Revitalize Your Church

This is the Catholic Vote Ad NBC refused to air during the Super Bowl

I always get a headache when I try to fight today's battles with tomorrow's strength. -- Johnny Hunt (via Steven Furtick )

Faith Mixes With Football for the Big Game

The Christian Writer's Market has been a valuable help in getting my articles into magazines over the years. This excellent guide lists all the different Christian publishers, magazines, newspapers, periodicals and agents. It gives the specifics of what they're looking for, the kind of manuscript they desire, what they pay, and how to go about submitting something you've written. This is the best deal I know for aspiring writers. A small investment of around twenty bucks, can reap hundreds on just one or two articles. I know this is true, because I have experienced it personally. I researched the Christian Writer's Market , picked out the ten companies that would most likely accept my articles, and then started sending them out. On average, I get about ten rejections to every acceptance -- but, hey -- that's not too bad!! (About the same as my odds when casting a fishing line.) Now, I've not gotten rich by writing -- but the Christian Writer's Market has...

Again -- and it seems like the 20th time this winter, the mercury has dipped to over 20 below zero. (That's farenheit, for my international readers -- and that's COLD!!) Just last week, I was trying to describe to an African pastor friend how the people here in the northwoods drive on the lakes, and drill holes in the ice to go fishing. He just couldn't comprehend it! (Of course, there are things HE experiences that I can't comprehend either.) Next week, the Lord willing, our family will be celebrating Cathy's parents' 50th Anniversary in much warmer climes! In the meantime, I'll just praise the Lord for gloves, hats, furnaces, hot chocolate, steaming coffee, and Old Faithful -- my 95 Yukon that, with one exception, has started every morning this entire winter. Scott McKnight's perspective on Wisconsin winters made me smile. Every day, since January 1, as I awake and get ready to face the day I've been repeating Psalm 188:24: This is the day the L...

My friend, Famous Dave, sent me an insightful and thought provoking e-mail yesterday. It's a brief essay written by Art Erickson, co-founder and CEO of Urban Ventures . With Art's gracious permission, I am sharing it with you: " 'Be careful that no one misleads you,' returned Jesus, 'for many will come in my name saying, "I am Christ",and they will mislead many. And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars - do not be alarmed. Such things must indeed happen, but that is not the end. For one nation will rise in arms against another, and one kingdom against and other, and there will be famines and earthquakes in different parts of the world. But all that is only the beginning of the birth-pangs." Matthew 24:4-8 You hear people ask today, "How long will it take before we get back to normal?" Wrong question! We will never go back to normal! There are only "new normals" ahead, and no one knows what they look like. In fact, in this...

I got a kick out of this picture of the Snow Pope at IWU. Found it via Keith Drury's facebook. Thanks Keith!

A thought provoking article by Ed Stetzer . . . don't defend your lack of converts, repent of it, weep over it, and resolve to change it.

An intriguing review Crushed: The Perilous Journey Called Ministry As I travel and speak across the country, I often am approached by pastors (or sometimes ministry couples) who have been broken and shattered by mistreatment from their congregations. Now, often, on this blog, the issue of minister mistreating the congregation comes up -- and I absolutely believe that spiritual (or emotional) abuse at the hands of a shepherd is intolerable. However, there's another side which is not often stated. There are a lot of dysfunctional churches that "eat pastors alive." Thankfully, I'm serving in a healthy congregation where that is not the case. Our people aren't perfect (and neither am I) -- but as a rule of thumb, we get along, and are going somewhere together. Sadly, in a huge number of churches, the environment is one of negative warfare. Expectations for ministers are unbelievably high. Pastors are expected to be "supermen" (or "superwomen"). The...

A couple of friends have recently e-mailed a heart touching story about the Cardinals' Super Bowl quarterback, Kurt Warner and his wife, Brenda. It's a great story -- but just sounded too good to be true. A quick check at Snopes, however, shows that's it's fairly accurate. Read The Snopes Account here.

