Disclaimer: Just a reminder that this blog is an online journal, which means I write about what is on my mind. It doesn’t mean I have an axe to grind or an agenda. Sometimes I go back and read older posts and do not agree with myself. That being said...This post has the potential to rub some the wrong way. Believe me, that’s the last thing I want to do. I’m just expressing where I am on my spiritual journey right now.

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I am not the same person I use to be. I think that is true for all of us, even if we do not always realize it. Everyday our experiences and circumstances influence how we view the world. The last few years it has seemed like that process has gone into overdrive for me. Moving from my hometown, where everything was familiar and safe, to a new and bigger city, with new people, a new career, and a new church with new challenges has worked to revolutionize me in a lot of ways. I like to think I am wiser, and better informed than I use to be, but there are many days I question if that’s true. But I am certain I am a very different person than I was 3 years ago. Here’s what I mean........

I grew up in a very ‘traditional’ version of Christianity. That means different things to different people, so let me explain. I grew up in a place where ‘good Christians’ were those that attended every service the church offered; prayed everyday; and read their bible everyday. Practically every service I attended at my home church included a few Hymns from the 1973 edition of the Church of God Hymnal (we resisted using the newer edition because it wasn’t traditional enough), and some ‘special singing’ that would fit somewhere between southern gospel and bluegrass. It never occurred to me that there was anything else to even consider. The goal of being a christian was to go to church at least 3 times a week, read the bible, pray, and invite others to come to church. That last one was a biggie. That was the way we assumed the church was designed to grow. We would separate ourselves completely from all those that do not live like us, in the name of being holy, and on rare occasion invite someone to visit a service. Our hope was that they would walk the aisle at the end of the service and ‘get saved.’

I praise God for the experience I’ve just described. I sat under a great man’s preaching for 10 years. I was loved and nurtured by wonderful people who gave me every opportunity to exercise my spiritual gifts. My life would be terribly different if I had not grown up in the family of God in which I was planted. That being said, the last few years have opened my eyes to some things that I am forced to consider and deal with. Here are a couple examples:

First, no where in the New Testament is there a definition of Christian maturity that includes attending church 3 times a week, praying out of obligation, or ritually reading scripture. (Actually, there were no actual church buildings for the first 300 years of church history.) Instead, christian maturity is better defined by the willingness to sacrificially love other believers. It is difficult to find a page in the New Testament that doesn’t include a call or an example of servanthood. Christian worship was not a place to wear your Sunday best. It was a place to celebrate the grace of Jesus shown in the cross. Christians shared their lives in every facet. That is a major issue in my opinion. How can we claim to be bible-believing Jesus followers and refuse to address the fact that we resemble the Pharisees more than we resemble Jesus?

Second, no where does Jesus or the New Testament church ever attempt to grow the church by asking the lost to come to them. Instead, you see Jesus spending his life as a nomad; constantly going to those that would not think of coming to him. He called them out of their life, and into one characterized by a lifelong commitment to follow him. Certainly, there were many times when the lost did physically come to Christ, but usually only after Jesus had shown himself as one who receives sinners. The point is that the church is not designed to grow by its members isolating themselves from the lost, and then occasionally passing out a tract, or convincing them to walk down the aisle of a church building. Jesus commanded his followers to ‘go’, not just ‘invite.’ This is not a peripheral issue. It is central to the very DNA of God’s message to the world. We are called to be witnesses (Acts 1:8) in all the earth.

Now, I do not think inviting lost people to church is a bad thing. It is a principle means of connecting others to Christ. But I am saying that we must start showing the difference between getting people to church and getting them to Jesus. Following Jesus does not include hiding ourselves from the lost behind stained glass windows, but rather, it demands that we throw ourselves into their world, and develop relationships with those Jesus came to redeem. Our goal should not be to convince someone to walk an aisle, but to walk with Jesus for a lifetime. We are called to make disciples, not converts. I am also not saying that church attendance, personal prayer, and bible study aren’t important. But I am saying that the definition of being a ‘good christian’ has nothing to do with how many hours we sit in a church pew, but how willing we are to serve others in the family of God. (I would argue that one will not develop a love for God’s people without a deep commitment to read the Scripture, pray, and attend worship.) However, you can certainly go through the motions of those things, and never really know Jesus.

