Craig Cottongim

Why our kids don't read their Bibles & why we can still hope:

2012-02-13T21:16:00.000-05:00

If your children are wearing-out their Bibles and come to you about once a year complaining they've "worn the cover off of another Bible," this post isn't for you. If, on the other hand, you are like many adult Christians I know & hear from, and your kids rarely if ever read their Bibles on their own... you may not like this post, but I think I know why our children aren't reading the Scriptures more often.

In most any congregation, the future is held in the hands of the children. We live in the here-and-now, but we hopefully are preparing a legacy worthy of passing on too. Our next generation needs to have a solid Biblical foundation, which can only develop through devotion to personal study. Even if your children or mine aren't taking on "leadership" roles, we still want them to know the Bible well, for obvious reasons.

As a minister, thinking my kids would naturally be "as interested" in reading their Bible is probably as realistic as expecting Mike Dell's kids to come up with their own line of PCs or Howard Schultz's children to open the next new coffee enterprise. That's so close to being on the verge of an exaggeration maybe I should say, my interests aren't automatically going be my children's. Fair enough.

Still, one of my greatest desires is that my children, and your children, were spending more time in the Scriptures. I wish dearly they'd read their Bibles with an insatiable appetite for God's Word. I think, personally and collectively, I/we might be the reason our kids aren't voraciously reading their Bibles. I'm not saying it's 100% our fault, but, we might be in the equation...

It pains me to say this, but maybe I've taken the mystery out of God's Word.

Somehow, have I been too ready with an answer for Biblical questions? Acting like an expert, maybe the spark of the Bible was dimmed or too simplified when I instantly tried to relieve a question's tension... instead of telling them to dig deeper? Perhaps I've chewed my children's spiritual food (gross) too well and didn't let them cut their teeth on the Word?

Maybe there's another reason, maybe we've made the Bible so accessible they've never developed a craving and hunger for it. So maybe they're like the kids in the proverbial candy-shop...?

Could it be we are the reason our children don't read their Bibles more often? Has an overexposure or readily at-hand answers and easy consumption of the Scriptures watered down and stifled a felt need in our children? Did we give too much without asking enough in return; i.e., have we "covered them" with easy-answers but we've never asked them to explain the tough passages to us?

Worse yet, could it be I haven't lived-out a "good enough" example? When I speed in traffic or get gruff with the garbage man when he knocks over our can, did my kids see the dark side of me?

On the other hand, I never saw my parents open -- let alone read a Bible when I was a child. Not once. Even so, I'm an avid daily Bible reader regardless of what my parents modeled for me as a youth. I'm guessing some of you frequently read your Bibles, and it's not the result of a nagging parent who compelled you to read.

(With my SNL "Church-lady" voice) Could it be, Too much homework? Football/Dance practice, X-box, Facebook, texting, Twitter, Netflix, Twilight, Disney, etc-etc can't be our scapegoat either. Our kids have free will, and they can exercise it for good too. We have an obligation to our children to provide the right path, pray for them, and to model with consistency certain practices (like reading a Bible every now and then).

I doubt there's an easy answer here. A single theory won't satisfy. I guess we could ask our kids "why don't they" carry they Bibles around like they do their Ipods/cell phones, but then they will say "they have" a Bible on their electronic devices... does this give me reason to hope? Perhaps. Perhaps, with enough prayer and encouragement, one day, they'll surprise us!

What is the opposite of dazzling?

2012-02-12T00:00:00.002-05:00

In the morning, Lord willing, as we gather to worship I'll be preaching from Phil 2:1-11. And, my guess is, it's a sermon that could have the potential to be unpopular if I were preaching it in a different setting other than New Song. For example, it's probably not a sermon Text you'd choose if you were "trying out." It's not a sermon Text you'd try to impress people with, either. It's a passage of Scripture that isn't for the weak of heart & I'm excited about the way this passage will prayerfully continue to transform our group.

The ideas in Phil 2:1-11, especially about humility, are about as 180 degrees from our Americanized-consumer-mentality as one can get. This passage is so counter-cultural we do well to use it sparingly; like breathing pure oxygen. The power in the Text of Phil 2 is the very weakness it calls for. I know this sounds like some kind of Jujitsu verbiage, but I don't know any better way of describing the truth within this passage. Only when we are willingly weakened will our reflection of Jesus strong.

There's an old saying about when people are feeling frail, it goes something like "Weak as water." Last time I looked at the Grand Canyon, water is about the most powerful element on earth. The most influential and powerful Christians I respect, are the ones who don't "push their weight around" or try to impress people. They simply and quietly allow Jesus to have His way, and they consistently put others 1st.

Kick'n it old school style:

2012-02-02T21:43:00.000-05:00

Today was a beautiful day, being the 2nd of Feb it was at least 65 degrees. Sunny, and hardly a cloud in the sky. The concrete driveway we were supposed to pour this week had to be postponed, it was too muddy from the last two day's rain, so we were off work today. I decided several days ago that if I we were rained out this week, I would do some old fashioned door knocking near the area where we meet on Sunday mornings. I've been on several door knocking campaigns in college for meetings we were involved in, but today was totally different.

I prayerfully walked through the neighborhood where we meet. I thought it was more than appropriate to reach out to the people closest to where we worship. It was invigorating! I felt very refreshed going from door to door passing out our church business cards. I simply introduced myself, and mentioned we were a new congregation and we wanted to let the folks in the neighborhood know about us. I said if they didn't have a church family, we'd love to see them Sunday morning at 10. That was pretty much it. I shook hands, thanked people for their time, and didn't stay unless they initiated a conversation.

Some people were short with me, barley opening their doors wide enough for me to slide a card into them. Other people rustled around inside some, peering out a blind, and then not opening up... I wondered to myself if I looked like a Cop or a salesman in their eyes?

A few people, even some young families, mentioned they were new to the area and were looking for a church. I was encouraged by their receptivity as they said they'd be by some Sunday to check us out.

I ran into "Jack", you know who I mean if you live in Kingsport. He's the most famous homeless person in the area. We had a great talk. He said he hadn't seen me in a while and was thinking about me and wondered how I've been doing. I invited him and he said he would be there some time.

I had one man invite me onto his porch and ask me to keep him in my prayers. Oh, one final one I need to share with you. I knocked on one door, and the young man who opened the door asked kind of gruffly, "Who you look'n for?" I told him what I was about, and I'm pretty sure I'll be seeing him some Sunday soon.

When Tammy came home from subbing at the Middle School and we caught up on our day, she said something about how I looked pretty happy. I really felt happy. It was good connecting with people that I simply would not have met in any other way than going to their home; in about two & 1/2 hours I was able to invite people in about 50 homes to worship with us. I felt refreshed in the work I feel God has called me to, and I was excited once more about the new work we are involved with.

Now I know there are much better ways of sharing the good news, more personal and meaningful. And, I know in our day & age people supposedly don't like to be bothered. People don't like strangers showing up, unannounced and uninvited to talk to them about personal and private things like faith. As true as that might be, I was received warmly too many times today to say that everybody feels that way. I'm hopeful my respectful and relaxed attitude helps to plant & water a few seeds here and there. And yes, I'm anxiously looking forward to knocking a few more doors downtown asap...

Roll reversals AND Worship Wars:

2012-01-27T21:24:00.002-05:00

Let me first state clearly and forcefully: Worship preferences should never be a test of fellowship, or of determining "who's in & who's out." Also, I'm equally in love with people on both sides of this issue of Traditional/Liberal. I could care less if someone wants to sing "Just as I am" or if they want to sing 10 verses of Hillsong's latest praise & worship song. Now, if this issue becomes an issue of judging or excluding, then I'm not "okay" with haters on either side.

Having said that, here goes... Most "worship wars" run between the traditional-contemporary divide. The old hash mixed up into something new-er usually isn't enough to please people either; that would be the "blended" route. As people contend for the faith or reach out to the unchurched, the label attached to traditional camp is "Conservative" while the contemporary tribe ends up being labeled "Liberal."

I'm about to turn that ideology on its head...

I think that the so-called Liberals are really the Biblical Conservatives, and the so-called Conservatives are really the Biblical Liberals in this discussion! How so?

If you think about the Pharisaic establishment in the days of Jesus, they had rules surrounding their rules to make sure the didn't break any of God's rules. So, for example, if you couldn't work on the Sabbath day, then if a woman didn't look in a mirror she wouldn't be tempted to fix her hair... Or, if she didn't carry a needle on her person, then she wouldn't be tempted to fix any lose threads, thus she avoided what might be work so that she didn't violate the actual command of abstaining from labor on the Sabbath. Whew.

Most people would think, oh my, that's a very conservative stance those Pharisees had. It's kind of like people today who hold-fast to tradition today? Actually, the Pharisees were liberals. How so? They "added" to the Text. They weren't satisfied with what the Bible actually said, so they added a supplemental clause to the Scripture with a few rules of their own. They took liberalities with the Bible by increasing the regulations to stay on the safe side. Where does God say, "Play it safe and go beyond My Word to keep my Word!"????

So, the Conservatives of today, what are they adding? Packaging the church in a bygone era, sticking to the form over the function, and making sure nothing changes, they've added to the Text a golden-age of the faith and fixed/ridged method of "this is how we do" church, where there is no formula in the Bible for this.

It may sound like I simply have an axe to grind with the conservatives. Read on...

Liberals (which are really the conservatives) are the contemporary people sometimes acting like the people in traditionalism. In what way? Having an aversion to people who don't see things their way, for one. And, the contemporaries who are really the conservatives, need to be careful they don't end up like the former conservatives (who are the real liberals) and get stuck in a rut themselves. After all, I love "Shout to the Lord" as a praise song, but if I think that's cutting edge music, I'm stuck in the last decade already...

If you're still wondering why I think the former Liberals (contemporaries) are the true conservatives, here's why. What most people think of as a liberal today, these are the people who pretty much take the Bible at it's word. The so-called liberals, the contemporary people who are labeled "liberals" stick to the Text. If the Psalms were good enough for the early church, liberals harvest a lot of the material from the Psalms for the verses of their worship songs today.

If God was more worried about the downtrodden and the outcast, then we should be too. If Jesus was in the streets with the prostitutes and riffraff, then His church should be too. I see the liberals casting off the "country-club church" and the institutionalism that has shackled the so-called conservatives for too long as a good thing.

If the Bible doesn't give an eternal "How to" on worship, and there's actual freedom in how we participate in our gatherings, the so-called liberals who explore that freedom are simply taking the Bible at its word. The so-called liberals aren't adding their set of regulations on top of the Bible to be the "true" church.

Now, how do we harness this for God's harvest? Can we learn from each other? Can we, on different sides of the great divide gain from rubbing shoulders? Yes, but it takes respect and tolerance. The typical Conservative in the traditional camp can have a tendency to be an elitist. The typical Liberal in the contemporary camp can have a bohemian attitude that segregates too.

If you know me at all, you know I'm open for most anything. I have no qualms with new innovations in "doing" church. I love the idea of becoming all things to all people to win them to Christ. I have radical views on women's rolls, in the eyes of some, and I'm simply too progressive for some others. I'm comfortable in my own skin, so none of that bothers me. Actually, not much bothers me. Having said all of this, take time to rethink the labels people toss around. Make sure the description you utilize is accurate. And, next time someone calls you a liberal, may you not take offence at their complement. Oh, and if someone calls you a conservative, you have reason to smile too.

Celebrating Heroes:

2012-01-23T22:34:00.002-05:00

I guess I'm blessed in the fact I have heroes like Rich Mullins. He exemplifies, for me, radical commitment to Christ. When I listen to his music (or his lectures that have been preserved) I'm inspired to reach for a deeper, more real faith. There's an intensity in Rich's eyes, a ring of truth to his speech, and an air of authenticity that catches me by the shoulders and shakes me awake. It's a shame Rich died so young, like an incomplete tapestry that once hung just leaves people guessing. He had too much to offer to pass from this life without being missed.

I have other heroes too, guys like Bonhoeffer. Some former professors. Some others are in the literary world, guys like C S Lewis and practitioners like Peter Stienke. I even enjoy and am motivated by the ramblings of Donald Miller. I don't have any sports heroes but instead I admire historical men like Lewis & Clark who trekked into unknown territories and charted the West for us. The early leaders in our Restoration Movement who risked everything to spread their wings and explore their faith on their own, too. As for the realm of politics, there aren't any living political heroes that come to mind.

Heroes aren't the smartest, strongest or richest people we know. It is the personification of our hero's traits & character we admire most. Whether it's their courage, integrity, persistence, or integrity we struggle and strain at their example like a castaway swimming towards the shore.

Pause and consider the people you admire, you long to emulate, and who inspire you. I doubt you'll find people who gave up early. I don't think you'll list people who settled for the mediocre. I would say they didn't sell-out either. They paid their dues, took their lumps, and did amazing things that other people said couldn't be done. Reflect for a while on your heroes, it will do your soul good to ponder such things.

Why churches wither & fade out:

2012-01-18T11:16:00.001-05:00

There's an alarming trend of shrinking churches across America, so the data goes. Young people are leaving their faith in the dust as they enter their 20's. Churches are closing their doors; last I read it was in the 100's of congregations per week. And, the recent census data reveals an increasing selection of "none" for religious affiliation.

I'm not totally sure why the North American Church is experiencing this phenomena, but I have a good hunch why the opposite isn't happening here. Why aren't we growing? We aren't growing because we... well wait a moment and let me try a metaphor out, tell me what you think:

There's an old phrase that's been around in the business world for years. It applies when it comes to reaching a target audience, whether it's in advertising, marketing, or even in evangelism: Low Hanging Fruit. The metaphor is meant to be reminiscent of nomadic peoples roaming through the forests or orchards, picking the fruit that's within easy reach... thus, if you are broadcasting your organization's message, you hit the target that's easy. i.e., the people you've already reached, they represent the "low hanging fruit" while the fruit that's been out of reach rots or is eaten by bats, you trek on.

I think the North American church is not growing because we've been accustomed to the low hanging fruit for so long we don't realize there's a tree full of fruit just out of reach. We want to convert the nearly converted. We're more comfortable being keepers of the aquarium than we are being fishers of men. We enjoy when families of like-minded faith move into our town and join us more than we do reaching over the fence.

Do you know how walnuts are harvested? There's a piece of mobile farming equipment that grips the trunk of the walnut tree like a giant robotic hand, and then the machinery violently shakes the tree... and wallah, presto, a fuller harvest is gathered. So, what am I recommending? Ingenuity, a revitalized & energetic membership, and hard work.

It's all up to the Holy Spirit to work on people, but the Holy Spirit depends on us to spread the message too. Romans 10:17 says faith comes through hearing the Word of Christ. And, Jesus says in Luke 10:2 we need to pray for more workers in the field, "And he said to them, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few. Therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest."

We need to shake things up (walnut tree harvest) and reach those who haven't been. I read somewhere it's a terrible thing be lost and it's even worse when no one is looking for you. Let's prayerfully turn around the trends we see and make every effort to reach those who aren't interested in church because of church as usual. We need to become all things to all people and not expect unchurhced people to convert to us, but for us all to be transformed into the image of Jesus. When we focus more on the needs of the people than our comfort zone and when being like Jesus becomes the goal, then good things will happen.

I give up, I quit... at least I'm trying to.

2012-01-14T12:03:00.000-05:00

Please watch the above video before reading this post.

Thanks. Okay, that's my all-time favorite song on surrender. Tammy & I met The Waiting in Little Rock when we lived in Searcy. They were a blessing, to say the least.

Here's where I'm going: Submission, while it's essential to being faithful, is arguably the toughest challenge to the Christian life. Free will, choice, determination, call it what you will, allowing someone/Someone else to direct you is an incredibly difficult processes.

