A church member asks, “How can I minister, even in my own little world, when it has pretty much become to me a foreign land?” It’s no longer the world I grew up in.
A Lucas County youth pastor is telling me that one of the small group leaders in his ministry community (a woman) has a number of young girls in her group struggling with serious eating disorders.
- Not the world I grew up in.
He talks about cutting - young men and women seemingly addicted to cutting themselves, and if not addicted, at least using cutting as a way to temporarily drive away the greater and more horrible inner pain they face daily.
- Not the world I grew up in.
Here are some questions parents asked online.
1. In a time of overbearing parenting and institutionalized narcissism, how can I cultivate caring in my children?
2. Sometimes my husband will say – we need to toughen these kids up; they have to live in a tough world. How do we balance teaching them kindness/gentleness vs being tough?
3. Growing up in an alcoholic family, and with anxiety as an adult, how does one manage anxiety with parenting?
4. Can you help me with spiritual principles for my 6-year old? She asks many questions about God and I don’t know how to discuss spirituality with her.
What a challenge for today’s church.
Where in your faith community can youth and parents like these turn for help? Can they turn to you? to your church? In Matthew chapter 10 Jesus called the 12 disciples and gave them authority to drive out evil spirits and to heal every disease and every sickness.
From the beginning, ministry in Jesus’ name was the work of the church. Another Matthew, Matthew West, has a contemporary song about living in, and then breaking out of, “My Own Little World.” The chorus of that song asks
“What if there is a bigger picture, What if I’m missing out,
What if there’s a greater purpose, I could be living right now
Outside of my own little world?”
From St. Matthew to Matthew West, Jesus is the same.
The church gathers in his Name for worship.
That’s good! --- good for one’s soul.
The church disperses in his Name for ministry.
That’s also good! --- good for the world.
He is the Son of God. All power and authority are his. He calls. He sends. He disperses his followers to minister, even among wolves, with these words, “Do not worry about what you are going to say [or do] or how you will say it [or do it]. When the time comes, you will be given what you will say. For the words you will speak will not be yours; they will come from the Spirit of your Father speaking through you.”
- Not the world you grew up in?
- For sure!
But it is still God’s world. And it is still the world into which the church is sent. From the beginning, ministry in Jesus’ Name was the work of the church. It still is.
Thursday, March 31, 2011
Monday, March 7, 2011
The JESUS Film - Overcoming the Darkness
In March and April we want everyone to have the opportunity to view The JESUS Film. We will be showing it in the churches, around town, anywhere we can. We have DVD and VCR copies to loan. VHS and DVD copies are available at the Humeston Library if you are unable to attain a copy at the church. The film can also be seen on your computer right here in over 100 languages (English, Spanish, or whatever).
I recently read an article in a devotional booklet about Candra and John Penny’ mission venture in Benin. The mission was called Benin Beginnings and was a JESUS Film mission trip.
They wrote, “Imagine visiting a remote nomadic West African village, sitting with a king, visiting the Voodoo center, and being confined inside after 10:00 pm because of the Voodoo worship ceremony going on outside.”
I said, “Oh yes, I can imagine.” I had an experience so like that in 1995 while ministering in Ghana, except it was a Voodoo tree upon which spells had been cast and which, reportedly, had the power to harm and kill. It was a frightening place. I could feel the evil.
Benin is an impoverished West African nation where hundreds of years ago its inhabitants were marched down dusty paths to the ocean where they were loaded on to slave ships bound for the Caribbean and the United States. Benin has many village languages and nomadic tribal groups.
Candra and John were visiting the Fulbe people, showing the film over and over in several different local languages. They and their team saw 19 new house churches started. Literally thousands of people in central Benin came to pray, to seek God’s forgiveness and mercy, and to open their hearts to follow Jesus.
What a miracle.
Pray for such a miracle in South Central Iowa these next two months, the miracle of Jesus overcoming whatever darkness is destroying people’s lives. Pray for God to use you in accomplishing this miracle.
I recently read an article in a devotional booklet about Candra and John Penny’ mission venture in Benin. The mission was called Benin Beginnings and was a JESUS Film mission trip.
