What's Next?

One of my favorite questions to ask whenever I complete a project is: what's next?" I guess it is founded on the principle that God is not finished doing a new work in me or in the church I serve. With that in mind I have just finished working on a major project from being on a task planning team for a transformational event and just finished the evaluation call for the event a few moments ago.

I have several items on my plate wanting to take the next step in the transofrmation process with the church, needing to get a project rolling for the completion of the interim ministry training course and the need to move some programming forward in our church.

But it is important to remember all I do in the church and out begins and ends with my relationship with God. It is easy to get busy doing stuff and lose sight of that connection. it is easy for me to forge ahead and get busy doing things and really not look to God for direction and guidance in what ever I am working on. The tendency for me to forge ahead and think I am doing God's work without ever checking in with God is a common problem in a busy, active and wanting results type world in which I exist.

The first thing in the "what's next?" question is how is my connection with God? Am I listening? Am I connecting? Am I taking the time to nurture that relationship which is vital for my life?

I am currently serving on the planning team for an event and through my contact with the members of that team I have been exposed to several new books and authors. One such author is Margaret Wheatley. One book was recommended by the group but another book of hers popped out at me while I was ordering the one that was recommended. Having never read anything by her before I did not know what to expect from either book. The second book is the one I want to focus on. The title is "Turning to One Another: simple conversations to restore hope to the future." It is a series of articles and quotes designed to help people start conversations with others. In our busy world we have stopped conversing with others and we need to relearn how to take the time to enter into conversation with people. When we do the world will be a better place.
One quote in this book jumped off the page at me: "it's not our differences which divide us, it is our judgements about each other that do." That statement spoke volumes to me. Having just gone through an election an few months ago the image which remains fresh in my mind is the amount of judgement that has been passed down on both sides of the political spectrum. But it does not stop there in our world today. Not only does one have to believe the same things I do but they also must follow the exact same action in executing those beliefs. If one does not the result is criticism and judgements. I receive a large number of e-mails from people on both sides of the political spectrum and both sides spend all their time judging the other and complaining about why the other is wrong and they are right.
There is a great scene in the film "Hotel Rwanda" in which the differences between the Hutu's and Tutsi people are described. It seems when the Dutch were running the country they created the division with the idea a divided population would be easier to govern. One of the groups had a lot more prestige and power than the other. When the Dutch gave up control they turned power over the other group making the once persecuted people the ones in charge. The result was those now in power began persecuting those once in power. A mass slaughter of humanity took place all in the name of getting even.
It is not our difference which divide us; it is our judgements about each other which do. When we make the judgement of right and wrong it creates a division which is very hard to mend. All it does is create an ever widening division in our world. We have to be right so we must do everything in our power to prove you wrong.
To be honest I have grown tired of the rhetoric from both sides. Because what I have seen is both sides have their supporters and detractors and who ever screams the loudest feels they have won. So the result is we scream and shout put downs and criticisms with the tag line one can not be a good person if they believe what you believe.
A wise man once said no one has ever converted another person to their side by way of an arguement. I might also add when judgement is passed on another it makes it harder to love that person in the way we as christians are called to love each other.

Thanksgiving

This was passed on to me via e-mail and while I usually do not pass such things on this one helped me through the day. It is attributed to Rex Barker and I think is is fitting for the season we are in.
Dear God,
I want to thank You for what you have already done.
I am not going to wait until I see results or receive rewards.
I am not going to wait until I feel better or things look better.
I am not going to wait until people say they are sorry or until they stop talking about me.
I am not going to wait until the pain in my body disappears.
I am not going to wait until my financial situation improves.
I am not going to wait until the children are asleep and the house is quiet.
I am not going to wait until I get promoted at work or until I get the job.
I am not doing to wait until I understand every experience in my life that has caused me pain or grief.
I am not going to wait until the journey gets easier or the challenges are removed..

I am thanking you because I am alive.
I am thanking your because I made it through the day’s difficulties.
I am thanking you because I have walked around the obstacles.
I am thanking you because I have the ability and the opportunity to do more and do better.
I am thanking you because you haven’t given up on me.

