Revitalize Your Church

How small that is, with which we wrestle, What wrestles with us, how immense; Were we to let ourselves, the way things do, Be conquered thus by the great storm-- We would become far-reaching and nameless. What we triumph over is the small, And the success itself makes us small. The eternal and unexampled Will not be bent by us. This is the Angel, who appeared To the wrestlers of the Old Testament: When his opponent's sinews In that contest stretch like metal, He feels them under his fingers Like strings making deep melodies. Whomever this Angel overcame (who so often declined the fight) He walks erect and justified And great from that hard hand Which, as if sculpting, nestled round him. Winning does not tempt him. His growth is this: to be Deeply defeated by the ever-greater One (Marie Rainer Rilke, "The Man Watching")

“I watched them tearing a building down, A gang of men in a busy town. With a ho-heave-ho and a lusty yell, They swung a beam, and the side wall fell. I asked the foreman: "Are these skilled-- And the men you'd hire if you had to build?" He gave me a laugh and said: "No, indeed! Just common labor is all I need. I can wreck in a day or two What builders have taken a year to do." And I thought to myself as I went my way, Which of these roles have I tried to play? Am I a builder who works with care Measuring life by a rule and square? Am I shaping my deeds to a well made Plan, Patiently doing the best I can? Or am I a wrecker, who walks the town Content with the labor of tearing down?” -- Edgar Guest

  A man went to the doctor, worried about his wife’s temper.   The doctor asked, “What’s the problem?”   The man said, “Doctor, I don’t know what to do. Every day my wife seems to lose her temper for no reason. It scares me.”   The doctor said, “I have a cure for that. When it seems that your wife is getting angry, just take a glass of water and start swishing it in your mouth. Just swish and swish but don’t swallow it until she either leaves the room or calms down.”   Two weeks later, the man came back to the doctor looking fresh and reborn.   The man said, “Doctor, that was a brilliant idea! Every time my wife started losing it, I swished with water. I swished and swished, and she calmed right down! How does a glass of water do that?”   The doctor said, “The water itself does nothing. It’s keeping your mouth shut that does the trick.”   (Thanks to my brother, Steve, who shared this funny joke with me.)

A man was bitten by a rabid dog and ended up in bed seriously ill.  He  mustered up enough strength to request a pen and a pad of paper.   Then, he began to write furiously -- page after page.  "Honey, are you  writing your last will and testament?" his wife asked.  "No," he  replied, "I'm making a list of people I'm going to bite!"  "His bark is worse than his bite" has been said both of dogs and  grumps.  Unfortunately, there are some people who can pack a pretty  vicious bite.  Perhaps, you have been "bitten" by someone.  Maybe you felt the sting  of gossip or the barbs of unjust criticism.  Such encounters leave us  wounded and in need of emotional first aid.  How do you handle "attack dog people"  -- the ones who snarl and snap  at you, and will take a hunk out of your behind if you turn your back?  1.  Remember, hurting people hurt people.   When they lash out, ...

Having problems? Then be happy, because it means you are alive. The only folks in town with no problems are those in the graveyard who have gone to heaven. Any time you attempt something worthwhile, you're going to run into troubles. They come with the territory of progress. Forward movement always brings friction and resistance. These problems in our lives are there to test our resolve and resilience. Here are a few helpful principles for facing life's difficulties: 1. Big problems are reserved for big people.    The person who desires to go forward with life and aim high will have bigger problems than the one who just sits around doing nothing and watching the world go by.  The rewards are bigger, too -- and definitely worth the struggle. 2. Big plans bring big problems. God gives us the vision of what He can accomplish through us. Sometimes, His vision is accompanies by big plans and big problems. One guarantee: If God supplies the vision, He will put a PR...

A man was bitten by a rabid dog and ended up in bed seriously ill.  He  mustered up enough strength to request a pen and a pad of paper.   Then, he began to write furiously -- page after page.  "Honey, are you  writing your last will and testament?" his wife asked.  "No," he  replied, "I'm making a list of people I'm going to bite!"  "His bark is worse than his bite" has been said both of dogs and  grumps.  Unfortunately, there are some people who can pack a pretty  vicious bite.  Perhaps, you have been "bitten" by someone.  Maybe you felt the sting  of gossip or the barbs of unjust criticism.  Such encounters leave us  wounded and in need of emotional first aid.  How do you handle "attack dog people"  -- the ones who snarl and snap  at you, and will take a hunk out of your behind if you turn your back?  1.  Remember, hurting people hurt people.   When they lash out, ...

