New Picture

The Night Before Sunday And All Through the House

My oldest son Adam and his bride Shonda are here with us, having driven down from Warner Robins, GA for a couple of days. It's great to have a chance to spend some time with family.

This is a pretty quiet house most of the time, except when Sean is playing guitar, but tonight we're having an abnormal amount of noise, which is okay.

I've just finished the powerpoint slides for tomorrow's sermon "Connect the Dots" where I hope to bring the congregation a deeper understanding of the work of the Holy Spirit and present them with the opportunity to surrender to His indwelling presence and direction.

We'll trace the work of the Spirit throughout the Scriptures, and then zero in on the incredible happenings in Acts chapter 2. I'm praying that the Spirit will connect the dots for people as He leads them to faith in Jesus.

Stay tuned.

Trying To Connect the Dots

It was one of those far ranging conversations you can only have with someone who knows your heart and soul. Bunny and I were talking as we headed out about how God is at work in our individual lives, and then as so often happens, I started talking about what I think God is leading me to do as a teacher/preacher.

I'll condense the conversation for you. :)

For many of the people in our congregation, the most important thing I can do now is to connect the dots of what they know about the Bible together so that they can see God's overarching plan - and their place in it.

I am fully convinced that a lot of people know a little bit about the Bible. A great deal more of the people I see week in and week out know a pretty good bit about it. But most have never really changed the way they live day to day as a result. When they trusted Christ for salvation, it was a moving event. But then another day came and went, and another, and they still weren't in heaven.

So they went back to living.

Maybe they were more considerate as they remembered Jesus' love. And perhaps they TRIED harder to "live a good life and treat people like they would want to be treated."

They had plenty of facts, but no story to place them into. They knew they ought to love because they were loved, but they never connected it to NOW and to the people they found themselves living with. They just could not see where anything they did could really make any difference.

And yet the Bible is brimming with examples of ordinary people doing extraordinary things because God was with them. And when you move into the New testament from the Old, you find that those who knew the most "Bible" seemed to have the poorest handle on what it really called them to do.

So what if we could transmit the Big Story - the HUGE narrative of how God worked, and how He is working, and how He can work through us and create opportunities for each of us to live it out?

What if we could connect the dots?

Stay tuned for Sunday. As we look at Acts, we'll try to tie the work of the Holy Spirit in the Old Testament to His coming on Jesus and to His living in us today to God's plan to change the world.

Church Matters

Love cannot exist in isolation: away from others love bloats into pride. Grace cannot be received privately; cut off from others it is perverted into greed. Hope cannot develop in solitude—separated from the community, it goes to seed in the form of fantasies. No gift, no virtue can develop and remain healthy apart from the community of faith.-Eugene Peterson

The longer I'm a pastor, the more I see the value in the community of those who fell and were restored to wholeness through Christ.

If that community is focused and attentive to Jesus, it can do incredible things - things that can only be attributed to the supernatural power of the indwelling Holy Spirit.

Lord, keep us close to You.
Lord, let us see Your Way and give us the courage to follow it.
Lord, fill our hearts to overflowing with the same love you have for us.
Lord, let us be Yours together and gather others for the glory of Your Name.
Lord, make us one.

Take Tab "A" and Insert in slit "B" doesn't seem to work here

Once upon a time it seemed to me that all a Southern Baptist church had to do was to follow the program and things would move along very smoothly. You'd do Sunday School using the Lifeway Curriculum, then head to worship where you'd sing out of the Baptist Hymnal, read your KJV (personal or pew copy) as you followed along with the preacher standing behind a pulpit and wearing a suit.

Then you'd do it all again at 6PM that evening.

On Wednesday night, you'd have Royal Ambassadors for the boys, Girls in Action for the girls, some sort of youth group, and then "prayer meeting" and some sort of Bible study.

And it worked. And it was easy because all you had to do was work the system and the system would produce baptisms and growth. Or so it seemed.

It was like assembling something. Just follow the directions and you'd find success.

Well, not in this context. I do not know one church here who follows that model anymore, except maybe a couple who are on life support.

When the program was proved to be ineffective, there was a gasp, and then a scramble for the next program. Some churches moved quickly to the Willow Creek model, which meant moving away from Bible study and worship by believers to seeker sensitive.

Others couldn't go that far, and found a friend in Rick Warren's Purpose Driven Church model. It was far higher in the commitment level expected of each member, and just sort of felt right, like the next evolution of things.

For a while, churches had success, some of them anyway, with these models.

I think the age of the "Model" is fading fast.

It's being replaced by a couple of things - franchises and cafeteria style.

