Criticism Quote

The great theologian Steve Martin once said “Before you criticize a man, walk a mile in his shoes. That way, when you do criticize him, you’ll be a mile away and have his shoes.”

A Moratorium on Activity?

I have wondered for several years about the activity level of the church - especially growing churches. Being a pastor I know how important and helpful ministry programs can be. I also know that sometimes we get so busy that it is hard to actually spend time with the Lord of the Church. I once talked with a church leader that cancelled every activity in the church for a week. The staff spent time individually and corporately seeking God's guidance and his perspective. Today, one of my co-laborers sent me a quote from A. W. Tozer: "Sometimes I think the church would be better off if we would call a moratorium on activity for about six weeks and just waited on God to see what he is waiting to do for us." I couldn't locate the source but I did find this site that gets close and reminds us of the need to slow down and listen. Words for a different day, but words that deserve consideration today. The leadership team of Crossroads Bible Church had a brief retreat this last weekend. We had the opportunity to see what happens when we intentionally come apart and allow our agenda to be set by the Holy Spirit. It was hard. Some want to get on the "real" decisions, the "important" discussions. Yet others found the experience adventurous. We stayed the course and hopefully found insight as a team. I know I was surprised and sensed God's presence. I'm not sure what is to come from our time, but I sense God is in it! Just another reminder that maybe we need to quiet our activity. Psalm 46:10 is true - “Cease striving and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.” (NASB).

Help for the Cultural Clueless Leader

PyroManiac continues his great service to church leaders. I don't know how our church leaders would know how to communicate to our younger generation without all these specialized Bibles! Think of all the great youth ministry talks that will grow out of Phil's spark of an idea. Think of the magazines and articles that will emerge in the next weeks all because of ideas generated by Phil and other pyro-friends. Where might the brainstorming lead? New marketing opportunities for Christians like Vashti's Secret? Maybe a Christian take on Abercrombie clothes? Oh, wait, we already have that don't we? I can't imagine how the church ever communicated the Gospel without witness wear.

Shades of the Old Door?

The old Wittenburg Door edited mainly by Mike Yaconelli used to be known for its satire of some of the “beloved” and accepted church fads of the day. One of the most controversial was their sardonic riffs on the big glass church in Garden Grove that cost $10 million to house a preaching ministry that proudly claimed it would not talk about sin. You wouldn’t want to ruin someone’s self esteem that Jesus died to reform. The old Door is long gone, but this post on Fide-O on things he learned at a large church in Southern California brings back the memories.

Discardia

Now here is a very interesting site with a single theme - getting rid of stuff. Discardia seems to be more about having a better life by simplifying than it is about getting rid of trash. Could be a very helpful and encouraging site for anyone looking to get a handle on their stuff. I'm not sure how it happens but is seems like our stuff reproduces! It also seems that the more I have the more time it takes even when it is just in a mess somewhere. As someone said, "things take time." Time to go. Think I'm going to discard some papers in my files ....

jenny jack

A new blogger with a great insight ... even if it is my daughter. Jenny reminds us to think about the litttle things that really matter. I'm looking forward to more insights as she learns new things with NieuCommunities ministry in Glasgow.

The Hats We Wear

The Hats We Wear is a pretty rough draft of a paper I thought might help our Church leadership team get a handle on the various roles that Elders have to play. I borrowed the basic idea from a friend (and I think he ripped it off another church). I'm pretty sure that few people actually visit my pages but I put it on my special home page in order to force myself to review the material and maybe re-write it. Or, maybe just shred it!