Sunday: Thankful For–Thankful Anyway

Life is difficult. Very few people would claim that life is without difficulties and challenges, disappointments and regrets. We would like to change some things about the past. We wish there were “do overs.” Things have not come out as we planned, hoped, dreamed. People, even in our own family and among those closest to us, disappoint us. Our hearts hurt for souls outside of Christ. Our hearts are scarred by decisions others have made.

Thanksgiving week is past! A common question has been asked and answered multiple times, “What are you thankful for?” Sermons have focused on thanksgiving — what we are “thankful for.” Lists have been made and shared. I applaud every effort to encourage an attitude of gratitude. My life is filled with blessings. God and those around me have overflowed into my life blessing after blessing. I am humbly grateful.

In the midst of multiplied blessings, I know also that life has its negatives — disappointments and frustrations. Can I be thankful when I look at life’s difficulties? Can I be thankful for the faith challenges in the lives of those I love the most? Can I be “thankful anyway?”

Paul wrote, “In everything give thanks.” Everything? Positives AND negatives? Blessings and bummers? In the midst of life’s positives, my challenge is to be “thankful for.” In the midst of life’s negatives, my challenge is to be “thankful anyway.”

“Dear God of love, mercy, and compassion, help me today, in the coming week, and in the coming month, to cultivate an attitude of trusting worship and dependent faith, to be thankful for the many blessings of life. Help me also to be thankful anyway when my eyes are focused on life’s bummers. Teach me to give thanks in everything, depending on you for that which is beyond my ability to change. I pray in the name of Jesus who can make everything new, Amen.”

Birthday!

Thank you! Many of you (especially the diligent social networkers) have noticed the passing of another year in my life. Birthday #76. I begin my 77th journey around the sun. I especially liked the greeting:  Happy “Bob” Day. I love little sayings and quotations. They give flavor and spice to life. They provide instant orientation and motivation. Today seems to be a good day to share one of my “most favorites.”

Birthdays are good for you.  Statistics show that those who have the most live the longest.

Word for Today: “Surrender” to what counts

You will never be worth much to God in your Christian life until you learn to surrender to what counts. The spiritual disciplines must include surrender.  In fact, surrender may be first, the foundation of every other discipline. Surrender is the ultimate expression of thinking like Jesus (Philippians 2:5). Until we learn the lesson of complete surrender, we will continue to think it is about us and that success depends on us.  Until we learn the lesson of complete surrender, we will not likely become effective servants (slaves) in Jesus’ kingdom.
Do not be confused.  I am not talking about surrender to the minutiae, trivial, or urgent. These are hardly ever worth being the focus of our lives.

Surrendering to what counts is not easy–because a plethora of tasks, good projects, and commendable activities call for our attention. The choice of the best over the better or the good is seldom seen or done without extraordinary effort. Can you see reality, what is really #1? That is the only thing worth giving our lives for.
Surrendering to what counts will cause us to discard as unimportant the things the world teaches us to value. Cross-carrying: that is how Jesus defines surrender. Cross-carrying as Jesus describes and demands will demote self-promotion, possessions, reputation, and the accolades of others.
Surrendering to what counts opens new doors of genuine service and effectiveness in the Kingdom, because all that matters is the business of the King.

God, help us this day to surrender ourselves fully. Help us to identify the things that really matter in life. May we surrender ourselves to what counts, because of the majesty of the One we know as Lord, through whom we come before your throne, Amen.

Sunday: Mother’s Day

Mother’s Day sermons are unique. For over 40 years, I preached a sermon every Mother’s Day, with only a few exceptions. For the last dozen years, I have “preached” my Mother’s Day sermons by posting sermons to my website, blogging, or through social media and videos.  Preparing the “just right” sermon is a challenge, a bit of a mystery, and an opportunity to pioneer and blaze new trails. On Mother’s Day, the church expects the sermon to say something about mothers. Today, I do not have a preaching appointment, but I want to say something about mothers.

Of all of the characteristics that mothers exhibit, one less often mentioned is faithfulness. It is assumed that mothers will be faithful. The mother who is unfaithful to her children is an enigma. She makes the news. Something is wrong. Everyone wants to know, how can it be?
We use the word faithful to describe friends, church leaders, ministers, missionaries, dogs and cars. We value faithfulness. Today I am thinking about the connection between mothers and faithfulness. Many of us have been blessed by a mother who never gave up on us.  The writer of the book of Hebrews says that faithfulness comes from endurance and keeping one’s eyes set on the goal, from perseverance and keeping one’s eyes on Jesus. Other factors contribute to faithfulness, but today I am thinking of these two truths as they relate to mothers and as they relate to our lives in Christ.  Our ability to endure and persevere depends on what and who we keep our eyes focused on. On Mother’s Day we are grateful for mothers who kept their eyes on the goal and modeled endurance and perseverance for us. We honor them. I am grateful that my mother taught me to glorify God.
Contemplating mothers and faithfulness reminds me of one more truth: if your mother could say to you what is on her heart today, among the things that she would most want to mention is this: Be Faithful!

