And so...

"These days, people can get good teaching, wonderful music, and excellent writing, whether through iPods, TV, or online. They learn to shop around and pick and choose. Then they expect the same high quality in their local church. A generation ago, the average person learned to accept his home pastor and was faithful to his local church. But now, people's appetites for excellence have been heightened."

-Bryan Wilkerson is the senior pastor of Grace Chapel in Lexington, Massachusetts. Taken from "5 Kinds of Christians" in the Fall 2007 issue of Leadership journal.

So what does that say about our task in smaller churches and the reality we face every week in "satisfying" that sort of consumer? Should we try? Or is church counter-cultural at its core.

I'm going to have to chew on that one for a while.

How Long?

I've got one eye on the calendar already. Just dragging the paper in last Thursday took a lot out of me. Then the collective energy used on Black Friday shopping, even though I did not participate, made me weary for those who did. I can feel the pressure building to get the lights on outside the house and the tree up inside, even though my adorable bride hasn't said a word.

But every now and then, I get a feeling like that lady did in the opening credits of Jaws.

Da -dum

Da-dum

da da da dum....

Christmas IS COMING!

When Allan, our friend from one street over, made his visit to our house today, after getting the usual small talk out of the way, (Gators won, Niceville lost, Georgia Tech lost, how's your dog, where's Bunny, tell Sean he's out...) he asked the dreaded question.

"How long until Christmas, David? How many days?"

"Well Allan, it isn't even December yet," I replied.

"But how long, David?"

"28 days"

Allan hasn't yet learned what most adults have about Christmas. Silly him, he still is amazed and in awe.

You know what? I'm going to do everything I can to find that sense of wonder again too.

8 That night there were shepherds staying in the fields nearby, guarding their flocks of sheep. 9 Suddenly, an angel of the Lord appeared among them, and the radiance of the Lord's glory surrounded them. They were terrified, 10 but the angel reassured them. "Don't be afraid!" he said. "I bring you good news that will bring great joy to all people. 11 The Savior—yes, the Messiah, the Lord—has been born today in Bethlehem, the city of David! 12 And you will recognize him by this sign: You will find a baby wrapped snugly in strips of cloth, lying in a manger."
13 Suddenly, the angel was joined by a vast host of others—the armies of heaven—praising God and saying,
14 "Glory to God in highest heaven,
and peace on earth to those with whom God is pleased."
Tyndale House Publishers: Holy Bible : New Living Translation. 2nd ed. Wheaton, Ill. : Tyndale House Publishers, 2004, S. Lk 2:8

How long until Christmas... for you?

Grace and peace,

David Wilson

6 Reasons Not to Quit

Weblog » Emergent Village » 6 Reasons Not to Quit

We have now been in the same place for nearly 4 years and are yet to see one person sign up to follow Jesus. This was not at all what I hoped for or expected when we set out to begin our missionary venture in the northern suburbs of Perth. Even though I told people it would be a long term project and we would need to be patient I (secretly) still expected amazing results and in double quick time. As a youth pastor I had seen the youth ministry I was leading grow dramatically from 30 people to 250 in less than 2 years with many of those new Christians. For some reason I concluded that a) this was normal and could be replicated b) I was the key element in catalyzing this dramatic period of growth. I figured that if I could make it happen in one setting then surely I could do it again somewhere else…

I have since come to see how arrogant and foolish that is.

Brother, you ain't the lone ranger.

Good article and it its strange way, encouraging.

Pax

I Have Met the Enemy And He Is Me

George Whitefield said:

I cannot pray but I sin. I cannot preach to you or any others but I sin. I can do nothing without sin; and, as one expresses it, my repentance wants to be repented of, and my tears to be washed in the precious blood of my dear Redeemer. Our best duties are as so many splendid sins.

HT Darryl Dash

Uh, if George Whitfield was a sinner, and that sin tainted everything he did, is it just possible that I am too, and that my efforts with God are limited not by His power or willingness to see them succeed, but by my sinfulness?

Eh?

Les Puryear, man on a mission :)

Joining God in His Work: CHAPTER 2 - THE SMALL CHURCH IS NOT BROKEN

Les Puryear is bullish on smaller churches. His post today reminds me of the guy in the movie Network who gets fed up and goes off.

He's coming out swinging for the fences today, go and take a look.

Learning To Grow

It was Thanksgiving weekend after all, and I knew we'd have people scattered all over. In a community where almost everyone is from somewhere else, I wondered just what a weekend we would have.

Saturday's church sanctuary decoration certainly didn't bode well for a great weekend at New Hope. Despite two emails and two separate times to help offered, only 6 people total came to help. Where was everybody?

Well it turns out that more was going on than just decorating the church. Two of our church members were at the emergency room! I knew nothing about it until this morning because our deacons handled it all.

Part of me was concerned that I was being shut out of congregational care, and that I was missing opportunities to minister to people I care for. But I know that if we are to grow from an extended family sized church to a church beyond that, I must decrease and they (others who care and are equipped to serve) must increase. But I will ask to be notified next time.

