So much of what is written about church growth is written or produced by pastors of churches in suburban or urban churches. A church that is in a metropolitan area has different factors to contend with than a church in a small town. I pastor in Bethany which is a village of less than 1300 souls. But every one of those souls is important to God. After five years here I don’t feel like I really understand all the factors that allow for or prevent growth in a small town church. Yet there are churches in small communities that are thriving and growing. One of my resolutions for 2007 and beyond is to learn from these churches and pastors. As much as I enjoy city life it seems to me that God has called us to small town ministry at least for the foreseeable future.
If I am to learn from thriving small town churches than I must identify them. I am ordained by the Assemblies of God. Many of the early churches in our fellowship began in small towns and villages. I and our church are part of the Illinois District. As of December 31st 2005 the Illinois District of the A/G had 296 churches. Of these according to my research approximately 76 are in towns with a population of less than 5000. That is slightly more than 25%. Of these I do not at this time have attendance for 12 which is 15%. 12 or %15 have an average of 20 or less on Sunday morning. 18 or 24% have attendance of 21-40. 12 or 15% have an attendance of 41-60. Seven or 9% have an attendance of between 61and 80. Another 9% have an attendance of between 81and 100. There are six reporting an average attendance of between 101 and 150 accounting for 8%. And two churches report more than 150 on Sunday morning with averages of 188 and 329 on Sunday morning this is 3%.
I am working on a questionerre to send out beginning with the church that report more than 80 on an average Sunday morning. As much as our cities are growing there are still people living in small towns and rural areas. Jesus came to seek them too. So I want to be more effective in reaching them.
We had a great weekend. Sunday at church we had guests which is nice because so many of our folks travel to be with family. We are one of the churches where attendance is down and not up usually on Christmas and often at Easter. Christmas Eve is when we open our gifts. It's just a family tradition. Everyone enjoyed their presents.
Christmas Day is for eating and the kids play with their new presents. I made from scratch macaroni and cheese. Well not from scratch because I didn't make the noodles. It turned out pretty good but I need to improve it a little next time. It was a good day especially because my grandma seemed to have a pretty good day with out any major symptoms. Thanksgiving was hard on her but she looked really good yesterday. Hope to share some pictures.
EGO-SURFING: When you frequently check your name and reputation on the Internet.
- BLOG STREAKING: "Revealing secrets or personal information online which for everybody's sake would be best kept private."
- CRACKBERRY: "The curse of the modern executive: not being able to stop checking your BlackBerry, even at your grandmother's funeral." (A BlackBerry is a popular handheld device that can be used for phoning, emailing and web-browsing).
- GOOGLE-STALKING: Defined as "snooping online on old friends, colleagues or first dates."
- CYBERCHONDRIA: "A headache and a particular rash at the same time? Extensive online research tells you it must be cancer."
- PHOTOLURKING: Flicking through a photo album of someone you've never met.
- WIKIPEDIHOLISM: Excess devotion to contributing to the online collaborative encyclopaedia,
Wikipedia. Wikipedia even has a page where you can test whether you're an addict.
- CHEESEPODDING: Downloading of a song "so cheesy that you could cover it in plastic wrap and sell it at the deli counter." Cheesepodders are especially vulnerable to soft-rock favourites from the 1970s.
If so you really need to seek help. Especially if you are a cheespodder.
After the Christmas party Rebekah and I were off to Bloomington, Indiana. On friday a friend asked if we wanted to use tickets he had for Indiana vs. Southern Illinois. I've gone to a couple of Indiana games with him before so I knew how much fun it would be. So we got my dad to watch the kids over night and off we went to Hoosier country. I had a lot of friends who went to SIU and it is only an hour and a half or so from Centralia where I went to high school. So I have followed SIU as a kind of second favorite team after the Illini. Plus one of their starters this season Matt Shaw is an alumni of CHS. Anyway the Salukis played poorly but we still had a lot of fun. We were able to watch the second half from seats that were located by the basline and in the second row. It was cool. So even though Indiana won it was still really enjoyable.
I'm not sure how my friend is an Indiana fan. He grew up near Chicago. But I am glad he shares his tickets sometimes.
