A Great Set of Quotes

Two quotes that have made me stop and think today:

The proof that I have experienced crucifixion with Jesus is that I have a definite likeness to Him.

Oswald Chambers

We enter the mission field every day we step out of the door of our homes, whether we live in North America or Africa.... As those called by the Lord, we are always on mission. We are living testimonies to Him.

Gary Fallesen

God's Learning Objectives

This morning in Bible Study, I had an interesting thought that formed the structure for the discussion of Exodus 6 & 7. I noticed that God's stated purpose for both sides (Israel and Egypt) of the plagues was almost identical:

"...Then you will know that I am the LORD your God..." 6:7

"... By this you will know that I am the LORD." 7:17

God's learning objectives for Moses, Israel, Pharaoh and Egypt were all starting at the same spot. As a result of experiencing this 10-part lesson, the student will:

• KNOW that God is LORD (YeHoVaH).

The FEEL or emotional response for each character is slightly different. God desired a heart change in each case.

• For Moses; FEEL confident in YHVH's ability to use him in spite of limitations (I needed to hear that one myself!).
• For Pharaoh; FEEL hardened by the rejection of YHVH's specific 10-fold call to repentance.
• For Israelites; FEEL protected by the hand of YHVH or FEEL valuable in YHVH's eyes (we are His people!).
• For the Egyptians; FEEL convinced that YHVH is a better alternative to the pantheon that we are currently serving.

The DO or action items are also somewhat varied according to person involved, but the bottom line result is always the same: to glorify God. All of the parties involved, eventually, whether they accept or reject YHVH's personal involvement in their lives, will bring glory to God (YHVH).

"Every knee will bow and every tongue will confess that Jesus is Lord to the glory of God the Father." Phil 2:15

God has some pretty specific goal for my education today too. The situations that come into my life are for the intention of bringing me to the knowledge (experientially and first hand) of Him. YHVH is so sovereign and omniscient that He has even sometimes planned the same event to affect different people in different ways. This is the stuff of personal application! But ultimately all of the decisions whether for or against obedience to God's directions, whether right or wrong, wise or foolish, all will bring glory to God! (yes that is to suggest that sin glorifies God)

Think about this some more and post a response! I am in a very humble teachable mood today! :)
Mike

They Are Not Listening

The story of Moses is fascinating on a number of different levels. One of them is the leadership angle. Moses is counted in the top ten great leaders that Israel ever had. He is in the Leadership Hall of fame if you will. Had he been born a few thousand years later, there would probably be an award named after him: the Moses Award for Excellence in Large Group Leadership.

I do not have a group the size that Moses led. The flock that God has given me for now is considerably smaller. Yet, Mo' faced the same sorts of problems that I face on occasion.

"So Moses spoke thus to the sons of Israel, but they did not listen to Moses on account of their despondency and cruel bondage."

Exodus 6:9, NASB

There are times that people just don't listen to me either. I try to lead and they just don't respond. I have been in this situation and thought about the leadership proverb recorded by John Maxwell (Developing the Leader Within You), "A leader without followers is simply out for a walk". I don't like walking off by myself any more than I like staying with resistant sheep.

The key I believe in this passage is that people didn't respond because they were too consumed with the stuff of everyday life. They were so loaded up that they couldn't hear Moses. They thought they heard him in chapter 4, only to be loaded up even more in chapter 5! It was too much! When this hearing/listening stoppage occurs, there are four encouragements for the discouraged leader.

1. They didn't listen to Moses either. I am not alone; this is not a new development that is targeting me. I have the record of Moses' leadership, even in the face of resistance or outright rebellion, to challenge me to do what I have been called to do -- with or without followers. This epsiode of non-listening did not cost him the leadership trophy!

2. They may not be ready, willing or able to hear me. I may need to help lift their load, or help them rest a while, or plan on carrying them for a distance. More good news! I can be the most eloquent speaker or even the faltering lipped leader and still not be heard.

3. I am not responsible for their response. I only need to take the message to them. I cannot answer for them or make them hear it. I cannot wait to speak the message when I can get the response that I want. I cannot wait to get a message that I like to speak (one that heeded).

4. I must not become short of spirit because of their responsiveness (or lack thereof). The people couldn't hear because they were "short spirited" or discouraged or despondent. If I take on their same attitude (sink to the level of the bleating sheep) then I may also become unable, unwilling, or unready to hear the voice of God through another messenger. Leaders lead by example.

I don't like to be not listened to or ignored. I love it when people are responsive (positively). But God may have me leading a group of people that, for whatever reason, can't or won't listen. Moses was. Oh how much I need a shot in the arm from God to get through the discouragement of non-responsiveness. God gave Moses Aaron to bear his load. God has given me key men to turn to as well. Who has God given to you? Be encouraged to lead in the face of non-response.

Leading whether they're listening or not,
And striving to hear myself,
Mike

Brothers, Keep Away From the Idols

I would never worship an idol. I am too smart for that. I would pick up the fact that I was praying to a piece of hay, wood or stubble. I would never serve a piece of metal, wood, stone or plastic. There will never come a day when I prostrate myself before a grotesque statue or a foreign/strange shrine. It just won't happen. I'm not falling for that obvious a trick of the adversary.

But Oswald Chambers ask the question(s) in this way, today:

What is it that blinds me in this "my day"? Have I a strange god - not a disgusting monster, but a disposition that rules me? More than once God has brought me face to face with the strange god and I thought I should have to yield, but I did not do it. I got through the crisis by the skin of my teeth and I find myself in the possession of the strange god still; I am blind to the things which belong to my peace. It is an appalling thing that we can be in the place where the Spirit of God should be getting at us unhinderedly, and yet increase our condemnation in God's sight.

I was especially pulled up short by the statement Chambers makes about getting through the crisis and going right back to my old ways. My old ways are often the idolatry -- the things that steal my energy and excitement rightfully belonging to the God. I choose to be in control of my life instead of yielding. I desire my own comfort and pleasure over ministering selflessly. I rush into the temple of my heart, the sanctuary of my life, and brush the Holy Spirit aside so that I can put my own old man statuette on display. Sometimes when my mind is not being renewed, I even ask the Holy Spirit to hold the statuette. I think that since He is holding it I am really worshipping Him. My own hands/mind have fashioned this weak shadow of the real desirable object of my affection -- God.

I am so grateful that I no longer have permanent condemnation with God (Rom 8:1) -- even when I am stupid about avoiding the idols!

My prayer this morning is based on the words of the great hymn, "Whiter Than Snow"

Verse 1

Lord Jesus I long

To be perfectly whole

I want Thee forever

To live in my soul

Break down every idol

Cast out every foe

Now wash me and I shall be

Whiter than snow

Chorus

Whiter than snow

Yes whiter than snow

Now wash me and I shall be

Whiter than snow

Verse 2

Lord Jesus look down

From Thy throne in the skies

And help me to make

A complete sacrifice

I give up myself

And whatever I know

Now wash me and I shall be

Whiter than snow

Verse 4

Lord Jesus before You

I patiently wait

Come now and within me

A new heart create

To those who have sought You

You never said no

Now wash me and I shall be

Whiter than snow

Amen. Brothers keep yourselves from idols (1 John 5:21).
Mike

Doctrine is Important Enough to Argue About Online

Thanks to Todd for the link to John Piper's "Desiring God" website. In it, I found a quote about the value of blogging about significant theological issues. [Assumption: the preceding discussion of communion has indeed challenged you and caused you to think. I threw that third link in only to see if you would read it. It did indeed lack depth = it was spray.] Piper contends that this is a healthy thing that three brothers (and ever so seldomly a father) engage in online! :)

"The increasing abandonment of truth and moral absolutes in our culture, as militant diversity threatens all firm conviction, has dramatically influenced the evangelical mindset. The political spin doctors who specialize in deflecting attention away from truth onto feelings and relationships and styles have their counterpart in the evangelical tendency to avoid doctrinal disputes by casting issues in terms of demeanor and method rather than truth. Serious disagreements are covered over, while vague language and pragmatic concerns preserve hollow unity at the expense of theological substance and Biblical clarity and power."

(John Piper, God's Passion for His Glory, p.24)

Soooooo, keep on challenging me for my growth, and listening to my arguments and the arguments of others, and be free enough with your brotherhood to say, "that last one is spray". I need to know that I cannot get by with shotty arguments or "unity at the expense of theological substance" reasoning. That stuff won't fly here! Just remember to do it respectfully and be driven by honest truth pursuit and not one-upmanship or vainglory.

Let us be given to non-vague language and thinking,
Mike

Communion Links for Further Thought

As I have been thinking about the issue of "why do we do it that way" and reading many of your insightful observations, I have compiled some more food for your thought.

