Is it the place?

Man, am I blessed...

I work in a building that is less than 3 years old. For the most part, it still looks very new. It smells nice, the carpet is pretty clean, there are nice chairs and tables, and I get to watch others appreciate the building's "new/niceness" every day.

It's no secret, I work in a NEW church. And I know the truth is that there are some people who (at very least) visited and started worshiping with us on Sundays BECAUSE it is a new church.

Is it the place? Do people really come to/stay away from church because of a building? The simple answer is YES. Whether we like it or not, the CONSUMER in us has been trained to look for value, to look for quality, and to avoid what might appear to be 'off-looking', or poorly maintained facilities. We do the same thing with malls/restaurants/parks/schools/etc.

If you haven't stopped reading yet, I want to share something with you. In a few more months/years, the building I work in won't be new anymore. If we're not careful, the holes in the walls will grow, more of the grass will die, the bricks on the outside of the building will begin to crumble, the parking lot will break-apart, the gym floor will rip, etc...

WHERE AM I GOING WITH THIS?? I love that I work in a new building, but sometimes I wish I didn't. Right now, there are people who know me as the guy who works at the NEW church. I'm WORKING HARD to lose that label. I want to be known as the guy who works at the church that feeds the poor and walks with the lost.

Is it the place?? ... I think so, but only because we've let it become so. Scripture reminds me that the fruits of my life (my actions) will ultimately be what I am judged upon. What else does our community know us by if they don't see our FRUITS (God's love displayed in our actions) on display. They just know us by our buildings. The church with the big stained glass... the church with the gym... the church by the school... the old church... the new church... the church that is falling apart.

I work for a church, and I don't feel compelled to attend or worship at ANY of the places I just mentioned. But the church who LOOKS to serve, whose members are SEEN in service helping the world around them? I'd volunteer to FIX or REBUILD the old/broken/stained/smelly building which houses God's church... the church that brings glory to God by serving others.

If it is all about the place for you, if you see the community around you asking things like "why should we attend that church... its so outdated", maybe its because we haven't given them anything else to know us by...

I'm praying tonight to be a better follower of Christ. I'm pretty sure that means I have a LOT of work to do, and won't have much time to keep the church feeling SUPER new. If the church I work at falls apart in the interim, maybe you'll feel compelled to help me fix it when you see Jesus in me loving the community you live in.

(my grammar and language skills are AWFUL...)

I'll be praying for you... Please pray for each other.

Is it the time

Over the next several days I'll be working through the first paragraph of my initial Lenten post; what is keeping folks away from churches. I'm no genius, just trying to offer ideas...

Is it the time?

Our church is considering whether to add an additional worship service to the site where I am assigned. Of course, one of the first questions we ask ourselves is, "what time should the service be held?". As important as that question is for those who already gather for worship, it is more important for those who are not yet worshiping with us.

Is it the time of our services which causes new people to stay away? Possibly. In an era where 2nd jobs are more common, and when family time is more scarce than ever, perhaps the clock-time of service does matter more than we think. Perhaps gone are the days when people woke up on Sundays and thought, "man, it is probably TIME to go to church...". Perhaps time, sleep time/spare time/rest time, has become more important. So, will we simply stand on a soapbox and scream "get your priorities right and get to church on Sunday morning!!"? Back to that in a sec.

Is it that there are just more things to do during "church time"? This feeds into the last paragraph, but I've noticed that sports/club leagues/swing choirs/etc (my context) often take us away from our weekends (or old weekend routines) season after season. After a while, we get so used to being away/busy on the weekend that it becomes routine and we look to fill our weekends with more of whatever has become familiar.

Is it the time...in our lives? "I'm young/old/busy/etc, and I'll go back to church when I get the time...". I really think that this might make up a large and ignored "category" of what we would classify ignorantly as "unchurched". Those who are at least interested in the idea of God,Jesus, and even church, but have priorities which keep them away from church until it better suits their time. And WE in the church have fed them all of the insight needed to back up this theory about ignoring what we call "church". "Your relationship with God is personal, not social. God loves you, and no matter what you do, as long as you say you believe in Him, you're golden...".

