Ten for Christmas…

December 17, 2023 / pastorlynnmalone / Leave a comment

So, I’m not posting the blog that I really wanted to post this morning. Following the sage advice of my sweet wife, I hit the delete button on that post, so it will never see the light of day. That post, written completely as satire, was funny, honest and accurate, but according to her it was also hateful. Suffice it to say that the writing of that post was a bit cathartic in processing some anger I’ve been dealing with recently.

That being said, you’re getting this post instead. Trust me. This post is much more beneficial for anyone hoping to improve their walk with the Lord and deepen their spiritual life. So, let’s begin with some questions.

Are you looking for the perfect Christmas gift for the reader in your family? Don’t know what to get your prayer partner for that annual gift swap at Christmas? Are you looking for something to utilize in the new year as part of your next devotional practice?

Look no further! In this blog I’m going to offer a list of ten books that have had a profound impact on my life through my years in ministry. Some of them will be great to incorporate into your devotional life. Others will be great to share with a person who is hurting or struggling with life issues. Still others are simply great books that every earnest disciple of Jesus should read at some point in their journey.

In no particular order, here are ten books that I can easily recommend for personal use or as gifts to the readers in your life.

The Return of the Prodigal Son by Henri Nouwen.

Perhaps one of the most profound books I’ve ever read. Prompted by his own encounter with Rembrandt’s painting by the same name, Nouwen offers vivid reflections on the well-known parable that speaks to grace, forgiveness and reconciliation in new and challenging ways. I have led study groups numerous times on this book, and each time I did, I learned new insights into the parable and into my own need for grace…and my need to be graceful towards others.

Another impactful book by Nouwen is The Wounded Healer.

Though I never utilized it for study groups, it was through this book that I learned my service to others is best offered by recognizing and acknowledging my own woundedness. My wounds can become a source of strength to help others. It’s a relatively short book and it served well for devotional reading as part of my regular discipline.

The Pursuit of God A W Tozer

If one is looking for an experiential, intentional and transformational faith, then this is the book for you. I love me some A W Tozer! Spiritually deep but incredibly readable. This makes a fantastic devotional. This is one I’ve read multiple times. I’m not sure what constitutes a “classical” book, but I guarantee you that Tozer will still be read 100 (if not 500) years from now.

Celebration of Discipline Richard Foster

More than any other, Foster’s book taught me what the spiritual disciplines are and how to begin to practice them in my daily life. I have read it multiple times and have referred to it often in sermon and bible study preparation. I’m not sure how old a book has to be to be considered a classic. This book was first published in 1978, so it may not qualify. I would say, though, that it has become one of the definitive works on the spiritual disciplines certainly in modern times. This book is a great place to start if you’re serious about practicing the spiritual disciplines.

The Imitation of Christ Thomas a Kempis

This is one I read as a seminary student. The Imitation of Christ is the most read Christian book behind the Bible and will stand as a classic as long as the Christian faith exists. It is great as a devotional read, and I have read it multiple times in that manner. I have even used it as sermon material throughout the years.

The Screwtape Letters C S Lewis

You have to put your thinking cap on to read this one, and you really have to be able to think in reverse to understand the message Lewis is communicating, but if you can accomplish that task, you’ll understand in a whole new way temptation, sin, human nature, spiritual warfare and the nature of faith. The book is funny in a crazy sort of way, but Lewis captures the essence of the human condition and explains it well with dialogue between two demons named Screwtape and Wormwood.

The Cost of Discipleship Dietrich Bonhoeffer

A call by Bonhoeffer to the costly grace of true discipleship. Cheap grace is defined by Bonhoeffer as “the preaching of forgiveness without requiring repentance, baptism without Church discipline, Communion without confession, and absolution without contrition.” Every believer should read this book.

Life Together Dietrich Bonhoeffer

A short treatise on common life and accountability in Christian discipleship. Bonhoeffer practiced this model with his students in an underground seminary during the Nazi years in Germany. This is an extremely easy read but its depth is exceptional. Bonhoeffer makes me ask the question, “Why can’t we create community like this?” Perhaps some have and I’ve just missed it. Has the Church gone wrong in this regard? I wonder?

Dark Night of the Soul St. John of the Cross

This one is hard to read, but if God feels absent in your life, it is worth the effort. I read this book when I took a sabbatical in 2008. I was on sabbatical because I was struggling with my call to ministry (and some other personal issues). It helped me to understand that sometimes God is so close that we can’t see him.

The Practice of the Presence of God Brother Lawrence

A humble servant of God shares how we can encounter God in even the most mundane of circumstances and in our daily responsibilities. Brother Lawrence taught me how to begin seeing the majesty in the mundane of my every day. Whenever I feel sad, or grumpy, or bored, I often remember Brother Lawrence and I start searching for the Lord in what is happening around me. A true Christian classic if there ever was one.

There are many books that I have found challenging and impactful through the years, but these ten are at the top of the list. Notice I did not say that they were my ten favorites. The Return of the Prodigal Son would be on that list, too, but I’ll save that list for another day. These are on this list because either I or my behavior was changed as a result of reading them. So, I commend them to you so that your life might be changed, or the life of the reader on your Christmas list might be changed.

Until next time, keep looking up…

Random Ramblings and Rants…

December 3, 2023 / pastorlynnmalone / Leave a comment

So, this has been a week where I’ve been challenged by so many thoughts in my mind that I think I need this venue to try to gain some clarity from them. Processing all these thought via this means may bring me some clarity, but it also might serve to confuse you in the process, so…be prepared!

Ramblings

First, I’ve been challenged by Eugene Peterson this week. Last week, I went to the bookstore (I haven’t been in ages!) and in my browsing I came across a recently released compilation of Peterson’s sermons entitled “Lights a Lovely Mile.” I incorporate reading other peoples sermons into my devotional routine on occasion, and having a fondness for Peterson, I thought the book would be good to further that endeavor.

I have been challenged by two particular thoughts this week. The first is this:

“Jesus became an event. He was a stopping place for sacred history. The birth of Jesus was like arriving at the top of a mountain peak after a long, difficult climb: You can look back and see the whole trip in perspective, see everything in true relationship. And you don’t have to climb anymore.”
Lights a Lovely Mile, Eugene Peterson

I have read that paragraph over and over this week. Peterson’s capacity to use the English language to craft a beautiful thought is unrivaled, but honestly, as I’ve read and re-read the passage this week, I’m still trying to grasp the essence of what Peterson is communicating.

Yes, Jesus is a stopping place for sacred history and the fulfillment of the Old Testament prophecies. Only from the perspective of Jesus can one truly understand the Old Testament. But, that last phrase, “And you don’t have to climb anymore” confuses me. Why do I feel like I’m still climbing?

Perhaps I’m not climbing, but rather I’m running. I’m reminded of Paul’s counsel to the Corinthian church:

Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize.
1 Corinthians 9:24 (NIV)

Whether I’m climbing or running, I feel like there is so much further I have to go on the journey to be like Jesus, so I haven’t squared that circle with Peterson’s thought just yet. But, I’m working on it.

The second of Peterson’s thoughts I’ve pondered endlessly this week is this:

“The bottom step in a staircase is neither better or worse than the top step: It is good in its own right and a way of getting upstairs.”
Lights a Lovely Mile, Eugene Peterson

I like this imagery by Peterson. Most days I feel like I’m still closer to the bottom step than the top, but at least I’m on the staircase, and I’m still climbing. There are days I don’t feel like I’ve made any progress. I look back and the bottom seems so close. I look up and the top looks so far away. It’s good to be reminded that the bottom step is no better or worse than the top. It’s just a step. The question I’ve wrestled with all week is: Am I still on the staircase?

At least Peterson has me thinking…

Advent Rambling

The dawn of another Advent season has me thinking, as well. I suppose Peterson’s analogy of the staircase is appropriate for me this Advent season. Advent is a time to look back to the coming of Christ, but also to look forward to His coming again. It is a season of anticipation and preparation. An event over the past week has caused me to contemplate an integral part of preparing for Advent.

There is on my 40 mile route to work a place where the local constabulary likes to hang out to monitor traffic. Many times on my way to or from work, I’ll see an officer parked at this same location. I know he/she is likely to be there, and as I approach this location I always glance down to insure that my foot hasn’t gotten heavy on the accelerator of my truck. I think that’s called accountability.

