I’m feeling reflective this morning as I consider that my first year as pastor of First United Methodist Church, Monroe is coming to a close in June. I’ve always been told the first year is the “honeymoon” period for a new appointment…that everyone plays nice the first year. I suppose I’ve been blessed, but I can’t remember a time in any of my appointments when everyone didn’t “play nice.” I never felt like the honeymoon ever ended. I’m not saying everything went perfectly in every appointment, but overall, I’ve never had a bad appointment, and never encountered any issue or problem that caused me to think we needed to move. Actually, if there were problems in a congregation, they were caused by some bone-headed move on my part (I’m not the perfect pastor, remember), and not something else. Sure, there have been times of disagreement, but we’ve always worked through the issues in a manner that, I trust, grew the Kingdom (of course, I might have had my head in the sand and didn’t know it–but ignorance is bliss, as they say). I’m saying all that to say, I hope the honeymoon doesn’t end at First United Methodist Church, Monroe.
I might also be saying there is no such thing as a honeymoon period. After two years as a District Superintendent, I think it’s reasonable to say an appointment starts well and stays well, or it starts poorly and stays that way. It can happen for numerous reasons there’s no need unpacking in this venue. Suffice it to say, sometimes, the Cabinet makes a poor choice for leadership in a church. Sometimes, a church is so dysfunctional that Jesus himself couldn’t pastor the church. Other times, a pastor goes to a new appointment with the wrong attitude. But, enough about that…
I have, on numerous occasions, thanked Bishop Harvey for my appointment to First United Methodist Church, Monroe. I’ve served as a pastor, and I’ve served administratively, and I can happily say (with Bill Hybels) that the local church is the hope of the world. The local church is the place disciples are made. Districts and Annual Conferences can help the process, or they can hinder the process, but they simply aren’t equipped to “make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world.” And, I couldn’t be appointed to a healthier congregation. We are strong in terms of discipleship opportunities. We are strong in number of lay persons engaged in ministry. We have an incredibly strong staff. We are strong financially. We are blessed, and I am blessed. I try to thank the Bishop every time I see her.
I am blessed that the leadership has been very responsive in this first year to my desire to update our technology. The leadership has been very gracious (and patient) as I have shared a vision for the long-term benefits of web-casting and integrated video technology. This was not an inexpensive endeavor, but I think we are taking steps that will sustain our disciple-making capability well into the 21st Century. I’m not sure if I mark that down as an accomplishment for the first year, but I know it aids us in outreach and communication, both of which are incredibly important to the life and health of any congregation.
I do have one regret as I reflect on this first year. I regret that I haven’t had the opportunity to get to know more members of the congregation. I know a lot of names. I know a lot of faces. And, I’m learning more everyday. One of the things I’ve valued through the years of ministry has been the one on one relationships I’ve been able to develop with members of congregations I’ve served. This first year at FUMC, Monroe has been such a whirlwind that I look back and wish I would have had more lunch meetings with members. I wish I could have visited in more homes. I wish I had more time to get to know everyone better. But, then I’m reminded this is a large congregation, and we’ve got plenty of time. That excites me.
As the first year draws to a close, I pray the honeymoon doesn’t draw to a close. My prayer is the honeymoon lasts as long as we’re together. I’m just counting my blessings and giving thanks for the chance to serve such a great God, and a great congregation.
The year was 2008 (that was a watershed year for me, by the way). It was a year of great spiritual struggle for me (yes, pastors struggle spiritually). It was in this year of great struggle that I was given a most profound thought that resonates with me still. I received this profound insight from a diminutive little Catholic nun. What was her profound statement? Simply this: “Perhaps God is so close you can’t see Him.”
I was doubting my call to ministry. I was doubting God’s love for me. I was doubting there was even a God, at all. Actually, since 2008, my life has pretty much (I said “pretty much”–I didn’t say totally) been an open book. I’ve been quick to share out of my own struggle as a means of encouraging others who are struggling spiritually. There is hope. We have to keep looking.
One of the places I looked for hope was in a relationship with a spiritual director. A spiritual director is a person trained in helping another discover the reality that God is present everywhere. Okay…let me make it easy for you…it’s like going to a therapist, but this therapist’s purpose is all about trying to help you see where God is at work. Sister Katherine, that diminutive Catholic nun, was my spiritual director.
Some may be asking why I chose a Catholic as a spiritual director. Honestly, (here’s part of the open book–and part of the reason I needed help in the first place) I went to the Catholic tradition because I didn’t want anyone in my own tradition to know I was struggling as greatly as I was struggling. It was the sin of pride. I thought I could go outside my tradition and no one would be the wiser. I’d find the help I needed, get the advice I was seeking, and keep moving. My pride was part of the reason I couldn’t sense God’s presence.
