Some of the Work Required to Turn Around Churches

Below are the newsletter articles for February and March.  In them there is discussion on what we can do to turn churches around.  Just as a reminder these items are not totally inclusive.  There are probably others as well.

                I am often asked by individuals and in meetings what we can do to turn the church around/how do we get people to come back to church.  I have some answers, and will share some of them this month and some next month.  There will be some commentary with them to help explain them.  One thing to remember is that just like a fully loaded oil tanker at sea trying to turn around, it is going to take time, work, and space.

1.  There is no group that is going to be the savior of the church.  We often think “if only the youth/the ones who have stopped coming/ the families/etc would come they will save the church.”  As Kenda Creasy Dean reminded the Annual Conference a few years ago these groups are not our savior(s), our Savior is Jesus Christ-living, died, raised, and coming again. 

2.  We have to tell among ourselves and to others our stories on why God is important to us, what Jesus has done for us, and how the Holy Spirit helps us.  If we do not talk about our faith then other people are not going to know that God is alive and active in the world today.  Our faith is not supposed to be kept to ourselves, but rather it is to be shared with the world.  Remember Jesus tells us in Matthew to go into all the world teaching and baptizing, making disciples.  He does not tell us to stay quiet.

3.  Along with talking about our faith we also have to issue invitations for people to come to church, and invitations for people to enter into a life transforming relationship with Jesus Christ as their Savior.  Over the last 20 years I have had many people say “I don’t know how to share my faith” or “I don’t want to push religion on anyone” or “it makes me uncomfortable,” and a host of other reasons or excuses.  We live today in a culture more like the Apostles’ and early Christians than we do in one like the 1960s/70s.  In the 60s and 70s there was still somewhat of the expectation one would go to church on Sunday and be involved in its ministries.  That is not the case anymore.  Instead, like the Apostles and early Christians, we live in a society where we need to be like Andrew when he went and told people about Jesus, and then asked him to go to see him.

4.  We need more small groups.  These groups can be grouped around interests, missions, sports, learning, study, etc, but they should always include prayer and support when they meet.  The early Methodists met weekly in classes where they were encouraged to confess their sins and to build each other up.  The classes also grew organically, and when they began to get too big they split and formed new ones.

5.  We need to rethink what the Church is.  Too often we have forgotten The Church, which we are members of, is the Body of Christ, and not a building.  We are the hands and feet of Jesus.  It has been said the Church is the only entity that is in business not for itself.  We need to be reaching out locally, nationally, and internationally.  This reaching out is not just by giving money or supplies, but also going to where the need is, taking the time and inviting people to come to receive physical and spiritual help. 

                Next month we will look at a few more items that we can do to strengthen the congregations.

                Blessings,


                Pastor Dave

                Last month I listed five items we need to know or do to turn the church around/to get more people in church.  This month we will conclude the list.  Now please understand these are not all that we have to do, but it is a start and they are some of the bigger items we need to address.  Also, please know that most of the items are facing many, if not most, of the churches in America today.  Just as a recap here are the five that were talked about last month.  If you want to know more about each point refer to your newsletter or contact the church office and Norma should be able to e-mail you one.

1.  The only Savior for the church is Jesus Christ.  There is no one person or group who is going to save the church other than him. 

2.  We have to tell other people, including those who do not come to church, what God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit has done for us.

3.  We have to extend invitations to people to come to church and to enter into a relationship with Jesus.

4.  We need more small groups.

5.  We need to rethink what church is.

                 Here are the rest of the actions we can do to help the church become who God wants us to be.

6.  We have to be willing to take risks and to be willing to set aside personal preferences.  Congregations are some of the most risk adverse groups there are.  Change does not come easily, nor new things.  Even some of the things that we try that seem new are old things just repackaged in new wrapping.  Sometimes what we try or should be doing goes against what we would do personally or what we like to do.  Risk taking is scary, it can be uncomfortable, and there is no guarantee of success, and yet we are called to do it in the name of Jesus Christ.  If we stumble then we will just get up, wipe ourselves off, and continue to do what God is calling us to do.  Sometimes we get too comfortable in our preferences that we cannot, or more accurately, will not be willing to change or try new things.  Peter took a risk when he got out of the boat to go to Jesus, and when he stumbled Jesus was there to help him up.

