On Moving to Two Places-and Why

I decided to take a short break from packing stuff to move, preparing a sermon, grading papers, and writing books (not all at once-I’m not that good at multitasking!) to catch up the blog.

For those who haven’t heard: I have returned to the denominational church of my youth: The United Methodist Church. After joining Ebbert Memorial UMC in Springfield, OR and completing my dissertation, I found I had too much spare time on my hands-and a need to do something with my calling. After a chat with my DS, I was sent as a lay person assigned (even though I hold ordination credentials) to Hope UMC in Drain/Yoncalla, OR as their pastor. Long story short, this past July first I have been sent instead to Pioneer UMC in Coquille, OR. This is a 1/2 time slot; I’m hoping to remain there while I undertake the things I need to do to become a full elder. That's a three year process, so I have some time.

The good news is, there’s a parsonage to live in. This means for the first time in over eight years, most of my books are on shelves-and have been thatched and duplicates pulled and donated to the church for their rummage sale next month. I have an actual office as well, and I have a church with good people who want to see things happen. (Not that the folks at Hope didn’t-they also want to see things grow and get bigger as well. Join me in praying for them and their new pastor, Jerry Steele.) The downside is that we’re in the middle of a move that is having to happen much faster than we’d planned...they want to rent the apartment we’ve been living for five years by the first of August. Geez, I hate moving. Nerves are frayed, money’s tighter as a result for a few weeks-but God is good. (There’s also the part about commuting 2 1/2 hours one way to get there, but I’ll come back to that in a moment.) 

Add to that I’m now the interim director for the Cascade Chorus, the Barbershop chorus I have been the assistant director of the last five or six years or so. Toss in doing things like attending Annual Conference and a Pastoral Transition conference...and you find that ol’ Doc Crandall’s been a busy cuss.

Little things one takes for granted-like working internet-are coming together. I spent most of my Monday getting that back up and running; my wireless HP printer was balky and the Airport Express needed to be "persuaded" to play nicely with the new wifi router. I can find things in the kitchen now, and many of the boxes and tubs we’ve hauled down there have either been sorted and their contents found homes...or will be in short order. (Have I mentioned how much I hate moving?) And the fun part is that it’s only half the stuff. 

See, Deena-who lost her full-time job the end of June-now has a part time job doing the same stuff with a different department, and some per diem hours as well. If she makes the CPE (Clinical Pastoral Education) course she’s trying to get into, she’ll be busier than I am. As a result, she has to stay in the area to work. So we’re moving half our stuff into her folks place and will pay them some rent, and I get to commute that 2.5 hours one way I mentioned earlier. 

I want to make one thing profoundly clear: this commute is not a sign of trouble in our marriage. Just the opposite: we are having to work harder on our relationship as we won’t have the time together we’re used to spending. On the other hand, because we are both so busy, the time we do have together is made more special. 

So...to my students, I ask your indulgence for about another seven to ten working days; I’m starting to have enough time to grade like I’m used to-which means back papers will get caught up fairly quickly. To my parishioners, I ask your continued grace as I get settled into being your new pastor and find a routine that works. To my chorus, I ask you hang with me a little longer-and keep working on your music at home. And to everyone else...when you think about us, keep us in prayer. Now, more than ever, we need God’s grásta agus síocháin-His grace and peace-to help us through a tough period of time. 

Hey, I haven't forgotten about this blog thing!

Wow...been a little bit since I've written anything...here.

That doesn't mean I haven't been writing much, though. Quite the opposite; I've been writing quite a bit. Since I last wrote something here, I took a week's vacation to Portland for the Barbershop Harmony Society's annual International Convention with Deena, Mom and my brother-in-law Dan (and 6000 of my closest friends), led an interfaith service the Sunday of the convention, saw a Giants game at AT&T Park (and then watched Matt Cain's no-hitter on TV), successfully defended my thesis for my third doctorate, led worship (and gave the sermon) in my local church, attended Harmony College NW, performed with the Cascade Chorus in Florence, stayed up way too late for two weeks watching the Olympics, taught a few classes (and graded a boatload more) for Master's International School of Divinity, attended a Yanni concert with Deena...and fed the cats.

