What Would Your Card Say?

Powerful video. A definite must see.

Answered Prayer

Since coming to the Lebanon Valley Church of Christ in September of 2006, one of the goals was to have an eldership in place at the congregation. It has been approximately 7 years since we have had elders at our congregation. For several months we have been praying and teaching on the topic to prepare the congregation for the eventual transition back into having spiritual leadership in the church. I am excited to report that we will be installing three elders on Easter Sunday this year. I want to thank each of you out there for your prayers and concern for this process.

Sunday ReCap (Week Three)

This past Sunday I preached on the topic of "Closer: Our Holy God." This is the third part of a series looking at the attributes of God.

I have become well aware that everyone, including Christians, have lost our perspective on how seriousness of sin. You may hear foul language, view violence on television, or listen to gossip about another and not even realize that you participated in sin. We have become numb and due to this it has become extremely difficult for us to see the impact of sin in our life.

Imagine if man would have never sinned. How would your life be different today? I believe that because of sin our world has been impacted significantly. There would be no need to work because God would have provided it for us. There would be no physical diseases because each of them have resulted in some way from man's sin (i.e. pollution). There would be no addictions because we would have a fulfilling relationship with God and need no other substitute. There would be no war or violence because God created us to live in peace with one another. These among many other reasons are how sin has caused us to have a disconnected relationship with God.

Due to the reasons given above, I am convinced that we cannot even begin to grasp the concept of holiness because sin has marred our lives.

In the lesson I try to answer the following questions:
1) What is holiness?
2) Why do we consider God to be holy?
3) Why should we be holy?
4) How do we become holy?

Due to technical difficulties we were not able to record this sermon, but I will attempt to re-record in the next couple of days and post it in the media player below. I hope you are blessed by what you hear and learn.

Random Thought

"There is a difference between interest and commitment. When you're interested in doing something, you do it only when it's convenient. When you're committed to something, you accept no excuses, only results. " -Kenneth Blanchard

Wouldn't it be amazing if all of us Christians were committed to Christ and His church instead of just being interested?

Sunday ReCap (Week Two)

This past week we continued the sermon series entitled "Closer." In this series we are looking at the attributes of God with the purpose of seeing how God wants His people to react to each other. The lesson this week focused on the love of God.

Love is a difficult term to define. Depending on your family background or the relationships you have been a part of, the word love really may not mean much at all. Its meaning could totally be lost because of the abuse you received repeatedly.

In this lesson I seek to answer four questions:
1) What is love?
2) How does God love us sacrificially?
3) How does God love us unconditionally?
4) How does God love us permanently?

I hope you get a chance to listen below in the provided media player.

New Feature

You can now listen to my sermons on this website. If you scroll to the bottom of the page you will see a media player for your convenience. Just click play on the sermon of your choice. I hope you are blessed by what you hear.

Sunday ReCap (Week One)

Over the next several weeks I will be preaching about the various attributes of God. This series has been titled "Closer". I believe this is an important study because we usually only think of three qualities when discussing His attributes: omnipresence, omnipotence, and omniscience. These are awesome qualities of our God, but He is so much more than that.

One of the reasons that God reveals Himself so vividly is because He wants His children to follow the example He has set. This not only shows His wisdom, but gives us no reason to live as if we don't know what God expects of us.

The sermon this past week was called 'Our Faithful God'. I answered the questions: What is faithfulness? Why should we trust God to be faithful? and Why does God expect His followers to be faithful?

I hope you have an opportunity to listen.

The Mystery of Sunday Morning

I have been a member of several congregations in my lifetime and two issues that always seem to be debated are "What time should worship start on Sunday morning?" and “How long should we worship?” I believe these are valid questions, but the attitudes behind the question can become negative and selfish.

"What time should worship start on Sunday morning?"
This question can be answered in so many ways depending on who you are talking to. It really does not make a difference as long as a godly attitude is behind your decision. From my experience, congregations have later worship times on Sunday morning because it is hard for people to get up early. I do understand that reasoning, but I have never been able to understand why Monday through Friday people can get up early for their job, Black Friday, school, exercise, etc. without complaint, but then when Sunday morning worship comes around have a problem with getting up to worship before 10 a.m. I am not advocating for having a 7:00 a.m. service, but am making the point that our priorities can really be unhealthy at times.

“How long should we worship?”
As a minister I cringe each time I hear this question. I am not sure why it bothers me so much, but don’t understand why we are so adamant in having to “cap” how long we should spend time in worship to God.

