I feel tension rising. I see it on people’s faces, I read it on Facebook updates, I sense it in myself. The biggest holiday/family celebration of the year approaches. The question many are asking: Will it be perfect? Will we have done necessary to make it the ideal holiday? Will all the children be happy? Will all the adults get along with each other? Will the food be both good and in sufficient amount? Will the house look festive enough? ... Read more
I emailed a friend of mine this morning that I felt like a basket case today as I deal with the church, community and personal grief of our losses this week. My friend, a wonderful woman with profound spiritual insight and gifted as writer, wrote back: When we are basket cases, God carries us by the handle that has been woven especially to support our weight. He walks along, filling us with handfuls of Heavenly balm. The cadence of his voice caresses... Read more
I am working on an anger issue right now. A young person in my congregation made a very age-appropriate profession of faith and requested baptism, a request that I gladly complied with. The child had not been baptized as an infant. A some point, a few weeks past this joyous day, this child was apparently told by a teacher at the local public school that re-baptism would be required later because there would be no memory of the occasion in... Read more
OK, according to this article, religious leaders in Saudi Arabia have stated that if women are permitted to drive (keep in mind that this is the country that sentenced a woman to ten lashes with a whip after she was caught driving a car), there will be no more virgins in that country in a few years. Yep, the only thing that keeps this country sexually pure is keeping women, the source of all temptation, covered and hidden from the... Read more
What can one person do? Well, entrepreneur Peter Thum has figured out a way to turn AK47’s, the ubiquitous and deadly Russian-made assault rifle, into high-end jewelry and in the process, destroy thousands of those guns. More of the story can be read here. I am awed. This is biblical truth in today’s life. The dream of the kingdom of heaven where the wolf lies down with the lamb and weapons of war turn to agents of peace and production... Read more
His voice cries out and says, “Get that road straight—the glory of the Lord is about to appear!” These words, loosely paraphrased, are from Isaiah 40, that beautiful passage that starts with, “Comfort, O comfort my people.” Several of the movements in Handel’s “Messiah” come from these great Scriptures. Rough and ready John the Baptist repeats this phrase hundreds of years later just as Jesus is getting ready to step into the public eye of ministry. John tells people to... Read more
I just heard yesterday about a church plant needing to close, 22 months after its founding. It was such sad news. I know the pastor, a man of considerable talent who had poured everything he had into the project. It also reinforces for me just how very, very difficult the work of the church is, especially as our culture moves more and more into fragmented niches leaving behind any common ethos, particularly an ethos that supports the gathering together for... Read more
I am convinced that, despite what I am sure will be countless calls to “Put Christ back into Christmas!” and other such yearly holiday pleas, most people really have no desire for God to actually show up during this season. We sing, “O Come, O Come, Emmanuel.” With these words, we call for God to be with us. The tune touches us, the words sound good. But I wonder—yes I wonder. I wonder if we know what we are asking for... Read more
Tonight, my Staff-Parish Relations Committee meets to compile all their comments on me for the latest and greatest evaluative instrument rolled out by the Conference. They’ve also got to do another form called the Charge Profile where they are asked, among other things, to respond to this statement: “The qualities and functions of pastoral ministry needed to fulfill the mission and goals of the congregation.” Wanting to help them out a bit with these onerous tasks, and knowing my very... Read more
In a moment of irony, right after I first published this post about churches shrinking when actually preaching the gospel, I received an email inviting me to a conference called The Large Church Initiative. Here is a list of the keynote speakers, many of whom I know personally and have much respect for their accomplishments and leadership skills. Now, I should not have received that invitation–it is a conference only for those who serve churches with 1000 or more members and 350 in worship... Read more
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