So I have been away from the computer. Saturday was spent finishing preparations for Sunday morning. The kids did a wonderful job in their play. I had my trepidations but I also knew that my kids had worked very hard. I was indeed proud of them. Thanks to Jane for putting together the program. She edited heavily to allow our small group and small budget to pull it off. It was I think the very best that our church could do! That's really all God is looking for I think. Kaitlyn actually had a speaking part and said her lines flawlessy which is a big deal. Noah sang and said his line. Elijah plugged away and remembered most of his lines and sang his part and even though I think he was very nervous did his absolute best. I was very proud of my kids and the other kids that participated impressed me as well. The message went well and we even had some visitors who came to see their children. They got the gospel.
Afterward was our church Christmas party. Our people are very generous to us as a family. And in the midwest tradition they all fixed awesome food. I limited myself to one helping because I am trying to get on board with the doctors instructions to shed some pounds. I wanted more! Anyway I was pleasently surprised by everything Sunday morning. It was a good time.
At the end of every year I try to listen especially intently to see what God is saying to me about the next year. What I am really feeling is that I am not living in a way that requires Him to move. I am not really doing anything God sized! What I mean is that in all we are doing it would much better if God shows up and moves in a powerful way but if He doesn't we will muddle through some way. And often we do feel the Holy Spirit or see His hand at work. But I have begun to play things safe.
I think most of us tend to do this especially as we get older. After all I have four kids to feed now. But God wants me to live life in a way that allows Him to do much more than I can imagine. This will require a change in our way of living. The key I think to living a God sized life is to do what we know He wants us to do and leave the consequences up to Him. It requires not more faith but mustard seed faith which I know that I already have and so do you.
A group of ministers believe that he wouldn't. I suspect they probably feel this way because a large portion of their congregation are union members and they don't want to jepordize their tithes. Actually I don't know that to be true but they don't know if Jesus would shop at Wal-mart or not either. Suggesting that they know where Jesus would shop or whether or not He would drive an SUV is ludicrous! I don't know and neither do you. For that matter I don't know if Jesus would have voted for George W Bush either.
Projecting our political views onto our Savior is not particularily wise. Jesus wasn't an American but I suspect He isn't necessarily anti-American either. I don't think Jesus would be a radical enviormentalist because most of them seem to worship the earth instead of Jesus but I don't think He would litter. As it's not my job to tell you how to vote, where to shop or what to drive. I am to build up the body of Christ until we can reach unity in the faith not in politics.
I went to the Pulmonary Dr. yesterday for a check up. He says he is no longer concerned about the stuff on my lungs. There was no change. So I don't have to go back for six months. He made me get a flu shot. Of course what they do is inject a dead virus into your body. However I could develop body aches, a fever and headache. The nurse said that my body wouldn't really be sick, it would just think it was and so I would feel sick. Either way it doesn't sound fun. Fingers crossed that I don't come down with fake sickness.
I have begun to think that alot of people live lives defined by what they haven't done or by what they don't do. I know I am guilty of that. Living life defined by what you can't do or won't do leads to a lot of regret. Life kind of happens to us. We are always justifying it by saying that we are waiting on God or something like that. Sometimes the fear is that we might make a mistake if we were more proactive. But I have made as many mistakes by not doing something as I have by doing. So my challenge to myself is to go out and be about my Father's business. The kingdom of God is about going, serving, preacing, loving, healing, praying, being active and forcefully advancing. These are all action words an phrases.
For myself I know I need to be someone defined by what I have done and what I am doing.
The current media fascination is searching for lost people. I watched Fox News for 5 minutes this morning. There was a story about a kidnapped baby who police are searching for even though it appears that the parents are illegals and it may have been related to human smuggling. There was a story about two grandparents who have disappeared on the way to NY City from South Carolina. There is no trace of them. And then there are three hikers missing on Mt. Hood in Oregon. There are supposed to be experienced but they went out when bad weather was threatening. They have been gone two days.
I don't know how long the obsession with the lost will last. Maybe Greta what's-her-name will go to Mt. Hood and stay until they find the lost hikers? Probably we will see a rash of kidnapping stories and lost hikers and people caught in avalanches and then a celebrity will die. The focus will be on dead famous people. But for a while it will seem like there are more people wandering off or being kidnapped than usual.
