Ok…I can tell that I was ‘full-time’ staff at a church for waaaaaayyyy too long.
I spent the weekend in Nashville at a business meeting and expo for the company I work for. As I listened to the different speakers, all who read their entire presentation from a teleprompter, I was thinking…”Oh My God…what have I gotten myself into?”
As I sat and listened to some of the speeches, most of them quoting the same ‘company line’, I caught myself thinking, “Where is the passion?” “I hear you quoting the line, over and over, and you are trying to sell me on it, but are YOU passionate about what you are trying to get me to be passionate about?”
Later that evening as I was reflecting on the day, it suddenly came to me. “Holy crap….how many times have I done that for the sake of ‘ministry? How many times have I tried to get people to be passionate about what I SAID I was passionate about? How many times did the people see that my heart wasn’t in it, and therefore they didn’t buy into what I was selling?”
As I was talking with my lovely wife last night, it came up in discussion what the pastor of a church I used to be on staff at always said, “fake it till you make it”. After that quote rolled off my tongue I realized just how wrong that phrase is. We shouldn’t have to ‘fake’ it…if we have to fake it…we are in the wrong business. I realized right then that my thinking was all screwed up and it needed to change.
I have to passionately believe what I am selling. It has to be deeply embedded in my heart and not just etched on my brain. I has to come from the soul and not just roll from the lips.
Filed under: Uncategorized
As a follow up to my post HERE at Relevant Christian, this news just came out of D.C.
The NFL, which found itself on the receiving end of protests and controversy after it objected to churches showing the Super Bowl on big-screen televisions, has reversed course and will now permit the viewings.
In a letter to Sen. Orrin G. Hatch (R-Utah), NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said the league would not object to “live showings — regardless of screen size — of the Super Bowl” by religious organizations.
In response to questions from Hatch, Goodell said in the letter, dated Feb. 19, the NFL will implement the policy starting with next year’s Super Bowl.
A story in The Washington Post about churches — most of them evangelical — canceling their Super Bowl parties because they were afraid of lawsuits from the NFL if they showed the game on their jumbo screens kicked up a storm of protest on Capitol Hill and among some conservative leaders….
(Read entire article HERE)
Waaah Waaah!! We are such whiners and criers because it is so important to us, as a church, that we hide behind the four walls to watch a sporting event instead of watching the game out in our community and neighborhoods. Give me a break!
Bill Reichart is a pastor at Big Creek Church in Forsyth County, GA. He blogs at his personal blog, Provocative Church and his ministry blog, Ministry Best Practices.
Filed under: Christianity, Commentary, General, I Wonder, Real Life, Relevant Christian, Relevant Life
Ok…I have to admit…when I first heard all the negative reports about the ’sex’ series from Relevant Church, I thought that it was probably all just a bunch of hooey from people who are looking for fault.
I have always been for pushing the envelope, being edgy and all that…but…is this taking it a little too far? Is this really what we want the world to see of us as the body of Christ? Does this really belong in church?
I have a lot of friends who are not Christians…and I have to be honest here…they are laughing at this ‘30 Day Sex Challenge’. It has become a punchline in a bad joke.
I don’t know about you, but I don’t think that the body of Christ needs this kind of attention.
I am all for helping marriages stay strong, and for couples to have a healthy sex life, but shouldn’t this be done in a small group setting?
That is just my opinion…What is yours?
Filed under: Christianity
Yes coming to Jesus is easy, as Peter said to the crowds in Jerusalem, “Repent and Believe”, but walking with Jesus and being conformed into His image isn’t. There is no EASY BUTTON. But thankfully that by His grace and work of His Spirit that it is POSSIBLE.
(ht: image from Purgatorio)
Bill Reichart is a pastor at Big Creek Church in Forsyth County, GA. He blogs at his personal blog, Provocative Church and his ministry blog, First Impressions .
Filed under: Christianity, Commentary, General, Real Life, Relevant Christian, Relevant Life
I’m not exactly sure what the reader demographic of this blog is, but I bring you my second post after living for six weeks away at college. I’m a new transfer student from junior college, currently living the apartment life at UCLA. It’s a prestigious school to be sure, and sometimes it’s easy to get caught up on how busy school work can be.
Perhaps this is the case for you too, but often times I’ve lost sight of what I’m doing here, and what I want to accomplish here. I’ve joined a fabulous fellowship called In Christ Alone, formerly the Navigators at UCLA. I don’t know what caused it to branch off, but that’s none of my business anyway. I’m not really as involved as I’d like to be, but already, sometimes it’s hard to find time for myself and quiet times with God since I’m so active.
