Stinker

I just received an email Urban Legend about a worker who had a heart attack at his desk and it took five days before coworkers noticed he was dead. As the story goes, 51 year old George Turklebaum was always absorbed in his work and kept to himself. No one thought it was unusual that George stayed in the same position and didn’t say anything. In an article debunking the story we’re told that a dead body starts stinking after three days, so his coworkers most certainly would have noticed George had a problem. I got a chuckle out of this fabrication and then I considered the possibility of a spiritually dead person setting in a church pew for five weeks before any of us noticed him. I know it’s not our job to judge whether or not someone is spiritually dead, but we might be a little more attentive to them if they’d start stinking.

They're Coming

When going to the movies you often see previews of coming attractions. At one time the slogan was, ‘Coming soon to a theater near you’. Whether through training seminars, printed materials or video presentations, the mega church influence is coming soon to a church near you. It’s not surprising that mega church trends and philosophies filter down and seep into mid-size churches, but I hadn’t thought about them walking through the front door in the form of transplants. In our mobile society we can expect to inherit members from Willow Creek, Saddleback and Lakewood. I think it would behoove us to learn what these churches are teaching and preaching, whether it’s the milk or the meat of the Word.

Real Stories

When I was team leader for the Adult Education Ministry I published a weekly newsletter for the adult Sunday School program. One column in the newsletter was interviews with individuals in the congregation. Recently one of the interviewees told me, “I really miss reading those newsletters. I still have the one you wrote on me.” She laughed, “I’m saving it for my obituary!” My stint in Adult Education ended when the preacher told me that unless I went to worship services I couldn’t be in a leadership position. I was taken back because at the time I was attending and monitoring two adult Sunday School classes, leading Women’s Ministry and participating in the evening fellowship program. I now read the church staff is seeking ‘skilled creative communicators in writing to communicate real stories of how lives are being changed…’ for the new Publications Ministry. A word of caution to creative writing applicants: Read the fine print on leadership qualifications.

BFO

I just had a BFO…a blinding flash of the obvious. Today’s church philosophy is if you’re struggling with issues in your church and disagree with the leadership you’re encouraged to find another church down the street where you’ll be happy. While I continue to lament the loss of good solid mature Christians, it just dawned on me that when they leave they’re not leaving alone. They’re taking their indwelling Holy Spirit with them. Yikes! It’s no wonder churches are spiritually weak and anemic, we’ve sent the Holy Spirit packing!

To Plant or Reshape

When I’ve talked to folks who’ve planted new churches the underlying thought seems to be that it’s a lot more work than they imagined. Most say they’d resist any future opportunity to do it again. I visited with pastor and author Bob Hostetler about the church he helped plant. His church purchased property close to the school where they’ve been meeting, and now after seven years, a new auditorium is taking shape. “It’s been a lot of work, but I’d rather plant a new church any day than try to reshape or change an existing church.” After 10 years my own congregation continues to undergo changes. Our character is looking more and more like a building that’s been repeatedly added on to; the roof line doesn’t match, the windows are a different style, and the front door seems out of place. In hindsight I wonder if the re-modelers wished they’d planted a new church rather than undertaking an extreme make-over on the existing church.

We Hear You

There’s an interesting conversation between Steve Corey and Anonymous on the February 6th blog. In one post Anonymous said, “I hope that someday I will have the courage not to be Anonymous, but to be a stronger voice for the Lord…” Let me assure you, we’ve all been anonymous at one time or other. In the church, leaders cleverly and sometimes boastfully, tell us that all comments made by Anonymous are disregarded. You’ve got to admit it’s an effective way to stop people from speaking their opinion. Trust me it’s OK to be anonymous. Personally I’d rather hear the opinions of Anonymous than guess at what the silent minority is trying to say.

Class Act

At the Christian writer’s conference I recently attended, Randall Atcheson was the special guest musician. A Juilliard graduate, Mr. Atcheson has performed eight times at Carnegie Hall and is on the international roster of Steinway Artists. For our general sessions we sang hymns and let me assure you, contemporary praise songs can’t hold a candle to these spine tingling hymns so creatively performed. The dry cold Colorado air played havoc on Atcheson’s hands. During one performance he rubbed his hands back and forth on his trousers legs saying, “I made the mistake of using hand lotion and now I’m sliding all over the keys.” By the third day of the conference he ended with a concert and his fingers were bleeding all over the keys of the Steinway. I know many of us bleed for our ministries…I just didn’t expect something quite so literal.

Glorious Send Off

During the worship time at the Writing for the Soul conference in Colorado Springs there was a medical emergency. Right below the stage at the front of the banquet hall a middle aged woman collapsed while we were worshiping in song. From my vantage point I could see six paramedics hurrying past my table and disappearing below the crowd as they treated the patient. Without missing a beat the worship leader respectfully changed the selection to a quieter and more appropriate song for the situation and we kept on singing. Thankfully we weren’t right in the middle of ‘When we all get to heaven…’ As we were singing and silently praying, I couldn’t help thinking, ‘if she doesn’t make it, what a way to go’. Can you imagine being ushered from this life while being surrounded by a 500 member interdenominational choir…and then being welcomed into heaven by a chorus of angels? I’m happy to report that our sister in Christ is still with us…but she’ll never again have another send off like that one!

What God Has Joined Together

I met a woman from Chicago who told me her church had gone through a split. The more traditional members went one way and the younger, more progressive crowd went the other. My new friend found herself in the position of being one of the older members in the progressive group. “After the split neither group had enough women to make the Women’s Ministry effective. The traditional folks had all the mature teachers and we had all the young students.” She laughed, “Now the women from both churches meet together in order to have our Bible studies.” So much for thinking we control the choice to separate and divorce ourselves from one another. Tell me God doesn’t have a sense of humor!

One Book

At a Christian writer’s conference I recently attended I sat at a table with a writer who, among other things, writes fantasy, children’s books, and biographies. She’d never been to a writer’s conference, but she had enough enthusiasm for both of us. “God gave me (helped me write) this fantasy book. It’s similar to Harry Potter, but it will be bigger than Harry Potter. Everyone who reads it will become saved. All the young people who read it will come to Christ.” There’s no doubt people can and do read books which lead them to the Lord. I didn’t want to burst her bubble, but if there’s one book that can bring salvation to all, I think it’s already been published.

Consensus

Even with the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, believers don’t always agree with one another. Nor do we have to agree on disputable matters. Thankfully we don’t have to have consensus before we worship and fellowship together. Some of today’s church leaders on the other hand, have set a different sort of standard by requiring consensus among themselves. Their wisdom seems to imply that once consensus is reached, their decisions have God’s stamp of approval. Any resistance to their consensus and they need only apply a liberal dose of Hebrews 13:17 “Obey your leaders and submit to their authority. They keep watch over you as men who must give an account. Obey them so that their work will be a joy, not a burden, for that would be of no advantage to you.” (NIV)

Hats Off

A relative asked us to deliver a belated family Christmas gift. The gift was a black wire-mesh lumbar support that slipped over the back of a chair and was held in place by elastic straps. Receiving his gift Troy raised an eyebrow and said, “So, what is this?” My husband took the lumbar support and plopping it on Troy’s head said, “It’s a hat.” Watching this exchange, two and a half year-old Lydia excitedly clapped her hands together and said, “And it fits!” Paul told the Corinthians that some are called to be preachers, teachers and administrators. “Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Do all work miracles? Do all have gifts of healing? Do all speak in tongues? Do all interpret?” (1 Cor 12:29-30 NIV) I think many pastors, whether by personal desire or by delegation, are trying to wear all the church hats…and then we in the congregation clap our hands and say, “And it fits!”