Sometimes churches and christians get caught up with obsessions with the lost. For a time we are all about finding the lost and bringing them to Christ. But then something happens like our car won't start or someone sits in our pew or we didn't sing a hymn on Sunday and we forget about the lost and become obsessed with something else. Like the second coming or some other doctrine. But Jesus never got over His obsession with the lost. That's why He came, to seek and to save that which was lost. So I hope that I can stay focused on the lost.
At least that is the most common expression I hear from Kaitlyn when I spend time at home. Especially on my day off. I will probably hear that at least 25 times today. I think it may really be her way of saying that she enjoys my humor. (Wink! Wink!)
As most of y'all know, I grew up with an older brother a younger sister and my mom and dad. In the last year My mom has had surgery to put in a pace maker. My sister has been battling some wierd nerve disease that honestly I can't remember the name of. All I know is it really sucks for her. I had a fungus growing like crazy in my body. Now my brother Chris is in the hospital with internal bleeding. It seems possible that it is an ulcer but they don't know for sure. Tomorrow he gets scoped. So far my dad has been pretty healthy this year. I pray that continues. Yikes!
I am thankful that we are all still here and it makes me doubly appreciated of the great Thanksgiving we had.
A church has been targeted by PETA for having a living nativity even though there aren't any live animals in their presentation. I guess groups like PETA have to justify their own existence. I'm not against groups like the humane society or the like but PETA allows seemed like wing nuts to me. Here's the most bizarre quote from the article: “Animals have been stolen and slaughtered, they’ve been raped, they’ve escaped from the nativity scenes and have been struck by cars and killed. Just really unfathomable things have happened to them."
Seriously? Animals at a church's live nativity have been what? Now not a lot surprises me but I am incredulous that animals have ever been raped during the church nativity scene. Anyway Merry Christmas and if your church has animals in its nativity scene if if they aren't alive expect a letter from the friendly rational people at PETA.
I spent a few hours in East St. Louis with Pastor Jay. I have been there before so it wasn't a surprise to me to see the devestation. The burnt out buildings and churches that look like a bomb fell on them seem to bear visible physical testimony to the unseen spiritual war that was waged against this city. Everywhere you look you see the results of the failure of the welfare state to cure the ills of poverty and racism. Satan has devestated this city. But even though many have written it off God hasn't.
I feel strongly in my spirit that Isaiah 61 applies to Jay and his team and what they are doing in the city of East St. Louis. 1 The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is on me,
because the LORD has anointed me
to preach good news to the poor.
He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,
to proclaim freedom for the captives
and release from darkness for the prisoners, [a]
2 to proclaim the year of the LORD's favor
and the day of vengeance of our God,
to comfort all who mourn,
3 and provide for those who grieve in Zion—
to bestow on them a crown of beauty
instead of ashes,
the oil of gladness
instead of mourning,
and a garment of praise
instead of a spirit of despair.
They will be called oaks of righteousness,
a planting of the LORD
for the display of his splendor.
4They will rebuild the ancient ruins and restore the places long devastated; they will renew the ruined cities that have been devastated for generations.
Would you pray for Jay and his team at Urban Outreach East St. Louis. They are doing an important work. It is hard work and it can at times seem fruitless and frustrating. But God is at work. I was able to meet pastor Shameca today. She works at discipling women many of them are prostitutes. Pray for her and her family. Pray for pastor Ed and pastor Tommy and their families. They work hard for little. I believe God is at work reclaiming this ruined city.
Going to E. St. Louis tomorrow to meet with Jay Covert. I will be bringing presents for their Christmas party. They give a lot of presents to kids who may not otherwiase get much of anything. Jay has had an interesting life and now leads East Louis Outreach. They have planted a church now in this community and are doing great things. He is a white guy with long hair ministering in an almost all black city. The devestation there is tremendous. Most of it is due to deep seated racial divisions. In short all the white folks moved out and property values fell. The city was mismanaged as well but there are deep wounds due to race.
Jay 's enthusiasm is contagious. He has received awards from the mayor and others. He believes that the city can bounce back and that thousands of folks written off by everyone else can be redeemed. I am looking forward to touring the ministry centers and spending some time hanging out with my friend.
It is 14 degrees. That's pretty cold. It definetly affects our attendance on Sunday. Some older folks cannot get out when it is this cold. At least we have power and heat and shelter.
