Thoughts, Jots, and Opinions

All I can say is “Wow!”  Small church pastors, like me, and lay people, I hope that you can find liberation from  being a slave to feeling “responsible for the growth of your church.”  Let me give the notes from a seromon that Dr. Dongell delivered.  It is a truth that we all know is true, but we sometimes need to be reminded about why we serve as we do.

We are all victims of the Zig Zag

• Zig (I’m gonna); When we come to Christ we have enthusiasm.  We are gonna read our Bibles, pray, and etc.  The same with ministry; we are gonna grow, grow, grow.
• Zag (All God, all grace); We become tired and doing becomes a chore.   So we need to find relief from our doing.  This is when we say, “Let go, let God; we will trust the Lord.”  And etc. 
• Zigging and zagging will eventually crash us.  Just like a trailer that comes unhitched and is left only connected by its safety chains.  After a while, and going fast enough, the trailer will turn over and crash.
• Some churches zig while others zag.
• We (small churches and pastors) try to find the right formula for growth.  We consistently read leadership books, church growth books, business books, psychology books, and the list goes on.  This is when we risk putting our faith in the pastor, or church, that had success instead of Jesus.

Scriptures

• Mark 4:26-29
• 1 Corinthians 3:5-9
• Psalm 127:1-2

1. If God is the Lord of the harvest, then He is the Lord of timing.  He will decide how long it will take for a church to grow.  Anything else is not from Him.  If the Lord doesn’t build, the laborers build in vain.
2. If God is the Lord of the harvest, then He is the Lord of the shape of the harvest; the look of the harvest.  This means that the fruit of growth is not for us to engineer.  God takes care of what the end result will look like. 
3. If God is the Lord of the harvest, then He is the Lord of all labors.  This means that we do not have to rely on people. 
4. If God is the Lord of the harvest, then He is the owner of the harvest.  The fruit is His in the end.  Pastors, you know that it is not your church and people.  Laymen, same to you, you know that it is not your church and people.  God is the owner.

This is basic stuff, but if you are struggling with numbers and other stats, then you need to find relief in this truth.  I, and you, in my opinion are only responsible to plant and water.  If we are doing that, then like the farmer, we should be able to sleep in peace at night.

Those of us who serve small churches need to apply this passage to each of our situations.  Especially when we are easily frustrated and want to give up and quit. 

Mark 6:45-50

“LIving in the eye of the storm”

Every community has had at least one big storm and everyone still talks about it.  Even after years.  Mine was the Blizzard of 77 in Indiana.  Yet, some storms are one word: cancer, bankruptcy, divorce, widowed, and etc.

3 lessons of this passage in Mark

1. You can be in the center of the storm and at the same time in the center of God’s will.

• Jesus told His disciples to get into the boat and go across the lake.  He knew there was a storm coming.
• Strange territory and there is no landmark that is recognizable which makes us fear.

2.  Don’t ever give up; even if it looks like the ship is going down.

• The disciples were straining with the oars against the wind for 9 hours.
• Ist it possible that if they quit rowing, then there is no boat for Jesus to get into?
• It’s always too soon to quit.
• A Holy life is obedience; like keeping the boat afloat.

3. Even though you can’t figure God out you still have to be willing to let God, even though you are terrified.

• Knowing you’re not alone in the darkness is worth hanging in there.

The mark of a Holy life is not success; it is obedience of trusting the heart of God. 

This is what many small church goers and pastors are called to today.  This sermon spoke to me, in the context of my frustration of seeing where our church stood in comparison with other Wesleyan churches in our district.  However, as Dr. Ott pointed out, for others there are storms in life that are more devestating than where our church ended up statistically.  Therefore, this outline is able to speak hope into your soul in whatever tough situation that you are in. 

I don’t know about you, but I don’t like to quit or give up.  Let’s all hang in there together, and wait for Jesus to get into our boats.  Then we will find peace.

While at Southern Wesleyan I made a several younger friends who were engaged.  Upon graduation these young men, and women, were setting dates to for their weddings.  I used to joke with the young men and women about their household duties, for example, who will take out the trash.  Now most of these have been married for a year or so now.  So I thought that I should try to give the guys some useful advice that will hopefully keep them out of trouble.