I’m guessing that the people who are closest to me have seen me change, and probably wonder what has happened to me. I am certain that some fear I’ve lost my mind or that seminary has ‘corrupted’ me. Who knows....maybe I have gone crazy. But for the last 3 years of my life I have been forced to admit that there is a significant difference between the Christianity I have practiced, and the Christianity of the New Testament..............To me.....It would be crazy for me to ignore that.

Tags: Personal, church

There are a lot of days when I wonder if my congregation and I are making any progress. I wish this wasn’t the case, but I have to admit that it is. No matter how much I tell myself that kingdom progress cannot be measured by the human eye, I still occasionally long to see the accepted signs of victory. I wish we baptized more converts. I wish we visibly saw more lives changed by the gospel. I wish our attendance was higher and our budget was bigger. But I am learning that ministry is generally not defined by those moments. It is rather defined by what Eugene Peterson calls, “A long obedience in the same direction.” Ministry is not about the mountain tops, but about the journey. However, the journey does include some moments that serve as reminders of why we are going in the direction in which we started. I had one of those moments tonight.

A small group of our members organized a “Parents Night Out” for our community. Parents were invited to let us watch their children while they spent an evening with themselves. I dropped by the church tonight and found about a dozen kids making crafts, playing Wii, and watching movies. Several other teenagers were spending the night at the Kentucky State Youth Convention, which is going on in nearby Covington, KY. All in all, I saw many of the busiest members of our church sacrificing their Friday night in order to express the love of Christ to a few families that they have never met, and may never see again. The best part of it all was that I had absolutely nothing to do with it.

Obviously, our church should never be completely satisfied with just being a baby sitting service for the community. Jesus didn’t need to die to provide that. Yet, I left impressed that Christ has so changed the hearts of a few people in our church, that they would even consider serving Christ in this way. I am humbled by the spirit of servanthood that they exhibit, and I’m encouraged to believe that we are traveling in the right direction together after all.

Tags: church

Each month I write an article in our church’s newsletter. Below is this month’s article. If your interested in keeping up with the goings on of our congregation, you can access archived newsletters here.

Vision.....Clarity.....Focus

“If you aim at nothing, you will hit it every time.”
- Zig Ziglar

The above sentence is one of my favorite quotes. It points out the need to make decisions based upon purpose and values, rather than impulse. It is also a great way of describing why the church, like any organization, must be intentional about its future. We must know who we are, why we exist, and what we are trying to accomplish. If we lose sight of those fundamental values, we will fall into a perpetual cycle of “wheel spinning” that demands energy and resources but never accomplishes the mission. Think about the implications of this truth. How difficult is it to win if no one has defined how to keep score? How hard is it to remain united if no one agrees upon the goal? This is why our decisions as a church need to be centered around three things: vision, clarity, and focus. As we quickly approach another new year, let's briefly look at these three things.

Vision
The vision for our church can be summed up in one sentence. To Exalt Christ by Equipping the Church and Extending to our Community. Our central purpose for existing is to exalt Jesus Christ. We believe the bible teaches that we accomplish this task by focusing on equipping those within our church to fulfill their individual calling, and to extend grace and mercy to those outside our church. By claiming this sentence as our vision statement, we commit to making decisions based upon what it says. This is the filter by which we shape our budget, our calendar, and our ministry. Every moment of decision should invoke this question: “Which option best accomplishes the vision of our church?”

Clarity
A vision statement is useless if it is not understood and embraced by the congregation. This is why clarity of purpose is essential. Every ministry of the church should clearly exhibit our vision statement in the way it is designed and carried out. This prevents the church from allowing itself to drift away from our central purpose. In this busy world, it is easy to get caught up in the “busyness” of ministry and forget why we started in the first place. Every ministry should be able to clearly see how it is contributing to the overall vision of the church. We should be able to clearly see whether each ministry is exalting Christ by equipping the saved, and/or exalting Christ by extending to the community.

Focus
This is the hardest part. Drafting a vision statement and creating ministries that reflect a stated vision is exciting. The dreamer in me loves to think about new ministries and new ideas. But the challenge is to remain true to the plan over the long haul. This is where focus comes into play. Focus requires us to say “no” to things that do not work to accomplish the mission. Focus challenges us to say “yes” to things that are essential to the mission but force us to sacrifice in other areas. Focus is seen in faithful dedication to the mission, even when it would be easier to drift away from it.