Something else that keeps us from sensing God’s presence is our busy-ness, and the distractions that are everyday life. Over a stretch of 18 months, many events had combined to keep me distracted. First, I began a weight loss regimen that led to a 60 lb. reduction in weight (it was life-changing in more ways than one!). I was focused like a laser on losing the weight. It became all consuming. Second, I lost my dad unexpectedly (that’s another post I need to write–still not sure I’ve processed all that was involved in that event). Next, Vanessa and I were involved in a car accident that left me unconscious for an extended period of time (did I tell you the story of the best Blizzard I never had?). Next, was a building project at the church I was serving. Throw in a capital campaign, a growing church, a couple of staff upheavals, and all the expectations of being a husband and a father (hmm? Do I sound like the Apostle Paul listing his struggles?), and you have a recipe for busy-ness that can easily take a person’s focus off the things that matter most. I simply wasn’t paying attention to God who was with me all the time.
Another reason I was not sensing God’s presence was the fact that I was trying to control everything. I was trying to control everything that was happening in my life. I was like a puppeteer trying to move all the strings in all the right directions. Another analogy I’ve used to try to describe that stage of my life was that I was trying to keep all the plates spinning. I was afraid if I allowed even one of the plates to fall that I would be a failure. A failure was the last thing I wanted to be. It was probably the first thing I needed to be. My need to succeed kept me from seeing the God who always sees me.
I could write about a few more reasons that I wasn’t sensing God’s presence during that period of my life, but then my life would be totally an open book, and that wouldn’t be beneficial to anyone (you’d really find out why I’m not the perfect pastor). Suffice it to say that after several visits with Sister Katherine, she’d probably heard all she wanted to hear of my whining and complaining about not being able to see God or feel God. She just looked at me on one of my visits and said, “Perhaps God is so close you can’t see Him.” Something so simple, yet so profound. I’d given my life following the call of God, and it was a concept I never considered. I’ve subsequently heard Len Sweet say it this way: “Jesus can be so close (‘closer than a brother’) to us it is like asking a bird to see air or a fish to see water.”
I never went to see Sister Katherine again after that meeting. I didn’t feel like I needed to. Oh, don’t misunderstand…some days there are still doubts. I still wrestle with pride. I still get too busy and distracted. And, yes, the fear of failure still rears its ugly head from time to time (along with a few other fears). But, in those times I simply remember that if I can’t see God, it’s probably because He’s so close I can’t see Him. I’m not sure if that offers others hope, but it sure gives me some.
Okay. I have to admit. Preaching is different for me lately. I’ve never been manuscript preacher (except in seminary preaching classes when my professor made me write a manuscript). For a long time I simply had notes in the margin or my bible, or kept an outline stored in my mind. That’s how I preached. Yes, I sometimes preached a little long (some would say “a lot” long), but I felt freedom to “chase rabbits” (or, if I want to sound really pious “follow the leading of the Holy Spirit”) in my preaching. I felt freedom in preaching.
As I grew older, I became more reliant on a written outline. I would take the mental outline of the sermon and write it on paper, usually on 5″ X 8″ paper that fit easily in my bible, and I would preach from the outline. The outline kept me more focused, and prevented me from chasing too many rabbits (er, I mean from following the Holy Spirit too much–Should I say that?). Though sometimes still a bit long, I didn’t get run off from my church. I think it had to do with age and not being able to remember things as much. Or, maybe I just had too many things to remember. The long and short of it is that my preaching style changed as I grew older.
Well, my preaching style has changed again. I’m now pretty much a manuscript preacher. They say “necessity is the mother of invention,” and that’s the case as I’ve learned to manuscript preach. We have three services at FUMC, Monroe, and I get to preach all three of them almost every Sunday. Our first worship is at 8:30 a.m., the second at 9:30 a.m., and the final one is 10:50 a.m. I’m not sure who decided on those times, but I’m almost certain it wasn’t my predecessor. Would he do that to himself? Surely not! It’s a mad rush to get from the 8:30 worship to the 9:30 worship every Sunday. I blow by people in the hallway between the sanctuary and the fellowship hall like I’m rushing to a fire (sorry, folks…you’ll just have to forgive me if all you get is a wave on the pass through). When I get to the fellowship hall on Sunday morning, the worship has already begun. Sometimes, I feel like an interloper. The time between the 9:30 worship and the 10:50 worship is not quite so bad. At least I have a few moments to stop and shake a few hands along the way (and make another stop I’ll not mention here). I guess if I preached shorter sermons I’d have more time. Well, that’s the purpose of writing a manuscript every week.
A manuscript really keeps me focused. A manuscript keeps me from chasing rabbits (okay, so I’ll chase an occasional one). A manuscript keeps me on time (and that’s important when running up and down the hall between worship). As I reflect on becoming a manuscript preacher, I hear the voice of my old preaching prof Donald Demeray as he advocated the benefits of writing a manuscript. He told us then that writing a manuscript would bring clarity to our thought process. Yeah, so maybe he was correct, but I was young and knew it all, so…
Another thing I’ve discovered is manuscripting has increased my preparation time. My sermon prep time has increased by a minimum of two hours a week. Oh, I still do the outline, but having done the outline, I still have to write it all out. Then, having written it out, I write and re-write until the message says exactly what I want it to say (there’s that clarity thing again). The hardest part of writing a manuscript is deciding what not to say! I tell you! I leave a lot of good stuff OUT of the sermon! I hear Dr. Demeray’s voice again saying, “You have to preach next Sunday, too.” I now just put the things I don’t say away until I come to the next sermon. Sunday does come every week, and dang, it feels like it comes every three days. Anyway, I used block 12 – 14 hours per week for sermon preparation. Now, I block 14 – 16 hours per week. Is that enough? Probably not, but do you know how hard it is to devote 14 – 16 hours per week to sermon preparation?
