Sometimes we find the new direction may lie in something old. If we do it in a new way. We first heard the phrase, "doing it old school" in music; artists chose to revive or renew some old music in new ways, thus reaching a new audience who had not yet been exposed to the old.
We have "the old, old story" that is made new every time a new believer comes to hear it and receive it, and it's of "Jesus and His love."
What are some "old school" things we've let either lie dormant or die in our churches? What can we ask God to do with those to reach new believers? I have a list and you may have a list too, if you just ask God.
Friday, August 17, 2012
Monday, August 6, 2012
Sunday, August 5, 2012
Will You Visit from House to House?
That’s a historic question and one asked of all who are to be ordained and accepted into Full Connection in the United Methodist Church. All who have been asked that question have said yes. Yet?
It was just a Saturday recently, that I was awake and in my comfortable nothing-to-do today attire, shorts, t-shirt, barefoot that our doorbell rang. Nellie was sitting next to me and we had decided to catch up on TV shows recorded earlier. We rarely get guests and those we do get, call ahead and they come in through our back door. Those who ring the doorbell are usually not people we know. I immediately thought it was our weekly visit by one of those IN TOW guys who ask if they can buy one of our vehicles that sits on our street. Thankfully, I took two years high school Spanish and can tell them that no, our vehicle is not for sale and the owner is asleep. (The IN TOW guys are the ones who buy vehicles that look abandoned and hook them up and drive them south of the border, fix them up and re-sell them. Or, it could be one of those helpful guys with lawnmowers who ring our doorbell during those parts of the month where our grass is overgrown. But, it was not one of those. It was a nicely dressed man and a nicely dressed woman. I knew immediately that they were Jehovah’s Witnesses. I opened the door and the man told me in Spanish, they were going from house to house to get people to read their Bibles. “We read our Bibles here; I’m a pastor.” I love saying that because it usually ends conversation. “Actually,” I said, “I’m a district superintendent.” The lady asked, “Oh, so you travel a lot?” Yes, I said, wondering what day they might return in hopes of getting someone else to answer the door. I noticed that across the street another pair was working the neighbor’s homes and there was a car with others in it, traveling slowly as support.
The largest growing groups of religious organizations are the JWs and the Church of Latter Day Saints (Mormons), who require two year service of their young men right out of high school. That service is usually a house to house visitation where they try to get people to read their Bible and their Book of Mormon; the JWs also have their own unique Bible (always check John 1:1 if in doubt; ours says, “The Word was God.” Theirs says, “The Word was a god” Big difference!). Why don’t we visit like we should, from house to house? Fear is a good reason. Many have said that during Wesley’s day it was easier to visit house to house as people expected and welcomed company. Our day has our well insulated and protected from company. We have gone from being front porch people to backyard deck people. Notice the difference? A nice deck is usually not visible from the front street and can hide us pretty well. A visit from the pastor not so long ago was a welcomed and expected trend. Now, please call ahead or just leave us alone unless we need you, is the typical response at a PPRC meeting where this is discussed. Yet, our numbers show we are dying. The numbers of those who do visit are growing. We also can say, “I don’t know or wouldn’t know what to say or ask in such a visit.” We may be surprised to find that there are a lot of people, yes, even within our churches, that need someone to listen to them and to talk with them. And there may be more outside of our churches who would welcome a visit from someone like us, especially with the message we may bring from Jesus Christ. I just watched a recording of CBS’s Sunday Morning, where the topic was islands, and one of the “islands” was the topic of those who choose or who live alone. One man, who had broken up with his girlfriend and had no personal contact with anyone, posted a bright green flyer that said, “If anyone wants to talk about anything, call me (his cell number). Jeff, one lonely guy.” The flyer had a row of detachable slips with his phone number on it. He got a total of 70,000 calls. Does that say anything about the need in our areas and during our time?
Jesus said in the last book of the Bible, chapter 3, verse 20: “Behold, I stand at the door and knock…” Why can’t we? Why can’t we train everyone in our churches to do the same and show the care and compassion we’re blessed with and famous for, to a hurting world?
