"...but I also want..."

10 One of the things I always pray for is the opportunity, God willing, to come at last to see you. 11 For I long to visit you so I can bring you some spiritual gift that will help you grow strong in the Lord. 12 When we get together, I want to encourage you in your faith, but I also want to be encouraged by yours. Romans 1 NLT 2.0

I'm teaching the beginning verses of Romans tonight, and I come to verse 12, and I realize that what Paul was hoping for - what he wanted to have happen - had for me. As I looked around the room, I saw many people there (and thought of others who were serving as well, or absent tonight) who by the way they have lived out their faith during the time I've been the pastor at New Hope - have encouraged me.

There's the person who was on the search committee that brought me here, whose faithfulness to the vision of reaching out and loving people just as they are always energizes me. And her husband who may be the person who lives in the state of thanksgiving more than anyone I have ever known.

Or the one whose gentleness is evident to all who know him, and whose quiet and authentic faith is worthy of anyone's emulation. His wife who bears her physical affliction with grace.

The guy who continually checks on Bunny and me, prays for us, and who comes up with new ways to reach out while supporting anything I come up with that will reach people. Or his wife, who is as humble a person as I have ever known.

There's the young man and his wife who both exemplify what it means to live out your faith in every area and trust God no matter what.

And the man who has given his adult life to working to produce godly boys out of hooligans - and his wife who sometimes tries to do too much by herself.

There are more I could cite, but you get the point.

Somewhere I read today that after a certain number of years a church begins to take on the personality of its pastor.

I wonder if the opposite isn't equally true.

It certainly seems as if Paul hoped to see that happen.

I know I do.

I thank God that He placed me with people who I could help grow in Christ even as they helped me do the same.

Hey coach!

One of the hardest adjustments I have had to make in life as a pastor is the sheer aloneness that goes with the job. When I say "aloneness", I'm not meaning the lack of human interaction. What I'm referring to is the lack of coaching.

When I was in business, I worked with/for someone who as part of their job description had to develop me in my skill set and improve me in my effectiveness. Ah those days with Procter and Gamble where my manager and I would sit at a table somewhere, usually a Shoney's, and haggle over where I fell this year in the measurable job performance categories. Did I "need improvement"? Or was that area one of "Significant Strength"?

Whatever the result of the interaction, we always left with some idea of a development plan that would leverage my strengths and improve my weaknesses. The goals we set had to meet a high standard. They had to be specific, measurable, achievable, and compatible with the goals of my team.

In this role, there are times when I badly need a coach. Decisions need to be made in order to see the church move forward on its mission. Sometimes that action is one I have never considered before and the church has never before taken. Complex interactions are most always part of the mix and Murphy's Law, the Law of Unintended Consequences, and always the law of "We Never Did It That Way Before" all combine to almost paralyze you.

On an ongoing basis, just as in sales, I need to grow in my abilities and skills. My aim is to constantly improve, and toward that end I'm working on two Masters degrees and have an ultimate Doctorate in Education as a prized goal. I read everything I can on preaching, on small groups, on men's ministry, on discipleship - until I have more facts than I know what to do with.

If only there was a system within the SBC to help the single staff guys like me evaluate their context, their effectiveness, and their stated goals and work through a plan to grow.

Personally, I'm very grateful for the Internet and the availability of places like the Pastors.com pastors forum which I was a part of for years, and most recently for the guys I share the Ultimate Pastors Forum with. Having the insight and counsel of men who are actively engaged in pastoral work is so valuable to me. But I know that if they could walk with me through Valparaiso, meet the people here at New Hope, and hear our vision to be more effective in reaching the unchurched, their counsel would be so much better.

Is this an area in SBC life where the association should be, but isn't? Our association is heavy on the big churches, and the smaller ones are all traditional. I would think if a coaching network was to be built, it would almost certainly have to be "affinity" based, with members gathering with like philosophies of church.

If anyone has any ideas along this line, I am all ears. Knowing the challenges of pastoral leadership aren't going to get any easier means I keep working hard to grow. But having a coach or coaches to help that process would be a blessing.

One of Those Moments

Yesterday's worship set at New Hope included our version of "Nothing But the Blood" sung by our praise team with Juliet singing the verses and all of us singing the chorus.

During rehearsal, Bunny and Amy were in tears just thinking about the words to that old hymn. Bunny took some time to explain to the team (made up mostly of youth and kids) just what meaning the words have and should have for all of us regardless of age.

While we were singing the song, I was filling in on rhythm guitar and my son Sean was doing an amazing job with an innovative and emotional lead. He really is an amazingly talented guitarist who rarely gets a chance to show what he can do. It was so special to be sharing that moment with him.

I looked out over the congregation, and they were caught up in the power of the song as well. Maybe, just maybe, we can navigate the troubled waters of worship music as a congregation and not just make it through - but grow closer to God and each other while doing it.

What a blessing.

It's a gray day.

A friend of ours said it was a day like many they experienced in the state of Washington. I reminded her that even if it was, you were still surrounded by those awesome mountains.

She pointed out that you had to know they were there, because when it was like this, you couldn't see them.

I know, but it doesn't mean they aren't there.

Today, a friend in the ministry is experiencing a crisis of faith as he and his family try to remain strong in the midst of a firestorm of sinful behavior on the part of some in his church.

Today, one young girl we've been praying for awaits a transplant to deal with her leukemia, and another (our niece) who just turned 10, tries to live with cancer and chemotherapy which has robbed her of energy, and caused the loss of her hair.

Today someone else is dealing with a multitude of trials, none of which were their fault.

It's a gray day.

When my mother was diagnosed with cancer, it was a day like this one. Not too far into the New Year. Georgia in winter. Cold, wet, gray. She never saw another summer. Toward the end, we moved her into what used to be the basement rec room and tried our best to make it a warm and comfy place. We would come over and hang out, watch TV with her, talk to her, play her music. We even planted her favorite flowers outside the windows so she'd be able to see them.

We'd also come down and read to her toward the end, when she was too weak to even do the crossword puzzle she had always devoured. One day she asked me to read her Bible to her. So I started reading. I read beginning with John, then Acts and Romans. At times the pages of her bible seemed to be dotted with something. Not anything that ruined the print, but there were noticeable spots where the paper looked different. No where more so than the eighth chapter of Romans.

When I got there I mentioned to her that it looked like something had been spilled on them. She looked at me and said "No, nothing was spilled there." Then she teared up.

I learned that day that when she was diagnosed, she spent days asking God "why? Why me? Why now?"

She read her Bible as she always had for help and inspiration. And that day I learned that nothing had helped her more than Romans Chapter 8.

38For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, 39neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. NIV

It was there she found her help, through her tears.

For those who are having a gray day, I hold out this hope - that you might see God's strength as the clouds clear, like a mountain towering over all your worries, fears, and trials.

Just because we can't see Him at work, doesn't mean He's not so very close. Nothing can separate us from His love.

Grace and peace,

David

Why Can't We See?

I'm typing this on a Mac today. It's the first blog post I've ever typed on this quirky device that was gifted to me by a friend who felt my computer universe could use some expansion.

So in the past few weeks I have been diligently trying to make it work for me. Instead of... against me.

For the most part, I've succeeded, but there are still things it does and doesn't do that drive me nuts.

I know that if my friend, who has decades of experience with Macs were here, he would patiently instruct me in how to achieve my goals. But he's not. And even simple keyboard tasks can quickly escalate into war, and my decision to walk away for a while.

This morning I was thinking through some names. Names of people who were part of our fellowship for a while, but just walked away. It would be so easy to decide that it's all on them - they weren't committed, they didn't care enough, or even that they really didn't have a saving relationship with Jesus.

But what if...

they just didn't know how to make it work?

What is it about us that we can't even see that option?

And see it before their walk carries them too far away?

Thoughts for Tuesday

Very interesting post by Bill Lollar on The Babel Conspiracy :: Religion DNA Remix

Really good post, filled with insight. Having Ray Steadman quotes never hurts IMHO. :)

Here's what got me:

What if we start by acknowledging…

* That knowing, believing, and walking with Father is sufficient…anything else is a distraction or an idol.
* That simplicity (coming to Him as little children) is desired far above innovation.
* That Father is not impressed with size or structure: two or three get His attention and His presence.
* That He's the builder, putting together a temple of living stones.
* That Father has not asked us to build anything tangible, because He knows the damage it will bring.
* That pragmatic, zealous, religious strategies can never replace a living relationship with Him.
* That joining others in the journey does not require what we've been programmed to think it requires.

What if God loves small, weak, and feeble?

Could it be?

Yes.

On Worship Music

One of the areas of constant err.. adjustment and attention in churches all over today is the music we use in worship. In the church where I became a Christian, there were some constants that don't exist today.

