It's New Year's Eve again - time to look balk over this blog as see what a poor job of posting I did this year. Including this post - 13 in one year. That is pathetic.
On January 1, 2010, I posted my goals for the New Year. Let's see how I did:
1) Get healthier. Grade: C. I really didn't do much here. I've dropped some weight in the past year but I didn't do anything purposeful to do it. Perhaps I need to rethink this one for next year.
2) Read more. Grade B+. I think I did a good job on this. I started the year strong, but then slowed down during the summer. The Kindle that I received for my birthday kicked it back into gear (I've read about eight books in the past two months).
3) Write more. Grade: D. Thirteen posts and a lost Moleskine. Do I need to say more?
4) Work on my marriage. Grade:? Not sure how I would grade this one (perhaps my wife can let me know). I think I've been a better husband this year - although I probably still have some work to do.
2010 has been an interesting year for me. Better than 2009, but still a lot of challenges. There is a part of me that is happy to see this year go by because 2011 is looking very promising. Perhaps I need to put a new list of Goal up for 2011. You'll have to stay tuned to see if I do....
Have a wonderful New Years!
Friday, December 31, 2010
Wednesday, October 06, 2010
Sunday's Coming...
It's Wednesday night. That means that tomorrow is Thursday. Which means that Sunday is just around the corner and I haven't started to prepare for it. This week has been so crazy - and it feels like it's getting away from me. I really need to take some time tomorrow and study. I just don't know if I will have the time.
Oh well - until then, here's some Mr Bean before bed....
Oh well - until then, here's some Mr Bean before bed....
Tuesday, October 05, 2010
Dear John....
Cindy posted something on her facebook status earlier this week that started some interesting conversations. It went something like this:
When I first met John he was the town drunk. He would wander around downtown most of the day and sleep either on a park bench, bus stop or in a porta-pottie at night. Every now and then I would find him behind the church reading an old bible. He always had questions about scripture and he always wanted to better understand it. I usually struggled to figure out if he was being genuine or if he was trying to play me (I would also be trying to guess if he was drunk or not). Either way, I figured it didn't matter - John would keep showing up - and I would keep praying the God would do something with him.
Late in 2009, John got drunk and passed out in front of the Subway restaurant here in DeKalb. The police showed up and tried to wake him. Being drunk, he took a swing at one of them and ended up in the county jail for a few months. Part of his probation was that he needed to be a enrolled in a treatment program. He went up to Freeport for about four months and got into a program called Sojourn House. During that time he got cleaned up and sober. He also got plugged into a church and got baptized. He found an apartment and a job. His life seemed to be getting cleaned up.
He came back to DeKalb about three weeks ago to check in with the court on his probation. He mentioned to his Probation Officer that he wasn't feeling well and she suggested he go to the hospital and get check out. The hospital found cancer. Lots of cancer. In his lungs, in his liver, in his skull, in his jaw, in his ribs and up and down his spine. It was in stage four - and it was in the fourth stage of stage four. It was bad and there was nothing that they could do about it. Realistically, he was looking at weeks. The job went away, the apartment went away. Most people would hear this story and their hearts would go out to John. Something must be done. The problem is that there is one more part to this story. John is a registered sex offender.
The story goes something like this. Ten years ago, John was at a party and his was drunk. There was some kind of deal going on that went bad. The people whose house he was at demanded money from him that he refused to pay. They threatened to call the cops on him and he left. Somewhere in the midst of all this, he hit a little girl who was running around at the party. The cops came, picked him up, and threw him in the county jail. The public defended told him the charges were weak and he should fight them in court. In typical DeKalb County fashion, it was going to take 120 before it would go to trial. The prosecutor told him time served and four year probation. He took the deal.
Since then the laws have changed and the sex offenders registry was created. Four years has turned into life. The laws keep changing, prohibiting where he can live, where he can be and where he can not be. If an agency gets money from the state, he is disqualified. It has gotten so bad that there is not even a nursing home will take him. He has no place to go and die.
