Revitalize Your Church

Sometimes, when climbing out of bed I must remind myself of Psalm 118:24: “This is the day the Lord has made. I will rejoice and be glad in it.” This exercise is especially helpful on days when there are major challenges before me, and serves as a spiritual/emotional reset button for a “faith lift." This is the Day: Today really counts. In fact, it’s the only day I have. I don’t have yesterday. It’s already gone. There’s no guarantee about tomorrow. But I do have this golden opportunity called today to treasure and I can make the most of it! John Wesley said “redeem the time, for that’s the stuff life is made of.” Moments are precious. Every breath we take is a special gift. This is the day to live! Some folks live in yesterday's regrets; others live in the dread or wishfulness of tomorrow; but, we are called to live today. Make today count! The Lord Has Made: I realize that I’m not in charge. Every morning, when I rise, the Lord has already made my day! A guaranteed path to ...

Joy is serious business! It is the natural state of the soul. Joylessness is like a toothache, which indicates an internal cavity -- or worse. When we realize the joy has evaporated -- it's time to do some inner heart examination. Where did it go? What toxins have entered my soul, resulting this negativism? What must I do to recapture the joy? Leaking seems to be a part of the human condition. We're all a bunch of "joy leakers!" One lady tearfully prayed, “Please fill me with joy again!" Her husband, overhearing her request, prayed, "Don't do it Lord! She leaks!" It might be a good idea to patch up the holes.  Perhaps we need a spiritual root canal. Holding a small perspective towards life will drain the joy right out of your heart. As the hero in Red Badge of Courage stated, "elfin thoughts made cowards of us all." Ancient desert fathers spoke of "logismoi", the dark thoughts -- the false thoughts and desires that ...

Many morning, before climbing out of bed, I repeat Psalm 118:24: “This is the day the Lord has made. I will rejoice and be glad in it!”  I do this especially on days when there are major challenges before me. This simple little practice, is like hitting a spiritual/emotional reset button, and has  proven to be a helpful “faith lift." THIS IS THE DAY  -- It reminds me that today really counts. In fact, it’s the only day I have.  I don’t have yesterday. It’s already gone. There’s no guarantee about tomorrow. But I do have this golden opportunity called today! It’s important to treasure and make the most of it! John Wesley encourages us to “redeem the time, for that’s the stuff life is made of!” Moments are precious. Every breath we take is a special gift. This is the day to live! Some folks live in the memories of the past. Others live in the anticipation and fear of the future. But, we are called to live today! Make it count! Make it count! THE LORD HAS MADE  -- ...

Joy is serious business! It is the natural state of the soul. Joylessness is like a toothache, which indicates an internal cavity -- or worse. When we realize the joy has evaporated -- it's time to do some inner heart examination. Where did it go? What toxins have entered my soul, resulting this negativism? What must I do to recapture the joy? Leaking seems to be a part of the human condition. We're all a bunch of "joy leakers!" One lady tearfully prayed, “Please fill me with joy again!" Her husband, overhearing her request, prayed, "Don't do it Lord! She leaks!" It might be a good idea to patch up the holes.  Perhaps we need a spiritual root canal. Holding a small perspective towards life will drain the joy right out of your heart. As the hero in Red Badge of Courage stated, "elfin thoughts made cowards of us all." Ancient desert fathers spoke of "logismoi", the dark thoughts -- the false thoughts and desires that lead us t...

As Labor Day approaches, I believe it is appropriate to address a significant work related issue. A recent Gallup Poll says 71% of people hate their jobs (other polls even claim figures as high as 80%.) Now, with so much job hating going around, and it seems like something should be done about it. If you hate your job, then you are the somebody who should do something about it. Things won’t get better if you just sit around wishing it would. Now, I understand that some work environments are toxic and intolerable. In situations like that, the best thing you can do is seek an exit strategy. If you really hate your job that bad, then look for another one. Often, however, job dissatisfaction has much more to do with the worker’s attitude, than the dysfunctional environment. It is with this basis of understanding that I propose the following suggestions for learning to love your job: 1) Examine your attitude. Are you allowing negat...

Joy is serious business! It is the natural state of the soul. Joylessness is like a toothache, which indicates an internal cavity -- or worse. When we discover that the joy has evaporated -- it's time to do some inner heart examination. Where did the joy go? What poisons have entered my soul, resulting this negativism? What do I need to do to re-capture the joy? Leaking seems to be a part of the human condition. We're all a bunch of "joy leakers!" One lady tearfully prayed, “Please fill me with joy again!" Her husband, overhearing her request, prayed, "Don't do it Lord! She leaks!" It might be a good idea to patch up the holes. Perhaps, a spiritual root canal? Holding a wrong perspective towards life will drain the joy right out of your heart. As the hero in Red Badge of Courage stated, "elfin thoughts made cowards of us all." The ancient desert fathers spoke of "logismoi", the dark thoughts -- the false thoughts and desires that...

Read the following poem three times slowly: He who binds to himself a joy, does the winged life destroy. But he who kisses the joy as it flies, lives in eternity's sunrise. -- William Blake What does this mean to you?

