Little Things Mean a Lot

So, I started doing an interim pastorate at a church here in Pasadena called Church of the Foothills. It is a small (35-45 on Sunday morning) here is Pasadena, about 2 miles from our house. We have traded in a 45-50 minute commute to Santa Ana for a 3-4 minute drive down the street. Hooray, just in time for the NFL!. Service starts at 10:30 and I'm home before noon. Sounds good to me!
I am preaching about 3 weeks out of the month and the Associate is preaching once. The church is small and loving. I went into the office last week for the first time. I am planning on being there part of one day per week. I was in the office for about an hour when we received a call that a lady in the church had died. So, I did a funeral my first week. I called Joanie and told her about it and she said, "Sounds familiar" (My last three pastorates have all begun with a funeral my first week). It did give me a chance to get to know some of the folks rather quickly.
Being at the church gives me a chance to continue plying the preaching trade while studying at Fuller. That means that I can continue to have practical experience while studying the theory, history, and theology of preaching. By doing this, it solves one of the concerns that was shared with me by the man who has influenced my understanding of preaching more than any other person - Dr. James Earl Massey. In a phone conversation, Dr. Massey and I were talking about my PhD program and I told him about meeting, at a conference in Florida, some of the professors of preaching from various institutions around the country. Dr. Massey reminded me that not all of them (actually, not many of them) are practitioners of the preaching craft. They teach it but do not practice it very well. He was grateful to know that I would be one who would be able to both teach homiletics and put into practice in the life of the church the very principles I will be teaching.
Having a young man as my Associate gives me a chance to mentor someone, one of the major tasks of being a teacher in a seminary. Having a small church gives me the opportunity to concentrate on my studies at Fuller. Having an office gives me a chance to get some things done that are hard to do at home. It gives me access to a copier and that could be very handy. You know, sometimes it's the little things that mean a lot.

The Church of God

I have been working diligently on a paper that will complete the requirements for the class I took this spring. Fuller allows you to work on your paper until the next quarter is completed, so the paper is not due until the end of August. It is the longest paper I've done, now approaching 55 pages with the bibliography and addendum's included. That's longer than the 40 page requirement but the subject has fascinated me a great deal. The final section of the paper has to do with the Church of God and it's foundations. A few of the conclusions I came to might be interesting to note.

1. The greatest influence on D.S. Warner may very well have been the fact that, as he was contemplating his call to ministry while a student at Oberlin College in Ohio, the school experienced two periods of significant revival. A revival is an outpouring of the Holy Spirit that revitalizes the church and the believers while at the same time confronting the unbeliever with the Gospel message. During this time Warner changed his future plans from preparing for a career in teaching to preparing to enter the ministry. It appears that his call to ministry (which has not really been written about at all as far as I can see) came about in the midst of a revival on the campus of Oberlin led by Charles Finney, the great revivalist and theology professor at Oberlin. I cannot help but wonder how much that atmosphere affected Warner and his concept of ministry. It certainly gave him a passion for the lost and, I believe, affected his style of ministry. Finney was so blunt and so single minded in his focus about things that the headstrong Warner certainly found affirmation in the old revivalist or may have been permanently affected by the style of Finney.
2. The Church of God had a camp meeting that created quite a stir in 1886. The camp meeting took place in Bangor, Michigan and the reason for the stir was what took over the camp meeting one night. At a service, a young woman left the service in order to "pray through" some serious questions and issues in her Christian life. Joined by a respected leader in the church, she "got the victory". When she re-entered the service, she gave testimony to what the Lord had done. At the end of her testimony, the Holy Spirit fell on the service and no one could minister for the next hour. People fell to the ground, shouted, testified, and experienced a type of Pentecost-like event that took over the service. This kind of experience transformed the camp meeting from a gathering/preaching experience to a unique outpouring of the Holy Spirit. For the next 100 years, the camp meeting had a special place in the minds of Church of God folk. Part of the reason was that we came to expect or hope for that Pentecost-like moment when God's Spirit takes over. I cannot help but wonder if we have lost that expectation. Do we go to Camp Meeting expecting the unexpected? Do we go to service expecting the Spirit to descend in such a way that priests cannot minister on account of it?
3. The uniqueness of the Church of God is found in what we teach and believe not in our history. I know that seems blasphemous but I think it is true. We have spent too much time trying to find out the uniqueness of our history and of our calling that we have isolated ourselves from the greater history of what God has been doing. For instance, F.G. Smith wrote a book in the early 1900's called "Revelation Explained" in which he made a case for the prophetic calling of the Church of God into existence. It gave the Movement a sense of destiny but it also contributed to a sense of isolation from the larger Christian community. It gave fuel to the doctrine of "come-outism" that helped to isolate us for more than two decades after Smith's book. The frustration I have with this is that our history is really connected on a far greater level with what God was doing in the larger Christian community in the late 1880's. The paper I wrote provides a strong connection between the Second Great Awakening which began at Cane Ridge (I've written about this on this blog) and found a great expression in the revivalism movement of Charles Finney (I have also written about him here). All that connection put us in the middle of the great Holiness revival of post-war America. The movement of the Holy Spirit at Bangor was the same kind of experience that occurred at Cane Ridge. The message of Holiness and Revivalism was the same message as Finney preached - and that message changed the face of America, literally. As part of the Church of God, we were in the middle of all that. God did in us what he was doing in the revival of the nineteenth century. How exciting to be a part of the greater movement of God in America! That's more important than trying to find a dubious interpretation of scripture to justify your existence. Amen.
   