Two ministers were walking to church one day along a winding, wooded path. As they rounded a bend, they came upon an elderly, heavy-set woman standing at the edge of a mud puddle in the middle of the road. “Oh dear! Oh dear!” the old lady worried, “How am I ever going to get past this puddle without getting my shoes and dress wet and filthy? I just don’t know what to do!” Then, her eyes brightened as she saw the two preachers approaching. “Excuse me! Is there any way you fine gentlemen could help me get over this puddle of water?” Brother Bob, the younger minister, smiled brightly, “Sure! We’d be glad to help! Wouldn’t we, Fred? Brother Fred, an older clergyman, glared at his friend, cleared his throat, and grudgingly replied, “Uh… Sure, Uh… I,,,. I guess so.” After a quick assessment, Brother Bob put an action plan together. “Brother Fred, Let’s carry her across! You take her left side, and I’ll cover the right!” “Uh,,,Yeah. . . O.K. , , , If you say so Brother Bob.” “One, two, three....

I want one of these!

Silence is Unconstitutional??

Last evening, I had a blast with the 25 - 30 friends who showed up for our "Country Gospel Choir" rehearsal. Leading a music rehearsal is unfamilar territory to me, but we had a fantastic time together -- and at the end, did a couple of extra songs just for fun! We have seven guitars, two ukeleles, bass, drums and fiddle -- and a partridge in a pear tree! So, on Sunday mornin' we're doin': I'll Fly Away, Just Over in the Glory Land, Daddy Sang Bass, Peace in the Valley, Just a Closer Walk with Thee, Precious Lord, Take my Hand and Amazing Grace. And all God's people said: "Yeee Haw and Hallilujah!"

I heard I'm going to be on television this weekend -- John Gillespie's Waters and Woods on FSN, They recorded the New Year's Eve wedding of fishing great Pete Maina and his lovely bride, Esther, which has held at the beautiful Spider Lake Lodge. As I said to Pete, "She's a keeper."

So, you think you're church stinks? It's nothin' compared to these guys.

Some profound insights from John Piper making a connection between the inauguration of President Obama and the flight that went down in the Hudson last week. (Thanks to Bud Wesche for sending this to me)

God of our weary years, God of our silent tears, Thou who has brought us thus far on the way; Thou who has by Thy might Led us into the light, Keep us forever in the path, we pray. Lest our feet stray from the places, our God, where we met Thee, Lest, our hearts drunk with the wine of the world, we forget Thee; Shadowed beneath Thy hand, May we forever stand, True to our God, True to our native land. James Weldon Johnson (Quoted in benediction prayer at the inauguration by Joseph Lowrey)

Pastors are invited to join in a personal conversation via webcast with Pastor Rick Warren from our Nation's Capitol, today at 2:00 p.m. Eastern (1:00 p.m. Central.) Rick will connect with pastors from around the world about his experiences and insights following the Martin Luther King, Jr. celebration on Monday and the Inauguration of President Barrack Obama on Tuesday. .

From Church Relevance: In 2008, Guy Kawasaki created a website called Alltop that aggregates the latest content from the world’s top websites and organizes them by topic. It is a good idea turned great idea. In fact, Alltop’s church page has grown into a phenomenal resource that lists about 100 church related blogs worth reading. Since Alltop lists the 5 most recent posts for each website, the church page gives you about 500 posts from a wide scope of church leaders, influencers, and practitioners. Revitalize Your Church has been included on the Alltop Church Page!

About a week ago, I received my eagerly anticipated copy of Chips off the Butcher Block in the mail. This delightful volume, written by Derek Johnson, is a compendium of insights gleaned from his years of working side by side with Pastor Orval Butcher. Pastor Butcher was the founding pastor of Skyline Chuch in San Diego. (Followed by John Maxwell and Jim Garlow.) He was an outstanding pastor, leading the thriving congregation to become the largest Wesleyan church in the world. He was known for his deep love for God and people, as well as his outstanding tenor voice. I am privileged to call Pastor Butcher my friend. He said the prayer over me at my ordination, and even popped in for a surprise visit in Wisconsin during my early years in the northwoods. I devoured Chips off the Butcher Block in ONE sitting!! The leadership principles contained in this book are rich and timeless. A few examples: "Truth is like cream. . . it will rise to the top." "Think it through. Things ...

