Watch Out! Sheep Shoot!

I can remember just this past week, my children playing and laughing in the van for about the first 4 hours of our 11 hour journey.  Suddenly, these two children, who really do love one another, began to fight.  About Everything.  ”He’s touching me.”  ”She’s got my crayon.” “He called me a poopie head” (I’m not kidding).  Amazing: same family, same space, same journey, fighting like they don’t even want to be related anymore.  I was sitting in the driver’s seat doing what any good parent would do at 70 mph on the interstate, “Don’t make me pull over!”

Wake up church!  Awake O’ sleeper!  Jesus said, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’; and, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.”  A good application of this passage is that we GIVE from all of our heart, soul, strength and mind to God.  We GIVE to our neighbor at least in the same way we would desire them to help us in our need.  We GIVE, they RECEIVE.  We are provided for by seeking first His kingdom and His righteousness.  In observation of church, I do see many who are seeking what they want and not what they need.

“I want more of this” - “I want less of that“ 

When the desires are not met, teams tend to get picked and sheep begin to shoot.  You know who loses?  Everyone.  The leaders who get exhausted, wounded, and disheartened. The non-believers who are looking for family and are turned off by church wars.  The children who desperately need consistency and service modeled for them.  And the people who are the shooting sheep, because they strive to meet real needs illegitimately.  

It always requires marriage vows that are kept for the covenant bride to function. Without that kind of commitment, we are just another group of people who gather on the basis of preferences and will become disfunctional once we are no longer having fun.

“Do you (Your Name) take (Church Family Name) to be your committed family – to live together after God’s ordinance – in the holy estate of matrimony? Will you love her, comfort her, honor and keep her, in sickness and in health, for richer, for poorer, for better, for worse, in sadness and in joy, to cherish and continually bestow upon her your heart’s deepest devotion, forsaking all others, keep yourself only unto her as long as you both shall live?”

Our passion is for Jesus, our relationship is with Him, our salvation is by grace through faith through the completed work of the cross. God has set this thing (church) up with you and me as the Bride, being purified and prepared for the great wedding day.  We are to be committed to one another, preferring one another, serving one another.  WE SHOULD OPERATE IN GRACE WITH ONE ANOTHER NOT PRESUPPOSED SUSPICION.

Church, let’s begin to repent, restore gently, see God’s move in our midst (not look for the bigger thing elsewhere), hold each other’s arms up, and be about our Father’s business.

It’s gonna be hard, it’s gonna hurt sometimes, BUT IT IS COMPLETELY WORTH IT!

Thanks for hearing my rant!

Scott

Recommended Reading:

Book: “Stop Dating the Church” by: Joshua Harris

Online Article: “Before You Quit Your Church” 

Crazy Week - It’s CFO

Sorry I have been a gonner for a week.  I was at Georgia Mountains CFO, a family camp, as a speaker.  They had internet access, I just was swamped by camp, God, and - well - more God!  So I just didn’t get to hop online all that much. What an awesome time.  You know God is always doing some more that I really didn’t expect!  I came into the week fairly well planned and every time I stood up to speak, I mean every time, God absolutely gave me different stuff to say.  Keeping me on my toes!  I got reunited with a friend and fellow speaker from California.  I had a wonderful elderly lady that kissed me on the cheek all week.  I played ultimate frisbee (it ought to be an olympic sport by the way).  I ate camp food, eeewwww. I got in the lake to baptize folks and was swarmed by little fish that chewed on the hairs on my legs.  AND - I got to watch God just do some crazy amazing things in the lives of folks!

Live life.  God makes it more than you can imagine.  ”To Him who is excedingly and abundantly able to do more than we can think or imagine . . .”

Love you guys, more to come this week,

Scott

I ran smack into the Wall-E

So I took the kids to see Wall-E this evening, and I was not prepared for what I encountered.  Now I’m not going to give you guys a review (you need to go yourselves!), but I can say that this was definitely one of the best movies this year.  If you love Jesus and tend to interpret life through His lens, then what you will encounter is a film that is very allegory-esque of the Gospel.  I was deeply moved.  Let me just say this:

“Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends”

Go see it and then post your comments here!