7.  Everyone has dreams including God.  God has a dream of who we can become as individuals and as a congregation.  We have to be willing to set aside our dreams for the congregation and church, and then pick up God’s dream for us.  This takes a lot of work, discernment, and will power.  It involves a lot of letting go.

8.  We need to move the Lord and church up on our priority list.  Some may say “you’re getting too personal Dave.”  I would ask, “did this strike too close to home?”  Remember the first commandment, “you shall not have any other God before me.”  God should be number one in our lives.  We are told not to forget the assembly of the saints as some are known to do.  In today’s world there are many other things calling for our priority.  As we hear these voices we have to make choices on what is going to be the most important.  We will also have to carve time out of the schedule for both worship and personal devotion time.  There will be those times we also need to make time for special activities at the church.

9.  We need to remember what God gives us may be something entirely different than what we want.  This could be ministry, building, location, who we work with, and the list goes on and on.  This may mean giving up what we hold dear, and not just dreams and memories.

10.  We need to show mercy, grace, offer forgiveness, and put aside grudges.  I have heard of and been in churches that are still dealing with unresolved conflict or grudges from 5, 10, 20, even 50 years ago.  It needs to be practiced in the Christian’s home as well because you will bring your attitude from home to the church.  From moving a piano across the chancel area or even just a few inches to putting cushions on the pews; from somebody who might not have smiled at you at a family reunion to your spouse not putting the seat down; if we do not forgive and show mercy and grace, the affront gets into us and festers.  It infects us, our relationships, and eventually our actions.  It will infect the rest of the body of Christ.  Sometimes the infection will be a slow gradual erosion of health that is not noticeable until it is too late.  Other times it will become like an infected boil that when any pressure, intentional or unintentional, is applied it busts spurting its pus and goo all over the group.  As it explodes, much like the potatoes in John Belushi’s lunchroom scene in “Animal House”, it opens a way for more infection to invade us, and as the infection lands on other people it can ooze its way into the tiniest of openings and begin to grow there.  The medicine for this is to communicate, to show grace and mercy, and to forgive.

11.  The last one should actually be the first one.  We should literally or figuratively be on our knees praying.  Praying for the Body of Christ to be made strong; seeking the Lord’s guidance on where we should go and who we should and could become as we follow him completely.  We need to be interceding for those who are hurting even if they are our enemies or we do not like them.  To be willing to God to put people in front of us whom we can share the Good News of Jesus Christ with.  We need to come before the Almighty with the knowledge and a confession of our sinfulness, but also to be willing to ask for pardon and forgiveness.  We should be praying for courage to go where we are called.  To tell God everything that is bothering us no matter how big, how small, how silly we perceive it to be, or how insignificant we think it is.  God wants us to bring ALL to him. 

Blessings,

Pastor Dave

Missions and Experiences from the 325th Maint Co, FL Army National Guard, During Desert Shield/Storm

For those who might be interested here is some of what it was like in Saudi Arabia in 1990/91.  This is what I wrote for a "buddy" letter for a soldier who was in the unit and is gathering evidence for a VA claim.

     I was a lieutenant in the 325^th Maintenance Company, Florida Army National Guard, when it deployed to Saudi Arabia in support of Operation Desert Shield/Storm/Clean-up.  During this time period I was the officer in charge of the Al Jubail Chemical Agent Resistant Coating (CARC) Paint site; one of the officers at Convoy Support Zebra; and one of the officers at the company’s detachment at Logbase Bastogne located near the town of Nairyah on route 85.  Prior to being sent on missions the company as a whole had landed in Dharan/Damman and was assigned billets at one of the former migrant camps near the Damman Expo.  During our time frame there were constant issues with the sewer backing up into the bathhouses.  Many of the bathhouses utilized the system of using the same stall for urination and defecation and taking a shower.

            The CARC paint sites the 325^th were in charge of were located at the ports of Al Jubail and Damman in Saudi Arabia.  The site at Al Jubail was located in a depression that at least 15 and possibly as much as 30 feet below the surrounding roads, and was probably less than five acres in total size.  It was within a half mile of a huge chemical or oil refining facility.  I recall the Initial Staging Area’s (aka Dew Drop Inn) base commader or one of his subordinates saying they did not want the paint site anywhere near them and thus was ½-1 mile away as the crow flies from the nearest point of the ISA.  The paint tents were the army’s large maintenance tents; the air compressors initially were a five horsepower and a 7.5 or 8 horsepower compressor each equipped with only a charcoal filter. These compressors ended up running multiple tents with two paint guns and two air hoses for each compressor.   

