Revitalize Your Church

Taking  a blogging break while I take my son, Luke to Bethany Bible College in Sussex, New Brunswick.

We either just "go" through life or we can GROW through it. The difference between going and growing is the big "R" -- Reflection! Life is not so much about what happens TO us as what happens IN and FROM us. When we take the time to reflect upon our experiences, we learn important lessons from them. Failing to glean truth from circumstances, leads to a long rough journey of difficult consequences. going from bump to bump with a few ditches between. Reflection brings wisdom and understanding. Why just suffer through difficult experiences, when we can gain something from them? Why waste mistakes? "Experience is not what happens to you," said Adlous Huxley, "It is what you do with what happens to you." My good friend, Famous Dave, made the following observation: "Failure is the hallmark of success. It can be the starting point of a new venture such as when a baby learns to walk, it has to fall down a lot to learn the new skill....

I am sharing the following hymn lyrics today at the funeral service of a dear lady, born in a northwoods log cabin in 1914.  After a long career in downtown Chicago, she made her way back home: In tenderness He sought me, Weary and sick with sin, And on His shoulders brought me Into His flock again. While angels in His presence sang Until the courts of heaven rang. He washed the bleeding sin-wounds, And poured in oil and wine; He whispered to assure me, "I've found thee, thou art Mine:" I never heard a sweeter voice, It made my aching heart rejoice. He pointed to the nail-prints, For me His blood was shed; A mocking crown so thorny, Was placed upon His head: I wondered what He saw in me, To suffer such deep agony. I'm sitting in His presence, The sunshine of His face, While with adoring wonder His blessings I retrace. It seems as if eternal days Are far too short to sound His praise. So while the hours are passing, All now is perfect rest; ...

"Do not despise others because, as it seems to you, they do not possess the virtue you thought thay should: They may be pleasing to God for other reasons which you cannot discover." -- St. John of the Cross, The Living Flame of Love

" The concern for world evangelization is not something tacked on to a man's personal Christianity, which he may take or leave as he chooses. It is rooted in the character of the God who has come to us in Christ Jesus. Thus, it can never be the province of a few enthusiasts, a sideline or a specialty of those who happen to have a bent that way. It is the distinctive mark of being a Christian."  — James S. Stewart

Lord Jesus Christ, you stretched out your arms of love on the hard wood of the cross that everyone might come within the reach of your saving embrace: So clothe us in your Spirit that we, reaching forth our hands in love, may bring those who do not know you to the knowledge and love of you; for the honor of your Name. Amen ..  (The Daily Office)

Suddenly, I don't feel quite so bad about our 11:00 a.m. worship attendance.

Parenting is a tremendous challenge. No job in the entire world is more important that the molding of young lives. Your greatest legacy will be the investment you have made in your family. Mom and Dad, please make sure you are taking time to treasure your children. The following appeared in a church bulletin many years ago. The author is unknown. If I Had My Child to Raise Again If I had my child to raise all over again, I'd finger paint more, And point the finger less. I would do less correcting, And more connecting. I'd take my eye off the watch, And watch with my eyes. I would care to know less and Know to care more. I'd take more hikes and fly more kites. I'd stop playing serious, And seriously play. I would run through more fields and Gaze at more stars. I'd do more hugging and less tugging. I'd build self-esteem first, And the house later. I would be firm less often, And affirm much more. I'd teach less about the love of pow...

Solomon had 300 wives and 700 porcupines.  (HT Christian Post )

Here's a great post by Mark Roberts.  The Mission of God and the Missional Church:  Sent in the Power of the Spirit. I say a hearty, "Amen!"  (Thanks to Steve Gerich for sharing this post with me.)

"You don't honor a refreshing spring by lugging buckets from the valley to pour in. But by drinking an saying Ah! So with God." -- Tweet by John Piper

Click on the picture for a larger image. (HT Dave Drury)

If you can't be a pine on the top of the hill, Be a scrub in the valley -- but be The best little scrub by the side of the rill; Be a bush if you can't be a tree. If you can't be a bush, be a bit of the grass, Doing something for somebody's sake. If you can't be a muskie, then just be a bass -- But the livliest bass in the lake. We can't all be captains, some have to be crew, There's something for all of us here, There's big work, and little for people to do, And the task we must do is the near. If you can't be the highway, then just be a trail, If you can't be the sun, be a star; It isn't by size that you win or you fail -- Be the best of whatever you are! --  Douglas Malloch

Love, the greatest human virtue, is the primary measuring stick of the goodness in one's life. Nothing is more delightful than loving, and nothing feels better than being loved. A wise old minister once said Love is. . . Slow to suspect - quick to trust Slow to condemn - quick to encourage Slow to offend - quick to defend Slow to expose - quick to shield Slow to reprimand - quick to forbear Slow to belittle - quick to appreciate Slow to demand - quick to give Slow to provoke - quick to reconcile Slow to hinder - quick to help Slow to resent - quick to forgive. True love is much more than a feeling or an emotion - it is an act of the will! It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, and always perseveres. Real love moves beyond intentions. It shines through our actions, attitudes and words. Unfortunately, un-love shines through too. You can pretend to love others - but they will find you out before too long. Fault finding and criticizing others are signs ...