Possums

At 9:30 on Tuesday morning I met one of my classmates to work on a major project for Latin. We spent the morning working on translating Revelation 5. We got about halfway through the passage and broke for lunch. After lunch we spent the next 2-3 hours translating the rest of the text. At 4pm I left to go home and print out the 12 pages of work we had done that day (each of us had to do our own individual work but we collaborated on the ideas). At 5pm I met our professor for a study group we have prior to class. At 6pm class began. By the time we were underway, I had spent about 9 hours studying Latin.
The teacher gave us a quiz to do that he said we would struggle with - and most of us did. That was OK. Our prof is not real big on quiz grading. The rest of the class was about the same as most of our sessions. However, at the very end, with only 5 minutes left, the prof put up a verse of scripture (an obscure one we wouldn't know) of about 20 words and told us we would have to translate it. We could stay after class for a while, but we had to work on it alone.
For the last 20 years I have had a dream and a desire to do PhD work. I never doubted my ability to do the work - except for the language study. I have never done well at it. It has always, even since High School, been a struggle for me. I got through two quarters of Hebrew and I was relieved when it was over. To say I was successful in learning Hebrew and can translate it or work with it extensively is to go much further than is true. I passed the class, got an A- for each quarter, but basically regurgitated back to the teacher what I had to in order to get the grade. To actually handle the language . . . I don't think so! So, you can imagine what it felt like to be out alone on an island, having no preparation at all for this quiz, and having 20 years of fear behind me.
Well, I did my best, handed in the quiz, and smiled at the professor. He immediately picked up my quiz, looked at it and said, "99% right". He showed me the one small mistake I had made (It was something I didn't know so I couldn't have done it on my own). Then he told me, "You got all the big things right. You did a good job!". I left the class, got in my car, called up my wife and cried. For all the years of toil and fear, for all the time spent applying myself to learn this language, for all the apprehension that I didn't have what it takes - all were gone in a flash. And, it feels good to conquer one of your fears.
Now, I know that doing a Latin translation may not seem like climbing Mt. Everest or overcoming your fear of heights or snakes, but it has been that real to me. What is it that you fear? What have you told yourself that you cannot overcome? We all have our internal voice that tells us we can't or won't or aren't able. It speaks louder to us than it does to others. They look at us and say encouraging things like, "You can do it. I know you can." You hear the words and feel the support, but you still doubt the truth that poteris (that's the Future Indicative Active 2nd Singular of the Latin auxiliary verb, possom [to be able] and is properly translated "you will be able"). Well, from one who has spent a few years wondering if I can let me tell you this - potes (that's the Present Active Indicative 2nd singular and means - YOU CAN).