My weekday schedule goes something like this:
Monday – dorm dinner fellowship time with ICA fellowship
Tuesday – bonding with my three apartment-mates by eating together
Wednesday – Bible study at night with people from my home church who also attend UCLA
Thursday – ICA fellowship rally, worship, and message, then eating and fellowship at dorms after.
Friday – fellowship and Bible study at my home church
I’ve seen many friends who, at the beginning of college, when they first went to UCLA, were really gung-ho about ministry and worship on campus. Now that I’m here, I’m seeing a different story. Many friends of mine who were proclaimed passionate and serving Christians have now fallen away and are no longer involved. Perhaps some still go to fellowship, but I have see no evidence of this in their lives.
I’ve been watching out for the same problem in my life, but it’s hard to remember why I’m so involved. In serving at church and being so involved in fellowship at school, I’ve often missed my own devotional times and quiet times, which has taken a toll on my spiritual and emotional health.
Some advice for current college students:
- No matter how busy you are, take some time for yourself to spend quiet times with God. It doesn’t have to be intense theological Bible studies like I used to be used to doing, but it can be some light reading (perhaps some C.S. Lewis–I’m currently working through The Screwtape Letters which is fantastic), light worship with an iPod, and prayer.
- Find a solid community and small group in your fellowship at school. A discipleship program is a plus and can help you grow so much with a positive older figure and an accountability partner.
- Never forget to love the people around you and keep a look out for those you can share your faith with. The college campus is such an amazing rich soil for people who need Jesus who just don’t know what they’re looking for yet.
- Study for the glory of God and not for yourself, and ask God for mercy and help and diligence in your studies.
All in all, I’m loving college life. It’s a little tough growing up and learning to be responsible for myself and to be better at time management, since I’m so involved in fellowship and in my home church. But God is good and he will bless each and every one of you for the work you are doing on campus, so I keep going in faith, as I pray that you will, too.
The other day I talked about life being tough. In fact life is downright hard. Some people got really ticked off at me and some had some interesting questions. I confess now, that to some extent it was a set-up. Yes, I wanted to explore the reality that life is hard and in my opinion, too many people spend too much time complaining about the consequences of the poor choices that they made or are too focused on “something” else making them happy.
I’ll spend quite a bit of time this week surrounded by hurting people, the truth is that you will too. I’ve had the opportunity to get to know a guy who if you met him you’d never know what I’m about to tell you. He’s a good guy, who works hard and loves God. He’s married with no kids. So what’s the problem? His wife is pregnant with another man’s baby. Yes, you read that right. Now, he’s told two people at the seminary. Why? “I’m afraid they’ll be stupid Christians” were his exact words to me.
Then there’s the girl who moved out of her house because her husband beat her. I know a young man who lost both of his parents to cancer by the time he was 6. These situation are tragic, they’re heartbreaking. There’s a girl that my daughter knows that talks about her mom’s boyfriends and different situations that make my daughters eyes bug out of her head. I’m sure if I just created a blank page for you the reader to fill in, we could list story after story of people who are around us and hurting.
Sometimes the hurt is because of something that we’ve done. For a long time in my life I carried hurt because of choices that I made. I walked around with hurt bubbling just below the surface.
Sometimes, the hurt is because of what others have done. Somebody hurt you. Maybe they rejected you, maybe they abused you. I don’t know, but I can almost guarantee that the vast majority of people who will read these words have been hurt by someone. Usually, if I’m talking through this it is at this point that some people’s head start to shake up and down and I can see them thinking about it. Yes, they have been hurt. But that misses the point I’m making. Think about all the people you’re going to come in contact with today. They’ve been hurt. They’ve been abused, misused and discarded.
I sometimes hear people say that our society is getting angrier and angrier every year. I wonder if that is because as a society we are not able to help people heal at the same level hurt is being afflicted on people. I wonder if as we focus more on our life and the short comings that are there in it we fail to see the hurt in other people and it somehow doesn’t become a vicious cycle. I mean think about it. How many people haven’t been hurt? Who hasn’t had someone mis-use them? Probably almost no-one.
They are walking all around you today. They were walking all around you yesterday. They will be walking around you tomorrow. All around us are people who’s life is a mess either because of choices that someone made. I’ve been reading the gospels for one of my classes. Think about it, who isn’t messed up in the Gospels? Jesus. That’s it. Everyone else is an absolute mess.
Think about the woman at the well in John 3. You talk about a woman who’s life is blowing up around her. She’s on her fifth husband. What do you think her self view was? Do you think she looked at herself as a whore? Do you think she hated herself? Do you think she had a longing she couldn’t she couldn’t get filled no matter what she did? How about the woman caught in Adultery? What do you think was going on in her heart? How about Zaccheus? Do you think he felt that everyone hated him? Did everyone hate him?