Almighty God, our Father: Everything we see, and everything we can’t see, exists because of you alone. It all comes from you, it all belongs to you, it all exists for your glory. History is your story. The Scripture tells us, "Hear, O Israel, the LORD is our God, the LORD is one." And you are the compassionate and merciful one. And you are loving to everyone you have made. Now today we rejoice not only in America’s peaceful transfer of power for the 44th time, we celebrate a hinge point of history with the inauguration of our first African American president of the United States. We are so grateful to live in this land, a land of unequaled possibility, where a son of an African immigrant can rise to the highest level of our leadership. And we know today that Dr. King and a great cloud of witnesses are shouting in heaven. Give to our new president, Barack Obama, the wisdom to lead us with humility, the courage to lead us with integrity, the compassion to lead us with generosit...

Almighty God, we make our earnest prayer that Thou wilt keep the United States in Thy Holy protection, that Thou wilt incline the hearts of the citizens to cultivate a spirit of obedience, and to entertain a Brotherly affection and love for one another as fellow citizens. May we be pleased to do justice, to love mercy, and to conduct ourselves in charity, humility and gentle temper of mind, which were the charactistics of the Divine Author of our blessed religion , and without whose humble example we can never hope to be a happy nation. God grant us our supplication through Jesus Christ our Lord. Bishop Robinson would be HORRIFIED!

In honor of MLK day, my blogger buddy and fellow cheesehead, Mark Batterson, shared one of his favorite Martin Luther King Jr. quotes . “If a man is called to be a street sweeper, he should sweep streets even as Michelangelo painted, or Beethoven composed music, or Shakespeare wrote poetry. He should sweep streets so well that all the host of heaven will pause to say, 'There lived a great street sweeper who did his job well'."

Allen Perdue has an outstanding blog, Life and Ministry in ADHD (I can relate to that!!) Recently, he made this astute comment which really made me think: I've heard multiple people say: "the best thing that could happen to the Church in America is to put all the paid clergy in jail."Well, as harsh as it sounds, I actually think they're right. You can read the rest of Allen's Jail Time For Preachers Post here. It's definitely worth pondering -- but I'd rather be "just visiting."

Photo of bride-to-be, Tammy Suino, fifteen minutes before the wedding. (Photo by Bonnie Salzman)

I preached today on John 3:16 -- the Gospel in a nutshell. At the end of the services about 20 people responded to the invitation to receive Christ as their Savior. My heart is overflowing with joy. You just can't go wrong when you preach on John 3:16

We've heard of "sin of omission" -- but the Oxford Junior Dictionary is guilty of the opposite : ommission of sin.

At minus 33 . . . my old faithful 1995 Yukon won't start. nostrils stick together when you breathe in school is cancelled, and children rejoice we're looking forward to a heat wave of zero if you toss boiling water in the air, it immediately turns into a cloud of ice crystals (see yesterday's posts about that) if you blow bubbles, they freeze up and roll around on the ground people still show up at the coffee shop As I took our dog, Vin, out this morning to do his business, I spoke the same words to him that Jesus said to Judas : "What you are about to do, DO QUICKLY!"

It's winter in Wisconsin And the gentle breezes blow Seventy miles an hour At twenty-five below. Yes, the weather here is wonderful So I guess I'll hang around I could never leave Wisconsin 'Cause I'm frozen to the ground! (from a poem sent to me by my friend, Shirley)

C Never Say Diet , and the accompanying 16 week Never Say Diet Personal Fitness Trainer , brings a positive approach to healthy living. Author, Chantel Hobbs, is an amazing woman who has mastered the art of self-control -- overcoming many obstacles (and excuses) to lose over 200 pounds. Now, Chantel is a personal fitness trainer, runs marathons and inspires thousands to lose weight and choose a more healthy lifestyle. She has appeared on Oprah, The Today Show and Good Morning America! The keys to success, according to Chantel, are: a change of thinking about food (treat it as fuel rather than your best friend) discipline in exercise (which seems to be the centerpiece of her approach), and courage to follow your dreams (rather than settling for mediocrity.) From the back cover: If you want to lose weight for good, learn a secret from Chantel Hobbs: to change your life you first have to change the way you think. After years of failed diets, Chantel discovered the power of the “brain c...