They wrote, “Imagine visiting a remote nomadic West African village, sitting with a king, visiting the Voodoo center, and being confined inside after 10:00 pm because of the Voodoo worship ceremony going on outside.”
I said, “Oh yes, I can imagine.” I had an experience so like that in 1995 while ministering in Ghana, except it was a Voodoo tree upon which spells had been cast and which, reportedly, had the power to harm and kill. It was a frightening place. I could feel the evil.
Benin is an impoverished West African nation where hundreds of years ago its inhabitants were marched down dusty paths to the ocean where they were loaded on to slave ships bound for the Caribbean and the United States. Benin has many village languages and nomadic tribal groups.
Candra and John were visiting the Fulbe people, showing the film over and over in several different local languages. They and their team saw 19 new house churches started. Literally thousands of people in central Benin came to pray, to seek God’s forgiveness and mercy, and to open their hearts to follow Jesus.
What a miracle.
Pray for such a miracle in South Central Iowa these next two months, the miracle of Jesus overcoming whatever darkness is destroying people’s lives. Pray for God to use you in accomplishing this miracle.
Monday, January 31, 2011
As Promised on Sunday
At church Sunday I promised I would post the two Cybertales I read from the pulpit. Here they are. Scroll down to read The Christ-like Thing and The Masters Way.
The Christ-like Thing
Chuck and Helen are friends of ours. Years ago I learned an important lesson from them as they told me about a particularly difficult situation they were in.
The small-membership church Chuck was serving was going through a cruel and nasty time. The members were not working out their disagreements openly. Instead, this unhealthy situation was marked by backbiting, criticism and general negativity. Lots of misplaced feelings were being directed at Chuck, Helen and the kids. And it was wearing them out.
I visited with them at their weariest. I felt so bad for them. Trying to empathize I inquired if they were “fixin’ to leave.” Their response was a lesson I never forgot.
Chuck and Helen said that no, they were not fixin’ to leave, but that they were fixin’ to increase their giving to the church from 12% to 16%, even though they did not know how they possibly could. To my astonished, “Why?” they answered, “We just have to find a way to love them more. And in our experience, our heart sometimes follows our giving.”
This is the lesson I learned: I can always love more. Love is what I am called to do. And, in Christ, love is what I am empowered to do.
Pastor, will you give more love to those you serve?
Church member, will you give more love to those among whom you serve?
It is the Christ-like thing.
The small-membership church Chuck was serving was going through a cruel and nasty time. The members were not working out their disagreements openly. Instead, this unhealthy situation was marked by backbiting, criticism and general negativity. Lots of misplaced feelings were being directed at Chuck, Helen and the kids. And it was wearing them out.
I visited with them at their weariest. I felt so bad for them. Trying to empathize I inquired if they were “fixin’ to leave.” Their response was a lesson I never forgot.
Chuck and Helen said that no, they were not fixin’ to leave, but that they were fixin’ to increase their giving to the church from 12% to 16%, even though they did not know how they possibly could. To my astonished, “Why?” they answered, “We just have to find a way to love them more. And in our experience, our heart sometimes follows our giving.”
This is the lesson I learned: I can always love more. Love is what I am called to do. And, in Christ, love is what I am empowered to do.
Pastor, will you give more love to those you serve?
Church member, will you give more love to those among whom you serve?
It is the Christ-like thing.
The Masters Way
Early in my Christian reading I realized that though he never wasted a minute Jesus did not hurry anywhere. I noticed that he stopped lots of times to visit with, help, heal and teach friends as well as strangers. He valued everyone.
Jesus’ life had power because he lived the way he did. He lived for others. Christians believe that Jesus had come on the holiest of missions, to be the savior of the world. But he never let this mission overshadow his earthly ministry.
His ministry was a wayside ministry, a life giving, along-the-way ministry. What he did as he went about was of utmost importance. He was not one, as we say today, with places to go, things to do, people to see, worlds to win. He was one with life to give. And he gave it.