The Sad State of Sports

Forget the headlines of Paris Hilton, Nicole Ritchie, Brittany Spears, and Lindsay Lohan (as bad as they are), I am more concerned about the state of the sports world. The sad state of hero worship is being portrayed not only in Hollywierd (I'm sorry, Hollywood) but in the privileged world of professional athletics. The sad state of affairs can be seen in many places, some on the front page and some buried in the back pages. Here goes:
1. The Tour de France - I use to watch this on OLN (find that channel on your cable dial!) when Lance Armstrong and Greg LeMond were riding and winning. Now, the last two rides have been marred by drug scandals. Last year it was charges of doping against the eventual winner, American Floyd Landis. This year, before the race even got underway, cycling superstars Jan Ulrich and Ivan Basso were thrown out for doping. Now that the race is going on (and is anyone watching it?) and several riders have been thrown out for doping - Vinokourov was the first and now it is the overall leader, Michael Rasmussen, has been sacked by his own team not for failing a test but for lying about where he was when he missed two pre-race drug testing dates. This is not a sport anymore, it is a pharmacy on wheels.
2. The NBA - Well, this one has been on the front pages for sure. I have the sickening feeling that this one will go even deeper (and I hardly ever watch the NBA). I fear the inclusion of other NBA employees (players, time clock operators, low level team officials). This is, in my mind, the natural evolution of a league that has glorified thugs as the face of its league. The tattoo craze that infects nearly every player, is a foolish ritual that is glorified only in immature settings and gang related, street cred groups. When a Ron Artest can attack people in the stands and create a riot situation and find work as quickly as he gets back from suspension, is beyond me. It may be that the NBA is getting exactly what it has opened itself up to - you reap what you sow. I have no sympathy for Commissioner David Stern. He let it get out of hand. He now gets to go through the fire that could kill his sport.
3. Major League Baseball - No, it's not just Bonds or Giambi. It is the fact that we give credence to the voices of people who can hit a ball or throw one hard. My real sadness is with guys like Gary Sheffield who mouth off about racism and call guys like Derek Jeter, "not really black" because his heritage is mixed. People in sports will always look for an edge, especially when others are getting away with it. But guys like Sheffield reduce the seriousness of racial prejudice when they concoct racism out of thin air and think they are right because they didn't get treated like they wanted to. Hey Gary, how many teams have you played for? You think there's a reason for that? As they say on the Mike and Mike Show, "Just shut up!"
4. The NFL - For those who know me, my love of the NFL is well known. I play Fantasy Football, subscribe to Pro Football Weekly, got DirectTV so I could get the NFL package, had the caps of all the teams hanging in my Pastor's Study in my last two churches, and can't wait for Training Camps to begin. Good gracious, I get up early to watch the NFL Draft! But I am appalled at some of what goes on in NFL circles. First of all, I applaud the Commissioner, Roger Goodell, for having the guts to say, "enough is enough". I think Pac Man Jones (what a ridiculous name) should be banned for as long as it takes to knock some sense into his head. That should be a long time since neither he nor Tank Johnson get it. These guys continue to put themselves in bad situations and think they can get away with it. Dumb! And, Micheal Vick is a thug not a QB. I used to wonder how his younger brother could be such a thug when his older brother stayed out of the police blotter limelight. Guess I was wrong on that count. They are both nothing but thugs. After reading the 19 page indictment against him, Vick should be hosed down and hit with an electric prod (at least that's what he did to the dogs that didn't perform the way he wanted them to).
5. The NFL Players Association - How can you rake in the amount of money players and the Union do and turn a blind eye to the suffering of retired players makes no sense. Arthur Blank wouldn't consider giving Vick a paid leave of absence because he didn't think it was appropriate. Who wanted him to get a paid leave? The Union. But they won't fork over money for retired players who can't walk because of injuries sustained playing the game? Shame on you guys. Shame on the Union and its leadership.
6. ESPN and "The Who's Now" Promotion - The worst, most useless, fingernails on a chalkboard stunt in the history of ESPN. My only comment on this whole thing is, "Who Cares?"