We almost without exception used the King James version (Schofield notes). So much so that brother James Herndon could say "turn to page 123" and we could.

We used the official Southern Baptist Hymnal. We used the 1975 version for so long that the regulars could tell you scores of hymn names if you called out the number. In fact, rumor had it that in addition to the tablets Moses carried down off Sinai, the first hymnal came with him, with Holy, Holy, Holy already sitting in its proscribed position as Hymn #1.

Bunny and I were pretty quick to embrace the NIV study Bible when it came along, as well as "contemporary Christian music". Of course back then we're talking about Dallas Holm, Keith Green, the Imperials, Russ Taff, Petra, etc. Looking back, some of it wasn't very good, but some, like the work of Keith Green, still speaks.

So as I sit here today thinking about Sunday's worship music, I have several bits of knowledge floating around my cranium.

First, we want to honor God in what we do and glorify His name in worship. In short, the music ( or lyrics I suppose) has to be true to Scripture. The performance of it needs to not elevate a person's skills, but direct our hearts to God.

Second, we want congregational - not performance driven - but community driven music. (What I mean is that some music is best used for solo or group and just doesn't translate well to congregational praise.) If we use a solo, it has to be meaningful outside the realm of "wow, she/he did great" or "isn't that a wonderful song". The music needs to direct our attention to God.

Third, as pastor, I want to try to use the music to open the spiritual ears of the congregation to the message I'm about to bring. So all the other criteria being met, I would prefer we sing songs that open the ideas and concepts I'm about to preach on to the hearts and minds of those attending that day.

So all that being done, now I turn to the resources we have.

There's the body of work of Wesley, Watts, Luther, Crosby, etc. as included in the hymnal.
There's the praise chorus period as popularized by Gaither etc.
There's the early contemporary Christian music I mentioned earlier.
And then there's the modern Praise and Worship music, which has now been out there for 15 years or so.

Bunny and I keep an Excel spreadsheet of what we have done and when we have done it, so as to be able to report to CCLI as well as to rotate songs and expand our catalog. If we introduce a new sone, that usually takes three weeks of practice by the praise team and one week of introduction via them to the congregation before we ever decide to sing it as one.

It's not easy. If you care about the three criteria I listed.

Sure we could break out a hymnbook and ask for "favorites". That means we won't have anything but the keyboard playing them, because guitarists need chord charts. It means we lose any connection with the overall theme spiritually of the worship as a whole. And it means we limit ourselves to only those periods of music contained within them.

As a pastor, I am very sensitive to the spiritual needs of the congregation as a whole. I want everyone to come away knowing they had spent the time in worship as the Body of Christ. Everyone. From all generations.

Recently I had someone ask me "why don't we sing any hymns?" My first response was "we do, almost every week." But it became apparent that they (and probably others too) had a setlist of hymns that made them feel they were "in church", and we weren't pushing those buttons. So I went back and looked at what we were doing over the last year, and in a church that's characterized by young families and children, we sang 24% hymns. But it wasn't enough.

Initially, I really was bothered by that. But over time and through prayer, I'm seeing it as an opportunity to teach ALL the generations about what worship is and how we use music in it. We might use some of the hymns of years past but run them through today's ways of presenting them, much as Matt Redman did with "Nothing But the Blood" or Third Day has done. It might be interesting to go the other direction with some of the more modern music - slow it down, go more acoustic and piano.

My job here, as pastor pressed into service as music guy (Bunny does the real work here, I just pick the songs), is to pray through God's use of music to transform lives - to be a part of that awesome work. Would I love to have a worship person? Absolutely. But it's my responsibility now.

If anyone out there has some resources that would help me in this task, or wants to come invest their life here at New Hope, I'll certainly move toward the back of the bus. Yet I think there's a lot good in having the pastor involved in worship design and execution. If the pastor is serious about transformational worship, being under the hood really helps.

Grace and peace,

David

On Baptism

We got to baptize a young man today!

It's always an awesome event in the life of a church to celebrate someone's decision to commit to, and identify with Jesus in baptism. In the small church, every good event matters. There's always a need to remind people what we're about, to point them to Jesus.

Baptism matters.

As I read the accounts of Jesus' baptism again this week, two things stood out.

First, the dedication He had to doing God's will. He walked about 60 miles to be baptized by John.

But something else - that I had never thought of before.

Jesus was there to be baptized with everyone else.

And everyone else there to be baptized was a repentant sinner.

So let's assume that Jesus didn't look like all those English guys that usually play him in the movies, or have that freaky halo/golden plate behind his head. There's no way to tell the Messiah without a program yet.

If you or I were standing there, and we saw a young man in line to be baptized, we would naturally assume he was like everyone else.

That he was one of us.

Even at the beginning of his ministry - in the first act of it - Jesus wasn't afraid to be among, with, even labeled (falsely) as a sinner. His reputation didn't matter nearly as much as doing God's will and living out His purpose.

Think about it.

What Should A Baptist Association DO?

That's a question that I suppose has as many answers as we do associations. Our contexts are so different these days as America's demographics change. Here on the Gulf Coast and in the Choctaw association, apparently the question is valid, as a group within the association is taking up that very question.

Context does matter.

Geographic and demographic contexts matter: Okaloosa County contains the largest military base in the United States - Eglin Air Force Base, as well as some of the finest beaches anywhere. There's a wild swing between the northern and southern ends of both Okaloosa and its neighbor Walton county because of the different influences of beach versus rural or exburb. This led to the creation of a separate association for Crestview and northern Okaloosa county, and to some of the South Walton churches aligning with the Choctaw Asssociation instead of the Walton one.

The Air Force and soon to be larger Army influences mean that there's a larger population of skilled workers who are younger and prone to have families, and a contractor base (and retirees) who are older and have substantially greater income than others do. But move across the bay to Destin and South Walton, and money ramps up considerably as well as the diversity of culture. Then too, just like the tides, people come in and out of those areas for short or long term stays. Snowbirds, condo owners, vacationers, even Spring Breakers all come in and out and affect the churches. The pastor of the largest church in Destin once told me that "the snowbirds are under the mistaken opinion that we should change who we are just for them." So there are pressures inherent within the diversity that exists.

Add to that the mega vs small church tug of war, traditional versus modern, and denominational turf wars and we'll have fun fun fun convincing anyone that we're about the Kingdom of God who isn't already an insider.

Makes you want to run out and become a DOM now doesn't it?

Given our context, I'm going to take a stab at offering some suggestions. They may be stupid in your environment. If so, pay no attention to them. If they are brilliant, then by all means let me know. :)

First: Quit trying to do the work of the local church.

Second: Quit hurting the work of the local church. Every dollar spent on associational buildings and people that cannot be justified by a resultant effect in growing the Kingdom through the work of the local church is wasted. Wasted.

Three: Help our pastors help our churches. I know we're a prickly bunch and not easily led or helped, but we are the people that God called and placed in the churches of the association to help see His will done on earth as it is in heaven. And we are the ones who will have to give an account for what we have done and haven't done. We need help - especially (but not limited to) those of us who pastor smaller churches. Every new initiative we undertake - someone has BTDT. We need the DOM and the association to serve as facilitator and network respectively. Hook us up when we get a wild idea with someone who knows how to pull it off. Help us find the resources to accomplish it. Maybe the association could serve as part file cabinet, part rolodex, part storage building.

Four: Bring Us Together as people walking down the same road. There are so many splits in the people who are outside. So many fissures emerging within the SBC. calling another meeting isn't going to get it done anymore. Inviting two pastors or three to meet for lunch will. Getting to know each other as fellow stragglers will. Pastor's luncheons may be the hardest thing a DOM can pull off and may seem insignificant. But they matter. Personally I'd love to see our association buy a trailer like they use during emergencies to feed people. Self contained kitchen etc., but with a PA system and a few of those "jumpy toys" and stuff like a rock climbing wall so we could do block parties and cross church fellowships. But that's just me.

Perception is that the current system of funding the DOM position makes him far more attentive and reactive to big churches and big church pastors. It ought to be just the opposite. YMMV. I'd love to see that position become a Missionary position again with the small church and church planting through all the churches be the focus. I know there are a lot of DOM's who do a great job of looking after the needs of smaller churches, but not all of them do.

Finally (for now) - Help us see the bigger picture. Fight us to help us see it. By that I mean the DOM has to be working to take what the pastors dream and see if it will synergize into something that will not only allow the local churches to fulfill their calling, but will help other local churches do the same. The Charleston Baptist SC association has a resort ministry arm that works alongside the association with a separate board made up of churches. Ours has a ministry center that does that. We need to see more of that sort of thing but birthed out of what God is telling the local churches, not out of the Lifeway catalog or a DOM association meeting.

