It All Goes Back to John Wesley

Remember the bride's father in "My Big, Fat Greek Wedding" who said, "Give me a word. . . any word . . . and I show you how the word is Greek?"

Well, for several years, I've been known to follow a similar monologue. . "It all goes back to Wesley!  Give me any person in American history and culture . . . any person . . . and I will show you how that person relates to John Wesley."

I haven't been stumped yet -- although I must admit, I've had to hop and stretch a few times to get there. 

My son, Wes, has been on a mission to discover a dead end street, but he hasn't prevailed yet.

Just recently, he wrote the following list on a pizza napkin, handed it to me and said, "OK Dad, show me how these people go back to John Wesley."

• Stephen King, the suspense novelist
• Stephen Hawking, the scientiest
• Slash, the rock star
• Jim Henson, the Muppeteer
• Howard Taft, the president
• Edgar Allen Poe, the 19th century horror author and poet
• Mother Teresa, the saint.

Sometime over the next week, on this blog, I will reveal to Wes and the world, a direct pathway from each of these individuals, to the noted Anglican parson, and namesake of our beloved church, John Wesley (despite the fact that Stephen Hawking and Mother Teresa are not Americans.)

Two Ways of Dealing with Controversy

I'm currently reading two biographies of early 20th century pastors -- one in the morning, and the other in the evening.

My morning reading is Fire in His Bones, biography of the great Toronto missionary advocate and revivalist, Oswald J. Smith.

My evening reading is The Shooting Salvationist, which gives the account of J. Frank Norris, of Forth Worth, America's first mega-church pastor and fundamentalist leader, who went on trial for shooting a man in his office.

Both men experienced significant controversy.  Smith used prayer and surrender as the primary means of dealing with it.  Norris, on the other hand, resorted to argument and aggression  (could he somehow be related to Chuck?)

I prefer the Smith method.

When I go to Toronto in July for a guest interview on 100 Huntley Street, my intention is to visit Oswald Smith's grave, and thank him for his influence and example.

Here's a poem written by Smith after a heartbreaking experience in his early days: 

Dwell Deep

"O lonely soul, dwell deep,

God plans thy life and He

Plans only what is best.

Dwell deep,

He watches thee."

A Party of One

The other day, Ron McClung, of Indianapolis, Indiana, wrote the following piece based on an excerpt from my recently published book, Filled Up, Poured Out: How God’s Spirit Can Revive Your Passion and Purpose. I trust that it will shed some light and encourage you. By the way, I’ll be giving a presentation on “The Power of Story” at the Sherman and Ruth Weiss Community Library in Hayward on Thursday, May 31 at 6:30 p.m. Books will be available for $13.00

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My wife and I walked into a restaurant the other day and the hostess said, “Party of two?” and I replied, “Yes, there are just the two of us.”

If I had been alone, I doubt if she would have asked, “Party of one?” because it’s hard to have a “party” by yourself, unless it’s a pity party – in which case you’re almost sure to be alone.

My friend, Mark Wilson, a pastor in northern Wisconsin, wrote a delightful book, Filled Up, Poured Out, in which he suggests four problems with pity parties:

1. There is no music.

If you’re feeling sorry for yourself, you are not simultaneously giving thanks for the things he has done for you. As Mark says, “Nobody brings a banjo or accordion” or any other instrument. In your head, you might hear the melancholy strains of a lonely violin or the spooky sound of a dirge played on an organ. But in all likelihood, there’s just no music at all.

2. There are no refreshments.

Think about it: there’s nothing really refreshing about a pity party. Instead we dish up a “stew of rehashed offenses and complaints.”

3. There are no guests.

If you send out invitations to your pity party, I can almost guarantee no one will come. It’s true that misery loves company, but I have seldom seen people stand in line to spend time intentionally with those who chronically feel sorry for themselves.

4. There is no hope.

This is the saddest of all. As long as we feel sorry for ourselves, we are consumed with our problems, not looking for a brighter future.

The apostle Paul could have thrown a pity party, because he face huge difficulties in life. He was beaten several times, shipwrecked, faced danger from bandits, and others. He often went without sleep and suffered both hunger and thirst. Yet he said, “For Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong” (2 Corinthians 12:10 NIV).

He could have had a pity party. If anyone had reason to feel sorry for himself, it was Paul. Yet he learned to trust the Lord and believe that in Christ better things lay ahead. So trust in the Lord. In your weakness, he can make you strong.

Something Harder Than The Change Process

The process of change is most difficult and painful -- but, living with the results of NOT changing is even harder.

Church Planters Should Read Filled Up, Poured Out

Filled Up, Poured Out is for church planters!

Phil Spry posted this excerpt from my book, Filled Up, Poured Out at Churchplanters.com, which is one of the greatest resources available for those involved in the hard work of launching new congregations:  The Cart Before the Horse.

Sample chapter here

The Computer Swallowed Grandma

The computer swallowed Grandma,

Yes, honestly it’s true!

She pressed 'control and 'enter'

And disappeared from view.

It devoured her completely,

The thought just makes me squirm.

She must have caught a virus

Or been eaten by a worm.

I've searched through the recycle bin

And files of every kind;

I've even used the Internet,

But nothing did I find.

In desperation, I asked Mr. Google

My searches to refine.

The reply from him was negative,

Not a thing was found 'online.'

So, if inside your 'Inbox,'

My Grandma you should see,

Please 'Copy, Scan' and 'Paste' her,

And send her back to me.

(Special thanks to my sister-in-law, Sandy, for forwarding this to me!)

Get a New Perspective

"Beware of judging the future within the limitations of the present."  -- Don H. Polston in Living without Losing, Really

The Angry Pastor

And Why Are You So Angry?

Good soul reflection from Dan Bochelle.