more thoughts on His Church

i am passionate about His Church.

and I fear I sometimes convey a poor attitude when I speak or write about it.

I confess that it is difficult not to bring my former church 'baggage' to any conversation regarding His Body.... for that I apologize. that is on me, and I need to do much better...

(don't you hate it when someone apologizes, then goes on to 'explain away' the behavior which necessitated the apology in the first place??!?!?! well, I suppose I am about to do just that.....)

by way of 'explanation', I guess what makes it especially difficult (the leaving behind of the baggage part) is my perception that there are leaders across our fellowship (as well as in other faith groups) who are falling into the same faithless traps and godless habits that have ensnared other leaders and elders and 'would be' shepherds before them... traps like 'building-itis' and 'board-of-director-ism' and 'policy-making-sclerosis'... all of which misdirect attention from true shepherding.

do you ever feel that way? like you bring baggage? or that the baggage you bring causes you to be less than objective or downright unkind or impatient?

perhaps I need to do a better job of living the concept taught in the great unity chapter of the Bible, Ephesians 4.... I firmly believe that 'speaking the truth in love' (which is taught throughout scripture) is absolutely KEY to being a unifier instead of a divider....

furthermore, I am not sure that TRUTH matters very much at all without the SPEAKING IT IN LOVE part.... because if people can't see past my LOVELESS delivery, they will never hear the TRUTH... which makes the attaining of that truth and the gathering of that knowledge the ultimate exercise in futility.

so, for my part, loveless truth has little worth... and I certainly need to remember that as I try to communicate truth to others! When I forget it, I end up alienating the very people with whom I am trying to communicate..... what a terrible shame!


now to the body thoughts: has your group's journey stagnated a little?

I have a couple notions as to why that may be... and perhaps a couple ideas how to 'unstagnate' it.... but I must confess that my ideas are not very imaginative... as a matter of fact, as I write them in this post, they appear rather pedestrian and conventional and institutional, but here goes:

• deeper Bible study - the absence of which is probably the foundation of many congregational ills
• a 'sold-out' approach to home church or small groups - become fully invested in this very very Biblical model... do not view it as just another 'ministry' or 'program'
• adopt an "OUTWARD FOCUSED AT OUR INNER CORE" approach and mindset. nothing cures squabbles and discontent like focusing on meeting the needs of others!

ok, how bout some less traditional ideas:

• if institutionalism is becoming problematic, sell your building and rent! that immediately gets rid of a BUNCH of garbage, right? (incidentally, Rick "purpose driven dude" Warren's SaddleBack church did not own a building for a very very long time... their most explosive growth happened without building ownership... is there a lesson there?)
• are your shepherds becoming too imitative of a board of directors? then prayerfully help them divest of 'duties' like policy development and decision-making and refereeing! how? I have no ideas on this one.... probably why it is the single biggest elder issue!
• are your people too 'worship-service-at-the-building-Sunday-Sunday-night-wednesday-night' oriented? then stop 'having' the conventional offerings at these times! how 'bout only ONE OFFICIAL WORSHIP ASSEMBLY PER WEEK - ON SUNDAY MORNING! then perhaps nightly bible study and fellowship groups at the building AND in homes! (incidentally, if I were prince for a day, i would make pew-sitting and attendance-counting and score-keeping and clock-punching VERY VERY uncomfortable! not only does it miss the point... when we allow/foster/promote this old conventional model, it encourages people to engage in meaningless ritual! and usually at the expense of more meaningful activity.)

ok, that's enough wild, hair-brained ideas for one post!!!

regardless of where God leads you and your faith group in the days to come (and I have GREAT PEACE about that, by the way!), for my part: I resolve to address those round about me - especially those with whom i disagree - with respect and love.

because my voice is a loud, worthless, clanking cymbal if I fail to do that.

Blessings!

evangelism 101

what is evangelism? how do we do it?

Our model has usually included a lot of telling and convincing. we study with folks and try to convince them of the gospel... or we 'hold a gospel meeting' and invite people to come hear someone else try to convince them of the good news...

how did our 1st century forerunners 'do' it? ...well, we can assume that they didn't have Bibles to carry around and study...

can we also infer from the Biblical accounts that their main way to 'lift Him up' was more in the living and less in the telling?

at the end of the day, we are called to be seed spreaders, right?

so how can we best do that? how can we, in our quest to sow seed, imitate those who shared space and time with Jesus himself?

maybe the very best way is to actually 'be' the church.... to live in community and help each other and encourage each other...

what would happen if we did just that? ...if we lived in such a Jesus way that people were attracted?

is that not the original model?

maybe evangelism is, in its purest sense, showing Jesus more than it is talking about Him.