I love sports. I watch it. I've played it. I tried to help my sons when they wanted to play sports. But sports continues to have a fatal flaw in it. Its the "win at all costs" mentality. I saw it injure my boys in high school and college. I was it in Little League with out of control parents. I've seen it in Church Softball when teams load up their teams with non-church players to win a tournament (sad to say I've played on those teams the last couple of years - they were not satisfying experiences at all). I don't mind playing to win. I like the competition. I like to win. But I think watching Nate pitch on a hot afternoon in a league that gets no publicity or money - but who does so with for the joy of sport - is a better cover story than Barry Bonds chasing Hank Aaron's record. I love sports. But they are now and have been in a sad state for a long time. It seems that they are all about to pay the piper. The cost will be high, but probably not high enough to change the mentality. After all, Paris Hilton in jail didn't stop Lindsay Lohan from driving under the influence. Sin continues to be the dominant force in society today. How sad.

A Great Soul Knows How to Laugh

Forget the soap or disinfectant. If you really want to feel clean, just laugh for a while. Of course, that can be hard to do. I'm not talking about fake laughter or a good chuckle here and there. I'm talking about a good hearty belly laugh that you can't control and just comes out of you because the subject is genuinely funny.
Over the last week I've had two occasions to just sit back and laugh. Joanie and I traveled to Fresno to preside over the wedding of a friend. Upon our arrival on Friday night, we got together with some good friends (Demos and Carolyn). In turn, we went out to dinner with some other friends (Bill and Marjory and Patti) and then went back to Demos and Carolyn's for some fellowship after dinner. Now, Demos is an incredibly wise and insightful man. He is also a hoot. He is one of the funniest men I have ever met. His wit and sense of sarcasm are nearly perfect. He makes me laugh. And on Friday night, he was at his best. We laughed for about 2 hours straight. We laughed so much and so long that we all lost track of time. By the time it was over (approaching midnight) we were all hurting from laughing so much. But, it felt clean. It cleanses the spirit. I felt refreshed for the weekend.
Last night I got a call from my son, Joel. Joel calls most weekday nights around midnight for the two of us to talk as he drives the 45 minutes or so home from work. He is usually tired, it is 2am his time (midnight here), and he is grateful for the company on the way home. I love to talk to my son and this gives us both an excuse to do so. There are times I am too tired to be of much company (I've fallen asleep on him a time or two) and there are other times I'm not much company, but then there are times when we do talk at some length and talk about some serious stuff. Last night, we laughed.
I got out an old Isaac Asimov trivia book we used to use on trips and started asking Joel some trivia questions on movies. He is an ace at this with his theater background. However, the trivia book is somewhat dated and the trivia often includes obscure old films that hardly anybody knows. Last night it just got to be so very funny. Joel has one of the sharpest wits I know of anywhere. He is enormously funny when he wants to be or the occasion calls for it. Last night his wit was right on and I started laughing so much I woke Joanie up on more than one extended and hearty laugh out loud stretch. And when it was over, I laid down and went to sleep. Now, it's been a long week and I have not gotten much rest. I toss and turn enough as it is and rarely sleep well through the night. Last night I slept through the night and through the morning. I slept as well as I have for a long time. It was restful and relaxing. All because I spent time laughing with Joel and being cleansed of spirit by it.
People who are depressed find little if anything to laugh about. I think they get the drain in their souls stopped up and all the junk of life backs up on them and they feel even worse. Laughter snakes the soul's drain and allows the junk to flow out. In the end you feel cleaner and more refreshed. I think Jesus had a great sense of humor. I don't know that he told jokes a lot but I think he knew joy in a greater way than we usually imagine. I think he had the kind of wit that Demos and Joel posses. I think he had some times when he didn't have to go off by himself to be refreshed. I think there were times he just hung around the campfire with the twelve and laughed. He had a great soul, you know. And great souls know how to laugh.