What has been most interesting is the reaction of those around us. First of all I must say this - I am so proud of my church. They know the truth and yet they still want to help him. But the reaction of those around us is mind boggling. John wears a scarlet letter - and for some reason it makes him less human to people - almost disposable. I've been yelled at by people, told he had it coming to him, told that we need to wipe our hands of him because he is a danger to society and to us. I've actually had someone question me as a pastor because I am "putting my congregation in so much risk by letting him come to church." People actually questioned if he could legally come to church.
Jesus spent his time with the lepers, prostitutes and tax collectors. The Pharisees would continually question him: "Why do you spend time with sinners?" It was almost like there were afraid that they would catch something from them. But wasn't that the point? I think that Jesus was hoping that he would rub off on them. "It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick." My gut is that Jesus would be hanging out with John, but what about us?
I have had a song running through my head all night tonight. Bob Dylan once said: "How many roads must a man walk down before they can call him a man?" How many roads must a man walk down before he is no longer a man? "How many years can some people exist before they are allowed to be free?" In John's case, freedom won't come in this life. "Yes, how many times can a man turn his head pretending he just doesn't see?" Do you see? It is for the least of these.
The answer my friend is blowin' in the wind, the answer is blowin' in the wind.
This wasn't just a hypothetical question. Instead, this is the reality that we find ourselves living in. Let me tell you a story about a guy named John. John is a homeless guy who lives here in DeKalb. He has been coming around the church for the past few years and God has done some amazing things in his life.God's greatest command to us is to love Him first and love others as we love ourselves. At what point are we allowed not to love others because of the sin in their lives? As followers of Jesus, at what point can we plaster a scarlet letter on someone and write them off?
When I first met John he was the town drunk. He would wander around downtown most of the day and sleep either on a park bench, bus stop or in a porta-pottie at night. Every now and then I would find him behind the church reading an old bible. He always had questions about scripture and he always wanted to better understand it. I usually struggled to figure out if he was being genuine or if he was trying to play me (I would also be trying to guess if he was drunk or not). Either way, I figured it didn't matter - John would keep showing up - and I would keep praying the God would do something with him.
Late in 2009, John got drunk and passed out in front of the Subway restaurant here in DeKalb. The police showed up and tried to wake him. Being drunk, he took a swing at one of them and ended up in the county jail for a few months. Part of his probation was that he needed to be a enrolled in a treatment program. He went up to Freeport for about four months and got into a program called Sojourn House. During that time he got cleaned up and sober. He also got plugged into a church and got baptized. He found an apartment and a job. His life seemed to be getting cleaned up.
He came back to DeKalb about three weeks ago to check in with the court on his probation. He mentioned to his Probation Officer that he wasn't feeling well and she suggested he go to the hospital and get check out. The hospital found cancer. Lots of cancer. In his lungs, in his liver, in his skull, in his jaw, in his ribs and up and down his spine. It was in stage four - and it was in the fourth stage of stage four. It was bad and there was nothing that they could do about it. Realistically, he was looking at weeks. The job went away, the apartment went away. Most people would hear this story and their hearts would go out to John. Something must be done. The problem is that there is one more part to this story. John is a registered sex offender.
The story goes something like this. Ten years ago, John was at a party and his was drunk. There was some kind of deal going on that went bad. The people whose house he was at demanded money from him that he refused to pay. They threatened to call the cops on him and he left. Somewhere in the midst of all this, he hit a little girl who was running around at the party. The cops came, picked him up, and threw him in the county jail. The public defended told him the charges were weak and he should fight them in court. In typical DeKalb County fashion, it was going to take 120 before it would go to trial. The prosecutor told him time served and four year probation. He took the deal.
Since then the laws have changed and the sex offenders registry was created. Four years has turned into life. The laws keep changing, prohibiting where he can live, where he can be and where he can not be. If an agency gets money from the state, he is disqualified. It has gotten so bad that there is not even a nursing home will take him. He has no place to go and die.