Franchises are those church plants that are simply extensions of the mothership. Not really stand alone, and many are just video venues where the main church teacher is broadcast to. A church in Texas decided it needed a branch in Miami. Makes sense, after all, the NT says the gospel spread from region to region... or was it house to house?

Then there's the cafeteria. In the absence of a true Model, churches are taking a bit from this mega or denomination, and a bit from that one. You'll see churches that are Purpose Driven but using Andy Stanley's Northpoint children's materials, or Willow Creek's small group stuff.

For the smaller church, things get a bit dicey, because most of what the mega models call for requires size. Resources are always spread thin. If Lifeway would only wake up and realize that smaller churches are under served by any of the current models, and use the collective power of people across the SBC, maybe, just maybe they could enjoy some part of the success they had long ago.

Right now, we are struggling and praying about how to connect our efforts in one area so we can maximize our effectiveness. There's so little out there that's not fluff, or dry, or not too expensive. We have to make hard choices all the time, knowing that we will do the best we can with passion and determination to glorify God.

I just wish there were more options.

Now THIS Is Fun!

Sean bought this Saturday and it wore me out on Sunday afternoon.

Easily the most fun I've ever had playing anything like a video game.

Look for a "Battle of the Bands" at New Hope on the BIG SCREEN sometime this summer.

The Sacred Ficus Exists??

For years, some of my friends in ministry and I have laughed and groaned when we've considered those traditions in our churches that didn't contribute to the work of the Kingdom. One of them used the term "sacred ficus" to describe them, after he got in trouble for tossing some long faded and dog-eared fake plants off their stage. When he was called out for it, he said that he replied "I didn't know the ficus was sacred."

Well, the picture above is of a "sacred ficus."

Apparently, to the Hindu, this variant of the fig tree actually is sacred.

Made me laugh again, just thinking about replacing those fake ficus (ficusi? ficusisis?) with two of those and explaining that to my friend.

Some examples of "sacred ficus" that I've heard about from some of my friends (and these cross several denominational lines and are spread out across the country)?

The pulpit. Has to be number one with a bullet. No matter that it takes up 4 feet of the stage, or that the preacher doesn't spend any time behind it. It is "the sacred desk" and must not be removed.

The communion table. Again, you might only serve the Lord's Supper once a quarter, and use it the rest of the time for a flower stand or place to put a big Bible no one ever reads, if it has always been there, it always should be there.

The hymnal. Sure, you've finally invested in that whole media package with projector and screen. And it's great for sermon outlines and memorial pictorial displays. But the words of Charles Wesley, Fanny Crosby and Bill Gaither should never be projected.

I'm sure there have to be more. Any particular ones where you are?

Premarital Counseling

I couldn't resist. :) No, this is not how I do premarital counseling. It would be fun, though.





I'm getting ready to head out to a premarital counseling session in a few minutes. There's so many reasons to try everything you can do to help strengthen marriages. Our county leads the state in the number of divorces. Part of that is the military families I'm sure, but we've already been touched by divorce in our congregation. That experience led me to look around for a better way to do premarital counseling, and to refuse to participate in any wedding where the couple would not agree to go through it - fully.

The materials I use are called Zoe Marriage Preparation and they are really very good. Based on biblical principles and bolstered by sound research, they really seem to give the couple an "outside looking in" perspective of what they believe and how it will relate to their marriage. Zoe was recommended by my Lutheran friend Troy Neujahr and I'm very glad he did.

Take a look at the samples and see if Zoe might work for you too.

After Sermon Thoughts

It's late Sunday evening, and I'm about to follow my wife to bed and call it a day. It's been a full one. But like most of the people called "preacher-creatures" by my friend Ian Anderson, I keep thinking about this morning's sermon and wondering - did I do it? Did I give them what God wanted them to hear? If I did, did I do it well? Who heard it? Who responded to it, even though I may not know?

It's funny, because today I was preaching out of Acts and one of the parts I touched on was Peter's first sermon.

3000 people - hostile people - the people who put Jesus to death - get SAVED!

It's your first sermon. You're not a preacher, you're a fisherman. But it happens.

Can you imagine what Peter thought? "That went better than I expected."

I can so see him turning around and asking the other guys...

"Is it going to be this way every time?"

One of the things you learn to do - if you're willing and capable of learning from what you do - good or bad - is to analyze your part in the process, make sure you did the best you can do, change if you didn't, and leave the rest to God.

There's no way Peter was able to do what God did through him that day. God can use anyone, anytime.

And fellow preacher-creatures, regardless of how you did today, God can use it.