Charles Grandison Finney

His name may not be familiar to you (or, at best, vaguely familiar) but his influence on your life is pretty significant. He died nearly a century and a half ago and what he did is still being felt by people throughout the world. He is one of the key figures in history that you never read about or study about. He is lost in our secularized, sanitized history of America (or the history of the world, for that matter). But you should know him or, at least, know about him. Let me introduce you to Charles Grandison Finney.
Finney was a lawyer who became a Christian (already he breaks the mold, huh?). He lived in Western New York in the first quarter of the nineteenth century. After he was converted (I'm talking about the same day) he shared the gospel with a client and helped lead him to the Lord. He went out into the streets and began to share his new found faith with others. Not bad for the first day of your new spiritual life! He began preparing for ministry by rejecting the normal route (going to Princeton for some seminary training) and was "apprenticed" to a minister for individual training. He chose to study the Bible rather than slaving away on the books in the pastors library. He disagreed with most of the conventional theology of the Presbyterian Church, but they ordained him anyway. The rest, as they say, is history.
Western New York in 1825 was the frontier of America. It was where people went who wanted to escape the hustle and bustle of Eastern society went to start a new life. It was where Finney grew up and where he began his ministry. And when he began to preach, incredible things happened. Dozens, hundreds, even thousands started to come to come to Christ. Finney was so effective that his revivals where huge social events that caused social changes in the communities in where he ministered. In one revival, hundreds of lawyers were converted. No, that's not a punch line to the joke, "What do you call hundreds of lawyers at the bottom of the ocean?" (Answer: a good start) Finney was the Billy Graham of his day.
So what, you say? Well, here is the rub. Finney was a biblical pragmatist. He followed the Bible in every way he could. But when the Bible was silent on an issue, Finney became a pragmatist. His view was, "If the Bible doesn't say anything about it then do whatever works!" That attitude changed how America worshiped. When you go to church and there is not a liturgy or prayer book in use, that's because of Charles Finney. If you have ever gone to a revival service or an evangelistic crusade where an altar call was given and people came forward to an altar, that's because of Finney (Finney called it the mourner's bench or the anxious seat). If you've ever heard someone address sinners from the pulpit directly, that's Finney. If you've ever heard a sermon that was based on logical, deductive reasoning and that sounded like a legal argument - that was how Finney preached. Finney could rightly be called the father of the discipline of Apologetics (proving the truths of Christianity). He was the person who changed the face of Protestant worship in America and gave it the distinctive evangelistic and pragmatic feel it has. If you ever went to a Billy Graham rally or a Promise Keepers Convention or a Camp Meeting service in an outdoor facility, you have experienced the effects of Charles Grandison Finney.
Finney moved from the frontier to New York City. During the four years he ministered there, he began seven new churches. People heard about the revivals on the frontier and attributed them to the lack of sophistication of the people who lived there. When Finney moved to NYC, he brought with him the same measures that worked on the frontier. Amazingly, they worked in the city, too - in NYC of all places! Finney got himself in trouble with the leadership of the Presbyterian Church, of which he was a minister. Why? Well, among other things, he favored the use of laity in the service. He had laymen and (aghast!) laywomen share in the services. He got in trouble with authorities for allowing women to be involved too heavily in ministry. He eventually moved to Oberlin, Ohio to become a Professor of Systematic Theology at a new college that was being started. Before going, he insisted that the college would have to allow both whites and blacks to attend the college. If the college refused, he would not go. They agreed and Oberlin became a leading voice in both the anti-slavery movement and women's suffrage. Oberlin became a leading institution in the training of ministers. His theology, religious ethics and activism changed the face of the American frontier and the values of middle America.
In 1865, at the end of the Civil War, Finney, now quite aged, had become the President of Oberlin. He remained both its' Systematics Professor and the pastor of the First Congregational Church in Oberlin. He wrote books on theology, an autobiography, and continued to do evangelistic work. In the fall of 1865, one of many young students returning from the Civil War, enrolled in Oberlin. He would take courses off and on during 1865-66 and 1866-67. That young preacher was Daniel Sydney Warner, the key figure in the beginning of the Church of God Movement. Much of what I know about church and ministry comes by way of my association with the Church of God. In many ways, most of what I know about God and ministry comes from, well, I guess it comes from Charles Grandison Finney. How would you like to sit under a sermon he preached with those eyes looking deeply into your soul?

P.S. If you want to read a sermon of his, here is a link:
http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.whatsaiththescripture.com/Graphics.Voice/Finney.old.oval.JPG&imgrefurl=http://www.whatsaiththescripture.com/Voice/Power.From.On.High.text.html&h=357&w=239&sz=11&hl=en&start=9&tbnid=CDWVfpOgHygSwM:&tbnh=121&tbnw=81&prev=/images%3Fq%3D%2522charles%2Bgrandison%2Bfinney%26gbv%3D2%26svnum%3D10%26hl%3Den%26sa%3DG

In nomine Patris et Filii et Spiritus Sancti. Amen.

