I had the privilege to attend an awesome church today...mine. The best part was, I didn't preach there this morning. I usually preach, but today I did not. Instead we had some shaggy headed hippie preach about openness and hiddenness out of 1 John 1.
The message of the text was presented with clarity and conviction.
I walked away thinking that our salvation is the result of open confession and "light-walking"
Neither of which happened when I first answered an alter call and asked Jesus into my heart.
It was a good break, thanks Dan!
Sunday, January 31, 2010
Thursday, January 28, 2010
Sex on the Brain
With February right around the corner I find myself once again preparing for a series of sermons on human sexuality.
This is not as much fun as you might think.
I mean sex is fun, but the annual process of preparing a series of sermons on the topic is a bit of work.
First you have the obvious challenges with content. What do you talk about? How do you say what you say? What does the Bible really say about this stuff? Where's the line that delineates between fearless teaching and offensive blather? I mean, I want people to learn something, to somehow develop a healthier view of sexuality without being so embarrassed by hearing the word "clitoris" that they don't learn anything.
That being said, I have no intention of teaching through the Song of Solomon, because, quite frankly people, that book is full blown Ancient Near Eastern Erotica.
This is not as much fun as you might think.
I mean sex is fun, but the annual process of preparing a series of sermons on the topic is a bit of work.
First you have the obvious challenges with content. What do you talk about? How do you say what you say? What does the Bible really say about this stuff? Where's the line that delineates between fearless teaching and offensive blather? I mean, I want people to learn something, to somehow develop a healthier view of sexuality without being so embarrassed by hearing the word "clitoris" that they don't learn anything.
That being said, I have no intention of teaching through the Song of Solomon, because, quite frankly people, that book is full blown Ancient Near Eastern Erotica.
Friday, January 8, 2010
My Office > Your Office
Things that are in my office:
1) Green Lava Lamp
2) Coffee
3) A picture of "Elvis"
4) A bunch of books
5) A mixer board
6) 2 large format printers
7) A couple diplomas
8) The fellers from Darkroom practicing for their up and coming CD release show.
Not a bad place to study the Bible.
Thursday, January 7, 2010
Careful what you ask for
I had this great idea for the Sunday morning message this past week.
Motivated in part by the fact that I was sick and unable to do a lot of talking and also in part to my conviction that good preaching is a product of community, I decided to have an open discussion during the normal preaching time.
Instead of talking "at" I was actually talking "with" my church family. The subject: "Why preach?" which quickly developed in to "What to preach?"
I asked them to tell me what they thought we should spend time discussing in the year 2010.
Here are some of their responses:
- Heaven/hell
- Homosexuality
- The Trinity
- The Nature of God
- Reconciling the God of the OT with the God of the NT
- Church History, specifically Patrology
- Baptism
- What should Christian politics look like?
- Forgiveness and restoration
- Justice
- Intertestamental history
- Christian pacifism
Oh, and the above were in addition to the topics we had already slated for the year which include money, sex, peace, and the resurrection.
Someone has some work to do.
Motivated in part by the fact that I was sick and unable to do a lot of talking and also in part to my conviction that good preaching is a product of community, I decided to have an open discussion during the normal preaching time.
Instead of talking "at" I was actually talking "with" my church family. The subject: "Why preach?" which quickly developed in to "What to preach?"
I asked them to tell me what they thought we should spend time discussing in the year 2010.
Here are some of their responses:
- Heaven/hell
- Homosexuality
- The Trinity
- The Nature of God
- Reconciling the God of the OT with the God of the NT
- Church History, specifically Patrology
- Baptism
- What should Christian politics look like?
- Forgiveness and restoration
- Justice
- Intertestamental history
- Christian pacifism
Oh, and the above were in addition to the topics we had already slated for the year which include money, sex, peace, and the resurrection.
Someone has some work to do.
Thursday, November 19, 2009
Things Christians in America Worship
1) The Bible
2) Big Churches
3) Marriage
4) Wealth
5) So-called "Conservative" Politics
6) Bumper Sticker Theology
7) Pastors of Big Churches
8) Sermons
9) Heterosexuality
10) Comfort
2) Big Churches
3) Marriage
4) Wealth
5) So-called "Conservative" Politics
6) Bumper Sticker Theology
7) Pastors of Big Churches
8) Sermons
9) Heterosexuality
10) Comfort
Saturday, August 8, 2009
Coming to Grips with...
One of my favorite books is "Death by Suburb" by Dave L. Goetz. It is really a fantastic read. I put it right up there with "Surprised by Hope" by N.T. Wright and "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy" by Douglas Adams.
One of the concepts Goetz discusses in DBS is the tendency for 21st century North American suburbanites to define themselves by what they do. In part of that discussion he references middle aged pastors of small churches who finally realize that they will never be the pastor of a big church. When that reality settles in, says Goetz, it can make for a dark couple of years.