Does any of this sound like I’m complaining? I hope not, because I’m not. It’s just that I preached a sermon this past Sunday on mutual submission, and I left a LOT of stuff out of the sermon. Still, the sermon was 19 minutes long (Scripture reading does NOT count as sermon time, thank you very much!), and with communion and graduate recognition, we still ran a little over time (hey? cut me some slack—I’m not the perfect pastor!). I often wonder if I can say anything substantial in 17 – 19 minutes, but that’s usually all the time I have in preaching a sermon. I suppose my previous congregations wish I had been a manuscript preacher. I’m sorry they had to endure my 30 minute sermons.
I’ll stop now because I’m told that, like sermons, blog posts can also be too long. I’m searching for a lesson in the blog today, and I’m not sure I’m finding one, except maybe we’re never too old to learn new things. Not much of a lesson, but then again, I’m not the perfect pastor, so…
Author Julie Ackerman Link writes in the Our Daily Bread devotional this morning of a solitary tree that sat across from her office. She wondered why only one tree was left in the field. As she investigated the history she discovered that farmers would remove all the trees of the field, but would leave one to serve as a resting place when the summer sun began to take its toll.
That reflection was particularly poignant for me this morning as I feel like I have spent time under a “resting tree.” I went with a colleague to the Atlanta, GA area earlier this week for the Large Church Initiative. The Large Church Initiative (or, LCI as it is more often called) is an annual gathering of (primarily) United Methodist clergy and staff who pastor large churches across the country. The LCI was hosted by Mt. Pisgah UMC in Johns Creek, GA.
Large church pastors gather for three days to love on and be loved on by God through worship and preaching, to learn together, and to discuss and discover new ways of leading their congregations and the denomination. I must say (and already have in other venues) that I can’t say it was the best UM sponsored event I’ve ever been to, but I can’t remember a better one. From top to bottom (or, I should say from beginning to end) the three days together were incredible. The worship was excellent, the preaching was stellar, the facilities were comfortable, the hospitality was amazing, the food was awesome (they had a good Louisiana boy catering!), and the fellowship was nourishing.
The lineup of keynote speakers (yeah! they were really preachers) included Jorge Acevedo, Chip Ingram, Mark Batterson, Dr. Timothy Tennent, renowned fashion photographer Michael Belk, and the pastor of the congregation, Dr. Steve Wood. For me, the highlight of the preaching was Rev. Sharma Lewis, who preached the first day. She preached on power, and that was the power of the Holy Ghost (that’s right, I said Holy “Ghost”), and she issued an altar call to close the service. Talk about power! The worship ended with a powerful image of nearly 400 UM pastors kneeling in prayer at the altar of that church. I wouldn’t dare say it was all down hill from there, but Rev. Lewis set the bar awfully high for those who would preach after her.
Music for the event was great, as well. I was transported back to my roots very early in the event when The Nelons (an historic Southern Gospel group) led worship for the opening of the event. My! How they’ve changed through the years, but they did a fine job staying true to their roots while embracing a broader, more contemporary audience. They even joined with Contemporary Christian music artist Natalie Grant (In Better Hands, Your Great Name, etc) to lead worship Monday evening, and Tuesday morning Natalie Grant returned to lead an awakening worship experience to begin the day. The rest of our time together was led by One Sonic Society, a Nashville-based worship band known for songs including Forever Reign and Never Once. And, that was just the people anyone had heard of. The local church worship pastor was amazing, as well as their 150-voice worship choir and orchestra. The church even had an “artist-in-residence” (Regi Stone) who was a great worship leader in his own right. The organizers went all-out to make the time together meaningful and refreshing.
Of course, the Twitterverse was abuzz during the event. The organizers went all out to encourage folks to “tweet” throughout the event (#LCI2014), and tweet they did. Yes, I spent time in the Twitterverse with the rest of the “twits.” Here are a few of my tweets–if you were interested:
“Sometimes you have to risk your reputation so God can establish His reputation.” Mark Batterson #LCI2014
“Do you think Lazarus ever went back to put flowers on his own grave.” Mark Batterson #LCI2014
“When you pray to God regularly, irregular things happen on a regular basis.” Mark Batterson #LCI2014
“Jesus will not answer 100% of the prayers you don’t pray.” Mark Batterson #LCI2014
Obviously, I was quite taken with Mark Batterson’s message.
I left the event feeling restored and refreshed. I left feeling as if I’d been under a resting tree, but I left absolutely worn out! I don’t know…perhaps it was just too much. By the third day, we were running on adrenaline, I suppose. Monday started at 10 a.m., and ended after 9 p.m. Tuesday began at 9 a.m., and ended at 9 p.m. By Wednesday, it was all we could do to make it to the event by 9 a.m. It was exhausting and exhilarating, all at the same time. I made the statement that “restoring the soul sure took a toll on the body.” I really needed to come home to rest from my time under the resting tree. And, don’t even ask me why I slept on the floor all week. That’s another story altogether. Maybe I’ll tell you sometime. Right now…I’m just tired from all this resting, and I’ve still got to preach Sunday!