So, last week I’m driving along and I pass this location, and sure enough, there sits the police officer. I glance down and yup, I’m only going 74 miles per hour. Should be fine, right? That’s what I thought until after I passed the officer. After my passing, the officer pulls out onto the interstate. So, I slow down to 70. Who wants to see blue lights in their rearview? Not me!

So, why not think of Advent like that police car? When there is the possibility of blue lights in the rearview, the speed you drive suddenly takes on a new importance. That blinker that you frequently fail to use when making a lane change or a turn suddenly matters. Oh yeah! That yellow light on the traffic signal no longer means “Hurry up and get through the light.” It now means, “Slow down, fool, there’s a police officer behind you!” What a difference blue lights in the rearview make.

Advent can serve as a reminder of the fact that just as accountability is a part of being a licensed driver, so too, it is a part of being a disciple of Jesus Christ. What we do with our lives does matter. How we think, act, speak, these are a part of the fabric of our response to God’s grace, and we will someday face an accounting of our living.

Perhaps that’s why Jesus told his disciples to “Be ready!”

⁴²“Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come. ⁴³But understand this: If the owner of the house had known at what time of night the thief was coming,he would have kept watch and would not have let his house be broken into. ⁴⁴So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him.
Matthew 24: 42-44 (NIV)

A Couple of Rants

I’ve rambled, so now let me rant. My first rant has to do with the way we Christians treat one another. This article explains it better than I can, but suffice it to say when I read how the Louisiana Annual Conference and its leadership threatened its retired clergy with retributive action should they preach or worship in any congregation that had disaffiliated from the UMC, I was livid. How dare they! Is it even legal? So much for having an “amicable” separation.

I was livid, for sure, but it wasn’t long until the Holy Spirit gently reminded me that I didn’t have a dog in that hunt anymore. I wasn’t “retired.” I left! Still, I have many friends and former colleagues who were now faced with a decision that was imposed upon them in a totally unjust manner. I could have stayed and fought the fight with them. Would have probably been the appropriate thing to do.

Honestly, I just sensed (from one who had been on the “inside”) how ugly it was going to get, and selfishly, just didn’t want to subject myself to the treatment some of my former colleagues have since experienced. I should probably repent for leaving, but I still believe it was the right decision.

One final rant–and, it’s about politics. Did you see the big debate on Thursday? You know? The one between Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida and Gov. Gavin Newsom of California. I’m not going to critique the debate, but I am going to rant about the debate on abortion. Actually, I’m going to say they were debating the entirely wrong point–at least from a Christian perspective. The debate was over when an abortion should be allowed–six weeks or fifteen weeks (or as some Democrats suggest, up until the moment of birth).

The question is not when should it be allowed. The debate should begin with this question: What is in the womb?

My answer? A person. At the moment of conception or the moment of birth what is in the womb is a person. How do we treat a person in our culture? We do not kill them. Period. Either at the beginning of life, at the end of life, or at any point in between. Any debate on the issue of abortion must begin with the answer to the question “What is in the womb?” Without agreement on the answer to that foundational question, no answer will be sufficient.

I’m ranting because both the Democrats and the Republicans have the answer wrong. Six weeks, fifteen weeks or 39 weeks, there is a life in the womb, and the only Pro-Life answer is to not support abortion under any circumstance. Yes, it’s an extreme position, but I hold it, and it’s out there now, so do with it what you will. Perhaps that’s another reason I’m no longer a Democrat or Republican.

We can talk about alternatives to abortion another time. That’s enough rambling and ranting for one day. Besides, I have to preach today. I have a lot of praying to do between now and 10:30 a.m., to get my heart and my mind right after the week I’ve had. All this rambling and ranting has distracted me.

Until next time, keep looking up…

Living the Dream…

November 26, 2023 / pastorlynnmalone / Leave a comment

⁹If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. ¹⁰For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is ith your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved. ¹¹As Scripture says, “Anyone who believes in him will never be put to shame.” ¹²For there is no difference between Jew and Gentile—the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on him, ¹³for, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”

¹⁴How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them?¹⁵And how can anyone preach unless they are sent? As it is written: “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!”

¹⁶But not all the Israelites accepted the good news. For Isaiah says, “Lord, who has believed our message?” ¹⁷Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word about Christ.
Romans 10: 9 – 17 (NIV)

This passage from Romans was part of my devotional reading on Thanksgiving day this past week. As I read this passage, I did so with mixed (?) feelings simply because this passage was so central in helping me discern God’s call to ministry over 32 years ago. Why were the feelings so mixed? My feelings were mixed because there are many days that I wonder if I am continuing to live out His call. To use the Apostle Paul’s imagery, I should state it this way: I’m not feeling like my feet are very beautiful these days.

Perhaps the feelings were also being fueled by a recent book I read entitled Goodbye Jesus: An Evangelical Preacher’s Journey Beyond Faith by Tim Sledge. Let me save you the pain of reading the book by offering a synopsis. Young man is called and begins preaching at age 16. Young man goes to college and seminary and graduates with multiple degrees. Young man marries. Young man serves numerous congregations until arriving as pastor of what becomes a “mega-church.” Young man starts vital ministries that impact congregations throughout the nation while leading the mega-church congregation. Pastor gets booted from mega-church congregation for no apparent reason. Pastor eventually gets divorced. Pastor gets re-married and divorced again. Pastor leaves ministry. Pastor loses faith in Jesus Christ and His Church.

While that is definitely the abridged version of the story, reading it did prompt me to reconsider what I believe about Jesus Christ and His Church, and why I believe it. As of today, I did not come down on the same side as the former Rev. Dr. Sledge.

Today, I am more committed to Christ and HIs Church than perhaps that day in October 1990 when I walked down the aisle at (what is now) Chatham Community Church and announced that I felt called to ministry.

May I say that I’ve been living the dream ever since!

Honestly, as a young man I never dreamed of being in ministry. It’s just nothing I ever considered. If you asked me as a teenager what my dream was, I would have told you to go into communications (I wanted to be Bob Barker, remember?).

Later, as a young man I would have told you I saw myself owning and running a business. Sure, I was working in law enforcement at the time, but I knew that would never be a career for me. I would be an entrepreneur, or hey, I might even go into politics (yup, tried that, too!), or why not do both? That was the dream in my early adult life. Let’s just say that God has a great sense of humor!

God’s sense of humor had me communicating on a weekly basis, engaging my entrepreneurial bent in growing congregations and managing the politics of leading a church. Yeah, funny right? God called me to ministry and gave me opportunity to do all the things I dreamed about as a kid and as a young man. It is called “living the dream,” just not in the way I thought.

There were days I thought the dream might become a nightmare. It’s on those days that I can understand how the former Rev. Dr. Sledge might reach the conclusion he did. Those sentiments came to a head for me in February 2019 as I watched events unfold at the special session of General Conference of the United Methodist Church. I’ve never seen the Church so ugly…or so ugly toward one another. Yes, I know the Church has a long history of ugly episodes, but I didn’t live through them. Experiencing the ugliness in real time takes a toll…or, at least it did on me.

I won’t say I lost my faith as a result of General Conference 2019, but I did lose a lot of faith in the institution and its leadership. If I didn’t lose my faith, I at least surely questioned it. I questioned His call to ministry. I questioned my commitment to Christ and His Church…and particularly the United Methodist Church. Could the Church be broken beyond repair? Could I make a difference anymore? Did I want to make a difference anymore? Was it worth the fight?

In 2019, my answer to the last three questions was “no.” I wouldn’t call it a crisis of faith, but I would call it a challenge to my faith, and I wasn’t sure I had the energy to withstand the challenge. The dream had become a nightmare and the nightmare led me to make the decision to leave ministry and the United Methodist Church. By far, the hardest decision I’ve ever made, but with it came a sense of relief…like a burden was lifted…like the way a person is supposed to feel when he/she comes to faith in Jesus Christ. It seemed to be working in reverse, though.

I can certainly understand how the former Rev. Dr. Sledge came to his conclusion. He sought healing and restoration through the church only to be rebuffed at every turn. Yes, there were moral lapses and ethical failures, but (for heaven’s sake!) the church is supposed to be a place of healing and restoration, isn’t it? We’re not supposed to shoot our own! He wasn’t booted from his pastoral position as a result of those moral lapses or ethical failures. They came after the fact. His living of the dream certainly turned into a nightmare. As the conclusion of the book reveals, the nightmare impacted his view of faith and the church. I sympathize with him, but I am eternally grateful I didn’t reach the same conclusion.