Here's a couple of examples of our struggle:

In grad school/seminary my advisors had the final "say" over my research projects, and the countless revisions of major papers...
In work we have to report to people above us on the food-chain who seemingly hold our fate in one hand and balance that with our cooperation in their other hand.
Then there's our eternal-internal battle, choosing between good & evil... I want to do the right thing, but don't, or I want to avoid the wrong but give into it anyway (think Rom 7:14 f.f.).

I don't have all of the answers (or even most of the answers) on how to submit to others or God, but I'll share the foundational idea that can revolutionize us, it's in how we see ourselves. If I see myself as the center of the universe, submission is out of the question. If I see myself as a servant at the bottom of the Totem-pole, then and only then can I begin to see my will is meant to be subservient. Better yet, if I see myself as dead to myself and the world, I have no-say and then it should be easier to submit. My favorite verse in the Bible pretty much encapsulates this, Galatians 6:14.

I think this subject is the crux of why we fail in our efforts to be "kosher" Christians, basically, this submission stuff is too hard and no one wants to give in. I've counseled dozens of couples and watched more than one of their marriages collapse because neither one wanted to give in. I've had the "battle-of-wills" with our teenagers; nobody wins that war. I've seen people refuse to embrace Christianity in the 1st place because they wanted what they wanted, no brainer there...? And, I've seen my fair share of people walk away from their personal community of believers -- following the siren-call of "freedom" from responsibility &; accountability.

Until we throw our hands up in surrender, we'll never find peace with others or within.

Why people hurt us:

2012-01-10T23:13:00.000-05:00

There's saying you may have heard: Hurt people hurt people.
In other words, when people are hurting, they in turn feel the need to hurt those around them. Power-trips and narcissism are merely cover-ups for the inner conflict our tormentor wrestles with... so the story goes.

If you've ever been bullied, and who hasn't, you know that terrible sensation of helplessness or the shame of feeling vulnerable. People bully us or try to inflict upon us emotional pain because (supposedly) they are hurting or have low self-esteem, or have an inferiority-complex, or on-and-on. But these are simply symptoms, these aren't the real causes. Honestly, I don't know all of the motivators behind why people perform acts of cruelty, and really, their motivation is immaterial to me.

The reason people hurt us is, because we let them.
"But they are stronger, have power over me, are bigger, hold all the cards, they-they-they-they..." I'm not making light of the real anxiety you might have. If you are an abused spouse, an employee who's boss takes advantage of you, a student who gets roughed up daily, or a member who has been abused by your leadership, I'm simply asking that you turn the focus off of "them" and refocus it on your community.

When I say hurt people hurt us because "we" let them, I mean "we" in the plural. None of us alone can stand up as well as all of us can. There's no stronger force on earth than the community. If we unite together to stand up to those who threaten others, challenge them and then keep an accountability factor well maintained, we can live healthier more loving lives. As the old saying goes: The only thing necessary for evil to triumph is for good men to do nothing...

An Idea so old it's new to us:

2012-01-08T15:48:00.001-05:00

"Creed" from the Latin word "Credo" which means "I believe"
In our heritage within the American Restoration Movement (Christian Churches/Churches of Christ), "creeds" have been downplayed, discouraged, even forbidden... This total avoidance of creeds is unhealthy and the results have been detrimental.

We lose out on the unity of the larger church universal.
We lose out on the mnemonic benefits that creeds best provide.
Our churches are splintered and Biblically illiterate (or so the cry goes out from leadership).

BTW, While we have dismissed creeds, we have simultaneously allowed several "slogans" to supplement our beliefs:
"We are Christians only, but not the only Christians"
"We speak where the Bible speaks, and we're silent where the Bible is silent"
"Call Bible things by Bible names"
"We have no creed but the Bible" or, "No creed but Christ"
All of these (and there are more) ironically sound a lot like a creedal statements to me...

So, what am I recommending?
Having had only a couple of classes between my undergrad & graduate work dealing directly creeds, I'm certainly no expert on creeds. But, I had to read all of the historic creeds and read about the situations that provoked their framing. Even so, I'm comfortable enough saying I would encourage congregations to recite, in unison, the Apostles' Creed at the beginning of their corporate worship services.

I'm also in favor of believers re-reading the ancient creeds, studying them, and using them as ways of helping us understand and articulate our faith. I'm not saying make it binding that people "have to" recite a creed to be recognized an authentic believer, yet, I wonder why believers are so hostile to these creedal statements? After all, we have people make "a confession of faith" before we baptize them...

Someone once said, Stand for something or you'll fall for anything. Creeds were simply written to help Christians understand what we stand for, what we believe, and help us fight heresy. So my final recommendation is, don't take my word for it, read a few creeds for yourself and see what you think...

My problems don't compare:

2012-01-04T19:38:00.000-05:00

It's with tears in my eyes I jot down a few feelings tonight.
Tammy & I were so very blessed to be part of the MSN (Ministers support Network) retreat last April. Hands down, it is the best hosted and best healing experience any ministry couple can be exposed to. Charles & Judy Sibert & and a handful of their friends who are seasoned veteran ministry couples, bring in a group of downtrodden, depressed, burnt-out ministerial couples, and over a weekend transform us into something more useful, if not more optimistic. The fellowship is more than memorable, the bonding is lasting, and the experience is sustaining.

Charles was while at our retreat, and still is, battling cancer. Our group that met in April has stayed in touch via-email since the retreat, sharing life and various updates. Charles stays a constant theme; his battle with cancer seems to have more downs than ups, but he and Judy are crazy with their responses that I read. They are upbeat and optimistic too, and frankly I'm baffled because I'm the one feeling encouraged from their response.

Since our April retreat, one member of our group was diagnosed with prostate cancer, and now tonight I just read an email that another one of our group has been diagnosed with a mass in the center of her brain...

Life for our family hit a few bumps in the road over the last year, but we haven't really suffered. I really and truly can't complain one bit. In the big-picture of life, at the worst, I've been inconvenienced from the struggles we've faced. The love and support we've received from a few close friends has far outweighed the sorrows we shared.

I'm upset at the news I've read of our friend tonight and her new battle with this mass in her brain. I feel like I've been immature, pouting over my petty problems; my blood sweat & tears pale in comparison to what some are facing tonight. Please pray for our friends who are fighting real battles, God knows who they are, please just lift up the MSN group from April tonight before you go to sleep.

A Quick prayer to read by:

2012-01-01T18:49:00.002-05:00

I want to quickly share a prayer with you I like voice to God as I open my Bible before my daily Bible reading. It goes something like this: Lord please help me to understand what I'm reading, please help me to remember what I read, please transform me by what I read, please bless me so I can share Your Word with others, and please bless me so that I love You with all of my heart, soul, strength, mind and understanding.

For me, praying about my Scripture reading has given me a deeper connection with the Bible, and I hope has developed some spiritual maturity in me. I hope you'll prayerfully read through your Bible in 2012, or at least read more than you read in 2011.

Entering the unfamiliar with the Unfailing God:

2011-12-24T00:05:00.002-05:00

In less than 24 hours we'll have our first Christmas Eve service as the New Song church. I'm excited at several levels. It's amazing to me as we talked about plans for our candle light service the amount of Christians who have never been to a candle light service!

It will be an unfamiliar time, but it will be unforgettable. Even though I'm impressed with what I've written down, and I'd like to say the brief thoughts I've put together for when we light our candles in unison are so radical and earth shattering people's jaws will drop in awe, the truth is how many different ways can we announce the the Christmas story? Yet, we as families all have shared stories that never get old: How a favorite set of grandparents met, how our ancestors came to America, how we overcame a struggle, etc. Our time together reflecting on the Birth of Jesus and sharing communion will speak louder than my feeble voice.

God will be the focus as we gather in a circle for our candle light service. We'll reflect as a community on the crazy method God used to reclaim us -- sending a helpless baby to overcome the evils of the universe... I hope you'll join us for a night of mediation and reflection, and to refocus on the true light.
"Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”" (John 8:12 ESV)

Leaving Legalism requires an open mind...

2011-12-21T16:10:00.000-05:00

One of the big blessings that comes with launching a new church with close friends is we don't have to worry about the shackles of legalism. We can explore the Scriptures with an open mind; without fear of having to tow party-lines, or the maintenance of a status quo... Our heritage within the Restoration Movement has one of the best catchphrases: We are Christians only, but not the only Christians. To honor our heritage, being open minded and sincere enough in our personal study to see the Scriptures in new and fresh ways and to have an ownership of our beliefs, is liberating and exhilarating!

For me there are three main reasons why we should avoid legalism like the plague. BTW, here's my definition of "legalism": A nasty religious addiction to rules and laws which implies God owes you for your strict outward obedience, even if you're a hardhearted jerk.

Again, here's why I say ditch legalism:

#1. Jesus' view of legalistic people in Matt 15.

#2. Judgmentalism itself is a salvation issue.

# The roadblock to people in need of God's grace.

Let me break these three down:

1. Jesus cracks down hard on the people in Matt 15:1-9 who "honor God with their lips, but their hearts are far from Him." When we replace God's principles with our own rules, or even put our rules on a higher plane than God's will, we might feel great about our abilities to make laws and keep them, but God isn't impressed.

2. Jesus makes it clear in Matt 7:1-6 that whatever standard of perfection we hold people to, God will hold us to. For example, if I think I'm doing everything right, and therefore "I'm" going to heaven because I did everything the right way, but I think you missed one point in the Bible and your soul is in jeopardy, I've just jeopardized my soul. This is the scariest passage in the Bible to me. In other words, when I sentence people to hell for their lack of compete perfection, then Jesus will hold me to absolute perfection... In our devastating splintering in Christendom over matters of opinions, we better learn how to agree to disagree and embrace tolerance more.

3. I wonder how people outside God's kingdom reign will ever accept a message of Love from people who have a hard time loving the very people they are supposedly going to spend eternity with? Jesus is expressly clear that our method of convincing people we are "authentic" is our mutual love, i.e., in Jn 13:34-35 Jesus says people will know we are His followers by our love for each other.

If you are stuck asking yourself "Craig, are you saying anything goes?" you've missed the point. God is clear enough in His Word to spell out what we need to know to follow Him, and to let Him be God...

"Do not speak evil against one another, brothers. The one who speaks against a brother or judges his brother, speaks evil against the law and judges the law. But if you judge the law, you are not a doer of the law but a judge. There is only one lawgiver and judge, he who is able to save and to destroy. But who are you to judge your neighbor?" (James 4:11-12 ESV)

Finding new Bibles when you annually read through the Bible, in a different translation can be tough

2011-12-18T17:12:00.001-05:00

IT's that time of year again, where I narrow down the English translation of the Bible I'll read through for the upcoming year. I like to read through a different translation each year, though I have read a couple of them through more than once, because I really liked them. For at least 10 years, maybe 12, I've dedicated the time to be a daily Bible reader, and from the get-go I've sought out different translations each year.

How do I select a new translation?

Remember how your elementary school librarian told you, never pick a book by its cover? Bibles usually don't have catchy covers, so that's not a big help... So, in no particular order, here are several of the criteria I use when selecting the next Bible to read:

1. I like Bibles that have a varied translation committee. Even though I really enjoyed Eugene Peterson's solo translation, "The Message" that's an outlier for me. Well, there's one more solo effort I really like, and that's J B Philip's New Testament. So, when I say "varied," what I'm referencing are the Bibles that have different scholars/ministers from different denominations represented. In other words, I like to read the translation that has an ecumenical influence. If 20 or 25 people from very different backgrounds can agree to an interpretative perspective, there's a good chance their debate has led the way to a nonpartisan truth.

2. I'm attracted to Bibles that have generated a lot of buzz. For whatever reason, maybe Scot McKnight has blogged about it, a Bible prof mentioned it back in college, or the translation was recently mentioned in Leadership Journal, somehow I've heard about this new translation, it was plugged by someone I respect and now I'm interested in it. Of course I'll look it up on Amazon and read through a few pages of it 1st. Actually, this particular criteria is how I've chosen the translation I'll read through in 2012, The Common English Bible.

3. I like to read through translations that I hope to use in ministry. If it's a translation that is being advertised as a good study Bible, or an easy to read version, or has some other nuance, I want to read it first before I endorse it or recommend it.

4. I look for translations that have a novel approach. I like Bibles that help me see God's Word differently than I saw it before, Bibles that can catch my attention and make me wonder why I never "saw it" like that before...? I appreciate translations that help me see God's Word in fresh ways, and help me see His Word in a way that enable me to gain a deeper ownership of my faith because I see His truth for myself.

Reading different translations isn't for everyone, I know. But, I hope you'll read through your Bible completely, at least once in your lifetime, and perhaps try to read through your Bible more than once. If we are trusting our eternity to the truths in the Bible, it only makes sense we read it for ourselves.

A leap of faith...

2011-12-09T17:00:00.001-05:00

http://newsongchurchkpt.org/

I'm excited, anxious, and at peace all at once. Why? Lord willing we will launch a new church this weekend. Check out our website, above, for more info.

For some, you'll ask why do we need another church in the South; there's a church on every corner... Others will wonder if this the best time. Certainly people will ask other questions. My response: What if God guided us to this point, and, what if souls will be saved that otherwise might not have?

What do we hope to accomplish?
Spreading God's Kingdom influence, period.

Who do we hope to reach?
While everyone is welcome, we have a special heart for people who have drifted away from their faith or have never entered into faith in the 1st place....

What makes us distinct?
We are Christians only, but we aren't the only Christians. Our focus is on the core of Christianity, i.e. unity of the essentials, while leaving a lot of open areas for us to not worry about; we do not have to agree on every point to have fellowship. Another distinction, we'll partner with other groups in our community serving local needs; we want to bring glory to God and we don't have to reinvent the wheel. Finally, what sets us apart, we'll strive to incorporate people of all backgrounds and genders in serving and worshiping God.

If you are looking for a breath of fresh air with something new and different and you'd like to experience freedom in Christ, we'd love to see you Sunday at 10 am, room 239 in the Kingsport Renaissance center.

What Ministry couldn't provide Concrete can:

2011-12-03T23:08:00.001-05:00

(Picture above: Jacob is brooming & I'm on my knees troweling cement)

I love ministry immensely, I enjoy devoting my life to it and feel it's my calling. Yet, there's something that I get out of working in concrete that ministry can't provide. I just finished up a driveway, one I've been fitting in on weekends and evenings. As I looked over the final pour last night, I thought about a particular reward concrete offers that I never captured in ministry.

Working concrete, daily I enjoy the outdoors -- smelling grass, fresh fields and the earthy aroma of the broken ground. I see the stars (I leave before the sunrises and get home after dark most of the time). Working concrete has helped me to shed a few pounds too.... There's a great feeling of comradery when a crew is on the same page. My awareness of the weather increases, and I'm taught to appreciate the days it doesn't rain so we can work, and the rain-days so my body can rest. My body feels fatigue, a good fatigue, and so I hit the pillow drained but the endorphins flowing from a hard day's work trick me into thinking the physical stress is good.

All of these are nice, but these aren't what I'm talking about.

In ministry one never really has a sense of accomplishment, not in the sense of completion that is. Concrete gives this type of peace of mind. Ah, there's the start, middle, and end of the job. We break ground, and in a certain time, we wrap up our tools and sweep up and we're gone. Looking back, you can see the challenges, and see the project through. You form up the pour, dump the concrete, finish it, strip off the boards, clean up and go. In ministry, Sunday morning always comes around; sermons don't write themselves... There's always another meeting to attend, a bulletin article to write, a visit to make. A new believer needs more discipleship. Building projects need to be paid off or maintained. On and on... Again, I love ministry, but there's that element of the ministry where there's no end in sight. One could literally work 24/7 and never finish all there is to do in congregational ministry.

I doubt I've really explained it well. Think of this like you were on KP duty, forever. You're in front of a five foot high pile of potatoes that no matter how hard or how fast you peel them, there will never be a day when you are done peeling... BTW: I actually like peeling potatoes and making homemade mashed-potatoes too.