There are now four volumes of the Cosantóirí Chronicles in ePub format, and a fifth volume is being written right now. (There may be a sixth volume yet.) I admit to having given up on iBooks; I wanted a broader audience than iPad owners. Each of the completed volumes will be available shortly. These trace the story of the modern-day children of Nuala of Innisfaire-called Cosantóirí, Irish for Those Who Protect-starting with a young man who has some mental abilities...and no idea of the background of any of them.

These are not Christian fiction. They were never intended to be, and they are not geared for tweenagers, young teenagers, or immature adults. There are no werewolves, vampires, or other undead people in them. (There are zombies, but those are cheese-filled yeast buns.) These are written about a world similar to ours today, but not quite so dark: the good guy gets the girl, people still have morals (by and large), communities pull together, friends help friends. 

These are stories of a nature that I like to read. 

Outside of that, I have a few other things that I'm doing, but more on that later. I have a meeting tonight, and have to feed both the cats and myself beforehand-and prep for teaching a class tomorrow and Saturday.

My doctor says I should slow down a little bit. Something about being too busy, and too much stress. I'm writing to relax. Does writing four 400+ page books sound like I need to relax a little more? :)

Enough for now.

On Ash Wednesday, Facebook's Timeline, and Life

Ash Wednesday was not that long ago as I write this. I did something that evening I haven’t done in quite a while: I went to an Ash Wednesday service. (Yes, I took ashes.) To me, this is a time of reflection on my own mortality and sinfulness. 

This also coincides with Facebook’s impending rollout of their timeline. So I’ve been adding stuff to my timeline, and I’ve been struck with a new sense of my mortality, if nothing else. It’s been easy to look at my life in small chunks; with the short-term memory problems I’ve had since long before high-school, that’s easy. But to start adding things like the beginning and ending of schools, my marriage (now twenty years strong), a little employment, some travels, and few events that helped shape who I am today...and one thing occurred to me.

Despite myself, my failings, my feelings, and my sheer stubbornness...I’ve spent my entire adult life either chasing God, or being chased by God. (And in a few cases, both.) Bible school, seminary, church work, my current ministry with Master’s International School of Divinity (coming up on twelve years there). Starting with high school, going back to church. Going on a mission trip. Then a year plus later, leaving church for a time (for reasons I won’t publish). Getting my business straight with Jesus in 1984. Surviving with my faith strengthened after my Navy time. Surviving re-entry to college and the civilian world. Dealing with God’s call on my life. Surviving Bible college, for all that. Surviving my first ministry position (and learning from my mistakes there). 

But to see all that, in a linear form also reminded me of a lot of good things. Life hasn’t all been in survival or crisis mode. Deena and I have traveled a lot together. We’ve been to Ireland, the Grand Canyon, Canada...and all over the US. (I’m not going to put in all our travels-but some highlights will be added.) We’ve seen a lot, learned a lot, laughed a lot. You have to laugh a lot on long car trips with your spouse or you can get cranky in the middle of Kansas. Or Nebraska. Or Iowa, Wyoming, Georgia...you get the idea.

It also reinforced that I don’t always understand today’s culture. I don’t watch a lot of TV; if I’m not singing barbershop somewhere or doing something online, I’m probably reading something. What TV I do watch tends to be oddball stuff: some news; hockey or other sports (like Canadian football); Food Network or Weather Channel (remember the days when you could actually get a weather forecast there?), on occasion the Discovery Channel, PBS and National Geographic. Movies? I think the last movie I saw in a theatre was The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe. The last movie I watched the video for? The live-action Speed Racer. (I can hear you all now: Geek!) Modern music? My poor iPod must feel like it’s stuck in a time warp. A lot of stuff from the 70’s and 80’s, and a lot of that is what we used to call “Contemporary Christian Music.” There’s also a boatload of Southern Gospel and Praise and Worship...much of which is from the late 80’s and the 90’s. (Yes, there’s a lot of barbershop-both quartets and choruses-on it as well, as well as some Celtic and Hawai’ian.) 

But what struck me the most was the pursuit of the Holy. My entire adult life has been spent studying the Bible, learning about how God and Jesus work in our lives, learning theology from several different angles. I remember the kind of person I was prior to 1984, prior to that time when Jesus grabbed me and shook me and said “Follow Me!” I told him I accepted His gift, and would go where He sent me and do what He asked. I’ve never regretted it. (I’ve questioned my sanity and His sense of humor at times, but never once regretted it.) It took three years of His prevenient grace before I got the hint, and some reminders-gentle and otherwise-along the way. 

