pick and choose which verses we think still apply. How do we seek a consistent hermeneutic? (Example - I was asked about the Bible passage on tattoos.)

WRIGHT: To decide which commandments still need to be obeyed is really the wrong question. “All Scripture is useful.” If I affirm this I need to affirm it for all of Scripture. The question - “How is it useful?”

WEBB: It is appropriate to ask about the cultural components in the text. What transcends the cultural elements? All texts have a certain amount of covenantal aspect binding on our lives. I try to do this with all Scriptures, not just a few hot-button ones. What we need are helpful principles for addressing ANY text. It’s like an iceberg - most of it lies beneath the water. Much of the meaning in the text lies beneath the surface. With regard to tattoos, the “why” lies beneath the text - because it connects to the practices of pagan religions.

FRAZEE: This is hard, because we haven’t really grown up with the telling of stories. Often hermeneutics is nothing more than good old common sense about the context.

WRIGHT: It is also “common sense” that is governed by the story. There are aspects of the Old Testament to which we would actually be in disobedience if we were to re-adopt them. For example, the abolition of “clean” and “unclean” foods actually ties in to the way the story has unfolded. It symbolized the distinction between Jews and Gentiles, which has now been abolished.

WEBB: But make sure you still keep teaching those parts of the story (like sacrifices) that help us understand the whole Jesus story!

At one time, people did not have access to the written Bible - it was more communal. To what extent should we be lifting up that communal value today?

FRAZEE: We try to make sure people are opening up their Bible and not just using a book with a few verses in it. We need to get back to reading the Scriptures out loud. As opposed to reading in advance, and just discussing our conclusions. Promote that kind of integration as leaders.

WEBB: Some are working on more visual presentations of the Bible. Culture is dying for something visible.

WRIGHT: There are huge sections of the world that are still predominantly oral. So there is a missiological interest in how to use the Bible in oral cultures. Missionaries are trained as storytellers, memorizing 250 key stories of the Bible. In north India, there are remarkable things happening in very poor communities. Many people are coming out of Hinduism. These are premodern cultures. Fairly new converts are sent out as teachers after having been drilled in the overarching biblical story. Their world view has to be reshaped by the new meta-narrative of the Scripture. They can teach the Bible even without one in their hand! I wish we could be anything close to this in the western church!

What is your idea of preaching Christ from every text?

WRIGHT: No - Jesus is not in every text - but every text contributes to the gospel. Some people quickly skip to Jesus - a sort of short cut - where you can read any text and skip to Jesus. Fundamentally this is damaging to the Scripture. Of course he is the coherent center. But that does not mean that every verse is “about” Jesus. That is foolish. It’s like the scenery on a destination. It all leads toward Jesus.

WEBB: On the one hand, No. But in another sense, a big Yes! The new Jesus is the Spirit, and that is part of the story. I need to embrace that part of the story. Where I live is in the era of the Spirit functioning in the community.

FRAZEE: Someone asked me, “Is the point of the story Jesus?” I answered, “Well, yes and no. The point is that God had an idea in creation that got messed up, and the gospel shows us the extent to which God is going to reclaim that vision. Jesus shows us that.” Some key OT stories do have a clear explicit connection, and are even reference in the NT.

WRIGHT: If we do this, we also tend to limit what we teach about Jesus, focusing only on the cross and missing the rest. The personal atoning work of Jesus is gloriously true, but it’s not all there is.

Who are the leading thinkers and theologians in this area? What resources would you recommend?

FRAZEE: “The Promised Plan of God” - by Walter Kaiser. It has been helpful to see each segment of the story and how it all unfolds.

WEBB: In the academic world, we sometimes write to each other unfortunately. I’m thankful for pastors who can communicate to a different audience. Look for an upcoming publication that tries to marry biblical theological ideas into an application commentary series. For me, that is one of the best ways to start tying it all together. “Biblical Theology for Life.”

WRIGHT: When I wrote “Knowing Jesus Through the Old Testament,” this was what I tried to do in an accessible way. I find great help from N. T. Wright. He builds with this whole narrative. John Golding ate (sp.) from Fuller. First volume of a trilogy - “Israel’s Gospel.” Even John Stott wrote a book years ago “Understanding the Bible.” I still recommend Fee & Stewart, “How to Read the Bible For All It’s Worth.”

Any last comments?

FRAZEE: We talk about the upper story (What God is up to) and the lower story (what is happening in my life). I tend to want God to align his life to my lower story. There are two “stalls” in spiritual life - and the first is getting angry with God (thinking he is committed to resolving all of my issues). (The second stall is getting angry with the church.) We try to help people adjust THEIR lives to God’s upper story rather than vice versa. This is what Joseph could see in order to forgive his brothers.

WEBB: Whatever the suffering, our lives are tying to the greater story. That’s what gives us meaning. I have the occasion to trust God.

