Reflections From Sunday Evening

I have been thinking about announcing my candidacy for President. I mean who has not looked at things and thought, "I could do that good." Several years ago I was speaking to a group and a young man in the crowd later said he was feeling a call to ministry. He indicated I really helped him when he heard me. His thought..."If he can do this anybody can." But there may be more to it than that. I'm not sure that President thing would suit me very well. Certainly not everyone is suited to do every job or task that exists! We all have interests, talents and gifts. There are certain things we seemed "wired" for. The joy comes when we find our niche. I have known far too many people who toil in their job just counting the days until they can retire. Of course people need to make a living... but really. What if there was another way? What if we sensed a call to serve whether in a job or as a volunteer? What if we were able to offer our daily tasks to God and work or play in ways that honor the Lord? It could make a difference in how we approach things. If I find myself doing what I do as an offering to the Lord it makes a difference. I tend to want to do a better job. I tend to find more sense of fulfillment. I tend to make more of a difference. How would your life be different were you to live, serve, work, labor, play as an offering to God? My guess is you would find more pleasure in what you do. You would find a greater sense of meaning. You would discover joy. Just some thoughts. This would be a good day to live in a manner that is worthy of the Gospel of Christ. It's been a good day. I hope you've had a good day too. steve

Reflections From Sunday Evening

I've been thinking about the Royals while watching them play (not very well) in Boston this weekend. It is pretty amazing how good this team is especially when compared to how - less than good - they were for several years. When we came to Platte Woods 10 years ago the Royals were in a season where they would lose 105 games included a 19 game losing streak. How do you do that? I remember the down years and one thing that people kept talking about was how difficult it was for "small market" teams to compete in the economy of baseball. It was easy for Kansas City, Pittsburgh and Minnesota to talk about the competitive disadvantage they had with New York, L.A. and Boston. (Of course nobody said much about St. Louis who always has one of the best teams in baseball. But I digress). It appears that a common trait of teams not doing well was they made excuses. Of course there are always challenges but they are not justifications for excuses. The Apostle Paul wrote; "For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities - his eternal power and divine nature - have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse." (Romans 1:20) In essence all we must do is take a look and we see the handiwork of God. People may talk all they want about not believing in God or questioning God's existence. But the Word states it clearly. Look around. Nature itself cries out that God is real. People are without excuse. I find it much more helpful to accept responsibility instead of making excuses. In the Church excuses do no good. For instance... When a person visits church seeking to encounter God we have no excuse to not be prepared to meet people where they are. When a person is in need of prayer we have no excuse for not ushering someone into the presence of the Lord. When a person is discouraged we have no excuse for not providing an opportunity for uplifting inspiration. When justice is denied someone we have no excuse for not being the voice for those who are not heard. When a person loses hope we have no excuse for not offering a vision for what life may be. I could go on and on. What would this week be like were we to step forward in faith and avoid excuses? It's been a good day. I hope you've had a good day too. steve

Reflections From Sunday Evening

I continue to think about the mission/ministry model the Church needs to embrace. There is the "attraction" model. That is where we open the church doors and say "here we are", and expect people to show up. For this to be effective the church would need to have a better "show" than Disneyland! Even if we were hyper-professional in our production we would not necessarily see lives changed. That is not to say we should not always seek to get better in a pursuit of excellence in worship, serving, learning and all things church. But even if everything goes right the attraction model will fail us. I am not sure what the other extreme might be. Perhaps the House Church. But that would merely seek to attract people somewhere, just not the church. Maybe there is some model for pure service. Christian faith is found out there somewhere where we do good for others. I could go on about these different models. What I keep coming back to is a church that is sent. We, the people of God, are sent into the world to witness for Christ. We are a "go" people. Go into all the world and make disciples. We go and continually plant seeds of the Gospel. We offer Christ to the world in a multitude of ways. Presence is important. Service is vital. Speaking for those without a voice is part of offering Christ. Eventually someone looks at us and poses a question. Why do you do what you do? What makes you who you are? At that point the Church has the opportunity to invite. Jesus put it like this. Come and see. The invitational church says come and see what God can do in your life. The invitation is met by the Holy Spirit who continually creates a heart longing for Jesus. Person after person responds. This is where the "place" we call church comes into play. We have a worship center. We have places for discipleship. We become a "lab" where wonder and inquiry rise. So my "Invitational Church" both goes and says come and see. Something to think about. It's been a good day. I hope you've had a good day too. steve

Reflections From Sunday Evening

Maria Popova tweets "I love the idea of a 'theology of rest' amid our culture of compulsive productivity." Some days things strike us with greater clarity than others. Perhaps this is one of those days. I mentioned the good effects of a day off this week. Just a little rest contributes to a more positive spirit, renewed energy and peaceful outlook. It's amazing. The world is basically the same. The same challenging circumstances still exist. There are still decisions to make. I could go on and on. But rest aids perspective. I should know this. Years ago a mentor told me "when you get tired rest." That makes a lot of sense. Still we struggle. Ours is a culture of "compulsive productivity." We are judged by what we accomplish. We are evaluated on productivity. We can drive ourselves into non-productivity very easily. Leonard Sweet helps us see some of this in Church terms. We are gauged by ABC's. Attendance (which we have no control over), Buildings (as if they were the real mission which they are not), and Cash. The crazy thing about this is that there is never enough. There is always another person to reach for Christ. Attendance. There is always something to build or maintain. Building. There is never enough money, time or volunteers for a church that is alive and involved in mission. Cash. Sweet suggests a better evaluation would focus on MRI's. Mission, Relationships and Incarnation. I believe were we to do the MRI's well the ABC's would astound us. So with that said let's think about a "theology of rest." Certainly something to prayerfully consider. It's been a good day. I hope you've had a good day too. steve

Reflections From Sunday Evening

Being intrigued by the Fixer Upper concept. I admit to being much more of an ESPN type than HGTV. However our series on Fixer Upper looks good. The idea behind the TV show sounds like a mission statement for the Church! They turn dilapidated but high potential homes into showcases. They work to revitalize whole neighborhoods. They help people who can't see a structures "beauty beyond the blemishes". They work to save homes that look hopeless. They are about renovating the imperfect. They reveal what a house was always intended to be. If we were to look at this from a faith perspective we would see the work of the Spirit in and through the Church. Jesus has a way of using us (the church) to turn dilapidated lives into showcases. The church has the potential to revitalize whole neighborhoods. Faith inspires people to look at their lives and see "beauty beyond the blemishes." The Lord saves those who feel hopeless. Our faith is about renovating the imperfect. Life in the church has a way of revealing to people what they were always intended to be. We have been created in the image of God. We have been created to be in relationship with the Living God. We are invited to the Abundant Life Jesus speaks of. It is all pretty amazing. We are on a renovation mission. You are invited to come along. It's been a good day. I hope you've had a good day too. steve