For me, this is sort of a final attempt to try to work through what an association ought to be and do. In the small church I serve, we're not going to nod our heads anymore and send our money to anything that doesn't help us do our job more effectively than we could do alone.

/rant off

praying commences again

*edited to remove some of the heat and leave the light - DW

Will They Grow

My bride got hooked on reading blogs after I turned her onto Google Reader. That little tool makes it easy to find and read blogs on various subjects you are interested in. Not a great deal of our tagged blogs coincide except in the theology area, but even there we diverge to a certain extent.

For example, she reads a blog called "the naked pastor" where a pastor talks frequently about his life, his beliefs, and mostly about his struggles with both. I used to read it, but found myself wondering increasingly whether the guy ought to be a pastor at all. Everyone has areas of weakness, but that guy had acres and acres of them and never seemed to get better.

One of my most fervent prayers for the people God has given me to care for is that some of them would see themselves grow in their faith. I work to spend the time in God's Word, in prayer, and in communion with Him to grow in my faith. Some of that growth comes as a result of failing at times to live up to the example of Jesus. When that happens, I go to Him and ask forgiveness, and for strength and wisdom to overcome. When Paul wrote, "follow my example, as I follow Christ", I figure he meant just that. A pastor has to keep growing - stay hungry - want to do more for God - more with the gift of life God has given him, right up to the moment that God takes him home.

One of the saddest realizations comes for me when I find that a person I love and am praying for to receive more of God's peace, more of His mercy, more of His grace - has decided - "I'm good. I like who I am now. No need to do anything more. No reason to want to grow more."

I can remember back when my boys were little, they'd stomp around the house wearing daddy's shoes. It was comical to see my size twelves on them. But folks, they grew into them. I want so much to see both of them, as well as those I love and care for at New Hope to grow with me as we follow Jesus.

If I Had Only One Sermon

Today was one of those days that had me wondering just what God was up to. Bunny was away doing her amazing artist stuff, and I was left along at home to read, study and pray (oh and freeze! It's cold here today). As I wrote earlier, I've been reading the "red letters" - everything Jesus said in the Scriptures - this week, getting ready to preach a series based on them.

The way my mind works though, I go into "immersion mode", where I soak up everything I can on the text I have before me. It's not uncommon for that work to generate 50-90 pages of notes for a 40 minute Sunday morning sermon. I'll do all the background stuff, word studies, scan other versions, and read the text over and over and over. Then I have to walk away for a while and do something else.

Today when I did that, I was reading an excellent book by Kenneth Bailey on Luke Chapter 15. Bailey writes from the background of someone who knows the lifestyle of the Middle Eastern peasant intimately. I have been blown away by his insight. He's like Rob Bell on steroids.

If I had only one sermon to preach, it would be on the three "lost" parables in the fifteenth chapter of Luke. I haven't done much "candidating" in my career, and have only done two "revivals". I'm a pastor. I need to know the people I'm helping connect to God in order to be truly effective.

But let me preach Luke 15, and I would stand in front of anyone or any crowd. It speaks so deeply to me. I've been that prodigal. I have prodigals I love dearly. I've been that older brother, and known quite a few in the churches I've been a part of and led.

And that Father... oh, that Father. How I long to love like that. How thankful I am to be loved like that. How I want to see our church full of people willing to love like that!

There are other texts that move me, but if I had only one sermon - Luke 15.

I'm reading the red letters again today

Jesus was always saying the unexpected. Just when his followers thought they had him figured out, he’d open his mouth and amaze them once more…People were flabbergasted when he said they should love their enemies. They were aghast when he said to turn the other cheek when someone crossed them. They were intrigued by his parables and mesmerized by his description of God’s kingdom. His listeners were awed by his wisdom, inspired by his morality, and melted by his love.

-Lee Strobel(What Would Jesus Say, p.12)

Update on Rockbridge Core Evangelism Textbooks

Optional Textbooks

Ancient-Future Evangelism: Making your Church a Faith-Forming Community by Robert E. Webber
Church Evangelism: Creating a Culture for Growth in your Congregation by John Mark Terry
Evangelism Outside the Box: New Ways to Help People Experience the Good News by Rick Richardson
More Ready Than You Realize: The Power of Everyday Conversations by Brian D. McLaren
Reimagining Evangelism: Inviting Friends on a Spiritual Journey by Rick Richardson (forewords by Brian McLaren and Luis Palau)
Reinventing Evangelism: New Strategies for Presenting Christ in Today’s World by Donald C. Posterski
The Forgotten Ways: Reactivating the Missional Church by Alan Hirsch (foreword by Leonard Sweet)
The Purpose Driven Church by Rick Warren
The Purpose Driven Life by Rick Warren

New Year, New Series

Christmas is behind us now, and we've crossed the threshold of the New Year. I haven't yet had to write 2008 but I know how to make a seven into something eight-ish, so I'm good. Time to move on from the "Nights Before Christmas" series of sermons.

Started thinking before the holidays about this, praying what direction to go in next. Several factors involve themselves in the preparation process. Number One of course is what is God directing? There have been times when it was extremely clear what I should preach. That could be driven by the circumstances we found ourselves in as a church, or a pressing need that presented itself, or a realization over time that the church was in need of instruction in a certain area.

For a few years, I actually followed the Lectionary in order to try to cover as much as the whole counsel of God's Word as I could. In another couple of years I tried to follow the SBC lectionary - the Adult Sunday School quarterly. :) Yes, I would preach ahead of the next week's lesson in the Sunday School texts, hoping to go deeper and give more context than they would receive in their lessons. I was helped in that by some great resources put out by the EXTRA! staff at Lifeway.

The goal in both was to try to deliver one consistent message each Sunday instead of three different ones. When you think about it, the average Baptist who comes to every opportunity on Sunday will hear a SS lesson which applies to life in one area, a sermon which probably is in another, and then finally a Sunday night sermon or small group. Three messages, three applications - all of which will be mostly forgotten by Monday afternoon.

So my idea was to take each Sunday as a teaching unit, and pound one Big idea from three angles. General context and application in SS, Broader context and application in the morning sermon, and then that night to really focus on parts that might be nuances but were more than incidental in the text. For example I might do a word study that night to help flesh out a concept, or I might do a character study of someone involved in that morning's text.

I still really like that, and believe it has the most potential for transformation, however present structure and circumstances being what they are, it is a nonstarter. If I was in a plant, the small group lesson would come as further exposition and application of the Sunday morning sermon. But I'm not in a plant.

So here I am.

With a mix of people at various stages of spiritual growth, with a varied demographic of ages and education, with varied backgrounds as far as church and region. In general, we need to be better at applying what we already know of the Bible to our lives, we need to have a more consistent ability to see the world through a Christian world view, we need to be able to share our ideas in the marketplace of ideas effectively and clearly across all those demographic lines and tribal boundaries. And we need to grow as a church on mission.

Oh is that all?

I should just tool over to see what Fellowship, or Granger, or Northpoint is doing and buy their last series. The most effective church in the area, far and away the one that has grown the fastest, does that, and has done that for three years. But I can't do that. They don't know New Hope like I do, and I have precious little in common with any mega. At times I'm not sure we're seeing the same world.

So I pray, and I think about the people who are most likely to be out in front of me as I deliver the message. Will this series reach them? Is this what God would have me do?

One other factor - what can I do best?

The craziest thing has happened to me. Without wanting to or meaning to, I've gone from a topical preacher to an expository one who is far more comfortable with a passage than a series of verses spread out over the Bible. When I first began, I could preach topical sermons - really well at times. But now, I struggle with it.

Today I'll read every word Jesus ever spoke that's recorded in the Scriptures as I pray about a series on "The Red Letters" which will probably come mostly from the Sermon on the Mount and if it goes well, the parables. I'm also looking at the book of Romans and for Wednesday nights (we're through with Numbers) whether to continue into Deuteronomy or skip it.

By tomorrow, I hope to have clear direction and begin serious prep work for whatever God leads me to do. Pray with me that I'll be a willing vessel for His awesome Truth.

Lectio Divina

In last term's class at Rockbridge Seminary, we discussed various ways to study the bible. One of the more interesting methods was an ancient one - lectio divina.

The idea is to help the readers slow down and let the text speak rather than rushing through deconstructing the text. You pray your way through Scripture asking the Holy Spirit to lead you to truth. A lot of us in that class were interested enough to investigate further. I wish I had known about this book then.

I have a copy and am looking forward to practicing this ancient way of learning more about God through His Word.

Wedding Pictures from Dec 30th, 1973

Our oldest's comment when he viewed these was "daddy married up". Uh, yeah.