Session 5 - Bill Hybels

2009-02-12T16:00:00.002-06:00

(Yes - I missed session 4 - because we went out to have dinner with Betsy’s cousin’s ex-wife, who lives here in San Diego!)

This session began with an interview with Paul Young, the author of the widely read book THE SHACK. He described himself as an “accidental author,” having written this book as a story for his kids. The first run of the book was 15 copies at an Office Depot!

Young: “I don’t feel responsible for the great things that have happened from this book, so neither do I feel upset about the controversies about the book.” The weekend in the shack represents 11 years in my life. The shack is a metaphor for the human soul that is so damaged that we prefer not to live in it, choosing instead a façade.

Next we heard pianist/singer Kendall Payne, and then we were led in worship by Tommy Walker.

The speaker for this session is Bill Hybels, the longtime founding pastor of Willow Creek Community Church near Chicago. I have had the opportunity to attend conferences at Willow before. He is a pioneer in the concept of targeting ministries and worship that reach out to the heart of those who are described as “seekers” - folks who may not yet be believers, but who are seeking out for that which God can provide.

He is an excellent passionate, speaker, so I look forward to what he has to share with us!

Key verse - John 10:27 - My sheep hear my voice and they heed it.

This references the miracle of interactivity between the human and the divine. God speaks to us. This is what differentiates biblical Christianity from every other religion. The average Christian is invited into a real-time conversation with the creator of the universe. A dialogue is possible between the Redeemer and the redeemed.

If I live to be 100, I will never tire of the wonder of this! I’ll never tire of the power of it in my own life.

The miracle of the Christian faith is not just a book, but that the sheep hear his voice.

Hybels shared several stories from his own life of God speaking and a willingness to respond to his faint whisper.

So many of the big steps in ministry were a response to a faint whisper. But not every whisper is a strong, upward move. He also shared about a whisper that came during a very difficult time, that led to four years of personal counseling.

Some of us teach the Word carefully, but we don’t pay enough attention to whispers. People end up in the Kingdom because we listen and act. Be attentive. Process them carefully. With trembling but trusting feet, walk in the direction of obeying these whispers.

Workshop - James Choung - Sharing the Gospel in an Increasingly Unchurched Culture

2009-02-12T12:13:00.003-06:00

WORKSHOP - JAMES CHOUNG
THE BIG STORY: SHARING THE GOSPEL IN AN INCREASINGLY UNCHURCHED CULTURE

Okay, I have been waiting for this one. James Choung created the template for sharing the Christian message that I used for the Sunday sermon on February 8. I have read some of his material, and I have seen his video presentation on YouTube, but this is my first time to hear him in person. I’m all ears!

Choung is a director with the San Diego division of InterVarsity Christian Fellowship.

In working with college students, there are many obstacles to trying to share the gospel. Sometimes the gospel does not sound like good news at all? It seems arrogant to say that Jesus is the only way.

The Spiritual Question of the Day. 40 years ago - the question was “What is true?” Our gospel presentation lined up with this question.

About 20 years later - “What is real? What is authentic?”

NOW - it is different again. What is good? What works? Is your faith good for the world today? Is it beautiful? They want to be a part of changing the world! Will your faith bring a blessing or a curse?

Dallas Willard said, “The validity of a religion is based on the amount of blessing it brings to outsiders.”

So is our gospel good news for people today? What we share doesn’t seem to be received in the same way as what Jesus shared.

How do we connect the unchanging truth with changing generations.

What we have done - is very individual - focused on decision - focused on your individual destiny in the afterlife. “If you died tonight, where would you go?” “Jesus died to pay the penalty for our sins, so that when we die, we go to heaven.” This message is very difficult for rising generations to hear.

SO WHAT WAS THE GOSPEL THAT JESUS TAUGHT?

Choung: It struck me that when push came to shove, with the way we shared our faith, people could ignore Jesus’ teaching altogether but accept him mentally - then all is okay. You don’t have to love people as long as you accept Christ. This seemed quite irrelevant, and not very beneficial to the world.

I took a class with Dallas Willard. Focused on Mark 1:14-15. “The time has come - the Kingdom ofGod has come near - repent and believe the good news.”

In their culture, to say the Kingdom of God is near - that packed a wallop. We don’t really understand what that means.

“NEAR” - so close to you that you can feel it.

In that time “REPENT” was not really a religious term - it just meant to change your mind. BELIEVE - is a relational word - banking your life on something.

A good definition of the Kingdom of God - “WHERE WHAT GOD WANTS TO HAPPEN, ACTUALLY HAPPENS.”

Characterized by forgiveness, mercy, reconciliation, generosity, righteousness, justice, service, redemption, peace, unity, love. It is now AND forever.

How did heaven get so distorted in our mind? In the gospels - heaven is the Kingdom of God - this perfect state of relationship with God. Jesus thinks this can happen here. If not in its fullness, it begins here.

This gives us a theological construct of the gospel that can capture all of the great things that Jesus taught. This gives a much bigger, powerful, robust gospel.