Earlier on, I mentioned both my mortality and my own sinfulness. He died for me and my sins, and He died for you and yours. That’s what Ash Wednesday’s about, really. I’ll be spending a little less time online, and a little more time thinking about being a better Christian. Spending a little more time in the Bible, and in prayer, and some quiet time where it’s just me and my thoughts. 

The best news of all: He rose again. That’s why we celebrate Easter.

Enough for now.

On "Simple Church"

“Not all readers are leaders, but all leaders are readers” (Attributed to Harry S. Truman).

I may not be a leader in the conventional sense, but I am a reader. Sometimes too much so; I dislike getting rid of any of my books and so about 60% of my library resides in cedar-plastic tubs in a 10x10 climate controlled (read: inside access) storage bin. While I wait for my dissertation for what will be my third doctorate-this one a Ph.D-to move forward (the writing’s done, and I’m waiting for permission to send in the rough draft for review), I’m reading. Books on prayer and contemplation, preaching, some Wesleyan theology, and some books on leadership and church development. 

Just finished one today called “Change the World: Recovering the Message and Mission of Jesus”, and am about 40% done with a book called “Simple Church.” “Change the World”, by Mike Slaughter, basically is about the concept of getting out from the walls of one’s church and doing ministry, especially to those who have little. “For you always have the poor with you, but you will not always have me” (Matthew 26:11, NRSV) is still true; Slaughter’s book essentially asks the question “What if Church was a verb instead of a noun?” (Part of the Rethink Church question, for all you Methodists out there), and “Which is better: Expanding your facilities or your impact?” Good questions-but before you read his book, read Simple Church. 

No, really. I mean it.

Simple Church-for those of you reading this that either know me, are or have been one of my students-focuses on one thought that I’ve said, taught and harped on for years on end: The Church Universal is programming their people to death! The concept of Simple Church (as I’ve read to this point) is that it’s not enough to have programs, unless they are part of a streamlined growth and disciple-making process. You can do more with less-and probably should be. A great companion book to this is Easum’s “Sacred Cows Make Gourmet Burgers.” This book stresses that sometimes, you need to get rid of certain ministries that have been there since dirt was new (hence the ‘sacred cow’)-to make Ministry happen. (Catch the difference?) I’m reading it in conjunction with the other two books. In fact, Simple Church states that...well...The Church is programming their people to death, and they are burning out instead of growing deeper in their faith. Too many churches have too many programs that don’t do anything but make one feel like a hamster. You know, running on the holy habitrail wheel, never getting outside the walls of the church to meet, much less minister to others...and having a faith as a result that’s an inch deep. Jesus didn’t call us to make church members, but to “...make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you.” (Matthew 28:19-20a, NRSV). It’s challenging reading...but I find I am resonating with it. You might find the same thing. So I challenge you to read these books as well. 

Who knows? Maybe you’ll find their message resonates with you, too.

Enough for now.

Three Days Before Christmas

‘Twas three days before Christmas and all through the land,

the malls were a madhouse, shopping madness was fanned.

People were all over, driving like fools

to get some trinket to make someone drool.

But in our apartment, there was none of that dread

for Deena and I had planned well ahead. 

The gifts were all mailed, and so were the cards,

to places quite near, and to some that are far. 

The performances were done, and all with great care,

and we could finally relax and sit in our chairs. 

The groceries are bought and are ready to feast

out to my in-laws, who live to our east. 

The cats are all sleeping, there’s football to see,

and I had a chance to think of the year that should be.

More than that, though, I had a chance to ponder 

of Joseph and Mary, and how they had wondered

about the birth of Jesus, for that is the reason

we go through the madness of each Christmas season.

His birth was foretold in the days of the past,

and his time here was short-it wasn’t to last. 

He lived, he died, and he rose once again,

to provide us salvation-hallelujah, amen!

So in the insanity that is the holiday season,

take time out to think of the Savior-and reason

to ask forgiveness of sin, your spirit renewed

your life filled with peace-with His Spirit imbued.

----------

After all, Christmas is about the birth of Jesus of Nazareth, The Son of God the Father, the second person of the Living, Triune God. He was born of Mary, that He might be fully God-yet fully man. Do I understand why, after all the years in Bible school, Seminary, and so forth? 