In the right context, I believe the above statement has truth in it. But we've robbed a generation of an important truth regarding TIME. Time is an offering. It is a demonstration of priority. So when I ask "is it the time" that keeps you away, it is both an apology in behalf of the church for not acknowledging how much time it does take to follow Christ as it is a question about whether the 830am service is too early for you to wake up and come to church.

So, what is the answer... How arrogant would I be to suggest I had it!! But here is an idea. CHURCHES and church leaders, we can't assume the world will know about Christ if we don't offer people opportunities to come back (on the time we've given them) and hear the message of Christ. Start "church" (sharing the message of Christ and serving others as a community) at different times, in different locations, with different activities, etc. Make it worth their time so that you can teach them about how much their time matters to Christ. Maybe once we all sense the importance of worship in community and in action, serving the world and supporting each other, we'll be more apt to sacrifice a few more hours a week to enjoy the worship of God which does come with in the gathering labeled 'church'. (maybe even on Sunday? If that is important in your context...)

It is all about the time. Speaking of which, my daughter just fell asleep on my lap, so it's time to get some chores done while she sleeps!

If this post made any sense, share the idea with others. If it made you mad, or if you disagree, share that too! At least we'll be talking!

I'll be praying for you... please pray for each other.

Wanna help me with something?

Is it the time? Is it the place? Is it the people? Is it because there is no evidence? Is it because it isn't believable? Is it because it doesn't matter? Is it because it isn't worth it? Is it because it isn't good news? Is it because it is too hard? Is it because it isn't real?

(2 steps back)

Part of my job is trying to figure out what attracts and/or pushes people away from attending church. Along with that, I'm thinking about starting an alternate type of worship service at our church. As I sat down at my desk trying to figure out if/where those two things intersect, 2 more ideas thoughts came to mind:

*I better keep praying about this!
*Who would come to this service/how would I invite them?

"*" #1 seems to me to be obvious. "*"#2 isn't quite so easy. So, what better way to jump back into the blog than to ask some of my friends (and your friends/etc) the first set of questions above. What keeps you away from church? What would provoke or pique your curiosity enough to make you think about coming back?

Often we tell people to invite their friends to church. When they say no (creatively or otherwise) I think we forget to ask the follow up question... "Why not?" What is the real reason? What is their real answer? THEIR ANSWER, YOUR ANSWER, MY ANSWER IS SO VERY IMPORTANT!!!

I think corporate worship (oooh, I really dislike the word 'corporate') is a necessary part of the Christian experience. It fills a need, a desire which I believe God has for us to be in community... I think we need to be a part of a group that prays/learns/thinks/grows/serves together, and "church" seems to offer an opportunity to do those things.

SO, would you help me? Send me a note. Ask a friend. Why do people stay away from church? I'm going to spend time over lent trying to answer for myself EACH of the questions above with this blog. If you want to tag along, I'd love that. You should know, if you haven't read my blogs before, I'm NOT VERY SMART! But, I do want to find the answers...maybe you'll help me.

In the interim, I'm hoping to start a new worship service called "reCAP" at the CLC (the church where I work) on Sunday nights. It will be small and differently organized than our other worship services. We'll be quickly "recapping" the sermon of the day (3-5 minutes) in case you missed or chose not to come to church. Then, we'll attempt to "reCAPTURE" the essense/vision of the scripture used for the day (10-12 minutes). Think of it as the 2.0/next level version of the morning services, BUT with emphasis on PRACTICAL APPLICATION. There will be time for discussion, maybe an interesting video or 2, and perhaps some snacks.

WHY START ANOTHER SERVICE that perhaps NO ONE WILL COME TO??? (well, based on your feedback over the coming weeks, I may not!! :) ) My thought is that we need to better equip ourselves to not only SHARE the things we learn, but to LIVE the things we learn. We need to be better followers/disciples. This is just an attempt at digging deeper, and offering a new/different way to come together and worship.

If you're from around Ankeny, we'll start "reCAP" the Sunday after Easter and maybe I'll see you there. (unless you convince me otherwise!!) If you aren't from around here, but want to share your ideas, I'd love to hear from you! All ideas you have - even the ones which disagree with everything I've stated in this blog - are both welcome and appreciated.

Hey, I'll pray for you. Please pray for each other.