Willard: “A lot of Christians are vampire Christians. We don’t want Jesus’ teachings and instructions - we just want his blood.”

Our gospel is then not just individual, but also communal.
Not just about decision, but also transformation.
Not just about after-life, but also about mission-life.

It’s not just about what Jesus is going to do for you, but also what he is going to ask you to do. Do people know there is a mission involved when we initially “sign them up?”

Choung pondered how to share the Kingdom in such a way that made sense, and did not seem like the crazy doomsday prophet! I could not figure out a way to share this. I also wanted to make sure this was really biblical and correct.

“The Bridge” diagram was our modern day icon that helped us to share the gospel. As I learned it, we included Romans 6:23 - wages/sin/death on one side - gift/Christ on the other side. I had used this for 12-13 years! I couldn’t get into another way of teaching.

What “The Bridge” teaches us is true, but I wondered if I needed something more to teach the Kingdom of God, capturing the larger picture, nestling it within the biblical narrative (story, not just system). I wanted it to be simple, but not “simpler” - something that could communicate the GOOD news!!

Remember - diagrams aren’t the only way to share the gospel. Diagrams don’t save people. Tailor this presentation to your needs. So we came up with THE BIG STORY - it tries to hit the personal level, the relational level, and the systemic level.

THE BIG STORY. (At this point - Choung shared the story of the four circles. You can see it here.)

Then he added these explanations of the diagram. We have four circles - creation - fall - redemption - mission.

We also added the arrows to help people figure out what Jesus did to get to circle #4. The lines between #2 and #4 actually reflect “The Bridge” diagram.

The starting point - “What do you see on the news?” (Originally we tried to start with creation - but it did not seem to connect.) This is a great conversation starter - and we start with things we agree on.

Then - “How does that make you feel?” Almost no one says “this is great!”

“That gives us a clue to something - the very fact that you ache for a world that is different than ours.”

You can tailor the presentation to your audience - to get in touch with the systemic brokenness that they see - in California, environmental concerns are huge.

How did we get to circle #2? We decided WE could run the ship better than the captain?

In this presentation, I don‘t necessarily use the word “sin” - but the teaching on sin - is clear. When people hear this, I don’t get a fight. It makes sense!

“God loved the world too much to leave it that way.”

This diagram speaks not only to non-believers, but also to Christians who may be stuck in circle #3 but begin to see how they are called to mission (circle #4).

The pushback for nonbelievers would be - why do I need Jesus for this? “The world’s problems are infinite, so we need infinite resources.” Think about all the things that have Christian roots - for example, even fair trade coffee!

When we say “Jesus is the way to get there” - that’s when they may walk away.

A jail chaplain testified that this diagram helped. Old methods helped inmates to feel forgiven, but this method helped them to see a vision of how things could be different when they were released.

If we understand that this is good news not just for me - but for the WORLD - we are more apt to want to share it!

REFERENCES
Divine Conspiracy - Dallas Willard
Challenge of Jesus - N. T. Wright
Colossians Remixed - Walsh & Keesmaat

Workshop - Will Willimon - Keeping Preaching Fresh

2009-02-12T08:49:00.002-06:00

NOTE: When I saw the title of this workshop, I had to laugh. As I am notorious for finishing my sermon notes on Sunday morning, I sometimes joke "This sermon may not be good, but you can't accuse it of being stale!"

Bishop Will Willimon, a Methodist bishop from Alabama led this workshop on preaching.

Christians have always been urged to “keep time” like the empire. The great temptation is to be “at home” in the world’s time - Christians must fight against that.

Every time the church gathers, we ask - “What time is it?” Jesus always challenges our sense of being fixed and progressed.

In reading the fast-paced gospel of Mark, you realize - don’t get too settled in your seats. This is a living God!

Preaching is about the Trinity - not about us - not about finding a more meaningful life.

To preach is to be dependent on the God who is free - who is unpredictable - who is free to come and go - who is odd. It takes a lot of patience. Real sense of vulnerability.

Karl Barth said there is only one preacher - Jesus - and you have to wait until HE is ready to preach. It takes patience to keep saying the same gospel over and over again, even when it doesn’t get the response you think it deserves. Barth: “As Christian theologians, we can only repeat ourselves.”

There’s a word for my desire to be innovative and fresh - it’s called “Heresy.” “You’ve got to keep finding a way to fall in the love with the material.” Some of my most questionable theological moves are under the guise of attempting to be interesting to the people.

But there are some problems here. Most preaching literature is along the lines of rhetoric and technique. That’s almost blasphemous. I don’t think the need is for better technique, but for a more interesting God to talk about. (NOTE: Not that our God needs to be more interesting, but that we need to preach about the God of the Bible who is very engaging!)

Another…As preachers we get to thinking that our job is to take this prickly, difficult Jesus gospel and explain it away. “Here’s what Jesus was trying to say, if he had the benefit of a seminary education. He didn’t mean hate your mother. He didn’t mean give everything to the poor!”