What an adventure! 28 below zero -- with windchills coming in around 50 below farenheit! School's cancelled and the kids are going outside to play. The whole town rejoices in the arctic experience which gives us bragging rights, proving just how hardy these northwoods folks can be. I heard that if you tossed a cup of boiling water in the air in temperatures like this, it immediately evaporates into a cloud of ice crystals. We tried it -- and it WORKS!!

“Every thing tht a man leans upon but God, will be a dart that will certainly pierce his heart through and through. He who leans only upon Christ, lives the highest, choicest, safest, and sweetest life.” -- Thomas Brooks

Beautiful Bride Marvelous Mom Tremendous Teacher Outstanding Organizer Purposeful Planner Listening Leader Wonderful Wife Courageous Conqueror Majestic Musician Comfortable Companion Lovely Lady

Here are some pictures from the wedding ceremony I conducted for fishing great, Pete Maina, and his beautiful bride, Esther. Photographer, Hannah Hudson, is top of the line. I think she did a beautiful job capturing the special moments.

It's 12 below zero and falling. The weather man says it will get down to 22 below today and tomorrow, with wind chills up to 50 below. Sadly, a Hayward man, sleepwalking, perished in the bitter cold yesterday. From USA Today: A 51-year-old man in northern Wisconsin died from exposure after wandering from his Hayward home. Deputies followed footprints in the snow to find the man about 190 yards from his house, Sawyer County Chief Deputy Tim Zeigle said . I think my brain froze yesterday. I went to Valley Nursing Home to conduct chapel services. There was an unusually large crowd in the day room, and they engaged wholeheartedly. Then, running a bit late, I hurried to Hayward Nursing Home for my "chapel encore." Carrying my guitar into the home, it dawned on me -- My brain had frozen!! I was behind by a whole hour! It was 5:00 and I had been scheduled to do the chapel at 4:00 p.m.! I did the first chapel service at 4:15 -- but it was supposed to have been 3:15!! No ...

Keith Drury on What's Wrong With the Church

Last evening, I finished The Old Man and the Sea, which I had borrowed from the Hayward Library. It's the profound tale of an old fisherman who displays courage against all odds, and his absolute commitment to bring in the "big one" Made me want to go fishing for muskies this summer. At first, it was hard to get into the book, and I couldn't quite figure out why Hemingway had won a Pulitzer for it. . . but by the end, I was hooked!

Tim Tebow Sports 3:16 in National Title Game

Time is God's way of keeping everything from happening at once!

Sigurd Olson, the great naturalist and inspiring writer, with strong Hayward connections, had a cabin in northern Minnesota, which he affectionately dubbed, “Listening Point.” In 1956, after a long search for the perfect “get-away” spot, Sig happened upon the property one day, and instantly knew had found a treasure. A farm, seven miles south of Ely, had been condemned to make way for the airport. Seeing the land with eyes of the soul, Sig bought it, and built a rustic cabin where “we could just move in, spend a few hours, a night or two, or if in the mood, even a week, an outpost away from the phone and interruptions.” Surrounded by the breathtaking beauty of pristine nature, this place, overlooking Burntside Lake, served as a special “get-away” for Sig and his dear wife, Elizabeth. The 36 acres of property included a small beach, a quiet cove, and a prominent westward point of glaciated greenstone. The name “Listening Point” came in 1958 when their son, Bob and daughter-in-law, Yvo...

Thanks to Todd at Monday Morning Insight

The self is like a baseball Throw it back to the Divine Pitcher who pitched it to you in the first place And the game of love goes on. Hold it, and the game is over -- Peter Kreeft

Today, Ryan is officially a twenty-something!