So we lost power on Thursday for about 10 hours. But our cable internet just came back on about an hour ago. There are a lot of places west of here not too far with no power still because the ice brought down so many power lines. We drove up to Chicago, well not Chicago itself but really Elgin. We went through part of Aurora, (I thought hi, Scott Hodge as I drove through) and past Calvary Church in Naperville. We got back about 9:00 tonight.
We went to Abby's wedding. Abby was a bridesmaid in our wedding and someone we love very much. Abby spent the last two years up until a few weeks ago in South Africa training children's workers at Jackon's Ridge and running a baby shelter. The baby's were abandoned usually by parents who have HIV and many times the babies are HIV positive. Often after care and time the babies are tested again and come back negative all though not all. They take care of them until they find them forever families. Abby is one of my favorite people.
Abby married Jeff who is a pastor at Calvary Temple in Springfield. They will be doing children's ministry while the go through the process of being appionted full missionary status to go back to Africa. Since they will be living only an hour from us hopefully we will see more of them.
I felt a lot of mixed emotions when Abby's dad Larry, another cool person with a big heart (He works with people with disabilities through Special Touch camps), gave his oldest daughter away. One day that will be me giving away Kaitlyn. (It's late or I would upload a cool pic of her.)
I was flipping through the channels and saw Ben Folds on Austin City Limits. He sang a song her wrote about his daughter Gracie. Kaitlyn's middle name is Grace and we somtimes call her Gracie. The song made me smile and fit the mood I'm in tonight. If you are a dad you get that.
I feel blessed to be a dad. And I feel blessed that Kaitlyn is my daughter if though she may be the reason my hair is thinning. And I feel blessed to know great people like Abby! Got to go to bed. I have to preach and lead worship tomorrow.
You would think that Rebekah had grown up in the tropics and was allergic to snow the way she has been carrying on lately. But she grew up in Kenosha on Lake Michigan. She should certainly be used to snow. It is predicted that it will snow today and through the night. All I have heard the last day or so is that snow is a four letter word. You might get the impression if you read her blog that she was the one who shovels the snow. Those of you who know her know that isn't true. She doesn't even have to drive in the stuff. ;-)
Seth has been messing with me. The little guy keeps fiddling with my alarm clock radio. If I don't see him do it than I am very surprised when I wake up at 8:00 because my alarm didn't sound. I thought I checked last night after he went to bed.
Blogging has become a phenomon. It connects people who have never met in deep ways. Some of the blogs I enjoy most are written by people I have never met but I feel like I know them well. I know that it may be an illusion but it still strikes me as something about our culture that has changed dramatically in the last five years. Anyway I have been moved by Ragamuffin Soul .
Los has brought us along as he and his wife have flown to South Korea to pick up their son Losiah whom they have adopted. I have been moved to tears several times by the videos. This medium has so much power when done right. He sure is blogging the right way. I have enjoyed the journey and have rejoice with this family even though I may never meet them in person on this side of life.
Bethany is a village of 1300 or so souls. We have five churches that are a part of our ministerial alliance. The catholic church is five miles out of town and no longer has a full time priest so they don't participate. It is my second time around as president of the alliance. The title is largely symbolic as we all work together and decisions are by consensus (Such as waiting until I had to step outside to take a phone call to elect me as president this year). We do things that have been done for as long as any of us knows. It is Christmas time and our big project is at hand. It is voucher time.
We have five community services plus a community VBS. We also give food voucher for the local grocery stores to those who may be in need in our village. The list includes families with single parents and both parents, as well as widows. We are editing a list that is a couple years old. Some of the people have died and some have moved away. Others have gotten better jobs. A couple of single moms have gottern married or are engaged and things while not great are much better and they aren't struggling like they were. After talking to the other pastors we all really want to help people who are in a tough place because of circumstances they couldn't control. But I wonder how much we are really helping some of the folks. Here a few observations.
1. All of the pastors have been here at least two years and yet none of us knew more than half (out of thirty nine names) of the people. The village treasurer didn't know all of them either but she knew more than we did. Ouch!
2. A couple of churches had no connection with anyone on the list. What are the implications of that?
3. Some of the widows have grown children who go to church and profess to be Christians. My opinion is that we shouldn't have to help these widows.
4. Some people have been on this list and have received help for years even though they don't need the help. I will probably receive angry phone calls from some of them when they don't receive their voucher. Some of these people make a comfortable living.