1. When your wife asks you if you she looks overweight, do not say yes.  Not even for a joke.  You have seen these commercials on TV before; they are funny because it is real life.  If she is pregnant don’t say anything like “I don’t care if you are getting bigger honey.”  Even though you are telling her that with the intention of demonstrating your love for her it will still turn out bad.  You must keep your wits about you at all times.
2. If you and your wife are talking casually, and you are telling her a story about another female that you may work with, or know, be careful how you tell it.  If the woman you are talking about is attractive, watch out!  You might be in the middle of your story, when all of sudden, your wife will say, “She is pretty.”  Here is where it will pay off for you to think through carefully before you answer.  Do not say, “Yeah.”  And then think you are going to finish your story.  It will not matter whether or not you were agreeing simply to get to the end of your story.  Your wife will be upset.  I don’t care if the woman you referred to is Miss America, simply say, “She is okay.”  Then point out a flaw in the person’s looks.  This should take care of any hostility most of the time. 
3. Again, when you say that another woman is “Okay,”  it is important to reassure your wife that she is definitely not your type.  This is very important because you will know what trouble is if you don’t.  May be roll your eyes a little bit too while wrinkling your nose.  Sincerity will get you out of trouble as fast as you got into it. 
4. Beware, if your wife ever tells you it is okay to say that someone else is attractive.  Do not fall for it!  This is a trap.  Listen to me, “It is never okay to say something like that.”  This is when it is okay to disagree with your wife. 
5. When you go shopping with your wife and she is looking for clothes, do not lean on the clothing rack.  This “right” is only reserved for people who have been married for at least 7 years.  You must demonstrate that you are interested in the clothing that she is looking at.  This might even be a good time to say, “Hey, honey!”  “They are having a good sale today!”  Enthusiasm is the key here. 
6. When your wife has two outfits picked out, and she says, “Which one do you like?”  Here is an opportunity to gain brownie points.  These are good to have in reserve if you mess up on the previous dos and don’ts.  Do not say, “Either one is fine.”  Even if you think that either one is fine.  Instead, you must say something like, “Hold the other one up next to you.”  Then say, “Now the other one.”  Do this two or three times.  If neither look good, do not say, “I don’t care,” thinking that this will hide your opinion.  She will be savvy to that.  You must look for another outfit for her.  Otherwise, pick out the best of the two.  And if you really want to get in good, say, “Hey, they are both on sale; get em both.”
7. When you go out to eat at someones house, do not eat seconds.  And by all means, on the way home, beware that your wife might ask you, “Did you like the meal?”  This is a trap!  You should calmly say, “It was okay.”  Listen, this is important, and I don’t care if the meal was good enough to put the most expensive seafood restaurant to shame.  Tell her that you only like the way that she makes that type of meal.  Because the next thing she will ask you is if the person who prepared the meal can cook better than her.  This is when a quick, “No way!” may get you out of this type of conversation.   

I offer this advice freely to my old friends who may be embarking on learning these truths the hard way like most of us did.  Listen guys, there is an old saying, “If mama ain’t happy, then ain’t nobody happy.”  This is a true saying.  Be watchful about what you say.  Think through what you do, and how you reply.  If you do this, then everything will go well for you.  But if you ignore these examples, you are on your own.  Remember, Monday Night Football is around the corner. 

By the way, I had my wife check this to see if it is okay to post it.  She said it was, but she said that it is a little goofy.  She is probably right.  See, I practice what I preach.

I heard a person recently say that “Women are weak-minded.”  This came from a person who, anyone, would assume would know better than to say that.  This is one of those comments that you really do not know what to say in return, so you ignore it and let the person keep talking.  I don’t think ignoring it helps, but that is my excuse for not correcting this thought.  This comment was made, I assume, to hint that women are not capable of being leaders.  Here are some thoughts about that comment.