So let him.

Now, about next week's sermon. :)

New Hope @ Worship 05/25/08

Memorial Day weekend down here usually means about half a congregation. People are so busy that if they can take some time and get away, they will. But today we really had a good crowd even with several families out of town.

Prior to the service we played a clip honoring the sacrifices of America's veterans and I closed with a brief introduction to what Memorial day means. Then we began our worship.

All the Earth Will Sing Your Praises
Blessed Be your Name

Nothing But the Blood
Breathe

Jesus Paid It All



I used a clip at the end that was the story of "Team Hoyt." Dick and Rick Hoyt are an amazing story of courage and love.



Audio available here: Church Cloud New Hope

Memorial Day - Lest We Forget

Over 1,000,000 Americans have given their lives to preserve the freedoms we now enjoy.

Rumors of Another World - Phillip Yancey

I didn't get it.

Phillip Yancey is a really good writer, and I've enjoyed several of his books, and his articles over the years in Christianity Today, but I just didn't get this book. It felt like a Leonard Sweet type quotation fest laced with some of the Yancey-isms from earlier books.

The only section I really was drawn into was about the Elephant Man and his struggles and triumph. Maybe 4 pages of the whole book.

Oh well. Next?

When Love Breaks Through - A Glimpse of New Hope

25 Abruptly Jesus broke into prayer: "Thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth. You've concealed your ways from sophisticates and know-it-alls, but spelled them out clearly to ordinary people. 26 Yes, Father, that's the way you like to work."

Matt 11:25-26 (MSG)

So it's Wednesday night at New Hope, with all the warmth and frenzy that we some how manage to hold in equal portions. We've made it past the frantic preparation of the meal and its consumption. The different groups have scattered and I'm in with the adult prayer and Bible Study group.

A few years ago, instead of calling on someone to lead and close in large group prayer, we went to small table groups. It's made a huge difference in participation. Almost without exception, everyone prays out loud.

Praying out LOUD is Tommy's specialty. He's developmentally disabled, but really seems to enjoy coming for the fellowship, and he takes part in the prayers. Tommy, like many people with that affliction, tends to fixate on an either / or, black or white, good or bad - on everything. And that extends to pretty much everything - baseball, football, and politics.

Somehow, Tommy became a Republican. And his prayers reflect that. One of our kindest members had to instruct him to calm it down about the politics when he's here at New Hope, because we aren't about that. We're serious about following Him Who can make a real change - in us and in the world He created. But still, Tommy's prayers tend to be laced with appeals for God to smite the evil Islamic terrorists, create democracy, and to make America great again.

So he launched into his prayer last night. Pretty much as I described - he really doesn't know any better.

But then he asked God to give His mercy to Ted Kennedy and his family. To reach out and touch him with His peace. To heal him.

Maybe Tommy knows more about God's grace than we realize.
Maybe God used him last night to speak a word of grace and mercy into our lives. As far as I know, no one else had prayed for the Senator.
Maybe love broke through. After all, that's the way the Father likes to work.

Have a great Memorial day weekend, giving thanks for those the Father has given us who gave their all for us.

Grace and peace,

David

--
Visit with me at my blogs:
http://davethepastor.vox.com/
http://itslikeherdingcats.blogspot.com/
Or visit New Hope!
http://www.newhopevalp.org/
http://www.churchcloud.com/new-hope-valp/

When Love Breaks Through

25 Abruptly Jesus broke into prayer: "Thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth. You've concealed your ways from sophisticates and know-it-alls, but spelled them out clearly to ordinary people. 26 Yes, Father, that's the way you like to work."

Matt 11:25-26 (MSG)

So it's Wednesday night at New Hope, with all the warmth and frenzy that we some how manage to hold in equal portions. We've made it past the frantic preparation of the meal and its consumption. The different groups have scattered and I'm in with the adult prayer and Bible Study group.

A few years ago, instead of calling on someone to lead and close in large group prayer, we went to small table groups. It's made a huge difference in participation. Almost without exception, everyone prays out loud.

Praying out LOUD is Tommy's specialty. He's developmentally disabled, but really seems to enjoy coming for the fellowship, and he takes part in the prayers. Tommy, like many people with that affliction, tends to fixate on an either / or, black or white, good or bad - on everything. And that extends to pretty much everything - baseball, football, and politics.

Somehow, Tommy became a Republican. And his prayers reflect that. One of our kindest members had to instruct him to calm it down about the politics when he's here at New Hope, because we aren't about that. We're serious about following Him Who can make a real change - in us and in the world He created. But still, Tommy's prayers tend to be laced with appeals for God to smite the evil Islamic terrorists, create democracy, and to make America great again.