I can completely identify with this phenomenon. Though I am a bit younger than middle aged (unless I die at 72, in which case I am right smack dab in the middle of middle aged), I still feel the cold fingers of reality slowly clawing at my soul. I will likely never be the pastor of a big church.
I will not be the next Bill Hybels. I will not be the next Rob Bell, Erwin McManus, or Francis Chan. Odds are I will labor away my days in relative obscurity having never been "the man" at "the church."
Coming to grips with your own mediocrity can be cathartic at times, but mostly it's just annoying.
Before you cast stones at me for my steeple envy, and at this point I will remind you of what both Jesus and Demetri Martin have to say about throwing stones, please hear me out.
You must understand that for a small church pastor there is no promotion possible within the organization. Unless you hire someone to be your superior and then replace them a few years down the road, you have already ascended to the pinnacle of your employment hierarchy. You are already the man...lucky you.
This means that the only way to effectively get a promotion is by publishing a book or growing a very large church. This is reality. This means that if I want to ever make more money, I must grow a bigger church. If I want to preach for more people, I must grow a bigger church. This makes it easy for the have-nots to covet what the haves have, doesn't it? You betcha.
Even though I am starting to realize I will never "make it" or "get there" I still desperately want to...I absolutely covet the big church (at least sometimes).
Now here's the rub...
My church needs more people if we are going to make it as an organization. If we are ever going to fix what is broken, do what needs to be done, we are going to need to have more people. Our leaders have decided that we must aggressively try to get more people. We have to.
This puts me in an interesting position. My church really HAS to get more people in the door...and my dark side really WANTS to.
One of the concepts Goetz discusses in DBS is the tendency for 21st century North American suburbanites to define themselves by what they do. In part of that discussion he references middle aged pastors of small churches who finally realize that they will never be the pastor of a big church. When that reality settles in, says Goetz, it can make for a dark couple of years.
I can completely identify with this phenomenon. Though I am a bit younger than middle aged (unless I die at 72, in which case I am right smack dab in the middle of middle aged), I still feel the cold fingers of reality slowly clawing at my soul. I will likely never be the pastor of a big church.
I will not be the next Bill Hybels. I will not be the next Rob Bell, Erwin McManus, or Francis Chan. Odds are I will labor away my days in relative obscurity having never been "the man" at "the church."
Coming to grips with your own mediocrity can be cathartic at times, but mostly it's just annoying.
Before you cast stones at me for my steeple envy, and at this point I will remind you of what both Jesus and Demetri Martin have to say about throwing stones, please hear me out.
You must understand that for a small church pastor there is no promotion possible within the organization. Unless you hire someone to be your superior and then replace them a few years down the road, you have already ascended to the pinnacle of your employment hierarchy. You are already the man...lucky you.
This means that the only way to effectively get a promotion is by publishing a book or growing a very large church. This is reality. This means that if I want to ever make more money, I must grow a bigger church. If I want to preach for more people, I must grow a bigger church. This makes it easy for the have-nots to covet what the haves have, doesn't it? You betcha.
Even though I am starting to realize I will never "make it" or "get there" I still desperately want to...I absolutely covet the big church (at least sometimes).
Now here's the rub...
My church needs more people if we are going to make it as an organization. If we are ever going to fix what is broken, do what needs to be done, we are going to need to have more people. Our leaders have decided that we must aggressively try to get more people. We have to.
This puts me in an interesting position. My church really HAS to get more people in the door...and my dark side really WANTS to.
Sunday, August 2, 2009
Ministry Journal
The following is a weekly "ministry journal" of the last three months...enjoy.
Week 1: We need more money.
Week 2: We need more money.
Week 3: We need more money.
Week 4: We need more people.
Week 5: We need more people with more money.
Week 6: Came to the slow and burning realization that there are too many churches in town.
Week 7: We need more money.
Week 8: We have plenty of money! Yay God!
Week 9: Oops, accounting error, we need more money than we thought we did.
Week 10: I was attacked by hundreds of fleas which have taken up residence in one of the "buildings" on our "campus"
Week 11: We need more money, or else.
Week 12: Got a dose of penicillin to help me cope with the slow and burning realization that this is small church ministry in North America.
Cheers.
Week 1: We need more money.
Week 2: We need more money.
Week 3: We need more money.
Week 4: We need more people.
Week 5: We need more people with more money.
Week 6: Came to the slow and burning realization that there are too many churches in town.
Week 7: We need more money.
Week 8: We have plenty of money! Yay God!
Week 9: Oops, accounting error, we need more money than we thought we did.
Week 10: I was attacked by hundreds of fleas which have taken up residence in one of the "buildings" on our "campus"
Week 11: We need more money, or else.
Week 12: Got a dose of penicillin to help me cope with the slow and burning realization that this is small church ministry in North America.
Cheers.
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