The entire entourage that followed Jesus was a jumble of broken people. Somehow, they found a home with Jesus. Somehow they found acceptance. Somehow Jesus talked past their hurt and anger and spoke to their deepest fears that they really were accepted. That they really were loved. That there was hope.
The writer of Hebrews deals with this very issue. Brilliant writer that she was, she says this, “But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called Today, so that none of you may be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness.” (See Hebrews 3:13) He also says this, “And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.”
These verses talk about us focusing on others. Notice there is no exception clause there for those people who also have it hard. We’re all supposed to be encouraging each other. Encouraging them onto to “love and good deeds.” It talks about avoiding the hardening effects of sin by encouraging one another. This is the power you have; this the power that God has entrusted you with. It seems to me by even the most cursory examinations of the New Testament reveals that God has entrusted us with the task of encouraging one another.
Now, we can all think of ways that other people can encourage us more, but I want to challenge you to consider how you can encourage others. What will that look like for you? What will it look for you to encourage and spur others on to good works? Think of at least one person you can encourage by tomorrow. Then go do it.
May you see the power of encouraging others no matter what is happening in your life, and may you be encouraged today that no matter what has happened in your life, God has given you a tremendous opportunity. He has given you tremendous power. You can be a catalyst for those around you to live as God intended them to live.
The following is an excerpt from an article at ThinkChristian.net that I found very interesting. What do you think?
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The American Christian system has wholeheartedly exchanged God for the Bible! This is precisely why so many sincere hearted people go into a full fledged panic attack the moment anyone suggests that there might be errors or discrepancies in the Bible….Because we have made the “God exchange” we have to insist that the Bible now takes on the attributes of God Himself. This is why it is imperative that everyone believe the Bible is infallible. It is equally grieving to my heart when I hear people say things like, “If there is even one thing wrong in the Bible, our entire faith is worthless”. Their entire existence as a Christian stands on the belief that there are no errors in Scripture….I’ve heard people openly admit, “If you can’t believe it all, you can’t believe any of it”.
Let us know what your thoughts are.
Original article found here.
One of the things I love about my relationship with my wife is the fact that we talk. I mean we really talk about a lot of things. We don’t just talk about “the business” stuff that needs to get done we talk about life. One of the things that we often talk about is the fact that so few people seem to get the fact that life is hard. It’s even harder when you do dumb things. (See my post yesterday).
It amazes me how many people think that life is about them. One of the things that cracks me up is when my wife and I get talking about different situations that we hear about and we’ll often talk about how I would handle the situation if I was counseling that person. We’ll usually laugh because often Erica will come back with, “Really? I’d just tell them to buck up and deal with life.”
While we laugh, I really think she’s onto something. Somehow, we’ve failed to prepare people to deal with life. It always amazes me when people think they just need to achieve something to be happy. The single person thinks once they get married they’ll be happy, the married (and still unhappy person) thinks that once they become a parent they’ll be happy. The parent thinks once he or she can leave their spouse and get out of their current situation they’ll be happy. This is crazy and dangerous thinking. Not only is it just flat out wrong, it’s dumb.
We know a guy that studied his whole life to do a certain career. As long as I’ve known him, he wanted to do this one thing. The girl he married knew he wanted to do this one thing. He went to school thousands of miles away from his home so he could do this one thing. Now he works at a job he hates because his wife couldn’t handle the demands his dream job put on him. He hates his job and to be honest, he sounds like he hates his life. Now, to be sure they both knew what the other person was like before they were married (the wife complained loudly about how much she hated the job before they were married) but to me this illustrates so completely what I’m driving at here.
We’ve raised an entire generation that thinks life is completely about them and the casualties of this particular hubris can found everywhere and is extremely high. Nowhere are the casualties more prevalent than in our relationships. How many of us know a husband or a wife that manipulates their spouse to get what they want to the detriment of their overall relationship? They always do what one spouse wants to do and then one day things just blow up and a separation or a divorce happens and everyone wonders what happens.
Let me change direction here for a minute, what about the people who complain all the time? You ask them how whatever was and no matter what the question they respond with a complaint? They get a gift and complain because it’s not the exact one they wanted. I know a guy who was able to pay cash for a brand new mustang and complained because he didn’t like the tires. There are entire blogs that are nothing more than gripe sessions. The whole blog talks about how things don’t turn out to the person’s expectations. Isn’t that the ultimate indicator of self obsession?
Do you still need more proof? How about the people who always share the “bad” things that are happening to them? You know those people that you’re afraid to even say Hi to because you never know what their going to come back with.
