I am a concerned Nazarene article

Posted on April 11, 2012 by | Leave a comment

Here’s an article entitled “I am a concerned Nazarene” from our denominational publication “Holiness Today.” I think it strikes a balance by acknowledging the legitimacy of being concerned about the direction of the denomination and, at the same time insisting that those expressions of concern be, well, Christian in nature. After all, the Bible does give us some fairly specific instructions for dealing with disagreements within the church. If we’re followers of Jesus we ought to follow his directions in such situations.

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Advice to young pastors: Annual Meetings #1

Posted on February 5, 2012 by | Leave a comment

In my Zion, the Church of the Nazarene, there’s a required annual church meeting in which the business of the church is conducted. I’m writing with my own denomination in mind but I wouldn’t be surprised if this approach is applicable for other groups as well.

There are several reports to be heard in this meeting: youth, missions, stewards, trustees, treasurer, secretary, and others. The old way to do it was to set aside a Sunday night for reports and voting. Frankly, it wasn’t an inspiring event and a lot of folks opted to do something else that night.

It’s really too bad. Some of our finest people serve faithfully through the year and the church really does need to hear them tell what they’ve done. Hearing them report reminds the congregation of the many things that happen in the church that don’t take place on the platform on Sunday mornings.

So, here’s the solution. During the weeks leading up to the voting, take time each Sunday morning to hear three or so reports. Ask those reporting to take three or four minutes for their reports. Following each report, have everyone clap and cheer.

This approach will allow the congregation to focus on each report and not get saturated from hearing one report after another. It also puts the church leaders up front on a Sunday morning — giving honor to those to whom honor is due.

Pastors, of all people, understand the importance of highlighting the efforts of dedicated laypeople in the church and this is an excellent way to do it.

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Book review -Silent God: Finding Him When You Can’t Hear His Voice

Posted on February 1, 2012 by | Leave a comment

In “Silent God” Joesph Bentz takes on an issue that is oft explored in the Psalms – why it is that God sometimes seems distant and silent? He begins his exploration by looking, not to God, but to us – pointing out that we are seldom good listeners, but instead have lives full of noise, both physical and inner. His observations about cellphones, email, and other technological “noise” hit home for me.

From there, we move to discussions about the possible reasons for God’s silence; that he has a purpose in all he does (or, in this case, doesn’t do). We come away from the book with an appreciation of the power of silence and a realization that God’s silence actually speaks to us and advances us in our journey to Christ-likeness.

I recommend this book as one that will help the seeking reader to go deeper in their relationship with the Lord.

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Adventures with garage door openers – and reading the instructions

Posted on January 23, 2012 by | Leave a comment

Our garage door opener bit the dust a couple of months ago so we had to bite the bullet (okay, that’s the end of my Western metaphors) and have a new one installed. The new unit did the job and all was well in the garage door opening world. Then, I think it was after a power outage, the door started acting strangely. When one pressed the “close it” button it would start to close, but almost immediately reverse and then stop, the little led light on the unit blinking madly.

I got out the manual that came with the opener and looked through the troubleshooting section and concluded that the “up” setting had been lost and that the fix was simply pushing the proper button on the unit when the door was where I wanted it to stop.

But the silly thing just wouldn’t set. I now understood that when the door opened it was opening too far and hitting the “don’t even think of opening any farther” bolt. Again and again I tried to punch the button that would tell the door, “okay, that’s far enough, you can stop now.” The door continued to ignored me; running past my stop sign and banging into the bolt again.

I tried punching that little button again and again. I tried punching it harder and harder. And, finally, I tried calling the customer support number I found on the internet.

The fellow was friendly enough. He took all my information and then said, “Now, let’s set the travel limit on the door.” I thought, “that’s what you think.” Then he said, “I want you to hold the button down for 5 seconds.” I thought, “Five seconds?”

Problem fixed.

I was somewhat chastised that this fellow instantly fixed my door for me so I didn’t say anything except “thank you” but I thought, “Why didn’t they just put that in the manual?”

So I got the manual and looked through it again. There it was: “Hold the button down for five seconds.” I got my pen out and underlined it for future reference and to guard against a repeat of this entire scenario.

I wonder if I’m ever guilty of dealing with the Lord like this? Do I ignore his instructions for living and then complain that life isn’t working very well for me?

I know that every question of life isn’t answered in the Bible – but I also know that the most important ones are. In fact, I might be surprised by just how much practical instruction I can find – how many answers there are to the questions I’ve been asking. There they are, right where they have been all along. All I had to do was take time to read them.

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Bible toten’ gun slingers

Posted on November 29, 2011 by | Leave a comment

Some time back I did a post I called “Why I don’t believe in hell.”  In the very first sentence I confess that the title is just an attention grabber and that I’m actually posting to highlight the absolute importance of placing one’s faith in Jesus Christ to be saved.  We aren’t saved by believing all the right things (including believing (as I do) that there is a hell) – but are, instead, saved by placing our faith in the right Person!

That post has received a lot of nice comments.  A few folks had a hard time getting past the subject line and wanted to be sure that I was on “their side” in the “hell debate” (even though I quoted directly from our church Manual) but by and large the exchanges have been positive and friendly.  I’ve accepted all those to be published as comments on the post.

However, every month or so I get a response intended to prove to me that hell exists or which accuses me of abandoning the faith.  Obviously, that person either didn’t read the article or didn’t understand what they read.  Those comments never see the light of day.

Simply stated, that’s not how Christians interact with one another.  We don’t ignore what people say so we can score points for Jesus.  We don’t accuse people of things without taking time to hear them out.

The Lord doesn’t commission Bible toten’ gun slingers to ride the range gunning down outlaws.  Now, I know that some nice people simply lack the tools to think through some issues and I know that others operate so far beyond me that they see flaws in my opinions that have escaped me.  The best I am able I want to be charitable to the first group.  At the same time, I hope the second group will do the same for me.