Deacons doing caring ministry... what is up at New Hope? BIG GRIN

New Hope - Sunday 25 November 2007

Weekend after Thanksgiving and I wasn't expecting much, but we had a really good turnout. The vibe was really good, like a group of people who had been apart for a while and were really glad to be back together again.

Worship set:

(Guitars, keyboard, flute)

Here I Am To Worship
Hosanna

Call Upon His Name
Hosanna

Just As I Am

I continued the Mythbusters series with a message attacking common myths about the church with the biggest being "Church is about us". I played the "meChurch" clip and it was well received, and I spent a lot of time with the concept of the "ekklesia" and how it went from an assembly of people with faith in God to the Body of Christ living out His purposes in the world.

On the Church

I'm preaching today hoping to dispel the myth that the church isn't necessary. In these days that's not a slam dunk like it used to be. And maybe it shouldn't be. Those vital places that made such a difference in the lives of pagans like me seem few and far between now. Many seem content to just repeat what they did last year, or in the case of the FBC down the street, go back to what worked in 1973.

Well, I was saved in 1973. My wife drove a Vega and I drove a 300 horsepower 10 mpg Duster 340. It had an 8 track tape player.

The earth has turned and life has moved on.

"Unstirred waters lead to stagnation, and stagnation can't support life. Churches looking for lack of change and preservation of 'what has always been' are on course with slow, creeping death. Injection of new life, ideas, freshly surrendered lives, spiritual fervor, hunger to penetrate culture, and better ways to connect people in community all lead to disequilibrium. Disequilibrium is uncomfortable, unpredictable, and chaotic--the dominant reasons people don't like it...without fresh injections, organizations will be lulled into a false sense of complacency and end up 'the frog in the kettle slowly brought to boil.'" Ron Martoia, Morph!, 173

Evangelicals shift toward acceptance on divorce - USATODAY.com

Evangelicals shift toward acceptance on divorce - USATODAY.com

Interesting article on divorce and its shifting status among evangelicals. So many divorces today, and yes the church was horrible to divorced people for a long time. But doesn't the pendulum feel as though it's nearing the absolute end of the opposite throw?

Piper's reaction to Instone-Brewer's article may very well herald that reverse.

bunnywilson: Psalms: On Single-Mindedness

bunnywilson: Psalms: On Single-Mindedness

My wife had posted a "Psalm On Single-Mindedness" that speaks to the "Pastor/Cheerleader" vs authenticity.

Go read it. She's a blessing.

Pastor/Cheerleader?

When I think about what I'm hoping to project as a pastor, authenticity is at the top of the chart. "Follow me as I follow Christ" Paul wrote, and what I hope to do is to model a follower of Christ.

That means that there will be days in my life that I am happy, days when I am sad, and days in between. I'll react to events and to people in various ways depending on what's happening in my life - always with grace (I hope) - but in a realistic fashion - not fake.

However in the smaller church, I'm not sure that authenticity is valued very highly at times. It seems that people would rather have a pastor/cheerleader.

When something goes wrong, I can deal with it and do. The analytical in me looks to see how it happened, what the effects were, and how we can keep it from happening again. But we don't pretend it didn't happen.

In small church, things are magnified. People leave, even one person leaves, and people react like the entire church is dying. I find myself having to stop and explain who we are again, how God is in control, and that we exist for His glory. not for man's preferences. I find myself doing this again, and again, and again.

I remember reading an article a while back on "Smiling Pastors", focusing on Joel Osteen's appeal. The writer seemed to thing that one of the major appeals Osteen has is his ever smiling face. I must be the most cynical pastor alive, but I'm calling that a made for TV effect. But CEO's apparently suffer from the same expectations. In an article Wired magazine quotes a CEO:

When you're the CEO, you've got to get off the elevator each morning with a big smile on your face. No matter what's going on in the company. Everyone looks to you for a temperature reading.

So what about it pastors?

Do you feel that sort of pressure? And if you do, how do you handle it?

Is this limited to the smaller church?

I'd love to hear some answers.

On Preaching

John R.W. Stott,on preaching

Far from being an alien intrusion into worship, the reading and preaching of the Word are actually indispensable to it. The two cannot be divorced. Indeed, it is their unnatural divorce which accounts for the low levels of so much contemporary worship. Our worship is poor because our knowledge of God is poor. And our knowledge of God is poor because our preaching is poor. But when the word of God is expounded in its fullness and the congregation begins to glimpse the glory of the living God, they bow down in solemn awe and joyful wonder before his throne. And it is preaching which accomplishes this. The proclamation of the Word of God in the power of the Spirit of God -- that is why preaching is unique and irreplaceable.

Thankful

When I get to Thanksgiving, I always think of those years as a little kid in Macon Georgia. We'd all pile in the car and head over to my Aunt Geneva's house, just up from the cotton mill on Roff Avenue. All of my cousins would be there too, and so we'd get every opportunity to get into trouble.