My grandma was the smartest person that I have ever known.  She only had a high school education, yet her academic skills were second to none.  Amazingly, she was smart enough to make it on her own in the late 40’s until she died in 2002.  Most today would not think that her making it was that big of a deal because we are used to seeing successful women in our society.  Yet, in her day it was a little more rare for a women to raise a child, and to, for a while, support a dead beat husband.  He finally left her after my mother was a couple of years old.  She was so smart that she was employed by a government agency which was very prestigious in that time.  Keep in mind that she had other jobs, which were not readily available for most women then.  Yet, she became a supervisor as a government employee. 

Consider that my wife is a better leader than I am.  It’s true.  If you know me, then you know that I do not like to admit that.  Nevertheless, I have watched her take the role of a leader many times.  Whatever cause, or ministry, that she is a part of she usually makes things happen so that the desired success is assurred.  She knows more about the daily operations of my household than I do.  She can do all of that while working a full-time job, which she is successful at, and earning her degree at night.   My wife is smart.  I remember when a car salesman tried to hide an extra $5000 that we would have had to pay after we signed from us.  I was ready to sign!  She nailed him down, and exposed his shady scheme, which really made for an interesting 15 minutes in his office. 

My mother also has risen to the occasion when the chips were down.  After my father left us she had to support me.  What is amazing is that she is from Baltimore, MD.  She supported me in a state that she was not familiar with, Indiana.  Even though she was outsider there, she found a way to be successful enough to put food on the table.  After her and my step-father, who was a farmer, were married she supported all of us which included a new sister, and a step-sister on the week end.   My mom is smart.  She basically ran her department at work, although she was the secretary, and took care of the needs of the other employees. 

I have a daughter.  I don’t feel comfortable in agreeing that women are weak-minded.  I believe that she can do whatever she wants to.  As a matter of fact, I expect her to be a leader some day. 

Although I do not agree with all of our leadership in Washington, I respect the women who help lead this country.  People who think that women are weak-minded should know that the United States does not allow stupid people to lead our country. 

Finally, my denomination has elected a proven leader to be one of our leaders in The Wesleyan Church.  My denomination has its history in many social issues which include women’s rights.  May be it has something to do with John Wesley’s mother who was his greatest spiritual advisor.  It has been documented that she had a very good turnout for her preaching at her house. 

So, next time I hear that kind of comment, my response will be, ”I think that it is important to realize that when you say that a women is weak-minded, who is created in God’s Image, that you know you are saying that God is possibly weak-minded too.”

Here are some thoughts that I had while driving home from Atlanta last night after the Braves game.

• With gas prices sky high, and no end in sight, going to a MLB game in our area makes for less travel.  And still provides good family fun.
• There are 162 games a year for baseball fans.  I love the NFL, and am beginning to embrace the NBA a little with the Celtics win, but the NFL only plays 16 games a year and the NBA only plays 82 games a year.  This increases the opportunities to be able to see the teams play. 
• Because there are so many games in the ML, they are able to offer more family pack specials.  I paid $11 a ticket for last night and sat by the right field foul pole.  Compare this with the Carolina Panthers tickets for a single game are $51-$90.  The Tennessee Titans tickets are only allowing 3000 tickets to be sold for a single game!  There is no specific word on the Atlanta Falcons single game tickets yet. 
• Baseball seems to have less individualism in it than the NBA.  In other words, baseball still has a team attitude.  I have said in another post that most of the NBA teams rely upon one player to carry the load.  This creates players who brag, and are arrogant.  In baseball if a hitter gets on base, then he has to rely upon his teammates to bat him in.  In the NFL it is not that bad.  They have to rely on their teammates to do their jobs too.  So I cannot complain too much about the NFL not playing like a team. 
• Okay, this is no way an opportunity to judge people who like tattoos, long hair, and shiny jewelry.  All I have to say is that for old guy like me, I still like the image of the short hair and minimal tattoos.  Call me old shcool, but that is my preference.  When I was in school it was a privilege to be part of the team.  Plus, being on the team was not about me, it was about us.  At least from the stands, it seems that baseball still has that type of characteristic.  Basically, not many are wearing all that stuff to draw attention to themselves in baseball while on the field.  
• In baseball, a player is libal to turn around and throw a ball into the stands for some lucky kid.  I saw Paul Pierce throw his sweat bands into the stand after his games too.  But, there is something about getting a game ball that makes it a special event that connects the players with the fans.  I realize that the NFL and NBA have to spend more money for their game balls, but this is an unfortunate difference.       
• Here is another fundamental difference in the three sports.  Consider when a fly ball is hit shallow into the outfield.  There might be 2 or 3 players who can make the play, but each player realizes that the one who calls for it gets to make the play.  Think about this for a second, one who is making 4 million might have to allow the player who is making 300 thousand catch the ball.  In the NBA, or NFL, the who is making 4 million better be the person who makes the play. 