Our church board met last night at the Larson Lodge. We invited a group of young adults to the meeting, provided pizza, and listened. The focus of our conversation was “How can we help young adults to feel more included in the life, ministry and mission of Hayward Wesleyan Church?” Key points drawn from the meeting are: Young adults desire and need mentoring relationships with older believers. Young adults want to be challenged rather than accommodated. Young believers want to go deeper in the Scripture, and the spiritual walk. Young adults are looking for “genuine” Christians, who walk the walk. A major component of this is relational. Young adults want to see healthy family relationships modeled. Many young adults will not go to church first. They need another connecting point where they can develop friendships in a non-threatening environment. It’s more important to do ministry WITH young adults than to create a ministry FOR them. Our discussion was positive, powerful and enlighte...

In a Times Online column, Matthew Parris says "As An Atheist, I Truly Believe Africa Needs God"

Perry Noble has drawn some powerful parallels between the Auto Industry and the Church. It's a two post series: Part 1 Part 2

Chuck Warnock compares pastoring to herding pigs.

Is Your Marriage Normal?

On Friday night, we're showing the movie, Fireproof , at our church. The movie is just finishing up its theater run -- but not out yet to the public on dvd. (I believe it releases the end of January) So -- we have a golden opportunity to bless the people of our community! The film has not been shown within an hour's drive of Hayward. I'm fairly certain a lot of people are going to take advantage of our "free date night" (complete with popcorn, soda pop, and child care.) This is a powerful movie about marriage and faith. A guaranteed "marriage building" experience for the couples who see it.

Let's Blame It On the Baptists!

I say "Amen" to Scott McKnight's assessment of Pastor Pages on Church Websites.

Better get your hankies out for this one: Cardboard Testimonies at Richland Hills Church of Christ This is so moving! God truly makes the difference! (Thanks to my up north friend, Bill, for the lead!)

I don't really know why I agreed to review When the Soul Mends by Cindy Woodsmall. It's a chick book! Now, I love good literature -- more than most men, probably -- but I'm not "chick-a-fied!!" My wife, Cathy, saw it lying around, picked it up -- and for a few days, she disappeared. I'd find her curled up a blanket, a cup of tea, and When the Soul Mends. "Oooo -- This is good," she said, "really good." Aha! Eureka!! My way out of having to read the chick book -- and still fulfill my commitment to review it! I could review When the Soul Mends vicariously!! "Sooo, Cathy, honey, if you were to describe this book to a friend, what would you say?" I threw the line out casually. "It's one of those. . . you know. . . Amish romance novels." Hmmmm. Now that's something I don't know much about. I didn't realize that Amish and romance went together. The only thing close to Amish romance I've ever encoutered was...

A Child Shall Lead Them

Vote in the MSNBC Poll: Should the Motto "In God We Trust" be removed from U.S. Currency?

Had some difficulty with the Penn Video (Atheist and the Bible) from yesterday. Thanks, Keetha, for pointing it out. So, decided to just add the link here rather than embed the video. It's really powerful. Or better yet, you can find it here -- and give a kind blogger some traffic.

A follow up to my post a couple of weeks ago: How Would You Answer My Friend? Joe Coleson, who teaches at Nazarene Theological Seminary in Kansas City, recently sent me this e-mail in response to the post. Joe and I have been friends ever since we went to Israel together back in 2000. I thought Joe's comments were insightful, and with his permission, am posting them for you: I was directed to your blog question about women in ministry, but a little late to join the discussion. I’m saddened that not one of your nineteen respondents is aware of the book that settled the 1 Timothy 2:12 question sixteen years ago. Catherine Clark Kroeger published I Suffer Not a Woman with Baker in 1992. She proved the standard English translations wrong at several points in that verse. I abstracted and referenced her most important evidence in my booklet published in 1996, and available ever since for free download on the Wesleyan/Holiness Women Clergy website. I don’t know whether to laugh or cry ove...

My good friend, Ron McClung, recently wrote a delightful and insightful article, for his weekly column, “Positive Perspective”, that captured how a lot of us feel as we bid farewell to 2008. It’s really true – and with Ron’s gracious permission, I am passing it along to you: The old man limped off the stage. Lines of regret creased his face as he turned and gave one last mournful glance over his shoulder. His unkempt hair and matted white beard befitted his torn and disheveled clothes. Without question, he had been through an ordeal. He testified to his experience with floods, tornadoes, and devastating economic loss. His personal financial worth had plummeted. He watched as friends and acquaintances lost their jobs, the value of their real estate, and the worth of their 401k plans. On the other side of the stage, a child bounced into view. A top hat adorned his golden locks, a bright smile spread across his face, and he walked with the jauntiness of youth. “Naïve!” muttered the old ma...

