Absent Thursday, December 17, 2009

We complain that God does not make himself present to us for the few minutes we reserve for him, but what bout the twenty-three and a half hours during which God may be knocking at our door and we answer, "I am busy. I am sorry." Or when we do not answer at all because we do not even hear the knock at the door of our heart, of our mind, of our conscience, of our life. So there is a situation in which we have no right to complain of the absence of God, because we are a great deal more absent than he ever is.

-Metropolitan Anthony of Sourozh

Multiple Services Tuesday, December 01, 2009

In reading this article Church within a Church by Greg Warner (Click the link to read the whole article) several things struck me....so I am just going to comment on a few in red so you know where the quote ends:

• "But multiple worship services don’t work for every church. What makes the difference?
  The one essential ingredient, according to pastors and consultants alike, is an outward focus. Churches that are committed to those outside their fellowship can muster the resources and tolerate the changes required to make multiple worship work." I find this interesting...as a church I think we need to be caring outward for sure....but I do run into problems with churches that are just about bringing in outside people. Often times it feels they just want to increase numbers. Going to church for me is a time to look upwards not outwards.

• “I don’t believe the primary purpose of worship is community with each other but to commune with God,” says Arn." I have to agree somewhat with this statement, however I do feel the importance of corporate worship is not being stressed in his statement. There's just something about coming together with a group of people knowing you are all worshiping the One and Only.

• “It sounds a little like saying … ‘We don’t want to change, but we don’t want to die,’” notes Dieter Zander. “But it is usually out of pain that a church changes. People don’t change when things are going well.”So true and so sad

After reading this article my heart was a little saddened. It somewhat made the situation sound hopeless. Is there a solution? For some it's going to a blended service and trying to give everyone a little of everything....sadly I think this ends up leaving a lot of people dissatisfied. Personally I enjoy having multiple generations in a worship service. I feel there is lots to learn from each person and it tends to be an encouragement to see all different age groups worshiping together. I think we could work towards are solution if we worked toward improving our services altogether. Making services more authentic, full of participation and deeper is something that people from all generations desire. Making a service that puts our thoughts, spirits, and hearts on the right track of having a deep, real connection with God is something all generations can relate to. Maybe we should stop trying to pick the right style of songs or the right sermon topic and focus on helping our congregations dig deeper, become more transparent and connect more than just standing and clapping every time we sing a song.

A Prayer for the Earth Monday, November 16, 2009

by Brian McLaren- Tim Costello of World Vision Australia and I have been working behind the scenes to compose a prayer that could be used by individuals and groups leading up to the Copenhagen gathering on climate change Dec. 6. Click here to read alternate versions of this prayer.

Most gracious God, creator of all good things, we thank you for planet Earth and all creatures that share it.

Have mercy on us, Lord. Through ignorance and carelessness we have poisoned clean air and pure water. For monetary gain we have reduced verdant forests to barren wastes. In our craving for more we have plundered your beloved creation and driven many of our fellow creatures to extinction. Only recently have we begun to realize the dangerous future into which our current patterns of consumption and waste are driving us, especially in relation to Earth’s climate. Only recently have we begun to see our need to find a wiser and better way of life in the future, before it is too late and our choices are limited by the consequences of inaction.

We who join in prayer today believe the time has come, Lord. Please guide us now, our God, at this critical moment in history, to better fulfill our role as stewards of this fragile planet. Guide the leaders of nations who (will) gather in Copenhagen (on Dec. 6). Give them courage to set noble goals that reach beyond short-range political expediency, short-term economic profit, and short-sighted self-interest. Impress upon their conscience our sacred duty to bequeath to our children and grandchildren a healthy and thriving environment rather than a world in climate crisis.

If our leaders fail, Lord, if they fail to take the necessary action, they will violate both our trust and your calling to use their power for the common good. If they fail, every person will be affected, including generations not yet born. Rouse us all to action, for we are all woven together in the fabric of creation.

This is the moment, God, when a great turning of hearts must begin. So through this prayer, we of many traditions who follow Christ — joined by friends and neighbors of many faiths — unite our hearts in a cry for change. Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.

We pray in the name of Christ, through whom you have given yourself to the whole world in incarnation, crucifixion, and resurrection. Amen.

Click here for original website we pulled this from

Robbed of my tithing Tuesday, October 20, 2009

Growing up in church my whole life, tithe is not some foreign word to me. In fact my parents gave us an allowance growing up and split it into 3 piles for us (1 for personal, 1 for the bank, and 1 for church). I used to love taking that little bit of money and stuffing it into the church shaped box in my Sunday school class.

The joy I felt as a kid probably wasn't because my heart was in the right place and I was glad to give my money to God, but because I felt special that I had money to put in that church shaped box. Not the most honorable thing, but the fact that I felt joy at what felt like losing money is something I try to go back to. When I tithe I try to take time to pray over my offering that it will go to things and people of integrity that will help carry out God's plans.

I say all this because I feel the church has moved in some strange directions with tithing. I have been to the stereotypical church that really pressures you to give and you feel like the ushers are starring you down as you pass the plate. I have also been to churches who don't want people to feel any pressure so they hide the offering in a black box back in the corner. I've been to churches that play songs during offering, ones that play videos while the offering is going and also ones that say the announcements while the plates pass.

I am not saying these are necessarily bad ways to do it...maybe it follows the churches style, but I walk away from church feeling robbed of the chance to worship when tithing, a lot. Tithing and giving offerings (which should also include your skills, talents, and time, but that's another blog for another time) should be giving the time, thought, and care that your worship songs, media, and sermon are given. We need to improve on how we take offering instead of blowing by that part of the service as fast as we can. We need to put some thought into it.....

Myth Tuesday, October 13, 2009

Some friends and I were talking one day about our lives growing up. Talking about this adventure and that, as I thought about it, I realized that my memories, the mythologies of my childhood, are probably more vivid than the actual events. Have you ever seen the film "Big Fish"? This idea that things have happened in our lives, and they color our lives one way or another, but how true are these experiences? Does that even matter?

In a way, mythology is truer (more true, whatever...) than history. History is what has happened - what is happening. But myth...

Myth is what we live, that is what we remember, integrate into our lives and believe. Myth isn't necessarily something untrue. Myth starts with history.

As Christ followers, how much of what we believe are these myths? What is made by man? Baptism/communion rituals, worship styles, how we reach out, can we bring coffee into the sanctuary? How we see God in our every day lives? Do we need an hour to pray each day or does the spirit flow freely through us? What is our story? How have these things colored our lives?

And in a way, aren't we glad they did?