On Evangelism

In two days, I'll begin the new term at Rockbridge Seminary and start the core course on Evangelism.

The Theology & Practice of Evangelism E5301
This course is a study of the doctrines of man and redemption and of God's purpose to reach the peoples and nations of the world for His glory through the church. Emphasis will be given to the biblical mandate, the church's outreach in history, the mission task today, and how mission translates to the level of the individual believer. Learners will design a mission's mobilization strategy for their congregation, ministry, or small group.

I've already taken an elective under the evangelism banner -

Next Steps in Planting and Growing a Missional Church E6408
This course is for those who are in the initial stages of a church plant and need to know how to take their new work to the next level. The course will address the spiritual formation process of leaders, expanding the church's influence, multiplication through evangelism, weathering crisis points, measuring health, and knowing when and how to leave.

As well as having taken Personal Evangelism at New Orleans, participated in the trial of an evangelism strategy program for the FBC,(the Intentionally Evangelistic Church - spearheaded by Dr Don McCutcheon) learned and taught EE, Contagious Church, and will soon be teaching "Just Walk Across the Room".

And yet, I am not an evangelist.

If anyone should be, by virtue of training and experience, I should be. But I do not have the gift of evangelism, I just do the work of an evangelist and hope to train others to do the same.

The singularly hardest part of evangelism is to keep after it in prayer. No it's not the program, and it's not in my view the actual work. It is to open yourself to correction and instruction, to petition God to give you opportunities even if those opportunities put you far outside your gifting and your comfort zone.

I am so very aware that I need God in this.

Years ago, I thought that this was a skill I needed to master, and that once I had the skill set, I would be blessed with amazing tales of evangelistic success and would one day be trotted out on stage at the convention to applause.

Little did I realize that the skill is useless without the Holy Spirit's empowerment.

My background was in sales, and I was successful there. Here, I was giving away the keys to heaven, and though I delivered the "pitch" perfectly, most of the time either nothing happened, or the person made some weak profession not followed up with life change.

My most successful period occurred while I worked at a ministry center and gave out the gospel to people who were in need. I would come home fired up and amazed at what God was doing. That little house was seeing more conversions than the mega church across the street. But we weren't a church, and though we tried mightily to get the converts placed in churches, our track record was horrible.

So over the last few years I have come to see that the Holy Spirit's work of evangelism does not require trained evangelists, just available people. And that if the spark of spiritual awakening is to become a flame that consumes the converts self, it requires community to make it so.

Here at New Hope, we've pushed out into affinity groups and small group Bible studies, as well as taking the message to parks, community events, and points of contact such as schools. It's in the spirit of Francis of Assisi who wrote "preach the gospel everywhere - if necessary, use words." We'll be ready when the Holy Spirit says go.

I hope I'll learn more in the course, but really, I hope the people I serve and I will do more of the work of evangelists in 2008 - in our homes, our workplaces, and in the community. We need to share our faith, not try to sell it.

On House Churches

I was walking through the kitchen this afternoon, and looked over and saw a cookbook from Grace Baptist Church of Juliette, GA. I had forgotten that the folks in our failed house church/plant had produced that. Leafing through the recipes and looking at the names, I remembered the sweet fellowship and genuine love we had for each other. It was deserving of the name Grace.

The church started in the worst possible way - as a split off of Dames Ferry Baptist. That church served as my introduction to pastoral ministry. As a newly minted bivocational pastor, I accepted a pastorate in a church that changed pastors the way Paris Hilton changes limos. A church whose baptistry served as a place to store Christmas decorations. We had to take a blowtorch to get the water flowing.

Still, there was success early on as I worked hard and the Holy Spirit smiled on us. Dames Ferry grew. It doubled. Those who came hadn't always been there. They were fellow Christians, but they weren't family. And that combined with my pastoral inexperience led directly to a troubled parting.

In hindsight, I should have walked away and not looked back. But a group of people who really wanted to see God continue working in that community called me and I accepted the opportunity to be their pastor. We met at first in a house down the street from Dames Ferry. We called ourselves "Grace".

Our journey lasted two years together. We went through some vision issues, got absolutely no help from the Georgia Baptist Convention even though we rose to 42 people and had an offer to give us 3 acres of land. The convention said we had to have 5 acres before they'd help. We eventually got the opportunity to share space with Juliette UMC but by then we were just playing out the game.

What I learned...

In that rural environment, house church didn't work. We couldn't get people to come to the house and worship. The folks we had were winsome people, and generally speaking outgoing. But we had a stigma - maybe a double one from the split.

Some problems cross church structure lines. Leadership is an issue wherever. Conflict can occur regardless. In fact I was shocked to find that one family who had always been abused by the powers that be in the former church quickly became abusive of others at Grace.

In that environment, having a building and a denominational affiliation would have helped a great deal. But we were in an associational environment with an "Area Missionary" who had three associations and frankly was terrible. He had to have been someone's brother in law. We were trying to do something that wasn't done - plant a new church. Then amp that with the whole house church deal. Maybe he thought we were moonies.

I'll tell you this, I still love those people dearly. Every week when we met, it was awesome regardless of how few we were. I wish we had made it.

Could it work today? In some places I think it could. But is it the cure-all?

No.

34 years together

 

Today is the thirty-fourth anniversary of the day a young man with few prospects received the greatest gift this earth can give - the hand of my bride, Bunny.

So much has changed since that day, but our love has grown stronger, though buffeted and tried at times.

For folks on the outside, it would be exceedingly hard to explain just how important the love of your marriage partner makes as you try to work with God and His people. It would also be impossible to overestimate the toll our (the pastors) job makes on their lives.

Bunny has been so involved in everything good that has happened in our sojourns in different places of service, but nowhere more so than here at New Hope. She's taught children, worked with youth, worked with and led music (fashioning Easter and Christmas music as well), started a women's ministry, facilitated small groups, and so much more publically.

But privately she has given me the benefit of her relationship with Jesus through the context of her love for me.

We serve right now in a military town, and we love these people dearly and are deeply thankful for what they do. Every medal and memorial is well earned and much deserved. So when I say that there ought to be recognition for the work of pastor's wives I'm not taking away from what our veterans deserve.

I'm just acknowledging that there are all kinds of wars. :)

Thank you Bunny. Love forever, David

On the SBC

Small church evangelist Les Puryear has had my admiration for a while now. In a church culture that seems at times to shout "Go big or go home!", Les shouts back "House church? I'm up for that!" :) Les is seriously into championing the smaller - ok - the average sized church in the SBC. He's even set up a conference in March to help small church pastors grow. (Les, I'm trying to work it out to get there.)

Recently he wrote a post on SBC Impact that listed some things he'd like to see in the SBC.

I'll list them here, but go read the whole post and the comments.

Things I would like to see implemented in the SBC in no particular order:

* More small church emphasis at all SBC entities and agencies.
* A worship film-making division that would produce worship videos.
* A small church pastor (less than 200 in average Sunday morning worship attendance) be elected as president of the SBC.
* More teaching of practical ministry techniques in seminary, i.e., how to baptize, how to conduct the Lord’s Supper, how to handle conflict in the church, etc.
* Broadman & Holman print a series of books about small church leadership.
* Passing of a Regenerate Membership resolution.
* Revise the method of electing trustees so that rather than voting “yes” or “no” on a nominating committee’s entire list, change it so anyone who wishes to run for the office of a trustee can do so by filing for election similar to the method currently used to elect Town Council representatives. Then the convention messengers can vote for trustees by marking their ballots for each name and the ones with the most votes win. This seems to me to be more democratic than the nominating committee process.
* Spiritual awakening.
* Less storytelling in sermons and more biblical exposition.
* True desire for holiness.
* Love for brothers and sisters in Christ who do not agree with each other on non-essential doctrines.
* More cooperation among local churches rather than being in competition with each other.
* 8,000 IMB missionaries on the field by 2012.
* Pastors live what they preach.
* Explosion of house church planting in the USA.
* Every church member regularly tithing.
* Reaching the lost who are within sight of our church steeples and then reaching the lost beyond that.
* Greater penetration of evangelicalism in the northeast and western parts of the USA.
* The WMU not moving away from the SBC and toward the CBF.

You know, I don't agree with everything Les wrote, but I can sure work with a guy who loves what I love - smaller churches. And rather than hash out the differences, I'm going to make a list of what I'd love to see in the SBC from my context.