They always told me I’d be a TV preacher, and I always told them that was the last thing I wanted to be. Little did I know when I was appointed pastor at FUMC I would become a TV preacher. Not that I preach on TV, but Perceptions was in full swing, broadcasting Monday, Wednesday and Friday on KNOE at 6:45 a.m. It wasn’t long before I was hearing as I walked through the mall or ate lunch in a local restaurant, “Hey, I saw you on TV this morning.”
I took up the mantle of Perceptions from Rev. Stafford. The daily devotionals are encouraging and uplifting in nature, and many of them bring a smile to my face as I prepare for recording. In addition to the TV broadcasts, Perceptions is also heard on four area radio stations five days per week (KNOE FM 101.9, KZRZ FM 98.3, KJLO 104.1, and KXRR FM 106.1) near the 7:00 a.m. hour. Everywhere I go, people tell me how much they enjoy listening to Perceptions on their drive to work. Additionally, many of our first time guests indicate they heard about us on Perceptions.Perceptions is a vital outreach ministry for our congregation, and I’m blessed to be a part of that outreach.
We are making a transition in the Perceptions ministry of which I want to make you aware. Beginning Monday, April 28th, Perceptions will no longer be seen on KNOE-TV. We will, however, now be heard on every FM radio station in the Twin Cities. We move from four to seven radio stations five days per week. Based on the demographics of the company we work with in hosting Perceptions in our area, we can reach more of the people we desire to reach by doing more radio. Who do we hope to reach? The un-churched and the de-churched. It’s a matter of raw numbers. We can reach more people on seven radio stations five days a week than we can with our current design, and we can do it less expensively, too. It’s a strategic decision that will allow us to continue to reach the un-churched in our community, and we can utilize the savings to design new outreach opportunities.
So, though my time as a TV preacher was limited to less than one year, I think I’ll be okay with that fact. If it means we have more guests as a result of Perceptions I’ll really be okay with it. Besides, now that we’re webcasting every Sunday, I’m an internet preacher! Maybe internet preachers won’t carry all the baggage that TV preachers do.
We live in a different world these days. I can remember a time, not too long ago, that cell phones were forbidden in worship. We would look askance at someone who had their cell phone out while worship was going on. “How rude!” we used to think. I don’t think that anymore. Cell phones are not just cell phones anymore.
I say that because this past Sunday I got tweeted during the service. Not only did I get tweeted, but I got facebooked, too (Is “facebooked” a word?). In case you’re wondering what I’m talking about, people were actually “tweeting” and posting on Facebook quotes from the message Sunday. One person “tweeted” (if you don’t know what “tweeted” is, you’re obviously not on Twitter), “Giving generously is a core value of a disciple of Jesus Christ,” while another person posted on Facebook, “Generosity is not measured by a particular dollar amount, but by the attitude with which we give.”
I’m most impressed by two things: First, that they were actually listening, and secondly, that they got the quotes right. I’ve discovered in 23 years of preaching that it doesn’t matter nearly so much what I say as it does what the congregation hears because often what I say and what you hear are two different things. Sometimes it happens because I don’t communicate well. Other times, it happens because the congregation isn’t listening. Most often, it occurs because the Holy Spirit does the interpreting. Remember, there are always three actors in every sermon—the preacher who prepares the message, the person who hears the message, and the Holy Spirit who carries the message.
I’m also impressed that the message of the Gospel can be instantaneously sent beyond the walls of the church building. Twitter and Facebook make it possible for my message to be a part of the social network of every person present who communicates via either of those media. That’s absolutely incredible! What it does is multiplies the reach of my message exponentially. That’s a humbling thought, and makes it that much more necessary to be careful in the words I choose to communicate the Gospel. One wrong word, either misspoken or misunderstood, can make all the difference in the world. But, still, Twitter and Facebook (as well as other forms of social media) can be wonderful vessels for sharing the Good News of salvation in Jesus Christ.
So, bring on your cell phones. Oh, but do silence them (we won’t ask you to leave like they do at the cinema) so as not to disturb your neighbor, and please, don’t play cards or Angry Birds. You might also keep the selfies to a minimum, too. But, please, use it for your bible, “tweet” me, or Facebook me, but whatever you do, share the Gospel. That’s what disciples do.
I began writing a blog when I was a District Superintendent as a discipline meant to replace the discipline of sermon writing. Since DS’s don’t preach every week, I found it was real easy to get out of the habit of sermon preparation. Seriously, a DS could have one good sermon and preach it in a different church each week. I’ve read some of the great evangelists of days gone by would have 8-10 good sermons and would preach them over and over for a year at a time. I rather like the challenge of preparing sermons week in and week out. That’s one of the elements of the work of ministry that energizes me. Blogging became a way for me to keep that habit of weekly preparation. It was also a way for me to vent sometimes, but I always tried to acknowledge that was what I was doing.