            The protective gear was paper suits, and the breathing apparatus varied.  Some soldiers used their chemical suit masks until ordered not to do so, others painted with face masks that had interchangeable cartridges.  Eventually the painters received full face masks with a forced air system, but the air compressors were still too small, running multiple painters and paint guns off of each one, and located where the overspray was sucked into the filter.  Hazardous waste from the mixing of the paint and solvent/catalyst was kept on site.  The living quarters for the painters were located approximately 25-100 yards from the paint tents. 

             The first Al Jubail paint site painted over 6000 pieces of equipment in approximately a three month period.  I believe the Damman paint site had similar numbers.  Because of the topography and meteorology of the area it was more common than not to come out of the nightly briefing at the ISA and see a cloud of paint and solvent vapors over the paint site with the dome extending beyond the perimeter of the site.  The paint and solvent were so dangerous that the Department of Defense after the Gulf War had the manufacturers develop a new, less toxic chemical resistant paint.  Some of the hazards that were in the paint and/or solvent the 325^th Maint Co used included methyl ethyl ketones, iso and di-isocyanates, silica, volatile organic compounds, and other toxic elements.  When talking safety protocol with Department of Defense civilian painters their advice/guidance was that if the paint or solvent ever caught on fire to “run like hell and make sure you run upwind.”  According to the DOD civilians some of the by-products of combustion would have been toxic fumes such as cyanide gas.  The painting that the 325^th was tasked with was actually general support or depot level maintenance in enclosed paint booths with separate forced air systems for painting equipment, the painters, and as I understood it the air in the booth was supposed to be forced to the bottom and then sucked out the side for filtering.  At the second Al Jubail site the paint tents were located on a side road, but it was noticed that the overspray was causing the pavement to crack and crumble.

             Some miscellaneous events that occurred at the paint site or the ISA which provided support for us and was a mile or less away included local meals being stopped provided because of sanitary concerns and food handling by the local contractor (spoiled food being served, unsafe food handling practices) causing food borne illnesses among the soldiers; kerosene heaters in the sleeping tents; pests such as flies and rodents in the living area and field latrines; and field expedient latrines which required the on-site burning of human waste.  Generators were running constantly and were located throughout the site including near the tents that were provided for living areas.  We experienced several sand storms in the time frame of the operation.  The Jubail paint site was also highly active the nights when Scud missiles were shot toward the city and also toward Damman.  At least once we were told anti-missile missiles had been fired at an in-coming projectile.  The night this happened many of the troops who were asleep were awoken by a very loud, sharp noise. 

            The site was not far from the different bases in Jubail that had positive results when the Sea-Bees or Marines tested for chemical weapons.  There was also unsubstantiated talk at the time there was a Fox Chemical vehicle in Jubail that had also received positive results when they tested one night for chemical agents.  At the paint site itself, one morning, and I believe it was the morning after we had gone to MOPP 2 the night before, a sergeant came up to me and asked “LT, does it mean anything when the red light is flashing on the M-8 (Chemical Alarm)?”  At the time as we had not been trained on all the intricacies of the M-8 we thought it was just low batteries or the chemicals from the paint site activating the alarm.  However, since that time it has been stated in a congressional report, the Riegel report I believe, that the M-8 Chemical alarm was specifically designed not to activate because of low or exhausted batteries.

            Besides the M-8 being activated at least some of the time, we were told to take the Pyridostigmine Bromide (PB) tablets/pills.  Many of the troops at the Jubail site where I was the OIC spent considerable amount of time running to the latrine to evacuate bowels as the pills caused diarrhea to strike within minutes of taking the pills.  There were also complaints of jitteriness and edginess while taking the pills.  I personally experienced the diarrhea and the jitteriness/heart racing after taking the tablets. 