5. Is it my place to judge the economic needs of people I barely know? I'm still sorting through the decision making process.
I plan on bringing to begin a conversation on how our churches can be more effective in ministry to people with economic needs in our community. I have learned a lot about who knows who is in need in our town. I wish more of them were believers.
I went to the eye doctor today. This is an annual thing of course and I have been going to the same OD fir a number of years. So I've seen Dr. Temmen six times by my count. She is a really nice lady and does a great job. But she walks in the exam room and says, "I thought I heard your voice." Apparently I have a very distinct voice. I see once a year but she remembers my voice. This isn't the first time I've been surprised by this observation. Many people I have talked to once have instantly recognized my voice on the phone. So I guess a lot of you know it's me on the phone before I identify myself. Anyway... my eyes are gradually getting better. She said that as I age my near sightedness will get somewhat better but in ten to fifteen years I will probably start getting far-sighted. Got to take care of the eyes.
I could probably make some sort of spiritual analogy about the near sighted far sighted thing but it's monday and sometimes I don't feel real spiritual on mondays. I heard Rob Bell describe monday's as the day pastors have hangovers. Your tired. Your head hurts. And you keep thinking, "I said what?"
I am tired but have enjoyed the family time. I've been up past midnight the last three nights. I am not used to that lately. Now it's time to get focused on Sunday. We are concluding a four part series on joy. I have enjoyed studying and putting the messages together. Hopefully they have come across with the anointing of the Holy Spirit and helped to change peoples perception and perspective.
Tomorrow's message is Joy Remix or (Rejoice). The definition of a remix from Wikipedia is:A remix is an alternative version of a song, different from the original version. A record producer or audio engineer uses audio mixing to alter the original tracks of a song, adding or subtracting elements, changing the relative frequency, volume, length, or almost any other aspect of the various musical components. A song may be remixed to give a song that wasn't popular a second chance, to create a song that will be played in dance clubs, or to alter a song to suit a different music genre or radio format.
John Von Seggern of the ethnomusicology department at the University of California, Riverside says that the remix is "drawing together and making sense of a much larger body of information by threading a continuous narrative through it." A remix may also refer to a non-linear re-interpretation of a given work or media other than audio. Such as a hybridizing process combining fragments of various works.
So to remix the joy that God gives us is to rejoice. We may add or subtract elements around a theme but the theme remains the glory of our King. When we rejoice it helps us to make sense of the experiences or information of life by threading the conitinuity of the presence and goodness of God through it. A Christian can rejoice in suffering because the joy of the Lord allows us to reinterpret what happens in life from a different perspective than a non-believer.
In this way the joy of the Lord drives the life of the believer much as the bass line can drive a song. It gives it depth and power and a certain "catchiness." People who can rejoice in any circumstance have a certain "catchiness" about them.
We had a great day. It was one of the best family times in a memory. So much to be thankful for it is hard to put into words. We rejoiced together and laughed a lot. Hope you had a great day also.
I had no idea how hard this year would be. But we are closing in on the end and I am excited to see what God is going to do next. I am ready work with Him to make the future. I am not willing to see what happens next, I am actively working to shape my future and by extension the lives of all who are connected to me. I know God has great things in store. And God has lots of surprises too!
After all this year I was sicker than I have ever been. I spent time in the hospital. I spent days contemplating the possibility of having cancer. I received the news that I don't have cancer but rather that a fungus was growing in my body. I have had several CT scans which now show the fungus shrinking. I will have another in 12 days. I have had a multitude of Xrays and an MRI. I have undergone physical therapy. I am still dealing with annoying pain. I have walked through the darkest depression of my life and come through the other side.
And here is what I know that God was with me all the time. His Holy Spirit was abiding and giving comfort and strength. I know that I am blessed. My wife loves me and my children are healthy. I know what God has called me to do and I am doing it!
Lots of other great things have happened in the lives of friends. Some of them surprising, some just plain awesome. Greg and Sam brought baby Blinn into the world. Which means Larry and Patty are finally grandparents!
Friends who are missionaries in Southeast Asia are coming home in December so that she can deliver their first baby in February!
Our friend Abby is getting married in a little over a week!
I was able to reconnect with my friend Scott Hodge.
My sister-in-law and her new husband are expecting a baby!