From my Mother: Wealth

Happy Mother’s Day! Tomorrow is Mother’s Day. If your mother is still living, count your blessings this Mother’s Day.

My mother collected little thoughts and sayings. She had countless little pieces of paper, some cut out of a church bulletin, others where she had written or copied something she had heard or read. She put these scraps of paper everywhere–in the textbooks from which she taught, in her Bible, in the books of poetry and inspiration that she collected. Today I share a poem that I heard her recite on several different occasions, one that she had written out in her own hand. Her version is slightly edited from Walter Lewis Smith’s “Fulfillment.”

I have planted a garden, so I know what faith is,
I have seen birch trees swaying in the breeze, so I know what grace is,
I have listened to birds caroling, so I know what music is.
I have seen a morning without clouds, after a shower, so I know what beauty is.
I have read a book beside a wood fire, so I know what contentment is.
I have seen the miracle of the sunset, so I know what grandeur is,
And because I have perceived all these things, I know what wealth is.

Easter: A good time to get a firmer grip on the gospel

Many Christians have failed to grasp that the resurrection is the polar star for the Christian faith and message. Without the resurrection, Christianity is empty. The Christian message is summarized in the “gospel”, literally, good news. Paul claims that in preaching the gospel, he was sharing “first things” — the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus (1 Corinthians 15:1-4). “First things” is often translated as “most important things.” Paul claims that gospel message saves us, must be constantly remembered, and must be shared. There are at least 91 New Testament occurrences of the word gospel. There are many more references to events of the passion week — the suffering, crucifixion, death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus. A casual reading of the early chapters of Acts suggests that the fundamental message preached by the early church was the gospel. The gospel message of fulfillment, promise, and power was communicated and confirmed by Old Testament prophecy and the presence and activity of the Holy Spirit.

Paul describes initiation into the Christian faith as participation in the gospel of Jesus (Romans 6:1-6), baptism (burial) into the death of Jesus so that participation in his resurrection is assured. I am thrilled today that many will celebrate the importance of the resurrection of Jesus as the crowning truth of the gospel. Indeed, Paul affirms that without the resurrection, little remains but misery and a pitiful existence (1 Corinthians 15:12-19). However, merely celebrating the resurrection of Jesus is not God’s ultimate goal for human creation. Personal participation in the resurrection is God’s intent. Participation in the resurrection as Paul describes it in Romans 6 has two possible applications. First, you and I experience new life in Christ as we are baptized and the “old man” of sin is destroyed so that a new person comes forth. This may be also what Paul means in the phrase, washing of regeneration (Titus 3:5). Participating in Jesus’ resurrection is shown by “resurrection living.” Second, our participation in the ultimate resurrection at the end of time hinges on our participation in the death and burial of Jesus in the initiation of immersion.

Today, I am glad for the desire of many to celebrate the resurrection.
Let us continually celebrate the good news of Jesus, the gospel, which is the story of his love demonstrated at the cross — summarized in his death, burial and resurrection.
Our baptism into Christ is evidence of our participation in the gospel and marks his presence in us and ours in him.
Changed lives are the result, and are thus evidence, that we are participants in the gospel.
Hope for participation in resurrection to the presence of Jesus begins in our participation in the gospel.

Today, may the message of Resurrection lead you to faith, obedience, newness, and hope. Since Christians are those who are like Christ, the connection between the experience of Jesus (the gospel) and our own experience as we imitate him in death, burial, and resurrection must not be overlooked.

Yesterday and Today: Valentine’s Day, an Anniversary?

Jan and I celebrate 109 years of marriage today. WE have been married 109 years.  (Those of you who know our story know that is 54 1/2 for me and 54 1/2 for her. We are careful how we answer, depending on how the question is phrased. If you ask about US, WE count one more year of marriage every six months–six months for Jan and six months for me.) Every year for 54+ years we have rolled Valentine’s Day and our half-anniversary together to celebrate God’s goodness to us in our marriage.

How the time has flown! It is hard to believe. Thank you, God, for the wonderful soul mate and supportive helper you provided for us in our marriage. We celebrate our love!

Sunday: Love and Power

We talk about love but do not understand it. We love love, we do not live love.

Love and power are opposites. They do not coexist. When I operate from power, love is not on display. A bad question: “Who’s going to rule the house?” Another bad question: “Who runs this church?”
Understand the contrast, difference, relationship of love and power. The one who loves most has the least power and the most authority. Power does not resolve marital problems, kid problems, church problems. Power ends in abuse. Love casts out fear because it casts out power relationships. Power casts out love. Not sure? Read 1 Cor. 13.

Jesus said power would not be the model among his followers, Mark 10:45, “not so among you.” The home and the church are not driven, not power, not rule and regimentation, domination, control. Power plays should not work. Two basic approaches—use the right one; do not be seduced by power. Power may accomplish the task but it is a shortcut. Jesus rejected that approach in his temptations.

Love is God’s attraction. Society doesn’t understand it. The macho approach is wrong—period! The world must see love; wives, husbands, children, church members must know love, especially when we are unlovable. The cure to every problem is God’s amazing grace.

Power is human. Psychology catalogs appetites and needs–survival, belong, accomplishment. One strong will is the lust to power. Tenacity and will to control, dominate, rule, have our own way, receive recognition.