No, I don't. What I do know that He is a holy, righteous, God. He is also a loving God, not wanting anyone to perish. That’s I’m glad He chose to come, live, die for my sins and yours...and come back to life. He died for all people. But before that...he had to be born, and that’s what we celebrate. 

Merry Christmas to all, and a blessed New Year as well. 

Thoughts on Communion

The first Sunday of the month, I took communion. No great surprise that; communion is usually served the first Sunday of the month in many churches. 

But for some reason, this communion reached me deeply. It wasn’t the message (though that was good). It wasn’t the music--though that was quite good as well. It wasn’t even the act of taking communion proper; I’ve taken communion for a good many years now in a number of settings ranging from one done in a serviceman’s ministry I belonged to at Great Lakes to a Catholic church in Concord, CA, and a lot of places in between. (Okay, in all fairness I knew at the time that Catholics practice closed communion. I took it anyway.) 

No, what brought me comfort this day was the ritual of communion. In the United Methodist Church, we often start communion with the Great Thanksgiving (also known as Word and Table 1): 

The Lord be with you. And also with you. 
Lift up your hearts. We lift them up to the Lord. 
Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.

It is right to give our thanks and praise.

The liturgy, of course, continues on from there. But for some reason, it was the mechanics--the doing of the liturgy, as many have for years, decades, and centuries before me, and will do long after I’ve been translated to glory, should God tarry--that spoke to me. 

The bread and cup, that representation and reminder of what Christ did on the cross for you, me, and the rest of the world is not like anything else in any other religion. Just a quick look at the Wikipedia page shows only Christian references (in terms of religion, at least). 

“Take, eat, and be comforted; Drink, and remember too
That this is my body and precious blood shed for you, shed for you”

(From the musical “Celebrate Life”)

The thought that others around the church universal were taking communion-- many of whom were using the Great Thanksgiving as well--and of those who had gone before, using the same liturgy spoke volumes to me that day. I can’t really explain why I found it so comforting. 

But take comfort in it I did. 

On further reflection, I contemplated that sometimes it is the actual act of taking communion that speaks. After all, this is the remembrance of the Last Supper. It is the revisiting of the Lord Jesus Christ’s last meal before His crucifixion, and all that means to the Christian. Sometimes it is the bread and cup itself, and partaking of it reminds us of the Wedding Feast to come. 

“Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of

witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight and the sin that

clings so closely, and let us run with perseverance the race

that is set before us.” (Heb 12:1, NRSV)

And yes, sometimes it is the mechanics of why we do what we do. That reminder of the great cloud of witnesses, those saints and loved ones that have gone before, looking down and cheering us on to the finish line, as we try to run the race. I can imagine my grandparents, Dawson Trotman, founder of the Navigators, Billy Sunday, my Dad, D.L. Moody, my “maiden aunts”, John Wesley, and everyone else translated to glory looking down on us...all of us. Wesley’s own thoughts on this verse: “A great multitude, tending upward with a holy swiftness, of the power of faith.”

It is, in the final analysis, that power of faith that carries us. The mechanics of the liturgy reminded me of that power of faith that day. 

Enough for now. 

Reflections on a Sunday

It’s 10:00 pm on a Sunday night and I’m back in my boyhood home, the house I grew up in. I’m in my old room, and while it’s still my room, Mom made a few changes some years back. The walls are cleaner and a lighter shade of blue then when I lived here daily (though I am grateful the doorframe is the same color blue as my room was originally). The bookshelves that held Star Trek models and books as well as my latest LEGO creation aren’t here either; I have all that with me in my current domicile. (Well, okay. The models are in storage, as is half of the books and a fair amount of the LEGO.) The bed I slept in is over at my in-laws for now in their guest room; I am sitting on essentially a queen sized futon, which in a sense is also a part of my life: things Japanese have formed part of who I am as well.

There are other reminders of my life here: The Norman Rockwell Barbershop quartet picture is hanging up on a wall, as is a beautiful picture of a church (showing my ministry and faith). The napkin holder I made in 7th grade is sitting on a shelf, still in need of Varathane. (But after 32 years, why do it now?) Some Navy stuff is here as well, including a picture from when I was in boot at Great Lakes. A picture from my wedding is on the wall, showing family--far too many of whom have gone to their eternal reward.