Now that I’m back in the local church, I’m not blogging nearly as often. Because blogging was a way to keep the habit of preparation, I don’t need it to as much anymore. So, as I’m thinking and praying this morning, I’m trying to capture a vision for what this blog might be. My readership is down now, and I think that’s because I’m not blogging as often. Of course, as I’ve looked back at my stats (yes, WordPress provides copious amounts of statistical information), I’ve discovered that the days I’ve had the most readers is on days I’ve written something that might be considered controversial–the only exception being my tribute post to Rev. Jimmie Pyles that appeared on “theunexpectedds.” That was the most read post I’ve ever written. I’m not writing too many posts that could be considered controversial these days. Oh! I could write some! But, because I’m a pastor (though, not a perfect one), I choose to remain silent on some of the issues facing both church and culture these days. Don’t think I don’t have my opinions. I just choose not to put them out for public consumption. Generating readers on a blog is nothing that strokes my ego.
I could post weekly, I suppose, if I wanted to share excerpts from the past Sunday’s sermon. After all, experts I read these days say for a pastor to remain relevant, he/she must have an on-line presence (I wonder if an expert is really an expert if it’s a self designation?). I suppose I blog to maintain that on-line presence, and that might be all the vision that’s needed for this blog, but I also think a good number of my readers are church members, and I don’t want the blog to simply be a re-hash of the Sunday sermon. But, then again, not everyone makes it to church on Sunday, and I do have followers who aren’t members, so…
As I seek a vision for this blog, let me share some thoughts on vision. They come as random thoughts from this random mind.
Vision is acknowledging what is, and seeing what could be or should be.
Vision is the ability to define a preferred future.
Vision is birthed out of a time of reflection. Waiting time is not wasted time.
God-given vision is birthed out of prayer. Prayer for a God-given vision should soon be followed by planning for God’s vision to become reality.
A dream is not a vision. A dream is something we wish would happen. A vision is something we take action to make happen.
Dreamers say, “I wish _________ would happen.” Visionaries ask, “How can I make __________ happen?”
Dreamers ask God to do something. Visionaries ask God to do something through them.
Nothing makes vision more concrete than writing it down on paper. If it’s not on paper, it’s probably just a dream.
I don’t know if any of those random thoughts help me define a preferred future for this blog, but there’s nothing quite like processing the whole matter by writing about it. And, hey? Someone reading this might actually share a thought that could become the vision for this blog. Or, my random thoughts on vision might help bring clarity to a vision God is birthing in a reader right now. That would be a worthy result, now wouldn’t it? Might even be a pretty good vision of what this blog could become. Yeah, now I’m just rambling.
So, I’ll close now. Experts also say a blog post should be between 600 and 800 words. I’m at my limit.
I woke up again this morning realizing how blessed I am. Yesterday was a horribly rainy day in Monroe, LA (actually I think it was a horribly rainy day across most of the Mid-South region). I had to drive through standing water on the roadways just to get to church. I knew worship attendance would be affected (seriously, if I wasn’t the pastor, I would have reconsidered myself!), and the big, big thing was yesterday was the day we re-scheduled our previously scheduled first-ever “block” party. The first time we scheduled our block party we cancelled because of an ice-storm. This time, I would expect Noah and his family to be the only ones to show up. I was wrong!
I met with some of our staff members early yesterday morning, and we determined that we couldn’t cancel again. We decided to move the event from the recreation center field next door into our fellowship hall. I tell you, the event was amazing. Denise Hardy (who pulls double duty as our facilities coordinator and our children’s minister) did a fantastic job in organizing the event. The children had an awesome time playing the games and eating hot dogs…and dancing (my, how they danced)! The music was incredible, too! We have such a talented congregation. Let’s see…Chris and Kim Winterman, Jonathan Putnam, Treina Landrum, Kelsey Malone, Toby Traylor, and even Mr. Beevums himself, Jonathon Bevil, provided us with some great tunes to groove by, and everyone, especially the children, were dancing til their hearts content. And, did I mention volunteers? What a great group of volunteers Denise had organized to put on the event. From set up to service to clean up, the volunteers were amazing and abundant! They served so faithfully, and on a day when the title of the day’s sermon was “Serving Faithfully.” It might have been conviction that had them serving so well, but I rather think it was faithfulness.
I’ve written about the incredible staff and volunteers who made the event possible. Now, let me tell you about the incredible congregation that showed up for the event on one of the dreariest days of the year in Monroe. I won’t say they turned out in droves, but there were over 200 people who waded water as deep as 10″ in the parking lot to share the fun of the afternoon. I’ll tell you how bad it was–my wife, Vanessa, even threatened to turn around and go back home as she tried to get out of our neighborhood. Water was over the road it several places, and she was scared to drive through it in some places, but she, like so many others soldiered through and showed up to enjoy the fun. Amazing! Simply amazing…from an incredible congregation.