As your pastor, I ask you to pray that the coming year would bring about a fresh and exciting passion for the stated vision of our church. I ask that you will seek clarity in understanding how every ministry in which you take part fits into this grand vision. I ask you to serve the church with a non-negotiable focus upon the vision God has placed before us. I ask these things of you, not because I believe I have all the answers, but precisely because I know none of us have all the answers. The only game plan that has any chance of succeeding is God's game plan. It is His church. We are His people. We are called to serve His kingdom. We are commissioned to follow His vision. We can not win as a church if we do not enthusiastically embrace this vision together, seek clarity together, and keep it in focus together.

Tags: church

I’ve been attending my last weekend of class for my New Testament Introduction class the last few days. Aside from getting tired of sitting for hours at a time, I have thoroughly enjoyed it. We’ve spent the bulk of our time talking about Paul and his letters. Looking at Paul’s entire body of work is something we very seldom do in the church. We are usually too busy trying to figure out bits and pieces of Paul’s writings. But this class has helped me see that sometimes we miss the forest for the trees when it comes to Paul. One significant insight that I am still trying to process is Paul’s seeming emphasis of community. We are hard pressed to find any chapter where Paul is not in some way dealing with how Christians are to view and act toward one another. His arguments usually center around a problem that has arisen. He diagnoses the problem, reframes it for his readers, and then offers the solution. His solution seems to rely heavily upon striving for Christ-like unity, sacrificial service, and grace among the body of Christ.

Now, most any bible reader has noticed this pattern in Paul. But as of yesterday, I think many of us (especially myself) have misread Paul’s reasoning for emphasizing unity. I have always seen it as primarily a practical matter. We can’t spread the gospel if we aren’t united. We can’t transform the world and culture if we aren’t serving one another, as an example to the world. In this sense, christian community is a means to an end; the end being the propagation of the gospel. Today, I find myself thinking that Paul believed that christian community was THE end. In other words, we do not need to be united just so our churches will grow. Rather, we need to be united because that is the highest measure of success for the body of Christ. Unity that involves sacrificial service, racial, social, and economic integration, where all saints, regardless of background are served equally. The gospel is shared to the world most effectively by the church living out the principle of community. This is why Paul was so insistent to the Corinthians that they view themselves each as an indespensible part of the body of Christ (I Cor. 12). This is why he called the Ephesians to “bear with one another in love, eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace” (Eph. 4:2,3). This is why he warned Gentiles and Jews alike of their utter unworthiness of the grace of God in Romans. This is why he called the Colossians to “forgive each other, as the Lord has forgiven you.” And that they must “put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony” (Col. 3). To the Philippians he called for the church to “do nothing from rivalry or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves” (Phil. 2).

I think this is an issue that has huge practical implications for the church today. We’ve been guilty of wanting unity for the sake of the ministry of the church. But I think Paul called for unity for the sake of Christ.

Tags: church

As I’ve thought through some of the exciting reasons why I am hopeful that the Church of God has a great future, I’m aware that to some, my words could sound condescending. I want to be very careful to point out that the Church of God is not doing very well in America right now. Most of our churches are stagnant. We have done a very poor job of planting new and vibrant congregations. And in most circles, we do not project a lot of passion and hope for a bright future. There is a lot of negativity in our ranks. So, please understand that I in no way want to paint the Church of God as the only hope for christianity in America. I am only attempting to point out some reasons for optimism for the Church that I have grown to love so much. It bothers me to see us be content to complain about our present state, and lament the fact that yesterday is gone. I want to focus on tomorrow. Hopefully that clarifies where I’m coming from.

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Reason #2 for why I believe the Church of God has a bright future. (Click here for Reason #1).

We are an anti-institutional Church for an anti-institutional culture-

The Church of God was founded upon a principle of non-denominationalism. The founders of our movement were adamantly against the name-branding and rivalry that existed among christian denominations in late 19th Century frontier America. They called themselves “come-outers” because they believed they had responded to God’s call to come out of the detrimental man-made church structures of their day, and had united under a banner of inclusiveness. They developed statements such as: “We reach our hand in fellowship to every blood-washed one” to describe their guiding principle of unity. They also strongly resisted any attempt to categorize themselves, or to even develop any semblance of a church covenant, creed, or doctrinal statement. Their mantra was “No creed but Christ, no law but love, no book but the bible.”