Thank You.

I hope you take time to thank someone.

It's official, it was announced yesterday that the stock market has officially lost half its value from its all time high a year ago. And with the questions concerning bailouts and bankruptcies on the horizon we may not have reached the bottom for this market. As people of faith how then do we face the future?
First we need to be realistic. These are difficult times for a lot of people. We will be seeing some people lose their jobs, lose their homes and struggle to put food on their tables just to feed their families. There will be some that will lose a big chunk of their life's savings and be forced to put off retirement or change their retirement plans completely. We face some very difficult times indeed.
Second, some changes may need to be made. In the midst of all the economic changes happening I have been taking a hard look at the way I live. I am looking at two areas of my life. What areas in my life can I cut back on and seek to live a simpler life. As I look at my checkbook I see a lot of areas where I can cut back because of my tendency to waste money on things I may not need for the sake of my own comfort. The question I ask myself is how can I live a simpler life? Also, I am trying to look at ways in which I can give more. How can I increase my giving to help people in need. I realize I would be unable to ease the suffering of all people but what I can do is help some people through this crisis.
Third, we need to see this crisis as an opportunity. I have a friend who repeatedly says, "don't waste a good crisis." This is an opportunity for the people of God and people of faith to step up and do what we can with what we have to help those in need. How can we step up? That is the big question. We need to listen to those who are hurting and not judge them but be a place where we can help with the resources God has given us. Praying for the guidance of God is a good place to begin. As we pray I believe God will direct us to action if we are willing.

I love mission trips. I believe it is the best way for me to connect with people in need and see of the results of putting faith into action. I just got home from a one week trip with three others from my church. We were working with about 40 others building two houses for Habitat for Humanity in Port Arthur, TX.

I learn a great deal of things about myself and others as I work on mission trips. On this particular trip I learned the need for patience when working with groups. While I have a tendency to organize events that I am in charge of it become very easy for me to become inpatient when others are not as organized as I am. When we arrived at the church which was to be our home for the week we discovered the slab for both of the homes we were to be working on were yet to be poured. They were originally to be poured on Friday before we arrived on Sunday but because of some bureaucratic hold up they could not be poured until the following Monday. That meant the crew would have to be split up to a couple of different sites for Monday work. So the team I was on went to work on some other habitat homes in Beaumont while the other crew went to the site to do some work building some prefab items that could be done while the slab was being poured.

It wasn't until Tuesday after lunch that my crew made it to the site and actually began working on the houses. That was all right because I had the opportunity to work Tuesday morning in Sabine Pass a community that was literally wiped out by the hurricane and from what I saw very little work had been done because there was still a lot of major clean-up to do from three years ago.

But in spite of the late start we were able to do a little catch up over the rest of the week and even though were were not as far along as they wanted to be. I felt we accomplished a lot of work in a short period of time. We had come a long way from no slab on Monday to where we wrapped up on Friday.

Some in our group were planning to work both weeks but others like me only gave one week to the project. But I can't wait to see the progress they are making this week.

I am posting a video of pictures that were taken on the trip I was on and the song is by Casting Crowns, "Who Am I" from the CD: "Casting Crowns". I plan on showing the video in worship Nov. 16th.

There has been a lot of doom and gloom going around lately since some major financial agnecies have gone under. There is alot of specualtion going around about what is the right thing to do concerning those agencies as to should the federal government bail them out to the tune of billions of dollars or should they just let them fend for themeselves and go under. If we do provide help how much and how will it be managed? Those are all important questions. I only heard stories about the great depression from my parents, my mother was born right at the start of it and my father was a young man just out of high school. They told me stories growing up about how difficult it was during those times. Families and neighbors worked together to help each other out in order to make ends meet. It was a time when people cared about each other and help them to get through those tough times.

I believe the command of Christ to care about each other calls us to action in helping one another get through difficult times like we are facing. God calls us to help one another and that is one of if not the most important mission of the church. It is the call of Christ in my life that brings me to church in good times and bad and it is the assurance of God's presence with me that helps me get through difficult times. How can we do that as a church?