John

We are one (./?/:(/etc)

CLC Sermon question for the week - (sorry, no Michael Jackson performances this week)

If you hear the words "We are one" within a religious context, do you hear them spoken as a statement, question, or something else entirely?) I wonder if your response is directly correlated with your comfort level in church on Sunday morning or with the idea of church/organized religion to begin with?

Responses to this BLOG can and will be repeated during the sermon tomorrow! :)

Take up your cross...with Me.

This past weekend I delivered a message based on the last portion of chapter 8 in the gospel of Mark. This is an excerpt from the larger passage which was used... (34b-38)

“Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. 35 For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me and for the gospel will save it. 36 What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul? 37 Or what can anyone give in exchange for their soul? 38 If anyone is ashamed of me and my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will be ashamed of them when he comes in his Father’s glory with the holy angels.”

This time of year, pastors often provide sermons/messages on Christ's journey to the cross. One of the ways we can follow Christ's example is indeed to do what he asks in the scripture above...take up our cross. This week, there were people in the congregation who both stopped me after service and also mentioned to me in emails that they WANT to give up their life as Christ asks...they want to give up their personal/selfish desires...they want to take up their cross, but they feel like it will be so hard. Or they feel like when they do try, it is too heavy to carry alone.

Some also mentioned to me that they feel like they've made small changes in their lives, but feel Christ calling them to MORE sacrifice...MORE service. All of these things can cause us to fear what we know to be true. As disciples of Christ, we are called to the cross.

I tried to tell each of them that I often feel the same way. Whenever I decide to "take up my cross", I find myself not only wondering how I am going to carry the cross more than a few feet, BUT ALSO how I will be able to carry it tomorrow.

What I didn't talk enough about in my sermon was this...taking up your cross is not something you have to do alone. Check out Matthew 11:29-30...

29 Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.

Admittedly these scripture passages were not recorded together, but in the larger context of Christ's teaching I think they help provide to us a more complete promise and message. Jesus has already carried the cross for you. He asks us now, as His disciples, to be willing to do the same. THAT BEING SAID, he also promises us that we can learn from Him, lean on Him, and walk WITH HIM as we carry our cross.

My yoke is easy and my burden is light...those words DON'T tell me that a choice to live sacrificially and carry a burden/cross will necessarily be EASY, but they do remind me that I am making a mistake when assuming I ever have to carry the cross alone.

This lenten season, as I pray that God reveals to me ways that I can be a better disciple by taking up my own cross, I will also pray that God reminds all of us that HE has already carried the heaviest burden, the sin of all creation, with Him to the cross. That is a much heavier cross than I will ever have to bear. So, what burden should I fear? If Christ has already conquered the cross, let us all have the faith to acknowledge there is no cross we cannot bear WITH Christ when we choose to be yoked to Him.

I'm praying for you...would you pray for me.

Mmm...coffee...

I had an encounter with a starbucks "Barista" yesterday. As a way to say thank you, I had decided to pick up some coffee for the church office staff who support the church in so many ways. As I was attempting to carry all of the coffee away from the starbucks counter, it became clear to me that it wasn't going to be easy to get out to the car without dumping the coffee on the ground.

I mentioned to the Starbucks barista, "what are the chances I make it to the car without spilling?". Her response was interesting..."you are a man of God...the coffee won't spill. God wouldn't let that happen...

I have never talked about my church/faith/job with this particular "barista" other than once when she asked me where I worked. Because I was curious where this conversation might go, I responded to the gal by saying (with a smile on my face) "well then, what if I do spill? Does that mean I have to abandon my belief system?".

Her response was both confusing and also exactly what I needed to hear..."No, if you spill, it is only because you didn't have enough faith..."

My immediate reaction was "Wow...what a profound statement". Now, before anyone jumps to the conclusion that I somehow believe that all you need do is believe, and nothing bad will ever happen to you, trust me...that is not the intent of this blog. However, there are times in our lives where I believe God does ask us to simply have faith that the coffee won't spill...to step out, even if we think the burden might be too great, or the load too heavy to carry.

I've been wrestling with the next steps of my job/calling lately. I often worry that if/when I take the next steps in service to Christ, the "coffee" is going to be too much carry. So, I've been stalling. Just sitting at the Starbucks counter, refusing to leave because I'm scared of what is next.