There was Uncle Ben's bomb shelter, conveniently located under the house, to explore. There were the train tracks to put a penny on, and the post office a block away to visit and see the scary faces of the most wanted. And just down the street was my Uncle Will's store, where barefoot little boys could convince their uncle that his cookies needed to be tested for freshness.

Good times.

Oh there were amazing meals. Collard Greens, pecan pies (no one cooks pecan pies like people with pecan trees in their backyard), my Aunt Geneva's best in the world corn bread, turkey and dressing, and every cake known to mankind. For a kid whose parents both worked, and our normal meal would be a 30 minute wonder - it was a staggeringly impressive feast - every year.

And yes, there was football - inside and outside. We'd play outside until lunch, then take some time to properly recover from said lunch by watching the Bears and the Lions or later the Cowboys and whoever they were beating on TV.

I was amazed when I sat down to write this, just how much of the little details of events that happened 40 years ago I did remember. The cars they drove, the year my cousin came home from the Army in uniform, the colors and fall chill - all come leaping back to my memory.

But you know, what I remember most is the laughter. When my Mother's family got together, there was always laughter. That didn't mean that life for them was wonderful - this was the mill village, and like most families, they had troubles. Money troubles, alcohol troubles, kid troubles, and health troubles.

When they were together, something incredible happened - none of those seemed so large. When I think about it now, I'm convinced that happened because when they came together, they were conscious of just how much they loved each other, and just how powerful that love could be, and was.

And when they prayed, it wasn't the 20 second version of grace, it was the recitation of what God had done in the past year for them, how grateful they were for His grace, and how thankful they were that God put them together as a family.

Grace was tangible - abundant - real. And people didn't take it for granted - they built their lives on that foundational truth. It wasn't "lucky" that they were together, it was God's grace. And in that grace they dealt with adversity and with blessings - in their fierce love for one another.

I always came away impressed that if I was a part of that family, I would never lack for love. No matter what I grew up to be, no matter what I was to make of my life, I could always come back home and run right into the arms of love. Several pairs of them. :)

In a way, it's what I believe church should be.

We love, because He first loved us. And out of that love, we live lives that testify to the grace we have received. We grow our "family" by opening our arms to those outside and setting another place at the table. Just as no one ever was a stranger on Thanksgiving at the Bowden family's meal, no one should ever be turned away.

And come blessings or trials, you have a home filled with love.

Lots of those people who fill my memories have passed away now. But they helped make me who I am. And last night when I read this passage again, I could smell collard greens cooking and hear the laughter.

18 I'm going back to my father. I'll say to him, "Father, I've sinned against God, I've sinned before you; 19 I don't deserve to be called your son. Take me on as a hired hand." ' 20 He got right up and went home to his father.
"When he was still a long way off, his father saw him. His heart pounding, he ran out, embraced him, and kissed him. 21 The son started his speech: 'Father, I've sinned against God, I've sinned before you; I don't deserve to be called your son ever again.'
22 "But the father wasn't listening. He was calling to the servants, 'Quick. Bring a clean set of clothes and dress him. Put the family ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. 23 Then get a grain-fed heifer and roast it. We're going to feast! We're going to have a wonderful time! 24 My son is here— given up for dead and now alive! Given up for lost and now found!'

Luke 15:18-24 (MSG)
I'm very thankful to be a part of the family called New Hope, and wherever you are I pray that you are a part of such a loving group of people. May all who read this know that God loves you with a love fiercer than any family could ever muster. And He's eagerly waiting for the reunion to come.

Happy Thanksgiving and may God's richest blessings be yours.

Grace and peace,

David
Lead Pastor, New Hope

Thankful

When I get to Thanksgiving, I always think of those years as a little kid in Macon Georgia. We'd all pile in the car and head over to my Aunt Geneva's house, just up from the cotton mill on Roff Avenue. All of my cousins would be there too, and so we'd get every opportunity to get into trouble.

There was Uncle Ben's bomb shelter, conveniently located under the house, to explore. There were the train tracks to put a penny on, and the post office a block away to visit and see the scary faces of the most wanted. And just down the street was my Uncle Will's store, where barefoot little boys could convince their uncle that his cookies needed to be tested for freshness.

Good times.

Oh there were amazing meals. Collard Greens, pecan pies (no one cooks pecan pies like people with pecan trees in their backyard), my Aunt Geneva's best in the world corn bread, turkey and dressing, and every cake known to mankind. For a kid whose parents both worked, and our normal meal would be a 30 minute wonder - it was a staggeringly impressive feast - every year.

And yes, there was football - inside and outside. We'd play outside until lunch, then take some time to properly recover from said lunch by watching the Bears and the Lions or later the Cowboys and whoever they were beating on TV.

I was amazed when I sat down to write this, just how much of the little details of events that happened 40 years ago I did remember. The cars they drove, the year my cousin came home from the Army in uniform, the colors and fall chill - all come leaping back to my memory.

But you know, what I remember most is the laughter. When my Mother's family got together, there was always laughter. That didn't mean that life for them was wonderful - this was the mill village, and like most families, they had troubles. Money troubles, alcohol troubles, kid troubles, and health troubles.