* Revamping of the seminaries to make them more pastor - in particular small church pastor friendly. The 30 hour on campus requirement is onerous and nigh onto ridiculous in today's interactive age. It is preventing many people like me from courses and degrees that would help our ministry effectiveness. Train pastors first, not professors.
*Revamp the association and bring back associational missionaries who are church planters and catalysts for action not deck chair rearrangers. In our association we are taking a year to study the need for change when we should be changing now! The DOM being tied to big church money isn't working well for smaller churches.
*Stay out of the newspapers unless you are helping someone. The Richard Land crowd makes me flinch everytime I see their names in print because I know we're about to be outed as "agin'ers". We've stopped being known for what we are for, just what we are against.
*Put some energy, effort, and money into RA's and men's ministries. We are hemorrhaging men. We get programs like men's fraternity that are so expensive and so big church oriented that our guys get tired of trying. Give us a break guys.
*Break the stupid convention into regions. If you want us to actually go, quit tossing darts at a map, look at the cost and timing. Oh and quit deciding ahead of time what we should do when we are there.
*Help us facilitate networks of like-minded churches along missional lines not geographic ones. My church has precious little in common with the FBC down the street but might have a lot with another church 50 miles away. Get Stetzer on it.:)
*Help us train for today's challenges, not yesterday's. We need help with outreach, media, worship, marketing, site selection and maximization. We need training on relational evangelism, or incarnational ministry, not more door hangers and Evangecubes.

I got more, but that's enough for now. I have been an SBC guy my whole Christian life and fought to stay on course when others called. I love the Cooperative Program and our doctrinal distinctives. But we have to keep those while constantly evaluating our methods for effectiveness.

On Men and Faith

The internet has provided me with so many benefits, but at times the information it brings isn't pleasing at all. Dee Lauderdale, the moderator of a pastor's group I'm in posted the results of a survey he found in a Men's health magazine. The findings do not bode well to any of us who are serious about reaching men.

In God We Trust? from December 2007 issue of Men’s Health

How would you describe your religious beliefs?
Very Religious: 21% Somewhat Religious: 26% Spiritual but not religious: 35%
None of the above: 18%

Which belief do you most closely identify with?
Christian (nonspecific): 27% Catholic: 17% Protestant: 16% Atheist: 11%
Agnostic: 10% Buddhist: 10% Jewish: 3% Mormon: 3% Scientologist: 1%
Other: 3%

If you were God for a day, what would be your first order of business?
“Eliminate corruption in all governments”
“Banish to hell everyone who has killed in my name”
“Get everyone to stop relying on men and take responsibility for their own lives”
“Whatever’s on the agenda, I suppose. I’m assuming God has a personal assistant”
“I wouldn’t want that kind of responsibility”

Do you believe that morality can come only from faith?
Yes: 29% No: 71%

Have you ever witnessed a miracle?
Yes: 32% No: 44% Unsure: 24%

How often do you attend services
More than once a week: 12% Once a week: 21% Once a month: 10% On religious holidays: 9% Almost never: 28% Never: 20%

If they shortened the service and relaxed the dress code, would you attend more?
Yes: 7% No: 93%

Are you more, or less religious as you age?
More: 35% Less: 25% Neither: 40%

Have you ever terminated a romantic relationship because of religious differences?
Yes: 18% No: 82%

10.When politicians say things like “God Bless America,” does it comfort you or freak you out?
It’s comforting: 56% It’s creepy: 44%

Is it important for your kids to be religious?
“Yes. We all need a moral foundation.”
“No. It’s more important that they are happy and fulfilled.”
“I want them to have at least one constant: God”
“I’m responsible for their life, not their afterlife”

What’s your reaction when retailers say, “Happy Holidays” instead of “Merry Christmas”?
It irks me: 31% I’m glad: 13% It’s a silly debate: 56%

How much influence should religion have in the United States?
More than there is now: 19% Less than now: 50% It’s fine as it is: 31%

Can religion help with today’s problems?
It’s still useful: 46% It’s out of touch: 31% It’s part of the problems: 23%

In the next century, will religion grow, stay the same, or diminish?
“Decency and morality will exist for their own sake”
“It’ll grow freakishly stronger”
“It will diminish as people become more educated”

When you die, where will you go?
Heaven: 50% Hell: 1% Purgatory: 3% Back to earth in another form: 8%
Somewhere else: 11% Nowhere: 27%

When you break it down, it's clear that for most men, churchianity doesn't "work", if by work you mean add anything meaningful to their lives. And efforts to make church more man-friendly by cutting sermon length and relaxing dress codes aren't the answer. Over half think that religion either doesn't help today or is part of the reason things aren't as they should be.

When I looked the survey over, I was sitting in the room here with my wife Bunny. I was a 19 year old guy going nowhere when I was invited to Bethesda Baptist Church in Macon GA to play church basketball. At the time I was playing in three separate leagues. But after seeing Bunny, I realized she was in a league of her own and came as often as I could to be near her. As a result, I was saved and committed my life to Christ.

Just to be clear - I was dead in my sins. I wasn't looking for God. I came to play ball and stayed to play ball and to hang as close as possible to Bunny until my charm and rugged good looks wore her down. :)

So I read the survey and thought, what has happened?

It seems that within the last 30 years we've gone from being an option for guys who were looking to find a place to do guy stuff and find a nice girl to a place that isn't even on the radar. We've gone from acceptance through toleration and are now in aggravation/wish you would go away land.

Networking used to be one of the reasons people would come to church. Some of them even got saved. But now with the culture shift, those people are more likely to bunch up on the golf course, the PTA, or at soccer practice for the kids than come to church.

And with the church's moral behavior on par or even below par with the culture, finding a "good girl" at church might not be a given to say the least. We are in a heap of trouble with men. No need for us, nor reason to lean our way, and in fact some annoyance thrown our way.

It's going to take everything we can muster to get back on the options list with men.

First thing is we have to admit we have a problem. Duh.
Second thing - pray that God would guide everything we do.
Third thing - We must begin to get into the places where men hang out and build relationships with people. It's not what we do well, but it's always been the way the gospel has spread.

My friend Bill Martin put it this way:

It can't be about the institution anymore. It has to be about personal relationships. (That doesn't sell well in the Bible belt, but that doesn't make it any less true.)

I wonder if we can do it.

Oh I know God can do it, but can a generation who equated church growth with bigger and better - can we get small? Can we go from empire builders to insurgents? Can we stop yelling long enough to have a cup of coffee and talk?

Can we learn to count conversations and ask God to let us be involved in His work to change the hearts of men?

Glorify your name Lord.

"How to kill a movement"

How To Kill A Movement - by Sam Metcalf

1. Require education for the leadership
2. Demand conformity of methodology
3. Refuse to provide administrative help and let it suffocate under it’s own weight
4. Get spooked by supernatural phenomena outside your paradigm
5. Make no room for younger, less experienced leadership
6. Be obsessed by theological purity
7. Put the safety of the people involved as a higher priority than sacrifice

There's much more, go read it all.

So much of what I think is holding many churches and denominations back is encapsulated in Sam's list. Unfortunately my spiritual family, the SBC, is guilty of many of these and doesn't seem the least inclined to change at the moment.

Maybe that will change. I hope and pray that it will. Too many souls are at stake.

"Let me go with you because..."

I have become convinced that people do not become fully devoted, disciple-making followers of Christ through the excellency of man-made programs. Churches may grow in number through their professional worship team, their seamless organization chart, their savvy marketing, and their cultural relevance. But I believe something more powerful is at work when we see a person who has never known God become acquainted with a faith community, become a regular participant in that community, become a believer, and then become a fully-devoted disciple. I believe that when that progression takes place it is because that person has looked upon a community of Christ-followers, become overwhelmed with the reality of God in their midst, and cried out, "Let me go with you because I have heard, and seen, and felt that God is with you!"

Bill Huffhine

It is this velcro that builds the Kingdom of God. Those who are held together by the Spirit of God working within them and within their relationships become the entrance to the Kingdom for others who then call others to come and die to self with them.

Lots of people have a dream church - right size, right posture, right location. Bill has articulated mine - oh to be part of such a gathering of souls. It is what I'm working for at New Hope.

He Came Into Our Neighborhood

They had known this day was coming. For months now Joseph and Mary had talked about "when the baby is born..." and how life would be different then. So different. Every couple wonders how they will transform from husband and wife to father and mother. But knowing that this baby was the Son of God made every conversation even more of a wonder.

Mary was just so small, and the baby had grown so.

Joseph would have never chosen here for the baby's birth. So far from home, so far from help. But he believed. And he put everything he had - all his attention, all his energy - into helping Mary do whatever it was she need to do. They had just arrived in Bethlehem and found a place to stay. It wasn't much, but it would do. It would have to.

When the first contraction came, it straightened her up for a moment. The weight of pregnancy had changed her posture somewhat, from a young and lithe girl, to a woman "great with child." Her arms wrapped around her belly as she felt the wave wash over her and the pain swell and then subside.