What has been most interesting is the reaction of those around us. First of all I must say this - I am so proud of my church. They know the truth and yet they still want to help him. But the reaction of those around us is mind boggling. John wears a scarlet letter - and for some reason it makes him less human to people - almost disposable. I've been yelled at by people, told he had it coming to him, told that we need to wipe our hands of him because he is a danger to society and to us. I've actually had someone question me as a pastor because I am "putting my congregation in so much risk by letting him come to church." People actually questioned if he could legally come to church.
Jesus spent his time with the lepers, prostitutes and tax collectors. The Pharisees would continually question him: "Why do you spend time with sinners?" It was almost like there were afraid that they would catch something from them. But wasn't that the point? I think that Jesus was hoping that he would rub off on them. "It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick." My gut is that Jesus would be hanging out with John, but what about us?
I have had a song running through my head all night tonight. Bob Dylan once said: "How many roads must a man walk down before they can call him a man?" How many roads must a man walk down before he is no longer a man? "How many years can some people exist before they are allowed to be free?" In John's case, freedom won't come in this life. "Yes, how many times can a man turn his head pretending he just doesn't see?" Do you see? It is for the least of these.
The answer my friend is blowin' in the wind, the answer is blowin' in the wind.
Monday, October 04, 2010
Old Friends
Just wrote an e-mail to an old friend who I haven't spoken with in years. I'm not sure he is going to respond - the last time we talked things were tense. I'm getting to a place in my life where I'm realizing time is too short for stuff like that. I used to think that there would come a day when he and I would be doing ministry together. I still think about that - although now it seems more like a dream. I pray he responds.
Old friends, old friends sat on their parkbench like bookends
A newspaper blowin' through the grass
Falls on the round toes of the high shoes of the old friends
Old friends, winter companions, the old men
Lost in their overcoats, waiting for the sun
The sounds of the city sifting through trees
Settles like dust on the shoulders of the old friends
Can you imagine us years from today, sharing a parkbench quietly
How terribly strange to be seventy
Old friends, memory brushes the same years, silently sharing the same fears
Sunday, October 03, 2010
Sunday, Sunday...
Interesting day today - good feedback on my sermon, but the attendance was low. This has really been a difficult season. It seems like we are being pulled in multiple directions. At first glance, it looks like things are dieing. But then you look a little deeper and God is doing odd things. I'm lead to the same question that I have been asking for the past two months: "What in the world is God up to with us?" At this point I don't have an answer. I'll let you know when I do.
Until then, in the words of Bob Dylan:
Until then, in the words of Bob Dylan:
Well I'm pressing on
Yes, I'm pressing on
Well I'm pressing on
To the higher calling of my lord.
Many try to stop me, shake me up in my mind
Say, "Prove to me that He is Lord, show me a sign"
What kind of sign they need when
it all come from within
When what's lost has been found, what's
to come has already been ?
Well I'm pressing on
Yes, I'm pressing on
Well I'm pressing on
To the higher calling of my lord.
Shake the dust off of your feet, don't look back
Nothing can hold you down, nothing that you lack
Temptation's not an easy thing,
Adam given the devil reign
Because he sinned I got no
choice, it run in my vein.
Well I'm pressing on
Yes, I'm pressing on
Well I'm pressing on
To the higher calling of my lord.
Tuesday, September 21, 2010
Monday, May 24, 2010
By the numbers
So I've been playing with some numbers about my community. I was curious to see what the population of people attending church was in our county - and more importantly, who wasn't attending church. If you hang out in church enough, listen to the local CCM radio station and hang out at the local Christian bookstore, you might start believing that a majority of the population went to church. Unfortunately, I'm not too sure that is the case.
Now I know, there are places that I can go and for a small (and sometimes not so small) fee find this information...but truth be told, I'm cheep. So, after looking at the Census data and several other sites, here are my numbers:
As of 2000 - the population of DeKalb county was 88,969. At that time, 55% of the population claimed that they attended church (I wonder about this number. The data suggested that our church was at 129 - a number that seems to be slightly inflated to me!) Assuming that number is true - they survey claimed that 39,705 people did not attend any church (by church, they meant a faith community - not necessarily Christian). I then looked at the faith communities that were only Evangelical (pulling out non-Christian, mainline protestant, Roman Catholic and Orthodox). Only 16,074 attended an Evangelical church - or to put it another way, 72,895 (82%) did not attend an Evangelical church.