            The stress level was high as the mission was a high profile operation with generals often making visits on site; captains, majors, lieutenant colonels and colonels often trying to get vehicles that were not on the priority list to be painted; a hawk air defense launcher was positioned immediately on the outside of the perimeter of the paint site; and we would occasionally receive reports to be on the look out for drive by attacks using mortars.  There was also the stress of having equipment breaking down or busting (locally procured hoses would explode because of the chemical reaction of the paint and solvent); health concerns using inadequate equipment; concerns not being adequately met, and the stress of being at a site in a combat theater that was dangerous to work at and was potentially a prime target for missiles or terrorist attacks.

            At Logbase Bastogne the paint was not present however the living conditions were not improved.  The troops still lived in GP mediums with kerosene heaters providing heat when needed; outside latrines with barely adequate washing facilities; insects, and diesel fuel being used on the major pathways in the base to dampen and pack down the sand.  At Logbase Bastogne we experienced several sandstorms.  The logbase also experienced the effects of the soot and particulate matter of the Kuwaiti oil field fires covering equipment and personnel.

            Personnel at Convoy Support Center (CSC) Zebra also experienced the effects of the oil field fires.  The CSC was on a major supply route coming out of Kuwait and thus many vehicles utilized it.  Just as at Logbase Bastogne oil well fires’ smoke and soot were plainly visible and coating people and equipment.   After combat hostilities ended many tractor-trailer combinations carrying damaged or destroyed Iraqi equipment stopped at the CSC.  While I know of no one who went into the equipment many troops went over and looked at and touched the equipment.  Much of the damaged equipment had been hit with US ammunition possibly containing depleted uranium.  At CSC Zebra there were also many single serve meals in a can such as Chef Boyardee and Dinty Moore products.  Many of these products were served in hard plastic containers with metal lids.  They may have contained BPA and emitted it when heated.  Soft drinks were also locally procured. 

            One of the duties of the CSC was to provide fuel for vehicles going in both directions on the main supply route.  As such there were several 50,000-100,000 gallon bladders of diesel oil kept on sight.  This resulted in raw diesel fumes being let into the air, and then mixing with the fumes from the other vehicles’ exhaust.  There was seldom a time when there were not vehicles at least idling in the CSC parking or fuel areas.

            Some other items that occurred for the 325^th while in Saudi Arabia included some extremely hot days in excess of 130 Fahrenheit with some days having extremely high humidity; other times there was ice in the field showers; multiple sand storms throughout the areas we were assigned to; and being assigned living quarters above a former landfill (Camp Rambo near the Damman Expo.  Background ambient noise was always there with large equipment moving around and generators running.  There was also loud engine and wind noise while driving the equipment in convoys, on a mission, and around the bases we were located at.  We were exposed to spiders, mosquitos, scorpions, flies, and other bugs and pests.  At all locations we were exposed to insecticides dispersed into the air by local contractors.  During the redeployment the troops were required to clean the equipment returning to the United States with specific cleaners. 

            Prior to deployment from Ft Stewart, GA, we received a large number of vaccinations.  These included typhoid, DPT, plague, and others.  At one time we were told botulism was one of the vaccinations we received. 

Heat Exhaustion and Sin

There is a balm in Gilead

To make the wounded whole;

There is a balm in Gilead

To heal the sin-sick soul.

(African-American Spiritual)

 

            While we were in Florida we were fortunate to be able to go out into Tampa Bay on some boats.  With my younger brother we were able to go fishing and catch some snapper, Carolyn caught a shark about two and a half feet long, and we were able to watch dolphins play in the wake of the boat as well as seeing them cruise around at sunset.  On Carolyn’s brother’s boat we ended up at a large sandbar in a backwater channel that has turned into a gathering spot for many.  We were out at the sandbar for several hours with a large portion of it being spent in the water on the sandbar.  Somehow, even though I thought I was drinking enough water, staying cool by being in the water, and not really exerting myself a case of heat exhaustion crept up on me.  Not a bad one, just one that made me feel really tired and not so good.  I caught it before it progressed too far, but it still knocked me for a loop.  I think part of what happened was I was distracted and did not catch the warning signs in time.