Joseph's face went through several phases almost within seconds - surprise - concern - worry and now determination. What could he do? In his culture, men weren't present at birth. Women entrusted that secret to midwives while the fathers waited anxiously outside. Everyone knew that the birth of a baby could bring great joy or great heartache. This one would bring both in due time.

There! Again! But stronger. And followed quickly by another. Joseph held Mary tightly, seeking in vain to transfer some of his strength to her but knowing that this was her battle to win. How long would this go on? She couldn't take much more.

Suddenly she sat straight up and gasped out loud. A strange look crossed her face and he couldn't tell what she was feeling. Was it pain, or was it... joy? Her forehead grew slick with perspiration and she clutched his hand tightly. She was focused on something in the distance, and then she grew rigid and seemed to stare at - or into the ground at her feet. A quick breath - then none - only a guttural cry - a moan and she seemed to stiffen, then expend herself into...

And then, quicker than he ever thought - a soft fall into the clean straw and there he was - covered with the fluids from His mother's womb and flushed from the battle to be born. Mary collapsed, exhausted. Joseph picked up the baby and wiped his face as he lifted him from the straw. Then Jesus, Son of God and son of man breathed the air of the world he had created and began to cry.

At that, Mary raised herself on her elbows and smiled.

But she wasn't through yet.

Joseph cut the cord that tied mother to Son, and Mary groaned again as she delivered the after birth. Joseph laid the baby in her arms and replaced the soiled cloths with fresh ones, and then put more fresh straw and blankets beneath Mary. She wrapped the baby in the strips of cloth and kissed him. And kissed him. And kissed him.

Joseph stroked Mary's hair and marveled at what she and God have done. He took a finger and placed it in Jesus' hand. So small. So very small. And yet one day the scepter of the King of Kings would rest there. Amazing!

He was here! Messiah had come!

So many questions. So much they didn't understand.

But they knew.

God was with them.

He took the baby and placed him in the manger beside where Mary lay. She was so exhausted, that she gave him a smile and fell asleep. The mother of God became a teenager again. Joseph watched them sleep and marveled again at what had happened.

The Prince of Shalom had come.

--
God bless you and keep you. May you have the Spirit of Christmas tonight and all through your life. And may you always remember, God is with us.

David

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

Growing Up Into Christmas

78 Through the heartfelt mercies of our God,
God's Sunrise will break in upon us,
79 Shining on those in the darkness,
those sitting in the shadow of death,
Then showing us the way, one foot at a time,
down the path of peace."

Luke 1:78-79 (MSG)
If there's a season that is more sentimental than Christmas, I haven't experienced it. I find myself time-traveling between remembering what it was like as a child, remembering what it was like when we had young children, and thinking about the kids we know from New Hope and how their Christmases will be.

Funny isn't it, how I can't remember how my parents struggled to provide their boys some Christmas toys. I really cannot even remember much of what I got, or what we've given our kids. I just remember the feeling of Christmas.

When our oldest left here the other day, he left with a CD on which I had burned 27 minutes and 11 seconds of his Christmas morning experience in 1982. On that recording (transferred from cassette), you can hear my aunt Louise, uncle William, and my brother, father and mother as they got to see Adam come into the living room and see what he got.

The tape starts with us trying to wake a very sleepy boy. As I recall, telling him that Christmas was here and his presents were waiting had no where near the impact than "Grandmother is here". She loved Adam and later Sean with the same fierceness she had first loved my brother Bruce and me.

Waking up to find his Grandmother there was Christmas enough for Adam. Everything else was just icing on the cake.

I've really been thinking and praying through Christmas this year. There have been some major changes as we've lost family in the last couple of years that have pretty much severed my childhood from today. All those links are gone now. I'm blessed with an awesome wife and her wonderful parents - my "in-loves" who are like parents to me and have been for almost 34 years. Obviously my sons Adam and Sean give me great, great joy. And I have an awesome New Hope family here from the littlest to the eldest.

But there's been a "blueness" to this Christmas for me. So many memories of those who are gone. So many events that can never be repeated.

And yet...

When I listened to Adam's reaction the other night, something clicked in my soul.

It was as if God was telling me to grow up - into the real Christmas.

Not the one I remembered, that was centered on people - memories.

But the one that brought me Someone Who will never leave me. Someone who gave His very life for mine. Someone Who constantly is working in my life for my good. Someone who loves me more fiercely than anyone ever has or could.

It was as if God was telling me, isn't Jesus enough?

I'm embracing His peace today. I'm trusting in His mercy and grace for today and praying He'll give enough tomorrow. It took a four year olds little voice on a 25 year old recording to help me grow up into Christmas and realize that all I ever really wanted for Christmas is wrapped up in a person. And that person can sweep all my blues away into clouds of bright and beautiful joy.

He's what I hope you'll receive and treasure too.

Jesus.

Merry Christmas,

David

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

One Bright Light

“We are in a world of mystery, with one bright Light before us, sufficient for our proceeding forward through all difficulties. Take away this Light and we are utterly wretched—we know not where we are, how we are sustained, what will become of us and all that is dear to us, what we are to believe, and why we are in being.”

—John Henry Newman—

On Christmas

The Word Made Flesh

The Word of the Father, by whom all time was created, was made flesh and was born in time for us. He, without whose divine permission no day completes its course, wished to have one day for His human birth. In the bosom of His Father He existed before all the cycles of ages; born of an earthly mother, He entered upon the course of the years on this day.

The Maker of man became man that He, Ruler of the stars, might be nourished at the breast; that He, the Bread, might be hungry; that He, the Fountain, might thirst; that He, the Light, might sleep; that He, the Way, might be wearied by the journey; that He, the Truth, might be accused by false witnesses; that He, the Judge of the living and the dead, might be brought to trial by a mortal judge; that He, Justice, might be condemned by the unjust; that He, Discipline, might be scourged with whips; that He, the Foundation, might be suspended upon a cross; that Courage might be weakened; that Security might be wounded; that Life might die.

To endure these and similar indignities for us, to free us, unworthy creatures, He who existed as the Son of God before all ages, without a beginning, deigned to become the Son of Man in these recent years. He did this although He who submitted to such great evils for our sake had done no evil and although we, who were the recipients of so much good at His hands, had done nothing to merit these benefits.

St. Augustine, Sermons on the Liturgical Seasons, Trans. Sister Mary Sarah Muldowney, R.S.M., Vol. 38 in The Fathers of the Church, ed. Roy Joseph Deferrari (New York: Fathers of the Church, Inc.), p. 28.

Christmas - weakly

While rereading the accounts of Christmas again, it occurred to me - God's powerful act of Incarnation couldn't have come to a more unlikely group of people. His mighty actions and revealed plans to change everything elicited a very weak response from those who received the news.

Zachariah doubted God and couldn't even believe when an angel showed up.

Joseph searched for another way to explain what Mary had told him.

Even Mary, a model of faith asked "How can this be...?"

Each and every one of them had a moment or moments when the situation they were presented with was just too much to believe.

Have you ever been there?

I sure have.

There have been times where, despite years of trying to live a live of faith and devotion to Jesus, something will happen and I'll silently ask the question "How can this be...?" Or really, how in the world am I going to make it through this?

To that question, God answers - "wait."

Uh, not really helpful - see we have this situation here and I need to get it fixed. And to that you say - "wait?"

I realized when I typed it that "wait" is not a word we would ever associate with Christmas, unless we add the obligatory "I can't.." as a prefix.

And yet, waiting is exactly what God required of each of the people involved in Christmas.

Zachariah and Elizabeth had prayed for a son all their married lives.

Joseph and Mary agreed in their betrothal to wait a year before consummating their marriage.

Even after the angel's announcements to them, there was the usual nine month wait for the babies that were promised to appear.

How long have you been waiting for your Christmas miracle to come? I'm not talking about that long promised pony or motorcycle.

I'm thinking of that moment when the faith you have...

...expands to fill your whole life.

When this verse becomes reality... to you.

What is faith? It is the confident assurance that what we hope for is going to happen. It is the evidence of things we cannot yet see. Heb 11:1 (NLT)

You know what?

I'm encouraged that Zachariah wouldn't take an angel's word for it.
Likewise by Joseph's worries and Mary's concerns.

Because I am no weaker than they were, when they failed to grasp Christmas.

But then it's not about us, in our weakness.

It's about God, and His unfailing love.

We can have the faith they had when we, like Mary, say to God, "let it be to me exactly as you wish. I trust you."

May we all be given the grace to do just that.

Grace and peace,

David

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

Christmas - weakly

While rereading the accounts of Christmas again last night, it occurred to me - God's powerful act of Incarnation couldn't have come to a more unlikely group of people. His mighty actions elicited a very weak response, didn't they.