It was just a Saturday recently, that I was awake and in my comfortable nothing-to-do today attire, shorts, t-shirt, barefoot that our doorbell rang. Nellie was sitting next to me and we had decided to catch up on TV shows recorded earlier. We rarely get guests and those we do get, call ahead and they come in through our back door. Those who ring the doorbell are usually not people we know. I immediately thought it was our weekly visit by one of those IN TOW guys who ask if they can buy one of our vehicles that sits on our street. Thankfully, I took two years high school Spanish and can tell them that no, our vehicle is not for sale and the owner is asleep. (The IN TOW guys are the ones who buy vehicles that look abandoned and hook them up and drive them south of the border, fix them up and re-sell them. Or, it could be one of those helpful guys with lawnmowers who ring our doorbell during those parts of the month where our grass is overgrown. But, it was not one of those. It was a nicely dressed man and a nicely dressed woman. I knew immediately that they were Jehovah’s Witnesses. I opened the door and the man told me in Spanish, they were going from house to house to get people to read their Bibles. “We read our Bibles here; I’m a pastor.” I love saying that because it usually ends conversation. “Actually,” I said, “I’m a district superintendent.” The lady asked, “Oh, so you travel a lot?” Yes, I said, wondering what day they might return in hopes of getting someone else to answer the door. I noticed that across the street another pair was working the neighbor’s homes and there was a car with others in it, traveling slowly as support.
The largest growing groups of religious organizations are the JWs and the Church of Latter Day Saints (Mormons), who require two year service of their young men right out of high school. That service is usually a house to house visitation where they try to get people to read their Bible and their Book of Mormon; the JWs also have their own unique Bible (always check John 1:1 if in doubt; ours says, “The Word was God.” Theirs says, “The Word was a god” Big difference!). Why don’t we visit like we should, from house to house? Fear is a good reason. Many have said that during Wesley’s day it was easier to visit house to house as people expected and welcomed company. Our day has our well insulated and protected from company. We have gone from being front porch people to backyard deck people. Notice the difference? A nice deck is usually not visible from the front street and can hide us pretty well. A visit from the pastor not so long ago was a welcomed and expected trend. Now, please call ahead or just leave us alone unless we need you, is the typical response at a PPRC meeting where this is discussed. Yet, our numbers show we are dying. The numbers of those who do visit are growing. We also can say, “I don’t know or wouldn’t know what to say or ask in such a visit.” We may be surprised to find that there are a lot of people, yes, even within our churches, that need someone to listen to them and to talk with them. And there may be more outside of our churches who would welcome a visit from someone like us, especially with the message we may bring from Jesus Christ. I just watched a recording of CBS’s Sunday Morning, where the topic was islands, and one of the “islands” was the topic of those who choose or who live alone. One man, who had broken up with his girlfriend and had no personal contact with anyone, posted a bright green flyer that said, “If anyone wants to talk about anything, call me (his cell number). Jeff, one lonely guy.” The flyer had a row of detachable slips with his phone number on it. He got a total of 70,000 calls. Does that say anything about the need in our areas and during our time?
Jesus said in the last book of the Bible, chapter 3, verse 20: “Behold, I stand at the door and knock…” Why can’t we? Why can’t we train everyone in our churches to do the same and show the care and compassion we’re blessed with and famous for, to a hurting world?
Tuesday, July 17, 2012
Commitment
Apart from our willingness, we should have commitment to our calling from God. We used Isaiah 6 last time to illustrate willingness and its importance; we can use it as well for commitment. In this call from God, Isaiah responds to God's call with "Here I am, send me," and no sooner does he say this than he begins to hear just what a tough job he was being called to. It was his willingness to commit to a tough task that he nonetheless went forward with his Yes. In my morning devotional reading of Philippians 4, in verse 3 "Yes, and I ask you also, my loyal companion, help these women, for they have struggled beside me in the work of the gospel, together with Clement and the rest of my co-workers, whose names are in the book of life," I read the word "struggled beside me in the work of the gospel." We know Paul's story. We know that he still said Yes even after Christ revealed to him all that he would suffer. But Paul also understood that because of his willingness and his commitment to continue forward, listening and obeying Christ, he too would receive a great prize, indicated by the closing of that verse three, "whose names are in the book of life."
It's not always easy and yes, we sometimes think of exit routes and plans from this call to ministry; but our commitment should keep us moving obediently and faithfully forward. That faithfulness will bring Christ fruit.
It's not always easy and yes, we sometimes think of exit routes and plans from this call to ministry; but our commitment should keep us moving obediently and faithfully forward. That faithfulness will bring Christ fruit.
Saturday, July 14, 2012
Willingness
"Genius is one percent inspiration, ninety-nine percent perspiration." This is a quote attributed to Thomas Edison. He spoke it first in 1903 and wrote about it later in Harpers Monthly in 1932. I believe willingness is the first one percent of leadership, ninety-nine percent is commitment.