In ministry, which is a great way of life, people need nourishment from the Word, because we are all growing in our faith we have cycles of ups and downs, people are coming into the faith, others are struggling in their faith. Faith is a living, breathing reality that is dynamic and, and, and, well you get the picture, serving in the realm of faith doesn't have a finish-line, there's no final culmination where everything is summed up. Let's face it, everyone enjoys the satisfaction of either finishing a homework project or remolding job around the house some time in their life.

I think God enjoys a sense of completion. He created the creation, then rested on the 7th day. He commands a Sabbath rest for His people. He has a day when He will bring time to an end.

I don't think there's anything wrong with the aspect of ministry that seems more like a treadmill than a marathon most of the time; it's part of the territory. Still, I am human, and I really enjoy the satisfaction of a job well done...

Own your faith because your forefathers deserve your best:

2011-11-30T16:38:00.001-05:00

I'm amazed at the efforts we as Christians put forth to not offend. Our faith is offensive; Jesus offend the defensive Pharisaical machine of His day. Jesus says His followers with be on the ropes from friend, family and foe because of His message.

That doesn't mean we try to be purposely offensive, immature, or obnoxious, it's simply true that the radical changes our faith calls for offends people. If the Bible hasn't ruffled your feathers, maybe you need to re-read it. If Jesus' message hasn't challenged you, maybe you aren't ready to challenge others to find their faith, yet.

Our sinful hearts are prideful and stuck in a rut until God liberates us, and no one who thinks they are free appreciates being told they are a foolish slave to sin. Therefore, our message is offensive, but not in a punitive way. Think of it like an intervention with an addict; how many addicts start out immediately thanking the group? No, there's the denial then defensiveness, and then the attacks they aim at the group and their refusal to accept personal responsibly. Sharing the Gospel can sometimes have that same affect...

Oh, and for "religious people" or "intellectual superpowers" I Cor 1:23 clarifies most people are flat-out offended by our message, "but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles..." We either risk angering people or appear looking foolish, unless we are merely snake-oil salesmen...

More to the dangerous point I really want to make, in our efforts to not offend we sometimes try to not offend the memory of those who went before us in the faith. It's not that I'm opposed to the proper respect due to those whose shoulders we stand on; I'm against misplaced respect that nurtures nostalgia over personal growth. "We've never done it that way before" or a host of synonymous phrases become nothing more than the sandpaper we smooth our collective coffin with.

A personal faith that truly honors our heritage will be a vibrant faith that goes deeper, gains more individual ownership, and reaches out with more influence on unbelievers than ever before. If we want to authentically honor our heritage and respect our heroes in the faith, we won't memorialize the past to the extent that is handicaps our creativity or mobility to learn and grow. Or, as Solomon put it in Eccl 7:10, "Say not, “Why were the former days better than these?” For it is not from wisdom that you ask this."

Paul wrote in I Cor 11:1-2, "Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ. Now I commend you because you remember me in everything and maintain the traditions even as I delivered them to you." Paul advocated a tradition that reproduced imitators of Christ, not a cookie-cutter program that simply defended it's own self-perpetuation. May we learn to follow Christ through those who went before us, with a consistent fresh vitality not with stale cliches that only make sense to those within our country club.

The hardest part of change:

2011-11-07T22:11:00.002-05:00

One lesson I'm learning well in our wilderness wandering is that looking back is pointless. I want to look forward, perhaps more than at any time in my life.

Let me quickly circle back for one moment and say "yes" I said wilderness wandering, it's a great metaphor for where I feel we are. Why? Having left the security of the enslavement of institutionalism, I feel like we are on the verge of the Promised land. I can't go back to the golden-chains of the mainline, institutional structure that I was once deeply enmeshed in. What the future is holding, only God knows for sure.

I mean no disrespect for people who can thrive in an institutional-mainline church setting; simply put, personally I can't. some of the people I love & respect the most are in that type of setting. I'm not saying I'm out of full-time ministry for life, but I am saying I can't ever go back the same-ol-same-ol structure I've been in. I love doing ministry because I want to, not because I have to. I'm thankful for being sidetracked in the desert, it's rather liberating.

Okay, back to the point I was trying to make about looking forward...
Recently we were having a great discussion with a few friends, discussing Bible things, and someone asked a question. We had looked at a passage in I Timothy 2 at length, and we saw it in a different light than our heritage typically has. Someone asked, "How would you help someone see this particular point?" (my loose paraphrase of their question)

At that point something clicked in my brain, and I said, there is a certain powerful phenomena we experience when we weave/braid together: Nostalgia over our golden-years, our Comfort-zone, and our hesitation to rock the boat/upset, or make people uncomfortable. That emotional rope can hold us back from seeing Scriptures in a fresh way. At that point, the person who asked the question about helping others see I Tim 2 more clearly, mimicked wrapping a rope around their neck and said, if we aren't careful that rope we weave is the noose we hang ourselves with...

So, as I work concrete these days and feel like we are being led by a pillar of Cloud by day & a pillar of Fire by night, I've thought about change quite a bit. I know I can never go back to the garlic, cucumber or pots overflowing with meat (Check out Numbers 11:5) and I'm looking forward to where God is leading us. Change, even when we can clearly see it is a change for the best is still hard for most of us. The hardest part of change just might be the willingness of letting go of the one so you can grab onto the other...

In God's hands:

2011-11-03T23:34:00.000-04:00

After a 15 or 16 year break from it, I've been back into concrete full-time for a few weeks now. My hands are past the stage in this picture, blistered; my hands are callousing up rather well..., well accept for the tips of my fingers and creases in my thumbs that have cracked open. But this post isn't about blisters or tough skin.

I want to write about how God works out awesome circumstance in my life:

For starters, one of our former neighbors had a new concrete driveway poured just days before we moved. Tammy saw the concrete crew doing the driveway and mentioned to me that I should check-out the company. The company had stuck a sign in the yard, kind of like a Realtor sign. I didn't talk to the crew, but did look up the company online. Turns out, on their website they were looking for a finisher. Since I really only know two areas of work, ministry and concrete, I called. I met with the owner, at Starbucks :-) and we spent the entire morning talking. We really hit it off, and he hired me.

It gets better. My new boss is a Christian, and, he's interested in developing his people... He has in the past (several years in a row) taken his employees to Catalyst in Atlanta. If you aren't in Church leadership, you may not have heard of Catalyst. Catalyst is a conference I'd love to go to, haven't had the opportunity yet though.

Think about this for a minute, a concrete company taking its crew to Catalyst. To really appreciate this, picture your stereotypical construction worker in a setting like a Bible lectureship, but instead of a general audience in mind, the speakers are bent on equipping leaders. Picture yourself at this high-powered leadership conference with speakers like Jim Collins ("Good to great"), and instead of "just" seeing preachers and youth minsters in khakis and Polos, you see a group of guys in flannels and jeans... and scruffy work boots. Think Acts 4:13....

It is interesting to me that a concrete crew would end up at a high profile leadership seminar, one that is mostly directed to ministry leaders. My boss paid for everyone's ticket, meals, lodging, etc. The economy, being what it is the last couple of years hasn't been helpful, so my boss didn't take the crew last year or this year. Oh, By the way, my boss doesn't know I blog, so this is for your benefit, no kissing-up here! Bottom line, my respect for my new boss went way-up when I heard about the trips to Catalyst.

I guess what I'm really trying to say tonight is that I'm feeling so very blessed right now. I have a boss that not only is a Christian, he's truly interested in developing his people. It blows my mind how God works. When things went down last Spring the way they did, our friends said time and again (as they supported us spiritually and emotionally), "God has something great in store for you." I know what they meant was, there was some awesome church "out there" waiting for us. There was no "out there" in the end. God had plans for us I didn't see. We're still here, much to the surprise of most everyone.

Don't get me wrong, concrete is tough work. I come home exhausted, sore, and starved most nights. But, I love where God has brought me though. I thank God just about everyday for my job. As much as I miss the rhythms and cycles of full-time ministry and look forward to being back in full-time ministry, God has led me to a place I never would've found on my own -- into a place where He is growing me in new and exciting ways.

One more tidbit: My blood pressure has dropped from 149/95 to 122/84, coincidence, I think not.

Eccl 9:10, "Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with your might, for there is no work or thought or knowledge or wisdom in Sheol, to which you are going."

Baggage

2011-10-24T00:16:00.002-04:00

Drew (our oldest) and I hiked about 12 or 14 miles on the Appalachian trail this summer. I can't wait till we can hit the trail again! Was it easy, no. It was humbling. I thought we could go 30 + miles in three days & two nights. Drew thought it though before we left for the trail-head & mentioned we should try out two days & one night our first go-around, he was right.

It's amazing how heavy your backpack gets when you pack for one overnight camping trip... My pack felt like it was about 70 pounds. Still, as heavy as that pack was, it was a liberating experience knowing you could carry everything you needed for your survival.

In our family's recent move across the subdivision, I joked that a house fire wouldn't have hurt my feelings. Obviously not the kind of house fire where anyone was hurt; just the type of house fire that would've removed the responsibility of packing, loading, moving, unloading & unpacking...

Before you misunderstand me, we aren't hoarders or pack-rats. Nor are we people who have a lot-of-lot stuff. Also, let me add, Tammy impressed me with what she was able to pare down & pack away for an upcoming yardsale.

I have a new philosophy on possessions. My new view is that I'd like to pare my possessions down to what would fit into my backpack. No joke.

I recently shared my new stance with a longtime mentor of mine, a dear friend Ted Matthews. Ted pointed out how that might seem nice, but with having a family comes the responsibility of caring for them, and that requires stuff/things. I guess Ted is right, but I still would like to be able to only own what I can carry on my back.

This is not one of those emotional rants where you are challenged to "prioritize" your possessions and share what you'd put into your backpack, like at some Summer camp devo, or Youth retreat. I've seen those talks, I'm not going down that path.

This also is not a guilt trip, i.e., sermonizing post, where I tell you how the Bible is full of passages (which you could read them) which lay out the truth we brought nothing into the world & we'll take nothing out of it either. You know the old cliche about how there are no U-hauls heading into the cemetery... Keyword, cliche.

Finally, this post isn't some "spiritual" superiority complex where I say I want to be more like Jesus than you are. After all, He had nowhere "to lay His head..." This is self-centered talk here! This is what I really want for me, I'm not pushing this off on anyone.

No, this feeling I have about wishing I could pare my junk down to what I can fit into my backpack is something that I can't shake. Since we spent a few weeks packing, then a solid week/week and a half, trudging our stuff to our new place, and then all the getting settled in..., I really think having a bunch of stuff is overrated.

Tonight while I was reading a historical account about one of the most successful inter-generational families, I thought to myself -- what in my life would change if I were independently wealthy, or were a millionaire? How would I live or act differently? I may be naive, but I can't think of much changing. I'd still want to be with and eat dinner with my family every single day. I'd still want to read voraciously.... I'd still want to invest my life in helping people know God. Sure having wealth would ease some stress, and maybe make it possible to do some traveling. But I'm guessing 99% of my existence would be about the same.

I don't sit around wishing I could accumulate more stuff. Instead, lately I think to myself daily, maybe hobos aren't as dumb as we think they are?

2011-10-20T23:54:00.001-04:00

It's been about 6 months since I've blogged. A lot has gone on in our lives since I've transitioned out of the NE church. The Lord blessed our family with a great summer together. If you've followed any of our FB or Twitter posts, you know we hit the beach, went to D.C. for a couple of days, relaxed, Klay and I drove to AR and visited Drew & Laura once, and every week we've grilled a lot, a lot. Want to hear something funny? About two years ago I asked the church for a Sabbatical, at the time I didn't get it, so I'm thanking God for the sabbatical I did get this year...

Life has felt disoriented over the last several months, as you might expect. Not working, moving, trying to find our way, wondering what God is teaching us in all of this, you name it. Many good friends, from near & far, have come along side us in our pain and have offered much needed encouragement. I've had a lot of heartfelt phone calls from friends out of state, and several meals with good friends in town. I'm looking at life differently than I did one year ago, even six months ago. Many blessings have given us glimmers of hope, and we've seen God's hand in weird ways we wouldn't have normally thought about, too. Some people have distanced themselves, while other people have drawn closer. I don't really expect anyone to understand how we feel, but it's true, you do find out who your real friends are.

I'm back to working concrete for the time being. With the economy still limping along and the weather turning, well you can figure that one out. I'm thankful for a job and hope for the best. Nervous? Somewhat. It's a little bit surreal, working construction after about a 17 year break from it...

In many ways, after the experiences of the last few years, my adrenal glands and my sanity needed a breather. So I'm thankful for the past few months. Now, I'm looking around and I feel kind of like Mel Gibson's character in the Road Warrior after his wreak, mixed with Tom Hank's character in Cast Away. I'm not sure where I am in the plot of Cast Away right now, I'm certainly past the plane crash, but I don't know if I'm past the scene where he knocks out his tooth with the ice-skate, or if he's back in civilization already? I think I'm learning about myself, that's always a good thing. I know my prayers have changed, and I appreciate the small things more. I don't take a lot for granted these days. I miss my old life, sometimes, but I don't want to go back, not one little bit.

Why haven't I blogged? Honestly, my mind pretty much shut down over the last few months. I lost a lot of creativity. Well, let me rephrase that, I haven't felt creative. My mind, emotionally & intellectually kind of went into hibernation. This year, the rhythmic centering I usually experience preparing lessons, sermons, articles, etc. has all been shifted. I'm just now lately feeling like I have a voice, or have something worthwhile to say, or an interest to write. My mind has felt starved. My spirit felt flat. Now, I'm feeling the tingling sensation bears certainly must feel when it's time to wake up and feed themselves. It's almost midnight here, my alarm clock is set for 5:55 a.m., and I probably should be in bed now.

Time to ride

2011-05-25T11:30:00.003-04:00

Earlier this month I took my old Trek to the bike shop for repairs, $140 later I was good to go... I forgot how much I enjoy the greenbelt, a trail here in Kingsport - the trailhead pictured above. I throughly enjoy the pleasing smells of honeysuckles, fresh cut grass and nature this time of year. The occasional sighting of a turkey or a deer crossing the trail, and the rare appearance of a red-tailed hawk along Reedy creek catching a little lunch, keeps the trail interesting.

I gave up riding a couple of years ago when we stated back at the gym. I didn't feel like I had time to ride & workout. This week I have to choose between the gym or the trail, but next week I'll have a little more time on my hands to do both.

I admit, looking around my 1/2 packed office, it's a little strange knowing & not knowing what our future holds. For those of our friends who haven't heard, we are making a transition in ministries. This Sunday concludes my responsibilities at NE, what's next is still unknown.

What will I do with my summer? As I prayerfully send out resumes and hang out my fleece, I will get caught up on some much needed rest. I admit, I feel like I've run a marathon and then jumped on a treadmill. So, I look at a little time off as a gift from God.

Drew is coming in for a visit, he and I will hike the Appalachian trail for a few days; I'm super excited about that. Tammy & I plan to take the little guys to DC sometime this summer. Maybe Zach & I can play chess more often too.

I have a couple of writing projects I've neglected that I hope to revive; in fact I plan to dedicate however much time to writing as I'd normally would preparing sermons and classes. I have a few books to catch up on in my free-reading time as well.

Time to sleep, write, pray, exercise/ride, be with family... oh yeah, and wait.

Is it really the end of the world...?

2011-05-12T12:21:00.000-04:00

I have been inspired to address an issue by friends who are believers, and by some friends who aren’t. Thank you to all of my friends who have generated discussions based on the destructive crackpot Harold Camping, whether in person, or on FB.