Sometimes the space between us and the throne is being lessened, and the faith is reduced to having the “right principles.” Most of our mistakes is because we want to be heard and to receive approval. It’s up to the Holy Spirit to get a hearing.

The Holy Spirit wants more than the transfer of accurate information.

Do I have the courage to keep repeating the story?

Every sermon is kind of an experiment - can the gospel still gather a crowd or not?

The good news is that it is the nature of this God to raise the dead! Keeping preaching fresh is something this God does!

Preaching is always a theological issue before it is anything else. Who is the God we are talking about? Can this God do what this God promises?

Preaching is kept fresh because of Jesus. We work with a living, speaking, revealing Lord. The purpose of preaching is to allow the risen Christ to walk among his people.

Preaching is kept fresh because of Scripture. It is the nature of the Holy Spirit to intrude. It is the nature of the risen Christ to call people. May God give us the grace to keep Jesus as odd as he is supposed to be, and to keep preaching as difficult as it is supposed to be.

After all those years on the campus, I heard this from students - “If it’s not about Jesus, why are we listening to you? Dr. Phil is a better counselor, and Oprah gives better advice!”

He quoted Lyle Schaller - his answer to the question whether sermons are getting longer or shorter. He said “Both. It depends on the age of the listeners. The younger the audience, the longer the sermons. Probably because they know they don’t know, and they are ready for an explanation.” Older folks were more apt to say, "Get me out on time!"

Session 3 - Rob Bell

2009-02-11T15:11:00.002-06:00

We began this morning with another Christian comedian - by the name of Nazareth. He actually does hail from the city of that name in the Middle East.

The musicians for this morning come from Australia - called Sons of Korah - and their music comes entirely from the psalms. This are not “happy jolly tunes,” but are songs that are quite soul-searching, expressing their longing for the Lord.

We also heard an interview with two individuals about the situation in the African nation of Rwanda. Emmanuel Katongole is a Ugandan Catholic priest, now teaching at the Divinity School at Duke University. His parents were Rwandans who migrated to Uganda. His parents actually came from the competing Rwandan tribes. The tribal strife in Rwanda is particularly painful because it involved Christians killing Christians.

Catherine Claire Larson is a writer with Prison Fellowship. She has written on some of the amazing stories of forgiveness involving both victims and perpetrators of the 1994 genocide in Rwanda. (Nearly 1 million people were killed with the span of 100 days.)

The sheer number of perpetrators was overwhelming to the justice system. Perpetrators who have confessed and asked forgiveness are now being released. She described this as a “case study in forgiveness.”

Katongole suggested that we not be too quick to “move on.” This genocide reached its peak during Easter Week of 1994. Killings even took place in Christian sanctuaries. We need to learn from this madness. It is tragic when the blood of tribalism goes deeper than the waters of baptism.

Ironically there were no tribal killings among the Muslim communities of Rwanda. How can we reach the point that our identity as Christians is more important than our tribe or race?

Larson suggested that if forgiveness is possible in a situation like Rwanda, then it gives us great hope for the power of forgiveness in the much smaller rifts we face. “To see a glimpse of that reconciliation gives me great hope.”

(Later in the program, there will be a screening of a new film - As We Forgive - highlighting these stories of forgiveness, and highlights actual encounters between perpetrators and their victims.

Our speaker for this session is Rob Bell, a pastor in Michigan, well known for his series of short videos called NOOMA.

He came on stage with a grocery cart. (But I guess we won’t find out why until later.)

He described something he called the “chocolate covered turd” - when someone comes to you with a positive that also contains a negative. When we hear 9 good things and one bad thing, it is the bad thing that continues to replay in our heads. It’s harder to blow these things off than we think, and we become frustrated with ourselves.

NOTE: Rumors even happened to Paul - look up Acts 21:38!

Maybe you have a little church group seeking to enforce doctrinal purity and theological correctness. After awhile, it just hurts. We tell ourselves to be strong, and not to let things get to us. But over time, it gets to us. Finally you think - “everyone has completely lost their minds, and they are taking me with them!”

Over time, if you are in this work long enough, you have “death by paper cuts.”

For me, it’s like a moment in the grocery store, where I am with my family (here‘s the cart, by the way), and I see someone who left the church because of blah blah blah, and then you see someone and you remember what their sister said. So you’re in the grocery store, and all of a sudden you are right back there at that painful little thing that is still swimming around in your heart.

As leaders, we absolutely must learn how to forgive. We must become masters at forgiving people. Because if we don’t get really good at it, we suffer and the whole place begins to suffer. If one thing is wounded and limping, the whole thing is going to suffer.

It is imperative that we learn the fine art of forgiveness. When we don’t, all kind of subtle things begin to happen. A lack of forgiveness manifests itself in a lot of nuanced ways. Sometimes we don’t even have language for it.