A thorough discussion of the communion issues -- Southwestern Baptist Seminary theologian
A blog detailing my view as "local church only" communion
A simple Baptist "4 reasons" why it has to be this way

My conclusion is that the reason that we practice communion in the local church only is a combination of our caution (a really good thing) and authority of the local church (a really important thing) and tradition (not always a bad thing). You will not find a single passage that says "thou shalt practice communion only in the local church building with only the sr pastor presiding using oyster soup crackers and Welch's graps juice served in plastic disposable cups". It is in fact a combination of principles and practical effects of the church's operation that have shaped our "local church only" communion.

Let's keep discussing,
Mike

A Powerful Communion

Communion is a regular part of our worship here at WyBC. We partake of this ordinance every month, usually in the morning of the first Sunday. We do it often enough to remember and seldom enough to make it special. But I have never led a communion service outside of that slot.

Last night's youth group lesson was a look at the last supper. The last supper is the communion model that we follow. Two elements representing, in symbolic forms, the incarnate form of the suffering servant given for me. We used some oversized kaiser rolls and some cranberry drink and read through the Luke account. I was struck with some amazing "experiences" as I reflected on this text with the teens.

As we sat on the floor, the change of position generated a lot of discussion and chatter amongst the teens. "oh this floor is hard", "someone's feet stink", "I'm tired" (one boy tried to act disinterested and attempted to fall asleep during the lesson), etc. I waited, saying nothing, smirking and observing these rascals that I love. How like Jesus, I thought. As he made ready for this special celebration of Communion, there must have been some banter going on amongst the men; fussing about the accomodations, complaints of stinking feet, whining about physical exhaustion, etc. Yet Jesus waited and when he had there attention he said, "I've been looking forward to this time for a long time". "Here, here" I heard one of the disciples say. "Let's eat!" (one of the teen girls actually squealed, "what is it?" as she tried to discern what might be in my semi-transparent grocery bags. "oh good! its food; we get to eat!")

I thought how Jesus must have ached as he saw once again that the disciples were on the verge of missing one of the most significant final moments with their Master Teacher. He finished his statement, "This is one of the last times that we will be together before I go to suffer". Silence. The chatter stalls as the disciples heard the seriousness of the man that they recognized as their leader.

I counted my band of "merry men and women"; there were 13 of them. How much like the Savior on that Passover night! This group that I was trying to teach was very similar in size as the first communion takers. How strange to feel that bond with my Lord.

The verses continued, "he took the cup and gave thanks". What did he give thanks for? I am not sure, since the text does not record an .mp3 webcast of the event. But I believe that he could not have prayed "blessthisfoodtoourbodiesamen". He might have prayed through the liturgical thanksgiving associated with the Passover meal. But I belive that he made the liturgy his own, adding phrases and emphasis that the disciples had never heard before. I made every attempt to change this communion service from the somewhat formal (it is about the only high church liturgy that we do in the baptist church) event that we celebrate each month. I wanted these teens to get what Jesus was doing and saying. "This is a symbol of my body which will be broken for you in a few short days".

The teens were strangely silent. I hope that it was that they realized that this was not like any other lesson that we had ever had. I also hope that they were responding to the Holy Spirit's directions to be still. Whatever the case, they listened. I gave them time to close their eyes and think about the significance of this bread and juice and pray silently. "This is my body broken for you/me", "This cup marks the new covenant that I am about to seal with you/with me", now "this do in rememberance of me". I could not chew long enough or drink enough of that juice. I wanted that meditation time to go forever. I wanted teens and leaders alike to savor that moment. I prayed and I listened. I had brought these young people that I love to a communion moment with God. Some of them got it, some did not. "How like my Savior", I thought.

Think on these things at your next communion service,
Until he comes to get us,
Mike

My Ears are Underdeveloped Too

Yesterday, Oswald made another poke at me without ever having met me. I hate that when coincidentally, something written hundreds of years ago references something written thousands of years ago and it crosses my life at a critical juncture. Oh and it just happens to be on track with my spiritual needs for the day. [Taking my spiritual tongue out of my cheek, I turn it to praise: God's mighty arm is not shortened!]

Here, again, is a profound statement about discerning God's will for me today.

"God has to hide from us what He does, until, due to growth of our personal character, we get to the level where He is then able to reveal it."

Chambers, Utmost, 3/27

So what Ozzy is saying is that if I don't hear what God's will is for me right now, my ears need to be developed? Is he suggesting that an understanding of God and His direction for my life might be based on whether I can handle it yet? Ouch. Oh man. That smarts.

I know that God can show me things that are too wonderful for me to grasp. (Job 42:3, Ps 139:6, Prov 30:18) I know that He can take me there even without me knowing what He is up to (been there, done that, bought the T-shirt). But imagine if He is simply waiting for me to grow up before He can invite me to come up higher or gives me the next piece of the puzzle. Imagine if I am indeed trying to run before I can walk. Imagine if He wants to get me to level 6 and I am stuck at level 1 because I am unwilling to stay at level 1 until my ears are more fully developed?

Almost in response to Monday's post, another chorus rings in my head with a personal twist on the lyrics: (Robert Cull, (c) 1976)

Open MY eyes, Lord,
I want to see Jesus,
To reach out and touch Him
and say that I love Him,
Open MY ears Lord and help ME to listen
open MY eyes, Lord,
I want to see Jesus

Father,
I come once again as a teachable servant. Help me to grow in my personal character today so that I am ready to hear Your next step for me. Help me to be prepared to go when I finally can hear Your directions for me. I am so ready to "hear" what Your plans are for today. I once again am forced to work on personal character in the waiting room while I wait for my next appointment with You. Keep me focused on my homework!
I love You and long to be ready and usable for Your work,
Please grow me first and then advance me,

I desire to worship and obey,
Speak, Lord, Your servant is listening,
Mike

My Spiritual Vision Impairment

I wear corrective lenses. I do not have enough money to afford lasik surgery. I need help my physical eyes to see properly.

Oswald Chambers wrote his commentary (My Utmost for His Highest) on Matthew 5:8 for today about spiritual vision. His title "Spiritual Vision Through Personal Purity" is an advertisement for spiritual laser surgery.

"Purity is the result of continued spiritual harmony with God. We have to grow in purity. ... If we want to maintain personal intimacy with the Lord Jesus Christ, it will mean refusing to do or even think certain things. And some things that are acceptable for others will become
unacceptable for us."

I want to be pure, I want to be holy, I want to be clean, and I want to be intimate with my Savior! Paul Baloche has penned these great lyrics:

"Open the eyes of my heart, Lord,
Open the eyes of my heart,
I want to see You,
I want to see You.

To see You high and lifted up,
Shining in the light of Your glory,
Pour out Your Spirit and love,
As we cry Holy, Holy, Holy!

Holy, Holy, Holy!
I want to see You"

Dear Jesus,
The only problem with this desire of spiritual sight is that to get a full force view of Your total and unleashed glory would decimate me. So God, just give me another glimpse. Make me holy so that I can catch another view of just Your train as it passes by! Make my face shine after the time that I spend with YOU in purity. Burn away the junk and give me an unobstructed, unclouded view of the one that I adore. Let me see only You!
Amen

Longing to know Jesus better through a cleansed life,
Mike

Angels Among Us

Do you remember that old spiritual,

All day, all night,
angels watching over me, my Lord
All day, all night,
angels watching over me.

I do not think about angels. My philosophy for the most part is: "can't see 'em, don't look for 'em, don't need 'em". Have you ever stopped to think about the ramifications of angelology on your every day life? I was recently challenged to do that by the Sr Pastor here at WyBC during his sermon series on the topic of Angels. It caused me to stop and rethink my theology at least in its relevant applications.

My conclusion is that the doctrine of angels does matter. (I knew that it did or it should!) But how? Here are a few of my thoughts on the subject.