I must admit…I was discouraged when I went to church yesterday in the rain. A lot of planning, and a lot of expense had gone into preparations for our block party. We wanted it to be an event we could use to engage our neighborhood. I’m not sure we engaged our neighborhood very much, but we sure engaged each other with food, fun and fellowship. Maybe that’s what we needed for the first one. Let’s call it a dry run (did you catch the pun?) for future block parties–hopefully on days that are filled with sunshine and even more people. I was not, however, discouraged when I made it home last night. I was filled with gratitude and wonder as I considered how blessed I am to pastor such a great congregation. And, I was blessed by how their faithfulness helped to make yesterday the greatest rainy day ever…
We’ve been “strengthening our core” at FUMC, Monroe during this Lenten season in the hopes of becoming Christian to the Core. We’ve been focusing on those “core” practices of discipleship found in Acts 2:42-47–
42 They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. 43 Everyone was filled with awe at the many wonders and signs performed by the apostles. 44 All the believers were together and had everything in common. 45 They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need. 46 Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, 47 praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.
Sometimes, I think we forget how important worship is to the core of our discipleship. With the continuing decline in worship attendance across the United States, it’s almost as if worship has become optional, or at the very least “convenient.” Has worship really become like this video:
Worship is important because we are made to give glory to our Maker. I have my phone here. It’s a Nokia Windows phone. I use it every day to make phone calls, text, check my calendar, e-mail, and the weather. I even use it as a GPS when I’m driving. Every time this phone performs as it’s designed to perform, it reflects well on the Nokia employees who made it. That’s what great creations do—they reflect well on their makers. And that’s what worship is: reflecting well, or giving glory to our maker—and at least on occasion, gathering with others to acknowledge our gratitude for being made and provided for.
The Bible’s opening chapter says, “God saw all that he had made, and it was very good.” Very good things give glory to the one who made them. They can’t help it.
Perhaps the most challenging verse in the Bible for 21st Century western culture is found in the book of Hebrews. It’s challenging because it addresses the competing allegiances that vie for our sacred “weekend” time—things like sporting events and weekend getaways.
Hebrews 10:24-25
24 And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. 25 Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.
The Bible says it’s good for us to meet together so that we can spur one another on toward love and good deeds. That’s why we get together. The second reason worship is important is because it’s God’s will for us to gather weekly. We need to “meet together” because when we’re here, we grow and give God glory. Worship is part of spiritual growth. Worship is part of the “core of the core” that we talked about last week. When we’re not here, we’re missed and everybody else who’s gathered is missing something because one of us isn’t here. We need what meeting can do for us.
Gathering weekly for worship is a primary, foundational habit, because it resets our priorities every week, before the week begins. My DVR freezes up from time to time. The cure for its ailment is to unplug it for 30 seconds (according to the technician on the other end of the phone). I’ve often wondered why 30 seconds? What would happen if I plugged it back in at 29 seconds, or left it unplugged for 31 seconds? Regardless, unplugging the DVR resets it, and it has to be reset occasionally to function properly. Our lives are a non-stop blitz of messages and inputs. We read books and magazines, we watch television shows, we listen to the radio while we’re driving and to our smartphones while we’re exercising or doing whatever. All of these inputs are telling us something about life. “Vote ‘em off the Island” shows communicate a certain way to win. Sit-coms and dramas tell us how they think we should dress and talk and treat others. We may not agree with what they say or how the people on those shows act, but the DVR that is our memory is always running and storing what we see on our mental hard-drive. All these inputs influence us. The average person saw 500 ads per day in the 1970’s. Today, the average person sees 5,000 ads per day. Our brains absorb every message. Many of those messages distort our view of God, other people, and the world around us. Worship is the place to clear up the distortion.
It’s good to be reminded that we’re not the center of the universe, that the one with the most toys doesn’t win, or that the things we buy, try, taste and wear aren’t going to make us happy over the long haul. Worship is a reminder that this is my Father’s world. In worship the songs, the message, and the people remind us that despite how we’ve seen people treated all week, people matter to God and ought to be treated with respect and dignity.
In worship, we’re reminded that we are significant and that God has good plans for us. Worship reminds us that God has a purpose for all of us, and it reminds us that He wants to use us in bringing salvation of His creation. Worship reminds us that character matters and the Lord wants us to act with integrity, honesty, justice, love, joy, peace, and patience. In worship, we get the interior of our soul reset, and our priorities can be repositioned.
The challenge of worship goes beyond these walls, though. Worship is a way of life, too. The Apostle Paul gives us a clue in Romans 12. Eugene Peterson’s The Message says it this way:
“So here’s what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life—your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life—and place it before God as an offering. Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for him. Don’t become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You’ll be changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what he wants from you, and quickly respond to it. Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to its level of immaturity, God brings the best out of you, develops well-formed maturity in you.”
How do I place my “walking around life” before God? I’ll answer that in a minute, but first let me clue you in on something. This “offering” we put before God, many other translations say “your spiritual act of worship.” That word “spiritual” literally translates as “logical.” Paul is saying the most logical thing we can do is worship God because of all that God has done for us.
Back in Paul’s day, the Jews still worshiped God by bringing a bull, a ram, or a lamb, or pigeons or doves to the altar in the Temple; slit its throat; and then placed its body on the altar as a sacrifice. The difference for us is, instead of being a dead sacrifice, our logical response to all that God has done is to become living sacrifices. We are walking-around sacrifices that give God honor all day long. Some people believe worship only takes place in church on Sundays. Sunday worship is incredibly important, but from God’s perspective, worship is more than that. Let’s put it this way–worship is a verb.