A few categories:

When we don’t forgive, we hold back, and we back off from the prophetic. The last time we said something prophetic, you got shot at. So we hold back - “I’m not doing that again.” We may hold back creativity. We may hold back great ideas. It’s the painful reality that sheep have teeth. We may be holding back, and not even realize it.

We may develop artificial lists and/or labels. Make guesses about who is associated with who.

There is also flat-out revenge. Gossip. Sarcasm.

When we don’t do something with this pain, it will come out somewhere.

First - there are a few things that forgiveness is NOT.

It’s not always forgetting.

Read Proverbs 26:11 - Some people are toxic. Forgiving them does not mean you have to hang out at their vomit.

It does not mean the relationship goes back to the way it used to be. Actually, it may mean that now you are free to set up some boundaries. I don’t have to put myself into destructive places again and again.

Read Titus 3:10. Paul seems to accept that some people are divisive, and their hearts are bent. I can forgive without condoning or being best buddies. I can have some boundaries. It is okay to call a halt. ‘We love you. We have heard you. But this has to stop.’

It’s okay to have strong boundaries. You are not a punching bag.

Read Luke 12:13. Jesus himself has very strong boundaries. ‘Not my business!’

Try this response: ‘Is that your understanding of my role?’

There are some very distorted notions of pastors in our culture. Some things are not a good stewardship of you as a resource.

Being a leader in the church of Jesus Christ begins with loving yourself. Some will take a disproportionate amount of your time and head space. Some people are toxic and divisive, and they will drain you. You are needed to have a crystal clear sense of what it means to love yourself, because you are an unbelievably precious resources. Some things you don’t have to take. You can be loving, kind, generous, truthful, but you can also come to the point of saying, “I’m not giving this another hour.”

To forgive does not mean turning a blind eye to the realities of how we spend our time.

This Christ path is the ONLY path to life. When we are wronged, we are handed something. If we hand it back, that’s revenge. If we hold back, we nurse the pain. That is a kind of revenge. We may carry it around. You can also choose to absorb this pain, entering into it, allowing it to infiltrate your being. It will hurt. This death/suffering - if you are willing to undergo it - will lead to a resurrection. This Christ pattern we see in Luke - ‘Father, forgive…’ It hurts to forgive. It hurts not to hand it back. This is a skill, a discipline. Here are some things that help me:

You have to name it. You may have to name the fact that you don’t have all the answers. There may be some good points you need to acknowledge. When you name it, it is no longer free to steer your ship.

You have to accept it. Ten percent may be true!

You have to absorb it. This is unbelievably painful - like a sort of death - but you will not come out the other side the same person.

Tim Keller, in The Reason for God, says forgiveness means ‘refusing to make them pay for what they did. To refrain from lashing out, when you want to with all your being, is agony. It is a form of suffering. You are absorbing the debt, taking the cost of it completely on yourself instead of taking it out on the other person. It hurts terribly. Many people would say it feels like a hind of death. Yes, but it is a death that leads to resurrection instead of the lifelong living death of bitterness and cynicism.’

(Otherwise it may be death by paper cuts.)

Parker Palmer: ‘The cross means that the pain stops here. The way of the cross is a way of absorbing pain, not passing it on, a way that transforms pain from destructive impulse into creative power. When Jesus accepted the cross, his death opened up a channel for the redeeming power of love.’

Is there anyone today you need to forgive? Or is it a general overall forgiveness of a group? Let’s say a communal prayer - put the name in the shopping cart - and love it and forgive them!)

NOTE: At this point, Rob actually went around the room with the shopping cart while people put names in the basket!

It’s both the small things, and the really BIG things. There’s a power in writing in down - leaving it behind. The next time you run into that person, remember that pain you left behind in a shopping cart in San Diego.

This was a very moving address that really touched some of the tough stuff that all pastors are dealing with.

Session 2 - Shane Claiborne

2009-02-11T01:26:00.003-06:00

For session two, we heard a Christian comedian called Michael Jr. I was a little late to the session, so only got to hear the end...but I love the fact that there is something funny at each session! You can find some of his comedy on YouTube.

Ashmont Hill again led us in worship. They do many different styles of music.

I heard an interview withA. J. Jacobs. He is the author of a book called The Year of Living Biblically. He was raised with minimal religious background, but decided to pursue an entire year trying to follow all kinds of biblical rules and regulations, including obscure Old Testament ones that we tend to see as obsolete. (He has a Jewish background, but apparently included the New Testament as best as I could tell.) He shared a bit about his experiences - both positive and negative. He works in NYC in the media, and one of his most telling quips was that it was a challenge to avoid gossiping and lying - since that makes up about 70% of what people do in his industry.

The main speaker for the evening was very challenging. I have heard Shane Claiborne before - wearing his white t-shirt, with dreadlocks under a kerchief - he is not your typical religious speaker! (He told about telling a man on the plane that he was a preacher. The man said, “They must not make preachers like they used to!”)

"We need to learn to laugh in the face of things that don’t have real power. (Like Jesus being asked about paying taxes. Go catch a fish!) After we have given what is God’s to God, there is not much left for Caesar.