1. Angels are real. -- This point may be too simplistic a place to start, but I need an "easy button" here! This point of "like duh" theology reminds me that I can be caught up in the tangible, material world around me. My thinking worldview is often contorted into the world's pretzel shape -- I believe what I can see. But that is not the life of faith. I love the story of Elisha and the servant (2 Kgs. 2:15-17) where the eyes of the servant were opened. I wish that I had the eyes of Elisha or Tim LaHaye to see the armies doing battle. But I don't need to. I know that the battle is real because the Word tells me so. And I have weapons of warfare that are not carnal/fleshly (2 Cor 10:4) so that I can wrestle against spiritual forces of wickedness (Eph. 6:12). APP: Pray= do not let me be sucked into the trap of naturalism, keep me alert for spiritual warfare; Do= believe without sight (John 20:29)
2. Angels are not to be worshipped. -- Again, don't miss the significance here in this basic building block. The world, especially the postmodern one is susceptible to this phenomenon. They want a supernatural, extra-ordinary experience. They crave new and exciting! This trend is good news for charismatic groups. However, it is an exposure of the finititude of the human mind and body to the power of the occult. This action is not recommended. But lest we think that this a new wave, consider that there have always been curiosity seekers when it comes to spiritual and miraculous things (cp. Acts 8:18-19, 9:13-15). Angels never accepted the worship and homage of men. They always stopped the process (Rev. 22:9) APP: Pray= I worship You alone O God! Do= do not seek an audience with angels or spirit guides, worship and commune with God alone
3. Angels are on a mission from God. -- I don't need to go looking for them. If they have a message for me, I will see them. It's the old "don't call us, we'll call you" line. I don't need to waste one ounce of energy looking for their activity or even trying to summon it. God is the only one that I pray to. God is the Sovereign, the LORD God of (the angelic) Hosts. I have a hotline right to the commander-in-chief. He will let me know when I need to have an intervention with an angel. Until then, I will continue to speak to Him. APP: Pray= Open my ears to your message by whatever messenger you choose. Do not allow me to be deceived by false witnesses. DO= test the spirits whether they are from God or not (1 Jn. 4:1).
4. I have something that the angels do not have; salvation. -- My life here on this earth, in the earthen vessel, is significant. It is not the vessel that makes it so, but the treasure inside! The Holy Spirit dwelling on board because of the Savior's substitutionary atonement is something that the angels are excited about (Luke 15:10) and long to understand personally (1 Pet 1:12). But they cannot. This is a gift. APP: Pray= Thanks be to God for His unspeakable gift (2 Cor 9:15) Do= Do not take this lightly, tell others how they can have such an awesome gift, true supernatural power in ther life!

So, angels do affect my everyday life. But I don't need to obsess about them. They are there and they are busy about the Lord's work -- as I should be! So, I must get back to work, since I too am a servant/messenger of God! :) Please note that I will not be ordering an angel pin for my lapel or an "I brake for angels" bumper sticker. I might watch "Touched by an Angel" reruns, but not to build my theology of angels. :)

The King of Angels is watching over me,

Mike

Are You Tired of Waiting?

This is an update from my writing conference. I have been writing curriculum for 1st -6th graders on the assigned topic of Matthew's Life of Christ (the gospel). So I have been studying for that using some books that I have acquired from one of my book sources Ray Roseman. The book is The Life and Times of Jesus the Messiah by Alfred Edersheim. Ray's name is in the inside flap with the date of '66 ((c) 1965).

There, nestled in the pages, I found this insightful statement regarding the baptism of Christ section. Of course Matthew'w gospel has lots of kingdom language and discussion. Edersheim paints the picture of John the Baptist holding out the last great Israeli hope to those in real need of it -- the Kingdom. He writes:

"The long winter of disappointment had not destroyed, nor the storms of suffering swept away, nor yet could any plant of spurious growth overshadow, what had struck its roots so deep in the soil of Israel's heart."

I was moved by the passionate resolve in the final phrase of deep struck roots. I thought about the fact that the second Advent, the return of the King for the rapture of His church is our next great hope. I wonder, have I grown weary of waiting for the Kingdom? Am I blown away by the relatively temporary storms of life? Or am I like a first century believer -- baptized by the Spirit and watching the skies, fully expecting my Lord's return. Have I lost the passion of a deep struck root, immovable steadfast, always abounding in the work of the ministry. Do I have the drive to make this the cry of heart -- Maranatha! Even so, come quickly Lord Jesus!

With my eyes on the skies,
Mike

I Can Only Imagine

Do you know the worship song sung by Mercy Me that talks about the incredible nature of heaven? I can only imagine what it will be like. We have such a small sliver of information about heaven. But what we do have is enough to whet our apettite for such a day in the presence of God.

Dan Phillips has written a great blog post at www.teampyro.blogspot.com about the close of our brief lives here on earth that considers what we might imagine about the future in glory.

"Do you honestly imagine that there is any chance you'll regret trusting the Word too much? That you'll regret believing in God too heartily? That you'll regret giving too much of yourself to Him, in His service? That you'll regret having mortified the flesh too much, having walked in the Spirit too much? That you'll regret having been too godly of a husband, wife, parent, child, churchman, citizen? That you'll wish you'd indulged your fleshly passions more, loved the world more, pursued your private agenda more, absorbed yourself in the world's passing distractions more? That you'll wish you'd gotten more things, better things, and given less of your time and energies to the Word and the Lord?"

Well put Dan. Even with our limited understanding of heaven and God's character, we know that to buy the trinkets of this world at the expense of our greatest treasure in heaven is foolishness. Life is indeed short, live well and live wisely!

Choose treasure,
Mike

Caroling in the Village

Last night we caroled in our village of Wyoming. We had one of the largest groups in our history of mobile minstreling and spent a record 1 3/4 hours on the street. We ministered at 30+ homes and had some unique experiences. Here are my nominations for the WyBC Colden Chorus Awards (somewhat akin to the Grammy's).

For Best Aggressive Doorknockers: Caleb W & Scott P
I really couldn't determine who was more aggressive, so they can share. Both boys were intent on not only being the doorknockers, but also on rousing the occupants to meet them at the door. Both boys had to be warned, just one knock and wait. I think that Caleb actually tapped out a message telgraph style on one person's doorbell. I hope actually that they were not really home! I have to give them the award, because I really need some enthusiastic knockers like that in the future! Don't crush enthusiasm -- simply redirect it!

For Most Vocal Challenge to the Words of the Final Song: Owen E
While this award was previously held by Carrie W, Owen was a surprise candidate. The controversy about the singing of "We Wish You a Merry Christmas" was solved until I printed different words in the "new" versions of songbooks. I must not have saved the changes last time and printed the "wrong words". I believe we finally settled on "Good tidings of Christmas" as the penultimate phrase. And Owen did not mutiny -- thanks.

For Best Choreography: Stephanie L
Stephanie decided that We Wish You a Merry Christmas was the only song that needed a little something extra. She took it upon herself to choreograph a little two-count sway with some of her partners. The only problem is that she had no concept of stay with the group! :) To the innocent observer too much eggnog might have appeared to be the culprit!

For Best Scrooge-like Reaction to Carolers: the family that sat at the window and continued their board game
I believe that the non-answered doors were easier to handle. This family looked out of the picture window through a sheer curtain and kept right on playing a game. They refused to come to the window! We still wished them a Merry Christmas in song. They were not the only ones to try to ignore us. However, 30+ people standing in your front yard would tend to get my attention. I guess some people just don't know what to do with carolers.

For Best Tiny Tim-like Reaction to Carolers: the Innkeeper at Wyoming
The new owners of the Inn came out and listened at his door. He invited us all in for hot cider and doughnuts. Walt and Lou S were a close second: these folks were ready with their plate of cookies for us and sent it out to us. These are great reactions and were a super encouragement to me. We are having a positive influence in our community for Christ.

For Best Set Design: God
We had one of the most mild caroling nights ever. It allowed us to stay out for so long this year. We are grateful for the break in weather even though it meant no snow for our trek. O what fun it was to sing a christmas song last night (sans a one horse open sleigh).

For Best Supporting Cast: the 39 carolers (men, women, teens, and kids) who went out
I was really grateful to all that attended the event and especialy for kids and families that make this event part of their holiday planning. There were even some of our neighbors who were looking forward to hearing us again this year -- actually looking forward to us coming! There were also some great comments about "could we please stop here -- I told them we were coming. I really want to minister to these people; I know them through .... "

All in all a huge ministry success. Special thanks to Paula B who would have rather been out caroling and agreed to woman the kitchen front, getting all of our goodies ready for our return. I guess that would be another classification -- "Best Home Front Support". Thanks to everyone who took aprt ion this special holiday tradition of community outreach. 'Tis the season to be sharing the love of Christ in a real and tangible way.