             So, what does my heat exhaustion have to do with the life of the church?  It is this; many people do not realize they are coming down with heat exhaustion, or something more serious, because it creeps up on them so gradually.  It is the same way with several aspects of our faith and church life.  Those decisions we make saying “no one will notice” or “I will only do it this one time” or “it won’t hurt to miss worship just a few times” become easier and easier and before we know it we are doing things we would not have thought about doing or missing church on a more regular basis.  Very few people involved in the life of a congregation just wake up and decide they are not going to church anymore.  It is the same way with committing sin, few decide to actively sin.  The habits, beliefs, and lifestyles we live are gradually replaced with those habits, beliefs and lifestyles that move us away from Jesus.  Often it is so subtle we do not even realize it until something happens.  We constantly need to be alert for the signs, big and little, we are being overcome.  Remember the little items may not seem as potent, but let them all come together and they can be a more potent force in your life than what might be considered by many to be a big distraction or sin.
            Thankfully we are told that if we move away from God, that if our souls are overcome, that God through our faith in Jesus as Savior will take us back.  We can and will be healed.  We are also told to be on the lookout for the Tempter and our actions that might draw us away from God.  Are you looking for the signs?

 Blessings,

Pastor Dave

Newspapers, Wimbledon, & Women-The Message We Send to Girls and Young Women with the Placing of Events in Newspapers

           While it may not be politically correct I will admit I prefer most men’s sporting events over women’s events.  Faster, more powerful, often more graceful, the men’s events catch and hold my attention quicker and longer.  Yes, I realize that there are many women who could mop the floor with me if I was to enter into a competition with them, but my preference is what it is. 

With that being said I am appalled with the double standard that some newspapers, for me notably the Minneapolis Star Tribune, have with some of the major sporting events.  The day after the Wimbledon’s Women’s Final the Star Tribune reported it on the inside of the Sports section.  I think it was page four or five.  This is regardless of the fact that Wimbledon is probably the premier tennis event in the world, both of the finalists were ranked outside the top ten, and other aspects that would, a person would think, warrant a front page placing.

I could understand the editors burying the story if they were consistent.  After all tennis is a second or third tier sport that does not have a huge following.  Minneapolis, St Paul, and the rest of Minnesota are football, baseball, and hockey bastions.  Driving around towns you see many more empty tennis courts than you do basketball courts.

However, the Star Tribune, and I imagine other papers, are not consistent.  The day after the men’s final at Wimbledon the Star Tribune has a huge picture of one of the finalists and an article that starts on the front page of the Sports section.  Granted, this was the first time in decades an Englishman had won the tournament, and there were some interesting stories about the two finalists, but I have to wonder what makes the men’s stories and final so much more important and interesting that it deserves the first page of the sports page while the women’s finalists and final deserve a spot and headlines that may not be seen because people do not have time to look past the headlines on the front page, or they just think it is just not important because of its location and lack of pictures.

I understand the newspaper business is often driven by ratings just as the television stations are driven by ratings.  I also understand that many people are not necessarily into women’s sports that much.  I will admit twenty years ago I probably would not be writing this, but twenty years ago I did not have a daughter.  Even though I prefer to watch and read about men’s sports, I realize the need to try for parity in reporting on sporting events. 

By showing such obvious partiality to the men’s events I wonder how girls and young women process this if they are paying attention.  What I believe is happening is that a message is being sent that women in sports do not deserve the same attention as the men.  Does this then get processed into ideas that women do not deserve the attention they should get in relationships, work, community activities? 

One last thought before I go.  Theologically we need to remember that men and women were created in the image of God.  One is not better than the other.  We may be different, but that does not mean one gender is better than the other.  Little items like where stories are placed in the sports section seem to elevate one above the other.  While the focus of this article is on inequality in sports we can see it going the other way notably in the way men are treated on sitcoms, but that is an article for another time.

In Response to Boston

Tragedy
Came today;
Wounds to souls;
Psyches hurt
All seems lost.
Don't despair
In the storm
There's still hope

(to the tune of Taps"

            Once again tragedy has struck deep into the American ego.  On a day to remember those who stood up to tyranny, where thousands were out pushing themselves harder than they had before, and where many more were encouraging and celebrating with those who had worked so hard to achieve their goals, a senseless act occurred.  Lashing out, and as of this writing we do not know why, a person or group has caused many to be wounded-body, mind, soul, and spirit.  Death, maiming, and fear have taken the place of joy, accomplishment, and hope.  The clarion call for justice and retribution has been sounded.