Maybe...no, not maybe, I believe that God had a message for me that day which I am going to share...My plan is not for you to spill. My plan is not for you to fall. My plan isn't necessarily going to be easy, but if you have faith in Me, I won't ever leave you alone.

Prophets and angels, messengers of God are walking next to you today. God is reaching out to us, reminding us that faith in God is not something which guarantees a stress-free life...it guarantees a isolation-free life. It guarantees an ever transforming life.

My hope for you, and for me, is that we will turn our lives over to God again today. Recommit yourself to the work which He calls you to. And, if you find yourself wondering if you will make it from the coffee bar to the car without your life crashing into a brick wall, remember that God's plan for your life isn't for you to fail. It is for us to boldly step out in His name and walk together in faith, that others might see our lives...our deeds...our faith, and praise our Father in Heaven.

I'll be praying for you...would you do the same for me?

We NEED each other!

Today, our church staff participated in a workshop which was designed to teach us about how we communicate. As with any staff, corporate or otherwise, we are comprised of VERY unique individuals. I'd be lying if I said that we all ALWAYS got along, or that we are even able to completely tolerate one another.

So, we participated in an "Insights" development session. We learned about our communication methods, what we are good at, what we need to work on individually, and how to best communicate with others who have different strengths and weaknesses. I was pleasantly surprised at how much I took away from this session. We often hear someone say "there are no bad ideas/questions", but my cynical mind always adds in "yeah, but there are stupid people with bad ideas/questions!" ;)

After reading about my own strengths and weaknesses, it became more apparent to me that I need everyone else on staff. Those other staff members whom I don't always agree with are necessary to provide things to the congregation in the name of Christ which I don't have the skills to do. I left our meeting with high hopes that I would be more open minded to different communication styles. I am certainly not better than others...just different.

I was struck especially by a comment provided by the leader of the session...She very briefly remarked that Jesus' disciples were (paraphrased) a rag-tag, seemingly thrown together bunch of folk who might not always have gotten along or even associated with each other had it not been for Jesus.

So I ask you today, WHO ARE YOU SICK OF?!?! Is there someone in your life, in your home, in your church who is driving you UP THE WALL?! Do you feel like your life would be easier if they were just OUT of the PICTURE for a little while. OBVIOUSLY, no good can come from their presence any longer. Trust me...I've got a few of them too.

But today, reflecting more on the example of Christ, I'm working to see them as different, imperfect just as I am, but different reflections of Christ. The way that I relate to people, the way I write a blog, the way I understand Christ is NOT the way everyone sees it. It is impossible for me to communicate perfectly with everyone, hence I need help spreading the message of Christ. Jesus is the ultimate "communication seminar leader"...he is the guide which we should follow. If we follow his example, we can be confident that in our own ways (and in whatever rag-tag assembly of people we are a part of) we will be affecting and impacting people for His glory.

With what is left of this week, might we turn our differences into opportunities to reach more people for Jesus? I am not very organized. I need someone to help me reach people for Christ who think I am an unorganized lunatic! The person best equipped to reach others today might be the same person I just CAN'T STAND right now because they are so anal about X/Y or Z.

Embrace your differences today. Embrace the idea that while you have gifts, you also have weaknesses. We need each other, created by both genetics and all of our unique life experiences, to reach the world for Jesus. Too often we sit back and watch (or participate with) each other; moaning and groaning about which group is better/worse/smarter/has a bigger budget/gets more publicity/has a better leader. INSTEAD we should look for opportunities to serve where we have been gifted and where we are needed. Then, encourage others to serve in their own way...according to their gifts and graces.

I need you today. I am not equipped to reach some of you, some of your friends, some of the people in your neighborhood. I am imperfect, and while my personality profile said I'm outgoing, its not an "outgoing" that everyone will love. My personality profile said that my "personality" is engaging to some, but turns others off because it is too "outgoing". That is why I need you...why we need each other.

Most importantly, that is why Jesus needs whoever you are, whatever your personality profile shows, to reach out and serve with your gifts today.

REALLY STUPID BLOG today...but I enjoyed the session. If you ever have an opportunity to do a "communications" learning session with your staff/friends/church family, I strongly recommend it.

I'll be blogging tomorrow on my sermon for the weekend. Until then, I'll be praying for you. Would you do the same for me?