I have been told by many people that the culture we live in is not conducive to worship being more than an hour. I am not sure where their beliefs on this come from. I do know, however, that when people feel that something is important they will spend time doing it.
How many of you sat through the Lord of the Rings trilogy? How many of you have attended a 2-3 hour graduation just to hear the name of your loved one called? How much more important is it then to spend some time worshipping our creator?

I believe the biggest issue lies in a heart problem. There can be an attitude that when we come to worship everything must fit what is best for me. It has to be my songs, my style of worship, my length of sermon, my favorite sermon topic, and done in less than an hour so that I can get home. I know this is a very cynical, but you have heard the excuses before just like I have.

When we truly have a heart for God then we lose the right to demand what is the most convenient for our particular situation. We will be more concerned about glorifying God regardless of what time of day that it is. I think He deserves it too. God has never put a “cap” on our blessings or only been available to us when it suited Him. Why do we feel we have the right to respond to Him that way?

So what do you think? Am I crazy (Probably a bad question) or am I just missing something here?

Sample Sermon

It has been quite a while since I have been on here. I am headed out of town for Thanksgiving so I am sure I will have some things to write about when we return.

I have been experimenting with video so I wanted to share a sermon I preached a couple of months ago. It is called "When God Doesn't Answer". Let me know what you think.

We Are Family

I am going to Lebanon Valley College today for their freshman orientation to advertise our congregation. I decided to do a little slide show and wanted to share it with you. Enjoy.

Check It Out

I was reading John Dobbs' blog today and it is by far the best blog post I have ever read. He talks about how church sometimes equals pain. Do yourself a favor and check it out http://johndobbs.wordpress.com/2007/08/07/when-church-pain/

Being Relevant in the Community

In my lifetime I have had the opportunity to attend churches with as few as 8 members to as many as 7200 members. I have to admit that I am most comfortable in a congregation with less than 500 members just from the viewpoint of being able to have the opportunity to serve there and having the possibility of getting to know some of the people who go to church there. One thing I have noticed, regardless of the size of the congregation, is that many churches are not relevant in their community.

I once heard a speaker ask "Would your community notice a difference if your church closed its doors forever?" Sadly many communities would go unchanged. Why is that? Is God's Word still relevant? I know the answer to that is a resounding "Yes!" so that is not the problem. Does the Bible still have the power to change lives? Once again the answer is "Yes!" So the real question is why has the church lost its relevance and connection to the communities that they are in? Why are our churches more commuter oriented than community based?

To answer these questions we must look at our definition of evangelism. There was a time in our culture when we knocked on someone's door, asked them about their salvation, studied the Bible with them, and then waited for their response. This method was effective for many people, but that model does not work anymore. Some would consider having a car wash and handing out their church bulletin as being evangelism. These approaches can open the door to some people, but I believe we have missed the key ingredient to being relevant: relationship.

In order for the church to be relevant in the community we need to know the people in the community and be able to reach them where they are psychologically, emotionally, and physically. Any attempts to reach them with the gospel without having a relationship usually will not be successful because we need to deliver the Bible to them in a context that they will understand. This will not always be comfortable for us, but God never called us to comfort only to being faithful.

I pray that the church will regain its relevancy in the community once again. I know that as this process unfolds God will be glorified and His people will be more effective in bringing in those who are lost.

The Search for Shepherds

Many people have asked (actually only two) why I have not been posting much lately. I have been busy doing a ton of reading for a new Bible class that I will begin teaching on Sunday. The congregation that I currently serve has not had elders in a few years. It has been a personal goal of mine and the congregation to have elders re-established in the congregation. I must admit that I have never been through this process before. I have been at congregations that already had elders and added more, but never have helped a congregation establish an eldership after not having any for several years. This is a great task, but I know that God will bless us through this process.

I have spent the past year teaching on the Holy Spirit and spiritual gifts as a primer for this next class. I felt that the proper groundwork had to be laid in order to discuss a topic as important as spiritual leaders. I have spent countless hours reading the four texts above. Each presents valuable information on the heart, function, and qualities of spiritual leaders. I will spend the next 3-4 months teaching on the topic of spiritual leadership. The ideal end result is that we will be able to establish an eldership in our congregation in the Spring of 2008. Your prayers on this process are definitely sought.

Due to the all of the research I have been doing I want to use the information that I have acquired to bless as many people as possible. Over the next few months I will use my blog to discuss this important topic of spiritual leadership. I pray that you will enjoy what you read and give any feedback that you find helpful.

If you are interested in the class outlines that I will be presenting they will be available every Sunday evening on the church website http://www.lvcoc.org/ in the 'Media' section.