Kneeling

Before going to bed, my grandma always turned off the lights and knelt beside the bed to say her prayers. At his first sleepover, one young cousin didn’t know about Grandma’s ritual. She turned off the light and he waited and waited in the dark for her to crawl into bed. Finally he reached across the bed and touching the hair on the top of her head said, “Grandma, is that a skunk?” Last Sunday Dr. Charles Stanley’s televised message included thoughts about praying on your knees. He reminded the audience, “that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth…” (Phil 2:10 NIV) He confirmed you can pray standing and you can pray lying down, but if you don’t ever pray while kneeling, why don’t you? Is pride holding you back? Dr. Stanley’s advice, “Start practicing.”

Separation of Church and Family

Years ago my church had a pastor who was not only successful in the pulpit, but also very popular in the community. Over the years he gradually fazed his wife out of the worship scene and when they later divorced it wasn’t too startling. More recently, a pastor candidate made his wife’s position perfectly clear by saying, “When you hire me you are not hiring my wife.” Today’s church leaders seem intent on separating their ministry career from that of their personal family life. I suppose from the world’s point of view this seems logical and understandable. However, the Bible has specific directions for selecting and electing church leaders and some of those qualifiers fall squarely on the candidate’s wife and children. It’s as though a prospective leader ‘needs’ their family in order to meet the qualifications for a position, but once hired or elected, it’s a one-man-ministry. I’m not convinced that’s what Scripture intended.

Holy Kiss

At one time our congregation functioned under a church board which was made up of both elders and deacons. Years ago there was some division in the church so I decided to go straight to the horse’s mouth – the board – and ask what was going on. Taking charge of the meeting, the pastor stood up and ridiculed me in front of the group saying, “How dare you accuse these fine men of not being compassionate?” Even though I felt thoroughly tarred and feathered, I was able to tell the pastor not to put words in my mouth, or in the board’s ears. My questions were answered by the chairman and as I left the meeting the pastor followed me into a side room where others were waiting their turn to speak to the board. Coming up to me he planted a kiss on my lips as if to say, ‘All is forgiven. We won’t hold this against each other, now will we?’ I don’t know if the kiss was meant to embarrass me or if he wanted to show others in the room that he greeted me with a holy kiss (Ro16:16). On second thought, let’s rule out the idea of a holy kiss. If it were his practice to kiss everyone with whom he’d had a confrontation, I’m sure I would have heard about it before it happened to me.

Shipwrecked

Since opening the door to allow homosexual clergy and lay officers, the Presbyterian Church (USA) continues to lose churches from the denomination. The Associated Press reports, “Members of the largest church in the Pittsburgh Presbyterian district have voted to leave the Presbyterian Church (USA) for a more biblically conservative denomination.” Excuse me…more biblically conservative. What exactly does that mean? I’d say this church is leaving because they recognize the need to be biblically truthful and doctrinally sound. Paul tells Timothy that people who reject sound doctrine have shipwrecked their faith. (1 Timothy 1:18-20) Is it any wonder that churches in the Presbyterian Church (USA) denomination are jumping ship?

Timer

To let me know they’ve completed their function, beeping timers go off on my coffee pot, microwave and washing machine. With so many buzzers going off it’s easy to turn a deaf ear. The timer on the clothes dryer however, is the one that gets on my nerves. It just nags. It continues to beep and fluff the clothes intermittently until someone takes action. I could disable the beeper, but I know if I don’t respond in a timely manner the clothes will be wrinkled and I’ll find myself standing at the ironing board. For me, the Holy Spirit occasionally functions like that timer. He tries to get my attention and sometimes has to resort to nagging.

Pre-paid Tithe

The last few years I’ve been pre-paying my tithe. I think I began this quirk when I started sending my tithe to places other than my local congregation. Now, because I don’t see evidence of the tithe at work on a weekly basis, I find I’m not quite as personally invested as I once was. My offerings are still acceptable in the Lord’s eyes, but my pleasure in giving now mingles with feelings of having completed an obligation. At times I’ve written a check for a bi-annual tithe and simply crossed it off a ‘to-do-list’ without having much of an emotional attachment. I’m not too worried however, an older lady at church once told me, “God loves a cheerful giver…but He’ll accept money from a grouch too.”

Re-Invention

Looking through the church pictorial directory, the monthly newsletter or the weekly bulletin, the job titles and descriptions for the staff are constantly changing. Currently our mid-size congregation has five staff positions. The recent bulletin gives us the individual’s name followed by latest job description. 1) Music & Worship Minister. 2) Director of discipleship for parents of newborns-kindergarten. 3) Pastor of discipleship through small groups, ministry teams and serves as a teaching pastor. 4) Lead pastor whose focus is teaching, discipleship for parents of elementary-high school age children, and discipleship in marriage. 5) Facilities Manager. So what ever happened to Worship Minister, Children’s Director, Associate Minister, Senior Minister and Custodian? I think someone’s read one too many self-help books on how to re-invent yourself.

The Shill

It’s amazing how easily job descriptions can be re-written. For instance the Membership Development Minister morphs into Pastor of Involvement, the Discipleship Minister become the Associate Minister, and the Children’s Minister becomes the Director of Discipleship for Parents. Personally I have a problem with this titling slight of hand. Our congregation, convinced of the needs of our youth, hired a Youth Minister. Abracadabra…a stroke of the keyboard and the Youth Minister is transformed into a Family Development Minister. There was a time we hired staff based on the needs of the congregation and he was expected to fulfill his contract. Today we hire a person and if he doesn’t fulfill the job description, we simply customize to fit what he can do or what he wants to do.

Speaking the Truth

Failing to speak the truth should not to be confused with telling a lie. For whatever political reason, there are times in the church when, by omission or suppression, we don’t speak the truth. By allowing ourselves to be muzzled, we do more than fall victim to those who would lord their authority over us. Peter and John showed courage when they were commanded not to speak or teach in the name of Jesus. They responded, “Judge for yourselves whether it is right in God’s sight to obey you rather than God. For we cannot help speaking about what we have seen and heard.” (Acts 4:19-20 NIV) It’s probably not accurate to portray believers in America today as cowardly, but when was the last time you heard someone describe a fellow believer as speaking with courage?

Paranoid

We’ve all heard the saying, ‘Just because people say you’re paranoid, doesn’t mean someone’s not out to get you’. In my church it seems the senior saints program gets more confined, restricted and under funded all the time. For years our seniors have taken trips in the church vans and they always pay their own way, including gasoline expenses. We have seniors who are qualified van drivers, some with commercial driver’s licenses. However, now when a driver turns 70 years old they’re no longer allowed to drive the church van. The staff tells us this restriction is a requirement placed on the church by our insurance policy. Certainly the church could change insurance carriers, but the cost would be higher. Perish the thought of dipping into the offering nest egg that’s being nurtured. Personally I think the seniors are worth the investment.

Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow...