Ok - quick disclaimer: I pulled out those other churches for a reason. First - non-Christian churches are what they say - non-Christian - theses are people who definitely have not heard and responded to the gospel - a basic definition of the lost. I removed the other traditional "Christian" denominations because only a minority of the attenders tend to have had a "born again" experience. When it all comes down to it, I tend to lean Evangelical - I believe that you must be born again (John 3:3) I know that some have in those traditions, but many have not - so I pulled them out.
Even with the churches that I have pulled out, the numbers are staggering. The problem is that the numbers are dated. 2000 was ten years ago and a lot can happen in 10 years (remember y2k?) So what do things look like today? Most of the Census numbers for 2010 won't be available for at least a year, so we will have to take an educated guess. According to Google, the estimated population of DeKalb county in 2008 was 106,321. According to most research, the average church size in the US is 186 (link). So it would make sense that a reasonable estimate would be to take the number of churches in DeKalb county and multiply it by 186 to figure out the amount of people who attend church. Unfortunately, it is extremely difficult to figure out how many churches there are in DeKalb county (all areas that I checked were incomplete - fyi to any local churches reading this - how easy is it for people to find information about you? Have you googled yourself lately?) So I did the next best thing, I pulled out the Daily Chronicle's religious section and counted the churches on their "Church" page using the previous 2000 matrix. There were 24 - and some major churches missing (I'm looking at you Christ Community, Glad Tidings, First Baptist Sycamore, Sycamore Baptist, Crossroads! This is free advertising guys!) So lets double it to 50. Some of those 50 are large, but some are very small - so I think 186 is a fair number. That would put an estimate of 9300 people county wide attending an Evangelical type church - or about 97,000 people who are not in church (91%). Could it be true that the churches in DeKalb are decreasing?
Even if my math is off, even if the average church size is larger in our county (personally, I would bet it is smaller), and even if we should double the number of churches, one thing is clear. We have a lot of work to do.
Now I know, there are places that I can go and for a small (and sometimes not so small) fee find this information...but truth be told, I'm cheep. So, after looking at the Census data and several other sites, here are my numbers:
As of 2000 - the population of DeKalb county was 88,969. At that time, 55% of the population claimed that they attended church (I wonder about this number. The data suggested that our church was at 129 - a number that seems to be slightly inflated to me!) Assuming that number is true - they survey claimed that 39,705 people did not attend any church (by church, they meant a faith community - not necessarily Christian). I then looked at the faith communities that were only Evangelical (pulling out non-Christian, mainline protestant, Roman Catholic and Orthodox). Only 16,074 attended an Evangelical church - or to put it another way, 72,895 (82%) did not attend an Evangelical church.
Ok - quick disclaimer: I pulled out those other churches for a reason. First - non-Christian churches are what they say - non-Christian - theses are people who definitely have not heard and responded to the gospel - a basic definition of the lost. I removed the other traditional "Christian" denominations because only a minority of the attenders tend to have had a "born again" experience. When it all comes down to it, I tend to lean Evangelical - I believe that you must be born again (John 3:3) I know that some have in those traditions, but many have not - so I pulled them out.
Even with the churches that I have pulled out, the numbers are staggering. The problem is that the numbers are dated. 2000 was ten years ago and a lot can happen in 10 years (remember y2k?) So what do things look like today? Most of the Census numbers for 2010 won't be available for at least a year, so we will have to take an educated guess. According to Google, the estimated population of DeKalb county in 2008 was 106,321. According to most research, the average church size in the US is 186 (link). So it would make sense that a reasonable estimate would be to take the number of churches in DeKalb county and multiply it by 186 to figure out the amount of people who attend church. Unfortunately, it is extremely difficult to figure out how many churches there are in DeKalb county (all areas that I checked were incomplete - fyi to any local churches reading this - how easy is it for people to find information about you? Have you googled yourself lately?) So I did the next best thing, I pulled out the Daily Chronicle's religious section and counted the churches on their "Church" page using the previous 2000 matrix. There were 24 - and some major churches missing (I'm looking at you Christ Community, Glad Tidings, First Baptist Sycamore, Sycamore Baptist, Crossroads! This is free advertising guys!) So lets double it to 50. Some of those 50 are large, but some are very small - so I think 186 is a fair number. That would put an estimate of 9300 people county wide attending an Evangelical type church - or about 97,000 people who are not in church (91%). Could it be true that the churches in DeKalb are decreasing?