Be here for each other. Listen to the pain each person carries as a part of their life. Then act on behalf of the grace God has shown you and show God's grace to another in need.

A week from tomorrow I turn 55 and it is time to take a moment to look back on my life. If you would have told me 28 years ago when I graduated from seminary that I would be where I am in life and in ministry and be enjoying both life and ministry more than at any other time in my existence; I would have thought you to not be telling the truth.
Life for me has been an amazing journey. I have met some wonderful people along the way. I have been in situations that have been not only enjoyable but at times they have been challenging. While there are some experiences I would not want to repeat I realize those experiences, good and bad have all had an impact on my life and have played a part in who I am today.
I continue to believe life is a learning experience. I am continually excited about the things I am learning about faith and God and how those things play out in the life of the church today. It is exciting to see God doing new things continually in my life. It is also exciting to share those things in the church and see and hear the faith experiences that people have.
At 55 years of age I realize my life is most likely more than half over but God is still alive and active and doing new things. I can't wait to see what the future holds.

Recently at the church I pastor we had the opportunity to view the movie, "Lord Save Us from Your Followers." I thought the film was excellent and had a great message for people both in and out of the church today. One of the best points made in the film was one of the major problems we face in our society is we are only interested in letting others know where we stand or the positions we take on issues and we no longer seem to be willing to listen to the other people around us.
I find this in particular to be true in the political arena. It seems as we are heading toward the election that people choose up sides, talk only about their candidate and expect us to listen to them but do not want to hear anything when it comes to the other side. This creates a win lose situation and the only thing that matters is my side needs to win. Usually that means if I can yell the loudest, be the most charismatic person to attract the most people and place a better spin on where I stand on the issues then I will win. Now I have discovered that both sides of debates are guilty of this practice and the only thing it serves to do is make both sides more polarized.
What is more frightening than this fact are the results. I saw it in several places today on a personal level. There were four incidences which happened to me today which brought this to light. First, I got into a disagreement on a web site with a person because of how a certain issue was handled. It did not take long for others to jump in and take sides and the whole issue escalated out of proportion. It was quickly stopped by the person moderating the board. After talking personally with both the parties involved he was able to resolve the situation.
The second incident happened at my gym. While working out I heard one of the persons on another piece of equipment start talking in a loud voice about how they needed to s change the channel on the television because he did not like the politcal persuasion of the one being broadcast. It did not matter what anyone else thought he was making sure he was heard and his wishes were followed. The loudest voice is often the one that gets heard. As I left the gym today he was still explaining his position to anyone who would listen.
The third incident happened in my car, I was waiting at the stop sign when a person yelled something directed at me for what reason I am unsure but it was certainly not complimentary. A road rage incident could have easily resulted but I drove away wondering what the problem was.
A fourth incident was through a piece of e-mail I recieved which I found very offensive. I quickly deleted it and went about my business.
Of those four incidents I responded to only one and it quickly got out of control. ( I do plan on aplogizing for my actions.) In each case based on what I have seen lately in our world a response in the other three would more than likely have created a greater escalation of hostility and further problems.
I have spent the afternoon pondering how has our society gotten to this place and is there anything I can do about it. The movie I mentioned earlier did have a solution and it was to take time not only to speak but to hear what others are saying, to have a conversation. Then there is a chance for understanding. That is what I plan to do. Now I have an apology to make.

It has been quite a while since I have posted anything on my blog so I figured it is time to begin posting once again. This summer had some new adventures for me and my family and it seems like there are always some new things to look at and experiment with during times like these.

There were some great highlights for the summer. The high point for me was the family vacation to Yellowstone. I am not much of a camper as a matter of fact I have not camped for about 35 years. The last time I went camping when I was in my late teen years I got such a bad asthma attack I was afraid to try it again for fear of it happening again. But with my asthma under control and a chance to go to Yellowstone with family I decided to give it a try and it worked out well.