I am home for a week, and my bride of nearly 19 years will be joining me at the end of the week. So tonight, it’s me and my thoughts before I turn in. And to be frank, my being here couldn’t have come at a better time for a number of reasons I won’t bore you with here.

It is with all this in reference that God met with me tonight. Oh, nothing major--no burning bush or anything like that--but a chance for me to rest, to be His child by returning to my childhood home. A chance, in the words of Twila Paris, to “..drop my sword, and look up for a smile.” 

You see, sometimes for those of us in ministry--any ministry--we get to the point where we can’t fight the battle any more. We get tired, weary...we get discouraged and sometimes wonder if we ever made, or will ever make, a difference. I go through this in my position with Master’s; I wonder if anything I do ever impacts people, or if I have ever made a difference. 

Today though, I got a glimpse of that. I could see the hand of God all over my day and my trip.

First off, Mom had Joel Osteen on this morning. He was talking about “Staying Open to Do Things God’s Way.” That caught my attention, as I find myself far too often trying to keep things in nice, neat little boxes. That got me to thinking: am I truly being open, or do I insist that God do things my way?

Then we went to church, and I crashed choir. Actually, Mom invited me to try and sing with the choir at the church I grew up in. Being a decent singer, and wanting to attend church with Mom, I went--figuring the worst case scenario would be I would end up sitting in the Sanctuary. 

I was welcomed like lost family, got handed a robe and music by one of my former youth leaders, introduced around, and sang during the service. It wasn’t a difficult set of songs, and the stuff from the hymnal was sight-readable for the one song I didn’t know. Some folks remembered me, and I met some new folk as well. I was reminded that I have made an impact, if for no other reason that those folks remembered who I was.

It was good to be in God’s house this morning. 

Lunch was spent with Mom and some friends of the family at a Mexican place that Dad loved to eat at. It was a leisurely affair, and followed once we got home with a nap and some football.

It was good to be at home this afternoon.

Then I had some time to myself, and spent it in God’s Word. And was reminded that: (A) I was not to worry (Mt. 6:28-34), (B) that God will care for me (Mt 25:34-40), and (C) that my job was--literally--to keep the faith (Mt 11:25-28). 

Let me make no bones about it: we live in uncertain times. No job or ministry is secure. Elections are in another week, and that can have some upheaval to it. (But enough about my lunch.) The economy is a roller coaster ride. News is bad from all parts of the world: Cholera in Haiti, unrest in the Middle East, drug wars in Mexico, chronic unemployment at home. It seems like everywhere one turns, things are falling apart, and you’re not sure if you can trust anything--or anyone. Heck, bedbugs are all over even. What’s up with that?

Tonight I was reminded that God is the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow. And while tomorrow is another day and will have trouble enough of its own, God is already there, and will take care of things if I will but let Him.

Praise God, He is trustworthy. You can take Him at His Word. It is good to be reminded of that, in that still, small voice.

Part of the care I need to do this week is to take care of myself. That means getting some rest. Which I am now going to do.

Enough for now. 

Faith and technology

Theology and computers are my stock in trade. I work online, and while that allows for certain perks, there are certain drawbacks as well. It also makes for some trying times. This week has had a few of those in my life, mostly good people who do not understand how things like cutting and pasting something into a browser works. (Not all links in an e-mail are live ones, mind you. Nor should they be.)

Now I could very easily go off into a blog about how, as Christians, we should not be afraid to use the technology and yet need to not make it more than it is. It would certainly be easy enough to write.

I’ll get to part of that in a minute.

It just surprises me that, in this day and age, there are those people my age and slightly older by a year or three who really don’t understand technology, people of faith not withstanding. Worse, they’re afraid of it, and I don’t understand why. Granted, I grew up in a home where technology was embraced. We learned by doing, and doing meant having the tools to work with, or at least going to where there were tools to work with in order to learn.

But technology didn’t replace hard work as such. For example, calculators were used to check math, not to do it. A spellcheck would have been helpful (and is today), but we had a big dictionary. Encyclopedias were available at home as well.

I’ve written enough of late to give most of you the idea that I know a little about computers. But in a sense, I’ve had a lifetime of learning about them. BASIC in summer school, plus TRS-DOS in high school. AppleSoft in college. More software programs over the years than I want to list or admit to, never mind the hardware that ran them all.

