willing

in my last post, i talked about carefully "unwrapping" the Christmas story so that we don't take it for granted. i shared that our church follows a theme every Advent to help us look deeply into a different aspect, or from a different perspective of the well-known Biblical account.

each year, i don't like the theme, at least to start. it takes me about three weeks to really appreciate the thought and inspiration that someone has had. (kind of the 'no idea is a good idea unless its your idea'). that may be why i also take each year's theme and break from it's prescription. a lot of the focus for this year's theme is on Mary. but i think that Mary wasn't the only one that this theme applied to -- she wasn't the only one who had to be or become willing

i also like to take the time from the New Year to Easter and walk through a Gospel, preaching and teaching on the life, ministry, and instruction of Jesus Christ. our Gospel study for 2006 is from Matthew, and as part of a larger invitation program to our community, we're using the theme "from the crib to the cross"

so, since November 27, we've been focusing on this "willing" theme to lead into our Gospel theme -- taking our instruction from Matthew's text, and looking at the key players in the Christmas narative.

we began with God--long before Mary's willingness, was God's. Matthew 1 begins with a genealogy that we usually skim or skip altogether. but the genealogy is the story of God's relationship with His chosen people -- a relationship that was to be a source of blessing for all people. as we look at Matthew 1:1-17, we see that God the Father was...

WILLING TO BE merciful (as you look through the genealogy, you have commentary without the commentary--additional notes and mentioning of women that wouldn't necessarily be a part of a legal genealogical record. Tamar, Rahab, Ruth weren't original chosen people. "by the wife of Uriah" references the affair and murder by David; "the deportation to Babylon" referencing the whole nation's lowpoint after continual disobedience. yet God maintains relationship through all of this)

WILLING TO SERVE individuals (i was sure to read the whole record, every name. God saw fit to preserve this list because each life, each generation mattered to him. God cared for, listened to, interacted with, and loved each individual -- we're so quick to rush through the Christmas crowds, that we don't take time to look as God does, person to person.)

WILLING TO CHANGE the Covenant agreement (God has planned and proclaimed that a new covenant was coming, no longer an outer conformity to the Law, but one of heart change that would lead to a desire to obedience [Ezekiel 36]. but in the Matthew account, it references 14 generations from Abraham to David, 14 from David to the Exile and 14 from the exile to Christ. but count again and you will find that the last list only has 13. though much debate exists over this missing generation, i like to think that we have become that 14th generation. that we have become a part of God's redemptive pattern as we are reborn through faith in Christ, spiritual heirs to the original promise to Abraham and participants in the family busines, the redemption of the world.)

more to come on this theme of the willing...

taken for granted

as a coffee drinker, i get coffee mugs from time to time as a gift. as was the case last Christmas, when i received two identical coffee mugs, "the golfer's excuse mug". each came in the box as pictured, and each found a place on a shelf.

the first was given from another pastor, and i opened the box, looked at the mug and laughed kindly. i reboxed the mug and it sat in my office

the second, i received from my sister who has in recent years spent a great deal of time and money on our children and us in Christmas gift-giving. when i received the box, i opened it to make sure it was indeed a mug, and it was. with all the other presents given and received, it also found a place on a shelf in our home, until last Saturday night

my wife and i were late to a class Christmas party -- at this time of year, we're attending every party as the pastors. while in the car, Kel remembered we needed to bring two white elephant gifts from home. we hopped out of the car and back inside to quickly wrap two gifts.

i wrapped up "the golfers excuse mug" (sorry sis!)

we were having a great time at the party when the gift-exchange began. a flashlight, a tote bag, a Christmas decoration -- the ususal suspects being opened around the room. the host of our little shin-dig opened the golfer's excuse mug at the urging of my wife (he's a golfer). everyone laughed as he held it up for all to see -- someone suggested he read some of the excuses, so he took out the mug and began to read them

when he went to replace the mug, he saw a note in the bottom of the box, "for a free game"

from inside the note he pulled out a tightly rolled $100 bill

the surprise was on his face, amazement hit the room, and the joke was on me!

our host graciously returned the note, and bill, as i told him i would treat him to golf in the near future -- quite a gift-exchange!

i had taken the gift for granted, after all, i had received a similar one

i think that's what we often do with the Christmas story. we've heard it, read it, seen pageant after pageant, nativity scenes, and sang the story many, many times over. each year we receive a similar dose of the greatest gift ever given...

...and we often take it for granted, perhaps missing a real treasure inside, worth more than a $100 bill

each year our church participates in Christ Birthday Observance theme to help us unwrap the story a little more carefully so that we might find new insight or inspiration each year. i preach according to that theme for the season of Advent, devotional guides are supplied to help underscore it, and all our publicity for the month carries it's theme or logo as a reminder

what are you doing to unwrap the greatest gift ever given a little more carefully? take warning from this comic little event lest you miss out on more than i did

how you give

i was reading this story from my web-browser and was struck by some of what was said.

Liz Pulliam Weston wrote the article, perhaps with some inspiration by Miss Manners, who she quotes as saying that gift certificates and gift cards are "a pathetic compromise convenient to people who do not trust their judgment about selecting the right present for those whose tastes they ought to know."

though i would have to disagree with both, because we recently received a lot of gift cards/certificates that were given in a most thougthful way. our church surprised us in October (pastor appreciation month) with several gift cards to a variety of restaurants AND a set of Baby-Sitting certificates. Both were given so that my wife and i could enjoy some dates together -- a gift that was thoughtful (they knew we would jump at the chance), sacrificial (they have to keep our three kids for several hours), and meaningful (essentially saying 'the health of your relationship matters to us and we want to encourage you both').

we've been using up our gift cards, and our baby-sitting -- and have been grateful for the thought and effort our church went to in this surprise appreciation. it's not just about the gift, but how the gift is given

back to the article...

what immediately struck me about and drew me into the article was the following initial statement:
"Holidays have rapidly devolved into what amounts to an exchange of cash. A gift card says nothing about the personality of the recipient -- but it says lots about the giver."

in the midst of all the craziness that has become the Christmas shopping season, the devolution of the Greatest Gift into the convenient gift, or at least the best bargain gift, may be the saddest commentary on our understanding and appreciation of this Holy Day of Christmas. it may also contribute to our decreasing effectiveness in communicating the significance of Christmas to our society

in this season of Christmas, i'm not against gifts, gift-giving, or even gift cards. my wife cannot tell me fast enough how much freedom i have in purchasing gifts for her and our family. i think about it for weeks heading into Thanksgiving and when i get the okay, i proceed to purchase as many of the things i can. then there's the problem of waiting and waitng and waiting until Christmas -- not to get my gifts, but for the joy of seeing them open theirs

if we go back to that first Christmas, the Greatest Gift given tells us a lot about the Greatest Giver -- love. "God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son...Behold what manner of love the Father has lavished onto us that we should be called the sons of God." (John 3:16, 1 John 3:1). The Gospel equivalent to a gift card is a Gospel tract. i know that some people have benefited from a randomly placed gospel tract, but as a rule, it's not good evangelism because there's no relationship. God thoughtfully, sacrificially gave His Son, not a tract, that we might enter into relationship through love with Him

in our gift giving, we (as Christians) ought to model the heart and character of God so that our gifts will convey love. and just as God's greatest gift came as the Word made flesh -- let our gifts come with words of love, life, and truth to edify the receiver, and to spur them on to love and good deeds, as well

but most importantly, let us celebrate, highlight, and in every way possible make the love of God and the gift of His Son known to a watching, wondering, and otherwise clueless world.

Happy Thanks & Confess-giving

we just finished a sermon series on God's Will based on the three commands recorded by Paul in 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18, "be joyful always; pray continuallly; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus." (emphasis mine).

while preparing for this past weekend's message on endless thanks, i returned to the Thanksgiving Day Proclamation by Abraham Lincoln. i learned a lot in the process, specifically Sarah Josepha Hale's 36 year campaign to see the nation return to George Washington's proclamation of a national and annual day of thanks to God.

the proclamation that Abraham Lincoln gave was most likely written by his Secretary of State and former political adversary, William Seward. Seward was stirred and inspired by Hale's letter -- a letter that had gone unanswered and unsupported by President's Taylor, Fillmore, Pierce, and Buchanan. Seward read the letter and made the pitch to Lincoln who affirmed the idea. Four days later, Lincoln read the proclamation and we've celebrated the holiday annually, though at different times, since then.

as i read the proclamation (proclamation), i was struck by the following,

the day that includes being thankful TO GOD,
"a day of Thanksgiving and Praise to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the Heavens"

is to also be a day to be repentant before God,
"And I recommend to them that while offering up the ascriptions justly due to Him for such singular deliverances and blessings, they do also, with humble penitence for our national perverseness and disobedience"

a day of prayer for those who have suffered loss,
"commend to His tender care all those who have become widows, orphans, mourners or sufferers in the lamentable civil strife in which we are unavoidably engaged"

and a day to seek again purity and alignment with His divine purposes
"and fervently implore the interposition of the Almighty Hand to heal the wounds of the nation and to restore it as soon as may be consistent with the Divine purposes to the full enjoyment of peace, harmony, tranquillity and Union"

i know that it is sad that as a nation we increasingly forget the thanks in this holiday and move onto the getting in Christmas--but the thankfulness is just the tip of all we're forgetting to do. we ought to be mindful that with all of our blessings, we ought to confess, remember those with less and loss, and seek to align ourselves with God's will again.

making good on a vow

read this intersting story of Michael Redd and his recent gift to his dad's ministry

take the link to ESPN for the story
http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/columns/story?columnist=wojciechowski_gene&id=2224230

happy birthday

sorry for the delay in posts -- still trying to catch up to life in Decatur since our trip to Guyana, and i'm not making much progress. well, as you'll read, i had some time to slow down and reflect over the weekend...

last Wednesday night, i was sitting at the desk to shut down the computer when i had a sudden and strong pain across my upper chest and into my neck and jaw. it was one of those freezing moments that just left me a little stunned and in pain for a while. after a few minutes, i got up to get ready for bed and tried to sleep off the pain and pressure. after lying down for awhile, i was fine and able to sleep.