"During this recession, we will need creativity. Folks are asking big questions about how to live in the world. Does God’s vision look like Wall Street’s? Can the world afford the American dream? (To sustain our way of life worldwide would require four planets.)"

This is what we say: “God, why don’t you do something.” He responds: “I did do something - I made you.”

"Scripture gives us another way of looking at the world, of looking at possessions. Daily manna…daily bread. The story of the rich ruler in Mark. Oftentimes we don’t really read the stories of Scripture that deal with economics. (The late Rich Mullins: 'Maybe that’s why we have highlighters - so we can highlight the verses we like and leave out the rest.')

"The story of the rich ruler ends sadly. 'Jesus looked at him and loved him.' But he let him walk away. We don’t want anyone to walk anyway. We are tempted to cheapen grace, to cheapen the cost of discipleship."

"Mark 10:29 reminds us that those who leave home and family behind will receive a hundred times as much in this present age. Jesus tells us that multiplication happens now - it is about entering a new economy where there is enough for everyone now. (This is not the prosperity of TV evangelists.) This is about the fact that when we give up our stuff of earth, we enter this new economy where we have brothers and sisters everywhere. We have a family that runs deeper than biology. We have homes everywhere we go. Whenever I can, I stay in someone’s home. Jesus sent the disciples out with nothing extra - so that they learned to depend upon the community. If they don’t receive you, move on. This new community is marked by abundance. 'There’s enough for everyone’s need, but not enough for everyone’s greed.'

"Same principle in the feeding of the 5000. God doesn’t want to change the world without us. Just use what you have.

"It is important to make poverty personal. Notice that the final question before God (Matthew 25) is not a doctrinal question - it is about how we treated our neighbors."

Shane worked with Mother Teresa, and began to rethink his tendency to give the worst of what he had to charity.

“I should be giving my best, because when I give to the poor, I am giving to Jesus. The best thing to do with the best things in life is to give them away!

"Our self-centered, blessing-obsessed gospel of prosperity is so far from that. If we aren’t careful we lose the secret - that if you want to find life, you have to give it away!

"What we have done is not heroic - if so, then you must not understand the pearl that you have found! Someone told Mother Teresa - 'I wouldn’t do this for a million dollars.' She said - 'Neither would I.'

"I have learned so much from the poor. We had a fire that destroyed a whole block. The Red Cross set up a shelter, but nobody stayed in it - everyone had opened up their homes. It is hard for rich people to 'get it.'

"I invite you to do SOMETHING this year that may seem crazy to the world! John Wesley said: 'If I die with more than 10 pounds in my pocket, may everyone call me a liar and a thief.'"

Shane closed by scattering out the dollar bills representing what he received for giving this talk!! “Go take a dollar and think about how to re-imagine that early community where they ended poverty because they had figured out how to love their neighbor as themselves. What if we had jubilee campaigns as well as building campaigns - matching our gifts dollar for dollar to dig wells for poor folks.

"The real tragedy is we don’t even know poor folks. “I have just begun that journey, and it challenges me every night how to love my neighbor as myself.

"Jesus does not tell the poor to go find a church - he tells us to go into the world. We are called to interrupt the patterns of the world with grace and creativity.”

If you want your faith to be stretched WELL past your comfort zone - go hear Shane Claiborne or read one of his books.

Workshop - Dino Rizzo

2009-02-11T01:20:00.002-06:00

DINO RIZZO - “Servolution: Starting a Church Revolution Through Serving.”

Rizzo pastors a church in Baton Rouge called “Healing Place.” (May be the first time I have ever met a pastor named Dino!) It sounds a lot like BARK to the nth power! He gives three definitions of a “servolution”:

A significant change in the course of history sparked by simple acts of kindness
God’s Kingdom on earth as it is in heaven
A church revolution through serving

Rizzo’s ideas take outreach further than simple community service (though they sound like simple projects). His vision is to use these activities as catalysts for changing culture. Some of his ideas are simple things that we have already done. Others go a little further. He shared a list of fifteen ideas to get started on Servolution:

Give away bottled water
Adopt an inner-city block
Start a cooking ministry
Free auto maintenance (for widows, single moms, military wives) - we do this each year a couple of weeks before Mother’s Day - get help from local auto shops.
Serve as the cleanup crew after community events
Serve and care for widows
Be active on your local college campus
Serve your local government - (Any time we eat - it’s not just “us” - we figure out who we can share with - first responders in the community, etc.)
Serve the homeless in your community
Start a free food pantry - you can’t pay everyone’s utility bill, but no one walks away from our church without food, and we always help with needs for babies - diapers, etc.)
Hospital outreach
School supply give-away
Reach out to single moms in need
Respond to crisis and tragedy in your community
Connect with other groups who are already serving your community

He began his session with some practical love - passing out homemade pralines! “I believe in the sweetness of serving!”