Singing in the Night,
Praising him in the Day,
Mike

Getting Your Worship Buzz On

My brother Thad has posted an interesting question about worship that has generated some comments from his regular readers. I posted a response, but couldn't leave it alone so to speak. (By the way, this is the sign of a good post in my opinion) So as I was reading the Disciple-Making Church by Bill Hull, I came across this quote:

"With the recent surge in church planting has come an intense interest in creating environment. The lack of a praise environment, not a lack of technical know-how, most hinders the contemporary church. Avante-garde church planters, those on the cutting edge, have begun to ...use drama, special effects, and whatever can be found that will hold the congreagtion's interest. ... However, I do not believe the worship environment they seek can be found through such techniques. These merely simulate a real, Spirit-engendered environment, while their artificial nature highlights the talent and abilities of man. A spiritual buzz based on highly gifted person's presentation will require a long string of buzzes. That, of course, leads to a desensitizing that eventually becomes boredom." pp. 71-72

I believe worship that is not anthropocentric (man-centered) but is theocentric (God-centered) is built on genuine enthusiasm. Hull writes rightly

"Enthusiasm [in the early church] made ministry a natural overflow of internal experience." p. 71.

That is, genuine worship comes from the inside out, not the other way around.

On this basis, how was your worship this weekend? Did it flow from a growing, developing relationship with God or did it wait for the gifted worship team to give you an infusion of their synthetic sugar-coated worship narcotic? Did you worship with the worship leader or watch him worship and draw a vicarious, second-hand drag off of his performance?

Tough questions. But they must be answered. It's time to detox and sober up on this topic.

Striving to be a lead worshipper not a worship leader,
Mike

30 Days of Focus Logo Evaluations

We are embarking on another "30 Days of Focus" here at WyBC. It will begin on Dec31 and run through Jan 28. This campaign style annual address is a blatant plagarism/borrrowing from Rick Warren's 40 Days of Purpose. While we do not buy into all that Rick has espoused, we do believe that the focused attention as a body on one topic is very helpful. So we will borrow the concept, rename it, rework it, reframe it and serve it up to our flock.

This year's theme is "Service". Its byline is probably "Every member a minister". But I am working on a logo for the 5 Sundays that we will be working through these things. The logo will be on notes pages, slide shows, bulletin shells, wall decorations, etc. But after polling 5 people, I got 5 different sets of input. Go figure. I guess I must be a glutton for punishment, because I am asking you to weigh in on these designs. If you would view the logos attached and then "vote". You answer may be any of the selected logos or a compilation of them. Please tell me what you like and what you dislike. Simply typing a number in the comments section does not help me very much.

Thanks for your help,
Mike
Associate Pastor/Graphic Artist in Residence

Don't Tweak My Tradition

Can you recite the Lord's Prayer from memory? Did you know that there are two accounts of this model prayer recorded and that they don't agree word for word with each other? I hope that this does not tweak your tradition or rock your liturgical world!

We are working through a series with the teens on the life of Christ. This week, Bethany will teach on prayer and specifically the Lord's Prayer section of Matthew's and Luke's accounts. Something caught my attention in the discussion of the passage. The KJV has a phrase at the end of the Matthean account that is not in the oldest and best manuscripts.

"For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen." Mt. 6:13b

So, the thought is that if the older manuscripts don't have it, then it must be an addition. Is it legitimate? Does it have a place in the prayer? Did Jesus say it or not? Does it matter? Is it in keeping with the prayer? Why might a later copyist add the commentary?

I would love to hear your feedback on this topic. Charles and I discussed it this morning at Bible Study, but you weren't there! :)

And finally, I want to put this caveat on this post: I am still convinced that I have the Word of God translated into my own language, that it is inspired and that it is inerrant; I still believe that tradition is okay as long as someone remembers the meaning behind the form; I will still read the Lord's prayer and observe its presented principles of prayer.

I will call upon the Lord
Who is worthy to be praised
So shall I be safe from my enemies
I will call upon the Lord
The Lord liveth and blessed be my Rock
and let the God of my salvation be exalted

Amen,
Mike

Leadership in the Holding Pattern

I will admit, I do not like waiting. I believe that this is not the first time that I have had to post this message/confession either. Patience is no virtue of mine! Yet Joshua 3 has yielded some really helpful stuff for me as a leader in the holding pattern.

May I suggest some of them to you?

1. A great leader gathers recon data and makes a decision to move forward, often without giving the data to the people. (note: ch. 2:22-24 is a private reporting of the news back to Joshua; ch. 3:1 begins with Joshua rising early to make the company march to Jericho)
2. A great leader rises early. (3:1) I wonder if he doesn't rise before the rest of the crew. The morning walks around the camp at Lamoka before the cabins erupt with campers have always been an encouragement to me.
3. A great leader delegates tasks (especially communication and direction) to his officers. (3:2)
4. A great leader communicates great vision of the future possibilities to instill excitement in the troops. (3:5)
5. A great leader who waits for God to exalt him in the sight of the people has a stronger ministrywith them. (3:7) (note: the strength of ministry is not mentioned, but the connection with Moses is; Moses is the standard for great leaders in the minds of the people)
6. A great leader speaks the words of the LORD to the people with confidence. (3:9) His confidence as a leader must be built on truth. Following a leader is so much easier when he is on track with God. (cf. 1 Cor. 11:1)

The minutes preceding the attack is perhaps the hardest time to lead. You must instill courage and confidence in the men (and women) around you. You must be confident in the decisions that you have made and be committed to seeing them through. You must be ready to lead when the light turns green!

Pray for me as I lead that I will wait for the green light. Pray that I will lead with excellence through the wait and the charge/march into uncharted waters. Pray that I will watch my Leader and not rush ahead or lag behind.

Desiring to leave a leadership legacy like Moses and Joshua,

Mike

Thanks to All Who Help Me to Be Excellent

Thanks to all of you who are faithful readers of this blog. But again, I want to thank those of you who are alert enough to realize, "Hey I already read that" and comment. I am afraid that it is akin to those conversations like "You've got spinach in your teeth" or "Your zipper is down" -- everyone wants to be told discreetly, but no one wants to be the bearer of the bad news. Thanks to all who are so bold and confident in their relationship with me to tell me that I had posted twice. You really are my friends. I hope to be able to repay you somehow.

Thanks to all of you who are faithful readers of this blog. But again, I want to thank those of you who are alert enough to realize, "Hey I already read that" and comment. I am afraid that it is akin to those conversations like "You've got spinach in your teeth" or "Your zipper is down" -- everyone wants to be told discreetly, but no one wants to be the bearer of the bad news. Thanks to all who are so bold and confident in their relationship with me to tell me that I had posted twice. You really are my friends. I hope to be able to repay you somehow.

Thanks for pointing out my stuttering issues,
Mike :)

Sweet 16

Yesterday marked a great milestone in my/our life. It was our wedding anniversary -- the sixteenth actually. Sixteen years ago on a "black Friday", we avoided the malls and focused on saying we do in an evening service in our home church; black Friday became teal & rose Friday! :) It was a great celebratory event, filled with family and friends.

We have made many more aquaintances along this journey of marriage, but my wife still continues to have them all beat. She knows my most private thoughts and emotions. She can help me recover fastest from a botched, mangled day. She is a very suitable helper, fit for me. After Solomon tried a couple of models out, he came away with this appropriate jewel of wisdom, " He who findeth a wife, findeth a good thing" (Prov 18:22). I certainly have been favored by the LORD.

A rich, rich man,
Mike

Tomorrow

Do you remember Little Orphan Annie singing this one word over and over in her Broadway hit song by the same title? Her confidence and ability to face a rainy day was in the fact that tomorrow started something new -- the chance at seeing sunshine again. The possibility of a different existence, the start of the next chapter, the freshness of another day all bring a charge of anticipation. Is it possible to plan for tomorrow without stressing over it's vulnerability and risk? Yes. In fact, Joshua gives a great pithy plan to the sons of Israel in Joshua 3:5:

Consecrate yourselves, for tomorrow the LORD will do wonders among
you.

I do not know if tomorrow will bring wonders for me or for you. We no longer communicate through prophets or audibles or oracles. But I do know that tomorrow holds that possibility. "My God" is the same God that did wonders with the Israelites -- parted the Red Sea and the raging Jordan. He can still do amazing miraculous intervention sorts of acts that totally separate Him from the rest of the field of suitors. That's one of the reasons why I love Him so much.

So if tomorrow is one of those days that he plans to bring about "water division" I want to be ready! I must consecrate or separate myself for his service. I must get up early and pack up my tent and get ready to travel. I believe that I am also called to lead others to do the same thing, so that God can do these wonders among US, not just me.

I don't know if the sun will come out, tomorrow, but I am packing my sunscreen and my Bermudas just in case! :) I know that of God desires me to get to the other side, He will make a way, where there seems to be no way. As I am ready and available to participate with Him, He will exalt me in the sight of others. I want to be there so that I can cast that spotlight on Christ -- the Living God!