Thursday was my 33rd birthday (i guess my warranty expired). during the afternoon, i was reading with the kids when i could begin to feel the pressure and pain slowly creep back into my chest and neck. Keli let me lie down for awhile. I got up, feeling better, but still feeling pressure across my chest. i went to lead the H.S./college age Bible study where they asked all types of questions trying to understand and diagnose my trouble.

my wife and i tried to figure out what was wrong with me since this was two nights in a row. it's the time for the allergies and crud here in north Alabama -- but i had been congestion free, no drainage, no fever, no coughing. i took a hard fall over the weekend playing football at our church picnic, but i've had harder falls. we went to bed still not sure of what i was feeling.

by 3:00 a.m., i couldn't lay down, sit up, stand or hardly breathe for that matter. i got dressed and woke up Keli to tell her i was going to the hospital. i drove the 3-4 blocks to the closest hospital and checked in at the ER. after answering the same questions from the Bible study, they did an EKG on me. they saw an elevated level that prompted them to give me aspirin and nitro -- now i was concerned-- what did they think this was? Well, i responded to the nitro and the pain and pressure began to ease. after more questions and a chest x-ray and more questions, i was fitted for a heart monitor, an IV, and oxygen and checked into the hospital.

by this time, my wife had called worried sick, and i had begun to place calls to my dad for medical history. it's only been in the last year that dad has had blood clots. the internal medicine doctor came in later that morning to inform us of their concerns and that since i'm in the middle age category (:{) that they were taking all the precautions. those precautions included putting me on a cardiac/low-sodium diet--the food was bland, but the coffee was worse. the worst thing you can offer a serious coffee drinker is sanka--the decaf/instant excuse was really insulting.

the doctors tested and worked to rule out all the possibilties -- no broken bones, nothing out of joint, no pneumonia or congestion, and still no fever. after many more tests and meeting several cardiologists, the tests led us to believe that i had a blood clot that either got to my heart or lung. the tests also revealed the good news: that my body broke it down like it should. the concerning news/question is why did i have a clot to begin with?

i began to feel no pain nor pressure by 11:00 p.m. Friday night. well, no pain in my chest -- the nitro paste patches that were changed out every 6 hours would give me awful headaches. i could have left Saturday afternoon, but some confusion left me in the hospital until Sunday afternoon. it's good to be home and with my family again. the kids showed some signs of concern, but they were happy to see me return.

i will have an appointment for a stress test with the cardiologists this week. they feel if everything looks okay, then there would be no reason to see me regularly, unless something else should happen down the road. if there's any concern, then we'll consider additional tests and visits.

my wife wanted to spend money and a lot of time with me on my birthday -- i told her she needs to be more specific next time.

we're grateful for our church. the board immediately put me off for the weekend and contacted my father-n-law to do the message Sunday morning. one of the ladies took shifts with the kids so my wife could be with me longer. my sister-n-law and father-n-law also took the kids for several hours over the several day ordeal. Many came to see and sit with us to fill the time, offer prayer, and share their love. Other pastors called or came to share with us as well.

i'it was a blessing to get up with our kids this morning -- to begin a new week, and this new year a little more grateful for God's gifts and blessings.

one truly great thought

as i wrapped up McManus' book, i came across a great thought that has to be shared. if you haven't yet bought the book "The Barbarian Way," do so. McManus' discussion on the church and the believer ought to be required reading for all who want so much more from their own personal faith experience, as well as wanting more for the church

towards the end of the book, McManus writes this:
"...most groups of animals have unique names or designations when they dwell together. with insects, most of us know that bees are called swarms, and ants are called colonies. among ocean life, i was aware that whales are pods, and fish are schools. cattle are herds, birds are flocks, and if you watch Lion King you know a tribe of lions is a pride. if you grew up in the country, you might know that crows are murders. maybe the most unnerving one is an ambush of tigers.
i was surprsised to learn that a group of buzzards waiting around together to feast on leftover carnage is called a committee. just this one insight is worth the price of the book. this explains so much of what's going on in churches--a lot of committees waiting around to live off human carnage.
...but my favorite of all is the group designation for rhinos."

(to find out why rhino's are his favorite designation, you'll have to read the book.)

my father-in-law has a little figure that sets on his desk or bookshelf that says, "for God so loved the world, that He didn't send a committee." now we know why.

viva la revolution

i'm about to finish Erwin McManus' latest book. i had hesitated to buy it because i knew that it would be an extrapolation of a message i heard him give a few years ago in Atlanta. however, it is such an amazingly good and compelling message, that i had to at least read what i knew again, while enjoying the parts i had never heard/seen before.

anyway, The Barbarian Way is the call to be the church that was founded, before it became a part of civilized culture. to be the redemptive and revolutionary movement of light against darkness, not the passive going through the motions institution it has tended to become.

in the book, McManus writes about an uprising -- an uprising that i've seen glimpses of througout this summer as i've interacted with believers from two continents, different races/ethnicities, and each generation. the uprising is the burning in our spirits from, i believe, the fire of the Holy Spirit Himself -- a burning to refine what we've become and to become something more, something much more

"Two thousand years ago God started a revolt against the religion He started. So don't ever put it past God to cause a groundswell movement against churches and Christian institutions that bear His name. If He was willing to turn Judaism upside down, don't think for a moment our institutions are safe from a divine revolt. I am convinced that even now there are multitudes of followers of Jesus Christ who are sick and tired of the church playing games and playing down the call of God. My travels only confirm that the murmurings of revolution are everywhere. I am convinced that there is an uprising in the works and that no one less than God is behind it."

sophia church of God

we had visited congregations in need -- i had heard that the Sophia congregation was the church with the most challenges, the one we could help immediately. i don't know what i expected, but what i saw was not what my mind had imagined

we had followed the paved roads until they ended, but the houses continued. we continued down little dirt roads even though it was obvious the sewage ditches had ceased--the houses still continued, with matching little outhouses. we continued down ever narrowing dirt roads into a larger community missing the array of utility wires we had grown accustomed to seeing in Georgetown. we were in Sophia, a new community scheduled to receive water, sewage, and power lines soon.

our guiding pastor told the driver to stop. even he was confused, "here?" he asked. "right here," pastor Ronda Abrams said with a laugh. (she said before the dirt roads came she would have to walk from the city into this community, and usually ended up quite muddy before she arrived to lead the new congregation there.)

we got out to cross a little make shift bridge to walk through a pasture that was in the middle of this community. this pasture was to be a roadway soon. we went to the end of the pasture road and turned right down a similar pasture road. then we came to the church building...thankfully the Church is the people, not the structure -- because the structure was in need

the church house had to be moved because it was too close to the coming progress. in the moving, it suffered additional structural damage. the walls were separating from the floors, there were increasing gaps in the walls. once inside, there were little ants scurrying along the floor also trying to avoid the holes. a strange little nest of strange tiny wasps was being constructed in the middle of the roof. two long benches lined the back wall, while a short bench lined the adjoining wall next to the doorway. a table and pulpit were at the front, and we were in the church house

in our amazement, Pastor Ronda went down the pasture road without our notice. she returned with church members from the community who came in with crystal glasses, sandwiches, and homemade passion fruit and mango juice. they came with smiles and served us in the heat--humbling our hearts. we were the ones that had so much to give, yet we were the ones receiving.

we're planning to return to Sophia -- we're planning to give toward purchasing their lot and another (what will form one corner of a main intersection in this community); and to give toward the materials needed to build a new multi-purpose community centered church. we're planning to return and help supply some of the labor.

would you like to join us? we can be partners in something great for the Kingdom of Light to dispel the darkness in this new community

missional partnership

“Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others” ~ Philippians 2:4

(this is a challenge to my pastoral colleagues in the Church of God)

Let me just say at the top that I think the Project Link initiative is a great vision. But great vision is only a reality with great execution of the strategy. Project Link, as I understand it, calls for each church to get involved relationally with a mission, missionary, and/or international work. Now that project link has been launched, it is up to all of our churches to get involved somewhere.