One can argue that these early leaders eventually created that which they so strongly resisted. Regardless, we can all see that the people who flocked to the Church of God, did so in large part because they were sick of the denominational hierarchy, and limitations that it entailed. Admittedly, this is an issue that has been a subject of great struggle from the beginning of our days as a movement. Most observers see us as “just another denomination.” In our zeal to set ourselves apart from denominationalism, we created a brand of our own, which in many ways acts much like any other denomination. There are important nuances that make us different, but in many ways we are not.

All that being said, I believe this can serve as a strength as we look toward the future. Post-modern society resists labels and embraces freedom. The 21st century world has shown a distaste for coloring within the lines. There is a prevalent distrust for institutionalism of all kinds, especially religious. Research shows that denominational loyalty is a non-factor when people choose or reject a particular church.

This is a trend that I believe the Church of God should embrace. We are a church that was, in a sense, formed from this mindset. We were formed as an anti-institutional church when society as a whole was very much pro-institution. 130 years later, our society has in a sense, followed our lead, or at least gone in the same direction. I believe we have a message that will resonate with a post-modern generation. A message of unity, accountable congregationalism, and authentic spirituality (holiness) is exactly what this emerging generation is searching for.

Now, there are some huge issues that need to be addressed if we are going to take advantage of this proverbial open door. We need to address the fact that our actions regarding unity haven’t always matched our message. We need to make sure that our congregationalism is accountable, and that we are not autonomous, but interdependent. We need to clarify that authentic spirituality or holiness is not defined by what you abstain from, but what you engage in. All this being said, I believe we are in a great position to reach an anti-institutional society with the gospel by being the body of Christ in our day and time.

Tags: church

One of the great blessings of pastoring an older congregation is that you get the chance to develop relationships with some amazing people. You get a chance to hear their amazing stories of triumph through difficulty. I’ve definitely learned a great deal from many of these precious people in my church. None more so than Rev. Lloyd Nash. He was a retired pastor that exemplified faithfulness and grace. I loved to hear him pray. I’m using the past tense because he passed away early this morning. He was only 68 years old. Our church will miss him tremendously. I will miss him. But I count it a privilege to have known him, if but for only a few years.

Tags: Personal, church

SermonSpice.com has become a hugely popular resource for many preachers. They offer short sermon illustration videos for use during worship services and other meetings. I like the concept, and I’ve been known to use a video or two myself. But I’ve never used this site because they are quite pricy in my opinion. I think videos can be overused, so I apply them sparingly.

However, I thought it was neat that some Church of God pastors in Kentucky have posted a video on this site. You can view the video. (Click here). It’s of a skit that was filmed at the Morehead First Church of God in Morehead, KY. The pastor in the film is Allan Hutchinson. The skit was written by Jeff Fannin, a Church of God pastor at another church in Morehead.

Not bad for a bunch of CHOG’ers from eastern Kentucky.

Tags: church

I live in the suburbs. I pastor a church in the suburbs. You can find a street that looks just like mine in nearly every town in America. I live around thousands of people who seemingly are after the same thing - more. More house. More car. We want a new cell phone. We want a greener lawn. We want a bigger vacation. We want more restaurants. We want more shops. We want our kids to be exposed to more things. The suburban culture just wants more. That is what keeps people going to work everyday. At least that is the thought I get when I drive down the streets of my town, and see the rat race that is suburbia. I wasn’t here very long before I began to sense that there is just something very wrong with this picture.

Todd Hiestand has a post that brilliantly frames what I’ve been feeling recently about suburbia and its effect on the church. He is writing in response to how a trip to Zambia has impacted his view of our culture. He points out that while credit card debt is soaring, so is the storage bulding business. In other words, our culture is going deeper and deeper in unsecured debt, while at the same time running out of space for all the junk that we are buying. What a picture of our society! Have you visited a suburban yard sale lately?

Please do yourself a favor and prayerfully read this.

Tags: devotional, church

I came upon a passage in Psalm 126 today that reminded me very much of my pastor and mentor, Walter Strong.

4 Restore our fortunes, O Lord,like streams in the Negeb!5 Those who sow in tearsshall reap with shouts of joy!6 He who goes out weeping,bearing the seed for sowing,shall come home with shouts of joy,bringing his sheaves with him.