With all the snow we’ve lately had I’m jealous of those who live in the county…they don’t have to shovel sidewalks. As far back as I can remember volunteers hooked up their tractors or trucks and cleaned off the church parking lot when there was measurable snow. There was no official Snow Removal Ministry, it was just whoever had a blade on their truck and got there got there first. If the lot wasn’t cleaned as soon as it stopped snowing, it was certainly cleaned off before Sunday morning services. Not today. The church parking lot is rutted with layer upon layer of ice and snow. Rather than being cleaned off, the back entrance to the kitchen and fellowship hall has been roped off because of the build-up of ice. Maybe it’s time to think about hiring someone for snow removal.

Who Needs to Know

Oh the drama! Who can be distraught by the TV writer’s strike when you can watch reality church politics? Right before our election to confirm elder candidates, one candidate was disqualified and his name removed from the ballot. Last Sunday I learned two currently serving elders resigned, although one later reconsidered and within a matter of days returned to his position. I’m sure we’ll never fully understand what’s happening. The leadership has long since abandoned publishing the minutes of the elder’s meetings and quite honestly, I’d be surprised if anyone even takes minutes any more. It’s as though the leadership has sworn each other to secrecy and will give us only what they think we need to know. Oh…did I mention that the elder who quit and did not return to his position actually resigned a few weeks ago? I wonder if, or when, they were going to tell us.

Taking Pains

Published in my local newspaper an AP report headline reads, Judge dismisses lawsuit against Baptist megachurch pastor. Church members accused Rev. Jerry Sutton, pastor of Two Rivers Baptist Church, of misappropriating funds and are asking for access to church records. Rev. Sutton says, “…the church members had no right to sue just because they didn’t like the way the church spent their offerings.” I can’t help but contrast this situation with Paul sending Titus and a trusted brother to Corinth. “… as we carry the offering, …. We want to avoid any criticism of the way we administer this liberal gift. For we are taking pains to do what is right, not only in the eyes of the Lord but also in the eyes of men.” 2 (Cor 8:19-21 NIV). Where Paul took pains to do what is right, it appears Rev. Sutton doesn’t to want to expend such effort.

Do You See What I See

I don’t doubt the authenticity of Hillary Clinton’s little emotional moment, the woman must be exhausted. What I question are the words accompanying her emotions. Ms. Clinton tells us that she’s worried for the country. “This is very personal for me. It’s not just political or it’s not just public. I ‘see’ what’s happening and we have to reverse it.” To me Hillary’s voice inflection on ‘see’ implied that her political opponents and the voting public really don’t understand what’s happening in America. It’s as though she is the only one with insight. I don’t like this sort of rhetoric, whether in politics or in the church. I don’t need someone loaning me their visionary glasses just so I’ll agree with their version of reality. In the case of believers, it’s the Spirit who opens our eyes.

What is it?

John Doe was an elder in the church in another town when he had an affair with a married woman. After divorcing his wife he remarried and moved to our community where he became active in my church. It became evident that this new marriage was not the picture of happily-ever-after. One day, knowing I needed to be compassionate, I ask John how he was doing and he said, “I’ve made a lot of mistakes and I know most of this is my fault. God warned me, but I didn’t listen and now I’m paying the price. I can’t help it…I just like women. I need to have a woman.” Well, oookay now. Is he expecting a listening ear, making excuses for his behavior or is he just a guy on the prowl? Maybe this is confession and repentance. I don’t know what reaction he expected me to have, but if I were Catholic I’d recommend he find a priest and hit the confessional ASAP.

Deserters

On December 11, 2007 the Rocky Ford Daily Gazette (Rocky Ford, Colorado) published a letter from David L. Goebel, an Elder at 1st Christian Church. Mr. Goebel wrote that their church attendance at the beginning of Advent was sadly less than 40 people. “My heart was broken for Christ Jesus and Pastor John.” His letter goes on to mention Demas, who according to the Apostle Paul was a fellow laborer turned deserter and Judas Iscariot, a disciple turned deserter. I can think of many descriptions for people with a sporadic religious life: lukewarm, immature, weak faith, worldly, liberal, selfish, uncommitted, lazy, etc. I must say ‘deserter’ had never crossed my mind…but it should have.

Servanthood

If it were possible to take the pulse of a church’s servanthood, I think my church would need to call for the EMT’s to start CPR. Don’t get me wrong we have people willing to serve, it’s just that the places of service have been reassigned, restructured or eliminated all together. A couple months ago I called a ministry team leader for help with moving furniture and he said, “We don’t do that any more. Call the staff…they’ve taken over all the ministries.” I could hear the hurt in his voice. I think if you suppress a servant long enough he’ll start loosing his desire to serve and he just might quit serving all together. If I were this ex-ministry team leader I’d be struggling to follow Paul’s advice to, ‘serve as though we were serving the Lord’.

Exodus

One of the Presbyterian churches in my town are losing members en masse. While my church is also experiencing loss, ours seems to be a slow trickle of only a few members at a time. A friend who attends this particular Presbyterian Church told me this morning that they did have some new people in their worship service last Sunday. We both tried to stifle a chuckle. In truth, there is a huge probability the visitors at her church are transients from my church. If people are going to leave a church, I’d rather see a mass exodus than to see members slowly slipping out a side door. I think an exodus just might send a wake up call to the leadership… at least it made Pharaoh sit up and take notice.

Who's Acceptable?

Historically (100 years) my church has been an elder led church. The last ten years however we’ve had a change of direction and we’re now a staff led church. In full disclosure, let me say the spin of the current leadership would disagree with my observations. Our elder elections are coming up in a week or so and we’ve been given three candidates to approve as elders. It’s just coming to light that one of the three candidates believes in the biblical example of an elder led church, rather than a staff led church. What a quandary for the leadership. This poor man has been accepted as a qualified candidate and now he’s being re-interviewed for the third time…because the staff just doesn’t know if they can work with him.

Short Notice

While many people are already tiring from all the political coverage, I have to say I really like it. I’m always hoping for a David and Goliath story to immerge. I admit I love it when pollsters and reporters fail in their attempt to sway the voter or fail to accurately take America’s pulse. Right now I’m especially intrigued by Governor Huckabee’s supporters. The media just doesn’t know what to think of this seemingly unorganized group of people. The question that’s being asked is, ‘Can these loosely organized evangelicals come together on short notice’. Oh please…we Christians can throw together an all church pot-luck dinner in one hour and with only a few phone calls.

Farewell Hand of Fellowship

When Jesus healed a blind man the Pharisees didn’t believe the miracle and wanted confirmation from the parents that their son had in fact been born blind. This should have been a time of rejoicing for the family, but no. Rather than celebrating the gift of sight given to their son, the parents were in fear of the Jews, who had the power to put them out of the synagogue. It would be convenient for us to just write these parents off as being paranoid. However, it seems logical to say if they were in fear, others were sure to have the same fear. In today’s church, leaders can’t flex their ‘power’ quite as boldly as did the Jews of John’s day, but they can get the same results. It can be as simple as saying, “Maybe there’s another church where you’d be happier.” (John 9:18-23)

One Day at a Time

Lately the Lord has me praying for strength and peace to get through each day as it comes. My personality is to look forward, be organized, have my ducks in a row and be prepared for whatever might be around the corner. I don’t like this one-day-at-a-time stuff. Realistically I know I have no control over this day or the next, but I feel at loose ends without a direction of some sort, and the Lord isn’t letting me in on ‘the plan’. It just seems like I ought to be doing something while I’m trying to, “Be still, and know that I am God…” (Ps 46:10 NIV)

Happy New Year 2008

Once I discovered the Lord could ring in the New Year without my help and while I slept, I find January 1st so much more enjoyable.