Our church’s vision before I arrived as pastor was “Touching the World for Christ,” but we were not currently touching any part of the world relationally. We have recently set a future goal for that vision: to be relationally involved with some work or missionary on every continent. That’s a big goal and a bigger vision for a little congregation of 75. But as it has been said, “the way you eat an elephant is one bite at a time.”

Our first “bite,” was making contact with the national leaders in Guyana. We were warmly greeted by Rev. Colin and Carla Edghill at the North American Convention, as they were excited about our interest. We were invited to come, and come quickly – God was in it and he made the way for us. As I’ve just written in Alison’s testimony entitled “Risk & Reward,” God also was faithful to get her involved as well, as one of our lay-leaders.

This initial trip is what all of our churches need to be planning to do in the next 6 months. God can make the way for each pastor or lay-leader to visit the country, the missionary, the work that God lays on your heart. I believe that such initial trips are critical for the success of the Project Link vision.

Through the initial trip, each church becomes accountable. Whoever you visit has now seen you face to face. You have seen their part of the harvest field and other believers have seen you. They’re going to be counting on you to pray for them, support them, and return.

Through the initial trip, you receive a burden. You know the people, you know the obstacles, you realize what you and your church could do. You begin to hurt for what hurts them, and you begin to pray for God to use you and your church as part of the answer to their prayers.

Through the initial trip, your church becomes invested. Many of your congregation will give to make the initial trip happen. They will be sowing financial seeds and seeds of prayer, and they’re going to be looking for their return on their investment--not only what happened on the initial trip, but what’s next? When are you going back? What can we do until we get back? You’re able to bring back pictures, video, and other items to help communicate the culture and needs to your own congregation.

Finally, through the initial trip, new vision is born. During our time and prayer with the churches in Guyana, we not only talked about current vision which included the creation of a Ministry Training School (a discussion begun with Bishop Milton Grannum), helping the newest congregation build a building, and repairs to existing congregations. We also talked about future visits from Guyana to Alabama to help us in our part of the Harvest field, as well as partnering together to go and bless another work in another nation together.

Pastors, Project Link falls to each of us to lead our churches to get involved in the lives and ministries abroad. I know there is so much need here in the wake of Hurricaine Katrina, but our partnerships abroad are not just a one-way street. As we gave to the churches in Guyana, they continually sought to comfort us in prayer and some even gave financially to support the victims of Katrina. We all are blessed as we bless through missional partnerships—that can be the beauty of Project Link.

risk & reward

we had been looking to get personally involved in the lives and ministries of another country for the past two years, before we had learned about the Project Link initiative. being the son of a Guyanese of mother, and grandson of former missionaries to Guyana, i suggested Guyana. this past summer, while attending the North American Convention in Anderson, i was able to connect with and begin a relationship with Rev. Colin and Carla Edghill, the new national leaders for the Church of God in Guyana. they quickly invited us to come in September to meet the other pastors and churches and to learn first hand how we may be able to partner together. we agreed that if the Lord was in it, we would be there.

one of the great joys of preaching is watching your congregation understand what you’re saying – but it’s truly exciting when you see someone live out the message. as lead pastor of Sixth Avenue Church of God (Decatur, AL), i’ve often taught, “great testimonies are the result of great risks.” Alison now has a great testimony.

the Lord quickly made the way for my wife and i through the generosity of friends and family. when Alison saw the information of our coming trip and heard what we were doing, she immediately said, “I’m going!” Alison received encouragement, but also a few “reality checks.” what about school? what about work? and as a newly wed, where are you going to find the money?

Alison went and spoke to her teachers, they would excuse her from classes. Alison went and talked to her boss. he gave her the time off—then he handed her the bonus check that all the employees were to receive that day – more than half the cost of the trip! all she needed now were some vaccinations and the passport.

we all sent in our applications and documents for our passports with plenty of time before the trip. my wife and i received our passports about a week and a half before the trip. one week before the trip, Alison received a letter stating that as a newlywed with a name change, she would need additional applications and documents that were not originally requested. disappointed, but not giving up, she collected her information and sent in the additional applications next day mail with a check for expedited service to our regional office. The next morning, Friday, August 26, she talked to her contact that he had indeed received everything at the regional office in New Orleans.

later that day, we learned that New Orleans was being evacuated because of Hurricane Katrina. as we watched the news reports of the following destruction that weekend, we felt Alison’s chances of going to Guyana were also being destroyed.

on Monday, Alison called trying to find out what was happening to her application. Apparently her information was entered into the computers, but not sure where her documentation may be. Someone told her she could just drive down to Miami and get a passport from that office, not realizing how far it is from north Alabama to Miami. The next day, her husband Grant was told that the Miami office had a reputation of being really efficient with passports. while in their home that night, they told me these things about the Miami office, and i said, “well you know, we do have a little more than a 4 hour layover in Miami on the way to Guyana. i wonder if they could forward everything there for us to pick up, that would give them an extra day to put or two to put everything together.” Alison was a little encouraged and was ready to try.

“No,” was the first answer Alison received to our bizarre request on Wednesday, August 31. Disappointed again, but undeterred, she called back. This time, the representative said, “yeah, that’ll work. I’ll do it right now.” Alison hung up not knowing what would happen. Thirty minutes later, the Miami office called her and said, “we have all your information. bring new forms of documentation when you arrive in Miami, come to the third floor of the federal building and ask for Nancy.”

Alison packed her bags and prepared to fly out with us early Friday, September 2. she was taking a flight to a city she had never been to, with the hopes of catching a taxi (which she had never done), to find a building she had never seen, to find a lady she had never met, to get her passport done in less than 3 hours so that she could continue her journey to be her church’s first lay-representative to Guyana. “with God, all things are possible” (Matthew 19:26)

we arrived in Miami, caught that taxi – but the address we had was wrong and we were spending precious time driving in circles. we got out of the cab, asked for directions, hopped on the Metro Mover, found the building, went to third floor, to the first window and asked for Nancy.

“I’m sorry, but Nancy’s no longer handling those cases. Fill out this form and get back in line,” the receptionist said. Two hours and fifteen minutes to go and we just hit another road block. Alison, visibly frustrated took the form to the back of the line, sat on the floor and filled out the paper as we sat in the crowded waiting room to pray and wonder what would happen. when she got to the front of the line and turned in her form, they told her they would call her by name in a few minutes. Two hours to go, and nothing certain, all we could do was wait.

with one hour to go before needing to head back to the airport, we urged Alison back to the window to ask how much longer. as she approached the window, her name was called. Alison gave all of her documentation, and began to wait again. Alison was called back to the window to pick up her passport right on time – with one hour to go before our connecting flight.

we caught another cab back to the airport, rushed in to find our connecting airline ticket counter more than full. we looked frantically for our flight number but were unable to find anything. then we heard a man for the counter yell out, “anyone else for BIWI flight 431?” i yelled back to him and he said, “you better get up here if you want to catch that flight.” we were ushered ahead of the crowd and checked in with just enough time to run down the concourse, through security and to our gate in time for boarding. Alison was getting on a plane to Guyana.

on September 9, just like the disciples sent in His name, she returned full of joy.

looking ahead

on Sunday, i challenged our congregation with some additional vision. the vision points, using overdone alliteration, came from this passage in Proverbs 24:11-12, "Rescue those being led away to death; hold back those staggering toward slaughter. If you say, "But we knew nothing about this," does not he who weighs the heart perceive it? Does not he who guards your life know it? Will he not repay each person according to what he has done?"

1. get involved -- if we're going to Glorify God, by Touching the World for Christ, we have to continue to get involved with those in danger by serving their needs, including them in a loving fellowship, and joining with them in prayer. our congregation has done well to re-emphasize a missional heart in their support of our coming trip and involvement with the churches in Guyana. they also readily embraced and supported the Davenports and their ministry in Aukland, New Zealand. our church council affirmed my overzealous response to be a part of the volunteer labor and fund-raising for a new children's playground in the park next door to us that will be 75% handicap accesible (the national average for children with disabilities is 8%, but in Decatur it's 12%).
these are good steps, but there's more we can do -- 1 John 3:17 says, "If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him?". we are constantly bombarded by a community in need. we are able to meet some and reference other places of help for needs we can't meet. one set of needs we continually face is housing. we continually get individuals and families that are just trying to get ahead enough to start rent at a place -- but the daily monetary needs for a family or food take away from the ability to raise deposits for rent, utilities, and first month's rent. we helped a single mom and her kids living in their minivan for months. we are currently helping a family of 6 (that became 7 Thursday morning). they've been living out of a motel room for 6 weeks. all the while we have a house behind our sanctuary. the house is vacant. the church used to rent it -- but doesn't want to be in the rental business anymore. i challenged our congregation to use it for those in need --to make it our Hope House (see yellow and blue icon). this would be an intentional ministry that would provide temporary housing, accountability to saving money, and help to finding a future, suitable home.