Ready for dry ground through the waters,
Mike

What Will It Take to (re)Build the Church

Want to build a powerful, vibrant, emerging church? Or empower, revitalize, grow a stagnant plant? Hull may have nailed the concept in about 18 words:

"Inspired people must still communicate a contextualized message to those
who have been gathered by creative, powerful means."

Bill Hull, The Disciple-Making Church, p. 58

Preaching the word contextually (ancient and modern),
For genuine church growth,
Mike

Exercising Your Faith

Pastor Evans had this quote in his message Sunday AM:

"Faith puts God between us and our circumstances."

--Daniel Webster

As we journey through some tight financial times here at Wyoming Baptist, I am reminded that these times are refocusing times to bring us to into total reliance on Him. I want to have financial comfort and security. I want to have extra even. Is "provision for needs" or "daily bread" always to be at banquet level? Am I called to stop doing anything to support my family?

No, faith has substance in God (He has promised to supply all my needs + He who refuses to work ought not to eat + He has created me for good works) and has evidence (I will therefore stop worrying or fretting about it; be anxious for nothing + pray without ceasing). These are emotionally loaded, spiritually charged words of truth. I say that I believe them.

O Lord, help my unbelief -- increase my faith (acted on). I do not want to be a platitudinist (preacher who gives right words without appropriate action to match). I choose your faithful way (Ps 119:30); I shall run in your way (Ps 119:32). Enlarge my heart (Psalm 119:32)! What faith stretching exercises are you going through right now? Be comforted to know that you do not walk alone.

Relying on a relationship more than a religion,
Mike

Consciousness and Meditation

The US NEW & World Report magazine for October23, 2006 has an interesting (albeit disturbing) article in it entitled: Is There Room for the Soul? In it, the scientists from Salk Institute for Biological Studies suggest that the consciousness that separates us from animals is only a way to explain what we have already decided using our more evolutionary factors. The author of the article correctly assesses the situation: "There is something troubling about reducing consciousness to the operations of a 3-pound chunk of wrinkled brain tissue. ... Deny or attempt to disprove the immaterial character of the mind, and you elicit some of the same passions that have animated the culture wars over evolution in the classroom, exposing the deep divide between hard-core religious fundamentalists on one side and the equally hard-core scientific fundamentalists on the other." If we are simply a series of electronic pulses in the brain then why would the psalmist write, "...for I delight in your commands because I love them. I lift up my hands to your commands which I love, and I meditate on your decrees." (119:47-48). We are both material and immaterial. Both parts of our bodies are to be in subjection to God and His will. Both are involved in the service and celebration of the King of kings. The creation of man in the image of God suggests that we can relate to Him, He being a spirit being and we being spiritual beings. All this discussion reminds me that we must be careful not to allow the "discoveries" of science to drive the train. Is that anti-enlightenment? Perhaps. Or perhaps it is only a warning that the stuff of faith is not always that concrete. Think on these things (with both material and immaterial portions of your person), Mike

The Power of the Pastors

We are reading the Disciple-Making Church (Bill Hull, ISBN 0800756274) together with our leadership team (deacons and trustees). Hull has a great passion for disciple-making, for helping others grow and succeed. Thus he wrote a book with the expressed intention to "provide a scriptural apologetic for a full-bodied discipling model" (p.12). To seek to deliver people from bondage to sin, develop them into fully functioning disciples of Christ and to deploy them into the whitened harvest fields is discipleship in a nutshell.

When Christ walked the earth, he was a one-stop discipler. Twelve men followed him closely and came away having been discipled. Hull suggests that these twelve, however, could not do it alone. They needed twos and threes and twelves to accomplish the same effect. We need the body of Christ to be engaged in discipling, not just the pastors or leaders. This may have even been the issue in Corinth as disciples began to hold their key discipler up as a model for others -- the ultimate discipler. Yet Paul's begging message is for reconnection of the body with all of its pieces. Each person must be discipling his neighbor and involved in the call to obedience and holding each other accountable.

Hull also says that

...pastoral care plays a vital role in drawing people to the church and supporting them in Christ. Unless a loving, caring community exists to help new-born babes and heal the wounded, people won't come to Him or stick around long enough to be trained. Love within the community of Christ is the most powerful of all the church's evangelistic tools. pp.31-32

If Hull is right, then the old Baptist adage, "every member is a minister" is true in a church that understands its evangelistic and disciple-making mandate. If the nurturing to disciple factoid is added to the no solo, lone ranger disciplers factoid, then the result is a strong Biblical belief in multiplicity of pastors (even if you don't believe in ordaining every person to the position/office).

Discussion Q's:

1. Whose responsibility is disciple-making?
2. If people are getting saved (responding to the gospel personally) and not growing or becoming functional members of the church, what is missing?
3. How many people does it take to grow a fully functioning mature disciple of Christ? Is it higher or lower than the number of Baptists it takes to change a light bulb?

Passionate about disciplemaking (relationship combined with instruction),

Mike

To Be Or Not To Be A Disciple-making Congregation

We are reading a book together as a leadership team here at WyBC -- The Disciple-making Church (Bill Hull). Actually, I am re-reading it; I read it for a course at seminary. It is a great book with lots of good reminders of the mandate for disciplemaking. Bill Hull writes:

Unless the church makes making disciples its main agenda, world evangelism is a fantasy. There is no way to reprodcue, multiply, and decentralize people and the Gospel without diligently making disciples. [p. 11]

This conclusion only stands to reason as the Great Commission begins with the making disciples participle. Hull further comments:

Denominations that change their methods and cast off unproductive tradition will flourish and experience God's power, while those who insist on the status quo will die a slow, unpleasant death. [p. 11]

I would like to change "denominations" to "churches" or even "pastors/leaders" since as an independent Baptist, I believe in the autonomy of the local church and the responsibility of the local church leadership to shepherd/grow/nurture/disciple its local flock. That is not a denominational thing. I don't like slow, unpleasant death. That sounds like good motivation to evaluate! :)

Desiring to experience God's power and flourish-ment,
Mike

Rollie's Love Connection

My good friend Rollin called me the other day and we had an in depth conversation about Scriptural stuff. We talked about:

1. How the Hebrew letters are really pictographs (picture characters), much like chinese or hieroglyphics
2. How we have used arabic script to write and Greek conceptual definition to describe these Hebrew pictures (example: the word for father is actually the construction of two characters, aleph = strength and beth=house; therefore, "father" is the strength of the house; hmmmmmm)
3. The difference in nuance of the two Grk words used for will (of God) in NT; thelema and boole. Rollin suggested that the thelema of God is a desire that expects and waits for our response or action on it, while boole is the will of God that he will act upon himself. That gives some interesting discussion and thought on some key passages! Words mean something and there are no true synonyms!
4. Rollin talked about some work that he had done on the prepostion phrases beginning with "according to" in NT Greek. He suggested again that there was a two part formual implied. One part was the need or requirement and the other part was the resource or the answer for the request. The resource of God is always enough, with some left-over! This has some cool implications to a group of phrases that I was chasing down in Psalm 119; "according to your promise", "according to your word", "according to your love". Thanks God -- cool timing! :)
5. He recommended a website (www.ancient_hebrew.org) and a book (Men Are Like Waffles, Women Are Like Spaghetti).

All that was incredibly enriching and we talked about some of the ramifications on some key texts in 1 John and in 1 Peter. I love talking with my friend Rollie. But then he made another reflection on a huge area that just boggled my mind. I want to share it with you for your discussion and comment. So here is the set-up:

• Again, remember that words mean something and there are no real synonyms in language
• Inspiration means that God (the HS) superintended the selection of words for a purpose without mechanically dictating these words; the message was clearly communicated!
• There are four spearate words translated "love" in the NT: storge, philo, agape, eros; each of course has a separate nuance or field of meaning
• storge = the traditions or mechanics of loving; philo = the being in fellowship or friendship with one another love; agape = the self-sacrificing, compassion love; eros = the ecstatic experience love
• The statement: In the book of Ephesians, and in the whole of the NT, eros is never used in connection with the normal Christian life or the description of the love of the body of Christ.
• The impact: Epehesus was into Diana worship. They uderstood the climax of sex to be the ultimate human experience and thought that during that moment they could actually touch God. Thus it made "sense" to employ thousands of temple prostitutes for the worship of Diana.
• In order to avoid this pagan connection, Paul used every other word for love to describe Christianity.
• YET, in our modern church, we have intorduced ecstatic experience back into our services through the "worship experience". This is especially true of the church growth movement and charismatic groups.
• While Rollin was not saying he had direct evidence to the conclusion, he suggested that perhap sthat is the reason why we have so much sexual immorality adultery and divorce running amock in our Christian communities.

