Quote of the Day

Quote of the day:

"If you don't go to church, which fewer than half of Americans do each week, would hymns appeal to you? The lyrics are written in formal English, using out-of-date terms, and the melodies are usually slow and accompanied by a somber organ. I like hymns, but to use them to the exclusion of modern Christian music is like driving an old car cross-country with a Best of Bee Gees tape stuck in the eight-track player. It's OK for a little while, but you'll end up bitter." -Brent Castillo for Knight-Ridder Newspapers

HT - the Wesley Blog

Maybe It's Just Me But...

• Percentage of McDonald's franchises that did not sell a hamburger last year: 0%
• Percentage of Ace Hardware stores that did not sell a hammer last year: 0%
• Percentage of Salvation Army outlets that did not help a needy person last year: 0%
• Percentage of state universities that did not educate a student last year: 0%
• Percentage of airlines that did not fly a plane last year: 0%
• Percentage of WalMarts that did not sell merchandise last year: 0%

So let's say you're a church, and aren't making disciples. You are not seeing people move out into the deep, or kneeling to serve, or you see people still trapped in the same sins they came into the Body with.

Are you really Great Commission Christians? Can you still call yourselves a church?

Reason I ask is because I read a guy explaining how hard it was going to be to tell the 5 - yes I wrote 5 - little old ladies that make up his church that they should sell the building and move where they might possibly, someday, reach someone else for Christ.

That's a hard decision? Maybe for you.

Not me.

"Here I Come To Save the Day!"

If you are a pastor - avoid this syndrome.

Some Things Start Out Well, But...

Notice that the manufacturers of the hand dryers used in restrooms around the world have now had to add an icon telling people not to dry their hair with them.

Having been on the internet since it began, I am feeling the same way about that great tool. Use it, but be warned - it can be used in the wrong way - and it can hurt!

Just surf over to MySpace and you'll see a good thing corrupted. Great idea, but fallen humanity can ruin any of those.

So if you're a pastor, or youth leader - you'd better know what your folks are REALLY doing. I'm rarely shocked anymore, but I was.

If you're a parent reading this, I'd strongly suggest blocking MySpace, or if you don't, insisting that your kids not mark their blogs private. You need to know.

So what keeps me sane?

 

An everyday walk around the bayou with my big friend. 

Waaaaaaaaaaay outside the comfort zone

Well, today was something else.

Our worship guy was off candidating for a new gig, his fill-in was sick, so I wound up leading a much abbreviated worship set. Then we went right into the message. During that, our church dog barked so loud everyone woke up. Funny, I was just about to talk about dogs (Mark 7).

Tonight our associate pastor led us through a "stations of the DVD" experience, using an I Worship DVD as the framework for a sort of sermon on worship. It was interesting. Still processing whether it had the effect he was looking for. We had talked about breaking te sermon into pieces (ala RW) and having more interaction.

The interaction was there with scripture readings but I'm not sure the sermon was. It seemed to me like more of a presentation than a message. There were definite high points, and I was moved by some of the songs, but I never really felt like we got into the texts - just flashed on them and moved on.

But we tried some things, and if we failed, we'll know not to do that again.

Life in the fast lane. :)

Grace!

David

Never quit on Sunday

It's late Sunday night - the close of another week here. During the week I've prayed over the names of those in the congregation, I've prepared and delivered two small group teachings and one Sunday sermon. There have been conversations long and short with the people God has given me to care for, and time spent together working Saturday on the church's appearance. In other words, a full week has passed.

Now at the end, I look back and wonder...

What if he had summoned the courage to admit he needed Jesus? What if she had decided to give Him her heart? What would that family look like if God had been made the head of it? And how awesome it could have been if the church had been moved to change.

Without omniscience, all I can do is my best and trust God.

Then today, our worship leader, a young man with both talent and a great heart for God, was talking to a church nearer his home about becoming their worship guy. How hard it is to find someone like that in a church our size. What will we do to replace him, when it took months to find him just two years ago? How will the everpresent traditionalists react? Will I have to fight that battle again?

All I can do is trust God. Yes, I'm practicing what I preach.