I’ve heard him quote this text hundreds of times I guess. Walter is now in 83. His health is beginning to fade. He is the epitome of faithfulness and sacrifice for the cause of the gospel. He has spent his life going out “weeping, bearing the seed for sowing.” When he would quote this passage, he would do so from a place that few people can speak from. He spoke from experience. He spoke from conviction. He spoke with selflessness. He literally spent himself for the gospel. He has spent the better part of 60 years trying to reach a demographic that most everyone else of his stature didn’t deem worthwile. He planted at least 7 churches in the poorest part of eastern Kentucky. He has seen thousands come to Christ through his preaching. All of this has cost him. He isn’t wealthy, despite being a brilliant business man. He isn’t well-known among most people today, despite being one of the greatest evangelists the Church of God has ever known. He isn’t well. His body has finally began to show the results of a life spent for Christ. But he was motivated by the promise of prosperity. Not the prosperity of your favorite televangelist, but the prosperity promised in Psalm 126. Anyone who commits to setting their sites upon the Lord, will undoubtedly return with fruit. It was enough for him to know that God would be glorified in his life. Whether that was seen or unseen was ok with him. He understood that the greatest prosperity doesn’t come from the absence of sacrifice, but from it. The greatest “life fruit” doesn’t sprout from a life of ease, but a life of toil.

This is the true prosperity gospel.

Tags: devotional, church

Over the last year or so I have been exposed to a fresh new wave of life in the church. It is being championed by some young men and women who are committed to the kingdom of God over and above traditions and rituals of the previous generation. Some of their work makes me squirm a little bit. Everything that is new and fresh isn't exactly biblical and God-centered. However, by and large, I am excited at the possibilities that my generation have to make a difference in the world. Check out this front page story from CNN.com. Here's an excerpt:

"We've profaned the blood at the foot of the cross and turned it into Kool-Aid and marketed it all over the world. We'll make an art and a business out of taking the Lord's name in vain," Claiborne says as images of Christ on the cross and the American flag flash behind him.
They endorse no candidate and make no effort to sway the voters for one party or another.
After the speech in an interview with CNN, Claiborne said, "This is not about going left or right, this is about going deeper and trying to understand together. Rather than endorse candidates, we ask them to endorse what is at the heart of Jesus and that is the poor or the peacemakers and when we see that then we'll get behind them."
Claiborne says the movement of younger evangelicals is growing and looking at the Bible in more holistic terms. He is quick to say the call of Christ has more to do with how people live their lives on November 3 and 5 than how they vote on November 4.
"It's certainly easy to walk into a voting booth every four years and feel like you're going to change the world but that's not going to do it."

I don't know much about Shane Claiborne, but I like the fact that there are evangelicals that are refusing to swallow the rhetoric that has become so harmful to the church. And I especially like that many christians are waking up to the reality that we are citizens of God's kingdom first and foremost. As Stanley Hauerwas puts it, we are "Resident Aliens." This changes the way we view the world, and especially our government. This is what truly separates us from the world. This is the call of the church.

Tags: church

Another NAC is in the books. Beth and I made it home Wednesday night. I was very glad to get home, and even more glad to see our boys. Mom and dad were gracious enough to return them to us this morning. I am definitely becoming one that likes routine.

For me, this year's NAC was good but not great. Last year will probably forever be the standard by which I measure all NAC's. There is no doubt that God visited us, and that I return with a revived determination to passionately pursue God's vision for ministry.



Here's what I liked about this year's NAC:

- The theme "Celebrate Unity". The whole convention was designed around this crucial ideal. Conferences, seminars, and sermons. I love the fact that our primary business meeting and conference gathering is about ministry and not about by-laws and resolutions. We have major problems, but I was proud to be part of the Church of God this week.
- The speakers were all given a portion of Ephesians 4:11-16 to use as their text. Our services systematically moved through this passage. It seemed that there was an increased effort to root our conversation in scripture this year. There was a clear intention to make the whole week congruent.

- Sunday night's "Global Communion Service." There are really no words for the power of that service.

- Having Beth with me for the first time in Anderson. Praise God for such a partner in ministry. It was a great week for our marriage.

- The music - we CHOG'ers know how to praise God in song!

- The weather was absolutely perfect.

Here's what I disliked:

- The preaching didn't seem to dig into the assigned text as much as I would have liked. This may just be a personal preference, but I felt as though most of the sermons missed the text. I say this humbly because the sermons were inspired and were delivered by some of our best.