One of the many things that my classes are teaching me is that we are indebted to the past for most everything we think is modern. It seems to be the height of hubris (ego, self-centeredness) to believe that things begin with you or with your self. Our lives are built upon a whole string of past understandings or historical precedents. I have been learning this in preaching and worship studies. So much of who we are and what we do in the Church of God has its roots in the early eighteenth century actions of frontier settlers and preachers who carved out a new version of how to worship and preach (built, of course, on Scottish communion rites and those were built upon the principles of the Reformation which were an attempt to return to 1st century Christianity, etc.). It may be that nothing new is under the sun.
I have just finished my Latin class for the evening and I am finding out how much of what we do in English is based on Latin words, rules, and grammar. For instance, "in nomine" means "in the name". Patris (from which we get Padre) means Father. Filii is Son (OK, it doesn't always work). and Spiritus means (think for yourself) ... Spirit and Sancti (from which we get sanctify and sanctification, means holy (so it is Holy Spirit). So, the title of this article is a quote from the Latin Mass when they end their prayers saying, "In the name of the Father, of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen." Everything we say is built on a language that is from the past.
Last weekend Joanie and I went back to Fresno and went to church there for the first time since we left in August. Following the service, I performed a wedding ceremony for a good friend. I realized how much of my life is built upon what happened there. What do I do with that? What do you do with your past? Do you continue to live it over and over again? Do you forget about it and leave it behind?
The best thing you can do with the past is appreciate it for what it has done. Even the bad times have been foundational for your future. In that there is hope. If you are in a bad time now, know that better times lie ahead that will be built upon the struggles of this moment. If you are celebrating your present then be reflective enough to know that the good times you experience now are based in the work you did in the past. The implications are astounding. What you do today forms the foundation for what you will do and be tomorrow. How you live this moment goes a long way toward accomplishing what will come to fruition in the future.
You see? Everything is connected. Even you and me. Through this blog our lives are now intermingled. We are building a future together. May it be joyous. In nomine Patris et Filii et Spiritus Sancti. Amen.

Tired of Being Tired

It is fairly late and I am tired. As much as I love what I'm doing and who I am doing it for, I do grow weary. Lots of late nights (last night I got to bed at 3am) and early mornings (I was up at 8am) have taken its toll. I stay up late to hear from my son, Joel, who is getting off at work at 2am Central Time (midnight here). I wouldn't pass up the opportunity for anything. Talking to him is one of the great joys of my week. Even if we don't talk about anything earth shattering, it is time I get to spend with someone I haven't physically seen in a year. It is all worth it. But, it is one of the many things that have made me tired. Sleeping on the couch with Joanie on the bed in our living room; trying to get my head around Latin this summer; getting prepared to teach a two-week intensive class beginning Monday; preaching on Sundays; doing RA work for one of the professors; taking a weekend trip back to Fresno (4+ hours one way) to perform a wedding ceremony for a friend - all these are joyous problems that I wouldn't trade for anything (OK, maybe I would trade the Latin!) but they do make me tired. I put in about 8-10 hours over the last couple of days doing Latin and about 15-20 hours over the weekend getting a major translation project done for this past Tuesday. All takes its toll.
When I get tired, I get irritable. I snap at just about anything. Yesterday the lawn guys were blowing stuff around the complex and blew all kinds of dirt through the window. I shut the door and voiced my frustration. I've snapped at Joanie (nothing too major but enough for her to know that I am tired). It's at this point that I get tired of being tired. So, it's time to go to bed and get a good nights sleep. I may turn on the air conditioning and crawl under the covers and worry about tomorrow, well, tomorrow. Tonight I think I will just get some sleep and try and get renewed. Things will not slow down for me until I slow them down - at least enough to get back on track. So, if you are irritable, get some rest. If the baby is keeping you up, catch up as best you can. If the dog is barking, put some cotton in your ears and turn on some music. If you're that sleepy, go to church on Sunday. I've seen plenty of folks catch up on their sleep during a sermon. Goodnight. I'm going to bed.

Reviewing the North American Convention

After spending a few days in Anderson at our annual NAC, I thought I would offer a few thoughts. This could be dangerous - even foolhardy, but here goes.