So he launched into his prayer last night. Pretty much as I described - he really doesn't know any better.

But then he asked God to give His mercy to Ted Kennedy and his family. To reach out and touch him with His peace. To heal him.

Maybe Tommy knows more about God's grace than we realize.
Maybe God used him last night to speak a word of grace and mercy into our lives. As far as I know, no one else had prayed for the Senator.
Maybe love broke through. After all, that's the way the Father likes to work.

Have a great Memorial day weekend, giving thanks for those the Father has given us who gave their all for us.

Grace and peace,

David

--
Visit with me at my blogs:
http://davethepastor.vox.com/
http://itslikeherdingcats.blogspot.com/
Or visit New Hope!
http://www.newhopevalp.org/
http://www.churchcloud.com/new-hope-valp/

It's AD 30 All Over Again

Reggie McNeal is one of those rare folks who came from the typical SBC background and is able to step out and look around and see where God is working. His book "The Present Future" is a required read. This talk should be.

On Preaching In Faith

This quote is from one of my most treasured books "Correspondence With A Cripple From Tarsus - Romans In Dialogue With the 20th Century" by H. Beecher Hicks Jr. Of all the commentaries I have on that great book from Paul's hand and God's heart, none rise to the level this one does when I consider how that book would have been written today. It is well worn, my copy, but fresh every time I come back to it.

Hicks is in dialogue with Paul who writes:

"Beecher, you know this, but I must remind you that God reserves the right to be God. Mysterious. Awesome. There is none like Him. Not one.

Moreover, God makes hard statements. God makes stern demands. God asks hard questions. What makes you think hard questions will have answers? What makes you think that we need to know all the answers? or that if we knew the answers we would understand what they mean? Abraham discovered that God will do right. Is that enough for you?"

Yes it is. It is enough for me.

With Arms Open Wide

Every now and then I'll be reading the Bible and come across something that I've seen before, but never SEEN before. That ever happen to you?

So here I am today in the middle of the minefield of Romans 9 through 11.

You can lose a theological leg here.

Well meaning believers have been beating up other well meaning believers over what's in those three chapters for centuries, while the world walks by looking for the love of Jesus. After all, those three chapters are about who's in and who's out. How God is going to handle the Jews. All that interesting stuff.

Admit it - you skipped them.

You need to stop by again.

20 And later Isaiah spoke boldly for God:
"I was found by people who were not looking for me. I showed myself to those who were not asking for me."Romans 10:20 (NLT)

Could be you. Maybe you're off the gospel train, haven't been to church in a while, but something's been bugging you, or you've been wondering a lot lately about "things." Good news - God's available for a sit down anytime. In fact He's been pinging you for a while.

Of course it could be you've taken an inventory of your soul practice and found yourself a little messed up in the whole holiness department. When you get that way it doesn't seem to take long for people to turn away from you. Thing is you know you are doing it, but something in you causes you to wind up doing it anyway.

Well, God's so BTDT

"All day long I opened my arms to them, but they kept disobeying me and arguing with me."

Romans 10:21 (NLT)

Listen, friend.

Please?

God is waiting with arms open wide for you to come home, or to come home again. "All day long..." gives testimony to just how good, and patient, and loving He is. Do NOT base your opinion of God on how those of us who try imperfectly to follow Him live out what we believe. Trust Him to be Who He says he is in the Bible.
I just saw again today how He's waiting for all of His rebellious and stubborn children - With Arms Open Wide.

Turn around.

David
--
Visit with me at my blogs:
http://davethepastor.vox.com/
http://itslikeherdingcats.blogspot.com/
Or visit New Hope!
http://www.newhopevalp.org/
http://www.churchcloud.com/new-hope-valp/

With Arms Open Wide

Every now and then I'll be reading the Bible and come across something that I've seen before, but never SEEN before. That ever happen to you?

So here I am today in the middle of the minefield of Romans 9 through 11.

You can lose a theological leg here.

Well meaning believers have been beating up other well meaning believers over what's in those three chapters for centuries, while the world walks by looking for the love of Jesus. After all, those three chapters are about who's in and who's out. How God is going to handle the Jews. All that interesting stuff.

Admit it - you skipped them.

You need to stop by again.

20 And later Isaiah spoke boldly for God:
"I was found by people who were not looking for me. I showed myself to those who were not asking for me."Romans 10:20 (NLT)

Could be you. Maybe you're off the gospel train, haven't been to church in a while, but something's been bugging you, or you've been wondering a lot lately about "things." Good news - God's available for a sit down anytime. In fact He's been pinging you for a while.