In case you still haven’t heard, Camping has predicted the “Rapture” will happen on May 21st 2011, and the end of the world is then to follow in October 2011. Harold Camping obviously is a false prophet and has ignored Jesus Himself: “But concerning that day or that hour, no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.” (Mark 13:32 ESV)

Quickly let me address two problems in Harold’s predictions (I don’t have a lot of time if he’s right. Just kidding) 1st of all, the Rapture is a misnomer. There is no “rapture” in the Bible as Camping and others have described. The Latin word for “caught up” in I Thess 4, “rapio” is where we get the English word Rapture; rapio is from the Greek, “harpazo.” There is no Biblical notion of believers being caught up, while the rest of the world suffers in a temporary probation awaiting the final destruction. When we are “caught up” in I Thess 4, that is the end of time.

2ndly, Harold is exactly the type of problem that critics of Christianity need to make their point: We have problems. We are a jumbled mess. We get things wrong. I personally have no problem admitting we need help. But, why would I want to give people ammunition to find fault, unnecessarily, by making claims that are obviously false? Jesus died for imperfect people, which I openly admit to being. Harold Camping, a laughingstock & rightly so, has just made our task of sharing the Gospel harder.

Christians backbite-in-fight, ect-ect, judge each other, gossip, in general embarrass each other, and probably disappoint God too. A vast majority of the New Testament was written addressing the dysfunction Christians get embroiled in... period. When Church leaders today molest children, and when believers act hateful to other believers over political party affiliations, is it any wonder why there are so many people skeptical of our faith? Before you panic as a believer, the list of our failings go on-and-on, and non-believers are intelligent -- they know all-too-well about the skeletons in our closet, even if we turn a blind-eye to them... As Paul once wrote, “I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called...” (Ephesians 4:1 ESV)

My answer to this debacle is that people need to look to Jesus, not at His followers. But there’s the rub; the way the world sees Jesus is through those of us who call on His name. This paradox is humbling: Jesus is perfect and I’m clearly not, yet the only way people see Jesus is through His Body of Believers... I want to scream at the top of my lungs “Don’t judge Jesus by us, His followers!” but I know it doesn’t work that way. As true as it is that we need to point people to Jesus, until we in the Church “convert” people to Jesus and quit trying to convert them to our version of Jesus, this problem isn’t going away.

Led by the Truth

2011-04-14T12:27:00.005-04:00

A challenging question that we sometimes would rather shy away from is How do we form our own convictions? The root of the question stems from the notion that we either find evidence to support what we already believe is true, or we allow truth to transform our opinions.

I can think of three areas in life where this true:

Origins
Ethics
Relationships

Where do we come from answers where we are going. If we came from cosmic dust, then to dust shall we return. Why you believe what you do believe about the two alternatives (Natural or Supernatural origins) might simply be based on accepting what you were told.

Ethics, that idea of fairness of treating others appropriately, of doing what is right or ethical is also based on what we were taught. I doubt too many Germans in the 1930’s were for genocide all on their own, but there’s the prime example of “tell people the lie long enough” and it becomes acceptable and the conscience of many becomes seared.

Relationships, as in the family, are deeply imprinted on us from an early age. Think of the TV show on TLC, “Sister wives” where there’s a polygamist family trying weekly (weakly?) to let the rest of the world see how great that choice works for them. Where did they come up with the idea that a husband could have multiple wives, while the rest of the country deems that act illegal? The family on the show was taught that, while the rest of America was taught something different. IS marriage simply situational, or relativistic?

These three examples are interesting to me, but not nearly as important to me as how our people approach the Bible. Do we as believers turn to a passage to support what we’ve always been taught? Or, are we willing to go where the facts within the Text lead us?

One way we can safeguard against “proof texting” is to not randomly pick and choose what we’ll keep and what we’ll disregard from a particular verse. Sounds fairly elementary, I know. An important first step here is to ask yourself, How many of my beliefs have I personally thought through?

While it is helpful to let Scripture interpret Scripture and refuse to build a doctrine out of one verse, it’s also helpful to let the entirety of Scripture build a cumulative case for our beliefs. Having said this, this doesn’t happen at the cost of turning a blind eye to what the passage clearly says, even when it’s unsettling. This comes home when you ask: Where would the Restoration Movement be if the people of the day, back in the 1800’s, simply acquiesced to the common held beliefs, ones that were held for centuries?

Without giving an example, lest anyone misunderstand my goal here of promoting any certain doctrinal slant, I’m simply going offer the suggestion: Read through a book of the Bible. As you see certain views you’ve held surfacing, compare the consistency of your belief with the content of the passage. Are there parts of, say, one verse you say “amen” to, while overlooking what the author says in the very same breath, i.e., same sentence?

IF you think about it, within most of the doctrinal squabbles Christians have, there’s a verse or a passage that has been championed, but that very set of Scriptures has parts some folks will choose to ignore while others will highlight a certain phrase to the neglect of another segment. There are no easy answers to some of the challenging passages you’ll come across. If, on the other hand, you see never see any passages that challenge you, then this post probably isn’t for you...

Where am I going with all of this? When you hold up a Bible verse for examination, and you compare what is written with what you’ve accepted or applied, if and when these two aren’t always seamless, that’s when it’s healthy to confess to yourself, and perhaps others, there’s an inconsistency. Don’t worry, the whole tapestry won’t come unwoven. It’s not heretical to think you have room for growth in your understading; it’s healthier to submit to the Written Word than it is to suppress It.

To have ownership of your faith, sometimes you’ll need to form your own conclusions and not simply accept the Emperor’s new Clothes.... Therefore, as the inconsistencies arise, verbalize, I’m not practicing part of this verse, but I endorse part of it... I say we need to become comfortable acknowledging our inconsistencies, because until we admit them, we can’t work though them to correct them, or better yet, be corrected by them.

Why Changing your keyboard takes over 100 years...

2011-03-23T13:31:00.005-04:00

“But now, O LORD, you are our Father;

we are the clay, and you are our potter;

we are all the work of your hand.” (Isa 64:8)

Have you ever wondered why your keyboard is in the order of: QWERTYUIOP?
Urban legend has it, when typewriters were first invented, typists could type faster than the machines could function. As people typed, the linkage connecting letters to keys would jam-up something terrible. So, the manufactures figured out a way to slow down, purposefully slow down the typist. How? They mixed up the order of the letters in such a way that people would be forced to slow down as they typed. I don’t know if that was true or not, I wasn’t around in the 1870’s. So, with all of the technical-advances in the last 100 + years, why hasn’t someone changed the layout on the keyboard? Good question, since it would be beneficial. Look at your Blackberry or touch screen keyboard on your I-pad and then ask that again... I guess change is harder than we think?

There are plenty more stories like QWERTY that are traceable, like the Ferguson Breach rifle that could’ve changed the outcome of the Revolutionary war. Thankfully, the British decided not to transition from their slower musket-loaders to the Ferguson; they had access to the more efficient weapon but were unwilling to retrain their troops. Or, remember how the Swiss hesitated to switch over to Quartz movement in their watches, but the Japanese jumped on the use of Quartz movement and quickly cornered the market, a market previously dominated by the Swiss for centuries.

How we travel has changed too. After all, who wants to travel by boat anymore now that we have the Jet airplane? I don’t know, ask the Cruise ship industry. A flight might be convenient, but people still enjoy a Cruise ship, or even a train ride today. Once, boat and train travel were slow and dangerous, and today they are considered luxurious. Remember what Solomon wrote: “What has been is what will be,and what has been done is what will be done, and there is nothing new under the sun.” (Ecclesiastes 1:9)

While we all struggle with personal changes, we need to remember that change might feel like a loss at the time, but it does not create a void; change creates a choice. Sure, you may write an email to a friend across the country, but I promise a handwritten note will carry more weight, have more meaning or significance. Really? Yes. Ever wonder why your Grandmother doesn’t just text you a Christmas greeting, or your aunt send you a birthday text? We still value the handwritten note over any other correspondence, even in an electronic age. I guess we could say there’s room for multiple forms of communication...?

Jesus wants to transform us, not replace us with robots or pet dogs; He wants us to become what we are not. He wants us to replace hypocrisy with empathy so we can have authentic relationships, that’s why He says get the log out of your eye. He wants us to bear fruit and reject apathy, that’s why He says if we love Him we’ll obey Him. He wants us to have hearts that love unconditionally, that’s why He says “By this” all men will know you are my disciples.... if you have love one for another. HE wants us to change who’s will we submit to... That’s why He says, “when you fed the least of these” because He wants us to change our view on who the universe revolves around... This type of change is daily: “So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day.” (II Cor 4:16)

Jesus wants to change you, doubtful? Just wait till the Resurrection when in the blink of an eye we are all... Well here’s how Paul puts it in I Cor 15:52, “in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall be changed.”

BTW: Pictured here, above, are several books from my personal library, notice what they are stacked on...

Do you see...?

2011-03-17T13:29:00.002-04:00

I read a story that Italian folklorists share, a story on how we see reality. It goes something like this: There were three stonecutters working in the heat of the day. When the first one was asked what it was he was doing he answered: I am chipping these stones to make them fit just right. The second stonecutter responded: I am earning my wages. And the third stonecutter replied: I am building a cathedral.

Amazingly, those three stonecutters in the story were working side-by-side, yet saw something different. I guess people could compare this to the parable of the six blind men who all explain an elephant in six different ways, i.e., "It's a rope." "No, it's a tree-trunk..." ect.

Sometimes, it would seem, we need to take a second look, or even a third look.

Daily schedule's appearance: Too Hideous or ready to harness?

2011-03-05T12:05:00.007-05:00

I love the smell of leather. I know it might sound weird, but I have a German-made knife that sometimes I remove from its sheath, and I sniff the sheath.

The smell of leather is one I'm very familiar with. Some of my earliest memories are of handling my dad's saddle that he kept in our livingroom. His saddle was for horsemanship in the "Western Pleasure" style. My dad also had an old set of horse-harness he kept out in the barn. Both the saddle and the harness-set had a rich aroma that deeply appealed to my young senses. I rode in my dad's saddle along with him in the days before I was even walking. But, we never used the harness, though I heard many stories from my dad about the days when his people depended on the horses's harnesses.

Today we have a huge challenge in our churches. Our congregations seemingly have to compete with the barrage of activities that our families are entrenched in. Grandparents have an endless supply of sporting events they can watch their grandchildren participate in. Children have several different extracurricular actives at school they can sign up for. Parents have their own activities to consider as well.

If you've ever tried to recruit Sunday school teachers for just one quarter, I don't have to tell you how busy our people are. If you've been asked to serve in any capacity in a church activity, I don't have to tell you how hard it is to fit these requests into your overbooked schedule. So what can we do, and, what does this have to do with the smell of leather?

We, as believers, can either fight against the overwhelming madness of the endless stream of dance classes, orchestra concerts, practices for (you fill in the blank)__________, or scouting activities that rob our children of any free time... or we can harness them.

Moses, nor Jesus as far as this goes, commands us to escape the world. We are, on the other hand given this command, to uses every opportunity throughout our day to develop our faith... and to pass on our faith to the next generation. We are commanded by Moses to use the daily events as springboards to instruct our young people about how we walk with our God. We examine the day's activities through the lens of God's Word, not through the blinders of monasticism.

In other words, The Scriptures reveal our faith takes place in the chaos of the day, not in spite of it, nor apart from the daily grind. Re-read Deut 6:4-9 with a closer look at the word "when": "[4] “Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one. [5] You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. [6] And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. [7] You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise. [8] You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. [9] You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates."

Moses didn't expect the Israelites to postpone their instructional or formational duties to their children in light of the demands of their daily life. He clearly instructs his people to use those everyday-experiences for teaching their children.

So, consider how our people could adapt this. Instead of forbidding or prohibiting our children from playing football, we go to their games, and we pray with them before the game. Or consider a volleyball game with your child, what an opportunity to talk about how good sportsmanship sends a clearer message of the gentleness believers practice than any message we could proclaim. Or, what about simply seeking an opportunity to invite a fellow parent from any of these events to a worship service? We complain about not having enough opportunities to evangelize, yet we come in contact with hundreds of people through our children's activities we otherwise would've never been able to meet.

Please don't misunderstand me. I'm fed up with the craziness of our demanding culture. I've often thought how great it would be to escape this hyperactive culture and join the Amish... no, really, I have. And, I have the utmost respect for the people who bemoan this tug-of-war plight we are in, but mistakenly think we can get our young people to scale back their activities. I simply think we can either fight the stream till we are all drowning, or we can channel these activities for the glory of God. I covet your feedback on this, when you can find the time...

Let's talk it out:

2011-02-24T15:49:00.003-05:00

I recently read this story that’s attributed to Reagan; it’s about having good intentions:
"There's a story about a young fellow riding a motorcycle. He had good intentions too. The wind was kind of chilly and coming through the buttonholes on his jacket, and so he got this idea. He stopped and put his jacket on backward and that eliminated the chill factor through the buttonholes, but it kind of restricted his arm movement. And down the road, his motorcycle hit a patch of ice. He skidded into a tree. When the police got there, a crowd had gathered. And they elbowed their way through and they said, 'What happened?' And one of them said, 'Well, we don't know. When we got here he seemed to be all right, but by the time we got his head turned around straight, he was dead.'

That story reminds me of the old joke about the two doctors taking comfort in the success of a surgery, though the procedure ended the patient’s life. Sometimes, when we see another person we think we have them figured out, and, we think we can fix them...

I learned a valuable lesson this week about the dangers of stereotyping. I learned that perceptions which feel “so accurate” can be wrong, even my own... I learned this week that I had someone all wrong, my way of seeing this person was skewed. Though I didn’t jump to conclusions, or pass judgments, I was nevertheless mistaken.

After a wonderful conversation of give-and-take and genuine dialogue, I came away with a renewed-deeper-respect, and more importantly, a more accurate understanding of this person. I’m thankful I didn’t let my fear of offending, interfere with a relationship building opportunity.

If we rarely take the much needed step of asking another person for clarification, we could draw the wrong conclusions without having all the facts. Sadly, our relationships suffer.

I understand the fear that paralyzes us though. If I open my mouth and I’m wrong, then what? But, ask which is worse to you: holding on to a mistaken opinion, or risking the embarrassment by asking for clarification? One shows my self-protection means much more to me than maybe it should; the other shows respect for the other person.

Jesus sagely said: Get the log out... And Paul said: Speak the truth in love. May I grow into the type of person who does both, well.

Communication:

2011-02-21T14:43:00.002-05:00

I don't think I've reblogged anyone's blog before.

But, the blog post I'm sharing here is one I simply have to pass on.

So, if you are a communicator, then you'll be interested in what White says below...

.........................

Great Communicators

There has been a fair amount of reflection on the life and legacy of Ronald Reagan of late, generated by the centennial celebration of his birth on February 6, not to mention Presidents Day on February 21.

Reagan was the 40th President of the United States (1980-1989). From “Reagonomics” to “Morning in America,” Reagan was known for many things, but perhaps chiefly as the Great Communicator.

And it was because of his abilities as a communicator that he is so widely heralded as a leader and an agent of cultural change.

The truth is that anyone wishing to influence culture should aspire to become a master communicator, for it has marked most of our world’s shaping personalities – for better or worse. From Martin Luther King, Jr. to Abraham Lincoln, Hitler to Hussein, communicators affect culture more than non-communicators.

It’s true for those who wish to impact the culture for Christ as well. C.S. Lewis was arguably the greatest apologist for the twentieth century. He had this to say about his efforts to communicate:

“People praise me as a ‘translator,’ but what I want is to be the founder of a school of ‘translation.’ I am nearly forty-seven. Where are my successors? Anyone can learn to do it if they wish...I feel I’m talking rather like a tutor – forgive me. But it is just a technique and I’m desperately anxious to see it widely learned.”

Lewis is right. Effective communication is not difficult. So what does it entail? Let’s assume that what you wish to say is biblically based. Let’s also assume you have something prophetic to say to the culture in which we live. What’s next on the agenda?