Self examination and difficult conversations are hard.  That's why so few are willing to "go there."  It's painful. "Going there" means humbling yourself enough to face the truth, regardless of how uncomfortable it may be. "Going there" is mustering up the courage to say what needs to be said, even if the other person may not react well to it. "Going there" means caring enough to confront, but often feels uncaring. "Going there" takes the risk that things will never be the same. "Going there" forces you to face your fears. "Going there" reveals your secrets. "Going there" requires looking beneath the actions to the underlying cause. "Going there" shows your shadow self. "Going there" is nerve wracking and gut-wrenching. "Going there" means seeing or hearing things you would rather ignore. "Going there" may make you...

"  "Let us not then trouble and embroil ourselves and our neighbors with unprofitable disputations, but all agree to spread, to the uttermost of our power, the quiet and peaceable gospel of Christ."

There is a huge difference between working hard and doing the hard work.  By keeping ourselves busy with overwhelming responsibilities, a multitude of tasks, and packed schedules, we have an excuse for avoiding difficult conversations and hard decisions. If things are sagging, don't defend yourself by pointing out how hard you are working.  Instead, ask yourself whether or not you've been avoiding the hard work.

Mauna Loa, earth's largest volcano on Hawaii's Big Island, has been steaming lately. Pundits wonder when a full eruption will occur.  That reminds me of some human relationships -- steam, steam, steam -- and "Thar She Blows!"  Some people have a low frustration tolerance. At the slightest annoyance, they over-react with tantrums.  A sticker on a box I saw a while back made me smile. It said, "Warning: contents may explode under pressure."  Wouldn't it be great if people wore stickers like that?  "Warning: if you bother me right now, I'm going to snap your head off!"  Sometimes, we're tempted to stuff our stress and pressures down into our souls. Instead of resolving issues, we shove them down and try to ignore them.  Unfortunately, an unresolved issue is like a dead skunk. You won't get rid of it by shoving it under the bed. Ignoring it just makes everything smell worse!  For the times you are all stressed out and "likely to...

Uncle Buddy Robinson, the great Nazarene evangelist from the early 20th Century, was a man who walked in holy love.  Once, according to Robinson's friend C H Jack Linn, an angry man attacked him terribly for something he said in a sermon: "When the man was finished with his cursing and swearing and abuse, Bud said, 'Will you go home to dinner with me?'  'What?' the man cried, 'would you invite a man who has insulted you home to dinner?'  'Oh, did you insult me?' Bud replied. Uncle Buddy was practicing what he preached.   "A sanctified man has a shining face, an easy conscience, and a light heart, and is as bold as a lion, as patient as an ox, as swift as an eagle, as wise as a serpent, as harmless as a dove, as gentle as a lamb, and as sweet as honey.  If you were to slap his jaw you would get honey all over your hand, and as you walked away you will feel something sticky on your hand.  Lick it off and get under conviction, and come b...

“The wise woman builds her house, but with her own hands, the foolish one tears hers down.”   -- Proverbs 14:1    Of course, this doesn’t apply to just to women. Every family member is responsible for the upbuilding, and is capable of tearing it apart.   Wisdom builds the house. Foolishness tears it down.   When we fail to think before we speak and act, we’re likely to tear the house down. We’ve been given two ears and one mouth, and they should be used in that proportion.   Sometimes, in a passion to say right things, we say things wrong and hurt people. We’re wrong in our rightness, and unwilling to budge an inch in spirit. I think this is at the heart of the polarization in our state and nation. People are eager to share their opinions, but few are humble and patent enough to take the time to listen and understand others.   Too many homes are marked by unhealthy conflict and misunderstanding. Sometimes, it’s just a slow si...