When they were together, something incredible happened - none of those seemed so large. When I think about it now, I'm convinced that happened because when they came together, they were conscious of just how much they loved each other, and just how powerful that love could be, and was.

And when they prayed, it wasn't the 20 second version of grace, it was the recitation of what God had done in the past year for them, how grateful they were for His grace, and how thankful they were that God put them together as a family.

Grace was tangible - abundant - real. And people didn't take it for granted - they built their lives on that foundational truth. It wasn't "lucky" that they were together, it was God's grace. And in that grace they dealt with adversity and with blessings - in their fierce love for one another.

I always came away impressed that if I was a part of that family, I would never lack for love. No matter what I grew up to be, no matter what I was to make of my life, I could always come back home and run right into the arms of love. Several pairs of them. :)

In a way, it's what I believe church should be.

We love, because He first loved us. And out of that love, we live lives that testify to the grace we have received. We grow our "family" by opening our arms to those outside and setting another place at the table. Just as no one ever was a stranger on Thanksgiving at the Bowden family's meal, no one should ever be turned away.

And come blessings or trials, you have a home filled with love.

Lots of those people who fill my memories have passed away now. But they helped make me who I am. And last night when I read this passage again, I could smell collard greens cooking and hear the laughter.

18 I'm going back to my father. I'll say to him, "Father, I've sinned against God, I've sinned before you; 19 I don't deserve to be called your son. Take me on as a hired hand." ' 20 He got right up and went home to his father.
"When he was still a long way off, his father saw him. His heart pounding, he ran out, embraced him, and kissed him. 21 The son started his speech: 'Father, I've sinned against God, I've sinned before you; I don't deserve to be called your son ever again.'
22 "But the father wasn't listening. He was calling to the servants, 'Quick. Bring a clean set of clothes and dress him. Put the family ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. 23 Then get a grain-fed heifer and roast it. We're going to feast! We're going to have a wonderful time! 24 My son is here— given up for dead and now alive! Given up for lost and now found!'

Luke 15:18-24 (MSG)
I'm very thankful to be a part of the family called New Hope, and wherever you are I pray that you are a part of such a loving group of people. May all who read this know that God loves you with a love fiercer than any family could ever muster. And He's eagerly waiting for the reunion to come.

Happy Thanksgiving and may God's richest blessings be yours.

Grace and peace,

David
Lead Pastor, New Hope

"He drew a circle..."

"He drew a circle..."

He drew a circle that shut me out--
Heretic, rebel, a thing to flout.
But Love and I had the wit to win:
We drew a circle that took him in!

"Outwitted" by Edwin Markham (complete poem)

Smaller Churches

Les Puryear is really doing good work in raising the profile of small churches and pastors, and especially among the churches of the SBC. Todays post is only one of many Les has authored that will encourage you if you are one of the majority of pastors whose churches are smaller than 200 in worship.

A snippet:

In my own denomination, the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC), I asked the good folks at Lifeway to run a report for me to count the churches based on Primary Worship Service(s) Attendance in 2006. They very graciously attended to my request and sent me the following report:

1-99 attendees = 25,217 churches (62.7%)
100-199 attendees = 8,305 churches (20.7%)
200-299 attendees = 2,850 churches (7.1%)
300-499 attendees = 2,126 churches (5.3%)
500-749 attendees = 788 churches (2.0%)
750-999 attendees = 336 churches (0.8%)
1,000-1,999 attendees = 425 churches (1.1%)
2,000+ attendees = 139 churches (0.3%)

Total Churches = 40,186

You could have knocked me over with a feather when I saw these numbers. This data, which I believe to be more representative of actual people in the pews, reveals that the SBC is overwhelmingly a denomination of small churches with 83.4% (33,522) of our churches having an average worship attendance of less than 200 people. At the other end of the spectrum, only 1.4% (564) of our churches have 1,000 or more in attendance each Sunday. More than ever, it appears that we are a convention of an overwhelming majority of small churches.

Go read the whole thing

New Hope - Sunday 18 Nov 2007

New Hope - Sunday 18 Nov 2007

Beginning with Psalm 100

A psalm of thanksgiving.

1 Shout with joy to the LORD, O earth!
2 Worship the LORD with gladness.
Come before him, singing with joy.
3 Acknowledge that the LORD is God! He made us, and we are his.
We are his people, the sheep of his pasture.
4 Enter his gates with thanksgiving; go into his courts with praise.
Give thanks to him and bless his name.
5 For the LORD is good. His unfailing love continues forever,
and his faithfulness continues to each generation.

Psalms 100:1-5 (NLT)

Our worship set

* Amazed
* Forever
* Change My Heart O God
* It Is Well With My Soul

Emily Shermer sang "All Creatures Of Our God and King" before the message.
We used "Have Thine Own Way" as our hymn of commitment.

The idea was to put songs out there that would help people focus on God's faithfulness - even in times of pain and devastation. I took a minute to introduce "It Is Well With My Soul" to the congregation, making the point again that songs are set to music, but the words are the conduit to the heart. Each generation has songs that speak their heart language, and we have 4 generations in worship.