I would argue for the following:

First, that you are relevant. I know the word is tired, and is often a whipping boy for those who feel that contemporary communicators are swapping relevance for orthodoxy. But in truth, relevance has nothing to do with watering things down. It simply means that you avoid giving a 19th or 20th century message to a 21st century audience, particularly in regard to application, vocabulary and illustrations.

A good communicator is also practical. For a talk to be practical simply means that the listener can apply it, and is not left wondering how. Credibilityalso looms large for communication. You have to be believed to be heard. Credibility will include such things as accuracy and personal integrity.

Good communicators also use stories, pictures, images, analogies, props or media to help convey their points. People think visually, and they craft their thought in terms of images.

Another mark of effective communication is engaging in a way that feels dialogical, and builds bridges of identification. A good communicator will pause every now and then and say, “Now right about now, you’re probably thinking...”, or “If you’re like most people, this instantly raises the question of...”, or “Ever felt like that?” I believe it was Arthur Miller, who wrote such plays as The Crucible and Death of a Salesman, who said that success for him is when someone could sit in the audience, watch one of his plays, and say, “That’s me up there.”

Good communicators are also simple. Not shallow, mind you, but simple. They put truth on the bottom shelf. C.S. Lewis was brilliant, and could have spent his career writing for fellow academics. Instead, he wanted to write for the average person. As a result, his influence was ten-fold.

Few communicators have captured the attention of an audience as dramatically as Winston C. Churchill, and one of his defining marks was simplicity. He believed that a speech should sound the way you talk, simple and conversational. His entire philosophy of public communication was to have a strong beginning, express one theme, use simple language, have lots of illustrations, and end emotionally.

Once after he spoke, an individual confronted him and self-righteously stated, "Prime Minister, I was very shocked that in your speech you actually terminated a sentence with a preposition." Churchill replied, "That is pedantic nonsense...up...with which...I shall not put."

Mark Twain made a similar point by telling of a Missouri farmer who ran five times for the state legislature without a single victory. In his speeches he referred to himself as "your humble aspirant," his audiences as "my enlightened constituents," and his vision as "obtaining a mandate" for his "legislative mission." Then one day his cow kicked him in the teeth, knocking his front teeth out, forcing the farmer to speak words of only one syllable. As a result, he won his next election and continued getting reelected.

A final mark of effective communication is that you are authentic. Authenticity is no more - and no less - than being a person who can be believed, accepted, trusted, and relied upon to be that which is as presented. I recently talked with a woman who had been unchurched for seventeen years before coming to Meck. I asked her what it was about our team of communicators that had impacted her. I was surprised that she did not even have to pause. She said, "I never felt 'preached to.' Instead I felt 'talked to.' I could identify with you as people. You shared your struggles, your life experiences, in a way that I could relate to. You didn't come pretending to have your act together, talking down to everybody."

So if you want to improve as a communicator, be relevant, practical and credible; tell stories, be dialogical, simple and authentic.

Then, listen to great communicators who do this. Get five or six speakers who you sense know what they’re doing, and go to school on them. Listen to how they manage material, how they open and close their talks, the manner in which they admonish and confess, illustrate and inspire.

Because while we celebrate great translators like Lewis, he was right; the more pressing issue is where are his successors?

James Emery White

Sources

Peggy Noonan, When Character was King: A Story of Ronald Reagan.

Alan Jacobs, The Narnian: The Life and Imagination of C.S. Lewis.

James C. Humes, The Sir Winston Method: The Five Secrets of Speaking the Language of Leadership.

Editor’s Note

To enjoy a free subscription to the Church and Culture blog, log-on to www.churchandculture.org, where you can post your comments on this blog, view past blogs in our archive and read the latest church and culture news from around the world.

Finding forgiveness, rediscovering a lost art...

2011-02-09T15:38:00.000-05:00

This week’s sermon is on protecting our marriages. One of the most powerful forces that drive marriages to destruction is the inability of many couples to forgive each other. I’ve spent thousands of hours counseling couples of all ages, and many times their root issue is an unresolved offence.

We’ve all been effected by divorce. Divorce is perhaps the ultimate means to resolve your arguments, but it won’t solve your problems. I’m positive that if people learned how to forgive and reconnect, we would have fewer divorces. There’s one thing worse than divorce though, that’s harboring an unforgiving heart.

What motivates you to forgive? Besides the fact that God’s Word warns us, if we don’t forgive, we won’t be forgiven, do you really want to go though life carrying the burden of hatred and bitterness that refusing to forgive dumps on you? More than likely, you’d like to be able to forgive, but maybe you’ve never learned how? Maybe you don’t want to make the effort to forgive; it’s hard after all. Maybe your pride tells you, you can’t forgive till the other person grovels and begs for forgiveness? Or, perhaps you can’t forgive because being a victim has become your identity, and therefore letting go of the offence would be like losing yourself...?

Nobody can present a “how-to” forgive in a few paragraphs.
I won’t try here, I’m smarter than that... Here’s what I will offer:
#1. Until you forgive, you’re giving the past control over your today/tomorrow. Since you can’t change the past, why let it prevent you from changing for the good, today?
#2. Forgiving isn’t the same as endorsing. Some people think if they forgive someone, that they’ve put their stamp of approval on the offence. That’s simply not the case. You can still communicate you’ve been hurt, reject the action/attitude, but make a stand that you won’t let that hurt separate you from the other person.
#3. Unforgiveness is usually a cycle you’ve learned from your parents. When it comes to handling marital fights, we practice what our parents modeled for us; good or bad. Give your children/grandchildren a gift, and break that cycle. Do the hard work it takes to learn how to forgive, read up on it, seek out mentors who can guide you, pray like your life depended on it, but do whatever it takes to learn to forgive as you’ve been forgiven.

I have a gift from God: When my head hits the pillow at night, I drop grudges. I forget about the past. I let it go. What helped me find this kind of peace of mind? I wish I could say with certainty/clarity. I’ve studied the subject of forgiveness, I’ve read a few books on the topic, and I taught a class on it too. I think more than any of these experiences, seeing the pain that people carry when they can’t forgive and watching several personalities ruined from not forgiving, has taught me plenty about MY need to forgive...

Modern Ministry or slaking off?

2011-02-08T15:17:00.000-05:00

Do you think church staff communicating with church members, and people we are trying to reach, via Facebook is a valid method of ministry? Is Twitter a legitimate form of ministry?

I stay in touch with ppl, and stay updated, through Facebook and Twitter quite a bit actually. I know what some of our folks are doing solely because of these social networks. Non-members "message" me questions about all sorts of issues they're facing too. To me, FB seems like a valuable tool, but, I wonder if I'm alone in holding this view?

This past year we've really utilized the NE Facebook page to inform everyone about all kinds of events: Posting blogs... Promoting upcoming sermons... Reminding people of youth lock-ins.... From funerals to fellowship activities; we also post updates on Blood drives and the status of the parking lot in bad weather...

While social networking is not exactly brand-new, it's new enough to "church-life" that I wonder what "our" people think about its place in serving people? When you see a church staff member posting comments on people's Facebook pages throughout the day, what do you think? Do you think they are wasting time, or making the best use of the technology?

Prepared to Praise

2011-02-03T09:55:00.000-05:00

If you think about it, worshiping God is central to our faith. Worshiping God, also, goes on into eternity. Worship requires a wholehearted commitment. Worship is more than our assemblies, but not less than our corporate services either. Our worship, in our assemblies, prepares us to worship throughout the week. If you'd like to be better prepared to worship as we gather on Sundays, here are a few thoughts off the top of my head:

1. Read the Text that drives the sermon/songs, before showing up. We post (at the end of my bulletin article) the title, text and the focus of our upcoming sermons one week ahead of time, so that you can be thinking about these before time. For example, you can read LK 16:19-31 this week. The sermon this Sunday is, "What ever happened to Hell?" and our focus is: Turning up the heat on an unpopular topic.

2. Resolve your conflicts, and help other people find closure with any issues they have with you. As Jesus says, "So if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar and go. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift." (Matthew 5:23-24 ESV) Think about how harmony and peace enhances our time together :-)

3. Humbly open your mind and your heart to God's moving. Worship is more, much more, than hearing a Scripture read or listening to a sermon. When we take the Lord's Supper, we are practicing unity with each other, and with God together. When God shows up in the Bible, people are different, people are moved. If you don't plan to be transformed during worship, you don't plan to worship: "Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit." (II Corinthians 3:17-18 ESV)

I remember talking with a lady where I used to preach, she was well into her eighties and remembered well how she prepared to worship as a child... She told me about how as a child her family began preparing for Sunday's worship on Saturday night. They would lay out their dresses, comb their hair and get to bed early so they could be ready to meet God. In the winter time they would warm up bricks in the fireplace, and set those warmed bricks in the floorboards of their wagon. No snowstorms ever prevented them from attending services. What impressed me more than their determination to beat the bad weather was their dedication to meet God, by being ready the night before...

Forgetting about Hell

2011-02-01T14:37:00.001-05:00

Forgetting about Hell

Hell isn’t some medieval fairytale. Hell isn’t a marginalized concept, referenced once or twice in the Bible. Hell is real, and the idea of Hell is spread throughout the Bible. Hell can be looked at and thought of as a reason believers modify their behaviors. Avoiding sinful choices, proactively serving in acts of kindness, ect. Forget about the personal motivation Hell offers to the believer, to stay on the straight & narrow and to be a good neighbor. Think for a moment of what those who have no hope, what they have to look forward to: damnation. And, those are real people that we have an obligation to.

At one time our movement was known for explosive numerical growth. After WWII, we were reportedly the fastest growing movement in America. We reached national recognition for our evangelistic efforts. By the 1980’s, though, statisticians and church-growth experts noticed our numbers plateaued, and ever since the turn of the century we’ve entered a continual decline. What happened?

I don’t know all of the reasons why, along the way, we went from being the fastest growing movement in America to a movement that is in decline. I have a hunch part of the reason we don’t reach-out to lost people as we once did, is because we we’ve lost sight of Hell. If we, in the Churches of Christ really believed there was a Hell, and that definitive doctrine of an eternal lake of burning fire exits, we would be focused wholeheartedly on persuading people to become followers of God. What else would matter?

Since we aren’t as evangelistic as we used to be, I see only two possibilities: A. Either we are cold-hearted people who could care less that countless multitudes of faceless people will burn forever (not to mention the people know at work, school, or our next-door-neighbors). B. Or, we don’t believe Hell exits. I see no alternative.

Most people will simply ask, Aren’t we really just complacent? No. Complacency is a byproduct of a bigger problem; so mere complacency simply isn’t it. Others might ask, Aren’t we simply being “seeker-sensitive” taking the sting out of the message to be more appealing? No, because we rarely adapt our congregational-setting to meet the “cultural” needs of those we want to reach; our comfort-zone hasn’t stretched too much through the years. Since we aren’t cold-hearted people; I see too many examples of caring concerned believers serving & extending love, we must have concluded that Hell isn’t real.

But, I don’t really think as a movement we’ve totally lost the belief that Hell is real. Instead, when it comes to talking about Hell, there’s a troubling perspective I’ve noticed that really bothers me. I think we’ve exchanged the names on the docket for who’s going to Hell from those who we don’t share our faith with, to those who we disagree with.

I hardly, if ever, hear fellow believers talking about how sad it is that “lost people” will suffer in Hell. In fact, I can’t remember the last time I’ve heard someone claiming to be brokenhearted over the fate of lost souls. I hear more about Bible believing people we disagree with being in danger of Hell far more often than I ever hear about the dangers awaiting the unevangelized. In other words, when “we” talk about Hell, we forget about lost people we have a responsibility to, who have never tasted salvation. No, instead, whenever I hear about Hell, the conversations are typically restricted to other Christians who are going to Hell because of (you fill in the blank).

So, I think we still believe in Hell, but I fear we are forgetting about Hell. I also believe we are authentically a loving people, who if we thought about it, we wouldn’t want anyone to suffer in a lake of fire for eternity. We are forgetting about our responsibility; we’ve been entrusted with the truth and we are supposed to distribute it freely...

If you think I’ve gone off the deep-end so far, then sit down for this last point: Hell is a unifying doctrine. Hell reminds us as believers that God is Holy and sin has consequences. Hell reminds us we are partnering with God to help snatch people from the fire and that our role in helping God reach people here on earth is bigger than the petty disagreements we bicker over in our auditoriums or conference rooms.

I remember visiting a family member who had two bluetick coonhounds. I noticed that they would snap and growl at each other when they were caged up in their pen. I went coon hunting one night with him and his dogs. I saw those two coonhounds, outside that pen, doing what they were bred for, and that made all the difference. That night I discovered that the “hunt” brought out the best in those dogs as they joyfully worked together. The next day though, when they were locked up in their pen again, those dogs were right back at it, growling, snapping, and fighting. I’m sure there’s a lesson in that dog pen, somewhere...?

Tackling Hell

2011-01-31T11:00:00.000-05:00

This coming Sunday's sermon is on Hell. I have preached specifically on Hell, as the sole topic of the day, probably a 1/2 dozen times. I couldn't really say how many times I've referenced hell in sermons over the years.... maybe a couple of dozen times?

When it comes to the frequency of preaching on the topic of Hell, there's no sense in trying to please anybody. For some congregational members, the preacher never preaches on Hell enough. For others, they'd prefer not to hear about Hell, since they grew up on "a steady diet" of brimstone & fire sermons as a child...

So, I personally have two approaches to the frequency of preaching on Hell:

#1., Objectively: if the passage of Scripture I'm preaching through raises the subject, then that's an appropriate time to deal with Hell.

#2., Subjectively: if the congregation needs instruction on the subject of Hell.

Preaching, or not preaching, on a subject with frequency because of feeling pressured to/not to, never produces a quality sermon. People see right through insincerity... every time. The bigger question than the frequency of preaching on Hell, is the motivation...

Death is on my mind:

2011-01-26T11:22:00.000-05:00

This week I'm preparing a sermon (with the corresponding small group lesson) on the Resurrection... I thought I'd share a joke I was going to use in the sermon but decided to edit out:

The old man had died. A wonderful funeral was in progress and the country preacher talked at length of the good traits of the deceased, what an honest man he was, and what a loving husband and kind father he was. Finally, the widow leaned over and whispered to one of her children, "Go up there and take a look in the coffin and see if that's your pa."

We often use the old cliché, live your life so the preacher won't have to lie at your funeral... I doubt that saying has changed too many people's life, because nobody plans to die, or at least thinks about the inevitably of one's own death.

This Sunday hopefully I can talk about death and resurrection in a way that isn't perceived as morbid, depressing or sad. I hope that we walk away with a sense of encouragement, even empowerment, when all is said and done!

Sweeping the dust off...

2011-01-25T12:51:00.000-05:00

I'm almost embarrassed, not quite, but I'm almost embarrassed by how long it's been since I've posted anything on my blog. Three people, or their comments actually, have motivated me to get back in the saddle of blogging.

One comment was made by a guy we've helped off and on, and we've studied with. He recently made a comment on how he likes my blog. Then, this last Sunday before class, someone asked me about a posting I wrote on a book series. And finally, last week Rodney asked me about the two of us doing some blogging, maybe even a daily blog entry with a devotional focus.

The picture, you ask, what's with that? Just one more personal reminder of how well I handle embarrassing situations :-)

How do you offer a critique?

2010-05-04T17:29:00.000-04:00

How do you offer a critique?

"Corrective Criticism" might just be one of the biggest self-deceptive-oxymorons of our times. I'm not saying giving advice, offering correction, or voicing your opinion/dissatisfaction is ever out of line, but, the term "corrective criticism" itself is a contradictory statement. Criticism tears down; Biblically we offer advice to build the other person up.

When you know that there's a need to tell another person they have room for improvement, how do you tell them? is an important question!