Lamb of God, you take away the sin of the world, have mercy on us. Lamb of God, you take away the sin of the world, have mercy on us. Lamb of God, you take away the sin of the world, grant us peace

Rural Route Church Rural American Pastor

The Billy Graham Evangelistic Association hopes it has come up with three New Year’s resolutions that will not prove too difficult to keep the whole year. They are: 1. Live Generously 2. Reflect All Year Long 3. Grow Closer to God. More here

"I remember coming back from a very long tour.... On Christmas Eve I went to St. Patrick’s Cathedral. ...It had dawned on me before, but it really sank in: the Christmas story. The idea that God, if there is a force of Love and Logic in the universe, that it would seek to explain itself is amazing enough. That it would seek to explain itself and describe itself by becoming a child born in straw poverty... a child, I just thought: “Wow!” Just the poetry. Unknowable love, unknowable power, describes itself as the most vulnerable. There it was. I was sitting there, and ...tears came down my face, and I saw the genius of this, utter genius of picking a particular point in time and deciding to turn on this. Because that’s exactly what we were talking about earlier: love needs to find form, intimacy needs to be whispered. To me, it makes sense. It’s actually logical. It’s pure logic. Essence has to manifest itself. It’s inevitable. Love has to become an action or something concrete. It...

Great article by Bill Hybels on Preaching for Total Commitment.

Seth Godin posted an intriguing thought recently : Why Be Good? Was Jackson Pollock a good painter? The critics at the time certainly didn't think so. Twyla Tharp's London debut was panned. The Prius was largely ignored by car magazines, mostly because it wasn't a very good car. If we define 'good' as showing reasonable skill in the expected areas of performance, then good is not only useless, it's dangerous. Good authors rarely change minds. Good politicians rarely get elected. The worst thing you can be given as a marketer is a good product to sell. ----- I'm pondering: What does this say about being a "good" church or a "good" pastor?

Yesterday, I conducted two weddings and a funeral. The funeral was a graveside service for Mary Smith, who died in the Chicago area two days before Christmas. I was impressed that her family brought her back to the northwoods via SUV. It was ten below zero (without windchill factored in) when we did the service. I asked them, "Do you want the long version or the short version?" The vote was unamimous: 'SHORT!" So we kept it short and sweet. In the afternoon, I performed a little wedding ceremony at the church for Bret and Laura. It was a beautiful and intimate occasion. Then, with Hannah as my helper, I made my way through snow covered roads to Spider Lake Lodge, where I officiated at the wedding for fishing great, Pete Maina, and his beautiful bride, Esther. John Gillespie's Waters and Woods television program filmed the occasion for a future episode -- so I guess sometime in the next few weeks, I'll have my two seconds of fame. It was a beautiful candle-lit...

Happy New Year! Every January, instead of making a bunch of resolutions, I like to develop a theme for the New Year. Sometimes, I make the theme rhyme, such as, “Knock ‘em Alive in 2005” and “Make it Great in 2008.” This year, I’m going off rhyme. (although I could say “Things Will Be Fine in 2009” or “Walk the Line in 2009.” Nope, I’m not going to rhyme it this year. Instead, I want LIVE it. Here’s my 2009 New Year’s Focus: “Listen and Do.” Yep, that’s it. Simple and sweet. Listen and Do. 1) Listen: You and I have been given two ears and one mouth. That’s because we’re supposed to listen twice as much as we speak. However, I’ve discovered that talking is easer than hearing. Explaining is easier than listening deeply. Why is it so hard to listen? Consider this. We speak at 100-150 words per minute. We are able to comprehend at 250-300 words per minute. We think at 600 words per minute. So, if you are a fast thinker (600 wpm) and the other person is a slow talker (100 w...