It is sad to see the attendance figures still dropping each year. Gas prices, travel options, and questions about the new auditorium probably affect the numbers. I hope and anticipate that things will rise over the next few years, but I think some changes need to be made. After all, the pioneers of this Movement were innovators not status quo thinkers. I have a few suggestions:

1. On several of the evenings, have multiple services. Why is one service the only choice in the evening? If the speaker doesn't interest you or the venue doesn't appeal to you, what can you do? Sit home and watch it on cable? Watch it on the Internet? How about offering at least three different services - one in Reardon, one in Byrum and one in the Wellness Center.

2. Multiple venues will increase the number of speakers. In a world where we are competing with options, why fight the trend? Every Sunday, our folks have their choice of speakers at our multiple service options at home - why not at Camp Meeting? That way, if one speaker flops (and they do) then you can hear about the other one(s) that didn't. It would increase your sales of tapes and videos.

3. On at least 3 nights, combine into just one service. Keep the Wednesday night celebration together and Friday night AU opening. You might add the one where we invite and outside guest to speak as the third night. On that night, you could still have 3 venues and even 3 worship services. You could then send the picture and video of the sermon into the other venues. This is not necessary, but could be interesting.

4. Theme the different venues. Have one service be a contemporary service with a guest worship leader (Chris Tomlin or David Crowder come to mind). You would surely attract more young people with a service like that. Have one be a southern gospel theme. Use quartets and trios for your base and have a good old time with a hymn sing. They do this on one night after the service. Why after? Why not have a service with that as the theme? Bill Gaither sure has made a lot of money by doing this on a grand scale. Why not do it for a service or two during Camp Meeting. You could do this at Reardon or in the Wellness Center. You could even do this at Park Place. Logistics are not the problem. How about a bi-lingual service? Hispanic, Korean, German, Russian, etc. You could feature some missionaries sharing testimonies during the service instead of trying to have one of them preach on Wednesday night like they did this year (with less than sterling results). How about a multiple preaching night where you have several preachers preach at one service. This happens at venues such as a Preaching Clinic - why not at Camp Meeting? For those who are more interested in preaching than anything else, this would seem ideal. Surely we have the worship leading talents and the preaching talents to make such a thing work. The themes can go on and on (Women only, Men only, Youth driven, Children's Service, etc.).

5. Use pre-recorded video announcements and promotions to use prior to the services. That way, it all gets done well and it can be used a multiple locations.

6. Pre and Post-service gathering events. Something should be done to capitalize on the "Camp Meeting Shuffle". There were vendors selling all kinds of things outside the Wellness Center (food - even beer battered onion rings!). With all the room in the back of the Wellness Center, why not set up some kind of reception areas for different groups? Give away stuff that you want people to have; Introduce people that you want the church to meet (like the missionaries before or after the Wednesday service); give water out to those who need it; put up an area for Healing or for Prayer or for Counseling. Have an ice cream social after one of the services. Do something that allows you to take advantage of the crowd already gathered. You could do these at any or all of the three or four venues.

7. Please, find people who can preach and let them speak at Camp Meeting. Only a few of those who spoke were either theologically sound (wow! for a group that prides itself on its doctrine, there were some amazing statements made that had no theological base at all) or biblically accurate (at least one preacher never even had a text). There are some great preachers in this Movement (I hope). Let's find them and those who have a great reputation for preaching and give them a chance to share with others.

Oh well, just a few thoughts. What do you think?

