Revitalize Your Church

A few years ago, our family visited the birthplaces of two famous Americans on the same day - inventor, Thomas Edison and former president, Warren G. Harding. When we arrived in Milan, Ohio, we immediately noticed that they were proud of their native son, Thomas Edison. A big sign on the edge of the small village proclaimed this was his birthplace. A statue of Edison graced the public square in the center of town. His family home had been restored, with a museum dedicated to his honor. Even the street lights were erected in Edison's memory, as was the Edison Family Restaurant, and the Edison Memorial Methodist Church. Leaving Milan, I remarked that those folks sure were proud of Thomas Edison - especially considering the fact that he moved away in early childhood. A couple of hours later, we arrived in Blooming Grove, Ohio, where Warren G. Harding was born. We were surprised to discover the only thing denoting Harding's birth was an insignificant, faded historical m...

Everybody has a "pay day" and a "play day". If you pay now, you can play later -- but if you play now, you will have to pay later - and the price might be higher than you expected. There's no such thing as a free ride. You reap what you sow. If you do not humble yourself now, you will be humbled later. If you do not discipline yourself now, you will be disciplined by life later. If you live on credit now, you'll have to pay compound interest later. If you are selfish now, you will be isolated and lonely later. If you are negative now, life will get worse later. If you are angry now, you will be bitter and ugly later. If you fail to be kind now, you won't have friends later. If you are a "people pleaser" now, you will sacrifice your integrity later. If you don't cherish your family now, you won't have a family later. If you don't work hard now, you will not succeed later. If you fail to make healthy choices now, you will feeble and f...

While making brush piles of broken branches in the aftermath of the recent wind storm, I recalled the following account shared by former Wesleyan leader, Dr. Oliver G. Wilson: Driving across the plains of Kansas where there are but few trees, I saw in the distance what appeared to be the outline of one of those scrub oaks for which this particular part of Kansas is noted. As I drew nearer, however, and the object began to take form, I said to myself, “Not a tree, only a brush-pile.” This started a line of thinking: Just what is the difference between a brush-pile and a tree? The brush pile lacks two essentials: life and organization. It might be that at one time this brush-pile by the Kansas highway had been a beautiful tree. It may be that it produced shade and possibly food for weary travelers who chanced to pass that way. What had caused the change? Something had destroyed its life and had broken down its organization. At one time it had been symmetrical and beautiful. Now, it was a...

"The most frustrating part for me as the head coach is you play 16 games, you create an identity as a football team and then the biggest game you play in that year you don't play to your identity in segments of the game ." — Head coach Mike McCarthy, speaking two months after the Packers' 51-45 overtime loss at the Arizona Cardinals in the wild-card round of the NFC playoffs Jan. 10. This makes me think. How many times, when the pressure is on, do we fail to "play to our identity" as followers of Christ?

This airport ad says more than ever. It's true for Tiger as well as the rest of us. What you do after you do what you do matters as much as what you do. HT Patt Hannon via Doug Pagitt

Farmer John was plowing in his field one day and hit a rock. Kathunk! He climbed off his tractor, went around to the rock, and began to pull it out of the soil, to discard on the rock pile in the back 40. He noticed, as he dug around in the dirt, that it wasn’t really a rock after all. It was a brick. The brick was encrusted with filthy grime. It looked almost like a brick-shaped dirt ball. As the good farmer picked up the brick, he was surprised at how heavy it seemed. This was no ordinary brick! He scratched through the caked exterior, and discovered, to his amazement, a streak of gold gleaming through. Could it be? Could it be? The farmer hurried to the old farmhouse, where he washed the brick off in the sink, and discovered that his hopes had been realized. Sure enough, it was a bar of solid gold! What a treasure! Farmer John told his wife, who told her friends, who in turn, shared the news with their neighbors. Pretty soon, everybody in town had heard about the discovery. All the ...

Your reputation is what people think of you – It’s who you are when others are watching. Now, it’s a wonderful thing to have a good reputation. According to the Bible, it is one of the marks of effective leadership. When followers do not respect the leader, he/she has lost the right to lead. This is true of sports teams, businesses, churches, educational institutions, and governments. With respect, a leader can achieve amazing results. Without it, nothing can be accomplished. A good reputation takes a lifetime to build, but it can be lost in a moment. One stupid act might wreck and destroy all the good will that has accumulated for years. One hasty reaction, inappropriate behavior, or careless word may wipe out everything. Thus, it pays us to value our reputation, and to make sure we are following the golden rule: doing unto others as we would have them do to us. Thomas Paine observed that character is “much easier kept than recovered.” Yes, your reputation is important – but it is NO...

You're character is displayed by how you respond when somebody tells you "No."

Great occasions do not make heroes or cowards; they simply unveil them to the eyes of men. Silently and imperceptibly, as we wake or sleep, we grow strong or we grow weak, and at last some crisis shows us what we have become. -- B. F. Westcott, in a commentary on the Books of Samuel

I had the privilege of recently reading the two books summarized in my last post . At first glance, they appear to be "chick books", and I wasn't so sure I wanted to read them. . . but once I dove into the lake, I discovered that the water was just fine! Aurora is the true story of a religous colony established in Oregon in the 1800's. Jane Kirkpatrick made these people of the past come alive with her vivid writing, as well as weaving in historical pictures and crafts. I had never thought of crafting as journaling -- but that's what it is. . . at least in some cases. She showed quilts, for instance, that told a woman's story -- of joy, heartache, longing and hope. I will never look at an old quilt the same way again -- and I have a new respect for the craft. During the journaling class I taught last week, I spoke of "crafting as journaling" and especially focused on quilting. I used the Aurora book as an example of what I meant. A Flickering Ligh...

"Character is like a tree, and reputation is like a shadow. The shadow is what we think of it; the tree is the real thing." -- Abraham Lincoln, 16th President of the United States

I've discovered than in most of life's endeavors, there are two kinds of people -- the folks to make things happen, and those who sit on the bleachers and criticize. Some make progress while others make suggestions. Some find solutions while others find fault. Some create while others critique. Some see the answer while others see the obstacles. A few good folks roll of their sleeves and try to make things better, while others point out how they're doing it wrong. One day, the Packers were getting hammered, and I yelled at the television. "Get him!! Good grief!! Tackle him!! Can't you guys do anything right????" My son, Wes, rolled his eyes at me, and said, "Dad, they're TRYING! Do you think you could do any better?" Now, that shut me up real quick! It's a whole lot easier to yell than to perform! You can gripe and complain about our elected officials (and those running for office), but how would you like to be in their shoes? Do you seriousl...

The Leaning Tower of Pisa, one of the world's great landmarks, was originally designed to stand up straight. It began to lean shortly after the onset of construction in 1173 due to a poorly laid foundation. The word "pisa", I've heard, actually means "marshy land", which might explain why history's most famous church bell tower started going off kilter before it was even completed. Several years ago, it looked like the Leaning Tower of Pisa was headed for toppling. Moving one-twentieth of an inch each year, it eventually ended up 17 feet out of plumb. Alarmed architects and engineers puzzled over it, and in 1990 created a plan to remove 38 cubic meters of soil from underneath, straightening the tower by 18 inches. Now, they say, it is stable for another 300 years. Perhaps you will be surpised to learn that The Leaning Tower of Pisa is NOT the most tilted tower in the world. In November 2007, that honor was given to the Leaning Tower of Suurhusen in Germa...