2. interrupt those staggering along with an invitation to something more. we have a sign out in front of our church -- it's not lighted, and at 45 mph, you can't really read it. if you are able to read it, you may learn the name of the church that meets there, but that's it. You don't know when we're meeting, why, or why in the world you'd like to come. traffic gets stacked up in front of our church in each direction each night. we could put a lighted sign on each side of our sanctuary -- but let's go one step further and add a scrolling marquee so that there are constant invitations to come and see what God is doing.
i also challenged the congregation to think bigger than our own fellowship when it comes to certain annual activities. i challenged us to make four quarterly events that we would also be sure to invited everyone in our neighborhoods to attend. the events would be around Easter (spring), a block party in the church parking lot (summer), our annual picnic in the park next door (fall), and something with Christmas (winter).

3. hold each other to integrity. this is the controversial one. since i've been pastor at Sixth Avenue, i've had difficulty during the nominating and annual business meeting times because i expect more of leadership than just showing up. i presented a leadership covenant that was approved by our Council, quickly became a sore spot, and has been waived the next two years by subsequent Councils. our by-laws hint to requirements of leadership, namely attendance, regular 'worship,' and "living in harmony with the teaching and practices of the Church of God". that last generic statement seems to be present in many of our church's by-laws. but what does that mean? the only belief many seem to care about is that salvation makes you a member of God's church. our national church recommends leadership covenants in the latest Credentials Manual. but more importantly, the Bible calls for higher standards of leadership. that belonging to a fellowship is one thing, but leading within that fellowship requires a little more care. i challenged our congregation to be willing to articulate those Biblical expectations and potential leaders should submit to accountability. without such agreement and accountability, we will be subject to immaturity. In Ephesians 4, while Paul is speaking of the Body (15), he mentions that we will be able to grow up into Christ as we "speak the truth in love".

finally
4. invest in those not yet here. we recently lost a good youth ministry team in Andy and Shannon (http://andrewdailey.typepad.com/dailey_blog/). in such a transition, there's the obvious drive to fill the void. but at this particular time in our church's life, we have just as many children as youth. what if we should look for a children's pastor and build up a large children's ministry for a larger, future youth ministry base? or, what if we partnered with the Concilio (Hispanic Church of God council) to bring in a Hispanic ministry family to help us meet and minister to our large Hispanic community around our church and city? then we would see not only an enlarged children's and youth ministry, we would also see additional workers and a larger congregational base from which to support children's and youth ministries. we could also be equipped to learn Spanish--and think about an eventual english/spanish speaking 2x2 ministry into our neighborhood on Sunday nights! 2 cultures, one family, meeting the needs of our community for His name's sake.

+1 = 14

this past Sunday night, 11 went out from our church into our neighborhood. that's 1 more than went last week, but four of this week's servants were out for the first time -- that means that in the last two weeks, we've had 14 from our church make at least one trip into our neighborhood.

again, the hope is, rather than expecting the neighborhood to come into our doors, we'll meet them where they are. we are compelled by the love of Christ (2 Corinthians 5:14-21)-- not wanting anything from our neighborhood, but something for them. to demonstrate this love, we go with an extended offer to serve or pray, ready to share the hope we've found if prompted by the Spirit.

this week, we were able not only to see some follow-up to last week's encounters, but to also meet some new neighbors. most of who we met this week were not nearly as receptive or eager to talk. i think that's great! if the Spirit begins to move as we act justly through continual mercy to folks that are initially apprehensive and have the defenses go up--imagine the light that can break begin to break through into even darker places.

again, those walls or barriers to our effort also served as teaching moments that God is faithful to be true to His word, not allowing these efforts to return void, just part of His gentle whisper and knock at the door of hearts

we returned to talk and pray as we did last week -- there was additional joy in the room, but also a multiplied sense of purpose. the discussion and the ideas were electric.

"i want to invite every neighbor to our church"

"the Jesus video could be a pretty powerful gift around Easter"

"we need a block party with food, and games, and no strings attached"

"we really need a Hispanic pastor"

"i wish we would have been walking my dog -- that would have given us a better connection with that family through their dog"

"next week i'll bring my kids to play at the park with their kids -- then i may have a better opportunity to strike up a conversation"

many good ideas--great levels of continued prayer and discussion afterwards in the parking lot. great timing too -- this next Sunday marks our annual time of casting new vision and ideas to our church and leadership to consider and pursue in the next year.

the proverbial ball is rolling...

JOEL 2:28 "And afterward, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your old men will dream dreams, your young men will see visions."

sending out 10

Jesus began with sending out the 12 (Luke 9:1-6) in groups of two and eventually the 70/72 (Luke 10:1-24). the apostles continued this missionary tradition sending out such pairings as Paul and Barnabas.

tonight, we began with 10--five groups of 2. we weren't canvassing the neighborhood, just trying to follow the gentle whisper of the Spirit. we went out to bless, not convict -- to offer service, instead of trying to get them to our services.

eight of the nine that we had previously been praying with and teaching to share their testimony were joined by one other willing believer this evening. we began as we usually do with our 5:00 prayer meeting. after the time of prayer, i gathered our new cards and reminded everyone of our desire to be a part of God's process -- that the quality of our interaction was important. we decided on which streets we would take (so not to create a mob scene down 1 street) and we set out

2 of our teams entered into two different conversations with people from the same household, at the same time. one team interacted with one member in their front yard; meanwhile another team was cutting through an alley and had run into another family member in their backyard.

we gathered back at the church after an hour and shared who we met, what their impressions were, what our impressions were. everyone, as in Luke, seemed to be filled with a joy of being a part of God's love extended to these homes. no one led anyone to Christ, but several of the teams had the opportunity to hear a need and pray with that individual/family for that need. now relationships have begun and we can follow-up next week, after we seek to continue to pray for those individuals through the week.

everyone also demonstrated a greater concern and a heart for our neighbors. we've talked about meeting our neighbors, being willing to meet our neighbors' needs in prayer and service -- but now those neighbors had faces, names, location.

everyone also seemed to have a greater confidence. we've been talking about it--but now we've done it. we've walked out the doors, across the street, and into conversations with our neighbors. it didn't hurt--they didn't bite--it wasn't that awkward. i think they think they can do it again

and we will

"Day after day, in the temple courts and from house to house, they never stopped teaching and proclaiming the good news that Jesus is the Christ" ~ Acts 5:42

Guyana here we come!

on september 1, Alison, my wife, and i will head north to Nashville to head south on a plane on september 2 for our first missions experience in Guyana, South America.

Alison was moved to attend this first excursion the moment she saw the map and announcement in our sanctuary. the Lord honored her heart's desire and provided for her favor to obtain time out of school, time off of work, and a bonus from her boss that nearly covered the expense of the trip.

keli and i have received gifts and encouragment from friends and family all throughout the states. we were blessed last night with a call from a group of friends who said they would cover the balance!

now it's time for vaccinations and waiting on Uncle Sam to send our passports on time.

the focus of our trip will be one of discovery, relationship building, some preaching or leadership training, and beginning to search for a suitable location to build a church plant in memory of my grandparents in the near future.

this is an exciting time

the vision of our church has been "to touch the world for Christ" -- it was the vision long before we were there. we came with the hope of giving new "feet" to that vision in the form of a ministry strategy from Micah 6:8, serve, love, pray. as we do these three things in relationships across the street, inside the sanctuary or around the world, we'll bring God glory and touch the world for Christ

the church has actively supported missions in the past, and had many trips. but lately it has lost relationship with those projects. we want to renew the relationships with the projects we support.

i've told our congregation that we can't touch the world for Christ is we're not out touching the world. it's my hope and our vision that in the near future, we're touching the world in relationships to serve, love, and pray for and with a group of churches on every continent.

as my friends at www.servelife.org say, "the goal: GOD's GLORY among all nations"

not out yet

for those of you who were awaiting some news as to what happened in meeting our neighbors this weekend, let me share

we didn't go yet...for a couple of reasons

1) our pre-printed materials to hand out with who we were and our offers to serve/pray were not ready. we hope to have them ready for this weekend
2) i picked up grumbling on the strategy as well as uneasiness among the willing. grumbling, i'm used to, uneasyness among our willing means i need to step back and help show some what, how, and why's. (as they say, the difference between a leader and a martyr is 10 steps)

so we talked in a small group after our prayer meeting about the information and offers we'll be doing -- how very little serving is likely to take place on Sunday nights, but that we'll want to pace ourselves so that we don't overcommit.