Whow! (combination of wow and whoa) That will make you think twice about leading worship towards experiential goose-bumping. Caution. Do not lead towards a fabricated "frenetic" worship lest you exchange worship of God for worship of experience. Some of our worship choruses are just packed with that intimacy language. Hmmmmmm.

Let's engage in a careful dialogue about this topic.

I look forward to your insights,

Mike

Are You A Threat to the Survival of the Species?

How can a theory of origins affect your life? Read the following quote from a popular news magazine;

"Not only do the new atheists find religion intellectually irredeemable, morally dubious, and socially unnecessary, they judge it as a clear and present danger, maybe even the greatest threat to the survival of the species."

The New Unbelievers, Jay Tolson, US News & World Report, Nov 13, 2006, p.40-41.

Darwin's theory has farther reaching tentacles than just to biology! Evolution is more than a scientific premise; it is a worldview! It affects the way that one looks at the world and evaluates the data. It is a philosophy; it searches to apply a wisdom structure to the observation of life.

I choose instead to be a creationist who believes that a relationship with a holy God through the sacrifice of his one and only Son. His death burial and resurrection on my behalf for my sins has made all of the difference. This gift is life! It is for the preservation of the species and is intellectually superior, morally significant, and totally socially necessary. WITHOUT it (his sacrifice) we will die!

I am a sin survivor and a soul rescue technician,
Mike

Fur Todd, Not Elise

Todd is the blogger hound. He loves to challeneg me to blog. He loves to challenge other family members to blog. He does not have the gift of encouragement. He has the gift of exhortation and prophecy (calling it as he/God sees it). As I type this post then, I am writing it to get Todd off of my back first of all. Accountability does work! But as I am writing I find that I have missed this aspect of my QT. I enjoy writing. And I enjoy reading the Word and other books. Here's a quote that I found while studying in Psalms 119.

No man is holy by chance.

CH Spurgeon

Discipline isn't like falling off a log -- it takes effort. In fact, spiritual disciplines are more like staying on the log! Balance and concentration and practice.

So now, I say thanks Todd. You have called me to get back on the log -- or rather back on the Blog. So this one is for you brother! :)

Your falling off the blogging wagon and getting right back on again brother,
Mike

A New Look

Yes, you are at the right place! I am trying out a new template for the site. After all, the 101st post ought to be dsitinctive yes? I thought so too. The old posts did not transfer quites as smoothly as I might have hoped and I deleted a couple fo the old ones to try and make the update work -- but to no avail.

Please check out the website link to the template source. Interesting? Do you like? Drop me a note!

The character on the left just seemed to fit the blog title "the open mike". I get paid to talk! :)

Mike

100 blogposts -- Annual Report

Dear Faithful Readers,

This post marks the 100th post at this site, "The Open Mike". That is great news! I am pleased to say that the site has been a boost to my spirits and a great outlet of writing. Thanks for reading. It has taken me some time to discern what post might be the 100th and I have decided to include the annual report that I just wrote for our church annual meeting. This report includes a smattering of tasks that I have accomplished (with God's help of course) this past year. It also gives a challenge to the people of Wyoming that God has allowed me to minister with and to for 5 years now.

May Jesus Christ Be Praised!
Mike


Associate Pastor’s Report

As part of the programming offered at the YMCA, Scott took a class in Tae Kwon Do. As I watched the trainees follow the patterns set by their leaders, I became interested in this oriental martial art. From the outset, it seemed that the study was more than a series of kicks and punches; this practice was an action based on an idea or philosophy. Tae Kwon Do is much more than great exercise.

The World Taekwondo Federation describes Taekwondo as “one of the most systematic and scientific Korean traditional martial arts that teaches more than physical fighting skills. It is a discipline that shows ways of enhancing our spirit and life through training our body and mind.” [www.wtf.org] As you can see, Taekwondo is not that far afield from the practice of Christianity. Notice these three similarities:

1. A unified mind, body and spirit
Paul called the Corinthians to live the taekwondo lifestyle with these words “Aim for perfection, listen to my appeal, be of one mind, live in peace.” (2 Cor. 13:11b) To the Colossians he wrote: “And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.” (Col. 3:17) We must not only say that we love God, we must show it through our actions; we must not be isolationists but instead be a community bent on living out the principle of unity and peace, with all of our mind, body and spirit.

2. Preparation of a ready defense
We understand fighting an enemy (Eph. 6:12). Paul encouraged believers (then and now) to “put on the full armor of God”, so that you can “stand firm”. There must be a readiness, a stabilized stance and a mental preparation, that characterizes each believer if we are to extinguish the fiery attacks of the adversary. We must guard against attacking those without Christ -- they are not the enemy. Satan is our enemy! We need to defend those who are trapped in the life of defeat and train them in the way of survival!

3. Harmonious growth and improvement of life
We make no bones about this goal for all believers at Wyoming Baptist. The purpose of this local church is to fulfill the Great Commission. Therefore, all of our activities are to be done for the expressed purpose of “making disciples”. Discipleship is the life of harmonious growth and improvement. It is the life of taking up our cross daily, denying ourselves and following Christ, our ultimate teacher/trainer (Luke 14:27). We must count the cost of such a pursuit! We must be determined that the resulting growth and improvement is totally worth any effort along the way. We must be eagerly pursuing our pattern -- “the way, the truth and the life” (John 14:6). If we do not, then Christianity becomes just another religious system bent on “moralizing” immoral people – no better than Taekwondo.

As your pastor, I am responsible for setting the pattern for others to follow. I am responsible for leading in life training that is more than just “good exercise”. Below is a list of some of those opportunities that I have led and been led through myself this past year:

· Worship design and leading
o AM and PM services
o Special services: Christmas Eve, National Day of Prayer, Easter Sunrise Service, Fire n Fellowships, multiple commissioning/reporting services
· Youth group
o Teaching
o Monthly leadership meetings
o Outings, activities, events
o Counseling
· Visiting/hospitality
· Preaching
o 2 Peter – “You Can Live Godly in an Ungodly World” (PM series)
o Joshua – “Experiencing Spiritual Victory” (AM series)
o Easter Sunday @ WyBC
o Prayer meeting devotionals
o VBS Training @ Cornerstone Baptist, Geneseo
o Pulpit Supply @ Henrietta Regular Baptist Church
o Graduation Speaker @ HRBCS
o Adult Dinner Speaker @ Faith Baptist, N. Chili
· VBS: Missions Director, money counter, Pastor Miguel (opening and closing MC)
· Sunday School teaching
o Decision Making God’s Way
o Reading the Bible for All Its Worth
o Psalm 119
· Summer Ministry Team training
· Word of Life Writing Team
· Judging preaching and media categories at Word of Life’s Talents for Christ
· Ministry Team Director, Jr. Sports Week
· Attended ESF conferences, monthly area pastors’ meetings
· Leadership Meetings with Dan Woodard
· Men’s Bible Study – “The eXodus-Men”
· Deacons’ and Trustees’ meetings
· Ministries Coordinator, AppleUmpkin
· Released Time Helper

We cannot be called “disciples” if we are not training our mind, body and spirit to reflect the glory of God. We must never be satisfied with our “spiritual achievement levels” (Phil. 3:12-14). We must spur one another on toward love and good deeds. This means not giving up our meeting together, but encouraging one another at every opportunity with great urgency. (Heb. 10:24-25) I would encourage you to take advantage of all of the training activities and opportunities available for your growth here at WyBC. My goal is that when we reach the end of our journey, we can all receive the everlasting black belt (2 Cor. 9:25) for excellence and progress!

Training to please the Master,

Pastor Mike Paris
Associate Pastor

Time Alone with God

Read this quote from John Ortberg, teaching pastor at Willow Creek:
"Spiritual formation is getting our lives in line with the direction of the Holy Spirit and understanding the work of the Holy Spirit so that we can feel close to him and comfortable in His presence. We are spiritually formed if when we do have failure, we don’t neglect him or think that He is neglecting us. We are secure and comfortable spending time with Him. Spiritual formation is more than doing devotions – it’s a relationship!"

This quote (actually it is my best attempt at capturing John's comments on a CD of a conversation on the topic that he had with HB London Jr.) was part of a day of refreshment that I experienced this past week. It seems that this topic is coming up more and more. Pastor Evans (Sr. Pastor/teammate) brought it up again in the series of messages that he is preaching, "Moving from Religion to Relationship". Practicing solitude is not something that I am especially good at; my life is crammed full to overflowing and I can tend to be driven by the "Tyranny of the Urgent". This discovery of my incredible need for margins started with the recent vacation that I took with my family. As I recuperated in that 8 day oasis, I realized that I had emptied my spiritual tank and was running on fumes.