We continued the "Mythbusters" series with a message on the myth that "God Owes Me".

11 As Jesus continued on toward Jerusalem, he reached the border between Galilee and Samaria. 12 As he entered a village there, ten lepers stood at a distance, 13 crying out, "Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!"

14 He looked at them and said, "Go show yourselves to the priests." And as they went, their leprosy disappeared.

15 One of them, when he saw that he was healed, came back to Jesus, shouting, "Praise God, I'm healed!" 16 He fell face down on the ground at Jesus' feet, thanking him for what he had done. This man was a Samaritan.

17 Jesus asked, "Didn't I heal ten men? Where are the other nine? 18 Does only this foreigner return to give glory to God?" 19 And Jesus said to the man, "Stand up and go. Your faith has made you well."

Luke 17:11-19 (NLT)

I asked the congregation to live like the 10th leper.

"Let's breathe"

What does it mean to be a believer?

Ann Lamont: I have a very pathetic and innocent relationship with Jesus. [The things] I’m sure about are the things the kids in church sing: that I’m loved and never alone. I am a complicated and worried person. To know that I can just say “hi” and “I am so lost,” and He says, “Hi, hon. No, you’re not. Let’s breathe. Get a glass of water. Do you want to call a friend?” Simple works for me. I love to read profound, theological, brilliant, stunning stuff that throws the lights on for me, and then I write about it so I can disseminate it. But I don’t have brilliant, theological thoughts. The difference my church makes is that I still get lost, but I find my way back sooner.

Relevant Magazine Article

Wearing Out A Pastor

I never understood it.

Years and years ago I knew a guy who pastored a small church in rural Bibb County GA. The church I attended to play softball played his church in the Lizella league. Seemed like a nice enough guy. Looked like the team liked each other.

Couple of years later, I saw him again. He was working at Sears, selling washing machines.

At the time, I had no frame of reference for that. Pastors were in it for life, I thought. Unless they disqualified themselves because of a moral failure, or they checked out of this life for the next, they were always pastors. Frankly, I thought anyone who didn't pastor after being called, must not have been called to begin with. Wouldn't say I questioned their salvation, but let's just say I was grateful for God's mercy when it came to people like that.

My epiphany has come. In fact there are times when I wonder how anyone can pastor a church and remain there for any period of time.

A friend of mine has feared for his life and that of his family. Another pastor I know has bodyguards. Those are extremes, I know. Most pastors just wear out.

How do you wear out a pastor?

Constantly carp about "being fed."

Remind him who "pays the bills."

Take every opportunity to blunt any good news - for example if you see the Holy Spirit move and someone come to Christ, complain about the music and remind him of those people who left.

If you have a lot of young people coming, complain that all the old people have been run off.

If you have a predominately older congregation, complain that the church isn't reaching any young people.

Find a way, any way to remind him who he isn't. (This could be the pastor before him, the guy down the street, or some TV preacher who'll never be there when they call at 3AM)

Never, ever recognize either his or his family's sacrifices for the work of Christ there. (I have one friend who left a law career to enter the ministry. I left a marketing and sales career. I don't know about him, but I haven't caught up to what I made in 1990 yet)

Never acknowledge their anniversaries in service.

Never insist they take vacation - in fact complain if they ever do.

Don't ever think about their health (or make sure they have insurance), and put as little as you can into a retirement fund, just so you can say that you did your part.

Carp about any efforts they make to improve via education or in purchasing books or going to conferences - after all, you know they are just using your church as a stepping stone.

Make sure their wife is miserable - this may be the single most effective thing you can do.

Agree with them on subjects like worship music in public, but talk a completely different tune among other people inside the church.

Find some way to postpone or if possible derail any new idea they bring to the table. You can use the "we've never done that before" card, the "I'm not sure we can pay for it card" or anything you think will cool anything that might cause the church to see greater impact for Christ.

Right before worship, as they are preparing their heart and mind to deliver the message God has given them, ask them to make an announcement, or question them about something. Anything you can do to make them less effective helps.

Oh and never, ever stop pushing them to do things your way. It may take years, but constant pressure pays huge dividends - ever see the Grand Canyon?

In time, you will wear them out.

They may continue doing what they are doing, but the joy of serving God and seeing Him glorified will diminish. You'll have converted them to the functional equivalent of the Japanese "salaryman" who expects nothing from his work except a paycheck, and has to wonder in many cases if that will come.

Each year, thousands of men and women turn away from the call God gave them and enter life after the ministry. Not because they have lost their calling, or their gifts, but because over time, like water on rock, they wear away.

Shame.

Well, This Clinches It For Me

I was already impressed with Mike Huckabee, but now he's Chuck Norris approved. :)

Just Throw Strikes

It's Saturday night, the weekend before Thanksgiving. I've worked all week on the

next "Mythbuster", attacking the myth of "God owes me". Most preachers I talk to say that the holiday sermons are the hardest. I tend to agree. The "land" has been plowed so many times that you and your congregation can write the sermon without you saying anything.