Dino himself became a believer because of a beach outreach ministry, so he believes in the importance of continuing that outreach. He shared his story of planting the church in Baton Rouge. It began with 12 people sixteen years ago, and now is a church of 7000 with multiple sites.

The key to Servolution - realize this is not an event - it is a purpose, it is a mandate. When you do that, many doors will open. There will be a thousand ways to integrate this into your church life.

"It is our church’s value that it is OK to spend time and money on outreach efforts that do not necessarily bring people into a church.

“If you were to drop me into a new community, and I had to start over, the first thing I would do is to buy a case of bottled water and start handing it out as a conversation starter!”

He shared a story about a small group that was praying for a single mom who was having to move the next day. It struck him - she not only needs prayer, she needs a truck and four volunteers. Guys especially will respond to these needs! They would rather do that than some other things churches ask for!

How does it work when resources are limited? Partnerships. Look for things that are already drawing people. You may not yet have the resources to draw a large crowd. Find a creative way to spend a small amount of money but still be a major part of this. “Be the flea on the elephant!”

"Now 'Serving People in Creative Ways' is simply a part of our budget. The seven days leading up to Good Friday are really huge for us.

"We make our DNA very clear to guests - we are a generous church - everyone you see around you is a generous person - with their time, their talent, their treasure, their touch.

"The shirts we wear have pockets - so there is a place where the cards are we hand out. The back of the shirt says 'serve team' and our web site address.

"We want them to know who we are - but also have a 'no strings attached' attitude!"

Session 1 - Efrem Smith

2009-02-11T01:13:00.002-06:00

The hosts for the conference again are Bob Stromberg and Efrem Smith - they bring a great touch of humor. Efrem is a pastor at a church in Minnesota, and was also the main speaker at Session 1. Bob Stromberg is positively hilarious. I always enjoy him. See if you can find some of his comedy clips online!

“Ashmont Hill” is the music group that led the worship time. They are from Boston, Mass.

We also heard an interview featuring David Kinnaman and Gabe Lyons, authors of the book Unchristian.

For the opening message, Efrem Smith spoke on “Advancing God’s Kingdom in the Valley,” and he began by sharing the story from Ezekiel 37 - the story of dry bones. These days it feels like a valley - layoffs, struggles, family troubles.

We cannot paint the valley as the enemy. Do not forget that God’s hand is upon you - even if you are in the valley. You can be in the valley but still led by the Spirit. This is a great time to be church, to test if we really believe transformation is possible.

He told of hearing a country preacher preach and basically only said one thing - “Jesus is alive.” The sermon seemed silly to him, but as you stop and think about it, that is the news we need to share, that Jesus is alive!

We also need to be prepared for a shift, a change. The message in the Scripture is that God will bring the separated back together. Could it be that we too need to become “one stick” overcoming the walls of separation, building bridges of reconciliation, becoming ONE church with ONE mission.

It’s not how big our church is. Are we healthy? And are we missional? Healthy - means stories of transformed lives, people who have met Jesus. Being missional - are we about publicly pursuing the Kingdom.

Could it be that you are limiting what God has placed within you?

Consider the African impala. Can jump 13 ft high in a standing jump. If on the move, it can also jump 30 feet outward. But - contained with a 3 foot wall. “We train them when they are young that they can’t jump over the wall - so they don’t realize they could clear the wall. Fortunately they don’t know what they can do naturally.

What is keeping me from going higher and further? What is my three foot wall?
“I dare you to jump!”

Ken Medema shared the closing song. Ken is an astonishing artist. He is blind, a keyboard player and a singer. He also was here last year - I have heard him several times over the years. He sings following a presentation, and ties together themes in his song - originally written “in his head” on the spot. If you ever get a chance to hear him live, DO IT!

Live from San Diego at the National Pastor's Convention

2009-02-11T01:10:00.002-06:00

Having a great time so far at the National Pastor's Convention in San Diego. I will be sharing posts about some of the content and presentations. Remember - you can add your comments or questions. (Note that your comments will not appear immediately as they will be pre-screened for suitability. This helps prevent inappropriate comments or sales solicitations that sometimes appear on blogs like this.)

I thank you for your prayers. And I remember that it is your support that makes it possible for me to attend learning events like this.

Pastor Robert

FEB. 8 - A Foundation That Lasts Forever

2009-02-08T23:06:00.002-06:00

Today we considered some of the frequent misunderstandings of the Christian message:

1 - That it's all about having the right ideas. Ideas are important. Having our thinking right is important. But Jesus' own words reminded us that the evil spirits recognized him as Lord. Being a disciple certainly includes having our head on straight - but it is much more than that.

2 - That's is all about escaping the punishment of hell. Eternal destinations of union with God or separation from God are real. The Bible makes that clear. But in now way is following Christ primarily a matter of escaping punishment. There is much more than that.