Call Me

My friend teaches an adult Sunday School class for the mentally challenged. She loves her class, but her husband is sometimes resentful of the extra time spent on her students outside the classroom. “I’ve been doing this class for five years and I’m not going to give it up until the Lord takes it away from me.” I like her spirit. Personally, I’d rather have the pain of the Lord prying my fingers off of a ministry, than having the regret of giving up on the Lord’s work prematurely because of the insistence of others. However, I do think when the Lord takes a ministry away from us it would help if He’s tell us to, ‘take two aspirin and call Me in the morning.’

Cut to the Bone

German anatomist Dr. Gunther von Hagens is the creator of Body Worlds, the exhibit that displays dissection and plastination of the human body. I don’t know what I expected when I first saw the exhibit, but I was surprised that bodies stripped of outer skin and fat all look the same. For instance, with the exception of one specimen that had a tuft of grey hair, all the exposed triceps and biceps looked, well…young. I’m wondering what God sees when He looks at us as individuals. “For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart”. Heb 4:12 NIV

Absorbing

Recently my sister came to live with me and my mother became a nursing home resident. In closing down their apartments I’ve tried to absorb their things, so I now have multiples of everything. Together we have three irons, five coffee pots and nine vacuums of various sizes and descriptions. Our combined plethora of cleaning supplies can’t even be condensed into a few bottles because they’re all different brands. I’m struggling with my inheritance of household duplications. Trying to find God in the situation made me think of how Jesus absorbed our collective sins on the cross…and I thought I had multiples to deal with!

Is God Unjust?

For me, Christmas day was spent shoveling snow. We had 12 inches of light and fluffy, however the town 10 miles north of here had no snow. “What then shall we say? Is God unjust? Not at all! For he says to Moses, ‘I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion.’” (Ro 9:14-15 NIV) I’m now pondering which town is the beneficiary.

Christmas 2007

Praising the birth Jesus. For Colorado it’s a very merry white Christmas…Six inches and still being blessed!

Obsession

Warren Cole Smith’s article published in the December 1st issue of World has a great sidebar titled, ‘Seeking but not finding: The mother church of the seeker movement has a midlife crisis.’ Mr. Smith reports on a study and a book (‘Reveal: Where Are You?’) co-authored by Callie Parkinson and recently published by Willow Creek Church. The study suggests, “Most churches are not doing a good job of true discipleship.” Apparently not overly concerned, Ms. Parkinson boasts the suburban Chicago church is not just, “seeker-focused. We’re seeker-obsessed.” No doubt the Willow Creek obsession will continue to filter down to the leadership in our churches. It just seems to me that the seeker focused movement is looking more and more like a golden calf.

Inflated

‘Numbers Racket’, an article written Warren Cole Smith, was published in the December 1st issue of World. The article exposes survey results showing mega-churches ‘notoriously inflate their numbers’ (membership). List publisher Lynne Marian admitted to the discrepancies, but then justified her lists by saying, “It’s not about the numbers. It’s about taking a look at what God is doing.” I wonder how God feels about churches padding survey results in order to make Him look better.

Unwelcome

The lead paragraph in a Colorado Springs AP article says, “A church member who suffered minor injuries in the fatal shootings at New Life Church was escorted off church grounds by police a week later because New Life officials thought he was ‘volatile’ and might be disruptive.” The article goes on to quote Senior Pastor Brady Boyd, “We felt he was a bit volatile this morning, and we didn’t want any disruption to our service.” Adding insult to injury, the police told the man he wasn’t welcome back on the property and the church is also going to seek a restraining order. I realize the report doesn’t give all the details, but you’ve got to wonder, ‘What would Jesus do?’

Dilemma

I find I’m in a political quandary. No, it’s not with the 2008 election, but it’s with my church’s election of elders. First let me say that biblically the new candidates are qualified. However, when they were selected as nominees, additional criteria were used. So…do I now base my vote solely on their biblical qualifications, or do I also evaluate the candidates with the additional criteria used in their selection? Maybe it’s self-imposed, but in the past I’ve felt bound by the Scriptural requirements of elders and deacons. I’m now re-thinking that position. It seems to me that whatever standard of measurement is applied (biblical and/or extra-biblical), shouldn’t the same be used by both the selection committee and the voter?

You've Made Up My Mind

It doesn’t do much good to question a friend’s choice in a fiancée. Once she’s made a commitment, she expects everyone to happily give a blessing. It doesn’t matter if you think she’s making a terrible mistake, her mind is already made up. My church will soon be electing new elders to serve along side the current elders. The three men recommended to the congregation are, “to be confirmed by ballot on January 13th.” Although membership is permitted to raise questions about a nominee prior to the election, we’ve already been told that those selected are to be confirmed. No doubt along with the confirmation they expect us to happily give our blessing.

Do-It-Yourself

It seems to me that in today’s church, the more we’re encouraged to personalize and individualize our relationship to God and Jesus Christ, the less accountable we become to one another. For instance, confessing and repenting privately is much more comfortable than confessing and repenting to one another. And it’s easy to justify, because everyone knows the Lord sees what is done in private. Peter tells us to repent and be baptized (Acts 2:38). I can just see those in our do-it-yourself world trying to baptize themselves…at their leisure and in the comfort of their own home, of course.

It's Personal

Reading some promotional material on why someone would place their membership at my church caused me to pause. I looked up the Scripture referenced in the flyer, “Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and aliens, but fellow citizens with God’s people and members of God’s household…” (Eph. 2:19 NIV). As though the passage needed further explanation, the benefits of membership were then identified as: “1) Personal sense of belonging, 2) Personal voice and vote, 3) Personal significance, 4) Personal relationships, 5) Personal development, and 6) Personal rewards.” Sounds similar to what could be found at Weight Watchers, Anytime Fitness or the Elks Club. Too bad the writer of the promotional material didn’t cite the remainder of the Ephesians passage. “…built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone. In him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord. And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit.” (Eph 2:20-22 NIV) It’s no longer about ‘me’ when we are joined together and built together.

Ethics Show

The Christian Communicator is a magazine for Christian writers and speakers. In the October issue Dr. Stephen D. Boyd, a professor of speech communication at Northern Kentucky University, has written an article titled ‘Let Your Ethics Show’. In it he says, “In addition to the fundamental issue of honesty and credibility, a speaker must meet other ethical standards to maintain the trust and respect of audience members. Speakers might just as well quit if their audiences don’t respect them and what they have to say.” It’s a struggle to listen to a speaker in the church who isn’t trusted or respected, but it’s out of respect for the WORD being preached that I try to listen. In reality I probably do a disservice to the speaker by giving them an audience...which they misconstrue as validation.

Bible Carrying and Gun Totin'

A few years ago I knew a husband and wife who had concealed gun permits and each carried a gun. Both were in their early 30’s and not members of law enforcement. I have to tell you, I didn’t like sitting in a pew next to a purse containing a gun even if it was stacked on top of a Bible. I know there is a time and place for concealed weapons, I just question the need for taking a gun to church. And now we have the recent church shootings in Colorado. While I’m thankful the security woman had a gun and was able to stop the shooter, I cringe at how this incident will impact churches across the US. Will we now start arming volunteer security people ‘just in case’?

It's in the Genes

During a time of jesting and verbal sparing my husband Bill noticed an undeniable family characteristic in our daughter. “It must be in the genes because you’re acting just like a Marvel.” Leslie responded, “Yes, but those genes were dormant until someone started aggravating them.” I can so totally relate…I go along pretty well in my Christian walk until someone stirs up the genes of my sinful nature.