            There is no doubt the bombing that took place near the finish line of the Boston Marathon has injured America and Americans in many ways.  Most of us cannot fathom experiencing such terror, and when events like these occur our souls and spirits are wounded.  There is fear, the fear of what if:  what if it had been me?  What if it occurs at my child’s game?  What if it is my neighbor/can I trust my neighbor not to be a home grown terrorist?  What if…? 

            Along with the fear there is a loss.  Obviously for the ones who lost loved ones or were wounded there is the physical loss.  For them and the rest of us there is the loss of security; the loss trust; the loss of hope and peace.  While most people will recover quickly and not have lasting effects upon their psyche, others will forever be marred.  Like one who has suffered the loss of a loved one, they may regain 100% functionality, but they will always have a scar of some sort that may flare up from time to time.  Sometimes the flare-up will be caused by a known trigger, and other times it will be like a tsunami that comes and overwhelms you without any warning.

            It could be easy to get lost in despair, to let the grief overcome us, to let fear rule us.  For some the fear may be masked by a call for justice or retribution.  Others may call for more laws and regulations.  Understanding that not all calls for justice, laws or regulation is fear based, we do need to be careful we do not over react.  We also need to remember that this is not the first time an event like this has been perpetrated on our soil nor will it be the last.  We have survived every time.  It does not mean we have not been hurt, that we have not lashed out, or every decision was a righteous decision.  What we have done is to rise again and again, dusting the dirt off of us, bandaging our wounds, learning from our mistakes, and kept moving forward. 

            As we think about and pray for those of Boston, Newtown, and other horrific events let us also remember that people every day suffer from life altering, traumatic episodes.  Many of these do not make the news because they are seen as part of life.  The loss of a loved one to disease or accident, being laid off from a job, raped or assaulted, fire, a dissolution of a relationship, addiction, and hundreds more everyday events occur causing injury to body and soul across the land.  We need to remember to keep these people in our prayers as well for the wounds they suffer are every way the same as to those that invoke national sympathy for the victims and outrage at the perpetrators.  This is not to take anything away from those who suffered from the bombs’ effects, but rather a reminder that tragedy occurs on a daily basis, and that we have, much too often, have become inured to its insidiousness.  It takes something large to shake our cynicism, our shield we have up to protect us, and thus we miss the hurts of others, and maybe our own as well.

            I do not always have the answers especially to when things go so terribly wrong.  I wish I did.  As a pastor I wish I could give great answers to why bad things happen to good people.  I am not always successful because I do not know.  Many times my answer is that God has given us free will, and because of this gift people have the choice of doing righteous or unrighteous actions.  Our actions impact others.  I cannot answer why some people emerge unscathed and some are maimed or killed, or why God intervenes and gives miracles to some and not to others.

            What I can tell you is that God has said he will be with us to the end.  That a peace that allows us to function, to move forward, and to trust can be ours even in the midst of conflict and storm.  We may be battered, God does not say it will be easy, we may still have questions, even Job didn’t get every question answered the way he wanted, but we will not be left alone, and that while there is breath there is hope.

 

May you find hope and peace this day.

Pastor Dave

Conception, Growing, Middle Age, or Dying-Where Is Your Congregation on Life's Continuum?

Brothers & Sisters in Christ,

            Have you ever noticed there is a life cycle in a congregation?  There is the conception stage when people begin talking about it and take the first steps to organizing.  Then there is the birth stage when the congregation begins to meet and everything is new and exciting.  New things are tried all the time, and if something doesn’t work out just right or they stumble and fall they, babies and congregations, get up and try again.  As children and youth they begin reaching out with excitement and wonder as they look to bring people into their community.  They are often encouraged by others and are not afraid of much.  Congregations are often encouraged by their mothering church or annual conference.  As they get older they may try a new activity or idea, but they begin to become risk averse and begin asking “what’s in it for me.”  Around middle age they reach a plateau, but they are comfortable, and after a few more years decline becomes visible and eventually the congregation becomes invalid and dies.