No, my time away from ministry brought me a new perspective. It gave me time to breathe, to think, to pray, to reflect and to reassess the call to ministry. When I made the decision in May 2019 to walk away, I thought surely I was done with ministry. Yes, I knew I would probably fill a pulpit for a vacationing pastor from time to time, but otherwise, enough was enough. It was time for a new dream, new plans and a new life.

Want to make God laugh? Tell Him your plans.

Initially, I didn’t receive many calls to fill in for clergy. I suppose I was damaged goods, or folks didn’t think I would be interested in pulpit supply (after all, I DID walk away). It’s probably a good thing. It gave me more time to miss the work of ministry, more time to reflect, more time to pray. Then, after seven months, the world changed–Covid-19!

The pandemic changed the way the church functioned. It was an absolute necessity. I watched with curiosity as pastors and lay leaders “pivoted” the way they did church. I felt a stirring in my bones that the challenges of adapting to the new reality would have been right up my alley. Perhaps the Lord knew the stress would kill me, so he delivered me from it, but that would certainly be a very narcissistic perspective (you mean it’s not all about me?). Covid actually made me miss the work of ministry. Covid caused me to reassess my call to ministry.

This blog is already too long, so I won’t go into all the ways the pandemic got my entrepreneurial juices flowing. Suffice it to say the pandemic (and watching pastors and churches adapt to it) reignited a vision within me for doing and being the church. It also wasn’t long before my phone started to ring to fill pulpits. I do find the timing interesting…just as my juices started flowing my phone started ringing. Coincidence? Probably not.

Let me make a long story short–today, I’m living the dream in a whole new way. Vanessa and I purchased a business in 2021, so I get to scratch my entrepreneurial itch every day, and now serving in my third congregation as an interim pastor, I have the opportunity to serve the Kingdom for His glory using the gifts and graces He supplies.

In this season of ministry, I’m content in helping congregations in transition. There are a lot of them that need the help (don’t even get me started on why!), so there is plenty of work to be done. I’ve also developed an even deeper appreciation for the work of bivocational clergy during this season of ministry.

The “dream” for now is knowing that the call is real because Christ is real and that I get to live it out every day. I am blessed in knowing that my disillusionment with the institution of the Church didn’t cause me to lose my faith in Jesus Christ, but that it opened doors to new ways of doing ministry…to new ways of living the dream…which I get to do every day. Praise God!

Okay, so my feet may not be that beautiful, but I have feet, and I’ll use them to share the Gospel. The Lord will transform that which was broken and make it beautiful. It’s what He does. Of that, I’m certain.

Oh, and one more thing of which I’m certain? If the world will know Christ, the world will know Christ because someone preached the Word. That’s where the Apostle Paul left it. Let me leave it right there, too!

Until next time, keep looking up…

Confessions of a Seeker-Sensitive Pastor…

November 19, 2023November 19, 2023 / pastorlynnmalone / 1 Comment

I came to vocational ministry in 1991. The Church Growth Movement and “seeker-sensitive” churches were all the rage as I began my journey in obedience to God’s calling. I was young, inexperienced and on-fire for the Lord. All I wanted was to see people come to Jesus and see the Church grow. I didn’t know any better. I saw what the “big” churches were doing, so that’s what I tried to do. I read all the books, attended the seminars and watched all the videos (VHS in those days!). I embraced the “seeker-sensitive” model wholeheartedly. What did I know?

What is a “seeker sensitive” church? The “seeker-sensitive” church tries to reach out to the unsaved person by making the church experience as comfortable, inviting, and non-threatening as possible. The idea behind the concept is to get as many unsaved people through the door as possible, and to use nearly any means to accomplish that goal. We can’t have unsaved (or saved) people getting bored, so we need to use theatrics and popular music to keep their attention (yes, been there, done that). Gotta’ have that state-of-the-art technology, lighting and great sound equipment if you’re going to do the job correctly.

A lot of churches became very large (and some very quickly) using the “seeker sensitive” model. One of the first was Willow Creek Church in Illinois. Many “mega-churches” grew to become megachurches following the model. I won’t name more here simply because I don’t want my confessions to reflect negatively on any other pastor or any other congregation. That’s not what this post is about.

So? What is this post about? I suppose it’s more about my failure as a pastor as I pursued the “seeker sensitive” approach to ministry, and it’s about unpacking a maturing theology of the church. Maybe it’s just because I’m old and old-fashioned and I’m just tired of trying to make people comfortable in church. Just call me the curmudgeon pastor. That seems to be what I am these days. Maybe it’s because I’m reflecting on Psalm 95 today:

¹Come, let us sing to the Lord!
    Let us shout joyfully to the Rock of our salvation.
²Let us come to him with thanksgiving.
    Let us sing psalms of praise to him.
³For the Lord is a great God,
    a great King above all gods.
⁴He holds in his hands the depths of the earth
    and the mightiest mountains.
⁵The sea belongs to him, for he made it.
    His hands formed the dry land, too.

⁶Come, let us worship and bow down.
    Let us kneel before the Lord our maker,
⁷    for he is our God.
We are the people he watches over,
    the flock under his care.

If only you would listen to his voice today!
⁸The Lord says, “Don’t harden your hearts as Israel did at Meribah,
    as they did at Massah in the wilderness.
⁹For there your ancestors tested and tried my patience,
    even though they saw everything I did.
¹⁰For forty years I was angry with them, and I said,
‘They are a people whose hearts turn away from me.
    They refuse to do what I tell them.’
¹¹So in my anger I took an oath:
    ‘They will never enter my place of rest.’”
Psalm 95 (NLT)

For a lot of my ministry, my mentality was, “Let’s just get them to church and they’ll meet Jesus along the way.” Some did. Most, unfortunately, did not. The problem (as I reflect back on over 30 years of ministry) is that the things I did to attract them, I thought I had to continue doing to keep them. And, it always had to be bigger and better the next time. Gotta’ keep up with the times, after all. Hey? If we wanted to be the big church down the street, we needed to act like the big church down the street.

Being a young and passionate (but totally immature) pastor, I thought it was all about getting people in the door so we could introduce them to Jesus Christ. I’ve used a statement many times before that encapsulates this philosophy: The Church is the only organization that exists for those who aren’t there yet. Wow! Can I see the immaturity now (but, hindsight is 20/20, right?). There is a foundational flaw that can really cause the whole building to crumble in that philosophy.

The Church doesn’t exist for those who aren’t there yet. The Church exists for God and God alone! Let’s get that straight. Disciples of Jesus Christ gather as the body of Christ to worship…worship Him by bringing a sacrifice of praise and to offer Him adoration for who He is and what He has done and is doing. He alone is worthy of our praise and the church’s worship should be a sweet-smelling aroma ascending to the throne of God each and every time we gather. That’s what the “seeker” needs to experience each and every time they enter the sanctuary.

Worship is what makes the church different from the world. It is what sets us apart from the world. Invite an unbeliever to “worship” with pop music and a sound and light show, they’re apt to think, well, there’s not much different here from what I get out there. Just a few mentions of God thrown in is about all. Oh, that and a self-help, motivational speech masquerading as a sermon.

A “seeker” can’t bring a level of sacrifice to church. A seeker can bring questions. A seeker can bring doubts. A seeker can bring skepticism. But, a seeker cannot bring worship to the gathered body. And, don’t get me wrong. That’s perfectly okay. They’re not supposed to!

They are, however, supposed to see the body of Christ offering their sacrifice. In so doing, they experience an awesomeness that is missing from the rest of their lives. They capture a glimpse of the holy…and the Holy One…that is too often missing from the broken world in which they spend most of their daily life. It is then that they begin to explore deeper avenues of faith, and hopefully come to know Christ in a saving and life-changing way. Worship itself becomes a converting experience.

Worship becomes witness. That’s a phrase I like better these days. Another phrase that has meaning for me these days is this–The Church gathers for worship and scatters for witness. The conjunction “and” in that last phrase carries a lot of weight. It is in the “and” that the church must build its discipleship model. I don’t want to unpack what a church’s discipleship model should look like (this post is already too long), but suffice it to say that every congregation must have in place a process of moving a new convert from new believer to mature disciple of Jesus Christ.