Even if my math is off, even if the average church size is larger in our county (personally, I would bet it is smaller), and even if we should double the number of churches, one thing is clear. We have a lot of work to do.
Monday, May 03, 2010
There must be more...
Lord I groan, Lord I kneel
I'm cryin' out for something real
'Cause I know, deep in my soul
There must be more.
Lord I'm tired, yes I'm weak
I need your power to work in me
But I can't let go, I keep hanging on
There must be more
Saturday, January 23, 2010
Time to start posting again....
Well, it's been a while since I posted. I got distracted...stuff was going on...so yeah...
A lot has been happening over the past several days...it seems like the Lord is up to something. More on that later.
I said that I wanted to read more and write more this year. The writing has fallen off a bit, but I have been keeping up with the reading. Here are two books that I have recently finished.
Fathered By God: Learning what your father could never teach you - John Eldredge
Typical John Eldredge book in the vein of Wild at Heart. John writes about the six stages a man goes through to become what God has created him to be. This book seems like it would make an excellent follow up to Wild at Heart (and I think our men's group may do that later this spring.) The only issue that I have with it is that it gets somewhat stereotypical. Here's the problem - I really get the six stages and I fully agree with him that most men need to go through them (and deal with the issues that they present). However, do we all need to almost die climbing a mountain to fully be a man. John seems to live a life that most guys only dream about. I live in the prairies. The biggest mountain near us is the land fill....it's just not the same (although I could see possibly dying if I were to climb it, but for totally different reasons!) All in all, a decent book.
Sacred Sex: A Spiritual Celebration of Oneness in Marriage - Tim Gardner
Tim Gardner taught one of the CECL sessions that I was a part of last fall. Both Cindy and I were very impressed with him, so much so that we bought his book. I thoroughly enjoyed this book - the only trouble that I had is figuring out who to recommend it to. The book is written to married couples, and it would be a valuable resource to them. As I started to read this it hit me that engaged couples would benefit from it. Then I started to think of some single people...
Tim approaches sex (and marriage) through the concept of oneness ("and the two shall become one"). Sex (and marriage) is designed to be just that - where a man and women come together and become one - thereby demonstrating the image of God. This is a deep concept that is difficult at times to get your head around. However, it is very biblical concept - and one that I fully believe would lead to healthier marriages, as well as healthier relationship between men and women - perhaps we would begin to understand each other better and embrace the differences between us instead of allowing them to be points of conflicts. Excellent book - and I highly recommend it.
There are two other books that I have finished since the first of the year, but it is getting late - more later.
A lot has been happening over the past several days...it seems like the Lord is up to something. More on that later.
I said that I wanted to read more and write more this year. The writing has fallen off a bit, but I have been keeping up with the reading. Here are two books that I have recently finished.
Typical John Eldredge book in the vein of Wild at Heart. John writes about the six stages a man goes through to become what God has created him to be. This book seems like it would make an excellent follow up to Wild at Heart (and I think our men's group may do that later this spring.) The only issue that I have with it is that it gets somewhat stereotypical. Here's the problem - I really get the six stages and I fully agree with him that most men need to go through them (and deal with the issues that they present). However, do we all need to almost die climbing a mountain to fully be a man. John seems to live a life that most guys only dream about. I live in the prairies. The biggest mountain near us is the land fill....it's just not the same (although I could see possibly dying if I were to climb it, but for totally different reasons!) All in all, a decent book.