As you contemplate this question, here's a checklist I've put together, for your consideration:

What is your tone of voice when you address others?
Is it crystal clear from your language how deeply you love the other person? "Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ..." (Eph 4:15)
What does your body language convey about your attitude?
Do you walk away knowing that the other person felt like you really had their best interest at heart, or are they left brokenhearted?
After you leave will the other person miss you, looking forward to when they can see you again, or are they happy you are gone?
Are people drawn to you by your words, or driven away?
Have you balanced out your negative comments with several positive affirmations of how much you value the other person?
Does the other person open up to you or do they cringe and squirm more often than not?
What reputation are you developing among your brethren as a result of how-and-how often you criticize others?

(Prov 22:1 "A good name is to be chosen rather than great riches, and favor is better than silver or gold.")

What most people seem to forget is that there's a difference between a complaint and a criticism.

Complaints are healthy ways we verbalize a problem, on the other hand, a criticism is an attack on another's character...

It is legitimate to have a complaint, the way you handle it is what makes it healthy or unhealthy.

We have a Biblical command to handle ourselves, and our words properly, "Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer each person." (Col 4:6)

Let me get to the point: Criticism is not a spiritual gift and being critical is not being spiritual.

When we talk to each other as Christians, remember Jesus promised when two or three gathered in His name, He is in our midst. So, when we talk to each other, Jesus is there listening to the conversation. I wonder how we'd temper our tone if we thought about His opinion more often???

What are you looking for?

2010-03-02T12:08:00.000-05:00

What are you hoping to find?

When was the last time you changed your mind on a spiritual topic? What did that feel like? How often does that happen??? It's not often in our adult life that we can pin down a time where we had a new insight that really, drastically changed our point of view. I remember one of those wonderful moments, and in this article I want to share with you the very resource that I found extremely helpful in one of my personal breakthroughs!

First, I need to ask: How do you go about studying Biblical, spiritual, or eternal topics? Do you make sure you "leave no stone unturned" or do you avoid sources and ideas that make you uncomfortable? It's been said, there's more than one way to skin a cat... Well, while I've never skinned a cat, I do like to peal back the layers of the onion...

Secondly, I want to ask: Why do you study? Studying the Scriptures and investigating spiritual topics should have, minimally, a twofold goal:

#1. Increasing/enhancing our depth of knowledge. And, hopefully, #2. Experiencing some-type of transformation that helps us personally apply our new/increased understanding.

Third, I must point out: We are commanded in the Scriptures to be prepared to back up our beliefs and to continually grow in our studies. Read, for example, I Pet 3:15, II Tim 2:15, Heb 5:12-6:3 for admonitions on being lifelong learners...

The dangerous trap we need to be weary of, is that we "already know" all we need to know on the given subject and with a little study we can help verify what "I've always" thought... Or we surround ourselves with others who will "safely" repeat what we want to hear... There's not much room for growth there. Like my favorite Old Testament teacher at Harding, Tom Eddins, used to say, "The greatest enemy of learning is the illusion of knowledge." There's another danger too, throwing the baby out with the bathwater. Just dumping everything we've been taught and starting from scratch. To turn our back on our heritage is not only disrespectful, it's foolish!

How do we stay balanced in our studies, not being so ridged we can't grow, nor being so open-minded nothing can stay in our mind? In other words, how can we avoid the detrimental-immaturity Paul warns of in Eph 4:14 "so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes." Here's how: Be willing to admit that possibly we could've been wrong (or incomplete in what we did know) and then sincerely examine the evidence.

Whenever we merely seek to confirm what we've always thought, while we don't have to work too hard at that, we can't expect much personal gain... When we want to sharpen our thoughts and examine another's point of view, we have to stretch ourselves somewhat. I'd like to recommend for your consideration a useful series of books that covers several extremely interesting theological topics. The books I highly recommend to you are the "Counterpoints" series by Zondervan Publishing. I have at least a dozen of these counterpoint books on my shelf and each one is excellent.

Here's how they work. The editor/s will determine a topic for discussion, such as: Worship styles, Divorce & remarriage, Creation vs. Evolution, Baptism, are there still Spiritual gifts today?, and difficult topics like Hell. The editor will usually have four different views represented (inviting two to five Christian authors interact on the given topic within the book). How the authors interact is by each one submitting an essay, articulating their view on the given topic, and then in turn each author will critique the ideas of the other authors. So, you read one essay which is immediately analyzed on the following pages by contrary/differing views, then, each view is represented and examined so-forth and so on.

It's not a book series of debates; it is an exciting exchange of ideas/views from a crosscut of varying perspectives. As the reader, if you already have formed an opinion on a topic you will have an opportunity to have your current idea on a topic defined/articulated, and then examined to see it's strengths and weaknesses. If you simply are wanting to lean more on a topic that you are interested in but you haven't come to a conclusion on it yet, there are several views that can help jump-start your studies!

I recognize that for some people this "comparison" of ideas could be too challenging; yet for others it can be exhilarating! Please keep in mind as you consider utilizing this series of books, Prov 27:17 states clearly: Iron sharpens iron, and one man sharpens another.

Remember, All Truth is God's Truth!

Disproving evolution:

2010-02-19T08:56:00.000-05:00

I have finally conclusively and decisively disproved the theory of evolution. Last night Zach (our 21 year old son) and I shared a hotel room. We are volunteering with Winterfest, folding tee-shirts for the thousands of people who attend, along with several other volunteers. The organizers of Winterfest provided a hotel room for us. Here's where I have disproved evolution: I didn't suffocate Zach with a pillow last night. Why would I? HE SNORED LIKE CHAINSAW! If evolution were true, parents would suffocate their children when they snored, depriving you of your much need sleep; sleep that is necessary for your survival.... Therefore, since I didn't put him out of my misery, evolution can't be true....

It's the end of the world as we know it...

2010-01-26T10:29:00.001-05:00

Have you ever noticed the way people are extremely fascinated with cataclysmic catastrophes? CNN, FOX, MNBC, ABC-TV, all run continuous live-footage from the scene straight into our living-rooms. Yet, after a few weeks or months, we quickly forget all about theses tragedies. Example, the tsunami that nearly wiped out Sri Lanka back in 2004.... Earthquakes, like the one that dropped the highway-overpass on San Franciscans in 1989; these simply don't remain on our minds for long. Last year China had sever flooding that ruptured dams and destroyed entire cities. Even the focus on the current crisis in Haiti will fade with time. One more word: Katrina.

On the other hand, there's one element related to destruction that seems to remain in vogue, though. Growing up through the Cold War and being an adult at its conclusion (Tear down that wall Mr. Gorbachev!), I've observed that people stay perpetually focused on the "Apocalyptic" style/genre of literature/movies. There was even a style of music driven by this, bands like Metallica, Anthrax and Megadeth... I remember when I was in high school there was the TV-movie, "The day after" which portrayed life after the "bomb" was dropped and what a nuclear "winter" would be like. Who could forget all of the Mel Gibson movies with his "Mad Max" character?

Recently I read "The Road" by Cormac McCarthy. The Road is now a movie. The book won a Pulitzer, and I'm sure the movie will be successful too. It is a story that covers several months; it's about a father and son who travel cross-county in the aftermath of a nuclear fallout. It was a very depressing setting for a story, but, a moving story of a father's love and dedication for his son.

Within the last month a new movie staring Denzel Washington, "The Book of Eli," hit the theaters. In this movie, Eli travels for THIRTY years across America. He has the last remaining Bible in the world, and he has to protect it from the bad guy who wants to use the Bible to manipulate the remaining survivors...

All most all of these stories have several themes in common: The main character almost always is traveling; usually headed for the coast. Also, he has to scrounge for food while avoid being eaten by the bad guys (yuck). The characters all lament the loss of technology... Inevitably the world is pretty much hopeless, but, the good guy won't give up. Maybe it's that last part, the un-willingness to give up, that tenacity, that keeps fans coming back? I guess these are all stories of survival. The drive to thrive to survive and stay alive taps into that part of our psyche that cries out, that screams, I want to live forever.

I imagine Apocalyptic plots will continue to drive ticket sales and will be a popular obsession until the end of time.... I'm also sure people will continue to try persevere in hopelessness, on and off the movie set. One of our callings as Christians is to help offer hope and comfort in a world filled with suffering.

Paul wrote in II Cor 1:3-7, "3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, 4 who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. 5 For as we share abundantly in Christ's sufferings, so through Christ we share abundantly in comfort too. 6 If we are afflicted, it is for your comfort and salvation; and if we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which you experience when you patiently endure the same sufferings that we suffer. 7 Our hope for you is unshaken, for we know that as you share in our sufferings, you will also share in our comfort."

It is true for some people that reading books and watching movies provides a much-needed brief escape from reality. May we be insightful enough to share the hope we have which is grounded in reality, and, if it takes a discussion about a new book or movie to get others started talking with us, it's not the end of the world after all....

Warning on helping Haiti

2010-01-13T16:58:00.000-05:00

Sad state of affairs

The earthquake in Haiti this week has reportedly been responsible for over 100,000 deaths. I can't imagine that.

Sadly though, beyond the human suffering and loss, there will be parasites that will loot and rob innocent survivors. And, then there will be conniving creeps that sit behind their computers, sending email requests for financial assistance, yet pocketing the money themselves.... I hate that skeptical feeling, but I know it's true.

I'm sure our congregation will help with aid, since we've maintained a longtime relationship with a missionary in Haiti. We've been supporting a work in Haiti for many years; actually exactly in the town of the epicenter. I would recommend that if you or your congregation decide to help with relief/aid that you only commit to helping people you know 1st hand. It's not limiting the aid/assistance; it's actually making certain the resources get to the people who really need it.

Why I think we can't fix health-care

2010-01-07T12:13:00.000-05:00

The real issue behind our Heath-care controversy that legislation can't address

It's impossible to listen to the news these days without hearing about politicians fighting tooth & nail over the proposed legislation on heath care. I believe that the research that is ongoing will someday find a cure for AIDS, Parkinson's disease, and other tragic illnesses; and I know that type of research isn't free. And, I'm as thankful as the next guy is we've beat Polio and Smallpox, as well being grateful for my health insurance and the medical professionals that care for us. But, there's a huge issue facing our Country; there is a big problem here, to be sure, and I wonder if you see the same commonsense problem I do?

When it comes to the Heath care controversy, the problem isn't so much that we can't decide as a nation how much or how little Government involvement is appropriate. This isn't a Left VS. Right, or Democrat against Republican issue. The problem isn't really about providing or denying health care for everyone in America. The issue isn't about avoiding deficit spending, or raising taxes. Maybe since I'm not a doctor or a legislator, but a minister, I see it completely different than the majority of the views I see expressed.

I see three concentric problems surrounding our current Health care crisis:

1. Overpriced medical salaries/procedures/prescriptions that continue to escalate way beyond realistic bounds are driving up our insurance premiums beyond reasonable prices, simultaneously.

2. Laziness, or simply a lack of a sense of personal responsibility, on the part of many to take better care of themselves; example, lack of self-control when it comes to overeating and smoking.

3. Having the wrong focus; we value this temporary body more than our eternal souls.

Let me unfold these three problems like this: We've placed a high priority on self-preservation and now we have to pay the price. Sounds shallow, because it is. I like having only a $15 co-pay when I visit my doctor's office, but does my 10-15 minute office visit with really justify $100, or, does the insurance company really have to charge us what they do? The insurance company is banking on the fact that most of the time I'm going to be healthy.... but I'm concerned that I won't always be healthy and I know that medical expenses are unaffordable.... We are too lazy as a nation to exercise properly, and we don't watch what we eat. Those aren't the only two reasons for every single medical issue, but those are the top two reasons why we die from heart disease at an epidemic rate (Please don't misunderstand me, with many medical problems people are completely blameless, such as birth defects or several forms of cancer which are unavoidable) We're greedy, and the "dollar" is driving a lot more of this than we want to admit. We want other people to fix our problems because we don't want to face our own pain. We are in such sorry shape because we want to live in the here-and-now eternally, and we don't want to worry about the afterlife. Bottom line, our priorities are skewed. Health care is only "a" priority, somehow though, we've made it "the" priority.... Even the devil recognizes this, "Then Satan answered the Lord and said, “Skin for skin! All that a man has he will give for his life." (Job 2:4, ESV)

We won't ever really fix the health care issue until we have the right perspective. I don't care which way you slice this; whether you give health care away or charge $1000 a day for insurance, those are sideline issues. There is a deeper reality that somehow has been overlooked... that being, the spiritual reality. Until we are spiritually responsible as a nation, we will never be balanced in our approach to fixing this mess we are in.

Paul wrote that above all else we should keep our focus on eternal matters:

"for while bodily training is of some value, godliness is of value in every way, as it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come." (I Tim 4:8, ESV)
"16 So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. 17 For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, 18 as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal." (II Cor 4:16-18, ESV)

I'm all for doctors and hospital-staff members being fairly compensated, but compared to the compensation we offer, say, a school teacher or a bus-driver, are we really all that altruistic? It's true, you put your money where your heart is.... So, as long as we are willing to pay a premium cost for the preservation of our bodies, and neglect so much else, we get what we pay for.

Easier said than done....

2009-12-29T00:03:00.000-05:00

The anticipation of the New year is now realized, it's 2010. You may have been looking forward to the time of the New year, telling yourself, "I'm going to finally make a change" or some other type of New Year's resolution self-pep-talk. That's okay, I really don't have a problem with that. The fact of the matter is, it's easier to be in a state of preparation and look forward to the event, than it is to live it out; or live up to the expectations. Tammy and I were at the gym last week as the guy behind the counter said most people join the gym, come for the first four or five days of the year, and they never see them again... that's a lot of looking forward to, and not following through.

This is the stuff life is made of. Life is filled with these huge bursts of anticipation, latter to be overwhelmed by disappointment. What we once looked forward to, now either fills us with dread, or anxiety. Doubt that? One word: Polls. Think about any President's approval ratings. Everyone of them is elected one day, only to be criticized the next.

Still doubt that? Consider how many years the Jews looked forward to the Messiah's appearance. Once Jesus showed up, they no longer had to look forward to His coming. But, no fault of His own, He wasn't what they were looking for, so they killed Him. Like I said, it's easier to look forward to an event than it is to experience it...

Still skeptical? Try this one out: If it is a material purchase, it eventually breaks down or wears out. If it is a person, they let us down. Sounds depressing, I know. Paul was aware of this concept when he wrote, "For I fear that perhaps when I come I may find you not as I wish, and that you may find me not as you wish—that perhaps there may be quarreling, jealousy, anger, hostility, slander, gossip, conceit, and disorder." (II Cor 12:20, ESV)

I think the newness, the butterflies, the anticipation of waiting for whatever, usually outweighs the arrival of the reality. Now, this isn't always the case; an example being honeymoons or newborn babies. But, think about the big job that you dreamed of (or the promotion you sacrificed for) that once you moved into it, you quickly realized how much of what you hoped for was merely romanticized. How many times have you bought a tool, software, new shoes, or some gadget only to think you were ripped off? You bought a new computer, and by time you unpacked it, there's a faster better one out that's even cheaper than yours. You drive your new car off the lot, and it's deprecated $2000. You moved into your new home only to find there's a leak... and the carpet is the wrong color. There's a legal loophole written into the contracts of some mortgagees, it's called something like "Buyer's remorse". It's the clause that lets you off the hook, gets you out of buying your home within three or four days of signing the papers saying you are the new owner. I think that might apply to buying cars too?

Life doesn't come with a "buyer's remorse" clause or "reset button" so please make the most of 2010. Because, if you live through it, it will be over before you know it. In the blink of an eye this year too will fly by. Live this year with the least amount of regrets as possible. It will drive satan crazy, glorify God, and make you a healthier person.

Eph 5:15-16, "Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, 16 making the best use of the time, because the days are evil."