Isaiah knew and wrote about willingness. We read about it in the sixth chapter of his book. It comes during a time of great grieving for all the nation. While others wept and mourn the loss of a great leader, Isaiah knew to look up towards God and realize that while they still had a God, they had everything. The verses that open that sixth chapter speak of Isaiah seeing and experiencing the holiness of God. Isaiah also realized the purity of God and where he, as a person, stood in that purity; his first cry to God was to be freed from this impurity of his life and lips. God responded to that need and fulfilled it. Isaiah was made clean. The came the invitation or call from God to help in making others aware of their need before God. It comes in the form of a question, "Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?" Notice the plural form of the need? The one who responds is responding not only to God but also for all for whom God is concerned. It was Isaiah's willingness that said, "Here I am, send me."
God spoke an invitation to your life, and you may have already responded whether you know it or not. The median age of professional ministers show that for some, the first response was "maybe later." Some second-career pastors have said they responded yes because the invitation came later. Our positive response was triggered by our willingness to commit.
As you share God's love and concern for others, share the message of the need we all have to be willingness servants of God. Without willingness we are not yet at the point where God can use us.
Isaiah knew and wrote about willingness. We read about it in the sixth chapter of his book. It comes during a time of great grieving for all the nation. While others wept and mourn the loss of a great leader, Isaiah knew to look up towards God and realize that while they still had a God, they had everything. The verses that open that sixth chapter speak of Isaiah seeing and experiencing the holiness of God. Isaiah also realized the purity of God and where he, as a person, stood in that purity; his first cry to God was to be freed from this impurity of his life and lips. God responded to that need and fulfilled it. Isaiah was made clean. The came the invitation or call from God to help in making others aware of their need before God. It comes in the form of a question, "Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?" Notice the plural form of the need? The one who responds is responding not only to God but also for all for whom God is concerned. It was Isaiah's willingness that said, "Here I am, send me."
God spoke an invitation to your life, and you may have already responded whether you know it or not. The median age of professional ministers show that for some, the first response was "maybe later." Some second-career pastors have said they responded yes because the invitation came later. Our positive response was triggered by our willingness to commit.
As you share God's love and concern for others, share the message of the need we all have to be willingness servants of God. Without willingness we are not yet at the point where God can use us.
Wednesday, June 20, 2012
Connecting the Old with the New
Imagine learning from a trip to the circus! This weekend I went with the family to Ringling Brothers, Barnum and Bailey circus in town for the weekend. I couldn't help notice how an organization as ancient as the circus continues to attract and relate to modern audiences. One clue was that the circus is in tune to some of modern society's familiar sounds. After the clown routine ends badly, the music heard was the famous computer sound of something gone bad on the computer. The audience roared with laughter at the sound for they had been there.
I think sometimes the church fails to connect because we don't go to where people are or where people have been. We prefer to stay right where we are, which is usually a comfortable place.
I think sometimes the church fails to connect because we don't go to where people are or where people have been. We prefer to stay right where we are, which is usually a comfortable place.
Saturday, June 9, 2012
The Gift of Listening
Never be too busy to listen to a story or to get to know someone, especially someone older than yourself; you'd be amazed at what you may learn and the wonderful, unexpected blessing you may receive.
Supper time, especially on the Free Night of a convention or conference is a hectic time especially if it falls on a Friday. Last night was our free night and we were meeting a dear friend at a popular restaurant. The sidewalks were crowded and an older gentleman was struggling as he walked and he kept apologizing to all as he walked. I recognized the color of his lanyard as his being clergy and from our conference, though I did not yet know him. He apologized to us for his walking so slow and both Nellie and I said there was no need and I extended my hand to greet him and he began a marvelous conversation but he reached a point where he said that due to a dinner with retirees he had not come to the restaurant we were coming with his group and tonight they had abandoned him and he was coming on his own. He asked if he could dine with us. With no hesitation we said he could. We knew our dear friend would not mind and ours was a rich evening filled with wonderful stories.
There was pain and sorrow shared, but God was in our midst and grace was ours.
Never be too busy to listen or to get to know someone.
Supper time, especially on the Free Night of a convention or conference is a hectic time especially if it falls on a Friday. Last night was our free night and we were meeting a dear friend at a popular restaurant. The sidewalks were crowded and an older gentleman was struggling as he walked and he kept apologizing to all as he walked. I recognized the color of his lanyard as his being clergy and from our conference, though I did not yet know him. He apologized to us for his walking so slow and both Nellie and I said there was no need and I extended my hand to greet him and he began a marvelous conversation but he reached a point where he said that due to a dinner with retirees he had not come to the restaurant we were coming with his group and tonight they had abandoned him and he was coming on his own. He asked if he could dine with us. With no hesitation we said he could. We knew our dear friend would not mind and ours was a rich evening filled with wonderful stories.
There was pain and sorrow shared, but God was in our midst and grace was ours.
Never be too busy to listen or to get to know someone.
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