I might have entered the ministry if certain clergymen I knew had not looked and acted so much like undertakers. -- Oliver Wendell Holmes (legendary U. S. Supreme Court Justice) A man approached a fellow passenger on an airplane and inquired, "Excuse me sir, but as I passed you just now I noticed that you look like a minister. Am I right?" "No," came the reply, "I just have bad gas.

"Smile and the world smiles with you." Recently, I read some interesting facts indicating that the old adage is really true! Researcher and Psychologist, Daniel Goleman, along with his associates, did a study on the "bottom line performance" of companies. They discovered that the thing which influences a company's bottom line performance more than anything else is the mood of the leader. Hmmmm -- now, that's interesting. If you are a leader, and everything is a big mess -- the first thing to start fixing is your own attitude! This applies in business, school, sports teams, church, and home. If you don't like what's going on around you, it's time to change what's going on within you! "A cheerful heart is good medicine", Proverbs 17:22. Or, as Madeleine L' Engle said, A good laugh heals a lot of hurts." We cannot afford to allow little nit-picky annoyances to rob us of joyful health. We were created for joy. We were made to l...

St. Francis of Assisi once explained the meaning of perfect joy to a brother monk: What is perfect joy? A messenger comes and says that all the masters of Paris have entered the Order, write "not true joy." Likewise, that all the prelates beyond the Alps, archbishops and bishops; likewise that the King of France and the King of England (have all entered the Order): write, "not true joy." Likewise, that my friars went among the infidels and converted them all to the faith; likewise that I have from God this grace, that I make the sick healthy and work many miracles: I say to you that in all these things there is not true joy. But what is true joy? I return from Perugia and in the dead of night I come here and it is winter time, muddy and what is more, so frigid, that icicles have congealed at the edge of my tunic and they always pierce my shins, and blood comes forth from such wounds. And entirely (covered) with mud and in the cold and ice, I come to the gate, and af...

To rejoice is a choice. The longer I live, the more I’m convinced this is true. We will express joy only as much as we are determined to do it. It’s commonly believed that rejoicing is simply a response. Certainly, there is some truth to that perspective. If my team wins the game, I rejoice. If I receive some unexpected money, I rejoice. If I experience a happy event (such as a marriage or birth of a new baby) I rejoice. However, rejoicing goes far beyond the emotional response to life’s happenings. If it’s only a response to the moment’s event – then it comes and goes – rises and falls – depending on what’s happening now. That kind of thinking makes our attitude a roller coaster – up one minute and down the next. The Bible says to “Rejoice evermore” (I Thessalonians 5:16.) It also says, “Rejoice in the Lord always, and I say it again: Rejoice!” (Philippians 4:4.) Now, the Bible does not command us to do the impossible. These verses of Scripture tell us to rejoice continuously – so it ...

One filled with joy preaches without preaching. -- Mother Teresa

Some dear friends of mine have a sign hanging over their doorway as you leave the house. It reads, "Live Life Joyfully!" I like that! It is a beautiful reminder, as they go out to face the world; that we really can choose how we are going to live. Most folks don't think they have a choice in the matter. They believe that joy and happiness are simply the result of good fortune. When "things" are going well, we're happy. Snoopy captures this thought when he defined happiness as "a piece of fudge caught on the first bounce." This perspective takes us on an emotional roller coaster -- up one moment and down the next. Now, I love roller coasters -- but emotional ones are not so fun. If circumstances dictate our level of contentment we are doomed to misery. Bad things happen to everybody! We all go through struggles, hardships and pain. If a "bad day" has the authority to plunder our joy, we're all in deep weeds. Yet, there is a ha...

Today is a brand new day – a delightful opportunity to begin again. I must not be held hostage by yesterday’s pain. If my heart remains open, and my spirit is right, yesterday’s pain becomes today’s gain. I will grow into a better person through the sufferings. Today is a brand new day – and it needs to stand on it’s own. I will not allow myself to be seduced by yesterday’s success, nor frustrated by yesterday’s failures. I shall fulfill my duty this day, and never look backwards for an excuse. Today is a brand new day – and it’s the only one I have. I refuse to let tomorrow’s concerns steal today’s joy. If tomorrow is going to be bad – why should it destroy the day I have? That would mean two bad days instead of just one. I want to make the best of what has been given to me. Today is a brand new day – a gift from God for the investment of life. It is not to be squandered by worry or regret. Consider the moments. Moments are the stuff life is made of. They march by us briskly in an unc...

"The fullness of joy is to behold God in everything ." -- Julian of Norwich

A few years ago, while on my sabbatical, I visited St. Michael's Church in Madeley, England, where the great Methodist, John Fletcher, served for many years. Fletcher is one of my heroes. He spent his entire ministry in one small town church -- and touched the world from the "end of it." His life was marked by an unusual joy and devotion to Christ. When John Wesley offered to turn the leadership of the entire Methodist movement over to Fletcher, the little vicar humbly declined, saying, "The snail does best in its shell; were it to aim at galloping, like the reacehorse, it would be ridiculous indeed." I was also privileged to visit the Methodist Archives during my trip to Britain, and came upon several boxes of Fletcher's papers: sermons, notes, journals, and letters. For a entire day, I sat in the library "mining treasures" from the heart of this godly man. One letter, dated January 28, 1763, particularly gripped my heart. In a flowing 18th Centu...