So, let me repent of my desire to grow large churches. Let me repent of my desire to attract great crowds. Let me repent of my failure to understand the nature of my task as a pastor/preacher. Let me repent of the times I’ve tried to tickle ears to hold the attention of the gathered body (whether believer or seeker). Let me repent of the gimmicks (I actually gave away a cruise once) and gadgets I’ve employed to attract non-believers.

Let me, instead, lead worship that brings glory to God alone. Let me worship in a way that witnesses to the awesome nature and power of the God of the universe who made Himself known in Jesus Christ. Let me lead worship that becomes witness to the wanderer and the seeker. Let me lead worship that becomes a converting experience for all of us. Let me proclaim with boldness the Word of God. Let me help a congregation build a model of discipleship that leads us all into a more intimate relationship with Jesus and with one another, and empowers us to boldly share the Gospel of Jesus with a lost a hurting world. Let me lead worship that compels us to scatter for witness.

Oh, that is my prayer, Lord. Let it be so!

Until next time, keep looking up…

Past My Tipping Point…

November 12, 2023 / pastorlynnmalone / 1 Comment

Disclaimer #1: This is going to be a rant.

Disclaimer #2: This is not going to necessarily be devotional in nature.

Disclaimer #3: This post is likely, again, to demonstrate why I’m not the perfect pastor.

Two events over the past week have me reflecting on the practice of tipping in our culture these days.

Event #1: I occasionally order food for my crew at the shop my wife and I own. Most times it’s because we’re busy and short-handed, so no one has an opportunity to take a lunch break. Other times, I do it just because I’m a nice person (wink, wink). This past week we were busy and short-handed, so I decided to order pizza for delivery to the shop.

I went online to place the order, and there on the order form was a place for a “tip” for the delivery person. I wasn’t going to add a tip to the order form (I never have if I’ve ordered online), but then I remembered seeing a report that DoorDash was warning its customers that they might receive bad service if a tip wasn’t included before the service was rendered. I thought better of it and added a tip pre-delivery. Of course, the tip is in addition to the “delivery fee” the restaurant charges for the delivery itself. So, before I get my order, I’ve paid a delivery fee and a tip. Big mistake!

It took an hour and a half to get my pizza! An hour and a half! And, the pizza restaurant is a mile and a half away! I called the restaurant twice to check on my order. I’ve ordered from this restaurant before and it generally takes between 30 and 45 minutes to get the order. The first time I called, the person on the phone apologized and said the delivery driver got side-tracked, but my order should be out the door soon. The second time I called, the person told me the driver was leaving the restaurant “now.” Suffice it to say, if I had not tipped when I paid for the pizza, I would not have tipped the driver. Lesson learned, though from now on, I’ll probably get cold pizza. Oh, wait! I did get cold pizza!

Event #2: The wifey and I went to one of our local Mexican restaurants. We frequent it often (once a week or so), and some of the staff know our faces. The service was as good as usual. The food was as good as usual. Everything was as expected. The check arrived. I looked and was satisfied that the check was correct, and as is my habit, I doubled the tax for the tip (usually equals 20-22%, depending on location). Now, here’s the problem: the tip total was $11.76, but when I added the tip amount to the food amount, I didn’t add correctly (yes, math was my poorest subject in school).

My wife brought it to my attention the next day after she checked her banking app and saw the amount for the tip was only $1.76 instead of my intended $11.76. Oh, horror! Talk about being bad at math! Actually, it was just haste. The receipt from the restaurant clearly reflected I intended an $11 tip, but I just wrote the wrong number on the “total” line. At least the server was honest enough to not assume that I left an $11 tip, but entered the amount I wrote on the “total” line. Give her credit for her integrity!

So? What do I do? I return to the restaurant the next day with $10 cash in hand to tip the server for her service. See, I don’t mind going out of my way to tip for good service. Well, I probably was more concerned with her thinking I was a cheapskate and having to face her again when we returned for another meal, but that fact notwithstanding, I don’t mind tipping…and tipping generously.

My tipping generosity might be as a result of having three of my children who worked in the food service industry when they were younger and depended on tips to survive. I know how important tipping is to those who depend on them.

Go to the local convenience store and there’s a tip jar by the register. For what? For taking my money when I buy a soft drink? A tip? For that?

A tip jar at Subway? Really?

Go to the coffee shop and the barista flips around her iPad and puts you on the spot with a request for a tip. Wait? What? You haven’t gotten me my coffee yet and you’re asking me for a tip? Okay, if you’re going to ask me for a tip, how about you take my money after you bring me my coffee? Then, we’ll know if the tip is warranted.

Okay, so another disclaimer: I am quite aware that most servers at restaurants with wait staff make far less than minimum wage (it’s legal to pay folks $3/hour as wait staff), and depend on tips to make up the difference. Tipping is appropriate in those circumstances (unless, of course, the service is terrible–but I usually tip anyway). Seriously, though, workers at Sonic, and the pizza restaurant, and the coffee shop and Subway, are all on very reasonable hourly wages (some as high as $15/hour). Believe me, I know. I pay, on average, $13/hour for workers in my shop and yes, customers occasionally tip my workers, but they don’t “expect” tips.

And yes, I am aware we’ve moved ever closer to a cashless society and no one has cash to tip for service anymore, so that plays into the equation, too.

I remember a time when the practice of tipping was voluntary, and came as a result of being pleased with the service one received. It ain’t that way no more! We are living in an age where tipping is not encouraged. It’s expected! Or, like DoorDash, demanded.

It just seems to me that with all this coercion in the service industries regarding tips, that people seem entitled to them. Entitled. Yes, that’s a good word for it. I’m probably stretching here, but have we lived in such an entitled culture for so long, that service workers feel entitled to tips regardless of the service they offer?

And, companies feel entitled to ask for tips BEFORE any service is rendered? Seriously, I’m paying the company for the service, and if it’s a delivery, I’m paying you the delivery charge, and I’m paying taxes on the purchase and I’m paying a tip…upfront! It’s like you want me to pay your employee so you don’t have to. I remember the days when I could call Dominoes Pizza, place my order and pay for it on delivery. If I chose to be generous to the delivery driver, that was my choice.

Maybe it’s not an entitlement mentality. I’m probably overthinking it, or I’m just an old curmudgeon these days, but if it’s not entitlement, it is certainly coerced generosity and coerced generosity only breeds animosity (you’ve heard all the jokes about paying taxes, right?) between parties. Coerced generosity only makes me angry and the person on the receiving end more entitled. Or, so it seems to me.

On the other hand, willful, voluntary generosity breeds (in most circumstances) gratitude and goodwill between parties. Voluntary generosity yields benefits that go beyond the financial and builds both parties up in the process, and can even create a bond between people that didn’t exist before. Or, so it seems to me.

Folks, as followers of Jesus Christ, we are called to be generous. Our God is a giving God. You know that!

¹⁶For God so loved the world that he GAVE his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.
John 3:16 (NIV)

Generosity is (or should be) a core value of followers of Jesus Christ. I’m reminded of the early Church here:

⁴²They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. ⁴³Everyone was filled with awe at the many wonders and signs performed by the apostles. ⁴⁴All the believers were together and had everything in common. ⁴⁵They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need.
Acts 2: 42-45 (NIV)

Those early believers were motivated by grace and gratitude to be generous because they knew what Jesus had done for them. That’s the way we’re supposed to be. Grace and gratitude never comes through coercion, but only through willful generosity. I’m reminded of how Paul characterized the generosity of our Lord:

…have the same mindset as Christ Jesus:

⁶Who, being in very nature God,
    did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage;
⁷rather, he made himself nothing
    by taking the very nature of a servant,
    being made in human likeness.
⁸And being found in appearance as a man,
    he humbled himself
    by becoming obedient to death—
        even death on a cross!
Philippians 2: 5b-8 (NIV)

Oh, well! That’s enough ranting for one day. Let’s all try to live a generous life. It’s what Jesus would do. We’ll feel better because we did, and we’ll be blessing to others because we were generous.

I’ll head to church now and repent and pray for forgiveness. I fully expect the Lord will forgive me. He’s just generous that way. I pray you’ll forgive me, too, for using this venue to vent…and demonstrate once again that I’m not the perfect pastor.

Until next time, keep looking up…

Better Days Ahead…

November 5, 2023 / pastorlynnmalone / Leave a comment

Driving across north Louisiana a few days ago, I was reminded of how many little churches dot the countryside. Let’s just say…a lot! More than the number dotting the countryside are the number that also populate our small towns and cities. There are small congregations all across the landscape. Many of them are healthy, viable congregations. Others are struggling to pay the pastor (or find one) and keep the doors open. Still others have closed the doors, financially unable to sustain themselves due to the death of a certain congregation member, or through shifting demographics or through changing patterns of worship attendance.