"be more thankful" - now let's eat.

The temptation is to try to get fancy. To come up with something no one has ever seen before. Ray Pritchard gave me a word on that tonight I wanted to share.

The following story comes from my friend Dave Burchett. It seems that a young pitcher for the Texas Rangers had just been called up from the minors. He got his big chance because he had shown a fearless ability to throw strikes no matter who was at the plate. Finally the night came when he was going to pitch in the major leagues for the first time. Like many players getting their first start, the young hurler was nervous and it showed on the mound. Thinking he needed to make a good impression, he tried this pitch and that pitch. Slider, fastball, curve, forkball, you name it, he tried it. He pitched high, low, inside, outside, in the dirt, he was all over the place. He walked batters left and right, and the ones he didn’t walk hit the ball hard. At length, having seen enough, the manager decided to talk to the young man. When he got to the mound, the manager put his hand on the pitcher’s shoulder and said, “Son, Babe Ruth is dead. Throw strikes.”

That’s good advice for budding pitchers. Babe Ruth is dead so don’t try to be cute. Just throw strikes. Put the ball over the plate. If they hit it, they hit it, but don’t try to throw some kind of fancy pitch you haven’t mastered yet. Throw strikes. That’s the heart of good pitching.

My task is to draw them into the story, and deliver the Word as it was and as it is. Might not be unique. But it will be real.

Churchless Christians

In The Present Future, Reggie McNeal writes this about churchless Christians:

“A growing number of people are leaving the institutional church for a new reason. They are not leaving because they have lost their faith. They are leaving the church to preserve their faith. They contend that the church no longer contributes to their spiritual development. In fact, they say, quite the opposite is true.”

Based on experience, I have no doubt that there are people who once were in church who are not now. And I suppose in some cases, they could be Christians seeking to leave toxic situations that could damage their faith.

But what I have seen more often than not hasn't been that at all.

They left to preserve their preferences, to protest the direction the church was going (or any changes that might be made), and rather than immediately find a place of service and worship, decide to sit on the sidelines and sour.

A friend told me he heard Ed Stetzer say recently that "each church must make a decision - either for their traditions or for the children." He added that Stetzer said most would chose tradition.

As the number of churches, even First Baptist churches - change, those places where tradition is as Faulkner famously remarked "the past isn't dead, it isn't even past" holds true dwindles, where will these people go? They won't. They'll stay home, watch Joel Osteen and enjoy their best life now. (Yes, that was sarcasm.)

Didn't Jesus say something about being connected to the vine?

The Wheels On the Bus Go Round and Round Is A Worship Song

16 Make sure you don't take things for granted and go slack in working for the common good; share what you have with others. God takes particular pleasure in acts of worship— a different kind of "sacrifice"— that take place in kitchen and workplace and on the streets. Heb 13:16 (MSG)

It's 12:40 Thursday afternoon, and the kids are ready to go to music. Each person grabs a wheelchair's arms and begin pushing one of the children down the ramp on the way to music. When we get there, the kids will all be in a semicircle, and we'll kneel down to get to eye level.

The goal is to get a reaction - any reaction. For these kids are profoundly disabled and confined to their wheelchairs. To get them to react, the music teacher uses simple songs, percussion instruments, bells, and other objects like scarves and cardboard bees on Popsicle sticks.

New Hope has an amazing group of people who have adopted these kids and spend some time two days a week reading to the kids and doing the music time with them. We do it in order to live out Christ's love in our neighborhood. We do it out of a love for Jesus and what He's done for us. I don't know about the rest of our team from New Hope, but Bunny and I come away happy but drained. We give it everything we have for those minutes with the kids, and if we get a reaction, our hearts leap for joy.

So we laugh when we sing about fat turkeys, we ring the bells, tap the tambourines and rap the percussion tubes. And every time we go, we sing "The Wheels On the Bus Go Round and Round."

And Alli rings her bell and grins. And Logan scratches the tambourine's top. And Brendan shouts with joy.

And I thank God.

I'm very aware that people are funny about their worship music. Some prefer the hymns they grew up with. Others want the contemporary sound. The division over musical preference can drive people away from each other, from Christ's church, and from as close a relationship with God as they could have. That's a shame.

If only they could see Alex smile when we ring the bus's bell, and feel the joy we feel from being used to God to tell these kids just how much he loves them.

Then maybe there'd be room on the power point or in the hymnal for just one song more.

Yes, The Wheels On the Bus Go Round and Round Is A Worship song. To me. Because through it, I draw closer to God.

Grace and peace,

David





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Visit with me at my blog:
http://davethepastor.vox.com/
Or visit New Hope!
http://www.newhopevalp.org/

On Poverty

We are the first generation that really can do something about the kind of “stupid” poverty that sees children dying of hunger in a world of plenty or mothers dying for lack of a 20-cent drug that we take for granted. We have the science, we have the resources, what we don’t seem to have is the will. This is an opportunity to show what America stands for.