Of course it could be you've taken an inventory of your soul practice and found yourself a little messed up in the whole holiness department. When you get that way it doesn't seem to take long for people to turn away from you. Thing is you know you are doing it, but something in you causes you to wind up doing it anyway.

Well, God's so BTDT

"All day long I opened my arms to them, but they kept disobeying me and arguing with me."

Romans 10:21 (NLT)

Listen, friend.

Please?

God is waiting with arms open wide for you to come home, or to come home again. "All day long..." gives testimony to just how good, and patient, and loving He is. Do NOT base your opinion of God on how those of us who try imperfectly to follow Him live out what we believe. Trust Him to be Who He says he is in the Bible.
I just saw again today how He's waiting for all of His rebellious and stubborn children - With Arms Open Wide.

Turn around.

David
--
Visit with me at my blogs:
http://davethepastor.vox.com/
http://itslikeherdingcats.blogspot.com/
Or visit New Hope!
http://www.newhopevalp.org/
http://www.churchcloud.com/new-hope-valp/

Facing Forward

Taking a break from some Romans Chapter 10 heavy lifting and thinking about the way forward here.

- Another increase in our insurance premium on the buildings. A 42% one to be exact. That's roughly (IIRC) a 400% over the last 4 years.
- Another increase in the power bills.
- When you total it all up, upwards of 4 our of every ten dollars New Hope receives in tithes and offerings goes to the mortgage, insurance, and upkeep of the buildings, which are often empty, except when they are too full. (It happens on Sunday mornings sometimes)

We have hosted Girl Scouts, Boy Scouts, Junior Gardeners, and recently a home schooling collective, but ironically, they are moving because they've run out of room - too.

Maybe it's time to look across the street again at the elementary school or down the road a little bit at Lewis Middle School. At some point, I'm wondering how many churches will look at the amount they put into their buildings and at the amount they put into their mission and make the connection.

Talking to people who do "portable church" over the years has given me the sense that people who are involved in such churches have a greater sense of just why they are doing the Sunday morning gathering than others do. But I guess when you arrive at 6AM to set up everything you need to have worship, then stay after to break it all down and clean up, an amazing commitment to why you are there HAS to be everywhere, or you would not make it for long.

And small home groups have to be a focus because otherwise you have nowhere to get discipleship done. But we have the buildings now.

...processing....

What I would do differently

Scot McKnight has been running a series of posts from pastors asking them this question - Knowing what you know now, what would you focus on from the beginning of your ministry?

There have been some great responses. I'd suggest you preacher-creatures head over and check them out.

In my case, I came into the ministry rather late, having spent a number of years after I married my soulmate in the business world. It was 1990 when God tapped me on the heart and said "I want you to serve me as a pastor." I had just finished a long delayed degree in Business from Mercer University in Macon. I had just received a hefty raise and a wee bump in responsibility with Procter and Gamble. And I had two sons (who have since grown to be fine men.)

But that was when God called so that was when I followed. I began seminary as well as a Masters in Education program since I had left P&G with a year's compensation in a restructure that seemed to happen at just the right time. In a year I'd have an M. Ed. with a guaranteed position with the Bibb County School Board teaching math and science, and be well into the three year Masters of Divinity program at New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary.

But three months into that my Mother was diagnosed with terminal cancer, and two months later she died. During those five months we all dropped everything we could to care for her. So I was off track and out of time. I reentered the work force. It would be 1999 before I became a full time pastor here at New Hope. During the interim years, I was frequently frustrated because few jobs fit with bivocational pastoring, and those that did really caused our family to suffer.

So Scott, not that you asked, but if I had it to do all over again, I would focus on preparing myself for the challenges of working in the smaller church by doing exactly what I set out to do then. Get a seminary degree AND a Masters in Education so as to teach in the public school system. I would prepare to serve God in both, and take care of my family better. We're still behind the curve on that.

For today's environment, where church plants are needed everywhere but funds for planting are scarce, I would think that a plan such as I would execute would make it much easier to accomplish planting.

By the end of this year I will have a Masters in Ministry leadership from Rockbridge Seminary. Then I'll work next year on finishing the New Orleans Seminary's longest running Masters candidate's program. I need 5 on campus courses for a Masters in Christian Education. That's it. Then we'll see if there's more out there educationally.

I love the local church, and see no end to my calling to pastor, but I would love to teach at a local extension or at an online seminary like Rockbridge. Maybe I can help someone else be more effective for Christ and grow the Kingdom more.