Worship is not a noun that describes a person, place, or thing. It’s a verb that describes an action, something we do. Honestly it’s really not something we “do”, it’s part of WHO WE ARE. Like my phone gives Nokia credit by doing what it does well, we give God glory by doing everything we do well. Have you ever worshiped while doing household chores? Our attitude while serving can please or displease God. Tomorrow morning, when we get up, we can give God glory by saying, “Thank you, Lord, that I get to live another day.” When we get in our car, we can give God glory by how we drive to work, and the attitude we maintain toward the drivers around us (I never preach a sermon to someone else until I preach it to myself). When the car next to us cuts us off, we can choose to give God glory…or not. By all means, if you have a Jesus bumper sticker, or a Christian fish on your car, please choose to give God glory.
At work, at school, on the athletic field or social functions, our intensity, our teachability, or attitudes, our openness can all be either acts of worship, or not. Again, the Apostle Paul reminds us in Colossians 3:23: “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as if you were working for the Lord and not for a person.” That is worship.
Parents, investing in our children, raising them well, loving them, teaching them to love God is an act of worship. Children and teenagers—how you treat your parents, your attitude when you help with chores, how you treat your brothers and sisters, are all acts of worship.
Listen again to how Peterson translates it in The Message: “Take your everyday, ordinary life—your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life—and place it before God as an offering (an act of worship).” That’s how we worship!
So, let’s worship. We were made to do it, God asks us to do it, and in view of who He is and all that He’s done for us, it’s the least we can do on Sundays at church and during the week in every aspect of our lives.
We’ve been discussing the “core” values of a disciple of Jesus Christ at First United Methodist Church, Monroe, hoping to discover those practices that will strengthen our discipleship and effectiveness in the Kingdom of God. I began the series talking about the core muscles of the human body, and the necessity of strengthening those core muscles. The core muscles serve as the foundation for the rest of the body, enhancing power, stability and balance. I conducted a live interview on Sunday morning with Kristy Rizzo, a member of FUMC, Monroe, as well as a certified professional trainer at Monroe Athletic Center. I brought Kristy in to talk more specifically about the core muscles because we talked about the “core of the core” this morning–spiritual growth. Kristy did a great job, but I challenged the congregation to take some steps, even if they are baby steps, to be intentional in developing a plan for spiritual growth. I promised in the morning message that I’d have some resources posted on my blog for folks to get started on “growing up” in grace. I like to keep my promises.
One of the best resources I’ve found, and that I use daily is entitled Our Daily Bread. It’s a great resource with a daily devotional, a suggested scripture reading, a one-year bible reading plan (if you’re so disposed!), and either a brief prayer or hymn quote. It’s a great way to start each day. You can also subscribe via email, or if you just absolutely need that hard copy in your hand, can order the old fashioned way.
Another excellent resource is The Upper Room. Like Our Daily Bread, The Upper Room is a daily devotional with scripture reading and a brief prayer. Some folks I know use both The Upper Room and Our Daily Bread in their daily routine. Also like ODB, The Upper Room is available in an email subscription form or via snail mail, so the choices are abundant.
Another on-line resource that I use often, both devotionally and in sermon preparation is Bible Gateway. Bible Gateway is an on-line bible with nearly one hundred translations (all the latest ones are available) including Hebrew, Greek, Spanish and a few other languages. A person can do parallel searches, and there are many commentaries linked to the site as well. It’s a great resource for everyone from the beginner to the theological scholar.
If you missed it, or if you’re interested, here’s the major portion of the text from this morning’s message (the entire text is not here because it was an interview with Kristy Rizzo):
”
We continue to talk about developing our “core” as disciples of Jesus Christ. We’ve talked about creating a community of faith, and we’ve talked about living invitationally as we invite others to experience Jesus. I asked Kristy to come today because our third practice of studying devotionally is the “core of the core” if you will. Studying devotionally is about “growing up” in our faith, and as the core of the core, I think this whole body metaphor continues to communicate in a powerful way. It makes it practical for us. I could spend the next twenty minutes unpacking a biblical foundation for intentional spiritual growth, but you’d leave saying, “That’s interesting,” or, “That was boring.” None of us would leave with practical stuff we can put into action today. That’s what I want to spend our time doing, and I think the questions we asked Kristy about the core of the body serves as a great foundation for making the connection spiritually.
We asked about the primary core muscles. What are those “core” spiritual muscles? Community we’ve mentioned. Evangelism we’ve explored. We’ll discover worship, service and generosity in the weeks ahead, but we’re reflecting on spiritual growth today—intentionally doing those things that help us grow in our understanding of discipleship. Growth is all-encompassing. When we grow spiritually every other practice of discipleship is made stronger. We serve more, we give more, we invite more, we create a stronger community, and our worship is more meaningful—it’s all connected.
That also speaks to the value of having a strong core. We literally become better disciples. We all know we should grow spiritually, but life gets in the way and we end up not growing. We hear messages like this one and we start to feel guilty. That makes it worse. So, not only are we not doing it, now we feel bad for not doing it. God must really be mad at us now! That’s where bad theology can mess us up.