**Update**

Check out this interview from the writer/diretor

Emerging Something

What’s going on in the church?  I turned 36 years old in May and have lived long enough to remember about 30 years of church experience.  Some of it is entirely ugly, much of it is eternally beautiful.  I want to give you a tiny bit of “me” background before I make attempts at formulating my gut/spirit stirrings here.  I grew up Methodist in a Charismatic family and attended a Presbyterian college only to later transfer to a Pentecostal Holiness one.  I began my adult ministry in a Pentecostal Freewill Baptist Church (no kidding) and following a church split I found myself teaching middle schoolers at an Evangelical Presbyterian Christian School while planting an Independent church with my brother.  I rolled off staff at my brother’s church after seven years and spent two years on the road doing youth ministry, primarily in Methodist Churches, only to arrive as a worship pastor in Delaware at Eagle’s Nest Fellowship.  Wheeeewww, Hine’s 57 to say the least. Maybe I’m confused, maybe it has been a real blessing of perspective.

What I know is this, SOMETHING IS GOING ON.

Some people are going to say this post is jumping into the fray a little late.  Maybe.  But it’s an observation of the present I am encountering.  I am, because of my experience, a deep lover of healthy liturgy and grounded doctrine.  All the while, I am also a lover of expressions of faith, while grounded on scriptural truth and principle, allow room for revelation, passion and service.   What I mean is, we need the current generations that are driving culture to give us perspective and to challenge us stretch.  But the current generations need “elders” and mentors to keep them grounded in the root principles exemplified by Christ revealed in Scripture.  There is in the “Emerging Church” movement a drive to herald social justice issues and to engage non-Christians in a dialogue that values them as people who have worth.  This is needed.  There is also in this movement a stronger drive of creativity and, in some instances, a reaching back to classic liturgy (candles, hymns, communal life). This is also a good thing.  There is this cry in the conservative church of foul as it pertains to some of the doctrinal softness among these post-modern movements.  I believe that some of that is definitely warranted.

I read and study the Bible (NIV, NKJV, ESV, ASB, and even the KJV).  I read C.S. Lewis (Mere Christianity, God in the Dock, the Four Loves, etc.) I read Watchman Nee (Spiritual Authority, the Spiritual Man). I read many of the Classic and Modern fathers of the faith.

I also read Eldrige, Miller, Kimball and just finished Rob Bell (Velvet Elvis).  These are folks who are digging through the Christian Faith in the context of modern culture.

I have also spent some time reading the critics of all of these guys as of late.

Here’s my gut stirring.  SOMETHING IS GOING ON.  You know what I think it is?

Reformation.

The vehicle that has developed and reformed, stretched and snapped back, split and split again,  and then has done it again, is  - well - doing it again.

Traditional Churches decline, Evangelicals fight, Charismatics search for signs-wonders-and miracles, and Emergents question.  You know what?  The world is watching and waiting for us, no matter which of those categories you fall in, to not shout a message at them, but live a changed life among them and invite them to join the journey by faith in Christ.

All doctrinal lecture without a life of service in and among those in need is just noisy and empty. All service and no sharing of the truths of Scripture can be good works but still not introduce people to Jesus.

We need to hear the postmodern cry for social justice, we need to also point to the necessity of scriptural truth.

I think one of the greatest heresies is to claim Christian faith as your own, but not live it in a world that desperately needs it.

I certainly hope something is Emerging.  I hope that we are willing to take the hard task of reformation seriously, Scripturally, Spirit Lead, viewing history, and recognizing present.

What do you guys think?

Kung Fu Panda

 

Yeah - Go See It! It is a fun flick.  I laughed a tremendous amount. There’s this line from Po (the panda) in the opening sequence of the movie:

“There is no charge for awesomeness”

Chew on it, think, process . . . come on take it in . . .

Salavation is the free gift of God, he loves unconditionally, he gives the Spirit without measure! It is for freedom that you were set free!  If Jesus has set you free, then you are truly free!