It was a great time to not only see a great National Park but also spend time in a unique setting with family. As you can see from the picture we took a whitewater rafting trip and among other things we did some hiking and did some relaxing in the setting of our campsite. What pleased me the most is both our daughters said to us after returning we need to make this a family tradition.

Another highlight of the summer was a mission trip to Texas to work on hurricane damaged homes. There were six of us from the church that went and we working with another crew from Iowa. It was a great time of working together and making a difference in the life of one family.

I love mission work because it get me out in the community and directly meets the needs of those we serve. I am looking forward to returning to to the gulf coast for another opportunity to work in November.

A third highlight of the summer for me was taking a class exploring interim ministry. I really loved the chance I had to do an interim a few years ago and could see me engaging in this work on a regular basis. I took the class to see if this type of work would be for me somewhere down the road. I enjoyed the class and now plan to take the follow up course in October.

Ministry and life continue to challege me in new ways. There is a great deal of life left to be explored and as I turn 55 this month I can honestly say this is the best time of my life so far and if that is any indication there are still better times to come.

Due to a lot of heath issues a couple of years ago we were forced to put our dog of almost 16 years down. While her health had been in decline over the years and we were moving to a new home and because of diffculty climbing stairs and going blind she would have a very difficult adjustment to new surroundings. I really miss Freckles a lot, she was a great dog and I think about her every so often. One of the things she would love to do is play ball. Throw a ball and she would chase it all day using up all of her energy until she would just drop in the yard. The after a few moments she would gather up enough energy and start all over again. She would never grow tired of chasing that ball. It did not matter what the weather was on a hot day, cold day she was always eager to chase that ball. But there was one thing I notcied about freckles and her ball chasing routine: you could not switch balls in the middle of a game. Once you began a game with a certain ball if you threw a different ball even though it looked exactly like the other one she would not return it. It had to be the original ball. I remember throwing a ball over the fence and losing it that stopped the game because she would not chase a new ball because she wanted to play with the old one. No matter how many times I tried to fool her she would never go for the different ball.
When I think about I wish I was alot more like my dog. Many times I put a great deal of energy into chasing things. In my pursuit of getting closer to God I have discovered there are alot of balls being tossed around my yard for me to pursue. It would be easy for me to chase after the biggest, the most attractive or the one with the most bells and whistles and in doing so I can lose sight of my original goal. Freckles was focused in going after that ball and in the same way I need to be focused inb my pursuit of a growing relationship with God. Nothing brought her more joy than the chase and in the same way discovering God brings us a joy we can not get by any other means. It is my prayer that we continue in our pursuit of a meaningful faith.

Through out my 54 plus years on earth I have often times reacted to the response of people around me. If some one cuts me off in traffic, I will make a less than complimentary remark or gesture. If someone does not respond with the attitude I expect from an expression of generosity on my part, I would categorize them as ungrateful and turn my actions away from being generous in that way again. I am then able to develop the mindset all people in need don't appreciate my help so I am not going to help them.
Last summer all of this began to change in my life when I decided to change (I guess one can teach an old dog new tricks) due to a mission trip I went on down to the gulf coast. The change began during our orientation time when the pastor of the church talked with our group. One of the things he said was these people have been dealing with this for a long time and they might not express the thanks you would expect from your efforts because they have been overwhelmed by their experience. I took that statement to heart and began to realize I was not on this mission trip to feed my ego based upon the thanks I received from the people I was helping. I was on this trip because I felt called by God to help people in need.
This past week I was talking with another person who had taken several to the gulf coast with a group who had gone several times. He commented to me that he would not go back on another trip because on the last trip he had taken someone in his group asked the people they were helping why they were not working along side the group rather than stand around watching the work that was going on. When they did not receive the answer they wanted the group decided that was their last trip. I might add that one of the houses we worked on last summer the people stood around and watched and did not help and I received comments from our people about their inactivity but I was able to respond in a way that enabled them to see we were there not based upon their thanks or their work but based upon our call to help those in need.
As a child of God and one who lives by faith I can not expect everyone to respond to my actions in the way I expect. I do have control over how I respond to the call of God in my life. I have finally figured out that God desire for me is to be faithful to my call and not base my actions on the response I receive from others. That change has made all the difference in my approach to ministry.
How do you approach your call from God?