Early in my Christian life I realized that anyone could be like Jesus. I also observed in myself as in others a great unwillingness to live like Jesus lived. Thankfully a few saints in my life took time to remind me of this terrible tendency. I say thankfully now, but I never liked those reminders at the time, not a single one.
One incident is especially vivid to this day. It happened in Mars more than 30 years ago. The congregation was debating whether to address me by my given name or as Reverend or Pastor. Tom, a down-to-earth, retired oilfield worker took me aside one day. He said that he preferred to address me as Parson. I was flattered, but only ever so briefly. For Tom continued. He would do so to remind me that I needed to be a person first.
Tom understood. Calling me Parson was Tom’s way of leading me out of the comfort of my office and into the turmoil of people’s lives. Tom gave me my ministry that day. He showed me the Master’s Way.
Jesus’ life had power because he lived the way he did. He lived for others. Christians believe that Jesus had come on the holiest of missions, to be the savior of the world. But he never let this mission overshadow his earthly ministry.
His ministry was a wayside ministry, a life giving, along-the-way ministry. What he did as he went about was of utmost importance. He was not one, as we say today, with places to go, things to do, people to see, worlds to win. He was one with life to give. And he gave it.
Early in my Christian life I realized that anyone could be like Jesus. I also observed in myself as in others a great unwillingness to live like Jesus lived. Thankfully a few saints in my life took time to remind me of this terrible tendency. I say thankfully now, but I never liked those reminders at the time, not a single one.
One incident is especially vivid to this day. It happened in Mars more than 30 years ago. The congregation was debating whether to address me by my given name or as Reverend or Pastor. Tom, a down-to-earth, retired oilfield worker took me aside one day. He said that he preferred to address me as Parson. I was flattered, but only ever so briefly. For Tom continued. He would do so to remind me that I needed to be a person first.
Tom understood. Calling me Parson was Tom’s way of leading me out of the comfort of my office and into the turmoil of people’s lives. Tom gave me my ministry that day. He showed me the Master’s Way.
Tuesday, January 11, 2011
There is HOPE - part 2
Well, I'm at my computer trying to select the proper font for my "There is HOPE!" banner, when a hungry traveler comes into my office. His name is Rod. He's from Northern Iowa, and he looked hungry.
I asked him what he needed and he answered, "I am hungry." "OK," I said, at which point he interrupted me and said, "But what I really need is up there on your computer screen. I need HOPE."
It was a little past 1:00 and I hadn't had lunch yet , so we went to Wojo's Diner. We ate, visited, talked about recovery (his since 1992), and parted. As Rod got in his car he said, "Thanks for lunch, and for renewing my HOPE."
Everyone needs HOPE.
We, the Good News people, have it to give.
Lord, help us give more. Amen
I asked him what he needed and he answered, "I am hungry." "OK," I said, at which point he interrupted me and said, "But what I really need is up there on your computer screen. I need HOPE."
It was a little past 1:00 and I hadn't had lunch yet , so we went to Wojo's Diner. We ate, visited, talked about recovery (his since 1992), and parted. As Rod got in his car he said, "Thanks for lunch, and for renewing my HOPE."
Everyone needs HOPE.
We, the Good News people, have it to give.
Lord, help us give more. Amen
Monday, January 3, 2011
There is HOPE
There is hope for me. There is hope for you. There is HOPE. Just wait and see.
I love the Brandon Heath lines, "There is hope, for me yet. Because God won't forget,...HE's not finished with me yet."
That's a message people need to hear. Or so it seems from YouTube comments. Reckon I'll just have to lift high "There Is HOPE" as a theme to guide the 2011 missional and discipleship ministries of the parish.
Everyone knows someone in need of HOPE. Who do you know? And How can the church help you meet their need? Let us know.
I love the Brandon Heath lines, "There is hope, for me yet. Because God won't forget,...HE's not finished with me yet."
That's a message people need to hear. Or so it seems from YouTube comments. Reckon I'll just have to lift high "There Is HOPE" as a theme to guide the 2011 missional and discipleship ministries of the parish.
Everyone knows someone in need of HOPE. Who do you know? And How can the church help you meet their need? Let us know.
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