On a remote Alaskan island about 1000 miles from Anchorage , the Cleveland Volcano has been steaming lately. Pundits wonder when a full eruption will occur. That reminds me of some human relationships -- steam, steam, steam -- and "Thar She Blows!" Some people have a low frustration tolerance. At the slightest annoyance, they over-react with tantrums. A sticker on a box I saw a while back made me smile. It said, "Warning: contents may explode under pressure." Wouldn't it be great if people wore stickers like that? "Warning: if you bother me right now, I'm going to snap your head off!" Sometimes, we're tempted to stuff our stress and pressures down into our souls. Instead of resolving issues, we shove them down and try to ignore them. Unfortunately, an unresolved issue is like a dead skunk. You won't get rid of it by shoving it under the bed. Ignoring it just makes everything smell worse! For the times you are all...

Nobody likes to be criticized -- but a lot of people can dish it out. Some folks seem to have a natural talent for fault finding. With all this criticism flying around, sooner or later you are going to get clobbered! What is the healthy way to deal with criticism when it comes? 1. Consider the source. Has this person earned the right to speak into your life? Pay attention to criticism from those whose opinion you respect. Don't worry too much about "blab-a-holics" who can't tell when to turn off the spout. 2. Take the kernel of truth and discard the shell. You wouldn't think of swallowing a whole walnut and you shouldn't swallow a whole criticism either. Almost every criticism has a nugget of truth in it. Receive the truth as a gift, and get rid of the rest. If you can learn to do this, you will become a better person. 3. Don't throw criticisms back. Hurling back negative remarks will only make matters worse. Refuse to waste your breath by argui...

Most of us are less than candid. We don’t want to hurt feelings or upset people, so we keep quiet and let troubling things slide by. Of course, we’re taught that from childhood. Parents and teachers said “good boys and girls stay in their places with zipped lips.” “Tattle tale” is the worst possible childhood crime. This mindset is reinforced in the workplace, where people who rock the boat often receive the boot. Most bosses are more concerned about “keeping peace” than “making things right.” Of course, as Teddy Roosevelt said, “There is no unrighteous peace.” Thus, the whole environment becomes a haze of unspoken tension and discontent. The very peace we’re trying to attain by silence eludes us. Usually, everybody knows the issue, but nobody wants to talk about “the elephant in the room.” We’re like the villagers in Hans Christian Anderson’s tale, who gawked at their emperor strutting his stuff in the buff, believing he was fully clothed. It took a guileless child to p...

Having recently read, Too Great a Temptation , Joel Gregory's account of the power struggles surrounding his brief, but stormy tenure as senior pastor of First Baptist Church in Dallas, I found the following video of First Baptist's recent implosion of five buildings quite interesting. Blake Coffee made some astute observations concerning Church Implosions at Church Whisperer

My blogger buddy, Todd Rhoades, recently shared the Top Ten Reasons Pastors Get Fired , in a post at his blog, Monday Morning Insight. 1. Control Issues (Who should run the church) 2. Poor People Skills 3. Church's Resistance to Change 4. Pastor's Leadership Style (too strong) 5. Church Was Already Conflicted When Pastor Arrived 6. Decline in Attendance and/or Conditions 7. Pastor's Leadership Style (too weak) 8. Administrative Incompetence on Part of the Pastor 9. Sexual Misconduct 10. Conflict with Other Staff

In this wonderful post at Just Call Me Pastor , Bishop Donald Bastian shares some insight given to him as a young minister from great preacher, C. W. Burbank: During one of my first conversations with him he shared a bit of wisdom. He explained that some ministers are more skilled at mending their fences than others. He meant that when a misunderstanding or even an unintended interpersonal rift developed, such pastors seem to have a knack for restoring trusting relationships. Others, he went on, leave the gap unaddressed and allow it to take on a certain permanence. If this happens with another family, and then another, Rev. Burbank explained, the misunderstandings accumulate sufficiently to destroy the trust of the congregation as a whole. A wall develops and the minister loses the trust of the congregation and he must move on. Bishop Bastian goes on to share some thoughts on how to mend the fence here.

My blogger buddy, Mark Batterson shared some powerful insights from his recent staff retreat. Most of our ministries get stuck at the point where we're less than honest. We aren't willing to verbalize or confront an issue because it might hurt someone's feelings. That is where a ministry will stop growing. . . You have to cut through the issues to get to the heart of the matter.