I really need to be better at this type of reclamation of spiritual strength. God has gifted me with some abailities that make it "easy" to run on my own. I can do ministry without the Spirit's presence. But I shouldn't! The psalmist certainly nailed it when he said:

"Do good to your servant, and I will live;
I will obey your word.
Open my eyes that I may see
wonderful things in your law.
I am a stranger on earth;
do not hide your commands from me.
My soul is consumed with longing
for your laws at all times."

Psalm 119:17-20, NIV

Or as we studied in Sunday School this past week (another touch of the same thought), "GIMEL me!" That is to say, "Pour out your blessings, deal bountifully with me, and completely satisfy my needs so that I can be revived (survive?)and keep on obeying Your direct speeches." (Ps 119:17, expanded Parisphrase). That means that I have to pull into the gas station of the soul and ask for directions as well as get my tanks filled up! That takes time! That takes space! That means I am letting the phone ring as I type this post! :)

I have found that when it comes in bunches like this, God has raised my sensitivity in this area for a reason (by the way the CD about spiritual formation has been sitting buried on my desk for about 7-9 months). I believ that God is calling me to spiritual growth spurt in this area of my life. So, if I don't answer my phone, I might be spending time in solitude with God. I'll get back to you.

Desiring, craving soul refreshment,

Mike

My Loaded Weapon -- the Tongue

I am certain that James was right when he wrote these words about the tongue,

"Our tongues get out of control. They are restless and evil, and always spreading deadly poison." (3:8, CEV)

I have in my mouth a loaded weapon! A weapon of mass destruction! Yet my God has given me the power to captivate my tongue and bridle it for good. The tongue is both an asset and a liability at the same time.

In his chapter on character, Joe Stowell ("Shepherding the Church") writes that the character of a leader is revealed by both speech and conduct. He them articulates a number of verbal sins that leaders (especially pastors) are susceptible to. In that list he shows gossip, slander, lying, deceit, beguilement, murmuring, criticismboasting, and exaggeration. These abuses of the mouth are "tattlers" on our hearts; they reveal the real me and divulge my real relationship with God. [p.158]

I will give you a piece of what Stowell is trying to get across with the example of one of the areas that I was convicted in personally -- slander. Slander is "sharing negative information with the intent to hurt" [p.160]. It is a form of verbal revenge for some other hurt done against me. Slander reveals a heart that "has not yet learned to give our enemies to God and permit Him to care for them. ... It reflects as well an unwillingness in our hearts to suffer when necessary with a patient spirit, trusting God to protect us, deal with our enemies, and work all things together for our good -- the good of His glory and gain." [ibid]

That is truth that cuts me to the quick. I am very good at verbal murder, naturally. But supernaturally, I can overcome this bad habit! I can learn the godly response! I will pass the test in these teachable moments when I will resist the desire to "roast" my opponent with my sympathetic friend. God has given me everything I need for faith and godliness.

And so, I have selected the next passage of Scripture for me to memorize: Matt 12:33-37. Ask me in the next week or so how it's coming. The word of God is the antidote, the cleansing agent for the way of the young man! (Ps. 119:9)

Desiring to have only fresh water coming out,
Mike

Teachable Moment -- Day 1

Again, the location and the messenger do not have to be expected. You can learn some pretty great stuff in some weird places with some strange people. Basically, all you have to do is listen and process it.

On the first day of camp, the staff member (I can't even rememeber who she was) who was sharing devotions shared 1 Cor. 9:23:

23 I do all this for the sake of the gospel, that I may share in its blessings.

That phrase, for the sake of the gospel was the rally cry for day 1. Was I doinig everything that I could for the sake of the gospel? Was everything passing through the grid of "will this advance or retreat the cause of Christ on this campus today with this person?". That is a fine filter!

But with that in mind, I mentally added our team's own power pump, 2 Peter 1:3:

2PE 1:3 His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness.

Everything I need to accomplish life and godliness has already been supplied! This thing called ministry, in all of its exhaustion and frustration and stress was divinely powered and worth every minute!

For the cause of Christ, the gospel of Christ and the growth of believers,
Mike

Ministry Team Update

At our return to our "regularity" of life back in Wyoming, the memories of camp ministry were shared at a special reporting service on Sunday 8/20. I was excited to hear the young people share some really in depth stuff. Some shared their disappointments, some shared the change that had occurred in their plans, some shared a new challenge/task that they had performed. The two favorite episodes seem to be the demolition and the Afternoon Away with God.

I wish that there were some way to upload an mp3 of the service -- it was rewarding to hear young people going beyond this was a great time of fun.

My most teachable moment happened as I interacted with a kitchen crew member with something written on his arm. I asked him about it and he described the inscriptions. They formed a triad (a three partate formula for understanding the whole). They were God's love, God's wisdom and God's sovereignty. these three, he explained, kept him balanced in his thinking. God loved him too much to let hurtful/damaging things to happen to him; God was so wise as to never make any mistakes with his life; God was so sovereign that he was working all of these things together for his life. I haven't got the statements verabtim, but that was the gist. The only response I really had for him was, "Oh." He had blown me away with the depth of his concentration on serving in the kitchen instead of the cabins.

To all of you who are reading this blog and who work with youth, remember, you have no control over what they are thinking or even when they will respond. So, my advice, from my own philosophy of YM, keep pumping it in their heads and pray like mad that their heads don't explode! :)

For the renewing of our minds,
Mike

Tiger's Dad Understands "Community"

Remember that Quotable Golf book that I mentioned a few posts ago? I read some more while I "manned the store" (our garage sale) today. Here's one from Tiger Woods' Dad, Earl.

"Involving minorities in the game of golf has financial, political and social implications. But the bottom line is simple: the more people who play the game, the fewer problems we'll have in the world because the game itself teaches people so much about themselves and others."

What he is describing is really the dynamic of "golden rule communalism"; he desires golf to be the fertile ground wherein the world meets together and treats each other with decency and respect. The problem is that while he understands the standard or idyllic utopia, he is looking in the wrong place. Golf does not hold the secret to world peace. God and a relationship with him is the only thing that will bring a better world ... even one without golf!

I haven't sold my clubs,
Mike

The Who's Who of Mike Mentors

How have I become the leader that I am? It is only through the grace of God and the involvment of key leaders in my life. These leaders are my mentors. They have demonstrated what exactly the godly life should look like.

Maxwell defines a mentor this way:
"A mentor is a person who embodies the characteristics that you admire, and is willing to help you develop those characteristics in yourself, so you can achieve your goals and ambitions."

These people hit the top of my list; they are not the only people to have had impact in my life, nor are the lists of investments complete. These three men represent a smattering/sampling of the influencers in my short life.
1. Dad --> faithfulness, service in local church, problem-solving, parenting, the "fix-it yourself for less" mentality

2. Jim Ellerson --> faithfulness, use of sense of humor in teaching, spiritual sensitivity, passion for young people

3. Dr. Howard Bixby --> leadership skills, revitalizing the declining church, holding people accountable to Biblical exhortation, the importance of connection in the SS class

So who are your mentors? Share your top three and the qualities that they shared/exhibited. Why not ask your kids to think through this question and send thank-you notes to the influencers in their lives. This project probably works best with 7th -12th graders. Tell me how it works out!

Mentoring youth for Christ in WNY because someone(s) mentored me,
Mike

Being a Successful People Developer

We have been working through the whole gamut of leadership issues here at WyBC. Thanks to a series of leadership seminars given in the nick of time by our missionary Dan Woodard, we have been talking with a new set of vocabulary. We have begun to discuss team roles, effectiveness, goals, and project ownership. We regularly confront each other on "fog" -- phrases, statements, words that cloud the real meaning of communication.

We are endeavoring to reknit our leadership teams and restore their level 5 (personhood) leadership in the eyes of the congregation. (the five levels from John Maxwell's, Developing the leader Within You: 1. position/rights; 2. permission/relationships; 3. production/results; 4. people development/reproduction; 5. personhood/respect) I have been realizing that in order to get the men up to level five, I need to be striving for level five! Level four means that I need to be helping to reproduce and mature the men. Here are some great statements about people on that level of leadership:

A successful people developer:

1. Realizes that people are his most valuable asset. Not buildings, bucks, brooches or books!
2. Places a priority on developing people. Not programs or documents!
3. Becomes a model for others to follow. Not just in public or official life!
4. Pours leadership into the top 20 percent of his people. Not waiting for them to come to me and ask for help!
5. Exposes key leaders to growth opportunities. Not doing it, learning it, keeping it all to myself!
6. Is able to attract other winners/producers to the common goal. Not allowing people to be consumers or dependent on me!
7. Surrounds himself with an inner core that complements his leadership. Not just people who think and act like I do!