Tim Gardner taught one of the CECL sessions that I was a part of last fall. Both Cindy and I were very impressed with him, so much so that we bought his book. I thoroughly enjoyed this book - the only trouble that I had is figuring out who to recommend it to. The book is written to married couples, and it would be a valuable resource to them. As I started to read this it hit me that engaged couples would benefit from it. Then I started to think of some single people...
Tim approaches sex (and marriage) through the concept of oneness ("and the two shall become one"). Sex (and marriage) is designed to be just that - where a man and women come together and become one - thereby demonstrating the image of God. This is a deep concept that is difficult at times to get your head around. However, it is very biblical concept - and one that I fully believe would lead to healthier marriages, as well as healthier relationship between men and women - perhaps we would begin to understand each other better and embrace the differences between us instead of allowing them to be points of conflicts. Excellent book - and I highly recommend it.
There are two other books that I have finished since the first of the year, but it is getting late - more later.
Tuesday, January 05, 2010
Who do we serve?
Mark Riddle re-posts something that he wrote 10 years ago on his blog today. Here is a snippet:
The temptation is to change things. Get bigger and better programs. Get rid of (or hide) the difficult people. Create a marketing campaign that focuses on certain social classes. But at what point are we sacrificing the Gospel for the crowd? At what point are we pushing aside the "least of these" for an image of success? I think the problem comes with the idea that we believe God is made in our image instead of the other way around. We look at God like He is OnStar. You call him and he gives you what you need. Be it directions, gas, dinner reservations, or to help you when you wreak you life. God serves us. The concept of us serving God is foreign to most of the people in my culture. And if God serves us, then the church's main role must be to serve me as well. Keeping in line with that, if the church doesn't serve me well, then I need to get another one (the church has failed me). Think I'm being cynical? Then why is the divorce rate the same for the church as it is for the rest of the world? I think there might be a correlation there.
This is what makes the job so tiring - and this is also where my greatest temptation lies. You see, Mark is right in what he said. The easy way is to be purveyors of religious goods and services. As Marshal Field once said, "give the lady what she wants." If I do that I will be successful - I will have a big church - I will be important. That is the temptation. But my boss is not my board or my congregation. They are not the one that I need to make happy. Last I checked, my calling came from Jesus, not my church. He is the one that I need to make happy. He is the one that I am serving. And sometimes what he wants me to do makes my church happy, and sometimes it does not. The challenge for me is remembering that he is in charge.
Years ago, I used to watch the show The West Wing. One of the episodes ended like this. "I serve at the pleasure of the President." It choked me up then and it chokes me up now. Not because I'm a political junkie or have have visions of grandeur, but because it is what my job is about today. I serve at the pleasure of the King. I serve at the pleasure of Jesus. It's not my job to please people or the make them happy. It is to do what Jesus says to do. Sometimes that will make me popular and sometimes it won't. When I remember who it is that I'm serving the job gets easier and much more enjoyable. When I remember who it is that I'm serving I'm not longer just a purveyor of religious goods and services. I'm doing what I was called to do.
My friends suggest we are all in deeper than we think. We perpetuate all this self-indulgence consumer crap in most of what we do. We ask "what makes our church unique to this city?" as our Ikea-congregations are trying to figure out which local "building-based group of people who call themselves Christians" best represents me as a person, we are well on our way to helping folks categorize themselves away into superficial oblivion. ...I drive a $50,000 Range Rover because I like the idea of being perceived as an outdoorsman, heaven forbid, I drive a mini-van... I own a $375 North Face Gortex though I only ski once or twice a year, it promotes the idea that I'm an outdoorsman... though I never camp... that's what I think of myself.... I go to ________ Church because it will make me a better businessman, and my kids the homecoming queen and football captain. Jesus is a great enhancement into my almost complete life.You can read the rest of it here. He asks the question: "Are we pastors or prostitutes?" I realize that this is a touche subject for some, but I can tell you that his article is something that has been resonating within me for the last few years. Pastoring has lost its glamor for me. Years ago, Todd Hunter wrote an article challenging pastors to stop being purveyors of religious goods and services. Quite frankly, that is what the church feels like it has become. I know that we have lost people because we do not offer the newest and coolest programs. I know that we have lost people because the beautiful people of DeKalb don't come to our church. I know we have lost people because there are better networking opportunities at other churches. This is not speculation on my part - this is actually what people have told me. And the challenge is what to do about it.
