Out the Door

1/4 Gone

2006 is 1/4 over.  How are you coming on achieving your goals for the year?  Are you 1/4 of the way done with what you wanted to accomplish?

Just a friendly reminder of how fast the days go by.

Crisis Overload

What's the crisis of the day?

It seems that rarely does a day go by that there isn't some "crisis" somewhere in the world.  News programs thrive on reporting the latest "crisis."  Humanitarian organizations try to "out crisis" each other, (my crisis is worse than your crisis).  We live in a culture that jumps from one crisis to the next, without ever really dealing with the prior ones.

Again this morning I received an email with the the subject line, "URGENT PLEASE READ/REACT/RESPOND".  I deleted it.

I just can't handle one more crisis.  I have no doubt that the needs expressed are real, but like the village folk who heard the little boy cry "Wolf!", I'm just not moved by another report of some direr need.  Maybe this says more about me than about our culture.  I'm suffering from crisis overload.  Then again, maybe if there weren't so many shrill voices crying out, I'd be more attentive to the need.

Question of the day: How do you respond to "crisis overload?"

Sermon: An Everlasting Covenant: Rejected

God has offered His everlasting covenant to His people, but His people have complained and rejected His love.  "An Everlasting Covenant: Rejected" looks at the mistake God's people make when they choose slavery over freedom.

Download or Listen to  An Everlasting Covenant: Rejected

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Review: A Whole New Mind

At my dad's recommendation, I checked out from the library A Whole New Mind by Daniel Pink.  It's subtitled, "Moving from the Information Age to the Conceptual Age." 

Pink's contention is that there are three factors which make it imperative for Americans to move from left-brain directed thinking which is sequential and logical, to right-brain directed thinking which is emotive and creative.  These three factors are; Abundance, Asia, and Automation. 

Those who live in the western world are experiencing unprecedented abundance in history of humankind.  This has opened the way for millions to begin searching for more than material security.  They are searching for meaning and purpose.  This may be the most important message in this important book for those in the Christian community.  Christianity at its very foundation is about finding meaning and purpose beyond the confines of this world.

The second and third factors, Asia and Automation, are and will continue to change the way American live and work.  Jobs which were once done by high paid engineers, MBA's, doctors and factory works are being outsourced to Asia or completed by computers.  American workers can't compete with these relatively inexpensive alternatives.  Thus Americans must develop "a whole new mind."

For Pink, this whole new mind involves six senses. 

Design; It no longer enough simply enough to build a better mouse trap, its has to look good while catching mice.

Story; Humans are hardwired for stories, and in the 21st century where a world of facts and information is as close as the computer screen, information is not an expensive commodity.  Stories that help make sense of all the information are an invaluable asset.

Symphony; Recognizing patterns and bringing together diverse information, like directing a symphony is a unique skill of right-brain directed individuals.

Empathy; Being able to "weep with those who weep, and rejoice with those who rejoice," is an ability that in a land of abundance and one where people are searching for meaning will be in high demand.

Play; Pink quotes Brian Sutton-Smith, professor of education, U of Penn., "The opposite of play isn't work.  It's depression.  To play is to act out and be willful, exultant and committed as if one is assured of one's prospects."  Play and laughter are essential to one's health and well-being.  And how well one plays may have a profound impact on the degree of success they experience in the 21st century.

Meaning; Freed from the struggle for survival that the vast majority of our forebears faced, we have the luxury of seeking the high elements of Maslow's hierarchy of needs.

This is a book I'd highly recommend anyone in any field of endeavor read.  My wife who's a teacher said there are pages she wants to copy and give to her principal.  I read it quickly, over one weekend, now I feel the need to buy my own copy and go back through it with a highlighter and absorb even more of the gems of wisdom contained within.

My preaching style, what's the point?

(click to enlarge)

I've been thinking lately that I need to change my preaching style.  I'm not convinced that the traditional three point sermon is the best way to communicate the gospel.  It's certainly not the way Jesus preached.  In fact, I'm not sure most of Jesus' teaching moments could even rightly be called preaching in the modern understanding of the word.  Jesus was a storyteller.  Jesus used the ordinary things of this world to open the door to understanding the extra ordinary things of God's Kingdom.

My preaching professor taught a very structured pattern of sermon crafting.  The theme of the scripture lesson was to be stated in the introduction and conclusion, as well as the specific objective for the message.  Every main point in the sermon had to include the title of the message and be no more than 15 words long.  Each main point had to have its own illustration and application. 

After twenty years of preaching, I'm still using that basic format in the vast majority of my sermons.  But I'm thinking that there's a better way and it lies in storytelling.

I don't think I've ever had anyone come up to me after worship and say, "Boy, that second point you made really struck home with me."  Nor have I heard people comment, "I remember the third point Pastor John made in his sermon last month."  I have hear people say, "I remember that story Pastor John told last fall about ...." 

Stories stick with people.  Our lives are defined by the stories we remember and tell.  If you asked me to tell you about myself and I said, "I'm six feet tall. I blue eyes and dark brown hair.  I wear size 13WWW shoes."  You would be able to say you know something about me, but you couldn't say you knew me.  You can't know me, nor can I know you without knowing the stories of our lives.

What I'm struggling with is how to incorporate that knowledge about the importance of stories more into my preaching.  I've been trained to preach in a certain way, and now I feel like I have to untrain myself in order to become an effective preaching in the 21st century. 