Zachariah doubted God and couldn't believe when an angel showed up.

Joseph searched frantically for a way out.

Even Mary, a model of faith asked "How can this be...?"

Each and every one of them had a moment or moments when the situation they were presented with was just too much to believe.

Have you ever been there?

I sure have.

There have been times where, despite years of trying to live a live of faith and devotion to Jesus, something will happen and I'll silently ask the question "How can this be...?" Or really, how in the world am I going to make it through this?

To that question, God answers - "wait."

Uh, not really helpful - see we have this situation here and I need to get it fixed. And to that you say - "wait?"

I realized when I typed it that "wait" is not a word we would ever associate with Christmas, unless we add the obligatory "I can't.." as a prefix.

And yet, waiting is exactly what God required of each of the people involved in Christmas.

Zachariah and Elizabeth had prayed for a son all their married lives.

Joseph and Mary agreed in their betrothal to wait a year before consummating their marriage.

Even after the angel's announcements to them, there was the usual nine month wait for the babies that were promised to appear.

How long have you been waiting for your Christmas miracle to come? I'm not talking about that long promised pony or motorcycle.

I'm thinking of that moment when the faith you have...

...expands to fill your whole life.

When this verse becomes reality... to you.

What is faith? It is the confident assurance that what we hope for is going to happen. It is the evidence of things we cannot yet see. Heb 11:1 (NLT)

You know what?

I'm encouraged that Zachariah wouldn't take an angel's word for it.
Likewise by Joseph's worries and Mary's concerns.

Because I am no weaker than they were, when they failed to grasp Christmas.

But then it's not about us, in our weakness. It's about God, and His unfailing love.

Inasmuch

In a certain town there lived a cobbler, Martin Avdeitch by name. He lived in a small basement room whose one window looked out onto the street, and all he could see were the feet of people passing by.

But since there was hardly a pair of boots that had not been in his hands at one time for repair, Martin recognized each person by his shoes.

Day after day, he would work in his shop watching boots pass by. One day he found himself consumed with the hope of a dream that he would find the Lord's feet outside his window. Instead, he found a lingering pair of worn boots belonging to an old soldier.

Though at first disappointed, Martin realized the old man might be hungry and invited him inside to a warm fire and some tea. He had other visitors that evening, and though sadly none were Christ, he let them in also.

Sitting down at the end of day, Martin heard a voice whisper his name as he read the words: "I was hungry and you gave me meat; I was thirsty and you gave me drink; I was a stranger and you took me in. Inasmuch as you did for the least of these, you did unto me."

Story told in Leo Tolstoy's Walk in the Light while there Is Light and Twenty-three Tales (Maryknoll, NY: Orbis Books, 2003).

So many times I forget. The person in front of me, or on the phone is the person Jesus put me here to serve. Forgive me Lord.

On Preaching

“Every preacher has a different routine for preparing a sermon. My own begins with a long sitting spell with an open Bible on my lap, as I read and read and read the text. What I am hunting for is the God in it, God for me and for my congregation at this particular moment in time. I am waiting to be addressed by the text by my own name, to be called out by it so that I look back at my human situation and see it from a new perspective, one that is more like God’s. I am hoping for a moment of revelation I can share with those who will listen to me and I am jittery, because I never know what it may show me. I am not in control of the process. It is a process of discovery, in which I run the charged rod of God’s word over the body of my own experience and wait to see where the sparks will fly. Sometimes the live current is harder to find than others but I keep at it, knowing that if there is no electricity for me, there will be none for the congregation either.”

(Barbara Brown Taylor, The Preaching Life, p. 80)

Maybe the most descriptive quote of how I feel about trying to find yourself in the text I have ever read.

My goal is to inhabit the text. To tabernacle there. To listen to it speak to me and call my name. If it's a passage where a biblical character exists, then I want to know everything about that person and how he received what God had for him.

It is a helpless feeling until it happens. To still be searching for the voice of the text late in the week can raise the blood pressure and make one frantic. The hardest thing to do then is to slow down and listen.

The text needs to capture me, so I can turn it around and let it loose on Sunday.

On Faith

Now Faith … is the art of holding on to things your reason has once accepted, in spite of your changing moods. For moods will change, whatever view your reason takes. I know that by experience. Now that I am a Christian I do have moods in which the whole thing looks very improbable: but when I was an atheist I had moods in which Christianity looked terribly probable. This rebellion of your moods against your real self is going to come anyway. That is why Faith is such a necessary virtue: unless you teach your moods “where they get off,” you can never be either a sound Christian or even a sound atheist, but just a creature dithering to and fro, with its beliefs really dependent on the weather and the state of its digestion. - C.S. Lewis

A sermon from 1998

As a baseline of how I've changed over the years, here's a sermon from 1998. I was working full time, and filling the pulpit at a small rural church in Laurens County GA. Be interested in your perceptions between now and then.

I Love To Tell The Story
Matthew 28:1-10 and other scriptures

I am so glad to be here this morning to share with my fellow Christians the glory of the celebration of the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Early in the week, Ricky Hilburn sent me the program for today by email and I marveled at just how many of you were going to be involved in the celebration this morning. Young or old, all seemed to want to share in the joy. Each of you who participated in this has told your story in song, testimony, or prayer of what Jesus means to you. Thank you for your sharing.

Each of us who has taken the name of Christ in identification should have a story to tell. I love stories. They lift the facts off the pages and give them life and make them alive. I’ve always used stories as I preached and I guess it’s because I love them. My Mother used to read to me when I was a little boy, and my favorite stories back then used to begin with, “Once Upon A Time”. Since I took Jesus as Lord and Savior though, my favorite story always seems to begin, “Once upon a cross.”

I love to tell that story.

I guess what I like so much about Easter is, well the story of Easter. Just hearing someone read the Scripture when the angel tells those faithful women, “Why are you looking for the living among the dead? He is not here. He has risen, just as He said.” Matthew 28:6 Sends chills down my spine.

It has been an emotional weekend for me.

Friday at noon, we met with others at Bethesda Baptist church in Macon to observe Good Friday. Their cross rugged and wooden was draped in deepest darkest black. The communion table was covered with symbols of the day, 30 pieces of silver, a hammer, some nails. As I sat there and looked at that cross, all I could think of was how horrible a punishment that was. Looking back over the years of my life, I remembered this sin, then that one, and another, and another. Times when I didn’t do what God wanted me to. Times when I did the opposite of what I knew to be right. The hammer and the nails were there. It looked to me like the hammer would fit my hand well. I looked at the silver. That was a lot of money back then. Then I looked up at the cross - and I knew I was guilty.

When I was in elementary school, there were times when I was invited to spend a little time after school. I had distinguished myself in one way or another that day, and the teacher found that though the school day had ended, she simply could not bear to let me go so soon. So I was given the rare treat of additional instruction. One of her favorite things she liked to teach me was cleanliness. She did this by allowing me the high honor of erasing the blackboards for her. Not everyone got to do this you understand, only those of us proved worthy by our actions. Some of those might have, but by no means were limited to, talking in class, failing to do assignments, etc.

I’d get the erasers and wipe the boards for all I was worth, and was satisfied that I had done a good job. Unfortunately, she wasn’t. Seems you could still read some of the words. She had me wet a towel and wipe them clean, until you no longer could tell there had ever been anything written there. It was like a new board, that had never been stained at all.

Jesus did that for me and you. Somewhere in God’s memory was a blackboard with all our sins written on it for all to see. Jesus, with His blood, washed our sins away, until they were completely gone. He died, was buried, and rose again to let us know that in Him, we can have life forever free of the heartache and full of the love of God.

Knowing the story makes Good Friday a Good Friday! It makes seeing the agony and pain that Jesus went through for my sins and for my failure to live a life pleasing to God bearable. It is an amazing thing to me to know that as the Bible says, “This is love: Not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.” I have to tell that story, for like Paul, “I am convinced that One died for all, and therefore all died. And He died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves, but for Him Who died for them and was raised again.” 2 Cor. 5:14-15 I love to tell the story

It’s the story I love. Reading it year after year, even though I’m like the little boy I read about. Robert Russell relates:

I love to go to Easter passion plays. One night I sat behind a 5-year-old boy who was enthralled. When the crucifixion scene took place, he got real quiet. But
then Jesus came back from the grave and there was a song of celebration and
his eyes lit up. He looked at his mother and said, "He's alive, Mom. He's
alive!" and began to clap. And he hugged her around the neck. It was fun to
see somebody understand the resurrection for real.

Once, we showed a cartoon video of the crucifixion and resurrection to our littlest
Sunday School class. When Jesus was buried, one little boy who knew the story pretty well turned to a buddy and said, 'He's dead now, but he'll be back.”’