The temptation is to change things. Get bigger and better programs. Get rid of (or hide) the difficult people. Create a marketing campaign that focuses on certain social classes. But at what point are we sacrificing the Gospel for the crowd? At what point are we pushing aside the "least of these" for an image of success? I think the problem comes with the idea that we believe God is made in our image instead of the other way around. We look at God like He is OnStar. You call him and he gives you what you need. Be it directions, gas, dinner reservations, or to help you when you wreak you life. God serves us. The concept of us serving God is foreign to most of the people in my culture. And if God serves us, then the church's main role must be to serve me as well. Keeping in line with that, if the church doesn't serve me well, then I need to get another one (the church has failed me). Think I'm being cynical? Then why is the divorce rate the same for the church as it is for the rest of the world? I think there might be a correlation there.
This is what makes the job so tiring - and this is also where my greatest temptation lies. You see, Mark is right in what he said. The easy way is to be purveyors of religious goods and services. As Marshal Field once said, "give the lady what she wants." If I do that I will be successful - I will have a big church - I will be important. That is the temptation. But my boss is not my board or my congregation. They are not the one that I need to make happy. Last I checked, my calling came from Jesus, not my church. He is the one that I need to make happy. He is the one that I am serving. And sometimes what he wants me to do makes my church happy, and sometimes it does not. The challenge for me is remembering that he is in charge.
Years ago, I used to watch the show The West Wing. One of the episodes ended like this. "I serve at the pleasure of the President." It choked me up then and it chokes me up now. Not because I'm a political junkie or have have visions of grandeur, but because it is what my job is about today. I serve at the pleasure of the King. I serve at the pleasure of Jesus. It's not my job to please people or the make them happy. It is to do what Jesus says to do. Sometimes that will make me popular and sometimes it won't. When I remember who it is that I'm serving the job gets easier and much more enjoyable. When I remember who it is that I'm serving I'm not longer just a purveyor of religious goods and services. I'm doing what I was called to do.
Monday, January 04, 2010
Day Off
I had yesterday off. We went to Cindy's Grandmother's 86th birthday party yesterday and needed to be in Gurnee by noon which meant there was no chance of me preaching. Jeff preached - and from what I can tell, the church is still standing. It's always feels odd when I get a Sunday off. I never know what to do with myself and my timing for the next week always feels off.
Yesterday was the one year anniversary of what became one of the worst seasons of my life. There were moments during it all of it that I did not think that we would survive. It caused me to completely shutdown. I stopped reading. I stopped writing. I stopped leading. I simply lived on cruise control.
It has been a year. That season is over. It is time to begin anew.
Yesterday was the one year anniversary of what became one of the worst seasons of my life. There were moments during it all of it that I did not think that we would survive. It caused me to completely shutdown. I stopped reading. I stopped writing. I stopped leading. I simply lived on cruise control.
It has been a year. That season is over. It is time to begin anew.
Saturday, January 02, 2010
Book - Muslims, Magic and the Kingdom of God
I said that I wanted to read more, so yesterday I finally finished my first book of the year. Pity I started it about two months ago! I saw Rick speak back in October at the National Vineyard Missions Conference in Colorado Springs. He was involved with Frontiers, but is now tied in with the Vineyard Missions Task Force. Rick is dealing with a peoples group that he calls "folk Muslims" - those that are doctrinally Muslim but practically animist. As Rick writes: "Folk Muslims confess Allah but worship spirits and are more concerned with magic than with Muhammad". According the the book, more than three quarters of the world's Muslim population are folk Muslims.The book was interesting, although slow in some parts. What got me thinking was how many people in the west would be considered "folk Christians"? Throughout the book, Rick points out the disconnect between what people say, and what their actions are. For example, there seems to be no contradiction for this people group to claim that there are no other god's than Allah and at the same time be a part of a "spirit feast" where they attempt to appease the spirits - or other gods of the world. I wonder if we deal with the same thing within our own culture. There was one quote in the book that really got me thinking:
I got thinking about these religious rituals. We may not have the same types of "religious ritual" in our culture as with folk Muslims (although, I have seen and heard of some of this in several contexts here in the states), but we do have ritual's. It got me thinking about the things that I do, the rituals in my life and how they correspond to my stated Christian beliefs. Where are the disconnects in my life? Where am I hypocritical? I think that last sentence is the litmus test for us. It's not what we say we believe, it is actions - the rituals of our lives, that truly show our faith..Effective church planters must understand these broad social functions of religious ritual. However, their primary concern should be to understand ritual as it relates to folk Muslims' perspective of the spirit realm. In this sense, ritual is "the heart of religious behavior...'the meat which goes on the bones of...beliefs'". To understand a people's religious ritual is to comprehend what they really believe. (page 178 - italics mine)
Friday, January 01, 2010
Happy New Year!