The list above is taken from Maxwell's book. I have added the italicized personalizations on the end. They are my weaknesses. These are the things that I tend to substitute for good ministry or people development. I believe that my "job" as a pastor is described quite well in Ephesians 4:11-13:

11 It was he who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, 12 to prepare God's people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up 13 until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.

So, I continue to press on, trying to improve my leadership. Actually this blogsite is one of those ways taht I can share at level 5. Thanks for engaging in careful thought and reflection on the life of excellenec that God has called us to live! Thanks for sharpening my iron with yours. I appreciate you!

I would love to hear about your leadership growth. Everyone has both leadership and followership opportunities -- think beyond official positions. Will you share some key thoughts taht have helped you grow this week? Looking forward to hearing from you!

Mike

Going out in High Summer Style

Someone asked the question, why does it seem like the really hot weather hits during VBS week? Answer: so that we can play great water games outside! Heather (orange shirt) is waitiing her turn in the bucket brigade relay race. She is behind her leader, Jacquelyn. J'lyn is one of the teens going with us this summer to Lamoka. This will be her third season. She wants to be a missionary! :) Yes!
Here we are at the end of the week. Yes and still smiling. Sue made it through the week after having to threaten Jack -- " If you don't behave better tomorrow you will have to leave Silly Chilies (preschool goup) and go up with Daddy." Enough said; Jack made it through the rest of the week! The Faith Factor T-shirt os from last year's Youth Seminars. It generated some discussion with adults and kids alike. Most thought I had been on the TV show -- hah! My challenge would have been to lock me in a hot 4x4 cell with one of the trustees! :D Very scary stuff! Yet there is no place for fear in ministry, so push on!
Here is the parting shot of the Friday group. We averaged in the mid 50's, with high 30's of helpers and staff. I just talked with another sister church member in the area and she said that they had to cancel their VBS due to a lack of help. Praise God for all of the great workers that we have! Guide to the Paris people; Mike = upper left corner, Sue = kneeling, third row left side, Jack = fourth from left front row (striped shirt), Scott = just left of middle, 2nd row of standers, navy shirt, mouth open (yelling queso!), Heather = 6th in from right in first row of standers, orange shirt, Lauren = first on the right, front row of sitters, pink shirt.

We all survived and had a great time. We had an ice cream social to wrap the whole thing up on Friday night and invited parents and families. It went really well. We even got a jump start on the cleanup before we headed home. Saturday I even got to go golfing! (1st of the season)

Many thanks to all who helped and especially to my organized director, Ginny! I just got to do what I do best -- ham it up in the opening and closing! We had two salvation decisions that I know of for the week and both of them were followed by significant spiritual interest and questions. I see that interest as the first fruits of genuine decisions! Praise the Lord! (please pray for Kohl and Kara).

Serving in Summer,
Mike 

Winding Down -- Day 4

The Silly Chilies (preschoolers) taking a break on Day 4 to review their lessons and talk with their leaders. Yes, that is Jack and Sue in the lower right hand corner. Sue has decided that she is much more comfortable playing the piano than teaching the pequitos (little ones).
Another shot of me leading the closing program for the day. Notice that I have shed that really neat, but really hot poncho! The kids are singing great -- sorry no audio on this post!
Another one of great groups. This one has 3:10 ratio, still really great! They look like their having fun! They range in ages from 1st grade to 5th grade. Ryan (front row right) lost his front tooth on Wednesday at VBS! How much more fiesta can we stand? One more day!

Adios,
Pastor Miguel 

Rain, Rain, ... Who Cares

Record rainfall amounts in Wyoming Cty, NY did not dampen spirits for day three of VBS Fiesta! A couple of scooters, a giant tactile ball and a dry gym was just what the game director ordered.
In the Hot Bible Adventures, Laurie (aka Levi) is looking for a few good fishermen to follow instructions. Each day the children are engaged in an interactive and exciting Bible story highlighting the Bible idea. Today's was "Jesus is our leader".
These kids are part of the preschool program. They make a group called Pablo's Silly Chilies. They are excited, no fired up about Jesus. Everyday as the teachers say the Bible idea, the kids respond with Viva! (Life!). Yes that is Jack's bottom in the left of the picture -- he didn't want to cooperate with the photographer!

Buenos Noche,
Hasta la manana,
Pastor Miguel 

VBS Day 2 -- The Fiesta in Full Swing

Oh look an associate pastor in authentic mexican garb! Leading singing, challenging young people, acting a little loco on stage and trying to reach the lost with the gospel. The poncho is an original wool one from Madrid Spain -- compliments of my Dad who stopped there on a Med cruise with the Navy (30+ yrs ago). It is extremely warm -- good for picking coffee beans with Juan Valdez, bad for VBS opening sessions!
One of our groups -- called families. The four tall people in the back are leaders. On Tues, their family was 5 kids. 4:5 are great ratios! The lady at the left, Valerie, is the adult or team leader. Laura and Brad are teens involved in the VBS program. The young lady in the pink hoody is Shelby -- a sixth grader who has been put in a jr. ledaer postion. The remainder of the group is 1st through 5th graders all mixed together. The crossection of gender/age makes for good learning!
Our opening and closing sessions are held in the auditorium. The banners above are from a Spanish Cinco de Mayo celebration in a NC public school. Thank goodness that we don't take this separation of church and state rabidly! 57 kids on Day 2!

Adios ala manana,
Pastor Miguel 

VBS Fiesta! at Wyoming Baptist

If you have been wondering where I have been, I have been partying -- mexican style! We are almost through the week of VBS at WyBC and I thought you might like to see what has been happening here -- north of the border! Abuela Kemp is our director for VBS. She and I have worked together for at leats three VBS's. She has taken the charge and has run all of the administration of this year's program. It has been good for me to delegate it away and keep my mitts off of it! :) It's a leadership trait that I need to work on. This pic was snapped up on day one on a status check-up during one of our "pathways cross" in the gym.
You can see that the theme is a mexican Fiesta! Our snacks coordinator/director is getting into the theme with a little authentic mexican garb. Everyone has had a blast throwing around all of our spanish vocab (mine learned over 20 years ago) and wearing some elaborate sombreros.
Kristen, one of our teens who is involved in the VBS, led this little girl to a decision for Christ on Wed. using her EvangeCube! It all begins with buidling a relationship of caring on Monday and Tuesday! This little one continued to ask questions during the closing session that day. The spiritual sensitivity is super encouraging.

We are using Fiesta! by Group Publishing. They have several unique features which we have found useful -- even though it is not exclusively Baptist. We have added a stronger gospel presentation emphasis and used the creativity resources in the Group Pub material.

Check out the next post for more,
Adios,
Pastor Miguel 

Character Matters

Joe Stowell rightly observes that there is a societal bent away from leaders of strong (moral) character. There is, as he puts it, a societal bent towards disconnecting lifestyle and leadership. This is simply not true. Stowell spends a whole section (Part Two) of his book (Shepherding the Church) on personhood -- the being, rather than doing of leadership.

I thought that you might enjoy some of the quotes/statements made about character in ch.6 alone:

"Character is about what and who I am at the very core of my being." p. 148
"Character is the critical mass of ministry." p. 148
"Character-- either good or bad -- impacts the life and legacy of the church." p.151
"Character is infinitely more startegic to effectiveness than credentials." p. 151
"Character is a means to glorify Christ through our lives, since it is His character -- the expression of our belief in Him -- that is reflected in our lives. Character makes a point about Him." p.151
"Character is what we will be held accountable for." p. 151
"Character is only forged through a growing, sincere relationship with Christ." p. 151-2
"Character is deepened and developed in crises. Character has value in a crisis." p. 152

Well said Joe, well said.

My goal is that Christ be seen through me. I must admit or confess that this has not always been the case. My children may not want to be involved with Christ if my discipline techniques are anything like Christ's. My wife might not have a growth spurt spiritually if she has to rely on my direct and intentional leadership in this area. But my goal is to become stronger and grow myself! Then I can transfer that character to my children and my wife.

Dear Father,
I have not caught all of the transfer of your character. I blow it often. You are the best example and mentor that a man could ever have, yet I have squandered much of the time that I should have been growing. Please forgive me for the times that you cringed ta the rot that I was spewing. I know that this saddens your heart. Help me to be more like you and demonstrate my faith and personal relationshipwith you. Make me the man that you want me to be. Help me to grow through the adversity instead of slump into my natural bents of self-preservation and self-protection.
I thank you,
Amen

Keep growing in character,
Mike