My suggestion to some who scan the Internet for people who need to be “gunned down” is that you at least take time to read what is said before you commence firing.

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Possibility thinking

Posted on November 15, 2011 by | Leave a comment

I was in the early days of the ministry when someone suggested I read Robert Schuller’s book about possibility thinking. It told the story of his starting a church at a drive-in in southern California. He was a disciple of Norman Vincent Peale. The book was quite inspirational, especially Schuller’s positive message concerning the Lord’s work in our lives.

Of course, his approach to the topic is now heard in Joel Osteen’s health and wealth message.

My response to his “possibility thinking” book though, wasn’t as radical. I came away challenged to trust God, always remembering his love and good will toward us – that he sees a way through when I can’t.

I moved on from Schuller. Never read another of his books or watched him preach a sermon. Still, that one book became a small part of my spiritual DNA – helping to form me into an optimistic Christian rather than taking a more narrow, pessimistic view of things. Sometimes when I’m around people who constantly grumble and complain or see those on the Internet who are constantly at war with other Christians because of some areas of disagreement, I wish they’d gotten a shot of possibility thinking early in their lives too.

Even before Schuller’s retirement from the day to day operation of his mega-ministry things were going south at the Crystal Cathedral. He tried to turn the ministry over to his family members, but unlike the Osteen story, the children couldn’t fill the father’s shoes. Last year the Crystal Cathedral filed for bankruptcy protection and these days there’s a real chance that the entire church campus will become a Roman Catholic facility, although there remains a chance that the church building itself might remain in the hands of the ministry if a university manages to get the property.

Even though my theology is quite distant from that of Schuller and this toppling mega-church I can’t help but remember reading his book today and realizing that the Lord used it to help shape my thinking in ways that still influence me today.

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Preaching Advice for Young Pastors: Preach an “Annual Message”

Posted on September 6, 2011 by | Leave a comment

At the beginning of your ministry in your new assignment (even better, as a part of your considering becoming pastor of the church and the church considering you as a potential pastor) lay out your philosophy of ministry in a sermon. Talk about the kind of pastor you aspire to be and the kind of church you want to pastor. Make it a Biblical, scripture-based sermon, but at the same time, share your heart with the congregation.

A year after you arrive, on your anniversary Sunday, preach that same sermon again. Let it remind you and them of what your ministry is all about.

Then, as years pass, you probably won’t preach that sermon annually, but every two or three years get it out, update it, and preach it again. It will be good for you to restate your hopes as a pastor. It will also be good for your congregation to be reminded of what you told them you would do (or not do) as their pastor. It will help new people get on board as they better understand what you and the church are about. Also, over time, it will create a sense of celebration of your partnership in ministry.

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9/11 Post

Posted on September 6, 2011 by | Leave a comment

I wrote about 9-11 a few years ago.  I think it’s still applicable as we approch the 10th anniversary of that day.

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Quote from P.F. Bresee concerning Nazarene doctrine

Posted on July 22, 2011 by | Leave a comment

P.F. Bresee is considered to be the founder of the Church of the Nazarene.  He was one of the people instrumental in helping the various groups who came together to form the denomination to find common ground.  They didn’t agree at every point, but they agreed to allow people to arrive at their own understanding on a broad range of doctrinal issues while holding fast to certain core beliefs.  To find out what those core beliefs are, check out the “Agreed Statement of Belief” section around page 37 in the Manual of the Church of the Nazarene.

Concerning all the other stuff, Bresee urged tolerance governed by love.  I recently read something written by Fletcher Tink in which he quotes Brezee on this topic:

“On the great fundamentals we are all agreed. Pertaining to things not essential to salvation, we have liberty. To attempt to emphasize that which is not essential to salvation and thus to divide forces, would be a crime. An unwillingness for others to enjoy the liberty that we enjoy in reference to doctrines not vital to salvation is bigotry, from which the spirit of holiness withdraws itself.” (Bold by me)

I’ve heard various versions of the first part of this quote several times, but the second is new to me.  Apparently, Bresee isn’t just all warm and fuzzy on this topic.  Rather, he’s rather stern about it, saying those who insist on loading other stuff into the equation are practicing a sort of doctrinal “bigotry” and, because of that are operating somewhere outside the “spirit of holiness.”

I can’t help but wonder what he would think of some of the debates and finger pointing we see within our number today.

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Learning to laugh at yourself

Posted on June 6, 2011 by | Leave a comment

I know that preaching is serious business and I take it seriously. Still, there’s a place for humor – not as an add on that sticks out like a sore thumb, but as part of an illustration that helps drive home an important truth.

Then, there’s the unintentional humor that happens at sometimes unwelcome times. Preachers are notorious for getting tongues tangled — for foot-in-mouth disease. A friend of mine made a huge goof one time that had the congregation so ticked that he good-naturedly just closed the service!

I was once praying a sincere prayer and heard myself devoutly pray: “Oh, Lord, we come to you in true humidity.” Along the Texas Gulf Coast that may be more true than what I intended to say in the first place.

Last Sunday as I preached a sermon on Lot’s wife, I commented that we don’t know the names of all the women in the Bible and we don’t know her’s. Then, somewhere early in her story I said something like, “Lot’s wife husband, Lot, decided to join his uncle in his journey.” Even as I said it I got tickled. Yep, Lot’s wife’s husband was named Lot all right. It took me a minute or so to get my act back together.

Anyway, we don’t know Mrs. Lot’s name…but I’m quite sure that Lot’s wife’s husband was named Lot.

Sometimes, you just have to laugh at yourself, pick up the pieces, and move on the best you can.

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