Revitalize Your Church

Nothing is sweet or easy about community.  Community is a fellowship of people who do not hide their joys and sorrows but make them visible to each other in a gesture of hope.  In community we say: "Life is full of gains and losses, joys and sorrows, ups and downs -- but we do not have to live it alone.  We want to drink our cup together and thus celebrate the truth that the wounds of our individual lives, which seem intolerable when lived alone. become sources of healing when we live them as a part of a fellowship of mutual care." --  Henri Nouwen

The Wisconsin Wesleyan District Conference was held last week.  An annual tradition of the conference is the "two minute drill", when pastors give a brief report from their congregation.  This year, we were instructed to try to make it snappy -- less than two minutes.  Any pastors who wax eloquent and go beyond the allotted time, are unceremoniously shut down -- sort of like the Gong Show. How can one possibly capture a full year's worth of congregational happenings in less than two minutes?  It's quite a daunting task to figure out what to say. This year, I just shared a few "one-liners" -- tweets -- of what we've been learning in Hayward over the past year.  I'm pretty sure most of them just flew over the heads of the puzzled delegates -- but a few landed -- and some folks asked if I could post them here: 1.  There is a direct connection between emotional healing and spiritual growth. 2.  As a church grows, the sense of congregation ...

Sometimes, life is like cruising down a highway on a summer day. At other times, it's like hiking through a murky swamp. There are "smooth sailing" days -- and then there are the ones filled with bumps and jolts. But one thing lies in common: They're both good. They don't both FEEL good, mind you -- but they're good, nevertheless. The sunshine days are good for carefree laughter, pleasure and fun. The dark and difficult days are good for character development. Either way -- it's still a good day. If you're going through the dark valley, don't despair. Joy will come in the morning. Learn the valuable lessons life has to offer -- and keep trudging forward. Don't give up. As Dag Hammarskjold stated, "When the morning's freshness has been replaced by the weariness of midday, when the leg muscles quiver under the strain, the climb seems endless, and suddenly, nothing will go quite as you wish -- it is then that you must not hesitate." ...

Remember the story of Jack and the Beanstalk?  Jack and his poor mother were going in the hole.  Maintaining the status quo wasn't working any longer -- and they realized that a change needed to take place. So, Jack's mother sent him to town with the family cow and some specific instructions.  "Sell Bessie and bring back as much cash as you can." Now, it was hard to give up old Bessie.  She had been a good cow, and a great source for ice cream.  But now, the ice cream days were over, the budget was tightening -- and Bessie was a gonner. And then, miracle of miracles, as Jack was leading Bessie to the village market, he came upon a gentleman with a handful of beans -- not just your regular garden variety beans, mind you -- but magic beans!  At least, that's what the man said. Somehow, Jack left the realm of sensibilities, and traded Bessie for the beans.  To him, although it was hard to explain, it seemed like a pretty ...

"Summer begins in June.  It comes after the wild excitement of spring, the migration of birds, their mating and choosing of places to live and defend.  It is a time of fullness and completion, the goal of all that has gone before.... It is a time for building strength and storing energy for whatever may come.  It is also a time of joy." -- Sigurd Olson, Wilderness Days, page 61

An elderly woman walked into the local country church. The friendly usher greeted her at the door and helped her up the flight of steps.   "Where would you like to sit?" he asked politely.  "The front row, please," she answered..  "You really don't want to do that," the usher said. "The pastor is really boring."  "Do you happen to know who I am?" the woman inquired.   "No," he said.  "I'm the pastor's mother," she replied indignantly.  "Do you know who I am?" he asked.  "No," she said.   "Good," he answered. 

We buried my father twelve hours before Father's Day.  Over two decades have since passed, but sometimes it  seems like yesterday. Grief has a funny way of popping up in unexpected places. While working on last Sunday's Father's Day sermon, I suddenly missed my dad, with an overwhelmed longing and a sadness that my children did not have the privilege of knowing him (except through my stories.) Earlier this year, I ran into one of dad's old friends. He said, "You're Andy Wilson's boy, aren't you?  You look so much like him!"  When I was young, I don't believe I would have appreciated that comment at all! To me, dad always looked OLD!  But, now, I consider it a great honor to bear my father's resemblance.  Reflecting back these days, I remember that dad looked happy most of the time. It's not so bad to look like that!! One night, driving home from the airport in a thunderstorm, I found myself reflecting on the formative things my father...

“You can kiss your family and friends good-bye and put miles between you, but at the same time you carry them with you in your heart, your mind, your stomach, because you do not just live in a world but a world lives in you.”    ―  Frederick Buechner

If you fail to plan, you are planning to fail. Life comes with a price tag. The choice of WHEN to pay the price is entirely up to you. You can pay the bill up front and invest your effort and energy into planning, intentional decision making and thinking ahead. Or, you can wait and pay the piper at the end. Yes, you have to pay for it, on one side or the other -- and you get to make the choice. But here's the difference: If you pay up front, you will receive a great return in life with compound interest! If you pay at the end, you will have to pay much, much more -- with compound interest! There's a reward for "up front payments" and there is a penalty for "paying later." This is true for all the areas of life. When you buy something, you can pay now, or buy it on credit and pay double. In your marriage, you can pay emotionally up front, and do the hard work of listening, understanding, dating and keeping romance alive. Or -- you can delay this payment for s...

To have a happy, thriving marriage that lasts, follow these A,B.C's: A - Accept your partner as he/she is - no strings attached. B - Be attentive, thoughtful and considerate. C - Commit yourself and your marriage to God. D - Date each other regularly and often. E - Endure the difficult times with a good spirit. F - Forgive any grievances you may have against each other. G - Give affection generously. H - Have fun together. Make wonderful memories! I - Involve your partner totally in your life. Don't shut him/her out. J - Journey through life together, looking forward to what's around the bend. K - Keep the lines of communication open. Always be honest. L - Listen, really listen to your partner. M - Make love often. N - Never gripe about your mate to others. O - Openly praise your mate. P - Pray together. The couple that prays together, stays together. Q - Quit doing stupid things that annoy your partner. R - Remember to put the lid on the toothpaste tube. S - Start somet...