Most of those churches (the ones still open, anyway), whether rural, small town or city are struggling to survive. I know of one congregation whose pastor made an impassioned plea to a gathered body for help in replacing the congregation’s HVAC system. To the pastor’s credit, the plea worked. The gathered body took up a collection and when all was said and done, they collected enough to fix the system. Good for them…I suppose.

I was participating in a meeting recently when the issue of struggling congregations came up. One of the other pastors noted that his congregation (a very healthy multi-site congregation) donated funds to a small, rural congregation to help them repair their HVAC system. I found it odd that two different congregations in two different denominations couldn’t afford to repair the A/C systems, but I took it as symbolic of the nature of the church these days. A large number of congregations are struggling to survive.

I don’t think that trend will reverse in the near future. The reality is that church attendance is on the decline. The Gallup Organization does a great job tracking church attendance, and their research shows a marked decline over the years in worship attendance. I’ll not rehash their research in this blog, nor will I speculate on the reasons for the decline. It’s real! All those struggling congregations are proof of the reality.

And, many more of those congregations will close. As sad as that reality might be, it is still a reality…a reality that few a willing to acknowledge.

“Well, if people would just…”

Fill in your own blank. Priorities. Congregations unwillingness to change. Lack of leadership. Failure to meet needs. The reasons are too numerous to mention. We could unpack them all and it still wouldn’t reverse the trend.

I also need to note that there are still multitudes of healthy, thriving congregations, but for every one of those, there are ten others that should close or will close over the next five years. Seriously, if a congregation can’t afford to fix its own HVAC system when it breaks, should it remain open?

It’s wonderful that others are willing to do what’s necessary to assist struggling congregations. It’s a reflection of our Christian witness. Bravo! But, isn’t it only delaying the inevitable? And, if so, is it something we should applaud? I really don’t think anyone wants to ask the hard questions to struggling congregations. Most likely, it’s because we have a bad theology of death (yeah, that should be unpacked more).

I didn’t intend for this to be a morbid and depressing blog about the death of congregations (or the church). I really intended it to be about a message of hope for the Church. I mean, really, our hope as the Church is not to be found in buildings. Our hope is to be found in the Lamb of God, Jesus Christ. The Church will always be, and against it the gates of hell shall not prevail. Isn’t that what Jesus said?

¹⁷And Jesus answered him, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven. ¹⁸And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. ¹⁹I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.”
Matthew 16: 17 – 19 (ESV)

On this All Saints Sunday, I am reminded that the destiny of the Church (the Church Militant and the Church Triumphant) lies ahead of us. The best, truly, is yet to come! That is what motivates me to gather with the body of Christ each and every week. That is what motivates me to preach the Gospel to the gathered body week in and week out. That is what motivates me to lead a congregation faithfully, the challenges of our present situation notwithstanding.

I am reminded of John’s vision is The Revelation:

⁹After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands, ¹⁰and crying out with a loud voice, “Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!” ¹¹And all the angels were standing around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures, and they fell on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, ¹²saying, “Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and might be to our God forever and ever! Amen.”

¹³Then one of the elders addressed me, saying, “Who are these, clothed in white robes, and from where have they come?” ¹⁴I said to him, “Sir, you know.” And he said to me, “These are the ones coming out of the great tribulation. They have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.

¹⁵“Therefore they are before the throne of God,
    and serve him day and night in his temple;
    and he who sits on the throne will shelter them with his presence.
¹⁶They shall hunger no more, neither thirst anymore;
    the sun shall not strike them,
    nor any scorching heat.
¹⁷For the Lamb in the midst of the throne will be their shepherd,
    and he will guide them to springs of living water,
and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.”
Revelation 7: 9 – 17 (ESV)

Looking for diversity in the Church? Oh, it’s coming. It’s our destiny! Seeking true worship in the church? It will come. It’s our destiny!

Testing…tribulation, as John calls it, will be ours, as well. That, too, is the destiny of the Church. Yes, it will be experienced as the Church Militant, but it is through the testing that we shall know the great salvation of our God. It is through the testing that we will discover the Lamb who becomes the Shepherd who will lead us to springs of living water, and shall wipe every tear from our eyes.

This is where I find hope amid the closing of congregations and the diminishing worship attendance. Why? Because the Bible says it’s our destiny.

So, let us be faithful to work for diversity. Let us persevere in the face of trials and tribulation. Let us seek to worship in spirit and in truth until that Day comes and all the Church Militant shall be joined together with the Church Triumphant at the throne of God and the feet of the Lamb!

What a day that will be!

Until next time, keep looking up…

A Question Not Easily Answered…

October 22, 2023 / pastorlynnmalone / Leave a comment

I have been asked many times over the past two weeks what I think about the situation in the Middle East. My staff, who know I’m a pastor, and customers who come in the shop, upon finding out I’m a pastor, will ask my opinion on the situation. I will always answer, “In what regard?”

I answer that way because it matters in what regard we look at the situation in Israel and Gaza. In one regard, the conflict is nothing new. It’s as old as the Bible itself. There have been wars in the Middle East since there have been people in the Middle East. Go back to chapter 14 of Genesis and you’ll read of a war in which five area kings were at war with four area kings. It is the first recorded war in the Bible, and dates back to 1800 BCE. That war would eventually draw Abraham into it, so conflict in the Middle East is not a new phenomenon.

Of course, everyone really wants to know what it means in regard to the end times. That’s a tougher question to answer because I really don’t know. There were prophets and prognosticators who were certain the end was near when Israel became a nation in 1948. And, they might be right. Scripture seems to indicate that Israel would re-form as a nation.

The OT prophet Zechariah indicated the Jewish people would turn to God, through the Messiah, only after returning to Israel (Zech.12:10; 13:1). Likewise, the prophet Ezekiel stated God’s promise, “For I will take you from the nations, gather you from all the lands and bring you into your own land” (Ezek. 36:24). The passage continues, “Then I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean…. Moreover, I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; and I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh” (Ezek. 36:25–26). Note that the spiritual regeneration of Israel follows the restoration of the Jewish people to the land. Thus regathered, Israel will, as a nation, turn in faith toward the Messiah.

I think the nation of Israel’s existence is biblical. Is it the end? It could be. It could not be. I could be the beginning of the end, or it could be another conflict in the region that needs to be settled. I won’t speculate either way. I don’t claim to be a prophet. There are plenty of people who do claim to be a prophet and you can read 427 different interpretations of the current situation. You might be equally confused by all of them. I know I certainly am.

Let me share what my thoughts are on the current situation, though. First, Israel is not responsible for what happened two weeks ago. No amount of verbal gymnastics or woke ideology can ever make Israel responsible for the murder of innocent women, children and elderly persons. None! What Hamas did is evil and atrocious and there is no justification for their actions. There is no moral equivalency between Hamas’s actions and Israel’s prior acts or current reactions. To make it so is to reveal one of two things: either your ignorance of history or your hatred of Jews.

Has Israel committed prior bad acts? Certainly. Read the Old Testament. It’s filled with instances of bad choices, terrible decisions and wrong actions. Why would it be different today. We’re all still human and human nature hasn’t changed. Have civilians suffered as a result of Israeli actions? Unfortunately, yes, but civilians have never been targeted as participants of war. To draw a moral equivalency between Hamas and the nation of Israel is, at best, disingenuous.

Second, I believe Israel will ultimately prevail in the current conflict. And, I think the church is right to affirm Israel’s right to self-defense and self-determination, and from a political standpoint, the United States should stand with Israel (yes, I do!).

I’m not so sure that people don’t hate Jews because they are God’s chosen people. They are the physical representation of God upon the earth. The same thing could be said about the church and is said about the Church. For the same reasons, the Jewish nation and the Church are both hated in the world because they are both the physical representation of God on the earth. We should expect evil to attack the nation of Israel and the Church. Until Christ comes again, unfortunately, it will likely continue. Remember what Jesus told his disciples? John 16: 1-2 says, “I have told you these things so that you won’t fall away. For you will be expelled from the synagogues, and the time is coming when those who kill you will think they are doing God a service.”