- The best of the seminars and conferences held on Saturday. Since I couldn't make it till Monday, I missed out on a lot.

- The Clarion Inn and Expedia. We booked our room several months ago. We arrived to find that this hotel was old, cramped, and somewhat dirty. The chair in our room had very noticeable stains. Although we weren't happy, we figured it could be worse. We were right............and it was. By the first morning, we had killed 4 spiders in our room. I politely informed the front desk that we would be checking out early. We moved across the street to another hotel. The kicker is that I find out today that the Clarion Inn is attempting to charge us for 2 nights, since our reservations were for 2 and we only stayed one (something about a 100% penalty for any itinerary changes). Expedia has been useless in helping us. I will never book with Expedia again.

Tags: church

- It was announced that Warner Southern College (a CHOG college in Lake Wales, FL) is going to change its name to Warner University.

- A new initiative to help churches develop planned giving in their churches has been launched. It is called Church of God Foundation. I think this is long overdue. Practically ever other denomination and movement have something like this in place.

- I scored some great used books today. They have a used book exhibit that sells donated books, and all the proceeds go to retired ministers who are financially insecure. I found books by Leonard Sweet, Francis Schaeffer, John R.W. Stott, and Ralph Earle. Hardbacks are $1 and softbacks are $0.50! YEEESSSS!

Tags: church

A memorial service was held during the afternoon GA honoring the Church of God ministers that have passed away during the last year. Amazingly, 80 ministers passed away during 2007! Many of their families were on hand. It was a very moving and emotional moment. Attendees were invited to stand when a person's name was read that had influenced them. Some men, such as Gil Stafford, had hundreds of people stand in honor of them. Others had no one. As I sat there taking it all in, I was blessed to know that the number of people that stand in our honor is not a reflection of how God views our life's work. Each of these men and women were welcomed into the presence of God as equal co-laborers in the vineyard of God. That is grace!

The evening service featured one of my favorite Church of God preachers, Rod Stafford. He pastors a dynamic congregation in Fairfax, VA. He is the younger brother of the late Dr. Gil Stafford. His father (a CHOG pastor of nearly 70 years) also passed away this passed year. The loss of Gil Stafford is a major blow to the Church of God. He was probably our best known writer and theologian. He was a great preacher. It was fitting that his brother Rod would be our speaker for tonight's service which centered upon the theme of "Keep Pressing On."

There was a strange mix of celebration and sorrow throughout the convention today. It was almost surreal.

Tags: church

Its been a very busy day. The day started with the morning General Assembly session. Our General Director, Dr. Ron Duncan, presented his report to the assembly. He stated his belief that the Church of God has tremendous potential. He believes that two of our primary values give us a a chance to be relevant in this time of cultural transformation. These include our value of the leading of the Holy Spirit in our individual and corporate lives, and our centrality of Scripture. On the other hand, we However, we face serious challenges. Church of God Ministries underwent a complete organizational change in 1998. One of our challenges is to implement those changes throughout our movement and to to deal with the unavoidable "hiccups" that accompany this type of transition. We are in the midst of a major shift. The other major challenge he outlined is how we relate to one another. I take this to deal directly with the issue of how we interpret our congregationalism.

He suggests two concepts that we must allow to permeate all that we do in the coming years are to have a Missional focus and to be Relationally connected. He expanded upon both of these concepts; specifically about how they tie into our 5 strategic goals (Ignite; Permeate; Free: Cultivate; Refresh).

Other highlights from his report included:

- "Leadership development is our most critical issue in the life of the church." (To which I add an enthusiastic "amen").

- World Ministry Advance has set a goal of recruiting 10 career missionaries and 40 career missionaries to serve in 5 new countries in the 10/40 Window.

- A church was planted every week this past year in America!

Tags: church

My wife would say that all my thoughts are random. She may be right. If so, these are some especially random ponderings (I'm not sure that's a word). As always, summer is a busy time. There are a lot of thoughts running through my head. Here are a few that seem to keep rising to the forefront.

- NAC is coming soon. Last year was such a formative time for me. I'm cautiously hoping that this year will be as well.

- Eugene Peterson is the man. I'm loving his book "The Jesus Way." I'm not a fan of the Message, but anyone reading his books is soon convinced that he has a profound respect for the scriptures, and has a very powerful way of articulating his ideas.

- There is something special about summer sunshine and spending time with my wife and kids. The two complement one another. The last two days have been awesome. This evening we grilled out and enjoyed the perfect weather.