Swiming upstream:

2009-10-28T12:47:00.000-04:00

I wonder, from time to time, how do we as a Church ever compete with the other 6 days of the week? Think about it; we have basically one day to influence each other, while the world gets the other six days.

Walking out of the auditorium we step into the world of: TV, radio, Internet, advertisement, entertainment, literature, school/homework, work, vacation, the news, hobbies, sports, ect. The deck is staked against us. This competitive question isn't even addressing how our collective attention span has been hampered by video games and/or the sound bites we are bombarded with, either. I'm simply talking about,

who is influencing our thinking/beliefs more, the world or the Church...?

If we counted up all of the hours spent together as a community of believers each week, what would our total be?

An hour and a half, to two hours for many of us. Some come to Bible study 1st, and then the morning worship services, so there's around two and half to three hours. If you come back Sunday night or go to a lifegroup, the entire Sunday might accumulate five hours focused on worshipping God and your spiritual growth. If we included Wednesday nights, we might up-it to six or seven hours a week of time focused on Biblical issues. It's hard to estimate though if it's focused time when we text-message during the assembly or become distracted by other concerns when we gather together.

Compared to the rest of the week, three to seven hours is not a lot of time.

A recent study released says on average, children watch at least 24 hours of TV in a week.

Hmmm. What can we do?

Well, we could wring our hands and grumble about how the world is going down the drain. That's not going to help change anything.

We could become like the Amish and seclude ourselves from the world.

That won't work either; I doubt we could give up our modern-day conveniences even if we wanted to...

Perhaps instead of only trying to tell each other what to think, we should focus on how to think as well? Preaching and teaching and passing on correct doctrine is essential; but it's not sufficient. IT's vitally important we are committed to knowing the truth, but that's not enough. We also have to know how to think, not just what to think. We have to be able to reason through logically, and have an ownership of our faith. And that's what helps us to keep our head on straight the other six days.

Moses' instruction to continually fill ourselves with God's Word every waking hour is worth considering here:

Deut 6:6-9, "6 And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. 7 You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise. 8 You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes.9 You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates."

Pair that up with what Paul says in II Cor 10:3-5, "3 For though we walk in the flesh, we are not waging war according to the flesh. 4 For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds. 5 We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ..."

New Middle school class:

2009-10-07T11:54:00.000-04:00

Tonight we kick off the new class for the middle schoolers, "How to understand everything: a study of Genesis chapters 1-11"

Sounds pretty ambitious, huh?

I hope to get the kids excited about the primeval history that Genesis provides, and I hope to shape the way they think about/see reality. I think almost everything we need to know is found in the 1st eleven chapters of Genesis. Not everything, but just about thing is there...

I'm excited about teaching the Middle school class for several reasons. High schoolers typically are too cool to participate and interact as much as the MS class... Adults are even more reserved in a class setting. But, you never know what's going to come out of the mouth/minds of these MS kids though! I love the questions and the responses these kids consistently throw out!

One of my favorite teaching experiences was with the MS class when I taught them the class on "What does the Bible say about....?" and I let the kids ask any question they wanted about any subject, and we studied the Bible to find the answers. We looked at weird topics like UFOS, demon possession, topics like how did Adam name the animals, what happened to the dinosaurs, and contemporary topics like how do we treat homosexuals. Nothing was off limits, and the kids were great.

I wonder if the kids will ask were Cain found a wife this time around???

Mom thinking outside the box:

2009-10-06T10:55:00.000-04:00

This story was too good not to comment on... How dumb can you get? If it was just across the subdivision people would freak out, but this lady is on the highway?

Ala. woman lets daughter ride in box on top of van

(AP) – 15 hours ago

ALBERTVILLE, Ala. — An Alabama woman has been charged with endangering the welfare of a child after police say she let her daughter ride in a cardboard box on top of their van. Albertville Police spokesman Sgt. Jamie Smith said the 37-year-old woman was arrested Sunday after police received a call about a minivan on a state highway with a child riding on top.

Smith said the woman told police the box was too big to go inside the van, and that her daughter was inside the box to hold it down.

Smith said the mother told officers it was safe because she had the box secured to the van with a clothes hanger.

The 13-year-old daughter wasn't harmed and was turned over to a relative. A jail worker said the mother was out on bond Monday.

Information from: The Huntsville Times, http://www.al.com/hsvtimes/hsv.html

Story, narrative, or what?

2009-10-05T14:05:00.000-04:00

Yesterday when I preached on Daniel in the Lion's den, I used the phrase several times, "story of" "story about," etc. It was gently and lovingly brought to my attention that some people mistakenly think the word story is almost always synonymous with fiction. I recognize that's the case with some people; it's easy to misunderstand the intended meaning of the word "story" in a day and age when people don’t always value absolute truth. So, let me try to alleviate this misperception on the use of the word story...

Somehow the term story seems to have a significantly greater force than some of the alternatives, so I'd really like to stick with the word story. How then do we avoid being misunderstood, how do we convey that story is, in this case, a legitimate real — authentic relay of information? I know what I mean when I use the word; getting that across might take some extra effort.

We could use several different words, when we mean story: account, narrative, report, chronicle, or maybe even statement, again, instead of story. This is tough, especially since I plan to preach through the "great stories" of the Bible between now and next May. I don't think it will be appreciated if every week, each sermon begins with a disclaimer on the intended meaning of the word story.

Perhaps occasionally saying things like: these are real people, real places, this really happened, or some equivalent to that, might work. I’m not sure what’s best. Maybe a combination of every so often reminding people that story is not synonymous with fiction, and then every so often replacing the word story with “account of” “description of” or “retelling” might work.

If you have an idea on how to clarify this, please let me know J Who knows, your “story” of helping me out might just make it into the Sunday morning sermon…

Fathers' day...

2009-06-16T13:35:00.000-04:00

Psalms 127:3-5 (ESV), “3 Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord, the fruit of the womb a reward. 4 Like arrows in the hand of a warrior are the children of one's youth. 5 Blessed is the man who fills his quiver with them! He shall not be put to shame when he speaks with his enemies in the gate.”

There’s a special time in a man’s life when he can stand back, remembering his childhood, contemplating the present, and looking to the future… all in a single moment. I’m in one of the blessed positions right now.

I still have the advantage of having my dad, and Tammy’s dad; I know if I ever need to call on them I can. All four of our boys are alive and healthy; I’m here for them whenever they need me. I’m a son, a son-in-law, a father, Lord willing in a few days I will be a father-in-law! Which means that I can see a future of grandchildren; though I’m not in a big hurry for that phase of life J

It is an understatement to say that each of us is shaped to a great extent by the relationship we have with our father (or father figure). Bill, Tammy’s dad, has taught me several things, and among them was how to tie my tie… so each Sunday morning when my tie is crooked you know who to blame, just kidding J My dad taught me a lot about life growing up, and he instilled in me a strong work-ethic.

Equally true is that we are shaped by being fathers! My boys have taught me more about myself personally, and life, than I could’ve ever imagined! I think our sense of self-worth and self-esteem is rooted in our belief in how we think our dad sees us, and as grown men, in our belief we have what it takes to make it on our own as a dad.

I know this much: A good father provides more than a roof over your head or food on your table. He prepares you for this life and the life to come. Tammy and I share three guiding-parental-priorities while raising our boys: 1. That they are responsible. 2. That they are independent. 3^rd, That they are spiritually mature. Everything else is secondary.

June 14th: Celebration!

2009-06-06T21:43:00.000-04:00

Dear Life group hosts and leaders:

We are planning an end of the season Life Group celebration for June 14th immediately following the morning worship services. We are asking if one member from each life group could please contact the members of your life group and for all of them to please bring:

1 - 2 2 liters (if bringing cans please put in a cooler with ice)

1 Choice of: potato or green salad (please bring the dressing for it) or cole slaw. Enough to feed about 12 people.

****If you have another salad that is your specialty, that would be fine as well ;-)

Rolls about 12

Feel Free to bring a dessert as well.......

Chicken will be provided as the main entrée.

We are meeting at Shelter 12 at the Eastman Recreational Facilities on Bays Mountain after morning services. We have the shelter until 4 pm, so we would recommend bringing the dish and drinks to the church along with clothes to 'play' in, especially if you live too far away to stop at your home after church. We are hoping to play games, so bring any outdoor games, balls, mitts, volleyball nets, etc...

If you are unable to contact the members of your group, please let us know who we can contact. Also, please email Nanette or myself with the numbers of people going from your group and if we need to supplement any food (many out of towners, etc..). Below is a list of the people we have listed in your group, if there are any corrections or additions, please let us know. We tried to delegate the food evenly between groups with these numbers in mind.

Remember, we are inviting the entire church, and we (the Life Groups) are the hosts. We are looking forward to a great time of fellowship, encouragement and fun!!

Season's end?

2009-05-21T12:11:00.000-04:00

The Lifegroups have officially or technically ended for the summer. We typically have small groups from the Sunday after Labor day, till the Sunday before Memorial day. So, here we are.

I know there are some groups that are grieving the conclusion of Lifegroups, esp after an abbreviated season. Some folks, even in our group, are eager to continue through the summer. I personally wouldn't want to take a break from meeting in homes, fellowshipping and studying together... The reality is, like fish, after a while company begins to stink :-) As a practice, we've taken summer breaks to keep the host homes and the lifegroup leaders refreshed and ready for a new season.

So... if your group does continue to meet over the summer, keep in consideration how to help your host family out. Rotate your location. Meet at the park. Shake it up. Also, don't feel like you'll have to meet weekly. Go every other week, or monthly through the summer.

It is greatly encouraging to hear that sooooo many people don't want to stop for the summer. That says something wonderful is happening.

Peace,

Craig

Click here for a printer-frinedly version of the 5/17/09 outline

2009-05-13T17:05:00.000-04:00

Lifegroup map 5/17/09 “You are what you eat” John 6:35-59

Please choose any One of the following Ice breakers:

(Everyone doesn’t have to answer the same one… pick the one you like!)

What is your response when you are being tailgated?
Does looking out your window generate creativity or distraction?
How do you try to talk your way out of speeding tickets?
If you are superstitious, which superstitions influence you the most?
Do you really read the Church bulletin???

Life exploration time: Read out-loud John 6:35-59

~ What are the indications here that Jesus is actually referring to what we commonly call “The Lord’s Supper”?

~ According to Jesus in this passage, how often do we need to eat & drink His body & blood?

~ What term (Ritual, rite, ceremony, ect.) best describes the Lord’s Supper in your opinion?

~ Why is the eating of Jesus’ body and the drinking of His blood a requirement for our salvation?

~ Read Jn 6:51-54. How do you distinguish yourself by observing this?

~ How many people need to be gathered together in one place to be able to properly take Communion?

~ Read Jn 6:42. How do you personally avoid the same type of pitfall; i.e., what you already know about Jesus interfering with what you need to know?

~ Read Jn 6:47. How is taking the Lord’ Supper an act of faith?

~ What should we think about when we take Communion?

Mother's day:

2009-05-07T10:35:00.001-04:00

Lifegroup leaders, there's no outline planned for this week. I assumed most groups would not meet this week with it being Mother's day and all.

Peace,

Craig

When Bibles make headlines... look out!

2009-05-05T09:27:00.000-04:00

I'm cutting/pasting an article I read on a US soldier's stash of Bibles being destroyed, apparently by the orders of the US chaplains... I really can't believe that we can send our troops to a nation that commits them to a temporary battle, and not expect our outstanding young people to share a life giving message??? Really. If they are willing to fight an earthy battle and willingly pay the ultimate price, it only makes sense that these soldiers should have the right to share their core beliefs. It seems a little one-sided for the Afghans to have us fight for them to have a better future, and yes to help protect the entire world from terrorism, and yet not allow us to share the reason we think the world can even achieve peace... Terrorism is ultimately about a fight between good and evil, and the way we overcome this battle, is in winning the hearts of people to the Prince of Peace. So I commend the congregation that sent the Bibles, and the young people who were willing to distribute the Bibles.

............................................

KABUL (Reuters) - Bibles in Afghan languages sent to a U.S. soldier at a base in Afghanistan were confiscated and destroyed to ensure that troops did not breach regulations which forbid proselytizing, a military spokeswoman said.

The U.S. military has denied its soldiers tried to convert Afghans to Christianity, after Qatar-based Al Jazeera television showed soldiers at a bible class on a base with a stack of bibles translated into the local Pashto and Dari languages.

U.S. Central Command's General Order Number 1 forbids troops on active duty -- including all those based in Iraq and Afghanistan -- from trying to convert people to another religion.

"I can now confirm that the Bibles shown on Al Jazeera's clip were, in fact, collected by the chaplains and later destroyed. They were never distributed," spokeswoman Major Jennifer Willis said at Bagram air base, north of Kabul.

Military officials have said the bibles were sent through private mail to an evangelical Christian soldier by his church back home. The soldier brought them to the bible study class where they were filmed.

Trying to convert Muslims to another faith is a crime in Afghanistan. An Afghan man who converted to Christianity was sentenced to death for apostasy in 2006 but was allowed to leave the country after an international uproar.

"It certainly is, from the United States military's perspective, not our position to ever push any specific kind of religion, period," chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff Admiral Mike Mullen told a Pentagon briefing Monday.

(Reporting by Peter Graff)

Click here for printerfriendly outline for 5/3/09

2009-04-30T10:42:00.000-04:00

Lifegroup map 5/3/09 “Will work for food” John 6:1-15

Please choose any One of the following Ice breakers:

(Everyone doesn’t have to answer the same one… pick the one you like!)

· What would you like to give away, that belongs to someone else?

· How important is spending time with your family, to you?

· Finish this sentence: “The problem with pirates is… ___________”

Life exploration time: Read out-loud John 6:16-34

~ In Jn 6:16-21 John records where Jesus walks on the water. How would you have responded to seeing Jesus, if you were one of the people in the boat?

~ In Jn 6:26, Jesus seems somewhat disappointed when He points out the real reason the people are seeking Him is because He recently fed them. In reality, from time-to-time we all have similar self-centered, shallow motivations that push us toward Jesus…

-Why is it hard for us to see/admit this self-centeredness in ourselves??

~ How do we “use” food to influence people today (Example: Pharmacy reps brining lunch into the doctor’s office to promote their product, business lunches to win favor with clients, church members inviting visitors/guests out for lunch after a worship service)?

~ In what ways do you see our contemporary “use” of food being inappropriate, and, in what ways is this appropriate to you?

~ What is the point Jesus is making in Jn 6:27 when He says not to labor for that which is perishable?

~ Why do people overly-focus on the here-and-now and disregard/ignore the reality of the afterlife?

Personal reflection:

Lifegroups are taking a break soon…. What will I miss about lifegroups over the summer?

Click here for the 4/26/09 printerfriendly outline

2009-04-24T17:08:00.000-04:00

Lifegroup map 4/26/09

“If you feed them they will come, really?” John 6:1-15

Please choose any One of the following Ice breakers:

(Everyone doesn’t have to answer the same one… pick the one you like!)

If you were to write a book, what would you title it?
Who was your best-friend growing up?
Which is better: Fed Ex, or UPS?

Life exploration time: Read out-loud John 6:1-15

~ How do you feel about Jesus “testing” Philip (see Jn 6:5-6)?

~ How do you like it when you feel like God is testing you?

~ Where can we apply this story of feeding people in our life?

~ Since we today as followers of Jesus aren’t too surprised by this miracle (were kind of use to it…) What does surprise you in this passage?

~ What do you suppose Jesus did once He withdrew by Himself (JN 6:15)?

Personal reflection:

Jesus refused to be conformed into their image of an earthly King. Am I pressing Jesus into my image more than I’m being formed into His image????

Who's the real winner?