Leftovers

When you ate at grandma’s table the meals often included a dab or two of leftovers from a previous meal. Her attitude was ‘waste not, want not’, and those leftovers would continue to appear at successive meals until someone finished them off. I tried to implement grandma’s tradition with my own family, but my children resisted the reruns. Today I still struggle with throwing food out if there is enough leftover for a single serving. If I’d been on the wilderness trek with Moses I’d probably have been one of those trying to serve leftover maggot-manna. (Ex 16:20)

It's What's His Name

CNN is broadcasting the program ‘CNN Heroes: An All Star Tribute’. The presentation honors 18 finalists of ordinary people who CNN deems as heroes. It seems to me that the promotional clips for the program are more about the performers and the star-studded presenters than it is about those being honored. In speaking of the honorees, one reporter said, “We may not know their names, but they are heroes.” She goes on to say, “This was the guy who jumped onto the New York subway… Remember the man who saved… I really like his story…” I think her accolades would have sounded a bit more genuine had she at least given us her hero’s name (Wesley Autry). Imagine how the Lord would be perceived if we said, ‘This was the guy who stopped the stoning of a woman caught in adultery… Remember the man who saved… I really like his story…’ What was his name anyway?

Treasures

In the space of three months I’ve had to close up two apartments, one belonging to my mother and the other to my sister. Both of them have had to go from one bedroom apartments to single bedroom living spaces. I’ve had to make decisions on what needs to be kept, what I know they want kept and what things we have space to keep. It’s been traumatic because everything they own is something they like and really want to keep. I know they are grieving their losses, but my house is bulging at the seams as I try to incorporate their treasures into my home. Jesus cautioned, “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal.” (Matt 6:19 NIV) There are days when I like to hand the keys to a thief and save him the trouble of breaking in.

Where You Do Not Want To Go

Over the last few months both my mom and my sister have had health issues which put them in the same nursing home and in the same room. Although they roomed together for only about six weeks, it wasn’t a situation that either had expected or would have wanted. Both seemed to experience an emotional death of sorts. I couldn’t help but think of Jesus’ words to Peter, “I tell you the truth, when you were younger you dressed yourself and went where you wanted; but when you are old you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will dress you and lead you where you do not want to go.” (John 21:18 NIV) I wonder how Peter took this bit of news about his impending physical death…probably better than if the Lord had told him he’d be checking into a nursing home.

Refuge

Although it happens occasionally, we don’t often see deer in town. Last week when I was returning home from the fitness center a six point buck crossed the four lane highway in front of me. It was just before dawn, so this normally busy stretch roadway had very little traffic at the time. Once safely across the road, the buck took cover in a forest of evergreen trees leaning against a fence at the farm supply Christmas tree lot. Maybe man can’t always see the forest for the trees, but his poor fellow saw trees and thought it was a forest. I can relate to the buck. I’m guilty of trying to take refuge in the church and amongst other believers…I need to remember that my refuge is in Christ.

Semi-Comprehensive

Today my church doesn’t do as well in communication as it has done in years past. There was a time our worship service was broadcast on the radio each week, there was a weekly newsletter and bulletin, and even the minutes to the monthly elder’s meetings were posted on the bulletin board. Yesterday when I picked up the now monthly newsletter for December 2007 I read, “The XYZ Church Catalog, which is released twice a year, is the most comprehensive communication tool that we produce.” The article goes on to say the next catalog will be released in January. What a relief! I’m not really out of the loop after all…just comprehensively communicated with biannually.

Good Company

Growing up my daughter described me to her friends as being the FBI, CIA and Santa Clause all rolled into one. From her perspective that’s probably an accurate characterization. My kids knew that any illegal activity, such as underage drinking, would not be tolerated. I went so far as to tell them not to worry about the police catching them if the broke the law, because if I found out something was amiss, I’d turn them in myself…and I would have. Applying the same principles to their friends, it’s understandable they had lots of friends hanging around our house after school, but they didn’t get invited to the ‘in-group’ parties. I think Paul offers great parenting advice, “Do not be misled: “Bad company corrupts good character.” 1 Cor 15:33 NIV

Mega-Immaturity

In the November 10, 2007 issue of World magazine Bill Hybels, of Willow Creek Community Church fame, is mentioned in the ‘Quotables’ column. Apparently a study showed that the Willow Creek church model had not produced spiritually mature Christians. Mr. Hybles is quoted as saying, “We made a mistake.” My church, like many others, adopted portions of the Willow Creek model and we too are showing signs of spiritual immaturity. I’d really like to point an accusatory finger and at Willow Creek for leading us astray, but it’s not their fault that my leaders jumped on their train. Many of today’s church leaders desire to be at the helm of a megachurch. I wonder if it ever crossed their mind they might also have to deal with mega-immaturity.

Playing With Fire

Jude says, “Be merciful to those who doubt; snatch others from the fire and save them; to others show mercy, mixed with fear—hating even the clothing stained by corrupted flesh.” (Jude 22-23 NIV) I think we’ve all tried our hand at snatching others from the fire and we’ve got the burns to prove it. If you’re like me, you have at least one relative who doesn’t want to be snatched from the fire…they’d rather play with it instead. My Sunday School teacher has a theory on witnessing. He believes we often fail in our witnessing to family members because they know us too well. I suppose to relatives some of our rescue burns could have a self-inflicted appearance…and in some cases they’re right.

Funeral Dinners

Several years ago when my great uncle passed away friends volunteered to provide a meal for the family after the service. The meal never arrived and someone finally made a hasty trip to the grocery store for cold cuts and chips. The next day my aunt called the meal organizer to let her know about the miscommunication. Things became murkier when my aunt learned that the food had indeed been delivered. The volunteers took the food the house and finding it locked gained entrance from a neighbor who had a key. The meal was put in the oven and the refrigerator so it would be ready for the family when they returned from the graveside. Unraveling the confusion it was learned the meal was delivered to a house with the same address…only the house was on a different street. In a Godly coincidence, the meal had gone to a family who also had just returned from a funeral service. Not recognizing any of the names on the dishes, they didn’t know who to thank or where to return the dishes. “…for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.” (Matt 6:8b NIV)

Sweeping Visions

The October 2007 issue of Toastmaster magazine has an article on political communication written by Linda McGurk. One paragraph subtitled ‘Be a Visionary’ says, “While politicians often deal with many complex issues, it’s generally easier to captivate an audience and mobilize voters with big, sweeping visions of where you want to go and what you want to get accomplished than to present a laundry list of detailed changes to the tax code.” I’m thinking this same thing is taking place in the church. We, the congregational audience, are hearing more about where leaders want to go and what they want to accomplish than we’re hearing about sin, redemption and the blood of Christ. Whether political or religious, it’s interesting how easily captivated and mobilized we can be when it comes to men’s visions.

Entertaining Angels Unawares (Heb 13:2 KJV)

We always turn off the outside house light when everyone is in for the night, but a few days ago the trash had to go out and the last person in forgot to turn off the light. Around 7:00 pm an elderly lady, who appeared to be in her late seventies, rang the doorbell. She was lost, cold and frightened. I learned she’d just moved to Colorado from North Carolina and on the spur of the moment she decided to walk to the grocery store. Almost apologetically she said, “I didn’t realize it got dark so quickly here.” It was already dark when she finished shopping and left the store. Pulling her small cart loaded with groceries she’d taken a wrong turn and had been wondering around for some time. Showing me a map she’d torn from a phone book she ask to be pointed in the right direction, but the poor thing was well over a mile from her destination. We took her home and offered to help put her groceries away, but she said they could wait until the next day. She was tired and just wanted to go to bed. I don’t think angels live in houses, but if they do she just might qualify as one.