- I miss spending more time with my parents and siblings. I wish I could have them living a little closer. I miss the days when we could throw a family cook-out together with an hour's notice. If you live near your siblings and parents, take my advice, DON'T TAKE THEM FOR GRANTED! Make time for one another. I didn't do that enough when I lived within 20 minutes of them.

- I believe this fall is going to be a pivotal time for our church. We will be implementing some changes that have been a subject of prayer for the last year. It is scary and exciting. God is definitely at work.

Tags: Personal, church

I'm preaching this sunday from Matthew 11:1-6. It is the account of a very disturbing question that John the Baptist asked Jesus. John is in prison, awaiting execution. Jesus has just sent his disciples into the towns and villages of Israel to perform miracles and proclaim the gospel of the kingdom. And John sends his disciples to Jesus to ask if he was "the one" or should they look for another? In other words, John was asking if Jesus was the Messiah. This passage is cloudy. Matthew doesn't tell us why John asked. So we must speculate as to why the man that had publicly proclaimed Jesus to be "the lamb of God" early on in the ministry of Jesus (Jn. 1) is now questioning if He really is the son of God. We may never fully know what John was thinking, but I think we can at least partially surmise that he was struggling with. Here are some possibilities:

1. He may have been expressing impatience. Maybe he was hungry to see the fullness of the kingdom break forth during his lifetime, and He (along with the disciples of Jesus) were frustrated that Jesus seemed to be in no hurry.
2. He may have been struggling with his own sense of accomplishment. It is likely that John knew his days were numbered. Facing death will cause one to question if their life has counted. He may have wanted reassurance that he got the job done, and that he truly had come in the spirit of Elijah to pave the way for Christ.
3. He may have allowed his circumstances to erode his faith. It think it is highly likely that John was having a human moment. His once unshakable faith in Christ has been eroded by his own personal trouble, self-doubt, etc.

Regardless of the reasons, I appreciate that the gospel writers included this detail of the story of Jesus and John. Here's why I think its wonderfully important today. Jesus states that John is the greatest man ever born, and yet John seems to have moments of great struggle and doubt. Clearly, John, despite his greatness, is prone to discouragement. The response of Jesus is powerful! Note that he doesn't express disappointment in John. Rather, he quickly gives his disciples a message of encouragement to give to John. I find a principle here that we often forget. I think Jesus is teaching us all here that it is ok to not be ok sometimes. It is not out of bounds to ask God, "why?" Jesus welcomed the question, and quickly gave reassurance to John.

Jesus is not interested in gathering a team of superficial people, who pretend that they never have struggles or doubts. Rather, he wants people who are radically open with Him; who spill their guts to Him because they so desperately want to know and believe the Truth. This story reminds me of Mother Teresa. Her memoirs, which were opened to the public last year, revealed that while she was ministering for decades in one of the most impoverished places on earth, she often had moments of doubt, fear, and great spiritual struggle. I recall that some of the shallow talk show hosts that look at ways to pick at christianity delighted in this revelation, and deemed it as proof that there is no assurance in Christ. They missed the point. Jesus didn't come to make us know-it-all spiritual heavy weights. Instead, he has come to make us humble and hungry for God. Sometimes the best way to express that is to be open and honest with God about our questions and doubts.

I think if we are honest, we've all been in John's shoes. We get impatient with God. We think we know where He's going, and we'd like to tell Him to pick up the pace. Other times we wonder about our own life, and what it is ever going to amount to. We question if we are really doing what we were designed to do. Still other times we just plain struggle to trust God. Our spiritual prisons sometimes chip away at our faith, and we find ourselves questioning things that we were sure of in earlier days. I think the key to getting through those times is to allow John be our example. He didn't stew in his doubt. He called upon Jesus. He sought answers. He was open. He was selfless. He was real with God.

Tags: devotional, church, Bible

Every year the Church of God holds their North American Convention on the grounds of Anderson University in Anderson, IN. It is the single biggest gathering of Church of God folks in the world. The Convention begins on Friday, June 20 and runs through Wednesday, June 25. There will be seminars and conferences that address virtually every aspect of ministry. We also hold our annual General Assembly during this time. There are worship services each evening that feature some of the best preachers in our movement. Last year was a powerful experience for me. I'm looking forward to going back this year.