            What many churches are discovering is that they have been at the plateau or decline stage for a long time, but have not known it because of either denial, some self- regeneration with large families, being busy keeping beloved programs (and sometimes not so beloved programs) going,  or a combination of the three.  The situation has gotten to the point where it has to be addressed, but it is hard to do so.  The work required to overcome the habits learned from when the church was younger and the resistance to new ideas and actions is hard.  Humans learn much from experience and what has worked on the past is what many congregations default to, but we are in a new day and age of sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  The old ways many times do not work or are not realistic.  An example of this is growing healthy churches by having large families.  Most families are no longer having 4-8 children who stay in the area and stay in their home church.  We have to find a new way. 

            Where are we on this continuum?  So what can we do with this knowledge?   Is it too late?  These tough questions lead to more questions and hard work.  To help start and continue the discussion here are some questions to think about?
1.  What is God’s vision for this congregation?  Am I willing to put aside my hopes and dreams and pick up God’s dream regardless of where it might lead?  Am I willing to let programs and activities die if the Lord leads us that way?

2.  Am I willing to support the forward motion of the congregation with my prayers, service, gifts, time, and your presence?  Even if I don’t like it or disagree with it?  Will I talk positive about what is going on at the congregation?

3.  Am I willing to do the work?

4.  What is the purpose of the church?  Is it for those inside or outside? 

5.  When you talk about the church do you talk about the events and activities at the church or do you talk about how God is working through those events?

 

May you have good discussions, peace, and blessings this month,

 

ET, Las Vegas, God, and the Ordinary

Recently while my family and I were on a continuing education/vacation trip I experienced two “ET: The Extraterrestrial” moments, one at the Grand Canyon and one at a buffet in Las Vegas.  For those who may not know the story or have forgotten the plot of this 1982 movie the Internet Movie Database (www.imdb.com) describes it like this, “A meek and alienated little boy finds a stranded extraterrestrial. He has to find the courage to defy the authorities to help the alien return to its home planet.”  The American Film Institute in 2007 voted it as the 24^th best film of all time.  When the movie first came out many people were captivated by it, said it was a tremendous movie, went around saying the line “E.T. phone home”, and recommended it to their friends.  By the time I saw it in August of 1982 the expectations I had for the movie were extremely high.  I came out of the movie disappointed.  “ET” is a very good movie, but I was expecting something more, what I am not sure, but the movie did not knock my socks off. 

            In a similar way my first view of the Grand Canyon just east of the visitor’s center did not impress me as much as I was expecting or had hoped it would.  I had heard so much about it that when I finally saw the Grand Canyon it underwhelmed me.  I am not saying it was not awesome or impressive, but it was not as awe inspiring as I thought it would be.  I even told Carolyn that I thought the Badlands in South Dakota were more inspiring/interesting.  As for the buffet in Las Vegas I had heard about how good the ones at the hotels were, and we tried one for lunch.  The buffet at Old Country Buffet has better food.  We all were highly disappointed.

            As I have reflected on these “ET” moments I have wondered how many people have experienced God and been underwhelmed because they are expecting something else?  How many times have people been in the presence of the Lord, receiving messages of hope, assurance, comfort, or something else but not really seeing or hearing because the gifts are God’s gifts and expectations and not the ones we have envisioned or expected?  How many times has faith waned because we are underwhelmed at the supposed absence of the wonders of God?  Do we cheat ourselves of experiencing a wonder God has for us because it does not live up to what we think an experience with the Lord should be?  Are we always expecting a mountaintop experience without realizing that wonderful things are in the valleys and plateaus? 

            I was awed later in my visit of the Grand Canyon when I went west of the visitor’s center.  It was still my first time at the canyon and still the same day as when I first saw the canyon.  I kept an open mind and hoped that what I envisioned would be made sight.  It was.  I was in awe of the Grand Canyon at some of the overlooks, and in awe of what God created through the power of nature.  I was also in awe at a rest area in western Colorado, at the YMCA Camp of the Rockies, and just driving through the country.  Some of the best times of the trip took place when we stopped at the Corn Palace in Mitchell, SD and at Seligman, AZ on Route 66.  Both of these places have attractions that can be called cheesy, and yet looking back I would be upset if we had not taken the time to do some attractions that many would say were not worth stopping to see.
            Where have you seen God in the ordinary?

           Blessings,

Pastor Dave