The reaction of many in the West comes as a result, I believe, of the “woke” culture that sees oppression as the great sin of the culture. There are levels of oppression and the more degrees of oppression you are able to claim, the more of a victim you become. It’s a terrible philosophy.

History changes the oppressor and the oppressed. How often throughout history has Israel been oppressed. Let’s see, there’s the Egyptian slavery, the Babylonian captivity, the Assyrian captivity, the Roman occupation, the Holocaust. We could name others. Throughout history, the oppressed have often become the oppressor. I suspect that current “woke” culture, with its stress on oppression is simply history’s latest attempt to have the oppressed become the oppressor.

I say all that to note the irony of many on the left in the West that have called the Jews Nazis. Literally the same people who were exterminated by the Nazis are being called Nazis. Again, that is a reflection of people’s ignorance of history and of their pure hatred for God’s people.

So, what should we do? First, we pray and work for peace. Jesus said in Matthew 5: 9, “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called children of God.” The Church should be involved in the peace process from a prayer perspective. No, we won’t be invited to sit at the negotiating table, nor should we, but we should pray that peace would come to the Middle East by whatever means the Lord deems necessary. We should pray for our national leaders as they work to bring peace to the region, and we should stand behind their efforts, whether we agree with them or not. The end goal is peace, not revenge.

We should also be praying for the Palestinians and Hamas. Praying for them will help us not lose sight of their humanity. The civilian populations of both Israel and Palestine are in harm’s way, and that not of their own doing. They are suffering, and the Church is called to enter into the suffering of others (that’s what the word ‘compassion’ means) to suffer with them. Why? Because Jesus died for all men. No matter how evil we believe Hamas or the Palestinians have been, we shouldn’t wish them dead, we should wish them saved!

If you or I are part of the crowd that seeks revenge on Hamas and relishes in waiting for Israel to exact her revenge, then we’re not in the correct crowd. We need to check our discipleship. We might need Jesus as much as those in Hamas. I’m reminded of the Apostle Paul’s words to the Roman Church:

¹⁹Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,” says the Lord. ²⁰On the contrary:

“If your enemy is hungry, feed him;
if he is thirsty, give him something to drink.
In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head.”

²¹Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.
Romans 12: 19 – 21

I think that would be quite revolutionary in and of itself. I need to remind us that we are called to be disciples by one who, himself, was a revolutionary.

I remind us that Jesus has a disciple named Simon who was also known as the Zealot. Do you know what a Zealot was in the first century? Zealots were pretty much the terrorists of their day. They were prone to starting fires over here and starting fights over there to get at their Roman oppressors. They were known to attempt assassinations and to kill Roman soldiers. Yes, Jesus called one of those people as a disciple, but it wasn’t for a political revolution. It was for a spiritual one. As confusing as it was then, it seems to be equally confusing today.

Secondly, we should live as if the end is now. Jesus tells a great parable:

“At that time the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. ²Five of them were foolish and five were wise. ³The foolish ones took their lamps but did not take any oil with them. ⁴The wise ones, however, took oil in jars along with their lamps. ⁵The bridegroom was a long time in coming, and they all became drowsy and fell asleep.

⁶“At midnight the cry rang out: ‘Here’s the bridegroom! Come out to meet him!’

⁷“Then all the virgins woke up and trimmed their lamps. ⁸The foolish ones said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil; our lamps are going out.’

⁹“‘No,’ they replied, ‘there may not be enough for both us and you. Instead, go to those who sell oil and buy some for yourselves.’

¹⁰“But while they were on their way to buy the oil, the bridegroom arrived. The virgins who were ready went in with him to the wedding banquet. And the door was shut.

¹¹“Later the others also came. ‘Lord, Lord,’ they said, ‘open the door for us!’

¹²“But he replied, ‘Truly I tell you, I don’t know you.’

¹³“Therefore keep watch, because you do not know the day or the hour.
Matthew 25: 1 – 13

We need to live as though Jesus is coming back today or tonight. We live obediently today in light of his imminent return. No one knows when He will come back—not even the Son, Himself (Matthew 24:36). It may be fun to play in the sandbox of end times prophecy, but it is a completely pointless endeavor if it distracts from the ultimate purpose of the Church, and that is to spread the Gospel of Jesus Christ so that all men might be saved.

That’s sort of what I tell staff or customers who ask whether what is happening in the Middle East is fulfilling prophecy in the Bible. I don’t know if it satisfies their curiosity or answers their question, but I know it’s the only answer I can give.

Until next time, keep looking up…

The Fragile Nature of Our Witness…

September 24, 2023September 23, 2023 / pastorlynnmalone / Leave a comment

The nature of our Christian witness is a fragile thing, indeed!

I was reminded again several times over the past week as news rolled in of notable figures among the “family values” crowd who were “caught” in situations that were, shall we say, less than affirming of the values the persons generally espoused.

The news broke early this week that Governor Kristi Noem (R-South Dakota) has been engaged in a not-so-private affair with a former Donald Trump aide. Shortly thereafter, Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-Colorado) was caught in a “handsy” exchange with an Aspen, CO bar owner. Finally, Timothy Ballard, who is the founder and now former CEO of Operation Underground Railroad (a sex trafficking rescue organization) and also the inspiration for the summer hit movie Sound of Freedom, was accused of multiple instances of sexual misconduct. Let’s just say it has been a bad news week for the Christian witness.

I’m not going to throw rocks at any of the three with this blog. There are already enough people lined up doing that. I’m also not going to throw rocks because most of these accounts are just “allegations” and not substantiated (except in Boebert’s case where there is actual video). Besides, if anyone were to look too deeply into my closet, they might find plenty of skeletons at which to throw stones, so there is that…

It really does make us (Christians) look like hypocrites though, doesn’t it? Well, yes it does, and that’s because that’s what we are! No, not all of us engage in (or get caught in) sexual sin, but let’s just tick off a list of actions and attitudes we know to be contrary to the will of God and see how many apply to us. Yes, sexual sin certainly seems to top the list of bad actions a Christian can engage in to destroy our witness, but every act of pride, selfishness, egotism, gossip, greed or jealousy (you can continue the list for yourself) that is observed by those both within and without of the faith serves to diminish our witness.

We have all gotten caught in the “do as I say, not as I do” trap before. That is likely what happened to the aforementioned parties. Reminds me of when Jesus was warning the crowds about the scribes and Pharisees. Remember what he said?

²“The teachers of religious law and the Pharisees are the official interpreters of the law of Moses.³So practice and obey whatever they tell you, but don’t follow their example. For they don’t practice what they teach.
Matthew 23: 2 – 3 (NLT)

Jesus would go on to call the Pharisees and scribes “hypocrites” six times in the 23rd chapter of Matthew. He would also throw in a “blind fools” for good measure. So, not a happy expression of satisfaction for those who were part of the “do as I say, not as I do” band of brothers. I wonder if Jesus doesn’t think the same thing about us when we fail so miserably to “lead a life worth of your calling” (Ephesians 4: 1)? I don’t believe it means he loves us any less, but I do believe it breaks his heart, and honestly, the last thing I want to do is break the Savior’s heart.

All I can say is “Thank God for grace and forgiveness!” I (we) need both. Forgiveness is one of the central traits of our Christian faith. We say so every time we recite the Apostle’s Creed–“I believe in the forgiveness of sins…”

When we say that, it is our acknowledgment that we believe in sin, too! That is both original sin, and sin in our individual lives. The doctrine of original sin simply means that because of the fall of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, humanity is tainted with the stain of sin. Does that mean that I am guilty because of what Adam did? In a way, yes, but more to the point, it means that what Adam did, every one of us would have done had we been standing in the Garden.

Even in our more noble moments, ulterior motives often affect our desire to do good. This bothers us, but probably not as much as it should. We know there is a line between right and wrong, and we often know when that line has been crossed, but we cross it anyway. Yes, our Christian witness is a fragile thing, indeed!

It would be real easy to launch into a deep explanation of sin from a biblical perspective, but let’s boil it down to its simplest form: sin is whatever is contrary to the will of God. What’s more, the Apostle James says that if we know what we should do and don’t do it, it is sin (James 4:17). So, when we know we should live a holy life, a life worthy of our calling, a life in faithful obedience to Jesus Christ, and we don’t do it, we are sinning. Either way, we need His forgiveness. Do we believe in the forgiveness of sins?