Church Plant

I have been considering for awhile now that I want to plant a church. I feel that I am being called to Liberal, Kansas. I am excited about this vision, but am having trouble coming up with the name for the church. I have narrowed it down to: "The Liberal Church" and "The Liberal Church of Christ". I am still confused about which name will best suit the congregation. I think I will pray about this one for a little while longer.

Minister and Elder Relations

I was recently asked how I viewed the relationship between the elders and ministers. I thought about it a bit and offered this answer.

Psalm 23 paints a picture of God as the great Shepherd. This picture is repeated throughout the N.T. when referring to Jesus and also the elders of the local congregation. I once heard the role of a minister described as that of a sheepdog. I feel this is a fitting description of the relationship between the elders and the minister.

The sheepdog has a special role as a tool that is under the submission of the shepherd. The sheepdog does not have an agenda of its own. The sheepdog watches the shepherd carefully and is ready at all times to be used in any way to help protect the sheep of the flock. There are times that the sheepdog will herd the sheep. There are times when the sheepdog will step in to help the shepherd carry out his mission. There are times when the sheepdog may need to growl to get the sheep's attention. The sheepdog knows that he must depend on the right action of the shepherd in order to do his job correctly.

The shepherd’s role is to realize the investment he has in his sheepdog. He cannot abuse or neglect the sheepdog because that will not benefit anyone. The shepherd must make sure that the sheepdog stays healthy because a sick dog cannot function in its highly specialized role.

I feel this is how the minister and elders should relate to each other. We both have shared but unique roles in caring for the sheep.

So what do you think? How should elders and minister relate to each other?

New Website

Come check out our new church website at http://www.lvcoc.org/ It has been given a major facelift. We hope you enjoy it.

Cover Them Things Up

As I was leaving Walmart yesterday I was directly behind a young lady who forgot to put on a few articles of clothing before leaving the house. As I approached the friendly Walmart greeter upon exit I was anticipating hearing him say "Have a great day and come back." The comment today was unexpected. As the young lady passed by him he said "You need to cover them things up!" The young lady, visibly upset, turned and looked at him. He said "Yes I am talking to you. You need to cover 'em up." The young lady then walked away in a hurry. I must admit I found this situation both amusing and sad at the same time. Amusing due to his honesty and sad due to the rampant loss of modesty in our society.

This problem would be simple if it were only those outside of Christ who dealt with this, but that is far from the truth. It is disturbing that at church events with Christians I continue to see that people do not know a thing about modesty. I was at a church event recently where I had to purposely avoid talking to a couple of people because their clothing or lack of was too much of a distraction. Ephesians 5:3 states, "But among you there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality, or of any kind of impurity, or of greed, because these are improper for God's holy people." How are we to expect God's people to have an impact on this world when we don't look any different from the world. Believe me I do not advocate everyone wearing sweaters and long pants year round, but modesty desperately needs a revival.

I am sure some are reading this and thinking that I am overreacting or being too hard on young ladies, but this is where most of the indecency that I am describing lies. It makes no sense to see someone constantly pulling down their shirt or covering up body parts when they knew they looked that way when they left home that morning. How can you wear shorts that don't cover up your butt and feel holy? How can you wear a shirt so short that everyone knows what your belly looks like and still think that you are drawing people unto Christ? This is something that we should be discussing more, but too many people are afraid to say anything because they do not want to offend anyone.

I believe it is the responsiblity of all of God's people to help our teens and adults with modesty. We need to have the boldness to say that somethings are not appropriate to wear in public. If this does not begin in the church we cannot sit around and wait for fashions to change because fashions are getting worse everyday. I believe we should all be concerned because our young ladies are being sexualized at a young age. This cannot please Christ and His people should have something to say about it.

Spiritual Binky

Emily is now two weeks old and has been blessed with the spiritual gift of crying. She lets us know that she needs attention or is not happy through a series of ear piercing howls. Mikayla does not know how to handle the crying. Anytime Emily is throwing a fit Mikayla quickly runs throughout the house to find Emily's binky. Mikayla prides herself in being able to pacify Emily because then she will not be bothered by the crying.

It is amazing that at such a young age she has learned that the quickest way to get rid of a problem is to pacify the one making the most noise. It is no wonder that when we "grow up" and find a church family that the same principle is used. How many times has your church leadership made a bad decision because they did not want to listen to the complaints or grievances of just a few people. They make a hasty decision that affects the entire congregation negatively because they were not willing to have people upset with them even when their complaints were not justified.