Thanksgiving

“Give us each day our daily bread.” (Lk 11:3 NIV) …and He gives so much more.

Incognito

I live on a fairly busy street and on several occasions people have come to the door asking for help. A few years ago around 11:00 pm an intoxicated young man stumbled up the stairs and pounded on the door. It was the dead of winter and he was sopping wet and muddy. Judging by his tracks in the snow he’d failed to navigate the drain ditch while taking a short cut across the park. His breath hung in the air and through chattering teeth he ask if he could come in the house and use the phone. Surely Lord, this can’t be one of those strangers we’re supposed to be entertaining (Heb 13:2). I just couldn’t let him in…but I did offer to call the police so they could help. Shivering uncontrollably he declined my offer. As I closed the door his muddy feet slipped on the redwood steps and he ricochet to the bottom coming to a sprawling stop. He got to his feet and staggered down the road. I suppose this stranger could’ve been an angel…nah!

No Deposit, No Return

In my recollection of the ‘old days’, soda pop came in redeemable bottles. Kids could get five cents for every empty bottle they returned to the local grocery store. People driving cars were always throwing empty bottles out the window and I could pick them up on the side of the road, cash them in and buy penny candy. It was a great way to make spending money. Some bottles not acceptable for returning to a bottler were stamped, “No Deposit, No Return”. Who would have thought that an empty soda bottle could teach a child about deposits, returning and redeeming. The Lord left the Spirit as a deposit. Without the Spirit…no deposit, no return.

Read the Fine Print

My husband Bill thought he’d given the Postal Service plenty of notice about his planned retirement date. Much to his surprise the fine print stated he must give 60 to 90 days notice. Oh, he could still retire all right…he just wouldn’t get any checks until the paperwork was completed in 60 to 90 days. Since his coworkers had already sent out the invitations for the retirement party, they decided whether or not he actually retired, the show must go on. Bill was left having to explain to his postal customers why he kept hanging around after his send-off party. Many of us struggle with and often avoid fully reading documents. Even the Bible can fall victim to our methods of skimming. I’m wondering how well failing to read the fine print will play on Judgment Day.

Rocking the Boat

Our church attendance continues to drop in spite of the leadership’s spin that we are growing. Many of those leaving are prominent leaders in their own right – youth leaders, committee members, ministry leaders, etc. Because they are qualified servant leaders they quickly settle into positions of leading and teaching at other churches. It’s our loss and their gain. I find it interesting that these folks are slipping out of the boat without rocking it. To their credit they would rather leave quietly than add dissention to the dysfunction. Their explanation about leaving and needing a change sounds as benign as taking a Sabbatical – only we both know that once they’ve connected with another body they won’t be back. Personally, I’d like to see a few of them do a cannon ball off the boat…maybe then someone would yell ‘man overboard.’

Grinch

The first show on Broadway to be affected by the stagehands strike was “Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas! The Musical.” Now that’s what I call prophetic for those with reserved tickets and everyone connected with the show. I know the Grinch all too personally. For me he shows up uninvited the day after Thanksgiving and won’t leave until Christmas day. He plays on the fact that I never feel completely ready for the holidays. Even without putting Christmas on the calendar, my month of December would be full. The gifts I’d like to buy I either can’t find, or can’t afford. Entertaining family and meal preparation seems more work than pleasure. I do love the decorations…if someone else puts them up and takes them down. Maybe I’ve got this all wrong. Maybe if I’d really let the Grinch steal Christmas then I could focus on the birth of Christ.

Mite

Some prominent televangelists are coming under scrutiny because they’ve not been forth coming with financial accountably. Sunday morning I caught a portion of an interview with Dr. Michael Lindsey on Fox News. Paraphrasing he said, “We need to know if a widow’s mite is paying for an evangelist’s Bentley.” I dislike the lavish lifestyle of ministers who preach the ‘prosperity gospel’, but then again, I don’t support them financially. When Dr. Lindsey puts the widow and her mite in the equation, it doesn’t paint a very pretty picture. Of course, neither does hearing about a criminal conning his victim out of their Social Security check.

Getting to the Root of a Rumor

Last weekend I read an article written by Associated Press Writers Oskar Garcia and Elliot Spagat about sexual abuse across the US. The article contained an interview with Mary Jo McGarth, a California attorney who has worked on teacher sexual abuse cases for three decades. Ms. McGarth said, “Rumors are gold. Rumors truly will light the way to tangible evidences of what’s going on.” Our tendency in the church is to equate rumors with gossip. And, as we all know, nothing will put the breaks on a rumor faster than someone hinting that it is gossip. Rather than squelching a rumor, if we investigated it for the purpose of shedding light on what’s going on in the body the church might be healthier.

Veteran's Day

I’d never been out of Colorado until I joined the Navy and was sent to Bainbridge, MD for basic training. Upon arrival each new batch of recruits was assigned a Company Aid (CA) who stayed with them for the first week to help them adjust to military life. My CA was a petite, soft spoken blond who, I later learned, was just barely out of basic training herself. The first night as I lay in my bunk for bed check I wondered what I’d gotten myself into. The firm voice of the night watch echoed through the barracks, “Lights out” and the quiet was deafening. I felt like I dare not move, much less whisper to other bunkmates. As the CA was leaving for the night she called out from a distance, “Good night Company 30…God bless you.” And so we were.

In Common

Twenty some years ago an elderly couple moved into a small house a couple doors down from my house. One of their friends helping them settle into their new home let me know right away that I could now look after them...seeing as how we had Christianity in common. I let our relationship be neighborly, including being available to them for emergencies, but I always kept them at arms length...I didn’t want to look after them. A few years back the husband passed away and more recently his widow sold her home and moved into assisted living. Even today she calls every few weeks to chat and hear the neighborhood news. All these years I’ve felt guilty for not doing more and resentful for feeling I should have done more…seeing as how we had Christianity “in common”.

Destination

On my way to an appointment one morning I got behind a slow moving white mini van that eventually pulled over and stopped in front of an apartment complex. A few moments later when I stopped at a stop sign an impatient Chevy Blazer roared around me and took a right turn speeding down a different road. I continued on and came up behind a pick-up truck with a camper shell, which I then passed. Although using alternate roads, the Blazer and I hit Starbuck’s parking lot at the same time. Getting out of our vehicles the young red headed diver said, “If I’d known you were coming here I’d have followed you.” We walked toward the coffee house as the white mini van, along with the passenger she picked up, drove in. Looking over my shoulder as I opened the door, I saw the little pick-up pulling into the parking lot. We all had the same destination…just a different pace. Sort of reminds me of becoming a Christian.

Ladybug

Last winter I found a Ladybug on the kitchen floor and I really didn’t know what to do with her. Temperatures were well below freezing for over a week so who knows where she came from. I wanted to send her on her way, “Ladybug, Ladybug fly away home…”, but if I put her outside she’d be freeze dried before she got home. I had no inviting habitat to offer since my green thumb is limited to glass flowers and dry pussy willows. The only thing I could offer was the trash compactor. I reasoned she might be happy crawling around in there if she could avoid being squashed when someone turned on the compactor. Then maybe, just maybe, the weather would warm up before the next time the trash had to go out. Believers aren’t immune from being in the wrong place at the wrong time either. I think the Lord spends a lot of time trying to put some of us in places where we won’t get squashed.