Maybe it is less about tracts and 'doctrine' and more about living out our faith in such a way that folks are attracted to The Way.

how better to spread seed?

Blessings!

Lyon, here we come!

another August, another adventure...

Caitlin has accepted a scholarship to play basketball for the Lady Pipers of Lyon College in Batesville, and today we are headed to Arkansas' 2nd oldest city (or so says their welcome sign) to move her in.

Her sisters began their new school year on Wednesday, and their momma began her second year of working outside the home ten days ago...

we are officially back in the swing!

back to school... there are so many analogies one could draw...

it is at once excitement and dread and anticipation and a little fear... mostly it is a time of 'new'.

new school for Caitlin, new hallway and teachers for Cassie, new challenges for Cara...

Cara... my senior... (is it really that time again? didn't we just go through this with our oldest?) a year from now, we will be likely be loading up the car to deliver her to a new place...

I am so not ready...

for now, for today, the 'deal' is Batesville... after interning at the University Church in Conway as a youth minister all summer, my oldest has been 'home' for only a couple weeks... and now she heads to Lyon...

For my part, I am excited for Cait! can't wait to see what this year holds for her!

Blessings!

what's important

I know I have written in this space about the Tyranny of the Urgent... and how our day-to-day crowds out what is truly important. The insidious nature of this 'urgent' is that, after a while, the 'important' cannot be defended as such.

I mean, how could I say or think that Bible Study, for example, is important to me when a cursory inspection of my daily walk would reveal that I rarely if ever open His Word?

How can I purport to be a 'family man' when I am rarely with my family?

how can a momma consider herself a great momma when she doesn't even know when her kiddos' activities are?

again, the 'urgent' crowds out the 'important' until it assumes its position.

so.... what's important?

1. God
2. family
3. church family
4. job
5. having fun

here's a quick test: where do you spend your time? where do you spend your money?

put another way: what if your checkbook AND your appointment book reflected EXACTLY what your 'list' conveyed?

a-ha... that's the challenge, isn't it?

I suppose our goal in life should be to make our 'books' match our 'list'.

I can guarantee this: if you don't make a daily effort to match the books to the list, the list will definitely change to match the books. I promise.

Pray right now for God's guidance and leading to make your books match your list. Without His intervention, the urgent will rule.... and the important will not be important anymore.

Blessings!

O Worship The King!

our lives are to be a reflection of Jesus.

our walk is marked by His lovingkindness.

our day-to-day is led by His Spirit.

and today we get the privilege of taking part in a group expression of our gratitude for His gift, thankfulness for His Leading...

we get to worship the great I AM.

O Worship The King!

expectations and frustrations

so, where does frustration come from?

I guess it arises from expectations.... or is it impatience?

I suppose if you set your expectations low enough, you will never be disappointed... but how fatalistic is that? how sorry a life would you lead if you simply lowered your expectations until you were never frustrated?

pretty deep thoughts for a Saturday morning...

think I'll shelf this and go play golf.... now that's a recipe for frustration! or maybe I'll go wet a hook...

in any event, I have about come to the conclusion that I need to chill.

so that's exactly what I plan to do.... at least for today...

Blessings! get out and enjoy this beautiful day God made for us...

Pure Silver

25 years ago today (it was a Friday in 1984, by the way), Kelly Crawford and I exchanged vows.

Dad presided, and a couple hundred friends attended the evening wedding.

Besides the obvious memories (I still marvel that she said 'yes' being the most remarkable memory), there are a few quirky ones that come to mind when I think back to that magical day.

• it was HOT! I mean, August 10 in Arkansas, right?
• Kelly was HOT! I mean, the most beautiful girl to ever put on a white dress - or any other-colored dress, for that matter! (some things never change) I remember how my breath actually caught in my throat when the back doors opened and she walked through. wow.
• the reception was at Ramada (because our church wouldn't allow instrumental music on the grounds anywhere) and it was an awesome affair with lots of food and music! but we didn't get any of those really really good fried stuffed mushrooms... (probably will have a couple or 10 tonight!)
• my friend who was in charge of pulling the roll of rice paper down the aisle for Kelly to walk on accidentally hit one of the glass candle holders with his shoulder... it knocked the candle against its glass holder... and about 15 minutes later, it had heated the glass to whatever temperature glass requires to shatter. and it did. all over the mother of the bride!
• the afore-mentioned mother of the bride recorded 'Agnes of God' (yes, that horrible Streisand movie) over our only copy of the wedding video... she will likely still deny she did this. but she did, no kidding.
• I sang 'Truly' by Lionel Richie to Kelly... she had forgotten I was gonna sing, and it took her by complete surprise! she and all 5 of her bridesmaids were weeping... still wondering if they were touched or if I really sang that badly!
• we drove momma and daddy's Cadillac away as people showered us with rice and such... all the way to Kelly's dad's shop, where we had hidden our 1980 VW Rabbit (my dowry), which we drove to Little Rock, then Destin for our honeymoon.

there are other more memorable thoughts which I will keep between Kelly and me... but will never forget.