Confessing that we believe in the forgiveness of sins is at one and the same time our confession that we believe we have sinned, but it is also our confession that we believe God has dealt with sin, both in our lives and in His creation.

How? Because God is holy, and completely pure, He must deal with sin in a way that overcomes it once and for all. Sin must be dealt with in one of two ways. God must punish sin, or He must forgive sin. We say that we believe that God chose to forgive our sin.

I see the compassionate heart of Jesus in his encounter with the woman caught in the act of adultery as an excellent example of his practice of forgiving sin (even sexual sin). You remember the encounter, right? You can find it in John 8: 1 – 11. Here’s how the encounter begins:

Jesus returned to the Mount of Olives, ²but early the next morning he was back again at the Temple. A crowd soon gathered, and he sat down and taught them. ³As he was speaking, the teachers of religious law and the Pharisees brought a woman who had been caught in the act of adultery. They put her in front of the crowd.

⁴“Teacher,” they said to Jesus, “this woman was caught in the act of adultery. ⁵The law of Moses says to stone her. What do you say?”
John 8: 1 – 4 (NLT)

This encounter shows, in a compelling way, the forgiveness of God. Jesus granted forgiveness to this woman caught in the act of adultery. According to the law of Moses, she was to be stoned to death. The law was very clear. Yes, the Pharisees were attempting to trap Jesus. No, there was no man dragged before Jesus for condemnation (another point of law). Yes, we would love to know what Jesus wrote in the sand. No, it wouldn’t change the end result. What we really need to capture is the power in the compassion of forgiveness revealed in his conversation with the crowd and with the woman, for in this conversation we see the grace that God has extended to all of us.

The compassionate heart of Jesus looked at this woman, and what he saw was one who needed redemption, not condemnation. Please don’t misunderstand. Forgiveness is not overlooking sin. Jesus could forgive this woman because he knew he came to pay the penalty of sin once and for all. It was with the full view of the cross in front of him that this woman was before him that day. And it was his blood about to be shed that opened the heart of God to grant forgiveness to this woman.

Forgiveness is not a compromise on God’s part. It is God’s way of dealing with sin. Because Jesus paid the penalty for sin, and satisfied God’s holiness, forgiveness is available. Because Christ took the punishment, bearing our sins on the cross, God can forgive us. Forgiveness means that Christ has taken our place, and extended to us God’s grace.

And this is no cheap grace Jesus offers. Jesus did not simply say to the woman, “Neither do I condemn you,” but added, “Go and sin no more.” With that statement, Jesus brought forgiveness and laid the blessing at her doorstep. It was his challenge to the woman to live a life above the one she was living. With Jesus’ forgiveness came the challenge, “You can live a better life.” You can live a life above this sin. I am freeing you to claim that life.

We’ve all seen the Peanuts comic strips with Lucy holding the football and inviting Charlie Brown to kick. Every time Lucy held the ball for Charlie, he would approach the ball and kick, and Lucy would always pick up the ball and Charlie would go head over heels and land flat on his back.

One particular strip opens with Lucy holding the ball, but Charlie Brown would not kick the ball. Lucy begs him to kick the ball, but Charlie Brown said, “Every time I try to kick the ball you remove it and I fall on my back.”

Finally Lucy breaks down in tears and admits, “Charlie Brown I have been so terrible to you over the years, picking up the football like I have. I have played so many cruel tricks on you, but I’ve seen the error of my ways! I’ve seen the hurt look in your eyes when I’ve deceived you. I’ve been wrong, so wrong. Won’t you give a poor penitent girl another chance?”

Charlie Brown, moved by her display of grief, said, “Of course, I’ll give you another chance.” He stepped back as she held the ball, and he ran. At the last moment, Lucy picked up the ball and Charlie Brown fell flat on his back.

Lucy’s last words were, “Recognizing your faults and actually changing your ways are two different things, Charlie Brown!”

Jesus makes the same challenge to us. Receiving his forgiveness challenges us to look at our lives, to face our sin, and seeing the nastiness of it, to claim the promise and the power to live the full life Jesus offers.

The challenge of Jesus leads us to repentance. Repentance is not simply being sorry, but being sorry and changing our minds about sin. Repentance is the human response to the grace of God in forgiveness.

We, like that woman, are before Jesus condemned for our sin, but Jesus looks upon us with eyes of compassion, and because of his shed blood, says to us, neither do I condemn you. Go, and sin no more.

The gift of forgiveness is not merely for our own benefit, but so that we might extend the same forgiveness to others. When we make our confession that we believe in the forgiveness of sins, we are confessing that we not only receive forgiveness, but we live as forgiving people.

Someone once said that “forgiveness is the most enjoyed but least employed of all the Christian virtues.” We like to say we’re forgiving in our attitude, but we’re really more like the woman who was bitten by a rabid dog, and it looked like she was going to die from rabies. The doctor told her to put her affairs in order, so the woman took pen and paper, and began writing furiously. She wrote and wrote and wrote. Finally, the doctor said, “That sure is a long will you’re making.”

“Will, nothing!” she snorted. “I’m making a list of all the people I’m going to bite!”

Forgiveness rights the wrong, not because the wrong has been undone, but because the one wronged surrenders the right for revenge. That is what Jesus Christ did on the cross. He surrendered his will to the Father. That is what he calls us to do. Archibald Hart says it this way: “Forgiveness is surrendering my right to hurt you for hurting me.”

Jesus also confronted the crowd and forced them to face their own sinfulness. “Let he who is without sin cast the first stone…” That was Jesus’ way of saying, “You’re breaking the law now.” You see, the law called for a trial of both the man and the woman, not public humiliation as was the intent here. They thought about it and dropped their stones. Their trap set for Jesus turned back on themselves. That’s what hatred can do. That’s what unforgiveness can do.

It is so easy for us to throw stones at others for the wrongs they have done, especially the wrongs they have done to us. These people in the crowd stood ready to condemn this woman to death. They were more than ready to exercise their right and their authority.

The stones they held were the stones of condemnation. Condemnation flows out of the human desire to control others rather than out of hearts full of love. But most of the stones we stand ready to hurl at others for hurting us, might be the very stones that others use to throw at us.

Perhaps we have not hurt others in the same way they have hurt us, but at the very least we have hurt the heart of God with our sin, and yet, He has forgiven us. You see, Jesus knew, as that crowd was gathered around him, that it took more strength to drop those rocks than it did to throw them. So he gently (and sometimes not so gently) reminds us of our own sinfulness, so he can also remind us of how much he has forgiven us.

So, as I ponder the news of this week, I’ll opt to forgive these very public figures for their perceived (or not) failures. No, they didn’t do anything to me to have to be forgiven for, but I forgive them for tarnishing their Christian witness, which does affect us all. I’ll forgive them because I believe in the forgiveness of sins–theirs, yours and mine.

I’ll also pursue a life of holiness, one that reflects obedience and faithfulness to the call of Christ upon my life. I’ll pray for strength. I’ll pray for guidance. I’ll pray for peace. I’ll pray for wisdom. I’m sure at some point, I’ll pray again for forgiveness. I always do. I always have to…because of the fragile nature of my own Christian witness. I’ll do it because I believe in the forgiveness of sins.

Until next time, keep looking up…

It’s “Harvest Time”…

September 17, 2023September 17, 2023 / pastorlynnmalone / Leave a comment

My house is orange! Orange blankets. Orange pictures. Orange pumpkins. Orange candy. Orange candles. Orange pillows. If it comes in orange and it’s made for the home, then Vanessa has one and it is currently decorating our home. That’s not a complaint, mind you. It is simply a statement of reality…a statement of reality that reminds me that it is “harvest time,” and I can’t help but recall the passage of scripture from Matthew 9:

³⁷He said to his disciples, “The harvest is great, but the workers are few. ³⁸So pray to the Lord who is in charge of the harvest; ask him to send more workers into his fields.”
Matthew 9: 37 – 38 (NLT)

I think the harvest is a great as it has ever been…especially in the United States of America. I was reading a Pew Research document that says if current trends continue, Christians will be a minority by 2070, with “nones” or “non-affiliated” persons becoming the majority. I think it is a damning testimony on the church, but I also believe it is a great challenge for the Church to reclaim one of its primary functions–evangelism.

Evangelism! Big scary word. Real simple meaning. Evangelism is the spreading of the Christian gospel by preaching and personal witness. Whew! I just let you off the hook because you’re not a “preacher,” right? Wrong! We’re all called to proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ.