Joshua and Christy are expecting their third child and it looks like Joshua is finally getting his boy!
Even though I haven't met him I enjoy his blog. Los is right now in Korea preparing to bring home his son!
Seth tooks his first steps and is running now!
Noah can write his name and is getting to be an awesome video gamer.
Elijah got his first hit in baseball.
Kaitlyn is growing into such a beautiful girl that sometimes it takes my breath away.
And Rebekah continues to be an awesome mom and wife!
I'll post more surprises in the next days. (You'll notice that so many of these are about baby's. What can I say I am a sucker for babies.)
We just got home from our weekly, (at least), trip to Super Walmart for groceries. They are in the process of remodeling the store. They are repainting and replacing flooring and bathroom fixtures, etc. But they are also moving stuff around. The sporting goods are where the crafts used to be and the crafts are where the garden stuff was, and kids clothes are where the linens and things were, and electronics are where the shoes were. You get the picture. But the most confounding thing is that they moved the food around. As we walked up and down the aisles I saw people wandering around like zombies searching for the soup and the chips and everything that once was in this aisle but isn't now. A lot of people like my wife tend to write their lists based on where an item is in the store. Now that things are moved an imprint of the store which is sadly hard wired on our brains will have to change. We grumble about it but change is inevitable.
I am trying not to complain because as I pastor I introduce change into the church. And then I complain about people grumbling about the change. For some it is a minor inconvenience for others it rocks their world. This doesn't mean things don't need to change. In fact despite the best efforts of some change is inevitable. What I need to remember as a pastor is that even if I carefully explain the change and warn people in advance change will still confound some folks and it will take time for everyone to adapt. For some people change rocks their world and they really have a hard time recovering. They feel they have little or no control over a lot of things so when things like Walmart or their church change it creates tension and uneasiness.
I have more thoughts but they can wait. This much typing is hard on the old shoulder. I guess I have a new prospective on change now that is worth thinking about.
I probably need to have surgery on my shoulder but I won't see the surgeon until the end of October. Hopefully I can change the appointment. It was a little discouraging to hear that. There are a lot of things I need to do that I have put on hold until this pain issue is resolved. I know God is trying to teach me something through this and that He is refining me but I'm not sure what exactly He is up to as of yet.
I am at a place where I know that God is going to do something new in my life (and by proxy my families life) but I don't what yet. I have a general sense although it isn't time to really share. It's the waiting that's the hardest part for me. The not knowing.
I haven't blogged much because I can't yet talk about some of the things God is doing in my life. There are things that Rebekah can't blog about either but see doesn't seem to be as anxious as I am. Most of you thought I was the laid back one!
Plus much of what I would blog would be whining about my shoulder. We are in about week six of constant pain. The intensity comes and goes but the pain is there all the time. I just switched perscription pain relievers today so we'll see. Next week is week three of physical therapy. If there isn't any improvment it's off to see the Ortho Dr.
Because we don't have enough football fans in our church I play my fanatasy football online. This year I am playing at yahoo and NFL.com. Tomorrow is my draft day. Fingers crossed as I haven't done much prep expect watch Sportscenter and some NFL network. I will rely a lot on my Sportingnews which has had lists the last few weeks ranking various positions. One tip for you novices, running back is very important. It would not be prudent to draft Peyton Manning before Larry Johnson, Shaun Alexander or LT.
So it looks like time is running out. For the first time since I was in high school my beloved Atlanta Braves will probably not make the playoffs. Unless they can rattle off 10 wins in a row starting now it will not happen. Really only the month of June was terrible but it was so bad that they may not be able to recover.
As for the Vikings I don't know what to expect from them. I do know that I don't care for their new uniforms. They should have left well enough alone. I didn't like the old white jerseys much but now when they wear the new white jerseys they wear purple pants.
They look okay in this picture but on TV the other night they didn't look good. I'm sure it will grow on me over time but my first impression wasn't good. The jerseys are actually okay but not purple pants. Please.
I turned thirty one yesterday. Today I found out that not only are the tendons that attach my muscles to my shoulder swollen but I also have degeneration on both sides of my joint, where the color bone and the shoulder meet and where the top of the humour bone meets the shoulder. This means arthritis and for now physical therapy. I am hoping to be able to golf the day after labor day in our sectional golf tournament. We will see.