25 years. wow.

still my very best friend. still my very favorite person. still the best momma ever. still takes my breath away every time I see her. still stunningly beautiful - inside AND out.

I can't believe God chose to bless me with her.

still.

the institutional church conversation... conclusions?

OK... so what am I to do with the numerous Biblical examples Mr Viola presents in support of the local church? :-) (see previous posts)

well, as my momma used to say, 'everything in moderation'... sounds like Bible, huh?

I have been studying/wrestling/praying about what value the institutional church may have today. Viola does a terrific job describing and essentially rebutting the most 'liberal' viewpoint - that of the 'postchurch' movement... and I still believe the answer must lie between the extremes...

anyhow, as Frank Viola points out, the local church has huge value!

which goes a long way toward reminding me of the answers to some questions I have been asking:

does it have a place?

is it even a Biblical model?

would it be better to just meet in homes?

and while I still struggle with how our fellowship 'treats' the institutional church (admittedly Riverside is better than most), Frank Viola's blog posts on the subject have served as a reminder to me that God DOES indeed have a place and a purpose for a 'local gathering'...

I suppose I will always struggle - hopefully in a positive and productive way - with the "organized church's" affinity for itself and its addiction to its own structure and routine...but I have been reminded by my friend Frank that God DOES place importance on the local church.

Again, I tire of people who use guilt to get people inside the church doors... and I have little patience for those who - ignorantly or purposely - misuse scriptures like Hebrews 10:25 to fill the pews... but that does not change or diminish the Biblical FACT that God's divine design definitely involves the local body.

We must never confuse the church universal (the one which Jesus died to establish) with the little exclusive gathering we attend.... and we simply CANNOT continue to further confuse the building with the Body....

but I KNOW that every Biblical example of Body Life includes 'community' and communion with a local group. Viola did an unparallelled job of expositing on the subject, and he is probably the leading 'organic church' proponent of our time!

as a dear friend used to tell me: "that's where I am right now"...

I encourage us all to continue to pray and study and 'be' the Body.


more to follow, I'm sure...

Blessings!

when God works

So just another example of God's amazing habit of amazingness.

As I listened to the Santa Marta Medical Mission Team give its report last night (yes, the mission I helped to start and was unable to 'go on'), it became clear that our plans are so small and His are so big.

Margaret recited a top 10 list of 'why you shouldn't go on a foreign mission trip', a sort of tongue-in-cheek look back at all the slings and arrows Satan hurled at this effort from its planning to its execution... Bill talked about Paul's word picture of the body in I Corinthians 12... LaJeana spoke on behalf of herself and Perry and Hannah about the unfathomable grace of God in touching people through our meager means.... Matt shared his perspective as a first-timer-pharmacist on a foreign medical mission... and Doyne talked about his most favorite memory: that of an old man accepting Jesus and putting him on in baptism...

It was refreshing to gain perspective from these partners, my heroes.

And the very primary part, the basic and amazing lesson I learned as I listened was this:

Though God works in our lives everyday, it occurs to me He REALLY LOVES to swoop in when all seems hopeless and save the day.

At several junctures in the planning and execution of the trip, Satan erected barriers. And every time, God provided a way around or through.

When we lost a vital member or two from the dream team only months before we were to leave, God provided a Doctor...

When fear of Swine Flu dominated the news, God provided calm...

When Airplane tickets were selling at double the price we had planned on, God provided... (I checked fares one day and they were about $900, and the next day they had fallen to $440... we pounced on it, and they skyrocketed back to over $900 the very next day!)

as I listened to the team members recall the trip (from planning to going and returning), it reminded me with crystal clarity that God LOVES to work through us... and He REALLY LOVES to work through us when the odds become stacked!

I think He does that to gently (or not so gently) remind us that He is at the controls.

What a faith-affirming exercise!

What a wondrous God we serve!

Blessings!

another perspective on ecclesia and the efficacy of institutional church

Frank Viola wrote a two part article on the very same subject I have been studying and praying and blogging about...

It is a Biblical view/defense/critique of the institutional/organic/post church movements, and is much better written and more well-informed than anything I have written...

and very thought-provoking...