It is interesting to note that immediately after Jesus said what he said in Matthew 9, he commissioned his disciples in Matthew 10 to get busy in the harvest and gave them a long list of instructions (read the passage here)–announce the Kingdom of Heaven, heal the sick, raise the dead, among many others.

Jesus commissioned the disciples with a message to preach. The message Jesus gave the disciples was a simple one: preach the Kingdom of Heaven. We, too, are commissioned to preach the Kingdom of Heaven.

Instruction about ministry is especially important today because of the misconceptions that exist about ministry. The greatest misconception is that the ministry is something that the preacher does, that ministry is for the ordained personnel of the church. When we use the word “minister” we usually mean the professional. While it is true that God has called some to the ministry as a profession, He has called all of us to be ministers. So, yes, as a disciple, we’re all called to preach! Didn’t know that, did you?

What exactly do we preach? What is the Kingdom of Heaven?

If you had an “elevator speech” could you tell someone what the Kingdom of Heaven is? You know what an elevator speech is? You’re in an elevator for two minutes with another person. What can you say in two minutes that might change a person’s life? Do you even have one? Defining the Kingdom of Heaven in a two-minute elevator speech would be nearly impossible. Yet, Jesus had one. It comes from the prophet Isaiah, and he used it when he began his earthly ministry. We find it recorded in Luke’s Gospel:

¹⁶He went to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, and on the Sabbath day he went into the synagogue, as was his custom. He stood up to read, ¹⁷and the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was handed to him. Unrolling it, he found the place where it is written:

¹⁸“The Spirit of the Lord is on me,
    because he has anointed me
    to proclaim good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners
    and recovery of sight for the blind,
to set the oppressed free,
¹⁹    to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”^[^f^]

²⁰Then he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant and sat down. The eyes of everyone in the synagogue were fastened on him.²¹He began by saying to them, “Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.”
Luke 4: 16 – 20 (NIV)

Talk about good, short sermons, Jesus proclaimed to his hearers (good Jewish folks, remember) that this idea of God’s reign was now among them. The simple message is that God’s salvation has come. Here’s the good news we proclaim: God has come in Jesus Christ to redeem that which sin has destroyed. That’s the message Christ committed to his disciples. It’s the message he’s committed to us. And so, WE proclaim.

I hear you saying, “But, I’m no preacher, Preacher!” Ah! But, you are! As Jesus commissioned the disciples he says that proclamation was two-fold—words and deeds. We’re all to proclaim the Kingdom, and it is as imperative to use words as it is to take action. When we act in love and charity without proclamation of the Gospel we leave the gospel half told. When we proclaim the Gospel without acts of mercy, we leave the gospel half told. That’s the reason we all need an “elevator speech,” but that speech need be nothing more than to share what Christ has done for each of us.

That raises another question: How has your encounter with Christ changed your life? That is the beginning of your elevator speech. Proclamation means sharing in word what Christ has done to save us. It also means sharing in deed. There’s no transformation in one without the other. Words are imperative. Action is imperative. What we do, we do in Jesus’ name. What we do, we do with a desire to see something different in our lives and in the lives of those we are in relationship with.

We can say, “I love you,” but what do we do to show a person that love? Words are great. Words are necessary, but the acts that back up the love solidify the proposition. A person needs to hear they are loved. Dr. Les Parrot says a relationship cannot survive without verbal expressions of love. A relationship also cannot survive without visible signs of that love.

Dr. Gary Chapman wrote a book in 1995 entitled The Five Love Languages. His premise is that every one of us has a primary and a secondary love language…ways we feel the emotion of love. They are: 1) physical touch, 2) words of affirmation, 3) gift giving, 4) acts of service and 5) quality time.

I have perceived, after nearly 42 years of marriage, that my wife has three love languages: quality time, acts of service and gift giving. Which one is primary depends on what time of the year it is! I can say “I love you,” all day long, but she doesn’t feel loved until I show her in one of those three ways. It’s the same for me. My love languages are physical touch and words of affirmation. She can say “I love you,” but to feel loved takes physical touch and words of affirmation. My point is we need both words and action.

So, it is in the world when we show and share the love of Christ. We can say, “God loves you and I love you,” and it’s true, but until we put feet to that faith, lives lack transformation. We can say to a hungry person, “God loves you,” but unless we give the hungry man a piece of bread, the words are hollow.

That’s exactly what the Apostle John, who was sitting at the feet of Jesus on the day he sent the apostles out, said in 1 John 3: 17 – 18: “¹⁷If anyone has material possessions and sees a brother or sister in need but has no pity on them, how can the love of God be in that person? ¹⁸Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth.”

John Wesley believed that, too. Wesley went into the coal mines and industrial towns of England and “preached” the good news…was often pelted with fruit…was jeered and derided, by those both inside and outside the church. But, Wesley also took actions that sought to change the lives of the poor and destitute of England. Wesley saw three stages of giving: charity which relieves immediate pain (give the man a fish); philanthropy which seeks to cure the diseases of society (teach the man to fish); and social justice, which recognizes that all people have rights to the good things of God’s earth without being made objects of either charity or philanthropy (give the man access to a pond).

That only leaves the “how,” doesn’t it? That has a simple answer, too—through his power and authority. Suffice it to say that as Jesus told his disciples to “take nothing for the journey,” that it was a call to trust fully in his ability to provide for their needs. Jesus was saying, “All you need is me! I’ll be with you.” All we need to fulfill the mission is faith in Jesus. If we depend on our own strength, we’ll fail. Heck, most of us won’t even try. When we “go” into the world with trust in Christ, we’ll discover doors open we never saw before. We’ll see the Kingdom come on earth as it is in heaven…and that’s the mission, right? Don’t we believe that it’s possible?

It is “harvest time!” I am grateful to my wife for the reminder.

Until next time, keep looking up…

A Lot of “One Another-ing”…

September 10, 2023 / pastorlynnmalone / Leave a comment

Studying for a recent message, I was led to reflect on the number of times the New Testament talks about our relationship with “one another.” I was prompted by the Apostle Paul’s admonition to the church at Ephesus…

4 Therefore I, the prisoner of the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which you have been called, ²with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love…
Ephesians 4: 1-2 (NASB)

So, here is what I found in my reflection:

Love one another.

Serve one another.

Accept one another.

Strengthen one another.

Help one another.

Encourage one another.

Care for one another.

Forgive one another.

Submit to one another.

Commit to one another.

Trust with one another.

Be devoted to one another.

Be patient with one another.

Be interested in one another.

Be accountable to one another.

Confess to one another.

Live in harmony with one another.

Do not pass judgment on one another.

Do not slander one another.

Instruct one another.

Greet one another.

Admonish one another.

Spur one another on toward love and good deeds.

Meet with one another.

Agree with one another.

Be concerned for one another.

Be humbled to one another in love.

Be compassionate to one another.

Do not anger one another.

Do not lie to one another.

Do not grumble to one another.

Give preference to one another.

Be at peace with one another.

Be of the same mind with one another.

Comfort one another.

Be kind to one another.

Live in peace with one another.

Carry one another’s burdens.

By my count, that’s 38 “one anothers” in the New Testament. There are probably more and if I took more time, I’d probably find them, but time is a precious commodity and the deadlines are pressing, so I invite you to add to my list if I missed any. I promise that you won’t offend me if you correct me. Please correct me. It’s called accountability, which is one of the “one anothers.”

My point is simply this: that’s a lot of “one another-ing!” One another-ing only happens in the context of the Body of Christ. It is what we’re called to as the church.

My reflection also raises the question: How are we doing with our one another-ing?

We’re (I’m) not doing it perfectly, but that’s okay. I’m not perfect. And, the church isn’t perfect. That’s why we (I) need grace. The church isn’t perfect because it is made up of imperfect people. How does the saying go? If you ever find a perfect church, don’t go! You’re sure to mess it up.

I do think, though, that all this one another-ing is not simply about going to church. It is about belonging to the church. The Church! You know? The Communion of Saints! Yes, that holy, catholic body that exists across time and space, and in all places where the name of Jesus Christ is exalted. Yes, that Church that is, at one and the same time, both global and local. This Church is meant to make a difference in the world, but it will only do so as we grow in our capacity to “one another” properly. We grow by the grace of God in Jesus Christ by the power of the Holy Spirt.

So, how’s your “one anothering” coming along?

Until next time, keep looking up…

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