3 - There's really not much hope for this world. Do you run into Christians who believe this? Just think - Jesus taught us to pray "thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven." We must certainly be realistic about the amount of evil and damage in the world. But Jesus empowers us to be his agents for good in the world around us. There is hope!

YOU CAN WATCH James Choung present his models online by checking out these videos:

THE BIG STORY

THE BIG STORY - PART 2

You can also read more about his work at his own website - click here.

FEB. 1 - Solid Ground: A Word for Couples

2009-02-02T11:00:00.003-06:00

For this message we looked at several key Bible passages - you can find them here:

GENESIS 2:18-24 teaches us that God "wired" us for companionship and intimacy.

ECCLESIASTES 4:9-12 speaks of the powerful of the "threefold cord" - an image sometimes used to describe the sacred bond of marriage that includes the power and presence of the Lord.

1 CORINTHIANS 7:8-9 reminds us of the sacred calling of singlehood that in no way makes us less than whole.

EPHESIANS 5:21-33 challenges both husbands and wives to self-giving servanthood and submission to spouse - a real challenge for both men and women in our self-centered culture.

MALACHI 2:14-16 counsels faithfulness in marriage - and reveals God's hatred for divorce and what it does to us. Note that God does not hate divorced persons - and the church is called to repent of being judgmental to those who have experienced the brokenness of divorce.

You can go to this site - "New Marriage and Divorce Statistics" - for more revealing analysis of our culture's trends from researcher George Barna.

As part of the message on Feb. 1, I commended the work of Les & Leslie Parrott. They were also featured on the video in Financial Peace University for session two. Incidentally - I made a spelling error at the 9 a.m. service - their last name is spelled just a bit differently from the bird called "parrot." You can find more about their resources at the REAL RELATIONSHIPS web site.

When I heard the Parrotts speak last year, they shared a simple communication exercise that sounds very valuable - it is called "Sharing Withholds" - referring to information that we tend to keep inside and "withhold" from our spouse. Here Les Parrott comments on this exercise:

This is an exercise we taught literally to thousands of couples around the country and we call it "sharing withhold." It comes from our book Saving Your Marriage Before it Starts. It takes about ten minutes out of a couple's week. They just simply share three things that they haven't talked about that have registered in their mind. We suggest two of them be positive and one of them negative. And the response from your partner is limited to two words, and the two words are just "thank you". In other words, you're not going to ask them questions or grill them on anything or explain anything. You're just going to say "thank you" for sharing that information and leave it in a nutshell.

For the next thirty minutes, we say that the negative information is off limits, we can't talk about that. But every day in every marriage there's information that we bury, that we don't talk about. If it's negative information that we bury, it has a high rate of resurrection. When it pops up to the surface, it's uglier than when we first buried it and we go "where did that come from?" So this exercise is designed to kind of clear the mine fields from your marriage and create a real clean and level playing field.

A final reminder - some of you saw the movie FIREPROOF which was out in theatres recently. The video has been released, and there are also efforts to share the marriage communication strategies highlighted in the movie. You can read more at this site - FIREPROOF MY MARRIAGE.

1/11/09 - Solid Ground for Family Finances

2009-01-11T07:26:00.002-06:00

Our "prayer verse" for this topic comes from Psalm 50:

Thankfulness is my sacrifice to you, O God. I keep the vows I made to you. I will call on you when I am in trouble. You will rescue me, and I will give you glory. I will keep to your path, and you will reveal to me your salvation.

The teaching outline for this message is as follows, covering important Bible teachings on personal finance:

The Value of HARD WORK
(Proverbs 6:6-8; 21:5; 23:4-5; Colossians 3:23-24; 2 Thessalonians 3:10-12)

The Value of PLANNING
(Proverbs 21:5; Luke 14:28-30)

The Value of SAVING
(Genesis 41:35-36; Proverbs 21:20; Ecclesiastes 11:2; Luke 12:18-20)

The Danger of WASTEFUL SPENDING
(Proverbs 14:29 - NKJV; Luke 15:11-19)

The Danger of GET RICH QUICK SCHEMES
(Proverbs 11:1; 13:11; 28:20; 1 Timothy 6:9)

The Danger of DEBT
(Proverbs 6:1-5; 17:18; 22:7; 22:26-27; 27:7)

The Importance of TITHING
(Genesis 28:22; Leviticus 27:30; Deuteronomy 14:22; 26:12; Proverbs 3:27-28; Malachi
3:8-10; Matthew 23:33; 2 Corinthians 9:7)

The Importance of PRIORITIES
(Psalm 62:10; Matthew 6:21; Matthew 6:24; Hebrews 13:5)

Here are some other helpful resources from Dave Ramsey, originator of Financial Peace.

Have you ever wondered about this question - "Is it acceptable to pause tithing during tough financial times?" Read Dave's answer HERE.

If you have not been giving at all, how do you get started? Read Dave's answer HERE.

Do you have questions about Financial Peace classes? Your question might be listed HERE.

How might the world be different if more Christians lived this way? Read Dave's answer HERE.