At the start of every year people who keep track of trends publish a list of things that are trendy along with a list of things that have become passe'. One of the things I continue to struggle with in my own faith journey is the temptation to jump on the latest bandwagon of the latest trend when it comes to the church. Rather than taking the time to stop and pray about if this is right for the church or for my life it is easier to try to grab a hold of the latest trend to see if it will work. In most cases I have found such an approach to have excitement for a while but the long lasting results of that style is really short lived.
It is easy to give into the temptation of the moment because it is right in front of you and can be had for a minimal amount of effort. But if long lasting results are what I desire (and i do) then I have discovered I have failed miserably at the overall goal. Trend jumping from latest gimmick to the next great thing that comes along only takes away energy that could be used in more productive areas.
Rather than jump from trend to trend I have discovered the need to put an idea to prayer rather than jump into a program or idea headfirst. This helps me to seek the direction of God for this idea along with allowing the excitement for the project level out so a more balanced decision can be made rather than on just emotion alone. Praying about such an idea also gives me the time to share this idea with some other people to see how they respond to it and see if God is leading them to make such a commitment to the project. It is much easier to move forward with others on board for a project rather than try to push others to get on board an idea they have not had time to think about.
Patience is needed on my part because if something is long lasting it will stand the test of time rather than just go out as last year's hot idea.

I have become more convinced as time goes on the strength of a church lies in it's prayer life. I have seen very good churches struggle when they forget to pray. I have also seen struggling churches take on new life when they begin to develop an active, vital prayer life. The same can be said for individual Christians: the stronger the prayer life the more vital their faith. I know this for a fact when I am going through a difficult time it is more than likely because I have not taken enough time to pray about the issue.
But effective prayer is not treating God like a genie in a bottle, something we use when we wish for something to happen but more often than not that is the extent of the prayer life of a lot of people. Effective prayer is simply communicating with God, talking to God and listening to God. It is making contact and allowing the presence of God to touch your life.
About thirty years ago I was asked the question: if your whole church had your prayer life would it be considered a praying church? At that time I was a college student and had a very active prayer life. I would be constantly talking to God about everything that was going on in my life. Since that time when I have thought about the question I think back and wonder what happened. My prayer life is not what it what once was I have gotten busy with other things and put prayer aside as an option for my life or when I really get in a mess.
Let me share with you a story of two churches: the pastor of the first church wanted to make prayer a priority so a time of prayer was started prior to the services on Sunday morning. The service was sporadically attended by a faithful few but there was always room in the chapel where the service was held to put a few more people. The pastor talked for a while about how he wanted the church to be a praying church but the time spent in prayer in worship and in the meetings and in the groups of the church stayed the same. Other than the program beginning nothing else changed.
In the second church the pastor also wanted a renewed emphasis on prayer and it began in the meetings of the church. They decided before they make any sort of decision in a meeting time needs to be spent in prayer over the issue seeking the direction of God for the church and for people's involvement. After a while some things began to happen, people began to take a more active role in the church, then tried new ideas, the began to reach out more and life in the church became much more vibrant.
After several years both churches have changed pastors and have had their share of issues but the second church has been moving forward while the first church is struggling and I believe it is because they only give a verbal appearance of how important pray is for the life of their church.
How is your prayer life?

Learning From Life

I had two things happen today which spoke to me in the same way. I attended and participated in an ordination service for a person in my region. I love going to ordination services because they remind me of the day I was ordained and when the candidate is acknowledging their vows for ministry I am reminded of the vows I took almost 26 years ago. In giving some advice to the candidate the speaker giving the sermon reminded the candidate (and all the people present) that ministry is not about us but about being a servant of God.
The second thing which happened today was I was reading a blog of a colleague who is staring a new church and in that process he is striving to turn his life over to God. In doing so he is getting out of the way and allowing the Spirit to work in his life in this most important mission.
As I thought about both events I began to realize both are saying the same thing if I am going to be a follower of the Christ then I need to trust God with things both big and little and then I begin to see how God is able to work in my life and the lives of those around me.
Take a moment and think about the thing which are hindering you from having a closer walk with God. What are some of those things and what would it be like to turn them over the the Christ?