overcommitting may be as bad or worse than going out at all. by 'overcommitting,' i mean that we hand out 50-100 of these nice offers to help folks at their homes, and we get 15-20 people to respond for help. (now i know that's not likely, in fact 2 is more likely to be an overwhelming number--but for argument sake, i'll continue). i would then take these 15-20 families' needs back to our congregation and call for working on a weeknight or Saturday morning. the result of the passionate plea to help our neighbors and show the love of Christ -- 3 willing servants. that would be overcommitting -- 3 people killing themselves trying to reach everyone. such poor follow through would put off most requests 6 months or more. the result of such a delay would be lack of confidence in the ones that advertised they cared. not a good way to start to reach the neighborhood

so, we'll start slowly, maybe introducing ourselves to 10 families and seeing what type of response and follow-up we can generate. as we touch lives with the love of Christ, excitement will build from every testimony and participant. such excitement can produce a greater willingness to bless and meet our neighbors.

we'll be out there soon, but getting out won't be the biggest issue. no, that's follow-up. we want to be sure to follow-up quickly and joyfully

"what we want is a joyful church, and we're not going to convince this world without it. we need to get this long-faced 'Christianity' off the earth" ~ D.L. Moody

out we go

while at our national convention, we heard a great message from Reggie McNeal entitled, "Refuge or Mission: your choice."

i was excited to hear this message because i had been telling our church for the past two years that we needed to adopt more a mission philosophy than a church philosophy, especially in our neighborhood. just north of us a few blocks is the historic distric, and historically there are good folks there who are connected with churches. but the other three sides of us are declining neighborhoods filled with folks who are either on their way down into trouble or trying dig their way out of being in trouble, starting over for one reason or another. there are also several seniors that have always lived in that area. we also sit right on u.s. 31 (the picture looks south down 31), so we get a lot of folks who are drifting, homeless, broken down looking for help, etc.

i had previously led our congregation members away from Wednesday Night Bible study to engage our community in serving them. (actually, only a few went as i delegated off Bible study to our prayer pastor, and most just stayed in the sanctuary) we went out to the parks where children were playing and people walking to offer cold water and look for opportunities for conversation. we went to neighbors houses in the fall and raked leaves. on one occassion, we introduced ourselves and made the offer to a family that couldn't figure out where that church was--when we told them to look out their back window, they weren't the only ones embarassed

we went into fall, where central time loses an hour of daylight so that its getting dark by 6:00 p.m. (no one in Alabama is excited about opening their door to strange people on the porch with rakes after dark) so we were going to look at other days and times -- but then we faced a lot of inner turmoil that led to us pulling in the reigns

but earlier this year, we again cast the vision for getting back into the community, engaging our neighbors. we had planned to get back out on July 3 (but the holiday weekend along with my extended absence prevented that). So, July 10--but then this little hurricane named Dennis charged through the state. next week...

instead of going out, we showed the DVD of McNeal's message to help drive home the point of why we were going out again. here are some of the quotes that stand out after listening a second time:
"i'm not here to help you do church better, because most of what we're doing is not going to matter. tweakin' this sucker is not gonna get it done"
"God takes attendance by asking, 'who's missing?' and there are a whole lot of somebody's missing--whole generations missing from our churches"
"just bless people--you're more likely to see people open up through blessing them than trying to convict them"

the response was very positive. so, what are we going to do?

after our Sunday night prayer time, we're going into our neighborhoods just to introduce ourselves and offer to serve or pray for folks. we are having some 4x6 cards printed that help explain who we are and the 'no strings attached' offer to serve. the top of the card will have a magnetic strip so they can keep it and our contact information on their fridge. the bottom portion is a detachable postage paid postcard that they can respond to our offer with. some groups could use these same cards while handing out water at a park, or sharing with a neighbor

we intentionally want to go out with these cards on Sundays or Wednesdays because we're more likely to run into people not attached to a church

what we're offering: primarily elbow grease for projects like these...
indoor/outdoor painting
indoor/outdoor cleaning
working on lawns/flowers
other

we're also offering to pray for needs. as we go out, we will be training our folks in a prayer strategy that Kurt Salierno teaches to open doors for spiritual conversations. we will also follow-up on each request regularly

we may have only 1-2 families take us up on the offers -- but the biggest task will be quick follow-up to each response. we'll be ready for helping with what we can right away. but mobilizing our folks to give up time during their week or weekend to meet the needs is the more likely scenario. but that type of love in action could be the difference for someone who's been skeptical, alone, or crying out to God for anyone to help

its not much, but its steppin' outside the four walls (and i think that's where we'll find Jesus at work)

a new Guyana beckons

that is the title of the Guyanese government's promotional campaign for tourism -- but for me, there's another meaning. my mother is Guyanese, my dad and his parents served as missionaries to Guyana. now, the Lord is leading me to lead our congregation to be involved in advancing the Kingdom in ministry partnership with the existing churches there. this will begin with an upcoming opportunity to travel there...soon

let me tell you about the trip to Guyana

two days before my grandmother passed from this life (the last day of June 2005), i was meeting with the new national church leaders in Guyana at Anderson. our church had made a commitment a year ago to make Guyana our first country to be involved in missions and partnership. as i met with them and shared our heart, our vision, and my own heritage, they enthusiastically invited me to join an upcoming trip to Guyana at the end of August and into September, as leaders begin setting up a Bible Training school. In addition, if i can come then, or at a future date, they want to begin looking for a place to plant a new church in memory of my grandparents Ed & Meriam. It was a joy to share that news with her before her passing--i'm excited to see their heart for this little country living beyond their time of service here.

Rev. Milton Grannum is leading the trip and working toward the Bible training program. our involvement will be some teaching, but mainly discovery and aiding ourselves with the knowledge and exposure to see our church get really behind these projects in their own participation physically, prayerfully, financially, etc.

i'm in the beginning stages of raising support in prayer and finances. right now, the tentative dates of the trip are August 31 - September 9, and i would ask for your congregation's prayers leading up to that time (that all the details of passports, reservations, and preparation) come together, and for the time there (that a new missional heart will be birthed not only in our church, but also in the Guyanese churches as we seek to see the 11 churches grow to fill the country with the good news of Jesus Christ) .

if you or anyone in your church(es) would like to help this effort financially, they can send their gift written to "Sixth Avenue Church of God" with the memo line as "Guyana trip/Pastor". we're hoping to raise enough for Keli to go too -- so if you would like to support her, let your memo line read, "Guyana trip/Keli". this way all of the funds will be received and disbursed with integrity, while allowing every giver to receive a gift letter for their individual tax purposes. mail any gift or letters of support to: Sixth Avenue Church of God, ATTN: Pastor Ken, 716 - 6th Ave. S.E., Decatur, AL 35601

great painting

check out this link and visual of Jesus among the least of these:
http://www.ecva.org/exhibition/spirits_fire/artists/smith_1.htm

thanks to Debbie for the link

baker parable

i've been working on this for a while -- as a result, it's pretty long. the breaks during our week at our national convention and the theme of the convention ('reach the lost') provided the motivation to finish it. looking forward to your comments...

i'm a baker

in fact, i'm a fourth generation baker--the last three generations have baked for the same franchise. i even married a baker's daughter--though of a different franchise. That doesn't matter to me though--i learned a long time ago that the franchise is not as important as the Baker's Oath: feed the hungry.

You would think that all bakers would bake with that purpose--and i think that most, if not all begin with that in their hearts. But some time, through all the early mornings with the ingredients, the hours in the heat of the bakery, and the endless requests of the customers--it's easy to just forget the Baker's Oath.

There appears to be a couple of common pitfalls when this happens. The first is that the bakery ceases to make bread the primary product. Instead, pastries are offered. People love pastries--their light and flaky crust along with the sweet filling brings people back. But people who only eat pastries, also grow to be selfish, lazy, and poorly nourished . The world offers a lot of artificial sweetened alternatives that continue to leave people hungry and looking for real bread. As a result, some hungry come and see little difference to what they're offered in the world, while others come and stay because at least the atmosphere is better. Eating takes place, but nourishment is lacking.

The other pitfall to abandoning the oath is to just placate the well-fed.
It seems that more and more bakeries are giving in to the wishes of the well-fed. i'm not trying to judge them, but it's evident in the growing numbers of hungry, even starving, folks while the bakeries continue to demonstrate declining clientele.

i understand that feeding the hungry has no immediate return--there's more loss than gain in such a venture. But how can a bakery with all the ingredients and storehouses of bread just watch as so many daily die of starvation?

Anyway, back to my story, my present situation. i was called to serve in a little bakery with a long, established history. Great bakers have come through this bakery and many of the current customers tell of getting their first or best tastes of bread from their efforts. It's been an honor to be serving bread in such a bakery.

But the appreciation and fascination with previous bakers and their bread is more than unsettling. In fact, it's almost rebellion when it comes to offering fresh bread.
Each week, i sit with the recipe and the ingredients to prepare the bread for the week. The bread is offered fresh and in a similar manner of baker's before me--but the well-fed customers prefer the day old bread.

i actually grew up on more day old bread than fresh bread. The day old bread is still good--it offers nourishment, and could be offered to those in need. But my objection to the day old bread is that it's appears less appetizing to the hungry and starving--as a result, they're more likely to pass up on what they really need in search of something less filling, less satisfying.