2009-04-22T11:45:00.000-04:00

Perez Hilton (who I never even heard of before this week) was one of the judges of this year’s Miss USA pageant. The event was narrowed down to five finalists when he asked Miss California a question about her views on States authorizing same-sex marriage. Legalizing that type of union has polarized Americans along political parties for years; so the question wasn’t all that profound. Hilton, inspired by Vermont’s recent legislative blunder, obviously asked the question to sabotage Miss California (Carrie Prejean), based on his lambasting her afterward on his blog... By the way, Miss NC Kristen Dalton won the title, but so far no one on the news seems to remember her.

The news industry has interviewed Miss Cal multiple times this week, at length, on her choice to not compromise her values and the subsequent cost she has paid. I personally didn’t see the pageant, but I have seen a few of her news interviews. Miss Cal has consistently made impressive remarks such as: she felt God leading her, God testing her, and she needed to represent the majority of people in America by being Biblically accurate.

The truth is, you and I can’t buy that much time on cable-news to share our faith! Miss Cal has lost the Miss USA title, more than likely, for not compromising her values. Who’s the real winner? God is. There are millions of people, now, who have heard the convictions of a beauty queen, that otherwise wouldn’t have reflected on God’s perspective.

The late Keith Green wrote an incredible song “Make my life a prayer” that begins with these words: “Make my life a prayer to You, I wanna do what You want me to. No empty words and no white lies. No token prayers no compromise…” Whether or not Miss Cal is familiar with that song, she knows the point.

The publicity stunt Mr. Hilton tried to pull off by asking his loaded question reminds of the end of the book of Genesis. Joseph, sold into slavery by his brothers as a youth, eventually becomes 2^nd in command of the nation of Egypt. Decades later Joseph is reunited with his family because the sever famine in the land drives them to Egypt to purchase food... After their father Jacob died, Joseph’s brothers feel the need to conspire together once more. They think Joseph will be vindictive and seek retribution. So, they lie. They tell Joseph that Jacob left them with instructions for Joseph, namely don’t hold anything from the past against them….

Joseph weeps. He is visibly hurt by their underhanded deceit. He then reveals that their evil, malicious, selfish intent, was actually used by God. “15 When Joseph's brothers saw that their father was dead, they said, “It may be that Joseph will hate us and pay us back for all the evil that we did to him.” 16 So they sent a message to Joseph, saying, “Your father gave this command before he died, 17 ‘Say to Joseph, Please forgive the transgression of your brothers and their sin, because they did evil to you.’ And now, please forgive the transgression of the servants of the God of your father.” Joseph wept when they spoke to him. 18 His brothers also came and fell down before him and said, “Behold, we are your servants.” 19 But Joseph said to them, “Do not fear, for am I in the place of God? 20 As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive, as they are today. 21 So do not fear; I will provide for you and your little ones.” Thus he comforted them and spoke kindly to them.” (Gen 50:15-21, ESV)

So, Mr. Hilton, your plan actually… it worked.

click here for printer-friendly version of 4/19/09 outline

2009-04-15T22:08:00.000-04:00

Lifegroup map 4/19/09 “What are you looking for, really?” John 5:30-46

Please choose any One of the following Ice breakers:

(Everyone doesn’t have to answer the same one… pick the one you like!)

What PC/internet game are you most addicted to???
Share the last time you tried something new in your faith.
Do you “twitter” online?

Life exploration time: Read out-loud John 5:30-46

~ What seems to be the major disagreement/contention, in this passage, that Jesus has with His audience?

~ It’s not always the easiest thing to do, to consistently apply the Bible accurately today as we weigh-out the meaning of God’s commands: Which instructions were temporary, or what ones are eternal...

i.e., grasping what was written only for them back then/what is always Biblically true for us today.

How do you avoid “picking & choosing” when you read the Bible?

~ Read JN 5:38-40.

What is Jesus pointing out by bringing up their absence of having the Word abiding/dwelling in them?
Why did their method of study/search of the Scriptures fall short?
How could they have read the Bible so thoroughly, systematically, and meticulously, and yet rejected Jesus?

~ How could these people have been such strict students of the Word, sincerely attempting to be faithful to interpreting the Word of God, but not have God’s love (see JN 5:42)?

Personal Reflection time:

What steps am I personally taking to avoid the mistake of habitual vain/futile/inept Bible Study habits?

No lifegroup outline for this week... but

2009-04-07T13:52:00.000-04:00

This week most of our Lifegroups are not going to meet. Some people will be out of town visiting with their extended families, dozens of NE folks will be too groggy after the Lads to Leaders convention... and then some people will simply be home quietly celebrating with their family.

I guess this a long way of saying there's no plan to prepare an outline for group this week.

Well, what if our group decides to meet anyway? What can we talk about?

Here's a few topics that might generate some discussion (after you read the Resurrection account, in one of the Gospels, together):

1. What is the attraction to an Easter service for people that typically avoid "church"?

2. How has the Resurrection of Jesus shaped my view of reality?

3. The Resurrection was revealed within a community setting, and to be shared publicly. Why would anyone attempt to celebrate the Resurrection apart from a community of believers?

4. Finish this sentence, "Since there is future Resurrection of all people __________...."

Wherever you find yourself this Sunday I hope that the deeper meaning of the Easter story brightens your day, and God's live giving love shines through whatever darkness this world throws your way!

Peace,

Craig

Click here for a printer-friendly version of the 4/5/09 outline

2009-04-02T18:11:00.000-04:00

Lifegroup map 4/5/09 “House of Mercy” John 5:1-18

Please choose any One of the following Ice breakers:

(Everyone doesn’t have to answer the same one… pick the one you like!)

· Explain how you’d come up with better Icebreakers than Craig’s…

· Which is the most important ministry a Church can provide?

· Did anyone pull-off a good “April fool’s” joke on you this past week?

Life exploration time: Read out-loud John 5:1-18

Summary of JN 5:1-18

Jesus is traveling to Jerusalem for an unnamed Jewish religious feast (there were three main festivals all Jewish males were required to attend annually in the OT). Jesus appears near the sheep gate where the pool of Bethesda is. There’s an ancient, near-mythological, story of an angel healing the 1^st person to enter the water whenever the angel stirs up the water. Jesus miraculously heals a completely helpless man who has been immobilized for 38 years… on the Sabbath, and incurs the ire of the Jews because of their extra-biblical regard for Sabbath regulations. BTW: Bethesda literally means “House of Mercy.” Jesus equates Himself with God as He identifies Himself as God’s Son; this is then considered grounds for killing Jesus by the Jews.

~ What would it feel like to YOU to be completely helpless for 38 years, and, how would that affect a person?

~ Why do you suppose Jesus asked him if he wanted to be healed?

~ Explain why Jesus instructs this particular man in JN 5:14 not to sin?

~ From 5:7 & 5:13 the man (#1.) wasn’t expecting Jesus to heal him, and (#2.) he didn’t know who Jesus was. Jesus still takes a risk and heals him on (#3.) the Sabbath day. Why do you think Jesus heals this man despite these three particular circumstances?

~ How can we as followers of God avoid such attitudes and the type of mistakes the Jews in this story made? (Mistakes such as prioritizing rules over people, misunderstanding God, and being contrarian towards God.) After all—these Jews were well-intentioned & thought they were honoring God!

Personal reflection:

Am I really introducing people to God… more than I’m potentially interfering with their connecting with God?

click here for the printer-friendly version of the 3/29/09 outline

2009-03-26T14:12:00.000-04:00

Lifegroup map 3/29/09 “Magnified Motivation” John 4:43-54

Please choose any One of the following Ice breakers:

(Everyone doesn’t have to answer the same one… pick the one you like!)

Finish this sentence: “America’s current economic crisis… ___________”
How do you deal with times of uncertainty?
What was your favorite family pet when you were growing up?

Life exploration time: Read out-loud John 4:43-54

Brief note: This official who approaches Jesus traveled at least 14 miles to ask Jesus to heal his son. This father would’ve more than likely exhausted every/all/several resources prior to taking a chance on Jesus:

He would’ve had access to the finest physicians.
He also had the financial resources, being a royal authority, to seek any other potential alternatives.

Keep in mind that even with all of the privileges/benefits of his powerful position, the father’s desperation/urgency prompted him to seek out Jesus, apparently, as a last resort. Yet, Jesus not only helps this Gentile family physically, the end result is a spiritual healing too!

~ In Jn 4:43-44. Consider and discuss which town John refers to.

Is this an implication that the Samaritan town, Sychar, is His hometown; if not why not?

~ Jn 4:48-50.

Why does Jesus seem frustrated?
Why doesn’t this “frustration” deter the father?
What’s the actual reassurance (if any) he gets from Jesus?

~ Jn 4:50-53. Share your thoughts regarding the father’s quest for a physical healing for his son but unintentionally/unexpectedly ends up finding faith and believes in Jesus…

- Also, what implications exist for us today in light of this twist of events?

Click here for the printer-friendly version of the 3/22/09 outline

2009-03-17T14:11:00.000-04:00

Lifegroup map 3/22/09 “Ripe” John 4:27-45

Please choose any One of the following Ice breakers:

(Everyone doesn’t have to answer the same one… pick the one you like!)

What flowers/vegetables do you plan on planting this spring?
How do you choose a translation of the Bible?
On a scale 1 to 10, 10 being extreme… how stressed are you tonight?

Life exploration time: Read out-loud John 4:27-45

~ Why do you suppose the disciples refrained themselves (JN 4:27) from questioning Jesus about His conversation with the woman at the well???

~ What is the significance (symbolic or not) of the woman leaving her water jar in Jn 4:28?

~ How do you feel about the Samaritan woman being an active and effective evangelist 4:28-29 & 4:39…

in light of the fact that she is living a sinful lifestyle?

~ Read Jn 4:34. What is the work that Jesus has in mind?

AND, In what sense is God’s work unfinished/incomplete?

~ Why is it essential we open our eyes & really “see” (4:35)?

~Based on 4:35-42, what all is necessary for evangelism to take place?

~ Have we overlooked anything in this passage that you’d like to discuss?

Personal reflection:

The neglected “ripe harvest” ends up wasted… Am I laboring in and reaping God’s harvest the way Jesus really wants me to?

On my bookshelf:

2009-03-17T09:54:00.001-04:00

I recently lent out one of my favorite books on congregational life to a good friend here, and he was returned it last night. As I was putting the book back just now, it occurred to me, many people in our churches are unaware of the value of Peter Steinke's writings.

I have a "trilogy" on understanding the emotional system from Peter Steinke that I highly recommend you pick up and read. Each book is around 170 pages or less; quick reads that are very packed... I'll save my favorite title for last, as I share these gems with you.

The 1st book to consider is, "How your church family works." If you want to know why anxiety hijacks a group of people, and how to find stability again, you won't find a better resource anywhere. One very powerful concept that Steinke draws out here is how we need to practice what he calls "self-differentaion." This is the idea of being present with the group, but remaining an individual. It's harder than you might think, but Steinke devlops the idea and provides clear guidance on the how to deal with it.

The 2nd book I'll recommend is, "Congregational leadership in anxious times." You'll like the subtitle: Being calm and courageous no matter what....

Here Steinke unpacks concepts on how a leader can manage their own anxiety to be a non-anxious presence, to be a calming influence. He does a great job describing the two types of anxiety we deal with, Acute and Chronic anxiety. The book has three phases, The Leader's presence, The Leader's functioning, and The Leader's challenges. This book is essential for anyone who would attempt to navigate the choppy waters of congregational life...

The 3rd and favorite book of the three is, "Healthy Congregations."

Steinke shows how anxiety is like a virus attacking a body; it has to have a host to survive. If you've heard the term "Triangulation" before, you'll benefit from Steinke's perspective on this topic. The core of the book unpacks the four viruses that attack the body of the church: 1. Secrets, 2. accusations, 3. lies, and 4. triangulation. Steinke shows how all four of these are expressions of anxiety. This book is, no exaggeration, worth its weight in gold...

To say these three books should be required reading by all leaders, and most members, could come off as a cliche.... but I'll say it anyway :-) Let me finish my recommendation with this: All three books detail the really difficult challenges we face as a community of believers - followed by delivering tools/skills that will aid us in our efforts to work through the many difficulties that face every congregation. These books provide more than just hope for a better future for congregations strangled by conflict and stress... these books inspire their readers to action!

Click here for the printer-friendly version of the 3/15/09 outline

2009-03-10T15:14:00.000-04:00

Lifegroup map 3/15/09 “Liquidation” John 4:1-26

Please choose any One of the following Ice breakers:

(Everyone doesn’t have to answer the same one… pick the one you like!)

· How much time each week do you spend on the internet?

· How do you feel about your future tonight?

· What is your favorite snack food?

Life exploration time: Read out-loud John 4:1-26

Brief background: The Samaritans were racially mixed; partially gentiles and partially Israelites (See II Kings 17:24-41 for more details.). They lived in a region that was between Jerusalem and Galilee. The Jews and Samaritans were bitterly at odds—ethnically and religiously. The Samaritans only accepted the 1^st 5 books of the Bible… The Jews destroyed the Samaritans’ temple in 120 BC. Since most Jews traveling north & south between Jerusalem and Galilee bypassed the region of Samaria to avoid being ceremonially unclean, Jesus is breaking several social norms of His day in this passage…

~ What is the significance of Jesus being weary and thirsty?

~ We know from piecing together the social customs of their day (and her history of relationships…) that the woman at the well is an outcast. She is drawing her water alone, and in the heat of the day. Recognizing this, along with living an immoral lifestyle (Going through at least 5 men, and she wasn’t married to her current man...) what type of encouragement should we personally take away from this story as we see how Jesus interacts with her?

~ Jesus says in 4:14 that the water He offers will never leave us thirsty…

· How should we view and handle times when we are in “spiritually dry” times?

~ Reading 4:20-22 the woman raises a question of “where” worship takes place. The only use of the word “salvation” in John’s Gospel is here in 4:22… but notice that Jesus says not only is worship on the Samaritan mountain not key, Jerusalem also is not central/indispensable…

· In what ways is Jesus liberating worship from structures or locations in Jn 4:21?

~ Jesus declares the nature or essence of God is Spirit in 4:24.

· How does this impact our understanding of worship, according to Jesus?

~ Jn 4:25 indicates that the Samaritan woman was expecting what type of Messiah?

(Hint: she says when the Messiah comes, “he will explain/declare/tell us all things”)

~ Overall, Jesus masterfully uses dialogue to bridge the many divides between Himself and the Samaritan woman; all the while not condoning her lifestyle OR condemning her…

· How can we apply Jesus’ example of dialogue in our lives today, to build relationships with people we differ with?

Click here for a printer-friendly outline for 3/8/09

2009-03-04T11:04:00.000-05:00

Lifegroup map 3/8/09 “Wanting what Jesus wants” John 3:22-36

Please choose any One of the following Ice breakers:

(Everyone doesn’t have to answer the same one… pick the one you like!)

What was it like the 1^st time you were away from your family?
What is something you are thankful for tonight?
Which is your favorite movie about Jesus, and why?

Life exploration time: Read out-loud John 3:22-36

~ See Jn 3:22. What is so significant about the amount of time Jesus spent with His disciples?

~ In what ways are we selling ourselves short today, if/when we only spend the bare-minimal amount of time with other believers?

~ In Jn 3:23 we see that the water was plentiful. How does this help increase an understanding that baptism implies fully submerging an individual?

~ In Jn 3:30 John the Baptist admirably wants to reduce his public role (personal influence/attention) and he wants to turn people towards Jesus… Expanding that notion to modern-day Christianity:

How can we authentically point people to Jesus and avoid attracting people to our particular perspectives/preferences?

(i.e., Introducing people to Jesus and getting out of their way)

~ Jn 3:34 teaches that God gives the Spirit without measure/limit. What exactly does that mean?

~ Read Jn 3:36 in another version other than the NIV here... John indicates that obedience is at least equally essential for our salvation as belief. What does obedience consist of in this verse?

Personal reflection time:

How much control of my life am I really giving over to Jesus?