The church and the world continue to be a scary place because leaders are too quick to make changes because they don't want anyone upset with them. I believe someone famous once said that we cannot please everyone all the time. My life would be a total mess if God always gave me what I want when I wanted it because I complained long and loud enough. Should the leadership in the church treat people any different than how God treats us?

I Can't Take It No Mo'

I will undoubtedly receive some flack for this entry, but so goes life. I have purposely not written about the Richland Hills Church of Christ and their decision to use musical instruments in worship because too many other people are spending WAY too much time doing it for me.

In an attempt to "educate" people about the evils of instrumental music and Rick Atchley many people have written books, blogs, pamphlets, and other material in the defense of God. I am not sure why things have come to this. Each argument boils down to either "lack of command, example, and necessary inference" or "speak where the Bible speaks and be silent where the Bible is silent". The problem with the later defense is that some are being extremely verbal on a topic in which the Bible is silent. I am sure some wonder what my view on instrumental music is and I will answer it this way "My view doesn't make a difference!"

I do not understand why so many people feel it is their job to police what other congregations are doing under their own eldership. The idea of being autonomous and independent loses something when we feel we have the right to publicly scrutinize what another congregation is doing because it is different from what we practice or are comfortable with. Should we clap? Should we say 'Amen'? Should we raise hands? Should we use one cup or many? Should we all use the KJV? Should we all have the name 'Church of Christ' in the name of our building? Should we all be separated racially in congregations? Should a woman pass the collection plate?

Why does what we do during one hour on Sunday define if we are "evil" or a "wolf in sheep's clothing" the rest of the week?

It is my prayer that we will spend more time reaching out to the lost, taking care of the poor, doing Bible studies, and living right before God before we take the time to point fingers at others.

My First Mega Church Experience

I am currently taking a graduate class in Spiritual Formation and we were given the assignment of attending a church outside our spiritual context and then report on our experience. This is a look at some of my thoughts.

In an attempt to not offend anyone, I will not use the name of the congregation that I attended for this assignment.

My family and I attended a local, non denominational, mega church in the area that has around 7000 members. I have previously been a member of a church that had 1000 members, but was not prepared for what I experienced that night. The congregation was big enough to support three separate worship services. We attended the Saturday night service. Their auditorium seated approximately 2300 people. It was very encouraging to see that very few seats were empty. We were met at the door by greeters carrying very professionally designed programs for the service. There were ushers at the end of every row to insure we found the right place to sit. I was a bit bothered by the fact that the announcements that appeared on the big screen proudly stated “No cell phones or children allowed in worship.” I am sure that there was a good reason behind the message, but as a visitor it was a big turn off.

The worship band came on stage exactly at 5 p.m. The music played was well performed, totally focused on the theme of the day, and pleasing to listen to. This was quite different from my spiritual context, but I adjusted quickly. There was a light show accompanying the music with some videos playing to help set the mood. It was an experience to see people raising their hands in praise and singing along with the band. It was great to see people actively participating in worship, but it did not feel like worship at all. I believe I felt that way because it did not feel personal. I did not feel the communion of spirit with those I participated with because I felt like just another face in the crowd. I felt like something was missing and I could not put my finger on it.

The minister came up about 20 minutes into the lesson and began his sermon. Being a minister I have a habit of evaluating the speaker. I am sure the members of my church do this every week! I sat and listened for about 20 minutes and not one time was any Scripture being used in the lesson. The lesson was obviously based in Scripture, but God’s Word was nowhere to be found. It took until the last 10 minutes of the lesson before Scripture was used. This made me very uncomfortable. It was also hard not to focus on the fact that the minister looked as if he was reading the message to the crowd. I know that each speaker has their own style, but it did not look as if he was prepared to speak to the congregation that night. It did not seem like his material because he was not familiar with it at all. This was disappointing, but coming to worship is not all about the preacher now is it.

After the sermon we were led in song by the worship band, took up collection, and then were sent on home. There was no time given for responses to people who needed prayer. If someone wanted to be baptized they would have to wait till their monthly baptism service. If you were interested in communion you had to wait 2-3 months until the next communion service.

Overall I did enjoy my time there, but quickly realized the blessings of a smaller fellowship. The music was excellent if compared to a Christian concert, but the performance took away the simplicity of just listening to each other sing out.

I did learn that all churches are there for a purpose. They are obviously meeting a need in their community or they would not have that size of membership. People are being fulfilled in some manner or they would not return. A part of our spiritual formation is to recognize where God has called us to serve. I thank Him for calling me to my particular fellowship and am thankful for this assignment because it helped me to see how others are approaching God also.