This year's theme is "Celebrate Unity." They have planned a "Global Communion Service" for Sunday evening. Our church has registered to participate. I think this is a fantastic idea, and am hoping it will help us connect some of our congregation to the roots of our movement, and to give us a better sense of who we are and what we are about. Check out more details about the convention and the GCS HERE.

Tags: church

I made a trip to my second favorite bookstore today, Berean Christian Store in West Chester. (My favorite is the campus bookstore at Asbury.) I picked up several books to add to my list of reading for the summer. I launched into one this evening. It is a little book by John Piper called "God Is The Gospel." So far it promises to become one of my favorites.

I bought the book knowing that it dealt with identifying what the primary motivation for becoming and being a christian should be. Piper contends that the only proper motivation for being converted and continuing in a life of service to Christ is to gain the gift of knowing God. On the surface that claim seems easy enough to swallow, but if you consider the motivations that are revealed in most christians' lives, you'll see that this claim, if true, should convict the average church-goer in America. I admit that I have a very small cross-section of church experience from which to draw conclusions about the church as a whole, but here is what I've encountered.

1.) Evangelism is almost universally self-centered. What I mean is that most attempts to share our faith are crafted as a sales pitch to convince someone of the practical benefits of signing up for this product called "getting saved." We've become proficient at this. Get saved and you'll have peace in your heart. Get saved and you'll find the power to overcome addictive habits. Get saved and your marriage will be salvaged. Get saved and got will iron out all the wrinkles of life. If these don't work, we pull out our ace in the hole. Get saved and God will give you a mansion on a hilltop. Get saved and you can escape the fire, smoke, and gnashing of teeth in hell.

2.) Most christians view their spiritual life as a means to make life easier. Maybe we are just living out the benefits that were sold to us when we signed up for this club, but we have certainly tried to make the most of the benefits as they were described. There are a lot of ways to illustrate this reality, but I'll just use the commonly practiced spiritual disciplines to prove my point.

Lets start with prayer. To the average believer, prayer is used as a tool to get what we want from God. He is just up there itching to give us all our little hearts desire. Take notice the next time your in a corporate gathering where prayer concerns are shared. Take even further notice at the time we spend asking God for "stuff." While we are on the subject, lets talk about how we usually approach church attendance. We may not say it out loud, but I think most of us, deep down, think that church is a time for God to charge our spiritual batteries. When we attend and leave with some "warm and fuzzies" then we say "wow...that was a great service today." We say things like "God gave us a great service today." Bible study is another indicator. Most would agree that the average believer's time in the bible is usually an exercise in "finding something that speaks to me." We think that the bible is about us, or at least we only want to consider the parts that speak directly to us.

3.) The leadership of most churches makes the point as well. Someone once said that you can discover someone's priorities by looking at their calendar and their checkbook. I think this is true of the church. I fear that most of our budgets would reveal that we think the church is 90% about us, and 10% about someone else.

Let me clarify. I'm not saying that it is a bad thing to tell a lost person that living for Christ will enrich their lives. I'm not saying that we should not preach and teach about the reality of hell. I am not saying that it is completely inappropriate to ask God for our desires. I'm not saying that we should not expect to be recharged by gathering together and worshipping our God. And I'm not saying that the bible should not be read with a desire to find practical application for our lives. What I am saying is that these are all a very distant by-product of what our chief desire should be. Namely, to make Christ our end. I liken it to the attitude of my son when I discipline him. Less than an hour ago, he found a screwdriver and used it to scratch deep grooves into the finish of his bedroom dresser. He knew I was upset. I disciplined him accordingly. He was quick to apologize. He was sorry. However, I'm not convinced that my 3-year old felt the guilt of his deed, as much as he wanted to be allowed to go back to playing and laughing and enjoying the day. In other words, he was not repentent, as much as he was sorry that he got caught. He wanted to apologize so that he could get the benefits of my forgiveness. This is self-centered. Its not his fault. He inherited that trait from me. We all carry it. Its called being a descendent of Adam's race.

My point is that the bible is clear that we should make knowing Christ our deepest and highest treasure in the world. This is the reason Jesus came, lived, died, rose again, and sent the Holy Spirit. This is why He inspired His word. I think I'll have much more to say on this subject in the next few weeks. But for now, I'm struggling to determine if Christ is my highest goal in all aspects of my life. I think its a question we all should think about.

Tags: church, devotional