I commend it to your reading:

http://blog.christianitytoday.com/outofur/archives/2009/08/frank_viola_on.html

http://blog.christianitytoday.com/outofur/archives/2009/08/frank_viola_on_1.html#more


very very good read indeed!

tm

Acts 2:47

When we read about Jesus 'adding to the church those which were being saved', I am convicted and convinced that we have forever misinterpreted that - mostly unintentionally - to fit our own 'view' of 'church'; an unhealthy view that revolves around a brand and a building.

For my entire upbringing, we have equated salvation with our brand... I would suggest that when Dr Luke recorded the events surrounding pentecost, he was not talking about a particular 'brand' nor a particular 'local church'. He was referring to a sect of believers in the new Way through the promised Savior.

My 'church experience' really wants this 'church' to which Jesus 'added the saved' to be 'my' church, 'my' brand, my local building.... to sort of imagine that all those 'saved' were added to a 'church of Christ' with a building and a little sign over the door which reads '5th and Calvary Church of Christ'... all in a neat mental package.

However, when I take a fresh look at the church Luke talks about in Acts 2 - when I leave behind all my preconceived, ingrained notions - I can't help but conclude that these new saved souls met together in houses and other 'non-institutional' venues... and I further imagine that they worried very little about buildings and budgets and battles about stupid stuff that accompanies buildings and budgets and battles...

It occurs to me that at least 90% of ALL the battles ever waged within/between 'church' groups are attached to a building....who finances it, who controls what goes on there, how do we do what we do there, how do we pay it off, how do we keep out the riff raff, and on and on and on...

and the devil is laughing.

Is it possible that we continue to miss the point?

The more I study and pray and learn about the subject, the less enamored I become of the institutional 'church'.

Can it serve a useful purpose?

I am becoming less and less certain...

God Bless!

challenge and change - are you allergic?

you've heard people say that change is good. we've read that we should not back down from challenge... and I am trying to continue my journey toward learning that I am not in control.

yet in these challenging economic times, attitudes seem to tighten.

dreams are sacrificed at the altar of safety, and imagination is replaced by routine.

Believers need to fight this urge. We should embrace challenge and welcome change...

I have friends who have lost their jobs in the past 12 months... and that is hurtful and usually stunning and shocking... one such friend called me yesterday to report that he had been 'let go'... I love his response: "oh well, I know God has something better planned for me..."

I have been let go.... most people have at one time or another been fired.

My brother Greg got me my first job at Tracy Marina... He was their general manager at 18 years old (married for 2 years at the time!), and got a summer job for his 14-years-young kid brother.

I wanted to work hard and do well... but my first job when I was hired involved 'weeding' the vegetable garden of the marina owners. still today, I remain confused about what gardening has to do with working at a marina.... but nonetheless, I went about weeding the garden... and, having no formal weed eradication training, I systematically pulled everything green out of the little 30 x 30 garden plot... when I was done, it was a beautiful 30 x 30 spot of immaculate black dirt.

Dad came and got me in his 1974 Pontiac Station wagon - at the insistence of Mrs Marina Owner - in the middle of the day, and I was officially unemployed at 14... only 6 hours into my first job. I found out later that Mrs Marina Owner had some other very creative (and illegal) ways to punish me for ruining her garden, and was convinced to simply fire me instead. I cried all afternoon... and I still owe my brother for saving his 14 year old brother's life.

I deserved to be fired that day... and, yes, I know this story does not hold a candle to an adult provider losing his means of providing... I get that... and I know that many who are losing their jobs today don't deserve to.

but every year, there are literally hundreds of opportunities to embrace change and accept challenge... and I miss so many of them because of my addiction to routine! I hold onto it like grim death, as if God won't know how to 'handle' anything different than what I have come to know...

I have a dear friend who found out a few years ago he has early onset Parkinson's... not yet 50 years old, he continues to be a pillar of faith and an incredible example to all who know him. He didn't ask for this terrible disease... he didn't want or deserve it. But his walk has become so much more than he could have ever dreamed....

another great friend has a wife who is no longer interested in being married. He is crushed. and so would I be.... I pray everyday that their union can be healed and restored. But it may be that God has something better in store. He was not looking for this tragedy... he was looking forward to celebrating their 25th anniversary this year. But he continues on and seeks God's path for his life, even in the middle of the horrible pain.

God is the God of creative. God is the God of imagination. God is not a lover of routine.

yet we are allergic to change and challenge. we gotta get over that! Pretty cavalier, I know...

but I am convinced that our allergy is growth-stunting and life-sucking and dream-killing. and it robs us of seeing the possible... and enjoying the now.

let us resolve to look for opportunity. let's try to see life's bumps in a bigger way, and embrace what God may have for us to do... even though it's not in our 'plan'.

Blessings!