This posting is really just the thing I'm talking about.  The cartoon above in one sentence and with a picture tells a story and does a better job of communicating my feelings than all the words I've written.  I've got a long way to go.

Who will defend the children?

Being a child in America is dangerous.  And it seems there are few who will come to their defense. 

First there was Judge Cashman of Vermont, who originally sentenced a confessed child rapist to 60 days in jail.  After much public outcry, the judge relented and ending up giving a three year sentence on this man who repeated molested a child over for nearly ten years.  What happened to the punishment is to fit the crime?

Last week a judge in Ohio followed suit and sentenced a confessed child rapist to five years probation.  This confessed child molester repeated abused a five year old and a eleven year old boy.

The only thing worse than these judges actions is that lack of response by the church.  It's as Bill O'Rielly said, "If a guy confessed to raping two women, would he be sentence to probation in this country?  That wouldn't happen.  But if it did, every women's group and media outlet would demand the judge's removal."

I'm convinced Bill is right about this.  The leaders in our church; the Bishops, General Board of Church & Society, the Women's Division; have all spoken out against the war in Iraq.  Each pointing to the taking of innocent lives.  Now whether or not they were right when they made those statements isn't the point.  The point is, where are they when innocent lives are being destroyed in our own country and justice is abandoned for political correctness?  Whatever happened to "what you do to the least of these you do unto me"? (Matthew 25:31-46) 

The children of our land who are abused must be numbered among "the least of these" and I hear no voices from our church coming to their defense.  Until we are willing to protect our children from predators, we dare not think we will be among those who the King commends on the judgment day.

Making forgiveness more than a catch phrase

I have long thought that the Protestants founders made a mistake when they did away with the practice of confession.  Certainly, entering into a confessional booth and rotely reciting a litany of sins can be a farce.  But true confession to another human being is good for the soul.

Recently I've heard several confessions from individuals.  They expressed dismay at their failing.  They thought they should have known better and done better.  More than one was beating him/herself up over their sin and felt convicted by the Spirit.

There's a big difference however, between being convicted by the Spirit and beating oneself up.  Conviction leads to repentance and forgiveness.  Beating oneself up leads to depression and despair.  It's the difference between true guilt which is healthy and neurotic guilt which isn't.

One can determine which type of guilt one is expressing by how asking for forgiveness impacts those feelings.  When we sin and ask God to forgive us, God does.  We will still face the consequences of our actions, but the deep sense of conviction and guilt is removed.  If after we have sought forgiveness from  God and the one we sinned against and the feelings of guilt remain, that is not the work of the Spirit. 

That is not to say we don't feel bad about what we've done or have no sense of remorse or regret.  St. Paul carried the regret of his sins his entire life.  But he was supremely confident that he had found forgiveness and freedom in Christ.  When forgiveness becomes more that a catch phrase for us, we will have the same confidence.

Sermon: An Everlasting Covenant: Defined

God instructed Abraham "walk blamelessly before me," when God established an everlasting covenant with him and his descendents.  The Ten Commandments define for us what it means to "walk blamelessly."

Listen to or Download: An Everlasting Covenant: Defined

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Permission to Fail

I'm convinced that one of the main differences between churches had reach their potential and those that don't is that successful churches give people the permission and opportunity to fail. 

In many regards Peter failed more than all the other disciples.  Surely Judas' failure was the biggest, but by sheer number of miscues, Peter takes the cake.  Peter had a severe case of foot-in-mouth disease.  Whether it was asking Jesus to tell him to walk on water, or swearing he'd die for Jesus, as well intentioned as he was, he often ended up failing.

And yet, it was Peter who became to leader of the disciples, the rock on which Christ built His church.  What if when Peter asked to come to Jesus on the water, Jesus would have said, "You've never done it before and knowing your past record, no, stay in the boat where you belong."?  Peter wouldn't have failed, nor would he have experienced the saving power of Jesus.

Many congregations tell their people to stay in the boat.  Don't do anything out of the ordinary because you may fail.  And indeed sometimes people do fail, just as Peter failed.  Failure is never pleasant, is often painful and can be downright embarrassing.

Churches that develop people of faith who accomplish extra ordinary things for Christ, give people the opportunity to fail.  This is an especially hard thing for many pastors.  As pastors, we're called to care for God's flock.  Caring is often equated with protecting from all harm.  So we offer "helpful" advice that deflates an individual's vision to a safer size.  That way they don't get overly hurt when they fail, but at the same time they are prevented from doing anything great for God.

On another note, some churches and pastors don't want to see people attempt something they may fail at, because if they do fail, they think it reflects badly on them.  For instance, what if group planned some event at the church and then nobody showed up?  So it's best, the thinking goes, not to try anything different, play it safe and everybody will be happy.

The problem is, people can't be happy when they aren't reaching toward their God-given potential or living out their God-given passions.

So here's the question for the day: When was the last time you tried something out of the ordinary in your church and it flopped?

Sermon: Everlasting Covenant; Accepted by Faith, Sealed in the Flesh

God made a covenant with Abraham which Abraham accepted by faith and sealed in the flesh.  As children of Abraham, we share in this covenant both in its blessings and its requirements.

Download or listen to:  An Everlasting Covenant: Accepted by Faith, Sealed in the Flesh

To download and save: right click on link, click on "Save Target As", then choose the file where you want to save in.  To listen on line, simply left click on link.