The Visionary's Version II

In yesterday’s blog I quoted my church leaders who’ve said they would like a prospective elder candidate who is, “…also concerned about what ramifications their present decisions have on the cause of Christ in the future.” Generically speaking, I should hope so. However Biblically speaking, if a person is overly concerned about ramifications, they may be thinking politically, or even second guessing the Spirit’s leading. Leaders may like to think that the decisions made today on behalf of the church will be written in stone. In truth, it only takes a new minister and new staff to do a re-write.

The Visionary's Version

It’s the time of year when my congregation selects and elects elders. In addition to the Biblical qualifications, our leaders would like elder candidates to have other ‘practical and spiritual characteristics’. One of the things they are looking for in a prospective elder is, “He should be a visionary leader. Our elders are to be men who are not only concerned with the present but who are also concerned about what ramifications their present decisions have on the cause of Christ in the future. Our elders are expected to cast a vision that the church can follow. (Prov. 29:18 KJV, NASB; 1 Peter 5:1-4)" I looked up the Bible references and they just don’t support the ‘visionary’ statements. Personally, I think the Lord has already cast a vision for the church…and He expects us to cast nets.

Above Reproach

I’m an election judge for the upcoming election and I spent the day working on early voting. There are many safeguards in the election process, one of which requires we have multiple judges from both the Republican and Democrat parties. I have confidence in the election results because of the accountability that’s in place. My church is also in the process of doing their annual election of elders…I wish I had as much confidence in it as I do in the local county election. I feel a conflict of interest is a very real possibility anytime all nominations and voted ballots are submitted and returned to only one person rather than to an independent committee. In the church, men filling the position of elder are to be above reproach (1Tim 3:2). It only seems fitting and reasonable to expect those handling the election should also be above reproach.

What's Behind the Mask?

My normal practice for banking is to use the drive-up window. On Halloween however, I needed to do my business inside the building. A sign scotched taped to the front doors read, PLEASE REMOVE MASKS BEFORE ENTERING. Good idea! I’m thinking the same signage on the church doors might be applicable.

Responsibility 102

One of the newer buzz words today is ‘coach’. Training sessions have been refurbished into Coaching Clinics. In promoting a scheduled Coaching Clinic my church bulletin said, “If you are responsible for the health of your family, small group, or ministry team this gathering is for you.” Certainly when my children were young I did have a responsibility for their spiritual health. Since both are now thirty-something, neither of them would let me have that responsibility…even if I wanted it. No doubt small group leaders and ministry leaders have obligations as teachers; however the spiritual health of the body actually lies with the elders, who are the shepherds and overseers. Personally, I think we put undo pressure on the lay leader’s service if we impose the criteria of elders on them.

Undelivered

Addressing anger and reconciliation, Jesus said, “Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to your brother; then come and offer your gift.” (Matt 5:23-24 NIV) I find it interesting that the Lord says ‘leave your gift’ rather than, ‘take your gift with you and bring it back when you’ve reconciled’. I’ve never seen this passage of Scripture literally practiced in the church. However, if the Lord is speaking spiritually, there could conceivably be lots of invisible gifts strewn about the altar. I think I should probably do some soul searching…maybe there’s a gift or two of my own waiting for me to return

Panic Alarm

In 1998 we purchased a near new, previously owned mini-van that had all the bells and whistles. The owner’s manual resembled a correspondence course, so I thumbed through it just enough to learn the basics. Ten years later I still haven’t learned about all the gadgets. While shopping alone one day I somehow locked myself ‘in’ the car. Oh, I could get out of the car alright…but not without setting off alarms. It took 15 minutes of pushing buttons before the car finally released me from captivity. Recently on a trip with my husband, where I did all the driving, I had to re-adjust the position of my seat and side mirrors every time I got into the van. It was maddening until I realized the settings were automatically changing when my husband used his clicker to unlock the doors. Apparently each set of keys has personalized settings. I think when many of us become believers we assume we can walk the Christian path by just learning the basics. Thankfully embarrassing alarms don’t go off every time we make mistakes.

Revealed With Fire

The California fires are a tragedy, and yet I find them a powerful Biblical visual. Paul tells us to be cautious when building on the foundation of Jesus Christ. “If any man builds on this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw, his work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each man’s work. If what he has built survives, he will receive his reward. If it is burned up, he will suffer loss; he himself will be saved, but only as one escaping through the flames.” (1Cor 3:12-14 NIV) I’m not sure if I’ve ever thought about the church being burned up. However, it makes sense because I can identify some of the building materials used in today’s church as being, ‘gold, silver, wood, hay and straw’. We can expect some churches to suffer loss, but the good news is they will still be saved, “but only as one escaping through the flames.”

Treats

The subject line on a junk email I received yesterday read, “It’s time to treat yourself.” My father-in-law (now deceased) subscribed to a similar thinking. It was almost impossible to buy gifts for him because every time he wanted something he went out and bought it for himself. It’s exasperating and frustrating to buy a gift for someone who seemingly has everything. There’s not much joy in giving someone a gift they don’t want. I wonder how God feels when I treat myself rather than waiting for His good gifts.

Carpenters

Years ago I sat in a Catholic hospital wringing my hands during a family crisis. There I met a crusty old Nun, whose nursing skills were generously seasoned with advice. As one believer to another and without mincing any words she said, “You know…we all carpenter our own cross.” Isn’t that the truth? And then I hear Jesus saying, “…and anyone who does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me.” Matt 10:38 NIV

Know the Source

About four miles east of Cimarron Colorado the road curves around an out cropping of rocks. In the summer water cascades over the rocks and drops about 30 feet and it’s not unusual to see people stop their cars at this picturesque spot. They get out, climb across the barbed wire fence, stand at the base of the falls and fill containers with water. Unbeknownst to the tourist seeking ‘pure Rocky Mountain spring water'…and much to the amusement of the locals…the stream is in fact only an irrigation ditch which winds its way through cow and sheep pastures before free falling over the rocks. Sure makes me thankful that the water from our rock is pure Living Water.

Music to My Eyes

I traveled to Denver last weekend as a weather front was passing through the state and the understated high wind warnings ricocheted through the mountain canyons along I-70. I’m accustomed to seeing Aspen leaves shimmering in the wind, but I’ve never known hearty dense evergreens to move with such seeming ease. Animated by wave after wave of gusting winds, the landscape did hip-hop as they slapped each other on the back and gave high fives. I was blown away seeing God breathe life into his Word. “You will go out in joy and be led forth in peace; the mountains and hills will burst into song before you, and all the trees of the field will clap their hands.” Isaiah 55:12 NIV

Loosing It

I recently heard a speaker who took us down his personal memory lane. As a young child he practiced self-discipline in order to please his father. “Later, as a youngster,” he said, “I decided I was going to lose my discipline”. He was so matter-of-fact in his statement that it reminded me of hearing a teenager casually say they ‘lost’ their virginity. I appreciate the speaker’s admission that he made a conscious decision to become undisciplined. Paul says, “For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline.” (2 Tim 1:7 NIV) The truth is that we all stand guilty of giving away, throwing away, and walking away from God’s good gifts.