However, the well-fed customers of our bakery cling to their day old bread--they're mad when it is not offered as frequently as the fresh bread or if it's not presented the same way it was when it was fresh.

The well-fed customers aren't interested in making bread deliveries to the hungry. They're supportive of those on delivery routes, but insist that's a special calling.

The well-fed customers are not opposed to feeding the hungry--they know that's the Baker's Oath. They're open to and welcome any hungry person coming to get bread from their bakery. In fact, they argue that more hungry people would come ('as they did before') if we would go back to exclusively offering the day old bread.

Instead of making deliveries, they want to study the recipe and ingredients. They know the recipe, many by heart. But what good are the ingredients and the recipe if you're not going to bake? And what good is baking if you're not to take bread to the hungry?

Growing up in bakeries, i was aware of demands and expectations of the well-fed customers. When i accepted the role of baker, i made up my mind that i was going to keep to the oath, that i wouldn't give in to please the well-fed customers.

i was committed to offering fresh bread, not only to the well-fed customers, but more importantly to the hungry. It was obvious that they were not compelled to come to the bakery for day-old bread. i had been to other bakeries and baked in other bakeries whose bread was fresh and the hungry seemed more likely to come for fresh bread.

The well-fed customers started objecting and picketing the change of menu that we brought to the bakery. i refused to placate their demands, but in my zeal for fresh bread, i did something just as bad. i became involved in a bakery dispute over fresh bread vs day-old bread.

Meanwhile, the hungry were starving, and the starving were dying for bread

Recently, i was reminded by the Master Chef about the Baker's Oath. i was reminded of all those in need of bread. The opposition were not the well-fed proponents of day-old bread. The opposition was starvation. We had bread--day-old and fresh. The issue was not the bread, it was delivery.

We had to quit expecting the hungry just to come marching into our bakery. We needed to get out and share the bread we had received--then, after they had a taste, they would see that it was not only good, but satisfying. Maybe then, they would go to the bakery, maybe even our bakery. But if they came or didn't, or worse, rejected the offer of bread, we would have fulfilled our reponsibility, our oath: feed the hungry.

Psalm 34:8 " Taste and see that the LORD is good."

John 6:35 "Jesus told them, "I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never become hungry, and whoever believes in me will never become thirsty."

great camp

last week, Andy (our student pastor, http://andrewdailey.typepad.com/dailey_blog/, at least for the next few days) and i directed our state ministries' teen camp. rather than do a typical camp (you know, crazy games filling up the day with an occasional Bible study, fishing, and a worship service) we threw out most of the games, made the Bible study a "van-otion" (devo's in the van) and gave 6 hours of day in service to those in need, and closed each day with a lectio-driven worship service.

originally, it was to be work with a Habitat for Humanity house and family. but all the Habitat homes in the area were completed a little over a week before our camp, and before we could be sent into a dead panic, they were gracious enough to put us in touch with an awesome volunteer coordinator. she found projects with minstries all through the city just in time. as a result, instead of touching just one family and neighborhood with the love and Gospel of Jesus, we touched dozens

this camp was not well embraced by all of the campers --especially at first. but by the end of the week, the students seemed to understand that being a Christian is more than their relationship with Jesus (after all, if that were the case, you'd be dead at the altar). But by sharing in His sufferings, taking up His cross/mission daily, we too are to give our lives for the sake of others experiencing the love of Christ through our compassion, involvment and sharing the Gospel with them in tangible ways.

somehow, we think to recharge our spiritual batteries, we have to focus on ourselves--but that's counter Biblical instruction from Christ: "For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will find it" (Matthew 16:25). i know that we need time for ourselves alone with God -- and i'm not downplaying that at all. but at a conflicted low point in the prophet Elijah's ministry, he sought the Lord on His mountain only to be asked the question "what are you doing here?" and later directed to go back the way he came, and to continue prophetically giving to the very people that were such a drain (1 Kings 19)

when we seek blessings for ourselves, is it really a blessing we receive or is it just a spiritual high (i'm wondering aloud and speaking of our pursuit of spiritual experience as a euphoric, emotional drug)? it seems to me that our American Christian experience is continually laced with these spiritual-drug hits through the latest worship song, concert, book, Bible study, and an endless supply of me-centered offerings from your local Christian bookstore--but i digress :)

as Jesus summed up his washing the disciples feet, He said in John 13:17, "Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them" -- This then would seem to say that blessing comes as a result of service, seeking the good or meeting the needs of others--not in seeking your own benefit. Paul quotes Jesus in Acts 20:35, "It is more blessed to give than to receive."
if we believe that (that it really is "more blessed to give than receive"), then the prescribed remedy for our spiritual depressions or ruts ought to be to go out and give--a workcamp rather than a retreat. i believe that when we serve, with the right heart, not only does God show up in the lives of those we serve, but also in our own lives.

In fact, i think when we serve, we won't have to go looking for God, because God comes looking for you. Paul wrote in Romans 12:2 "to offer our bodies as living sacrifices, Holy and pleasing to Him, because this is our spritual act of worship" -- and Jesus said that those worshippers that worship in spirit and in truth, "those are the worshippers the Father seeks" (John 4:32). God is seeking for spiritual worshippers -- those who are offering their lives in Holy sacrifice. And as i've written on here before, i think that Holiness is not merely the absence of evil but the embracing the activity of Christ. and what was the activity of Christ? "to serve and give His life as a ransom for many" (Mark 10:45)

i hope that one of the main thoughts that we communicated each day was this: you're not working, you're worshipping -- regardless if you're painting a wall, peeling potatoes, or doing the homeless' laundry--if your motive is right, it's worship. "Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving." (Colossians 3:23-24)

reggie reggie reggie

i know that this typically has been my church and ministry blog, but in the midst of a big wedding and a difficult funeralm the nba playoffs have also had my attention
playoffs generally maintain my attention because it is the origional and purest form of reality shows. not that these shows reveal our reality--but they are a commentary of the moral values and social reality in which we live. playoffs offer us a glimpse of the character of individuals, but the reaction and commentary of announcers and crowd tell us a lot about the state of our society.

growing up in the middle of nowhere IN, i naturally became a huge fan of all things hoosier. that was easy to do in the 80's when the college teams were winning--but not easy to admit professionally with a struggling colts and pacers franchises. those were the days when the pacers hopes rested on guys named Fleming, Kellog (yes Clark from March Madness fame), and Tisdale. hope came in the late 80's, but not in the form of a player named Person, but in the unlikely scrawny frame of a rookie from UCLA named reggie

reggie was better known as the little brother of Cheryl Miller -- perhaps one of the best female basketball players ever. he had always been scrawny, a lasting reminder of the thin metal braces that once enabled the weak reggie to stand up and walk as a child. he grew up the underdog, he played as the underdog, and battled for a city that was annually the underdog. indianapolis didn't embrace reggie -- when his name was called at the draft, he and the franchise were booed. they initially wanted to choose i.u. standout, Steve Alford who had just one a national championship

after an 18 year career, this Hollywood bruin became endeared to the hearts of hoosiers for his work ethic, local charity, and bulldog tenacity that made a once struggling franchise an annuall playoff contender. but this year, he announced it was time to hang 'em up, even though at age 39 he could still carry a struggling and embattled franchise

last week, his season and career were ended by the defending champion Detroit Pistons. (married to a Detroit girl, i know a lot about their team as well). staring retirement in the face, reggie gave the Pistons and pacer fans a game to remember--scoring almost a point a minute, he willed the pacers on to the end. but in the end, with 15 seconds left on the clock -- it was time to walk away. to walk away without yet winning the championship

when his number was called, the whole building knew what that meant--walking to the bench was a long walk--but everyone stood and cheered for the hometown hero as if he had won. then, in what may have been the classiest demonstrations of sportsmanship in professional sports, pistons coach (and former pacers coach) Larry Brown took the timeout the pacers couldn't, and stood up to join the applause as he walked toward the indiana bench. his assistants, and team followed, joining the applause and cheerleading the crowd.

in the press conference that followed, reggie summed up his career and the peace he felt about retirement in two words, 'i tried'. he didn't allow illness, criticism, referees, competition, shot blockers, missed shots, lack of talent, suspensions, or injuries get in his way -- for 18 years, he stuck with the team that took him, and he tried day in, day out for them and the city.

to grow up hoosier means to grow annually disrespected in the sports world. for the state that bears the motto "amateur sports capital of the world," it's always the underdog. but for 18 years, there was a player who looked the big dogs in the face and was willing to keep fighting. the day after reggie's farewell, sports commentators argued on his legacy -- not a great player, but a very good player--just the last of the golden age (80-90's) of the nba to hang 'em up.

he may not have been one of the greatest -- but he was great for the nba and for indiana. he was the david playing the goliath's each week (Bird's Celtics, Isaiah's pistons, Ewing's knicks, Jordan's bulls, even Shaq's lakers). usually our society only celebrates success and championships, but for a moment last week, a portion of our society celebrated effort.

in the course of our life, there will always be obstacles -- you can focus on the obstacle, using it as an excuse. or you can put your energy behind your effort and let the results be decided. thankfully, as a believer, we are assured of the ultimate victory, won by our Savior, Jesus Christ. but daily the battles rage, souls are in jeopardy and our effort is required. above my desk i have three words that remind me to make the effort -- three words strung together by Mother Teresa, "Faithfulness, not Success." God calls us to be faithful, let His Spirit make up the difference, and leave the results in His capable hands.