I may flip flop on this when football starts, but right now it is good to acknowledge that baseball is refreshingly good when the economy is so bad.  Not to mention that as a parent, it is good to see less of the smack talking too, and more the team atmosphere instead.

Yes.  I have decided to be contrary and not call this article “Sunday night reflections.”  How creative is that?  Nevermind, don’t answer. 

Sunday, after our morning service, God encouraged me as a pastor because somebody shared that God was burdening this person for our church.

This is a possible major shift.  What I know is that someone has to stand up and say that “Smith Chapel is my church and I want to be used by God to serve here so that we can reach our community.” 

I am also getting encouraged from meeting with volunteers who are going to help me with the children’s ministry.  I think God is really going to work through this ministry. 

I found this information on Ben Witherington’s web site.

Check out N.T. Wright’s video.

I think God revealed Himself on The Comedy Channel.  This will give those who are lost something to think about.  Praise the Lord! 

Mark Wilson has a post that I encourage many to view. 

It is scary how easy it is to learn how to play the role of a Christian.  We are always so concerned with taking ground for Christ that we forget to check to see how are relationship with Christ is. 

I had a professor, Bud Bence, who told our class about a time that he stayed at a Monastery and they were allowed to have a question and answer time.  Otherwise, they must maintain silence.  During this Q&A, someone asked why the monks were simply praying about changing the world instead of going out and changing the world.  Their answer was that us Protestants were so busy trying to change the world that do not pray. 

I hope I told that story correctly; but I think you get the picture.  I have begun to realize that it is time for a spiritual tune up in my personal life.  I fear that everything in our society is about change.  The danger for Christians is that we focus so hard on change that we forget to take care of our relationship with Christ who nourishes us with His Word and Presence. 

When was the last time that you had a Brother Lawrence moment and Practiced the Presence?  Beware of being a race car Christian with a one track mind that is only focused on running hard to win.  We must practice proper maintenance so that we can finish the race.    

Christians I want you to know that whoever becomes President it will be because God allowed it.  Political email that is not truthful is something that should concern any Christian.  I know where Jesus said falseness comes from.  We have to be careful not spread that stuff to others.

The Bible says that we are supposed to be careful not cause a weaker brother, or sister, to stumble.  I think that we sometimes try to protect the truth by lying.  We should consider that the truth is God’s truth and does not have to be protected by us.  Instead, we live by it, because the truth is what sets us free. 

Here is a link to another blog about this topic.  Read it.  In addition, here is a link to Obama’s web sight that is designed to combat false accusations against him.  This does not mean that I am supporting Obama.  This means that I support the truth.   

I need someone to step up at our church.  This person will be from our community and will have a strong desire to be used by God to save people.  He, or she, will combine that desire with the need to see our church involved with ministry to the community.

I need someone to love our church.  When a church is not healthy Christians, including myself, tend to become like a pack of wild dogs who destroy the weaker dog.  Instead of us complaining, we must be motivated to be part of the solution.

I need commitment from people.  Apathy must be stamped out.  Spiritual laziness will not fly with God.  If following the command to make disciples, from Christ, does not spur us to action, then it seems that we are fooling ourselves into thinking that we are His. 

I need people who talk about our mission with others in the community all the time.  People with passion.  Enthusiasm will overcome all of our shortfalls.  This will only happen if people have confidence in God, the church, the pastor, and each other. 

I need people who want a revival.  I do not mean a three day paid speaker to come in.  I mean a revival that motivates us to action. 

Our growth, will start through the lay people.  It will be the people that God will use to fulfill His commands.  The only change that we need is a heart change.  Music and programs will not be the answer.  The answer will be that God showed up through His people.