Several years ago I had the opportunity to tour a monastary in Southern Indiana. As we were on the tour we entered the sanctuary of the main church and the brother leading the tour called our attention to the mural of Christ at the far end of the sanctuary. He gave us a little information about the giant mural, the artist had come from Europe and spent several weeks completing the painting. It stood about 20 feet high, it was massive. Then he made a statement about the painting: "When one looks at the painting from this distance (we were at the farthest point from the mural we could be and still be in the church) the Christ seems rather cold and harsh, the colors look dark and unfriendly, but as you get closer to the mural you will notice the colors will brighten and the friendlier and warmer the Christ appears. The same is true with our life when one is far away from God; God seems cold and harsh, but as one gets closer to God the warmer and friendlier God appears to ones life.
With that story in mind if you were to rate your closeness to God on a scale between 1 and 10 with 1 being far away and 10 very close how would you rate relationship with God?What would cause your relationship to grow closer? What are some of the things which would cause you to move further away from God?
Let me know what you think

One of my goals for the near future is to make better contact with youth of my congregation. I have reactivated this blogspot with the hope of engaging in a spiritual conversation with the youth of Good Shepherd, and any other interested party which includes other church members and other youth or adults. Every week or so I plan to ask a question or make a statement of a spiritual nature with the hope it will generate some thoughts or ideas concerning your own spiritual life. It is my hope to then respond to each person and carry on a spiritual dialogue with the aim of helping you to grow in your faith. I will also take time to answer the question I ask because I don't believe it is fair to ask a question of someone and don't take the time to answer it myself.
With this in mind this weeks question: Who has had the most impact on your spiritual life?

I can think of several people who have had a major impact on my spiritual life. Early in my life my grandmother was very influential because I used to attend church with her and even when I was in college I would spend a lot of time talking with her and about spiritual issues. I always felt she would listen and not give me advice but was always encouraging me in my pursuit of education and going into ministry. My home pastor also gave me a great deal of direction and encoragement as I grew in the Christian faith. His door was always open when I wanted to discuss an issue I was struggling with at the time. In addition I have always been impacted by people in each Church I have served. I have had people who spent time praying for my ministry and were very behind the scenes people but they way they quietly lived out their faith has always had a big impact on my life. Finally there are my family members especially my wife and daughters and sons in law. In their own unique way each of them has challenged me in my journey of faith. Take time to let me know what you think about the question.

One of my goals as a minister of the gospel is to help people connect with God in ways they had not thought about. One of the problems in reching this goal is most of us do not like to be stretched in new ways and we are comfortable with the way we have always done things even though they may no longer work. A friend of mine once defined insanity as doing the same thing over and over again expecting different results. That holds true for one's faith walk as well. For many of us (me included) it is easy to fall into the trap of doing the same things one has always done in their faith journey and wonder why we are no longer growing in the faith.
I remember reading in a book by Speed Leas a story about a personal experience he had whitewater rafting. The first time he and his family went on this they had a wonderful time so good in fact they decided to repeat the same trip the next year with the same guide. They also invited some of their friends to go along which is the true measure of a positive experience. But what they discovered was their guide told the same stories at the same places on their trip. Instead of being exciting and thrilling as it was the year before it seemed like watching a rerun on television. It just did not have the thrill like it did the year before.
For many of us doing the same thing over and over again expecting to have the same meaningful experience we had the first time ends up in disappointment and frustration. As disciples on the journey we need to continue to go deeper in our faith and experience new ways in which God can touch our life.
I myself am a part of a group which meets on a regular basis where we talk, support, pray and encourage each other. Every time we meet it is a new experience because God breaks through in some way through the people in the group. That group has helped me in more ways than I can count to keep my relationship with God and my ministry fresh and alive.
As a wandering disciple I have discovered many new ways that God meets me on my faith journey.