Bono in Tom Davis’ Red Letters


I think there's hope rising in churches all over America. We are beginning to realize that we have been selfish and self centered and are rich and increased with goods. I pray that this Christmas season brings new opportunities to carry the Life into a dark world.

Your Kingdom Come, Lord!

Between Two Worlds: Driscoll's Confession on Pride

You need to read this. One of the most authentic and transparent confessions of the need for God's grace I have ever read.

Between Two Worlds: Driscoll's Confession on Pride

Inverson Therapy

"The key to understanding the laws that govern God’s Kingdom is to realize that the processes of the kingdom are inverted; they are exactly the opposite of what the world teaches, and at first glance, they seem to be counter-intuitive. To obtain what we desire, we have to do the opposite of what we would normally do. When the world says stop, Jesus says go. When the world says go for it, Jesus says no. The laws of inversion are actually the fruits of a Christ-centered life, and this, as Christians know, is diametrically opposed to the world’s views."

- J.D. Hatfield

HT to Transforming Sermons - just too good to not post

That Old Time Religion

You could call it the long war.

Every now and then, just when I think we might be about to break a long run of growth, it flares up again. The words are always from the same playbook. "Not enough hymns. We don't use the hymnal anymore. The communion table, I miss it. You don't want any old people here. You know we are the ones that support this church."

Friends, it gets old.

You can answer with facts. In our case we do about 25% hymns. ("But they aren't the right ones and you don't do them the right way.")

You can answer with vision. In our case it's to be multi-generational and grow our youth into leaders. (See 'you don't want any old people' above).

You can answer that you are trying to follow what God has called you to do. (They'll remind you that you need your salary. I then remind them my salary comes from God.)

It really doesn't matter what you answer.

Friends, if you are reading this and you aren't a pastor, I want you to know how hard it is for a person who's really trying to help people grow and reach other people, who's sacrificed numerous times to be here and stay here, to want to continue to hear it.

It makes me want to quit.

So stop it.

The Sound of Crickets

On two occasions in the last week, I've found myself feeling as if I overran the base while teaching. Sunday night in men's group we somehow wandered into predestination and election, and the result was I got a phone call at home later from a deacon who was completely turned around and staggering to comprehend what seemed so clear to me.

Those of you who are SBC are probably laughing right now, because our beliefs (the traditional ones anyway) are sort of a hash. The Calvinist has the advantage of having a cool acronym and we don't. But I tried to help the guys get through it and felt like I had, until the call.

Then last night as I was finishing last Sunday's teaching on the myth that you can't trust the Bible, I went after some of the normal attacks on its veracity. I pulled up the Joshua 10 passage where the writer describes the sun standing still to help Israel win the battle and went from there into examples of figurative language.

"I watched a beautiful sunrise." A misstatement but it sounds better than "did you see the way the earth rotated this morning?"

"I have a friend down under." Down under what? The earth is round.

"They searched the four corners of the earth but couldn't find him." Uh, the earth, she have no four corners.

So I suggested that it was possible here that the writer was using figurative language to describe the event.

*crickets*

My goal is to help people in their ability to read the Bible and understand the ways of God. Sometimes in going to those places that might be more obscure, I wonder if I overrun. Thing is, that's exactly where the critics of the Bible live, so I'm trying to preemptively attack their arguments before they lead someone I love astray.

Anyone else hear crickets on occasion?

And So, Here I Am...

And so here I am, preaching and writing about things that are way over my head, the inexhaustible riches and generosity of Christ.
9 My task is to bring out in the open and make plain what God, who created all this in the first place, has been doing in secret and behind the scenes all along. Gal 3:8-9 (MSG)

Like Paul, I know I am in way over my head. But I also know that God loves me and has chosen me to do this work of telling His story. So I watch and listen.

I was rearranging my office today and picked up a wooden plaque dated 1981. On it rested a hand print of one Adam Wilson, my first born son. It was so small. The writing on the plaque was some of that sentimental stuff about looking back at kids when they grow up.

Uh yeah. Wouldn't want to do that. I'd be one of those saps, huh.

When Adam came into this world, I had no clue what being his daddy would mean. I wasn't just in over my head, I was clueless. All I could do is look at him and wonder what in the world am I supposed to do now?

I thought back to a baby lying in a yellow inflatable "tub" so we could bathe him. To a little boy who followed his daddy around. To a young man who I played basketball with. And today I thought about the man who closed on his first home yesterday and is moving in tonight.

Then I thought about times when we worried over him - when he was sick, when those first days of school came, when we left to come down here and he didn't come with us. There were times of great joy - he was an awesome boy, and there have been times of sadness.

Yet looking at that hand print today made me think of God's grace - His love, and His mercy.

For through it all, even before Adam was born, God knew him, and He knew Bunny and me. We'll never know the extent of how God blessed us with His providential care. A lot of things could have gone wrong. An awful lot of things went right. In that boy, now a man, I got to watch God's work and have a part in it.

"And so here I am, preaching and writing about things that are way over my head, the inexhaustible riches and generosity of Christ."