When we fail to grow spiritually, God does not love us any less. But, when we grow spiritually, we grow to know Him better. The better we know Him, the more peace we find, the more joy we experience, the more good we accomplish, the more love we know, the more love we show, the abundant life we live. When we grow spiritually, the more like Jesus we become, and that’s the whole purpose of being a disciple. So, there is value in growing. We know it.
We also know the “exercises” that will promote that growth, especially if we’ve been around the church any length of time. If we’re looking for a place to start, though, the best place is the same place the first century disciples started. Acts 2:42 says, “They joined with the other believers and devoted themselves to the Apostle’s teaching and fellowship, sharing in the Lord’s supper and in prayer.” Let’s start where they started:
Prayer
Bible study (the first century equivalent was the apostle’s teaching)
Both private and corporate
Fellowship
Worship (you’re here, so you’re already growing—great start!)
The Lord’s Supper (John Wesley practiced as often as possible—he saw it as transformative)
Other spiritual disciplines (since we’re in the season of Lent)
Meditation
Fasting
Journaling
Service
Just as there are exercises that strengthen our body, there are exercises that help us grow spiritually, and we have to give ourselves to these practices to achieve that growth.
So, that raises the question “What if I’ve never exercised before?” Well, you’re exercising right now, but I also want to make it clear that growth is hard work. Nothing worth having is ever achieved very easily. I don’t want you to be misled. Growing spiritually is life-changing, but it’ll be hard work.
Our first inclination is to jump head-first and go all-in. We come quickly out of the gates, and being accustomed to speedy results in our microwave culture, when we don’t see immediate results, we get discouraged. We say, “What’s the use?” Alternatively, like when we exercise too much, too quickly, we’ll “strain” something…get tired, rather “burn out,” so we give up and quit. We get stunted in our growth. If we’ve never prayed before, it’s not smart to decide to go into a closet, shut the door and pray for an hour. If we’ve never done that, we’ll drive ourselves crazy! Here’s a better way to start: First thing in the morning, simply recite the Lord’s Prayer. But, do it daily. Actually, here’s your challenge: Pray the Lord’s Prayer every morning for the next 30 days.
Abbot John Chapman gave this advice to those who asked him about ways to grow spiritually. He said, “Pray as you can, not as you can’t.” Each of us is at a different place. We must follow God’s leading in our lives. It’s not so much a question of what we’re doing as much as it is a question of “Are we doing anything?” Maybe our Bible study needs to get deeper. Let me issue another challenge. If you’re not doing a bible study, join me in the fellowship hall on Wednesday as I begin leading a study from the book of Nehemiah. We’ll explore a God-given vision. Perhaps you simply need to join a Sunday school class, or a group like Bible Study fellowship. You guys, how about fellowship? Join us this Tuesday for our first Men at Work Lunch. These are all ways to grow. Have questions? Call the church office. We’ll get you connected.
Kristy talked about some alternative exercises for those who are older, and not as mobile as they used to be. Just as she gave examples of what we can do, so we understand that we NEVER stop growing spiritually. It’s a process that’s never over. It’s like a tree. A tree grows until the moment it dies. We are always growing deeper in our love for and knowledge of Jesus Christ. We may incorporate new techniques and new practices, but we keep growing. We Wesleyans believe that is God’s sanctifying grace at work in our lives.
We want to be successful. We want to see results. What’s the key? Repetition, repetition, repetition. Routine, routine, routine. Discipline, discipline, discipline. There really is a reason they call them “the spiritual disciplines.” Commitment early on is easy. I remember when I started running. I was passionate about it. I felt good. I was seeing results. I worked my way up to running 20-25 miles per week over 5-6 days per week. I was committed to the task. Lost a lot of weight, too. One day, I got a call from the Bishop asking me to serve as the Monroe District Superintendent, and the demands of the job took more time. I was now running 16-20 miles per week over 4-5 days. I soon found myself thinking, “Hey! I’m healthy.” So, I began running 10-15 miles per week over 3-4 days per week. Commitment wanes over time. Yeah, it’s better than most, but still it’s not as strong as I could be.
Just like with our bodies, no one can compel us to grow spiritually. Spiritual health is something we have to desire. I think wanting to want to is a great place to start. Wanting to want to is the Holy Spirit nudging us in His direction. That, too, is the sanctifying grace of God working in us to transform us. After all, that’s the whole point of spiritual growth—to transform us—from what we are to what God wants us to be, and what God wants us to be are disciples who love Him completely and others unashamedly, and who he might use for His glory in the world.”
I might also be saying there is no such thing as a honeymoon period. After two years as a District Superintendent, I think it’s reasonable to say an appointment starts well and stays well, or it starts poorly and stays that way. It can happen for numerous reasons there’s no need unpacking in this venue. Suffice it to say, sometimes, the Cabinet makes a poor choice for leadership in a church. Sometimes, a church is so dysfunctional that Jesus himself couldn’t pastor the church. Other times, a pastor goes to a new appointment with the wrong attitude. But, enough about that…
Not the Perfect Pastor 