Forgiveness is a demonstration of love. You cannot forgive and then run over someone like a steam roller. Some preachers, church leaders like to scold and whip and spank and punish. You cannot build a person, family, or church on power. You build on love.

How Jesus demonstrated his love. -1- No reputation/ego; totally centered in well-being of the other. -2- unselfish, -3- humble service to meet needs of others.

God’s love. God out there loved me, came down here, picked up the towel, washed feet, served. Can we be ministers of reconciliation, forgive, forget, unify, work, grow, build together—on the basis of love not power.

Love never fails. It conquers where power fails. It is greater force. The cross stands for love. Fill your space with a sweet spirit, amazing grace; be salt on the earth and light in the world. Blessed by the love of God, guided by the love of God, offering others the love of God.

Evangelism: Getting People to Do What They Are Not Doing?

In ministry and mission work, I often evaluate and design evangelistic outreach programs for local congregations. Who will be the target audience? What will motivate those the church seeks to reach? What should the church do to maximize results? What activities will be most effective?

Equally important questions must be added when one considers that almost all U.S. churches between 50 and 299 are in decline. Is the trend reversible? How does a congregation avoid the plight of almost all other congregations like it?

These and many other questions come to mind, but the larger question (the elephant in the boardroom, if you will) is how one can get people to do what they are not currently doing. That is, how can people who do not currently attend church be encouraged to attend church? Addressing this question is essential when one considers that only a small percentage of the U.S. population goes to church regularly. Further, that percentage is decreasing steadily.

For years, I said that approximately 1/3 of the population were churched, 1/3 minimally churched, and 1/3 unchurched.  I believe those numbers came from an older Barna report. The definition of churched in the report included all who attended church at least once a month.

More recently observations and focused research have caused me to conclude that on any given Sunday, it is likely that no more than 15-20% of the U.S. population is in church (Easter excluded). In 2003, the local newspaper conducted a church survey in a southeastern Oklahoma city of about 20000 population. The city had 31 churches. The 10 largest religious groups had a combined attendance of about 2500, with the 10th largest church reporting an attendance of only about 50. If one were to count the other 21 churches as having attendances of 50 (to add 1000 to the total), the average weekly attendance was only about 3500 persons (17.5%). I believe this number is an accurate representation of church attendance in our nation.

Information from major opinion research firms suggests that about 40% of the U.S. population attends church regularly. For example, National Opinion Research Center reports 38%, Institute for Social Research’s World Values 44%, Barna 41%, National Election Studies 40%, and Gallup 41%. The estimate of 40% church attendance is widely reported in the media. More and more, this commonly reported number is being challenged. Perhaps it is more accurate to say that 40% of Americans claim to attend church regularly.

Various studies during the last 10 years have addressed problems related to polling. How was the question asked, what was the desired answer, how does one correct for under or over reporting? In 1998, Stanley Presser (University of Michigan) estimated that the actual percentage of those attending church during the last third of the twentieth century was about 26%. Also in 1998, C. Kirk Hadaway and P.L. Marler researched some of these factors and published an article (“Did You Really Go to Church This Week? Behind the Poll Data”, Christian Century). They focused on individual counties, surveying actual attendance and comparing it with random surveys they conducted. They found that actual church attendance was about half the rate indicated by national public opinion polls. Their estimate for US actual church attendance was around 20%. Dave Olson surveyed only Christian churches (evangelical, mainline, and Catholic) and reported that the percentage of Americans regularly attending church is 18.7%.

The director of the Center for the Study of Religion at Princeton University, Robert Wuthnow, said that the terrorists’ attacks have not changed the basic makeup of the U.S.:

  • About ¼ of American adults are devoutly religious,
  • About ¼ are secular, and
  • The remaining half is only mildly interested in religion.

Wuthnow continued: “We are in some ways a very religious country, especially compared to Western Europe. But we’re of two minds, and the other mind is that we really are pretty secular. We are very much a country of consumers and shoppers, and we’re quite materialistic. And as long as we can kind of paste together a sense of control through our ordinary work and our ordinary purchases, we’re pretty happy to do that.”

Given these numbers, what is the future of evangelism for the church I am working with? What should I tell them?How can they encourage people who do not attend church to begin to do so? The answers will not be easy, but we have to ask the questions.

Sunday: With Pedro Sanchez, my “socio”

Through the years, I have often worshiped in English at an early service and then worshiped in Spanish at a later service. I am blessed when I get to study the Bible and worship in Spanish. That blessing is seldom more apparent than when my good friend and brother, Pedro Sanchez, from Santiago, Chile, is visiting.
Pedro is unique. He is committed to training church leaders and elders. He has a unique grasp of the word of God. He is vibrant, emotional, powerful in the Word of God.

Being with my Christian brothers and sisters is one of the things I most look forward to every Sunday. Each one encourages me and strengthens my faith. The time we share is precious. Today, and every Sunday, I will celebrate my gracious God and what he has done for me in Christ. I will also celebrate the beauty of God’s family, and the beauty of each Christian who crosses my path to show me God’s power.