Well, sometimes they aren't over your head. I've got a hand print on a plaque to prove it.

Grace and peace,

David

Seasonal Preaching

We're there already.

It's the holiday season - saw the first Christmas ad yesterday on TV, Bunny got her first "Black Friday" spoiler emails. Yep, the blur that is the American holiday season is here. I don't know about you, but I feel a little bit like the guy in the Capital One commercial - you know the one - where he's looking out across his deck and into his backyard and all of a sudden a Claymore sword thunks into the wood - followed by spears, more swords, and arrows.

Veterans Day
Thanksgiving
Advent
Christmas Eve
Christmas
New Years

They are all there, looming over my preaching preparation for the next few weeks. Here in America's Philippi, Veterans Day is a big deal. I'll definitely have to address it in pre-sermon time, perhaps show a video. In years long past, I'd have devoted a whole sermon loosely tied to some topic about courage, devotion, or faithfulness. People loved them, but they weren't anywhere near what I need to be doing - sparking transformational change in Jesus.

I never do Thanksgiving any more, even though I used to explain America's Pilgrim roots, talk about the miracle of their survival, even lay out Squanto's travels and how he was providentially placed.

There have been years I rigidly followed Advent and the Lectionary portions, years in which I did character studies of the parties involved in the Incarnation story, years where I traced the names of Messiah - well, I've done Christmas a lot of different ways.

Still praying about how to approach this year. For some reason I am feeling a kind of awe I haven't felt before - not about what Jesus found here, but what He left there. There's a "shock and awe" quality about the Incarnation as reflected in the accounts and the reaction of Herod, the shepherds, Joseph and yes even Mary that might be fertile ground.

We know the story - backwards and forwards. But how would someone outside our preconceived notions receive it - if they knew the Holiness and Majesty of God?

Stay tuned.

Monday Musings

-I want my Google Phone. Why in the world Palm doesn't go over to Mouuntain View and plant a big wet kiss on the front door of Google I have no idea. My Treo 650 is great but come on, it's an F-16 and the iPhone is an F-22.
- Tried something new today, a followup on yesterday's "MythBusters" - an email that gave some additional support, and hopefully extended the application of the message. Never done that before. Toyed with the idea of having a Wednesday night small group where we continued to drill deeper into what I touched on Sunday, but never have. Anybody else do anything like that?
- Hermeneutics is proving to be an interesting class at Rockbridge. Not so much for the material, I've BTDT before, but because of the interaction with the other students. The professor is really engaged with us as we work through it in a way I've NEVER seen before at NOBTS or Rockbridge. Dr. John Neesley, you rock.
- I guess I'll tackle the reassembly of my Thinkpad tonight. New used motherboard to put in and then putting everything back where it show go after a couple of weeks... well, should be interesting. Maybe I won't wind up with parts left over.
- Never realized how sensitive an issue for some people in our church Calvinism is. Guess it's good I don't have a TULIP affinity. Not sure whether to tackle that and give them some reasonable and biblical understanding of what real reformed faith is or leave them with the caricature.

And There's More

This morning I was trying to find the right quote from Abraham Lincoln to use in a paper I'm writing for a seminary class. So I googled. Through the richness of the materials available on the Internet, I found the quote I was looking for in an electronic version of a child's biography of Lincoln. As I was scanning the pages looking for the quote I knew was there, I got caught up in the amazing life of Lincoln. Ten minutes later, I had finished the book and was amazed at what I had learned.

Stories have always drawn me in.

Sunday one of our kids at church, the irrepressible and painfully cute Madeline, tugged at my sleeve and, when she had my attention, proceeded to tell me about halloween and what she was going to do and how she had done it last year and when she was little and how she couldn't wait until Wednesday night and all the fun she was going to have as she came to New Hope and had more fun and she could hardly wait....

Yes, that's the way she delivered it. Past, present, and future all wrapped up in exceeding joy. She'd tell me something, take a breath, I'd think she was through... but there was more. :)

There's no way I can think about it today as I type this and not grin, knowing what Madeline will experience tomorrow night.

Just a few minutes ago, I was reading a story that left me feeling the same way. When I think about it now, I am filled with hope, with peace, and yes, with joy. See I was digging in the Bible trying to help our small group understand some pretty hefty theology. Words like propitiation (say what?), justification (huh?), and sanctification (aw come on now David) have their place friends, and we need to understand them and their underpinnings in Bible Truth.

But while I was in there looking for that Truth, I found this one.

1 Watch what God does, and then you do it, like children who learn proper behavior from their parents. 2 Mostly what God does is love you. Keep company with him and learn a life of love. Observe how Christ loved us. His love was not cautious but extravagant. He didn't love in order to get something from us but to give everything of himself to us. Love like that.

Gal 5:1-2 (MSG)

God loves us! Not grudgingly, not sparingly but extravagantly! He's not worried about loving us too much, so why are we so prone to try to write another ending to His story?

In God - we WIN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I love that.

And I love you all in Christ Jesus.

Grace!

David