It’s New Years which means that once again, I am “resolving” to blog more. But this year it is going to be different. No more “resolutions”. Who actually does “resolutions” anyways? Cindy says that “resolutions” are the things that you stop doing by February. So, I “resolve” not to “resolve” this year. Instead, I’m going to set some goals.
I once heard Dee Dukes say (ok – I heard him three times say this – I’m a little slow at times) that if you want to achieve a goal, you need to write it down and share it with others. I spent some time this morning writing these down in my fancy new Moleskine. But no one other than me sees my Moleskine (and sometimes I can’t even read my own writing!), so I want to put it in ink (electrons?) here and share it with whomever still reads this thing.
1) I want to get healthier this year. Not just go on a diet, but actually start getting healthier. A couple of years ago, Cindy and I did this Dr Oz thing. We cut out High Fructose Corn Syrup, all soda and all white enriched grains (white flour, white rice) and started to eat more whole grains and organic stuff. Amazingly, we lost a lot of weight and started to actually feel better. We fell off that wagon after about nine months and we both feel like it is time to get back on. I also want to start working out again, but I’m not sure how. I’m having some feet and knee problems, so running is out and I’m too poor (ok- cheep) to join a gym or the “Y”. I think I’m going to start waking – although I’m not sure how or when (yes, I still know how to walk – but as the song goes, “baby its cold outside.”) I’m thinking about waling around the worship center – although I need to figure out the distance on that (x laps = 1 mile) – perhaps that is a future math / science project for the kids (isn’t Home Schooling grand?) But it’s not just eating and weight, I want to start taking better care of myself. I’ve been feeling things more now that I’m in my 40’s and it’s starting to get me nervous. I want to be around for a bit longer and I would like to actually enjoy it. I’m not sure what that looks like or what I need to do differently, but I want to spend some time this year and figure it out.
2) I want to read more. I used to be an avid reader. I still have my moments, but I have noticed over the past couple of years that I am reading less and less. I really believe that this has had an adverse effect on me. I am not getting into the word as much as I used to. I am not engaging my brain in theological thought as much as I used to. And I am not exposing myself to good writing as much as I used to. All this could help to explain why I have felt like I’m having vision issues. So, I want to read more – a few books a week. Of course, to do this I will need to restructure a good chunk of my life (hey, this is where that healthy thing comes in!). I’m going to try to keep track of what I am reading here, as well as give some thoughts about each book (somewhat of an accountability thing).
3) I want to write more. I love to write - although looking at this blog, you would never believe it. I do my best thinking while I am writing. I actually feel better after I write! I have a dream of one day actually writing a book. Of course, to do this I need to write something (interesting how that works – being a writer means that I have to write something). So, I want to commit to increased journaling and blogging. Once again, this blog should be a good barometer of that.
4) My fourth goal is all about Cindy and my marriage and relationship with her. I really don’t want to go into detail here other then to say I want to be a better husband and have a better marriage (not that it is currently bad, I just want it to be better – I’m selfish that way.) I written about it in my journal and shared it with my wife. That should be enough.
Those are my personal goals for 2010. I will have some church goals later, but for now this seems like a good start.
Here’s hoping for a good 2010!
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