Well beloved, He is risen! Because He lives we can have hope grounded in the fact of the resurrection. I Love To Tell The Story!

As some of you know, I have two sons. As they have grown up, I have sometimes went with their Mother when it was time for clothes. A few years ago, I saw this line of clothing called - No Fear. I laughed when I saw it. No fear. That’s a great concept, but it hasn’t entered reality yet, or has it?


What do you fear the most? Losing your job? Losing your family? Losing your life?

Many times I have stood looked into red swollen eyes as we gathered around an open hole in the ground and told them straight from Jesus’ heart through my lips, “Jesus said, I am the resurrection and the life, he who believes in Me shall live even if he dies.” John 11:25 That is resurrection power!

Hear me! Most of us before we came to know Christ saw the enemy we could not fake out, could not dodge, could never get around as death. Everything else was important, sure, but our death or the death of the ones we love was too much to bear.

But listen! Here come the women back from the empty tomb telling us the story. Of an angel’s question, and empty tomb, and a risen savior! Death is no longer final. Nothing is!

One thing I have learned for certain as I have lived the last few years is that there are events in this life that will happen and they will hurt. Sickness may come. Death may claim loved ones. We may find ourselves not being able to do what we used to do easily. Finances come together, finances fall apart. Life, this vapor we inhabit just now, is not easy. But in Jesus and His resurrection, we find that nothing can defeat us. There is no reason to fear.

Not disease - for in heaven, there is no such thing as cancer or Alzheimer’s.
Not handicaps - for our bodies will be perfect. Those disabled now will leap to their feet to embrace Jesus. The blind will see the source of all light. The deaf will hear the praise of heaven.

Wow! What a story! No wonder the women were in a hurry to tell it.

I love to tell the story of Jesus -

It has resurrection power over the past. The “If only’s” Many here today have deep and lasting regrets over things that have happened in their past.
If only I had had parent’s that loved me more.
If only I had studied harder, stayed in school, made more of my life.
If only I hadn’t gotten married so soon, or at all.
If only I had married him, or her.
If only my children had not disappointed me.
If only…

Well, we started this story in a cemetery. A place where the past lies buried forever. But in this cemetery, the Lord of the Living is risen to triumph over death, the grave is empty, ready to receive your regrets. Give your if only’s to Jesus. Let the Lord of life give you victory over your past. He will set you free and as the Bible says, “If the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.”

The resurrection of Jesus has power over the past.

And power over the present.
A missionary was speaking to a remote tribe of people who had never heard
about the life and ministry of Jesus. Seated in the front row, listening intently
to all the missionary had to say, was the chief of the tribe. As the story of Jesus came to its climax and the chief heard how Christ was cruelly crucified, he could restrain himself no longer. He jumped up and cried, "Stop! Take Him down from the cross! I belong there, not Him!" He had grasped the meaning of the gospel; he understood that he was a sinner, and that Christ was the sinless One.

As you consider that scene of the Son of God hanging on the cross in agony,
with blood flowing from His wounds, can you say from your heart, "I belong
there!?" The Christian can, and then thank God for Jesus.

I tell the story for me, but what about you?

Can you see yourself as the reason Jesus had to die? For your sins? Can you understand that even while you were still sinning, God sent His Son to die, for you? Can you accept that great a love?

Then go one step further and put your trust in Him as your Savior, so
that you can say with Paul, "I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer
I who live, but Christ lives in me" (Gal. 2:20). Jesus took our place and died
in our stead. Because He bore our sins, He has opened the way for us to be
brought into fellowship with the Father.

Can you say, "I belong there?" If you can, then you have a story to tell.

Whoever you are today, however black your sins may be, right now, this moment, you can say “I belong up there” and claim Jesus as your personal savior. Right now. That’s resurrection power! That no matter how dead you may be inside, Jesus can give you life again, make you a new creation.

Do you have that Christian? Do you want that fellow sinner? This story doesn’t end in the cemetery - see for the Christian, the end is just the beginning. And I love to tell the story of Jesus and His love.

Where We're Failing

Churches have failed in their obligation to teach relevant, interesting, and insightful map-reading skills. There are more and more Bibles and more and more translations, but we have little encouragement and direction as to how to read the map—this precious word, this Word of God. This is not just a pastor’s, a scholar’s, or seminary student’s task, but it is the responsibility of all Christians. We have, generally speaking, become unskilled and illiterate map readers, and this is bound to carry with it grave consequences for our spirituality and our churches.

HTLiving Spirituality: The Exodus Church - Part 6

Thoughts On A Saturday Afternoon

It will always be easier to not reach those who are far from God. It will always be easier to reach the saved and seek to keep them happy. And so even if we know how to reach lost people eventually most will stop trying because it’s just too difficult. It takes qualities that we don't often possess - a heart that is broken by the things that break the heart of God, and a conviction that won't let you sit and spectate but that drives you to do something!

This is why every church wants to reach lost people, but so few do.

It's easy to be in church, but being the church?

Not so much

Preaching To the Choir

I found myself very much straitened before I had got to the middle of my sermon, and was at length brought to a full stop. I had only power to make a public confession of my weakness, and that I was utterly unable to proceed. The Lord gave me however at the same time to hope that it might be good for me and for my people that I should be thus humbled, so that I was not much disconcerted, nor has it given me a moment's uneasiness ever since. Only I hope it will be an abiding memento to me to be afraid of leaning to my own understanding, and make me go up the pulpit steps for the future, with a deeper conviction both of my unworthiness and my inability.
- John Newton

Richard Cecil, The Life of John Newton, edited by Marylynn Rousse (Christian Focus Publications, 2000; originally published circa 1810), p. 135.

I did a risky thing this week. After last week in which I found myself wondering about the effectiveness of my preaching, I opened myself up to God's correction, and asked a group of men who I admire to help me understand where I might have gotten off track.

The reason I call this a risky act is because for a pastor, preaching is very much tied to our self-concept of who we are. There are many things that a smaller church pastor does each week - the phrase "and all duties not otherwise assigned" plays out in a thousand ways - but it is the preaching event that seems to matter most.

When a church contacts you and wants to evaluate you as a prospective pastor, they do not ask to see how you managed a ridiculously small budget. I have never had a search committee question about why we work on making sure the people who are members are actually involved. No one even asks me about my favorite things - interacting with the people God has placed us with. They want copies of sermons and "video would be great."

Week in and week out, the sermon has the most potential to help people examine themselves in light of God's Word as the church gathered. If you can preach well, in most cases that is sufficient for people to overlook many other weaknesses. And so, when you get a feeling that you might be off track, it can shake your confidence.

My friends are all pastors, who are spread out across the country. With the exception of the site's owner, I have never met any of them. But I know their hearts because I hear their stories of struggle and success as we daily try to do a job that is impossible without the constant reliance on the Holy Spirit.

I really likened the preaching act to a physical sports analogy such as hitting or pitching a baseball. You can still be the same player, have the same physical skills, possess the same amount of strength, but when you have a change in your mechanics it becomes hard to do that which is easy. And then if you let that get into your head, now you have real trouble. I was afraid I was suffering a Rick Ankiel moment (St Louis Cardinal pitcher who inexplicably lost the ability to throw strikes).

So all week long I sought their council. I explained what I felt and they probed and prodded. I explained some more and they questioned and suggested. The interaction helped me focus. I decided then to do something I hadn't done in a long time. I wrote the entire sermon out in a manuscript after I had done the powerpoint. Normally I do not use notes at all, relying on the ppt slides to keep my on track.

I have plenty of notes from my studies on a passage. It is not unusual for me to generate well over 50 pages of notes during the week, and if I am preaching through a book, by the time I get through I would have several hundred pages of notes. This past Sunday I had about 60 pages that I used to write 6.

Immediately before I went to bed, I sent several of them a copy of the sermon, and I posted a copy on a couple of my blogs. My hope was that if I really was off base in my interpretation and application, or muddled in my thoughts, that one of them would catch me before I preached Sunday. But I felt good about the sermon.

The reports trickled in. "Looks good but could have a stronger close." "There's enough there for two sermons." "That will communicate well, preach it." "I'd spread your application out over the sermon instead of leaving it all until the end."

Most of these I read after the fact.

When I preached, just before I did something I never, ever do anymore. I asked the congregation to stand with me for the reading of God's Word. And we prayed. And I prayed and gave it away to God. John Newton's quote above, which I had read during the week, was ringing in my head. "Lord, if I falter, let it be because I am in awe of You and Your Word."

I won't blame preaching too long on Him. :)

My bad - I got excited. ;)

I am so grateful to the men I serve with and their help. And I am in way over my head, but my feet are on the Rock.