"Time is free, but it's priceless.  You can't own it, but you can use it.  You can't keep it, but you can spend it.  Once you've lost it, you can never get it back." --  Harvey Mackay

Love Him in the morning, when you see the sun arising, Love Him in the evening 'cause He took you through the day, And in the in-between time when you feel the pressure coming, Remember that He loves you and He promises to stay. ~   John Fischer " To him whose elastic and vigorous thought keeps pace with the sun, the day is a perpetual morning."   ~Henry David Thoreau

"It is not necessarily the busiest, who are ever on the rush after some visible work; it is the lives like stars, which simply pour down upon us the calm light of their bright and faithful being, out of which we gather the deepest calm and courage.  It is good to know that no man or woman can be strong, gentle, good, without somebody being helped and comforted by the very existence of that goodness." --  Phillips Brooks

In a conversation about literature a while back, I asked, “Do you like Kipling?”  To that, my friend responded, “I don’t know.  I’ve never Kipled.” The British author, Rudyard Kipling is best known for his classic piece, “The Jungle Book”, as well as his collection of short animal stories.  A few years ago, while digging in the archives of the British Museum , I was privileged to actually hold an aged letter Kipling had written with his own hand.  It was a surreal moment, spanning the centuries, and drawing kindred hearts together. In my opinion, Kipling’s most inspiring work is a short poem entitled, “If”, which he penned for his son’s birthday: If you can keep your head when all about they are losing theirs and blaming it on you; If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you, but make allowance for their doubting too; If you can wait and not be tired by waiting.  Or being lied about, don’t deal in lies. Or being hated, don’t give way to hating.  ...

Unplugging for a few days, in order to climb Pike's Peak with my son, Luke.

Give it your best shot! The world is filled with half-hearted people who give half-hearted effort to half hearted causes. Every now and then, somebody rises up to make a difference – and the barbs start flying.   Like lobsters in the pot, we’d much rather pull each other down than to see someone else climb ahead and succeed.   Misery loves company. Watching a news channel on television the other night, I was amused by hearing the talking heads squabble.   They argued, growled and vented their spleens about society’s ills. I thought, “If they spent as much time doing something about the problems as they’ve spent complaining about them, we’d all be a lot better off.” Unfortunately, it is much easier to sit around on the sidelines and find fault than to roll up our sleeves and make a difference. So often, we punish those who make an effort by clucking our tongues, shaking our heads, and pointing out all the mistakes. Consider the NFL quarterback who is striving to do ...

“A man and a woman should choose each other for life,” said Dr. George Truett, “for the simple reason that a long life is barely enough time for them to understand each other – and to understand is to love.” Understanding is the key to true love and intimacy. Although it is a process, you can deepen and develop your relationship along the way. Sometimes, along the path, it’s good to stop and evaluate how you’re doing as a couple. Good maintenance prevents major breakdowns. Here are a few questions to ask yourself  concerning your marriage: How can I best serve my partner? Am I a good listener? Do I really hear what my partner is saying, or am I busy thinking about how I am going to respond? Can we disagree agreeably? If not, what it is that causes us to argue? Do I know what really pleases my partner? Have I pursuing this? Do I know what really annoys my partner? Have I been doing this? What are my dreams and hopes for our marriage? What are yours? How do we expr...

"So long as we are full of self, we are shocked at the faults of others.  Let us think often of our own sin, and we shall be lenient  of the sins of others." --  Francois Fenelon

Ten Warning Signs of Trouble for Churches

An important reminder to ministry leaders from Carie Nieuwhof: “It is useless for you to work so hard from early morning until late at night, anxiously working for food to eat; for God gives rest to his loved ones.” Psalm 127.2 If You Don't Take the Sabbath, the Sabbath Will Take You (HT JoAnne Lyon)

Whatever you may possess, and however fruitful your activities, regard them all as worthless without the inward certainty and experience of Jesus' love. --  The Cloud of Unknowing

My old friend from California days, Dan Reiland, now executive pastor at 12stone Church, has created an outstanding new blog, The Pastor's Coach:  Equipping Leaders for Today's Church. Dan is one of the most strategic ministry thinkers I've ever met.

I found this interesting quote regarding Thomas Aquinas in John Sanders' No Other Name: Aquinas believed the world had been thoroughly evangelized by his day, and that there were only a handful of people in the world who remained unevangelized . ". . .those brought up in the forest or among the wild beasts."   (Sanders, No Other Name , p. 254, Aquinas, Disputed Questions on Truth , q. 14, a 11.) Thus, the reason why I pastor in the wilderness of northern Wisconsin!  It's the land of forest and wild beasts!  Within the last week, I saw two black bears, countless whitetails, a coyote, and three bald eagles in my parish.

"This is our rejoicing, the testimony of our own conscience, that in simplicity and godly sincerity, not with fleshly wisdom, but by the grace of God, we have had our conversation in the world."  -- 2 Cor. 1:12. Noting this verse, in his sermon, The Witness of Our Spirit , John Wesley added, "Such is the voice of every true believer in Christ, so long as he abides in faith and love.

"Purity is accepting Christ's sacrifice for us.  Maturity is accepting our sacrifice for Christ."   -- Margie Myers

What kind of juice do you have in your tank? Lawnmowers and cars run on gasoline. Chainsaws and weed eaters run on a gas/oil mixture. Sailboats and kites run with the wind. Campfires run on wood --And you run on one of two kinds of energy: positive or negative (or, more likely, a mixture of both.) What's the difference between running on positive vs. negative juice? 1. Negative juice is the "default" mode. If you don't deliberately choose the positive path, you'll end up operating in the negative. We are grumpy by nature -- and cheerful by choice. Nobody is positive by accident -- It requires a strong commitment and a new way of thinking. 2. Running on negative juice is easier at first -- but much harder in the long run. Since it is the default mode, you don't have to work at becoming negative -- it just happens! No extra effort is required. However, those who operate with negative energy find that life is much more difficult. Positive energy takes ...