I finally got an ipod! I am still learning how to use it but now I can listen to all those Mark Driscoll sermons I've been meaning to. So first high speed internet now an ipod. I feel like I might be catching up to my man Scotthttp://scotthodge.typepad.com! But really as evidenced by that attempt to link I am not.
I had an interesting conversation with the former mayor of our little village last night. He was relating to me and my friend Kevin who pastors the Cumberland Presbytes here in Bethany, some of his attempts to change zoning on some property that he owns on the highway that runs through town. He was told by the former president of the bank who lives across the street from this property that if he went forward his political career in Bethany would be finished. He went ahead and the next election during the caucus he was maneuvered out of being on the ballot. They tried to destroy him. Ouch!
I looked at him and said, wow I don't have any idea what that's like being the pastor of a small church ;-) As we shared stories it became clear to me that small towns are a lot like churches. Everyone wants them to go forward as long as they never change.
I'm still looking for a good title for my blog. I'm not very good at titles. I struggle to come up with good titles for my sermons also.
Came across a cool group called Obadiah Parker via a link on someone elses blog. Thanks to high speed connection I could actually listen. I plan on buying their EP. Here's a link...http://www.myspace.com/obadiahparker
Turning 31 on Wednesday. Thanks to the people in my church for the nice card and gift!
I watched the first pre season game for the Vikings on Monday night. Tony Kornheiser is new to MNF. He was okay but seemed uncomfortable. Joe Theisman was very annoying. I think he may become the new Dan Deirdorf. (I dislike Deirdorf as a color man.) Anyway the Vkes looked okay. The first team defense played decently although it may have simply been that Aaron Brooks was that bad. The were able to pressure the QB but again this is the Raiders so take it with a grain of salt. Tavarious Jackson looked very good. He was fun to watch. He'll remind you of a young Steve McNair or a less flashy Vick.
Bad news Tank Williams was already out for the season, now Chad Greenway the first round pick is out for the year after tearing something in his knee. Oh well! I'm hoping for 9-10 wins. We'll see. I'm not sold on the west coast offense. I really didn't see anything to change that.
Ever have those days where you wish Jesus would come back right now???
Earl Creps wrote a great post about the Emerging Church and Pentecostal/Charismatics. I think he was right on target. I have remained in the A/G but I see the point that some of those more missional folks are making. However I am not a Calvinist and I am an ordained A/G pastor because I believe the doctrine and support it whole heartedly. Good thoughts by the good Dr. You can find them here...http://www.xanga.com/Coffeedrinkinfool
I have come to believe that it is somewhat easier for an older pastor, let's say in his 50's to relate to someone half his age than it is for a young guy like me to relate to someone who is 60ish. Not that I don't try but at least the older pastor if he tries can remember a little what is was like to be 30. I can't remember what it is like to be nearing retirement or 59 no matter how hard I try because I haven't been there. But the majority of my audience each Sunday is over 50.
It was a frustrating day yesterday for me. First we had 25% less people than we did Memorial Day weekend. Second one of our families may be getting transferred and may have to move. We had a missionary guest. I knew him slightly at North Central. He is very passionate about his calling and he will do great. His calling is not as a preacher, he will be doing a lot of one on one evangelism in a muslim country. I don't know if he connected with the people, there weren't many of them to begin with. Sunday evening wasn't much better. I preached that the Baptism in the Holy Spirit is about more than how it makes you feel. God makes us competent as ministers of the new covenant. Which is good because on Sundays like these I feel pretty incompetent.
But I refuse to be discouraged. There is more work to be done!
I am trying to discipline myself to write in this blog several times a week if not every day. It is not easy as self-discipline has never come easy to me. For instance I know I need to exercise to lose weight and so that I will have more energy. But I can't seem to get going. The best time to exercise they say is int he morning. I am not a morning person but I am too tired usually in the evening. I have gained about ten pounds since I got out of the hospital. Yikes!
My mother-in-law is visiting for a few days. I love her, mainly because she gave birth to my wife, but I have no idea what to say to her somtimes as the only thing we have in common really is Rebekah and the kids. I am not good at small talk usually so she probably thinks I am ignoring her because I don't talk much around her but really I don't usually say much anyway. Rebekah sometimes complains about that. I have been even mo