"To the faithful you show yourself faithful," ~ Psalm 18:25

"His master replied, `Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master's happiness!' ~ Matthew 25:23

new ChoG Blog listing

long time in posting i know -- slowly working on basketball post that will be up soon

i was just informed of this new ChoGBlog -- with other pastors contributing from their journeys -- if interested, check it out at
http://chogblog.blogspot.com/

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only hope

"May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit." ~ Romans 15:13

tonight, a man named Steve sits in a car in our church parking lot. he has no house, the old buick he received as a gift from one of our 20 year olds is his only shelter. Steve has a problem, no, the problem has him. the problem with alcohol has been controlling his life for "decades" -- he finally confessed it tonight. he has lost most hope, but came to those he has learned to trust -- he says he's seen God real in his life in this little church. he said he wants to 1 serve God, 2 serve people, and 3 have a little something for himself. i told him the alcohol has reversed those priorities, and that he needed help. he agreed and we called a treatment center -- they're on the way tomorrow to pick him up and take him south to a place of help, a place of hope, instead of heading north a few blocks to jump off the bridge. Steve saw God alive in the hearts of a little church on 6th Ave --that little bit of trust provided the only ray of hope he could hold on to.

meanwhile, a man named Coleman lies in the hospital bed hospice moved into his room a few weeks ago. at 91, Coleman has seen at least 3x's the amount of joy and sorrow i've seen. 3 weeks ago tomorrow, i ate lunch with he and his wife after grim report at the doctor's office. we were eating at our monthly Caleb Club (seniors group) meeting when they told me the news--though week, he made the trip because he knew it would be his last opportunity for fellowship with the group. Coleman and his wife Eloise lived a life of serving, loving and praying -- even at their advanced age, they cooked and took meals to those who were "shut-in" or "worse off" than they were. Though any number of the ailments from cancer to leukemia to blood pressure to arthritis to Lord knows what else -- any of these would have given these two an excuse -- instead their trust in the Lord gave them a joy that overflowed as the power of the Holy Spirit carried them on. now, unable to speak, barely able to breathe, nearly unconscious -- his prayer was not for living, but peace for his family.

tomorrow, my dad will enter a not guilty plea to an awful charge against him. in today's mass media culture, he has been painted guilty in the eyes and minds of most with his picture on paper and airwaves. internet searches have led to confusion and defamation of character which only add to the pain, confusion, and loss. as dad walks through reporters to the sterile courtroom, his hope will not rest on the bench, but only in the God of hope. there's no peace in the silence that surrounds them now, only peace with the God who sent His Son, the Prince of Peace. we trust that God is true to His Word and we await the power of the Holy Spirit (the comforter, promised counselor) to guide us into all truth. our prayer is that the truth will not only set dad and mom free, but the accuser as well.

three different men, three different struggles, one answer -- the God of hope

"And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us." ~ Romans 5:5

then and now

for the last 11 months, i took at least 3 days a week to see Bobby. along with teaching him the Word of God, i was answering his questions. questions regarding the Bible passages he was trying to read, questions that Jehovah witnesses were raising at his door, questions that other Bible 'teachers' had raised in his life -- this 56 year old man was a babe in Christ and needed continual care and follow-up.

parents wouldn't bring a baby in the world and leave them in the delivery room and only casually meet them back there once a week to ask how they're doing. parents don't leave the doctor in charge of meeting the baby's immediate and long term needs. yet that's often what we do when we bring a friend to the altar and help them receive Christ as their Savior and enter a new birth experience. we celebrate with them there, share the new birth announcement, maybe encourage baptism -- but there they often lay, struggling at the altar floor, in need of nourishment, in need of training, in need of steadfast love.

the first time i missed seeing Bobby for more than a few days, someone was there offering him a drink. when i got to him afterwards, he was sorrowful, repentant, and begging me not to give up on him, but to pray for him. our new converts in Christ will be met with opposition and temptations that have a destructive purpose. Jesus said that satan comes to "steal, kill and destroy" (John 10:10) and Peter compared him to a roaring lion looking for someone to devour (1 Peter 5:8) -- as i understand it, lions attack a herd and end up with the old, the lame, or the young.

the responsibility is on the church, the saints. new converts should not have to be expected to line up spiritual mentors to disciple them and help them handle the Word of God correctly. as the church, we need to fulfill the great commission of Christ and "make disciples...baptizing them...and teaching them to obey everything I [Jesus] have commanded you" (Matthew 28:19, 20)

i am fortunate that one of my mentors, Kurt, took Dad aside after he had rededicated his life and discipled him before he could have any part in the youth ministry Kurt was directing. Dad in turn, took me aside on mornings to do the same for me in patterned instruction, daily Bible readings, and follow-up. Dad went on to disciple many and prepare several discipleship courses that have been used in a variety of settings.

Discipleship can take place in a group -- but its best one-to-one. Discipleship is the patterning of our lives after Christ, not that we learn about Christ, but learn to be like Him in his conduct and character. discipleship is not simply an external process of passing on knowledge or changing outward conduct ("but how can they hear without someone preaching to them?" from Romans 10:14-15). but discipleship is also an internal transformation of the character of the individual by the sanctifying work of the Holy Spirit -- Paul and Peter both testify to this in 2 Thessalonians 2:13, and 1 Peter 1:2. as God's word is passed on into the life of a new believer by mature and loving believer(s), the new convert matures and Jesus becomes the Lord of their life. Jesus prayed in John 17:17 "Sanctify them by the truth, Your Word is truth".

at Bobby's funeral this week, i shared his testimony, and the relationship we developed together through those visits. i talked about his desire and crying out for mercy, the steadfast loving relationship of someone in his life to lead to positive change. i shared how we were all in need of that kind of mercy and offered a time of response, so that others in the room could cry out for mercy. and i encouraged immediate follow-up, for them to talk to a pastor or older Christian in the room.

three responded. a nephew who talked to one of Bobby's brothers, the one who had given him the Bible i had found in his apartment 11 months ago. a neice, who talked to her mother, Bobby's sister, who introduced her to their pastor. and Bobby's brother-in-law, the man who was sitting on Bobby's porch the day i showed up looking for him to help Eddy. Bobby's brother-in-law asked me after the funeral if i would mind visiting him like i did Bobby -- so, the follow-up will continue...

Bobby after his baptism 

Bobby Walker Haggard, 1948-2005

Bobby Walker Haggard

Funeral for Bobby Walker Haggard, 56, of Decatur will be Thursday, April 14, 2005, at 2 p.m. at Parkway Funeral Home Chapel with Bro. Ken Oldham officiating. Burial will be in Bellview Cemetery. Visitation will be Wednesday from 6 to 8 p.m. at the funeral home. Mr. Haggard died Saturday, April 9, 2005, at his residence. He was born Nov. 21, 1948, in Lawrence County to Otis Walker Haggard and Maggie Adell Sapp Haggard. He was a member of Oak Grove First Congregational Methodist Church. He worked for Littrell Lumber Co. He is survived by two daughters, Angie Haggard of Eva and Christy Haggard of Trinity; four brothers, John Haggard of Trinity, Dwight Haggard of Somerville, Jerry Haggard of Florence and Earl Haggard of Arab; and five sisters, Audrey Kilpatric of Decatur, Dorothy Goodwin of Eva, Flora Milligan, Joyce Haymes and Ann Waddle, all of Trinity. Pallbearers will be nephews and friends. Published in the Decatur Daily on 4/12/2005.