What's Happin'n

Almost without exception when someone asks, ‘How are things going?’ we respond in generic terms like ‘fine, not bad, or things could be worse.’ For the most part no one has time to listen to a lengthy reply and actually we’ve conditioned ourselves to expect very little from the cliché courtesy question. We might be surprised if we began asking one another, ‘Spiritually speaking, how are things going?’ Personally, I think the Spirit within us is just itching for the opportunity to share and somehow I just can’t picture Him saying, “Oh, I’m fine…I’m doing pretty good considering…things could be a lot worse.”

Peace Prize

If the Nobel Peace Prize were renamed the Nobel Political Prize it would be more understandable that Al Gore was awarded a portion of the prize. I’m sorry, but from a believers perspective I’m just not overly impressed. According to the media Mr. Gore believes global warming will not get the attention it deserves until people realize that it’s a moral and spiritual issue. Excuse me…I’m all for being good stewards of the earth, but exactly what does that have to do with morals and spirituality? I’m thinking environmentalists must be desperate if they are trying to manufacture market shares in morals and spirituality.

Fast Forwards

Occasionally I’ll get a forwarded email from someone who inadvertently included my address in the CC. For instance one day I got a porn calendar pin-up from a rogue family member who later protested it was sent by mistake. More recently I received an email on the church prayer chain which was neither a prayer request nor a prayer update. Apparently the originator accidentally used her prayer chain directory when sending a political joke to a friend. I doubt if the Democrats on the prayer chain would agree, but from the Republican persuasion, the joke was funny. Taking liberty to update and paraphrase Matthew 12:34 shall we say, ‘For out of the overflow of the heart the finger forwards.’

RIP

Awhile back my aunt had a stroke, was in a coma, on a respirator and had no evidence of brain activity. The family began talking about how to deal with her affairs and property. Among other things there was a 14 year-old mangy mutt that none of us could…or would adopt. With the guidance of the doctors, the decision was made to turn off my aunt’s respirator. Lo and behold, against all odds she began breathing on her own. She continued to improve and after many weeks of therapy she recovered enough to go home. PTL no one had yet put the dog to sleep! Lazarus died and was in the tomb for three days before Jesus brought him back to life. I feel sure the family had already begun the disbursement of his possessions. It makes me laugh to think about the resurrection celebration mixing with the urgency to replace all Lazarus’ possessions before he knew they were gone.

That's Not Fair

I know life isn’t fair…but I want it to be. A few weeks ago one of our ministers, with no immediate plans other than feeling God calling him in a new direction, turned in his resignation. He was quickly let go with a severance package. Last week another minister, feeling God’s call to plant a church, turned in his resignation to be effective five months from now. While I don’t feel personally affected by either resignation, for me the appearance is that one gets to pick his departure and the other had his departure picked for him. Certainly my ‘that’s not fair’ is showing. I think Peter had a twinge of fair and unfair when he questioned Jesus about John by asking, “Lord, what about him?” Jesus answered, “If I want him to remain alive until I return, what is that to you? You must follow me.”(John 21:21-22 NIV) No doubt where I see unfairness, Jesus would say to me, ‘what is that to you?’

Ice Breaker

Because of health issues my sister has just been told she can no longer live alone. She’s out of options, frustrated at the situation and unhappy with me for making decisions on her behalf. Closing her apartment and disposing of items she can no longer keep has been not been an easy task for either of us. Striking me with attitude and tone of voice one too many times I finally said, “None of this is my fault and you can’t blame me for what is happening. If you want to be mad at someone, then get mad at God!” I needed to pass the buck and I thought God could handle it. Besides, I don’t think Shelly has been very communicative with the Lord, maybe getting mad at Him could serve as an ice breaker.

No Strings Attached

According to our elders and the IRS regulations, in order for a tithe to qualify as tax deductible, it must either go into the general fund or be designated to a specific elder approved project. For instance you can’t just give your tithe to a church youth project and expect it to be a deductible donation unless the project has first had elder approval. From the viewpoint of both the IRS and the elders, I understand the need for no-strings-attached donations. However, I can’t help but wonder if the Spirit’s leading isn’t somewhat stifled by the regulations of the IRS and the pet projects of leaders. Certainly the apostles distributed money to those who had need (Acts 4:35), but we also see Cornelius the centurion giving personally to those in need (Acts 10:2). I wonder if Cornelius sought elder approval for his generosity.

Worldly Viewpoint

The current make up of my adult Sunday school class encourages discussion. We have one member who, from the moment he walks in the door, seems to come to class arm in arm with the world. Don’t misunderstand, I know he is a believer and I’m not questioning his salvation. However his comments and sidebars seem to always pull my mind away from the Gospel and send it out into the world. I suppose his use of life experiences and illustrations are meant to imply that he is ‘in the world but not of the world’. John, in warning us about false prophets and telling us to test the spirits says, “You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world. They are from the world and therefore speak from the viewpoint of the world, and the world listens to them.” (1 John 4:4-5 NIV) It’s not unusual for us to fall into the trap of speaking from the viewpoint of the world - especially when we we’re trying to avoid an overly religious appearance.

Restoration

During his discipleship years Peter often missed the mark. Who knows what he was aiming for when he cut off the right ear of Malchus, the servant of the high priest. Because we’re told Jesus healed the ear, rather than restoring it, I picture Malchus going through life with his wound healed, but earless and highly recognizable. I can only imagine the stigma, accompanied by the preverbal grapevine, which forever identified him as one who took part in the arrest of Jesus.

Do Not Hinder

Since I no longer have school age children I’m somewhat out of the loop, but it appears from the church bulletin that we no longer offer any children’s Sunday school. I find that shameful on so many levels. I still see a few young families coming and going on Sunday mornings, but I can’t help wondering how they feel about a church that no longer ministers to their children on a child’s level. I think Jesus makes it perfectly clear how he feels, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.” (Matt 19:14 NIV)

Sincerely Yours,

Last week a community committee I serve on received a letter from a concerned consumer. Although we gave the letter consideration, it would have carried more weight if it had been signed by the sender. I know it’s the practice of many preachers and staff to disregard unsigned letters or notes and just throw them in the trash. Thankfully for the church, Paul was bold enough to sign the epistles or they too might have been tossed.

Standing Against a Brother

In Harry Potter and the Soccer’s Stone, Dumbledore the headmaster of Hogwarts awards Neville Longbottom 10 points for standing firm in the face of peer pressure. “There are all kinds of courage,” said Dumbledore, smiling. “It takes a great deal of bravery to stand up to our enemies, but just as much to stand up to our friends.” Speaking from experience, we Christians will do just about anything to avoid standing up to another Christian. Never mind that Jesus and Paul gave us plenty of examples of how to stand up to a brother – and why we need to do so. Normally we just sigh and pass the buck by saying, ‘The Lord can take care of it.’

Looking for Comfort

Leslie Nease, a Christian Radio Talk Show Host is a contestant on CBS’s Survivor China. In the season opener contestants were welcomed to China in a traditional sense and were asked to bow and kneel before Buddha. Although billed as a non-religious activity, Leslie deserves kudos for not bowing down before any other gods. In the second week of competition a short clip shows Leslie tearfully explaining she misses not having her Bible with her because it brings her such comfort. I can understand Leslie’s feelings, but I wonder if she forgot the Comforter isn’t confined to the pages of the Bible. I pray Leslie does well in the competition, that she is a good representation of Christianity…and that she’ll let the Spirit push her Scriptural recall button.