Now you can see why I wonder why people don’t understand how things like the Internet works.

Now, moving forward, we add faith into the mix. As Christians, we need to use whatever tools we can to advance the Gospel of Christ, and use them well. And while I admit to a fondness for “dead tree editions” (read: books), I am not against using Keynote or PowerPoint for worship services as opposed to hymnals and Bibles. (I still think we should have both in the seats or pews, however. Some folks like to have the book in their hands.) We cannot allow ourselves the luxury of being afraid of computers or the Internet. We must learn to use these tools, not to keep up with the world (or worse--become worldly), but because the world uses these tools and has come to expect their use on a daily basis. If we want to reach the world, we need to take the tools (which are neutral, in and of themselves) and put them to work for the Kingdom, just like we did with radio, television, and music. (Notice I haven’t mentioned movies. There are better Christian movies being made--Left Behind, Facing the Giants and Fireproof among them--but Christian movies still have a long way to go in terms of writing and production values.)

And this isn’t just for large churches, or well-to-do Christians, either. This is for all churches, and honestly, given the cost of computers these days, any Christian.

I understand that I am preaching to the choir, as it were. If you’re reading this, you’re online unless someone printed it out. (If so, I’d like to know, okay?) I guess I feel so strongly about this because it used to be that the Christians were well educated. Now we are perceived as being backwards, a little slow perhaps. We react, and we need to be proactive in its place. We put our faith in front of our brains, and it needs to be that our faith molds our education. We need to be the educated people God called us to be, and that means being able to use a computer for more than an expensive doorstop.

So...go learn how your computer works. Figure out some of those programs you don’t know much about. There are books that you can get that will help, and online tools as well. You can’t really break your computer, anyway, unless you mess with the registry or you drop it. (I do not recommend you do either. Both become very expensive.)

If nothing else, at least learn to cut and paste a link into your web browser.

Enough for now.

Whatever happened to the Church I knew?

Whatever happened to the Church I knew?

I feel like I have missed something, somewhere. Before I left the Chicagoland area for Evansville in 1997, Promise Keepers was doing well. Men were getting motivated, taking up the challenge, and becoming the leaders they were supposed to be. We were finally taking back the cause of Christ. Women of Faith was also doing a booming business. Christians were pushing back and claiming their rightful place in this country. While we still had a lot of kingdom work to do, we were out and about, doing it. We were being heard, and we were not going to stand by idly any longer!

Fast forward ten years. It’s a different world now, post 9/11. Bible bookstores have become Christian bookstores, and have become places where mostly women shop. (I have asked why, and been told that the sales demographics prove this out.) There is enough Christianized fiction to fill several aisles, where there are only small sections, oddly tied together, for men and finances. (We won’t even go into the lack of Bible reference books and study tools.) It seems like every possible people group has its own specialized copy of the Bible anymore. (Do we really need a “Recovering Football Junkie NIV”?) I don’t recognize even half the musicians and bands in the CD racks, and frankly, I don’t care to. It sounds little different from the stuff on secular radio, most of which I don’t like to begin with. I can’t find a t-shirt in my size with a design that I like in these places. (Yes, I wear an x-large. Deal with it.) Some of the designs look gothic to me—which I don’t care much for—or are blatant rip-offs of commercial logos. Promise Keepers? One hardly hears about them now; they’re only having one event this year. New Man magazine is online only, and has been since 2007. Moody Magazine stopped publication in 2003. (Something about declining sales.) Even the Navigators stopped using Daily Walk and Closer Walk devotionals a few years ago. Now they’ll e-mail e-maila daily devotional to you.

That’s right: The Navigators will send you an e-mail devotional six days a week. Moody’s Today In The Word is not only an e-mail, but a podcastpodcast. (I get all three, including the printed version as well. The joys of being an alumni....) Yes, I understand it costs less to use e-mail. But I like using my Bible, and it’s hard to do that unless I print out the e-mail, if I get it. (Spam filters are an article for another day.)

Does anyone out there memorize scripture anymore? Or, has that gone the way of inductive bible study and reading the Bible through in a year?