Replacements and Repairs

It has been a long time since I have posted anything (several weeks). Once you hear what is going on, it will become obvious as to why the delay. It has to do with replacements and repairs.
I am actually sitting in a hospital room on the 7th floor of Kaiser's L.A. Hospital center (where, amazingly, I have found an wireless connection!). It is the day after Joanie's hip replacement surgery and she is talking on her cell phone to the folks at her school. Isn't modern technology amazing? Yesterday, after a 2-3 hour surgical process, Joanie received a new metal hip and metal joint. The surgeon, Dr. Merek, is a great surgeon both by reputation and by manner, and he considers Joan to be his star patient. He is very pleased with the placement of the new hip (he said, after looking at the x-rays, "Why can't all my patients x-rays look that good!") and expects her to go home on Friday (the operation was Tuesday). She has already been out of bed and walked (albeit only halfway across the room and back) and will increase her length each time they get her up (about 2-3 times per day). We have rearranged the apartment so that there is a bed on the ground floor. She will not be able to use steps for several weeks. And, yes, we do have a bathroom on the ground floor!
Over the course of the last several months, the deterioration of Joanie's hip was significant. Walking with the aid of a cane, unable to get in and out of the car without significant struggle (the last week or so she has been using a rope to aid her in picking up her foot and putting it in or out of the car - she could not do that on her own), sitting or laying down were both painful, and the agony of moving your foot the wrong way and receiving a shot of pain - all these and more made it obvious to anyone that she had to do something to repair her damaged, arthritic hip. Through it all she has been an incredible trooper - never missing a day of school or church or any of her small group meetings. It has been amazing to watch her go through the pain and never complain. I have loved this woman for more than three decades and continue to fall in love with her over and over again. She never ceases to amaze me with her strength and determination.
To all of you who have sent flowers, shared prayers, visited us, called to check up, or just loved my wife and me during this situation - thanks. And God Bless you all.

The Real World

Most of my students in preaching are graduating. Their excitement is palpable. They take note of it in their sermons and mention it in their conversations and discussions. Most of the time they use the phrase, "As we go out into a new world" or "Now we enter the real world." How different my perspective is.
For 31 years I have been living and working in the real world. Life, death, families, marriages, problems, prejudices, change, birth, finances, budgets, etc. For the past year I have been a student. Have I moved from the real world to ... what? A false world? A sheltered world? An ivory tower? I beg to disagree. I am sitting here writing this in a suit and tie as I make plans to go to the funeral service for both the mother and father of one of the professors for whom I am a Teaching Assistant. Sounds pretty real to me. I spoke today to a young woman who is changing jobs, moving from California to Georgia, taking on a job in a mega-church setting, and uprooting her whole family. Doesn't sound very ivory tower-esque to me. When I go back to the apartment in a few hours I still have to wash the dishes, fix dinner for Joanie, and pick up the kitchen (the floor needs to be mopped). That's about as "real world" as it gets.
Life is what happens when you are living it. This life is no less real than the one a soldier in Baghdad faces today. Different? Absolutely. Less real? Not at all. Whatever is going on around you is life and it is real. It may not stack up to others in crisis but so what? Life is not a comparative venture. I don't determine the value of my life by comparing my issues to yours. My issues are, well, my life - and yours are yours.
So, stop comparing your problems or blessings to others. Live. Life is meant to be embraced and enjoyed. It is meant to be a challenge that changes all the time. It is what it is. Whatever is going on in your world is the real world. When you are going through it, that's about as real as it gets.

Tired

What do you do when your juices are running low? You know, when your gitty-up got up and went? What do you do when your energy levels are low and your work schedule is high? In case you haven't figured it out, I'm tired. So, what do you do?

1. Stop complaining. You're not the only one. Look around you. My wife is barely able to walk; my daughter-in-law is struggling with physical issues; my son is getting ready to drive 17 hours straight through to Colorado; the list goes on and on. No matter how tired I am, take a nap; go to bed early; take a day off; do something but stop complaining.


2. Find something interesting to do. Even if it's a diversion, find something that really interests you to do. Break your routine. Find something new that catches your fancy. Go somewhere you haven't been. Meet someone you don't know. Get a pedicure or a massage. Just do something that breaks the monotony that adds to your tiredness.


3. Ask for some help. This is usually divided into two areas. First, if you are overwhelmed, find someone to help with the load. Two heads are better than one and many hands make light work. Delegation is often the key to success. Not everything has to be done by you. Take a load off of yourself by sharing it with someone who is in a better position to do things than you are to do everything. Secondly, share your feelings. It is amazing how telling someone else about the load you are carrying helps to lighten the load itself. Loads get heavier the longer you carry them alone. Find a confidant, a friend, a counselor, your pastor, hairdresser, or the bartender - but find someone and get it off your chest. Hey, I've got a novel idea. If you are really tired and need someone to share you story, get a blog and write it down. Hmmm. I don't feel so tired now. Thanks.