Yeah it’s awesome and it’s free!

Profit - Loss Analysis

I hope you are enjoying some relaxing time with family over these few days of holiday!  Memorial Day, a time to remember those who have paid the ultimate sacrifice for their country.  The cost of liberty.  Freedom is not free.  I know for many of us there are passing thoughts of our soldiers amongst the late sleeping and hamburger flipping, but PLEASE take some time to REALLY reflect today.

Every thing you profit in life that is worthwhile is going to cost.  The profit of having a family at the loss of my selfish plans for myself.  We enjoy the profit of Kingdom life in God through Jesus’ sacrifice.  The extent to which you will be free in life and in Christ is to the extent you are willing to lose it all.

“For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me and for the gospel will save it.” ~ Mark 8:35

The most important thing in life is letting go of you and laying hold of Him.

Opportunities to grow

I believe every moment is this opportunity.  How we embrace, perceive, and file into our lives every passing experience and event deeply impacts how we grow.  However, there are those times when something is REALLY and opportunity to grow.  I mean, pain in the tail, aggravating, exhausting, opportunities.  I have had a couple of weeks of this.  It’s really been a stretch of my faith to manage all of the various items that have needed tending too.  Perspective people!  In the last few days, I have been telling some people that I am going to take what is currently a problem and use it as an opportunity to build.  Often we are trying to maintain or survive an experience (sometimes that’s all you can do), but I think we need to breathe in and look for the bigger picture.  How can I take this as an opportunity for divine creativity?  How is God moving in this to bring about change?  Remember to ask in all circumstances, “Lord, please teach me something!”

Sense of Purpose

I was up early today and spending some time with the book of John.  It was quiet the kids were just stirring and  I had a bowl of dry Honey Nut Cheerios and a Coke (Love it!).  I read throught the first two chapters of John and I really began to marvel at John’s powerful sense of purpose.

He accepted his role, he worked it with passion, and it was foundational in the process of life for him.  For so many of us, I know it’s me sometimes, we get into a rut of our relationship with God becoming a “part” of our life instead of our purpose in life.  I think about Jesus often, I make decisions based upon that leading in my heart that I have come to trust to be Him, I worship, BUT far too often it becomes routine.  What’s my role?  As I do my role,  am I taking a backseat to Jesus (He must increase and I must decrease) or am I just including Jesus in my plans?

“Behold the Lamb of God that takes away the sin of the world” - I am just preparing the way in the way that was given to me.  It’s all for His glory.

Just doing my part - but doing it with a passion.

A Block Party not a Restaurant

After the birth of Olivia, the week off, and major sound equipment devastation at church, I’ve got a number of things to write about in the coming days.  However, I’m going to start with something of a thought from a couple of weeks ago.

I was listening to someone’s tale of another church drama, politic, angry people thing, you know they all seem to be the same story after a while.  You’ve got one too if you’ve been in church for any length of time.  The main reason is that the church has people in it, they are the Church.  People have problems, oddities, imaturities, and the like.  I happen to be a card carrying member.  So, the issue is not that we have problems, it is how we handle them.

I had this thought in the midst of that conversation.  The church should be like a block party not a restaurant.  At a block party,  everyone contributes in some fashion either by attending, bringing food, haning out.  No pretense here, just come because you are my neighbor.  We invite the new folks from down the street and make sure we carry plates to the old folks one street over.  I share my baked beans, you smile and eat even though they are a little cold.  I grin and share stories with you and we all clean up at the end of the day.

At a restaurant, people pick thier favorite place to eat because it has what they like.  If they been there a few times they tend to like the same seat.  When they order they expect it to be the same or better than last time and prepared to thier exact specifications, no room for error here.  If it’s not to taste or takes to long, then they’re angry and my refuse to spend thier money.  They might complain or make a scene and leave, never to return, but tell all of thier friends how bad a place it is. (I purposely used “thier and they” because it would never be me or you would it?)

Seriously, it’s a pretty good analogy isn’t it?  Just food for fun but serious thought.

A Call To Worship