Bobby, part 3

the next day, i pulled up in front of Bobby's house and walked up to his door. as i knocked, i could see him there, still mostly naked, still drunk, still nearly passed out on that dingy couch -- but he wasn't the big, angry man to me any more

he maustered enough strength to let me in -- he just stared at me for a few minutes as he layed back down on the couch. he extended his hand to me, and as i clasped his to shake it he said, i love you man. i knew you'd be back.

i asked if he wanted me to keep reading the Bible, he said yes and to go get it

i went and picked it up from the closet, came back and began to read and explain from John again. he asked me to pray for him, for his cancer that was in his colon and prostate, and for him to find forgiveness. i took his hands and prayed for him

as i put his Bible back, he asked if i would be back. i said yes, tomorrow. he said, i know -- i prayed for God to send someone and he sent you

and i was back each day, reading the Gospel of John and praying with Bobby. talking about forgivness and the fullness of life

after a couple of weeks, Bobby would be sitting at his table waiting for me with the Bible open. he would even put on a shirt when i came around.

after another few weeks, Bobby prayed with me for forgiveness

after another few weeks, he got rid of that couch, and began cleaning up his apartment and opening up the windows to let light in

then, 'friends' started to bring Bobby things to drink. sometimes he turned them away, sometimes they got the better of him

he would let me back in, tearfully repenting and asking me not to give up, not to stop coming, but to pray for him again. we started talking about self-control, prayer, and the Holy Spirit who could help him find victory over sin in his life. i taught him the Lord's prayer and got him a framed copy of it in his house so he could remember to pray it and to let that prayer help him pray

after a couple of months, Bobby started going to church with his family again, and one Sunday, he says he got saved "for real" by making a public confession at the altar of his church. we were so excited.

he was scheduled to be baptized shortly thereafter, and i excused myself from our church to be there, to take pictures and to be the shouting, cheering freak when he went into the water and came back out. i got him a cross plaque with John 3:16 inscribed on it to celebrate--he went home and hung it on his wall next to the Lord's prayer (and the Elvis clock someone had given him)

while i was gone this March, more friends came to bring him a drink -- he was drunk for a few days. this time, it really took its toll. though he sobered up and was clean by the time i got to him, he was at half strength. he could hardly stand, barely walk, and couldn't stop shaking.

yesterday, my phone rang and i saw the caller id as Bobby's neighbor Mildred who we had also begun to serve and love. she said pastor ken, you need to get over here, Bobby's just died.

i couldn't believe it--i didn't want to, but i knew it was true.

i got there and saw many of the community outside his door or their own as the red and blue lights of a patrol car flashed. Mildred was on her porch and gave me a half smile. Bobby's friends and 'friends' sat outside of his door as police looked through his place. they let me in to fill in some blanks, and to help search for his identification. during the search, i saw him--like i had first saw him. lying mostly naked on the floor next to his bed --not Bobby, but the shell of the man i once knew.

Bobby's sisters came once i went back outside. i greeted them with a hug, his brothers with a handshake. they called me again last night to ask me to preach his funeral. it will be an honor above any i've held

one year ago, Bobby cried out for mercy. God heard that prayer, and he sent me. now i trust Bobby is in far better care with much better follow-up than i could ever give. this former contractor may get the bid on my mansion, if not, i hope i'm a neighbor

Bobby, part 2

we pulled up to Bobby's house and there was another man, also drunk, on Bobby's front porch. he told me that i better not let Bobby see Eddie, but i would have to knock on the door because Bobby was passed out on the couch.

as i peered through the storm door into the dark apartment, i could see the large, mostly naked drunk man lying on a couch three feet from the door. the apartment was dingy, covered in beer cans, whiskey bottles, and cigarrette packaging. There were dishes of leftover food on anything that could hold them, and the odor from the apartment was coming through the door almost visibly like something off a cartoon.

i knocked on the door. then again. he moved slightly. i knocked louder and called out Bobby, i need to speak with you. he opened one eye and looked at me. he mumbled something then went back to sleep.

i knocked again, harder and said Bobby i'm not going away until you help me.

help you?, he cursed at me and sat up. then he saw Eddie and really began to curse -- get that man off my property.

you want me to leave i asked?

yes and take that <<>> with you?

okay, after you help me help him

i told you i'm not helping that guy get off my porch

i'm not leaving until you help me

Bobby jumped up and charged at the door with his fist in the air as the storm door flew open i stepped back in time for it to fly by and hit the guy sitting on the porch. as Bobby's bloodshot eyes and red face approached my own in a furious rage, i said my name is pastor ken, i'm the pastor of sixth avenue church of God where Eddie has been coming. i need your help

as soon as i said pastor, Bobby froze. pastor? well, i fear God and i love people but i'm not helping that man.

we argued at the door for a couple of minutes and then Bobby said come on in i'm tired of standing at this door. as he sat down on his couch i stepped into his dark apartment. Eddie came in and made himself at home by taking a cigarette and lightin' up. i asked Bobby for permission to sit down in a chair next to the couch. he looked me confused, and i said Bobby this is your home, you invite me to sit down or i won't. he nodded with approval.

i continued, if this man has stolen from you i'll pay it back. whatever it takes, i need your help

no, i don't want your money Bobby said

then what? if i don't help Eddie, he's gonna die, and i'm not gonna let that happen--to help Eddie, i need you to acknowledge that he's stayed in your house overnight.

no way

by this time, Eddie's on his third cigarette and i'm running out of hope.

then Bobby said i know what i want

what? anything tell me

you

my mind began to race if i had said anything about love in a way that could be misinterpreted, i looked at the door and for another exit as i began to feel very uncomfortable in the home of a (very large, mostly naked, beligerent drunk man) what do you mean Bobby, what do you want from me?

you--i want you to come back and teach me the Bible

okay, i'll be back tomorrow

NO--TODAY--i want you to teach me the Bible today

okay--sure, do you have a Bible?

yes, around there

where Bobby, why don't you get it?

no, i can't touch it -- i got a demon in me and i can't touch it

amazed at this man's reverence, i slowly stood up--do you want me to get it?

yes, it's around there

i slowly moved further into the dark apartment, and there, around the corner was a small closet with a large, black leather Bible case, with the name Bobby Haggard engraved in golden letters on the Bible. i picked it up and went back toward Bobby, who was now beginning to cry. Bobby, this is a beautiful Bible, i said as i slowly sat down and unzipped it. what do you want Bobby, what do you want me to read?

then he said the words that echo in my heart
mercy--i want the same mercy you're showing to that guy (pointing to Eddie)--i want that kind of mercy

the Bible fell open to a card placed in John 3, how about John 3:16 Bobby. as i read it, he wept. we got to verse 19 "This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but men loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil". i said Bobby, Eddie has so much darkness in him that if he doesn't get help, he's gonna die--will you help me help Eddie?

on one condition--you have to come back

okay

everyday

okay

if you don't i'll find you -- there aren't a lot of people in this town that look like you

i know -- i'll be back

Bobby signed the paper, and we began to get Eddie help. Eddie would walk away from that help, but i would continue to walk into Bobby's house

how i met Bobby

one year ago, a man named Bobby lay in a depressed, drunken stupor calling out for God to have mercy on his life. at 57 years old, he was pleading for God to send someone, anyone to help him out of the pit he had found himself in

across town, a young pastor was trying to help a homeless man who had come to church looking for a handout -- instead, he found warm hands welcoming him in each week. some took him to dinner, others prayed intently for him and with him. Eddie was 47, an alcoholic, and more scrawny than i am. Eddie disappeared for two weeks -- we looked for him, called the police station to see if he had been picked up, even read obituaries from the area -- no Eddie.

then, the Tuesday after Mother's Day 2004, Eddie showed up at the church. Eddie usually looked rough -- but now he looked roughed up with scars, bruises, and fresh stitches. i asked him who did this? his reply, he did. he said he had passed out on the street and the police took him to the hospital. he had wanted to get out and make it home to see his mother in a nursing home on Mother's day, but a few more drinks before he left, left him passed out in a local gas station's bathroom. that's where he woke up, discouraged and at the bottom of life. Eddie pleaded for help, for treatment, for a change.

we arranged for a ministry that would keep him after he was medically cleared to go -- he was toxic at the time and first needed medical help to come down. we knew we would need his ID -- so we had to go get his wallet from his friend Bobby's house.

that was my first trip into East Acres -- a low income housing project blocks from our church. we pulled up in front of Bobby's unit -- Eddie told me to wait because Bobby may be drunk and he didn't like strangers. Eddie went to the door which was eventually answered by a large, mostly naked, beligerent drunk man. The man began to curse and threaten Eddie. As i thought about getting out to intercede, Eddie ducked under the man's arm and retrieved his wallet, sidestepping the drunk man trying to catch him as he ran back out the door and into my car.

i asked Eddie if that was his friend, Bobby? he said yes. i said, no, that man's no friend -- you're never coming back here again.

God had other plans. Eddie was homeless and all the programs we were trying to get help from required proof of residency. that's hard for a homeless person -- you need help to get a home, but you can't get help because you have no home. Eddie had given up and asked to be dropped off somewhere so he could lay down and die. finally, at my insistence for another way, one agency said that if we could provide a letter from someone who had let him stay the night, they would count that as proof of residency.

there was only one house where he had stayed the night -- Bobby's. i looked at the agency representative and said we'll be right back. i took Eddie back to the church to make a letter and to pray. Eddie said, i thought you said i could never go back. i did, but this time i'm going with you and we're gonna get Bobby's help. We printed a letter, we prayed for Divine favor, and we drove back to Bobby's