Sundays: Used to be, they were for resting, and for going to church. Even God rested on the seventh day (Ge 2:2). Sunday evenings, there were youth groups that met before or after service—but nevernever during. Wednesday night was choir practice, prayer meeting, and Awana, Pioneer Clubs, or Royal Rangers (depending on your choice of doctrinal beliefs) to keep the kids occupied. Now we program our Christian youth to death.

And we wonder why our children are leaving the church in droves. They’re tired!

In some cases, Church is optional, much less church membership. One used to belong to a church and only left it if you moved away; now one might belong to several churches, depending “on the kids”, “on the programs”, or even “I like the 45 minute service that is mostly music and very little speaking.” (Admission: as I write this, the missus and I are between churches—and looking.)

The church used to want as many people involved in ministry as possible. These days, there’s a vetting process that makes many of us think twice about volunteering for any duties outside of leading a small group—and we think twice about that, even.

There are fewer church choirs now. They’ve been replaced by “worship teams.” This is not a bad thing, but further reduces opportunities for ministry. Have we replaced worship for a slick, concert-style experience? Where are the Bibles and hymnals, with the songs of the faith? They’ve all been replaced with huge TV screens and the lyrics and the verses get flashed on them! Whatever happened to preachers preaching “Thus saith the Lord” and the concept of sin? Do we even preach about the redeeming blood of Christ, living for God, and the reality of Hell?

Or, has it all been replaced by “speakers” lecturing us about how to be good parents, how to spend our money wisely, how to be nice people to our neighbors, and “Godly Living” (which is different than Living for God)?

And, do we even care if it has?

Now, don’t get me all wrong here. I am all for the use of technology, and modern music, and a readable English translation of the Bible. (And, as I age, the use of larger font types as well. Since when did it become okay to use half-point font?) I am for the use of one’s Bible for everyday living, and any help we get in that department is (and should be) welcome. The world is vastly different today than the world I grew up in.

Nor am I advocating that we return to a romanticized version of an era that really existed, but looks much better in hindsight. This era seems to be lodged in the 1950’s for some reason, and frankly, the nostalgia overwrites the way things really were. I don’t really want to go there, and I suspect you really don’t either. (Besides, Flannelgraph materials and overhead projectors are getting reallyhard to come by.)

But I am all about making the church a little bit more of church, and not an overpsychologized, angst and guilt ridden place where we all must be perfect and not offend anyone and be all seeker sensitive. I suspect part of the problem of the Church Universal is we have gone too seeker sensitive, too far into the realm of Purpose Driven-ness and filling niche, boutique ministries, and gotten too far from what makes the Church, the Church.

In short, and in my opinion: we have, in our attempts to reach the lost, become too much like the world. In our attempts to “become relevant”, we have actually lost our relevance...and quit being salt and light as a result.

Even shorter: since we are now little different from the world, why bother with church at all?

Dear friends, the Cross of Christ is all about offense. It is a stumbling block (Ga 5:11). It’s not supposedto give us warm fuzzies. Church is not supposed to be a psychological clearing house, a religious coffee joint, and a place for a crossbred religio-spiritual concert. It is a place about getting right with Jesus Christ It’s about being surrounded by “a great cloud of witnesses” (He 12:1), but not looking back (Lk 9:62). It is a place where the Family of God comes together, to hear the Word of God, to have their faith strengthened, to share in Holy Communion, and to pray to God and Worship Him alone.Christians are to be in the world, and not of it. We are called to be a “people for God’s possession” (1 Pe 2:9). We don’t have to stick out radically a la John the Baptizer, but we shouldn’t necessarily blend in like we are sheep, either. (Although the 23rd Psalm does say “The Lord is our Shepherd” for a verygood reason. We all are like sheep (Is 53:7). We should be different. And, we shouldmake a difference, because we are a new creature in Christ (2 Cor 5:17).

My gut reaction is that, while we need to maintain good production values, cutting edge ministry, and being warm and loving not only to each other but to those who visit (Remember, kids: Love the sinner, but hate the sin!), we need to add back solid theology, biblical preaching, doctrinal teaching, church discipline, music that honors God, and maybe even the old-fashioned altar call more than once every quarter. We need to become the Church of Jesus again, and not the church of religious fuzziness and psychological way station.

We might also want to bring back all day singing and dinner on the grounds, too...but I’d settle for just having Bibles and hymnals back in the pews.

Enough for now.

(Posted 5/20/09)