Here’s the point: everyone has hard things happen. I’m not saying people shouldn’t share, in fact I think not sharing at all is another sign of self absorption. It is equally devastating to relationships. It comes down to what you choose to focus on. Some people didn’t get the memo: Life is hard. It requires perseverance. It is not about you. It is not about me. We have too many people who have sun disease–that affliction that causes people to think that the sun rises and sets on their backside.
The more we can teach people (and I include myself here) that life–especially the Christian life–is hard and difficult the better off those people will be. It’s also very rewarding, no doubt. What do you choose to focus on? What do I choose to focus on? Everyone has bad things happen and almost everyone has good things happen to them.
What is the focus of our life? Really and truly. Not what do we give lip service to being the focal point but what do we really focus on? Life is hard, and life is good. For most people, it is both. I’m not naive, I know that for some people life is nothing but hard, but let’s be honest those people probably are not sitting in this country. It’s time we all take some inventory of our lives and ask ourselves what our actions say our values are. It’s hard to say that you love someone if you are manipulating them. It’s hard to say that you’re concerned about others when you’re actions are all about you.
Life is an opportunity. What are you doing with that opportunity? Life is tough, be tougher. Do something with your opportunity.
It is a little late in coming but the following is a list of the Top 5 Posts for 2007!
1. What Does The Bible Say About Tattoos? / Author: Timmy Gibson
2. No Apology Necessary / Author: Jimmy Eldridge
3. Why Christians Suck / Author Timmy Gibson
4. Does God Really Love Porn Stars / Author: Joe Martino
5. My Baptist Jesus Can Beat Up Your Methodist Jesus / Author: Dave Anderson
And my favorite post, which we will call the ‘Editors Pick’ is:
On God as Daddy / Author: Joe Martino
Filed under: Christianity, Commentary, Real Life, Relevant Christian, Relevant Life
The following post is one that came from a comment on one of my favorite blogs. When I first read it, it struck me so much that I saved it to my desktop to go back and read when I needed it. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.
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If Rebel is what you are labeled when you don’t want to bow to certain HUMAN preferences elevated to the moral imperative… then I’m glad to be one.
If being a Rebel means I no longer acknowledge the institutional gate keepers who have no real ecclesiastical authority other than tenure at some trade school for pastors posing as a place of theological education…. then I’m glad to be one.
If being a Rebel means I’m allowed to disagree according to the dictates of my conscience…then praise God for it.
If being a rebel means that my and my friend’s actions garner a reaction that exposes the heart of people and their fear of loss of control…then tattoo it on my forehead.
(I’m so proud to be one because our actions have disclosed the bankruptcy of Christians who show their devotion by their anger.)
If being a rebel means that those who have wielded control in our churches by putting everyone else on the defensive with finger pointing and image driven stinking piousness are now being questioned….I’ve done the Church a service.
If being a rebel even means destroying some people’s confidence in the institutional church (because FOR SOME it is the only means for them) to get them off their rear ends and BE the Church…then I’m unrepentant and proud of my “rebellion”.
If people actually shut their mouths and listened you’d see, even in the people with whom you strongly disagree, a deep desire to be faithful… that’s not rebellion to God or the Bible… but it might be rebellion to people who don’t deserve my loyalty or my “follower-ship”.
It might be rebellion to others imposing their middleclass social respectability posing as Gospel living.
It might be rebellion to a life of dishonest hidden-ness.
It might be rebellion to the idea that local churches are places for Christians to hide and “gut it out” until the end.
It might be rebellion to continue hiding in our “god-buildings” assuring ourselves of our safety, and the good news of our own righteousness.
It might be rebellion to a culture of shame and repression.
And all of those things deserve deconstruction and destruction. All of those things merit revolt. All of those things should, frankly, make a faithful Christian go anabolic because it represents the betrayal of the gospel and the same sin of ancient Israel who navel-gazed, kept some external laws, but was deeply and profoundly lost.
I’d rather follow a guy who is honest about his faults, lives openly as he repents and converts, who occasionally cusses and enjoys a beer, but has a heart for the lost and is actually sharing the gospel…. than some self righteous know it all pastor with a bad haircut and an ill fitting suit who thinks he’s some kind of defender of the faith because the hill they die on is 19th C. revivalist hymn-singing, not going to movies and not drinking. (for starters)
No other law, but love. No other hope, but Christ. No other truth, but God alone.
Author: Unknown
I wish I could remember who wrote this. I thought I saved the authors name and when I realized that I hadn’t, I could no longer find the post. If you happen to be or know the author, please let me know and I will gladly attach their name.
